Holding the Emperor Hostage : Chapter 10: Gathering Refugees

The expression on Huo Yan’s face underwent an extremely subtle shift the moment he heard those words. He looked Yin Shuhuai up and down with disbelieving eyes. After a long while, he tugged at the corner of his mouth in a half smile, seemingly praising as he said, “Your Majesty’s grand ambition rivals that of a sage.”

But in an era that devours people, a sage cannot survive.

If an emperor were to become a sage, he would survive even less.

There was no need for Huo Yan to beat around the bush. Yin Shuhuai was perfectly clear about his own precarious situation. He was simply curious just how far Huo Yan would go to win him over.

Clearly, Huo Yan was not willing to become a sage for his sake.

“If Your Majesty is sincere, why not propose a different condition?” Huo Yan’s gaze swept extremely subtly over the sword at Yin Shuhuai’s waist. He clasped his hands behind his back and, without changing expression, paced two steps to the side.

Yin Shuhuai sighed rather regretfully. “Aren’t you the Prime Minister?”

“I am the Prime Minister, not the City God.” Even a deity could not make everyone eat their fill and survive the winter warm and cozy.

Yin Shuhuai chuckled upon hearing this, using words to corner Huo Yan: “You hold great power in your hands, yet you can’t even decide matters of life and death. What’s the point of being a power hungry minister?”

Huo Yan looked at Yin Shuhuai with a bland expression. “I worked hard to seize power, not to bring death upon myself and the extermination of my clan.” He could not do something that would make him an enemy of all the great clans in the world for the sake of a bunch of commoners.

Yin Shuhuai sighed a second time rather regretfully, muttering, “It’s just about letting all the people under heaven eat their fill and not freeze to death in winter. How does it reach the point of death and clan extermination?”

Huo Yan was silent for a moment, then asked the Emperor in return, “Does Your Majesty know what those great clans and powerful families do every year when disaster strikes?”

Yin Shuhuai fell silent.

The people of the Yin Dynasty, like the people under all feudal dynasties, lived at the mercy of the heavens. If the year had good weather and no excessive taxes and levies, they might barely fill their stomachs. If the year brought drought or flood, the common people would have no means to survive and would have no choice but to sell their fields and land, sell their sons and daughters, or even sell themselves… The great clans and powerful families only needed a few bags of brown rice, a few pots of thin porridge so watery you could stand chopsticks in it, to exchange for the common people’s entire families throwing themselves in with gratitude. Such a profitable business with no capital was the very foundation of the swelling power of all the great clans and powerful families in the Great Yin Dynasty.

“They have thousands of acres of fertile land, hordes of servants, can form private militias, and can even use the banner of exterminating bandits to expand their private armies. And the sons of their families fill the various departments of the court through the recommendation of filial piety and integrity, seamlessly maintaining the operation of the entire realm.”

So even if the court had a million fierce lions, it could not turn its blade against the great clans and powerful families, much less snatch meat from their mouths.

Huo Yan paused slightly here. He looked at Yin Shuhuai with pity in his expression. “If Your Majesty wants everyone under heaven to eat their fill and not freeze to death, you are snatching meat from the mouths of the great clans and powerful families.”

“Blah blah blah, I don’t understand a word of it.” Yin Shuhuai couldn’t be bothered with Huo Yan’s crooked reasoning and said with perfect confidence, “If the great clans and powerful families can take advantage of natural and man made disasters to grab what they want, then I, as the Emperor, can certainly do the same!”

In Huo Yan’s eyes, which were shocked beyond measure, he brazenly declared, “I will have the refugees build my palace and imperial estates for me. I leave this matter to the Prime Minister. With the Prime Minister’s abilities, before this winter is over, you should be able to recruit at least a hundred thousand refugees, right?”

Yin Shuhuai spoke with utter certainty. In the past, the First Emperor of Qin had mobilized a million conscripted laborers to build the Great Wall. He was now an Emperor too. To build a palace, recruiting a hundred thousand refugees should be reasonable enough, right?

Huo Yan was dumbstruck and couldn’t help but remonstrate, “Your Majesty’s action is absolutely not the conduct of a wise and enlightened ruler…”

Before he could finish, Yin Shuhuai waved his hand and cut him off. “Didn’t the Prime Minister already help spread the word about this immoral, unprincipled tyrant of mine!”

Yin Shuhuai smiled and said, “If this immoral, unprincipled tyrant of mine can already sell official titles and noble ranks, why can’t I gather refugees to build a palace?”

Before Huo Yan could speak, Yin Shuhuai added sarcastically, “You can’t only allow the great clans and powerful families to set fires and not allow this puppet emperor to light a lamp, can you?”

Huo Yan let out a long sigh, his expression strange as he remarked, “Your Majesty is playing with fire.”

Yin Shuhuai choked on his own saliva. He looked somewhat shocked at Huo Yan, who had suddenly spouted domineering CEO type lines, and held back a laugh as he said, “Never mind whether it’s fire or a lamp, just tell me if you’ll agree or not.”

Yin Shuhuai still understood the art of compromise. Since Huo Yan, for the sake of political stability and his own safety, did not dare to openly offend the great clans and powerful families in this matter, then he would simply change his approach. As for whether others would curse him as a tyrant who snatches profits from the people… Yin Shuhuai figured they could curse all they wanted.

So what if he was a tyrant? So what if he was a wise ruler? In any case, he wouldn’t be burdened by reputation. As long as he could achieve his goal, his skin was thick enough!

“Then hurry up and get it done. I’ll help you send a message to Shen Tu Yang tonight.” Yin Shuhuai spoke with absolute conviction, very openly demonstrating his attitude of cooperation.

Huo Yan stared at Yin Shuhuai for a long time. In the end, he actually bowed deeply to Yin Shuhuai before taking his leave.

*

In the days that followed, the imperial chefs in the palace began to skillfully use iron woks to cook dishes. Under Yin Shuhuai’s guidance, they gradually whipped up a series of home style menus. These dishes won unanimous praise from everyone in the palace without exception.

“Your Majesty was right. Stewing fish and tofu in an iron wok is truly an unparalleled delicacy. The fish is tender, the tofu is silky smooth, and the fish fragrance mixed with the bean fragrance is simply flavor upon flavor.”

“And these fried dough sticks, eaten with soy milk, are actually even better than meat broth.”

“Sprinkle a bit of honey in the soy milk, and it tastes even better.”

“This servant never knew that stir frying in an iron wok could produce such delicious food. Your Majesty is truly divine.”

Yin Shuhuai gradually lost himself in the continuous praise of the eunuchs and palace maids. He immediately issued an edict to the Iron Works, having them forge another batch of iron woks, which he bestowed upon the important ministers of the court along with the menus.

Yin Shuhuai did this, of course, to placate the civil and military officials and the relatives of the imperial consorts who were quite dissatisfied with the matter of gathering refugees for the imperial estates.

The ministers who received the iron woks and menus were all intrigued. Most ministers would, upon receiving the iron woks, immediately order their family cooks to prepare dishes according to the recipes on the menus. But there were also those who felt that the Emperor’s action was truly extravagant and dissolute, a sign of a tyrant bringing about the downfall of the state.

“… The Iron Works uses wrought iron to forge weapons. Only when the soldiers hold sharp blades can they defend the court and pacify the realm. Now the wars in Shangdang and Henei are not yet over, and the soldiers are still fighting on the front lines. Yet Your Majesty snatches the wrought iron to make kitchenware. How does such foolish behavior do justice to the soldiers who are fighting and bleeding for you on the battlefield?”

The loyal minister who received the iron wok rained curses down on Yin Shuhuai’s head. Upon learning that the Emperor had even ordered the Iron Works to use wrought iron to make stoves to warm the palace personnel, he fiercely attacked the Emperor for “favoring petty men and keeping wise ministers at a distance.”

“Does Your Majesty still remember what a great disaster occurred during Emperor Li’s reign due to his heavy reliance on eunuchs?” Liang Gong, who had just been promoted to Grand Tutor, spoke to the Emperor with deep worry: “Those treacherous petty men disregard the laws of the court and lack the noble integrity that scholars and officials should possess. Once they gain power, they will only appoint their own relatives, corrupt the moral fabric, ravage the countryside, embezzle and break the law, and commit all manner of evil. Your Majesty must not be blinded by petty men and repeat the same mistakes!”

Liang Gong grew more and more anguished as he spoke: “I have heard that Your Majesty even let your personal attendant Zhuang Wuwei manage the imperial estates, letting him and other eunuchs gather refugees. Does Your Majesty know that the imperial estates are taking advantage of the snow disaster to forcibly detain refugees as slaves? This is something only an immoral, unprincipled tyrant would do. Your Majesty is benevolent and loves the people. How can you snatch profits from the people?”

Yin Shuhuai looked at Liang Gong with some curiosity and asked, “What does the Grand Tutor think I should do?”

Liang Gong said with a solemn expression, “Your Majesty should disperse the refugees, execute Zhuang Wuwei and the other eunuchs, return all the iron woks and iron stoves in the rear palace to the Iron Works, and then issue an edict of self reproach, proclaiming it to the world.”

Upon hearing these words, the eunuchs and palace maids on duty in the Chongde Palace fell to their knees in fright, kowtowing and crying out, “Your Majesty, spare our lives!”

Yin Shuhuai glanced at the trembling crowd, then at Liang Gong, who thought he was speaking blunt but loyal words, and asked with a smile, “Has the Grand Tutor ever cooked with an iron wok? What do you think of the food made with an iron wok?”

Liang Gong’s face was stern: “Why is Your Majesty evading the question?”

Yin Shuhuai said, “I also sent an iron wok to Shen Tu Yang. I wonder if he has received it yet.”

Shangdang Commandery

Shen Tu Yang looked at the iron wok delivered by the court envoy via eight hundred li urgent dispatch. In his hand, he held the white flower and note that had suddenly appeared in his bosom that morning. His expression was unfathomable.