Volume 3 Chapter 17: The Benevolent Should Tremble (Part 2)
May is passing and June is approaching. Considering that Concubine Pan has hinted to Emperor Zhao more than once that she wants to have another child... When she said this once or twice, Emperor Zhao naturally felt quite touched. When she said it three or four times, he could not help but feel that it was just for fun. When she said it five or six times, it felt a bit dry. When she said it seven or eight times, he even felt a bit irritated.
So, at the end of this month, Emperor Zhao officially issued an edict to hand over the two princesses to Concubine Pan, who had given birth to and raised them... The effect was excellent, and Concubine Pan finally stopped saying this.
In addition, Emperor Zhao also formally received the Goryeo envoy Kim Bu-sik, who was the man who initiated the thousand-year-old political thought of great powerism on the Korean Peninsula. He may also be the most capable historian on the Korean Peninsula (he systematically compiled the history of Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje, and incorporated the unification of the Three Kingdoms into the Goryeo system. It was also the first official history of the Korean Peninsula). He was a politician who supported three generations of Goryeo monarchs through various internal and external crises. He was undoubtedly an outstanding person himself.
However, the meeting between such an outstanding person and Emperor Zhao seemed uneventful. The performances of both of them were a bit mature and perfunctory. Both parties were very happy and only emphasized the long-standing traditional friendship and the necessity of folk trade activities, and then the meeting ended without any conclusion.
In the final analysis, since Emperor Zhao knew that Kim Bu-sik was a pragmatic person, he no longer had the mentality of trying to get an advantage from him... Although there are cracks within Goryeo, to be honest, it is too early to say anything at this time, so just keep an eye out for the future.
As for what Kim Bu-sik was thinking, it was not clear.
But according to Wang Lun, Jin Bu Shi should not be as calm as he appears. Because before entering the palace, after he inquired about some things since the Jingkang period, he was said to have a very high opinion of Zhao Guan Jia. This important official and famous historian of Goryeo believed that Zhao Guan Jia still had some problems, but compared with the "holy lord"... For example, compared with Guangwu, he could be regarded as Guangwu with a 30:70 ratio.
Not only that, Ambassador Jin also has great respect for Zhao Guanjia's literary and artistic level.
Needless to say, Jin Bu Shi also collected and sorted out the "Qing Yu'an" in detail. After reading the essay "Liang Ma Dui" polished by Xiao Lin Xue Shi and signed by Zhao Guanjia and Yue Fei in the capital, he copied it on the spot and said he would take it back to show his king.
However, after entering the palace, facing the entire overgrown palace, this Goryeo envoy and state official, who had previously been unable to express his feelings about Wang Lun's "official hardship", fell into a strange silence. His subsequent meeting with Zhao Jiu was even more lackluster.
Not to mention the hasty coming and going of the Li envoys... after all, some results were achieved... and the boring life of the Zhao Song officials continued.
In June, there was finally breaking news about the war, but the source was somewhat bizarre - Shi Bin, a remnant of the former traitor Song Jiang, also known as Shi Dalang, suddenly appeared in the Xingyuan Prefecture (Hanzhong) area, then openly proclaimed himself emperor and led his army to try to capture the Xingyuan Prefecture city.
Shi Dalang originally surrendered to the court with Song Jiang. Later, Song Jiang died of illness. Shi Dalang had been serving as a general under Zhang Shuye. Later, when the Jingkang Incident broke out, Zhang Shuye led his troops to defend the king and became the only minister . It is basically certain that Shi Dalang returned to his old ways and became a military thief during this chaos.
But no one expected that this guy would drift all the way to Guanxi or Shangyong area, and suddenly appear in Xingyuan Prefecture today, and even dare to openly proclaim himself emperor?
This incident was one of the few things that caused Emperor Zhao to sigh... One must know that Shi Bin, Shi Dalang's background and name, were the standard prototype of Nine-Striped Dragon Shi Jin. He was more like the character than Madam Yizhangqing of Ma Gao, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Imperial Camp Army, and Li Bao, nicknamed Sick Guansuo. Nine-Striped Dragon Shi Jin was undoubtedly Emperor Zhao's life idol when he was in the third grade of elementary school, but he did not expect that he would finally realize the existence of his idol in this way.
However, although he knew it, Emperor Zhao did not make any response.
There are three reasons:
First, this was just a moderate riot. Apart from the shocking fact that Shi Dalang proclaimed himself emperor, the rest of the behavior was no different from that of ordinary military bandits. Moreover, considering the delay in the transmission of information and the isolated location of Hanzhong, it was very likely that the ripples were caused by the news that Liu Yu proclaimed himself emperor or that northern Shaanxi was lost. There was really no need to make a fuss about it.
Secondly, Zhao Jiu has just set up a leadership structure of Yuwen Xuzhong-Zhang Jun-Hu Yin for Guanxi, which can be properly tested... In fact, as this emperor has been on the throne for nearly two years, many people have gradually figured out his temper, and his preference for being a hands-off boss is undoubtedly a great advantage for his subjects.
Thirdly, although life in Tokyo is boring, the officials are also very busy. There are always things like receiving envoys from Goryeo, which are useful and useless.
For example, Zhao Jiu was recently inspired by the problem of the Korean monk, and since he was really poor, he decided to go to the temple to beg for alms.
He first took Concubine Pan, Madam Wu, and the two little princesses Zhao Shenyou and Zhao Foyou, that is, the entire Zhao Song royal family, to the Daxiangguo Temple in Dongjing City... However, in the end, they returned disappointed. Because during the Jingkang Incident, the Jin people's plundering was aimed at the entire city and the Zhao Song center, which was a remote exploitation. This level of plunder was too high, and Daxiangguo Temple could not be exempted just because the Jin people respected monks, so the floating wealth here for a hundred years had long been transferred to the Jin people through the hands of the Song court.
So to be fair, the Daxiangguo Temple is now like the Zhao Song royal family, with basically only the huge ancestral residence left that has some economic value.
The only difference is that the monks in the Daxiangguo Temple cannot travel all over the country like the Zhao Song officials. After all, they are more hardworking and never stop weeding. Therefore, the Xiangguo Temple, which is located on the east side of the Imperial Street and covers a huge area, is still in excellent condition. I think its value for real estate development should be better than that of the Zhao Song Imperial City.
Therefore, in line with the principle that a thief never leaves empty-handed, Emperor Zhao decided to forcibly requisition the Xiangguo Temple, which had more open space and rooms, as a military camp, specifically for Kaifeng prefect Chen Gui to purchase various military weapons and equipment for city defense. Then the monks of the Xiangguo Temple should also use their cooking skills to cook and boil water for the civilians and soldiers.
Of course, seeing the master chef's panic-stricken look, Zhao Jiu didn't do anything extreme. He just said that the country was in danger and Tokyo City might even face siege, so everyone should tolerate each other for the country.
When the two rivers are recovered one day, Zhao Jiu will naturally return the right to use Xiangguo Temple. He may even open a branch temple in Yanjing to expand the scale of the industry... He even left a signed document with his signature.
At the end of the document, the four words "Cangzhou Zhaojiu" are becoming more and more beautiful.
What else could the master chef of Daxiangguo Temple do? He could only hold the document in his hands, read a few Buddhist verses, and then recount the hundreds of years of respect the Zhao Song royal family had shown to Xiangguo Temple.
Of course, these words are definitely expressing the determination to live and die with the country, rather than reminding Emperor Zhao that the Buddha cannot be deceived. Otherwise, what else?
You must know that although the current Tokyo City is much more lively than last year, the number of male civilians added together is definitely not as many as the 200,000 soldiers in the imperial camp.
What's more, there are already tens of thousands of imperial troops stationed near the city of Tokyo.
Not to mention, after all, an official promised to branch out the temple and even gave the document, right?
So, that evening, Emperor Zhao turned the world upside down and personally rang the famous morning bell of the Daxiangguo Temple. Both parties were delighted. After Zhao Jiu's family enjoyed a world-famous vegetarian meal from the Xiangguo Temple, they also said goodbye and left with satisfaction.
After leaving Xiangguo Temple, perhaps because he felt that the results of begging at Xiangguo Temple were not enough, Emperor Zhao set out again the next day. However, he only took Mrs. Wu with him for travel convenience. He headed west from Tokyo and then turned slightly south in Xijing, apparently heading for the ancestral home of Zen Buddhism, Dengfeng Shaolin Temple.
By the way, unlike the unfortunate Daxiangguo Temple, Shaolin Temple is located in Shaoshi Mountain, and many of the Jin army members are Buddhists, so it did not suffer from systematic burning, killing, and looting.
Not only that, or it can be said that it is quite the opposite. Shaolin Temple has gradually risen and grown since the Tang Dynasty, and now it has reached its peak. Not only does it own more than 10,000 acres of farmland, but the temple base alone covers 540 acres, with thousands of towers and pavilions and thousands of monks.
Even as early as the reign of Emperor Renzong, Shaolin Temple had taken the initiative to open a branch in Tokyo City in an attempt to compete with Daxiangguo Temple.
Moreover, the temple has a long tradition of practicing martial arts and has countless tenant laborers. Ordinary soldiers, thieves and robbers either fear religion or the powerful strength of Shaolin Temple and often find this place troublesome. In addition, Shaolin Temple has superb means, and during the war, there were people in Dengfeng City to deal with secular matters. No matter whether they were monks or laymen, or people from Song and Jin, as long as there were troops passing through, they would be treated with courtesy and expression, so even harassment was rarely encountered.
Therefore, when Emperor Zhao came to pay homage to the mountain this time, the two commanding officers Niu Gao and Da Cui, plus the imperial guards led by Yang Yi Zhong himself, surrounded him with thousands of soldiers. Naturally, the abbot and many monks in the temple were alarmed. They hurried out of the mountain gate to greet him, feeling terrified.
After all, no one is a fool. This official scraped the Taoist gold powder in Mingdao Palace, took over other people's temples for military use in Xiangguo Temple, and there were rumors that he almost slept on straw and tasted gall in the palace. He moved from Dengfeng to Shaoshi Mountain early.
In addition, as everyone knows, the imperial court is now facing severe financial difficulties due to military expenses, so that even if the southeast continues to provide food and silk, the civil and military officials of the imperial court are still receiving half-salary... Then, I would like to ask, which great monk would not be extremely cautious?
Sure enough, when the two sides met, the monks of Shaolin Temple knelt down to welcome the official into the temple. Before they even entered the mountain gate, the abbot took the initiative to express his intention to share the country's worries.
Upon closer questioning, it turned out that they had to donate tens of thousands of dan of stored grain, three large boxes of gold and silver, and nearly 200,000 strings of cash!
Such a skill and such decisiveness naturally made Emperor Zhao feel deeply moved. It was worthy of being the world's number one temple that had lasted for 1,500 years. Such vision, stature, and decisiveness seemed to be three times stronger than Kim Bu-sik!
He was so embarrassed that he even wanted to scrape off the gold powder.
Of course, in order to protect such an ancient temple, Emperor Zhao continued to demand two hundred martial monks to join the army in front of the mountain gate, and took over five thousand acres of land outside Dengfeng City, together with the tenants, as military settlements. At the same time, he also asked Shaolin Temple to try its best to ensure the basic food rations for the refugees from Hebei who passed through Dengfeng City.
After all, as Emperor Zhao said, the military and civilians are one, monks and laymen are one family, and only when the Song Dynasty has strong soldiers and horses and prosperous people can it better protect the Shaolin Temple, the common precious property of the Song Dynasty.
Although several masters of Shaolin Temple were somewhat stunned by this, they still tried their best to express their understanding and approval from the perspective of Buddhism.
Thus, the host and the guests were happy again.
However, the next day, when Emperor Zhao was preparing to burn a stick of incense to the Buddha in the main hall for the sake of the grain, money, and fertile fields full of crops, one of the noble ministers who was accompanying him could no longer tolerate it.
"Officials!"
Not long after returning from Yangzhou, the Grand Secretary Zhao Shiyi, who had been forced to follow this trip, suddenly stepped out solemnly, obviously waiting for this opportunity. "How can you come to Xijing and not visit the imperial tomb first, but worship Buddha first?"
Zhao Jiu was slightly startled, and wanted to explain: "Didn't I tell the emperor's uncle about this yesterday?"
"Your Majesty's words yesterday were all perfunctory, and I also know what you are thinking."
Zhao Shiqi continued to face him solemnly in the hall. "I know that the emperor is here to seek money for the country... but isn't it also to avoid the ceremony? A few days ago, Xu Xianggong of the capital province and Zhu Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites suggested that since we have returned to Tokyo, we should ask the emperor to restore the old system, hold the ceremony again, inform the ancestors, and pray for the two saints to calm people's hearts. As a result, the emperor avoided the topic and then went to Daxiangguo Temple in person, and then came here again! May I ask the emperor, why do you do things in person when you can do it with a decree? And why do you procrastinate on things that you should do in person? Why do the emperor's priorities are so different from ours?"
Zhao Jiu's complexion had long since returned to normal, but he was standing in the main hall, under the lotus pedestal of the Buddha, smiling and facing the Buddha with his hands clasped in front of him: "These words... especially the last two sentences, your uncle has wanted to say them for a long time, right?"
Zhao Shiyi came back to his senses and was a little frustrated. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have no intention of criticizing you. I am just being fair and have no intention of undermining your authority. Otherwise, I would not have waited until now to come to such a remote place to make a remonstrance."
This was indeed the truth. Apart from Emperor Zhao and Uncle Zhao, the only ones who could enter the Great Hall of the Buddha at this time were Madam Wu dressed as a man, Scholar Kobayashi, and a few Zen monks who stood still... Generals Niu Gao and Da Cui were already inside and outside the mountain gate, and Yang Yi Zhong was only standing at the hall gate with his sword in his hand.
Of course, more importantly, this is a religious place after all, and it naturally has a kind of political shielding and concealment. After everyone has said something, they can pretend that it doesn't count when they leave the house.
"I know, and this is the problem." Zhao Jiu returned to the front and answered after hearing this. "We are all for the public, but our 'public' is completely different. Why is it so? In fact, the emperor's uncle has been in Yangzhou for more than a year, and I have been in another place for more than a year. We have experienced different things, and our thoughts and ideas have long been different. Now that we meet again, we should have made it clear. This is my mistake."
"I respectfully listen to your instructions." Zhao Shiyi bowed his head and looked at you solemnly.
In fact, it was not just Zhao Shiqi. Everyone else in the hall, from Scholar Xiaolin to Madam Wu who was dressed as a man, all pricked up their ears... Of course, the Shaolin monks who specialized in Zen Kung Fu would definitely not bother to listen to these court secrets.
"During the Jingkang Incident, I lost all my parents, brothers and sisters. While I was wandering, I saw that the scholars and common people in the world had similar sufferings, so I gradually developed empathy and began to regard the scholars and common people as my parents, brothers and sisters. As for the emperor's uncle and others, although they also lost their relatives, they still treated some empty shells as the relatives of the emperor, and even wanted me to pretend to be a puppet to replace certain people, without considering the living people before me at all... This is the fundamental reason why there are always problems between us after you returned to the capital."
"Your Excellency...Your Excellency still doesn't quite understand." Zhao Shiqi tried to respond.
"It doesn't matter if you have to be frank... I once swore that in this lifetime I would restore the two rivers, annihilate the Jin Kingdom, plow up their homes and sweep their caves, and unify the world... Has the emperor heard of this, uncle?" Zhao Jiu's expression remained unchanged and he kept smiling.
"I've heard a little about it." Zhao Shiyi responded immediately.
"Then may I ask, uncle , if I want to accomplish this, I should at least be better than Guangwu, right? And if I want to accomplish this, I should also learn from the ancient saints who were better than Guangwu, right?"
“It’s natural.”
"Then why don't you want me to learn from Guangwu, but instead want me to learn from those mediocre people who have failed to recover Yanyun, pacify Xixia, and then unify China for hundreds of years?" Emperor Zhao's expression remained unchanged. "Not to mention, there are still people who want me to learn from those who ruined the country of my clan, hunted in the north, and humiliated the world! Even if I am willing to be humble, how can I do such a thing? Pray for peace and blessings, are they worthy?!"
Zhao Shiyi was stunned, and then he couldn't help but lower his voice and said earnestly: "Your Majesty, your world is the world of your ancestors, fathers and brothers, and your throne is also the throne of your ancestors, fathers and brothers!"
"The world of our ancestors was originally the world of the people, and the throne of our ancestors was also the throne of the people!" Zhao Jiu was still not angry, and he could even smile. "But now the people's hearts have been lost by my father and brother. The world of Zhao Song and the throne have been shaky when they were passed to me. I must restore the people's hearts... As the saying goes, water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. Hasn't the emperor's uncle ever read a book?"
Zhao Shiqi was completely stunned.
"Uncle," Zhao Jiu said slowly and calmly. "For my dignity, you did not make public remonstrances in Tokyo. I am very grateful. And for your dignity, I also gave you a sincere reply in this foreign land... But after we leave, there are some words that I will not admit, so as to avoid further quarrels among the ministers... Please forgive me."
After saying this, Emperor Zhao turned around, and in the silence, he snatched the incense stick from the somewhat dazed Shaolin Temple abbot, then shook his hand briefly at the dignified golden puppet in front of him, and casually inserted the incense stick into the incense burner in front of him.
He let out another long breath.
I have to say, being a dictator can be pretty cool sometimes... No wonder Zhao Ji could fall to that level?
We must take this as a warning.
Thinking of this, Emperor Zhao put his palms , bowed slightly to the puppet, then turned around and walked out of the hall with an expression like a wooden sculpture.
