Chapter 96

Chapter 96

[Li Erfeng Becomes Wanyan Gou – 16]

The Jin envoy did not dare accept such harsh terms on his own authority.

Yet Zongfu and many other Jin imperial clansmen were in enemy hands, while Song military momentum was at its height. If the Song killed Zongfu, Zongbi, and the others in fury before marching north, who would bear the responsibility?

The Jin envoy hesitated endlessly. He apologized repeatedly and requested a delay in the peace negotiations, then ordered riders to rush the Song terms back to the Jin capital.

At that very moment, a tremendous upheaval was brewing in the distant Supreme Capital in the northeast.

When the Jin founder Wanyan Aguda established the state, he considered the many disorders of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms and established the principle that an elder brother should be succeeded by a younger brother, after which the throne would return to the elder brother’s son.

Wanyan Aguda’s mother, Empress Yijian of the Nalan clan, bore five sons. The eldest and third died young. Thus, the fraternal succession system Aguda implemented after founding the Jin was limited to his two surviving full brothers.

After Wanyan Aguda founded the state and became emperor, he named his fourth full brother Wanyan Sheng as Anban Bojilie (Heir Apparent). Upon Aguda’s death, Wanyan Sheng succeeded as Emperor Taizong of Jin. Imitating his elder brother, he named their fifth full brother Wanyan Gao as Anban Bojilie. Barring accident, Wanyan Gao should have inherited the Jin throne after Emperor Taizong’s death.

Unfortunately, Wanyan Gao had terrible luck. He died of illness only a few years after becoming heir.

The Jin founder and Emperor Taizong had no other full brothers. Under the Jin succession order, Emperor Taizong should return the succession to the founder’s line. But the founder’s legitimate son died young, leaving only concubine-born sons. Emperor Taizong wished to establish his own eldest legitimate son as heir, but pressure from the court and imperial clan prevented him from openly raising the matter. The position therefore remained vacant.

Emperor Taizong of Jin was now fifty-one, already an old man. After reading the reports from the front days earlier, he had vomited blood in shock and fury. That same night, he developed a fever. Empress Tangkuo and the Imperial Physicians attended him all night, and the fever subsided only the following afternoon.

Empress Tangkuo came from a great Jin clan and had borne Emperor Taizong’s eldest legitimate son, Wanyan Zongpan. She knew Zonggan had come regarding the succession, and gloom instantly darkened her brow. Glancing at the exhausted Emperor Taizong upon the couch, she could not conceal her unwillingness. “Your Majesty, our Zongpan…”

Emperor Taizong’s eyes were desolate. He stared at the bed curtains above for a long while before sighing. “Let them enter.”

A dead tiger retained its might, much less an Emperor Taizong who remained alive and truly held supreme power upon the throne. Thus, although Zonggan came seeking the succession, he behaved with exceptional humility. He respectfully asked after his imperial uncle’s health and discussed court affairs. Only at the very end did he mention the position of heir.

“Great Jin has suffered defeat in several recent battles with the Song. Not only have we lost more than a hundred thousand brave Jin warriors, but Third Brother and Fourth Brother have fallen into enemy hands. Worse still, Zonghan has died in battle. The situation is utterly ruined and cannot continue like this…”

After offering this analysis, Wanyan Zonggan eagerly revealed his true purpose. “Though this nephew lacks talent, I am honored to be the founder’s eldest son. I am willing to relieve Imperial Uncle’s burdens!”

Before Emperor Taizong could answer, a woman’s cold voice came from outside the hall. “Jurchen ancestral law says younger brothers succeed elder brothers before the throne returns to the elder brother’s son, and the legitimate son has always inherited. Although you are the founding emperor’s eldest son, you were born of a concubine. What right have you to inherit the great enterprise?!”

The curtain outside lifted. Several imperial relatives escorted a noblewoman of about thirty into the hall. She was Lady Pucha, wife of Wanyan Zongjun, the Jin founder’s eldest legitimate son, and she held the hand of her son Wanyan Dan.

Zonggan snorted. “Sister-in-Law, since you speak constantly of ancestral law, you should know that it exists to prevent suspicion when a ruler is young. Fifth Brother was indeed Imperial Father’s legitimate son, but he has died. Dan’er is indeed Imperial Father’s eldest legitimate grandson, but Great Jin now faces a grave crisis. How could establishing a child as heir convince the people?!”

Lady Pucha scoffed and was about to respond when another clamor came from outside. Escorted by trusted retainers, the wives of Zongfu and Zongbi arrived with cold expressions. “The throne passes from elder brother to younger and then returns to the founder’s line. Since Fifth Imperial Uncle has died, the succession should return to that line. The Third and Fourth Princes are absent. How can anyone pass over them and discuss the heir? If Imperial Uncle truly agrees, the people will not accept it!”

Zonggan, Lady Pucha, and the wives of Zongfu and Zongbi immediately began arguing. Others watched Empress Tangkuo’s expression and proposed establishing Emperor Taizong’s eldest legitimate son Wanyan Zongpan as heir, soon joining the verbal battle. Before long, Zonghan’s wife and other imperial relatives hoping to profit also arrived. The hall grew noisier than a market.

Zonggan believed that if the succession returned to the founder’s line, it should go to him as the eldest son. Lady Pucha immediately cursed him: what right did a concubine-born son have to covet the throne? When the founding emperor established fraternal succession, he had never included concubine-born brothers!

The wives of Zongfu and Zongbi sneered at once, saying Wanyan Dan was too young and even less fit to rule. If an heir must be selected, it should be one of the adult princes!

They practically beat one another’s brains out.

Though Empress Tangkuo stood beside her husband’s bed, her heart had flown into the arguing crowd. She twisted the handkerchief tightly in her hands, filled with anxiety.
External aggression could redirect internal conflict. If the cake grew large enough, no one noticed how serious the internal contradictions had become. But once the cake shrank-or smashed entirely upon the ground-everything ended.

Emperor Taizong of Jin lay woodenly upon the bed, listening to the imperial clan wage a bloodless war nearby. No one cared how long the sick emperor could endure. No one considered the Song watching Great Jin like a tiger from the south. No one thought about the path the Jin state should take in the future.

Desolation filled him. He wanted to smile, but the muscles in his face would not move. Only two streams of murky tears slowly slid down his cheeks.

At the Jin state’s founding, the brothers had united with one heart, while brave generals arose in succession. Their external campaigns rarely failed. Not only had they defeated their former suzerain, Liao, and captured Emperor Tianzuo, but they had torn a massive piece from the wealthy Great Song. For the Song, the Jingkang Incident was a humiliation beyond measure. For the Jin, it was supreme glory!

How confident and invincible had the Jin been then?

How harmonious and friendly had the imperial generals seemed while exchanging toasts?

Only months had passed since the Jingkang Incident, yet looking back felt like remembering another lifetime. Had that great victory been the Jin state’s final bloom?

He was unwilling to accept it!

The clamor in the hall continued. Wanyan Zonggan was pointing at several imperial relatives and cursing. Zongfu’s wife, Lady Tangkuo, leaped up and scratched his face. Wanyan Zongpan shamelessly pushed forward, only for Lady Pucha to spit in his face after a few words.

“Enough!” At the height of the uproar, a thunderous shout suddenly rang out, heavy with undeniable authority.

Everyone turned. Emperor Taizong of Jin supported himself upon the bedpost and forced himself upright. His dark gaze swept over their faces like a blade. Everyone immediately lowered their heads, not daring meet his eyes.

Though the Son of Heaven was ill, he retained the bearing of a mighty ruler.

“If you wish to become heir, then display the conduct of an heir! A person who sees only the small profit before his eyes and casts Great Jin aside-how can such a man become heir?!”

Emperor Taizong looked at Empress Tangkuo and his eldest legitimate son Wanyan Zongpan. His heart ached, but he forced himself to endure. “Jurchen ancestral law requires younger brothers to succeed elder brothers. Moreover, Great Jin now faces a crisis and cannot casually change that law. The heir must come from the founder’s line. This is beyond doubt!”

Joy instantly appeared upon Zonggan and the others.

Empress Tangkuo lowered her lashes, bit her lip in restraint, and curtsied. “Yes.”

Wanyan Zongpan also answered unwillingly, “Yes.”

Emperor Taizong turned toward Lady Pucha. “A young ruler creates suspicion in the state, particularly now that the Song watches Great Jin like a tiger. Under present conditions, we cannot permit a child to take the throne. But Zongjun was the founder’s legitimate son, and Dan’er is his eldest legitimate grandson. Two generations from now, if Dan’er still lives, he shall become heir. If not, his son shall inherit!”

Though unwilling, Lady Pucha knew this was already the best outcome for mother and son. If her son became heir now and Emperor Taizong died early, they would become puppets in the hands of powerful ministers and imperial clansmen. Even as Empress Dowager and Son of Heaven, they would likely possess little authority.

She therefore pulled her son forward and saluted. “Thank you, Imperial Uncle!”

Only a few men were qualified to inherit. Emperor Taizong’s line had been excluded, and Lady Pucha and her son were out of the contest. Zonggan and the wives of Zongfu and Zongbi began breathing faster.

Zonggan was especially excited. Zongfu and Zongbi were in Song territory, and whether they could safely return was uncertain. If he should not be established, who else could be?

Emperor Taizong’s gaze moved between his nephew and his nephews’ wives, but he did not continue naming a candidate. He merely coughed wearily. Empress Tangkuo hurriedly brought a pillow and helped him lean back.

Wanyan Zonggan desperately wanted to rush forward, shake his fourth uncle by the shoulders, and demand he announce Zonggan as heir immediately. His eyes shone as he waited eagerly. Then Emperor Taizong said, “The heir shall be selected from among my imperial elder brother’s sons. As for precisely who, that shall be decided after Zongfu, Zongbi, and the others return north. If anyone can stabilize the situation, turn back the raging tide, and welcome home the imperial clansmen held by the Song, I shall support him as Jin emperor to become Anban Bojilie (Heir Apparent). If no one can do so, then after Zongfu and Zongbi return, the entire imperial clan shall jointly nominate and decide!”

Emperor Taizong’s gaze swept over Zonggan and the two wives in turn. “Does anyone object?”

None of the three was satisfied, but all knew this was the fairest method. They hesitated unwillingly for several moments, then answered together, “We obey Imperial Uncle’s arrangement.”

Emperor Taizong coughed several more times and said weakly, “I am tired. Leave.”

Everyone departed except Empress Tangkuo. She looked at her husband lying upon the couch. Anger and grief mingled in her heart. She felt wronged for her biological son but did not dare defy her husband. Collapsing beside the bed, she wept.

Emperor Taizong turned toward her and sighed. “This is the best solution.”

After pausing, he said solemnly, “Everything is for Great Jin!”

At the beginning of the first month, after Zongbi and the others had been paraded for half a month and Zongfu’s trio had been forced to begin singing duet folk songs, the Supreme Capital finally received the envoy’s message and learned the contents of the Song’s Treaty of Jianyan. The city Emperor Taizong had stabilized through force immediately trembled again.
Wanyan Zonggan slammed the table and roared, “Zongfu and Zongbi are defeated generals and disgraces to the state! How could they be worth so much money?!”

Those words offended not only the factions of Zongfu and Zongbi, but everyone else held captive.

Zonghan was dead, but his two sons were also prisoners. How could Zonghan’s wife be pleased to hear Zonggan speak this way?

The same applied even more strongly to the other imperial relatives, great and small.

If Emperor Taizong truly intended to make Zonggan heir, he could have done so long ago. Once Wanyan Dan, the eldest legitimate grandson, was excluded, Zonggan was the eldest among Aguda’s sons. Why allow Zongfu, Zongbi, and the others to participate in the contest?

Hearing Zonggan speak now only convinced them further that he was an incompetent fool unfit for great responsibility.

Around the council table, everyone again practically beat one another’s brains out as they had in the hall. Emperor Taizong forced his weak body upright upon the throne, his heart filled with desolation. Ultimately, he summoned a trusted subordinate and dictated an edict word by word, ordering it sent first to Youzhou and then to Dongjing.

Jin and Song would become brother states, with Song as elder and Jin as younger. Emperor Taizong of Jin would address Emperor Huizong of Song as elder brother.

The Jin would annually present the Song with thirty thousand taels of gold, one hundred thousand taels of silver, one thousand jin of mountain ginseng, and ten thousand fine horses.

The Jin would cede Youzhou, Shunzhou, Ruzhou, and the remaining lands of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun not controlled by the Song.

The Jin would return the Two Sovereigns south, compensate the Song for military expenses with five hundred thousand ingots of gold, three million ingots of silver, and eight hundred thousand bolts of silk, and return the maps, registers, ritual vessels, imperial carriages, and other objects looted during the Jingkang Incident. Henceforth, the two states would maintain eternal friendship without further war.

“These are the lowest terms I will accept.”

Emperor Taizong sent a message to the envoy waiting anxiously in Dongjing. “If the final terms are more favorable than these, I shall reward you richly. If they match, you receive neither merit nor blame. If they exceed these conditions, I shall order your entire clan exterminated. Bring me your head!”

When the Jin envoy read the decree, half his heart froze. Yet worried for his family in the Supreme Capital, he had no choice but to force a smile and continue seeking peace with the Song.

At the same time, Li Shimin learned through his spies of the chaos within the Supreme Capital.

Zhu Yuanzhang said, “In original history, Emperor Taizong of Jin lived longer, and Wanyan Xiyin pursued Zhao Gou all the way to Yangzhou. Now the Jin have suffered several crushing defeats. Emperor Taizong has received a tremendous shock and will probably live less long. The conflict over succession will erupt earlier, perhaps even more fiercely than before because of the repeated losses and damaged interests.”

Li Shimin asked, “How much longer did he originally live?”

Zhu Yuanzhang answered, “Seven years.”

“Seven years.” Li Shimin calculated for several moments, then asked, “Did Zongbi succeed him?”

“No.” Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head. “It was Wanyan Dan, Aguda’s legitimate grandson and the son of Wanyan Zongjun and Lady Pucha.”

“What?” Li Shimin asked in surprise. “How did it become him?”

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled. “Merely the outcome of balancing several factions’ interests.”

Li Shimin instantly understood. Tapping the table, he considered how to muddy the pool and secure the greatest benefit for Great Song.

After several moments, his eyes brightened. “I have it!”

Liu Che asked, “What method?”

Li Shimin replied, “Shi Huang gave me the inspiration.”

Ying Zheng raised a long brow. “Oh?”

Li Shimin did not keep them in suspense. Smiling faintly, he spoke two words. “Guo Kai.”

Everyone froze, then understood and smiled.

…

Because lost territory had been recovered and the Jin crushed, that year’s Spring Festival was exceptionally lively. The emperor hosted a banquet for the officials inside the palace and declared that no one would return sober.

As the envoy of a defeated state, the Jin envoy also received a corner seat at the state banquet. Distractedly, he listened to the Song emperor and Empress Dowager speak, applauded when appropriate, sang praises, then sat in his corner staring blankly and wondering how to complete his mission.

While he was lost in thought, drums and music suddenly sounded, as though someone were presenting a dance. He thought little of it and continued daydreaming. Then cheers erupted, and applause and table-slapping nearly lifted the roof from the hall, drawing back his attention.

What was happening? Was the dancing girl exceptionally beautiful?

The envoy craned his neck to look and froze. He rubbed his eyes hard and looked again, but the scene had not changed at all.

Why did the leading dancer look so much like Prince Zhenzhu, Sheyema, eldest son of Marshal Zonghan?!

Wow! The Song were truly vicious!

To humiliate Great Jin, they had actually found a double like this and made him dance in the hall!

What trash were these people dancing?!

Who taught them to beg spectators for rewards with a ladle?!

Great Jin’s imperial princes would never be so shameless!

Here he came. He was approaching!

The envoy raged inwardly but did not dare show it. Cause trouble at the victor’s state banquet as the envoy of a defeated country?

It was not as though he had borrowed courage from Fish Leong.

The burly man danced closer and held out a ladle to seek rewards. The spectators casually took something from the fruit plates before them and tossed it inside. When the man reached the envoy, the envoy grabbed a handful of melon seeds and threw them into the ladle.
The melon seeds were loose, and his hand was unsteady. Several spilled out. The Song man guarding the burly dancers noticed. A sharp crack sounded as a whip struck the man’s back. He hurriedly bowed and scraped, then crouched to pick up the scattered seeds.

The Jin envoy could not help clicking his tongue. These vicious Song men showed no mercy even toward their doubles!

Several empty seed shells lay overturned before him. The burly man mistook them for whole seeds and hurried to pick them up. As he raised his head, he met the Jin envoy’s pitying, disdainful gaze.

One man half knelt upon the ground gathering seed shells. The other sat with his legs spread, looking down from above. Their gazes met, and both their expressions shattered.

The Jin envoy: “…”

Holy shit, this man truly resembled Prince Zhenzhu!

Where had the Song found such a lifelike double?!

Prince Zhenzhu: “…”

Fuck your mother, you dog slave! You dared make me kneel and pick up seed shells. You are dead!

…

Li Shimin’s initial terms were purely intended to humiliate the Jin and avenge Jingkang. He knew the Jin could not meet them and did not insist. When the Jin envoy requested an audience for the Nth time, knelt upon the ground, and tearfully described the Jin’s peace terms, Li Shimin finally nodded. The two sides formally signed a peace treaty.

On the day the treaty was signed, the Jin envoy watched the Song place seals and signatures upon the document. Emotion filled him until tears fell. He carefully stored the treaty, then went to Zichen Hall to thank the emperor for his grace.

“Now that this matter is settled, our delegation shall return north to the capital. Henceforth, Song and Jin shall be brother states, guarding one another…”

Li Shimin waved impatiently. “Spare me this nonsense. Wanyan Sheng and I both know this damned treaty will last only one year. The two states will fight again next year. Then we shall see who is the son and who is the father!”

The Jin envoy: “…”

The Zhao Song emperor was truly ruthless and extraordinarily sharp.

He smiled awkwardly, offered several more auspicious phrases, and respectfully withdrew.

After the envoy departed, Empress Wei emerged from behind the curtain. Her brow furrowed slightly with concealed worry. “Does Your Majesty truly intend to release those Jin?”

“Do not worry.” Li Shimin raised his head from the documents. “Since I dare release them, I am certain they cannot cause any trouble. Next year, we shall capture them again and make them dance!”

“Besides…” He chuckled. “Do you truly think they remain their former selves after staying here so long?”

Empress Wei froze, then could not suppress a laugh.

…

The Jin envoy kept feeling that something was different about the released imperial clansmen.

Yet he could not identify precisely what had changed.

Moreover, Prince Zhenzhu’s gaze toward him seemed especially vicious.

…Probably an illusion.

Emperors Qinzong and Huizong were being escorted south by the Jin. The captive Jin clansmen were taken for one final visit to the Song ancestral temple. The Jin envoy followed. Later, the Song permitted him to exchange a few words with Zongfu, Zongbi, and the others.

The envoy trailed the group, heavy-heartedly watching the imperial princes escorted into the Song ancestral temple. When they emerged, he was indeed allowed to meet them briefly.

Zongfu looked numb and exhausted. Zongbi’s face was deathly pale, and his body swayed. Both appeared to have suffered greatly.

The Jin envoy looked worried and asked with concern, “Did those Song mistreat the two Princes?”

Zongfu and Zongbi exchanged a glance and shook their heads together.

That strange sense of wrongness rose again in the Jin envoy.

The three spoke for a time, discussing the domestic situation and the peace treaty’s terms. After several moments, someone suddenly rode past outside. A whip cracked twice against the horse’s rump.

Before the Jin envoy could react, the expressions of Zongfu and Zongbi abruptly changed. Zongbi began twisting his hips and turning in place. Zongfu forced out a smile and joyfully began singing, “The first month brings the New Year…”

Zongbi swayed his waist and continued, “The very first day is New Year’s Day…”

The Jin envoy: “…”

He froze on the spot.

Suddenly realizing what they were doing, Zongfu and Zongbi also froze on the spot: “…”