Leading Zhao Guangyi Around by the Nose

The amber lamplight brought little warmth to the room.

The candlewick flickered gently, casting a dancing, shifting glow across Li Yu’s face.

The room was very quiet, and after Lady Zhou the Younger asked her question, it grew even more still.

Lady Zhou the Younger nestled close to Li Yu’s side like a quiet little cat, waiting silently for his reply.

This doubt had been weighing on her mind for a very long time.

No matter how one looked at it, her lord had no reason, nor any necessity, to address Zhao Dezhao as the Crown Prince in such a setting.

To rashly become entangled in such a delicate affair was bound to bring about immense trouble.

Such matters were not to be touched; a moment of carelessness would spell absolute ruin.

Now, her lord and all of them were merely people of a fallen state who had surrendered to the Song Dynasty.

The most prudent course of action was to tuck in their tails, live out their days quietly, exercise extreme caution in everything, and avoid trouble at all costs.

If they could manage not to draw attention to themselves, they must certainly remain unnoticed.

Even she, a mere woman, understood these basic truths; it was impossible that her lord did not comprehend them.

Secondly, her lord had never been someone of a contentious nature.

He cared far more for romance, poetry, prose, and the simple enjoyment of life.

By no stretch of the imagination should he have ever done such a thing.

Yet, unexpectedly, things had taken a strange turn, and her lord had indeed uttered those words and acted in such a manner in that exact setting.

After a prolonged wait, the room remained silent, without a single response from her lord.

Sitting quietly beside him, as docile as a small cat, Lady Zhou the Younger gradually grew uneasy.

She made to rise and confess her transgression.

Just at that moment, an arm reached out from the side, drawing her into a warm embrace.

Her movement to stand was instantly halted.

A long sigh escaped from Li Yu’s lips.

"You see, human nature is such a strange thing.

Back when I was the emperor living in Jiangning, I never felt it was all that wonderful.

Instead, I often felt that being an emperor was far too exhausting, that things never went my way, and that there were always too many affairs of state interrupting my poetry and prose.

I never appreciated how beautiful the rivers and mountains of our Tang State truly were, and more than once I thought to myself: how wonderful would it be if I were no longer the emperor?

Even if I were to lose the realm, it wouldn't be anything to grieve over.

Yet now that I am truly no longer the emperor, now that I have indeed lost the realm and come to this foreign land, a deep sorrow has settled into my heart.

Those things I once regarded merely as burdens are now the very objects of my intense longing.

Even in my dreams, I see nothing but the days of the past.

I know not when, but these memories have already been engraved deep within my soul."

Li Yu gazed at the slightly trembling candlelight that made the entire room seem dreamlike and hazy, speaking in a slow, unhurried tone.

His voice sounded distant, carrying a profound and peculiar weight.

It was as if he were speaking to Lady Zhou the Younger, yet equally as if he were talking to himself.

Lady Zhou the Younger held tightly onto Li Yu’s arm, her eyes slightly misted with tears.

At that moment, all her bewilderment and confusion vanished completely.

She finally understood why her husband had acted so completely out of character and uttered those words.

She felt his pain as if it were her own, and her heart ached with tenderness for him.

From a sovereign of a nation reduced to the Marquis of Violation of Orders, stripped of the imperial throne and turned into the ruler of a conquered land—how many could bear such a fate with equanimity?

Resentment, anger, sorrow for their distant homeland... all these tangled together in his heart.

That was what had driven her husband to commit an act so entirely contrary to his usual disposition.

"You need not worry too much. I am merely the ruler of a fallen state; those words were spoken, and so they were spoken.

The Song court will not truly do anything to me.

Zhao Kuangyin is a man of deep calculation, yet on the whole, he treats others with a certain generosity.

He will not harm me over this.

Besides, there are still Wu Yue and Northern Han.

Merely to set Qian Chu’s mind at ease and more easily pacify Wu Yue, he would not truly do me any harm."

When Li Yu spoke these words, he deliberately deepened his tone to instill confidence in Lady Zhou the Younger, hoping to prevent her from being overly pessimistic or anxious...

...

That night, there were many who found sleep elusive.

Prince Zhao Guangyi of Jin was one of them.

"Mobilize all our resources, rack your brains for legitimate reasons, and use every possible method to stop the relocation of the capital!

The capital must be Bianliang, no other place will do!"

Within the Prince of Jin's mansion, Zhao Guangyi, who usually maintained a gentle and poised demeanor, had completely lost his former elegance.

These words were forced out almost through clenched teeth.

His face was as dark as that of his imperial brother, Zhao Kuangyin.

Lately, his older brother's favoritism toward Zhao Dezhao, especially today's sudden desire to move the capital to Luoyang, had thoroughly infuriated him.

This was his bottom line; he had to fight for it, and he had to win!

"We obey Your Highness's command!"

Cheng Dexuan immediately stepped forward, accepting the order with utmost solemnity.

Indeed, it was time to let the emperor truly witness the strength they possessed!

To let him know that this realm was not his alone to govern.

This capital could not be moved, nor would it be allowed to move!

What a fine man His Highness the Prince of Jin was; bestowing the imperial succession upon the Prince of Jin would be such an excellent choice, one bound to bring prosperity to the Great Song.

Yet the emperor was a fool, passing over such an exceptional heir and stubbornly trying to prop up his own inept son!

How utterly stupid!

If the Prince of Jin could not endure it, neither could they!

"Your Highness, I have already prepared a prophetic verse. We might as well spread it quietly among the people."

As soon as Ma韶 spoke, he demonstrated his professional expertise, never straying from his old trade.

"Let's hear it."

At these words, Ma韶 placed his left hand behind his back, formed hand seals with his right, and paced slowly forward as if treading the mystical steps of the Dipper.

After a few moments, he chanted slowly:

"The Bian River connects the heavenly vein, while the Luo River traps the divine dragon!"

"Splendid!"

Zhao Guangyi praised aloud upon hearing this, feeling that keeping Ma韶 by his side was an exceptionally wise decision.

Once this phrase began to circulate, it would be more powerful than tens of thousands of troops! More effective than ten thousand words of memorials!

Hearing such high praise from the Prince of Jin, Ma韶 could not hide the joy blooming on his face.

If the Prince of Jin were to ascend the throne as emperor in the future, the great merit he had established would surely secure him a brilliant and prosperous future, without any neglect.

His Highness the Prince was not an ungrateful or cold-hearted man.

"Go in secret and send word to Chu Zhaofu, telling him to prepare.

Should all these methods prove useless and my imperial brother insists on having his way, ask him to speak out on this matter at the critical moment."

After a brief hesitation, Zhao Guangyi made up his mind.

As soon as these words were uttered, both Cheng Dexuan and Ma韶 were momentarily stunned, deeply shocked.

Chu Zhaofu was no ordinary person; he had followed the current sovereign from the very beginning.

He could be considered an old retainer from the days before the emperor's accession.

After the sovereign claimed the imperial throne, he placed even greater trust in Chu Zhaofu, consistently employing him in vital posts, and currently appointed him as the Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs.

On the surface, the relationship between the Prince of Jin and Chu Zhaofu appeared no different from ordinary associations, never truly involving Chu Zhaofu in any sensitive matters—at least not overtly.

Yet this time, for the sake of this issue, he was actually prepared to deploy even Chu Zhaofu!

"I will say it again: moving the capital is out of the question. The capital of the Great Song can only be Bianliang, and no one can ever change that!"

Sensing the shift in their expressions, Zhao Guangyi clenched his fists, a trace of madness lacing his voice...

...

At the early court audience the following day, looking at the snowstorm of memorials opposing the relocation of the capital, and watching his imperial brother's face grow darker and darker while he was rendered utterly speechless by the overwhelming opposition, Zhao Guangyi could not have been more delighted.

"As for this matter, allow Us to reconsider."

When Zhao Kuangyin finally spoke, immense joy flooded Zhao Guangyi's heart.

Splendid! He had achieved yet another phased victory.

Faced with his resistance, even his imperial brother was helpless.

However, his good mood did not last long.

For shortly afterward, news reached him that he could never have anticipated, leaving him utterly stunned in his tracks...