Chapter 152 Is There a Brothel in the City?

This was an extremely absurd remark. Compared to this, Zhao Guan's previous questioning of the Duke Yansheng's integrity, his public ridicule of the Plum Blossom Han family head's incompetence, including his earlier frivolous words and deeds of collecting money from both the noble and religious figures, all seemed insignificant.

However, what suffocated the national elites in the pavilion, who actually understood everything, was that this light and absurd remark was as heavy as Mount Tai, making it hard to breathe.

Let's talk about how prostitutes came to be.

They were nothing more than young women who had experienced family bankruptcy. Otherwise, even if it was just to accompany someone to drink according to the law, who would be willing to do it?

Back then, when Meng Yuanlao presented "The Eastern Capital: A Dream of Splendor," it aroused ridicule from some students in the Imperial Academy, saying that a "prostitute" character had to be added to several dish names, and they didn't know if there was more salt or more "prostitute" in these dishes... The intention was to satirize that the disaster of the Jingkang Incident was already showing signs in the midst of abundance.

However, the current Dongjing is not the same as Dongjing before the Jingkang Incident.

Since the Jingkang Incident, until Zhao Jiu arrived in Dongjing in the spring of the third year of Jianyan, the entire population of Dongjing had been continuously flowing out due to the disasters of war. From its peak of over a million, it had once fallen to less than 200,000, including soldiers and their families. Even the entire Henan area was experiencing population outflow at that time.

In other words, everything in Dongjing at this time was largely separated from the period before the Jingkang Incident. Many market activities were rapidly rebuilt within a year or two due to the name of the old capital and the return of the political center.

Then, by the same token, prostitutes could not suddenly appear out of thin air after five or six years. If a large number of prostitutes appeared in Dongjing now, it could only be from women of suitable age whose families had been bankrupted during the Jingkang Incident, rather than the social corruption even earlier. Considering that the imperial court immediately took measures such as land severance, military reclamation, and land distribution in the devastated Henan area after returning to Dongjing... it was not 100%, but nine and a half out of ten were caused by the disasters of war.

There was no way around it. In troubled times, in the face of unrestrained force, women of suitable age were simply a kind of human-shaped property.

The two emperors using the women of the city to offset indemnities was the same logic. If there were a large number of prostitutes in Dongjing now, it must be for a similar reason.

Therefore, if you want to know the situation of the righteous people and heroes, asking those women who have fallen into prostitution is the most direct way. They must have a lot of stories to tell.

However, after suddenly waking up, one couldn't help but feel embarrassed and ashamed.

A noble family for thousands of years carried an ancestral wooden sculpture to Yangzhou to hide for two years, and the heads of powerful families for four generations were treated well by the Jin people in Hebei for half a year. Even those who were recognized as upholding their integrity were rewarded beyond compare. Even Zhao clan women were given large houses to live in as soon as they were brought back, and even the two emperors could enjoy their old age in temples and Taoist temples. Yet, millions upon millions of people had died since the Jingkang Incident, and their families could only be scattered like mud, even becoming prostitutes.

Magical?

Not at all, quite the opposite. It was very realistic.

Embarrassing?

Of course, it was still embarrassing. Who among those who came to this pavilion had not personally experienced the Jingkang Incident, the displacement of the Jianyan era, and yet had some ability and ideals?

They could even be勉强称之为久经考验之辈了 (mianqiang cheng zhi wei jiujing kaoyan zhi bei le) (barely be called veterans).

Naturally, this kind of person immediately felt extremely embarrassed after waking up.

"Your Majesty!"

Just when the scene was extremely awkward, one person suddenly broke the silence. It was Duke Lü Haowen. He cupped his hands without saying much, but the intention to stop him was already very clear.

Lü Haowen's appearance relieved everyone, and even made Yang Yizhong, who was extremely frightened, feel relieved... In fact, everyone had a reason to stop him, but none of them had the strength to do so.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Jiu, who had taken the initiative to provoke this matter, pondered for a moment, but actually nodded slightly, and gave up the idea on the spot: "I understand, let's not ask the prostitutes."

Of course, he understood... Even if Scholar Lin was currently serving as the Pacification Commissioner in Guanxi, it would not prevent everyone, including Zhao Guan, who suddenly thought of this matter, from gradually understanding each other and gradually figuring out everything in the previous silence.

Not to mention what kind of uproar would be caused by summoning prostitutes into the palace, just to mention another thing... were these women who had suffered from the disasters of war really only suffering from the Jin army's disasters? They must be mostly relatives of innocent victims, but were those innocent victims really all killed in the war against the Jin?

Zong Ze's Dongjing Garrison Command had gathered righteous armies against the Jin in Dongjing, claiming to have a million, but actually had more than 100,000 combat troops. That was the mainstay of the country, even earlier than Li Yanxian's uprising in Shanzhou. Could it be that they all had impeccable military discipline?

Zhang Yu, who liked to have the common people fight each other in swarms, hadn't he been an anti-Jin righteous army? How many widows did he create? Yang Jin, the hornless sheep, first rebelled, then surrendered, and then rebelled again. He had harmed people all the way from the Yangtze River to the Yellow River. Among those who fought against him were at least a Grand Councilor, a Prefect of Kaifeng, a Prince of Yan'an, and two Deputy Commanders... He captured cities and plundered land along the way. When he reached the Yellow River, he gathered more than 100,000 people, although it was a false number, an coerced number, but how many widows did he create?

Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun's troops were also the mainstay of the country at that time, but wouldn't these two troops cause disasters of war when they fought? That day in Jin'gou Town, Zhao Jiu really didn't want to ask Han Shizhong where the people in the town had gone, and he still couldn't ask now.

What about Liu Guangshi's subordinates?

What about Fan Qiong? Fan Qiong, who flayed people alive, was a regular government soldier. He happened to be the first commander of the imperial army to control Dongjing after the Jingkang Incident, and then he went south all the way, occupying Xiangyang.

Some things really couldn't be investigated deeply... He suddenly woke up, blurted it out out of instinct and impulse, but would soon fall silent, and then had to hide some things in his heart.

If he really summoned people to ask, and one of them said that her husband was killed by the imperial army, and another said that her father and brothers were killed and she was robbed by the anti-Jin righteous army... how could he explain it to them?

"But this matter can't be left like this."

In the still silent nameless stone pavilion, Zhao Jiu's expression remained unchanged. He directly turned to the end of this last booklet, signed his name, and then continued to turn his head to face Yang Yizhong. "I want to know the approximate number and distribution of prostitutes in Dongjing City. Go and ask about it."

Yang Yizhong finally bowed his head in agreement and fled as if he had wings.

"This matter will be handled like this for the time being... but we must give these people who can't even find their names an explanation." Zhao Jiu closed the register and looked at the few chief ministers in front of him with a blank expression again. "How about setting up a monument to the nameless martyrs? Hundreds of thousands of people have died. There should be a monument."

"Not appropriate now." It was Lü Haowen again, which added another sense of shame to Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun. "Your Majesty, there are only a few days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival. There is not enough time to make a large monument. It would be perfunctory to erect a small monument. Moreover, we are only turning from defense to offense now, which is to stabilize people's hearts, not a real sacrifice. After the Northern Expedition, when we recover the two rivers and pacify Yanyun, and the golden bowl is rebuilt, why not erect a large monument?"

"There should always be one." Zhao Jiu nodded and then shook his head again. "But what Duke Lü said is also reasonable. First, order a large, eye-catching blank memorial tablet! Let the Ministry of Rites arrange it and be sure to place it in the center!"

Zhai Ruwen, who was already feeling a little dry in his mouth, quickly responded.

"Let's do this for today. We'll talk about anything else in a few days!" After explaining this, Zhao Jiu waved his hand as if nothing had happened, meaning to dismiss everyone.

Lü Haowen and everyone else cupped their hands and saluted, and also left in a hurry like Yang Yizhong, without any delay.

Not to mention what kind of mood Zhao Guan had after chasing away the ministers, nor how Yang Yizhong would handle such a chore. Just say that after the ministers turned out of the stone pavilion for dozens of steps, they parted again. The close ministers went to the wing room not far from the fish pond in the back palace, behind the Jingfu Palace inside the Yingyang Gate... That was their official room for duty in the back palace. Although they were avoiding the emperor at this time, they would still have to wait here as close ministers. As for those chief ministers below Lü Haowen, they were riding in the sunset and going out of Linhua Gate to the west, and then turning south to slowly return home.

"Duke Lü is a true Grand Councilor."

Along the way, everyone was silent, but halfway through, when they were about to pass the Yiyou Gate, Zhao Ding suddenly said with emotion, causing everyone around him to be slightly stunned. "If it weren't for Duke Lü just now, we would almost be unable to do anything."

"That's right." Li Guang also sighed. He, who had always liked to argue in this kind of occasion, had just fallen into a state of exhaustion. He wanted to refute but couldn't, and he wanted to stop but couldn't, which made him feel ashamed.

"What true Grand Councilor, what false Grand Councilor, it's all forced..." Lü Haowen walked in the front with his hands clasped, and glanced back when he heard the words, then turned back and said slowly as he walked. "Just like the emperor, he was forced to this position. He had to do it even if he didn't want to, and he had to say it even if he didn't want to. But to be honest, if Grand Councilor Zhao could have said it first, why would I have to say it again? If we could have said it first, the emperor might not have had to say those words."

Zhao Ding was half embarrassed and half helpless: "Some things are really unexpected."

This was the absolute truth. In fact, looking at Zhao Guan's reaction today, it was also a sudden thought, purely accidental. So Lü Haowen just shook his head slightly and continued forward.

But for some reason, when he was about to reach the Yiyou Gate, he suddenly stopped again, which caused everyone to stop together.

"Grand Councilor Zhao, how old are you this year?" Lü Haowen turned around and asked solemnly.

"Forty-seven." Zhao Ding was alert in his heart, but he responded.

Lü Haowen nodded and then looked at Zhang Jun: "Grand Councilor Zhang?"

"Thirty-five." Zhang Jun was a little caught off guard.

"Grand Councilor Liu?"

"Forty-nine." Liu Ji quickly answered.

"Grand Councilor Chen."

"I'm almost sixty." Chen Gui stroked his beard with emotion. "Thanks to the emperor's favor, I never thought I would be able to be among the chief ministers only three years ago."

Lü Haowen was too lazy to pay attention to Chen Gui, and just continued to ask: "Duke Li?"

"Fifty-three." Li Guang did not dare to neglect.

"I'm almost seventy." Lü Haowen nodded slightly and said solemnly. "Among the chief ministers, except for Grand Councilor Zhang who is younger, the rest are quite stable. Even Minister Chen and Minister Zhai are the same... But do you know how old those people in Guanxi are?"

Everyone looked at each other. Except for Zhang Jun, who was wary in his heart, the rest were thoughtful.

Hu Yin, Liu Ziyu, and Lin Jingmo. The specific ages of these three people may not be clear at once, but they are definitely younger than Zhao Ding, and much younger.

"How about the ages of the eight commanders who actually control the military power?" Lü Haowen continued to ask when he saw that everyone understood. Without waiting for everyone to answer, he directly revealed the answer. "Zhang Boying is the oldest, forty-five; Wang Zihua (Wang De) is the next, forty-four; Han Liangchen is the next, forty-two; the rest, from Qu Da down, are all under forty, and Yue Pengju is only twenty-nine years old..."

"But they are all outstanding people." Zhang Jun couldn't help but interject to defend them.

"That's exactly what I mean." Lü Haowen nodded slightly. "They are all outstanding people... and the key is that the emperor is only twenty-five years old."

"What do you mean, Duke?" Li Guang asked solemnly.

"I don't mean anything else. Today, I just want to ask you presumptuously, has there ever been a monarch who uses people as willing to compromise as the emperor?" Lü Haowen said slowly. "After Yaoshan, with the emperor's power, he could have formed a team led by young talents, a team that was more in line with his temperament, but why did he still use people like us? Isn't it possible to use Lin Jingmo, Pacification Commissioner Lin? Isn't it possible to use Hu Yin? Or, to take a step back, just let Grand Councilor Zhang be the Prime Minister of the Department of State, who can stop him? To take another step back, to block the mouths of the people of the world, and use someone with deep qualifications, isn't it possible to use Lü Yihou, Pacification Commissioner Lü, who is more in line with his temperament? But why is it you and me? Why, even after Shaoxing, did he still sincerely ask to keep Vice Minister Li?"

"Because..." In the midst of silence, Zhao Ding looked up for a moment and said sadly. "Because the emperor wants to borrow the prudence of us people."

"That's right." Lü Haowen nodded slightly and then became serious. "But thinking back, we have been chief ministers for more than a year, and we have been too prudent in some things... Not to mention anything else, if Lü Yihou were here, the matter of discussing peace and welcoming the two emperors would not have happened at all! The Shaoxing Incident would not have happened either! The so-called public opinion would at most criticize him, Lü Yihou, alone, because long before that, Lü Yihou would have been able to drive out those people who left their posts in Shaoxing early! Everyone, no matter how small the later turmoil was, in the Shaoxing Incident, letting the emperor personally deal with the two emperors, and letting the emperor personally dismiss those seventy or eighty people, was still the dereliction of duty of us so-called prudent chief ministers!"

Prime Minister Zhao Ding's face was pale, and the faces of the other chief ministers, including Censor-in-Chief Li Guang, were also serious. Even Privy Councilor Zhang Jun was completely solemn. Because at this moment, someone finally questioned the chief minister team about the political turmoil in the previous months... It's just that this questioning did not come from Zhao Guan, nor from the young officials and students after the Secret Pavilion Incident, so it was not so formal and serious.

Moreover, Lü Haowen also effectively avoided possible political risks by including himself, the Duke who did not need to be responsible for the incident, in the accountability object, and conducting it privately in the form of self-examination.

But this was still a standard accountability of the chief minister team.

At the same time, everyone present knew that the responsibility for this matter could not be borne by Lü Haowen, who did not ask about official affairs.

The responsible person was the four Grand Councilors plus a Censor-in-Chief who could be called a half-Grand Councilor. They were accusing the four Grand Councilors and one Censor-in-Chief of failing to successfully manage risks, failing to demonstrate the responsibility and ability of the chief minister in a political crisis, and failing to maintain the political image of the emperor.

This was their collective dereliction of duty.

"I..." Zhao Ding wanted to say something but didn't know what to say.

"The matter has passed, the emperor has also taken on the words of the people, and has personally driven out those people. It is useless to say more at this time. Moreover, we all know that this emperor never cares about these things, and he is not something you and I can restrain." Lü Haowen changed the subject, still serious. "But we must learn from our mistakes. What we need to care about now is what to do in the future. Otherwise, how can we carry on the past and open up the future to assist the monarch in accomplishing great things... Grand Councilor Zhang?"

"Huh?" Zhang Jun was caught off guard and could only respond.

"After the Battle of Yaoshan, the public was agitated. I heard that there were quite a few radical words in Guanxi at that time. You and the people in Guanxi regarded the position of Prime Minister as something you could easily obtain, but the emperor arranged Hu, Lin, Lü, Liu, and others outside, and put Grand Councilor Zhao first, and you second... Are you dissatisfied?"

Zhang Jun was dumbfounded... These words were actually asked by Lü Haowen?

But despite being stunned, Zhang Deyuan immediately woke up. The other party was questioning from a high position as Duke, and this place was at the junction of the front and back palaces. It was both public and private, and there was no room for error.

Therefore, he immediately responded solemnly: "Absolutely not!"

"That's good." Lü Haowen was still serious. "I think the emperor's arrangement that day was remarkable. Because the emperor himself was thinking from the overall situation, worried that the country would be hijacked by the military, disregarding the people's livelihood in the south, and hastily advancing north, so that both inside and outside were lost... Therefore, he used the stable Grand Councilor Zhao as the Prime Minister of the Department of State, and the progressive Grand Councilor Zhang as the Privy Councilor, intending to balance it. It's just that no one thought that the officials inside the Song Dynasty naturally sought stability, and those who advocated peace gradually gained power and weight, so that such trouble was caused. At that time, it was indeed more the responsibility of me and Grand Councilor Zhao, because we prudent Grand Councilors should have stopped this trend from the beginning."

Speaking of this, Lü Haowen just stared at Zhang Jun and said slowly: "And now, whether it is advocating peace or advocating defense, all have been removed. The people have scolded and scolded, the ministers have been cleared, and the newly added important positions are mostly young officials who held the war in the previous turmoil..."

Here, in the crowd, Li Guang couldn't help but take a look at his close friend Chen Gongfu, but the latter was just serious and listened with his hands tied.

"As the saying goes, this is one time, that is another time." Lü Haowen continued to face Zhang Jun with awe. "Grand Councilor Zhang, I mainly want to tell you today that if you, as the leader of the pro-war faction, think that you have succeeded in this way, and from now on disregard the country's livelihood, and let those young people collude with the commanders in the military, then you are actually making the same mistake as Grand Councilor Zhao and I before... It's just that you have reversed the direction and overturned all the hard work of the emperor!"

Zhang Jun smiled bitterly for a while and could only spread his hands: "Duke Lü, what you said is very reasonable, but I haven't done anything, have I?"

"It will be too late when things start to appear." Lü Haowen sighed solemnly. "Some things will be said sooner or later, so it's better to say them earlier... Grand Councilor Zhang!"

"I'm here!" Zhang Jun responded helplessly.

"You must remember that you are a dignified Privy Councilor, one of the top three important officials in the country no matter how you count. You should consider everything from the overall situation of the country, understand the emperor's heart, resolve the contradictions below, and take the stability of the country as the top priority, and then you can think about what achievements and fame to achieve. In other words, as long as you do your job properly, how can you lack a share of honor if the country has achievements in the future? The emperor entrusted the country to you, just like the force and speed recently discussed in the "Elementary Studies." Suddenly, there is an acceleration somewhere, which may be positive, may be crooked, may be backward, or may be forward. What you should do is not to wait for this speed to increase, and then apply a reaction force to cancel it out."

Zhang Jun listened for a long time and was unable to refute for a while, but after all, he was young and couldn't help but ask: "Duke Lü... How are your words today so different from the words on Mount Bagong? Is it you who has changed, or is it the emperor who has changed?"

Lü Haowen looked at the other party deeply and shook his head. "If we talk about change, who hasn't changed after such a long time? But as for the things you and I are talking about, the emperor has not changed, and I have not changed, but the situation has changed and the position has changed! At that time, the country was in danger, and the emperor wanted to fight to the death. I had experienced the Jingkang Incident and was disheartened. Moreover, Li Gang, the Grand Councilor Li, had entrusted the aftermath in Yangzhou, so of course, there would be those失态言语 (shitao yanyu) (inappropriate remarks). Now the country has stabilized the overall situation, and the emperor is determined to launch the Northern Expedition to reorganize the nine provinces. I have also experienced Mount Bagong, Nanyang, and this託孤 (tuogu) (entrusting the orphan) thing at this gate last year, and have stayed in the court at this age, nothing more than to help the emperor stabilize his pace... Of course, I will blame myself for the dereliction of duty in the previous months! It is Grand Councilor Zhang who I could entrust you with the rationalist articles in the past, but I don't know if you can still remember the principles of elementary studies I just said today?"

Zhang Deyuan was speechless and could only bow his head in agreement, saying that he would definitely study the recent chapters of elementary studies when he returned.

Lü Haowen had taught two powerful Grand Councilors, but he turned around and continued to pace away, and everyone followed him in a hurry. After leaving Yiyou Gate, this Duke did not go to the Chongwen Institute, the Department of State, the Secret Pavilion, or anything further south. Instead, he turned directly to Donghua Gate and left the palace alone.

Just like that, not to mention what the Grand Councilors were thinking when they went back, just say that in the palace here, when it was the third watch of the night, a candle was lit in Jingfu Palace as usual, and Zhao Guan, who was guarding the empty room alone, rarely did not go to bed early. He was just lying on the couch, listening to the insects outside and waiting for someone.

Yang Yizhong worked hard to return, knowing that he could not avoid this trip, but he was still careful to report.

"How is it?" Zhao Jiu blurted out as soon as he saw Yang Yizhong coming in, without waiting for him to salute.

"Reporting to Your Majesty," Yang Yizhong replied earnestly. "It will take at least ten days and a half months to investigate this matter clearly. By then, the Mid-Autumn Festival will have passed long ago. If we want to clearly identify the relatives of the righteous people, I am afraid we will have to wait until the 推后 (tuihou) (postponed) 抡才大典 (luncai dadian) (talent selection ceremony) after this time."

"Since I am waiting for you here at this time, I am not asking about such detailed things. There are always some approximate data, right?" Zhao Jiu, wearing a robe, clasped his hands under the candlelight. "I only need some approximate information and the approximate proportions... These can always be easily asked, right?"

"Yes." Yang Yizhong knew that it was unavoidable, so he directly stepped forward and reported: "So that Your Majesty knows, according to the law, all prostitutes should be registered by the government. According to my investigation, there are 578 people registered by the government, mostly newly added last year and this year, which is too far from the nearly 10,000 names on the register before the Jingkang Incident."

"If it was not much different, I might as well jump into the well again."

Yang Yizhong pretended not to hear this sentence and just continued to introduce, standing in the shadow in front of the couch: "But in fact, according to what I know, in addition to the official register, there are some private prostitutes who are not registered in the night market in the east of the city and in the places where restaurants gather, and in the Caihe area in the south of the city. The specific proportion to the official register is different. I sent several of my subordinates to ask twenty or thirty shopkeepers of正店 (zhengdian) (licensed brothels) separately with a dark face in the name of checking Jin spies. After averaging the statements, in the prosperous area in the east of the city, it should be less than one to one, that is, each shop has at least ten or so people, and at most twenty or thirty people, depending on the size of the business of the zhengdian; in the city market in the south, it is difficult to count, but it is generally believed that there are more... about two or three times compared to the official register."

"Is it to evade taxes? Is the south of the city poorer?"

"Yes!"

"The total number is about two thousand or so?"

"Yes..."

"Why do I feel a little less instead?" Zhao Jiu was a little puzzled. "There have been frequent wars, and the number of people who have left their homes is more than millions or tens of millions? Dongjing is also the largest city in the world..."

"Your Majesty." Yang Yizhong said seriously. "I have asked, most of them were directly bought and sold to wealthy families. Your Majesty also ordered the redemption once in the Henan and Lianghuai areas... However, many of them were sold south of the Huai River, so this number is really difficult to find out clearly. As for the capital here, I have also heard some other words from some people, saying that Your Majesty is simple and dislikes the past playful behavior of the太上道君皇帝 (Taishang Daojun Huangdi) (Emperor Huizong), so the people below dare not easily seek pleasure. When wealthy families come back, they mostly buy maids in other places to avoid being noticed. For temporary banquets, they either order takeout or hire famous chefs to seek pleasure in private houses."

Zhao Jiu realized something and his heart moved slightly, but he asked again: "Then among these two thousand people, what is the proportion of people who were indeed bankrupted due to the Jin army's disasters?"

"..."

"Why don't you speak?"

"I'm afraid Your Majesty won't believe it if I say it."

"..."

"I first asked twenty or thirty shopkeepers of the zhengdian, and the highest proportion they gave was no more than forty percent, and the lowest was no more than ten percent, which averaged out to be no more than eighty percent. Later, I went to the Caihe night market overnight and asked twenty or thirty hotel shopkeepers as well." Yang Yizhong said seriously. "Your Majesty... Before the third year of Jianyan, local military bandits and bandits were more harmful than the Jin people. After the third year of Jianyan, the harm caused by the Jin people was mostly on the refugees in Hebei, but the government had many receptions and settlements at the ferry crossings in the Yellow River. On the contrary, the refugees in Jingdong were more scattered, and the refugees in Jingdong could only be regarded as the harm caused by Liu Yu and Li Cheng."

Zhao Jiu had already believed it in his heart, and even had a feeling of "as expected." But his face was silent, and he opened his mouth after a long time, but it seemed that he had directly skipped this matter: "Zhengfu..."

"I'm here."

"Do you still remember the private words we had on Mount Bagong?"

Yang Yizhong panicked in his heart and quickly said with a solemn expression: "I don't know which words you are talking about?"

"If the Jin people cross the river, then help me end those words... I have forgotten how I said them."

"I have also forgotten." Yang Yizhong hardened his head and said cautiously, this was not something to remember, at least it was not something to say that he still remembered.

"There is also a sentence... said to Liu Guangshi, you should always remember it, right?" Zhao Jiu continued to ask non-stop. "I would rather the country be destroyed or something..."

"I naturally remember this."

"And the Shaoxing Incident, I could have been more appropriate, but why did I have to be so decisive even though I knew it would arouse public opinion?" Zhao Jiu was lying on the couch and thinking. "All these things, not just one or two things, you say... Why do I say those不着调 (buzhezhao) (unreliable) words and do those un着调 (buzhezhao) (unreliable) things?"

Without waiting for Yang Yizhong to open his mouth, this emperor gave the answer to himself: "In the final analysis, it is because I feel that some things must be done, and some things are simply intolerable. So, no matter what the cost is, as for words, they are just on the surface... For example, if I surrender to the Jin people and suffer that kind of insult, I absolutely cannot tolerate it, so I would rather die; if I leave people like Liu Guangshi, Fan Qiong, and Du Chong for the sake of the stability of the throne, I also absolutely cannot tolerate it; and in the Shaoxing Incident, whether it is to give the two emperors a good face or to promise peace and cut off this breath, I could not tolerate it from the beginning... Today's matter is also roughly the same! Yang Yizhong, since you settled down in Dongjing in the third year of Jianyan, how many more maids have you had in your family?"

Yang Yizhong raised his head in horror and blurted out: "More than thirty... I deserve to die ten thousand times!"

"There is no need to die ten thousand times, not even once." Zhao Jiu smiled in response. "Otherwise, I will have to kill all the civil and military officials... Even after the two empress dowagers returned, they also recruited many new palace servants, didn't they? I'm just asking. Besides, I just read some legal documents. This dynasty is indeed much more open-minded than the Tang Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, it was not allowed for the good and the base to marry, and slaves were like cattle and horses. This dynasty only allows employment. Although slaves are discriminated against, they are still良民 (liangmin) (good citizens) in law... This is a great glory of this dynasty! I even feel honored! It's just that I also feel that such a good law cannot be allowed to actually倒车回转 (daoche hui Zhuan) (regress) due to the war... Otherwise, what is there to talk about绍宋 (Shao Song) (The Filature of the Song)? Don't worry, this matter has nothing to do with life and death."

Yang Yizhong breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to express his opinion again, he saw the emperor throw his coat directly on the couch, slip into the quilt, and then turn over to face away. "Just do it like this. I'm tired. Go out."

Yang Yizhong was in a daze and quickly took his leave. After turning out of the back hall of Jingfu Palace and coming to the courtyard, he looked at the starry sky and lost his mind for a while. Speaking of which, he seemed to have become accustomed to these stimulating words now.

Time passed, and the Mid-Autumn Festival finally arrived. Early this morning, Zhao Guan bid farewell to the two empress dowagers, raised the golden Wu纛旓 (dao shao) (banner), led the civil and military officials, nobles, famous scholars, students of the Imperial Academy, students of the Martial Academy, and those hundreds of monks and Taoists who had gathered in a hurry, in a grand and dignified manner, with full regalia, out of the city to the west, and arrived at Yuetai, not far from the city, before noon.

The whole city of people flocked out, and this time, learning from the lesson of the last military parade, they had divided each area early.

The emperor and the civil and military officials, nobles, and famous scholars were naturally on the Yuetai, while the hundreds of monks and Taoists were divided into two, Taoists on the left and monks on the right, layered down from both sides of the Yuetai. The Taoists on the left were called the Three Purities Conferring Gods Carefree Formation, and the monks on the right were called the Buddha Rebirth Paradise Formation.

On the opposite side of the Yuetai, areas had been divided early, leaving a viewing area. Hundreds of students from the Imperial Academy and the Martial Academy were divided into various places to guide and divert the viewing people, and maintained order together with the officials of Kaifeng Prefecture and some soldiers, so that tens of thousands of people could watch the ceremony together. Those who did not obey the discipline were directly expelled to the camp on the opposite side of the Yuetai for detention... In the words of the students who spoke nicely, these students from the Imperial Academy and the Martial Academy were a bit like the Lang officials of the Han Dynasty, which was not bad.

Of course, some of the students also had the task of writing for the Dibao (imperial reports), so I won't say more.

However, at noon, when the so-called auspicious time arrived, the surrounding people, although they returned to their respective areas as agreed, were still a little restless and puzzled... Nothing else, they had not seen the so-called altar, memorial tablet, or incense burner.

"Then let's begin!" When Zhao Jiu saw Grand Councilor Chen Gui come out to inquire, he just sat on the stage and nodded casually.

Chen Gui received the imperial order and just ordered to fire a signal cannon as a salute, so that everyone should not be surprised. The decree was passed down from the stage and then to the people... The people just laughed, claiming that they had heard all kinds of sounds from fireworks, firecrackers, and the Jin army's artillery, so how could they be乱 (luan) (chaotic)? Besides, dozens of artillery vehicles were placed in the southwest wilderness of Yuetai. It was clear at a glance, so how could they be surprised?

However, the court was slow to act. It was just dozens of stone cannons. After repeating it more than ten times, and waiting for a long time, there was a flag waving in response below the artillery vehicles. Then everyone, including some civil and military officials, became a little impatient.

But soon, watching an artillery vehicle suddenly fire, and then the ball fell into the wilderness area, it suddenly exploded on the land, and the sound was violent, like a muffled thunder, truly a bolt from the blue, shocking the wilderness. On the Yuetai, which was close to the ground, many officials, dignitaries, monks, and Taoists almost stood up in shock. The only thing that was visible to the naked eye was the movement of the artillery vehicles, and everyone knew that the court was making gunpowder packs. So, although they were surprised by the power of the gunpowder pack, they were just