Chapter 338: The Root Cause

After confirming that the main force of the Eight Banners outside the city had withdrawn from Jinzhou and retreated to Shengjing, the soldiers and civilians along the Song-Jin front line all breathed a sigh of relief. When the booi bondservants who had been digging trenches outside the city also departed one by one under the watch of the Han Banner troops, the people of Jinzhou, who had been on edge the whole time, finally relaxed completely.

A few days after no Jianzhou Jurchen figures could be seen beneath the city walls at all, a narrow gap opened in the west gate of Jinzhou. First a group of hereditary military household soldiers carrying wide wooden planks squeezed out through the gate. After they laid the long planks across the trenches, a mounted force of over a hundred riders led their war horses out in single file. Stepping across the trenches on the laid planks, the officer leading them called for everyone to mount up, oriented himself, and galloped off toward the north.

The mission of this small band of Night Scouts was to probe the specific movements of the great Jianzhou Jurchen army and confirm whether the threat to Jinzhou had truly been lifted.

In Zu Dashou's residence within Jinzhou city, looking at Wu Sangui kneeling on the ground, Zu Dashou, seated in a chair, let out a sigh: "Changbo, get up! Your father has always been timid; perhaps he's overthinking things, which is why he sent you to fetch your mother. Let me speak from the heart — if the court truly meant to deal with Jinzhou, even if you took your mother back it would be useless! There are those in the court who have long since marked the Zu and Wu families as one. In their eyes, your father's actions are nothing more than the two families leaving themselves an escape route! If something really did happen to Jinzhou, even if the Wu family escaped disaster for the moment, they'd still be called to account afterward! Enough! The Zu and Wu families are blood kin after all, and I am your grand-uncle — naturally I can't stand in the way of my own child's future, can I? Tomorrow morning, come over with your mother. I'll see my sister off. Alas, after this parting, who knows whether we'll ever meet again in this life!"

By the end, Zu Dashou's words carried a touch of melancholy, which also stirred a great sense of guilt in Wu Sangui's heart.

To bring his mother back inside the Pass, he had repeatedly begged his eldest grand-uncle, and today Zu Dashou had finally nodded in agreement. But instead of feeling much joy, a thick sense of loss weighed upon Wu Sangui's heart.

He had grown up in Jinzhou since childhood, and whatever achievements he had today were all thanks to his eldest grand-uncle's family. Now that the moment of crisis had arrived, all he thought about was his own family's escape route, completely disregarding how his grand-uncles felt — frankly, it did seem rather ungrateful.

But things had already come to this; trying to turn back now would only invite more ridicule. He would see if there was a chance to earn merits in the future — if the court ever moved to purge the Zu family, he could stand forward with his military accomplishments and plead for his grand-uncle's household.

"Your nephew thanks the grand-uncle's family for years of nurturing grace! No matter what the future holds, the Zu and Wu remain kin bound by blood. Whatever happens, the Wu family will always stand on the Zu family's side! Your nephew observes that His Majesty's actions in recent years do not suggest a heartless sovereign — Grand-uncle need not worry overmuch about this!"

Wu Sangui rose, bowed with clasped hands, and said.

Beside him, Zu Dabei let out a cold laugh: "Changbo, don't blame your second grand-uncle for speaking bluntly. If it were truly as you say — that the emperor won't hold against Jinzhou its years of behaving like a separate fief — then why is your father so eager to distance himself from our Zu family? Changbo, say no more today. We're still relatives now; who knows what the future holds! Your second grand-uncle merely wishes your Wu family a day of soaring success! Hmph!"

Seeing Wu Sangui's utterly embarrassed expression, Zu Dashou could not help but rebuke: "Number Two, how are you speaking? Is this how an elder talks to a junior? Changbo, go on then. Come early tomorrow morning with your mother, and we'll have a family reunion meal together. I also have some words to impress upon my sister! Go, go!"

Wu Sangui, too embarrassed to respond, took the opportunity to take his leave of his grand-uncles, and after leaving Zu Dashou's residence, returned to his own household with his personal guards.

The next morning, at the end of the si hour (around 11 a. m.), Wu Sangui arrived at Zu Dashou's residence with over a hundred personal guards escorting his mother, Zu Youlan. The sedan chair carried Zu Youlan directly to the inner quarters.

Wu Sangui instructed his personal guards not to follow, telling them to find a place to rest and wait for the meal. These guards had also grown up in Jinzhou and were quite familiar with the Zu family's retainers and trusted officers.

After giving these orders, he went directly to the main residence in the fourth courtyard.

In the main residence's reception hall, Wu Sangui chatted for a while with his cousin Zu Zerun. Then Zu Kuan, Zu Zehong, Zu Zeyuan, Zu Zepei, Zu Zesheng, Zu Zefa, Zu Kefa, Zu Zepu, Zu Zeqing, and a host of other cousins arrived in the hall one after another.

Aside from Zu Zesheng, Zu Zepu, and a few others who were usually close to him coming over to greet Wu Sangui, the rest of the Zu family gave him no friendly looks. Most sat down with cold faces, then began murmuring quietly among themselves.

Toward the Wu family's near-desertion, most of these Zu family sons felt genuine resentment from the bottom of their hearts — a sense of being stabbed in the back by their own people. And after stabbing them, the stabber might even enjoy a better future, which the Zu sons simply could not accept.

Knowing that tonight was to see off Wu Sangui and his mother, most of the Zu sons had initially intended not to come, unwilling to look at Wu Sangui's face. But after exchanging word among themselves, they changed their minds, and having agreed on a time, came one after another to the Zu residence.

"I say, Little Seven, I hear someone promised you the post of Ningyuan Regional Commander, and that's why you've thrown yourself back into the court's arms, is that right? How many Regional Commanders has our Western Liao line produced over the years? Apart from my father, how old were Second Uncle and Third Uncle before they managed to scrape their way to the rank of Regional Commander? Surely you don't think that with your talents, having failed to become a Regional Commander in all your years in Western Liao, you've been wasted here? Little Seven, you're not yet thirty. Wait until the older generation has passed on in peace — could the Regional Commander's seat possibly have been denied you? But now, for the sake of this post, you've actually sided with outsiders. How is that any different from an ungrateful wolf?"

The speaker was Zu Dashou's adopted son Zu Kefa. He was originally the son of one of Zu Dashou's household retainers; his father had died saving Zu Dashou from the Jurchen. Moved by the father's loyalty, Zu Dashou had taken Zu Kefa as his adopted son, and over a dozen years he had risen to the rank of Assistant Regional Commander.

Of all those seated today, none despised Wu Sangui's ingratitude more than he. The conviction instilled in him since childhood — never betray one's master — made him loathe the Wu family's conduct with exceptional intensity.

Seeing the look of guilt on Wu Sangui's face, the anger in Zu Kefa's heart surged. But constrained by their kinship, he did not utter crude words; instead, suppressing his fury, he opened his mouth to interrogate.

"Fifth Brother, what do you mean by that? When has the Wu family ever sided with outsiders? Whether it's the Zu family or the whole of Western Liao, to my Wu family they are all as kin! Your younger brother today already stated to Grand-uncle that wherever he may be in the future, the Zu and Wu families will always share honor and disgrace! Moreover, whether it's bringing my mother inside the Pass or the post of Regional Commander, neither of these indicates that the Wu family intends to turn its back on Western Liao! Why must all you elder and younger brothers insist on seeing this as the Wu family trying to break away from Jinzhou?"

Guilty as Wu Sangui felt, he could not tolerate being openly accused of betrayal by his own family. Facing Zu Kefa's rebuke, Wu Sangui responded without the slightest weakness.

"Little Five, I'm afraid you haven't seen it clearly. Little Seven isn't betraying our Western Liao over some Regional Commander post — you're underestimating our dear uncle-in-law! He can see the court has already drawn its blade and is charging at our Jinzhou. Afraid of injuring their Wu family by mistake, he hurriedly turned and ran! Our dear uncle-in-law may be timid, but he's a slippery character! And his foresight is truly something! Bravo! Simply bravo!"

Zu Zeyuan, leaning back against his chair with both legs stretched wide, spoke in a mocking, sarcastic tone.