Chapter 528: Zhang, Son of Heaven, What You've Done Is Still Not Enough!

Zhang Zhao shook his head and gave up on Feng Dao.

A crafty old fox indeed — outwardly all bows and scrapes, in truth slippery as an eel, without a single word of truth. And he left you with neither cause nor appetite to lose your temper at him; all you could do was shake your head and smile bitterly.

This "ever-upright man" of the Five Dynasties was truly no pushover.

As for the Later Jin's other Chief Minister, Li Song, Zhang Zhao had summoned him that morning, and he too refused to say anything, merely kneeling and pleading that he was old and muddled, truly unfit for heavy responsibility.

Since both Feng Dao and Li Song were like this, the rest of the Later Jin's officials, great and small, were much the same — good enough to muddle along and keep the present situation limping forward, but of no use yet when it came to offering counsel.

Zhang Zhao looked at Liu Tao and smiled helplessly. "Are all the civil officials of Jin like Feng Kedao — smooth and agreeable in every direction?"

As a Jin civil official who had thrown in his lot with Zhang Zhao even earlier than Fan Zhi, Liu Tao was already confirmed to become Minister of Revenue of the new dynasty, and would surely receive a noble title as well.

More importantly, he had weathered so many years of storms for Zhang Zhao in the Eastern Capital; his favor was beyond what ordinary men could compare with.

For example, in the present Daning Palace, apart from the rear palace, Liu Tao could come and go freely.

"Your Majesty sees clearly. That Lord Kedao is smooth in every direction precisely because Your Majesty has not yet won the trust of the Jin civil officials. They have not yet grasped your temperament, so they can only respond by being agreeable on all sides.

Since the Great Tang fell into decline, the old integrity and sense of duty of the literati have been almost entirely lost. To rouse them again is not the work of a single morning or evening."

Zhang Zhao nodded and motioned for Liu Tao to sit for a while, then began leafing through the reports the palace attendants had brought in. But when he saw the first name Zhang Liecheng had reported, he let out a soft "Oh?"

"Pass the order: have Zhang Liecheng bring in that money-shop manager called Zhao Pu for an audience!"

As he spoke, Zhang Zhao handed the report to Liu Tao to read, a few traces of a bitter smile surfacing on his face.

"Take a look! You were right after all. These monks of the Eastern Capital truly have boundless gall. To avoid attracting attention, they even went to the Qingcheng quarter south of the city to conduct their business."

The more Liu Tao read, the angrier he grew, his brows and beard sharp as swords. "Though wealth stirs men's hearts, to be so utterly indiscriminate, daring to accept any sort of money — this is truly... truly...!"

As they spoke, Zhang Liecheng arrived with this Zhao Pu and walked in.

At this time, the rites between sovereign and subject were not yet especially strict; chief ministers could sit and discourse with the Emperor, and on ordinary occasions there was no need to kneel.

Zhang Liecheng walked straight to Zhang Zhao's side and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, this man is Zhao Pu. The Brocade Guard agents also discovered in the city a dozen or more small money-shop managers just like him.

But because we did not want to alert the snake by beating the grass, we only found pretexts to arrest two of them. Their confessions corroborate each other without discrepancy, so they should be credible."

Zhang Zhao nodded to show he understood, then looked at Zhao Pu, who stood with head lowered and body rigid like a quail, and gently waved a hand at the surrounding attendants.

"Find this Zhao Dalang a brocade stool, and pour him a bowl of hot sweet tea."

Half a buttock perched on the brocade stool, a bowl of hot sweet tea warming him through, Zhao Pu stared at Zhang Zhao's chest in disbelief, his head buzzing.

The night before, he had still been a lowly commoner in the Eastern Capital, beneath even a petty clerk — and now he was enjoying a seat and tea granted by the Son of Heaven?

Liu Tao and Zhang Liecheng had long since grown accustomed to such scenes; they merely glanced at Zhao Pu with curiosity.

What was so special about this quail-like young man? How had he caught the Son of Heaven's discerning eye?

Zhang Zhao also studied Zhao Pu carefully. This founding prime minister of the Northern Song did not enjoy a good reputation in later ages.

Partly, to be sure, because he was narrow-minded and fond of framing his rivals.

But the greater reason was that he had lent his name to Zhao Er's "Pact of the Golden Chamber," and that line so easily seized upon by critics: "Govern the realm with half a copy of the Analects."

In terms of ability, however, Zhao Pu was absolutely a great talent of the Five Dynasties and early Song. In matters of state policy and the structure of government, his ability could be called first of the Five Dynasties — a true prime-ministerial talent.

"As the saying goes, to catch adultery you need the pair, to catch a thief you need the loot. Since you are willing to come forward and testify, do you have a way to round up all these black sheep in one sweep?"

No sooner had Zhang Zhao spoken than Zhang Liecheng looked somewhat taken aback. Shouldn't those words have been addressed to him, his adoptive father?

Zhao Pu also stood stunned for a few breaths before realizing Zhang Zhao was speaking to him. After hesitating a few more seconds, he slid with a swish from the brocade stool to the floor and said in a trembling voice:

"This humble commoner can. Although I was blindfolded whenever I went to audit the vaults, I long ago committed the route to memory.

The warrior monks guarding the treasury always kept their faces covered, but I still recognized a tattoo on one man's arm. He often appears around Ox-Horse Street."

"Oh?" Zhang Zhao's interest was piqued. He looked at this fine-featured historical celebrity and asked: "If you were blindfolded, how would you know the place?"

In truth, if Zhang Zhao really wanted to investigate, a mere few treasury vaults could certainly be found — but then secrecy would be hard to keep, and word might well spread through the whole city.

The various monasteries and temples of the Eastern Capital had accepted deposits of Khitan plunder. Though this did not quite amount to aiding a tiger in its savagery, the charge of collusion could not be escaped.

Yet Zhang Zhao could not let all this be exposed, because he himself had a share in the money-shop guild. If the credit and reputation of the Eastern Capital money-shop guild were destroyed, the silver notes so deeply entangled with it would likewise be ruined in a single stroke.

That was a price Zhang Zhao could hardly bear, and was unwilling to bear.

What he wanted now was to use this operation to take back complete control of the money-shop guild from the temples of the Eastern Capital.

Then he would swallow up this ill-gotten wealth that the monks had meant to swallow, and use the money to pay rewards to the officers and men.

So for the time being, they still needed to enter the village quietly — no firing of guns.

Once the troops had been placated and the situation thoroughly stabilized, Zhang Zhao would begin planning the enthronement ceremony.

As for further investigating the temple lands of all the realm's monasteries, abolishing the privilege by which monks paid no taxes, and reducing the number of monks — those were matters to be handled slowly later.

"In reply to the Sage, this humble commoner has been skilled at silent recitation since childhood. Therefore, though blindfolded, I kept count in my mind the whole time.

How many counts before turning which way — I long ago drew it into an image and know it by heart. If you send me to find it now, I will surely find it."

Truly a great figure of history — he did have a few tricks after all.

Zhang Zhao believed that Zhao Pu would not have memorized this for no reason; he must have had some preparation. Perhaps even if Zhang Liecheng had not gone to find him, he had been preparing to come to them himself.

"Well done!" Zhang Zhao praised him. "Have you ever studied the classics?"

Zhao Pu answered cautiously: "This humble commoner has a rough acquaintance with poetry and the classics, but without seeking deep understanding."

Hmm...! Without seeking deep understanding. So he had read books, but had not made anything of them.

Zhang Zhao was slightly puzzled. Could it be that Zhao Pu, the man said to govern the realm with half a copy of the Analects, did not yet have much learning at this time?

So Zhang Zhao said to Liu Tao: "This matter concerns money and grain, and is connected to the rewards for the troops. It must be handled with care.

Derun, have the Ministry of Revenue also assign some capable hands to cooperate fully with the Brocade Guard in the investigation.

This man seems to me quite talented. Let him first enter the Ministry of Revenue as a clerk and assist with the case."

Hearing that he was only to be given a clerkship, Zhao Pu felt a "thud" as though he had fallen from the clouds.

First a seat was granted, then tea — and in the end it was only a petty clerk in the Ministry of Revenue. This...

If, when he had first entered, Zhang Zhao had treated him as an ordinary man, then being given a Ministry of Revenue clerkship would already have overjoyed Zhao Pu.

But now that a seat and drink had been granted, and he was still only given a Ministry of Revenue clerkship, the letdown was too great.

Wanting this, Zhao Pu gritted his teeth and suddenly knelt down in perfect form, kowtowed, and shouted.

"This humble commoner has heard that when the Sage was in Hexi, his grace was bestowed upon the common people. Today I presume to beg the Sage to bestow his grace as well upon the people of the Eastern Capital."

Hm? Zhang Zhao looked somewhat strangely at Zhao Pu on the ground, feeling a little displeased.

I entered the Eastern Capital, Kaifeng Prefecture, restrained my soldiers from looting, from rape, and even from killing, and even solved the problem of rewarding the troops myself — is that still not bestowing grace upon the people of the Eastern Capital?

"What do you think We should do to bestow grace upon the people of the Eastern Capital? Speak and let Us hear it!"

Zhang Zhao's voice was unhurried, carrying not the slightest anger.

But the word "We" was not something the Emperor of this time casually used for himself, and whenever he did use it, it always represented some particular emotion.

Liu Tao and Zhang Liecheng were both terrified, especially Zhang Liecheng, who glared furiously at Zhao Pu on the ground.

This adopted eldest son knew that what Zhang Zhao cared about most was his reputation for benevolence, righteousness, and grace.

For Zhao Pu to speak this way was like complaining that Zhang Zhao had not shown grace in the Eastern Capital — what emperor could endure such questioning!

Zhao Pu was already trembling with terror, sweating like paste, but an arrow once loosed cannot be called back; he did not want to return to those days of having no money and no power, when he could not even protect his beautiful young sister-in-law, so he summoned his courage and said.

"The Sage is benevolent and virtuous, refraining from looting and killing — he is already the most merciful benevolent lord in the two hundred years since the Great Dynasty fell into decline.

Yet the world today is pitch-black as ink, with no light to be seen, and has been so for two hundred years.

Even though the Sage strictly restrains the warriors under his command, that is merely refraining from harm — it is far from what could be called broadly bestowing grace.

These actions, the Lord of Meng of Western Shu, the Lord of Li of Wu-Tang, and Great King Qian of Wuyue, could all manage.

Today the hearts of the people above and below have sunk into despondency, and no one can see hope. If the Sage only wishes to be a Son of Heaven like the rulers of the Later Dynasty's Zhuang Temple or Ming Temple, this one thing alone would suffice.

But if he wishes to be a sage sovereign and enlightened lord like Emperor Taizong the Civil, sheltering all under heaven from wind and rain as a father to his people, and rousing the hearts and morale of the people that have lain sunken for a hundred years, then it is far from enough."

After hearing this, Zhang Zhao slowly sat down on the brocade stool and carefully reflected.

He had indeed become a little carried away after entering the Eastern Capital, Kaifeng, thinking himself a remarkable lord of benevolence and virtue, and even treating the absence of looting and killing as a remarkable achievement.

But as Zhao Pu said, in the Five Dynasties, and even in Chinese history, this was indeed passable.

But to reach the heights of Emperor Gaozu of Han or Emperor Taizong of Tang, to make everyone recognize with shock that he, Zhang Zhao, was different from all previous emperors, that he had truly come to end the age of chaos — it was not enough.

After a long while, Zhang Zhao took a deep breath, stood up, and walked over to Zhao Pu.

"I have indeed been somewhat self-satisfied. Your advice is most apt. I reward you with one brocade robe and ten bolts of silk."

With that, Zhang Zhao helped up Zhao Pu, whose face was pale and who was still shivering.

"Then may I ask this gentleman of the Secretariat, what must I do to display a benevolence and virtue far surpassing that of ordinary emperors?"

Zhao Pu had already steeled himself for the possibility of being beheaded in a fit of rage, yet instead he was helped to his feet by Zhang Zhao's own hand, and sincerely asked for his counsel without shame.

Such courteous treatment of a worthy man made tears burst from Zhao Pu's eyes at once, and he prostrated himself again and said to Zhang Zhao.

"In the vaults of the money houses and temples of the Eastern Capital, about twenty percent of the gold, silver, jewelry, and other goods clearly bear the marks of family collections. The Sage can have this portion sorted out and returned to the people of the Eastern Capital.

If this is done, it will surely let everyone know the Sage's benevolence and magnanimity.

They will no longer harbor hesitation and anxiety, and will surely give their heartfelt support. The Sage's name will then quickly spread to all quarters."

Zhang Zhao thought it over. This was indeed a solution. Not only would he refrain from looting, he would return property to its rightful owners, instantly establishing his image. Those twenty percent of gold, silver, and jewelry were worth giving up!

"Appoint Zhao Pu immediately to the post of Vice Director of the Bureau of Expenditure in the Ministry of Revenue, of the fifth rank, upper grade, to assist Minister Liu in handling this matter. After sorting it out, compile a register and submit it, and I shall personally review it."

Expenditure was one of the four bureaus under the Ministry of Revenue, and Vice Director was the deputy of a bureau, equivalent to a deputy department head in the Ministry of Finance of later ages. For Zhao Pu, who had just been a commoner, this was nothing short of a leap to heaven.

At this moment, the newly appointed Vice Director Zhao was so stimulated that his whole body went numb. He knelt on the ground and wept aloud, repeatedly pledging his loyalty to Zhang Zhao.

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