I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 140 Duke Xiuguo's Lofty Righteousness
"Have you heard? Grand Commandant Tong has recaptured Yanjing! Our Great Song Dynasty can finally hold its head high!"

"I heard that back then, Emperor Taizu made a grand vow and set aside a sum of money to redeem Yan and Yun from the Liao people. After a full 150 years, our Great Song Dynasty has finally recovered Yan and Yun!"

After Tong Guan redeemed Yanjing, he immediately began to boast and publicize his achievements. Yanjing was redeemed in June, and by July, the news was everywhere in Bianliang (Kaifeng), the capital of the Eastern Capital, and the people were rushing about, creating a scene of great prosperity.

Who could have imagined that within just two years, this glorious period of "Northern Expedition and Restoration" would take a sharp turn for the worse, plunging the country into an abyss of national subjugation?

Ordinary people, unaware of the truth, were immediately captivated by the exaggerated achievements and were greatly excited.

However, Tong Guan had many political enemies; many had tried to sabotage his Northern Expedition. Now that the deal was finally reached, some people inevitably voiced their dissent, emphasizing that it was not Tong Guan's achievement, but rather the result of squandering public funds and resources through extortion and bribery.

To emphasize that Tong Guan's contributions are unreliable, it is necessary to introduce several hardliners who argue their case and win glory for the country during negotiations.

At this time, Zhao Zicheng, who supposedly "exposed Tong Guan's attempt to cover up his actions to the emperor so that Tong Guan would have no weaknesses, and ultimately forced the Jin people to accept the price reduction," was praised by the Qingliu faction and those who opposed Tong Guan.

After all, Zhao Zicheng had indeed made contributions, and even the official propaganda channels of the imperial court could not prohibit the promotion of Zhao Zicheng.

For a time, with the tacit approval and even encouragement of the reformist faction and the opposition, almost all the students of the Imperial Academy who remained in Tokyo began to spread rumors about Zhao Zicheng's uprightness and his ability to argue based on reason.

In particular, Chen Dong and others who were classmates with Zhao Zicheng back then, as well as those Imperial Academy students who were at odds with Cai Jing and Tong Guan, all worked very hard.

Zhao Zicheng's reputation among the people rose sharply once again. The students of the Imperial Academy described him as a righteous and awe-inspiring man like Lin Xiangru and Su Wu, who did not shy away from swords and did not fail in his mission. His reputation was far higher than that of Cao Liyong during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong.

Although Cao Cao facilitated the Treaty of Chanyuan, he did agree to pay the Liao Dynasty an annual tribute of 300,000 taels of silver. However, Zhao Zicheng, under the barbaric pressure from the Jin Dynasty demanding both the annual tribute and a one-time military compensation, resolutely refused to back down and abolished the tribute agreement.

"Have you heard? If it weren't for Zhao Zicheng's reasoned argument, our Great Song Dynasty would have had to transfer the annual tribute that we had been paying to the Liao Dynasty for over a hundred years to the Jin Dynasty!"

"I heard that during the negotiations, the Jin people had a knife to Zhao Zicheng's neck, but he remained fearless and refused to surrender. He was truly a great hero, a great man, and a great man."

Of course, no students of the Imperial Academy would witness these negotiations firsthand, but as is always the case with rumors, they become more and more exaggerated as they spread. Before long, wealthy students of the Imperial Academy in Fanlou, Tokyo, were talking about these things every day.

The last time Zhao Zicheng's reputation soared like this was when he petitioned to abolish the Flower and Stone Tribute and later, after his release from prison, he nominally killed Zhu Mian. However, at that time, his supporters were mainly officials and scholars from the Jiangnan faction, and those who supported him in the capital city of Kaifeng were also primarily from Jiangnan.

As for the common people and scholars in other parts of the Song Dynasty, the impact of abolishing the Flower and Stone Tribute and executing Zhu Mian was not so obvious. Although they had heard of Zhao Zicheng's reputation at the time, they were more interested in watching the spectacle.

Three years later, Zhao Zicheng was once again the talk of the world. This time, his good name was known to all, regardless of region or age. As long as one was a citizen of the Song Dynasty, upon hearing that he had fought for the abolition of the tribute system, one would admire him to some extent.

……

Zhao Zicheng's achievements had already generated such a great deal of legend and momentum among the people that it was impossible to completely conceal them from the emperor.

Moreover, the negotiations with Jin were to be reported directly to the emperor, who would then know Zhao Zicheng's contributions; it was impossible to keep it a secret.

All Tong Guan could do was to discuss things in advance with Zhao Zicheng, agree on a unified narrative, and then give the emperor a heads-up by exaggerating the military achievements of restoring Yan and downplaying the diplomatic achievements.

Tong Guan needed Zhao Zicheng's cooperation to do this, because Zhao Zicheng would be directly summoned back to the capital to meet the emperor—as a diplomatic envoy, returning to report after completing his mission would certainly require an audience with the emperor. This was completely different from Zhao Zicheng's previous promotions based on military merit.

This also means that Zhao Zicheng will have his first formal audience with the emperor. Although he knows in his heart that he had already met Zhao Ji's uncle in disguise before he became an official, those things cannot be said to others.

This time, we'll have to play it by ear. If it's in public, and the emperor and his subject are far apart, and he doesn't dare to look up, he can pretend he didn't recognize the other person and get away with it.

If there's an opportunity for a private, one-on-one meeting, then there's no other way. In that case, you can only pretend you just recognized Zhao Ji and apologize for your outrageous remarks from back then—of course, considering that these two distant uncle and nephew only meet once every four or five years, it's normal that they wouldn't recognize each other. In short, just be flexible and improvise.

Tong Guan was well aware of this, so before returning to the capital, he repeatedly asked Zhao Zicheng to confirm, so that he wouldn't mess things up when he spoke.

While his demeanor wasn't quite as exaggerated as when he went to inspect Tianjin Station with Boss Dai or when Station Master Wu tried to collude with Yu, it was definitely "treating people with respect and courtesy."

Zhao Zicheng, of course, also had to do what Yu did, implying that "this humble official knows how to say things that are most beneficial to the Chancellor."

After hearing his promise, Tong Guan also rewarded him with benefits, implying: As long as you follow the plan and don't mess things up, once it's done, if the Emperor bestows upon us the title of Prince, then you, Zhao Zicheng, will also be promoted one rank!
Tong Guan will use all his political influence to ensure the deal goes through smoothly.

One day at the end of July, Tong Guan, Zhao Liangsi, and Zhao Zicheng arrived in Tokyo one after another.

Emperor Huizong was extremely excited, after all, it was the recovery of lost territory and the recapture of Yan and Yun (in fact, the three prefectures including Yunzhou had not yet been taken back, only "Yan" had been taken back), which was a great achievement that even Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong had not accomplished!
Therefore, he immediately summoned Tong Guan and other key generals in charge of military operations, and rewarded them handsomely. Tong Guan exaggerated all the battle results, and did his best to turn anything that could be "gained through negotiation" into "gained through hard-fought battle."

At least 70% of the final results were inflated, with only 30% being genuine. But regardless of whether the results were inflated or not, the same amount of land was indeed recovered, only the methods used were different from what was reported.

Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) knew nothing about military affairs, and after being flattered and misled, he accepted the outcome.

A few days later, after a formal court assembly discussion, Emperor Huizong of Song generously followed the late Emperor Shenzong's will and conferred upon Tong Guan the title of Prince of Guangyang!

Guangyang Commandery was the commandery where the ancient capital of Yan (Yanjing)/Ji County was located.

Although Emperor Huizong's predecessor was Emperor Zhezong of Song, Emperor Zhezong was only his elder brother, while Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu, was his father. As a son, he was obligated to follow the will left by his father, which was something no one dared to oppose, and could be considered a form of "inheritance".

According to Emperor Shenzong's original intention, anyone who could completely recover the lost territories of Yan and Yun by force could be directly granted the title of Prince of Yan! It's just that Tong Guan's military achievements this time were flawed, and in the end, he had to spend money to redeem part of them. Moreover, the key point is that there are still three surrounding prefectures of Yunzhou that have not been recovered.

After these discounts, the Prince of Yan, a prince of the first rank, was reduced to the Prince of Guangyang.

After finally being granted the title of king, Tong Guan's prestige reached its peak, but he still dared not let his guard down. He could only breathe a sigh of relief after the emperor had received Zhao Liangsi and Zhao Zicheng and after everyone's reports were inconsistent.

Over the next five days, Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) took the time to meet with Zhao Liangsi and Zhao Zicheng. As for the other lower-ranking officials in the delegation, the emperor did not have the time to meet them all in person.

There's really nothing to elaborate on about the process of Emperor Huizong meeting Zhao Liangsi; everything was proceeding according to the script that Tong Guan had prepared in advance.

When Zhao Zicheng met with the host, Zhao Zicheng did not give away any lines, but because of his special status, some minor incidents still occurred.

Early that morning, Zhao Zicheng first met with the emperor at the formal court assembly and spoke on matters. Afterwards, he was summoned to the emperor's study alone.

Zhao Zicheng naturally dared not be negligent and immediately performed a grand ceremony upon entering.

"Your subject, Prince Cheng of Xiu County, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Emperor Huizong looked at his distant nephew with amusement, sizing him up and down. He remained silent for a long time before suddenly chuckling softly.
"Why are you being so formal? Just call yourself your nephew."

The emperor's nephews, if they were very closely related by blood, such as the sons of princes, could indeed refer to themselves as "your subject's nephew" when paying homage to the emperor.

However, Zhao Zicheng was a distant relative of the imperial clan, having already separated from the main branch for six generations. According to etiquette, he absolutely could not refer to himself as "your nephew," as it would be an overstepping of his bounds. But since the emperor had already spoken, even if it was a special favor, Zhao Zicheng could only bow again in gratitude: "Your nephew is filled with trepidation!"

Zhao Ji laughed heartily: "I heard that when you were in Goryeo, you argued with reason and persuaded the Goryeo people to willingly acknowledge that the land our Song army had taken back belonged to the Song Dynasty. You also argued with the Jin people with reason and persuaded them to stop demanding tribute."

Why are you so trembling before me? Is this the same courage as Lin Xiangru and Su Wu of old? Many ministers in the court now say you far surpass Cao Liyong of Emperor Zhenzong's reign.”

Zhao Zicheng replied neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Your Majesty, I dare not compare myself to the ancients. I believe that the reason we were able to fulfill our mission this time is mainly due to the Emperor's great fortune and the mandate of heaven on our Great Song. At that time, I seemed to have noticed a problem: the King of Jin seemed to be seriously ill. I bet that the Jin people could not afford to delay any longer than our Great Song, which is why I argued on this matter."

"If it weren't for the Emperor's will to shorten the Emperor's lifespan, even if I, your nephew, uttered eloquent words and proclaimed golden lotuses springing from the earth, I would not be able to abolish the annual tribute!"

Zhao Zicheng said that it was inconvenient to say these words at the grand court assembly. After all, taking advantage of the fact that someone else's monarch might die of illness to plunder and exploit them is not something a country like the Song Dynasty, which considers itself a superior nation, can openly proclaim.

Therefore, at this moment, with no outsiders present, Zhao Zicheng spoke frankly and sincerely from the bottom of his heart.

Zhao Ji was indeed quite surprised upon hearing this, and at the same time, his interest was piqued: "Oh? Is Wanyan Aguda about to die? Does he have any health now...?"

Zhao Zicheng said: "Your nephew dares not speculate, but according to common sense, even if something were to happen to Aguda, the Jin people would most likely choose to keep his death a secret in order to avoid shaking his morale."

Your nephew believes that the Jurchens, with their wolfish ambitions, are not necessarily true to their word by returning the land and fulfilling their obligations to our Great Song Dynasty. Perhaps they are simply powerless and forced into this situation.

Therefore, our Great Song should not easily relax its border defenses against the Jin Dynasty, nor should it act rashly to gain more benefits that have not yet been clearly distributed, thus giving the Jin Dynasty a handle to use against us. Although it is easy to find a pretext to condemn someone, as long as we are careful and do not give the Jin Dynasty a handle to use against us, we can still delay the time for recuperation and development.

The Yan region is now devastated and will require years of rebuilding to regain its stability. As long as our Great Song acts prudently in the coming years, avoiding giving others ammunition, in time, as the tide turns and our power diminishes, our Great Song will surely overcome these difficult times…

Zhao Zicheng's last sentence was a little excessive, but he couldn't leave it unsaid. His intentions were good, but Zhao Ji disliked the phrase "difficult times."

In Zhao Ji's view, the world is at peace now, which is simply the greatest prosperity of the dynasty! Cai Jing had long said that the world is now "prosperous and great", and now the glorious military achievements have been completed. With such strong civil and military achievements, what "difficult times" are there?
However, this remark dampened Zhao Ji's enthusiasm for teasing him further. His tone turned slightly cold, and he changed the subject, saying, "Come closer."

Zhao Zicheng knew that the other party would definitely want him to look up and see clearly to see if he recognized the emperor. He also knew that this moment would come sooner or later, and he couldn't possibly never see the emperor again or never bring up his "rudeness" from back then.

Moreover, when Zhao Ji invited him to come closer, he also waved to signal the eunuchs on his left and right to step back to prevent others from eavesdropping.

Zhao Zicheng stepped forward and, as Zhao Ji had requested, looked up. He then pretended to recall something for a moment before turning pale with shock, as if he had just recognized the emperor before him as "Zhao Shicong, the descendant of the King of Pu," whom he had met more than four years ago at Genyue.

"My nephew, I'm so rude!"

Zhao Zicheng, dressed in plain clothes, apologized for his incoherent ramblings before the emperor that year.

Zhao Ji was quite satisfied with the other party's current humble state: "Enough, let's not mention what happened back then. You can be considered innocent of what happened. In the past four or five years, you have been wholeheartedly devoted to the country, which I know."

"Young man, you are ignorant and presumptuous, speaking recklessly about state affairs. However, since you are indeed insightful and your words are meaningful, I will let your rudeness slide. Be more careful in the future!"

Zhao Zicheng pretended to be caught off guard and momentarily panicked, and wrote down his distant uncle's admonition, indicating that he would definitely pay close attention.

However, after this incident, Emperor Huizong was slightly displeased and did not want to give Zhao Zicheng any more official positions.

But he also knew that one's future could not be determined by the emperor's personal mood. Zhao Zicheng had made great contributions to the country this time. Even if it was just a coincidence and good luck that helped the Song Dynasty abolish the tribute system, he should at least be promoted to a higher rank.

However, the specific reasons for the disposal still need to be carefully considered.

After Zhao Ji finished speaking with his distant nephew, he sent him away first.

In the following days, while having the relevant officials follow the proper procedures, Zhao Ji also met with Tong Guan again to discuss the matter.

Tong Guan already knew that Zhao Zicheng had not betrayed him; in fact, he had deliberately given strong advice to the emperor and slightly offended him, giving Tong Guan an excuse to persuade the emperor to turn a blind eye.

Tong Guan, true to his word, eventually persuaded Zhao Zicheng to agree to the arrangement after a series of elaborate and persuasive arguments.

Ultimately, Emperor Huizong himself felt that his nephew's merits were growing, and it would be difficult to control him if he were given more real positions. Moreover, Zhao Zicheng's reputation among the people was indeed too good.

A member of the royal family who enjoys a great reputation among the common people is destined to be suspected by the emperor.

If he has made further contributions, then the only way to deal with him is to "promote him in name only"—to increase his honor and prestige while not giving him any real duties, and even to find excuses to gradually reduce his power in the future.

In August, the latest round of rewards and punishments for Zhao Zicheng were finally announced.

It had only been five months since he was officially granted the title of Duke in March.

Over the course of five months, Zhao Zicheng relied on a series of diplomatic maneuvers, mainly involving verbal communication, as well as some routine local governance and civil administration efforts, and a few minor achievements in training troops and eliminating pirates. These achievements were combined and rewarded, and it was ultimately decided to combine them and elevate his rank by one level.

Zhao Zicheng was finally promoted from Duke of the Commandery to Duke of the State, becoming a true "Duke of Xiu".

His official rank also rose from Tongyi Dafu (a fourth-rank official) to Zhengyi Dafu (a third-rank official) – this is not an exaggeration, because Zhao Liangsi, who had previously been in charge of negotiations between the Song and Jin dynasties, including the "Maritime Alliance," held the official rank of Guanglu Dafu (a third-rank official). Zhao Zicheng was on this mission as Zhao Liangsi's deputy.

It was perfectly reasonable for a senior envoy of the third rank to be accompanied by a junior envoy of the third rank, especially since Zhao Zicheng had participated in the negotiations to abolish the tribute system and played a major role in the negotiations.

If the opportunity arises later, Zhao Ji and Tong Guan may gradually reduce some of Zhao Zicheng's actual official duties. However, in order to silence public opinion, they will definitely promote him by half a rank as a sign of honor when reducing his duties.

Therefore, barring any unforeseen circumstances, it would be quite normal for Zhao Zicheng to eventually rise to the rank of Grand Master of the Palace (a third-rank official) even if he did not achieve any new merits in the following year or so.

Coincidentally, once Zhao Zicheng reached the rank of Grand Master of the Palace, if the Jin Dynasty were to actually invade and the emperor were to send someone to negotiate and rebuke the Jin people for their breach of faith, Zhao Zicheng would be qualified to directly serve as the chief envoy.

As for whether the last bit of real power in the operation will be temporarily weakened or frozen, Zhao Zicheng is not worried.

Because he had foreseen this possibility and was able to make arrangements accordingly.

If such a situation were to occur, he had already reached a behind-the-scenes agreement with Tong Guan, hoping that Tong Guan would promote those who were currently working with Zhao Zicheng and who were indeed talented, to replace Zhao Zicheng in certain tasks.

Moreover, Zhao Zicheng's main power has now shifted to Goryeo, a territory completely isolated from overseas. Zhao Ji has no idea what the situation is there or what has happened.

Therefore, no matter how Zhao Zicheng's temporary assignments are adjusted in the future, he can steadily and surely carry out farming, construction, and technological advancement in Goryeo according to plan, and the pace will not be affected at all.

The darkest hour is just before dawn; just bear with it and it will pass.

(End of this chapter)