Chapter 281: Liao Has Sent Zhao Yu More Beauties Again

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Duotingyi was located in the most bustling part of Dongjing Bianliang, serving as the largest, best-equipped, and highest-standard state guesthouse of the Songwangchao Sect, primarily used to receive Liao envoys. This was not only because, for a long time prior, the Liao had been the most powerful neighboring state to the Songwangchao Sect, but also because Liao delegations were enormous—once numbering over six hundred people.

The Jin envoys this time were lodged in Tongwenguan, which the Songwangchao Sect had originally built to host Goryeo envoys.

The Songwangchao Sect, especially since Zhao Yu became Emperor, had been highly active in foreign relations, receiving numerous and frequent envoys from various states.

In terms of reception, the Songwangchao Sect generally followed a "one state, one guesthouse" system: Liao envoys were housed at Duotingyi; Western Xia envoys at Duoting Xiyi or Laiyuanyi; Goryeo envoys at Tongwenguan in the outer city; envoys from Nanfan, Jiaozhou, Xifan, Dashi, and Qiuzi at Huaiyuanyi; and Qingtang Tubo and Tangxi envoys at Libinyuan…

This time, the Jin envoys were placed in Tongwenguan because, prior to this, Jin had been merely a small tribe with no prior contact with the Songwangchao Sect, so they were temporarily assigned to Tongwenguan—the same guesthouse once used by Goryeo envoys from the northeast.

—This was mainly because, at the time, the Songwangchao Sect had not yet decided how to deal with Jin, so they publicly claimed the Jin envoys were Goryeo envoys, to prevent Liao spies from discovering the possible alliance between Song and Jin to destroy Liao.

The current ruler of Goryeo is King Wuyu, whose name contains the character "Yu" as well.

This could be considered fate.

Moreover, with Liao weakened and Song strengthened, Goryeo had always preferred to serve the stronger power, recognizing whoever was dominant as their suzerain.

This led to the highest level of exchanges between Goryeo and the Songwangchao Sect in recent years.

From Hongwu Eighth Year to the present Hongwu Twelfth Year, King Wuyu sent six embassies to the Songwangchao Sect—an average of 1.5 per year—so claiming the Jin envoys were Goryeo envoys would not raise suspicion.

However, this was only the previous arrangement; next time the Jin envoys come, the Songwangchao Sect will assign them to Duoting Xiyi or Laiyuanyi, since Western Xia has already been destroyed and these two guesthouses are no longer needed.

In short, the Songwangchao Sect assigned lodging according to the "one guesthouse per state" principle, both to show popular respect and to meet security and confidentiality needs.

This time, the Liao sent envoys Xiao Delidi and Han Fang.

Xiao Delidi was the brother of Empress Xiao Duoli Lan; he entered the power core through his status as imperial relative and had risen to the position of Northern Court Privy Councilor, one of Liao's most important ministers.

Yelu Yanxi's decision to send Xiao Delidi clearly showed he was terrified of Zhao Yu and even more afraid that Zhao Yu would support Jin, so he dispatched a senior minister hoping to change Zhao Yu's mind.

Han Fang, styled Gongmei, was from Yanjing; his ancestors had served Liao for generations in high office, and he was this year's Liao imperial examination top scorer.

Xiao Delidi and Han Fang brought ten carts of gifts and one hundred noble Liao maidens to Zhao Yu.

Clearly, Liao's generosity far exceeded Jin's, and they clearly understood better how to interact with the Songwangchao Sect—especially with Zhao Yu.

Moreover, upon arriving in the Songwangchao Sect, Xiao Delidi and Han Fang immediately entered their "gift-giving mode."

Their first recipients were the four Khitan princesses (including Empress Yelu Nanxian of Western Xia).

They also sent gifts to Xiao Sese and Yelu Yuliyan, treating the mother-daughter pair as no stain on Liao.

Beyond them, every Liao woman who had married into Zhao Yu's harem received gifts.

Moreover, the Liao side clearly knew that Cai Jing, Liang Shicheng, and others were Zhao Yu's key ministers and favorites, so they sent gifts to each of them as well.

Of course, fearing Zhao Yu's displeasure or that Cai Jing and Liang Shicheng might refuse, the Liao sent them gifts that were both pleasing and justifiable—so much so that Cai Jing and Liang Shicheng even dared report them to Zhao Yu.

Through these maneuvers, Xiao Delidi and Han Fang quickly learned that the Jin envoys had already visited, that Zhao Yu had formally enfeoffed Wanyan Aguda as Great Saint Emperor, and that Song had already dispatched envoys to Jin to negotiate details of their relationship.

What did the Songwangchao Sect mean by this? Was it planning to ally with Jin and jointly destroy Liao?

To be honest, although Jin's momentum was fierce—having repeatedly defeated Liao and seized its Eastern Capital—in Liao's eyes, this was merely a regional rebellion, similar to past uprisings by the Zubu tribes in Liao's northwestern frontier.

—Zubu was a general term used during the Liao era for Mongolic-speaking tribes of Mobei, including Turkic tribes such as the Naiman.

The Zubu rebellions occurred twice.

Both were crushed by Liao.

Although this Jurchen rebellion was somewhat larger in scale than the two Zubu uprisings, most Liao people still optimistically believed they could crush it, just as they had crushed the Zubu rebellions.

But this assumed one condition: that powerful Songwangchao Sect would not ally with Jin to attack Liao together.

Otherwise, if Liao could not even defeat Song, how could it possibly withstand an additional warlike Jin?

Han Fang immediately realized the situation was dire: if Jin succeeded in securing Song as a powerful ally, Liao would surely perish.

Even the stubborn Xiao Delidi grew deeply anxious, knowing that one misstep could plunge Liao into irrecoverable ruin.

After much hesitation, Xiao Delidi decided to personally meet one person.

That person was Zhao Yu's consort Xiao Xiao Puxian Nv.

In truth, Liao knew absolutely nothing about Song's contact with Jin.

Liao's intelligence was so incompetent that Zhao Yu felt embarrassed for them.

Unable to compromise his own strategic plan, Zhao Yu could only have Xiao Puxiannü send word to Liao, informing them that Jin had dispatched envoys to Song seeking enfeoffment and alliance.

Only then did Liao belatedly send envoys to Song to prevent the Song-Jin alliance.

Because Xiao Xiao Puxian Nv had warned Liao, because she was Zhao Yu's consort and the most accomplished Liao woman in Song, because she was the leader of all Liao women in the harem, and crucially, because she had borne Zhao Yu three sons and actively assisted him in state affairs—knowing more than others—Liao regarded Xiao Xiao Puxian Nv as their greatest asset in Song and as their highest-ranking "spy" within Song.

Now, realizing the gravity of the situation, Xiao Delidi decided to send word back to Yelu Yanxi to explain the seriousness of the crisis, while also deciding to personally meet Xiao Puxiannü to ask if she had any strategy to save Liao.

So Xiao Delidi had the newly arrived Liao maidens deliver a message to Xiao Puxiannü, saying he wished to meet her and asking if she could think of a solution.

Xiao Puxiannü arranged to meet Xiao Delidi that evening at Fanlou the next day.

Duotingyi stood before the imperial avenue in the bustling district; each night, the brilliantly lit Fanlou could be seen from within the guesthouse.