Chapter 676: Now Cao the Wretch's Reputation Can Never Be Washed Clean

In Meng Shu, in the city of Chengdu, this famous city of Shu had lost entirely the air of wealth and splendor of "watching the red-soaked places at dawn, flowers weighing down the Brocade City."

At this moment all six gates of Chengdu were thrown wide open, and scholars, commoners, gentry, merchants, even the soldiers guarding the walls, fled weeping and wailing out of the city, supporting the old and leading the young.

Those with great family estates who could not get away, those with no relatives in the countryside, those who would have no means of survival once they left Chengdu, began sealing their doors shut with wooden planks.

In any household with an unmarried daughter, where before they would have picked over a prospective son-in-law's character, talent, and looks, now as long as you were willing to marry her, they would throw in a large dowry, just begging to marry the daughter off.

That way at least the daughter would have been married; if she were violated by soldiers, it would be the son-in-law who failed to protect his wife and child, and in the end she would not be left utterly unmarriageable.

And at this time, if anyone was said to have connections among the northern troops, people came to their door seeking protection, even selling themselves into servitude, in numbers beyond counting.

For example, word suddenly spread through Chengdu that the sister of Han Baozheng, who had defected at Mianzhou, was a favored consort of the Shaoming Son of Heaven, and in an instant the crowd seeking protection outside the Han residence surrounded Han Baozheng's mansion three layers deep and more.

Among them were no few high officials and dignitaries of Meng Shu; unable to get into the mansion, they simply slept on the ground outside it.

The court of Meng Shu had already lost even the slightest shred of authority; not only was Chengdu in utter chaos, but in the various palaces of Meng Shu looting and brawling had broken out, and there were even malefactors outside the palace assaulting the palace gates.

In such chaotic conditions, the big and small tattooed thugs of Chengdu stuffed themselves to the brim; some men took five or six wives in a single night, and some simply climbed over the walls into wealthy homes, seized the empty residences, and set themselves up as masters.

There were even those of monstrous daring who falsely claimed to be vanguard scouts of the Zhou army and openly seized the wives and daughters of commoners, throwing their weight around.

Of course, as symbols of escape from the mortal world, the Buddhist temples of Chengdu — Wenshu Monastery, Zhaojue Temple, Baoguang Temple, and the rest — were also packed to overflowing.

In the Xuanhua Palace, the sixty-three-year-old Princess Fuxing, a long sword in hand, led several dozen sturdy eunuchs and stout palace maids, along with a small number of guards bearing bows and wearing swords, patrolling back and forth through the three main halls of the palace.

The moment anyone was seen looting, stealing, or even shouting and running wildly about, the arrows at once showed no mercy.

Under her forceful intimidation, the panic outside at last did not spread to the three main halls of the Xuanhua Palace where Meng Chang was.

Only after the disturbance had somewhat settled did Princess Fuqing gaze at the Chongde Hall where Meng Chang was, and after a long silence, at length she sighed and said,

"How heroic were Emperor Wu and the late emperor, yet the son they begot is a pillow embroidered with flowers — full of lofty sentiments in ordinary times, but with not the slightest sense of responsibility in his heart.

If he could die for his country, he would still be worthy of being the descendant of heroes. As he is today, where is there half a drop of my Li family's blood and spirit left in him? Far inferior to Hege'er!"

This white-haired old woman, Princess Fuxing, was the daughter of Li Keyong's younger brother Li Kerang.

Emperor Wu refers to Li Keyong, and the late emperor is Meng Zhixiang. Hege'er is the eldest son of Li Cunxu — that Prince of Wei, Li Jiji, who killed himself the moment he heard that Emperor Zhuangzong was dead.

Historically there are two accounts of Meng Zhixiang's principal wife: one says he married a child of Li Keyong, the full elder sister of Emperor Zhuangzong Li Cunxu, Princess Qionghua.

The other says he married the daughter of Li Kerang, who is the present Princess Fuxing (Fuqing).

The former is recorded in Princess Fuqing's epitaph; the latter is recorded in the Old History of the Five Dynasties.

Both are in fact correct, because when Meng Zhixiang was still serving as Defender-in-Stay in Beijing (Taiyuan), he had already taken up with his widowed sister-in-law, Princess Fuxing.

Later, when Meng Zhixiang entered Shu and Emperor Mingzong of Tang slaughtered all the descendants of Li Keyong's line, Princess Fuxing resented Mingzong, and so she too followed Princess Qionghua into Shu.

The Old History of the Later Tang was compiled during the Later Jin period; compared to Shi Jingtang, that son-in-law of Li Siyuan who sold out his country for glory, the Meng clan, as one of the few blood relatives of Li Keyong, had far greater rallying power than Shi Jingtang.

It should be known that the second elder brother of the Shu ruler Meng Chang, Meng Yiyi, was one of the very few surviving blood grandsons of Li Keyong.

Moreover, at that time Meng Shu had designs on using troops in Guanzhong, and the old generals of Li Keyong's line had not yet all died off; all had intentions of responding.

Therefore the Later Jin court, in compiling the history, adopted a unified stance and refused to acknowledge that Meng Zhixiang's line had any direct relation to Li Keyong.

Only after Princess Fuxing had brought the situation under control did she hasten into the palace to find Empress Dowager Li, Meng Chang's birth mother.

Empress Dowager Li had originally been a consort of Emperor Zhuangzong of Tang, and was later given to Meng Zhixiang, after which she gave birth to Meng Chang.

This was also a strong-willed old lady. Historically, after Meng Chang was done to death by Zhao the Elder, she did not weep beside Meng Chang's corpse, but raised a wine cup and said to his body,

"You could not die for the altars of the state, but clung to life until this day. The reason I endured death was because you were still here. Now that you are dead, what use have I to live?" And with that she starved herself to death.

Princess Fuxing had grown up when Liang was strong and Jin was weak, with great armies often pressing on the borders, so naturally she was no weeping palace lady. The first thing she said upon seeing Empress Dowager Li was to ask,

"Is Your Majesty willing to die for the altars of the state?"

Empress Dowager Li shook her head in sorrow — whether she grieved that Meng Shu was about to perish, or grieved that Meng Chang refused to die for his country, it was hard to tell.

"Two great bowls of poisoned wine were poured, yet he made excuses that it was too cold and must be warmed, and that dried tangerine peel and rock sugar must be added before he would drink. The golden elixir is right there in its box, yet he said it was too large and he feared he could not swallow it."

Princess Fuxing wept aloud upon hearing this. "How heroic was the late emperor — how could he have begotten such a tiger of a father and dog of a son?

The Shaoming Son of Heaven could spare Gao Baorong and Ma Xiguang only because they had long been submissive, and were weak and incompetent, and so could still become honored men of the new dynasty, to display the magnanimity of the Central Plains Son of Heaven.

But Your Majesty, though lacking great talent, has petty cleverness; having governed Shu for fourteen years, he has won considerable popular support, and once sent troops into Guanzhong with intent to contend for the Central Plains. How could the Son of Heaven of the northern dynasty tolerate him?

If he cannot die now, does he mean to drag the entire Meng clan to extermination?"

Empress Dowager Li also wept aloud. "The pain of a fallen state — how is it easy to bear?

And beside Zange'er, the Lady Li and Lady Fei are both of peerless beauty. Once they enter the Divine Capital, how could the Son of Heaven of the northern dynasty not covet them with drooling desire? How then could he keep his life? Better to die today."

With that, the two women wept aloud outside the Chongde Hall.

Inside the palace, Meng Chang heard the sound of weeping, his face turning green and then red by turns. He picked up the bowl of poisoned wine, sighed several times, and set it down again.

Catching an inadvertent glimpse of the golden elixir in the wooden box beside him, he flinched as if stung by a wasp, bared his teeth, and averted his gaze.

Lady Fei at this time did not yet have the title of Lady of the Flower Stamen, and had been in the palace for only a little over half a year, but she was already greatly favored.

With tearful eyes like pear blossoms in the rain, she gazed at Meng Chang, gently unfastened a short sword from within her inner robe, and raised it above her head with both hands.

"Since my youth I have been of surpassing beauty, and many lechers have coveted me; I have always relied on this sword to guard my chastity.

Your Majesty is the son of a hero. Now that the state is broken and the family about to perish, like a woman about to fall into filth, why not emulate the commoner of Liang and Li Congke on the Xuanwu Tower? I too shall follow."

Hearing Lady Fei's words, Meng Chang only then realized that the seemingly delicate Lady Fei before him possessed, besides skin of ice and bones of jade without a trace of sweat, a heart of unyielding resolve.

In truth this was not exactly unyielding resolve; in fact this woman, Lady Fei, had been coveted from childhood because of her extreme beauty, and deep in her heart she lacked a sense of security and longed to be protected, so it should rather be called admiration for the strong.

Although Meng Chang had put on the posture of intending to kill himself, that was in fact merely for show; in his heart he still wished to live.

Now, hearing Lady Fei's words, he felt only shame and fury, and seized the chance to vent his anger on the spot, sweeping the poisoned wine and golden elixir before him to the floor, while loudly rebuking her.

"This is a matter that only I, the lonely and bereft sovereign, may speak of. How dare you, a lady of the inner palace, utter such words!"

So saying, he departed in seeming anger, but in truth he was fleeing.

Lady Fei collapsed weeping to the floor in utter disappointment. Just then, Princess Fuxing and Empress Dowager Li also entered the Chongde Hall, and the two women, watching Meng Chang's back as he fled in panic, were despairing and helpless.

Princess Fuxing looked at the six or seven peerless beauties in the hall and said in a low voice to Empress Dowager Li, "His Majesty is unwilling to die for his country. With all this riot of color in the hall, even if he reaches the Divine Capital it will be a path to death!"

Empress Dowager Li's tears had all dried, but after all he was her own son, and she did not have Princess Fuxing's resolve, for the sake of the Meng clan, to force Meng Chang to die.

She looked at Princess Fuxing and said mournfully, "I have heard that the Shaoming Son of Heaven treats the generals of Hedong very generously, and has also praised Emperor Wu's loyalty to the Great Tang, and moreover adopted the son of Mingzong as his own son."

"Sister, you are every bit a man's equal in courage — do you have some plan to ward off disaster?"

Princess Fuxing fell silent for a long while. She understood Empress Dowager Li's meaning: she wanted her, as the niece of Emperor Wu Li Keyong, to go weep and plead before Zhang Zhao, to see whether Meng Chang's life could be spared.

She recalled how well Meng Zhixiang had treated her in years past, and remembered her elder sister, Princess Qionghua, who had never pursued the matter of her climbing into her brother-in-law's bed, and had even urged Meng Zhixiang to give her a proper title.

Princess Fuxing gritted her teeth and nodded firmly. She pointed at Li Yanniang, Meng Chang's honored consort, standing in the hall, and said:

"If we are to ward off disaster, we must cast aside all worldly possessions. Every property of the Meng clan in Shu must be offered up, and all these peerless beauties around His Majesty should be sent away as well.

I have heard that the Shao Ming Son of Heaven is most fond of seizing other men's beautiful wives, much like Emperor Wu of Wei.

Lady Li, as an honored consort, is exquisitely alluring and can even dance upon a man's palm. If she were presented to him, she would surely win his favor. Then, if Lady Li would speak a few kind words on our behalf, perhaps His Majesty's life might yet be spared."

Empress Dowager Li slowly shook her head. It was not that she thought the plan was poor — on the contrary, it was a very reliable choice. She simply felt that sending Li Yanniang was unsuitable.

"Lady Li is an honored consort, equal in status to a queen. Sending her away would shame our house too greatly.

Moreover, this woman comes from a family of entertainers. Though she is versed in music, she is not skilled in poetry or prose, and her speech is often coarse.

Lady Fei, by contrast, is even more beautiful than Lady Li, and has only recently entered the palace. She excels at poetry and prose, is versed in music, and her voice is like gold and jade — gentle, yet firm within.

The Shao Ming Son of Heaven is a sovereign of heaven-bestowed brilliance. He would surely prefer someone like Lady Fei."

By "coarse speech," Empress Dowager Li did not mean that Li Yanniang was fond of cursing, but rather that her personal refinement was lacking — she did not possess Lady Fei's otherworldly bearing.

Truly worthy of a woman who rose by pleasing men with her beauty — this Empress Dowager Li had predicted Zhang Zhao's preferences almost to the letter.

I, Sage Zhang, am not short of women now, so naturally, beyond appearance, I place greater weight on inner substance.

Li Yanniang has beauty but little refinement, while the future Lady of the Flower Core, Lady Fei, has a face like a celestial immortal and a heart of ice within — she is the one best suited to captivate me, Sage Zhang.

Meng Chang hid in the inner hall, while the two women outside discussed sending his consort away to secure their safety. There was grief and tears in it. Once they had settled the matter, the two went to persuade Lady Fei.

When Lady Fei heard this, it was as if five thunderbolts had struck her head. She had entered the palace only half a year ago. Though Meng Chang had just disappointed her, in ordinary times her "Long Live Meng" was dashing and debonair, handsome as Pan An, well versed in poetry and prose, and ruler of a kingdom besides — he had long since charmed Lady Fei into a daze of infatuation.

This was the height of passionate love, and now she was suddenly being asked to travel a thousand li away to serve another man. How could she accept it all at once?

What was more, the Lord of Zhou had risen from Hexi and was always denounced by others as a western barbarian. The northern soldiers under his command were so fierce and cruel. For all she knew, the Lord of Zhou himself was a monster eight chi tall and eight chi around the waist.

At the thought of all this, Lady Fei wept even harder. But she was, after all, only a woman, and in the end she could not resist Princess Fuxing, who was steeled in her resolve to preserve the Meng clan, nor Empress Dowager Li, who was determined to save Meng Chang.

She could only be washed and scrubbed clean, then escorted by Empress Dowager Li's own younger brother to the Zhou army camp, there to await being sent on to Chang'an.

While these earth-shaking changes were taking place in Chengdu, Yin Zhengqi had already led his great army across the Zhong River (the Luo River) and reached Hanzhou (Guanghan).

From Hanzhou to Chengdu was little more than a hundred li. One could say the Zhou army had already reached the outskirts of Chengdu.

Yin Zhengqi's great army arrived in the morning. Within a few hours, three men arrived at the camp bearing the instrument of surrender: Li Hao, Meng Shu's Chief Minister of the Secretariat-Chancellery; Mu Zhaoyi, Vice Director of the Secretariat; and Meng Chang's elder brother, Li Keyong's only surviving biological grandson, the Prince of Yan of Shu, Meng Yiye.

Li Hao's heart was extremely conflicted. He knew that his son Li Xiaofeng and his half-brother Li Dalang's family had long been serving the Great Zhou, and he himself also favored the unification of the realm.

But when the Former Shu king Wang Yan's state fell, it was he who had drafted the surrender document. Now that the Meng clan's Shu state was no more, this surrender document was written by him as well.

Thinking of this, Li Hao looked at Mu Zhaoyi with a mournful face and said: "I have been in the land of Shu for twenty years, and twice I have drafted instruments of surrender. I do not know how posterity will mock me!"

Mu Zhaoyi was Meng Chang's trusted confidant. He had wanted to comfort Li Hao, but his heart ached as though twisted, and he could not utter a single word. He could only heave a long sigh and let it go.

When Li Hao, Mu Zhaoyi, and Meng Yiye arrived among the Zhou troops at Hanzhou, tens of thousands of soldiers roared with joy. The three-month campaign to conquer Shu had at last drawn to a close.

Unlike in history, when decades later one hundred forty thousand men laid down their arms, the Meng Shu of this time still possessed large numbers of the elite troops with which Meng Zhixiang had once destroyed Dong Zhang and resisted the Later Tang.

Though they could not compare with the fierce and sharp Zhou troops who had broken the Khitan and destroyed Hedong, they were no lambs awaiting slaughter either.

And this was the first true conquest of a state by force of arms since the founding of the Zhang Zhou. The earlier Nanping and Ma Chu had, in truth, been forced surrenders. Only Meng Shu had been won through bloody battle.

Yin Zhengqi accepted the instrument of surrender and detained Meng Yiye in the camp. Toward this great prince who knew only how to eat, drink, and amuse himself, he was still quite respectful.

After all, within the Zhang Zhou court there were many military men of the Hedong and Daibei factions. The grandson of Li Keyong still had to be granted some preferential treatment.

When Li Hao and Mu Zhaoyi saw that Yin Zhengqi was willing to show Meng Yiye respect, they knew that at least the present commander-in-chief of the Zhou campaign against Shu, Yin Zhengqi, Duke of Cai, had no intention of unleashing a massacre.

What remained was to see how the Son of Heaven of Zhou, far away in Chang'an, would deal with the Meng clan.

Yin Zhengqi then released Mu Zhaoyi to return to Chengdu, ordering Meng Chang to lead his hundred officials out of the city to beg for surrender.

Li Hao he kept by his side as an advisor for understanding Shu's military and civil affairs.

Returning with Mu Zhaoyi were the three generals Li Cunhui, Gao Huaide, and Li Rong.

The first was the Son of Heaven's adopted son; Gao Huaide was a commander of a whole front and also an imperial kinsman; Li Rong had rendered great service in the capture of Xingyuan Prefecture. Therefore sending the three of them was most appropriate.

The three were led by Li Cunhui. The moment he reached Chengdu, he immediately sealed the Shu state treasuries, confiscated the Meng clan's family property, and inventoried the rare curios, wealth, gold, silver, and jade vessels in the Meng Shu palace, as well as the palace women and eunuchs.

Gao Huaide led troops to garrison the eight gates of Chengdu, maintain order, and investigate spies.

Li Rong, meanwhile, began a great slaughter in Chengdu.

Of course, those killed were not commoners or the Meng royal clan, but the audacious rats and foxes of the city, the local ruffians and hooligans of these past days.

Only a day earlier these wretches had been wantonly raping and plundering amid the chaos, but now they all became ghosts beneath the Zhou army's blades.

With Li Cunhui's approval, Li Rong killed more than four hundred men in one stroke, released over a thousand women who had been seized, and returned property to several thousand households.

When the people of Chengdu saw that the Zhou army not only refrained from plunder but acted fairly and punished lawlessness, their hearts were immediately set at ease.

On the twenty-fifth day of the fifth month, Yin Zhengqi led forty thousand troops to Chengdu's eastern gate. Meng Chang, bare-chested and leading a sheep, came out of the city with his civil and military officials to beg for surrender.

Yin Zhengqi then, in his capacity as Supreme Commander of the Shu Campaign Headquarters, accepted Meng Chang's formal instrument of surrender.

On the twenty-seventh day of the fifth month, Yin Zhengqi established in Chengdu the office of Surveillance and Disposition Commissioner for the Twenty-One Prefectures of Western Shu under the Shu Campaign, and issued orders.

He commanded Meng Shu's Military Governor of Yongping Army at Yazhou, the Military Governor of Wuxin Army at Suizhou, the Military Governor of Wude Army at Zizhou, and the Surveillance and Disposition Commissioner of the seven prefectures including Luzhou and Rongzhou to report to Chengdu within five days.

On the twenty-ninth day of the fifth month, Ma Zhaoyuan established at Fuzhou the office of Surveillance and Disposition Commissioner for the Thirteen Prefectures of Eastern Shu under the Shu Pacification, and began stabilizing the situation in the eastern part of Meng Shu.

Meng Shu was thus declared extinguished.

And just as Meng Chang, bare-chested and leading a sheep, came out to surrender, a force of three hundred elite cavalry of the Hanshan Capital, carrying a great quantity of treasures from the Meng Shu palace and a dark-blue carriage, set out for Chang'an.

Related