Chapter 360: An Unexpected Turn

The Zhao Emperor leading the hundred officials out to the Yue Platform was not about Wang De having rendered some great merit this time, to be given special treatment... but rather that the Zhao Song dynasty had a long-standing tradition of holding a military review at the Western Suburbs in late spring and early summer.

Specifically, every year in late spring, the Zhao Song Emperor would exit the West Gate, take advantage of the spring floodwaters to first inspect the navy at Jinming Pool, then proceed to the banquet hall between Qionglin Garden and Jinming Pool for the military review, during which the various armies would also engage in so-called "contests and displays of skill."

Of course, thanks to the management of Grand Commandant Gao Qiu and the personal preferences of the Retired Daoist Emperor, during the era of "Abundance and Prosperity," this event had essentially degenerated into a talent show. Soldiers would have to dress up as lions, tigers, ghosts, and gods to enter the field; sparring pairs would perform set routines; formation troops would wear flowers in their hair and dance; archers would use men balancing five plates on their heads as targets.

They even put on theatrical performances, following the routine of a village husband and wife fighting. It was said that to be authentic, the performance had to end with the wife being carried off the field by the husband.

Besides this, young palace maids, led by noblewomen of the harem, would dress in men's armor, mount horses, and wear colorful capes, engaging in cavalry combat with the Imperial Guard. The movements had to be uniform, the faces pretty... and it went without saying that the palace maids would always win in the end.

In essence, these things were no different from an Indian military parade, perhaps even worse because there were no motorcycles, but they certainly couldn't have any trace of true military bearing... Of course, to be fair, that was just the way of the era. The common people liked it too; if it were replaced with a more somber and austere military formation, they would find it far less entertaining.

As for Zhao Jiu coming out this time, he had also deliberated for a long time.

To elaborate, ever since falling ill last year, he had learned his lesson and stopped interfering excessively in court affairs. On one hand, he further delegated routine matters down to the Secretariat and the Bureau of Military Affairs, retaining only his attention to personnel, the military, and intelligence work. On the other hand, he redirected his focus back to his particular strengths... that is, tinkering with clever contraptions and novelties, creating flashy and ostentatious but impractical things.

First came the hot air balloon, then the Zhao Temperature Scale that followed, then grinding a single-tube telescope out of crystal, and then, after handling the court's personnel issues, he chose to prepare this military review.

Calling it a military review was just a formality. In reality, after learning of the "established precedents" from a memorial in early March, he decided to take the opportunity to hold a grand all-army competition.

In fact, returning with Wang De this time were also elements of the Left Army, Rear Army, and some meritorious soldiers from Li Yanxian's Central Army. Meanwhile, elite soldiers from the Vanguard Army, Right Army, and even the Navy had already arrived ahead of time.

Everything was ready, only the Zhao Emperor's dragon banner was missing.

And on this day, the Zhao Emperor's dragon banner, along with the left and right white yak-tail and black yak-tail grand banners displayed as war trophies, did not go to Qionglin Garden or Jinming Pool. Instead, they went directly to the Yue Platform, the rear half of which had been converted into a sacrificial temple.

There, the Zhao Emperor first received Wang De and his vanguard troops returning from the rotation campaign. However, he did not immediately begin the so-called "military review." Instead, he started a task he hadn't done in a long time—the Emperor sat upright on the imperial throne in the center of the Yue Platform, in front of the sacrificial temple, personally watching as Ministry of Revenue officials distributed the rewards for the various armies from the rotation campaign.

Silks of varying grades, strings of brand-new copper coins, gleaming white silver, and the smallest but always most eye-catching gold ingots were poured out from chests, all glittering under the early summer sun. Whenever someone was called forward, officers and clerks would carefully weigh and measure the items, distributing them to the soldiers according to the documents.

This was the so-called "settlement under the eyes"... an old method, but a practical one.

The distribution of rewards continued one after another, a very time-consuming process. And with the Zhao Emperor sitting there solemnly, although the chief ministers and important officials were mostly allowed to sit and were not exhausted, the atmosphere was still somewhat stifling.

Especially since, for some unknown reason, as the Zhao Emperor watched the dwindling wealth, his expression grew increasingly stern, and his brow furrowed tighter and tighter... At first glance, one might think he was begrudging these rewards!

"Your subject presumes to ask, is Your Majesty begrudging these rewards?"

Suddenly, not far from the Zhao Emperor, a high-ranking official in a purple robe abruptly stood up and spoke out, his voice extremely jarring amidst the calls for rewards from further away.

Everyone followed the sound and looked, only to discover it was the newly appointed Left Vice Minister of Works, Goulong Ruyuan, and they were momentarily surprised.

To be honest, even Zhao Jiu was somewhat stunned inwardly, because his impression of this man was shallow, and the little impression he had was very contradictory... First, this man had held his ground in the Quanzhou Foreign Temple Case, seeming to be an upright official, but it could also have been opportunism. Second, this man's original surname was Gou, but after the Jianyan era, he changed it to Goulong. Although avoiding taboos was only natural in those days, taking the initiative to change his surname to the point of altering it seemed to show loyalty mixed with a hint of sycophancy.

Aside from that, roughly speaking, this man came from a clean background and had drifted through prefectures and counties for over a decade, accumulating deep seniority. As a result, when he was suddenly brought into the court by Zhang Jun, who was also from Sichuan, no one could oppose it.

With this thought, Zhao Jiu also harbored a hint of testing intent. He kept his expression unchanged and his posture still, frowning as he replied from his seat:

"Indeed! What can be done about it?"

"In that case, please allow Your subject to offer congratulations!" Without any hesitation, Goulong Ruyuan directly rose from his seat and performed a dance of obeisance in full view of the assembled ministers. "The Son of Heaven loves the people so deeply; the Northern Expedition to succeed and recover the Two Rivers truly has hope."

The assembled ministers were even more dumbfounded.

Even Zhao Jiu, after a moment of silence, couldn't help but ask seriously: "Minister Goulong, what reasoning is this?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, there is no particular reasoning, only extrapolating from oneself!" Goulong Ruyuan finally looked up from the ground, his expression solemn. "When I was in Quanzhou, every time I levied taxes and saw the people handing over every last copper, I would worry that the central government would waste the blood and sweat of the Jiangnan people, and I would be just as solemn... And seeing Your Majesty so solemn today, I know that the people of Jiangnan have not labored in vain."

Zhao Jiu was stunned again, silent for a moment, but many of the surrounding civil and military heavyweights began to look solemn... at least on the surface, they had to look solemn.

"Your Majesty, this is a sycophantic petty man!" But just as Zhao Jiu was hesitating slightly, a man behind him couldn't help blurting out. Everyone followed the sound and saw it was the newly confirmed Hanlin Academician Lu Benzhong, who had taken advantage of the expansion of the Hanlin Academy. Their expressions varied.

"How can you arbitrarily call a colleague a sycophantic petty man?" Zhao Jiu heard the voice, his heart stirred slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Your Majesty!" Lu Benzhong seemed to regret his words as soon as they were spoken, but since the Emperor had already spoken, he had to steel himself and step forward, bowing to Goulong Ruyuan beside him. "Leaving aside this man's avoidance of taboos by changing his surname, when he was in Quanzhou, it was clear that as the Prefect of Quanzhou, knowing Your Majesty's previous attitude towards foreign merchants, he was acting opportunistically... Today's behavior is outright sycophancy, words tailored to the situation. Otherwise, why would he first ask Your Majesty whether it was so, and then speak? Your subject believes that if Your Majesty had said no, he would surely have had other words!"

Zhao Jiu's expression did not change, only looking at Goulong Ruyuan, who was silently watching Lu Benzhong.

"Reporting to Your Majesty," Goulong Ruyuan withdrew his gaze from Lu Benzhong and simply bowed. "Academician Lu's words are clearly a condemnation of motives, without any factual basis. As for my words just now, they were truly from the heart, with no intent to flatter. As for why I had to ask Your Majesty first before speaking, there is also a reason... As far as I know, it is not only Your Majesty who frowns and looks solemn when distributing military pay and rewards. Military Governor Zhang of the Right Army of the Imperial Camp and Military Governor Yue of the Vanguard Army of the Imperial Camp both have this demeanor, and it is widely known. Yet I do not believe that these two are solemn in the same way, with the same thoughts inside."

Zhao Jiu finally laughed... and even felt a bit smug inside.

The rest of the ministers also showed expressions of sudden realization and amusement.

To elaborate, Yue Fei and Zhang Jun, as two of the most renowned military commanders in the realm, were also figures of the times. Having served for so long, their temperaments were already widely known.

Yue Pengju and his troops were mostly refugees from Hebei. In the beginning, they were often attacked by southern literati and commoners, who said the court was draining the fat and wealth of the southern people to support these Hebei ruffians. In response, Yue Fei, who had gone south to quell major rebellions and witnessed firsthand the burden on the Jiangnan people, did not complain. Instead, he acknowledged this and often admonished his subordinates that the ever-increasing military expenditure came from the blood and sweat of the southern people.

So, almost every time he distributed military pay, Yue Fei would sit there with a dark face. His intention was probably just what Goulong Ruyuan had used to flatter the Zhao Emperor.

As for Zhang Jun... everyone didn't dare to mock him openly, but they all knew in their hearts that he was probably genuinely reluctant to part with it.

At this moment, Zhao Jiu's smugness was slightly different from what everyone else thought... For one, this Goulong Ruyuan had managed to link him with Yue Fei, praising him in a roundabout way. He couldn't say it openly, but he was very pleased inside. For another, others didn't know, but he knew that in the past, Zhang Jun never personally attended the distribution of military pay. He always let his subordinates skim off layers. Now, personally attending the distribution was because the money no longer passed through his hands. So he put on a show of selflessness, but each time his heart ached, and he couldn't help but go take a look... Knowing all this, how could he not be amused?

Of course, at the same time, Zhao Jiu also concluded that this Goulong Ruyuan was a sycophant.

Not just because of today's performance, but because he had already had a slight suspicion from the beginning, and Lu Benzhong's words only confirmed it... It must be known that Lu Benzhong was good at poetry, chess, and idling about, but he wasn't so astute in politics. And this time was different from the previous confrontation with Cai Mao. Cai Mao was the son of a chancellor who had hung around the capital for decades, probably knowing Lu Benzhong for decades. Young Master Lu naturally knew his background. But this Goulong Ruyuan was unlikely to have any connection with Lu Benzhong.

Young Master Lu's words were most likely something he had inadvertently heard at home from Lu Haowen and remembered.

In other words, it wasn't Lu Benzhong who thought Goulong Ruyuan was a sycophant today, but Lu Haowen who considered this man such a character.

Of course, if Lu Haowen were here, he would never have said it. In fact, it was very likely that among the heavyweights present, there were those who already saw Goulong Ruyuan this way, but they didn't say it... Because they knew in their hearts that whether someone was sycophantic or not wasn't a particularly serious matter for the Zhao Emperor. As long as this fellow didn't cause trouble due to his sycophancy, it was irrelevant. And if this man could also get things done, a little sycophancy was even less of a concern.

Zhang Deyuan, in a sense, was also a flatterer. His poetry was terrible, his calligraphy was crooked, and his cultural level was, at first glance, not as good as Qu Da's... "Not going to Guanzhong to start a career, but coming to the river to fish in a boat"... Zhang Jun could absolutely never write a poem like that.

But whether it was Grand Councilor Zhang or Military Governor Qu, weren't they now Grand Councilor and Military Governor? And they were right there on the Yue Platform.

In the final analysis, compared to his performance in the Quanzhou Foreign Temple Case and weighed against the overall need for talent in the central government, Goulong Ruyuan's actions were insignificant in the Zhao Emperor's eyes.

Sure enough, with a casual laugh and a slight wave of his hand from the Zhao Emperor, a minor storm passed easily.

Only, Lu Benzhong got the cold shoulder, but Goulong Ruyuan didn't gain any advantage either... After all, it wasn't just the Zhao Emperor, or Lu Haowen who wasn't present today. All the chief ministers and heavyweights, both inside and outside the court, who was easy to deal with? They had long since mentally tagged this man, and after this incident, there was no need to say more.

Even his fellow townsman Zhang Jun, who had brought him into the court, felt a slight regret... His own faction's reputation in the court was already poor. Bringing in another person like this would only make the opposite side seem like gentlemen and his own side like a clique of petty men who had risen through flattery.

Of course, in public, no one showed it... especially since Lu Benzhong had just been snubbed.

On the other side, as the rewards were distributed, the expected situation also appeared—after the distribution was complete, only less than a third of the gold, silver, copper, and silk on the platform had been given out. The soldiers below couldn't help but stir.

At this point, there was no need for the Zhao Emperor to speak. Grand Councilor Zhang Jun, Zhang Deyuan, naturally rose to explain the situation and then take the opportunity to announce the start of the "military review and martial display."

However, for some reason today, unexpected events kept occurring.

Before Zhang Deyuan could go down to speak, the commotion below suddenly grew, and then a commotion broke out directly on one side of the Yue Platform. It seemed someone couldn't hold back and had made a noise.

The civil officials on the platform looked at each other, their faces turning ashen. This was the thing they dreaded most.

Even Zhao Jiu, though his expression remained unchanged, felt a mix of shock and anger inside.

Fortunately, the commotion came and went quickly. Before Liu Yan could even lead the Imperial Personal Guards down from the Yue Platform, Wang De had already dragged the troublemaker up to apologize. Upon inquiry, it turned out to be Wang De's second son, Wang Shun, who had rendered the greatest service in Hezhong Prefecture this time.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Wang Shun couldn't help but make a scene.

But regardless, such behavior absolutely could not be tolerated. After a moment's deliberation, the Zhao Emperor immediately issued a punishment: stripping him of his military merits, revoking his rewards, and expelling him from the army. Though furious inside, he could not possibly kill the man in front of Wang De.

Moreover, if this incident were truly just Wang Shun personally acting like a spoiled young master, it might not be a big problem. The fear was that it reflected a problem within the entire army. After a year or two without major battles, various old ailments in the military had not only failed to improve but had instead fostered a certain arrogance and restlessness at the grassroots level.

And it was the latter that truly shocked and angered Zhao Jiu.

Another minor storm passed. The lord and his ministers on the Yue Platform each forcibly suppressed the great vigilance that had risen in their hearts, and the military review and martial exercises officially began.

Seeing the bright and clear rewards on offer, the soldiers naturally became eager.

Then, as the exercise instructions were distributed and the accompanying *jinshi* degree holders gave their routine explanations, everyone realized that this martial exercise was not the muddled affair of the past, but rather quite interesting.

For example, the cavalry horse race was divided into short-distance and long-distance. For the short-distance, armor could be shed to lighten the load; it was simply a matter of who could complete a circuit around the Yue Platform and its main camp the fastest along the designated path. For the long-distance, full armor was required, along with a day's rations, a canteen of water, and a bundle of fodder. Starting from the Yue Platform, they had to go to Qingcheng outside the south gate of Dongjingcheng to retrieve a token, then return to the Yue Platform. The route was self-selected. Apart from the food, water, and fodder, no key equipment could be lost, and no outside food or drink could be used. Whoever returned first was the winner.

Besides this, there were also mixed cavalry drills, divided into two types: one was teams of fifty men, two teams competing against each other; the other was a melee of a hundred men, each fighting for themselves. Both involved attacking from horseback with cloth-wrapped wooden poles, but the use of reins and stirrups was forbidden. Once a rider fell from the horse, they were considered defeated.

As for the infantry, there were also running events, similar to the cavalry horse races, just without the mounts.

The infantry melee drills were also similar, but instead, the objective was to tear off the name tag stuck to the opponent's back.

There was also archery, which wasn't about who had the most tricks. A target was set up, painted with ten concentric circles from the inside out. A quiver of arrows was shot, using the same bow, the same distance, the same time limit, and the same target. Whoever had the most accurate shots was the clear winner.

But crossbow shooting was different from archery. It wasn't about accuracy, but about using a divine arm crossbow, cocking it yourself, ensuring the bolt reached a certain distance to count. The competition was to see who could shoot twenty standard bolts in the shortest time.

The rest of the events ranged from throwing iron balls to tug-of-war, weightlifting, javelin throwing, and even military *cuju* (football), covering a wide variety.

There were many events, and the schedule was fully packed for over ten days. That day was just for announcing the matter. Starting from the evening, the hundred officials returned, leaving only the Zhao Emperor, the Imperial Personal Guards, and relevant clerks from the Ministry of War at the Yue Platform main camp to observe and handle the proceedings.

In the following days, officials occasionally came by, but it was all quite casual.

Regardless of other matters, over the next several days, thanks to the Zhao Emperor's presence and the fairness of the exercises, the event gradually got on track. It indeed stirred up a competitive spirit among the various army units. The scenes became increasingly exciting, even attracting large crowds of commoners to watch daily. These scenes somewhat allowed the Zhao Emperor to temporarily set aside the matter of that wretch Wang Shun, and his mood improved day by day.

By the end of the fourth month, although there were minor flaws due to it being the first time, the martial exercise assembly still concluded successfully. After all the rewards were distributed, the Zhao Emperor finally returned to the city with the civil and military officials who had once again come out of the city. According to Zhao Jiu's plan, upon returning, he would thoroughly and widely promote the simplified Arabic numerals he had already started using (in this era, Arabic numerals were actually quite different from later times, even somewhat strange), along with chart and table systems, incorporating them into government work and even the imperial examinations.

And so, in a good mood, Zhao Jiu took the lead, returning with the civil and military officials. But when they reached Kaiyuan Gate (the west gate of Dongjingcheng, directly facing Xuande Tower), they encountered another unexpected incident—another person was kneeling at the palace gate to submit a direct petition to the emperor.

Of course, calling it an "unexpected incident" was a bit inappropriate. This was too common, even traditional. Zhao Jiu didn't think much of it. Just like last time, the relevant personnel handled it according to the established procedure. Since it was a lawsuit rather than a remonstrance directed at the emperor, the Imperial Personal Guards led the person to the roadside, an official from the Ministry of Justice stepped forward to receive the documents, and other officials came forward to comfort and question him.

At the same time, the main procession continued its journey, slowly heading back into the city.

No one took this matter seriously. Zhao Jiu, having watched a military sports meet and with new plans in mind, took it even less seriously... until the Minister of Justice, Ma Shen, his face ashen, suddenly rode forward, bypassed the four Grand Councilors, and handed a document to the Zhao Emperor in public.

Clearly, this was the document from the person who had just knelt at the palace gate to submit a direct petition.

Zhao Jiu first dismissed it, taking the document on horseback and opening it to look. But with just a single glance, he instantly understood Ma Shen's intention in doing this, and at the same time, he became utterly furious! And this time, the anger was even greater than what Wang Shun's actions had provoked a few days earlier!

But having been the Son of Heaven for many years, he had developed some composure. His expression remained unchanged. He casually put the document away in public, gave Ma Shen a brief glance, and then continued urging his horse forward.

According to political custom, he should have shown the document to the Grand Councilors. But none of the Grand Councilors actively asked for it. Even Ma Shen surprisingly said nothing, only slightly slowing the pace of his mule to fall back into the queue behind the Grand Councilors. His expression remained dark and unsettled.

At this point, just by looking at Minister Ma's expression, without even glancing at the emperor or the Grand Councilors, the high-ranking ministers in the front rows knew something had happened. But they could only pretend not to know, forcing themselves to urge their mounts forward, following the Zhao Emperor eastward. Once they reached Xuande Tower and entered Xuande Gate, they could disband and then privately inquire and investigate.

However, as the imperial procession reached Xuande Tower, another small incident occurred.

A bird, startled by the ceremonial guard, flew out from the archway of Xuande Tower, almost brushing past the Zhao Emperor. This was fine in itself, but the key was that the large horse the Zhao Emperor was riding was no famous steed, just an ordinary horse. Startled by the bird's sudden flight, although there was no dramatic loss of control, the horse stumbled and refused to enter the archway.

Zhao Jiu urged it several times, but the horse would not advance. Losing his patience, he simply dismounted, preparing to enter the palace on foot. The rest of the hundred officials had no choice but to dismount from their mules and horses as well.

At this moment, perhaps due to an old habit resurfacing, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, Gou Long Ruyuan, couldn't help but chuckle and offer a remark: "Your Majesty, it seems this imperial horse, having seen Your Majesty give out so many rewards at the Yue Platform, also wishes to seek a reward, or even a promotion..."

Foolish!

Too much!

Countless people silently sneered at this newly promoted minister in their hearts.

And sure enough, Zhao Jiu finally turned back with an indifferent look, glanced at Gou Long Ruyuan, then looked at the horse again. His gaze swept over the several Grand Councilors and Ministers, finally settling on Yang Yizhong, who stood to one side, and he issued a cold decree:

"A mere horse, without reason, seeks a reward. What place does that leave the generals and soldiers of the Imperial Camp? Kill this horse and display its head as a warning!"

Having said this, the emperor flicked his sleeves and entered the palace.

Seeing this, Gou Long Ruyuan was dumbfounded, his face turning pale with shock as he stood rooted to the spot. The other high ministers were also greatly alarmed. They had indeed seen that the emperor was in a bad mood and that Gou Long Ruyuan had overstepped and angered him, but none of them had expected things to go this far.

The emperor disappeared directly into the vast gate tower, leaving the ceremonial guard and the hundred officials outside. Yang Yizhong exchanged a glance with Liu Yan beside him, and with no other choice, he called over two Imperial Personal Guards to first remove the saddle and stirrups. Then Liu Yan personally grabbed the horse's head, and Yang Yizhong personally drew his saber. With a single stroke, he slew the imperial horse in front of Xuande Tower.

The horse's head tumbled, blood flowing over the ground. Imperial Personal Guards stepped forward to "hang the head as a warning." As Yang and Liu, stained with blood, bowed to the Grand Councilors, took their leave, and hurried into the palace, the hundred officials were each alarmed, their discussions and speculations growing more intense. Meanwhile, Zhao Jiu returned to the palace. He did not go to the rear palace to rest but instead went to the stone pavilion in the back courtyard. There, with a dark face, he opened the document Ma Shen had handed him and read it carefully.

The matter in the document was actually very, very simple. Zhao Jiu had already understood it after a couple of glances earlier, and reading it now revealed nothing new. It was simply that several Fujianese scholars in the capital, greatly encouraged after the last direct petition had resolved the temple issue, had pressed on, carrying forward the Great Song tradition of kneeling at the palace gate, which was possible because the dynasty did not punish people for their words. They had impeached another person, a man notorious in their Fujian region for being an unfilial son.

According to the document, this unfilial son had achieved success and high office early in life, reaching the pinnacle of officialdom, yet he had never supported his father and mother, and had even uttered words of resentment towards them on multiple occasions. This was the height of unfilial behavior, and he should be removed from his post to rectify public morals.

Ethics and filial piety were always favorite topics for these scholars. The local gentry had their own tradition of upholding moral principles, which was common. And impeaching a high official for being unfilial—as long as there was no retaliation—could bring fame whether it succeeded or failed, so there was no need to elaborate further.

But these were not the key points. The key was that this unfilial son was named Hu Yin. He was the current Minister of Works, the last of the "Three Talents of the Imperial Academy," and a trusted high minister of the Zhao Emperor.

Furthermore, Zhao Jiu had roughly guessed from the start that the content of this impeachment, coming from local factions in Fujian, was likely true. Hu Yin's foul temper and that sour face of his made him look exactly like an "unfilial son."

PS: Routine sacrifice of "The Actor Has No Vacation."