Chapter 9: Heaven and Earth Betting on One Throw

  Everyone jeered at Zhao Dang's foolishness for a while, and after several cups of celebration, Wang Fu sighed: "Zhao Zhi was quite ruthless. I don't know how Zhao Xingde offended him, but it seems that he will soon be sent to the front lines in Hebei Province without being granted an official position."

  Li Bangyan smiled and said, "Wang Shu is busy with state affairs every day, but he doesn't know the story of Li Ruo Xue. The Crown Prince's study partner, Zhao Yan, admired Li Ruo Xue, a talented woman from the capital, but was rejected by the Li family. Li Ge Fei, that stubborn old man, insisted that his daughter would rather marry Zhao Hang De, and is now busy arranging the wedding. Zhao Yan, that foolish child, has fallen ill with longing, and even Zhao Zhi Fu, that old scoundrel, has come to resent the Li family and Zhao Hang De."

  Tong Guan suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. No wonder the Liao State envoy was rude in the big ceremony, and the old scoundrel Li Ruobing framed Zhao Xun. The self-proclaimed noble one also stood by and did nothing." He asked again, "The imperial court obviously wants to cultivate Zhao Xunde, but why does the prime minister want to send that little boy to serve in the Hebei army?"

  Tong Guan has always been one to severely avenge those who have wronged him, but he does not easily make enemies with those who are not related to the matter. Zhao Xingde is an official's newly favored scholar, as the saying goes "later generations are to be feared", it's possible that in the future he will rise to prominence, if Cai Shang hadn't given a hint, Tong Guan wouldn't have made things difficult for him, instead he would have shown him kindness, in preparation for future use.

  Cai Jing held up his wine cup, looked at him and said slowly after drinking it all in one gulp: "This man has been unchanging in his party affiliation since the Yuanyou era; if he doesn't change his ways for even a single day, then there will be no day when he can rise to prominence."

  Everyone's expression changed. The struggle between the Cai Party and the Zhao Party in the imperial court was a dispute between new factions, although the old Yuanyou Party had long lost power, it still had great potential among the people and locally. With Cai Jing as the leader of the new party, in order to eliminate the Yuanyou clique, not only were the people from the old party demoted and exiled, but their children were also banned from serving for life. The names of the Yuanyou Party members were engraved on a monument as a record, and the party membership was publicly announced throughout the country to facilitate local officials' surveillance of the activities of Yuanyou Party members. Not only that, but the collections of writings of those listed as Yuanyou Party members were uniformly destroyed, and the printing blocks were ordered to be destroyed. Even famous ministers such as Sima Guang, Wen Yanbo, and Fan Chunren could not escape.

  Such means are used to the extreme, and although the old party is suppressed, the old party's feud with the ruling new party cannot be resolved. Li Gefei resolutely refused Zhao Yan's request for marriage, half because he had long been fond of Zhao Xingde, and half because the two families' party colors were different. Even if Li Ruoxue married into the prime minister's family, she would still be caught in the middle of the party struggle and might not be treated with courtesy.

  Recalling the intensity of the old and new party struggles, everyone's heart was chilled. Li Bangyan coughed dryly and smiled: "The Yuanyou treacherous party has been out of power for a long time, we have all somewhat forgotten, still Cai Xiang is thoughtful." Tong Guan also nodded in agreement: "I understand."

  Cai Jing slightly nodded and raised his cup: "Today, Your Majesty has entrusted Daofu with a heavy responsibility. I haven't congratulated him yet, so let's use this cup as a toast."

  Although Tong Guan was also a favorite of the emperor, he was only a eunuch and had always been somewhat self-deprecating in his interactions with civil officials. Therefore, he had an extraordinary desire to establish great merit. When Cai Jing, who dominated the court, offered him a toast, Tong Guan was deeply moved. He hastily stood up, raised his cup, and said with a sincere expression: "Cai Xiang, please condescend to drink with me." With one toss of his head, he drained the glass of wine, which was as red as blood. Cai Jing, however, only touched the rim of the cup to his lips; except for sharing drinks with the emperor, it had been a long time since he had drunk his fill.

  After drinking the wine, Tong Guan sighed and said: "Without deceiving you, Lord Chancellor, I, Tong, will go to the front lines of the Hebei army to render my service. For the sake of the imperial court, even if it means sacrificing my life, I would not hesitate. However, after leaving the imperial court, having spent many days at the border, I worry that someone might speak ill of me in front of the Emperor. The Emperor is busy with countless matters every day, and who knows, he might even believe them. Lord Chancellor, if there really are petty people slandering me, you must still uphold justice for me."

  Cai Jing smiled slightly and said, "The Emperor values Daofu's simplicity, and the imperial family has a discerning eye. Even if there are petty people who speak ill of him, it won't harm Daofu." He glanced at Wang Fu and Li Bangyan, and they hastily added, "This time, when Daofu goes to Hebei, he will have all the men and supplies he needs. The expedition against You and Yan is a major undertaking, and from now on, the Imperial Secretariat will not neglect the Hebei campaign."

  Tong Guan was so moved that he stood up and offered another cup of wine to each of the three, then listened as Cai Jing continued: "Although Liu Yanqing has long been stationed on the border and has always indulged his subordinates in their misdeeds, he has extensive landholdings in both capitals and throughout the southeastern provinces. Unlike the Yang, Cao, and Pan families who have been harboring separatist ambitions, this time when we go to Hebei to take away his military power, there is no need to worry about him suddenly rising up in revolt."

  Tong Guan smiled and said, "What Chancellor Cai said is true." Liu Yanqing would always send generous gifts to the seated officials during festivals. Tong Guan had met this person a few times and knew that although he was a brave general, after his official position became high, he only sought peace and quiet enjoyment of wealth and honor, and was not someone who would disobey orders or rebel.

  Wang Fu and Li Bangyan also nodded in agreement, saying: "That's right." Seeing that the three of them were all agreeing with him, Cai Jing furrowed his brow, changed the subject, and said: "Although Liu Yanqing is not a concern, the arrogant and ferocious generals of the Hebei expeditionary army have been entrenched for a long time, and it's likely they won't be easily suppressed. Although the Imperial City's three garrison troops are sharp in armor and strong in body, compared to the Hebei border military, if we talk about bravery and daring to fight, there is still some inadequacy."

  He lightly coughed, beckoned the maid to bring a pot of tea that relieves greasiness and phlegm, poured a cup for everyone, and said leisurely: "Everyone, try some. This is an imperial reward, tribute tea from Dali King Duan Zhengchun in the second year of Daguan. Duan Zhengchun was very good at making tea, unfortunately he passed away in the third year of Daguan. His successor, Duan Hezhong, didn't like the way of tea, so this tea is already a rare treasure, even in the palace there's hardly any left."

  Cai Jing gently blew the tea foam and slowly drank the tea. Tong Guan didn't understand his intention, and after the maid who poured the tea retreated, he cupped his hands and said: "As for how to subdue the fierce generals and strong soldiers of the border army, please instruct me, Minister Cai."

  Cai Jing put down his tea cup and said softly, "The fierce generals are all about bravery and strength. To subdue them, we need to have soldiers who are even more daring and willing to fight to the death." Tong Guan hastily replied, "If the three imperial guards are not as brave as the Hebei fierce generals, does Minister Cai want me to go to Hedong or Xijing to select elite troops?" He thought to himself, "Even if Your Majesty agrees, would the Zhao, Yang, Cao, and Pan families be willing to hand over their elite troops?"

  Cai Jing smiled slightly and shook his head, saying: "The He Dong and Xi Jing expeditionary forces, the four families of Cao, Pan, Yang, and others are all hundred-year-old military households. The camp is intertwined with each other, and the subordinates are loyal and not divided. If you go to He Dong and Xi Jing to select soldiers, even if you can conquer the Hebei large camp, it will only be for someone else's wedding dress."

  Tong Guan nodded, the elite soldiers and brave generals of Xijing and Hedong must be the loyal subordinates of Cao Yang Pan Zhe's four families. Even if he took them to Hebei, it would be difficult for them to return in a short period of time, and it would be easy to make mistakes. If the power of the four families' military forces infiltrated Hebei, the Emperor would surely be furious, and his own Hebei campaign would not be able to withstand it. With unresolved doubts in his mind, he bowed again: "Please, Prime Minister, save me and point out my confusion."

  Cai Jing finally put down his tea cup and said slowly, "The land of Hebei is a flat plain, most suitable for the cavalry to gallop back and forth. If you want to conquer the great camp of Hebei, the most important thing is to grasp a branch of capable cavalry."

  Tong Guan nodded and sighed, "The Prime Minister is right, but the three yamen's forbidden army originally had few cavalry. If we want to select the elite, I'm afraid even 5,000 would not be enough. The imperial court can't let me take all the elite cavalry from the capital with me, can it?"

  But then Cai Jing suddenly changed the subject and said, "The other day, Shen Yun of the Imperial City Guard told me that in the north of the desert there is a tribe called Kereit, with over 3,000 men skilled in riding and archery. They used to graze between the Xia and Liao countries, but after losing out in a dispute over pastureland, they were unable to survive and wanted to surrender to our dynasty. I thought that all these northern barbarians are cunning and untrustworthy, so I put the matter on hold. Now it seems that this Kereit cavalry is just what we need."

  Tong Guan was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, Prime Minister, for your guidance." He knew that the northern nomadic tribes were born to ride horses, and adult men normally had to hunt and fight for a living, often competing with each other for pasture. Fighting and eating, drinking, and defecating were as common as people in the Central Plains. The Kerulen tribe came from afar to surrender, and in the Central Plains, they were like duckweed without roots, but they could ride and shoot well, which was exactly what he needed.

  Cai Jing shook his head and smiled: "Don't thank the wrong person, you'd better go discuss with Shen Yun about the matter of subjugating the northern barbarians." After finishing speaking, he again discussed the art of tea with Wang Fu and Li Bangyan. These three were all civil officials, and Tong Guan had a piece of mind, also following their elegant and refined style.

  At this time, Zhao Xingde had just returned to the Taixue dormitory and was caught by Chen Dong, who asked loudly: "You went out to meet the king in the morning and didn't return until evening. Did you have a whole day's conversation with the official?" Zhao Xingde couldn't help but cry and laugh, looking around and seeing that Zhang Biao, Deng Su, He Fang, Zhu Sen, Li Ruo, Meng Yuan and other fellow students were all waiting in the dormitory. These scholars usually boasted of governing the country and pacifying the world. Seeing that Zhao Xingde had set foot on the path to success, becoming a Taixue Lang in the morning and entering the emperor's hall in the evening, everyone was envious and excited, and they celebrated with joy.

  Zhao Xingde awkwardly clasped his hands together and bitterly smiled, saying: "Gentlemen, today's events are brief to speak of." In just a few words, he laid out the whole story of what had happened in the palace, and the scholars looked at each other in dismay, silent for a moment. Chen Dong clenched his fist and said: "To treat scholars so slowly, there must be treacherous officials in the court!" He was indignant and dissatisfied, but Deng Su comforted him, saying: "The Emperor has many things to attend to every day, although he couldn't meet with you today, since you are already on his mind, this day will come sooner or later." Zhang Biao also said: "That's right. My brother Chen and I have already arranged a banquet at the Gonglou to celebrate for Yuanzhi! Let's go, let's go together!"

  Although Zhao Xingde had already eaten four meat pies at Pan's house and went to drink tea at Li Si's place before returning, he saw that everyone was in high spirits and couldn't delay any further. He had no choice but to join the crowd and head to the tower with them. Today, all the guests were close friends, so Chen Dong invited Li Shishi to come and play the pipa for everyone. Several songstresses also came to keep them company. Fine wine and dishes flowed in like water, and Meng Yuan thought that the appetizers at the tower were too bland, so he called on some idlers from the lower floor to go to the night market at Zhuque Bridge to buy some snacks, such as fried intestines, spicy horn-shaped crackers, brain meat, and rabbit meat. In no time, the tables were filled with fine wine and food, and amidst Li Shishi's beautiful music, the scholars loudly cheered and urged each other to drink. The atmosphere was extremely lively, and before long, Zhao Xingde had completely forgotten his frustration from earlier in the day and joined his friends in clinking cups and taking turns drinking.

  Just as the wine was warm and the ears were hot, there was a sudden noise of people outside the pavilion, with men's and women's voices arguing loudly, followed by crying, shouting, and quarreling sounds. The onlookers' cheering and jeering sounded like a pot boiling over, occasionally mixed with the sound of overturned bowls, dishes, tables, and chairs, rising and falling in succession.

  Along with Zhao Xingde, all the scholars were unaware of what had happened. The noise outside was so loud that they couldn't even enjoy their music and wine anymore. Suddenly, a loud shout was heard: "I, Han Shizhong, recognize you, but my fist doesn't!" It was like a thunderclap on a clear day. Zhao Xingde's silver cup fell to the ground with a clang.