Chapter 280

In late April, it was the time of gradually entering high summer.

At this time, if it didn't rain, naturally the nights would have no bright moon but a brilliant Milky Way, and the days would be steaming with heat; but if it rained, it wouldn't be a heavy downpour, but rather an unceasing drizzle day and night, with warm, humid winds coming through the rain, everything racing to grow mold.

But His Majesty Zhao Jiu hadn't grown mold; quite the opposite, his temper was even worse... The outer court officials who came into contact with the Emperor practically watched with their own eyes as the blisters at the corners of His Majesty Zhao Jiu's mouth grew larger and larger, to the point where he finally had to apply medicine.

Not only that, these people also quickly noticed or heard about the fact that this Emperor would occasionally be consumed by rage.

"Does Chancellor Zhao know about Zhang Quwei?"

Around noon that day, in the Chongwen Institute, after half a day of rain had just stopped and the summer heat had slightly receded, several chancellors came out of their offices as usual to the cool institute corridor to have some iced congee... The Bureau of Military Affairs was on the west side, and the Department of State Affairs was on the east side. As soon as they sat down, a certain Director from the Department of State Affairs couldn't help but speak up and strike up a conversation with Zhao Ding.

Zhao Ding seemed thoughtful, then nodded in response: "I've heard roughly about him. They say he's a young eunuch, sent by Empress Dowager Yuanyou. Later, because he was the most effective at contracting fish ponds, he caught the Emperor's eye and was brought to serve by his side. Everyone says he might become the third Chief Eunuch... What's wrong?"

"For Your Excellency's information, this official went to the fish pond this morning to deliver documents to several Hanlin Academicians. I saw with my own eyes that Zhang Quwei was being hung up and beaten by several military academy students in the rain. He was given twenty lashes, and then driven back to Yangzhou." The Director sneered in response.

Zhao Ding was momentarily puzzled: "Usually, when eunuchs commit offenses, they are either expelled or handed over to the proper authorities for formal punishment. This is the first time I've heard of the Emperor personally ordering corporal punishment on a eunuch... How did this Zhang Quwei provoke the Emperor?"

"This official only heard some information from idle chatter among the Hanlin Academicians, and it's not guaranteed to be true." The Director quickly stopped smiling, but shook his head solemnly with emotion. "It's said that these days the Emperor has been extremely dissatisfied with the peace negotiations, and it just so happened that the Jin envoy brought many imperial princesses..."

"Princesses." Liu Ji, the Vice Chancellor of the Department of State Affairs, suddenly interrupted to correct him. "Soon after the Emperor ascended the throne, he changed it back."

"Yes, princesses." The Director quickly corrected himself. "It just so happened that the Jin envoy brought many princesses. That Zhang Quwei came up with an idea, saying to pick a day for the grand court session and have the princesses weep and wail before the court, telling of the Jin people's barbarism and shamelessness, so that the entire court would not dare to speak of peace..."

"That petty thief thinks he's clever, showing off his intelligence, he deserves to be beaten to death!" Liu Ji burst out cursing on the spot. "If he did that, the officials would indeed be silenced, but where would the imperial family's dignity be placed?! In the future, how would the marketplaces and history books portray this?"

"It's not just about dignity. Even if they weren't princesses, could they be brought to court and made to expose their own wounds?" Zhao Ding also became unusually indignant. "And when it comes down to it, matters of state should be viewed from a broad perspective. What kind of twisted, petty trick is this? A mere eunuch, relying on the favor of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, dares to offer such advice?"

"Exactly!" Liu Ji responded in agreement.

With the two chancellors' great anger, the east corridor of the Chongwen Institute instantly fell into dead silence, but soon it erupted into a hubbub, everyone joining the two chancellors in denouncing the shameless eunuch, drawing sidelong glances from the west corridor of the Chongwen Institute over a hundred paces away.

However, after his anger subsided, Zhao Ding felt a sense of helplessness in his heart... He was different from Liu Ji. As someone who had struggled through the middle and lower ranks for decades, he knew very well that although these Department of State Affairs officials were all righteous and indignant right now, privately, after they returned home, countless people would write all sorts of fictionalized unofficial histories, embellishing the story of how those imperial princesses were captured, to satisfy their own dark psychology.

At their core, everyone is human, and being human means having a dark side.

For example, the common people below, unable to reach the truth, would privately spread absurd rumors about the imperial family's secrets; eunuchs, thinking they knew something, couldn't help but meddle; and officials, possessing some information yet having a veil over certain matters, while having to maintain a facade of moral rectitude, couldn't help but fill in the gaps with their own imaginations... Nine out of ten of those filthy rumors were concocted by these officials themselves.

Of course, the Son of Heaven was no exception. When encountering a Son of Heaven with vulgar and lowbrow behavior, he could really create a spectacle—Empress Zhou the Younger of the Southern Tang was often summoned into the palace by Song Taizu, Zhao Kuangyin, and would go back and quarrel with Li Yu every time.

Of course, what Zhao Ding didn't know was that not only was the authenticity of this example he thought of questionable, but what was even more absurd was that several hundred years later, the person who summoned Empress Zhou the Younger to the palace had changed from Song Taizu to Song Taizong, and there were even specialized erotic paintings... which in turn proved that the dark psychology of literati was the hardest to deal with.

Returning to the present, Zhao Ding sighed over the shallowness of human nature, had some congee, and was about to go back to work when he unexpectedly saw the Chief Eunuch Lan Gui arrive in person. It was a summons from the Emperor, asking the four chief councillors to go to the inner palace to see His Majesty in half an hour. He quickly agreed, but then forced himself to maintain the demeanor of a chancellor, enduring half an hour in his office before setting aside his official duties, gathering Zhang Jun and Chen Gui with Liu Ji, and hurrying off.

After the rain, the sky had just cleared. Most of the roads in the palace were still clean, but upon entering the area of the former imperial garden in the inner palace, which was now the fish pond and mulberry grove area, it was inevitably somewhat muddy... And if it were just the muddy roads, that would be one thing, but the several chancellors were all feeling somewhat uneasy and conflicted in their hearts.

After all, that day when the Emperor heard that the Jin people were returning captives and abolishing Liu Yu as conditions for peace talks, he was not pleased but instead enraged, and his attitude was so resolute that it made everyone take notice. At the same time, the desire for peace among the common people and within the bureaucratic system was surging and difficult to resist.

At a time like this, as chief councillors, even if their political views differed slightly, they had to unify their steps and maintain the situation, neither allowing the Emperor to overturn the table nor allowing those below to hijack the court's policies.

Everywhere was a difficulty.

"Summer mosquitoes breed in stagnant water pits, and diseases like malaria are spread by mosquitoes. Take some men and inspect all parts of the palace. Wherever you see drainage problems, try to clear them. If it's hard to clear, then just fill them in. Don't leave any potential hazards..."

The four chancellors arrived at the familiar stone pavilion and saw the Grand Chancellor Lü Haowen and the Censor-in-Chief Li Guang both sitting in the pavilion waiting for them, with Yang Yizhong, Liu Yan, and Lan Gui standing by. His Majesty Zhao Jiu was sitting in the innermost part, giving some trivial instructions to Feng Yi, so they had to pause for a moment.

However, seeing that the five chancellors and one half-chancellor, meaning the six highest-ranking officials of the current court, had all arrived, Zhao Jiu immediately stopped his idle talk and turned to face them:

"Please sit, four chancellors. I have an idea I want to discuss with you."

Zhao Ding and the other three newcomers, seeing His Majesty Zhao Jiu in ordinary clothes turn his head, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes and a mouth with blue-purple medicine smeared at the corners, felt even more uneasy in their hearts. But they quickly responded with thanks for the favor and sat down carefully.

"The return of several princesses is certainly a good thing, but some matters are unavoidable... For instance, those above Yifu Princess had husbands before the Jingkang Incident, some of whom are alive, some dead; and those above Shunde Princess already had children by their side, some of whom were taken away together, some still alive." Zhao Jiu tried hard to open his bloodshot eyes wide, speaking seriously. "Therefore, I intend to let them first try to return to their respective homes as much as possible, to search for their lost husbands and children. Those without homes can temporarily go to Yangzhou, to be placed under the care of Empress Dowager Yuanyou, who will make marriage arrangements for them."

"Your Majesty's words are most appropriate." Lü Haowen was the first to respond, and the other five also chimed in agreement.

Of course it was most appropriate!

In fact, however the Emperor arranged for them, it would probably be deemed 'most appropriate' by the chancellors. After all, these people really didn't matter. Although they were the most eye-catching, and Zhao Ding vaguely realized they were destined to be the subject of gossip and slut-shaming... To put it cruelly, they counted for nothing in the grand scheme of things.

And for Zhao Jiu, it seemed even more so.

Perhaps he had truly been tempered. After these two days of contact with these nominal sisters of his, Zhao Jiu didn't have any particularly profound feelings. No resentment—the resentment was all directed at the Two Sages, especially the Retired Emperor, the Daoist Sovereign. No particular importance either, because in the face of the entire grand strategy of resisting the Jin, they were truly meaningless, at best a small bonus, and a wishful one at that. Only a little sympathy, but that sympathy seemed so light and insubstantial compared to the countless women in the Two Rivers and the Central Plains... Not to mention the estimated tens of millions of women in the Two Rivers, even the women in the Central Plains who had been plundered and coerced by the Song army's own mutinous troops probably numbered in the millions.

In fact, Zhao Jiu even felt a sense of moral guilt over this cheap sympathy—during the same period, how many tens of thousands, how many millions of women had been affected by the war, either captured or having their families destroyed? Those people died and were scattered, but unlike these imperial relatives, they could return first simply because they were born into the imperial family.

Of course, reason told him that these people were also pitiable, and there was no need to agonize over them excessively. And that Zhang Quwei had been flogged and just expelled because he had misjudged His Majesty Zhao Jiu's mindset.

"Next is the matter of the Jin envoy's return to discuss peace again." Saying this, Zhao Jiu sighed slightly, then forced himself to continue. "I also know that whether it's war or peace, I must give a clear statement, otherwise I cannot account to the people of the world, and it will make things difficult for you."

Everyone knew the crucial moment had arrived and dared not be negligent. Led by Lü Haowen, the six of them rose together and stood at attention in the pavilion.

"My own attitude is very clear... I would rather die than agree to peace!" Zhao Jiu sighed again, equally serious. "This point will not change!"

Zhang Jun and Li Guang seemed about to speak but stopped; Liu Ji and Chen Gui remained silent and thoughtful; only Zhao Ding and Lü Haowen maintained a calm demeanor together.

"But I also know that matters of state involve the life and death of millions. If the Son of Heaven does whatever he wants without regard for the sentiments of those above and below, that won't work either. And as for what the people's hearts are like, you don't need to tell me; I already know clearly in my heart..." Zhao Jiu sighed deeply. "For example, I know that the bottom-line demand in terms of reputation for most officials and scholar-commoners is merely to maintain the Yellow River line and have the Two Sages returned. Once the Jin people are willing to hand over Jingdong and send back the captured nobles, I estimate that half of the court officials would be in favor of peace talks. Another twenty to thirty percent remain silent only because I haven't spoken, but in their hearts, they also want peace. I also know that more than half of the common people in the world are unwilling to pay money and grain from their own pockets to supply a northern expedition across the Yellow River. It's not that there are no commoners supporting a northern expedition, but they are all in Hebei and Hedong, and they have no voice. I know even more that many of the scholar-commoners in the world feel that the Great Song Dynasty wasn't actually that bad before, and being captured by the Jin was just an accident. So they all want to return to the time of abundance and prosperity, rather than follow me on a new path... I'm not a fool or a deaf man; how could I not know this?"

Upon hearing this, the several chancellors all frowned and remained silent.

In fact, this was the greatest dilemma of this matter... The so-called public sentiment that the Son of Heaven had to consider was right there, and most of it was in favor of peace.

The most intuitive example was the issue of public sentiment in the occupied territories. If the people of the Two Rivers in the occupied territories could truly come out to vote, that public sentiment would definitely be for war, and peace talks wouldn't even get off the ground. Any minister from the Southeast or Jingxiang who dared to say the word 'peace' would have to watch out for being stabbed with a black blade halfway. But the actual situation was the exact opposite. The 'public opinion' that could now influence the central government's decisions could not possibly include the sentiments of the people of the Two Rivers in the occupied territories.

They had no voice.

Or, to be more specific, their words at this time could not influence the central government officials, their actions could not contribute to the court's tax revenue, and even with the imperial army's strength already fixed, and with the court's army unable to cross the river in the short term, they couldn't even provide troops and sacrificial quotas for the military.

It wasn't that people from the Two Rivers hadn't escaped, but those who had escaped were only a minority compared to the native population south of the Yellow River... If they had fled to Jiangnan back then, the Central Plains refugees and Hebei refugees combined, though still somewhat weak, wouldn't have been reduced to this state.

"Your Majesty." Li Guang thought for a moment, then suggested seriously, "Why not agree to a peace treaty for three to five years, and then launch the northern expedition?"

"That's absurd." The previous heart-to-heart talk had achieved its effect; without waiting for Zhao Jiu to reply, Zhao Ding responded directly. "Once peace is agreed upon, morale and spirit will be drained. If we still want peace now, how much more will people seek comfort and stability after three to five years? By then, I'm afraid the entire court will want peace!"

"If someone does that then, this official will spit in their face on the spot!" Li Guang quickly replied seriously to Zhao Ding.

"Censor-in-Chief Li can spit in their face himself, but what if the overall public sentiment can't be turned around by then?" Zhang Jun also responded coldly from the side. "Can Censor-in-Chief Li spit to death tens of millions of people by himself?! If you ask me, if the overall situation really can't be turned around by then, even if Censor-in-Chief Li dashes his head against the Wende Hall to prove his innocence, it would be a death that can't atone for the crime! Besides, once peace is agreed upon, not to mention that the hearts of the people in Henan will seek stability, how will we manage the hearts of the people in the Two Rivers? With empty words, does the Censor-in-Chief want the tens of millions of scholar-commoners in the Two Rivers to willingly be slaves to the Jin people for another three to five years?"

Li Guang was momentarily furious, but found himself speechless. He could only clasp his hands to Zhao Jiu: "Your Majesty, although I am from the Southeast, I have no selfish motives. I was only thinking about the matter of the Two Sages returning north, and the several commanderies in Jingdong. Originally, it would have taken countless money and grain, and tens of millions of lives to get them back. Now, they can be obtained with a single word, yet we directly refuse. How can we account for this to the people of the world? And besides, even if we want to launch a northern expedition, we have no warhorses, no sufficient funds and materials. How can we rush into it? What's wrong with a temporary peace of three years?"

"National enmity and family hatred, the great principles of justice and righteousness, cannot be compromised in the slightest." Chen Gui also interjected in a low voice, expressing his stance.

Liu Ji nodded in agreement.

Li Guang was suddenly anxious, and turned his gaze to Lü Haowen... How could he not know that among these six men, most were the Emperor's confidants, and few were willing to go against the Emperor's wishes. Perhaps only Lü Haowen, with his eminent status and no fear for his position as chancellor, had a slight chance of speaking some impartial words.

However, Lü Haowen met Li Guang's gaze and asked a question that caught him off guard: "Censor-in-Chief Li has a close friendship with the former Grand Chancellor Li Boji. Do you know his opinion?"

Li Guang was backed into a corner and could no longer hide. He simply raised his head and replied: "Lord Li has indeed corresponded with me. He said earlier that a temporary peace would also be feasible."

Everyone furrowed their brows.

Yet Li Guang was not lying… Li Gang, styled Li Boji, the former standard-bearer of the war faction, was indeed supporting peace talks at this moment. Moreover, this was not because Li Gang's knees had suddenly gone weak, but rather a stance and opinion he had always held. After all, as early as the first year of the Jianyan era, when Li Gang first governed in Nanjing, he had clearly put forward his view: to act according to one's strength—"Only when you can defend can you then fight; only when you can fight can you then make peace."

He had never abandoned "peace."

The reason he had insisted on "fighting" back then was that the situation had reached its most helpless point; once you could not fight, it was equivalent to surrendering.

But his inner logic of ultimately "being able to defend," "being able to fight," and "being able to make peace" had never changed, and it also represented the true thoughts of most non-surrenderist officials in the "war faction."

In fact, this was precisely an important reason why he was easily defeated by Huang Qianshan—the "advocacy of peace" behind Li Gang's "advocacy of war" created an unspoken estrangement between him and Zong Ze, who held to the belief of "fighting to the end." Consequently, they could never truly join hands to control the court situation. Even when Li Gang was dismissed as Chancellor, Zong Ze did not come to his aid, and the two sides never unified their slogans on the matter of establishing the capital, resulting in them being defeated separately.

"Alright, I know. I know that most public opinion and people's hearts desire peace talks, and most of these people are sincere and well-intentioned." At this moment, it was unexpectedly Zhao the Emperor who interjected. "And I won't hide it from you. These past two days in the palace, I have thought it over and over, and I feel that since the Mingdao Palace incident, I have faced life and death many times, but none compare to the helplessness of the present… helpless to the point where I once considered abandoning Dongjing, taking only the Imperial Guard Forward Army and the part of the Imperial Guard Central Army led by Li Qiong—these Imperial Guard troops mostly made up of refugees from Hebei—to go to Mount Bagong to become bandits and start over. What else can be done? Should I send Imperial Guard soldiers of Hebei refugee origin to carry out assassinations on the streets? Kill whoever speaks of peace?"

"Your Majesty speaks too gravely…" Lu Haowen and the others responded helplessly.

"Enough of that… I ask you, if I truly decide to go to Mount Bagong, will the six of you follow me?" Zhao Jiu's expression did not change as he suddenly pressed further.

The men initially thought the Emperor was continuing to speak in anger and were about to brush it off, but before they could speak, each felt a sudden alert in their hearts, and then they grew serious.

"Lu Xiang." Zhao Jiu urged half a sentence.

"Your servant…" Lu Haowen, the first to be put on the spot, was stunned for a long moment, then could only smile bitterly. "Your Majesty spoke thoroughly at your servant's home that day. Your servant has wasted half a life, and whatever small achievements and reputation I have were all gained by following Your Majesty over these four or five years. If Your Majesty truly wishes to become an outlaw, your servant can only follow and become a registrar of the mountain stronghold."

"Your servant is naturally willing to follow Your Majesty!" Zhang Jun rushed to express his stance before Zhao Ding.

Zhao Ding helplessly glanced at Zhang Jun, then turned back to sincerely address Zhao the Emperor: "Your Majesty, your servant has received Your Majesty's great kindness. In four years, I have risen from a mere Administrative Assistant of Kaifeng Prefecture to Chief Chancellor of the Secretariat. A thousand or ten thousand things—there is only a reason for Your Majesty to abandon your servant; how could your servant abandon Your Majesty?"

Since the three chancellors had spoken, the two vice chancellors, Liu Ji and Chen Gui, also quickly voiced their agreement, both indicating they would follow.

Even Li Guang, the Censor-in-Chief, though angered by the Emperor's absurd words, still bowed seriously: "Your Majesty, your servant absolutely has no intention of using public opinion to defy the Son of Heaven. I am only doing my duty in speaking, and besides, matters have absolutely not reached that point…"

"And if they do?" Zhao Jiu's expression did not change as he directly interrupted the other.

"And if it truly comes to a situation of division and collapse, a cauldron shattered and boiling over, your servant will not follow Your Majesty to Mount Bagong. I will only die for Your Majesty first in Dongjing, to repay several years of imperial grace!" Li Guang replied with all his might.

"I trust you." Zhao Jiu nodded, his expression still unchanged. "And I trust all of you. I already know your intentions. Please be sure to remember today's words… Now, it is my turn to tell you my decision. That is: the Great Song can negotiate peace, but I will not negotiate peace!"

The men were visibly relieved, but after a moment, their expressions shifted slightly… They were relieved because the Emperor seemed to have finally yielded, and this matter could at least escape the disaster of having the table overturned. Their expressions shifted because they were somewhat worried about the catch the Emperor had left behind.

But before these chief ministers could think further, Zhao Jiu continued: "You go and negotiate with the Jin. But you must tell the Jin, as well as the civil and military officials and the scholars and common people of the realm, that I am unwilling to make peace, that I have only been forced into silence by filial piety and the will of the people… I know what you are thinking. Just consider it me covering my ears to steal a bell."

"Your servant would not dare…" Lu Haowen and the others immediately bowed their heads, and were even more relieved, for this truly seemed to mean peace talks were going ahead.

"Then, negotiate terms with the Jin. From the Two Sages on down, regardless of gender, for everyone captured in the Jingkang Incident, I must first see the people…" Zhao Jiu ignored their recent expressions and continued speaking calmly. "I know the people of the realm have always had some talk, saying I fear the Two Sages returning to seize the throne and deliberately do not welcome them back… This matter must also be discussed openly, to shut those people up… Demand them openly and aboveboard. Demand them all back!"

Lu Haowen and the other six grew even more relieved… They had not expected the Emperor to be so magnanimous as to no longer even care about the Two Sages.

"Finally, on the premise that the Two Sages and the others cross the river, if at that time they still promise to return the five prefectures of the puppet Qi, then I will formally make peace with them, with the return of those five prefectures as the limit." Zhao Jiu continued. "This last condition must also be negotiated openly and generously! Do you understand?"

From Lu Haowen on down, the various chief ministers plus Li Guang thought it over for half a day, were completely relieved, and together cupped their hands in assent… For although the Emperor had left some hidden catches, he had broadly followed the will of the people in his general outline.

However, Li Guang could not help himself and cautiously added: "Your Majesty, this concerns a great national policy. Some petty tricks may not necessarily be effective."

"Just do it for now." Zhao Jiu waved his hand in response, unwilling to explain at all, and instead turned and left.

Yang Yizhong, Liu Yan, and Lan Gui followed closely behind. The six men left in the pavilion could only bow their heads.