Chapter 20: What Is There to Fear? I Have Done Him No Wrong
Madam Fu listened to Zhao Guangyi’s words and found them quite reasonable. No matter how one looked at it, Shuan Ge could never compare to her own husband.
“That man truly comes from a thousand years in the future, able to recount everything both my husband and Shuan Ge will do in the days to come. I also believe that His Majesty will make a wise choice and pass the throne to my husband. But... what worries me is that this man first encountered Shuan Ge, and it was Shuan Ge who led him to His Majesty. I fear there may be bias, distortion of truth, and twisting of facts.”
“That too is my concern,” Zhao Guangyi nodded thoughtfully, feeling that Madam Fu and he were of one mind.
When it came to actual achievements and ability, he felt no fear at all toward Zhao Dezhao. Not to mention that brat Zhao Dezhao, even his elder brother did not intimidate him. If he ascended the throne, his achievements would surpass those of Emperor Taizong of Tang, shining so brightly as to overshadow Li Yuan, the founding emperor, just as Taizong had done.
“Though that man was first encountered by that brat Zhao Dezhao, it does not necessarily mean he would deliberately twist facts to slander me. Justice lies in the hearts of men. With my talents and the unprecedented merits I will achieve in the future, if that man truly comes from a thousand years later, then as long as he has even a shred of conscience, he will not distort truth and malign me, the emperor for all eternity. Moreover, if he maligns me and Zhao Dezhao becomes emperor, surely he would be doomed to fail miserably. Would he not worry about failing to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, failing to repel the Liao cavalry, losing the Central Plains to the Liao, and bringing ruin upon his own house? Surely he must consider his own life. Besides, though I did not first encounter him or recommend him to my elder brother, I have not offended him. Why would he deliberately slander me?”
“Your insight is admirable!” Madam Fu was deeply convinced, feeling her husband’s words made perfect sense.
“Haha, these are merely hypotheses, not to be taken as truth. How could that man possibly be from a thousand years in the future? There must be hidden reasons we do not yet understand. Still, I say again—if that man really is from a thousand years later, I will have my head cut off!”
“Pooh, pooh, pooh! Husband, why do you say such things?” Madam Fu fretted anxiously.
Zhao Guangyi laughed carelessly, unbothered. He dared not swear lightly about other matters, but on this issue, he was truly confident. Not only would he not fear losing his head, but even if it were his entire family’s heads at stake, he would say the same!
...
“Where have you been these past few days? And what about the perfume?”
In a residence within Bianjing City, a man nearing fifty scolded a plump man in his thirties without restraint.
“Uncle, the... the perfume... it couldn’t be done.”
The man stammered slightly.
“What happened?”
The middle-aged man’s face immediately darkened.
“Do you think I gave you too little?”
“Uncle, your kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain. I could never repay it even if I worked as a beast of burden my whole life. The perfume is good, but it pales in comparison to your benevolence.”
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man’s expression softened again.
“You still have some conscience! What kind of trouble did you encounter?”
“Uncle, that thief boy switched sides and ran off with someone else.”
“What kind of person dares to be so bold? To even snatch my Hu? Is he courting death?” The man’s anger flared.
As a third-rank official before the prime minister and as Prince of Jin, Zhao Guangyi ranked above the prime minister. This middle-aged man held a significant position in the Jin Prince’s mansion, far beyond a mere gatekeeper. Such a reaction was understandable.
“Uncle, it was... the Second Prince.”
Hmm?!
The middle-aged man was stunned, stammering.
“Are you mocking me? How could the Second Prince be involved in this?”
“Uncle, I dare not deceive you. It’s absolutely true. I personally questioned that thief boy’s uncle and aunt; they said the Second Prince happened to pass by. The thief boy, out of who knows what courage, barged in. He wasn’t killed and was taken away by the Second Prince. According to my investigation these past few days, it turns out he was even brought into the palace by the Second Prince…”
At this, the steward of the Zhao household was utterly speechless. His expression fluctuated, and after a long silence, he exhaled heavily with some relief.
“Fortunately, fortunately, I hadn’t sent those bottles of perfume up yet. Had I sent them and everything was settled, but then I couldn’t get the perfume, it would have been a serious problem!”
“Good thing it didn’t ruin your great plan, uncle. Otherwise, no matter how many times I died, I couldn’t atone for it…”
The man also brightened.
Then, with a hint of caution, he asked, “Uncle, should we report this matter to higher-ups, so that His Highness the Jin Prince can be forewarned and avoid future troubles?”
The steward thought for a moment and shook his head. “This matter ends here. You forget it, I forget it, and no one else must mention it again. His Highness, the Imperial Household, and the Second Prince are family; their private affairs need no interference from us.”
Though he said this, in truth he feared that revealing the matter would bring the Jin Prince’s wrath. Better to keep quiet—neither too trivial nor too grave, it was best concealed. He reasoned it would not affect the Jin Prince adversely…
...
Several large ships left the ferry crossing, heading toward the northern bank of the river.
These ships were unlike ordinary vessels—first in their size, second in their heavy guard.
Onboard were figures far above common folk in status: Li Yu, the surrendered ruler of Southern Tang, and his relatives.
The ships passed just over a mile downstream from the pontoon bridge.
Li Yu, dressed in splendid robes, regarded the pontoon bridge—guarded by heavily armed troops on both ends, rising and falling with the river’s surging waves, connected by boats, planks, and ropes—with a complex expression.
He wished he could set the bridge ablaze!
It was this very pontoon bridge that linked north and south, turning a natural barrier into a thoroughfare, allowing Zhao Song to continuously transport troops, provisions, and weapons to attack his capital, leading to his downfall.
But alas, such thoughts were nothing more than wishes. Even commanding great armies, he had never been able to do so; much less now.
His gaze drifted away from the bridge and turned back to see the capital, Jiangning City, growing ever more distant.
The city he knew, possessed, and had lived in for many years was ultimately to be left behind.
And most likely, he would never set foot there again in his lifetime.
He was no longer emperor but a humiliated fallen king, exiled to a foreign land, awaiting an unknown fate…
Naturally melancholic, this scene stirred countless sorrows within him.
Beside him stood a beautiful woman in her twenties, who took out an inkstone and ink, poured some tea water, and gently ground the ink.
She then spread the finest Xuan paper on the desk, weighed it down with a jade paperweight, and placed a brush on the brush rack.
As she completed these preparations, the ship was about to reach the northern shore.
Li Yu, who had been gazing at the fading outline of Jiangning City, turned and approached the desk.
He dipped the brush in ink, and each character leapt onto the paper as if flowing from his heart’s deepest sorrows, not mere words.
With a flourish, he finished and threw the brush down, finally unable to hold back tears.
The beautiful woman beside him—Lady Xiao Zhou—reached out and clasped Li Yu’s hand tightly in comfort.
Through tear-filled eyes, she turned to the desk and silently recited in her heart—
“Old homes of Jiangnan and Jiangbei, a dream of thirty years.
The Wu Garden and palace halls now desolate,
Clouds veil distant hills with a thousand sorrows,
Rain beats the homebound boat with ten thousand tears.
Four brothers, three hundred souls,
Unable to sit idly and ponder…”
Having finished the poem, Lady Xiao Zhou wept bitterly…
...
“My lord, Changzhou and Runzhou are fertile lands. We must firmly hold them and never let them fall into Song hands!”
Someone looked at King Qian Chu of Wuyue and spoke solemnly.