Chapter 155 The Autumn of Jianyan Seven

Autumn in Tokyo was still bustling with activity, but once the hustle and bustle became commonplace, it was just that. In that sense, this year's autumn in Tokyo passed by in a relatively uneventful atmosphere.

It had been a long time since foreign envoys had arrived. The arrival of envoys from Goryeo and Japan was certainly a novelty, but as envoys from all directions arrived in Tokyo continuously and repeatedly, people quickly became accustomed to it.

Then there were the lotteries. As soon as they appeared, all the common people flocked to them... Of course, they still flocked to them now. The limited number of Northern Expedition lotteries even caused dissatisfaction among the wealthy. Some in the Gong Ge (palace library) had already suggested introducing Northern Expedition betting into the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) league, allowing large-scale betting by ticket.

The lottery had only been around for a few days, and it was already like this. Not to mention the national bond stalls at Xuan De Tower, the qingmiao (green sprouts) loans and short-term loans in temples, the gradually increasing number of Western Region and grassland goods in the market, the delivery carts running all over the streets, and the annual huikao (provincial exam) and dianshi (imperial exam).

Even the Mid-Autumn Festival ceremony was something people were getting used to.

There was no helping it. Despite the solemn occasion, the truth was that no one could recapture the honest emotions of the first time. This seemed a bit sad, but there was nothing to criticize. Because that was life. Life itself would bury any past experiences, along with the most intense emotions.

But then again, this seemed to be the very situation that the Zhao Guanjia (Emperor Zhao) who planted mulberry trees in the harem was most worried about, otherwise he wouldn't be shouting about the Northern Expedition every day.

But even the slogan of the Northern Expedition, after only a year, had become commonplace.

This autumn was the autumn of Jianyan seven.

This autumn, Li Gang requested to retire and return to his hometown, but Zhao Jiu refused.

This autumn, Zong Ze's eldest son, Zong Ying, was transferred from his post as county magistrate back to the central government to serve as an official in the Ministry of Works.

This autumn, Prime Minister Zhao Ding's eldest son, Zhao Fen, still hadn't taken the huikao, and still hadn't found a wife.

This autumn, Wang Zhongfu, who came from a martial arts background and had served as Emperor Zhao's bodyguard, left Tokyo and returned to Guanxi. He immediately became a preparatory general in the Imperial Guard's Left Army. With a bright future ahead of him, he even changed his name to Wang Shixiong because he shared a name with Zhang Zhongfu, the commanding officer of the Imperial Guard's cavalry.

Before leaving, he hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he didn't ask the well-acquainted Little Wu Imperial Uncle to help him find the veiled lady he had seen in front of the Yue Platform that day.

This autumn, Yue Yun, fifteen years old by Chinese reckoning, after two years of martial arts training, was not left in Tokyo to marry as he had imagined, but was dispatched to his father's army, Zhang Xian's unit, to undergo military training as an ordinary cavalry soldier.

This autumn, like her older sister, Princess Foyou, Princess Shenyou was betrothed to another son of a marshal, namely Wu Jie's second son, Wu Fu... With this, all of Emperor Zhao's daughters had been betrothed to eligible sons of the current marshals.

This autumn, from the Tai Xue (Imperial Academy) huikao before Mid-Autumn Festival to the dianshi after Mid-Autumn Festival, in addition to the further increase in the proportion of original learning, there were also a considerable number of questions unrelated to the classics. The most prominent were mathematics and geography... After the dianshi, the huge map drawn by Emperor Zhao himself, encompassing the East Sea, the Western Regions, the Northern Wilderness, and the Southern Ocean, shook the entire court.

This autumn, the two retired emperors and the current emperor simultaneously began serializing literary works. Following the Three Caos, the Three Zhaos were also poised to add a rich and colorful stroke to the history of literary creation.

This autumn, as the old general Lu Jing retired from his military post due to old age and transferred to the Gong Ge, Wang De's highly controversial Jiedushi (military governor) title was also officially issued after the expansion of the army. Han Shizhong, Yue Fei, Zhang Rong, Li Yanxian, Wu Jie, Qu Duan, Zhang Jun, Wang Yan, Ma Kuo, Wang De, and other ten generals with current military positions and the title of Jiedushi were known among the people as the Ten Jiedushi of Jianyan.

Together with Li Qiong and Li Bao, who did not have the title of Jiedushi due to seniority, they were also known as the Twelve Commanders-in-Chief.

After the expansion of the Imperial Guard, a count of all the actual commanding officers yielded nearly a hundred people. However, well-wishers pieced together a list of one hundred and eight generals, led by none other than Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan.

This autumn, there was a slight flood in the Jingdong West Road, but it was immediately brought under control by Yue Fei and Wan Qixie.

This autumn, no matter how you calculated it, it was the seventh year since Emperor Zhao fell into the well at Mingdao Palace.

And when autumn ended and winter arrived, Consort Wu became pregnant again, and Emperor Zhao finally grew a beard... He was almost twenty-eight years old.

No matter how much he deceived himself, he had to be considered middle-aged.

"Let's begin."

In the little yangchun (Indian summer) of October, the weather was bright. After returning from target practice, Emperor Zhao walked back to the stone pavilion and sat down. After learning that there were no urgent secret reports to be delivered that night, he directly gestured to Yang Yizhong and the others.

At this time, inside and outside the stone pavilion, there were only close ministers, but no important officials from the outer court... And what Emperor Zhao was about to 'begin' was, of course, just the daily intelligence briefing.

The close ministers looked at each other, but Ren Baozhong actually raised his head and puffed out his chest, stepping forward and cupping his hands. "Reporting to Your Majesty, five things were recorded by this humble servant yesterday... First, an official document arrived at the capital province saying that there was a fire in Hangzhou that destroyed hundreds of houses. Second, the Privy Council reported that bandits in Ganzhou had risen again and were raiding county towns. Commander-in-chief Guo Zhongxun has personally gone to Ganzhou. Third, Da Shi (Arab) sea merchants in Quanzhou gathered at the Maritime Trade Office, seeking to be treated the same as Han merchants and allowed to purchase official ship flags and credentials. Fourth, the Tusi (local chieftain) of Gongzhou in the southwest rebelled and has been captured by the Yang clan of Bozhou. Fifth, the market outside the city of Dongshengzhou was burned by Jin cavalry..."

China was simply too big. Fires, droughts, floods, and even rebellions, as long as they were not large-scale, were considered commonplace. Emperor Zhao had always been one not to fear heavenly changes. Even if he were struck by lightning, as long as he wasn't killed, he wouldn't take it to heart. Moreover, before this year, there had been countless military activities... Therefore, such matters usually stopped at the capital province, and Emperor Zhao did not intervene.

However, since the full implementation of the Jiancai (building wealth) plan in the middle of this year, the Emperor had changed the procedure for the morning briefing, requiring close ministers to summarize various military and political news events that affected fiscal revenue and give him a rundown. The person who received this honor was none other than Ren Baozhong, who was willing to work hard and already had a residence in the Jingyuan (scenic garden).

Of course, this news was just a summary of public official documents and did not allow him to truly reach out to intelligence agencies.

"Still the same words," Emperor Zhao said with a calm expression after hearing the report. "Disaster relief should be provided where necessary, bandits should be suppressed where necessary, ship flags and credentials cannot be given to the Da Shi, otherwise how can we show the superiority of Han merchants? As for border disputes, retaliation must be carried out, we cannot put the cart before the horse, some money cannot be saved... But Renqing, why did you include the Tusi rebellion in this?"

"To let Your Majesty know that this humble servant is worried that the copper mine trade with Dali that Gao Mingqing negotiated will be affected by this matter," Ren Baozhong quickly explained.

At this time, Lü Benzhong couldn't help but interject, "Ren Sheren (official title) is overthinking it... The main route of transportation between Dali and China is through the Min River, and it is separated from Gongzhou by the Luo and Yang clans, so it's not a problem."

Emperor Zhao immediately nodded.

Let's digress a bit here.

Gao Mingqing was one of the core members of the powerful Gao clan in Dali. He was the envoy sent by Dali after Emperor Zhao suddenly sent an envoy to Dali, proposing a diplomatic offensive of 'unrestricted by etiquette, mutual exchange of goods'... Unlike the ruler of Dali, Duan Heyu, he was a person who could make decisions.

In fact, the Gao clan of Dali attached great importance to diplomacy with the Song Dynasty. Basically, every envoy to the Song Dynasty was a core member of the Gao clan. The last time an envoy came to the Song Dynasty was none other than Gao Taiyun, the current head of the Gao clan and the regent of Dali, while the regent of Dali at that time was Gao Mingqing's father, Gao Taiming.

As for Duan Heyu, whom Emperor Zhao couldn't forget, he couldn't even control his own harem... The queen, who came from the Gao clan, would often beat Consort Mu and Consort Wang, while Duan Heyu could only endure it.

The thought of Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanqing being beaten every day after marrying Duan Yu caused Emperor Zhao great mental shock, and he naturally extinguished those messy thoughts and focused wholeheartedly on winning over Gao Mingqing.

The Gao clan also behaved extremely appropriately in the face of Emperor Zhao's preferential treatment, directly agreeing to a special trade of tea for copper... However, they also pointed out that Dali would be at a great disadvantage in this trade, so they hoped to have a five-year term, after which they would trade fairly.

Emperor Zhao readily agreed to this.

In fact, not only Dali, but also Southern Vietnam were very smooth... The latter was currently in a stage where the ruler was young and the country was uncertain, and its national strength was declining. After the envoy was slightly intimidated by Emperor Zhao, he also agreed to restore the so-called 'cloth for rice' traditional trade.

In other words, it was a direct trade of cloth and rice. The winning Guangzhou sea merchants would travel back and forth, sending the rice from Southern Vietnam directly to Jiaoxi, Mizhou (Jiaozhou Bay), and then to the reserve warehouses of the Imperial Guard's Right Army, Vanguard Army, and Navy.

It can only be said that everything depends on whether you can lower your face, and once you lower your face, there is always a way... Emperor Zhao could even handle the closed Japan and Goryeo, which had close relations with the Jurchens, so these two were even easier.

Turning back to the present, Ren Baozhong was originally prepared to withdraw, but Emperor Zhao thought for a moment and spoke again, "The Yang and Luo Tusi clans are said to have always been loyal and have been regional powers for hundreds of years, but they never pay taxes. Can we borrow some money from them?"

"Your Majesty,"

Ren Baozhong's spirits lifted, and he immediately stopped and cupped his hands in response. "This humble servant believes this is inappropriate... Although the Yang and Luo clans are both Han subjects, and the Yang clan is even descended from the Yang family generals of this dynasty, they are, after all, Tusi with independent military and political power, no different from the Li rebels of the Western Xia in Xiazhou... The reason why such people are docile and loyal is only because the court has not threatened them. Once we make demands of them, they may directly pledge their loyalty, but they may also despise the court and develop rebellious intentions."

Emperor Zhao thought for a moment and directly nodded, but then looked at Yang Yizhong, "Zhengfu, communicate more with your namesake..."

Yang Yizhong could only cup his hands in agreement and then retreat a few steps... This confused many people, because the next thing was Yang Yizhong's reporting time, or rather, Emperor Zhao originally intended for him to speak, but only said it casually because he remembered the theoretical kinship between the Yang clan of Bozhou and Yang Yizhong.

But soon, everyone's confusion deepened—Yang Yizhong retreated a few steps, took a box from a guard behind him, opened it in public, and actually took out a dibao (official gazette), a standard printed dibao, and carefully presented it to Emperor Zhao.

Emperor Zhao simply looked at it and laughed on the spot, "Have the Jurchens gone this far?"

The surrounding core ministers were momentarily stunned, but how could they not know that this dibao was actually printed by the Jin Dynasty? It was just that the intelligence summary in the morning was always about being careful and avoiding sensitive topics, so they couldn't go forward and see what this dibao looked like.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, that is indeed the case," Yang Yizhong reported seriously. "This first dibao is divided into sixteen pages and a total of more than three thousand copies were printed, and all official figures in the Jin Dynasty can obtain it..."

"The Jin Dynasty can still adapt to local conditions," Emperor Zhao said, shaking his head with emotion as he looked at the dibao in front of him. "They don't lack money, and they don't lack good craftsmen... Unlike us, we spent many years developing sectional printing to break through the printing costs, so that we can print one edition every ten days, but what about them?"

The people around him looked at each other, partly because they didn't want to interrupt, and partly because they knew that the Emperor was telling the truth... Did the Jurchens seem to have more money?

Of course, Emperor Zhao had, after all, chatted and laughed on forums eight hundred years later, so he saw things more clearly than these people, that is, the economies of both the Song and Jin Dynasties were very distorted.

If you looked at resources and such, that is, calculating GDP, the Southern Song Dynasty, which held the area south of the Huai River, absolutely crushed the Jin Dynasty in a crushing victory. The population was there, but because of being looted and suffering the ravages of a war that devastated half the country, the fiscal situation was very tight.

At the same time, an undeniable point was that the Jurchens, relying on their military rise, after annexing the Liao Dynasty, seizing the Two Rivers, and sweeping through the Central Plains, plundered a large amount of precious metals and top craftsmen in the most primitive way... The wealth accumulated by the civilization high ground of East Asia for more than a century was looted by them.

This ebb and flow meant that, from a fiscal perspective, the precious metals that the Jin Dynasty could take out could probably bury those Song Dynasty rulers and ministers who racked their brains for money.

At the thought of money, Emperor Zhao couldn't help but want to ask Yang Yizhong when the ships that went to Japan to trade for minerals would return?

But without asking, Emperor Zhao knew very well that the voyage between China and Japan alone would take sixty days, and there was also the trading process in the middle, and although Taira no Tadamori had replied at the end of July, no one knew what the internal struggles in Japan would develop into, so only heaven knew when the fleet would return.

At this thought, the Emperor simply stopped thinking about those baseless things and focused on reading the dibao in his hand. It could only be said that the content was quite rich... How could it not be rich?

It had sixteen pages!

"They're not idle, huh."

It took Emperor Zhao a long time to slowly finish reading this Jin-produced Chinese dibao, and after reading it, he casually asked Liu Yan a question. "Is Wanyan Puluhu the eldest son of Emperor Wuqimai, the retired emperor of the Jin Dynasty?"

After all, although Yang Yizhong was the original know-it-all, there was no doubt that it was best to respect Liu Yan when it came to matters in the north.

"Yes."

Liu Yan immediately responded.

"Then are all these people Wuqimai's party?"

Emperor Zhao took out a page from the dibao in front of him, pointed to a large passage of text with one hand, and handed the page to the other.

Liu Yan took it with both hands and glanced at it, shaking his head repeatedly. "Your Majesty, Jurchen names are mostly similar, and often even they themselves can't tell them apart. After Aguda founded the country, he only gave Chinese names to the imperial family, while the people below are still confused. This humble servant really cannot identify this list... However, many of the people in here are from the Xí, Qidan (Khitan), and Yanyun Han tribes, and this humble servant can tell them apart at a glance, and these people will definitely not be the so-called Wuqimai's party, but should be the three Wanyan brothers taking advantage of Wuqimai's eldest son's rebellion to vigorously eliminate dissidents!"

"That's right."

Emperor Zhao first nodded repeatedly, and then sighed with emotion. "Before, news came from Goryeo saying that Wuqimai's eldest son was plotting a rebellion, and I didn't think much of it, but looking at it today from this dibao, this matter is not so simple. Otherwise, after dealing with the so-called Wuqimai's party, they immediately announced the abolition of the military divisions outside the passes, reduced the number of troops stationed, reorganized the military system, and trained new troops, and also set up an imperial censorate, sending imperial censors of various origins to inspect Hebei... Plus, the successive returns of the two ten-thousand-household commanders, Wolin Datai of the Eastern Route Army and Huo Lin Nu of the Western Route Army, to Yanjing... The three Wanyan brothers' intentions are as clear as day!"

Emperor Zhao sighed to himself, and Liu Yan, being an honest man, didn't know what to say, and there was a moment of silence. After a slight pause, the Emperor tapped the dibao in front of him, lost in thought:

"However, Wanyan Wushu ultimately didn't dare to touch those ten-thousand-household commanders... Instead, he wants to win over those ten-thousand-household generals in order to deal with the more troublesome Meng'an and Mouke."

At this time, someone finally spoke at the right time, and it was none other than the cabinet secretary Ren Baozhong: "Your Majesty, it seems that Jiedushi Ma is extremely correct, the Jurchens are fully sinicizing, but Wanyan Wushu doesn't dare to touch the commanding generals at the ten-thousand-household level."

Emperor Zhao nodded, but quickly shook his head again:

"Ma Kuo certainly hit the nail on the head, but putting myself in the position of the three Wanyan brothers, I would probably do the same. Because there are only a few dozen ten-thousand-household commanders after all, and it is easy to control and win them over, and it is also easy to deal with them after things are done. But the Meng'an and Mouke system, which combines military and administrative power, has fallen into the prosperous land of the Two Rivers, and is unsuited to the environment, which is the main reason for the decline and loss of control of the Jurchen's fighting power. It is necessary to distinguish the priorities. Just like me, I am also forced by the situation, and I can only pull the marshals and commanders and use their hands to manage military affairs, isn't it? Everyone is the same, no one should look down on anyone!"

The atmosphere in the stone pavilion was slightly solemn, but Ren Baozhong quickly found a new focus: "In that case, are these Jurchens perhaps always learning from Your Majesty?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone inside and outside the stone pavilion was in a trance, and even Emperor Zhao was a little stunned.

Because on closer inspection, it seemed that there was some truth to it.

However, after only a moment of astonishment, Emperor Zhao waved his sleeves and sneered: "Everyone sweeps the snow from their own doorstep, I am also worrying needlessly... Let's do our own thing well! Zhengfu, please continue!"

Yang Yizhong did not dare to neglect, and immediately reported one by one.

Among them, there were problems with the qingmiao loans found by the Military Statistics Department in a certain place, there was who-and-who visiting the Retired Emperor Yuansheng, there was what kind of battle taking place in a certain rebel army in Hebei, there was also news that the East Mongolian Prince Habuhu, after receiving the Jin envoy, hesitated again and again, delayed until now, and finally sent his two sons like the West Mongolian Prince, there were even fluctuations in prices in Tokyo, fluctuations in public opinion caused by Cuju betting, and public criticism of the lottery by great Confucian scholars in the Imperial Academy, and so on and so forth... a wide variety, a myriad of things.

Emperor Zhao also listened to each one, and then kept them in mind, and gave instructions on some things he felt were inappropriate—but it was still the same as before, sending notes to the Privy Council and the capital province.

Perhaps because there was the matter of the Jurchen dibao today, the things were finished listening to, and it was already noon. Only then did Emperor Zhao wave his sleeves to stop, but he took a group of close ministers to have lunch directly in the pavilion, and even the guards changed shifts at this time.

But this was not all. In the afternoon, the capital province and the Privy Council sent some important matters that needed Emperor Zhao to issue decrees, and while discussing and making decisions, Emperor Zhao inevitably busied himself again. At this time, the main work was borne by the important officials of the outer court. A few pieces of writing work were also completed by the Hanlin Academy in the nearby office. Most of the time, Yang, Liu, Fan, Lü, Ren, and other close ministers only had to stand respectfully with Chief Guard Lan Gui, ready to be consulted.

In this way, after working hard until dusk, Emperor Zhao finally got up from the stone pavilion:

"You have worked hard today, let's all disperse early!"

The Emperor had become accustomed to saying these words, and the close ministers had become accustomed to hearing them.

Therefore, everyone was silent, just saluted in unison, and then stood respectfully outside the stone pavilion, watching Emperor Zhao leave through the Yingyang Gate to the south, only then did they each smile, turn around, and prepare to disperse directly from the Linhua Gate to the east... Naturally, there were Hanlin Academy scholars on duty on the night shift guarding the stone pavilion next to the Jingfu Palace, separated by a wall... And the close ministers all had their own lives.

However, among them, Yang Yizhong did not say a word, and was preparing to go directly to the new residence in Jingyuan with his colleagues, but was stopped by Lan Gui, the chief guard of the Inner Attendants Bureau.

The others were not surprised, just pretended not to see it, and left on their own... Song people liked to rank seats and give nicknames, and Yang Yizhong's position was important, so naturally he could not avoid similar things... And one of the most unpleasant was Hu Zi Ya Ban (Bearded Guard)! It was said that although he was not a eunuch, he was responsible for the duties of the chief guard of the Inner Attendants Bureau due to Emperor Zhao's trust and the fact that the Inner Attendants Bureau was short of people. No one knew whether it was the inner palace or the outer court that came up with it.

Enough of the idle talk, only to say that Yang Yizhong was left behind by Lan Gui. After a short while, Second Guard Feng Yi arrived, and then the latter said something.

It turned out that since this year, Emperor Zhao had become increasingly busy, and since the Jiancai policy was launched, he had become visibly tired and thin. The Empress Dowager Wei had always lived a secluded life and only liked to watch new operas, and did not ask about foreign affairs, but recently, when she happened to see Emperor Zhao like this, she was also a little worried, so she sought someone to buy a large parrot, wanting to send it to the Emperor... It was just that since the candle incident back then, the Empress Dowager Wei probably also knew that the Emperor had put away many thoughts since Jingkang, and was single-mindedly frugal, and was only determined to carry out the Northern Expedition, so he might not accept it, so she had been hesitant.

"The Empress Dowager first asked me, but how would I know? Then she asked Chief Guard Lan, but Chief Guard Lan did not dare to speak. Finally, a few people from the Inner Attendants Bureau discussed it and all said that it would be best to ask Commander Yang," Feng Yi said by the fish pond. "Commander Yang, give us a word, if you think it's okay, I will go all out and send it to the Emperor... In fact, we Inner Attendants also feel that the Emperor has been working too hard this year... And if Commander Yang thinks it's not okay, just treat it as a discussion among the three of us. I will come forward and persuade the Empress Dowager to keep the parrot and raise it herself to relieve boredom and not mention this matter again. What do you think?"

Anything could happen in the palace, and Yang Yizhong did not find anything inexplicable about this kind of trivial matter, but after thinking for a moment, he raised another question:

"Sixteenth Brother (Feng Yi's nickname), why does the Empress Dowager have to send a parrot?"

Feng Yi and Lan Gui looked at each other, and finally Lan Gui whispered: "To be honest with Commander Yang, the old people of Tokyo all know that the Emperor liked to play with birds and tease birds when he was young! He really liked it! It was only after becoming the Emperor that he buried these hobbies!"

Yang Yizhong was slightly stunned, and after thinking for a moment, he directly gave the answer: "Don't send it... If you send it over, the Emperor will most likely severely punish you to set an example for the sake of the Northern Expedition, and it's okay if you and I are punished, but the key is that the Empress Dowager might think that the Emperor has some resentment towards her! It will cause trouble for no reason!"

Feng Yi and Lan Gui nodded together, understanding in their hearts, and then the three of them did not say anything more and dispersed on their own.

The two Inner Attendants were not mentioned. Yang Yizhong returned to his new residence in Jingyuan outside the palace, and naturally servants, concubines, and children came to greet him, followed by banquets and meals, and then he rested early... But for some reason, he tossed and turned tonight, unable to sleep, as if he had something on his mind.

The next day, he forced himself to be energetic and went to the palace early to be on duty, but he did not expect that as soon as he arrived at the Emperor Zhao's target practice martial arts school, a subordinate came to report—the Emperor felt a slight cold yesterday and was not in good spirits. Today, there is no need for the close ministers to make intelligence reports, and the affairs of the outer court are all uniformly handed over to the various prime ministers for handling.

Yang Yizhong naturally had nothing to say, and even felt a little relieved after meeting the Emperor... Because the Emperor was not seriously ill, and his spirits were still good, just a stuffy nose and cough. In that case, even without a parrot to relieve boredom, Emperor Zhao could still get a good rest for a few days.

However, on that day, State Duke Pan entered the palace and personally diagnosed and prescribed medicine, not to mention that after a few days, the Emperor improved several times and relapsed several times, and finally gradually became serious. After using some energy-boosting drugs, he became more and more drowsy every day.

At this time, although everyone in the outer court and the harem was worried, they did not think that anything would happen... After all, the Emperor was young and strong, and it was not a serious illness, and as for the energy-boosting drugs, this state was also a common manifestation... Only Yang Yizhong gradually became a little frightened.

Because he clearly remembered that the last time Emperor Zhao was bedridden for so long was fully six or seven years ago, and that time was the autumn of Jianyan's first year.

Now, it was already the winter of Jianyan's seventh year, and Jianyan's eighth year was about to arrive.

ps: Happy Christmas to everyone, and happy birthday to the hanmen (poor family) born on Christmas.