Chapter One: The Great Bandit Qing Shan

  This is another snowy winter, and for the million-population capital of Song Dynasty Kaifeng, every winter is no different. Originally, this should be a time when Kaifeng is filled with festive atmosphere, and the Lantern Festival night is supposed to be a wonderful day for young people to have fun. The beautiful nights are not to be missed, but this year, because the emperor suddenly fainted on the first day of the first month and was ill for a whole month, even the most lively Lantern Festival was cancelled.

  The current emperor is now forty-six years old, and at the age of thirteen he succeeded to become the fourth emperor of the Great Song. His thirty-three-year reign as emperor has surpassed those of Taizu, Taizong, and Zhenzong, except for the first ten years after his accession when he was under the control of Empress Liu. The current emperor has now held supreme power for over twenty years, which is a fairly long period of time for an emperor.

  It is often said that "seventy years of life are rare since ancient times", and it is indeed rare for an emperor to live up to seventy years old. Now, the emperor is not even fifty years old and his body is plagued by illness, which is absolutely not a good thing for the Great Song Empire. Moreover, what's even more fatal is that the current emperor has no male heir to inherit the throne. The emperor's serious illness for a month was originally a big deal, but if there were a crown prince, it would be absolutely impossible for the officials of the imperial court to be worried and anxious. From ancient times to the present, the officials of the imperial court have never been united in their hearts, but the emperor's lying in bed for this month has indeed made the officials of the imperial court nervous for a whole month. The root cause is that there is no crown prince.

  "Is the Emperor alright, it seems nothing is wrong with Wen Jie Xiu's side, can we still make our move?" A eunuch whispered in a low voice.

  "Let's put aside whether he's angry or not, do you think Wang Yaochen is a fool? He can remind Wen Yanbo to pull down Liu Daren as a shield, but won't he think of us? They are both high-ranking officials in the two palaces. Although their official careers have improved somewhat, their physical condition is getting worse day by day, and who knows when they will..."

  Since the founding of the country by Taizu, the eunuchs' days have been getting worse and worse. Few people know how the eunuchs were before Qin, but those in the Han and Tang dynasties produced several extraordinary figures. Perhaps it was these extraordinary figures that made the Song imperial family's management of eunuchs extremely strict, making them the first in history to do so. Not only could the famous "predecessors" like the Ten Attendants and Gao Lishi not survive in the Song dynasty, but even those who humbly followed the rules to seek stability were not allowed to exist.

  In the past, eunuchs, especially those with high status, lived relatively comfortably. Like the three eunuchs in this room, they naturally had to be careful and cautious when doing things within the palace. Although they couldn't flaunt their wealth like some of the great eunuchs of the Han and Tang dynasties after leaving the palace, it was easy for them to build a luxurious mansion near the Bian River.

  However, the emperor had just recovered from a serious illness. In the past, it would have been fine, but unfortunately, their master was already nearly fifty years old and did not have a son to inherit the throne. As the saying goes, "when the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat are also affected." These eunuchs who usually lived carefree were also drawn into the vortex of right and wrong. The eunuch in the room who had not yet spoken and had turned pale was almost driven to hang himself because the emperor had uttered a few nonsensical words while ill - "The Empress and Zhang Maozi are plotting a great rebellion!"

  Poor Zhang Mao was so frightened by the emperor's words that he hanged himself from a beam in the palace corridor, but fortunately, Shi Zhicong and Deng Baoji happened to pass by and rescued him. Zhang Mao didn't want to die, especially after struggling for so many years in the palace and accumulating a considerable fortune. Unfortunately, the emperor's careless remark completely destroyed his hope of survival, leaving him with no choice but to gamble with his own life again, thinking that if he didn't succeed this time, there would still be another chance.

  Zhang Mao then became more astute with age, and this step was indeed the right one. However, he still received a severe reprimand from Chancellor Wen Yanbo. It wasn't until later that Zhang Mao finally understood the true intention - to have him quietly die in exile. But since there were too many people who knew about his hanging himself in the palace corridor, if he had really died, it would have been a loss of face for the imperial family both within and outside the palace.

  This is probably the saddest part of being a eunuch. Zhang Maoren's current situation, apart from the historical legacy of being a eunuch, is mainly due to his excessive closeness to Empress Cao. Coincidentally, the Emperor had an unusually strange attitude towards "Empresses" throughout his thirty-plus years as Emperor. Empress Cao was not his type, no matter what - after Zhang Guifei's death, the Emperor suddenly and absurdly posthumously promoted her to Wen Cheng Huang Hou, creating a tense relationship between the monarch and his officials due to the "two empresses of life and death". Despite this, Empress Cao endured it. The Emperor secretly harbored resentment towards such an enduring Empress in his heart, and naturally, Zhang Maoren, who was close to Empress Cao, was not trusted by the imperial court.

  The emperor's life was saved, but this serious illness really sounded a loud alarm for the Song Dynasty. Regardless of how long the emperor can live in the future, there is currently no legitimate heir to the throne, which is the most dangerous thing for the Song Empire. During the emperor's serious illness, a major conflict broke out between the powerful officials led by Wen Yanbo, the Minister of Personnel and Academician of the Imperial Academy, and Fu Bi, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, and Shi Zhicong, the leader of the palace eunuchs.

  Eunuchs and officials clashed, if placed in another dynasty, basically except for powerful ministers like Huo Guang, the eunuchs could at least ensure their safety even if they were not victorious. However, in the Great Song Empire, there had never been a time when the eunuchs gained the upper hand, and this time was no exception - these eunuchs were not only suppressed by Wen Yanbo and Fu Bi, but also unprecedentedly allowed Wen Yanbo to use incense and prayers as an excuse to keep the officials of the two ministries overnight in the palace.

  In history, the eunuchs were able to make officials and common people tremble with fear because of the emperor behind them. Without the emperor's support, the eunuchs would retreat and lose that layer of mysterious protection on their bodies. During the emperor's serious illness, this struggle between the powerful ministers and the palace attendants resulted in a complete defeat for Shi Zhi-cong, Zhang Mao-ze, Deng Bao-ji and others. Wen Yan-bo and Fu Yue naturally went on a killing spree, even forcing the legitimate prime minister Liu Xuan to retreat three times, but this also greatly ensured the stability of the heart of the Song Empire.

  However, since the feud between the two sides has already been formed, it will not be so easy to end. Although the emperor's body is not good, his body has improved, which provides a basis for Shi Zhi-cong and others to regroup and fight again - during the emperor's serious illness, Prime Minister Liu Chen was robbed of the limelight by two deputy prime ministers, naturally he was unhappy in his heart, and the palace servants had no face or dignity.

  On the nineteenth day of the first month, the Emperor had not yet come to his senses. In the evening, a forbidden soldier reported that Dou Xian was plotting a rebellion. The next day, Xu Huai-de, the commander-in-chief in front of the palace, guaranteed before the officials of the two ministries that Dou Xian had no intention of rebelling. All the officials of the two ministries were present except for Fu Bian who was ill. Wen Yanbo believed that the forbidden soldier was framing Dou Xian and suggested beheading him to establish authority during this critical period. Just as Wen Yanbo was about to sign the document, Wang Yao-shen secretly pinched his thigh. Wen Yanbo immediately came to his senses and handed the judgment document over to Prime Minister Liu Chen to sign first, then all the officials of the two ministries signed after him.

  This matter would have passed like this, but Shi Zhicong and others were not reconciled. After the emperor woke up, they instigated Liu Chen on one side and blew the wind in front of the empress, wanting to make a comeback even if they couldn't overthrow Wen Yanbo, losing the emperor's trust was also good, which was considered as finding back the scene.

  Liu Chen also lost his head and forgot his own name, being the first to sign on the judgment document. In front of the emperor, he slandered Wen Yanbo: "When Your Majesty hesitated, Yanbo executed those who reported treason." As a result, Wen Yanbo handed over the judgment document to the emperor, which instead made Liu Chen lose the emperor's trust. After it was spread out, it naturally also brought warnings from several deputy prime ministers, providing ammunition for many officials to impeach in the future and burying the foreshadowing of his eventual departure in ignominy.

  In the house, three eunuchs were discussing how Liu Chen's plot to destroy Wen Yanbo had failed. Wang Yaoshen reminded Wen Yanbo at a critical moment, causing Liu Chen and the palace attendants to jointly overthrow Wen Yanbo to fail. In the Song Dynasty where eunuchs were severely suppressed, after Wen Yanbo learned of this failure, the consequences can be imagined, no wonder the three old eunuchs are somewhat restless.

  "Let's put aside whether we can get revenge or not for now, the officials have already woken up and Wen Yanbo won't dare to cover everything by himself. As long as we endure for a while, it's best if we don't leave the palace again during this time, just stay by the official's side, he won't be able to do anything to us... The future is still hard to say, recently Gongbu Shilang Jia Yan, Jia Gongzi seems to be quite close to me..." Shi Zhicong said with a gloomy face.

  "Master Jia? Isn't it that Northern guy who has some other idea again? He's been gone for many years, can he still turn things around?" Zhang Mao said in surprise.

  Shi Zhi Cong let out a cold, mirthless laugh: "Who wouldn't be tempted by the throne? That guy from the north isn't exactly a saint either, but he's willing to do our bidding so we'll open the door of convenience for him. What's wrong with that? At least it's better than Wen Yanbo's stinky face..."

  "It's hard to say about the imperial court, but Mr. Shi is right. Even if Lord Jia from the north is hiding in ambush, he was once a prime minister after all. If someone is remembered by him, even if they can't turn things around, they can still stir up trouble!" Deng Baogui chuckled.

  When Deng Baogui and Zhang Maocai bid farewell to Shi Zhicong with a mix of expectations and melancholy, Shi Zhicong returned to the study alone. As soon as he closed the door, he felt a numbness in his neck and knew nothing more. A black figure appeared behind Shi Zhicong, slowly placing his limp body on the ground, like a ghost holding a dagger with its handle tapping lightly on the walls and floor of the study.

  Behind the bookshelf that leaned against the wall, a brick made a different sound. The man in black quickly and lightly inserted his dagger into the wall, and after a slight hiss, a wooden board that was well-disguised was pried open. A copper lock was attached to a small iron door. With a "ding" sound, the copper lock was cut off by the dagger, and inside the opened small iron door were neatly stacked small gold ingots, as well as many pearls, precious jade, and a stack of deeds.

  The man in black glanced through the stack of contracts, then carelessly threw them to the ground. He swept all the gold and jewels hidden in the wall into a black cloth bag. Turning back to look at Shi Zhi-cong still lying on the ground, he hesitated for a long time before leaving, putting out the candle. At this point, if he had set fire, Shi Zhi-cong would probably have been burned to death. However, killing one Shi Zhi-cong wouldn't make any difference to the Song Dynasty. Leaving him alive and letting him fatten up before coming back to kill him again - with Shi Zhi-cong's methods, there was no way he only had this little gold and jewels. Those contracts were the real treasure, but unfortunately, those land deeds and house deeds were absolutely impossible to steal.

  The eunuchs in the palace had houses and land outside the palace, even personal industries that were extremely large. This was an open secret. In Tokyo, especially in the east of the city by the Bian River, they had invested in such industries, which would have cost at least 10,000 yuan. The surrounding smaller houses wouldn't be worth less than 2-3,000 yuan.

  After Shi Zhi came to, he saw that his secret stash had been looted and could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger. During this difficult time when he had offended Wen Yanbo, he didn't even have the courage to report to the authorities in Kaifeng - not to mention the lost property, but if this house fell into Wen Yanbo's eyes, he feared that he would be beheaded without any need for a reason!

  In the spacious and comfortable study, it was quiet and still, with only the occasional sound of boiling water coming from the teapot on the charcoal stove. Two fourteen or fifteen-year-old book boys were busy, one brewing tea and the other grinding ink. A young scholar in a green robe was writing rapidly at his desk, while across from him stood over ten shabbily dressed children. The scholar would occasionally furrow his brow in thought, then set aside the manuscript he had already written, whereupon the book boy grinding ink would immediately arrange it in order to dry, the square foot of manuscript covered with dense, tiny characters. Looking at the manuscripts lined up beside him, they were already several inches thick, clearly indicating that the scholar had been writing for a very long time.

  Although it's already the second month, the spring wind in Kaifeng, the capital, is still biting and piercing. These children who look like beggars haven't eaten for a long time. Standing in this warm study at first didn't feel anything, but after a while, I felt unwell, two or three children were obviously unable to hold on, if not supported by the children next to them, they would have fallen to the ground.

  "Yu Ye, go and call Old Wu over!" The young scholar in the green shirt put down his brush, while the book boy who was grinding ink beside him had already prepared a basin of warm water. Upon hearing the scholar's order, he naturally placed the hand towel on the edge of the basin and walked out of the study.

  The boy brewing tea slightly moved his ears, took down a teapot from the charcoal stove, rinsed the teacups with boiling water, and put the tea leaves that had been sifted through the tea strainer into the teacup. At this time, the water in another teapot on the charcoal stove was just right for brewing tea, and the boy brewing tea quickly picked it up and poured a little water into the teacup to make an even tea paste.

  The young scholar in a green robe took over the tea bottle and tea spoon from the book boy, one hand pouring the soup and the other waving the tea spoon in the tea bowl to stir and scoop. The tea foam in the tea bowl occasionally transformed into words or orchid patterns as he stirred with the tea spoon. Although the tea bowl was only six-tenths full, the young scholar was obviously well-versed in the subtleties of tea-making, and in an instant, a bowl of tea was stirred out of four or five different patterns, which was truly wonderful.

  This young scholar in a green robe skillfully brewed a pot of good tea. The book boy who had just served the tea stood beside him, regulating his breathing, afraid that if he exhaled too heavily, he would blow away the patterns floating on the surface of the tea. More than ten beggars standing in the room were at a distance and couldn't see clearly, but since tea competitions were all the rage in Bianjing Kaifeng, they didn't understand, however from the young scholar's smooth movements, it seemed that he was much more skilled than those people they saw on the streets.

  "Did you understand, Wen Chuan?" The young scholar in a green robe pushed the divided tea to one side and looked up at the book boy who was brewing the tea.

  "Sir, please forgive me for being foolish..."

  The young scholar in a blue shirt smiled and shook his head, pouring the tea directly into the water bucket next to the charcoal stove: "This cup of tea is a combination of technique, experience, and randomness, with randomness being the most difficult to grasp. Therefore, only a handful of people can master this cup of tea, and even fewer can practice it to this level. You don't have to belittle yourself, your skills are already quite good..."

  While speaking, Yu Ye, who had just gone out, walked into the study with an old man. The young scholar in a green robe stood up and asked those beggars who were already somewhat unsteady on their feet: "How old are you all? Where is your hometown? Why are you begging on the street?"

  A tall and slightly thin boy answered immediately: "This young master, we were originally from Hedong, Zezhou. Two years ago, due to the flooding of the Fen River, our hometown was flooded, so we left our homes and came to Kaifeng to beg..."

  "The biggest of these beggars is only eight or nine years old. Except for three who are from Kaifeng, the rest are all from Zezhou in Hedong." Old Wu replied with a bow.

  The young scholar in the blue shirt frowned slightly and asked, "Didn't the imperial court already allocate internal funds to provide disaster relief for the flood victims in Jiangzhou?"

  "What's the use of 200,000 strings of cash if it can't even withstand the greedy hands of court officials? By the time it trickles down to us refugees, it's only a few dozen or hundred coins, not even enough to buy three pecks of rice. How are we supposed to get by?" A frail child chimed in.

  The young scholar in the green robe also knew that his words were superfluous. If it was just an ordinary flood or drought, one could endure and get through it. But if it was a catastrophic disaster like this, the government's relief efforts were often unreliable, and it all depended on the strength of the victim's own clan. This was the root of disaster relief. Even so, many common people had no choice but to sell their land or even their children, and most of these beggars had already lost their parents in the flood. He had seen such things many times before.

  "If you are willing to stay, there is no problem with eating your fill, and someone will teach you to read and write. Of course, you also need to help me take care of the house... These are Yu Yue and Yu Wen Chuan, they are also disaster orphans like you. If you don't have the talent for reading, I can arrange for you to farm, and when you reach thirty years old, each of you will get a few acres of land..." The young scholar in green directly stated his requirements and rewards without beating around the bush.