April was drawing to a close, marking the transition into the full heat of summer.

If it wasn't raining, the nights were naturally filled with faint moonlight and a brilliant river of stars, the days with sweltering heat. But if it rained, and not a downpour, it would be a relentless drizzle day and night, a humid wind rising from the rain, causing everything to eagerly sprout mold.

But the Zhao Emperor was not getting moldy. On the contrary, his temper was flaring up... The outer court officials who came into contact with the Emperor almost watched as the area of the blisters on the corners of his mouth grew larger and larger, until he finally had to apply medicine.

Not only that, but these people also quickly noticed or heard about the Emperor's frequent outbursts of anger.

"Does Prime Minister Zhao know Zhang Quwei?"

One day at noon, in the Chongwen Institute, the rain had stopped for half a day, the heat had subsided slightly, and several prime ministers came out of their offices as usual to enjoy iced porridge in the cool courtyard corridor... The Privy Council was on the west side, and the Department of State Affairs on the east side. As soon as they sat down, a certain director from the Department of State Affairs couldn't help but strike up a conversation with Zhao Ding.

Zhao Ding pondered, then nodded in agreement: "I've heard of him vaguely. It's said he's a young eunuch, sent by Empress Dowager Yuanyou. Later, he became the most capable in contracting fish ponds and caught the Emperor's eye, serving him closely. It's said he might become the third Chief Eunuch... What's wrong?"

"To let the Prime Minister know, this morning I went to the fish pond to deliver documents to several Imperial Academicians and saw with my own eyes that Zhang Quwei was hung up in the rain by several martial arts students, flogged twenty times, and then driven back to Yangzhou." The director chuckled in response.

Zhao Ding was puzzled for a moment: "Eunuchs who commit offenses are usually just driven out or handed over to the authorities for formal punishment. This is the first time I've heard of the Emperor using corporal punishment on an eunuch... What did Zhang Quwei do to offend the Emperor?"

"I only got some information from a casual chat with several Imperial Academicians, and I can't guarantee its accuracy." The director quickly dropped his smile and shook his head solemnly. "It's said that the Emperor has been extremely dissatisfied with the peace negotiations these days, and it just so happens that the Jin envoy brought many Imperial Princesses..."

"Princesses," Vice-Prime Minister Liu Ji from the Department of State Affairs suddenly interjected to correct. "The Emperor changed it back not long after ascending the throne."

"Yes, Princesses." The director quickly corrected himself. "It just so happened that the Jin envoy brought many princesses, and Zhang Quwei suggested that on a grand court day, the princesses should be allowed to weep and lament the barbarity and shamelessness of the Jin people, so that the entire court would not dare to speak of peace..."

"This kind of petty thief is self-righteous, showing off his cleverness, and deserves to be beaten to death!" Liu Ji cursed on the spot. "If this is done, the officials will be speechless, but where is the face of the royal family?! How will it be portrayed in the future in the marketplace and in history books?"

"It's not just a matter of face. Even if they weren't princesses, can they be brought to court and made to reveal their scars?" Zhao Ding also rarely became indignant. "And in the end, national affairs should be viewed from a broad perspective. What is this twisted trick? A mere eunuch, relying on the Empress Dowager and the Emperor's favor, dares to offer such advice?"

"Exactly!" Liu Ji responded in agreement.

With the two prime ministers' anger, the eastern corridor of the Chongwen Institute immediately fell silent, but soon it erupted into a clamor, all voices joining the two prime ministers in denouncing the shameless eunuch, attracting the attention of the western corridor of the Chongwen Institute a hundred paces away.

However, after Zhao Ding's anger subsided, he felt a sense of helplessness in his heart... Unlike Liu Ji, as someone who had worked his way up from the lower and middle levels for decades, he knew very well that although these officials of the Department of State Affairs were all indignant at this moment, privately, after returning, countless people would write some fictional unofficial histories based on their own imaginations, embellishing the process of the Imperial Princesses' capture to satisfy some dark psychological need.

Everyone is essentially human, and humans have dark sides.

For example, the common people, unable to reach the higher levels, would privately spread some unreliable royal scandals. Eunuchs, believing they had grasped something, would couldn't help but interfere. And officials, possessing some information but also separated from certain things by a veil, yet feigning morality on the surface, couldn't help but fill in the blanks themselves... Most of those messy rumors were actually concocted by these officials.

Of course, the Emperor was not exempt from this. When encountering some emperors with vulgar and low-end behavior, they could create even more elaborate stories—Empress Xiaozhou of Southern Tang was often summoned to the palace by Emperor Taizu Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty, and she would quarrel with Li Yu upon her return.

Of course, what Zhao Ding didn't know was that not only was the authenticity of the example he thought of questionable, but even more absurdly, centuries later, the person who summoned Empress Xiaozhou into the palace was changed from Emperor Taizu to Emperor Taizong, and even specialized erotic paintings were created... Which in turn proved again and again that the dark psychology of literati was the most difficult to deal with.

Returning to the present, Zhao Ding lamented the superficiality of people's hearts, consumed some porridge, and was about to return to work, but unexpectedly, Chief Eunuch Lan Gui arrived in person, carrying an imperial summons for the four chief ministers to go to the rear palace to meet the Emperor in half an hour. He quickly agreed, and then forced himself to maintain the demeanor of a prime minister, lingering in the office for half an hour before abandoning his official duties with Liu Ji, and going out to gather Zhang Jun and Chen Gui, hurrying away.

After the rain, most of the roads in the palace were still clean, but after entering the original imperial garden area of the rear palace, which was now the fish pond and mulberry forest area, it inevitably became somewhat muddy... And if it were just the muddy roads, that would be one thing, but the chief ministers were all feeling uneasy and conflicted at this time.

After all, that day, when the Emperor heard that the Jin people had returned those they had captured and abolished Liu Yu as conditions for peace, he was not pleased but enraged, and his rage was so great that it surprised everyone. At the same time, the desire for peace among the people and within the bureaucratic system was surging and difficult to stop.

At such times, as chief ministers, even if they had slightly different political views, they had to unify their steps and maintain the situation, preventing the Emperor from overturning the table and preventing those below from hijacking the court's policies.

Everything was difficult.

"Summer mosquitoes breed in stagnant water pits, and diseases such as malaria are spread by mosquitoes. Take people to inspect all parts of the palace. Where you see places with poor drainage, try to dredge them. If they are difficult to dredge, then simply fill them in. In any case, don't leave any hidden dangers..."

The four chief ministers arrived at the familiar stone pavilion, where they saw Duke Lu Haowen and Imperial Censor Li Guang sitting in the pavilion waiting. Yang Yizhong, Liu Yan, and Lan Gui were standing beside them, while the Zhao Emperor was sitting inside, instructing Feng Yi with some idle words. They had no choice but to pause slightly.

However, seeing that five chief ministers and one vice-prime minister, the six highest-ranking officials of the current dynasty, had arrived, Zhao Jiu immediately stopped these idle words and turned to face them:

"The four prime ministers may be seated. I have an idea I want to share with you."

Zhao Ding and the other three new arrivals saw the Zhao Emperor, dressed in ordinary clothes, turn around, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes, and the corners of his mouth, smeared with medicine, were bruised and purple. They felt even more uneasy in their hearts, but they quickly responded with thanks and sat down cautiously.

"The return of several princesses is certainly a good thing, but some things are inevitable... For example, Princess Yifu and above all had husbands before the Jingkang Incident, some living, some dead. And as for Princess Shunde and above, they already had children, some of whom were taken away together, and some of whom are still alive." Zhao Jiu tried hard to open his bloodshot eyes and spoke seriously. "Therefore, I intend to let them first return to their respective families as much as possible, to find their lost husbands and children. Those without families will temporarily go to Yangzhou and be placed together with Empress Dowager Yuanyou, so that the Empress Dowager can arrange their marriages."

"What the Emperor says is very appropriate." Lu Haowen was the first to respond, and the other five also agreed.

Of course, it was very appropriate!

In fact, no matter how the Emperor arranged them, it would probably be considered 'very appropriate' by the chief ministers. After all, these people really didn't matter. Although they were the most eye-catching, and Zhao Ding vaguely realized that they were destined to be gossiped about and shamed as harlots... But to put it cruelly, they really didn't count for anything in the overall situation.

And for Zhao Jiu, it seemed even more so.

Perhaps he had truly been tempered. After these two days of contact with these nominal sisters of his, Zhao Jiu didn't feel anything particularly profound. There was no resentment; the resentment was all directed at the two emperors, especially the Taishang Daoist Emperor. There was no particular emphasis on them, because they were truly meaningless in the face of the entire anti-Jin situation that needed to be managed. At most, they were an extra, and even that was just wishful thinking. There was only a little sympathy, but that sympathy seemed so light in the face of the countless women in the Hebei and Central Plains... Not to mention compared to the estimated tens of millions of women in Hebei, even the women in the Central Plains who were looted and coerced by the Song army's own mutinous soldiers were estimated to number in the millions.

In fact, Zhao Jiu had even felt a sense of moral guilt because of this cheap sympathy—during the same period, how many hundreds of thousands or millions of women were affected by the war, either captured or having their families destroyed? Those people died or were scattered, but unlike these imperial relatives, they were able to return first because they were born into the royal family.

Of course, reason told him that these people were also pitiful, and there was no need to dwell on it excessively, and that Zhang Quwei had been whipped and then expelled precisely because he had misjudged his Zhao Emperor's state of mind.

"Then the Jin envoy will return to discuss the matter of peace again." Speaking of this, Zhao Jiu sighed slightly, but forced himself to face them. "I also know that whether it's war or peace, I have to give a clear statement, otherwise I won't be able to account to the people of the world, and it will make things difficult for you."

Everyone knew that the key was coming, and they dared not neglect it. Lu Haowen took the lead, and the six of them simply stood up together, ready to face the situation in the pavilion.

"My personal attitude is very clear... I would rather die than make peace!" Zhao Jiu sighed again, also becoming serious. "This will not change!"

Zhang Jun and Li Guang hesitated to speak, Liu Ji and Chen Gui remained silent, while Zhao Ding and Lu Haowen maintained a calm demeanor.

"But I also know that national affairs involve the lives of millions of people. If the Emperor wants to do whatever he wants, without asking the hearts of those above and below, that won't work either. And as for what the people think, I don't need you to tell me. I already know it in my heart..." Zhao Jiu sighed repeatedly. "For example, I know that the bottom line in name and reality for most officials and scholars is just maintaining the Yellow River line and returning the two emperors. Once the Jin people are willing to hand over Jingdong and send back the captured nobles, probably half of the court officials will agree to peace talks, and another two or three tenths won't speak, but that's only because I haven't spoken. In their hearts, they actually want to negotiate peace. I also know that most of the people in the world are unwilling to spend their own money and grain to supply the Northern Expedition across the Yellow River. Those who support the Northern Expedition are not non-existent, but they are all in Hebei and Hedong, and they don't have a say. I also know that many of the scholars and people in this world feel that the Great Song Dynasty wasn't that bad before. Being captured by the Jin people was just an accident, so everyone wants to return to the prosperous and abundant times, rather than follow me on a new path... Am I a fool or deaf? How could I not know these things?"

As soon as these words came out, all the chief ministers frowned and remained silent.

In fact, this was the biggest difficulty in this matter... The so-called people's hearts that the Emperor had to consider were right there, and most of them wanted peace talks.

The most direct one was the issue of the hearts of the people in the occupied areas. If the people of Hebei in the occupied areas could vote, the people's hearts would definitely be for war, and peace talks would be impossible. Which minister from the southeast or Jingxiang would dare to say a word of peace? They would have to be careful of being stabbed in the back by someone along the way. But the actual situation was the opposite. The 'public opinion' that could influence the central decision-making now could not include the hearts of the people of Hebei in the occupied areas.

They had no say.

Or, more specifically, their words could not influence the central officials at this time, their actions could not contribute to the court's taxes, and even with the fixed number of troops in the Imperial Guard, and with the court unable to cross the river in the short term, they could not even provide soldiers and sacrificial quotas for the troops.

It wasn't that no people from Hebei had fled over, but those who had fled over were ultimately a minority compared to the local people south of the Yellow River... If they had fled to Jiangnan that day, the refugees from the Central Plains and the refugees from Hebei, although still somewhat weak, wouldn't have been in this situation.

"Your Majesty," Li Guang suggested solemnly after a moment of thought. "Why not agree to a peace treaty of three to five years? And then carry out the Northern Expedition?"

"This is absurd." The sincerity from before was now taking effect. Without Zhao Jiu replying, Zhao Ding directly responded. "Once peace is negotiated, the people's hearts and morale will be drained. And they want peace now, so what about after three or five years when people want even more stability? At that time, I fear that the entire court will want peace!"

"If anyone does so at that time, I will spit in their face!" Li Guang quickly responded solemnly to Zhao Ding.

"Censor Li will spit in their face, but what if the overall situation of the people's hearts cannot be recovered at that time?" Zhang Jun coldly responded from the side. "Could Censor Li spit to death thousands of people?! To put it another way, if the overall situation really can't be recovered at that time, then Censor Li will crash his head against the Wende Hall to prove his innocence, but even that won't be enough to atone for his sins! Moreover, once peace is negotiated, let alone the people's hearts in Henan seeking stability, what about the people's hearts in Hebei? Censor is simply promising 10 million citizens in Hebei to be the slaves of the Jin again for three or five years?"

Li Guang was angry for a moment, but he couldn't respond, so he could only bow to Zhao Jiu: "Your Majesty, although I am from the southeast, I have no selfish intentions. I am just thinking about the matter of the two emperors returning north, and the land of several prefectures in Jingdong. Originally, it would have taken countless money, grain, and millions of lives to exchange for it, but now it can be taken with a word, but it is still directly rejected. How can that be explained to the people of the world? Moreover, even if we want to carry out the Northern Expedition, we have no warhorses, and no sufficient money or silk. How can we hastily succeed? What's wrong with a temporary peace for three years?"

"National feud, family hatred, the great righteousness of Spring and Autumn, none of it can be conceded." Chen Gui also whispered, expressing his position.

Liu Ji also nodded in agreement.

Li Guang was anxious, but he looked at Lu Haowen... How could he not know that of these six people, most were close confidants of the Emperor, and few were willing to disobey the Emperor. Perhaps only Lu Haowen, with his outstanding position, was not worried about his position as prime minister and had a slight chance of speaking some fair words.

However, Lu Haowen met Li Guang's gaze, but asked an unexpected question: "Censor Li is very close to former Prime Minister Li Boji, does he know his meaning?"

Li Guang was forced into a corner, but he could no longer conceal it, so he raised his head and responded: "Lord Li did have correspondence, and he said before that a slight negotiation for peace is also feasible."

Everyone frowned.

However, Li Guang was not lying... Li Gang, the former flag-bearer of advocating war, now supported peace negotiations. Moreover, this was not because Li Gang's knees had suddenly softened, but because it was the attitude and opinion he had always held. After all, as early as the beginning of Jianyan, when Li Gang first held office in Nanjing, he clearly stated his opinion, which was to act according to one's ability—'One can defend before one can fight, and one can fight before one can make peace'.

He had never given up on 'peace'.

The reason why he insisted on 'fighting' at that time was because the situation had reached its weakest point. Once one could not fight, it was equivalent to surrendering.

However, his inner thinking of ultimately being 'able to defend', 'able to fight', and 'able to make peace' had never changed, and it represented the true thoughts of most 'pro-war' non-surrenderist bureaucrats.

In fact, this was an important reason why he could be easily defeated by Huang Qianshan—Li Gang's 'pro-peace' behind advocating war caused a subtle estrangement between him and Zong Ze, who held the belief of 'fighting to the end', and he could not truly join forces to control the court situation. Including when Li Gang was dismissed as prime minister, Zong Ze did not provide assistance, and the two sides had never had a consistent slogan on the capital, so they were broken through individually.

"Alright, I know, I know that most public opinion and the people's hearts want peace talks, and most of these people are sincere and well-intentioned." Just then, it was actually the Zhao Emperor who suddenly interjected. "And I won't hide it from you. These past two days in the palace, I've thought over and over, and I only feel that since the Mingdao Palace, I've experienced multiple life-and-death situations, but none are as helpless as now... Helpless to the point that I once wanted to abandon Tokyo and just take the Vanguard Army of the Imperial Guard and part of the Central Army of the Imperial Guard led by Li Qiong, which are mostly Imperial Guard troops composed of these Hebei remnants, and go to Mount Bagong to become bandits, to start all over again. Otherwise, what can I do? Do I want to send Imperial Guard soldiers from Hebei refugee backgrounds to assassinate people on the streets? Kill whoever advocates peace?"

"Your Majesty is exaggerating..." Lu Haowen and the others responded helplessly.

"Let's not talk about these things... I ask you, if I really decide to go to Mount Bagong, would you six follow me?" Zhao Jiu asked suddenly, his expression unchanged.

The several officials originally thought that the Emperor was continuing to say angry words, and they were about to perfunctorily reply, but before they could open their mouths, they became alert in their hearts, and then became serious.

"Duke Lu." Zhao Jiu urged.

"I..." Lu Haowen, who was the first to be impacted, was stunned for a long while, but could only smile wryly. "What Your Majesty said at my home that day was very clear. My slight achievements and reputation in my half-life have all come from the four or five years with Your Majesty. If Your Majesty really wants to become a bandit, I can only follow as a mountain stronghold registrar."

"I am naturally willing to follow Your Majesty!" Zhang Jun rushed to express his position before Zhao Ding.

Zhao Ding helplessly glanced at Zhang Jun, then sincerely replied to the Zhao Emperor: "Your Majesty, I have received great kindness from Your Majesty. In four years, I have gone from a civil servant in Kaifeng Prefecture to the Prime Minister of the Department of State Affairs. In every way, only Your Majesty has the reason to abandon me. How could I abandon Your Majesty?"

Since the three prime ministers had spoken, the two vice-prime ministers, Liu Ji and Chen Gui, also quickly spoke, both meaning that they were willing to follow.

Even Imperial Censor Li Guang, although angry at the Zhao Emperor's absurd words, still saluted seriously: "Your Majesty, I have absolutely no intention of violating the Emperor's heart with the public's intentions. I am just speaking in the line of duty, and things have definitely not reached that point..."

"What if it does?" Zhao Jiu interrupted the other party directly, his expression unchanged.

"And if we truly reach a situation of disintegration and chaos, I will not follow Your Majesty to Mount Bagong. I will only die for Your Majesty in Tokyo first, to repay the imperial grace of several years!" Li Guang replied with all his might.

"I believe you." Zhao Jiu nodded, still with an unchanged expression. "And I believe everyone. And I already know everyone's intentions. Please be sure to remember today's words... Now, it's time for me to tell everyone my decision, which is that the Great Song can negotiate peace, but I will not negotiate peace!"

The officials were clearly relieved, but after a moment, their expressions changed slightly... The relief was because the Emperor seemed to have finally relented, and this matter could at least avoid being overturned. The slight change in expression was due to some concern about the loophole left by the Emperor.

But before these chief ministers could think more about it, Zhao Jiu continued: "You go and talk to the Jin people, but tell the Jin people, the civil and military officials, and the scholars and people of the world, that I am unwilling to make peace. I am just being forced into silence by filial piety and the people's hearts... I know what you are thinking. Just take it as me burying my head in the sand."

"I dare not..." Lu Haowen and the others immediately bowed their heads, becoming even more relieved, because this seemed to truly mean that peace talks were going to happen.

"Then negotiate conditions with the Jin people. Below the two emperors, regardless of gender, all those who were captured during the Jingkang Incident, I want to see them in person first..." Zhao Jiu ignored these expressions of loyalty these days, but continued to calmly say. "I know that the people of the world have always had some discussions, saying that I am afraid that the two emperors will return and seize the throne, so I deliberately don't welcome the two emperors... This matter must also be spoken of publicly, so that these people shut up... Demand it openly, demand all of them back!"

Lu Haowen and the six officials were even more relieved... They had not expected the Emperor to be so generous, not even caring about the two emperors.

"Finally, with the crossing of the two emperors and others as the premise, if they still promise to return the five prefectures of the puppet Qi at that time, then I will formally negotiate peace with them, limited to the return of the five prefectures." Zhao Jiu continued. "This last condition must also be discussed publicly, openly! Do you understand?"

Lu Haowen and the other officials, including Li Guang, thought for half a day, completely relieved, and bowed their hands and said yes... Because although the Emperor had left some hidden loopholes, he was, after all, talking about following the hearts of the people in general terms.

However, Li Guang couldn't help but carefully responded: "Your Majesty, matters of national importance, a few minor tricks may not be effective."

"Just do it." Zhao Jiu waved his hand in response, unwilling to explain, and instead left.

Yang Yizhong, Liu Yan, and Lan Gui followed closely behind, leaving the six officials in the pavilion to bow their heads.