Chapter 506: Unfilial Son, Take This Staff from Me!

"You unfilial wretch! You unfilial wretch! You dare come back? Take this staff from me!"

Lady Zhao, née Du, was in the inner hall teaching her daughter Zhu Niang needlework when she heard her husband's furious roar from outside. The moment she made out the words "unfilial wretch," her heart gave a sudden lurch.

Zhao the Second was already nearly six years old this year. From birth he had been different from his elder brother, Zhao the First. The elder brother, it was said, had weighed a full eight jin at birth, and as he grew, he excelled at every kind of fist, kick, spear, and staff — clearly the makings of a military man.

He, by contrast, had been born small and thin, and could not endure hardship. Thus, at nearly six, he had still not begun tempering his body, and instead was quite fond of reading and writing.

At such a young age he was already keen on imitating the postures of adults, spoke little to anyone, and had a sly, quietly mischievous temperament.

Still, Zhao the Second, now just past five, had not yet grown mischievous enough to matter. He was holding a tree branch, practicing writing in his own courtyard, when he heard a thunderous shout.

The terrified Zhao the Second had just opened his mouth, ready to wail, when it was immediately stuffed full of dirt, and his face was spattered all over with mud.

Looking closely, he saw a pair of huge feet flying back and forth before his eyes. The owner of those feet was none other than his old man, Zhao Hongyin.

Presumably the dirt that had just flown into his face had been kicked over by Zhao Hongyin.

This was the Zhao family's old residence in Luoyang's Jiamaying, where Zhao Kuangyin had been born, which was why he had found his way home so easily.

Zhao Yanjin's father, Zhao Hui, held high office and naturally would not come to Zhao Kuangyin's house. So the three had divided up the tasks: Zhao Hui went to find Li Jianchong, while Zhao Yanjin followed Zhao Kuangyin to find his father.

In the end, Zhao Kuangyin, tears welling in his eyes, had just stepped into the courtyard, and before the word "Father" could even leave his mouth —

he saw Zhao Hongyin, eyes bloodshot, give a light kick with his calf, sending a staff flying into the air. Zhao Hongyin caught the staff mid-leap, let out a shout, and swept it straight at Zhao Kuangyin's legs.

The fury! How could he not be furious? It turned out that when Zhao Kuangyin had left home back then, Zhao Hongyin had absolutely refused to let him go to Hexi. Zhao Kuangyin had jumped out a window and run.

And after going to Hexi, Zhang Zhao had proclaimed himself Great King of Liang. Zhao Hongyin, terrified of being implicated, had spent several years living like a cowed grandson with his tail between his legs.

Worse, after Li Yantao deliberately cut off all contact between Hexi and the Central Plains, he had been so frightened that he moved the whole family back to Luoyang. The hardships along the way made Zhao Hongyin burn with rage every time he recalled them.

Zhao the First was a filial son, a truly filial son. So seeing his old man sweep at him with a staff full of resentment, he dared not block it, and could only throw himself forward in an undignified scramble.

Then, covering his head, he ran toward the inner hall. He knew the only person who could restrain his father was his mother, Lady Du.

But Zhao Hongyin was dead set on giving Zhao Kuangyin a beating. He had anticipated the move, turned, and cut off Zhao Kuangyin's path to the inner hall. Zhao Kuangyin had no choice but to dodge and hide around the courtyard.

"Father, spare me some dignity — your son has brought an honored guest!"

Flustered and busy, Zhao Kuangyin pointed at Zhao Yanjin, who was grinning as he watched him take a beating.

Zhao Hongyin had in fact noticed earlier that someone else was there, but with fury surging to the top of his head, how could he care about any of that?

However, now that he had landed a few blows on Zhao Kuangyin, neither too light nor too heavy, his anger had already mostly subsided. Seeing that there was a guest present, he prepared to take the out.

Who would have thought that Zhao Yanjin would chuckle, spread his hands, and say, "Uncle, pay me no mind. I too bear the surname Zhao — we are of the same clan. I'll just find myself a seat."

Zhao Kuangyin:.......

Zhao Yanjin was not simply looking to enjoy Zhao Kuangyin's humiliation. Rather, he wanted to use the opportunity to observe Zhao Hongyin's character, and even more, to see what standing Zhao Kuangyin held in his father's heart.

But with that remark, Zhao Hongyin could no longer continue the beating. Still, he could not quite climb down from the situation, so he stood holding the staff, calculating whether to land two more blows before calling it quits.

"Zhao Dalang, strike him one more time, and I swear I'll make your face bloom today!"

While Zhao Hongyin hesitated, Lady Du came flying out of the house.

Looking up, she saw Zhao the Second's face covered in mud and water, his mouth full of dirt, already nearly cried to death, while Zhao the First had been beaten into a grimacing, teeth-baring mess. Lady Du instantly erupted like a mother lion protecting her cubs!

Seeing his wife's fury, Zhao Hongyin sheepishly lowered the staff and stepped aside.

The reason his authority as head of the household was so weak was this: after Lady Du gave birth to Zhao the Second, Zhao Hongyin had an affair with the boy's wet nurse, the famously beautiful widow, Lady Geng.

Although Lady Du later took charge and formally brought Lady Geng into the household as Zhao Hongyin's concubine, it was precisely because of this that Zhao Hongyin, moved by his wife's magnanimity and feeling that he had been in the wrong first and had wronged her, gradually settled into his position at the bottom of the family hierarchy.

"Xianghai'er, my son! Why have you only come back now?" Having shouted her husband down, Lady Du set Zhao the Second aside and rushed toward Zhao the First.

Poor Zhao the Second, his mouth full of mud, had not even had time to act spoiled before he was dumped on the ground again, and at once began wailing even louder.

Zhao Kuangyin watched his mother rushing toward him, and at last two streams of hot tears burst from his eyes. He knelt right there in the courtyard and kowtowed three times to his parents — especially to his mother.

"Your son has been unfilial, and has made Father and Mother worry."

In this age, travel and communication were extraordinarily difficult. Once Zhao Kuangyin had left, it was not easy for him to stay in touch with his family.

He had asked traveling merchants to deliver letters a few times, but only the first and second merchants managed to find the Zhao family. After Zhao Hongyin moved, no one could find them anymore.

From the time she stopped receiving Zhao Kuangyin's letters, Lady Du had waited at the gate day after day, asking people to make inquiries. In the end, every kind of rumor reached her ears.

Some said Zhao Kuangyin had been captured by the Jin army and executed. Some said he had followed the Liang kingdom on its western campaign into the Western Regions and lost all contact. Some said he had offended the King of Liang and been thrown into prison. It frightened Lady Du half to death, dreading that any day she would receive word of disaster.

Now, seeing Zhao Kuangyin return whole and intact, and considerably taller and stouter than before, she was overjoyed beyond measure. She clasped Zhao the First's head and wept as though heaven and earth had gone dark.

After Lady Du had cried herself out, and she and Zhao Hongyin together helped him to his feet, Zhao Kuangyin introduced Zhao Yanjin to his parents — very directly, without the slightest concealment.

"Father, Mother, this is the young lord Zhao, Troop Commander of the Baoyi Army of Shanzhou."

Lady Du showed no particular reaction, but the moment Zhao Hongyin heard it, he could not help sucking in a cold breath. He hurried to the gate and shut the main door, and only then, with a tense expression, invited Zhao Yanjin inside.

As for the Zhao Kuangyin family — how to put it. Take his father, Zhao Hongyin: the History of Song speaks of his meritorious service in rescuing Emperor Zhuangzong of Tang, of his being in charge of the imperial guards, of his great victory over Wang Jingchong, and so on. There is a grain of truth in all of it, but he was the sort who was one among the multitude, not a principal figure.

As for "managing the imperial guards," it was probably not much different from that gimmick about Lin Chong being the arms instructor of the eight hundred thousand imperial guards.

Zhao Hongyin's official career had not, in truth, gone smoothly. Of all the descriptions of him, probably only "skilled in bow and horse" was true — otherwise he could not have trained a fierce warrior like Zhao Kuangyin.

Zhao Hongyin's standing at this time, to put it in later terms, was that of a family whose members had once taken part in a revolution — barely qualifying as a third-generation military compound household, with a rank roughly equivalent to a deputy regimental commander.

That level could not be called a very high office, but it was decent enough. Still, it certainly did not give him access to much information.

Zhao Hongyin was not even sure whether Yelu Deguang had come from Kaifeng, much less that Zhang Zhao had already reached Shanzhou.

But there was one thing Zhao Hongyin did know: the news that Zhang Zhao had been acclaimed as Prince of Yong and had sworn his oath in Guanzhong — because that proclamation against the barbarians had already spread throughout the eastern capital, Luoyang.

And now, this son of his, who had long since run off to follow the Prince of Yong, had suddenly returned, and had even brought the young lord of the Baoyi Army of Shanzhou into his home. Then there was only one possibility.

Zhao Hongyin asked in a trembling voice, "Has the Prince of Yong already entered Shanzhou?"

Zhao Kuangyin nodded heavily. "His Highness the Prince of Yong has not only entered Shanzhou — places like Hezhong Prefecture all surrendered at the mere sight of his banner.

The Great King's hundred thousand troops advance by land and water together. The destruction of the northern barbarians and the restoration of the great dynasty are only a matter of days."

Zhao Hongyin felt as though every breath had become a tremendous effort. The man was highly skilled in martial arts and capable of leading troops, but he had one flaw: his courage was truly somewhat lacking. He completely lacked the spirit of those yabing guards, who acted as though losing their heads was no more than a bowl-sized scar.

"Dalang, do you truly believe the Prince of Yong is the destined lord of all under heaven? That neither the Khitan sovereign nor the Prince of Beiping in Hedong can compare with him?"

At the mention of Zhang Zhao, a faint trace of pride appeared on Zhao Kuangyin's face.

"Indeed! The Liao sovereign Yelu Deguang has stolen the sacred vessels, cruelly oppressed the people, and is a barbarian! How could he be the Son of Heaven of the Central Plains?"

Liu Zhiyuan of Hedong, who in the past did not even dare accept the Datong Army, was himself an accomplice in the Shi clan's betrayal of the nation for glory. He commands thirty thousand troops, yet dares not be the first to proclaim the great cause of righteousness. He only busies himself with petty scheming and base maneuvering — hardly the bearing of a true sovereign!

Look instead at the Prince of Yong, a loyal scion of the Great Dynasty. Before his return east, he already held all of Hexi, Longyou, Shuofang, Anxi, and Beiting. He was also recommended by the various steppe peoples and received the exalted title of Yili Khagan, Great Radiance Who Encompasses the Eight Wastes and Six Directions.

He governs five million people and commands two hundred thousand stout warriors. The heroes of the realm follow him at the mere rumor of his coming — he is the true lord!"

Zhao Hongyin slowly nodded. No one knows a son better than his father, and this eldest son of his had been fiercely independent from childhood. Among the youths of his age, there was none who did not submit to him.

Once grown, few could match his staff, and he had keen insights into the affairs of the times. Even Zhao Hongyin privately believed that his own abilities fell far short of this son's.

However, the one sentence that left Zhao Hongyin with no choice was still this one.

Seeing that Zhao Hongyin was not resolute, Zhao Kuangyin said to him directly: "All under Heaven knows that I, Zhao Kuangyin, long ago followed Murong of the White Robe to Hexi and pledged myself to the Prince of Yong.

Now that Yong and Liao contend, does Father think that if the Liao sovereign comes to Luoyang, he will spare a Han general who holds military power in his hands while his son serves the Prince of Yong?"

Zhao Hongyin was stunned. Right! What choice did he even have left?

The first thing the Khitan sovereign would do upon arriving would probably be to slaughter his entire family. To die with his corpse intact would already count as Khitan mercy.

"Unfilial wretch! Unfilial wretch!" Zhao Hongyin fumed, huffing with rage.

It was Lady Du who kept a clear head. She said to Zhao Hongyin, "What use is there in saying such things now? Quickly have Lady Geng take Zhu Niang out to the market to buy provisions — choose plenty of meat and prepare a feast.

Then gather those sworn brothers and trusted men of yours. For those willing to join, first send their families out of the city, and then together we strive for wealth and honor."

Zhao Yanjin, standing to the side, suddenly felt rather bored. He had done nothing at all, and the west gate had already been taken.

At the same time, at the residence of Li Jianchong, Troop Commander of the Heyang Army.

Li Jianchong was merely unskilled in political intrigue, but he was no fool. The moment he saw Zhao Hui, Acting Military Governor of the Baoyi Army, come to his door in person, he immediately understood what was happening.

Zhao Hui, fearing that his old comrade might not grasp the situation clearly, directly handed Li Congyi's personal letter to Li Jianchong. When Li Jianchong finished reading it, he burst into loud weeping.

"How has the Prince of Yong treated the Prince of Xu? The Emperor of the Ming Temple left but this one heir. When the Prince of Xu and his mother went missing before the new year, I was so full of regret I wished I could have cut myself with a blade."

What Li Jianchong spoke of was the affair in which He Ning had taken away Li Congyi and his mother and brother. At the time, Li Jianchong had not been in the city. Upon hearing of Li Congyi's disappearance, he had searched everywhere, bitterly regretting that he had failed to preserve the bloodline of Li Siyuan, who had shown him such favor and recognition.

"The Prince of Yong treats the Prince of Xu as his own son. Moreover, to continue the bloodline of the Emperor of the Ming Temple, he specially decreed that the Prince of Xu need not change his surname, and made him Duke of Taiyuan Commandery, granting him a share in the blood sacrifices to the twenty-four emperors of the Great Dynasty.

The three spirit tablets of the Zhuang Temple, the Ming Temple, and Emperor Min have also been admitted into the imperial ancestral temple of the Great Dynasty."

Hearing Zhao Hui speak thus, Li Jianchong's face showed a gratified smile. "The Prince of Yong is magnanimous — a true lord of men! I have long harbored the intention of driving out the northern barbarians. Since Brother Chongguang has already submitted to the Mandate of Heaven, I too am willing to follow the Prince of Yong in restoring the Great Dynasty."

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