Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 854 Cleansing the Emperor's Side (Bonus Chapter for JJM Alliance Leader)

On New Year's Day, the Song Dynasty imperial family would hold a series of celebrations and sacrificial rites.

Although the Song Dynasty suffered a defeat in Shaanxi, losing 90,000 soldiers and a prince who was captured by the Jin Dynasty and whose whereabouts remain unknown to this day...

But the Song Dynasty of today is finally more powerful and vigorous than it was before, when it was weak and limp like a snake.

The Dali Kingdom ceded Xiliang Prefecture to the Song Dynasty.

The Western Xia Kingdom had become the Western Xia Road of the Song Dynasty.

At least in Shaanxi, the Song Dynasty still occupied Tianshui.

Whether their intentions were genuine or not, the new Kim Jong-un, Goryeo, and Japan all sent "envoys to congratulate the new emperor," treating them with utmost respect as if they were their suzerain states.

This is Pai Noodles!
This was a display of grandeur that the Song Dynasty had never seen since its founding.

This is also the first New Year after the young emperor assumed personal rule, and it is a comprehensive demonstration of his governing ability over the past year.

Therefore, this New Year's Day is celebrated with exceptional solemnity.

During the morning court session, envoys from various countries, royal relatives, and all civil and military officials would hold a grand assembly to pay homage to the emperor.

The young Emperor Zhao Qi, dressed in his most solemn imperial robes, ascended the throne in the main hall to receive congratulatory messages from his officials and to be greeted with shouts of "Long live the Emperor!"

The only drawback was that the palace was too small.

There weren't enough room for so many ministers to stand; they had to take turns presenting their petitions.

The young emperor, seated high on his throne, couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

Lin'an City was unusually lively today.

Celebrating the harvest, bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new, paying respects, warding off cold and illness, exorcising evil spirits, offering sacrifices, entertainment...

The city was bustling with noise.

Clean the courtyard, replace the door gods, hang Zhong Kui (a deity associated with evil spirits), nail peach wood charms, perform exorcism rituals, set off firecrackers, bathe in fragrant water, drink Tusu wine, and solemnly dress to worship ancestors, etc...

These are all folk customs.

Empress Dowager Wu and Empress Dowager Xie waited until evening, when the emperor urged them to go to Zongyang Palace to celebrate with the royal family and the people, but they still did not see Grand Princess Song Luxi come to pay her respects.

Lady Xie was wearing a light blue jacket and leaning against a Suzhou-embroidered backrest with a pillow.

A tree shaped like a hundred monkeys playing nearby cast a hazy glow on her, making her appear even more radiant and beautiful.

Princess Jia sat on the edge of the couch, bearing a resemblance to her mother of about six or seven parts.

The only difference is that Xie Shi is like a ripe peach, while Zhao Ning'er is like a bud with its petals just beginning to bloom.

Neither the mother nor her daughter looked well.

The Grand Princess has actually forgotten the proper etiquette of visiting the palace to pay respects on New Year's Day and having family reunions?

It's impossible to forget.

This clearly shows they didn't want to come.

Yes, her husband sacrificed so much for the Song Dynasty.

But now they are in the north, their fate unknown, their whereabouts unknown, and the imperial court is only going through the motions, with no intention of rescuing them at all. Who would feel comfortable in that situation?

The chief eunuch stood below the steps and urged them softly once more.

Zhao Ning'er suddenly stood up angrily: "Grandmother, Mother, Ning'er is not feeling well, so I won't go."

"Better go."

Sitting at the head of the table, silently sipping her light tea, Madam Wu put down her teacup and sighed softly.

"Today is the first New Year's Day since your elder brother assumed power, so it is being celebrated with extra solemnity."

"You are the only legitimate princess of our Great Song Dynasty. If you don't go, there will be criticism from the people."

As soon as Madam Wu stood up, Madam Xie and Zhao Ning'er also stood up.

Zhao Ning'er held the Empress Dowager in high esteem, and upon hearing her words, she pursed her lips and remained silent.

Upon seeing this, Empress Dowager Xie raised her voice to the chief eunuch waiting below the steps and said, "Prepare the carriage. The Empress Dowager is going to Zongyang Palace."

The head eunuch breathed a sigh of relief and quickly withdrew to make the arrangements.

……

At Zongyang Palace, the imperial relatives and civil and military officials had already arrived.

The Lunar New Year is a time for reflection and review of the past year.

Looking back on this year, some people are happy while others are sad.

Those who were happy were mostly members of the Crown Prince's faction or civil and military officials who promptly sided with the Crown Prince's faction.

Those who forced smiles were former officials of the previous dynasty, especially those who had close ties with Prince Zhao Qu of Jin and Prince Yang Yuan of Yan.

Over the past year, they have certainly seen everything the young emperor has done.

Especially in the hundred-odd days after the Prince of Jin returned power to the Jin state and the Prince of Yan went to the Jin state, the young emperor's actions were noteworthy.

There were a few who were promoted in name only but demoted in reality.

Several of them "retired and returned to their hometowns."

Several who performed poorly in the examinations were transferred, demoted, or exiled.
They saw it all.

From various signs that were no longer subtle, even some officials with a poor political sense began to feel a sense of unease, as if a storm was brewing.

Today is New Year's Day, a time when people most easily look back on the past and look forward to the future.

The past year has been so terrible, what awaits them in the coming year?

Of course, the same thing can have very different effects depending on how it is perceived by different people.

The officials from the Eastern Palace faction, on the other hand, were all beaming with pride.

On the exquisitely carved lacquered table, there were several delicate porcelain dishes with elegant patterns.

The plate contained some fruit-filled pastries and candied snacks.

Fan Chengda and Yu Yunwen sat upright before the table, their faces indifferent, showing no interest in tasting the snacks, even though they were made in the palace.

They were somewhat uncertain about the future. Xiao Yiran and Lu Chengze were both now high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Personnel, attracting considerable attention.

Therefore, people would often come up to them and exchange a few pleasantries.

Although the two agreed with smiles and chatted for a few minutes, their smiles vanished as soon as the other person left.

Their situation is actually not good either.

Yang Yuan's mark is too deep on them.

The young emperor already had the intention and the actions to take action against them, but the Ministry of Heaven was of paramount importance.

Moreover, they really have no faults to find, so it will take some more time.

However, officials from the Crown Prince's faction have begun to be gradually placed in important departments of the Ministry of Personnel to begin the transition.

The Song Dynasty of today is no longer plagued by rampant bureaucracy, nor is it burdened by deep-seated political problems or militarily weak.

Instead, it quickly achieved a series of outstanding results, but then quickly encountered major setbacks. The young emperor did not understand the principle that "governing is not easy, and both leniency and severity are difficult," and he was impatient to carry out a "blood transfusion," which led to a series of new contradictions that were about to erupt.

Chaos abounds, with various forces deeply entrenched, some seeking to parasitize, others to squeeze out, and still others to retaliate—all are gathering strength.

So, the powder keg stood there quietly amidst the bright lights, ready to jump out and become the sole protagonist at any moment.

……

Large ships, like giant beasts under the night sky, sailed toward the ferry crossing in Lin'an.

Because the garrison at Ganpu did not intercept them, their memorial to the court was being delivered at an outrageously slow pace.

It is currently New Year's Day, and many government offices are closed and closed for the holidays, so no one in the imperial court knows about it yet.

However, precisely because it was during the Spring Festival, the inland waterways of Lin'an were decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, filled with laughter and bustling with people.

There were very few merchants and travelers still on the move on New Year's Eve, so there weren't many boats on the outer waterways.

The wealthy Wang from Longshan Ferry had received advance notice and prepared food for thousands of people.

As soon as the boat docked, baskets and bowls of noodles, rice, wine, meat, and dishes were delivered to the pier in carts.

On the largest flagship, right on the deck, many people sat on the floor, and their food was served in large baskets and basins.

No one cared about etiquette; they just sat on the ground and ate heartily.

Some people were so lazy they didn't even bother using chopsticks. They would put the meat and vegetables into their bowls, then roll up the flatbread in one hand and grab the meat and vegetables with the other to eat. Their poor and disgusting appearance was indescribable.

"The emperor was young and unable to distinguish between loyalty and treachery. This led to the gathering of treacherous officials who deceived the emperor, disrupted the court, and harmed loyal and virtuous people..."

The rebel leaders, including some of the generals of the two thousand light cavalry, were illiterate or could only read a few characters; some could only write their own names.

Therefore, Yang Yuan tried his best to explain his next actions to them in a way they could understand.

This was not a "mobilization order," because these "sacrificial animals" abandoned in the Jin Kingdom would have exploded long ago if Yang Yuan and Xin Qiji hadn't been keeping them in check.

Yes, Yang Yuan won the hearts of these rough men with his feat of sharing life and death with them for over a hundred days and ultimately leading them to survival.

They have truly accepted this king.

Yang Yuan has summoned these generals, both high and low, not to mobilize them, but to instill in them a very important matter:

Brothers, we're not rebelling, we're 'purging the court of corrupt officials'!
Come on, repeat after me loudly:

"Clear, Your Majesty's side!"

Yang Yuan explained this principle to them repeatedly until they had eaten their fill, drunk their fill, and grown impatient. Only then did he wave his hand.

"Return to your respective units and lead your men into action!"

The leaders, both big and small, were as if granted a pardon; they immediately scrambled to their feet and scattered in a flurry.

Yang Yuan frowned deeply upon seeing this. Having led troops for so long, he truly couldn't stand these disorganized and undisciplined scoundrels.

How can something be accomplished if it's so disobedient?
……

Lin'an has many waterways and mountains as well.

The northwest, southwest, and southeast sides of West Lake form a horseshoe-shaped mountain range, with an inner ring and an outer ring.

This mountain is divided into two major sections, the South Mountain and the North Mountain, with Tianzhu Mountain as the boundary.

Wushan belongs to the inner circle, which is part of the Nanshan area.

On the first peak of Wu Mountain, Wu Ting is gently wiping his Wu hook.

The Wu hook is a curved sword. Although the Song army mainly used straight swords, the use of curved swords was still quite high.

Moreover, since the laws of the Song Dynasty did not prohibit curved knives, Wu hooks were also commonly seen among the common people.

The Wu hook in Wu Ting's hand was naturally extremely sharp, gleaming with a cold light under the dim lamp.

The hall was very quiet. Today was New Year's Day, and Lou Wangchen, who actually controlled the Infantry Division and was a close minister of the emperor, had also gone to Zongyang Palace for a banquet.

Since taking up his post in the capital, Wu Ting, a valiant general of the Western Army who had been law-abiding for several years, said, "I'll stay and guard the barracks." Lou Wangchen didn't even bother with formalities and left smugly.

"Commander, the troops are assembled!"

A valiant general, clad in armor and boots, strode into the command hall with a resounding gait, and stood at attention with his hand on his sword.

Wu Ting slowly raised his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in them like the Wu hook in his hand.

Wu Ting joined the army at a young age. Although he had the advantage of a family background, he stood out from his twelve brothers and became Wu Lin's most valued son. He was no easy person to be compared to.

Did you really think that for the past five years, he had only been cultivating his mind and body on the first peak of Wushan?
Lou Wangchen, who knew nothing about military affairs, was completely unaware that he had been sidelined.

Wu Ting said in a deep voice: "Anyone above the rank of captain who is unreliable, kill them all!"

"promise!"

"At the second quarter of Hai hour, the infantry of Tieye Ridge and the infantry of Qianliangsi Ridge set off into the city and took control of Zongyang Palace and the Imperial Palace respectively."

The Xixi Infantry Commandery, controlling the Xixi Cavalry Commandery, must prevent their entry and exit. If attacked, they must hold out until dawn!

The armored man grinned, his face radiating an aura of iron-bloodedness: "Don't worry, Commander Bu, there, the Cavalry Commander is like a dragon trapped in shallow waters; they can't do anything about it."

Wu Ting waved his hand, and the armored man turned and strode away.

Wu Ting slowly got up, hung the Wu Hook on his waist, and strode out.

Wielding Wu spears and clad in rhinoceros armor, chariots clashed and short weapons engaged!
(End of this chapter)