Chapter 99
Chapter 99
[Li Erfeng Becomes Wanyan Gou – 19]
As the Son of Heaven, Li Shimin naturally kept his word. He paid no further attention to Emperors Qinzong and Huizong before him, ordering the Imperial Guards to gag the two men and throw them straight into the imperial prison. Tomorrow, they would be publicly executed at the Meridian Gate by death of a thousand cuts.
Was it unjust? Were they pitiful?
Not in the slightest!
Was the Great Song incapable of defeating Jin?
No!
Did the Great Song lack loyal ministers and gifted generals?
No!
Did the people of the Great Song not long for the imperial armies to march north and reclaim their lost territory?
No!
Then why, from Northern Song to Southern Song, had the Zhao court forever remained tucked away in one corner, content to cling to a shameful peace?!
Loyal ministers who advocated war were banished one after another and grew old alone in foreign lands, while appeasers and surrenderists were placed in important positions and fell over themselves to curry favor with the Jin. The emperor seemed to have no spine at all, dropping to his knees and begging for mercy the moment he saw a Jin. Even as Dongjing (Kaifeng) fell and his wife and daughters were violated, he dared not utter so much as a peep. Was that not absurd? Was it not farcical?!
The Humiliation of Jingkang was an unprecedented disgrace. Countless civilians between Dongjing (Kaifeng) and the northern frontier were plundered and slaughtered, the women of the imperial clan suffered unspeakable abuse, and Dongjing (Kaifeng), once the most prosperous place under heaven, was stripped bare. How could anyone not grieve at the thought?
Looking deeper, the vigor and pride that Huaxia had possessed since the Han and Tang dynasties suffered a fatal blow. Thought and culture turned conservative from then on; Neo-Confucianism’s oppression of women became ever more severe, and the glorification of chastity and widowhood began to prevail. Emperors Qinzong and Huizong, along with Zhao Gou, had committed truly monstrous sins!
Kaifeng Prefecture posted notices throughout the city explaining the whole affair. They claimed that the Jin had sent south two Jin men who resembled the Two Sages, intending to confuse the public and subvert the Great Song court. After identification by all the civil and military officials, the Empress Dowager, the Consort Dowagers, and the Grand Princesses, both men had been confirmed as Jin impostors. Their crimes were heinous, and they would be executed outside the Meridian Gate at noon the following day by death of a thousand cuts, as a warning to others!
Not long after the notices went up, commoners gathered around them. Once a literate person read the notice aloud, the crowd immediately erupted in outrage.
“Those Jin bastards even thought of a trick like this?!”
“Thank goodness His Majesty and the Noble Ladies saw right through them and weren’t fooled!”
“Death by a thousand cuts… those two Jin men are in for it now. Serves them right!”
“Exactly. Just thinking about lingchi hurts!”
Someone else muttered, “If they look that much alike, maybe they really are the Two Sages. Maybe His Majesty simply couldn’t stand the thought of them coming back to fight him for the throne…”
The crowd immediately shouted him down. “Didn’t you read the notice? Every civil and military official, along with the Empress Dowager and the Consort Dowagers in the palace, said they were impostors. You think all those people are blind and can’t tell whether the Two Sages are genuine or not?!”
“Exactly! If those two Jin men truly were the Two Sages, His Majesty should have acted swiftly and secretly had them killed. Why would he announce it to everyone and make such a spectacle of executing them by lingchi outside the Meridian Gate?”
“I’m only telling the truth!”
Not wanting trouble, the man tucked both hands into his sleeves and shuffled away, grumbling under his breath.
Many people in the enormous city of Dongjing (Kaifeng) harbored the same suspicion. Yet even the court officials in Zichen Hall had turned a blind eye and ignored the fate of the “false” Two Sages, had they not?
It was not that they lacked loyalty to their sovereign or love for their country. The so-called Two Sages simply possessed none of the bearing of rulers. If they stood by and watched the two return to the capital to enjoy wealth and glory once more, what would that make of the soldiers who had died on the battlefield? What would it make of the commoners who had suffered such abuse?
When Emperors Qinzong and Huizong were to be executed the next day, Li Shimin extended special grace to the people and allowed them to watch from before the Meridian Gate. Thousands upon thousands of commoners had gathered outside the gate before the appointed hour, along with a number of officials. They stared with complicated expressions at the execution platform erected overnight.
Three quarters into the hour of noon, Emperors Qinzong and Huizong were brought out under guard to receive public execution by death of a thousand cuts.
Their hands were tied behind their backs and their mouths gagged. They were bound to pillars like pigs awaiting slaughter, making frantic, muffled noises, but no matter how hard they tried, they could not spit out the rags stuffed in their mouths.
It was early in the second lunar month, and the weather in Dongjing (Kaifeng) remained chilly, yet a fine layer of sweat covered both men’s foreheads. Their eyes brimmed with terror and resentment, and their hearts were filled with bitter unwillingness.
They were both Sons of Heaven!
Since ancient times, even princes, marquises, generals, and ministers were not to be humiliated. How could the death of a Son of Heaven involve blades touching his body?
That vile Zhao Gou truly dared treat them this way!
Was he not afraid at all?
Was he not afraid of being cast into the eighteenth level of hell after death?!
The Great Song and Jin had fought year after year, bringing repeated calamity upon the people of Song and inspiring a particularly intense hatred of the Jin. Before Zongfu, Zongbi, and the others were exchanged back, they had been paraded through the streets every day. Even after more than a month, the people of Dongjing (Kaifeng) had not tired of it in the least. Whenever they had spare time, they went out to “look after” the captives by spitting on them and cursing their mothers, making each day positively delightful.
Now that they were faced with two more Jin men who had “impersonated the Two Sages,” they naturally showed no mercy. After hurling abuse, they sent rotten vegetable leaves and rancid eggs flying straight at the prisoners’ heads.
Some treated the two men outright as the Two Sages themselves. Before the Imperial Guards could react, a bucket of filth was dumped over their heads.
Several Imperial Guards glanced at the unknown liquid splashed over their robes, their eyebrows twitching in unison. The old woman who had thrown the filth was already cursing the prisoners in language so obscene it was painful to hear.
There was nothing wrong with cursing the Jin, but cursing the Two Sages in front of the Imperial Guards was somewhat inappropriate.
The constables on guard stepped forward to stop her, but the old woman frantically shoved them away and sobbed, “I’m cursing that father and son, those beasts who deserve a thousand cuts! They get to end everything with their deaths, and people even say a prodigal who returns is worth more than gold-but what about everyone else?! My son died in the battle for Dongjing. My only daughter was seized by Kaifeng Prefecture and sent into the Jin camp. After the wise Reigning Emperor drove back the Jin, he ransomed the abducted people. I waited and waited, longing only to be reunited with my daughter, but what I received in the end was her corpse, tortured by those animals until she no longer looked human!”
“Heaven-damned Retired Emperor!” she wailed. “How does that count as repentance? What wrong did my son do? What wrong did my daughter do? They were the ones who truly died horrible deaths! Forget whether the Two Sages are already dead-even if they weren’t, arresting them and cutting them to pieces would be no injustice at all!!!”
During the Jingkang Incident, what household in Dongjing (Kaifeng) had not lost a son or daughter? From what home had the sound of mourning not risen?
Hearing the old woman’s pitiful sobs touched the hearts of those present, and they too began to shed tears.
Emperors Qinzong and Huizong had initially been filled with fury and resentment. Now their faces turned ashen with shock, the last trace of color draining from their cheeks.
Their hands and feet were bound and their mouths gagged, but their ears could still hear and their eyes could still see.
The vast square before the Meridian Gate was packed with agitated commoners, men and women, young and old. Some wept quietly, some supported one another, and some picked up stones and hurled them at the two men, their eyes overflowing with hatred. Others cursed the father and son through their tears, using language more vicious than the pair could ever have imagined, damning them to the eighteenth level of hell after death, to be reborn as animals in their next lives, and never to escape damnation for all eternity…
Not one person mourned them or showed the slightest trace of fond remembrance!
The court officials refused to acknowledge them. Their wives and concubines refused to acknowledge them. Their children refused to acknowledge them. And now, even the common people refused to acknowledge them!
Looking back, what had they accomplished with their lives?!
The execution continued for three full days, and the suffering of Emperors Qinzong and Huizong lasted just as long. Li Shimin ate when it was time to eat and slept when it was time to sleep. At lunch, he could even finish an extra bowl of rice, feeling no psychological burden whatsoever.
He quietly told the old fellows in the shared space, “Those two bastards said that once I died and descended to the Underworld, I would certainly be cast into the eighteenth level of hell. But by Lord Yama’s standards, even if I was originally destined for the eighteenth level, killing them might well earn me instant immortality!”
The emperors all laughed.
The execution lasted three days, so Emperors Qinzong and Huizong naturally endured for three days as well. After the sentence had been completed on the final day, a trusted attendant entered the palace to report, “Your Majesty, the two Jin men who impersonated the Two Sages are dead. How should their remains be disposed of?”
Without looking up, Li Shimin said, “Throw them into the cremation furnace and burn them.”
The attendant acknowledged the order and departed.
…
After three days, the captive members of the Jin imperial clan finally made their choice.
Following negotiations that were neither friendly nor pleasant, three lower-ranking members of the Jin imperial clan lost their heads. Seven of still lower standing lost an arm, while everyone remaining lost fingers-one in some cases, two in others.
Li Gang contentedly tallied the results and soon completed the final exchange procedure, handing Zongfu, Zongbi, and the others over to the Jin envoys. At the same time, he bade them an amiable farewell, smiling warmly as he said, “We look forward to your next visit.”
Zongfu and the others boarded the carriages that would carry them north with smiles that did not reach their eyes. Before they even entered Jin territory, the envoys told them about the tremendous upheaval in the Supreme Capital. The relief that had just appeared on their faces after escaping the tiger’s jaws was immediately smothered beneath dark clouds.
When Zongbi heard that his wife, Lady Pusan, had been struck by an arrow and that Zonggan had ordered his residence burned, his brows instantly knitted together. Yet happiness was born from comparison. One glance at the grief-stricken Zongfu beside him, and he suddenly felt that his own situation was not quite so terrible.
Most importantly, Zonggan was still alive, and the imperial clansmen who had joined his revolt had not been harshly punished. Evidently, their imperial uncle had no intention of taking their lives and weakening the Jurchens.
As Zongbi sat aboard a boat crossing the Yellow River, he wanted to throw back his head and laugh. After hesitating for several moments, however, he restrained himself.
It was not yet time.
Because an enormous ransom had been paid to secure their return, the imperial clansmen in the Supreme Capital had already fallen out with his household. Meanwhile, the captured clansmen who should have been in the same boat as him had been manipulated by the Song into hating one another.
Zongbi lowered his head and looked at his left hand, now missing a finger. His gaze darkened.
Since the founding of the dynasty, the Jin capital had rarely suffered such a gloomy atmosphere. Even news that Zongfu, Zongbi, and the others had safely returned failed to produce an orderly, enthusiastic welcome. Only the relatives of each household waited outside the city, weeping when they saw their men. Before long, however, palace attendants who had also been waiting there separated them and conveyed Emperor Taizong of Jin’s order that the returning men be brought into the palace.
Zongbi’s household had sent his secondary consort, who explained that his principal wife, Lady Pusan, had not recovered from her grave wounds and remained at home recuperating. Not even a ghost had come from Zongfu’s household, leaving him a thoroughly forlorn sight.
Zongbi sighed at the scene. Despite their rivalry, he could not help feeling some sympathy. He patted Zongfu’s shoulder in consolation but said nothing.
Zongfu forced out a smile.
For most sick people, winter was never a good season.
The cold weather caused illnesses to relapse. For an old man like Emperor Taizong of Jin, the season was more difficult still.
At first, he merely coughed up blood at night. Gradually, his condition worsened until he spent most of the day unconscious, awake for only two or three double-hours, and even speaking became an effort.
He knew his end was near, but Zongfu, Zongbi, and the others had not yet returned to the country. He had no choice but to hold on by force of will, afraid that another accident might occur. He would not even allow Empress Tangkuo to attend him, keeping only trusted attendants at his side as he used his waking hours to make arrangements and clear all obstacles from his successor’s path.
When Zongfu, Zongbi, and the others heard from Emperor Taizong of Jin’s confidants that His Majesty had been unwell of late, they found it hard to believe. Once inside the palace, however, they were stunned to see Emperor Taizong of Jin lying on his couch, gasping for breath, pale-faced and reduced to skin and bones. They dropped to their knees in shock and asked how their imperial uncle had been.
Emperor Taizong of Jin was so gravely ill that even his vision had blurred. Only after squinting did he recognize who had come.
The breath he had been holding at last escaped him. He motioned for the attendants to help him sit up, then ordered the descendants of Taizu and Emperor Taizong summoned, saying that he had instructions for them.
His confidant knew the emperor’s life was nearly spent and acknowledged the order through tears.
Before long, everyone who ought to come had arrived. Empress Tangkuo clenched a handkerchief tightly in her hand, her eyes dark as she clung to one final shred of hope and stared unblinkingly at her husband.
Emperor Taizong of Jin leaned against a backrest, his lifeless eyes fixed on the bed canopy overhead as he gasped like a fish out of water.
After a time, he turned his head. His reluctant gaze lingered briefly on his eldest son, Wanyan Zongpan, but he soon forced his heart to harden and looked toward Taizu’s sons.
Zongfu, Zongbi, Zongjun, Zongmin…
His gaze swept rapidly across their faces. Emperor Taizong of Jin soon made up his mind. After several coughs, he swallowed a mouthful of blood and extended a hand. “Zongbi, come to my side!”
As soon as he spoke, the others in the hall reacted in different ways, but all turned to look at Zongbi.
Wanyan Zongbi was overjoyed inside, though he dared show none of it. With grief on his face, he respectfully acknowledged the summons, rose, and knelt beside Emperor Taizong of Jin’s bed. “Your nephew is here!”
Emperor Taizong of Jin stroked the top of his head but addressed everyone else. “Zongbi, my imperial elder brother’s fourth son, is of noble character and has repeatedly distinguished himself. He is fit to inherit the throne. Today, I appoint him Anban Bojilie (Heir Apparent). Does anyone object?!”
Quiet discussion broke out below, but no one raised their voice in opposition.
Emperor Taizong of Jin nodded lightly, as though settling one of his concerns, and quickly continued, “After me, Prince of Liang Zongbi shall be Anban Bojilie (Heir Apparent). After Zongbi, my son Zongpan shall be appointed!”
Several thoughts flashed through Wanyan Zongbi’s mind, but with the meat nearly in his mouth, he had no reason to create further complications. He immediately wept and said, “Your nephew will engrave Imperial Uncle’s words upon his heart. I will never betray your great kindness, nor would I dare slight Zongpan in any way!”
Wanyan Zongpan and Empress Tangkuo stood to one side, unsure whether they ought to feel disappointed or pleased.
Emperor Taizong of Jin turned toward them and instructed, “Zongpan, your uncle will appoint you Anban Bojilie (Heir Apparent). After you return the throne to Taizu’s line, appoint Dan’er as Anban Bojilie (Heir Apparent)!”
Wanyan Zongpan replied sullenly, “Yes. Your son will remember!”
Lady Pucha held little Wanyan Dan’s hand and released an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.
Emperor Taizong of Jin went on to make many more arrangements, from rewards and punishments for the imperial clan to future warfare and dealings with the Song.
He had likely rehearsed these words countless times in his mind. They now came readily and fluently. When everyone saw color seeming to return to his face and heard his speech grow smoother, sorrow rose in their hearts.
Anyone could tell that he was already a spent force. This sudden improvement was nothing more than a final flare of vitality before death.
Emperor Taizong of Jin knew it as well. After delivering a long series of instructions, he lowered his head to look at Zongbi and wept. “The Great Jin has existed for barely more than ten years. Zongbi, do not let it perish in your hands!”
Zongbi answered, “Yes!”
Emperor Taizong of Jin reached toward Zongfu, placed his hand in Zongbi’s, and earnestly instructed them, “When brothers unite, their strength can cut through metal. The Great Jin is beset by storms and stands at its most perilous moment. You must never turn upon one another and waste the nation’s strength. Do you understand?!”
Zongfu sneered inwardly.
Imperial Uncle, your entire family wasn’t slaughtered. Of course it’s easy for you to say that!
Outwardly, however, he nodded through his tears.
Emperor Taizong of Jin nodded in gratification and shouted “Good!” several times. Then his eyes opened wide, and he ceased breathing.
Wanyan Zongbi froze for several moments before cautiously reaching out to test his breathing. After an instant of shock, he quickly burst into loud sobs. “Imperial Uncle has passed away!”
Yet as he lowered his head and wept, the corners of his lips silently curved upward.
Empress Tangkuo’s legs went weak, and she collapsed to the floor. Wanyan Zongpan remained beside his mother, the hostility and hatred in his gaze toward Zongbi impossible to conceal.
Zongfu knelt expressionlessly, his gaze sweeping almost imperceptibly across several branches of the imperial clan.
Everyone in the hall wore a different expression. Loud wailing filled the surface while hidden schemes churned beneath it. The fraternal unity Emperor Taizong of Jin had longed for before his death was never going to happen.
Li Shimin had received word as early as the unrest in the Supreme Capital and made arrangements well in advance. Now, the moment his agents in the city heard that Emperor Taizong of Jin had died, they sprang into action and spread rumors according to the earlier plan.
His Majesty may appear to have passed the throne to Prince of Liang Zongbi, but in reality he is only using him as a target. If Zongbi becomes emperor, will the imperial clansmen who previously followed Zonggan in revolt ever feel safe?
And I wager that once the Prince of Liang takes the throne, he will soon retaliate against everyone who opposed paying his ransom!
Third Prince Zongfu has lost his whole family. Even if he remarries, who knows how long it will take him to have another child? Once the Prince of Liang dies and Taizu’s line has no successor, won’t the throne pass back to Emperor Taizong’s legitimate son?
No matter how cunning those young foxes are, they can hardly outwit an old hunter as seasoned as the Late Emperor!
When one of the strategists serving Emperor Taizong of Jin’s legitimate son Wanyan Zongpan returned home, he found his beloved concubine looking terrified. As she helped him remove his cloak, she said uneasily, “I’ve heard reports from the servants that the wind is blowing the wrong way. The Prince of Liang has always repaid kindness and grudges alike. So many people in the Supreme Capital tried to prevent his ransom and return, even setting off a major battle over it. Can he truly bear no resentment? After all, the Empress and the legitimate imperial prince merely sat back and watched the tigers fight…”
She then repeated the rumors that had recently spread throughout the streets and markets.
After listening, the strategist’s brows knotted together. He put the cloak he had just removed back on, turned, and went out to request an audience with Wanyan Zongpan.
Nomadic peoples did not share the many taboos of the Central Plains. If they decided on a mutiny, they mutinied. Killing a father or elder brother was no great matter, much less killing a nephew or two!
Strike first and gain the advantage; strike later and suffer disaster. Who would dare stake their life and family on another person’s passing whim?
Wanyan Zongpan had also heard the rumors circulating through the streets. Already deeply dissatisfied with Zongbi, he became even more inclined to make trouble after hearing the strategist out.
Yet he had always respected his father and still remembered Emperor Taizong of Jin’s dying words. Uneasy, he went to ask Empress Tangkuo what he should do.
Empress Tangkuo merely sneered. “Foolish child, if you do not kill Zongbi today, he will surely kill you tomorrow!”
She continued, “Do you not know how your father spent all these years planning for you, hoping with all his heart that you would become Anban Bojilie (Heir Apparent)? He was stubbornly devoted to the Great Jin’s realm and could not bear to strike ruthlessly at his nephew. That is why we face today’s situation. Your father was willing to go that far-but do you think the Prince of Liang does not want his own son to become Anban Bojilie (Heir Apparent)? Do you think he possesses your father’s integrity and would sacrifice his own son’s interests for the Great Jin?!”
Every word stabbed Wanyan Zongpan in the heart.
A sinister shadow filled his brow. His expression shifted several times before he finally made up his mind. “Imperial Mother, please help me!”
While someone incited Wanyan Zongpan to rebel, someone else was sowing suspicion in Zongbi’s mind.
A Song man who had fled north after committing a crime urged Zongbi to strike first, insisting that otherwise he would certainly die beneath the blades of Empress Tangkuo and her son.
Zongbi was, after all, an accomplished general of genuine ability. Upon hearing this, he ordered the Song man dragged away and executed. “My imperial uncle has just passed away, and we face troubles within and foes without. Why do you incite me to attack the widow and orphan he left behind at a time like this?! If I mistakenly kill the two of them, the Great Jin may fall into chaos at once!”
“Prince of Liang, everything I say is for your sake!”
The Song man argued, “You only just returned to the Supreme Capital. How much power do you command here, and how many people have you secretly offended? Empress Tangkuo and the legitimate imperial prince, however, have been rooted here for years. Ask yourself: if conflict truly breaks out, will the Late Emperor’s confidants obey you, or Empress Tangkuo?!”
Zongbi’s expression shifted between light and dark. He said nothing, merely waved a hand to signal his subordinates to release the man.
Seeing this, the Song man knew suspicion had taken root in his heart. His eyes rolled, and he lowered his voice to offer another suggestion. “If the Prince of Liang does not believe me, I have a clever plan. If Empress Tangkuo intends to move against you, she will never dare do so openly. All you need to do is…”
The gloom on Zongbi’s brow eased slightly. He gave the man an approving look and nodded. “We shall do as you suggest!”
Seven days later, at Emperor Taizong of Jin’s memorial rites, Zongbi drank poisoned wine and died.
As Emperor Taizong of Jin’s wife and the highest-ranking woman in the imperial clan, Empress Tangkuo stepped forward to preside over affairs. She demanded that the Late Emperor’s dying wishes be obeyed and his legitimate imperial son, Wanyan Zongpan, be enthroned as the new sovereign.
Just as the imperial clansmen and court officials stared in stunned disbelief, Zongbi appeared at the funeral rites with a group of trusted followers, his face dark.
The man who had died was merely a double.
But Empress Tangkuo and Wanyan Zongpan’s desire to kill him had been real!
The Wanyan imperial clan, which Emperor Taizong of Jin had struggled to hold together before his death, shattered into warring fragments in an instant!
Seven days after the incident, Li Shimin received a secret report from his agents.
As Emperor Taizong’s direct line, Empress Tangkuo and Wanyan Zongpan possessed a natural home-ground advantage in the Supreme Capital. Despite Zongbi’s preparations, they still caught him at a disadvantage, and he took an arrow while fleeing in disarray. Meanwhile, Zongfu united several scattered branches of the imperial clan and rose against them. At the same time, Zonggan, who had been imprisoned in Five Nations City, also refused to remain idle. He killed the Jin guards watching him and was rescued by his confidants amid the chaos…
In short, there was only one word for it: chaos.
A united Jin was a wolf. A fractured Jin was worth less than a dog.
Li Shimin burned the secret letter, smiled faintly, and rose to stretch his limbs. Just then, he heard the attendants outside the hall offering their greetings.
Before long, the adorable, fair-skinned little princess toddled in on unsteady legs.
Li Shimin felt as though an arrow had struck him squarely in the heart. Wuwuwu, my little darling is so adorable!!!
Seeing that the little princess could walk steadily enough, the nurses did not stop her. Only after watching her throw herself into the young emperor’s arms did they secretly breathe sighs of relief and quietly retreat several steps, leaving father and daughter together.
Li Shimin expertly scooped up his daughter and kissed her little cheeks. Then he took her out for a walk. There was nothing interesting to do in the palace, so he simply left and went to visit Zong Ze’s residence.
His timing was perfect: the Zong family was eating, and Yue Fei was there as well.
Li Shimin told everyone to dispense with ceremony. After taking a seat with the little princess in his arms, he asked, “Why are you here too, Pengju?”
Yue Fei smiled. “Today is Commander Zong’s grandson’s birthday. The old gentleman did not wish to hold a grand celebration, so he merely invited this minister to join the fun.”
“Is that so?” Li Shimin had not expected it to be a special day. His gaze swept across the room and landed on a boy of five or six seated beside Zong Ze’s daughter-in-law. The child’s brows already carried a trace of the heroic spirit of a young general. Fond of the boy because of his affection for the family, Li Shimin asked with a smile, “What is your name?”
The boy showed no shyness. He stood and answered with easy poise, “In reply to Your Majesty, this boy’s name is Zong Zheng-the zheng in zhengda guangming, meaning upright and honorable.”