"Important ministers like Ye Mengde and Huang Qianshan, royal relatives like the emperor's brothers... I think they can all be pardoned to show your majesty's benevolence and forgiveness." The man finally bowed his head and told the truth.
"Then should we pardon Zhang Bangchang and the Supreme Emperor Yuansheng who is in the west of the city?" Several officials frowned and said nothing. Zhao Jiu finally brushed the table and sneered, but this caused hundreds of scholars, wealthy merchants, monks and laymen who were present "for consultation" to be shocked.
All I can say is that this official is a bit like what the rumors say... frivolous and unbecoming of a monarch!
"Zhang Bangchang surrendered to the Jin people, so he cannot be pardoned..." the man hurriedly explained. "As for the Supreme Saint Emperor, he was already well-fed in Dongxiao Palace, so of course he cannot be pardoned. However, if the Supreme Dao Emperor and the Supreme Saint Emperor can be allowed to return to Tokyo, people all over the world will praise your filial piety..."
"You claim to be from Chuzhou, so you are from the same hometown as Ye Mengde." Zhao Jiu suddenly interrupted him. "And I have heard that you are famous for your poetry and you once studied under Ye Mengde..."
The middle-aged scholar was stunned for a moment, then he quickly bowed and explained: "We are all public-spirited."
"You are doing this to plead for Ye Mengde, and I know that Ye Mengde's punishment was not clear, and outsiders feel that he was wronged." Zhao Jiu looked down at the documents on the table, shook his head slightly, and his tone was still calm. If you didn't know, you would think he was talking to himself. Fortunately, the West Lake at the foot of Phoenix Mountain was so quiet that everyone pricked up their ears to listen, and barely understood what he meant. "But since you are pleading for Ye Mengde, why should you spare someone like Huang Qianshan? Do you really think that the more people you drag in, the more selfless you will appear? Or do you think that the more people you drag in, the more you can use the way of benevolence and forgiveness to make me surrender?"
"I dare not."
"Whether you dare or not, some people really cannot be pardoned... For example, Huang Qianshan, although he did not surrender to the Jin Dynasty like Zhang Bangchang, he had the policy of abandoning the land, and even the conspiracy of connecting the eunuchs to isolate the inside and the outside. If I want to pardon him, it is actually simple, because he is just an old scholar now... But once pardoned, may I ask how I should treat Li Gang, the prime minister beside me, who advocated war at the time but was expelled from the court by Huang Qianshan?" As he said this, Emperor Zhao pointed casually.
After the middle-aged scholar glanced at Li Gang, he finally lost control and began to panic. Li Gang himself, on the other hand, just sighed and said nothing.
"It's not just Prime Minister Li. How should I be grateful to Prime Minister Lu Haowen, Prime Minister Zhang Jun, who rescued me from Mingdao Palace that day, and the two commanders Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan who were standing here and had the merit of saving me at that time?" Zhao Jiu raised his head and continued to point behind him, causing Yang and Liu to quickly bow and salute.
The scholar became increasingly flustered and quickly apologized: "I am an ignorant person..."
"And my brothers..." Zhao Jiu ignored him, but looked around and raised his voice slightly to explain. "Of course I can pardon them. Why can't I? But the court has just issued a reform strategy for the royal family to save money. If I pardon them now and restore their royal titles, what will happen to the court's laws? Will the other distant royal families say that I am partial and that the court is targeting them?"
The scholar had already lowered his head and dared not raise it again.
But Zhao Jiu still didn't stop, just continued to sigh in front of many Southeast scholars and celebrities: "As for the two saints... do you think it's a good thing to welcome them back to Tokyo? Go and ask Emperor Yuansheng now, if he dares to go back to Tokyo with me? You said you wanted to ask for a favor for Ye Mengde, why did you make such a big fuss?"
The scholar could hardly stand.
"Well, although he has committed a crime, his original intention is still desirable. The country is going to march north, and we should also pardon him a little to show our unity and reconciliation. Let the emperor draft an imperial decree to pardon Ye Mengde and let him return to his hometown in Chuzhou to write his poems."
Following Emperor Zhao's calm words, Ye Mengde, the student who originally thought that he had harmed his teacher, suddenly felt that things had taken a sudden turn for the better. He was filled with joy and sorrow, and quickly bowed his head to express his gratitude.
Xu Jingheng, who had been silent, suddenly stood up, bowed to express his gratitude on behalf of Ye Mengde, and praised the emperor's virtue. This attracted countless people who came to him for consultation and he also received sneers from the other two officials.
The people below didn’t know, so how could these two not know?
Ye Mengde was convicted because the court had just settled down in Nanyang, and he could not wait to stir up a dispute between the new and old parties and raise the banner of the old party. At that time, his actions were supported by Lü Haowen and Xu Jingheng. In the end, in order to maintain the stability of the court, the government let Lü Haowen and Xu Jingheng go, but severely punished Ye Mengde. In essence, it was to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, and by the way, let Ye Mengde take the blame for Lü and Xu.
In this case, Mr. Xu was certainly relieved that Ye Mengde was pardoned today.
Seeing this, Zhao Jiu still shook his head and decided to make it clear: "I have pardoned him, but I must make one thing clear to you... Ye Mengde was convicted because he was impatient and wanted to stir up a dispute between the new and old parties. I pardoned him today to reduce internal friction and eliminate resentment before the Northern Expedition, but it does not mean that I admit his injustice... When he comes back, you can let him take care of himself. As for Huang Qianshan, don't even mention him!"
Ye Mengde's student had experienced many ups and downs, and finally got the result for his teacher. He was already overjoyed, so why would he care about these things? He just kowtowed and thanked him continuously, and then hurriedly left to wait for the Hanlin scholar to draft, easily forgetting about the two saints, the royal relatives, and Huang Qianshan.
However, no matter what, Ye Mengde's students' first attempt to touch upon sensitive practical issues actually worked, and it aroused the joy and encouragement of those who came after them.
Next, several more people came on stage and also achieved many "gains".
For example, someone pointed out to the emperor in person that the government should not use relatives to contract out national debts, as this might be seen as private transactions.
Others pointed out that the emperor claimed to be studious, but he did not often hold imperial lectures, which made people doubt whether Emperor Zhao was really studious.
In addition, some people accused Emperor Zhao of not restoring the historians for a long time; some people publicly impeached that some temples and monasteries had begun to use forced loans, which was bound to become a huge evil policy; some people accused Emperor Zhao of writing novels at random, causing political chaos, to the point that ministers had to guess the emperor's intentions by reading novels; some people accused Emperor Zhao of not having enough confidentiality measures, which led to the Jurchens starting to try to build their own hot air balloons; there were also a lot of people who hoped that Emperor Zhao would uphold the Confucian way of filial piety and allow the two saints to return to Beijing.
Even more so, just as someone came and said that Emperor Zhao should take the Emperor Taishang Daojun as a warning and never learn Taoism, someone else came up and pointed at a group of bald men who had donated money nearby and said that Emperor Zhao was a sycophantic Buddhist, which scared a large group of monks who were there "for consultation"!
Regarding these, Zhao Jiu fully acted out the attitude of a sage monarch to the extreme. Anyone who came to scold him would basically be told to "nod and agree, and then I will change." He would also encourage them on the spot, give them a seat, and add them to the ranks of "for consultation."
As for any accusations against specific things and people, they must be investigated immediately and the stance must be made clear first, but the major policies of the imperial court will never be compromised... Of course, no one has directly touched on the major policies of the imperial court.
The only person involved in this major policy was a scholar from Xuancheng, Jiangdong. This person publicly pointed out that the Prime Minister Yuwen Xu Zhong, the Prime Minister Zhang Jun, and the former treacherous Prime Minister Cai Jing were related by marriage, and that Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, and Hu Yin had an old friendship. Liu Ziwu, Hu Yin, Lin Jingmo, and Li Gang who was present were all fellow villagers who settled in Fujian... They said they were tolerating each other for the sake of the country, but in fact they were in collusion with each other and were suspected of forming a party. They should all be removed from their posts!
After hearing these words, everyone knew that the man was seeking fame, but Emperor Zhao still responded with a smile. He first criticized the other party, but still allowed him to sit down for consultation.
The attitude is really good.
Of course, as more and more advice and petitions came in, several close ministers gradually became aware of Emperor Zhao’s anxiety and impatience… He seemed to have been forcing himself to endure, and waiting for something to appear.
In public, everyone has their own understanding, but it is difficult to speak out.
Finally, with the arrival of afternoon, the appearance of a name cheered up the whole audience, including Emperor Zhao and the three husbands, who all perked up again.
The guard Shao Chengzhang shouted clearly that Zhang Jiuchen, a local commoner scholar from Hangzhou Prefecture, had come to the palace to request an audience and to write a letter to present his opinion.
It is said that Zhang Jiuchen or Zhang Wugui is a native of Yanguan County, Hangzhou. He is about forty years old this year and is a recognized role model of folk scholars in the southeast. Emperor Zhao had heard of this person's name before he came to the southeast, and he heard of him again and again after he came to the southeast. Even Lu Yihao directly recommended this person to Emperor Zhao, saying that although he studied under Yang Shi of Luoxue, his own virtue and knowledge are first-class and he is definitely a talent for being a prime minister.
When the martial arts conference was held, this person had the advantage of being at home, but he was still lingering in the West Lake. Although he was surrounded by Taoist scholars and had constant letters, he never came to the palace, as if he was hesitating and preparing. When everyone started to invite friends and friends two days ago, this person suddenly disappeared. At that time, everyone concluded that he was either from a Taoist background, like other Taoist masters, and simply gave up the idea of ​​making suggestions, or he was preparing to make a big move to show his "strong spirit" to Emperor Zhao.
It can be said that it has attracted everyone's attention.
In fact, with Shao Chengzhang's announcement of signing up, not only did everyone's attention come into focus, the whole place was a bit agitated, and Emperor Zhao also rarely smiled, with an expression of anticipation... He actually wanted to see what kind of person this Southeast idol celebrity Zhang Wugou, who was almost like "If people don't know Chen Jinnan, it's useless to call him a hero", was like?
After a while, a middle-aged scholar wearing a soft bun, a plain long gown and a jade pendant was seen walking along the West Lake. He turned around in front of Phoenix Mountain. Before he came to the emperor, he seemed to have a calm posture and a straight body, which attracted countless people who were "ready for consultation" to look up, wanting to see what Mr. Wuque looked like.
However, there happened to be a monk named Dahui among them. He saw this scene from afar, and then stole a glance at Emperor Zhao who was sitting below with an expectant look on his face. He sighed in his heart and recited a jingle in the chaos.
As the saying goes:
"Beat the stone man's head with a stick, and expose the facts.
There is no need for Zen meetings or Taoist meetings. "
After finishing reading it, Monk Dahui felt that he had done a good job, so he recited it twice more in his mind and prepared to go back and copy it.
However, just as Monk Dahui had written down his new creation, Zhang Jiuchen also arrived before the emperor and was about to pay his respects... At this moment, suddenly, a large flock of crows suddenly flew out from the Phoenix Mountain behind Emperor Zhao, and then made a lot of noise, like a dark cloud with its own sound, flying over everyone's heads, causing everyone to suddenly change color but not knowing what to say.
Everyone in Hangzhou knows that there are many crows on Phoenix Mountain.
Even Emperor Zhao knew this, because this was the location of the old palace of Wu Yue, and he, Emperor Zhao, had originally stayed here. This was also the reason why this martial arts conference was held on the banks of the West Lake... It was not that Emperor Zhao was trying to be pretentious, but this place was right in front of his door.
After living here for several days, I knew that there were a lot of crows here. So many that I could not sleep because I could hear them crowing in the middle of the night every day.
However, even though they knew about it, the fact that it happened at this time and in this kind of situation made everyone suspicious. Especially when the crows flew over, they quickly exploded over the West Lake. Most of them flew away in groups, but a few actually turned back to Phoenix Mountain and kept crying.
"That's fine, just use it as an accompaniment."
After waiting for a long time, the crow kept calling intermittently. Zhao Jiu was too lazy to pay attention to it, so he smiled and gestured to Zhang Jiucheng. "Mr. Zhang, please speak."
"I am ashamed." Zhang Jiucheng came to his senses and felt that he had lost his composure. He quickly bowed. "Excuse me, Your Majesty."
"I'm at peace." As the loud crow's cry came again, Zhao Jiu also became serious. "Zhang Qing, is there anything you want to teach me?"
"I am ashamed to say that before I write to you, I would like to ask you a question."
"Tell me about it."
"Your Majesty is asking about government affairs today. I wonder what attitude you have towards these advices and memorials?" Zhang Jiucheng was indeed extraordinary from the beginning. She was not the same kind of slut as those who were 'for consultation' next to her.
Zhao Jiu also nodded slightly and looked at me seriously: "Not only today, but also during this southern tour, I have only one sincere look at you."
Zhang Jiucheng nodded slightly, then continued to stand in front of the emperor holding the document in his hand and asked: "I also thought that the emperor's southern tour this time, from the original intention to this martial arts conference, was a sincere attitude... It is under the attention of everyone, and everyone knows it. This cannot be false."
Zhao Jiu was slightly proud.
"But I, a commoner, would like to ask the emperor, the emperor is sincere to others outside, he appears sincere during the southern tour, he is sincere at the martial arts conference, is he always sincere in Tokyo? Is he still sincere when he returns to the harem? In private, are they also sincere to the concubines and close ministers?" Zhang Jiuchen continued to inquire.
Hearing this, Zhao Jiu's face finally changed slightly, but he hesitated for a moment, not knowing what he remembered.
After waiting for a while, seeing that the emperor could not speak directly, Zhang Wuqiu raised his head and said, "Since the emperor is hesitating, I am afraid he cannot admit his sincerity."
Zhao Jiu sneered, shook his head, and then turned to nod at the other person sitting there: "Zhang Qing is right. I was already insincere when I hesitated just now... Besides, I really can't be cautious when alone, let alone be sincere to anyone."
When the two met and fought for the first time, it was Zhang Wujiu who got the upper hand. However, the victorious Mr. Wujiu did not show any joy at all. Instead, he became more respectful and leaned over to respectfully present the document in his hand with both hands.
The Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Yu Yunwen, stepped forward to take it and then presented it to the emperor.
When the document arrived, Zhao Jiu opened it on the desk in front of him, glanced at the opening format, and closed it directly, then spoke sincerely to the person below:
"Zhang Wujiu, I have long heard of your reputation. As early as in Tokyo, Prime Minister Zhao Ding mentioned your name, saying that you are a talent for being a prime minister. When I arrived in Hangzhou, the envoy Lu Xianggong also told me that you are a talent for being a prime minister. Not only that, although the Prime Minister Zhang Jun did not mention you, he said that there is a monk Dahui in the southeast who is sensible and obedient. If I want to manage temples in the south, this person may be more useful than the abbot of Shaolin Temple. When I came to the southeast, I asked a little and found out that you and the monk Dahui are old friends, so I have even more expectations for you..."
At this point, Zhao Jiu and Zhang Jiucheng almost simultaneously glanced at the monk Dahui who was meditating in silence among the row of bald heads, which made the latter jump with fear… At this moment, the great monk felt that the official was too cunning. Since he knew that he was related to Zhang Shuxiang's family and that he was so close to Zhang Jiucheng, he didn't even come to ask him, and didn't even reveal it. He just pretended to force him to pay two hundred more stones of new rice.
Why is it so?
But in addition to being panicked, he was also worried about his good friend Zhang Jiuchen, fearing that Zhang Wuqiu would be beaten to his true form by this official with profound internal skills at the martial arts conference today.
"Of course, I also know that you are the disciple of Yang Shi, and I understand the difficulties in your position, so I did not ask directly. But since we meet today, I will not read your documents. Whatever you say and what you think, let's use the word sincerity as the basis and talk it out face to face." Zhao Jiu just glanced at the monk and turned his head away. He had no idea that the monk had so many tricks up his sleeve.
On the other side, Zhang Jiucheng was somewhat moved by these words, but he also left the monk Dahui aside and bowed respectfully to Emperor Zhao: "Your Majesty is so sincere, if I can't speak frankly, I will be ashamed."
"Go ahead!" Zhao Jiu waved his hand.
"The important thing I want to say is that although the Jingkang Disaster shocked the world, the emperor does not need to worry too much about it. Because in my opinion, although the Jin Dynasty is powerful, it will not last long, and although China is temporarily trapped, it will definitely be able to revive!" Zhang Jiuchen stood up and faced him proudly.
Zhao Jiu's expression remained unchanged, as usual, and he just nodded slightly: "I know what you want to say, but in my opinion, this is only half true... The half truth is that the Jurchens are like wild beasts out of the forest. Once they get the fertile land of the two rivers, their wildness will be worn away, and they will corrupt and degenerate very quickly. It is indeed difficult for them to last long. Although China has the Jingkang Change, the overall situation is still there, and the local situation has not reached the point where it cannot be maintained, so it is not a problem for them to regain their power... But I still think that everything depends on human efforts. If the Jurchens can have the determination to be reborn, they may be able to emulate the Liao Kingdom and survive in the north for a long time. If China hopes that the Mandate of Heaven will come to it, and does not work together with the world, then the revival will be just empty talk."
Zhang Jiucheng was silent for a while, and finally said the most crucial two words: "But you can slow down a bit."
"No time to delay!" Zhao Jiu shook his head, his face suddenly becoming extremely serious. "If we delay a little, perhaps the Jin Dynasty will decline further, but I don't think China can be unique and maintain its morale for a long time without falling along with the Jin people... What's the use of having more troops in Jingkang?"
"Your Majesty, the reason why I say that the Jin Kingdom will not last long is that even though a country is big, it will perish if it loves war; even though an army is strong, it will be in danger if it forgets customs!" As the topic deepened, Emperor Zhao became completely serious. The three ministers and below, from the close ministers to the "consultants" who were close by, had already become solemn, but Zhang Jiucheng remained unshakable. He just stood there, speaking calmly, and continued to debate with Emperor Zhao. "Your Majesty only took the Jingkang Incident as a warning to our country, but shouldn't we be on guard against repeating the same mistakes from the Jin people?"
Zhao Jiu saw the tense atmosphere and laughed. "I won't argue with you on this topic any further. If we continue, it will just be you talking about the burden on Jiangnan and me talking about the people of Lianghe waiting for the royal army in tears... There will be no conclusion... You might as well tell me frankly, what exactly do you mean by easing up a little? How do you say it specifically?"
"First, please withdraw the Yuechun money, stop the additional taxes in the southeast and Jingxiang, so that the people in the southeast can have a break." Zhang Jiucheng was not polite at all. "Even though I just passed by the West Lake, I heard that the vegetable-eating demon sect in Xiaoshan was arrested. I also ask the emperor to consider that they are all poor and helpless people, and forgive them a little and punish them leniently... Lu Yihao is strict and severe in the southeast. Since the emperor is touring the south, he should correct it."
After these two sentences were spoken, only Wu Ti was silent again. Li Gang and Xu Jingheng instinctively looked at Lu Yihao, who was sitting closest to the emperor. They saw that this man was not annoyed at all, but just sat upright, which surprised them.
"And then?" Emperor Zhao couldn't stop asking. "Without Yuechun's money, how can the imperial camp maintain its troops?"
"That's exactly what I'm going to say. After Yaoshan, the Jin Kingdom's dislike for soldiers has become obvious. There's no need to maintain so many troops. We can reduce them a bit and clean up the imperial camp, removing corrupt generals and overbearing officers." Zhang Jiucheng responded immediately. "To make arrangements."
"Who is the corrupt general, and who is the domineering officer?" Emperor Zhao did not stop even as the crows cried.
"Han Shizhong, Qu Duan, Zhang Jun, Zhang Rong." Mr. Wuqiu said without hesitation. "Qu Duan is arrogant, Zhang Jun is greedy, Zhang Rong is a bandit, Han Shizhong is not as greedy as Zhang Jun, not as arrogant as Qu Duan, but he is greedy for money, lustful, arrogant, and frivolous, and he has all the five evils. Get rid of these old and immoral generals and re-establish the Imperial Camp. In the future, they will be able to defeat ten of them with one."
"Maybe!" Unlike the terrified "for consultation" around him, Emperor Zhao was not annoyed. "What happens after we clean up the imperial camp?"
"We should also remove those who are incompetent and immoral, and select those who are both talented and virtuous to assist the emperor."
“Who is incompetent and who is immoral?”
"Those who are incompetent like Prime Minister Zhang Jun, those who have no moral integrity like Minister of Works Hu Yin, those who are indecisive like Guanxi Envoy Yuwen Xuzhong, and those who are ruthless like Southeast Envoy Lu Yihao, are all unworthy of being among the prime ministers!"
Monk Dahui was so scared that he broke his silent meditation for the day and began to chant Buddha's name secretly... He was not chanting for his old friend, but for himself. He was ready to jump out at any time and risk his life to save his old friend.
However, upon hearing this, apart from Lu Yihao's cold snort, no one said much, and Emperor Zhao just grinned, his voice slightly louder than Wu Ti's: "Then where are the capable and virtuous people? Is it your teacher, Yang Shi who stood in the snow outside Cheng Men?"
Zhang Jiucheng hesitated for a moment.
But it was this hesitation that allowed Emperor Zhao to seize the flaw: "Mr. Wuque is not sincere enough!"
Zhang Jiucheng bowed his head and replied: "My teacher is virtuous enough, and his knowledge of classics is unmatched, but I dare not say that he is proficient in general affairs..."
"Then where are those who are virtuous and capable...are you considered one?" Zhao Jiu still maintained a good attitude in response...For some reason, he was extremely tolerant towards Zhang Jiuchen, which made several close ministers behind him marvel.
"I am a commoner... I don't have enough talent and virtue." Zhang Jiucheng still gritted his teeth and insisted. "But people like Lu Haowen and Xu Jingheng are both talented and virtuous. Although Zhao Ding is a bit weak in serving the emperor, he is still virtuous and can do things. Even among the military generals, there are Li Yanxian and Yue Fei, whose virtues are obviously superior to those of their peers. It can be seen that if the government opens up the way for learning and recruits talents, there will always be people with both talent and virtue."
Before Zhang Jiuchen had finished speaking, Xu Jingheng, who was singled out for praise, looked embarrassed, even more embarrassed than Lu Yihao who was singled out for criticism. And Li Gang, who was not mentioned, looked more embarrassed than the two of them combined... He was the main advocate of the Red Banner War back then, but he was found to be incompetent in political, military and financial strategies, so that this famous scholar from the southeast who was risking his life to make suggestions was unwilling to mention him at all, which was probably more embarrassing than being mentioned at all.
Just when the three gentlemen were thinking different things, Emperor Zhao smiled, but his voice was vague, as if he was talking to himself: "Let go of the school road..."
"Yes!" Zhang Jiucheng gritted his teeth and responded, and was about to start this almost hopeless topic. "I think... the original school is top-heavy after all, and has lost its Confucian roots. It is not as pure and upright as Taoism..."
However, just as Mr. Wuqiu started to speak, Emperor Zhao suddenly stood up. Then he turned around with his hands behind his back and pointed to the clear sky reflected by the West Lake on a winter afternoon in front of the gentlemen and beside Zhang Wuqiu. He started to recite aloud, which forced Zhang Jiuchen to shut up.
As the saying goes:
"The vitality of the Nine Provinces depends on wind and thunder, so it is a pity that all the horses are silent.
I advise the God to shake himself up and send down talents in all kinds of ways! "
The verses were majestic, the voice was passionate and loud, and it was appropriate for the time and the people around who were waiting for consultation were stunned. Even the close minister Lu Benzhong was a little embarrassed... It can only be said that Emperor Zhao's recitation in response to Zhang Jiuchen's memorial has finally confirmed his reputation as a famous poet.
And this is what Master Dahui called internal strength...it cannot be learned.
Without further ado, after reciting the poem with a melody of ups and downs, Emperor Zhao looked up to the sky and let out a long breath. Then he turned to Mr. Wuqiu who was interrupted by his interruption and asked, "Is this what Mr. Zhang meant?"
Zhang Jiucheng was also obviously distracted, or rather, he was right next to Emperor Zhao, and as the main person being recited the poem, he was the most shocked. But now he slowly came back to his senses, and could only try to respond, "Yes, that's exactly what I meant."
"I have the same idea, but your idea is different from mine." Zhao Jiu sighed with his hands behind his back.
Zhang Jiucheng didn't know how to respond... What Emperor Zhao said was almost more difficult to understand than Monk Dahui's jingle.
However, Zhao Guanjia was not a professional riddle teller after all, and immediately gave the answer:
"You are also silent. You probably feel that the court's policies and the development of the school of thought are not what you want, and the virtues of the prime ministers and military commanders are not what you want. So you want to find virtuous and saintly people to come out and restore order and peace... But I think that in this shabby situation, it is already very good that the court can find these people to do these things, and even do its best. However, the world is still falling apart, and there are still endless things to do as a monarch. At this time, if there is a useful person willing to jump out, I will be grateful!"
Having said this, without waiting for the other party to respond, Zhao Jiu turned behind the other party with his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice: "Mr. Wuqiu, have you heard the difference between us?"
"I am ashamed." Zhang Jiucheng didn't even turn his head and bowed. "Your Majesty probably means that I have high expectations but low skills. No matter how good my words are, they are not enough to shake those who do the work."
"That's right." Zhao Jiu's expression dimmed. "Before I met you, I thought you were a famous scholar in the world, and you must have great ideas because you are well-respected in the southeast... But your words today have disappointed me a little."
" I have limited abilities, and this is something I should be ashamed of." Zhang Jiucheng bowed again. "But what I said is from the bottom of my heart... and I don't think that I am incompetent and can sit back and watch those immoral people sit in the hall."
"That's actually what I said." Zhao Jiu spoke clearly. "As a descendant of the Luo School of Taoism, and the Luo School is the Taoist tradition that I personally rejected that day, it is normal for you to have grievances, dissatisfaction with personnel, and even want to 'open up the school'; and the tax increase in the south, as the leader of the literati in Hangzhou, the capital of the south, it is normal for you to be dissatisfied with the government and the country, and the prime ministers, including me, the emperor... It's natural for people in the opposition... Even the talented and virtuous people you mentioned, I don't mean to laugh at them, because you are an honest person after all, and you didn't say that your teacher Yang Shi was a prime minister. But you still disappoint me, because you shouldn't stand here with empty words, and regard Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun and others as enemies, and then want to drive them out, even if they do have so many problems."
"If a person does have shortcomings, he should be criticized. And if this person is an important official of the country, he should resign to set things right, so as not to let the world down." Zhang Jiuchen remained unafraid.
"The first half of this is correct, but the second half... I don't agree with it." Zhao Jiu's voice became deeper and more serious. "Because these incompetent people are already the best and most suitable ministers and military commanders that I can find."
"I can't understand this!" Zhang Jiucheng finally became emotional. "How can a person without moral integrity occupy a high position?"
Zhang Jiuchen's shout aroused a sense of sympathy among many people who understood the situation, especially Xu Jingheng, who felt a bit like he was feeling the same way.
To be fair, Xu Jingheng really understood Zhang Jiuchen's state at this moment... If this official was a tyrannical person who could not communicate, Mr. Wuqiu would not be so excited; if this official was a coward who ran away when he saw the Jurchens, he still would not be so excited; if this official was someone who surrendered directly, he would probably have been discouraged and would not even come... But this official was obviously a person who really turned the situation around, a person who knew how to learn from past lessons, and an official who was willing to put down his airs and truly discuss the problem, and could even clearly understand what he wanted to express. However, on the most core issue, he had a complete disagreement with him on the outlook on life and values.
This is really hard to accept.
Back to Zhang Jiuchen, the situation is even more obvious.
A Confucian scholar, forty years old, with such great knowledge and good self-cultivation, never entered the government, but instead studied Taoism, which was rejected at the time... Why? Wasn't it because during the best years of his life, the Emperor Taishang Daojun and Cai Jing's gang had messed up the court, and even forced the south of the Yangtze River to be ruined for the sake of the Flower and Stone Gang?
Under such circumstances, it is normal that some morally obsessed scholars in the southeast are unwilling to come out.
Even because they were unwilling to take up official positions, these Confucian scholars, who originally had high moral character, gradually valued learning and morality more than anything else, and believed that these things were something they could pursue eternally and realize the meaning of life...and now Emperor Zhao clearly understood what he meant, but actually insisted on defending those with bad morals. That was naturally more painful than killing him!
"Zhang Qing has misunderstood my meaning again." Zhao Jiu shook his head. "I am not saying to protect people without moral integrity. I am saying that even if these people have various problems, they are still considered to be people with moral integrity!"
Zhang Jiucheng was stunned for a moment, and then he asked, "Like Hu Yin's unfilial behavior? Like Zhang Jun's greed? Like Zhang Rong's treason? Like Han Shizhong's five evils? Are they still virtuous people? And not protected by the government?"
"Yes!"
"Does the emperor want to engage in sophistry?" Zhang Jiuchen immediately became alert.
"Whether it is sophistry or not depends on whether it can convince or overwhelm the world." Zhao Jiu finally turned from behind Zhang Wujiu and returned to his desk. At this time, he was standing in front of the desk with his hands behind his back and looking around. "I heard someone say something that deeply touched me... That is, 'Everything in the world has a beginning'... Zhang Wujiu, do you recognize this person?"
Of course, Zhao Jiu did not ask Zhang Jiucheng whether he knew Gou Longruyuan, but he directly pointed his finger at a person beside him. Zhang Jiucheng looked in the direction of Zhao Jiucheng's finger, but saw Li Gang and Li Boji sitting there, and was speechless for a moment.
It was not just him. Following Emperor Zhao's pointing, most of the people present became nervous, because the Prime Minister had appeared... Even if he was a prime minister without hair, he was still a prime minister... The relationship between the Emperor and the one who wrote to the emperor to express his opinions was still a pure one. Once the Prime Minister was added, it became the most complicated triangle relationship in the officialdom of the Song Dynasty.
Of course, Li Gang was also stunned when he was suddenly pointed at, but he was stunned for only a moment, and then the former prime minister frowned and continued to act like a puppet... At this moment, it was just like that moment.
"Your Majesty, this is the former prime minister Li Gang and Li Boji." Zhang Jiuchen bowed his head seriously.
"Do you know the grudge between him and me?" Zhao Jiu asked calmly.
As soon as these words were spoken, many people present became more and more panicked. They thought that Emperor Zhao did not want to use Li Gang to deal with Zhang Jiuchen, but he actually wanted to use Zhang Jiuchen to deal with Li Gang... However, as the person involved, Li Boji just gave Emperor Zhao a deep look and continued to sit still, pretending to hear nothing.
"Although I don't know the details, I have heard some things." Zhang Jiucheng was indeed an honest gentleman. Since the emperor asked, he answered regardless of everything. "When the emperor ascended the throne, Li Boji was appointed as prime minister, but he was dismissed within 77 days... At that time, the impeacher accused him of two major crimes, one was that his reputation was too high, and the other was that he was the master of the town... Now, the prime minister Zhang Jun and the internal governor Fan Zongyin have both written impeachment memorials, and I can recite them verbatim, and the public minister Lu Haowen also made similar suggestions to dismiss Prime Minister Li."
Upon hearing this, except for Zong Ying who looked at Fan Zongyin in astonishment, none of the close ministers standing at the back had any unnecessary expressions or movements... However, no one reacted, it was just that the close ministers had done it too much and had higher professional qualities. Every one of them was exactly the same as Zong Ying... They reacted instantly. No wonder Master Fan had to jump out and speak like that in Taiping Prefecture that day!
However, after hearing this, Li Gang still sat upright... but it was unknown whether it was because he had no guilt in his heart or he had already realized it.
"What else?" Even as the parties mentioned had their own thoughts, Emperor Zhao was still asking calmly.
"Then the emperor killed Chen Dong, expelled Prime Minister Li, appointed Huang Qianshan, abandoned the arrangements for the two rivers, and prepared to go south to Yangzhou... But unexpectedly, when he arrived at Mingdao Palace halfway, he finally decided to do his best, so he expelled Huang Qianshan, killed Kang Lu, and recalled Prime Minister Li, which caused some unrest... As for after some back and forth, the emperor responded to the enemy on the Huai River and entrusted the southeast, the empress dowager, the virtuous concubine, and the royal heir to Prime Minister Li... However, when Prime Minister Li arrived in the southeast, he was unable to quell the military rebellion, protect the royal heir, or provide taxes... He was eventually convicted, dismissed from his position as prime minister, and placed in a prefecture or county." Zhang Jiuchen told the story, trying to be impartial.
"Yes." Zhao Jiu nodded slowly. "What you said is roughly correct, but there is still one thing missing... That is, after Li Xianggong was reinstated as prime minister, he still looked down on me. When I was on the road, I could hardly speak, and he had no financial or military strategies along the way... At that time, he was in charge of civil and military affairs, and he didn't understand why I wanted to recall him! I didn't say anything on the surface, but I was very angry with him in my heart! So much so that during my southern tour this time, many old ministers actually remembered this matter and wrote to me privately, discussing old things and impeaching Li Xianggong for many serious crimes! Zhang Wujiu, let me ask you, do you think Li Xianggong is the kind of prime minister with both talent and virtue you said? Can I deal with him?"
At this point, Lu Yihao and Xu Jingheng could no longer sit still, but Li Gang still had a sullen face and sat still without saying a word, as if he was listening attentively to the crows crying at Phoenix Mountain behind him. This made people suspect that he was ready to risk his life to clear his name if he was publicly humiliated.
Of course, more people who were "for consultation" did not have so much drama... They just thought that there had been discussions among the people before that the emperor would eventually deal with Li Gang during his southern tour , and now he was finally going to do so.
What else?
In the past, this domineering prime minister had offended everyone he could, from the emperor to the ministers. Now, whether it was the emperor, the prime minister in power, or even the two generals who were recognized as having the best moral character, they all had a clear grudge against him. Even the scholars and people in the southeast were dissatisfied with this prime minister because he could not restrain the army and control the military chaos.
What's more, there is the issue of the royal heir that cannot be avoided.
"Of course not." Zhang Jiucheng did not hesitate. "I think your majesty may be just being selfless, but Li Gang was the prime minister during the chaos, and he was unable to make financial plans and quell the military chaos. He was obviously incompetent and guilty! As for the ministers, losing the royal heir, the emperor is just a normal person, and can't say anything... but..."
"But, I will not punish Li Xianggong, nor should I punish him." Emperor Zhao nodded slowly, his tone calm, but it suddenly changed the situation. "Because everything has a beginning, and my beginning, the beginning of the country, all started with Li Xianggong... It is recorded in the history books. Just because Li Xianggong has a bad temper and is incompetent in military and financial strategies, his achievements, his virtues, and his talents will not be destroyed! This kind of thing, not only I cannot do it myself, but also I will not allow others to do it."
Everyone looked at each other in shock. Li Gang rolled his eyes slightly, looked deeply at Emperor Zhao, but still sat solemnly still.
"Zhang Wujiu, I'll ask you again, you need to raise your vision and tell me, based on historical records, who exactly is Mr. Li?" Zhao Jiu suddenly raised his voice.
Zhang Jiuchen opened his mouth to speak but was at a loss for words… His hesitation did not mean that he was not sincere enough, but that this well-read Mr. Wuqiu was shocked to find that he really lacked the ability to evaluate Li Gang from a certain perspective… Over the years, he had been studying those subtle ideas all day long, but had never thought about specific issues from this perspective.
"Let me tell you who he is." Zhao Jiu raised his head slightly, and spoke in a manner that was not sure whether it was arrogance or something else. His tone was clear and his pronunciation was distinct. "Mr. Li is a famous minister who fought against the Jin Dynasty, a Chinese hero, and a role model of the time! This statement will never change even if it lasts for thousands of years!"
The field was quiet for about a few breaths, and then there was a loud bang. Even Li Gang himself could not help but shake his body under the inexplicable and complicated gazes of Lu Yihao and Xu Jingheng opposite him.
Emperor Zhao continued his declaration with his hands behind his back: "During the Jingkang period, the Jin cavalry swept across the two rivers and headed straight for the capital. The Supreme Daojun Emperor abandoned the country and fled. At that time, China was in a state of collapse and chaos. After the Supreme Yuansheng Emperor ascended the throne, within just one year, 26 people successively ascended to the position of prime minister to assist the country... Among these people, some knelt down and surrendered, some advocated peace and ceded land, some advocated war, and even some, like the deceased Cai Mao, who would not fight or make peace but would only flee... In any case, the Jingkang disaster has proved that those who advocate surrender and those who advocate peace are the iron of the nine states, and only then can they make a huge mistake. ! The country lasted for a hundred years, but was cut down by the wrong knife made by itself... The so-called "I cut myself, I killed myself" is probably such a sad, ridiculous and lamentable thing! And their mistakes, with the rise and fall of a country, proved the correctness of Li Xianggong and others! Now that things have come to this, I can clearly tell the people of Southeast China, or simply tell the world that during the Jingkang period, Li Xianggong, who almost single-handedly fought against those people who ruined the country, is the hope of the world, the hero of China, and the role model of the time! Changes of dynasties and revisions of history books cannot shake this evaluation!"
Zhao Jiu finished explaining his opinion of Li Gang in one breath. His tone did not slow down at all. Instead, he looked around in a condescending manner, and asked Zhang Jiucheng a question:
"Mr. Zhang, I want to ask you... those who you mentioned as having both talent and virtue, or those who have both talent and virtue, such as Lü Haowen, such as the late Prime Minister Xu, such as Prime Minister Zhao of Tokyo, such as your teacher Yang Shi, such as Liu Dazhong, and even such as me, such as you, and such hundreds of wise men in the southeast... What were Prime Minister Li doing when he stood out from the crowd? Are these people really more talented and virtuous than him?"
Hundreds of wise men who were "waiting for consultation", including Prime Minister Xu behind him, were all silent. Zhang Jiuchen tried to apologize amid the crows' cries, but found that he was timid for the first time... Because he had realized that Emperor Zhao's evaluation of Li Gang on this occasion might soon become the final verdict on Li Gang and go down in history, and he might very well serve as a foil.
The more you talk about the possibility of this foil, the greater the possibility becomes.
"I have made it clear that this evaluation has nothing to do with whether he knows military affairs or financial strategies, or whether his ideas at that time were naive, including whether the use of Chen Dong and those students to besiege the palace was suspected of rebellion!" Zhao Jiu spoke sternly, with his hands behind his back. "Because at that time, the whole world, from top to bottom, had no integrity. Li Xianggong rose up against expectations, which was simply in accordance with the will of heaven. It was simply the embodiment of the spirit that the country had nurtured for scholars for a hundred years and had saved for the literati."
"Of course... Of course there must be," Zhao Jiu smiled to himself before continuing. "Mr. Li lacks military and financial strategies, but it's not his fault, because he was originally here to lead the scholars to hold up the pressure, and that's what he was destined to do, and scholars are supposed to hold up the pressure and then become exhausted... So he is only a role model for the time being, not a pillar of support for the long term... Nothing in the world can be accomplished by scholars alone! Then, Mr. Zhang, do you know who became the role model and pillar of the time after Mr. Li?"
Zhang Jiucheng's face turned pale. He had already thought of the answer and understood why Emperor Zhao suddenly left the original issue under discussion and started with Li Gang.
"Who are the people who stand out behind Li Gang and serve as role models for the world and pillars of the country?" Zhao Jiu's tone became increasingly higher, as if he had never spoken so fiercely and firmly in his life.
"He spent half his life as a traitor, had a terrible reputation in the officialdom, and only became a prefect when he was nearly seventy years old. Then, he carried the pot and straw on his back and lay on a donkey cart to retake Tokyo!"
"He was impeached for not understanding military affairs and was forced to change his name and flee, but he still donated money to fight the war, and was defeated in the war. He had to regroup his troops and recapture the border tyrant Li Yanxian from Shanzhou!"
"It was the local tyrants, the Zhai brothers, who fought the Jin people to the end even if their hometown was looted and all the famous Luoxue scholars abandoned their hometown and fled!"
"He is a rogue general of the Western Army, Han Shizhong, who has always behaved in an unruly manner and possesses all five poisons. However, he has fought against almost all enemies in the entire Song Dynasty, and he has fought bravely every time and has personally experienced the battles!"
"He was born a bandit, and he only wanted to protect his hometown. He might even be the leader of the Liangshanpo bandits, Zhang Rong, who was forced to go against them!"
"It was Ma Kuo, the 'villain who allied with the Jin' who was imprisoned because of someone's anger, and even after being released by his old Jurchen friends, he still wanted to go to the Taihang Mountains to fight against the Jin!"
"He was born in a humble family. He experienced almost the entire Song-Jin War and almost every brutal battle. However, he still knew the hardships of the people in the south of the Yangtze River and the difficulties of farming. He was so reluctant to even eat a chicken. He was the former commander-in-chief Yue Fei!"
"Who are these people? They are the sideline officials that you scholars look down upon, the powerful landlords who are usually lawless, the rogues who are full of evil, the fishermen and tenants who just want to live in shame... But it is these people who have stood up one by one when you are sitting in the south with your hands folded, drinking tea and discussing Zen all day long! They have contributed to China, and are no less than the prime ministers such as Li, Xu, Zhao, Zhang, Er, and Lu... You point to the black spots on these people and say they have no virtue? Then who has virtue? You are a bunch of idiots who sit by the West Lake and listen to me speak?!"
At this point, Emperor Zhao's tone suddenly lost control, frightening those who were "for consultation" around him. They wanted to stand up and apologize, but they didn't dare to move.
"You say I'm too impatient! Don't I want to slow down? But can a mere emperor like me make the final decision on all worldly affairs? I'm just a floating duckweed in front of these people I just mentioned! I'm basically being led in front and driven from behind! Everyone has to carry something! I'm the emperor, but I carry even more!"
"Li Gang flashed by, so he can sit in Jiangnan for nothing. I can also let him go, but what about Chen Dong who was executed by Huang Qianshan? If I don't quickly launch the Northern Expedition, how can I deal with Chen Dong? How can I deal with Zong Zhongwu who died of exhaustion in Tokyo? How can I deal with Li Yanxian who gritted his teeth and did not move for seven years in Shanzhou? How can I say goodbye to Yue Fei, Zhang Rong and Ma Kuo? Even after my death, there is Lu Yihao who bears the grievances of millions of people in the southeast for me. If I don't quickly launch the Northern Expedition, how can I be worthy of him? And if I don't quickly launch the Northern Expedition, how can I face the millions of people in the two rivers? You say that I am too hasty and I am sorry for the scholars and people in Jiangnan. In my opinion, if I don't quickly launch the Northern Expedition and delay it, I will be really sorry for the scholars and people in Jiangnan! I am sorry for the hundreds of millions of poor and voiceless people in the north, south, east and west!"
"Those people are not like you. You can come to me and tell me how to speed up or slow down, but they can't even speak!"
Emperor Zhao was furious and kept making inappropriate remarks. Li Gang, who had always been in control of his character, had already completely lost his composure when the name Chen Dong, which made him a little dazed, appeared, and his eyes were wandering. Zong Ying was standing there, and tears were streaming down his face without him knowing when. Even Lu Yihao, who had a stern face like Li Gang, was finally stunned when Emperor Zhao mentioned him.
"It's Mr. Xu. Have you ever thought about why he didn't speak up for you?" Zhao Jiu turned around, panting. Seeing that there was still a Mr. Xu who was maintaining his dignity, he just said a few words to break the other party's defense. "Because even if it was him, he also had to think about Mr. Zhang Que who died of illness on the road!"
Since Xu Jingheng had lost his composure, Zhao Jiu didn't bother to pay attention to it and turned back to look at Zhang Jiuchen.
As the saying goes, a master can be killed by a random punch, and a gentleman can be deceived by a trick... Up to this point, Mr. Wuqiu, who had just met the moody Zhao Guanjia, had never thought that things would develop to this point. He had already been forced into a panic by the Zhao Guanjia, who had no manners of a king. When he met the other party's gaze at this time, he dodged for a moment.
However, Zhao Jiu had no intention of letting him go. Instead, he took a few steps forward, grabbed his shoulder, and said earnestly, "You must be sincere. I have been sincere today... But it is not enough, Mr. Zhang, let's go back to the beginning. I said I was a little disappointed in you, but in fact, Mr. Zhang is still the most gentlemanly and moral scholar I have seen in these five days. This is also the most rewarding political question in these five days... Do you know what happened?"
Zhang Jiucheng was actually a little scared for a moment: "Bai Shen... Bai Shen doesn't know."
"It's very simple." Zhao Jiu patted the other person's shoulders with both hands, but he kept shaking his head. "I have already prepared some countermeasures for the taxes in Jiangnan, but after waiting here for five days, I have only seen some knowledgeable middle-class families, and I haven't seen any farmers or weavers at all... This is actually expected... But the hundreds of scholars, monks, Taoists and wealthy merchants who should have spoken for these people, but no one specifically mentioned the heavy taxes on the lower classes that I am most concerned about, which makes me very angry. Fortunately, there are conscientious scholars like you who are willing to tell me clearly that the burden on the common people is heavy and taxes should be reduced... And you also know that the Vegetable Eating Demon Cult are all poor people, and advised me to deal with them leniently... Just for this matter, you can be regarded as a role model in this southeast area for five days!"
Having said this, Zhao Jiu turned around and looked at Lu Yihao.
Lu Yihao understood, put away his previously somewhat out-of-control expression, stood up, and looked at him coldly in front of the imperial desk: "The emperor knows that the taxes on the surviving people in Jiangnan are extremely heavy, so that the people have become accustomed to killing their babies, cremating them with fire or water, and abandoning their land and property. Therefore, a special decree has been issued. From today onwards, there will be no additional taxes for the increase in the number of people in the world... The taxes on the surviving people in any county and prefecture will never be increased, no matter how the population increases. The old rules will be followed, and the people will be allowed to live freely!"
After hearing this, the 'for consultation' people who were scolded below, some were stupid and didn't understand what it meant at all, while some were smart and digested the news instantly, but didn't dare to step forward easily... For example, the monk Dahui, seeing that his old friend was finally turned around, gave up the idea of ​​rescuing him and just wanted to continue practicing the silent meditation.
However, these people don’t say it, but some people say it’s not enough.
"In addition to the fixed personal tax and corvée silk, there is also a 'tax on land' that must be implemented together." Zhao Jiu stood at the side of the desk, listened quietly to what the other party said, and added almost lightly.
Lu Yihao was stunned for a moment, and he looked at him seriously and whispered, "The government... originally it was agreed that we would 'never increase taxes' first, and appease the people in the southeast, and then 'distribute taxes according to the amount of land' after the Northern Expedition?"
"No need." Zhao Jiu shook his head. "After this outrageous scolding, I finally understood that everything must have a beginning, and everyone must have a beginning. Where is my beginning? Is it the hundreds of scholars, wealthy monks and Taoists today, or the people who only one person seriously mentioned in this five-day meeting? Fortunately, since ancient times, officials and gentry in this dynasty have paid taxes together, and no one dares not to pay taxes, which saves a lot of trouble..."
"but……"
"I will stay here in Fenghuang Mountain, and have Yue Fei send 10,000 front troops of the imperial camp to Jinling for garrison. Then I will watch from here with my own eyes, and see how this matter starts from Liangzhe and spreads layer by layer, and see who can really link up a reactionary group for me!" Zhao Jiu looked at him coldly, with a stern tone. "The huge Central Plains and Guanxi have been recovered, even if the southeast is in rebellion, I can also take it back! And Mr. Xu is also used to doing this kind of thing in the Central Plains, let him help you!"
Xu Jingheng stood up quickly, and Lu Yihao hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded, then turned around and announced loudly and coldly in public that after "in prosperous times, the population will increase and taxes will never be increased", he would also distribute the tax according to the amount of land.
As the name suggests, the "tax on land" is to transfer the population tax to land, so that landlords will bear the social burden that they should bear, thereby further relieving the burden on the lower classes.
This is what is called clearly targeting the landlord class.
But to be honest, both Lu Yihao and Zhao Jiu still overestimated these "for consultation". They listened in a daze for a while, but the stupid ones still didn't understand what was going on, and the smart ones understood but didn't dare to say anything.
However, Monk Dahui no longer felt any burden at this time. He was a monk from Tokyo, so what business did the tax collection have for him? Besides, his old friend Zhang Wujiu was still standing awkwardly on the stage, so he decided to rescue him.
However, when the monk just stood up and was about to recite a jingle to praise Emperor Zhao's benevolent rule, Emperor Zhao turned his head and saw him standing up. He immediately realized what was happening and directly reminded Lu Yihao:
"Don't forget, monks have a one-time population tax... No matter what happens, let the monks pay the exemption fee again, and then check their land! The land tax will be distributed according to the land, starting from the 480 temples in the southeast!"
Lu Yihao nodded again and glanced at the monk who stood up.
Poor monk Dahui had sharp ears and didn't know how to explain to the abbot of Jingshan Temple when he returned. He was also frightened by Lu Yihao's dark face, so he swallowed the jingle obediently, sat back and continued to practice silent meditation.
Just like that, as the sky gradually darkened, no matter how bad things were, they had to come to an end.
Finally, Emperor Zhao issued a special decree, granting Zhang Jiucheng the title of Jinshi for his first place in the imperial examination, and appointed him as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, and immediately sent him to Tokyo to participate in official duties. After the decree was issued, Emperor Zhao went straight back to the Phoenix Mountain Palace, but unexpectedly, as soon as he set off, a cloud of crows returned from the north at sunset, and then covered the sky and scattered into Phoenix Mountain, and then the mountain was filled with twilight, and the crows still cried.