Chapter 27

…

"Servant Gao Qiu?"

After a moment's reflection, Zhao Yu realized that Zhao Ji was still only the Duke of Duan at this time; the Gao Qiu of this era was not the Grand Marshal who had driven so many heroes to Liang Shan as depicted in Water Margin, but merely a drifting, down-on-his-luck young nobleman.

"He likely gained entry to Prince Wang Shen's household after accidentally displaying his superb ball skills, catching Zhao Ji's eye, who was greatly impressed and took him to the Duan Prince's mansion as a servant."

"By now, given his flattery and mastery of amusement, he should have become Zhao Ji's favorite."

Zhao Yu's mind stirred: "Perhaps I can make use of Gao Qiu?"

Thinking thus, Zhao Yu ordered Liang Shicheng to bring Gao Qiu in.

To Zhao Yu's surprise, Gao Qiu did not resemble Wei Zongwan at all—he possessed a strikingly handsome appearance.

Then again, it made sense.

Zhao Ji was an artist; when selecting men, he first judged their looks, even prioritizing appearance above all else. Had Gao Qiu truly looked like Wei Zongwan, he would never have gained Zhao Ji's favor, let alone been promoted all the way to head of the Northern Song's Ministry of Defense.

Yet no matter how handsome Gao Qiu was, it did nothing to lessen Zhao Yu's revulsion toward him.

This was not merely due to the influence of Water Margin.

More importantly, though Gao Qiu was not among the Six Evils, his treachery surpassed theirs.

Most crucially, among the Six Evils, aside from Zhu Mian, the other five had contributed at least something to the Zhao Song dynasty, whereas Gao Qiu was a pure parasite. Moreover, beyond his skill at football, Gao Qiu possessed almost no ability—even less than Zhu Mian, who had turned the southeast upside down.

Historically, after Zhao Ji ascended the throne, Gao Qiu rose rapidly. Though he had no talent for governing or securing the realm, he excelled at forming cliques and colluding with corrupt ministers, plunging the Northern Song bureaucracy into chaos. In military affairs, to please Zhao Ji and enrich himself, he turned hundreds of thousands of imperial guards into laborers, forcing them to construct grand buildings, rendering the army ineffective and drastically weakening its combat power—directly leading to the Jingkang Humiliation.

For such a talentless, treacherous wretch, even if he looked like Wu Yanzu, Zhao Yu felt not the slightest fondness for him.

Then again, if Zhao Yu wished to overthrow Zhao Ji and replace him, Gao Qiu might be a useful entry point.

With this in mind, Zhao Yu smiled at Gao Qiu: "I've heard you're skilled at cuju. Could you instruct me sometime?"

Gao Qiu never expected Zhao Yu had heard his name.

Gao Qiu hurriedly said: "I never imagined my humble name could reach Your Highness's noble ears—I am blessed beyond measure. If Your Highness takes such delight in it, I shall come at once whenever summoned, giving my all to please you."

Gao Qiu's face brimmed with humility and flattery, while his mind raced: "If I can win the favor of Prince Shen, I'll have another powerful ally in this treacherous court—and perhaps even rise swiftly to greater power and wealth."

Gao Qiu also felt a swell of pride: "Who could have imagined that this simple game of cuju could let me navigate among the powerful and accumulate such political capital? The officialdom of Great Song is truly easy to thrive in! Perhaps, with this skill of mine, I'll one day sit in high office, ride fine steeds, achieve success, and enjoy boundless fortune…"

Watching Gao Qiu's beaming smile, Zhao Yu silently shook his head: "A mere sycophant, yet he thrives under Zhao Ji—proof of how deeply corrupt the Northern Song bureaucracy had become under Zhao Ji's rule."

Zhao Yu feigned polite small talk with Gao Qiu, until Gao Qiu said: "My lord has arranged a cuju match with Your Highness and sent me to invite you to his mansion tomorrow at the hour of Si."

So be it—could Zhao Yu possibly fear Zhao Ji?

More importantly, Zhao Yu wanted to lull Zhao Ji into complacency and buy himself more time to develop.

So Zhao Yu accepted the invitation.

Then Zhao Yu glanced at Liang Shicheng and said calmly: "Arrange a meal for Senior Gao, then have him return to report."

Liang Shicheng immediately understood and led Gao Qiu to the gatehouse, chatting warmly with him all the way…

…

During this time, Zhao Ji had repeatedly visited Ci Xiao Degong to seek an audience with Empress Dowager.

But Empress Dowager had truly lost faith in Zhao Ji.

Crucially, now there was Zhao Yu—a son who was filial, politically astute, and obedient—to contrast him.

This made Empress Dowager even less willing to forgive Zhao Ji.

Not only Empress Dowager, but even Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu—who had nearly been granted to Zhao Ji—were now inaccessible to him.

This made Zhao Ji deeply suspicious.

After being turned away repeatedly, Zhao Ji decided to send someone to inquire why Empress Dowager, Zheng Xiansu, and Wang Yisu had taken such a firm stance.

But before Zhao Ji could send anyone, word spread that Zhao Yu intended to marry Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu as his Wang Fei.

This caused a major stir among the imperial clan.

Primarily because most clan members believed Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu's birth was too lowly to match Zhao Yu.

Many also couldn't understand why Zhao Yu would marry Empress Dowager's two maids as Wang Fei—wasn't that lowering his own status?

Fortunately, Zhao Yu had also married Guo Ting, whose lineage and family background were acceptable, as his secondary wife, preventing outright disgrace.

Yet even so, everyone now saw clearly that Zhao Yu and Empress Dowager were tightly bound together.

But no one could understand why—now that Zhao Xu already had a son, and Liu Qingjing was clearly poised to defeat Empress Dowager and become the most powerful woman in the Zhao Song dynasty, meaning Empress Dowager would likely fall from power—Zhao Yu chose to cling to this cold stove. Why?

Compared to Zhao Yu, Zhao Ji was far smarter.

Before Zhao Xu had a son, Zhao Ji had been very close to Empress Dowager.

But after Zhao Xu had a son, Zhao Ji began frequently visiting Zhao Xu and Liu Qingjing.

Notably, Empress Dowager refused to see Zhao Ji precisely because he was two-faced, unlike Zhao Yu, whose political stance was firm.

In truth, Zhao Ji himself was suffering.

He wasn't unwilling to visit Empress Dowager—he simply couldn't get in. What could he do?

In fact, Zhao Ji's plan was to cultivate ties with both Empress Dowager and Liu Qingjing, avoiding offending either side.

But Empress Dowager had acted too harshly: because he chose self-preservation in Fu Ning Palace, she had given Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu to Zhao Yu instead.

Although Empress Dowager had never explicitly promised Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu to Zhao Ji, everyone could see she intended to.

Zhao Ji had eagerly looked forward to gaining the beautiful and intelligent Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu.

Yet in the end, the duck had flown from the pot.

Worse, Zhao Yu intended to marry Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu as Wang Fei, while Zhao Ji only wanted them as concubines—he had no grounds to compete with Zhao Yu, and could never win.

More crucially, Zhao Ji had no betrothal or even promise with Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu, whereas Zhao Yu had already established a clear marriage agreement with them. If Zhao Ji now tried to compete, the world would laugh at him for stealing his brother's wife and blocking Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu from rising to higher status—unbecoming of a gentleman.

Zhao Ji had been thoroughly and silently cheated.

Even a clay figure has three parts of earth's stubbornness.

Especially when Zhao Ji was a noble prince.

Moreover, Zhao Mao's birth caused Zhao Ji to lose interest in competing for the imperial throne.

Of course, this does not mean Zhao Ji did not wish to become emperor, but with Zhao Mao present, he had no chance whatsoever.

Zhao Ji even heard from Zhao Xu's close confidants that Liu Qingjing was persuading Zhao Xu to name Zhao Mao as Crown Prince, permanently settling the succession and quelling the ambitions of other imperial clan members, and Zhao Xu was quite swayed.

Thus, Zhao Ji simply began suppressing his own ambitions, seeking to preserve himself.

But for some reason, Zhao Ji always felt that Zhao Yu's recent unusual behavior was not so simple.

That was why Zhao Ji organized this cuju match—to see what Zhao Yu was up to…

……

(End of Chapter)