Chapter Thirty-Four: Each Has a Living to Make (Part Two)

The panic within the city of Bianliang seeped into every corner like freezing water, chaotic and restless. Yet, deep within the imperial palace, a side hall was far noisier and more suffocating than the frozen Bian River in the depth of winter.

The charcoal fire in the hall burned a fierce red, but it could not dispel the chill clinging to the empire’s highest officials, nor could it quell the spittle flying as they bickered.

"Not enough! Nowhere near enough!"

Tong Guan’s aged face, deeply etched by the frosts of the northwest, flushed a dark purple. Dressed in his purple robes and wearing the seal of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, he looked like a penny-pinching merchant, his finger nearly poking Cai You in the face. "The Emperor’s regalia, the imperial supplies, and the trousseaus of the ladies of the various palaces alone would fill thirty large carts! You calculate it—calculate it! And that’s not even counting the essential grain and military baggage! Scholar Cai, are you trying to brush me off with that pittance of carriages?"

A wicked fire surged within him, and he hissed, "If not for someone encroaching on military barracks to expand their private mansions, would I, at my advanced age, have to be the one protecting the Emperor on his flight south? I haven't even been able to get a decent night's sleep!"

When these words landed, Gao Qiu, sitting opposite him, stroked his well-groomed chin and could no longer remain seated. "Lord Tong, that is quite a thing to say. You are a dignified Prince, the Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs in charge of all the troops under heaven! The Jin army is already at our doorstep, and instead of thinking about how to mobilize troops to defend the capital, you are here haggling with us over whether there are enough carriages to haul your personal belongings? Tch, no wonder people say the prestige of the Bureau of Military Affairs is spent entirely on pomp and circumstance."

Gao Qiu was currently calculating how to cram his own years of looted treasures and antiques into the caravan. Knowing Tong Guan’s words were merely an attempt to force him to give up some carts, how could he agree? That would mean abandoning his wealth.

"Besides, the alliance with the Jin to destroy the Liao was your own 'great achievement'! The apple of the Emperor’s eye! Now that the Jin are actually here, you’re blaming others?"

Gao Qiu knew well that this old eunuch, Tong Guan, relied on his military exploits and had always looked down on him, a Palace Commander (Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guard) who had risen through the ranks by playing cuju. Seeing Tong Guan in such a state of distress, he found it the perfect opportunity to kick a man while he was down.

"Commander Gao!"

Cai You (son of Cai Jing) immediately leaped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, because he was the one serving as the Administrator of the Bureau of Military Affairs. Was Gao Qiu not insulting him as well?

He had always despised Tong Guan’s arrogance and even more detested the gloating face of Gao Qiu, who had risen through the ranks via cuju. "You have the gall to criticize Commissioner Tong? You are in charge of the Palace Guard! The Jin haven't even crossed the river yet, and where are your men? Are they huddled in their barracks shivering, or are they busy moving silver into the vault of your mansion? You want to play the hero now? If the Emperor’s safety doesn't rely on the planning of us loyal ministers, should it rely on your fancy footwork in cuju?"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, turning his ire toward the chubby man in the corner—dressed in luxurious silks, his face pale and smooth, but his eyes darting shiftily. "And you, Defense Commissioner Zhu! Your 'Flower and Stone Network' has truly been a service to the state! You scraped the Jiangnan region until the heavens were three feet high, forcing Fang La to rebel and leaving the country’s vitality severely damaged! It’s fine now, but the Emperor is about to grace the southeast with his presence. If those unruly mobs still remember your 'kindness' and stab you and me in the back on the road, can you shoulder that responsibility? Those rare treasures you squeezed from the south will likely fall into the hands of those rebels!"

The others realized he was right. What if they encountered desperate people driven to ruin by Zhu Mian during their journey south? It would be a disaster. They all turned on him.

Zhu Mian had been trying to shrink his neck and minimize his presence, but being pointed at and cursed by Cai You, he immediately bristled.

He had ruled the southeast with an iron fist; when had he ever suffered such face-to-face humiliation? Besides, whose hands were clean in this group?

"Bullshit!"

Zhu Mian jumped up, the fat on his face trembling, pointing at Cai You and Gao Qiu with a shrill voice: "Cai! Have you stolen any less than me? Gao Qiu! You are nothing but a ball-player! You crawled up by fawning over the Emperor; how dare you spew such nonsense here? Every one of you—Commissioner, Commander, Administrator—you are all high-ranking officials in charge of the imperial troops!

"The Jin are coming, and instead of thinking about how to repel the enemy, you’re here blaming me—blaming me, a mere purchaser of flowers and stones? Your own affairs, every single one of them—which one of you can stand the light of day?"

"Hmph!"

A cold, mocking sneer came from Liang Shicheng.

This "Hidden Chancellor" had been holding his composure in silence, but finally spoke, his voice sharp and slow. "Squabbling and shouting—what kind of decorum is this? With the Emperor’s safety at stake, instead of thinking about working together, you only care about these worldly possessions and petty bickering?"

He flicked a speck of non-existent dust from his robe, his gaze sweeping over Gao Qiu and Cai You with contempt.

"Commander Gao, the matter of the escort is your responsibility. Do you have a plan? Or do you only know how to kick that ball, unable to even mobilize troops?" He shifted his tone, feigning a deliberate pity. "Alas, to think of the character of Scholar Su (Su Shi) in the past..." He habitually began to bring up his "illustrious" lineage.

"Escort? Hmph!"

Stung by Liang Shicheng’s words and unable to save face, Gao Qiu stiffened his neck. "Lord Liang makes it sound so easy! The Imperial Guard inside and outside Kaifeng has been chipped away at by you people—fake payrolls, occupying soldiers for personal labor—it’s a miracle if we have thirty percent of the actual strength!

"The rest are mostly city ruffians filling the ranks; they might scare the commoners, but who else? Relying on them is like hoping for heaven to open its eyes! It’s already a stretch to scrape together a few hundred capable Palace Guards! Any more? Do you want me to send those useless waste-of-space who can’t even hold a sword to their deaths, just to delay the Emperor’s journey?"

Gao Qiu was resentful that they blamed all the filth on him. Which of them hadn't participated in these military abuses? Whose courtyard hadn't been repaired for free by the Imperial Guard?

"A few hundred? Are you joking!"

Tong Guan was the first to roar in opposition. "The Jin scouts are already near Huazhou! A few hundred? That wouldn't even be a snack for them! I must mobilize at least two thousand elite central guards! Plus the Emperor’s personal attendants, eunuchs, and the escorts needed for the harem—without ten thousand elite troops, don't even dream of reaching Yangzhou safely!"

He was calculating that he must take his Western Army with him; it was both for protection and his own capital for survival and future footing in the southeast. When he fled Taiyuan, he had brought a portion of the Shengjie Army with him.

"Ten thousand? Commissioner Tong, do you think this is a spring outing?"

Cai You scoffed. "Do we not need to defend the capital? If you pull everyone away, Bianliang might as well open its gates and surrender! In my view, three thousand elite troops are enough. Travel light, move fast—that is the best strategy! You want to bring so many troops, are you afraid the Jin won't be able to track us?" He was desperate to fly to the comfort of the south immediately.

"Scholar Cai makes it sound so simple! If there’s a change of plans on the road, what use is three thousand men? The safety of the Emperor’s dragon body is not a child’s game!"

Zhu Mian, thinking of the potential mobs, immediately sided with Tong Guan. No one knew better than he how much the people of the south hated him; to say they wanted to eat his flesh and dismantle his bones was an understatement.

The argument erupted again, each person roaring to maximize their own interests, pointing fingers at the others as the culprit of this crisis.

It was you who invited the wolf into the house by allying with the Jin to destroy the Liao! It was you who scraped the earth three feet deep and incited civil unrest! It was you who embezzled military funds and caused the decay of the defenses!

And it was all of you who only knew how to covet power, hoard wealth, and bewitch the Emperor’s heart!

"A bunch of vulgar people, nothing but headaches! Especially you, Zhu Mian. If any commoners dare to block our path on the way, it’s all because of your good work!" Liang Shicheng cursed maliciously.

"You’re blaming me again! Have I given you less money? Why didn't you say that when you were collecting it?"

Zhu Mian let out a strange cry, interrupting Liang Shicheng, his face full of exaggerated mockery. "Lord Liang, are you remembering today that you are the posthumous son of Scholar Su? Tsk, tsk, this skill of picking a father is something none of us could ever hope to match! Why don't you tell us, if the spirit of Scholar Su in heaven knew he had a 'Hidden Chancellor' like you, who holds the court in the palm of his hand, what would he think? Eh? Hahahaha!"

Zhu Mian mercilessly punctured the mystery of Liang Shicheng’s birth—the one thing he was most sensitive about and yet most proud of (self-deceivingly).

The words were like a ladle of cold water poured into a pot of oil; the room exploded!

"Exactly! A person of unknown origin..."

Cai You tried to chime in, but Gao Qiu cut him off: "Lord Liang picked a good father! If Scholar Su knew in the afterlife, he’d likely be so angry he’d come back to life just to write a few more poems cursing you!" Gao Qiu had long found this eunuch, who controlled the imperial edicts and thwarted him at every turn, an eyesore.

Tong Guan added with a cold laugh: "Heh, Lord Liang comes from a prestigious family; no wonder he can control the imperial orders and win the Emperor’s heart!" The word "prestigious" was dripping with sarcasm, as he himself had risen from the bottom as a lowly palace boy.

Liang Shicheng’s well-maintained white face turned from red to purple, like pig liver. He trembled all over, his finger pointing at Zhu Mian shaking uncontrollably. "Zhu Mian! You... you vulgar little man! How dare you... how dare you insult a sage! I... I..."

His usual facade of elegance had vanished, leaving only the frantic, shameful rage of one whose secrets had been laid bare. He gasped for breath, unable to manage a single coherent retort.

The vast hall was thick with the stench of greed, fear, and mutual hatred. There was no longer a shred of appearance of high-ranking officials discussing state affairs; it looked more like a pack of red-eyed hyenas fighting over the last piece of rotting meat.

Just as the argument reached a fever pitch and seemed on the verge of turning into a brawl, the hall door was gently pushed open. A deeper chill rushed in, followed by a series of suppressed coughs.

The group looked toward the sound and saw Prince Yun, Zhao Kai, carefully supporting a trembling old man as they entered.

The old man had white hair and a white beard, his figure hunched, wrapped in a heavy sable fur. It was none other than the man who had held the world in his palm for twenty years, now seventy-eight years of age: Grand Preceptor Cai Jing.

Beside him walked his fifth son, Cai Tiao, then holding the post of Scholar of the Huixian Pavilion.

The hall went deathly silent.

The powerful figures who had just been spitting at each other, desperate to tear one another apart, were now like people choked by the throat. Their faces shifted instantly to expressions of reverence or sycophancy, and they bowed in unison: "Grand Preceptor!"

"Old Grand Preceptor!"

Only Cai You remained, his face full of disdain. His relationship with Cai Jing was extremely tense, even hostile; he particularly disliked Cai Tiao and had repeatedly petitioned the Emperor to have him executed.

Cai Jing’s clouded, aged eyes slowly swept over the familiar faces in the hall, his gaze seemingly able to pierce the deepest filth of their hearts.

He ignored their greetings and, supported by Zhao Kai and Cai Tiao, slowly walked to a wide chair at the head of the room and sat down.

After catching his breath for a long while, he spoke slowly, his voice raspy and deep, thick with phlegm, yet carrying a strange, overwhelming calm:

"Finished arguing? The Jin barbarians haven't even reached the Yellow River yet... *cough, cough*... and you are already losing your footing in your own nest... The Emperor is burning with anxiety... and this is how you share his burdens?"

No one dared to respond.

Cai Jing closed his eyes, as if gathering his strength, before slowly raising his withered, branch-like hand.

Cai Tiao understood immediately, taking a thick scroll of documents from his robe and respectfully holding it in both hands before Cai Jing.

Cai Jing did not take it, only signaling with his eyes.

Cai Tiao unfolded the scroll and began to read in a voice that was not loud, but clear:

"First, Escort Forces: 1,500 elite cavalry from the Palace Guard, 2,000 foot soldiers from the Imperial Guard, and 1,000 of Commissioner Tong’s Western Army personal guards, totaling 4,500 men. Divided into forward, center, and rear armies, each with a commander, rotating duties day and night, forming mutual supports."

"Second, Carriages and Boats: One imperial dragon boat, ten large official ships, already docked at the Bian River awaiting orders. Carriages: Three imperial chariots, carriages for the concubines and princes, and ten carts for accompanying ministers and essential items. Remaining servants and secondary supplies will be transported by requisitioned civilian boats and carts."

"Third, Route: The first day after leaving the capital, exit through the Nanxun Gate, lodge at Chenliu Station; the second day, pass through Yongqiu and Xiangyi, lodge at Gongzhou; the third day, head toward Bozhou; after one day of rest, follow the Wo River into the Huai, reaching Yangzhou; then cross the river, and lodge at the Jintan Palace in Zhenjiang Prefecture. Detailed documents for the grain supplies and horse replacements at every prefecture and county along the way have been prepared."

"Fourth, Transport of Wealth: Gold, silver, silk, imperial treasures, books, and paintings from the inner treasury will be packed into one hundred crates, escorted by special personnel from the Palace Domestic Service, moving with the center army. Ministers’ private property is their own responsibility. If any delays or disturbances arise due to excess baggage, there will be no mercy!"

The most critical information—the departure time—was written on the paper, to be handed only to these few men. Each of them knew that every piece of information here was of the utmost importance, and not a shred could be leaked.

...

The document was clear, detailed, and meticulous, even specifying how much fodder and how many horses were needed at every station along the way.

Clearly, this was no last-minute impulse, but a long-planned, carefully calculated escape scheme!

The crowd, which had been arguing incessantly just moments ago, wore a variety of expressions upon hearing this excessively detailed plan—astonishment, realization, relief, and more so, the embarrassment of having their intentions seen through, along with a trace of imperceptible envy (why did this old man always get a step ahead in everything?).

Tong Guan opened his mouth, wanting to raise an objection to the troop allocation, but seeing Cai Jing’s clouded yet bottomless eyes, he swallowed the words.

Gao Qiu lowered his head, concealing the malice in his eyes. Cai You’s gaze darted around, his thoughts unknown. Zhu Mian quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Liang Shicheng nodded slightly, inwardly sighing that ginger is indeed hotter when it’s older.

Cai Jing seemed to have exhausted his strength. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and squeezed a few words from his throat: "Carry this out quickly... This is the Emperor’s decree; there must be no errors." The voice was airy, yet carried an unquestionable authority.

"We humbly obey the Grand Preceptor’s command!"

The group dared not object further, answering in unison. They took the documents distributed by Cai Tiao and, one by one, bowed respectfully and retreated, their footsteps hurried as they disappeared into the wind and snow outside the hall, each rushing to secure their own mountains of gold and oceans of silver.

Only Zhao Kai, Cai Jing, his son, and a few palace maids and eunuchs remained in the hall.

Zhao Kai forced the most gentle and humble smile onto his face, leaning solicitously toward Cai Jing, and whispered: "The Grand Preceptor’s strategic planning is flawless; this Prince admires it to the utmost. I have already prepared the most stable and comfortable warm carriage for you, lined with thick Western rugs and fine brocade quilts to minimize the jolting. The carriage is also stocked with century-old ginseng soup, best for nourishing the heart and blood. Along this journey of wind and frost, you must protect your thousand-gold body; the Great Song still relies on you, this pillar that holds up the sky!"

Cai Jing laboriously lifted his eyelids, his clouded gaze resting on the young Prince’s face for a moment. There seemed to be a faint, fleeting mockery in that look, or perhaps there was nothing at all.

He managed a faint, thin smile on his withered face, his voice as weak as a thread: "Your Highness is kind... This old minister is overwhelmed... I am merely... loyal to the royal cause."

With that, supported by Cai Tiao and a maid, he rose shakily and moved slowly toward the outside. His hunched silhouette, against the flickering lamplight, looked like an old man on the verge of death.

Not until the Cai Jing party completely vanished at the end of the corridor did the humble, gentle smile on Zhao Kai’s face vanish without a trace, replaced by a sullen, dripping rage.

He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, and squeezed a few words through his teeth, filled with endless malice and frustration:

"Old fox! Slippery as an eel! I treated him with such courtesy, yet he wouldn't even spit out a single honest word!"

The commitment he wanted, the support he craved—from this old man Cai Jing, it remained as impenetrable and slippery as ever.

The wind and snow intensified, causing the wind chimes at the corners of the hall’s eaves to let out a rapid, mournful wail.