Moma Liangshan

Chapter 19: The Emperor and His Ministers Discuss Liaodong, Yang Zhi Emerges

Tong Guan pondered for a moment and replied, "The Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty have been at peace for decades. Sending envoys rashly might expose our presence and give them ammunition. I believe we should first send someone to reach a private agreement with the Jurchens before formally sending envoys to sign the treaty." Emperor Huizong agreed and asked, "Who would be the best choice?" Tong Guan replied, "Ma Zhi of Yan is one." Emperor Huizong nodded and added, "Ma Zhi's loyalty is undeniable, but he is not a Song citizen. We need to find a suitable candidate within our court." Wang Hao secretly glanced at Gao Qiu and Cai Jing, thinking, "If I could take this mission and secretly open a passage between Liaodong and the Song Dynasty, I could exchange Song porcelain and silk for warhorses and cattle from beyond the Great Wall. This would alleviate the pressure on the Song Dynasty..." The emperor faced a dilemma: a shortage of warhorses and the prospect of enormous rewards. However, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing were treacherous; if he volunteered, they would surely obstruct him. It was best to plot in secret. The crowd fell silent. Emperor Huizong looked at Gao Qiu and asked, "Grand Commandant, who do you think is the best choice?" Gao Qiu thought to himself, "The capital is prosperous, while the northern frontier is harsh and dangerous. If this succeeds, the credit will go to Tong Guan; if it fails, Tong Guan can easily claim it was due to poor personnel selection." He slowly said, "This person must be bold and quick-witted, able to blend in with the barbarians without revealing himself. The court officials are all well-read and refined, not the best choice. Therefore, I believe it would be best to choose someone deeply trusted by Your Majesty, yet not someone who has long held a high position." He unconsciously glanced at Wang Hao. Emperor Huizong followed Gao Qiu's gaze and looked at Wang Hao as well.

Wang Hao was secretly delighted, but feigned fear and silently lowered his head. Cai Jing quickly understood the underlying meaning and said, "This humble subject believes that Wang Sheren is the best choice." Before Wang Hao could speak, the Empress looked at Emperor Huizong and said, "Wang Sheren is only a fifteen-year-old boy, the age when he should be studying diligently. Sending an envoy to the Jurchens is not something that can be accomplished overnight. If he misses his studies, Your Majesty will likely lose a future pillar of the nation!" The Emperor said, "What the Empress says is not without reason! Is Minister Wang willing to go on the mission to the Jurchens for the Song Dynasty?" Wang Hao stood up and said, "Your Majesty, if you command me, this humble subject will gladly die for you." Emperor Huizong was very satisfied and said, "Minister Wang, you are a loyal minister!" At this moment, Cai Jing said, "Congratulations to Your Majesty for gaining another virtuous minister! But Minister Wang is still young. Although he has had many brilliant ideas before, they are ultimately minor matters. The mission to the Jurchens cannot afford to fail. This humble subject believes that we should consider this matter more carefully first." Emperor Huizong nodded and looked at Tong Guan and Gao Qiu, both of whom expressed their agreement. Emperor Huizong said, "My esteemed ministers, how do you think we should evaluate Wang Sheren?" Cai Jing sneered inwardly and said, "Previously, the court sent ten imperial envoys to transport the 'Flower and Stone Tribute' to Taihu Lake. Nine of them successfully completed their missions, but one capsized. However, the sunken Flower and Stone Tribute was precisely the most elegant and spiritually rich piece. If Wang Sheren can retrieve it from the Yellow River and successfully deliver it to Dongjing (Kaifeng), he will pass the test. What does Your Majesty think?" Emperor Huizong, with a pleased expression, said, "Excellent! What does Minister Wang think?"

Wang Hao frowned inwardly, thinking, "The sunken Flower and Stone Tribute may not have been elegant or spiritual, but it must have been incredibly difficult to transport; otherwise, how could it have sunk? Rumors say that merchants went bankrupt and people tore down their houses because of transporting the Flower and Stone Tribute. Entrusting this task to me will inevitably cost countless sums of money and severely damage my reputation. Cai Jing, utterly despicable!" He reluctantly said, "This humble subject is willing to accept the order, but I humbly request Your Majesty to transfer all the personnel previously responsible for the transport to me so that I may understand the specific circumstances." Emperor Huizong smiled and said, "That's not difficult. The Palace Guard has the records. When the time comes, Minister Wang can simply take my decree and go directly to collect the personnel." The Empress, feeling a pang of pity, whispered in Huizong's ear, "In the past..." Those transporting the precious stones and flowers were all military officers, while Wang Sheren was a civil official; this might be against custom. Emperor Huizong replied, "The Empress is right." He looked at Wang Hao and said, "Minister Wang, on your mission to salvage the precious stones and flowers, you may concurrently serve as the Commander-in-Chief." He then looked at Gao Qiu and said, "I trouble Grand Commandant Gao to expedite the preparation of the records for Wang Sheren and allocate manpower." Gao Qiu feigned difficulty, saying, "The various camps in the capital each have their own duties, and there are no idle personnel. Therefore, creating the records for Wang Sheren is not difficult, but I fear it will be difficult for me to allocate manpower in the short term." He then exchanged a glance with Cai Jing, who also said, "The Ministry of Revenue has no surplus funds or manpower." Wang Hao understood Gao Qiu and Cai Jing's meaning; salvaging the precious stones and flowers was a matter of having neither money nor manpower. Emperor Huizong thought to himself, "Wang Hao has the Eight Immortals Wine, so he won't lack money, and with money, he won't lack manpower. But as the supreme ruler, I fear that not contributing a single penny would diminish my dignity." He picked up a folding fan beside him, looked at Wang Hao, and said, "The court's expenditure of troops, funds, and provisions is governed by regulations, and I'm afraid it's difficult to allocate them to you, my dear minister. I present you with this folding fan, hoping you will understand my predicament." Wang Hao accepted the fan from Emperor Huizong and said, "Your humble servant will certainly not fail Your Majesty's grace!" The music ended, the crowd dispersed, and the dragon boat returned to Tokyo. Gao Qiu hurried to catch up with Cai Jing and asked, "Grand Tutor, what do you think of Wang Hao?" Cai Jing replied coldly, "This man is cunning and not on our side, yet he enjoys the Emperor's favor. We must be wary." Gao Qiu said, "Once he leaves the capital and loses the Emperor's support, Grand Tutor and I can easily eliminate him." Cai Jing nodded and said, "We should join forces to suppress anyone in the capital who is close to Wang Hao. What do you think, Grand Tutor?" Gao Qiu replied, "That's exactly what I'm thinking. Lin Chong, the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards, has an excellent relationship with Wang Hao. Let's start by taking action against him and curb Wang Hao's arrogance. What do you think, Grand Tutor?" Cai Jing nodded and said, "Agreed!"

After the performance, Wang Hao didn't return to his lodgings but instead went to Fanlou. In Fanlou, Li Shishi had changed out of her dance costume and was now wearing a red gauze dress. Seeing Wang Hao arrive, she smiled and said, "Little brother, have you fallen for your sister? We just met during the day, and you're here at Fanlou again tonight?" Wang Hao sighed and said, "I don't want to compete with others, but why do some people seem to be unable to bear seeing me succeed?" Just as Li Shishi was about to speak, a maid came to announce, "Mr. Zhou and a gentleman wish to see you, young lady?" Li Shishi asked, "A gentleman?" The maid replied, "Mr. Zhou is very respectful to that person." Li Shishi looked at Wang Hao... She said, "Sister, I can be the center of attention on the dragon boat, but faced with this situation, I have no choice but to play along. This is reality, and it's unavoidable." She then instructed the maid, "Please ask Mr. Zhou and that gentleman to wait in the private room on the second floor. I'll be downstairs immediately." Wang Hao was already feeling annoyed, and this situation only fueled his resentment. He took out a folding fan from his waist and handed it to the maid, saying, "Tell them the owner of this fan is here." The fan Wang Hao had taken out was the one bestowed upon him by Emperor Huizong, with Huizong's paintings and inscriptions on its surface. A moment later, the maid took back the fan and said, "Mr. Zhou and that gentleman were extremely frightened upon seeing your fan, and ran out of Fanlou without saying a word. It's very strange!" Li Shishi laughed and said, "Brother, you've learned to use someone else's influence now." Wang Hao replied, "I was unhappy and only wanted to consult you, sister, but someone had to disturb me at this time, so I had no choice."

Li Shishi picked up the folding fan and said, "What if my brother didn't have His Majesty's folding fan today?" Wang Hao said, "There would be no way to help him!" Li Shishi nodded and said, "There are too many things in life that are beyond our control. Don't blame fate or others; you can only blame yourself for being less skilled. The center of the Song Dynasty is Bianjing (Kaifeng), and the center of Bianjing is the Emperor. If you win the Emperor's favor, you are destined to become a thorn in the side of countless powerful ministers. Whether you want to continue on this path or not, you must continue." Wang Hao said, "If you get tired of it, can't you just go back to Liangshan Marsh and become a fisherman?" Li Shishi shook her head and said, "No. Once you are seen as a threat, you will always be a threat. They won't rest until they get rid of you. If one day there is no..." "If anyone attacks you again, it's because they dare not attack again," Wang Hao said. "I don't understand. There was no Eight Immortals Wine in the world. I brewed it, presented it to the Emperor, distributed it to the ministers, and sold it to everyone. I didn't steal anything from anyone, and no one lost anything because of my appearance. So why do some people treat me as an enemy?" Li Shishi sneered and said, "A commoner is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. What you invent may not be yours; only what you can guard is truly yours. If it weren't for the Emperor's favor, I would be nothing more than a plaything in Fanlou. But with the Emperor's favor, I am the talisman of the entire Fanlou. Without my permission, whoever dares to set foot in this room, I can send them to Lingnan to feed the mosquitoes tomorrow."

Wang Hao shook his head and said, "I don't love power, I only love freedom, to live freely between heaven and earth." Li Shishi smiled innocently and said, "If there is no power, how can there be freedom? Little brother, don't go astray!" Wang Hao sighed and said, "I understood what you said on the dragon boat, but why is it like this?" Li Shishi said, "Don't ask why, this is reality." Wang Hao had dinner at Fanlou and then returned to his residence.

The next day, Wang Hao, dressed in his official robes, went to the Palace Guard to retrieve the case files. Wang Hao's deeds had already spread throughout the officialdom of Tokyo. The officials of the Palace Guard looked at Wang Hao with complex expressions, yet none dared to be negligent. Wang Hao ignored the crowd and simply took out the case files he needed to examine. Upon opening the files, Wang Hao was surprised to find the name "Yang Zhi" written on them. Wang Hao looked at the clerk and asked, "Is Yang Zhi the former commander?" The clerk replied, "Indeed." Wang Hao then asked, "Do you have any detailed information about this person?" The clerk replied, "Please wait a moment, Lord Wang. I will go and inquire immediately." Half an hour later, the clerk returned and said, "This man is from a family of three generations of generals, the grandson of Yang Linggong, one of the Five Marquises. He was born in Guanzhong and once took the military examination." Wang Hao took out a small piece of silver and handed it to the clerk, who beamed and quickly hid it in his sleeve. Wang Hao asked, "How can we find this person?" The clerk replied, "This person is currently a criminal and has fled elsewhere; his whereabouts are unknown." Wang Hao said, "So, it seems we can't find him?" The clerk said, "Not necessarily." Wang Hao asked, "How can we find him?" The clerk said, "Yang Zhi has fled to avoid punishment. If you, sir, simply have notices posted at various post stations stating that the court has reassigned him, ordering him to await punishment and perform meritorious service, it won't be difficult to get him back to Dongjing." Wang Hao thought this was feasible and asked, "How can we get the post stations to post notices?" The clerk said, "Sir, write the notices, affix the official seal of the Palace Guard, and then pay the post stations a fee; naturally, someone will post them."