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Zhao Ding pondered, "Qin Hui has unjustly accused Yue Fei. If we deal with Qin Hui now, the world will know that everything is at the behest of the Sovereign. So I ask, how can the Sovereign win the people's hearts and minds? How can he strengthen the court and drive away the invaders? Alas, when I first heard about Yue Fei, it pierced my heart. However, with Peng Ju gone, I must now act against my conscience for the greater good. Qin Hui must be dealt with, but not in this manner. I urge the Sovereign and Celestial Master to think carefully!"
Li Hong then realized there was more to the story, growing even more resentful as he cast a cold glance at Zhao Gou.
Zhao Gou was drenched in sweat under Li Hong's gaze, fidgeting uncomfortably, wishing he could cover his face and flee.
Zhao Ding continued, "The great mistake has already been made. I am tormented day and night, but I understand that the Sovereign's actions stem from filial piety; killing Yue Fei was also part of the Jin's scheme." He suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Zhao Gou. "Sovereign, I have a piece of advice. In your reign, the matter of Yue Fei should not be mentioned again, but you must establish a will stating that the next emperor must clear Peng Ju's name; otherwise, I will die with my eyes closed."
Zhao Gou sighed deeply, regretting his decision. "As you say! I will follow your advice!"
Li Hong pondered; Zhao Ding was indeed a seasoned statesman and truly exceptional in his counsel. It was unfortunate that he had been pushed out by Qin Hui, with Zhao Gou tacitly allowing it to happen to pave the way for peace with the Jin. If Zhao Ding had remained in court, Yue Fei would not have died unjustly.
Zhao Ding was right; although thinking of Yue Fei caused heartache, a dead person cannot be brought back to life. If the common people knew the truth, they would surely lose faith and loyalty. The stability that had just begun would collapse again, and the Jin would take advantage of this weakness; the entire nation could change hands. Zhao Gou is still the Song Dynasty ruler and leader of the Han people; at least he is currently seen as a legitimate emperor by his people. If even he begins to be doubted, public sentiment will dissipate from within. At that point, things would become irreparable.
Li Hong thought about this and slowly nodded. "Zhao Xiang is right; we will proceed as you suggest. However, not dealing with Qin Hui leaves a thorn in my heart. Although everything is for saving Empress Wei and fulfilling our duty to the emperor, can Qin Hui truly claim to be selfless and acting solely for the emperor? Hmph! His intentions are treacherous! While we cannot act against him now, I certainly do not want him to have an easy time. Here’s what we’ll do: Zhao Xiang, come up with a plan for me; we may not be able to deal with him openly, but he must feel uncomfortable—living should be worse than death!"
Zhao Ding felt his brow twitch; this Celestial Master truly despised evil. But that was fine; Qin Hui should pay for his actions!
Zhao Ding quietly spoke a few words when Li Hong suddenly sprang up from his seat and shouted, "Emperor! Quickly summon that 'Prime Minister Qin'!"
Zhao Gou was taken aback; weren't you seriously injured? How did you suddenly regain your spirit? It turned out you were indeed putting on an act!
Li Hong quickly noticed this too; frowning slightly, he feigned a couple of groans before lying back down stiffly. There was a loud crack as several large splits appeared in the bed frame.
Li Hong chuckled awkwardly. "This bed isn't sturdy."
Zhao Gou shook his head inwardly but saw that the Celestial Master seemed less angry now and finally felt relieved. He hastily announced for Prime Minister Qin to come for an audience before finding an excuse to leave and went straight to Liu Zhong to collect the remaining Elixir. After securing it happily in his pocket, he hurried off to find Chu Hai.
As for Qin Hui's fate, he had no interest at all.
The room fell silent, leaving only Zhao Ding and Li Hong.
Seeing Zhao Gou leave, Li Hong decided to drop the pretense and sat up, saying, "Zhao Xiang has suffered a lot from Qin Hui over the years. Just wait and see; I will definitely take revenge for Zhao Xiang!"
Zhao Ding shook his head. "I should go down to the Imperial Medical Institute to apply some medicine first. If the Celestial Master has any matters to discuss, he will summon me."
"Don't be so polite. By the way, what is your courtesy name? From now on, let's not use the titles Celestial Master or Zhao Xiang; let's just call each other by our names," Li Hong said warmly, feeling quite fond of Zhao Ding.
Zhao Ding smiled lightly. "I dare not. My courtesy name is Yuan Zhen. In the future, the Celestial Master may call me by my courtesy name, but I would never dare to directly call the Celestial Master by his name. That would give others a handle to grasp! A gentleman's friendship is as light as water; I am still a minister, and the Celestial Master is still the Celestial Master." He raised his hands to his chest in a respectful gesture.
Watching his limping figure leave, Li Hong secretly admired him. After all, he was a cultured official with years of study, refined and courteous, without a hint of a rogue's demeanor. Although he was called a Celestial Master, he appeared more like a newly wealthy upstart.
This level of composure and breadth of mind seemed worth learning from Zhao Ding in the future.
In every group of three, there must be one who can be my teacher!
Li Hong finally felt a bit of happiness. However, thinking of Yue Fei made him sigh again. Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind that seemed increasingly reasonable.
He beckoned Liu Zhong, who was standing outside the door with his head bowed. "Come here."
Liu Zhong hurried over and said, "What does the Celestial Master command?"
"Does Yue Fei have any descendants? What are their names? Where do they live now?"
"About that... I am not sure, but Zhao Xiang must know," Liu Zhong replied respectfully.
"Alright, go run again and tell Zhao Xiang that the Celestial Master is ready to take on a disciple. I don't want anyone else, just the descendant of Yue Fei. Ask him to find a way to bring Yue Fei's descendant to me for an assessment."
Liu Zhong was overjoyed, nodding vigorously in excitement before quickly turning to run.
Since this dynasty cannot clear Yue Fei's name, at least it should not mistreat the loyal and virtuous descendants. I will assess their talent, and if they are suitable, I will report to my master to take them as a disciple. After all, as an elder, I am qualified to take on disciples. If their talent is lacking, I will ensure their family lives in peace and has no worries about food and clothing, remaining strong and healthy throughout their lives.
Li Hong finally revealed a faint smile.
At the door, someone reported, "Prime Minister Qin requests an audience with the Celestial Master."
He has finally arrived! Li Hong's expression turned cold as he disdainfully said, "Let him wait."
He then immediately called for Chuming, Chuxuan, and Chu Liang, explaining the situation. The three listened with excitement, praising the plan loudly. They promptly set off to carry it out.
********
As Chuxuan left, he stomped his foot, causing the blue bricks covering the floor of the Imperial Hall to crack. For the past three days, repairs have been underway in the hall, replacing the broken bricks with new ones.
At this moment, dust filled the hall as Eunuchs hurried back and forth, digging up the old bricks that had cracked.
Qin Hui frowned as he entered, surveying the messy scene before him. He couldn't help but ask again, "Did the Sovereign really say for me to kneel here in the Imperial Hall?"
Liu Zhong replied with apparent respect, "Indeed. The Sovereign issued the order; would I dare mishear? Please kneel properly, Prime Minister Qin. Otherwise, when the Sovereign comes out and sees you like this, he might blame Grand Master for being disrespectful."
Qin Hui detected Liu Zhong's contempt in his words and felt his anger boiling; his eyes nearly sparked with fury. Before Chu Hongzi arrived, his mere stomp could shake the entire court—truly one person beneath the sovereign yet above all others. Now a mere Little Yellow Gate servant dares to bully him.
It seems that the Emperor has completely fallen under the influence of the Celestial Master. However, Celestial Masters will eventually leave; they cannot stay here for a lifetime. Remember five years ago when Chu Hongzi left without a trace? Did I not rise back up after that? This time is merely another small tribulation like last time. Once he leaves, I will make these people pay! The first one to deal with will be this worthless fellow before me!
Qin Hui cursed inwardly, but maintained a calm expression on his face as he resolutely lifted his robe and knelt down, right on the uneven broken bricks. His knees and shins felt like they were being pricked with needles, and a few small stones embedded themselves into his flesh, causing drops of blood to begin seeping out.
Qin Hui remained motionless. He knew that the more miserable he appeared, the more it would touch the indecisive yet deeply emotional Sovereign, all while putting on an expression of righteous loyalty.
One hour passed, then two… As night fell and the lights were lit in the hall, there was still no sign of the Emperor or anyone summoning him. The tasks for the day had been completed in the Inner Chamber, and the Eunuchs had dispersed, leaving no one to inquire about the pitiful Grand Master who had been kneeling on the broken brick floor in the Imperial Hall.
Qin Hui's knees had become numb from pain. Seeing that no one was in the hall, he could no longer endure it and prepared to change positions. However, upon looking around, he realized there was no flat ground anywhere in the vast hall; it was all just broken bricks and stone fragments.
As he moved slightly, a sharp pain shot through his knees. Qin Hui looked down to see that his crimson robe was already stained with dark purple blood spots. The sharp stones had dug deep into his flesh, and there was not a single inch of unbroken skin on his knees and shins. His stomach growled loudly from hunger, and to make matters worse, a delicious aroma of meat wafted in from behind the hall, making Qin Hui's insides feel as if they were reaching out to grab something.
********
In the Inner Chamber, there was a Yellow Clay Charcoal Stove with half a cleaned piece of Venison laid out beside it. Chu Liang used a Silver Knife to slice the Venison into strips, skewering them on fire sticks to roast over the glowing charcoal, occasionally brushing on some seasoning. The Venison gradually cooked to a golden brown and emitted a fragrant aroma that filled the entire Imperial Hall.
Chuming and Chuxuan were watching for any movement from Qin Hui in the outer hall and couldn't help but laugh when they saw him swallowing hard.
Chu Liang chuckled, "This Prime Minister Qin really knows how to endure; let’s give him some stronger medicine!"
A jar of Imperial Reserve Aged Wine was opened with a crack of its seal. The clear Imperial Wine was rich and thick, leaving trails of wine on the polished special porcelain cups. The three of them poured drinks for each other and feasted on Venison, with the enticing scents of wine and meat wafting into Qin Hui's nose.
Qin Hui took several deep breaths as his stomach growled even louder.
After finishing their meal and drinks, Chuxuan and the others decided not to linger any longer. They pushed aside their plates and cups for Little Yellow Gate to clean up before happily heading towards the Garden of the Imperial Palace at Emerald Cold Hall.
A small flickering light cast a long shadow of Qin Hui kneeling alone. The spring chill was biting; kneeling on the ground at night felt even colder. Qin Hui shivered throughout the night. As dawn approached, he could no longer hold back and slowly pushed himself up from the ground to stretch his stiff body.
His knees felt as if they belonged to someone else; his whole body was rigid, and his stomach felt like it was ablaze. Goosebumps rose all over him from the cold. Just as he managed to stand straight without moving an inch, a voice suddenly shouted from behind the hall: "Prime Minister Qin, do you intend to defy orders? Kneel properly!"
Chu Hai walked out slowly, his face showing obvious disdain and contempt.
Qin Hui was taken aback and knelt down again in silence, his heart beginning to tremble. At this rate, he feared that he would not survive until the Celestial Master returned to the immortal mountain! What should he do?
Chu Hai sneered, "It's just kneeling for one night; what does it matter? The Emperor is currently in discussion with the Celestial Master, and it is not yet time to summon you. If you dare to defy the order, you will immediately be charged with disrespect!"
After saying this, he turned and left.
Qin Hui became anxious. In a life-and-death situation, it was time to use that thing.
********
Note 1: Peng Ju is the courtesy name of Yue Fei.
Note 2: The Song Dynasty's internal system managed the offerings for the Emperor's meals, medicine, clothing, tents, palanquins, and accommodations, divided into six departments. The Department of Accommodation specifically managed the repairs and construction of the palace buildings.
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