Chapter 101: The Status of Women in This Era Is Truly Low

…

“Today, it’s only because I disguised myself as a eunuch that they’d even listen to me—if not, they’d never have paid attention.”

“Women’s status in this era is truly low—even if a man cuts off that part, his status is still far higher than a woman’s.”

As Li Lin was lost in lamentation and despair, Zhao Yu gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder to comfort her.

Looking at Zhao Yu beside her, Li Lin’s heart stirred—“Though many women have already borne Zhao Yu’s children, what if all of them give birth to daughters, while I alone bear him a son? I cannot give up so easily…”

…

The next morning, at court, envoys newly dispatched by the Liao Kingdom requested an audience.

The Liao Kingdom’s envoys this time were Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen.

Xiao Fengxian was the fifth-generation descendant of Northern Court Chancellor Xiao Jixian; historically, he rose to Grand Secretary and was enfeoffed as Prince of Lanling due to his sister Xiao Guiguo’s favor with Emperor Tianzuo, Yelu Yanxi.

When the Jurchens rebelled against Liao, his younger brother Xiao Sixian was defeated in battle; fearing his brother would be executed, Xiao Fengxian falsely reported to court that the defeated general should be pardoned, causing Liao morale to plummet and counties to fall.

As the Liao court faced crisis, loyalty shifted toward Prince Yelu Ao, renowned for his virtue (born to Consort Xiao Seshe); Xiao Fengxian, fearing his nephew Prince Yelu Ding (born to Empress Xiao Guiguo) would not become crown prince, falsely accused Yelu Yudu (Seshe’s brother-in-law) of conspiring with Imperial Son-in-Law Xiao Yu to install Yelu Ao as emperor, resulting in the executions of Xiao Yu, Seshe, and others. Upon hearing this, Yelu Yudu, stationed with the army, fled in terror with over a thousand cavalry to the Jin.

This incident not only shattered Yelu Yanxi’s reputation but also turned Yelu Yudu into the foremost rebel commander against Liao in subsequent wars.

Later, when Yelu Yudu pursued Yelu Yanxi, Xiao Fengxian again slandered him, saying: “Yelu Yudu is of the imperial clan—how could he truly rebel? He merely seeks to install Prince Jin. If Your Majesty executes Prince Jin, Yelu Yudu will cease his pursuit.”

Yelu Yanxi believed him and ordered Yelu Ao’s execution.

Seeing their last hope vanish while the great fool Yelu Yanxi remained unharmed, the Liao people lost all faith in their state and began surrendering en masse to Jin.

Without exaggeration, Xiao Fengxian was Liao’s greatest traitor and one of the causes of its downfall.

Li Chuwen, though recorded in the *History of Liao* as a corrupt official who fawned on Xiao Fengxian, is noted in the *History of Song* and Han sources as having plotted to surrender Beijingcheng—and nearly succeeded—before his plot failed and his entire family was executed. Thus, to the Zhao Song dynasty, he was a man of merit; moreover, during the Northern Liao period, he served as Chancellor and proved himself useful.

Learning these two men had come as envoys and that the Song-Liao disputes could no longer be delayed, Zhao Yu decided to meet Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen.

Notably, Zhao Yu specifically ordered Li Yan and Yang Jian to secretly contact Li Chuwen, attempting to bribe him into becoming a spy.

Zhao Yu received Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen in the Chongzheng Hall.

Upon entering the hall, Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen kowtowed and reported: “Your humble servants pay homage to the Great Song Emperor. Our emperor has sent us to convey this: the border between our Great Liao and Great Song along the Baigou River remains unclear; we have been dispatched to negotiate its demarcation.”

Having finished, Xiao Fengxian presented the Liao imperial letter.

Zhao Yu smiled faintly: “Amid your kingdom’s rebellions among the western tribes, your emperor dares to propose redrawing borders—courageous indeed.”

At these words, Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen tensed instantly.

The Liao had long imposed harsh rule over the northwest tribes—Zubu, Dili, Wugu—demanding tribute and conscription, and reinforcing control through the Northwest Road Pacification Commission and garrisons in Zhenzhou.

These tribes had long resented Liao’s economic exploitation and military conscription.

Coupled with recent severe natural disasters in the northwest, Liao court relief efforts were siphoned away by corrupt officials, leaving no aid to reach the common people, further inflaming tensions.

Several years ago, Liao’s Gold-Wood General Tugusi mistakenly attacked the Zubu tribe under Mogusu, causing heavy casualties—the direct spark for rebellion. Mogusu then killed Tugusi and allied with Wugu Za, Dali Di, Basi Mu, and others to rise against Liao.

For years, rebellions in Liao’s northwest had never ceased, with both sides locked in a grinding stalemate.

This prolonged rebellion had nearly exhausted Liao’s treasury and weakened its control over the northern steppes.

Historically, it was precisely this rebellion that drained Liao’s military and financial strength, creating the opportunity for the Jurchens’ rise in the northeast.

Zhang Chun had long ago informed Zhao Yu of all this.

Zhao Yu had also long sent agents to investigate.

Now, the Zhao Song dynasty held this critical intelligence in full.

Thus, Zhao Yu’s hardline stance—even threatening simultaneous war with Liao and Xia—was fully endorsed.

Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen had not anticipated Zhao Song’s deep knowledge of Liao’s condition.

At this moment, they finally understood why Zhao Song had grown so unyielding—it was because they knew Liao’s secrets.

Seeing their expressions change, Zhao Yu knew he had struck their weakest point.

Zhao Yu added: “I hear your wife, Lady Xing, is beautiful and frequently enters the palace. You instructed her: ‘Never displease the Emperor.’ Thus your power and favor have grown firm—could this be true?”

At these words, Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen were both humiliated and stunned.

In his later years, Yelu Hongji became obsessed with Buddhism, neglected state affairs, and even absurdly appointed officials by dice rolls—becoming the only emperor in Chinese history to select ministers this way.

Yelu Yan won his appointment as Grand Secretary simply by winning a dice game.

Yelu Hongji called him “a sign of a great minister,” revealing how casually he treated official appointments.

After becoming Grand Secretary through luck, Yelu Yan had his young, beautiful wife, Lady Xing, frequently visit the palace to entertain Yelu Hongji, instructing her: “Ensure His Majesty is thoroughly pleased—never anger him.”

Through sending his wife, this lucky man grew ever more favored by Yelu Hongji.

Capable men are cast aside; opportunists rise. How could Liao’s condition be anything but dire?

Moreover, Yelu Hongji waged war while building countless Buddhist temples and lavishly favoring monks, squandering the state’s wealth.

To be honest, had Zhao Song’s condition not mirrored Liao’s, Zhao Yu would have personally led an army to crush this hollow giant and complete the great unification.

Two sentences had exposed Liao’s inner rot, leaving Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen trembling, afraid to speak lest they invite disaster.

This was chiefly because, facing Zhao Yu’s vigorous resolve, they compared him to their own aging, feeble emperor—and silently thought: “Are we really threatening them? What if they truly declare war on us?”

Indeed!

The more one fears something, the more it comes.

Zhao Yu said solemnly: “I too believe the border is unclear and must be redrawn. You two may proceed to the Chancellor’s residence to discuss the details.”

Zhao Yu directly handed Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen over to Zhang Dun.

Zhao Yu’s conduct delighted the iron-fisted Chancellor Zhang Dun, who smiled at the envoys like a wolf eyeing sheep.

Yet some, like the pragmatic Ceng Bu and the conservative Han Zhongyan, worried Zhao Yu’s provocation of Yelu Hongji might plunge Song and Liao into war.

They exchanged a silent glance, then, with perfect understanding, waited until the court session ended before seeking an audience with Zhao Yu.

…

In the Chuigong Hall.

Han Zhongyan and Ceng Bu repeated their old warnings, urging Zhao Yu to remain calm and not be blinded by temporary advantage.

Zhao Yu emphasized: “Our Song’s situation is dire. I truly do not wish for war—but Liao and Xia press us too hard; their states are in such decay—how can I compromise?”

Han Zhongyan and Ceng Bu could understand Zhao Yu.

Liao was now beset by internal and external crises; Yelu Hongji had sunk to such folly—if Song still ceded land and paid tribute, it would be utterly unjustifiable.

Meanwhile, Xia had lost its most vital region: Hengshan.

Hengshan, in northern Shaanxi, was a strategically critical border region between Song and Xia.

Its importance lay in: its rugged terrain and abundant water, making it Xia’s primary grain-supply zone for attacks on Song; its eastern tea mountains and Yalu Mountain, key sources of Xia’s salt and iron; its native Hengshan Qiang, the backbone of Xia’s elite troops, fierce and skilled; its steep, defensible topography, which, after Xia fortified its fortresses, became a barrier to Song’s northern advance and allowed Xia to launch raids at will across the border.

In essence, Hengshan was to Xia what the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were to Liao.

Previously, when Song had lost Hengshan, it was strategically passive, its prefectures threatened, forced to disperse troops for defense—easily picked off one by one by Xia.

More critically, Song’s repeated failures in attacking Xia stemmed from the fact that, upon crossing the border, Song armies entered desert terrain, marching seventy to eighty li before reaching Lingzhou—where there was no water, no grass, no people—and arrived exhausted before even sighting the enemy.

When Xia invaded Song, though they too crossed deserts, they operated within their own territory, always gathering troops and supplies in Hengshan before launching raids on Song’s borders.

Once Xia’s forces entered Song territory, they could live off the land, raiding wherever they pleased.

This was why Song had never reclaimed Xia, was constantly harassed by it, and allowed Xia to grow steadily stronger.

Now that Song had regained Hengshan, it stood on unshakable ground.

Next, Song need only continue its strategy of shallow advances and gradual encroachment into Hengshan—Xia would eventually be reclaimed.

Under these circumstances, it was understandable that even Zhao Yu refused compromise—and that Zhang Dun, the warlike chancellor, sought to seize Xia outright.

But the problem was, Zhao Song was also hollow at its core; if it fought both Liao and Xia simultaneously, it risked annihilation.

Fortunately, Zhao Yu understood Song’s condition—not unwilling to make peace, but unwilling to pay the price for it.

There was still room for negotiation.

After leaving the Chuigong Hall, Han Zhongyan and Ceng Bu conferred briefly, then Ceng Bu personally went to confront Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen to force Liao into compromise.

As Han Zhongyan and Ceng Bu expected, Zhang Dun’s stance was uncompromising.

Zhang Dun declared that the Emperor had already prepared to lead troops personally, suggesting both emperors meet at the border with their armies to negotiate the new boundary.

Zhang Dun further proposed that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun had always been Han territory—why not renegotiate their ownership?

As Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen left Zhang Dun’s office, disheartened and anxious, Ceng Bu approached them.

Xiao Fengxian asked Ceng Bu: “Your Chancellor speaks of war—what is his intent?”

“If our two states cannot accommodate each other, war is inevitable,” Ceng Bu replied. “Your side keeps pressing us—yet you ask why we speak of war? Why?”

“Affairs between two great states must be negotiated,” Li Chuwen said. “Why rush to such extremes?”

“I strive to mediate and ensure peace between our nations,” Ceng Bu said. “But your side has pushed too far. Our Emperor has already amassed a great army in Hebei, ready to lead it personally. If you persist in obstinacy, once the troops move, there will be no room for mediation.”

Xiao Fengxian hurriedly pleaded: “War is a deadly instrument; Heaven abhors it. Who can say when the swords will cease? I beg you, Chancellor Ceng, consider the people of both states and mediate further.”

Seeing Xiao Fengxian’s tone soften, Ceng Bu said: “If you’re eager to settle matters, we can discuss it—but your court must consider how to quell our Emperor’s boundless wrath…”

…

(End of Chapter)