Chapter 158: Zhao Yu Assassination Attempt

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Li Gang and Yuwen Huangzhong headed west together.

When they reached the Western Capital Luoyang, they met Zhao Ding, a candidate from Wenxi County, Jiezhou.

Zhao Ding's father passed away when he was four; raised by his mother, Lady Fan, he became broadly versed in the classics, histories, and the writings of the hundred schools. His aspirations were lofty, his heart held the world, his bearing was extraordinary, and in his speech he already showed the makings of an outstanding politician.

Li Gang and Yuwen Huangzhong took to Zhao Ding at first sight, and the three talked with great pleasure. They then decided to travel together to Dongjing Bianliang to sit this year's imperial examination.

When the three reached Chenqiao Relay, they learned that Zhao Yu had specially decreed that all unused relay stations be opened to candidates coming to the capital for the exam, so that they might rest there.

Since its founding, the Zhao Song dynasty had always maintained very active foreign relations, and envoys from various countries came to the Zhao Song court often and in great numbers.

In receiving these envoys, the Zhao Song dynasty broadly followed a system of one country, one hostel.

For example, envoys from Liao were all received at Duting Relay; Western Xia envoys, generally at Duting West Relay or Laiyuan Relay; Goryeo envoys, at the Tongwen Hall in the outer city; envoys from Nanfan, Jiaozhou, Xifan, Dashi, Kucha, and others were all received at Huaiyuan Relay; while envoys from Qingtang Tubo and the Tanguts were received at the Libin Court.

—The Zhao Song dynasty arranged the envoys' lodgings on the principle of one hostel per country; on the one hand this reflected popular respect for guests, and on the other it served the needs of security and confidentiality.

As for the relay hostel located at Chenqiao Relay on the northern outskirts of Dongjing Bianliang, it was called "Banjing Hall."

Chenqiao Relay was the very small town where Zhao Kuangyin had been draped in the yellow robe, about forty li from Jingcheng.

The allusion of "Banjing" comes from the Zuo Zhuan. In the Spring and Autumn period, Physician Wu Ju of Chu (that is, Wu Zixu's grandfather) and Physician Sheng Zi of Cai were good friends. Later, because his father-in-law had committed an offense, Wu Ju fled to Zheng and prepared to seek refuge in Jin. On the outskirts of the Zheng capital, he ran into Sheng Zi by chance. The two then broke some brambles by the road, spread them on the ground, sat facing each other, and talked as they ate. "Banjing" later became a byword for friends meeting without ceremony and sitting together to pour out their feelings.

Though Banjing Hall was set in the suburbs, its buildings, food and lodging, and service were little different from those of other relay hostels in Jingcheng—green bricks, blue tiles, carved beams, painted rafters, pavilions and towers, a sight too rich to take in.

That Zhao Yu opened such a place to candidates coming to the capital for the exam shows his regard and solicitude for talent.

In Zhao Ding's own words: "Truly a benevolent act of a sage ruler, more than enough to show Your Majesty's heart that thirsts for the worthy!"

Stepping into Banjing Hall, the three men of Li Gang discovered that the layout was arranged in pleasing disorder, shaded by green trees, fragrant with flowers, like a paradise far from the dust of the world.

They were shown to a quiet, elegant guest room, simply yet tastefully furnished, with carefully trimmed garden scenery outside the window, refreshing to body and mind.

Sharing their quarters were also Imperial College student Li Guang and his close friend, Qingzhou candidate Qiu Yu, who had come specially to meet him.

The five sat facing one another, sipping tea and discoursing on the Way. Speaking of their aims in this examination, all were in high spirits, full of grand ambitions, vowing to display their talents in the exam and serve the country.

As night fell, Banjing Hall blazed with lamps. Candidates from all quarters sat in twos and threes, or alone, gathered where the lights were dim; some chanted softly, some talked loudly, and the air was thick with a strong cultural atmosphere, political ambition, and boundless longing for the future.

Li Gang and his four companions joined in as well, exchanging their political views and opinions on current affairs with talents from every direction.

During this time there were also disputes—indeed, quarrels—between the New and Old Parties.

But since ascending the throne, Zhao Yu had been guiding matters so that the New and Old Parties, within the framework of laws and rules, would exchange views and discuss policy in a peaceful and rational way, taking the interests of the country and the people as their starting point. Whoever went to extremes—whoever, regardless of right or wrong, black or white, set aside the nation's interests and devoted himself wholly to factional fighting, fighting for the sake of fighting—would be eliminated and never again employed.

Moreover, in this examination the New Learning and the Confucian Learning were given equal weight, so that extremists of either the New or the Old Party could not possibly pass. This forced them either to change their thinking and study the other's classics, even to embrace the other side outright, or else to give up on becoming officials and remain forever downcast and unsuccessful, wandering idly like clouds and wild cranes.

In such a political environment, the contradictions between the New and Old Parties eased considerably among the new generation of officials; one might even say those contradictions began to crumble, or at least the two sides temporarily set aside their differences.

At dawn the next morning, the five walked out of Banjing Hall together, faced the rising sun, and set off on the last leg of their journey to Dongjing Bianliang.

What they saw along the way will be passed over without mention.

Suffice it to say that by the time the five reached Dongjing Bianliang, the sky had already gone dark.

It happened to be the Lantern Festival.

One could see that Dongjing Bianliang was hung with lanterns and bunting, bursting with festive air; on every main road of the capital, seas of people pressed together, singing and dancing—a scene of harmony, plenty, and happiness.

The annual Lantern Festival viewing was always one of the grandest events in Dongjing Bianliang, and the Emperor would ascend the Xuande Tower to share the joy with the people.

As early as the sixth month of the first year of the Chunhua era of Songtai Sect, the Song Chaoting ordered the suspension of the Mid-Yuan and Lower-Yuan lantern displays, concentrating its efforts on putting on a fine Upper-Yuan lantern display.

Thus the Upper-Yuan lantern display grew even larger in scale, to be held for five days in a row.

The "Upper-Yuan Five-Night Lantern" had long since become a fixed institution of the Zhao Song dynasty, and the Upper-Yuan lantern display had become one of Dongjing Bianliang's signature grand festivals.

This powerfully promoted the development of the Upper-Yuan Lantern Festival.

Every Upper-Yuan festival, lanterns and bunting decked the great streets and small lanes of Dongjing Bianliang; along the Imperial Front Avenue, the lantern market stretched for several tens of li. Citizens poured into the streets and gathered at the square before Xuande Tower, a sea of people in a tremendous uproar.

Moved by the scene, even Wang Anshi could not contain his inner excitement and described it in verse: "Carts and horses throng by day as one, ten thousand households' lamps warm the spring breeze."

By Zhao Yu's reign, one would have thought he would carry on this style—say, by following the historical Zhao Ji and making the Upper-Yuan lantern display even more magnificent, spectacular, and brilliant, a scene without precedent.

But to everyone's great surprise, Zhao Yu had actually cut the lantern display's budget down to one-tenth of what it had been in Emperor Shenzong's reign and Zhao Xu's reign.

In Emperor Shenzong's reign and Zhao Xu's reign, they would often begin erecting frames and building mountain pavilions as early as the tenth month, only finishing completely by the fourteenth of the first month; the colored silks expended were counted in tens of thousands. After the festival ended, these things were all bestowed by the Emperor upon the palace attendants, who took them to exchange for money.

But by Zhao Yu's reign, because nine-tenths of the lantern budget had been cut, these things were no longer bestowed on the palace attendants; instead they were refurbished and reused. At the same time, the frames were no longer rebuilt months in advance at great expense of money and labor—instead, half a month ahead they would simply repair last year's mountain pavilions and keep using them, and only those that were truly rotten and unusable were rebuilt.

In short, in Zhao Yu's reign, on such matters of show, he saved wherever he could.

A lantern display done this way certainly could not compare with those of the past, let alone with the lantern displays of the historical Zhao Ji's time.

But then again, thanks to the solid foundation laid by previous reigns, even with such extreme thrift in Zhao Yu's reign, it was still possible to scatter lanterns around the East Hua Gate, the Left and Right Side Gates, the East and West Corner Towers, the city-gate avenues, the great Taoist abbeys and Buddhist temples, and other places around the Imperial City, with the battlements of the Imperial City also covered in them.

In any case, people coming from outside could not tell the difference at all.

Yuwen Huangzhong, Zhao Ding, and the others who had never been to the capital were stunned by the prosperity of Dongjing Bianliang and the bustle of the Lantern Festival.

What Li Gang had not expected was that Bianliang not only had wooden bicycles, but also a new type of rickshaw.

This rickshaw had a wooden frame structure—exquisite, sturdy, and plain. A black cloth canopy was propped high, able to shade from sun and keep off rain. The seat was a thick, soft cushion covered with a blue cloth pad, the backrest tilted slightly backward, certainly very comfortable to sit in. The two wooden wheels were polished to a shine, some even wrapped in animal-felt. The driver stood by the handlebar with both hands resting on it; the copper bell on the handlebar, occasionally stirred by the wind, gave out a clear, crisp sound that drew glances from passersby.

Li Gang asked Li Guang, "What is this vehicle?"

"This is a huangbaoche, also made by Consort Ma," Li Guang answered. "But why it's called a huangbaoche, no one can say clearly."

Hearing that the huangbaoche was also invented by Ma Xiao Jiao, Li Gang asked no more—Ma Xiao Jiao had already created far, far too many things that could change the lives of the people of this era.

Li Gang and the others did not ask, but Li Guang took the initiative to tell them about some of Ma Xiao Jiao's inventions unique to Dongjing Bianliang (or rather, not yet spread abroad)—such as the solar water heater, the solar cooker, the thousand-li mirror, the loudspeaker, and the earth telephone that transmitted clearly, over long distances, and allowed two-way conversation…

This made Li Gang and the others admire Ma Xiao Jiao's ability to invent and create all the more.

Going deeper into Bianliang, the five men of Li Gang were even more awed by its prosperity. Within the city, towers and pavilions rose in profusion, lamps blazed, traffic bustled, voices rose in a din—a magnificent picture of a golden age.

Li Guang said to Li Gang and the others, "His Majesty will ascend Xuande Tower tonight to share the joy with the people. Why don't you few go and have a look?"

Yuwen Huangzhong said, "How could we miss such a golden age?"

Qiu Yu did not much care for crowds, so he said, "I'll go to the Gaosheng Inn on Panlou Street and book rooms for you few, so we have a place to stay. You all go and enjoy yourselves."

Li Gang and the others were all gentlemen—how could they force a man against his will?

So they handed over their attendants, horses, wooden bicycles, and luggage to Qiu Yu, then each called a huangbaoche and set off for the front of Xuande Tower.

The Ao Mountain pavilion opposite the Imperial Palace's Xuande Tower was the tallest, most opulent, and most spectacular of all pavilions. It was adorned with colorful lanterns shaped like mountain towers and terraces, while the Imperial Music Bureau displayed a hundred spectacles, making it the most bustling and vibrant spot on the Lantern Festival night.

Li Gang and others arrived here, joining the crowd as they waited for Zhao Yu to ascend the Xuande Tower to view the lanterns.

While waiting for Zhao Yu to ascend, Li Gang and others heard that Zhao Yu had cut the budget for the lantern exhibition to one-tenth of its original amount; many ignorant people complained that, had it not been for this, this year's lantern show would not have been so vastly inferior to those of the previous dynasty.

Li Gang and others sighed: "Since His Majesty's ascension, he has championed frugality, lightened corvée and taxes—truly a blessing to the people."

Zhao Ding also nodded in agreement: "This is an omen of a golden age; we must devote ourselves wholeheartedly to assisting His Majesty in building a great enterprise."

Just as Li Gang and others were immersed in admiration of Zhao Yu's wise actions, a grand musical sound suddenly erupted from the Xuande Tower.

The crowd instantly fell silent, all craning their necks in anticipation.

There, Zhao Yu, dressed in splendid robes, was slowly ascending the Xuande Tower surrounded by a retinue of attendants. He smiled and waved to the people below.

Seeing this, the people erupted in cheers, shouting "Ten Thousand Years!" in waves so loud they deafened the ears.

Zheng Xiansu followed closely behind Zhao Yu, her posture dignified, her phoenix crown and cloud-patterned robe gleaming brilliantly under the lantern light.

Once both had taken their positions, the hundred spectacles on the square before the tower began. Acrobats leapt and tumbled through the air with agile grace; the lion dance troupe moved with lifelike vigor, drawing continuous applause; and young women danced with long sleeves, their figures graceful and entrancing.

Li Gang and others, swept up by the festive scene, joined in singing and dancing, laughing and playing.

Soon, a sudden commotion stirred through the crowd.

Li Gang turned back and saw, just over ten meters away, an abrupt scene unfolding that left all passersby too stunned to react.

The square was already packed shoulder to shoulder, noise roaring everywhere; many held lanterns in wild celebration, and far off, the golden dragon danced toward them amid thunderous gongs and drums.

Under such conditions, ordinary sounds could hardly draw attention.

Yet the sound that suddenly rang out was not noise—it was a piercing shriek.

It was a cry of "Ah—," the death scream of a dying man, tearing through the din.

As Li Gang turned his head, he saw, amid countless lanterns, a flash of cold metal slicing through the air; blood sprayed high above the heads of the crowd, and a severed arm shot upward.

In that instant, the chaotic tide mixed those who understood with those who did not, those who reacted with those who did not.

"Ah—!"

Ding ding ding~ ding—

Shouts, screams, and the clash of blades surged outward in waves, as if countless figures with red headbands were slaughtering indiscriminately to create chaos, all rushing toward the Xuande Tower.

Before Li Gang and others could comprehend what was happening, they were swept aside by the surging crowd like a tidal wave.

Just over ten meters away, the cries of battle grew louder, the blood spattered thicker, and then countless figures shouted as they surged forward, reaching within two hundred steps of the Xuande Tower.

The shouts exploded in the night; the sounds of killing intensified ten meters away—some screamed "Ah—!" in frenzy; the atmosphere burned fierce and deadly, like two armies clashing on a battlefield. The lanterns hanging above were already dense, the sky above the streets like a spiderweb; lanterns occasionally burst, or entire ropes with lanterns crashed down; people were hacked into the air, limbs severed, their wounds howled in agony, others had their heads cleanly severed.

People trampled one another; the dead and wounded were countless.

By regulation, when the Son of Heaven ascends the tower to view lanterns, the Prefect of Kaifeng must station guards below to ensure the Emperor's safety.

Yet for some reason, no guards seemed to have been stationed beneath the Xuande Tower today.

At this moment, only a few hundred Imperial Dragon Guards and Archers were capable fighters beside Zhao Yu; everyone else were either his concubines, palace maids, or eunuchs—all non-combatants.

Moreover, Zhao Yu and his concubines sat upon the Xuande Tower, where outside the windows lay ten thousand lanterns and a thronging crowd; behind thick curtains, the people below could not see Zhao Yu inside the tower.

Yet these assassins seemed certain Zhao Yu was on the Xuande Tower; they slaughtered civilians to create chaos, then marched straight toward the tower.

Seeing this, Huang Jingchen grew frantic and urged Zhao Yu: "Your Majesty, retreat to the palace at once!"

Li Yan, Yang Jian, and others also urged Zhao Yu to flee back to the palace immediately.

Even Zheng Xiansu gripped Zhao Yu's arm tightly, unusually tense.

As for Zhao Yu's concubines and maids, they were even worse—huddled together, trembling violently.

At that moment, someone contradicted them all: "Your Majesty, do not act rashly…"

…

(End of Chapter)