Chapter 18: The Storm

Although significant progress had been made in the negotiations, all the terms still had to be reported to the emperor for approval before they could be finalized. However, the supervisor, Grand Eunuch Huang, was very confident about this. 

He personally stepped in to guide the heir and the junior minister in drafting the memorial to the emperor. 

He even specifically reminded them that the rest of the content, including vague quotes from sages, could be written off quickly, but it was essential to emphasize the profits from the tribute trade. 

He also suggested adding more details about the idea that “even the foreign vassals should learn from Qingci,” assuring them that it would have a remarkable effect.

Grand Eunuch Huang was very straightforward: “We’ll send your memorial directly without letting the Secretariat’s scribes review it. Why bother with those scholars? The court is just a few government offices; they all need to eat!”

Mu Qi nodded repeatedly, deeply enlightened: “Although the old Taoist isn’t very understanding of human nature, as long as the context is clear, communication is still possible—far better than his grandson, who’s hopelessly useless!”

He and the Xiao Ge had spent half a day drafting a document for Grand Eunuch Huang to review. Afterward, they planned to research historical materials in detail and add some elements to stir the old Taoist’s interest, such as mentioning that sulfur from the Dongying was especially effective for alchemy. 

However, as soon as he opened the system, he saw the ex-emperor’s Mahjong icon flashing repeatedly, sending several video call requests.

After clicking on it, Zhao Fei’s icon popped up. Compared to the confident and spirited look from a few days ago, the ex-emperor, who was now playing Mahjong, appeared dark and gloomy, his expression stiff as if someone had punched him in the face.

Mu Qi and Liu Li were both startled.

“What’s happened? Did Zong Xianggong (prime miniter Zong) run into trouble?”
“Zong Xianggong is still running a fever, his mind foggy, but it’s not serious for now,” Zhao Fei said coldly. “But things have gone wrong again these past few days. 

After Du Chong’s death, it seems some people in the city were triggered. I had sent people to take over the city’s defenses, but some of the officials left behind were so terrified they committed suicide overnight—or were forced into it. In any case, when I entered the city, it was chaotic, and we still haven’t figured out the full details…”

Mu Qi was somewhat surprised but didn’t take it too seriously. “If a little bit of disturbance can scare someone to death, they probably had something to hide. Death doesn’t really matter then.”

Zhao Fei sighed.

“That can’t be said universally,” she replied. “Some people’s deaths really aren’t worth lamenting, like Wang Xiaodi, the so-called ‘Four Ends of the Zhongshu.’ He helped the Jurchen invaders plunder the common people of Bianjing (Kaifeng) and famously said, ‘Kill all the men, capture all the women, burn all the palaces, take all the gold and silver.’

 A thousand cuts would still be too little for him. But some people, they simply shrank back and tried to get by, with no major wrongdoing, at most they were exiled. Too many of these people died, and the way they died was too tragic, which has led to a very bad public opinion…”

Mu Qi and Liu Li exchanged glances in the video, silent for a moment. The Jin dynasty’s southward invasion had ravaged the country, and except for a few righteous individuals, most had simply tried to save themselves, staying out of the way. 

If Zhao Fei were to deal harshly with such people, it would undoubtedly generate widespread fear within the bureaucracy. That kind of collective fear would be difficult to control.

What was most frustrating was that, if Zhao Fei truly decided to cross the line and clear out the two-faced officials with an iron hand, displaying her determination to resist, it would make sense. But the issue was that she had no idea what was going on, and inexplicably, she was being blamed for something she couldn’t explain. 

The confusion and anger were simply indescribable.

“…The city has been in an uproar, claiming that I sent people to secretly kill these officials, accusing me of being ruthless and wanting to kill all the old officials to take control. 

The order in Bianjing has always been unstable, and after several days, rumors have spread widely. Many Confucian scholars even went to the government offices to cry out for the dead officials, yelling for justice. It’s been chaotic,” Zhao Fei said angrily. “Today, I went to the Zong residence to check on Zong Xianggong’s illness, and some bold people actually learned of my plans, bringing the families of the dead along with a hundred or so beggars and soldiers from the city guards to the Zong residence to mourn. 

They shouted for Zong Xianggong to come out and take charge, to save them…”

Liu Li was confused. “What does this have to do with Zong Xianggong?”

Mu Qi, who knew a bit about the late Song dynasty, quietly spoke up:

“These troublemakers were probably people Zong Xianggong once recruited…”

After the Jingkang Incident, when the two Song emperors and most of the court were captured by the Jurchens and taken north, northern and central China were devastated. Zong Ze, despite his frail health, remained in Bianjing to defend the city, facing an almost total collapse from within. 

The situation was so precarious that to resist the Jurchen raiders from outside and suppress the rising bandits inside, Zong Xianggong had to cooperate with everyone he could and unite all forces, putting aside past grudges and working toward a common goal. 

The result, however, was that the city became a mixture of fish and dragons, with both good and bad people.

Now that the Jurchens had retreated and the south of the Yellow River had become slightly more stable, Zhao Fei wanted to clean up Bianjing’s mess. However, the rumors had stirred up suspicions—some people had entered the city and started imposing order, and there was a dangerous thought floating around: 

Could they be clearing out Zong Xianggong’s former supporters, following the traditional Zhao family approach of burning bridges after crossing the river?

…Given the past record of the Zhao Song dynasty, it wasn’t impossible to think this way.

Of course, while such conjecture was malicious, it wasn’t difficult to counter. As long as Zong Xianggong could stand up and say a few words, the people’s hearts in the Beijing would be settled. 

But now, Zong Xianggong was bedridden, unable to say anything, and it was absolutely wrong to disturb him with such filthy matters. Zhao Fei being unjustly blamed for something she couldn’t explain was truly unbearable!

Liu Li had more or less understood the situation but was even more shocked. “How did it escalate like this? I thought pacifying Bianjing was a great success, and things would be smooth from now on.”

Mu Qi clicked his tongue. “What’s so strange about it? In chaotic times, people’s hearts are easily swayed, and anything can happen. Speaking of which, didn’t something similar happen on your side…”

He had intended to mention the defeat at Yiling, the death of Emperor Zhao Lie, and how the state of the Han had once shaken the very foundation of the land, but just as he was about to speak, he remembered their biggest difference—Liu Li had been under the protection of his foster father from the very beginning! 

With his foster father’s wings to shield him from the storm, Liu Li had never experienced the dangers of turbulent times.

Having a foster father was indeed great! Children with foster fathers were like treasures! How could someone at the center of a political vortex remain so calm and collected? Isn’t it because someone had been there to bear the brunt of all the dirty work?

Mu Qi choked on his words: Damn, that pesky sealion!

Zhao Fei’s face darkened, clearly having thought of the same sensitive issue. She took a moment to calm herself, then spoke calmly:

“It’s not all because of the people’s hearts. Ultimately, my authority is still insufficient. In times of chaos, authority is determined by victories. 

Since I took control of the court and allied with Han Shizhong and Yue Fei to raise armies, I’ve won a few minor tactical victories, but never a decisive strategic one. I’ve never fought a major battle or had a critical victory to back me up. 

Naturally, my confidence is lacking. I had planned to have a big showdown near Bianjing to establish my authority once and for all, but unexpectedly, the Jurchen forces withdrew on their own, and I missed the opportunity. 

Although there was no bloodshed, my prestige has still been seriously questioned…”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Now, there are plenty of rumors circulating in Bianjing, many of which are making fun of me. 

Some say I caused the emperor, Wanyan, to die—well, that’s not exactly a rumor, but since there’s no evidence, why state it so plainly?—and others say I’m even more vicious than Wu Zetian, power-hungry and relentless—now, that’s slander, since Wu Zetian only deposed two emperors, while I’ve only deposed one.”

Mu Qi remained expressionless, while Liu Li twitched his mouth. After the Jingkang incident, Zhao Fei had fled south in panic, barely managing to reunite with the remnants of the Northern Song Dynasty. 

To clear obstacles and quickly launch a counterattack, Zhao Fei, with their help, poisoned Wanyan Gou with a bowl of congee laced with poison, supporting Wanyan Gou’s young son Zhao Fu to ascend the throne. 

Zhao Fei, under the title of the Princess of Zhen Guo, took control of the government, appointing Yue Fei and Han Shizhong as trusted aides and recruiting Zhang Jun and Wu Jie as allies, working hard to consolidate anti-Jin forces.

However, at that time, the three of them were still new to politics and clumsy in their actions. Things dragged on, and they had to resort to external help. 

The plan to poison Wanyan Gou and seize power was personally carried out by Liu Li, who asked his foster father to devise the plan (it’s unclear how he explained it to the prime minister, but perhaps the prime minister, in front of an emperor who wasn’t truly his son but was still closer than a biological one, could only turn a blind eye). 

As for the poison in the congee, it was Mu Qi’s repeated trials that extracted pufferfish toxins using traditional methods, ensuring that one would die quietly and swiftly with no trace left behind. 

This way, although rumors of Wanyan Gou’s death flew everywhere, no one could firmly say it was the Princess of Zhen Guo who did it, giving her ample room for explanation.

Six months ago, to eliminate the lingering influence of Wanyan Gou, Zhao Fei, under the pretext of “national duty,” convinced Zhao Fu to abdicate in favor of some obscure distant relative. This move, along with the deposition of the puppet emperor Zhang Bangchang after they had solidified their position, meant the Princess of Zhen Guo had now deposed three emperors, surpassing Wu Zetian’s record. 

Mu Qi had privately teased that she had deposed so many emperors that it was almost like she could play mahjong with them—hence, the nickname “Emperor-rubbing hemp.”

But on the flip side, since she could already depose emperors, why not go all the way and seize the throne herself? Wasn’t she still limited by her identity and gender, unable to gain the political authority needed for such a grand move?

The officials in Bianjing were always sharp and cunning, and the Song dynasty had long had a tradition of the Imperial Guards spreading rumors for money. 

Even the official court couldn’t stop it, so what was a princess with an unstable foundation to expect?

Zhao Fei was very familiar with these tactics and was somewhat helpless. Today, she had been blocked outside the clan residence by a group of mourning ruffians, but she couldn’t resort to violence in front of a sick person’s door. 

It took a lot of effort to disperse them, and her frustration was obvious.

Liu Li seemed deep in thought, quite moved. “It really is troublesome to stabilize the situation… Of course, I have no experience in these messy matters. 

I could’ve asked my foster father, but now he’s preparing for the Northern Expedition, and I can’t disturb him. It looks like I’ll have to rely on the advice of the seventh brother, who’s seen it all—he’s already been through the Great Ritual, so what’s this compared to that?”

Mu Qi ignored the faint hints of Louis Vuitton-like bragging. He had heard of the great court ritual where officials prostrated before the emperor in the past, and it seemed somewhat similar to Zhao Fei’s current situation. 

However, if they followed the rules of the Great Ritual, things would be simpler.

“The old Taoist doesn’t usually intervene, but he’s quite good at handling political enemies,” he mused. 

“Based on his experience, if they want to make a scene, let them. No need to worry about them. After they tire themselves out, we can use the Imperial Guards to surround them and drag them off to prison. If anyone resists, we can just flog them on the spot and be done with it. It’s really not that difficult.”

Zhao Fei snorted, clearly displeased. The idea of “just flogging them to death” fit her current frustration, but even considering the influence of the clan patriarch, she couldn’t make such a drastic move right away. After thinking for a moment, she shook her head.

“Forget it, let’s see how things unfold. After all, Bianjing has been chaotic for years, and compared to the situation during the Jingkang era, this isn’t really a big deal. 

By the way, after I entered the residence, I carefully observed the clan patriarch’s condition. It seems he has a lung infection, which is causing difficulty breathing and the high fever and unconsciousness symptoms. Seventh brother, could you get me some penicillin? I want to try it out.”

Mu Qi, after much effort, had had a set of glassware specially made by skilled artisans and extracted a variety of broad-spectrum antibiotics using traditional methods, which had proven extremely useful in the war. 

The medicine sold by the system was horrendously expensive, and they couldn’t afford it, so they had to rely on these homemade remedies to support the logistics.

Mu Qi nodded in agreement and closed the video window. His gaze dropped, but he couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

“Why is this dog system’s red light still flashing?”