[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-223":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Shao Song",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1558389,2024,"Chapter 223: Returning Home","shao-song-chapter-223",223,"\u003Cp>In late February, as Loushi entered Yanjing on a single horse, it catalyzed the three-way struggle for supremacy that was already on the verge of resolution. In the end, Wanyan Zonghan, the Grand Marshal whom the Song called \"Chancellor,\" successfully orchestrated a coup drama by relying on his formidable strength and political maneuvering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this affair, Zonghan's authority grew daily, while the prestige of the reigning monarch Wuqimai's faction plummeted. At the same time, several of Aguda's own sons, who had always been unruly, were reduced to the position of Zonghan's appendages in a daze... Whether it was Wuqimai's faction, the other nobles in Yanjing, or the West Route Army officers who belonged to Aguda's direct line, it was hard for them to imagine that the \"princes\" whom Zonghan had led by the hand were his equal allies rather than his dependents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when everyone thought so, you were no longer one either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, the next day, Wuqimai's sons, having come to their senses, clashed with their cousins on multiple occasions, and Aguda's sons all fought back resolutely... Otherwise, what else was there to do? Explain?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, figures like Talan, who had been \"forcibly\" roused by Yinshu during the night and were the monarch's other trusted confidants, actually received forgiveness from Wuqimai and his sons. Talan in particular, as the first minister to voluntarily enter the palace to confess his guilt afterward, was said to have clasped hands and wept with the old brothers Wuqimai... Whether it was true or not was unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, amid the chaos of that night, aside from Zonghan being the undisputed victor, it was hard to say who the real loser was, especially since this was originally an interesting game of ranking among three factions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving aside the two days of chaos, at the end of February, Wanyan Loushi once again presented a battle plan to Zonghan, who had now fully grasped political power in Yanjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But things were not that simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plan was proposed again, and Zonghan and the monarch Wuqimai agreed in principle with Loushi's warnings. However, when it came to the specific military planning stage, Loushi encountered some difficulties that were unexpected yet reasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, as soon as Loushi's military plan was laid out, someone soon questioned: since the two routes were to be combined, why not cross the river from the Jingdong region under the cover of the puppet Qi, drive straight through the two Huai regions in one go, and then turn around to sweep the Central Plains?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then someone else questioned: the Guanzhong region had countless ravines and plateaus, and the terrain was completely unsuitable for cavalry field battles—why advance from Shaanxi? Why not replicate the Jingkang Incident, find an opportunity to cross the river, directly sweep the Central Plains with iron cavalry, and besiege the enemy to strike at their reinforcements? After all, although the Song navy had won a great victory, it was not large in number and could hardly cover the entire Yellow River.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, someone proposed: it was already the end of February; even if mobilization for battle was swift, summer would soon arrive. The Jurchen cavalry did not fear hard fighting but dreaded summer heat. Instead of a decisive battle in summer, why not wait a few months until autumn to fight?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Loushi patiently explained, discussing geography, terrain, popular sentiment, and military deployments. But as these people's arguments grew increasingly absurd, he gradually came to realize... combining forces was possible, but the decades-long rift between the East and West Route Armies had already formed in practice. Expecting everyone to set aside factional interests was a pipe dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talk of going to the two Huai, of the plains, of waiting until autumn—all nonsense. It was simply that the East Route Army was unwilling to pull chestnuts out of the fire for the West Route Army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did these people not know that Guanzhong was the true strategic stronghold? What the hell was the two Huai? Did they not know that the Huai River's water network was a cavalry death trap?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the plains, the Zhao Song had two hundred thousand Imperial Guard troops in the Central Plains, fully equipped with both land and naval forces, with the entire nation's military might arrayed there. What plains? As if the cavalry couldn't charge on the Guanzhong plateaus!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, he had already stated outright: he, Wanyan Loushi, was about to die. He was afraid he wouldn't last until autumn, which was why he had come here. Didn't these people know? Why not say next year?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at this very moment, Zonghan, perhaps because he had just \"subdued\" Aguda's direct line politically and didn't want to pressure the East Route Army, which was the foundation of Aguda's direct line, too heavily; or perhaps because he had just achieved such a major political victory and didn't want to engage in large-scale military gambling... remained ambiguous for a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then again, how could Loushi possibly give up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His physical condition was right there. This was his only chance... If he succeeded, he could leave his son a lifetime of merit, secure Guanzhong—a nearly perfect territory—for the West Route Army, and boost the Jin state's fortunes by a third... For public and private reasons, and given his own character, how could he give up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, to avoid wasting time, after a brief deliberation, Loushi formally proposed that the eldest prince, Wanyan Woben, or the third prince, Wanyan Eliduo, serve as the supreme commander. Even the specific troops could be divided between east and west, as long as they ensured a timely rendezvous and let him command during the final decisive battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as this proposal was made, resistance immediately diminished by more than half. And Zonghan, after much deliberation, ultimately decided to trust this great general under his command who had never let him down—as long as Loushi won on the front lines, his own position in the rear would be even more secure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, once the highest power center of the Jin state had finished its negotiations, it finally began to prepare for a forced military campaign according to Loushi's plan, while simultaneously setting various chaotic affairs in motion to coordinate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving aside what those chaotic affairs were, one undeniable fact must be acknowledged: although the Jin's internal political structure was so chaotic that even they themselves couldn't bear to look at it, and although their culture was so backward that a cultural generation gap had emerged among the upper echelons in just twenty years, their military system still maintained very high efficiency, and their military technology was in no way inferior to any other state in the world at the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not sophistry; it was fact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the Turks to the Khitans, from the Khitans to the Jurchens, and later the Mongols, including the half-Turkic, half-Mongol Timur and so on, time and again, they continuously demonstrated this indisputable fact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of geopolitical hammer force was inherently like this. They bordered powerful and prosperous civilizations, but due to survival needs, they had to focus their main energy on learning and improving military capabilities, to the point of abandoning all other branches. And once they acquired sufficient military technology and accumulated enough war potential, they would smash from the wilderness into the highlands of civilization like a hammer! Then, easily exploiting the toughness and cruelty born of their hardscrabble lives, along with this high level of military strength, they would destroy the advanced civilizations standing in their way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But without exception, in the process of destroying advanced civilizations, they would themselves be corroded and controlled by everything those civilizations had to offer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Corrosion\" might be somewhat inaccurate, because there was only this one path, like water flowing downhill—it was fundamentally a kind of law. It was just that this process often seemed more intense because it was accompanied by violent military conquest... Many civilizations could endure poverty, hunger, and suffocating military pressure, but they simply couldn't withstand this kind of splendor and refinement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, nine times out of ten, they would simply explode and perish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The few that managed to survive couldn't even clearly say which family or lineage they belonged to anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, all of this was later talk. Returning to the present, just as the Jurchens were finally overcoming various disadvantages and resolving to launch a major invasion against Guanzhong, the southern Bianliang was growing increasingly hot and restless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the third month of spring, it was naturally growing hotter, but what was even more restless was the human heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearly a month had passed since the Zhao Emperor's latest \"triumphant return to Dongjing,\" and although this Song-Jin confrontation was somewhat less thrilling than the last, it was unquestionably the best situation since the Jingkang Incident. The Jin had achieved no progress at all; they had been pinned down at Tong Pass and forced to abandon their invasion plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was discussing, everyone was speculating, and gradually more and more people came to accept a certain view: thanks to the Emperor, who was hailed as \"the Chong'er of the age, the Guangwu reborn,\" the Great Song no longer had to fear national extinction. At the very least, they could fall back to the Yellow River line and plan slowly, act leisurely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, the area south of the Yellow River was safe, and Dongjing City was safe!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Driven by this trend of thought, more and more wealthy families and great households returned from Yangzhou, Nanyang, and even Bashu. More and more merchants gathered from the south. More and more local high officials eagerly sought to display their presence in Dongjing through various means.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Zhao Emperor, whom Hu Quan had praised as \"the Chong'er of the age, the Guangwu reborn\" based on the memorial of encouragement at his accession, after a month of seeing no activity from the Jin and with summer approaching, could not help but gradually develop a sense of ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the interesting thing was that this sense of ease, in the Zhao Emperor's case, manifested as him increasingly meddling in daily government affairs... This was a natural trend and behavior for a young emperor in peacetime. Therefore, although the councilors felt the Emperor was a bit hasty, they tried their best to cooperate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rebuilding the Bian River bridges... that's natural. Having a few pontoon bridges there is inconvenient for both land and water traffic. But can we build the bridges higher?\" In the Wende Hall of the Dongjing Imperial Palace, after the councilors had finished discussing major matters, Zhao Jiu, who had come specifically to discuss several memorials, picked up the top one and addressed Chen Gui, one of the four councilors, with a serious expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I venture to guess that Your Majesty's intention is to build several large bridges over the Bian River that can accommodate steamships, to facilitate future naval passage?\" Chen Gui showed no surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Correct.\" Zhao Jiu immediately nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It cannot be done,\" Chen Gui replied frankly. \"With such a high arch, I don't know how long the bridges would have to be, and there are four or five of them... With this amount of manpower and resources, it would be more economical to dig a new canal north of the city specifically for military use.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I understand.\" Zhao Jiu was embarrassed for a moment, then quickly recovered. \"There's another matter. It's said that many households returning to the capital have found their residences damaged or occupied by others... Many people have come to tell me about this, and I hope the Kaifeng Prefecture can handle it properly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Gui grew even more helpless: \"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be handled properly... Since the Jingkang Incident, four consecutive years of war, and only last year did Dongjing gradually stabilize. Damaged residences are one thing—there are plenty of empty houses in Dongjing, so appropriate arrangements can be made. But cases of occupied residences are difficult, because while the occupation is real, those who occupied the residences mostly had permission from the Dongjing Defense Command or the later court. How can it be handled properly?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, the other councilors and high officials standing in the hall fell silent... After all, first, there was a legal dilemma—it was a complete mess. Second, those who had residences in Dongjing in the past and now had the energy to specifically demand them back were either nobles, ministers, or wealthy magnates. And the fact that they could find the Zhao Emperor to speak about it needed no further explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Minister Chen misunderstands,\" Zhao Jiu said, seeing Chen Gui's flustered state, and quickly spoke seriously. \"By 'handle properly,' I mean put public before private, the many before the few, the poor before the rich... If public matters like city defenses, military camps, or government offices have taken over, prioritize the public matters. If there's a dispute between a large family and a small one, prioritize the larger family's housing. If it's truly hard to decide, compare the wealth of the two families and prioritize providing housing for the poorer one... This is not only my intention but also the intention of the two Imperial Consorts. You may proceed according to these rules. If anyone still refuses to accept, let them beat the complaint drum and come directly to me and the two Imperial Consorts to discuss.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Gui was greatly relieved, and the other high officials exchanged glances in silence... Because this kind of approach was very much in the Emperor's style.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There is one more matter.\" Zhao Jiu opened the third memorial and continued, \"Someone in Yangzhou has suggested that the Empress Dowager and the imperial clan should be brought back to the capital. I believe Dongjing is not yet secure, so it cannot be done for now... What do you all think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Zhao Emperor had already spoken, who could think otherwise? Wasn't Dongjing already lively enough these days? If the Empress Dowager and the imperial clan really returned, where would they be housed, how would they be arranged, what ceremonies would be needed... all a mess of trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This matter was brought up in the court only because it involved the Empress Dowager and a procedural step had to be taken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One last matter. The Prefect of Jiangzhou, Han Xiaozhou, has submitted a memorial about two things. You gentlemen should all know about it by now, right?\" Zhao Jiu opened the last memorial, his tone softening slightly. \"What do you all think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wende Hall fell into solemn silence, because everyone knew this was the real meat of the day's business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the Great Song dynasty shared the realm with its scholar-officials, and it must be said that the civil service examination system was quite effective. So it was not an empty fantasy for a son of a humble family to leap into a central government post. Moreover, after the chaos of the late Tang and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, when \"the grand boulevards trampled the bones of nobles,\" the old aristocratic families had been broken off. This meant that the Song dynasty indeed did not systematically reproduce the phenomenon of powerful hereditary clans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then again, after more than a hundred years of the dynasty's founding, although no large-scale or specific class had formed, there were always a few special families that vaguely resembled the ducal clans of the Later Han or the famous houses of the Sui and Tang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, the Lü family of the current chief councilor Lü Haowen—starting from the top scholar Lü Mengzheng, they had produced five generations of high officials and four generations of councilors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the Lü family, which insisted on passing down learning and was not particularly prolific, seemed insignificant compared to another family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was right, the Han family of Xiangzhou, also known as the \"Plum Blossom Han\"... The Plum Blossom Han were not only generations of high officials but also the number one landowners in Xiangzhou. Moreover, compared to competitors like the Lü family, this family was especially fertile, resulting in numerous descendants and extensive marriage alliances, including ties with the imperial family. Naturally, they also served as local leaders in Hebei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To give an inappropriate example, this family vaguely combined the characteristics of the Former Han nobility, the Later Han ducal clans, the Jin dynasty scholar-official families, and the Sui-Tang famous houses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, according to the backward class struggle thinking in Zhao Jiu's mind, if he had to pick a straw man to represent the interests of the great landowners, great clans, and other conservative elements within the Great Song court, it would inevitably be the Han family, and no other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem was, hadn't the Two Rivers been completely lost, and Xiangzhou also fallen? To claim at this time that the Plum Blossom Han Clan, having lost most of its foundation, was some great landholder representative would be disingenuous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, Zhao Jiu indeed harbored an inexplicable wariness and dissatisfaction toward the Han Clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wariness and dissatisfaction had specific reasons. It must be known that the Han Clan, as relatives of the imperial house and leaders of the exiled Hebei literati, had previously stayed in Yangzhou without mention. Later, when he, Zhao Jiu, returned to the old capital, the Han Clan, due to their family status, had to quickly turn back and make a gesture, but they had played a trick on the world and on him, the Zhao official... The Han Clan had many branches, but at that time they only let the smallest fifth branch, which had married into the imperial family—that is, the maternal cousins of this body of the Zhao official—return to the capital first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This branch, as the one that had married into the imperial family, had actually lost progress in official careers, so for a long time they had existed like housekeepers, unable to make decisions on their own, only managing money, settling the family, and doing business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This matter, combined with the matter of Yue Fei at the time, was the reason why Zhao Jiu had been so furious with that maternal cousin that day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to the present, Han Xiaozhou, who had submitted the memorial today, although theoretically a generation younger than Zhao Jiu, was the eldest grandson of the main line after Han Qi... the kind the world tacitly assumed would become Chancellor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder the various lords and high ministers in the hall all showed solemn respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This eldest grandson of the Han Clan's main line had put forward two proposals this time:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, the state had lost the Two Rivers and could not recover them quickly. The court's standoff with the Jin people along the Yellow River was likely to be prolonged, but the Imperial Camp troops were extremely costly. Therefore, he suggested ending the previous temporary resettlement measures and implementing large-scale military colonies in Henan, which had suffered several military disasters, to support the Imperial Camp troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, he, Han Xiaozhou, volunteered to go north as an envoy to the Jin state, not to violate the official's decree and negotiate peace, but to seize the opportunity of the great victory to sternly demand that the Jin people return the Two Emperors and the many captured nobles and sons of high ministers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could be said about these two points?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first was nonsense; even without Han Xiaozhou mentioning it, the court had already begun to implement it. It was more like a routine official document going along with the crowd. The latter was the key, but it made the Zhao official even more uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, according to Zhao Jiu's usual temper, after reading this memorial, he would probably have torn it up for kindling... But now, he was somewhat hesitant, because Han Xiaozhou was the leader of the exiled Hebei literati and also the leader of those literati who remained in Hebei and were forced into office by the Jin people. At this time, political influence had to be considered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The first is acceptable. As for the second...\" After the hall was quiet for a while, Chief Chancellor Lü Haowen finally spoke. \"Perhaps it could be done?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The first is acceptable. The second, I believe, is too hasty and unacceptable!\" Just as Lord Lü had finished expressing his opinion, before the Zhao official could speak, Palace Censor Mo Qixie suddenly stepped forward, spoke with righteous indignation, bowed in turn to the official and the Chief Chancellor, and hastily spoke out, refuting Lü Haowen on the spot. \"Although the Jin people have retreated this time, they have not suffered a major defeat. How can we talk about seizing the opportunity? Moreover, the official has sworn to restore the Two Rivers and not negotiate peace with the Jin people. If we go to demand the Two Emperors now, and the Jin people take the opportunity to propose peace talks, what then? That would instead trap the official in a dilemma, lost between filial piety and righteousness. Therefore, I believe it is absolutely impermissible to send an envoy north!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as these words were spoken, several Councilors and Ministers visibly relaxed. Some took the opportunity to step forward and voice their agreement, while others argued that as long as Han Xiaozhou was made to hold his position beforehand, and if the other side made any superfluous suggestions, they could simply refuse to negotiate—that would also work... However, this kind of suggestion was doomed to find no takers, because with Han Xiaozhou's status, once this mission succeeded, he would become either a Councilor or a Minister. Who would be happy to let him come to this hall?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone had worked hard following the official from the Huai River to Nanyang, and from Nanyang to Dongjing. Having finally settled down, why should you, Han Xiaozhou, jump out now and, with one memorial, try to surpass everyone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because your surname is Han? That could be, but unfortunately, this official's natural aversion to communication with Jin envoys was clear. Even the surname Han wouldn't work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What all of you have said is very true. There is indeed no need for an envoy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And sure enough, after a round of discussion, Zhao Jiu's spirits lifted slightly. He took the opportunity to set the tone, but then directly raised what he was truly concerned about. \"However, Lord Han's memorial today reminds me of another matter. Last year, I heard that the Jin people held imperial examinations... forcing many scholars to take them at knifepoint, and then appointing them to office. What do you all think should be done about this? For the Hebei literati, we need to establish a proper stance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Incidentally, what Zhao Jiu said was true. They really did force people to take the exams at knifepoint and then appointed them, but it wasn't a nationwide Jin examination. It was a mess created by Nianhan's Western Court, and the appointments were also within the Western Army's territory. It was clearly the handiwork of Wanyan Xiyin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the results of this examination were announced, several successful candidates felt their reputations were sullied and were constantly depressed. Later, because the Song army controlled the river this year, some of these people who were officials in riverside towns fled with their entire families, which is how the news spread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I believe we should not treat such people as enemies,\" Vice Chancellor of the Secretariat Xu Jingheng stepped forward and said bluntly. \"Who can be without family? The Jin people held knives to their throats. The Hebei literati were like common soldiers forced to the front line... In such a situation, if they faced us in battle, swords drawn, there would be nothing to say. But to convict them of a crime on this basis would be absurd and a laughingstock.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu nodded heavily. Since he had refused to let Han Xiaozhou go north, he was bound to give some clear signals to the Hebei literati through other means. Besides, Zhao Jiu himself felt that people shouldn't be easily labeled as Song traitors for this, but he just hadn't figured out the proper legal reasoning to explain it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty,\" at this moment, Mo Qixie, who had not yet withdrawn, also took the opportunity to speak. \"Your Majesty, this matter is not only excusable; there is also a legal basis for it, which does not conflict with Your Majesty's decree from the Huai River... It must be understood that these people, at the time the Two Rivers fell, were ordinary commoners...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I understand,\" Zhao Jiu suddenly realized. \"At the time the Two Rivers fell, these people were not officials, just ordinary commoners, bearing no responsibility whatsoever... If anyone must bear responsibility, it is the court that first failed the people of Hebei. And if there is any guilt in this matter, it lies entirely with the monarchs and ministers of the Jingkang era, having nothing to do with them. Therefore, this matter cannot be judged as enemy treachery. As Lord Xu said, we should simply think of them as hostages! And those scholars who have come over should be properly resettled.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a proper explanation for this matter, everyone should have been encouraged, but for some reason, many in the hall looked somewhat awkward... Clearly, the mention of the 'monarchs and ministers of the Jingkang era' caused momentary embarrassment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who among those standing here was not a minister of the Jingkang era? And the Zhao official had just rejected the proposal to welcome back the Two Emperors, and now he was saying someone was guilty. How was one supposed to respond to that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu also came to his senses, inwardly sighing that he had been increasingly hasty these days. But how could his heart calm down when it was troubled by certain reasons? It was like this before the new year. After returning, he thought he could gradually settle, but because of another matter, he became even more impatient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless, today's government affairs were settled, and Zhao Jiu prepared to return to the inner palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just as Zhao Jiu rose to leave the Wende Hall and turned towards the side gate, he saw Yang Yizhong, at some unknown time, kneeling on one knee behind the threshold of the side gate, holding a memorial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This position was extremely strange... Normally, memorials from Commanders didn't involve military intelligence; official military matters went through the Privy Council. So no matter how urgent the memorial, Yang Yizhong shouldn't have presented it at this occasion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if this memorial was truly critical and needed the Councilors and other high ministers to know, why didn't he simply enter the hall and present it? Why stop at a position where the court officials couldn't see him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a strange feeling, Zhao Jiu stepped forward and took it. He glanced at it, swayed slightly, then, ignoring Yang Yizhong, turned back and re-entered the hall, calling out to the Councilors and high ministers who were preparing to disperse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My lords,\" Zhao Jiu said calmly, his expression unchanged, standing on the dais holding the memorial. \"Commander Li Qiong has sent a memorial, saying that a Jin envoy has suddenly arrived at the river, and a letter was enclosed with it, brought by the envoy. It is a private letter sent to me in the name of the Fourth Prince, Jin Wushu, saying that although we have faced each other in battle many times as enemy chieftains, he regards me as a hero, a kind of kindred spirit and close friend. Therefore, he has taken the initiative and convinced the Jurchen nobles to unconditionally return my birth mother, Empress Dowager Xuanhe, and several Princesses across the river to their homeland, to fulfill filial piety and righteousness... So he asks me to send someone to receive them. What do you all think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hall was silent for a full seven or eight breaths. Then, Lü Haowen calmly bowed and said: \"Your Majesty, this matter concerns filial piety and righteousness and cannot be refused. I believe Han Xiaozhou should be sent as the envoy... First, to welcome the Empress Dowager, and second, to show the Hebei people and literati that we have not abandoned Hebei!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu slowly nodded, his expression unchanged... To the eyes of the ministers, it was as if he had returned to the way he was a year ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Sorry, this chapter took a long time to revise... I was dissatisfied with various versions.\u003C\u002Fp>",4753,"2026-06-06T07:46:04.529Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","6ac237e128f9c421b977057f4c75bad66ac2f7e2f1ef98bda509b180caea0522","shao-song-chapter-224","shao-song-chapter-222",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]