Roufu Diji

Chapter 9
1. Crown Prince
In May of the fourth year of Shaoxing, Zhao Gou re-elected Bojiu, the six-year-old son of Zhao Ziyan, the sixth grandson of Taizu, into the palace, and gave him to be raised by Wu Yingfu, who was later renamed Chu.Zhao Yuan is more beautiful in appearance than Zhao Yuan, and his temperament is also more lively and cheerful than Zhao Yuan. The baby is completely regarded as his own, and love is like a treasure.But Rou Fu didn't have much affection for Zhao Yuan, and she still only went to see Zhao Yuan when she entered the palace, and when she mentioned Zhao Yuan, she seldom called him by name, but said "Yingfu's child".

Although Lu Yihao, the left minister, has been advocating the use of troops against Jin and the puppet Qi since he became prime minister, but he likes to use relatives and old friends, intends to cultivate party members, and has a narrow mind. He is determined not to employ Li Gang, who is very popular. Zhao Gou also became more and more dissatisfied with it.In September of the third year of Shaoxing, Shi Yushi Xin Bingshangshu impeached Lu Yihao for disrespect and disloyalty and corrupted the law.Lu Yihao resigned in anger, claiming to be sick, and Chang Tong, the imperial servant in the palace, went after him fiercely, listing "following the old ways of Cai Jing and Wang Fu, re-establishing the tea and salt law for profit", "not in Jing and Huai Establishing a scale of progress, only to steal security", "quoting non-greedy vulgar people is his relatives" and other ten crimes, Zhao Gou took advantage of the situation and made Lu Yihao the Jiedu of Zhennan Army, the third division of Kaifu Yitong, and promoted Lin'an Fudongxiao Palace.

When Lu Yihao fell down, Zhu Shengfei couldn't help himself.In the autumn of the fourth year of Shaoxing, there was continuous rain in the south of the Yangtze River. Zhao Gou asked to be blunt, and the censor Wei Wei took the opportunity to impeach Zhao Gou, saying that Zhu Shengfei "deceived the lord and caused God to punish him", so Zhu Shengfei asked to resign.In September of the fourth year of Shaoxing, Zhao Gou dismissed Zhu Shengfei from office.Later, Zhao Gou made great use of Zhao Ding, a political adviser with outstanding political achievements, and first appointed him as a member of the Privy Council, governor of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Jing, and Xiang, and soon became Zuo Tongyi doctor, Shou Shangshu Zuo Pushe, and Tong Zhongshu. Under the door, he also knows the affairs of the Privy Council.

After Zhang Jun was recalled to Lin'an, he was dismissed from his post and relegated to live in Fuzhou.Zhao Ding appreciated Zhang Jun's talent, so he asked Zhao Gou to use Zhang Jun again.Zhao Gouzhun played and called Zhang Jun to be a bachelor of Zizheng Palace.Zhang Jun entered the court under the decree, and Zhao Gou discussed with him the current national policy and war. Many of Zhang Jun's opinions were quite in line with Zhao Gou's wishes, so Zhao Gou immediately handed down an edict to defend Zhang Jun, and ordered him to know the affairs of the Privy Council and see Jiang Shang as his teacher.In February of the fifth year of Shaoxing, Zhao Gou ordered Shangshu Youpushe again, and Zhao Ding, the minister of Pingzhang under Zhongshumen, to guard Zuopushe, and Zhang Jun, who knew the Privy Council officer, to guard Youpushe. Army horse.As a result, Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun stood side by side and ruled together.

In the fifth year of Shaoxing, on February 13th in the [-]th year of Jin Tianhui, Jin Taizong Wanyan Sheng died of illness in the Mingde Palace in the capital, and Ban Bo Jilie (Crown Prince) Wanyan Quan, the emperor, was in front of the coffin.

Wanyan Quan is not a descendant of Wanyan Sheng.At that time, the system of succession to the throne of the Kingdom of Jin was brother to younger brother, so after the death of Taizu Wanyanmin (A Guda), his fourth brother Wanyan Sheng succeeded to the throne, that is, Jin Taizong.After Wanyan Cheng ascended the throne, he and his mother and brother Wanyan Gao were extremely well-known, but Wanyan Gao passed away in Tianhui for eight years.Wanyan Sheng had a son, and after the death of the emperor's younger brother, he intended to make his own son the heir, but the left deputy Marshal Zong Han (sticky), the right deputy Marshal Zongfu, and the left supervisor Wanyan Xiyin tried their best to dissuade them. When there is no brother to succeed to the throne, the eldest brother's direct son or direct grandson should be established in accordance with the practice of brother and brother.In the end, Wanyan Sheng had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​having his own son, and Yu Tianhui ordered Wanyan Quan, the grandson of the great ancestor, to be extremely proficient in class for ten years.

The replacement of the throne of the Kingdom of Jin also aroused the attention of the ministers of the Southern Dynasties to the crown prince.Zhang Jun took the lead in asking Zhao Gou to make up his mind early and establish an official heir.Zhao Gou didn't reply clearly, but said in a vague way: "I have adopted two descendants of the art ancestors. The elder is nine years old this year. I will choose a good teacher for them and order them to study." An academy named "Zishantang" was used for Zhao Yuan's study, and he personally selected two well-known scholars with profound knowledge of Confucian classics and well-known virtues. Zhao Yuan.In May of the fifth year of Shaoxing, Zhao Gou granted Zhao Yuan the Duke of Jianguo.This move won high praise from the courtiers. Zhao Ding and others took the opportunity to tactfully persuade Zhao Gou to make Zhao Yuan the reserve, but Zhao Gou never expressed his opinion.

On a certain day in the spring of the sixth year of Shaoxing, Rou Fu entered the palace to meet her. Zhao Gou took her to the study to read Zhao Yuan's work. Rou Fu saw that the ten-year-old Zhao Yuan could write a good hand, and he had his own poems and articles. Opinion, I can't help but be delighted, and I will give more praise at the moment.Zhao Gouzhi was also quite happy when he heard that, and said with a smile: "Yuan is not only diligent and studious, but also has excellent morals. He is respectful and prudent in daily life, cautious in dealing with things, and open-minded. Fairness."

"Naturally, Brother Nine, the Duke of Jianguo, is rightly named." Rou Fu smiled and said to Zhao Gou, "Brother Nine is a great concern for the ancestral temple and society, and Jin conferred Yuan as Duke of Jianguo. It is truly an unprecedented feat of virtue. lift."

After being praised by her, Zhao Gou was very relieved, and said again: "I am now [-] years old, but unfortunately I have no biological children. Following the old practice of Emperor Renzong's adoption of sons, it is also in line with my original intention to make Yuan Jianjie the Duke of the country. This is actually true. It is easy, but in the past the emperors thought it difficult, but now that I have done it, I have won many praises from you for no reason."

Rou Fu took advantage of the situation and continued: "It is not possible for everyone to treat adopted children as their own children. Since ancient times, emperors have made it difficult for such things, but it is very easy for Brother Nine to do it, which is enough to show that Brother Nine has a broad mind. It is far better than those monarchs. The matter of setting up a crown prince is of great importance, but Brother Nine can see through it without any selfishness, Yuan Yuan admires it very much, and is very grateful for Da Song."

When Zhao Gou heard her mention Li Chu, the joy just disappeared in an instant, knowing that she complimented him uncharacteristically and intended to persuade him to make Zhao Yuan the crown prince, so he immediately hid his smile and said calmly: "Why, Brother Ninth is very old? Is it time to make a deposit?"

"Where?" Seeing his displeasure, Rou Fu also knew how to resolve it with a gentle smile, "Yuan Yuan just thought that Brother Nine was in the prime of life in spring and autumn, and he was able to make such long-term considerations for the ancestral temple and society, so we know Brother Nine It will definitely support the gods and have hundreds of billions of descendants."

"Your words sound very similar to what Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun said." Zhao Gou closed Zhao Yuan's work, looked at Rou Fu and said, "Emperor Yi Zu created the great cause of the Song Dynasty and worked hard, but it was not easy. I Selecting his descendants to raise in the palace, presumably can comfort the spirit of the ancestor in heaven. As for other things, don't think about it for the time being."

Rou Fu frowned and wanted to persuade again, but Zhao Gou showed his face and smiled first: "Yuan Yuan, Brother Jiu hasn't listened to you tune the zither for a long time, how about playing a song for Brother Jiu now?"

Rou Fu understood that he was deliberately changing the subject, avoiding the matter of Li Chu, and also knew his temper, so he didn't dare to say any more, so he agreed, ordered someone to fetch the zither, and then sat down and started playing .

The music was still melodious and melodious, but Zhao Gou listened casually, flipping through the words written by Zhao Yuan one by one, but not necessarily looking at them, with a gloomy expression on his face.

After a while, a servant came in and presented an urgent report from Jin Kingdom. When he opened it, it was a list of a group of officials recently appointed by the Emperor of Jin. The middle-aged man was just a little unfamiliar, so Zhao Gou's eyes stayed on the name, and he couldn't help but whispered while thinking: "Wanyan Zongjun..."

A short chaotic sound broke through the originally calm movement of Zheng music, as if wrong fingering had stirred up irrelevant strings, the sound was sharp and abrupt, like the sound of a golden weapon.

Zhao Gou looked over in surprise and saw Roufu raised his head and smiled faintly at him, and then continued to play as if concentrating on it, but her penetrating mind and the tune she played became a little trance after that.

"Yuan Yuan, did you hear about Wanyan Zongjun when you were in the Kingdom of Jin?" After the song ended, he asked her casually.

"No." She replied, quickly and firmly.

He didn't ask any more questions.

After she left, he immediately found detailed records about this person: Wanyan Zongjun, whose real name is Luguan.Jin Taizu's eighth son, born of Empress Qin Xian, is Wanyan Zongwang's mother and brother...

2. Zhang Jun
Zhang Jun was good at military affairs. After being reappointed by Zhao Gou, he once again took control of the military power. Since he became prime minister, he has devoted himself to eradicating bandits and suppressing domestic peasant uprisings. Zhang Jun played to Zhao Gou, thinking that the goal of securing the interior had been achieved, and he could turn to fight against the outside world in the future, sending troops to the Jin Dynasty and regaining the lost ground.

Zhao Gou agreed with Zhang Jun's opinion, and Zhang Jun dispatched troops according to the plan. In January of the sixth year of Shaoxing, Han Shizhong was ordered to go out of Huaidong to attack Jingdong East Road, and Yue Fei went out of Xiangyang to take the Central Plains.In February, Han Shizhong besieged the Huaiyang army, and the Jin army and the puppet Qi army joined forces to fight. Han Shizhong's army was forced to withdraw, but in July and August, Yue Fei led his troops to attack Yiluo northward, approaching Luoyang, the important city of Xijing, and the situation was very good.When the news came, the government and the people were excited, and the monarchs and ministers celebrated together. Zhang Jun took advantage of the situation and asked Zhao Gou to move to Jiankang in autumn and winter, so as to comfort the three armies and boost morale, in order to achieve greater victories. Zhongxing is fundamental, and if the owner lives here, he looks north to the Central Plains, always harboring indignation and fear, and dare not relax. But Lin'an lives in a secluded corner, and the interior is easy to live in peace, and the exterior is not enough to call the distance. It is the heart of the Central Plains. .”

At this time, Zhao Gou trusted Zhang Jun and intended to accept his suggestion, but later he got a report saying that Liu Yu had the intention of invading from the south. more appropriate.After discussing with the officials again, Zhao Gou decided to enter Xingpingjiang.

Zhao Gou still wants to stay in the palace in Lin'an for this tour as usual, with only the infant by his side, but Rou Fu immediately enters the palace after learning about it, and asks him to take him with him.Zhao Gou shook his head and said: "It's not just luck to enter Pingjiang. The two armies are at war, and the situation is unpredictable. If something happens, Pingjiang is definitely not a safe place. You'd better stay in Lin'an."

But Rou Fu always insisted: "It is precisely because of this that I want to be with Brother Jiu. What Zhang Jun said was right, 'Living in a secluded corner of Lin'an, it is easy to live in a place'. In the current situation, I spend all day admiring flowers and scenting fragrances in the mansion, almost forgetting the national humiliation and family hatred. Occasionally looking in the mirror, I feel that this face of stealing security is very disgusting. Now Brother Nine is wise and wise, employing people properly, good news ahead, and Brother Nine does not care about himself Anwei, decided to go to Pingjiang to boost morale, so courageous and courageous, Yuan Yuan felt ashamed, so he dared to ask Brother Jiu to take me with him. I can accompany Brother Jiu every day, and watch Brother Jiu calmly strategize and win thousands of miles. Come on It is a long-cherished wish of Yuan Yuan's life to conquer the Northern Expedition to bring national humiliation, please Ninth Brother to fulfill it. If there is any danger, it can only be regarded as fate, even though Yuan Yuan dies, he will have no regrets." After finishing speaking, he approached Zhao again. Afterwards, she gently tugged at his sleeve with a resigned expression, and said in a low voice, "And...if I'm not by your side, I will miss you all day long."

Zhao Gou heard what she said before, although she clearly spoke of herself, but there was a hint of sarcasm, and she was somewhat unhappy, but after hearing it, she knew that she appreciated the use of soldiers against Jin, and she really wanted to stay by his side and watch him fight against Jin .That last sentence, he couldn't believe she was speaking from the bottom of his heart, but he still felt warm in his heart after listening to it, and it was quite useful.Seeing that she was full of autumn water again, looking at him with anticipation, he finally smiled and agreed to her request.

In September, Zhao Gou took Yingchi and Roufu to Xingping River in a royal boat.On the day of departure, Roufu stood under the flag on the bow of the boat for a long time, watching Yuzhou ride the wind and waves, smiling purely and brightly.Seeing the strong wind on the water, Zhao Gou advised her to get into the cabin earlier for fear of catching a cold, but she shook her head, happily held Zhao Gou's hand, and said, "Ninth brother, we will definitely win."

Her hands were icy cold, but her cheeks were as red as the clouds.

One month after Zhao Gou arrived in Pingjiang, Liu Yu mobilized 30 troops to attack Huaixi in three ways. Zhao Ding saw that the puppet Qi army was approaching menacingly, and worried that the Song army would be unable to resist, so he asked Zhao Gou to return to Lin'an, and persuaded him to command Zhang Jun, ordered him to give up the land of Huaixi to protect the Yangtze River.But Zhang Jun learned that the puppet Qi's southern invasion did not have the support of the Jin army, and he might not gain power if he continued to resist, so he urged Zhao Gou to stay in Pingjiang and not to return easily to shake the morale of the army.

After receiving Zhang Jun's visit to Shu, Zhao Gou sat in the Pingjiang Palace and pondered.Roufu is by her side every day. Although Zhao Gou never took the initiative to talk about political affairs with her, she also watched many changes silently. Seeing that Zhao Gou hesitated on the question of whether to return, she finally couldn't help it He opened his mouth to persuade: "Ninth Brother, how long have we been in Pingjiang? If we go back now, the so-called Fusan Army will become a big laughing stock for the world to boost morale? In front of the enemy, the emperor will lose the morale of the army if he blindly retreats. Even the soldiers used excuses to follow suit and refused to defend on the grounds of cherishing their lives, and the situation became more and more out of hand."

She spoke very directly, but Zhao Gou was not angry. He just said indifferently: "It is the right way to deal with the world if you can bend and stretch, and you can save time and adjust your situation to advance and retreat. Yuan Yuan, you have a very strong personality, like a branch that lacks resilience. The green bamboo is easy to break in the wind, if it were a man, he would have died a thousand times earlier."

Rou Fu smiled slightly and said, "Jade Sui and Wa Quan, I will give up Wa Quan and take Yu Sui."

Zhao Gou also smiled at her: "Sometimes, I have to admire your fierceness, although that is not the trait I admire."

Immediately afterwards, Zhang Jun's Shangshu was re-opened, and he took up a pen to criticize: "Zhu Qingzhuo, stay in Pingjiang."

As Zhang Jun expected, Liu Yu's attack was not supported by the Jin army. Under Zhang Jun's command and dispatch, his offensive was finally defeated by the victory of Outang by Yang Yizhong, the official in charge of the Dianqian, and by Yue Fei's rush to aid. resolve.The troops of the puppet Qi army retreated to the north, which attracted the gold master to send envoys to question Liu Yu's crimes, and began to have the intention of abolishing Liu Yu.

After the Battle of Huaixi, both Zhao Gou and the courtiers praised Zhang Jun a lot. Zhao Gou even publicly stated: "The merits of defeating the enemy are the merits of the right minister." Zhao Ding was greatly disappointed. In fear, he asked to resign from the phase, but Zhao Gou did not agree for the time being.

During the Battle of Huaixi, General Liu Guangshi once gave up Luzhou and retreated.Zhang Jun was furious when he learned about it, and immediately sent people to Liu Guangshi's barracks overnight, announcing to his soldiers: "If anyone dares to cross the river and retreat, he will be killed!" He has been supervising Liu Guangshi's return to Luzhou.After repelling the puppet Qi soldiers, Zhang Jun asked to take advantage of the victory and take the Henan land directly to capture Liu Yu and his son. He also told Zhao Goujin that Liu Guangshi was too lazy to fight and should not be a general. Please dismiss him.

Zhao Gou asked him, "Have you discussed this matter with Zhao Ding?"

Zhang Jun said: "Not yet." Then he found Zhao Ding and discussed with him about capturing Liu Yu and dismissing Liu Guangshi, but Zhao Ding disagreed, saying: "No. Liu Yu relies on gold and men as his most important things, but he doesn't know how to capture him. By destroying Liu Yu and gaining the territory of Henan, will the Jin people not invade? Liu Guangshi was born in a family of generals, and many soldiers came out of his family. If you let him go for no reason, you may lose people's hearts and cause criticism."

Zhang Jun was quite displeased after hearing this.Zhao Ding's administration and actions have always put the foundation first, and he does not like to advance aggressively. He continues to say that the domestic military strength has not yet reached the point where it can fully compete with the enemy, and it is better to defend itself at present.Seeing that Zhao Ding advocated being incompatible with him, Zhang Jun had the heart to exclude Zhao Ding.

Under Zhang Jun's signal, Zuo Sijian Chen Gongfu quickly offered to impeach Zhao Ding.Zhao Ding knew that the current situation was not good for him, so he repeatedly asked Zhao Gou to resign.Zhao Gou also knew that he resigned because of Zhang Jun's exclusion. Although he did not try his best to persuade him to stay, he said to Zhao Ding unhappily: "You don't need to travel far, just stay in Shaoxing. I will use you someday."

In December of the sixth year of Shaoxing, Renyin, Shangshu Zuopushe, Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhang and the Privy Council, the governor of the army and horses and the supervisor of the national history Zhao Dingba, a scholar of Chongguan Wendian, and the comfort of Liangzhe East Road He is an ambassador and knows Shaoxing Prefecture.

In the first month of the first lunar month of the seventh year of Shaoxing, Zhao Gou accepted Zhang Jun's suggestion and issued an edict in Pingjiang to move to Jiankang and prepare to leave in February.Soon thereafter, Chen Yuyi, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, was appointed as a political adviser, and Shen Yuqiu, a scholar of the Zizheng Palace, was appointed as an advisor to the Privy Council.Zhang Jun changed his role as a privy envoy, and recommended Qin Hui to the court as a privy envoy.

One night when Zhang Jun entered the palace to face the saint, Zhao Gou asked about the recent situation of the troops led by the generals. Zhang Jun frowned and sighed, and said: "Although the generals have made great achievements in defending against the enemy, they are somewhat proud of their achievements. Listen to the orders of the imperial court, and there is a tendency to turn officers and soldiers into private soldiers."

Zhao Gou asked for details, and Zhang Jun said: "Your Majesty is in danger when he restores the country. In the early years, he was threatened by the Jin people outside, and there were rogues and rebellious people inside. The number of officers and soldiers is limited. It is also a last resort for domestic rogues to reorganize and join the army. Now such a miscellaneous army is gradually concentrated under the command of a few generals and has been controlled for many years. Those soldiers are less and less like officers and soldiers. Private soldiers. On weekdays, all armies must be called the soldiers of a certain surname and family. Those of Zhang Jun are called Zhang Jiajun, those of Liu Guangshi are called Liu Jiajun, those of Yue Fei are called Yue Jiajun, and the rest of the army of Yang Yizhong, Han Shizhong, Wu Jie, Wu Lin, etc. It's better to be like this, if things go on like this, it will definitely be detrimental to the imperial court's dispatching and commanding."

Zhao Gou nodded: "I have heard about these things. In addition, I also heard that the generals used the army to do business in the name of enriching military expenses without authorization, and robbed the country's wealth."

Zhang Jundao: "That's right. Since His Majesty came to the throne, he has always attached great importance to comforting and rewarding generals who have made great achievements, and often bestows high officials, rich salary, land and property. Among the generals, Yang Yizhong, Wu Jie, Wu Lin and Yue Fei all worshiped the two townships as Jiedu envoys. Zhang Jun, Liu Guangshi, and Han Shizhong were even added to the three towns. The power of the generals gradually increased, and their actions became more and more arrogant. Not only did they engage in business and compete with the country for profit, but some even condoned their soldiers to rob civilians, which damaged the reputation of the Song army. Military generals are needed to make meritorious deeds, but it is not the blessing of the imperial court to blindly support them without restraining them, and to let their power grow, and it is also against the ancestral precepts of using literature to control martial arts."

Zhao Gou thought for a moment, and then asked him: "According to Qing's opinion, what should we do?"

Zhang Jun cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I think it's time to recruit internal and external soldiers."

Zhao Gou looked at Zhang Jun calmly, with peaceful eyes, not revealing joy or worry: "Qing is the prime minister and also in charge of the military. You can handle some things yourself."

Zhang Jun understood, bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

After discussing with Zhang Jun, Zhao Gou returned to the dormitory, but saw two maids kneeling in front of Yingchi, and Yingchi was ordering them to slap each of them twenty times.

When Zhao Gou asked why, Yingfu sighed: "The officials and concubines are not strictly disciplined, and the maids in the palace talk freely, which affects the reputation of the eldest princess of Fuguo."

Zhao Gou asked anxiously, "What did they say?"

Yingfu said: "The eldest princess just cooked some lotus seed soup for the official's family and delivered it to the official's family herself. Maybe she saw that the official's family was discussing with Mr. Zhang, so she waited outside the door. But these maidservants are really hateful. Seeing Later, they actually discussed in private, saying that the eldest princess has been listening attentively outside the door, and she is so focused, it must be because of Zhang Xianggong..."

Zhao Gou's face was gloomy after hearing this, and he asked again, "What's the matter with Zhang Jun?"

Yingfu replied: "What kind of good things can these two ignorant maidservants say? It is nothing more than saying that Mr. Zhang is good at governing the country, and he is also a good talent. Therefore, the eldest princess listened very carefully when she saw that he was discussing with the officials... It's some nonsense. Officials worry about the country and the people all day long, and the eldest princess is swayed by it. It is natural to care about a little bit of national affairs, but she is criticized by these sluts for no reason. Of course, the concubines should punish them for the eldest princess. pass?"

Zhao Gou turned to stare at her, and said coldly, "Twenty slaps on the mouth? It's light. Thirty slaps on the stick."

3. Rain
It can be seen from this that Rou Fu has been eavesdropping on his conversation with Zhang Jun outside the door.Zhao Gou was very upset, but he didn't scold her for it, and he didn't even mention it in front of her.This happened again a few days later.On that day, Zhao Gou met He Mo and Fan Ning, the envoys returning from their mission to the Kingdom of Jin, to greet them during the day, and called Qin Hui into the palace to discuss matters that night.After the two discussed for a while, Zhao Gou accidentally noticed a familiar figure of a woman outside the door, and then hid in the wall. He immediately ordered the servants in the hall: "Open the door, please come in, Princess Fuguo."

As soon as the door opened, Rou Fu did not evade, Shi Shi ran in, glanced at Qin Hui indifferently, and saluted Zhao Gou.

On the contrary, Qin Hui was a little embarrassed, and dared not look at her with his head down.Zhao Gou waved his hand and ordered him to leave, and Qin Hui left quickly.

After going out, thinking of Roufu's cold eyes just now, Qin Hui felt quite uncomfortable.He walked with his head down, and when he reached the courtyard, he realized that it had started to rain. Although it was not very heavy, it was freezing cold, and the rain covered his face and body layer by layer, but it was also bitingly cold.

He was walking quickly with his sleeves covering his head, when he suddenly heard someone shouting from behind: "Master Qin, please stay."

He stopped and looked back, and saw a court lady running towards him holding an umbrella.He ran up to him and bowed his knees, and said to him: "Master Qin, Wu Cairen ordered the slaves to hold umbrellas for Your Excellency, and send Your Excellency to the carriage."

"Wu Cairen?" Qin Hui was taken aback for a moment, then hurriedly said with a smile on his face: "You are so helpful. Please go back and thank Wu Cairen for me."

The maid smiled and agreed, and then held an umbrella for him all the way, and sent him to the carriage outside the third and fourth gates.

"Ninth Brother, why do you use this person again?" Rou Fu asked Zhao Gou as soon as Qin Hui left.

Zhao Gou didn't answer, but said: "I haven't asked you about the crime of eavesdropping on political affairs, but you have reason to ask me first."

Rou Fu was not panicked, and raised his eyebrows and smiled: "Since Brother Ninth knows it all, I'll just say it straight. In the past two years, Zhang Jun and Zhang Dudu have commanded properly, and they have been very effective in fighting against the outside world. The Song and Jin battles are generally stable, but He was pissed off by Liu Guangshi, but he became confused for a while, instead of taking advantage of the victory to pursue the Northern Expedition, he first discussed with Brother Nine about taking over the military power of the generals. Of course, blindly supporting generals without restraining them violates the ancestral precepts and is prone to future troubles, but It is not in a hurry to release the military power with a glass of wine. It is very inappropriate to consider this matter before the Central Plains have been restored and the gold has been destroyed. You all know that almost all the generals have turned officers and soldiers into private soldiers. The soldiers only recognize their own leaders. If the military power of their generals is suddenly withdrawn and an irrelevant person takes over, will these soldiers obey their orders with peace of mind? Will the new generals appointed by the court be able to obey the crowd? In addition, regardless of the generals whose military power has been cut Will they resist, their lips are dead and their teeth are cold? Will the rest of the generals fail to see the purpose of Brother Nine when they see this situation? At that time, they will all deliberately oppose the court, and suddenly quit, so that the court cannot mobilize soldiers to fight against Jin. So what should I do?"

Zhao Gou didn't argue with her, but said lightly: "Zhang Jun has always acted with propriety."

"Okay, since Brother Nine trusts him so much, then I won't say anything more about it." Rou Fu nodded, and said, "Besides, Qin Hui, his political views are most compatible with Brother Nine than the word 'discussion' Today, I asked Anshi just after he came back from the Kingdom of Jin. You called Qin Hui into the palace to discuss matters. The discussion must be about making peace with Jin. Presumably Brother Ninth wants to use the advantages he gained from fighting against Jin in the past two years as capital to fight with Jin. The Jin people negotiate, but whenever the Song Dynasty initiates a peace negotiation, those barbarian gold thieves will definitely demand a lot. When the peace agreement is reached, what will be signed is just another humiliating treaty. As far as the current situation of the two armies is concerned, it may not be possible for the Song Dynasty to continue fighting. Lose, but Brother Nine will be safe if he wins a small victory. If he is busy seeking peace, he may make the Jin people laugh at him and take the opportunity to blackmail him. Therefore, it is not impossible to negotiate a peace, but we must continue to pursue it, and the Jin people have to fight. I will discuss it when I open my mouth to ask for peace..."

"Yuan Yuan," Zhao Gou interrupted her, throwing away a memorial in his hand, "Did you know? Father has passed away."

Rou Fu was stunned: "Father? ... When did it happen?"

Zhao Gou said: "June of the year before last. The Jin people kept it secret until He Mo and Fan Ning went on an envoy to find out."

Rou Fu was silent for a long time, and finally revealed a faint smile, a little sad, but not very sad: "Alright, I'm finally free."

Zhao Gou didn't ignore all the subtle changes on her face and said, "I thought you were going to cry."

"The tears I shed for my father have been shed in the Kingdom of Jin." Rou Fu said calmly, and then looked up at him, "What about you? Why didn't you cry?" Before Zhao Gou could answer, she smiled and opened her eyes Come on, "Oh, brother Jiu's tears are to be saved for the sacrifice of the soldiers crying, right?"

"Presumptuous!" Zhao Gou's face sank, "My tolerance and patience with you are not without limit."

Rou Fu bit his lip, proudly turned his head to the side and did not look at him, but continued to speak to him: "Father has passed away, so Brother Nine is eager to reach a peace agreement to welcome father back to Zi Palace?"

Zhao Gou sighed and said: "Father Huang has been hunting in the north for many years. As a son-in-law, he has never been able to welcome him back to the country in his lifetime. His Zigong stayed in the Kingdom of Jin, and he could not return his soul to his hometown? The bad news of my father also made me more and more concerned about my mother in the Kingdom of Jin. The mother and queen are getting older, how can they live in the bitter cold and rough places in the north? Presumably her Nian has also suffered a lot, if he doesn't try to take her back to Luan soon, Brother Nine will have trouble sleeping and eating."

Rou Fu sneered slightly: "When Emperor Father was alive, he did wait day and night for Brother Jiu to pick him up, but after waiting for so many years, he must have been patient. Wait, don't worry. When will Ninth Brother completely defeat the Jin people and let them obediently take the initiative to send their father back to Zi Palace? How do you know that she is not doing well in the Kingdom of Jin?"

Zhao Gou was startled immediately when he heard the words, and walked a few steps to grab Rou Fu's arm: "Do you know about my mother? How is she doing in the Kingdom of Jin?"

"I don't know!" Rou Fu suddenly broke free from his grasp, "I said I don't know anything! I guessed. She is very gentle to everyone, and she is the mother of Brother Nine. Jinren should not embarrass her .”

Zhao Gou walked back sadly and sat down again, silent for a while.

"Ninth Brother," Rou Fu approached him, knelt down gently, put his hands on his knees, and looked up at him earnestly, "Don't make peace with the Jin people for now, okay? Wait until we win a few more battles, don't Let them see that we are eager for peace."

Zhao Gou looked at her, and gradually smiled: "Do you think it's Brother Nine's wishful thinking to negotiate peace? In fact, several powerful officials in the Kingdom of Jin are also looking forward to the conclusion of this matter."

"Really?" Rou Fu frowned and asked, "Who is there?"

"Talan, Jin Taizong's eldest son, Wanyan Zongpan..." Zhao Gou stared at Roufu's eyes, "Perhaps, there is also Wanyan Zongjun."

As expected, he noticed that the last name caused a momentary constriction of her pupils.

She quickly lowered her head and said nothing.

"Wanyan Zongjun is a noteworthy figure. Although he is not in the court now, he is staying in Liaoyang Mansion in Tokyo, but I think he is not very far away from the day when he takes power and takes over the government." Zhao Gou continued, "Jin Taizong is completely After Yan Sheng's death, Wanyan Quan who succeeded him was only a teenager. The power in the court was once completely in the hands of Wanyan Zonghan, who had contributed to the establishment of the reserve and merged the two Privy Councils of Yanjing and Yunzhong. Yan Quan was very afraid of him. However, the boy quickly found a clever way, taking advantage of the opportunity of reforming the bureaucracy, to change positions, appoint Zonghan as the Taibao and lead the three provinces, transfer him back to the court from the Central Plains, and at the same time Let Taizong's eldest son, Zong Pan, be the grand master, and the emperor's uncle, Zonggan, be the grand tutor. He and Zong Han were in charge of the three provinces, and transferred Zong Han's confidants to the court for control. In this way, not only did Zong Han lose all his military power , and even the political power has been severely dispersed. If I am not mistaken, Ta Lan and Zong Pan are probably planning the final attack on Zong Han right now."

"These..." Rou Fu continued to lower his head, and asked softly, "What does it have to do with Wanyan Zongjun?"

Zhao Gou said: "What I'm interested in is how Wanyan Quan's inexperienced child mind can come up with such a clever way to remove Zong Han's military power, and design to let Ta Lan and Zong Pan deal with him."

Rou Fu was silent.Zhao Gou smiled vaguely and said: "At first, I thought it was the Enlightenment Mr. Han Fang who taught Yan Quan how to learn Chinese, Chinese etiquette and cultural system. Han Fang, a Han Confucian, taught him. After thinking about it, I think it may not be the case. Although Han Fang is knowledgeable However, it is too pedantic. It is said that what Wan Yanquan taught all day long is just ordinary arguments such as benevolent government and loving the people. Even if he can think of reforming the official system to relieve military power, he will provoke the contradiction between Zongpan and Zonghan, making them fight with each other , Wanyan is a fisherman's profit, this kind of shrewd and effective trick with a hint of insidiousness is not something that a rotten scholar can come up with."

After shaking Roufu's hands, he felt that they were extremely cold, so he gently pulled them over and put them in his palms. Zhao Gou continued: "I also have many spies in the Kingdom of Jin. The news they have sent back in the past few months is One point is more interesting: Wanyan Quan has a close correspondence with his eighth emperor Wanyan Zongjun, Zongjun will send him some Han books from time to time, such as "Zhenguan Zhengyao", and every time before Wanyan Quan makes an important decision, You must have received Zong Jun's letter from Tokyo first..."

Rou Fu suddenly stood up and asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Zhao Gou smiled slightly and said, "Aren't you very interested in what men do? Then I will tell you some political affairs of Jin Kingdom."

"I'm not feeling well, I'm going back first." After speaking, Rou Fu turned and left.

After watching her go away, Zhao Gou took out a few pieces of letter paper from a stack of documents, stared at the name "Zong Jun" densely covered on them for a long time, then slowly held them in his palm and crumpled them into a ball.

4. Wind and cloud
The next day, Zhao Gou announced the news of the death of the Taoist emperor in the court hall, and before he finished speaking, he burst into tears and mourned.All the ministers spoke words of comfort one after another, but Zhao Gou's expression was always sad.Seeing this, Zhang Jun stepped out of the line and said: "The expression of filial piety and righteousness of the emperor is not the same as that of the common people. In everything, the ancestral temple and the community should be the most important thing. Now that the Taoist emperor and emperor Zigong have not returned, the world is in ruins. I hope your majesty will shed tears." Let's rise up and turn our anger into the ambition of Zhongxing, restore the Central Plains, and bring peace to the people of the world."

Only then did Zhao Gou stop slightly, nodding his head gloomily, and ordered Zhang Jun to announce the news to the world.Zhang Jun also asked for orders for the generals to lead the three armies to mourn. Zhao Gou looked at him approvingly and agreed immediately.

Afterwards, while Zhao Gou was preparing to move to Jiankang, he secretly discussed with Zhang Jun about taking away the generals' military power. Character.In February of the seventh year of Shaoxing, after discussing with Zhang Jun, Zhao Gou appointed Yue Fei as the Xuanfu envoy to the west of Hubei Province, and handed Yue Fei an imperial letter with the words "Listen to Fei's orders, as if I were here in person" and asked him to take it to Liu Guangshi's generals used Yue Fei's reputation to stabilize the morale of the Huaixi Army led by Liu Guangshi, and eliminated Yue Fei and other generals' doubts about the imperial court's dismissal of their military power.

At first Yue Fei thought that this was to lead the Huaixi Army to him, so he couldn't help but ask Zhang Jun for some more soldiers to lead the [-] troops in the Northern Expedition.As soon as this remark came out, both Zhang Jun and Zhao Gou were very displeased. Zhao Gou responded that the soldiers in Huaidian are the guarantee of stationing and walking there, and they cannot be moved lightly. If Huaidian falls, how can the court survive?

In March of the seventh year of Shaoxing, Liu Guangshi was dismissed from the military power, and the Huaixi Army was not handed over to Yue Fei. Instead, it was changed to the Dudu Mansion directly under the leadership of Zhang Jun. Lu Zhi, the Minister of the Ministry of War and the Staff of the Dudu Mansion, went there in the name of comforting the troops. Liu Guangshi's general Wang De was promoted to be the capital commander, and Li Qiong, another general who was born as a bandit, was promoted to the deputy capital commander.

Previously, Zhang Jun had discussed with Yue Fei about the command of the Huaixi Army. Zhang Jun asked Yue Fei one by one who would be the most suitable to take over. What do you think of the governor's council going to lead the council?"

Yue Fei shook his head and said: "Wang De and Li Qiong have always had a gap, once Wang De's status is higher than Li Qiong, it will inevitably lead to a fight between the two. Although Lu Shangshu is talented, he is a scholar after all. He is not good at military affairs, so he may not be able to convince the public. .”

Zhang Jun asked him again: "How is Zhang Jun?"

Yue Fei has always looked down on Zhang Jun, and immediately denied: "He has a violent temper, brave and foolhardy, and Li Qiong did not accept him in the first place."

Zhang Jun said again: "Then Yang Yizhong should be fine."

Yue Fei still disagreed, saying: "Yizhong regards Wang De as his own, how can he control him!"

Hearing this, Zhang Jun was rather annoyed, and said coldly, "I knew it was you, Taiwei!"

Yue Fei's temper also rose accordingly, and he retorted: "The governor seriously asked for my opinion, and I dare not not express my humble opinion. How can I get more soldiers!" Zhao Gou refused to guard the tomb, but Yue Fei didn't care. He asked his military affairs officer Zhang Xian to take charge of the military, and left his picks and went straight to Mount Lushan.

After Yue Fei left, Zhang Jun ordered Zhang Zongyuan, the minister of the Ministry of War, to go to Ezhou to supervise Yue Fei's army.But the Yue family army refused to accept his control, and the soldiers sighed in frustration every day: "Zhang Shilang has come, General Yue will probably not come back!" As he missed Yue Fei, he became more resistant to Zhang Zongyuan, his morale was low, and he gradually did not listen to orders.

Zhao Gou was already very dissatisfied with Yue Fei going up to the mountain to observe the funeral without authorization, and he was even more furious when he heard these things.Zhang Jun came to see him and suggested that Zhao Gou dismiss Yue Fei's military power and let Zhang Zongyuan formally replace him.Zhao Gou strode quickly in the hall with his hands behind his back and his head bowed. After a long time, he stopped in front of Zhang Jun, his brows furrowed and his face stern: "No, the time has not yet come."

Then he sat down again at the imperial case, and personally wrote the edict: "Xu Qing is about recovery." Zhang Jun was ordered to send someone to Yue Fei to urge him to come down to command the army as soon as possible.

Zhang Jun unfolded it and saw that when he wrote the imperial edict, his face was obviously full of anger, but the words he wrote were still calm and thick, wide and steady, free and easy without any bad emotions, and he was secretly shocked while admiring him.

Zhang Jun asked Li Ruoxu, the councilor, and Wang Gui, the commander, to go to Jiangzhou with the edict, and urged Yue Fei to come back to manage the army.The two met Yue Fei at Donglin Temple and conveyed Zhao Gou's will, and Yue Fei was ordered to go there.

After the trip to Jiankang, Yue Fei treated the crime with a confession, but Zhao Gou didn't seem to be angry, and calmly comforted and persuaded him.On the day Yue Fei set off to go back to lead the army, Zhao Gou personally went out of the palace to see him off, and said to him warmly, "You were a little rash in playing Chen the day before yesterday, but I didn't get angry because of it. If I were really angry, I would definitely blame Qing and punish you. Just as Yizu said, 'The only one who breaks my law is the sword ear'. Now that I have ordered Qing to lead the army, and appointed Qing to restore the Central Plains, we know that I have no intention of angering Qing."

After hearing this, Yue Fei felt relieved, and once again expressed his loyalty and patriotism, and then bid farewell to Zhao Gou and returned to the barracks.

Yue Fei's previous analysis of the relationship between Li Qiong and Wang De was correct. After Wang De was promoted to the capital, Li Qiong often opposed him, and the United Ministry would falsely accuse Wang De in front of Lu Zhi all day long. Li Qiong has military power.After learning about it, Zhang Jun decided to recall Li Qiong, seize his military power, and punish him with death.Unexpectedly, the news leaked, Li Qiong first launched a mutiny in August, killed Lu Zhi, and led more than 4 Huaixi troops to surrender to Liu Yu, the puppet Qi emperor.

This rebellion shocked the government and the public, and Zhang Jun immediately became the target of public criticism. The courtiers believed that it was his mishandling of the Huaixi Army that caused today's disaster.Zhao Gou was also devastated by this incident. Although he didn't blame Zhang Jun, he quickly issued an order: "The Grand Master of Guanwendian, the ambassador of Liangzhe East Road appeasement system, and also knows Zhao Dingchong Wanshou Guanshi and attendant of Shaoxing Prefecture. Read, and hurry to go."

On that day, Zhang Jun entered the palace to meet him.After entering the hall, he knelt down in front of Zhao Gou, stretched out his hand on the top and slowly took off the black gauze, put it upright in front of his body, bowed his head and bowed again, and acted respectfully and solemnly.

Zhao Gouzhi was the one who took the initiative to resign, and saw that he looked haggard, and many wrinkles seemed to have grown on his originally clear face overnight, so he couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "Why did you do this? I didn't blame you. "

Zhang Jun straightened up and said, "I know that Li Qiong is to blame for the rebellion. If I hadn't acted recklessly that day and employed people improperly, there would not have been a change in Huaixi. I have limited talents and knowledge. Fortunately, Your Majesty has not given up and reused them repeatedly." , even if the subject is completely insane, it is difficult to repay your Majesty's kindness. Now that you have committed a serious mistake and caused great losses to the country and the monarch, how dare you continue to defend your position and damage your majesty's reputation? Your Majesty, please remove the minister to appease the public anger. But if there is another accident in the future, Your Majesty thinks that you can use the minister again, and the minister will immediately speak, and dare not resign due to old illness."

After hearing what he said, Zhao Gou no longer excused himself to stay.After pondering for a moment, he asked him: "In Yiqing's opinion, who can replace you as Prime Minister?"

Zhang Jun lowered his eyes and remained silent without answering.

Zhao Gou asked by name, "How is Qin Hui?"

Zhang Jun immediately vetoed it: "I have been working with Qin Hui recently, and I have only known his secrets." Although Qin Hui was recommended by him to serve as a privy envoy to the court, since working together, he has seen that Qin Hui does not want to resist the gold, but intends to seek peace, so he resolutely refuses Agreed to let him take over as prime minister.

Zhao Gou asked again: "How about using Zhao Ding?"

Zhang Jun still didn't feel that Zhao Ding was the right candidate, but he didn't speak out against it, so Zhao Gou ordered him to draw up an imperial edict to summon Zhao Ding to see him.

Zhang Jun quickly drew up the edict, offered it with both hands, then knelt down and bowed solemnly again, got up, and slowly retreated to the door, then turned around, sighed, brushed off the non-existing dust on his robe, and stepped out.Qin Hui has been very flattering to Zhang Jun for the past year, and said that Zhang Jun will definitely recommend himself to the emperor as a chancellor. He was waiting outside when he saw Zhang Jun withdrawing, so he hurriedly approached, carefully observed Zhang Jun's expression, and asked softly about Zhang Jun's admission .

Zhang Jun ignored him.The sunlight outside suddenly shone on his body, making him slightly glaring. Zhang Jun closed his eyes lightly, then opened them slowly, then flicked his sleeves, and walked forward with his head held high, never turning his eyes to look at Qin Hui from the beginning to the end.Not long after, Zhao Gou sent someone to publish the text drafted by Zhang Junshi. Only then did Qin Hui realize that he had left Zhao Ding the opportunity to be the Prime Minister, and suddenly he was astonished and came out angrily.

In September of the seventh year of Shaoxing, as Taifu, he led hundreds of officials as Zhao Ji and Empress Zheng, Shang Huizong Emperor, and Empress Xiansu to the posthumous posthumous posthumous posthumous posthumous posthumous title of Empress Xiansu. The envoys and governors of the army and horses, Zhang Jun, who was temporarily repairing the history of the country, was appointed as a scholar of Guanwendian, and promoted Jiangzhou Taiping Temple.

Then Zhao Gou appointed Zhao Ding as chancellor again, and ordered Huiyou Pavilion to wait for Wang Lun and Youchao to ask Lang Gaogong to go to the Huining Mansion of Jin Jingshi to express his intention to negotiate peace with Jin.

During this period, Zhao Gou successively received secret reports from the secret agents of the Kingdom of Jin:
In June, at the request of Zong Pan and others, the gold lord Wanyan Quan left Zong Han's important confidant, the former Xijing, and Shang Shu Zuo Cheng Gao Qingyi and others were imprisoned and executed for embezzlement.Before he was executed, Gao Qingyi said to Zong Han who came to cry goodbye: "My father-in-law listened to me early, so why is it today? After I die, the father-in-law must take good care of himself."

In July, Xinsi, Jin Taibao, leader of the three provinces, and King Zonghan of Jin Dynasty, died at the age of 58. The cause of death is unknown.There is an imperial edict under Wan Yanquan, counting his crimes, saying Zong Han: "I hold my power and hold dissent. People in the country say that they can be killed, and I dare to do it privately."

On the night of Bingxu in July, an earthquake occurred in Jinjingshi.

On the same day, Wan Yanquan crowned the emperor's uncle Zongjun as king.

In November, Jin took Marshal Zuo Jianjun Wan Yanchang (Tatlan) as the left deputy marshal, and made Lu king; Zongbi (Wu Shu) was the right deputy marshal, and made Shen Wang.

On Bingwu of the same month, the Jin people deposed Liu Yu as the king of Shu.

……

In December of the seventh year of Shaoxing, at Guiwei, Wang Lun and Gao Gonghui envoy Jin to return and report back to Zhao Gou saying that Wan Yan Quan asked Song Nabi to become a minister. Queen Mother Webster, and returned to Henan Zhuzhou.

Zhao Gou couldn't help showing a little joy when he heard that the golden man Xu Huanzi Palace, the Empress Dowager, and the states of Henan.After thinking about it for a while, he asked Wang Lun again: "Is this discussion going well? Did you agree as soon as you said the benefactor?"

Wang Lun replied: "The Kingdom of Jin was divided into two factions. Zong Pan and Ta Lanli advocated peace with the Song Dynasty, but Zong Bi, Zong Gan and Prime Minister Wanyan Xiyin did not agree. The gold master hesitated for a while. After Tokyo Staying behind Zong Jun returned to the capital to report on his duties, and the gold lord went out of the city to greet him in person. The next day, the gold lord notified the ministers and others that the gold had decided to negotiate peace with the Song Dynasty. In addition to returning the Zigong and the empress dowager, it could also be returned to the states of Henan. Soon afterward, Liu Yu was decreed to be abolished."

"Zong Jun?" Zhao Gou rapped on the case with his finger, and asked in deep thought, "What kind of person is he?"

Wang Lun said: "Zong Jun is proficient in Chinese and Chinese, and has a great talent for knowing people. He has made outstanding achievements since he was left behind in Tokyo. He is relatively young among the Jin Taizu's sons, but now he is quite famous in the Jin Kingdom, and the Jin Lord thinks highly of him."

5. Red leaves
After finding out that the Kingdom of Jin also had the intention of negotiating peace, Zhao Goujin Wang Lun became a direct scholar of Huiyou Pavilion, promoted Liquan Temple, and filled the Kingdom of Jin to welcome Zigong envoys. Then go to the Kingdom of Jin to discuss the details of the peace agreement.Within a year after the second time, the Song and Jin Dynasties sent envoys to and from each other many times to discuss peace negotiations one by one.And Zhao Gou also left Jiankang in February of the eighth year of Shaoxing and returned to Lin'an.

Zhao Gou wanted to make peace with Jin Yan, knowing that there were many opponents among the ministers in the court, and wanted to strengthen the power of the peace party, so he wanted to use Qin Hui, who had always been the peace party, as his prime minister, so he asked Zhao Ding for his opinion.Qin Hui flattered and flattered Zhao Ding since he returned to prime minister. Zhao Ding also had a good impression of Qin Hui at this time. Besides, he was not against negotiating peace, but advocated a principled and unbending peace with Jin, so he did not object to Zhao Gou He appointed Qin Hui as the prime minister, and only said: "It is up to your Majesty to decide who to use as the prime minister." With his words, Zhao Gou then ordered the privy envoy Qin Hui to guard the minister's right servant shot, and to make peace with Zhongshumen, and also to be the privy envoy. .

Before Zhao Gou announced the peace negotiation decision, Zhao Ding once suggested: "Many scholar-bureaucrats believe that the Central Plains can recover. If they give up the opportunity to enter the army because of the peace negotiation, they will inevitably attract criticism in the future, saying that the imperial court lost this opportunity for nothing. Your Majesty should first It is advisable to call the generals into court to ask their opinions."

Zhao Gou said: "There is no need to consider these things. Today Zigong, the Empress Dowager, and Emperor Yuansheng have all left gold and have not returned it. If there is a disagreement, there is no reason to return it."

Shen Zhizheng Chen Yuyi also said: "Using soldiers must kill people. If I get what I want because of peace negotiations, wouldn't it be wise to use soldiers? If there is no hope of peace negotiations, then it will not be too late to use troops."

Zhao Gou thought so, and nodded upon hearing this.Zhao Ding also kept silent when he saw this.

As soon as the decision to discuss peace was announced, it really aroused bursts of opposition. When the ministers went to the court, they made generous speeches and debated fiercely in the court hall.Zhang Jun, who lived in Yongzhou, was even more indignant when he was relegated to secretary and junior supervisor after being dismissed from office.Zhao Gou summoned Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, Yue Fei and other generals to the court to ask their opinions, and only Zhang Jun agreed to negotiate a peace. , for fear of being ridiculed by future generations."

In the face of opposition, Zhao Gou often explained gloomyly: "The queen mother is old, and I miss you day and night, and I want to see you soon, so I am not afraid to bend myself to hope that the peace agreement will be achieved. However, there is no danger. Even if the peace agreement has been concluded, we must not relax prepare."

Liu Dazhong, a political adviser, had the same political views as Zhao Ding, and he was unwilling to bow his knees to the Jin people and give up war defense in order to negotiate peace. It's the trick of the enemy."

Although Zhao Ding agreed to negotiate a peace, he would never make more concessions on the specific treaty.In July of the eighth year of Shaoxing, before Wang Lun went to the Jin Dynasty for peace talks again, Zhao Ding explained to him that the bottom line of the peace talks was that the annual coins should not exceed 25 taels of silver and silk each. Jin Chengchen was canonized.

Jin did not agree to these conditions, and the peace talks were delayed. Seeing that Zhao Gou was eager to make peace, Qin Hui waited for an opportunity to squeeze out Zhao Ding and Liu Dazhong, and first recommended his confidant Xiao Zhen to serve as Yushi, and ordered him to impeach Liu Dazhong on charges of unfilial piety. Then Liu Dazhong was dismissed.Zhao Ding naturally saw that their ulterior motives were not in drinking, and said to his colleagues: "Xiao Zhen's intention is not in Dazhong, but he is using Dazhong to attack." After hearing this, Xiao Zhen did not deny it, and said to others: " Prime Minister Zhao can be said to be self-aware, and he considers the matter of retiring without waiting for impeachment, isn't he a wise man?"

Not long after, Zhang Jie, the censor in the palace, impeached Goutao in Shizhong.Gou Tao defended himself, saying that the reason why Zhang Jie impeached him was because Zhao Ding was in charge, and he slandered Zhao Ding for his internal admonitions and external connections with generals, which was unpredictable.In a rage, Zhao Ding begged to be dismissed, but Zhao Gou refused to stay. In October of the eighth year of Shaoxing, Zhao Ding was dismissed as the Prosecutor Shao Fu, Fengguo Jiedu Envoy, Liangzhe East Road Appeasement System Ambassador and Adviser Shaoxing Prefecture.

On the day of departure, Qin Hui led his staff to a farewell party. Zhao Ding chatted with Wang Shulue, the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, but when he saw Qin Hui, he left without saying a word.

After Zhao Ding left, Qin Hui wanted to ask Zhao Gou for the right to be the only prime minister. He said: "The ministers are afraid of the head and the tail, and they are not enough to discuss important issues. If your majesty really wants to make peace, I beg your majesty to discuss the matter with the ministers exclusively, and don't allow the ministers to foresaw."

Zhao Gou then said, "How about entrusting important matters to the Secretary alone?"

Qin Hui pretended to decline: "I'm afraid it will be inconvenient, please think twice, Your Majesty!"

Three days later, Qin Hui asked Zhao Gou for his opinion again, and Zhao Gou still trusted him wholeheartedly.Qin Hui still asked him to think for three days before making a decision.Three days later, Qin Hui asked again, but Zhao Gou still did not change his original intention, so Qin Hui took out the memorial letter, which read: "Begging for a peace agreement, no officials are allowed to interfere."Zhao Gou agreed and decided to be alone with Qin Hui.Afterwards, Qin Hui wantonly promoted his cronies, impeached the ministers in charge of the war, and soon dismissed the ministers who strongly opposed the peace negotiation one by one, and more actively negotiated peace with Jin.

At this time, the political arena of the Kingdom of Jin was also changing rapidly.After Zong Han's death, Zuo Prime Minister Xi Yin, who had a political disagreement with Talan Zong Pan, was also dismissed in the autumn and July of the eighth year of Shaoxing (the first year of Jin Tianjuan). The prime minister and servant, moved to the king of Chen.

The news about Zong Jun was always able to spread to Lin'an very quickly, this was Zhao Gou's deliberate request to the spies in the Kingdom of Jin.When Zhao Gou received this latest news, he knew that Rou Fu was walking with Zhao Yuan in the garden of the palace, so he immediately went to the back garden to find her.He likes to spy on her subtle expression when she hears Zong Juan's name. Zong Juan's news is like a sharp blade to him, sharp enough to cut through her closely guarded past secrets.

Rou Fu sat on a big rock beside a chrysanthemum garden, holding a few late-blooming white sandalwood chrysanthemums in his hand, and watched Zhao Yuan under the red maple tree with his arms pressing down on the branches with a smile, choosing beautiful maple leaves for her.

Zhao Yuan is now 13 years old, but he is already tall and tall, as tall as Roufu. Wearing a plain white shirt, he stands calmly and leisurely under the maple tree with strong red leaves, and he has an indescribable sense of gorgeousness.He looked up at each red leaf, and when he chose the one he liked, he pressed it down with his hand, turned his eyes to Roufu, and called her to ask, "Auntie?" If Roufu nodded, he broke off that branch.

Seeing Zhao Gou, they were silent for a while, and then came over to greet him one after another.Zhao Gou gently picked off the two broken leaves that fell on Zhao Yuan's head, and said to him, "Have you not gone to Zishantang yet? Mr. Fan has been waiting for you for a long time."

In fact, it was not time to study at that time, but Zhao Yuan did not argue, agreed, turned around and silently handed the red leaves in his hand to Rou Fu, and then set off to Zi Shan Tang.

Rou Fu held the chrysanthemum and red leaves, smiled and held it up to Zhao Gou: "Isn't it very fragrant?"

"The gold master Wanyan Quan appointed Wanyan Zongjun as Shangshu Zuoyuxiang and servant, and moved to Chenwang." Zhao Gou said directly to her.

"Brother Jiu's lacquered gauze head is so beautiful today, why not compare it with the chrysanthemums?" Rou Fu seemed not to have listened to his words at all, and lowered her head to carefully select the flowers in her bouquet.

"After Zong Han's death, Zong Pan became more and more arrogant and domineering. He often fought with Zong Gan, and even drew his sword against Zong Gan in front of Wan Yan Quan. Therefore, Wan Yan Quan promulgated a ban on not wearing a sword in the palace below the prince. Zong Pan He was the eldest son of Emperor Taizong of Jin, and he once competed with Wan Yanquan for the position of Ban Bo Jilie. Although Wan Yanquan used him to get rid of Zong Han, he felt that he was cunning and difficult to control, and was anxious to find a powerful person to take over. Contain him with Zonggan."

Rou Fu picked out a woody chrysanthemum, attached it to Zhao Gou's head, and shook his head: "Not good. This flower is too beautiful, not like Brother Nine."

Zhao Gou ignored her words and continued: "Therefore, Wanyan Quan summoned his eighth emperor's uncle Zongjun back to Beijing, where he was made king and worshiped as prime minister, in order to let him join hands with his half-brother Zong Qian to restrain the arrogant Zong Pan. .”

"Hey, maple leaves are better." Rou Fu took a branch of maple leaves, picked off a few pieces with bright color and perfect shape, clustered them in one place and stuck them beside Zhao Gouyu's head.The bright red maple leaves set off Zhao Gouchun's black lacquer gauze and fair complexion, elegant and clear, which made her smile slightly: "That's it, don't pick them today."

Zhao Gou stood with his hands behind his back, allowing her to add leaves to his hairpins, still staring at her and continued calmly: "But to Wan Quan's surprise, Zong Jun went to Zongpan Mansion the next day after paying homage to the prime minister, and met with Zong Pan and Tarlan drank and feasted all night long. In the next few days, if there was any disagreement in the court, Zong Jun would support his cousin Zong Pan and oppose his half-brother Zong Qian."

"How come?" Rou Fu finally exclaimed in surprise, "He and Zong Pan have always been incompatible!"

The corners of Zhao Gou's lips were slightly raised, and a cold and long smile loomed.

Rou Fu knew that he had made a slip of the tongue, lowered his head and said softly: "I remembered, I heard something about this person in the Kingdom of Jin before."

"Yeah, even you have heard that he is incompatible with Zongpan, no wonder Wanyan Quan wants him to restrain Zongpan." Zhao Gou said: "But it may not be bad for Song Dynasty if this person is in power. In July of this year, Talan entered the court and suggested that Jin should abolish the old land of Qi and Song Dynasty. Jin ordered the officials to discuss this matter. Song. I think he probably also hopes to make peace with Da Song."

"Him?" Rou Fu bit his lips and sneered, "He would be so kind and give us back the land for nothing? Yidi can't be trusted, and peace talks can't be trusted!"

"Oh? You seem to know him very well?" Zhao Gou asked with a slight smile, "Have you heard anything else about him in the Kingdom of Jin? His background, experience, his views on Da Song, or his character, Personality, appearance?"

"No!" Rou Fu looked over his shoulder and cast his eyes on the red maple tree, "Irrelevant person, why should I inquire about him?"

Zhao Gou noticed that when she said these words, her right hand had been unconsciously tugging Mu Xiangju fiercely, and the thin white petals were floating down, laying a thin layer under her skirt of the same color.

6. Vase
Regardless of the criticisms of civil servants and generals, the peace negotiation with Jin continued under the planning of Zhao Gou and Qin Hui.In the face of endless objections, Zhao Gou only explained: "For many years, I have been deeply saddened by the dust of the second sage, and my mother has not returned. I did not hesitate to humiliate myself and sent envoys to Jin Dynasty many times because I remembered my parents, elder brothers and dear ones. The reason for welcoming you back. Since I came to the throne, although I have paid attention to management, I have not yet grasped the essentials. I often read that the mausoleum is far away, and the Zi Palace has not been returned. Since the Jin man wanted to send him back to Zi Palace and make peace with Song Dynasty, I should respond accordingly."

In December of the eighth year of Shaoxing, the Lord of Jin sent Zhang Tonggu, Minister of the Right Department, General Mingwei, and Xiao Zhe, Minister of the Xuanhui Academy, as Jiangnan imperial envoys. Wang Lun, who was in Jin Dynasty, went to Lin'an together.It can be seen from the words "Jiangnan Imperial Envoy" that Jin did not call the Southern Dynasty "Song", but only regarded it as "Jiangnan". The "edict" of the state, and required the guards of the Song states and counties along the way to go out of the city to pay homage to the Jin envoy.For a time, public anger arose, and some upright governors of prefectures and counties refused to go out to pay homage, so they simply resigned and returned to their fields.

This incident caused a great uproar in the Southern Dynasties, whether it was spread in the academy restaurant or Wazi Goulan, and everyone who heard it shook their heads and sighed.Naturally, it soon reached the ears of Rou Fu who lived in the princess's house outside Lin'an City.

Immediately after hearing the news, he got up and drove into the palace.When he saw Zhao Gou, a sharp glance made him instantly understand her purpose.

"Yuan Yuan came just in time, brother Jiu has a gift for you." Zhao Gou said to her with a smile.

She approached him, raised her head and looked straight into his eyes: "Are you going to accept the 'edict' from the Jinren, accept their canonization, and profess to them?"

He tilted his head calmly, avoiding her visits with his eyes unobtrusive, his eyes fell on a vase on the bookshelf, and gently picked it up: "I asked Xiunesi to make this specially for the official kiln. Do you like it?" like."

This vase is small and dignified in shape, coated with azure glaze, the glaze is warm and moist like jade, and the body is as thin as paper.The bottom foot is black, and the mouth is gray and black and purple, which is the standard feature of official kiln porcelain "purple mouth and iron foot".The body of the bottle seems to be scratched and carved in intaglio. It is vaguely an elegant picture, but Rou Fu didn't bother to look at it carefully. He just glanced at it and didn't take it. Paying homage, I must have asked Brother Nine to go out to greet me when we arrive in Lin'an, will you also bow down to the golden man?"

Zhao Gou still didn't answer, handed the vase to her, and said, "Here you are. Look at the scratches on it."

Rou Fu reluctantly held it in his hand, looked down, and saw that the intaglio pattern on the body of the bottle was a little girl swinging under the cherry tree. Because of the extremely thin glaze, the pattern was clearly visible through the light.The body of the bottle is exquisite, but the brush strokes are vivid and meticulous, even the eyebrows of the girl are vividly depicted, delicate and cute, it is actually somewhat similar to Roufu.

"I drew a small sample for the craftsman of the official kiln, and ordered him to draw flowers according to the same pattern. The craftsman is indeed extraordinary, and the carved patterns hardly lose the charm." Zhao Gou said to Roufu with a smile.

Rou Fu smiled coldly, and raised his hand, the vase drew a blue arc in the air, and then fell to the base of the wall one foot away, with a crisp sound, it burst into pieces.

"Ninth brother, playthings are not what I need. If you have the heart, give me the complete Song Dynasty. If you can't do it, then at least keep the dignity of Song people for me. Is this request very harsh? Can't you get a response? "

Zhao Gou looked at her at this moment, with the severe winter chill she had never felt before, like the faint blue light refracted on the glacier in the deep sea.He waved his sleeves, pointed to the broken porcelain pieces on the ground, and said, "Go, pick up all the pieces, and try to restore the vase to its original state. Before this is done, I will not forgive you, and you don't have to enter again." palace."

Rou Fu stood silently for a moment, then nodded suddenly, and uttered a word: "Okay." Then he walked slowly, bent and squatted down, and picked up the broken porcelain one by one with his back to Zhao Gou.

The anger in his heart slowly dissipated, Zhao Gou looked at Rou Fu indifferently, with a desolate expression on his face.She didn't know how much thought and energy he, who was not good at painting, spent on drawing the sample, changed the draft several times in his busy schedule, and supervised the official kiln craftsmen to carve and burn this vase with a strict attitude, and finally prepared it meticulously Her gift fell prey to her anger, and she didn't even bother to look at it before destroying it.

After a while, she picked up all the pieces and still kept her back to him, as if she never realized that this was actually an act of disrespect. "Ninth brother, I'm done picking up, can I go?" She asked lightly.

He didn't answer.At this time, she trembled suddenly, but she stopped for a moment, and then stood up, without turning around to leave, and walked outside by herself.

With her hands lowered in her arms, holding the pile of porcelain, her gait was a little floating, as if walking was very difficult.This scene made Zhao Gou feel weird, and he watched her walk a few steps suspiciously, and suddenly found that there were drops of red liquid forming lines on the ground she was walking on.

"Yuan Yuan!" He cried out, grabbed her with a few steps and turned her around, looked down, and saw a deep gash on her left wrist, which was a smooth and neat incision, and bleeding was gurgling at this moment Come.

She turned her back to him just now, and tried to kill herself with the piece of porcelain she picked up.

He violently knocked down all the tiles she was still holding in her hand, put his arms around her with one hand, squeezed her wound with the other, and roared at the same time: "Come on!"

The waiter by the door looked back and was also very frightened, so he immediately split up to find a clean cloth to wrap the wound and the imperial doctor.

He sat down and held her tightly in his arms.The blood kept flowing, passed through the gap between his fingers, and stained the plain white clothes along their wrists.Anxiously and sadly, he pressed his lips to her wound, not wanting to see the glaring redness continue to spread, but immediately a hot liquid overflowed between his mouth and tongue, making him terrified beyond reason.

"Brother Jiu..." Rou Fu in his arms began to cry, and stretched out his right hand to caress his face, "Brother Jiu, do you know what the Jin people said about you? I don't want you to become like what they said... ..."

Zhao Gou nodded hastily: "I understand. Don't talk about it yet, I'll listen to you after the injury is healed."

Roufu and Lei smiled sadly: "I'm afraid that if you treat me well, you won't listen anymore... Ninth brother, I would rather die first than see you groveling to the golden man."

Zhao Gou hugged her tightly again, let her cheek stick to his chest, and said: "I never said that I would welcome the Jinren, nor would I accept their canonization or proclaim my minister. I didn't argue with you before because I didn't like it." You talk about politics, and your aggressive attitude."

Rou Fu sighed softly: "But you still want to pay for the sum, right?"

"Let's not talk about these things now..." Zhao Gou raised his head and turned to the servant who came over sharply, "Where's the imperial doctor?"

The waiter hurriedly replied: "I'll be there in a moment." And offered the white cloth I found.

Zhao Gou grabbed it with one hand and bandaged Rou Fu himself.Rou Fu's face was as pale as paper, he barely opened his eyes to look at him weakly, and sighed again: "Ninth brother, I probably can't mend that vase... Ninth brother, you also broke one of my things, just like the vase, I'm afraid It can't be fixed..."

Zhao Gou was taken aback, then smiled hastily: "It's okay, we can make new ones."

"Really? There will be new ones?" Rou Fu smiled coldly, and was unable to speak anymore in his arms, and gradually fainted.

7. Chen Wang
Qin Hui saw that the Jin envoy was named "Edict to Jiangnan", and guessed that Zhao Gou must be canonized in the book. Knowing that Zhao Gou could not accept it, he discussed with the Jin people and asked them to change Jiangnan to Song and the imperial edict to be a national letter. On the one hand, he also hinted at Zhao Gou politely, persuading him to get ready.But Zhao Gou flatly refused as soon as he heard it, saying: "I have been honored by my ancestors for 200 years, and I have been promoted by my subjects for more than ten years. How can I be canonized by the golden man! And after the border is drawn, the two countries will guard their borders and will not interfere with each other. For state affairs, except for sending envoys on Zhengdan and birthdays, they are not allowed to come and go at ordinary times, and my plan has been made."

In December Bingzi, Zhang Tonggu, the envoy of the Imperial Edict and Minister of the Right Department of Shangshu, signed a letter with General Mingwei and Xiao Zhe, Minister of the Xuanhui Academy, and arrived in Lin'an.Zhao Gou ordered them to stay in Zuopushe Mansion. There was an uproar all over the city, and the subjects talked a lot. Zhao Gou issued an edict, saying: "Dai Jin sent envoys to come and cut off the old places of Shaanxi and Henan, and make peace with me." , Xu returned to Zigong, mother, brother, and relatives, and there is no need to ask for it. I am worried that the scholars and the people will not know, and there will be fan confusion, and the minister will give an order."

The Jin envoy Zhang Tonggu asked Zhao Gou to accept the letter in person and bowed down to the Jin envoy, but Zhao Gou refused to agree. Qin Hui and others tried to persuade Zhao Gou to be ineffective, so they made an excuse for Zhao Gou, saying that the emperor was attending the funeral for Huizong It was difficult to perform auspicious rituals, so he ordered Qin Hui to accept the book on his behalf.After Zhao Gou agreed, Wang Lun rushed to discuss with the envoy overnight and persuaded him with threatening words. Zhang Tonggu saw that he might not be able to achieve his goal if he persisted, so he also nodded and agreed.

Zhang Tonggu also asked all the officials to prepare a gift to welcome them, so Qin Hui ordered the officials of the three provinces and the Privy Council to go to the embassy on horseback, accept the letter of credence on behalf of Zhao Gou, and then quietly put the letter of credence into the ban. .

After receiving the letter of state, Zhao Gou gave a banquet to meet Zhang Tonggu and Xiao Zhe.The two came with several attendants. When they saw Zhao Gou, he just straightened up and saluted without bowing down. , Don’t talk about state affairs.”

The envoy of Jin nodded in response, and Zhao Gou also raised his glass to toast when he saw this, and the atmosphere eased slightly after all the officials of Song and Jin had drunk a cup.

During the banquet, Zhao Gou silently observed the Jin envoy and his entourage. Zhang Tonggu and Xiao Zhe had heard Wang Lun tell about their appearance before. It quickly caught his attention.

The man was about 30 years old, tall and vigorous, with a high and straight nose, and slightly sunken eyes. From the side, his outline was clear and clear. His skin was light brown, a sun-bathed tone.He didn't shaved his head and braided hair and dropped his shoulders like other Jin people, but tied his head on top, wearing a Song-style lacquered gauze head, wearing a scarlet collar and cross-legged shirt, and black leather boots.Zhao Gou knew that after Jin reformed the official system, he also absorbed the crown and clothing system of Song Dynasty. The ministers of the fifth rank and above wear purple, the sixth rank and the seventh rank wear scarlet, and the eighth rank and ninth rank wear green. It is strange that Zhang Tonggu let him sit next to an official of rank or seventh rank, whose rank is low.

So he looked more carefully.But seeing that his every move is more refined and calm than other golden men, his demeanor is always leisurely while holding the cup and holding chopsticks, obviously he has been educated in good etiquette, and his extraordinary bearing cannot be concealed by the color of his clothes. Among the golden men, he is like Stand out from the crowd.

Looking at him like this for a long time, the man seemed to have sensed it, so he looked sideways at Zhao Gou, his eyes met, and he didn't avoid it. Want to toast.Unexpectedly at this time Zhang Tonggu raised his glass and turned around, as if he was about to drink with that person, but he didn't know that the person had already turned around, suddenly his arms bumped against each other, and the two wine glasses fell to the ground.

The man didn't panic, and still sat calmly, but Zhang Tonggu hurriedly bent down to pick up the wine glass, first picked up the man's wine glass and put it on the table, and whispered a Jurchen sentence to him, as if apologizing .

Zhao Gou looked at the maid behind them. The maid understood and immediately stepped forward to replace them with new wine glasses.Zhang Tonggu turned around and thanked Zhao Gou. Zhao Gou smiled and asked, "I don't know what the job of this gentleman beside Zhang Shilang is?"

Zhang Tonggu said: "He is the general manager I brought this time. Although the official rank is only seventh rank, he is very knowledgeable and proficient in Chinese. He is very speculative with me, so I took him to the banquet together."

Communication is translation.Upon hearing the words, Zhao Gou asked leisurely again: "Zhang Shilang is proficient in Sinology, and he is erudite about the past and the present. Is it necessary to bring Tongshi with him?"

Zhang Tonggu was at a loss for words for a while, but the "Tongshi" beside him smiled and explained for him: "When you are on a mission, you have to think carefully about every word when discussing matters with people. It is necessary to bring one or two Tongshi."

Zhao Gou nodded, and said to Zhang Tonggu: "The voice of this general manager Shicai is quite accurate. It is almost the same as that of the Han people. It can be seen that he is talented and knowledgeable. Now I am also very interested in Jurchen. After the dinner, Zhang Can the minister let Tongshi stay, I have a few questions to ask him, and I will order someone to send him back to the embassy later."

Hearing this, Zhang Tonggu showed a little embarrassment, and couldn't help turning his head to look at Tongshi, with a questioning look in his eyes.And Tongshi didn't hint in private, and said to Zhang Tonggu in Chinese frankly: "Since the Lord of the South of the Yangtze River personally invites you, we should naturally obey orders instead of being respectful."

Zhang Tonggu then explicitly agreed to Zhao Gou's request.

After the banquet, Zhao Gou ordered people to take Tongshi to Yizhen Pavilion, a side hall in the back garden, and went back to Funing Hall, his sleeping hall, to change into his regular clothes before going there.Yizhen Pavilion is facing the Plum Garden in Houyuan. The plum blossoms planted in the garden include green calyx, Chiba, jade pistil, sandalwood and other famous products. The flowers are mostly pure white, light yellow, slightly green and other plain colors. Also opened one after another.The sky is curved and the moon is missing, there are several palace lanterns under the eaves, and the pavilions in the garden are sparsely shadowed and slanted, and the dark fragrance is floating. Tongshi stands in front of the window with his hands behind his back and looks at the moon shadow plum blossoms, thinking.

When Zhao Gou entered the cabinet, Tong Shi turned around to welcome him, but he didn't greet him.Zhao Gou walked to the throne, but did not sit down for a while, there was a distance of more than ten feet between the two.Standing like this, the two sides were silent, their eyes met, and they didn't back down.

After a while, a maid came in serving tea, seeing that both of them hadn't sat down, wondering if they should still serve tea, they stood blankly by the door, with a very hesitant look on their faces.

Only then did Zhao Gou look sideways at the chair beside Tongshi, and said calmly, "Please sit down, Your Excellency King Chen."

"'Ninth Brother' deserves to be called 'Ninth Brother'." Tong Shi smiled brightly, "That's right, I am Wanyan Zongjun, King Chen of the Great Jin."

In the past, the family members of the Bianjing royal family often called Zhao Gou "Ninth Brother". Zhao Gou also heard that they still used this term when they mentioned it in the Kingdom of Jin after they were taken captive to the north. It sounds harsh.

However, the corner of the right lip was still pulled upwards slightly, and Zhao Gou spat out two words: "Jiu Yang."

Zong Juan smiled meaningfully, and replied, "To each other."

8. Looking for flowers
Sit down one after another.Zong Juan first asked: "When did His Majesty the Emperor of Song recognize the identity of the king?"

Zhao Gou did not ignore the title "His Majesty the Great Song Emperor", and could feel Zong Jun's vaguely emphatic tone, but before, like the two official Jin envoys, he only called him "Jiangnan Lord".

So he smiled slightly and said: "When Zhang Shilang picked up the wine glass for Your Excellency, what Your Excellency said later confirmed my guess. Those who can get Zhang Shilang to treat each other with such respect must be dignitaries whose status is much higher than his. Looking at the Great Jin court, besides Your Excellency, is there any young dignitary who can be so proficient in Chinese?"

Zong Juan praised: "Good eyesight. His Majesty the Emperor really knows the situation of this dynasty like the palm of his hand."

Holding up the tea served by the maid, a few wisps of mist with strong heat rose up. Zhao Gou looked at the blue color in the cup through the light mist, and said to Zong Jun: "Concession. If Your Excellency really intends to conceal your identity, It won't let me see it so quickly."

Zong Juan raised his eyebrows and smiled: "If Your Majesty fails to see it, then my trip to the south will be meaningless. But I know that I will definitely make this trip worthwhile."

"Your Excellency is accompanying you in micro-clothes, is it at the order of Emperor Dajin?" Zhao Gou asked, "Emperor Dajin is still worried about the two envoys, so he asked Your Excellency to supervise them?"

"The truth is," Zong Juan said lightly, "I am worried about them, and the Emperor Dajin also felt the need to send me to supervise them."

"In this way, Zhang Tonggu's acceptance of the revised proposal was also at your behest?"

"It's all small things that don't hurt the overall situation. I let them not worry about it." After a pause, Zong Juan continued, "It's like addressing you, why stick to the distinction between 'Lord of the Jiangnan' and 'His Majesty the Emperor of the Song Dynasty' ? Whether you admit it or not, you are the emperor of the Southern Dynasty."

Zhao Gou showed a calm smile: "Your Excellency Chen Wang is indeed open-minded and wise. I think your purpose of going south is not limited to supervising the gold envoys. Is there anything I need to do?"

Zong Juan also smiled casually: "Privately, there are two other small goals. One is to find flowers, and the other is to visit people."

"Oh?" Zhao Gou slightly raised his eyebrows, "Looking for flowers?"

"Yes." Zong Juan raised his eyes and looked out the window, ignoring the shadow of flowers under the moon, and said, "Lamei."

Zhao Gou then asked him, "What kind of wintersweet are you looking for?"

"It's a long story." Zong Jun smiled, "When I was staying in Tokyo, one of my subordinates named Wulitai took a fancy to the twelve plants in the garden of his general Su Zhuo's mansion, which were moved from the Southern Dynasty. Yurui Tanxin wintersweet, half-grabbed it into his hands. Su Zhuo dared not speak out, and held back his anger for the time being, and did not have any conflicts with Wulitai for a while. Unexpectedly, Wulitai soon He died of a sudden illness. Before his death, he distributed most of the family property and the wintersweet to the youngest son Chaha who was born in the royal family, while the eldest son Mu Yi had very limited income. At that time, Mu Yi saw that the wintersweet that he had snatched had no one who knew how to cultivate it, and it was already withering day by day. , then persuaded Chaha to return the flowers to Su Zhuo, saying: "Since you can't keep the flowers alive, why don't you return the flowers to Su Zhuo? The pruned branches will be given to you to put in the vase, so that there will be flowers and rewards, and each of you will benefit, so why not do it?'”

Zhao Gou listened quite intently, nodded at this moment and said: "This Mu Yi is very knowledgeable, but I don't know if his brother will listen to his advice."

Zong Juan shook his head, and continued: "Chaha disagreed, and insisted that Lamei was passed down to him by his father, and it was his property. It would not be returned to Su Zhuo, and Mu Yi was not allowed to intervene. With a cold tone, Mu Yi spoke with After arguing a few words, he moved out of the mansion and lived alone outside the city, and the two brothers did not communicate with each other at ordinary times. One day when Chaha was out hunting in the city, he happened to pass by the hut where Mu Yi lived. Hearing this, they were furious, so they drew their sabers at each other, and the two started fighting. At this time, Su Zhuo happened to pass by here with a group of followers..."

Zhao Gou smiled knowingly: "Su Zhuo must have heard about Mu Yi's suggestion to pay back the flowers, so he will definitely help Mu Yi at this time."

"That's right." Zong Jun said with a smile, "Su Zhuo was quite skillful, not to mention he was accompanied by his attendants, so he took Chaha down immediately, and with Mu Yimo's consent, he killed Chaha with one blow."

"Just kill him like this?" Zhao Gou asked, "Will Chaha's family accept it?"

Zong Juan said: "Of course I don't accept it. They sued me."

Zhao Gou asked with a smile: "Then how did the left-behind adults make the judgment?"

"I like smart people." Zong Jun laughed suddenly, and said, "Compared to the impetuous and frivolous Chaha, I admire the intelligent Mu Yi more. Besides, Su Zhuo knows how to help Mu Yi who is friendly to him. I like it. So I said that it was Chaha who provoked first, and Su Zhuo helped Mu Yi defend himself, both of them were right, and let Mu Yi take over Chaha's property."

Zhao Gou clapped the case and applauded: "Your Excellency handled this case very well, I admire you! After that, Lamei Muyi must be returned to Su Zhuo, right?"

Zong Jun nodded and said: "That's natural. But it's a pity that the wintersweet was completely withered at that time, and it was impossible to save it. There is no such species in Liaoyang Mansion, so Mu Yituo and I will help him find a few plants in the Southern Dynasty in the future. I returned the winter plums to Su Zhuo, and I promised him."

"It's easy." Zhao Gou pointed his sleeve at the wintersweet in the garden, "There are a lot of Yurui Tanxinzhen in this garden, you can choose as you like."

Zong Juan smiled and thanked.Zhao Gou waved his hand and said: "A few wintersweet plants are nothing to worry about. It is your Excellency who persuaded the Emperor Dajin to return the Henan land to the Song Dynasty, and I will not be able to repay it for a while." At this moment, the eyes staring at Zong Jun suddenly became strangely focused, "If in the future With the opportunity that Su Zhuo helped Mu Yi..."

Zong Juan also looked at him attentively, and said leisurely: "If everything goes according to people's wishes, what His Majesty can get is not only the land of Henan."

Zhao Gou got up happily, walked towards Zong Jun with his hands behind his back, and said with a smile, "It's rare that you and I hit it off at the first sight, and we talked so speculatively, why don't we form a friendly covenant for the two countries, write a letter as an oath, and if the great things come true, they will be repaired forever , respect and help each other?"

Zong Juan also stood up with a pleasant expression, but he did not agree: "I am not the king of a country now, so it is inconvenient to make a covenant for the country."

Zhao Gou said: "Sooner or later, there is actually no difference."

"It doesn't have to be a document to prove it. A gentleman's words are hard to follow." Zong Juan smiled lightly, raised his right palm, and said, "How about we high-five the oath?"

Staring at him for a while, but only for a moment, Zhao Gou nodded and said "OK", and raised his hand to strike him. There was a very loud "pop", and then the two looked at each other and smiled.

9. Undress
Zhao Gou then ordered the maid to bring the imperial wine, and sat down with Zong Jun to have a drink. During this period, he politely said to investigate the situation of the Jin Dynasty, but Zong Jun didn't say anything more, just said: "When you need help, Zong Jun will tell His Majesty." Zhao Gou didn't want to ask in detail, so he changed the subject, "Your Excellency just said that you still want to visit people when you go south?"

"That's right. I intend to visit the two of you," Zong Juan said, smiling, "I've met one of them now."

Knowing who he was referring to, Zhao Gou raised his jaw slightly, motioned for the maid to fill Zong Jun's glass with wine, met his gaze tacitly, and waited calmly for him to continue.

"The 'King Kang' in the Jin population and the 'Ninth Brother' often mentioned by the Song Dynasty were the biggest enemies of the emperors of the Dajin and Jin dynasties. However, if it weren't for an old man's unusual attention to the 'Ninth Brother', my impression of you may be Just stop at the simple description of a few brothers who have met you, and they will not have the idea of ​​making friends with you." When the wine was filled, Zong Juan was not in a hurry to raise his glass, and slowly turned the glass with one hand, His eyes still fell on Zhao Gou's face, as if he was still observing carefully, "During the days when I was with her, I often heard her mention two people, and the first one was you, please be generous and make Jin Ying look down upon you." King Kang of the enemy chieftain, the 'ninth brother' who took on the great task of rejuvenating the Song Dynasty when the country was in crisis."

The faint smile in his eyes was subtle and complicated, and a series of modified words did not make Zhao Gou feel praised.Zhao Gou didn't pay attention to the mysteries in his words and expressions for the time being, and asked him calmly: "Is this old man the son of Song Zongzong?"

"That's right." Zong Jun replied, "She often praises you in front of me for your bravery, noble integrity, calmness and wisdom, and your superior demeanor in a civilized country. The young and promising King Kang was appointed as the Generalissimo of the World's Soldiers and Horses Her glorious experience is her capital to show off all day long, and it is her eternal dream that the Ninth Brother, who has become the emperor, will lead the Northern Expedition to settle the shame."

His eyes gradually dimmed with his words, and a hint of snowy plum fragrance overwhelmed the strong scent of imperial wine, which made his heart feel cold, and Zhao Gou asked dully, "Who is she?"

Still holding the wine in his hand, Zong Juan leaned back intentionally or unintentionally, his eyes were loose, and his expression was leisurely: "She is the second person I want to see this time, Empress Roufu...or, it should be called...Fu The princess?"

"Are you very familiar with Sister She?" Zhao Gou asked coldly, "Who is she to you?"

Zong Juan raised his glass to him and smiled slightly: "Old friend."

Zhao Gou didn't raise his glass in response, and turned his head to look out the window indifferently: "Sister She is slightly ill, I'm afraid it's inconvenient to see guests."

"The injury on the wrist should have healed up to this day." After saying this, Zong Jun drank the wine in his glass and looked at Zhao Gou again: "I heard that she has been living in the palace since the day she was injured. She has been waiting day and night for observation and treatment, and she has basically recovered now."

Zhao Gou slightly smiled: "You know quite a lot, and the news is very well-informed."

Zong Juan laughed and said, "Where is that! You are so concerned about me sending a book from Tokyo to Emperor Dajin, and now I come to see my old friend in Lai'an by myself, and I don't even know her illness. Isn't it too rude?"

Zhao Gou sat up straight, stared at him for a long while, then smiled again, lifted the pot to pour another cup for Zong Jun, and then raised his glasses in greeting.Zong Juan comprehended the same way and toasted, and the two drank each other.

Putting down his wine glass, Zhao Gou said slowly, "Sister She seems to have completely forgotten the old affairs of the Kingdom of Jin after she returned to the south, I'm afraid I don't have the mood to reminisce about the past with you."

"It's okay, but tell her about my visit." Zong Jun said with a smile, "Maybe this is the medicine to cure her amnesia."

"She may not want to think about the past."

"She doesn't want to think about it, don't you want to know?"

Zhao Gou looked up: "How do you say that?"

"I mean," Zong Juan said, "if you let me meet her, I'll probably tell you something you want to know."

A candle on the nearby candlestick burned out at this time, the flame was annihilated, and a wisp of green smoke floated weakly like a gossamer.A maid hurriedly came over to put on new candles, and when she lit the candles, Zhao Gou ordered her, "Go and ask Princess Fuguo to come over."

The maid agreed to leave.Zhao Gou looked at Zong Jun and asked again: "You said that sister She often mentioned two people in the Kingdom of Jin, who is the other person?"

Zong Juan didn't answer for a while, but instead asked, "Who do you think it could be?"

Zhao Gou thought about it and said, "Could it be our third brother Yun Wang Kai?"

Zong Jun shook his head: "Prince Yun will mention it from time to time, but she doesn't always talk about it."

Zhao Gouqi asked, "Who else is there?"

"I also want to know who he is." Zong Juan stared at Zhao Gou with an openly ambiguous smile, "She said, that was the first person to kiss her. A perfect man who is different from the barbaric barbarian I am."

The pink memories about her suddenly spread in the bottom of my heart, and the sudden shock was followed by a sour touch.Zhao Gou lowered his eyes, not letting his eyes reveal throbbing emotions, his palms were as cold as the skin on his face, he thought he began to understand her loss and sorrow.

However, he had no choice but to continue to chat with Zong Juan, and changed some more relaxed topics. He still had a calm expression, but he didn't quite remember what he said.

After a while, the maid came back and said: "The eldest princess said it's too late, she will come tomorrow to greet the officials."

Before Zhao Gou opened his mouth, Zong Jun ordered the maid to say: "Go and invite the eldest princess, and say that King Chen of the Great King, Yan Zongjun, is asking to see you."

The maid asked Zhao Gou for his opinion, Zhao Gou nodded in agreement, and she went to ask again.After a while, she came back alone again, and said: "The eldest princess said that she never sees strangers, let alone Jin... Jin..." He hesitated before finishing, thinking that there would be no nice words behind the word "Jin".

Zhao Gou shook his head with a slight smile, and said to Zong Jun: "She has always had a bad temper, so she probably won't come here."

"Could Zong Juan bother His Majesty to invite her here?" Zong Juan said, his words were more polite, "Zong Juan's trip is not easy, if we don't see her, we will be deeply regretful. Your Majesty must be very sorry about this." I can understand."

He restrained all his smiles, and his expression looked quite serious, which surprised Zhao Gou a little, and also made him curious about the stories that happened between them.So he finally agreed and got up to find Roufu in person.

She had already closed the door of the pavilion tightly, ignoring the announcement from the servant, and only ordered the maid to say behind the door: "The eldest princess has already fallen asleep."

"Yuan Yuan," Zhao Gou raised his voice and asked her, "Didn't Brother Nine come to invite you personally?"

"No!" She replied from inside, her voice tinged with ice-cold anger, "A golden man, Jie Nu, slipped into the palace without a sound and told you that he was the prince of the Kingdom of Jin, so you believed it? My sister went out to meet this inexplicably suspicious person, what is the reason for that?"

Zhao Gou smiled helplessly, turned around and told Zong Jun, "She still doesn't want to see you."

Zong Juan sighed: "Is it true that you have decided so far?" Then he got up, bid farewell to Zhao Gou, and started to leave.

"Your Excellency, King Chen, please stay." Zhao Gou suddenly stopped him, "She just suspects that you are not King Chen, do you have something to prove your identity to show her?"

Zong Juan shook his head first, but still walked out, hesitant in his steps. After walking to the wintersweet flowers in the garden, he finally stopped, turned back, took off a jade pendant from his waist, and handed it to Zhao Gou: "Give this to her."

Zhao Gou took it, and saw that the jade pendant was oval in shape, nearly three inches wide, about an inch and a half thick, with a convex front, and the whole body was carved with hollow lines and decorative Yin lines.The jade material is bright and blue in color, and the pattern is a falcon sea dongqing swooping down from the sky, and a wild goose hiding its head in the lotus leaves on the ground. The carving is exquisite and the scene is lifelike.

10. Snow Dance
Rou Fu's expression when he first saw the jade pendant was something that Zhao Gou intended to find out, but she still stubbornly refused him, so he had no choice but to order her maid to hand over the jade pendant to her, and at the same time lost the opportunity to get the answer. Chance.

This time the wait seems to have become extraordinarily long.There was snow falling in the night sky, and the fine white snowflakes danced lightly and gracefully, but when they landed on his face, they turned into slender drops of water, quickly and without any trace, only the time needed for a blink of an eye.Repeatedly like this, I didn't realize it was late at night, the Lun towel was half wet, and the plain clothes were slightly cool.He insisted on standing outside her palace to see when she opened the door.

Finally, the door of the pavilion was lightly opened, and she walked slowly in the stream of light, holding the jade pendant in her hand, stretched out her hand in front of Zhao Gou, and said, "I don't know what it is, give it back to him."

Zhao Gou took the jade pendant back, turned to the maid behind her and said, "Take out the princess's cloak."

"No need." Rou Fu turned around and said sleepily, "I'm going back to sleep."

He immediately grabbed her right wrist and pulled her to face him: "Follow me to see him."

She frowned and struggled: "I won't go! What deal does he have with you? Do you believe what he said?"

He put his arms around her tightly: "I know what to believe or not. But if you don't go this time, you will regret it later."

She stopped in surprise, and stared at him. They looked at each other for a long time before she gave up. She lowered her eyes and said in a low voice, "Okay, I'll go with you, but I want him to stay away from me."

He nodded, and ordered the servants beside him to hold the lamps and prepare seats in the snow path pavilion in the plum garden, then took the cloak from the maid who rushed over, put it on for her himself, and gently pulled the hood for her to put it on, Go with her again.

When she came to the Snow Path Pavilion, she sat sideways, instead of facing the Yizhen Pavilion a few feet away, her eyes fell aimlessly on the wintersweet branches outside the pavilion.

Yizhi in the palace mourned Huizong for three years. She wore a plain white dress and a pure white cloak. The small face exposed under the hood rolled with ferret fur was fair and pure. Also appropriate to the scene, the slight accumulation of snow dilutes the rest of the mottled colors, and the clean whiteness and her indifference quietly confront the night.

Zhao Gou stood beside her with his hands behind his back, raised his eyes and looked towards the Yizhen Pavilion, and saw that Wanyan Zongjun there had heard the news and walked out of the pavilion calmly, but was politely blocked by several servants about four feet away from the pavilion, and he also Buzheng, he stopped there, the eyes chasing Roufu's figure were helpless and emotional, like a deep and low sigh.

Zong Juan stared at the woman in the pavilion without blinking, Zhao Gou knew that he was looking forward to her review, but she kept her original posture without even moving her eyebrows, as if she had been frozen by the ice and snow at night.

"If you hate him, just look at him and remember his last appearance." Zhao Gou looked at Zong Jun and said to Rou Fu calmly.

Rou Fu didn't seem to understand the words, he was slightly startled, looked sideways at Zhao Gou in confusion, finally stood up after pondering for a while, turned around slightly, and looked at Zong Jun in the distance.

As she turned around, the hood slowly slipped off and hung on her shoulders, the fluffy sable fur was like a circle of white snow.Her hair was loosely tied into a bun, revealing an elegant jade neck with beautiful lines.At this moment, she pursed her thin lips slightly, her brows were pale and far away, and the autumn water was empty.

Meeting her eyes, Zong Juan smiled lightly, turned his head slightly, still staring at her intently, and at the same time bowed slightly to her.

Staring at him silently for a moment, her eyes flickering suddenly became moist, she hurriedly turned her back, towards a direction that Zong Jun and Zhao Gou couldn't see, then pulled her sleeves, as if wiping some kind of trace on her face.

Zhao Gou squeezed the jade pendant hard, and the jade pendant was cold in his hand.

"Send Princess Fu back home." He coldly ordered the servant girl, Rou Fu also bowed her head and turned around when she heard the sound, gave him a blessing, and then walked out under the guidance of the servant.

But after walking a few steps, she stopped again, looked back and asked softly: "Brother Jiu, what did you mean by what you said to me just now?"

He looked at her gently, and said: "Yuan Yuan, I promise you."

She was puzzled and raised her eyebrows to ask.

He smiled: "I agreed to a request you made to me."

She was horrified, seeing a strange light in his eyes, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she still didn't say anything, she stood silently for a while, then turned plain, and the white figure floated away like a cloud .

Back in the pavilion, Zhao Gou sat down straight, looked at Zong Jun, and did not speak yet.

"She's almost the same as before." Zong Jun smiled and said, "Help me take care of her."

This statement sounded abrupt and unpleasant to Zhao Gou, and he said coldly, "Help you?"

Zong Juan nodded: "Yes. Because I will formally marry her in the future."

Zhao Gou looked at him in surprise and smiled slightly.

"Don't you think marriage is an effective way to make the two countries repair it?" Zong Juan asked indifferently.

Zhao Gou said: "But she is already married."

Zong Juan sneered: "You and she didn't take that son-in-law seriously, did you?"

Zhao Gou didn't refute for a while, but changed his words: "I will not marry my sister to someone she hates."

"Hate?" Zong Juan said, "Her love and hate have never been pure."

Zhao Gou calmly looked down at the unusually bright flame in Zong Jun's eyes, and asked him, "Can you explain what kind of impure hatred she has towards you?"

Zong Jun walked to the window, and there was a branch of Mei Shu standing proudly nearby. The branches were covered with fine snow, but the buds and petals were not covered with dust and mud. , like Han Mei, felt a little disappointed: "At that time, what she wanted was something I couldn't give her. Resistance is her most used gesture, so stubborn, and finally resentful..."

(End of this chapter)