Chapter 18: Inquiry of the Three Treasuries

At the mention of “Ghost Fan Tower,” Gao Taotao’s expression immediately darkened.

Fan Tower was the most famous entertainment venue in Dongjing City, ranked first among the seventy-two official taverns, offering meals, drinks, singing, and dancing—no matter if one was an official, a wealthy merchant, a local commoner, or a traveler from afar, all took pride in spending time at Fan Tower.

Ghost Fan Tower, however, referred to a vast underground dark force hiding beneath Dongjing, calling itself the Wuyou Cave; the name “Ghost Fan Tower” was a nickname given by the common people.

Fan Tower aboveground displayed Dongjing’s prosperity and grandeur.

Ghost Fan Tower concealed beneath the earth all the filth, ugliness, and corruption of this world; the word “ghost” perfectly captured the underground world’s hidden stench and squalor.

Dongjing City was built atop four ancient cities, layered over Xia Dynasty’s Laoqiu, Warring States’ Daliang, Han Dynasty’s Junyi, and Tang Dynasty’s Bianzhou; it was long said that Dongjing was a city built upon cities, with several buried beneath.

The reason was that Kaifeng lay in a strategically contested region, repeatedly ravaged by natural disasters and human calamities; when the Yellow River breached its banks and changed course, its silt-laden waters buried the cities, and when rebuilt, the new cities were simply constructed directly atop the ruins.

To prevent flooding from heavy rains, Northern Song Dongjing inherited and repaired the natural underground passageways left by previous dynasties, forming a comprehensive underground drainage and sewage system.

These subterranean waterways connected like a miniature world; over time, beggars, vagrants, ruthless criminals, and all manner of lawbreakers gathered there, forming a powerful force that specialized in illegal and criminal acts—anything vile they did, anything cruel they committed, with no regard for humanity.

As early as the founding of the Song, the court had begun cracking down when signs first appeared, but due to geographical factors, every crackdown failed, and each year new refugees flooded into the capital, some of the worst among them slipping underground to join Ghost Fan Tower.

This was also why the court ordered annual recruitment of militia troops from among the refugees—to somewhat alleviate unrest among them or prevent them from descending underground to commit crimes.

“Hmph!” Gao Taotao snorted. This matter brought shame to the court and even greater disgrace to the imperial family; during Emperor Yingzong’s reign, a daughter of a royal commandery prince was abducted while out for a spring outing by Ghost Fan Tower. She held the title of County Princess, but was later sold to a wealthy family outside the city; when they learned her origin, they panicked and hurriedly sent her back, and she fled home herself.

The court launched a massive crackdown, killing thousands of Ghost Fan Tower criminals; because it was underground, even the Imperial Guards suffered heavy losses, yet within a single year, new recruits replaced every one who had died.

Zhao Ti observed her expression and added, “Thus, the martial skills I’ve learned and the basic guard training I possess are utterly insufficient. When I first ventured out to live on my own, how could I not live in constant fear?”

Gao Taotao stared at him for a long while before saying, “Be cautious in daily life. Never go out alone.”

Zhao Ti blinked, then suddenly said, “By the way, Great Auntie, I dreamed of Father last night!”

“Oh?” Gao Taotao froze. “You—you dreamed of the late Emperor? Why after all these years…?”

She fell silent, remembering how, after assuming regency, she had appointed Sima Guang, Lu Princess, and others to abolish the New Policies, and sighed inwardly.

“What did the late Emperor say?”

“He didn’t say much—just asked about my daily life. I told him honestly, including my worries out in the world.”

“Hmm. What did he say in reply?”

“Father said I’ve trained in martial arts since childhood, and if I felt it wasn’t enough, I could seek out Li Xian, for Li Xian’s martial skill is formidable!”

“Li Xian?” Gao Taotao blinked. She was about to ask if the man was even still alive, then remembered no official report of his death had reached court, so she changed her question: “Where is he now?”

Zhao Ti replied, “After hearing Father’s words in my dream, I went searching. Fortunately, Zheng Fu in the palace had dealings with Li Xian’s adopted son, Tong Guan, and we finally found him in Pixie Alley in the western part of the city.”

“Oh? How is Li Xian now?”

“Not well—he’s dying,” Zhao Ti shook his head. “I didn’t learn any martial arts from him. His skills can only be practiced by eunuchs—I can’t very well cut myself just to learn them…”

Gao Taotao frowned. “What kind of heretical arts is this Li Xian teaching?”

“Exactly!” Zhao Ti said. “I asked Li Xian then: ‘Are there any other martial arts I can learn?’ Li Xian said…”

“What did he say?” Gao Taotao asked.

“He said he had none himself, but during Emperor Taizong’s days as crown prince, he was ordered to campaign southward and collected countless martial manuals from the Jianghu and outlaw bands. After ascending the throne, he stored them in three secret treasuries within the palace. During Emperor Renzong’s reign, he ordered them destroyed. If any of the martial manuals survived in those treasuries, they’d be invaluable—perfect for learning.”

“Li Xian dares to speak of such long-buried secrets? Is he senile—or has he grown tired of life?” Gao Taotao slammed her hand on the table, furious.

Zhao Ti shrank back. “He wasn’t going to live much longer anyway…”

“If the late Emperor said his martial skill was formidable, how could he be dying? Is this lowly servant deceiving you?” Gao Taotao’s expression turned stern, her voice icy.

Zhao Ti hurriedly replied, “I saw him with my own eyes—he can’t even get out of bed, constantly spitting blood with a phosphorescent glow. For years he’s been kept alive by spirit medicines, but now his funds are exhausted, his vitality drained, and he’ll die at any moment. He’s not lying.”

“So he truly is dying?”

“Truly. I didn’t go alone—my attendants all saw it.”

Gao Taotao’s face was unreadable. After a long silence, she said, “It’s true. Emperor Renzong was compassionate—even at the cost of being branded unfilial—he ordered the destruction of Emperor Taizong’s three treasuries, especially the poison treasury. How could such a thing remain in the palace?”

Zhao Ti said, “Poisons must certainly be destroyed, but the weapons treasury holds fine items—many were used by famous generals of the Five Dynasties. The martial manuals pose little danger…”

Gao Taotao looked at him, then smiled faintly, as if seeing through his intentions. “Ba Ge, you’ve gone through so many twists and turns…”

“Great Auntie!” Zhao Ti quickly interjected, fearing that if the treasuries hadn’t been fully destroyed and she denied it, then no matter how many reasons he gave, there’d be no room for negotiation.

How could she, who now ruled the realm, say one thing one moment and contradict herself the next? That would be slapping her own face.

“Great Auntie, I also learned a secret from Li Xian—something concerning military affairs, of great importance, and I must report it.”

“A secret? What secret? He’s been retired for years—what military secret could he still hold?”

“Great Auntie, it concerns the Five-Pronged Campaign against Xia!”

“The Five-Pronged Campaign against Xia?”

“Yes. The failure of the Five-Pronged Campaign wasn’t as simple as it seemed—it hides deeper secrets!”

Before Gao Taotao could speak, Zhao Ti quickly recounted Li Xian’s assassination attempt exactly as he had heard it, then piled on: “Great Auntie, aside from this, Li Xian’s loyalty to the late Emperor is absolute. He’s a dying man. The campaign ended twelve years ago—he wouldn’t lie about the late Emperor. I believe his account of those events is true, and he must have reported it to the late Emperor, who forbade him from explaining, to avoid court turmoil!”

“This…” Gao Taotao frowned in silence, clearly taken aback.

“And most importantly—the assassin’s identity!” Zhao Ti continued.

“What was her identity?”

“Li Xian later sent men to secretly investigate and confirmed the assassin in Lanhui was the Western Xia Grand Empress Dowager, Mai Zang Qiushui!”

“What?” Gao Taotao rose from her chair, voice startled. “Mai Zang Qiushui? Li Yuanhao’s concubine, Li Liangzuo’s mother?”

“Yes, Great Auntie. This Mai Zang Qiushui’s Han name is Li Qiushui. She trained for years in Jianghu sects. It was precisely because of her formidable martial skill and audacity that she carried out a nighttime assassination, causing the campaign’s final collapse and ultimate failure.”

“This… it doesn’t entirely absolve Li Xian. After all, he commanded the five armies. Even if true, he remains culpable,” Gao Taotao said after a few breaths.

“Indeed. When confronted, Li Xian immediately admitted his fault, then spoke of this matter—without shifting blame.”

“At least he has some self-awareness. But could this Mai Zang Qiushui truly be so powerful? She’s a member of the imperial family…”

“Emperor Taizu once roamed the Jianghu; his coiled dragon staff met few rivals. Later, in the military, he captured enemy generals before entire armies and created the Thirty-Two Forms of Great Red Fist.”

“That’s true…”

“Not to mention Nanshan’s Mountain Sea Temple—even today’s Dali has the Heavenly Dragon Temple, where imperial family members train. The Liao may have similar traditions. And Xia…”

“Enough. Aside from the poison treasury, the other two treasuries were not entirely destroyed,” Gao Taotao interrupted, deep in thought.

“Not entirely destroyed?” Zhao Ti finally exhaled, feeling his back soaked in sweat.