Chapter 1 Sacrifice

After the sacrificial ceremony and the proper arrangement of the troops, Zhao Guan Jia attended the banquet prepared by the gentry and commoners of Yangzhou for him. As everyone expected, he changed into a crimson robe and wore a futou (a type of hat), but without the stiffened wings for dining convenience.

In other words, after finishing his show of authority, this Guan Jia did not continue to cause any further trouble, but immediately began to foster a sense of unity between the ruler and the people.

However, while Zhao Guan Jia refrained from making trouble, he could not stop the local people of Yangzhou from doing so. The food and drinks for the banquet were almost entirely outsourced, with someone actively coming forward to explain almost every cup of wine and every dish.

Of course, Sun and Wei could not be blamed for this, as the originator was none other than Zhao Jiu himself.

About a year or so ago, he, Zhao Guan Jia, had engaged in similar activities in Dongjing, outsourcing things like official expenses and royal titles… not only getting things for free but also charging fees… Of course, the benefits were immediate. At the very least, Zhao Jiu did not wear the old clothes of the Taishang Daojun Emperor for last year's Mid-Autumn Grand Sacrifice, the court officials had their own sacrificial garments, and even the fruits given to the Privy Council ministers at the end-of-year banquet were much more abundant.

So, what could be said if Military Commissioner Sun was trying to save money and responding to the call? Besides, in a way, this could be considered a part of the monarch getting acquainted with local customs, a segment that everyone enjoyed.

In fact, at the beginning, these introductions were quite decent… For example, when a cup of wine was presented, the person serving it would mention how many years their family had enjoyed the name of a "zhengdian" (reputable wine shop), and who had written poems about the wine; when the fruits and vegetables accompanying the wine were served, they would talk about the place of origin and related allusions… And each time, the officials, scholars, monks, and Daoists present would trace the relevant cultural origins.

On the other hand, Zhao Guan Jia was not stupid and would take a small sip and offer a few words of praise, which seemed harmonious and natural.

But suddenly, as a dish that Zhao Guan Jia looked very familiar with was served, the tone abruptly changed.

"Allow me to inform Your Majesty, this Jianyan Imperial Duck is different from those elsewhere. First of all, it uses authentic Huai River wild ducks. The ducks are fat in autumn, making it the perfect time for hunting them…"

"Secondly, there are two secrets to the marinating process. One is that the salt must be stir-fried beforehand so that it can be absorbed, and only when it is absorbed can the skin be tightened; the other is that the duck's belly must be stuffed with osmanthus flowers so that the duck meat can be mellow…"

"Finally, it must be simmered over a slow fire. Only in this way can the duck skin be white and tender, and the duck meat rich and moist…"

"Please hold on."

Zhao Jiu finally couldn't help but interrupt the man. "Nanjing Osmanthus Salted Duck is famous throughout the world, and writings about it have been circulating since the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Yangzhou and Nanjing are separated by a river, so it is normal to have salted duck. But why call it… call it Jianyan Imperial Duck? Is there any allusion? Was it bestowed by the Empress Dowager?"

"Allow me to inform Your Majesty."

This man, said to be a famous silk merchant from Huaizuo who had joined Zhao Guan Jia's Royal Maritime Trade Company, immediately became solemn upon hearing this, prostrated himself on the ground in front of the table, and responded seriously. "This duck is no ordinary Osmanthus Salted Duck. Its name is not derived from the Empress Dowager's appreciation, but rather, it is said that in the early years of Jianyan, when Your Majesty led the royal army to resist the Jin bandit Fourth Prince Wanyan Wushu on the Huai River, the gentry and commoners of Huaizuo offered this item to Your Majesty, hence its fame…"

Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment, then immediately changed his expression to a smile. "Indeed, I remember now. That day, the current Minister Lin of the Ministry of Revenue took the ducks to Mount Bagong, and Minister Hu of the Ministry of Works ate the fastest. And although I also liked to eat it, I only ate half of it, because I remembered that the garrison in Xia Cai in Huaibei did not have this delicacy… So, that night, I specially crossed the Huai River and sent the remaining half, along with Liu Guangshi's head, to Zhang Boying… Seven years have passed, and it feels like yesterday, but I never thought this duck would be from your family?"

When Guan Jia mentioned the events of that day, which of the officials, gentry, monks, and commoners present was not cultured? They immediately thought of countless allusions, refined expressions, and poems, ready to follow up.

However, someone was faster than them!

"I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's words." Amidst the stunned gazes of the crowd, the local silk merchant who had presented the duck directly kowtowed to the ground, tears streaming down his face. "On that day, when I heard that the products of my duck shop were being offered to Your Majesty, I was overjoyed. Later, when I heard that Your Majesty was working hard on the Huai River and often sighed for the sake of the country… Therefore, after the difficulties on the Huai River were resolved, I invested in purchasing all the duck shops that had offered ducks to the Huai River that day, specializing in Jianyan Imperial Ducks. Who would have thought that I could offer this item to the Emperor again today? I… I have no regrets in this life."

The crowd was stunned but could only carefully glance at Zhao Guan Jia.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Guan Jia was not angry at all at this person's exaggerated performance. Instead, under the cautious gazes of the crowd, he sighed for a moment and then addressed him with a hand on the table:

"It is rare for you to have such a heart! It is a pity, though. Although the difficulties on the Huai River have been resolved, the difficulties on the Great River have not yet been alleviated. Today, as I eat this duck, I still feel, as I did on Mount Bagong that day, that while I am grateful for the loyalty of the gentry and commoners of Huaizuo, I am also concerned that the Imperial Guard soldiers cannot enjoy it… A pity! A pity!"

"Your Majesty!" The man quickly looked up upon hearing this, but then changed his expression. "After being marinated, this duck can be dried in the shade, and with the winter weather, it can be stored for several months. Although I am only a commoner, I have always had the ambition to serve the country, and my family has some surplus wealth. Although I cannot do much, before the New Year, I can send Jianyan Imperial Ducks… I can send three thousand Imperial Ducks to the Imperial Guard to reward the Imperial Guard soldiers!"

Zhao Jiu finally slammed the table. "Since you have such ambition, how can you still be a commoner? You should be granted a title, and your descendants should be given opportunities… After the banquet today, report the names of two of your nephews. If they are skilled in literature, Sun Military Commissioner can recommend them to the Imperial Academy; if they are skilled in martial arts, Commander Liu can take them into the Imperial Guard!"

At this point, Guan Jia paused for a moment, then immediately spoke again, preemptively, "And if your family can send three thousand Imperial Ducks at this time next year, why shouldn't I promote you to a position in the cabinet?!"

The Huaizuo silk tycoon, who also had business with the Imperial Guard, was naturally overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately kowtowed to express his gratitude.

And in front of this temporary palace, under the rustling autumn wind, the many Huaizuo celebrities were even more astonished… They never expected that at a proper Mid-Autumn Royal Banquet, a place where Zhao Guan Jia should be appreciating customs, such a shameless person would have been mixed in?

However, what they found even more unacceptable was that this shameless person's ridiculous and straightforward actions were actually recognized by Guan Jia… He was really given favor and opportunities?

Was there no need to talk about traditional feudal morality?

If it was this direct, what were they doing here, putting on airs?

However, some people turned their complicated gazes to Sun Jin, the expressionless Sun Xiantai… Sun Xiantai was a dignified Military Commissioner, a top-level official who had been sent out from the imperial presence, and also a confidant of the current Prime Minister. Could it be that others did not know Guan Jia's style, but he did?

But since he knew, why didn't he give a hint in advance?

Give this first show… this first opportunity to himself, and he would definitely do it more elegantly and steadily than this duck seller! The so-called buying bones with gold, there was no need to buy salted duck, right? They could be professional plants!

Of course, there was regret, but with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, no one cared about elegance or inelegance:

This one said that his family wanted to support the fight against the Jin on the Huai River that year, but Guan Jia won too quickly and they didn't have time. They had been regretting it for seven years and hoped Guan Jia would give them a chance. His family could provide three thousand sets of military uniforms, well-made military uniforms, not cloth.

That one said that every issue of the Dibao (official gazette) was studied in their temple, and they had long understood Guan Jia's guiding principles. But because the temple was poor and far away, they had always had no way to repay the country… Nothing else, this year's autumn harvest had just brought five hundred dan (a unit of dry measure) of new rice into the warehouse. Why not send it directly to the official granary? There would be another five hundred dan next year… In addition, they could even contact other temples and monasteries to prepare military rations for Guan Jia's accompanying soldiers to be stationed in Yangzhou.

Someone else said that his family had neither grain nor clothing, but they ran boats on the Grand Canal and the Yangtze River. They had seen that the government's official ships were dilapidated and were willing to donate three large, black-hulled ships to the government to facilitate the transportation of official grain from the south to the north…

Of course, Zhao Jiu was constantly impressed by these Yangzhou gentry and commoner representatives who knew how to be grateful. Those who offered clothing were treated even better than those who offered ducks; the eminent monk of Daming Temple who offered grain was directly bestowed a Dharma name and Daming Temple was given the exclusive right to the green seedling loan outlets in Yangzhou; the one who sent three large-hulled ships, because he was a talented man from Yangzhou, was directly appointed as a Tong Jinshi (a degree) and became a secretary in the imperial presence… it was unknown if it was really buying bones with gold or if he would be sent to the army after returning to Dongjing.

But regardless, with the appearance of this Jianyan Imperial Duck, that layer of window paper was pierced, and the banquet instantly became more lively, truly sharing the joy with the people.

In the following days, this Guan Jia followed the same pattern, only receiving the gentry and commoner children of Lianghuai every day, eating a tribute of meat floss (meat floss was invented in this era) today, eating a tribute of seafood tomorrow, and ringing the bell and writing inscriptions at Daming Temple the day after… Of course, he would definitely do some business similar to the Imperial Duck along the way… In any case, he stopped in Yangzhou and did not move.

It could only be said that fortunately, Yangzhou was one of the largest cities in the world today, and the Empress Dowager had lived in Yangzhou for six or seven years, so the palaces and other things were still there, and the army also had a place to be stationed. In addition, Zhao Guan Jia's style was there, so even if meat floss was eaten once, he would no longer pay attention to it. No matter what, it could not be linked to extravagance… But even so, gradually, some bad rumors came out, saying that this Guan Jia had been working hard for a long time and had finally come to such a place of splendor, and was temporarily caught up in the pleasures here and forgot about returning.

So, by the end of August, as Envoy Lu Yihao, who was stationed in Hangzhou, once again sent envoys to ask Guan Jia to cross south, and Guan Jia still had no intention of crossing the river, this finally made many people feel anxious.

On the twenty-fifth day of August, Li Tao and Su Bai, two scholars from Jiangyin, crossed the river to Yangzhou, which was separated by a narrow strip of water, and submitted a petition… The content was complex and detailed, including admonitions to Guan Jia to be close to virtuous officials and distant from petty people, suggestions to combine the large ships of the southeast and head north to directly take Youyan, and admonitions to Guan Jia to change the official system… In response, Zhao Guan Jia accepted their documents but did not receive these people. Instead, he had Yabanshao Chengzhang clearly inform them that after he crossed the river, he would meet with Southeast Envoy Lu Xianggong and hold a political symposium on the southeast. At that time, the gentry and commoners of the southeast could all speak face to face, but since he was in Yangzhou, he would only talk about romance and eat delicious food, and not discuss political affairs.

The two scholars had no choice but to return to Jiangyin, which was separated by a river.

However, even so, until the beginning of September, Zhao Guan Jia was still not seen crossing the narrow river to the southeast, and the officials and people of the southeast became increasingly restless.

It was said that this day was the Double Ninth Festival on the ninth day of September, and officials, nobles, scholars, and commoners all went out of the city to climb to high places.

In Yuhang County, more than fifty miles northwest of Hangzhou City, there was a mountain called Mount Jing, and on the mountain there was a temple called Jing Mountain Temple. This temple was one of the five Zen monasteries in the southeast. Although it was not as prominent as Daming Temple in Yangzhou at this time, it was also an ancient temple with more than three hundred years of history, a large courtyard with more than a thousand monks and hundreds of monk rooms. Moreover, this mountain was located in a prosperous area in the southeast, so it was naturally the first choice for the people of Yuhang to climb to high places.

However, although they all came to climb to high places, the treatment they received was very different.

When retired officials from nearby came up, the abbot would definitely greet them personally, and the secluded courtyard would be cleaned. When wealthy households who had donated large sums of incense money arrived, there would also be a receptionist monk to carefully receive them, making the visitors feel as if they were in a spring breeze. As for ordinary men and women of goodwill, if they did not donate some money or silk, it would be difficult to go in and drink a cup of tea… It must be known that the tea of this Jing Mountain Temple was a famous tea in the southeast, and a tea cake could be exchanged for an equal weight of gold.

Of course, there were some exceptions… For example, some famous scholars and talented people in the southeast, student celebrities, although they did not give any incense money, if you did not prepare tea and clean rooms for them, they might write about your Jing Mountain Temple looking down on people, and if it spread out, not to mention that the retired officials would not come, even the tea might not sell well.

However, among them, if Mr. Wugou Zhang Jiucheng came, he unexpectedly did not need the receptionist monk to serve him carefully, because whenever this person came up, he would always look for the monk Dahui from the Central Plains.

Today was no exception.

"It's only been the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, and now it's the Double Ninth Festival in September. Only this one doesn't move, everyone has seen and heard it." Seeing Zhang Jiucheng, who was nearly forty years old, coming into the courtyard with his hands behind his back and frowning, the monk Dahui, who was sitting under the tree in the courtyard, blurted out, but it seemed inexplicable… There was no way, he was a pioneer of huatou (critical phrase) Zen in the history of Chinese Zen, relying on this chaotic mouth.

"What doesn't move?" Zhang Jiucheng asked as he sat down, looking up thoughtfully. "Does the sun not move? Using Guan Jia to refer to the sun is also appropriate."

"Not only Guan Jia, but after more than twenty days, this frown of yours also doesn't move." The monk Dahui immediately sneered.

"There's no way!" Zhang Jiucheng replied with a sigh. "Guan Jia is like the sun in the sky, but he doesn't act according to the seasons. Of course, we ordinary people are worried and unchanged…"

The monk Dahui sneered as he pinched his prayer beads: "Bullshit!"

Zhang Jiucheng was stunned for a moment, then smiled along with him: "Indeed, it's bullshit. In fact, Guan Jia's actions are not unexpected. He has been doing things out of order for these years… It's just that he was far away in the past, but now that he's close, that's why I'm in a mess."

"Throwing the seed off the rope bed, today it is raised. Before the donkey and after the horse, be careful not to take it on randomly." The monk Dahui started spouting nonsense again.

"I'm not taking it on randomly, but in the end, I'm not reconciled." Zhang Jiucheng said seriously: "Guan Jia is clearly a sign of restoration, but he is always unwilling to accept Daoism…"

"Guan Jia is also unwilling to accept shaving, so why shouldn't I be unwilling?" The monk Dahui sneered again.

"Your Buddhism has never achieved a positive result." Zhang Jiucheng was speechless.

"Has your Daoism ever become a serious prominent school?" The monk Dahui sneered even more. "What has not been obtained, how can it be lost? What has not been lost, where does the unwillingness come from?"

Zhang Jiucheng was silent for a moment.

It was said that Zhang Jiucheng was about forty years old this year, which was the golden age for a scholar to enter politics, but he had never served as an official.

Of course, it was because of his personal academic pursuits and his disdain for Cai Jing and others, but later it was because the court changed the original school and abandoned Daoism. That's right, this Mr. Wugou, who was born in the southeast, was a disciple of the Daoist master Yang Shi and an important receiving figure for the southward movement of Daoism. He was considered a direct descendant of the orthodox Luoxue school of Daoism.

But to be fair, Zhang Jiucheng was not a pure Daoist disciple. He was also greatly influenced by Buddhism and had a great interest in mathematics.

But regardless, this Mr. Wugou would not hide his thoughts in front of his close friend the monk Dahui. The puns they were making were extremely simple to translate into human language… It was nothing more than that Zhang Wugou heard that Guan Jia was coming to the southeast and knew that the opportunity was rare. He wanted to use his status as a famous scholar in the southeast to once again persuade Guan Jia to accept Daoism.

However, even Zhang Jiucheng himself understood that Guan Jia would most likely not accept it.

Only his teacher Yang Shi had already been publicly rejected once, and several fellow disciples had also been publicly rejected. If he did not take advantage of the opportunity for Zhao Guan Jia to come to reconcile with the southeast and use his identity as a local celebrity in the southeast to try again, he was afraid that the opportunity for Daoism would be even more hopeless in the future.

So, he had to go.

However, the courage he had finally summoned was messed up by Zhao Guan Jia's sudden stop, causing him to be in a mess and his momentum to gradually weaken.

Back to the present, the monk Dahui saw that his friend was silent and stopped sneering. He patted his knee and sang: "The new year beats the new drum, and new laws and rain have been applied. Everything follows the new, and everything follows the rules. The Bodhisattva Samantabhadra is happy and opens the door in time. The white elephant king is released, and there is nowhere to be found. Only this one does not belong to the old and new. It's easy to open your mouth and swallow the Dharma body. In the thousand-year-old peach pit, it was originally the old benevolence."

The monk Dahui's huatou (critical phrase) Zen was not so exquisite, and it was basically nonsense with a bit of metaphor. Zhang Jiucheng instantly realized the other party's meaning, but he shook his head heavily: "I am doing this for the Dao, not for fame or profit, and even less for party strife!"

The monk Dahui shook his head completely: "You are innocent, are all your fellow disciples innocent? Even if your fellow disciples are innocent, you are not innocent!"

"How am I not innocent?" Zhang Jiucheng was finally angered by his old friend.

"When you talk about it, aren't you still dissatisfied with the heavy taxes in the southern homeland?" The monk Dahui asked seriously.

"Is this selfishness?" Zhang Jiucheng became exasperated when he heard this. "Are the taxes on the people in the south not heavy?"

"The people in the north are all dead, but they don't have to pay taxes." The monk Dahui put his hands together. "You have never seen the wars in the north, but I am one who escaped from the north during the Jingkang Incident…"

Zhang Jiucheng was speechless for a moment.

And this time, the monk Dahui did not intend to stop there, but continued to pursue: "What you should be worried about is whether the taxes of the people in the south have been intercepted by private individuals? Although you have not been to Bianliang, you should trust your fellow disciples and other officials. Guan Jia is frugal, five years of mulberry trees, is everyone covering up for Guan Jia?"

"I trust the Son of Heaven, but I don't trust those soldiers and generals." Zhang Jiucheng did not hesitate either. "In the thousand-year-old peach pit, it was originally the old benevolence… Corruption is like Zhang Jun, famous throughout the world! Rudeness is like Han Shizhong… When the Western Army put down Fang La that year, it caused more harm in the southeast than Fang La, was Han Shizhong not among them?! How did he turn around and become a famous minister and general? The people's fat and people's cream in Jiangnan, even if the monarch and father used it, it is better than giving it all to those Western Army generals!"

"If that's the case, you should do it as soon as possible." The monk Dahui replied with difficulty.

"Doing it quickly means taking risks, what if it fails?" Zhang Jiucheng was not afraid at all. "Do you really want to argue with me?"

The monk Dahui stopped speaking.

Seeing this, Zhang Jiucheng also felt bored and stopped the dispute that had broken out countless times, and left with a flick of his sleeve.

And as his old friend left, the monk Dahui was also helpless, so he got up to see him off. The two separated only at the intersection in front of the temple, and the monk Dahui, seeing his old friend leaving in a dull mood, couldn't help but open his mouth and chant a verse.

As the saying goes:

"What is it like to be one? Don't fantasize.

Even if you understand the past and present, it is just a monkey's trick."

Turning around, just as he returned to the courtyard, he met the abbot of the temple again. It turned out that the abbot saw that the monk Dahui was from Dongjing and estimated that he would be better at chanting sutras in front of Guan Jia. So, after thinking about it, he wanted to let the monk Dahui learn from the eminent monks of Daming Temple and go to seek a royal karma for Jing Mountain Temple when Guan Jia arrived in the southeast.

The monk Dahui had been staying at Jing Mountain Temple for six or seven years, and he was obligated to help them. How could he refuse? So, he agreed immediately.

However, after the abbot left happily, he couldn't help but chant a rhyme.

As the saying goes:

"Tear down the east fence, and repair the west wall.

Under the Jing Mountain Gate, people have no standard.

If there is a standard, who would know?

The monk hall sees through the fragrant kitchen, and the chiwen (roof ornament) bites the ridge of the Buddha hall."

And when the great monk recalled his experiences today in the evening and wrote these rhymes into a collection, preparing to publish it before his death, that was another matter.

Of course, not to mention that a good monk did not chant sutras all day long, but only used rhymes to practice Zen, after a few more days, on the other side, Zhao Guan Jia dragged on in Yangzhou for many days, dragging on until Daming Temple began to suspect that Guan Jia wanted their temple to be responsible for supporting these more than three thousand soldiers, but he finally moved.

That's right, as the saying goes, the boundless fallen leaves are rustling down, between Jingkou and Guazhou is a narrow strip of water, the rolling Yangtze River flows eastward, and the autumn wind passes the south bank of the Yangtze River again… Zhao Guan Jia finally crossed the Yangtze River on this day, the fifteenth day of September, under the almost boiling state of the southeastern gentry and commoners, and arrived in his loyal Liangzhe Road.

But what made the southeastern gentry and commoners confused was that after crossing the river, this Guan Jia, who had always disliked following the rules, still did not go to Hangzhou to meet Lu Yihao, Prime Minister Lu. Instead, he stationed the majority of the army outside Jinling City, and then only led hundreds of riders lightly across the Jiangning Prefecture to the west, and went to Taiping Prefecture (now Dangtu and Wuhu).

There was some unexpected meaning, but it was reasonable.

After all, the one who knew Taiping Prefecture at the moment was none other than the former Duke Prime Minister in the early years of Jianyan, Li Gang, Li Boji.

Not only that, but when the honor guard arrived in Taiping Prefecture, the ones who came to greet him were not only Li Gang alone, but also Yang Yizhong, the commander of the Imperial Guard, who should have been accompanying him, Hanlin Academicians Fan Zongyin and Lü Benzhong, Pavilion Gate Attendant Ren Baozhong, Drafter of Edicts Yu Yunwen, Secretary of the Chancellery Mei Li, and Secretary Lang Zong Ying.

Everyone came in disguise with gold medals and then bowed directly, each presenting a thick booklet.

"Is Guan Jia suspicious of this old minister?"

Li Gang was shocked and angry when he saw these suddenly appearing close officials of the imperial presence in his jurisdiction. "So you sent people to investigate secretly?"

"If I suspected Duke Li, why would I need to send people to investigate?" After several years, facing Li Gang, whose momentum had not diminished, Zhao Jiu no longer had the puppet-like appearance he had in the past, but directly closed the document in his hand called *Shuiyang Town Autumn Tax Investigation*, which was full of forms, and faced him calmly.

Li Gang was stunned for a moment, then fell silent, and then became disheartened.