[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-352":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},1558518,2024,"Chapter 352: Briefing (Merry Christmas Everyone, Happy Birthday to the Cold Door)","shao-song-chapter-352",352,"\u003Cp>The autumn capital of Dongjing was still bustling with activity, but after so much bustle and getting used to it, it was just that. From this perspective, this autumn, the city of Dongjing passed in a rather bland atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There had been no foreign envoys for a long time, so the arrival of Goryeo and Japanese envoys together was naturally something fresh, but when envoys from all directions continuously and repeatedly visited Dongjing, people quickly grew accustomed to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then there were the lottery tickets. As soon as this thing came out, all the common people flocked to it... Of course, they still flock to it now, even causing discontent among the wealthy because of the limits and quotas on these Northern Expedition lottery tickets. Some in the public council have already suggested setting up Northern Expedition gambling in the cuju league, allowing large bets on tickets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lottery had only been around for a few days and was already like this. As for the national debt stalls at Xuan'de Tower, the green seedling loans and short-term commodity loans at temples and large warehouses, the increasing number of Western Region and grassland goods in the market, the delivery carts running all over the streets, and the annual imperial examinations plus the palace examination, there was no need to say more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the Mid-Autumn Festival sacrifice had become somewhat routine for people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no help for it. Although the occasion was solemn, the fact was that it was hard for anyone to have that same sincere emotion as the first time. This seemed somewhat sad, but there was nothing to criticize. Because this was life. Life itself would bury any past experience, and along with it, bury the most intense emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, come to think of it, this seemed to be exactly the situation that the Zhao official, who was planting mulberry trees in the rear palace, was most worried about. Otherwise, he wouldn't be shouting about the Northern Expedition every day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even the slogan of the Northern Expedition, after only a year, everyone had gotten used to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This autumn was the autumn of the seventh year of Jianyan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This autumn, Li Gang requested to retire and return to his hometown, but Zhao Jiu refused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This autumn, Zong Ze's eldest son, Zong Ying, was transferred back from his post as a county magistrate to the central government, taking up the position of Vice Director of the Ministry of Works.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This autumn, the eldest son of Chief Councilor Zhao Ding, Zhao Fen, still had not taken the metropolitan examination, and still had not found a wife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This autumn, Wang Zhongfu, who came from a military academy background and had served as a guard for the Zhao official, left Dongjing and returned to Guanxi. Upon arrival, he immediately became a reserve commander in the Left Army of the Imperial Camp. Because his name was the same as the Controller-General of the Imperial Camp Cavalry, Zhang Zhongfu, he specially changed his name to Wang Shixiong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before leaving, he hesitated for a long time but ultimately did not ask the young Imperial Consort Wu, whom he knew well, to search for that young lady in a veiled hat he had seen before at the Yue Platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This autumn, Yue Yun, who was fifteen by nominal age, after two years at the military academy, did not stay in Dongjing to marry directly as imagined. Instead, he was dispatched to his father's army, to Zhang Xian's unit, to undergo military training as an ordinary cavalryman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This autumn, like her elder sister Foyou, Princess Shenyou was betrothed to the son of another military commander, namely Wu Jie's second son, Wu Fu... At this point, all of the Zhao official's daughters had been betrothed to suitable-aged sons of the current military commanders at court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This autumn, from the metropolitan examination before the Mid-Autumn Festival to the palace examination after it, besides an increased share for the original studies, there were also a considerable number of questions unrelated to the classics. The most prominent were mathematics and geography... After the palace examination ended, the huge map personally drawn by the Zhao official, encompassing the Eastern Sea, the Western Regions, the Northern Wastelands, and the Southern Ocean, shook the entire court and countryside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This autumn, the two Retired Emperors and the current Emperor simultaneously began serializing their literary works. Following the Three Caos, the Three Zhaos seemed poised to add a significant chapter to the history of literary creation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This autumn, as the old general Lü Qing resigned from his military post due to old age and moved to the public council, Wang De's controversial Military Governor title was formally conferred after the army expansion. Han Shizhong, Yue Fei, Zhang Rong, Li Yanxian, Wu Jie, Qu Duan, Zhang Jun, Wang Yan, Ma Kuo, Wang De, and other ten generals who held both active military posts and the title of Military Governor were called the Ten Military Governors of Jianyan by the people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Together with Li Qiong and Li Bao, who did not have the Military Governor title due to lack of seniority, they were also called the Twelve Commanders-in-Chief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Imperial Camp expansion, counting all the Controller-Generals who actually led troops, there were nearly a hundred in total. But busybodies pieced together a list of one hundred and eight generals, with the two leading Controller-Generals being none other than Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This autumn, there was a minor flood in the Jingdong West Circuit, but Yue Fei and Mo Qixie quickly brought the situation under control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This autumn, no matter how you calculated it, it was the seventh year since the Zhao official had fallen into the well at Mingdao Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time autumn ended and winter arrived, Imperial Consort Wu was pregnant again, and the Zhao official had finally grown a beard... He was almost twenty-eight years old.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much he deceived himself, he had to be considered middle-aged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's begin.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the tenth month, during the Little Spring weather, the sun was bright and clear. After returning from archery practice, the Zhao official walked back to the stone pavilion. After sitting down and learning that there were no urgent secret memorials delivered during the night, he directly gestured with his chin to Yang Yizhong and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, inside and outside the stone pavilion, there were only many close ministers, no important ministers from the outer court... And what the Zhao official wanted to \"begin\" now was, of course, the daily routine intelligence briefing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The many close ministers exchanged glances, but unexpectedly, Ren Baozhong stepped forward first, puffed up his chest, and cupped his hands: \"Reporting to Your Majesty, yesterday there were five matters that your servant recorded... First, an official document arrived at the Department of State Affairs, saying there was a fire in Hangzhou, burning down several hundred civilian houses. Second, the Bureau of Military Affairs reported that bandits in Qianzhou had risen again to harass the county town, and Commander-in-Chief Guo Zhongxun had personally gone to Qianzhou. Third, the Arab maritime merchants in Quanzhou gathered at the Maritime Trade Office, requesting the same treatment as Han merchants, and permission to purchase official ship flags, seals, and documentation. Fourth, the native chieftain of Gongzhou in the southwest rebelled but was captured by the Yang clan of Bozhou. Fifth, the market outside the city of Dongshengzhou was burned by Jin cavalry...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, China was too vast. Fires, droughts, floods, and even rebellions, as long as they were not on a large scale, were all considered ordinary matters. And the Zhao official had always been one who did not fear natural disasters. Even if lightning struck him from the sky, as long as it didn't kill him, he wouldn't care. Not to mention that before this year, there had been countless military activities... Therefore, such matters usually stopped at the Department of State Affairs, and the Zhao official did not inquire about them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, since the financial plan was fully implemented in the middle of this year, this official had changed the procedure of the morning briefing. He wanted his close ministers to summarize various military and political news items that affected fiscal revenue and present them to him. The one who received this honor was none other than Ren Baozhong, who was willing to work hard and already had a residence at Jingyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, these news items were only excerpts and summaries of official documents from public channels, and did not involve him actually reaching out to intelligence agencies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Still the same words.\" After listening to the report, Zhao Jiu looked completely calm. \"Relief efforts for disasters, suppression of bandits. The ship flags, seals, and documentation cannot be given to the Arabs; otherwise, how can the superiority of Han merchants be shown? As for border disputes, retaliation must be carried out. Don't put the cart before the horse; some money cannot be saved... But Ren Qing, why did you include the matter of the native chieftain's rebellion?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To let Your Majesty know, your servant was worried that the previously agreed-upon copper mine trade with Dali, negotiated with Gao Mingqing, might be affected by this matter.\" Ren Baozhong quickly explained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Lu Benzhong couldn't help but interject: \"Ren Shedren is overthinking... Dali's communication with China mainly goes through the Min River. It's separated from Gongzhou by the Luo and Yang clans. It won't be a problem.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu then nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the way, let's digress a bit here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Mingqing was one of the core members of the powerful Gao clan of Dali. He was the envoy sent by Dali after Zhao Jiu suddenly dispatched an envoy to Dali, proposing a diplomatic offensive of \"mutual exchange regardless of ritual systems\"... Unlike the ruler Duan Heyu, he was someone who could make decisions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, the Gao clan of Dali placed great importance on diplomacy with the Great Song. Basically, every envoy sent to the Great Song was a core member of the Gao clan. The last envoy to the Great Song was none other than the current head of the Gao clan and the regent of Dali, Gao Taiyun. And the regent of Dali at that time was precisely Gao Mingqing's father, Gao Taiming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Duan Heyu, whom the Zhao official constantly thought about, he couldn't even control his own harem... The Empress, who was from the Gao clan, would often beat Imperial Consort Mu and Imperial Consort Wang with a stick, while Duan Heyu could only endure it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever he thought of Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanqing marrying Duan Yu and having to be beaten all day, the Zhao official, besides suffering a huge mental shock, naturally extinguished those messy thoughts and focused entirely on winning over Gao Mingqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with the Zhao official's favor, the Gao clan also behaved very appropriately, directly agreeing to a specialized tea-copper trade... But they also proposed that this trade was very disadvantageous for Dali, so they hoped for a five-year term, after which fair trade would be conducted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhao official agreed to this in one breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, not only Dali, but also the Southern Yue region was going smoothly... The latter was currently in a stage where the ruler was young and the country was suspicious, and its national power was declining day by day. After the envoy was slightly intimidated by the Zhao official, they also agreed to restore the so-called \"chi bu dou mi\" traditional trade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, it was direct trade in cloth and rice. The winning Guangzhou maritime merchants would travel north and south, sending Southern Yue's rice directly to Mizhou Jiaoxi (Jiaozhou Bay), and then to the reserve storage of the Right Army, Front Army, and Navy of the Imperial Camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It could only be said that everything depends on whether you can swallow your pride. Once you do, there is always a way... Even the closed-off Japan and the Goryeo, which had close relations with the Jurchens, could be handled by the Zhao official, let alone these two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning back to the present, Ren Baozhong was about to withdraw, but Zhao Jiu thought for a moment and then spoke again: \"The Yang and Luo clans, these two native chieftain families, are said to have always been loyal. They are centuries-old separatist clans, yet they never pay taxes. Could we borrow some money from them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ren Baozhong's spirits lifted. He immediately stopped in his tracks, cupped his hands, and replied: \"Your servant believes this move is inappropriate... Although the Yang and Luo clans are both Han officials, and the Yang clan is even descended from the Yang family generals of this dynasty, they are still native chieftains with independent military and political power, no different from the rebellious Li clan of the former Western Xia in Xiazhou... The reason such people are docile and loyal is simply that the court poses no threat to them. Once you make a demand of them, while it is possible they will loyally comply, it is also possible they will despise the court and develop rebellious intentions.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu thought for a moment, nodded directly, then looked at Yang Yizhong: \"Zhengfu, keep in touch more with your clansman...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yizhong could only cup his hands in acknowledgment, then retreat a few steps... This puzzled many people, because the next part was supposed to be Yang Yizhong's briefing time, or rather, the Zhao official had meant for him to speak. It was just that, remembering the theoretical same-clan relationship between the Yang clan of Bozhou and Yang Yizhong, he had casually said that sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, everyone's confusion grew even greater. Yang Yizhong retreated a few steps, took a box from a guard behind him, opened it in public, and actually took out a copy of a di bao, a standard printed di bao, and carefully presented it to the Zhao official.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhao official took one look and immediately laughed: \"Have the Jurchens already reached this point?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The few core close ministers around were momentarily in an uproar. How could they not know that this di bao was printed by the Jin state? But precisely because this morning's intelligence summary had its own rules and taboos, they couldn't step forward to see what the di bao looked like with their own eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Reporting to Your Majesty, that is correct.\" Yang Yizhong had already begun to report seriously. \"This first di bao has sixteen pages, printed in over three thousand copies. All officials, high and low, in the Jin state can obtain one...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Jin state can still adapt measures to local conditions.\" The Zhao official looked at the di bao in front of him and shook his head with emotion. \"They don't lack money, nor do they lack good craftsmen... Unlike us, it took many years to develop page-by-page printing before we could break through the cost of block printing and achieve a new edition every ten days. But what about them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people around looked at each other in bewilderment. On the one hand, it was hard to interject; on the other hand, they also knew that what the official said was the truth... It seemed the Jurchens were a bit richer?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the Zhao official, having once chatted and laughed on forums eight hundred years later, saw things more clearly than these people. That was that the economies of the current Great Song and Great Jin were both very distorted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you looked at products and such, that is, calculating GDP, the Great Song, which had retained the area south of the Huai River, overwhelmingly surpassed the Great Jin. The population was right there. But because they had been plundered once and suffered the devastation of a war that had ravaged half the realm, their finances were very tight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, an undeniable point was that the Jurchens, rising through military power, after annexing the Liao state, seizing the Two Rivers region, and sweeping through the Central Plains, had plundered a vast amount of precious metals and top-tier craftsmen in the most primitive way... The wealth accumulated over a hundred years of peace in the entire East Asian civilized highlands was looted clean by them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This ebb and flow meant that, from a fiscal perspective, the precious metals the Great Jin could produce would be enough to crush the Song ruler and his ministers, who were racking their brains over money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the moment he thought about money, the Emperor couldn't help wanting to ask Yang Yizhong when the few ships sent to Japan for mining trade would return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But without even asking, Zhao Jiu knew full well that the sailing time between China and Japan alone required sixty days, not to mention the transaction process in between. And although Ping Zhongzheng had given a reply by the end of July, no one knew how Japan's internal struggles would evolve, so only Heaven knew when the fleet would return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this thought, the Emperor simply stopped dwelling on matters without a solid foundation and focused on reading the official gazette in his hands. The content was quite rich... how could it not be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a sixteen-page edition!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No one's been idle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took Zhao Jiu a long time to slowly finish reading this Chinese-language gazette produced by the Jin. But after finishing, he casually asked Liu Yan a question. \"Is Wanyan Puluhu the eldest son of Wuqimai, the Jin Retired Emperor?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, although Yang Yizhong was the original know-it-all, there was no doubt that matters in the north were best deferred to Liu Yan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yan immediately responded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then are all these people Wuqimai's faction?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu pulled out one sheet from the gazette before him, then pointed at a large section of text with one hand while handing the sheet to the other with the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yan took it with both hands, glanced over it, and shook his head repeatedly: \"Your Majesty, most Jurchen names are similar; often even they themselves can't tell them apart. After Aguda founded the state, he only gave Han names to the imperial clan; the people below are still muddled. I truly cannot distinguish this list... However, many people here are Xi, Khitan, or Yan-Yun Han Chinese, which I can see at a glance. And these people are definitely not so-called Wuqimai's faction. Rather, taking advantage of Wuqimai's eldest son's rebellion this time, the three Wushu brothers are purging dissidents on a large scale!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly, then sighed with emotion. \"When news came from Goryeo earlier that Wuqimai's eldest son had rebelled, I didn't think much of it. But from this gazette today, it's not that simple. Otherwise, why would they first deal with the so-called Wuqimai faction, then immediately announce the abolition of various marching commands beyond the passes, reduce garrisons, rectify the military system, train new troops, set up a Censorate, and dispatch censors of various origins to inspect Hebei... plus the return of the two Wanhu—Huo Nü of the Western Route Army and Wulinda Taiyu of the Eastern Route Army—to Yanjing... The three Wanyan brothers' intentions are as clear as Sima Zhao's—everyone knows them!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor sighed to himself, and Liu Yan, being an honest man, didn't know how to respond, leaving an awkward silence. After a brief pause, the Emperor tapped the gazette before him and said thoughtfully:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But Wanyan Wushu still didn't dare to touch those Wanhu... Instead, he wants to win over those Wanhu generals to deal with the more troublesome Meng'an and Mouke.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, someone finally spoke up at the right time—it was the Palace Attendant Ren Baozhong: \"Your Majesty, it seems what Military Governor Ma Kuo said was absolutely right. The Jurchens are fully Sinicizing, but Wanyan Wushu doesn't dare to touch the Wanhu-level generals who command troops.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu nodded, but then immediately shook his head again:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ma Kuo certainly hit the nail on the head, but if I were in the position of the three Wushu brothers, I would probably do the same. Because the Wanhu are only a few dozen people—easy to control and win over, and easy to deal with after success. But the Meng'an and Mouke system, which combines military and administrative power, has been transplanted to the fertile lands of the Two Rivers and is ill-suited to local conditions—that's the main reason for the decline and loss of control over Jurchen combat effectiveness. One must distinguish priorities. It's like me—I'm also forced by circumstances to rely on the Military Governors and Commanders to manage military affairs through their hands. We're all the same; no one should look down on anyone else!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere in the stone pavilion grew slightly solemn, but soon Ren Baozhong found a new angle: \"So, have the Jurchens been learning from Your Majesty all along?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, everyone inside and outside the stone pavilion seemed dazed, and even Zhao Jiu was momentarily stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because upon careful reflection, it really did seem to have some truth to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after only a moment's pause, Zhao Jiu flicked his sleeve and sneered: \"Let each sweep the snow from his own doorstep. I'm just worrying unnecessarily... Let's focus on our own affairs! Yang Zhengfu, please continue!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yizhong dared not delay and immediately reported one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These included the Military Statistics Department uncovering a problem with Green Sprout loans somewhere, someone visiting the Retired Emperor Yuansheng, a battle somewhere in Hebei involving a righteous army, the Eastern Mongol King Kabul receiving Jin envoys and hesitating repeatedly before finally, like the Western Mongol King, sending two sons as hostages, and even price fluctuations in Dongjing, public sentiment stirred by football gambling, and a great Confucian scholar at the Imperial Academy publicly criticizing lottery tickets... all sorts of things, a motley collection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor listened to each one, committed them to memory, and gave instructions on anything he found inappropriate—still the same old way, sending notes to the Bureau of Military Affairs and the Secretariat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps because of the extra time spent on the Jurchen gazette, it was already noon by the time the reports were finished. The Emperor waved his sleeve to end the session, had lunch directly in the pavilion with his close ministers, and the palace guards changed shifts at the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that wasn't all. In the afternoon, the Secretariat and the Bureau of Military Affairs delivered important matters requiring the Emperor's edicts. Discussions and decisions followed, and the Emperor inevitably had to busy himself again. At this point, the main work was shouldered by the high ministers of the outer court; the few clerical tasks were completed by the Hanlin Academy in nearby offices. Most of the time, close ministers like Yang, Liu, Fan, Lu, and Ren only needed to stand at attention with the Chief Eunuch Lan Gui, ready for consultation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, working hard until dusk, the Emperor finally rose from the stone pavilion:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hard work today, everyone, dismiss early!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor had grown accustomed to saying this, and the close ministers had grown accustomed to hearing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, no one had anything to say. They all bowed in unison, then stood at attention outside the stone pavilion, watching the Emperor leave toward the southern Yingyang Gate before breaking into smiles and turning to disperse through the eastern Linhua Gate... Naturally, there would be a duty Hanlin scholar on night watch near the stone pavilion, separated by a wall from the Jingfu Hall... and the close ministers had their own lives to live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, among them, Yang Yizhong, who was about to silently follow his colleagues to the new residences in the northern Jingyuan, was called back by the Chief Eunuch of the Palace Domestic Service, Lan Gui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others, accustomed to such things, pretended not to see and left on their own... Song people liked to rank and give nicknames, and Yang Yizhong, being in a critical position, naturally couldn't avoid such things... One of the most unpleasant nicknames was \"Bearded Chief Eunuch,\" implying that although he was not a eunuch, due to the Emperor's trust and the shortage of eunuchs in the Palace Domestic Service, he had taken on the duties of the Chief Eunuch—no one knew whether this came from within the palace or the outer court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To make a long story short, Yang Yizhong was kept behind by Lan Gui. After a short wait, the Second Eunuch Feng Yi arrived, and the latter explained a matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out that since the beginning of the year, the Emperor had been growing busier, and since the launch of the great fiscal reform, he had become noticeably tired and thin. Empress Dowager Wei had always kept to herself, only enjoying new plays and not meddling in external affairs. But recently, upon seeing the Emperor in this state, she grew somewhat worried. She had someone buy a large parrot, intending to send it to the Emperor... However, ever since the candle incident, the Empress Dowager probably knew that the Emperor, since the Jingkang Incident, had set aside many indulgences and devoted himself to frugality, solely focused on the Northern Expedition. So he might not accept it, and she had been hesitating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Empress Dowager first asked me, but how would I know? So I asked Chief Eunuch Lan, and he didn't dare to speak either. Finally, a few of us in the Palace Domestic Service discussed it and decided to ask Commander Yang for your opinion,\" Feng Yi said by the fish pond. \"Commander Yang, give us your word. If you think it's acceptable, I'll take the risk and send it to the Emperor... Actually, we eunuchs also think the Emperor has been working too hard this year... And if you think it's not acceptable, consider this a discussion among the three of us. I'll handle it and persuade the Empress Dowager to keep the parrot for her own amusement and drop the matter. What do you think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anything could happen in the palace, and Yang Yizhong was no stranger to such trivial matters. But after thinking for a moment, he raised another question:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sixteenth Brother (Feng Yi's nickname), why does the Empress Dowager insist on sending a parrot?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Yi and Lan Gui exchanged a glance. Finally, Lan Gui lowered his voice and replied: \"To be honest with you, Commander Yang, all the old-timers in Dongjing know that the Emperor loved playing with birds and teasing them since childhood! He truly loved it! It's only after becoming Emperor that he buried these hobbies!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yizhong was momentarily taken aback. After a moment's thought, he gave his answer directly: \"Don't send it... If you do, the Emperor will most likely deal with it harshly for the sake of the Northern Expedition, to serve as a warning. Even if you and I suffer the consequences, that's one thing, but the Empress Dowager might think the Emperor bears some grudge against her! It would cause unnecessary trouble!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Yi and Lan Gui nodded in unison, understanding in their hearts. Then the three of them said no more and went their separate ways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving the two eunuchs aside, Yang Yizhong returned to his new residence in Jingyuan, just outside the palace. Servants, concubines, and children came to greet him, followed by feasting and dining, then an early rest... But for some reason, he tossed and turned that night, unable to sleep, as if something was weighing on his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, he forced himself to be energetic and went early to his palace duty. But as soon as he arrived at the Martial Academy where the Emperor practiced archery, a subordinate reported that the Emperor had caught a chill yesterday and was not in good spirits. He would not require the close ministers to report intelligence today, and all outer court matters were to be handled by the various Grand Councilors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yizhong naturally had nothing to say. In fact, after meeting the Emperor once, he felt a faint sense of relief... because the Emperor's illness was not severe, and his spirits were still good—just a stuffy nose and a cough. That way, even without a parrot for amusement, the Emperor could at least rest properly for a few days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, that same day, the Imperial Father-in-Law Pan entered the palace to personally diagnose and prescribe medicine. But after a few days, the Emperor's condition improved and relapsed several times, eventually growing serious. After taking some medicine that lost its efficacy, he became increasingly drowsy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, although everyone in the outer court and inner palace was worried, no one thought it would come to anything... After all, the Emperor was in the prime of his life, and it wasn't a serious illness. As for the medicine losing its effect, that was also a common occurrence... Only Yang Yizhong gradually grew alarmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he clearly remembered that the last time the Emperor was bedridden for so long was a full six or seven years ago, in the autumn of the first year of Jianyan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, it was the winter of the seventh year of Jianyan, with the eighth year of Jianyan about to arrive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Merry Christmas to everyone, and happy birthday to Han Men, who was born on Christmas Day.\u003C\u002Fp>",4907,"2026-06-06T07:46:04.529Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","80247e0211601bf78a826840e7aaa17b8e637a1cf3008851d07c85fb9335ae2e","shao-song-chapter-353","shao-song-chapter-351",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]