Chapter 98
Chapter 98
[Li Erfeng Becomes Wanyan Gou – 18]
Emperors Qinzong and Huizong did not understand what they were hearing and grew extremely angry. They were about to speak when their mouths were gagged. Fury instantly flared. They widened their eyes and glared at Li Gang.
Li Gang ignored them. The surrounding soldiers naturally ignored them even more. They quickly bound the Two Sovereigns, dragged them into a carriage, and escorted them into Dongjing.
Because the Two Sovereigns were about to return south, Zong Ze, Zhao Ding, Zhu Shengfei, and the other pillars of the war faction had slept poorly all night. They sincerely hoped the returnees were impostors, yet feared those two possessed such tremendous fortune that they had truly returned whole and unharmed.
If the men had sincerely repented and would obediently live in wealthy retirement, it would be manageable. But what if they fought for power, forced His Majesty to abdicate, repeated their former mistakes, and dragged Great Song back into the mire?
Heaven had already bestowed upon them one wise and mighty emperor. There would never be a second!
Before leaving the palace the previous day, Zong Ze, Zhao Ding, and the others secretly exchanged glances. No one spoke, but everything was understood.
The returning Two Sovereigns had to be false!
Even if genuine, they had to be false!
It was not that these men lacked loyalty to ruler and country. Rather, the realm restored through such tremendous hardship could not endure another catastrophe!
Everyone had firmly resolved upon this, but they still could not calmly face the affair. When Li Gang’s message arrived, they froze together. After recovering, Zhao Ding smiled broadly, delight filling his face. “Boji says two Jin dogs arrived and the Two Sovereigns already died in the Jin state?!”
Zhu Shengfei embarrassedly nudged him and reminded, “Brother Zhao, show restraint. Do not laugh so wildly.”
Zong Ze said quietly, “If you exposed one fewer row of teeth, I might believe those words.”
Zhao Ding: “…”
Zhu Shengfei: “…”
Everyone else in the hall: “…”
After a brief exchange of glances, laughter and table-slapping nearly lifted the roof.
“They died well! They died wonderfully! Hahahahaha!!!”
“The greatest contribution the Two Sovereigns ever made to Great Song’s realm, without exception!!!”
Yue Fei’s head hurt at the sound. “Gentlemen, surely there is no need to go this far…”
Years earlier, hearing of the Two Sovereigns’ conduct had also filled him with dissatisfaction toward Great Song’s rulers. But on the day Empress Dowager Zheng returned south, he heard her relay their passionate and heroic words. Moved to tears, he greatly revised his impression and developed some admiration.
Finally, he suggested, “Why do we not meet those two Jin men?”
After considering it, Zong Ze and the others nodded. “Very well.”
Emperors Qinzong and Huizong were gagged, bound, and thrown into prison. Once inside, specialists guarded them closely. No one could privately visit without the chief ministers’ permission.
Zhu Shengfei and Zhao Ding were both chancellors and naturally qualified to enter. They went into the prison with Zong Ze and Yue Fei and saw two people lying inside a cell. Their hands and feet were bound, their mouths gagged, and their faces turned inward so no one could see their appearance.
Zong Ze frowned and ordered someone to enter and untie them. The moment the filthy rags were pulled from their mouths, Qinzong cursed furiously. “Heaven-damned Zhao Gou truly possesses a blackened heart! Imperial Father is his biological father, and I am his eldest brother. How dare he treat us like this? Where has he placed ritual law and our ancestors?! That beast!”
Led by the new emperor, Zong Ze and the others had won victory after victory and already worshiped him like a god. Hearing Qinzong insult him, darkness instantly covered their brows, and killing intent emerged.
Hm?
There was a young unfamiliar face over there. Who was he?
Zhao Ding said softly, “He begins by framing and viciously insulting His Majesty. On the surface, it appears to be outrage over today’s humiliation, but in truth, like Xiang Zhuang performing a sword dance while intending to kill Duke Pei, his aim points directly at the throne!”
Zhu Shengfei added, “The older Jin has not spoken. He keeps studying us with shifty eyes. Clearly, he has only seen portraits and cannot yet match our faces to our names.”
Qinzong supported himself upon the wall and began cursing Li Gang.
Huizong turned and glared, silencing him. Then, on two trembling thin legs, he staggered forward and called with a voice shaking with deep affection, “Marshal Zong, is that you?!”
Zong Ze ignored him and told Zhu Shengfei, “The Retired Emperor would never speak to me in this tone. As the old saying goes, one may paint a tiger’s skin but not its bones. A fake remains a fake. He has the form but lacks the essence!”
Zhu Shengfei nodded. “Precisely.”
Zhao Ding eagerly studied Huizong’s hands and exclaimed, “Look! He has ten fingers!”
Huizong: “…”
What was this? Were they watching a monkey through the bars?!
Had these treacherous ministers forgotten he was Great Song’s Son of Heaven?!
Huizong’s face darkened for an instant, but he restrained himself. Softening his voice, he sighed. “Looking back upon the past fills me with emotion. When the Jin army reached the city, I regretted not listening to my loyal ministers…”
Zhu Shengfei exclaimed, “Hey! He can even speak the Great Song court language! His accent sounds convincingly authentic!”
Zhao Ding said contemptuously, “They certainly put effort into this!”
Zong Ze used his saber hilt to turn Huizong’s face this way and that. Studying him, he said, “The appearance is seventy or eighty percent similar, but subtle differences remain!”
Huizong: “…”
Huizong could endure no more. “Zong Ze! Zhao Ding! Zhu Shengfei! Have you lost your senses and gone mad? Do you remember that I am Great Song’s Son of Heaven and you are Great Song’s subjects?!”
Zhu Shengfei marveled, “Wow, he is still acting! He is completely lost in the role!”
“…” Huizong: “?????”
Huizong’s head filled with question marks. Enraged beyond measure, he roared savagely, “Zhu Shengfei, fuck your mother! I am the Son of Heaven! The Son of Heaven!!!”
He glared sternly at the men before him and said furiously, “Did Zhao Gou order you to do this? Excellent! His wings have hardened, and he dares treat his father and elder brother so cruelly! But do not forget: I am Great Song’s Son of Heaven, master of this realm. Now that I have returned south, how dare that boy continue occupying the throne without mentioning abdication?!”
Qinzong stepped forward and also said indignantly, “That villain Zhao Gou imprisons his father and brother and covets power. Does he not fear the mockery of the realm when word spreads?!”
Zhao Ding said, “Sure enough, they came for the throne.”
Zhu Shengfei sneered. “Otherwise, how would they disrupt Great Song’s government?”
Zong Ze punched the wall. “The Jin dogs are treacherous and cunning. They deserve death for such treachery!”
“…” Huizong: “?????”
“…” Qinzong: “?????”
Their faces flushed scarlet, and they cursed without hesitation, displaying no ruler’s dignity.
Yue Fei frowned and regarded them with disgust. Suddenly, he spoke in the Jin language. “What right does a Son of Heaven who could not defend his realm have to retake the throne?”
Those words struck Huizong directly in the heart. Gripping the bars, he pushed his head desperately outward and barked like a rabid dog at Yue Fei.
Yue Fei calmly stepped back. “He understands the Jin language. He truly is a Jin dog!”
Huizong: “…”
Was possessing linguistic talent his fault?!
He wanted to continue, but everyone had lost interest. Satisfied that the two were Jin dogs, they departed, leaving them to stamp their feet and curse without cease.
…
Since the Jin had returned Emperors Qinzong and Huizong and delivered the gold and silver agreed under the Treaty of Jianyan, Li Gang no longer hesitated. He quickly ordered Zongfu, Zongbi, and the other Jin clansmen brought forward. After verifying the wealth, he would hand the prisoners to the high-ranking Jin officials receiving them.
Because the quantities of gold and silver were enormous and the maps, registers, palace treasures, rare curiosities, and other goods countless, Li Gang and several hundred subordinates worked from morning until night. Only after dusk fell and torches were lit did he announce the count complete.
“Five hundred thousand ingots of gold, five million ingots of silver, and eight hundred thousand bolts of silk: these numbers are correct. But the gold and jade ornaments, documents, and ancient books looted from our dynasty during the Jingkang Incident do not match.”
Li Gang sat in a chair calculating with an abacus. His sharp eyes gleamed with shrewdness. “Two hundred thirty-six pieces of rare porcelain are missing, together with twenty-nine famous paintings and calligraphic works. The phoenix coronet once worn by Empress Guo of the previous dynasty lacks exactly nine bright pearls, plus various southern pearls and jade pieces…”
Sweat covered the Jin men’s foreheads. Terrified, they hurriedly bowed and pleaded. “Lord Li, please hear us. We did not deliberately withhold anything, nor did our emperor intentionally retain these objects. Porcelain, paintings, and calligraphy are delicate and inevitably broke during transport. Bright pearls, southern pearls, and other ornaments are tiny and passed through many hands. We searched repeatedly but truly could not find them!”
Li Gang had no patience for their explanations. He went straight to Li Shimin and complained, explaining everything before saying indignantly, “In this subject’s view, the Jin must have done it deliberately. They fear might but cherish no virtue. If Your Majesty does not rebuke and punish them…”
“Stop, Boji.” Zhu Shengfei secretly tugged his sleeve and reminded him, “If you continue, His Majesty will personally lead another campaign!”
Li Gang: “…”
Oh, fuck. Having such an extreme war-faction emperor meant living in both pain and joy!
He licked his lips, lowered his head, and said no more.
Fortunately, Li Shimin was absorbed in admiring a newly acquired piece of Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy upon the table. Li Gang’s words entered one ear and left the other without lingering in his mind.
A ministry gentleman nearby hurriedly reminded him, “Your Majesty? Your Majesty?”
Li Shimin abruptly recovered. Glancing at Li Gang’s memorial, he said casually, “Minister Li, everything about you is excellent except your overly rigid mind. Did the Jin not explain that porcelain, paintings, and calligraphy are easily damaged and were not deliberately withheld? Great Song is an exalted celestial empire with a broad heart. Why lower our status by quibbling with barbarians?”
Hearing an intention to let the matter end, Li Gang’s thick brows nearly flew off his face. Then His Majesty sneered from the throne and said bloodthirstily, “A transaction means payment with one hand and goods with the other. Since their payment is short, we should give them less merchandise in return. That is not unreasonable, is it?”
He picked up Li Gang’s list of missing items, waved it, and said pleasantly, “Tell the captive Jin clansmen that the lost objects are priceless. The debt requires three Jin heads, seven Jin arms, and twenty Jin fingers. As for who pays which portion, let them discuss it themselves.”
Li Gang: “…”
The other officials: “…”
Holy shit. His Majesty was truly incredible!
“Oh, right.” Li Shimin added idly, “Tell them not to exploit loopholes. Each person may lose at most one type of item. If anyone dares use a corpse to make up the number, castrate them all.”
Li Gang: “…”
The other officials: “…”
They offered their knees to His Majesty!
After finishing this matter, Li Gang mentioned the imprisoned Emperors Qinzong and Huizong. His brows furrowed, and righteousness filled his face. “When this subject saw those two today, I immediately sensed something wrong. Their faces resemble the Two Sovereigns, as do their builds, yet both exude a wretched, vulgar air utterly unlike them. Their words and behavior differ even more, separated by a hundred and eight thousand li… The Jin are poorly informed and presumably do not know that Empress Dowager Zheng and Consorts Dowager Cui and Wang already exposed their scheme. After murdering the Two Sovereigns, they still dared send these two doubles south to disrupt Great Song’s government. Their treachery is unforgivable; they deserve death for what they have done!”
Zong Ze bowed immediately. “Your Majesty, when Empress Dowager Zheng and the Consorts Dowager returned south, they said the Retired Emperor bit off one finger before parting from her as proof. Yet the Retired Emperor who has now arrived in Dongjing possesses all ten fingers. Thus, the man is false!”
Zhao Ding, Zhu Shengfei, and Yue Fei stepped forward together. “We have also seen the two Jin men. They are unquestionably Jin villains!”
Li Shimin fell silent. After a long while, tears suddenly flowed. “Are they truly not genuine?”
He said, “When Empress Dowager Zheng sent word back to Dongjing, I built cenotaphs for the Two Sovereigns, but a faint thread of hope always remained in my heart…”
Hearing this, Zong Ze also wept aged tears. “The Two Sovereigns were murdered by the Jin and died in a foreign land. Your Majesty, never forget this deep hatred and our dynasty’s humiliation. One day, we must avenge it!”
The officials in the hall began sobbing together.
Li Shimin answered through his tears, “We certainly will!”
Emperors Qinzong and Huizong spent a night in prison. The next day, they were escorted to court. Before they could begin cursing, someone kicked the backs of their knees. They collapsed wretchedly and heard Li Gang deliver a passionate denunciation. Every other phrase condemned shameless Jin dogs or demanded their swift execution. His words were sharp and utterly merciless.
Moreover, when Empress Dowager Zheng returned south, the Retired Emperor had bitten off one finger as proof. Yet now all ten of your fingers were present!
Huizong never imagined that the harem women he had always disregarded would strike him a fatal blow. After a long stunned silence, he cursed sorrowfully, “Shameless sluts! You have harmed me to this extent!”
His hair was disheveled, his expression panicked, and his face flushed scarlet. His gaze swept desperately over the officials filling the hall. Beating his chest, he shouted, “It is me! I am your emperor! Do you not even recognize your own Son of Heaven?!”
Qinzong was equally terrified. He wanted someone to identify them, but saw no familiar faces and did not know whom to address.
Li Shimin calmly watched the two, imperceptible coldness in his eyes. “Order every official to step forward in turn and identify whether these men are the Two Sovereigns abducted earlier, or Jin villains replacing them to disrupt Great Song’s government!”
Emperors Qinzong and Huizong froze. Hope entered their eyes. They looked around earnestly and cried eagerly, “You recognize me, do you not? It is me!”
The voice stretched long, like the fading afterglow of sunset immediately before vanishing.
The civil and military officials formed two lines. The civil officials began with Li Gang, Zhu Shengfei, and Zhao Ding; the military officers with Zong Ze and Wu Jie. Each stood before the Two Sovereigns, examined them for a moment, then departed.
After studying them, Li Gang shook his head. “This is a Jin villain, absolutely not one of the Two Sovereigns!”
Zhu Shengfei also shook his head. “This is a Jin villain, absolutely not one of the Two Sovereigns!”
Zhao Ding agreed. “This is a Jin villain, absolutely not one of the Two Sovereigns!”
Zong Ze even scoffed. “This is a Jin villain, absolutely not one of the Two Sovereigns!”
“…”
Dozens of officials in Zichen Hall inspected them in turn. From beginning to end, every man delivered the same verdict. Not one identified the two before them as Great Song’s rulers abducted north by the Jin.
At first, some color remained in the faces of Emperors Qinzong and Huizong. By the end, they were white as paper, almost without a trace of life.
“You… how can you treat me like this?!”
Huizong’s eyes were scarlet with despair. He stared at the officials in disbelief, his voice trembling. “My name is Zhao Ji. I am the Son of Heaven!!!”
He seized Li Gang’s sleeve and shuddered. “Boji, you are a loyal minister! When the Jin reached the city, you risked death to remonstrate and prevented me from fleeing south. How loyal you were! Only a few months have passed. Have you forgotten everything?!”
Frost covered Li Gang’s face. He swept Huizong away with his sleeve and said in disgust, “Jin dog, do not approach me!”
Eyes reddened, Huizong turned to Zong Ze. “Marshal Zong, though the Jin carried me north, I heard you marched through the night to the Yellow River intending to capture the villains and rescue your emperor. You were nearly seventy yet possessed such loyalty. Have you truly become so addled that you refuse to recognize me?!”
Zong Ze answered succinctly, “Fuck off!”
The muscles in Qinzong’s cheeks twitched fiercely. Tears streamed down his face. He stumbled through the court, looking at the officials in turn, but no one gave him a response or even half a glance.
What right did men who had abandoned this realm and forsaken loyal officials and commoners have to question why no one acknowledged them?
They sought benevolence and received it. Retribution never failed!
Despair filled Huizong’s eyes. Looking deranged, he charged up the jade steps and glared at the wise and mighty young emperor upon the throne. “What a vicious heart you possess! Zhao Gao of Qin calling a deer a horse was absurd enough, but you-you are a hundred, a thousand times more wicked!”
Li Shimin did not speak. Inside the space, Shi Huang Ying Zheng frowned unhappily. “Be a good Jin dog. Do not drag my Great Qin into this!”
Huizong lunged forward like a madman. Li Shimin kicked him in the chest, sending him tumbling down the jade steps until his head split and bled.
Li Shimin lowered his eyes and looked down upon them. “Even now, you refuse to abandon the performance? Fine. I shall give you one more opportunity.”
He ordered his attendants, “Invite Empress Dowager Zheng, the Consorts Dowager, and the Grand Princesses to Zichen Hall to identify these two.”
The attendants departed in obedience. Emperors Qinzong and Huizong first froze, then hope emerged upon their faces.
Li Shimin noticed and sneered inwardly.
Empress Dowager Zheng and the others had long heard that the Two Sovereigns returned to Dongjing. They dressed carefully early that day. When the emperor’s invitation arrived, she waited until all the women of the rear palace gathered, then led them toward Zichen Hall.
Her gaze swept indifferently over the two men. Silent delight at successful revenge and hatred slipped through her eyes. She shook her head. “The Retired Emperor and I were husband and wife for years. How could I fail to recognize him? This man is absolutely not the Retired Emperor, but a Jin impersonator!”
Consort Dowager Cui also said, “These two are both Jin men, absolutely not the Two Sovereigns!”
Consort Dowager Qiao said, “They are both Jin, not the Two Sovereigns.”
When the Grand Princesses stepped forward, not one acknowledged the identities of Emperors Qinzong and Huizong.
With each sentence, the Two Sovereigns’ faces grew whiter.
By the end, Huizong looked utterly desperate. He asked in disbelief, “Why? Why are you treating me like this?!”
He looked around and saw only cold officials and wives, concubines, and daughters who refused to acknowledge him. From the throne, the new ruler looked silently down upon him.
Regarding the state, not one subject spoke for him or acknowledged him as ruler.
Regarding his family, no wife, concubine, or child recognized him.
Even though Huizong knew his own identity, a false sense of being trapped in an illusion began to grow. Could he truly be a Jin man?
Otherwise, how could his life have failed so completely? After enduring endless hardship to return home, not one person would acknowledge him.
Rejected by state and family, he had nowhere to live.
Having fallen this far, what difference remained between life and death?
Huizong collapsed upon the floor and looked around in panic. Suddenly, he laughed. He laughed until tears emerged, then at some point began wailing as though he would vomit out his heart and liver.
Qinzong sat pale upon the ground and repeatedly murmured, “Who am I? I am Zhao Huan… am I Zhao Huan?”
He looked around and cried in an agonized voice, “I am Zhao Huan! Zhao Huan! Why have you all betrayed me? Why?!”
No one answered or paid attention.
Only Li Gang shook out his sleeves and stepped forward. “How should these two Jin spies and parasites upon Great Song be handled? Your Majesty, please give the order!”
Li Shimin sat upright upon the throne, solemn and majestic. “These two first impersonated the Two Sovereigns, then attempted to seize the throne. They have humiliated our state and people and deceived Great Song. If such maniacs are not publicly punished according to law, the realm’s subjects cannot know the truth. Sentence them to death by a thousand cuts. Execute them tomorrow at the Meridian Gate!”
The officials’ hearts tightened, then they bowed. “Yes!”
Emperors Qinzong and Huizong had remained deranged beneath the shock. Hearing they would be executed by a thousand cuts the following day, cold sweat streamed down their bodies, and their faces instantly turned ashen.
“You dare!” Huizong roared despairingly. “I am your biological father!”
Qinzong’s eyes nearly split. “Zhao Gou, you murder your father and elder brother. Heaven will not tolerate you! Do you not fear punishment by the ancestors after descending to the Underworld, or rejection by King Yama?!”
Murdering one’s father and elder brother, intolerable to Heaven?
Li Shimin raised a sword-like brow and sneered. “I am not afraid!”