Do you have the strength to force me to join the Liangshan bandits?

Chapter 450 Gao Qiu: I will be infamous for eternity! [2 Updates]

"Oh?"

Cai Fu squinted and looked down at him: "What did I say?"

Gao Qiu spoke fluently and effortlessly, his skill was almost pitiful:

"Ball, remember this: if you obey, you won't die!"

Cai Fu laughed heartily: You deserve to be the Grand Commandant!
Since Gao Qiu was so perceptive, Cai Fu decided to give him a chance:
"Tell me, what are the benefits?"

Gao Qiu grinned, his large silver teeth gleaming with obsequiousness.
"The first benefit is that the Emperor has bestowed upon the King of Qi!"

"From this day forward, Your Majesty is the rightful King of Qi. I, your humble servant, must bow down and submit to Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Hua Rong couldn't help but show his delight:

If he could do that, he wouldn't be a traitor!
Hua Rong willingly followed Cai Fu, and had no regrets even when he rebelled.

But he was born into a military family. If he could follow Cai Fu without being a rebel, wouldn't that be both a matter of loyalty and filial piety, and the best of both worlds?

Cai Fu chuckled: "I'll use him to seal it?"
"Just because he didn't grant me a title, does that mean you won't bow down and submit to him when you see me?"

"Ah this..."

Gao Qiu was speechless and could only continue:

"The second benefit is that the Emperor will marry the Princess to the King!"

Oh wow!

Yang Zaixing and He Yuanqing exchanged a glance subconsciously:
We're going to have another godmother, and she's a princess!
As a rebel, this is too exciting!
Cai Fu raised an eyebrow: "Which princess?"

Gao Qiu winked and said, "Princess Maode!"
"Your Majesty, Princess Maode is the most beautiful among all the princesses!"

"This humble official has seen her; she is truly a beauty that could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky, a beauty that could shame the moon and put flowers to shame, a smile that could topple a city, a second smile that could topple a nation..."

Princess Maode, Zhao Fujin?
Cai Fu was slightly taken aback. Actually, he had no interest in becoming Emperor Huizong's son-in-law, but if it were Zhao Fujin...

Zhao Fujin was truly a stunning beauty, but she was kidnapped by the Jurchens during the Jingkang Incident.

He died at the young age of twenty-six.

The Jingkang Incident occurred in 1127 AD, and it is now 1120 AD, which means Zhao Fujin is nineteen years old.

Originally, Zhao Fujin was to marry Cai Jing's son, Cai Tao, but now she is going to become his woman.

Seeing Cai Fu deep in thought upon hearing Zhao Fujin's name, Gao Qiu immediately recalled what Li Bai and Du Fu had said:
The character 安 (ān) is composed of a house on top and a woman on the bottom.

It seems that the matter of accepting amnesty will depend on Zhao Fujin!
Gao Qiu quickly seized the opportunity and said:

"The third benefit is that the Emperor will also give Cangzhou, which is adjacent to Lingzhou, to Your Majesty!"

Wow!

This time, Yang Zaixing, He Yuanqing, and Hua Rong were all overjoyed:
Cangzhou is not only adjacent to Lingzhou, but also separated from Mozhou by only Hejian Prefecture!

Hejian Prefecture is part of the Song Dynasty's territory. The Qi Kingdom can use Hejian Prefecture as a route to connect with Mozhou!

Moreover, Cangzhou is a strategically important military town with vast territory and a large population. The only downside is...

Located next to both the Liao and Jin dynasties, Cai Fu's takeover of Cangzhou meant facing pressure from both sides!

Emperor Huizong's abacus beads have fallen from the capital city of Kaifeng right onto Cai Fu's face!
Cai Fu looked at Gao Qiu with a half-smile:

"Ball, let's put the first two aside for now and tell me about this third benefit. What's so good about it?"

Gao Qiu's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately changed his tone:

"Your Majesty, in fact, gaining Cangzhou would do more harm than good!"
"Because north of Cangzhou lies the Liao and Jin kingdoms, if their armies march south, Cangzhou will be the first to be hit..."

Cai Fu nodded: "So Old Zhao wants me to take the knife for him!"

Gao Qiu panicked, but fortunately, having long served a ruler with a reputation for being treacherous, his mind worked quickly:
"Your Majesty, I also believe this matter is inappropriate!"
"Therefore, I suggested at the time that we should give Zizhou or Mizhou, which are next to Qingzhou, to Your Majesty!"

"It's just that I'm a lowly official with little influence, and the Emperor won't listen to my words..."

Cai Fu smiled: "Your suggestion is good. Very well, I can compromise."

“I’ll accept Cangzhou, but as payment for taking the blow for him, I’ll also accept Zizhou and Mizhou. Qiu’er, go back and tell Old Zhao your proposal. If there are no problems, I can accept the offer of amnesty.”

"what?"

Gao Qiu was completely distraught.
Cangzhou, Zizhou, and Mizhou—that's three prefectures! You call that taking a step back?
Also, I meant Zizhou or Mizhou, not Zizhou and Mizhou...

No, how did this become my suggestion?

If this were my suggestion, the emperor would strangle me when I got back!
Originally, the government intended to exchange one prefecture for another, but I managed to turn this deal into an exchange of three prefectures for one...

I will be remembered in history and infamous for eternity!

"Alright, it's decided then!"

Cai Fu waved his hand dismissively: "You may leave!"

Gao Qiu tried to persuade him again: "Your Majesty, I meant Zizhou or Mizhou, not Zizhou and Mizhou..."

Cai Fu frowned: "What did you say?"
"My two ears can't hear as clearly as your one ear?"

Gao Qiu's heart skipped a beat: "Yes, yes, I misspoke, it's Zizhou and Mizhou!"

"Your Majesty, please wait! This humble official will take his leave!"

Shameless! Who would want to give that to you?
Cai Fu's lips twitched subtly twice, and with a flick of his hand, Gao Qiu slipped out.

No wonder he's a Cuju (ancient Chinese football) master!

Cai Fu smiled, got up, and went to the first guest room.

An Daoquan had already been summoned by Xu Ning to examine Li Du. After the examination, An Daoquan told Cai Fu:

"Your Majesty, this fortune teller has damaged his health due to excessive indulgence. If he is not treated soon, he will surely die young!"

Cai Fu was taken aback: "He only told my fortune, how could that be considered excessive indulgence?"

An Daoquan explained: "Desire does not only refer to sexual intercourse."

"Humans have seven emotions and six desires, such as the will to survive, the desire for knowledge, the desire to win, the desire to possess, and so on..."

"No matter what kind of desire it is, it can be indulged in to excess."

"Excessive indulgence will damage one's foundation, and damage to one's foundation will shorten one's lifespan..."

Upon hearing An Daoquan's words, Cai Fu understood that Li Du had indulged in excessive "desire for knowledge."

Cai Fuxin gave a thumbs up, completely convinced.
"A miracle doctor, amazing!"

But Cai Fu soon realized that he had spoken too soon.

Despite An Daoquan's daily treatment of Li Du with acupuncture and herbal medicine, Li Du remained unconscious and did not wake up.

……

Tokyo, Imperial Study.

"Isn't that reasonable?"

After hearing Gao Qiu's description of Cai Fu's conditions, Emperor Huizong of Song was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table, making a loud "bang" sound.

"It is already a great favor that I am willing to give him Cangzhou, yet he still wants Zizhou and Mizhou."
"This scoundrel is insatiable and utterly despicable!"

The four treacherous ministers looked at each other, none daring to utter a sound. Then Emperor Huizong directly named them:
"Cai Qing, what do you think?"

Tong Guan, Yang Jian, and Gao Qiu all secretly breathed a sigh of relief: Thank goodness they didn't call on me...

Cai Jing cautiously raised his eyes to look at Emperor Huizong of Song. Their eyes met, and they immediately understood each other.

"Your Majesty, I believe that, in order to show the sincerity of the court, Zizhou and Mizhou can be bestowed upon him."

"But he also has to show his sincerity. For example, if Tian Hu rebels in Hebei, he might as well order him to fight Tian Hu."

"If he can defeat Tian Hu, why not grant him Zizhou and Mizhou as a reward?"

(End of this chapter)