The Chancellor, Huo Yan, was indeed a powerful official with exceptional execution skills who handled affairs without any hesitation.

Just as Liang Gong and the noble scholars behind him were still agonizing over whether opening a coal yard would harm the interests of the aristocratic families, Huo Yan had already ordered his trusted aides to select a location outside Luoyang city. He also dispatched Fan Juan to personally oversee the recruitment of refugees, using labor as a form of disaster relief.

To ensure that these refugees would not freeze to death during this winter, Huo Yan also had people build thousands of underground dugouts, known as diyinzi, according to the method provided by Yin Shuhuai, in order to settle the ever-growing number of displaced people.

The so-called diyinzi is a traditional semi-subterranean dwelling created by the nomadic and hunting tribes of northern China, with a history dating back more than 4,500 years. The construction method involves selecting a spot on a wind-sheltered, sun-facing slope and first digging a rectangular pit three to four feet deep into the ground, with the size of the pit depending on the number of residents. After the pit is dug, a pointed wooden roof frame is set up inside it, filled with animal pelts and dry straw, and then covered with a layer of earth over half a foot thick for insulation. A door is left on the south side, while the remaining parts of the roof and above-ground sections are sealed off with mud walls. The underground space is over two meters high, and a heated brick bed, or kang, is built inside for warmth. Finally, a mud wall or wooden barrier of a certain height is built around the roof to prevent livestock from stepping on it.

Because the construction method was simple and crude, saved labor and materials, and provided excellent insulation, it was highly suitable for refugees who needed temporary shelter during the winter transition, especially given the low standard of construction skills at the time. This type of structure had very poor durability, but of course, Yin Shuhuai did not need it to last long. He only needed it to help the disaster-stricken people survive the winter.

Therefore, when the envoy sent by Shentu Yang departed from Shangdang and arrived outside Luoyang after a long and dusty journey, this bustling construction scene was exactly what met his eyes.

“Isn’t that the underground dugout our people back in Liaodong live in during the winter?” High up on his tall horse, Gao Jingde pointed his riding crop at the dusty construction site and asked in confusion, “What are they digging that thing for?”

Yao Wenruo pulled his heavy cloak tightly around himself, observed closely for a moment, and then said, “They are probably trying to resettle refugees.”

Gao Jingde was highly curious, and since they had already reached the outskirts of Luoyang, there was no need to worry about groups of bandits suddenly jumping out from the roadside to seek their own deaths. The nerves he had kept taut throughout the journey finally relaxed a little. He immediately urged his horse forward to get a closer look.

“What are you doing?” Yao Wenruo reached out to stop him.

“Just checking out the commotion.”

“Do not cause unnecessary trouble,” Yao Wenruo reprimanded him in a low voice. “Our official business takes priority.”

Gao Jingde looked at the dusty construction site with slight regret, called over a soldier to whisper a few words into his ear, and then promptly led the troop into Luoyang city.

The Grand Tutor’s Manor

Looking at the visiting card in his hand, Liang Gong asked the butler beside him in utter bewilderment, “What did you say? The envoy of Shentu Yang is requesting an audience with me?”

The butler bowed and said, “That is what the visitor claimed.”

Liang Gong pondered for a moment and immediately said, “Show them in.”

*

At the same time, Huo Yan, who was busy setting up the coal yard to resettle the refugees, also received news that the Yan State envoys had entered Luoyang. Upon learning that the first thing the Yan people did after entering the city was to visit the Grand Tutor’s manor, Huo Yan sneered, “I knew that old scoundrel would not stay quiet. As expected, he wants to collude with external officials and bring foreign troops into the capital.”

Fan Juan stretched his hands out over the charcoal brazier to warm them, laughing as he heard this, “He wants to use a wolf to drive out a tiger, but His Majesty may not necessarily want to invite a wolf into the house. As long as His Majesty refuses to issue the imperial edict, does he actually dare to forge one?”

“Therefore, the key to this entire matter still depends on how His Majesty handles it.”

Huo Yan suddenly smiled as if thinking of something, “I am afraid the old rogue Liang Gong will scramble around frantically only to end up with nothing. Setting aside the fact that our young emperor is a shrewd person who never gives anything away without seeing a return, consider Shentu Yang himself. He has just returned to the State of Yan and his position is still unstable, so how could he be willing to abandon his home base to occupy Luoyang? Is he not afraid that the imperial court will cooperate with the internal forces of Yan to cut off his retreat?”

As long as Shentu Yang was not a fool, he would absolutely not lead his army south at this critical juncture.

Huo Yan knew this perfectly well. When Shentu Yang previously stationed his troops at Shangdang and Henei, he did not necessarily intend to march south. It was highly likely that he was simply using military force to intimidate the ministers in Yan and guard against his surroundings. Even so, Huo Yan had still used this as an excuse to launch a punitive expedition against him under the guise that Shentu Yang was being rebellious. On one hand, he wanted to use this opportunity to tighten his grip on the imperial court; on the other hand, it was because such an opportunity was truly too rare for Huo Yan to pass up.

The State of Yan had been ruled by the Shentu family for over six hundred years, and everyone from top to bottom had long known only of the Shentu family and not the imperial court. Ever since the late Emperor Li passed away, the Duke of Yan had continuously reduced his taxes and tributes to the court under the pretext that the Yan territory had been completely plundered by the Xiongnu. He had not even come to the capital for an audience in over a decade.

Huo Yan knew this was because the prestige of the court had steadily declined after Emperor Li’s death, and its control over the various regional lords had weakened day by day. As an ambitious and powerful minister, Huo Yan had always wanted to reduce the power of these regional lords, but he had never been able to find an opportunity. Finally, he had managed to wait until the Shentu family tore each other apart, leaving only Shentu Yang—a completely illegitimate successor. Huo Yan wanted to seize this momentum to launch a campaign against Yan, strip them of their territory, dissolve their state, and reclaim Yan for the imperial court.

Unfortunately, Huo Yan miscalculated Shentu Yang’s fighting capacity. He certainly did not expect that even after just returning to Yan, wiping out the heir to the Duke of Yan along with all his supporting factions, and causing massive internal upheaval, Shentu Yang could still crush ten thousand imperial elites with just thirty thousand troops, while also heavily wounding and capturing Jiang Yang.

This instantly put Huo Yan in a very difficult spot.

When Huo Yan originally dispatched the ten thousand troops to attack Yan, many aristocratic families, imperial relatives, and high-ranking court officials felt it was a golden opportunity to boost their resumes, so they eagerly stuffed their own sons and nephews into the army. Clearly, the civil and military officials of the court at that time did not take Shentu Yang, a fugitive who had escaped from the Xiongnu, seriously at all.

They never expected that once the battle was fought, this army would not only suffer heavy casualties, but the remaining sixty thousand troops would actually all be captured, with not a single one returning.

Those aristocratic families, imperial relatives, and heavyweights of the court could certainly not sit by and watch their own sons and nephews die in the State of Yan, so all the pressure was shifted onto Huo Yan, who had spearheaded the war in the first place.

The reason why the entire court had unanimously opposed Huo Yan earlier when he wanted to mobilize a massive army of a million men for a personal expedition against Yan was not solely to prevent Huo Yan’s power in the court from growing even larger. On the other hand, they were also worried that Huo Yan’s decision would enrage Shentu Yang, who would surely take out his anger on the sons of the noble families still held captive in Yan.

Fortunately, Huo Yan was also an adaptable and cunning veteran. Facing a subtle, collective ultimatum from the court officials, he made a prompt decision to cooperate with Yin Shuhuai. By using a specialized message transmission system to intimidate Shentu Yang, he signaled his intention to sue for peace by offering the title of Duke of Yan in exchange for the captured imperial army.

Now that Shentu Yang had sent an envoy to the capital, it was presumably to resolve this exact matter.

They just did not know what Shentu Yang’s decision would be.

“Are you saying that Shentu Yang put together ten million coins for His Majesty just so His Majesty would issue an imperial edict to title him the Duke of Yan?”

Inside the Grand Tutor’s manor, Liang Gong stared dumbfounded at the young man before him, deeply shocked by Shentu Yang’s extravagant gesture.

“Are you aware that even if you did not spend this money, the court had already decided to name Shentu Yang the Duke of Yan?” Liang Gong could not help but emphasize, genuinely unable to comprehend why Shentu Yang would waste this money for no reason.

That was ten million coins, after all. Even coming from a wealthy noble family, Liang Gong could not help but feel his heart race at the sum.

“The Grand Tutor is perceptive,” Yao Wenruo nodded slightly and said respectfully. “The Shentu family has always been fiercely loyal to the imperial court. Even though my master was stranded among the Xiongnu for many years, he never forgot his desire to serve the court. Now that my master has returned to Yan, his status is low and his words carry little weight, so he could only gather some gold offerings to show his loyalty.”

Yao Wenruo played a clever word game here. Because Shentu Yang was not yet the official Duke of Yan, he technically had no right to present ritual gold offerings to the emperor. However, if Yin Shuhuai accepted the money presented by Shentu Yang, it would mean the emperor recognized Shentu Yang as the Duke of Yan.

Although Shentu Yang and his inner circle did not think the greedy, title-selling young emperor would reject this money, it was still better to be as safe and secure as possible.

Yao Wenruo paused slightly at this point, adding that Shentu Yang would also not forget the Grand Tutor’s promotion and protection. He had already prepared a rare, surviving copy of the Book of Documents to present to the Grand Tutor. “This is an ancient text from the Spring and Autumn period that my master found in the private treasury of the Duke of Yan. My master frequently laments that he is a crude man, while viewing the Grand Tutor as a true pillar of the state. As the saying goes, a fine steed goes to the general, and a treasured sword goes to the hero. My master believes that such an ancient, rare manuscript is only fit for a great scholar like the Grand Tutor. We hope the Grand Tutor will not reject it.”

Hearing this, Liang Gong felt an intense surge of interest. When he pursued his academic studies, his primary text of expertise was the Book of Documents, so how could he not know the immense value of a rare, surviving manuscript? However, compared to a rare book, Liang Gong clearly preferred for Shentu Yang to lead his troops into the capital to purge the court of corrupt officials.

Yao Wenruo looked at Liang Gong without showing any emotion, truly not expecting that a high-ranking grand minister of the court could be so utterly clueless.

Why would his master rather send money to bribe the emperor than enter the capital? Was it really because he didn’t want to?