Holding the Emperor Hostage : Chapter 11: Ten Million Coins

[It is heard that the General used thirty thousand Yan troops to rout the court’s hundred thousand strong army, gravely wounded Jiang Yang, and captured sixty thousand soldiers. The Chancellor wishes to gather a million strong army to campaign against Yan, yet fears that once the two armies clash, the common people will suffer, and the Xiongnu and Wuhuan will take advantage of the situation. The General is the eldest legitimate son of the Duke of Yan, raised among the Xiongnu, and thoroughly understands the situation. The Chancellor cherishes the General’s great talent, and wishes to enfeoff the General as the Duke of Yan. You are hereby ordered to immediately release the General Who Suppresses Rebels and the sixty thousand captured soldiers, and proceed to Luoyang to receive the imperial edict and give thanks.]

Shangdang Commandery Governor’s Residence

Shentu Yang and his trusted generals had read these few short lines back and forth no less than eight hundred times, yet still could not make heads or tails of it.

“Who wrote this secret letter? How could it have been delivered into Big Brother’s bosom so silently? Are all the personal guards and sentries in the entire governor’s residence dead? A living person came and went freely in the governor’s residence, and they didn’t notice a thing?” A burly man in armor stood before the hall, cursing fiercely in a rough voice. “Several hundred men and not a single reliable one among them. Tonight let me guard outside the door—”

The person seated cross legged at the head of the hall waved his hand. “It’s not their fault. I myself didn’t notice anyone visiting in the middle of the night.”

The speaker was extremely young, with black hair bound in a crown, revealing an exceptionally handsome face. Sword like eyebrows reaching into his temples, phoenix eyes holding stars, a high nose bridge, and a pair of thin lips slightly upturned, as if thinking of something amusing. Holding that white flower, he said with a smile, “The letter deliverer is rather romantic, knowing that one cannot simply send a dry letter across a thousand li, and so also crafted such a flower.”

“…Tell me, how is this thing made?”

The crowd below was listening intently to the young man speak, but did not expect him to suddenly change the subject, going off on a tangent, and all froze in unison.

“Why are you all looking at me like that? Don’t you think this object is delicate and white, light as silk, yet easier to write on and preserve than silk cloth?” The handsome youth stroked his chin in contemplation. “If it could be mass produced and used for copying and recording, wouldn’t it be more convenient than bamboo slips?”

The crowd came back to their senses, and were immediately led astray by the young man’s words.

A scholar wearing a silk cap and a crane feather cloak rose and stepped forward, carefully examining the flower patterned paper for a long while before saying, “This object is thin yet strong and tough, smooth as congealed fat, with printed hidden patterns, naturally formed. Such exquisite skill must come from a noble family or the Imperial Workshop, and the cost must be considerable.”

The handsome youth sighed with some regret, and without hesitation tossed the white flower from his fingers onto the table. “What a pity. Such a fine thing, yet it cannot be used by me.”

“What’s so pitiful about that?” The burly nine chi tall man heard this and said in a rough voice, “When we fight our way into Luoyang, I’ll find the person who makes these flowers at the first opportunity, and make him work for Big Brother!”

The crowd heard this and burst into laughter.

The scholar who had spoken earlier glanced at him and summarized succinctly, “What Big Brother means is that this thing is too expensive, we can’t afford to make it. You boorish fellow, I told you to read more books but you refused, and now you can’t even understand what people are saying!”

“What’s not to understand!” The burly man glared with his tiger eyes, full of confidence. “We don’t have money, but those noble families and the old emperor do! When we fight our way into Luoyang, confiscate all those noble families’ property, and then confiscate the imperial palace, won’t we have money to make paper then!”

When these words came out, everyone was stunned.

Shentu Yang, seated at the head, laughed heartily toward the sky, pointing at the burly man and saying, “Jingde is right. Sooner or later, we brothers will fight our way into Luoyang, but now is not the time.”

Shentu Yang said here, pointing at the secret letter on the table. “All of you, speak your minds. Wenruo, you first.”

Yao Wenruo glanced at the letter, pondered for a moment, and then spoke, “This letter says that Chancellor Huo Yan wishes to gather a million strong army to campaign against Yan, which may not be an empty threat. Our eight hundred brothers fought back from the Xiongnu, and though we killed the traitor to avenge Big Brother at the first opportunity, rooted out the traitor’s followers, and intimidated the rest, our foothold is still not stable. Once news of the court sending a million strong army spreads, it will likely cause turmoil in Yan. If someone takes this opportunity to work with the court from inside and outside, our eight hundred men will likely become turtles in a jar…”

“It would be better to play along with their plan for now, and temporarily follow the letter’s meaning to release Jiang Yang and those sixty thousand troops, in exchange for the court enfeoffing Big Brother as Duke of Yan. Only then can we legitimately control Yan. Once we have the entire Yan firmly in our grasp, we can plot greater matters later.”

“According to what you say, you want Big Brother to go to Luoyang to receive the edict and give thanks?” Gao Jingde frowned deeply and said in a muffled voice, “Why do I feel this is like a sheep walking into a tiger’s mouth? Luoyang is their home territory. Unless we fight our way in, wouldn’t it be like a meat bun thrown at a dog, gone forever?”

“You’re the meat bun!” Yao Wenruo glared at this boorish man, then continued, “Even a boorish fellow like you knows the court is tricking Big Brother into going to Luoyang, and must have ill intentions. Do you think Big Brother and I don’t know? What I mean is that Big Brother should both accept the court’s enfeoffment, and not go to Luoyang to throw himself into the net.”

“How is that possible?” Gao Jingde listened with his head full of fog. “The court definitely wants to trick Big Brother into going to Luoyang, then kill him when he’s alone and vulnerable. If we don’t go to Luoyang, how would they be willing to enfeoff Big Brother as Duke of Yan for no reason?”

“Nothing is impossible.” Yao Wenruo suddenly smiled here, speaking mysteriously, “These past days, I often went to chat with the captured soldiers. Guess what I heard?”

The crowd looked at each other, and someone spoke, “Stop keeping us in suspense, speak quickly!”

Yao Wenruo then said, “I heard a strange matter from those soldiers’ mouths. Do you know how that old thief Huo Yan could serve as Chancellor while also holding the post of Grand Commandant?”

Yao Wenruo then told in vivid detail how Huo Yan bribed the Emperor with ten cartloads of treasures, and the Emperor actually violated the ancestral laws and systems to additionally enforce  Huo Yan as Chancellor, and finally sighed, “It is said this matter has spread throughout Luoyang, known by all on the streets. That Emperor is muddle headed and immoral, only caring about profit, selling even the position of Chancellor for ten cartloads of treasures. If we too could send a sum of money to bribe the Emperor, and have the young Emperor issue an edict in Luoyang directly enfeoffing Big Brother as Duke of Yan, wouldn’t that solve everything?”

“Brilliant!” The crowd heard this and all slapped their thighs.

Only Shentu Yang asked curiously, “What if the Chancellor refuses?”

Yao Wenruo pondered for a moment. His brows furrowed, and a plan came to mind. “We can falsely claim that the Xiongnu are raiding the borders, and Big Brother must stay in Yan to resist the Xiongnu and cannot leave. Then send an envoy to secretly contact the Imperial Censor GrandeeI heard from those soldiers that he is now Grand Preceptor. He was enfeoffed as Grand Preceptor without even sending money, which shows he is deeply favored by that dog Emperor. We can go through his connections to send money to His Majesty.”

Shentu Yang asked again, “How much money?”

The crowd pondered for a moment, speaking over each other. “One million coins?”

“Two million coins?”

“To be safe, three million!”

“Five million would work too!”

Shentu Yang looked at his brothers who were gradually increasing the amount, laughed lightly, and threw out a thousand gold saying, “Send ten million coins.”

If he could inherit Yan, this ten million coins could be recovered sooner or later. If he could not inherit Yan, then Yan’s wealth to him would be nothing but mud and rubble. Since that was the case, why should he be stingy? The Emperor sat upon all within the four seas. If he wanted to bribe the Emperor, he naturally had to let the Emperor eat his fill.

Ten million coins, to buy his position as Duke of Yan. Not a bad deal.

When the crowd heard this, they all gasped in pain. Gao Jingde clutched his chest to comfort himself, “Sooner or later, I will fight my way to Luoyang”

The others heard this and nodded in agreement.

Dog Emperor, daring to take our money, just you wait for death!

Shentu Yang looked at his brothers united in purpose, and could not help but smile. After smiling, he suddenly asked, “Who do you think wrote this letter?”

He observed that the writer was likely not Huo Yan himself. Yet looking at that person’s tone, they did not seem like Huo Yan’s subordinate either. Reading between the lines, there was a rather superior attitude of enjoying the spectacle and not fearing trouble. Yet within Luoyang, who would dare so openly laugh at Chancellor Huo Yan’s misfortune? And who could have Huo Yan’s trust, sending secret agents to deliver letters to him?

Shentu Yang had always been confident in his martial prowess, yet he had not even noticed the letter deliverer, and had been slipped a note into his bosom without anyone knowing. Thinking of this, the smile at Shentu Yang’s lips suddenly faded considerably. “I don’t know if the letter writer is also the letter deliverer. One day, I must meet this person!”

 

“The Chancellor had me deliver a letter to Shentu Yang, persuading him to release the General Who Suppresses Rebels and the sixty thousand troops, and also said he would enfeoff Shentu Yang as Duke of Yan, and have him come to the capital to receive thanks.”

Inside the Chongde Hall, Yin Shuhuai entertained Liang Gong with hot pot while speaking, “What does the Grand Preceptor think?”

Liang Gong was quite moved. He very much agreed with the Chancellor’s proposal, but he did not want Shentu Yang to come to the capital to die. Rather, he wanted Shentu Yang to take this opportunity to bring sufficient troops into the capital to rescue the Emperor, thereby checking Huo Yan.

“That old thief Huo Yan can act tyrannically and arbitrarily in court, making all decisions himself, all because he holds military power in his hands. If we can secretly summon Shentu to the capital now, either to kill the traitor, or to form a pincer attack with the traitor, we can take advantage of the situation to plot”

“Does the Grand Preceptor wish to drive the wolf to swallow the tiger?” Yin Shuhuai interrupted Liang Gong before he could finish, asking with great interest. “Is the Grand Preceptor not afraid of letting the wolf into the house?”

Liang Gong said dismissively, “Shentu Yang was a slave among the Xiongnu for fifteen years. Even if he led eight hundred men to break through the Xiongnu, it was merely the courage of a common man, nothing to fear. If Your Majesty wishes to accomplish great things, how can you look before and after?”

Yin Shuhuai looked at the confident Liang Gong, smiling without speaking.

So Liang Gong changed the subject, and began to reprimand the Emperor for his previous absurd conduct of “being close to petty men and distant from worthy ministers.” He advised Yin Shuhuai to execute the traitors, disperse the refugees, and issue an edict of self reproach: “…Since ancient times, for an Emperor to sit firmly on the throne, he must have worthy ministers to assist him. Now that old thief Huo Yan plots rebellion and usurps power above, Your Majesty’s throne is in peril. You should all the more be careful in speech and conduct. How can you willingly degenerate, compete with the people for profit, and give people cause for gossip?”

Yin Shuhuai looked at the heartbroken Liang Gong, and asked curiously, “According to the Grand Preceptor, what is a worthy minister?”

Before Liang Gong could speak, Yin Shuhuai added, “I told the Chancellor that I want all the refugees in the world to eat their fill, and live through this winter warm and safe. The Chancellor scolded me for overestimating my abilities, and said that by doing this, I would be making enemies of the noble families and powerful clans. Does the Grand Preceptor think this is so?”

Liang Gong hesitated and did not speak.

Yin Shuhuai continued, “The Grand Preceptor repeatedly scolds me for ordering the Iron Office to make iron stoves for the people of the rear palace to keep warm. Should I instead let those palace servants, and the late Emperor’s consorts, freeze to death in the Ye Court?”

These words were truly too heavy. Liang Gong’s face changed greatly upon hearing this, and he immediately wept and kowtowed, saying, “This humble minister is thinking of Your Majesty’s reputation. Why does Your Majesty wish to kill me?”

The Yin Dynasty governed the world with Confucianism. The three cardinal guides and five constant virtues of Confucianism refer to the ruler as the guide for the minister, the father as the guide for the son, and the husband as the guide for the wife. Yin Shuhuai’s questioning of Liang Gong was clearly questioning whether Liang Gong had fulfilled the ruler as the guide for the minister, being so harsh to the late Emperor’s consorts. Such accusations, for a noble family scholar who valued reputation, were no different than words that pierce the heart.

Yin Shuhuai looked coldly at the sweating profusely Liang Gong, and said calmly, “I enfeoffed the Duke of Liang as Grand Preceptor because I admire the Duke of Liang’s virtue and integrity. Mencius said that the benevolent love others. Though I am the Emperor, my edicts cannot leave the imperial palace. Even if I have a heart that loves the people, I can only first love those around me. Now the Grand Preceptor advises me to be close to worthy ministers, and I deeply agree. Today I entrust this matter to the Grand Preceptor, how about it?”

Liang Gong remained silent.

Yin Shuhuai continued, “Has the Grand Preceptor ever seen the iron stoves made by the Iron Office?”

Liang Gong still did not speak. Of course he had not seen them. He had just learned from others that the Emperor had actually made a great fuss for lowly people, ordering the Iron Office to use wrought iron to mass produce heating equipment for palace servants, and was in cahoots with old thief Huo Yan, forcing refugees to enter imperial estates as slaves. He had eagerly entered the palace to remonstrate with the Emperor. He had no time to attend to anything else.

Yin Shuhuai saw this, and his expression could not help but soften, “I know the Grand Preceptor was concerned and confused. But the Grand Preceptor should also know what is in my heart.”

Yin Shuhuai sighed long, “I wandered among the common people for sixteen years, and it was the common people who supported me. I deeply know how difficult it is for the common people to survive. Does the Grand Preceptor know that those common people cannot afford winter clothes? When heavy snow blocks the roads and all traces are lost for ten thousand li, how many common people will die of cold and hunger?”

Liang Gong was speechless. He came from a noble family, was honored as one of the Three Excellencies, and had been raised in luxury since childhood. He had never seen the hardships of the common people. Even if he spoke of serving the country and the people with every word, how could he know how bitter the days of the common people truly were?

Yin Shuhuai continued, “I ordered the Iron Office to make iron stoves because I want to create a set of tools for the common people to keep warm in winter. So that more people can safely survive this winter. The small portion provided to palace servants was merely a first batch of samples made by the Iron Office.”

Yin Shuhuai continuously corrected his blueprints based on the eunuchs’ and palace maids’ user experience, and finally settled on the design that was most economical with materials. Of course the iron stove was only treating the symptoms. To allow all the common people in the world to eat their fill and dress warmly, one must treat the root cause. Yin Shuhuai’s “root” was the method for making honeycomb coal, which could greatly reduce the cost of coal through making honeycomb coal, and paired with coal yard recruitment, allow more disaster victims to have work, earn money, and have a place to live, not becoming displaced and falling into slavery to the noble families.

“Unfortunately the Chancellor does not agree with my proposal. He also alarmingly claimed that by doing this, I would only offend the noble families and meritorious nobles. The Chancellor is a traitorous petty man. I should not listen to him,” Yin Shuhuai unhesitatingly placed the blame on Huo Yan’s head, then looked at Liang Gong with a face full of hope. “The Grand Preceptor is a worthy minister. Can the Grand Preceptor help me?”