The emperor spent the third day of the Lunar New Year at the Academy of Sciences this year.
The emperor did not leave the Academy of Sciences until the sun was almost setting.
Upon returning to the palace, Zhao Huan received exciting news: the Imperial Guards had captured the traitor Cao Sheng in the northwest!
Cao Sheng is being escorted to the capital.
Ten days later, Zhao Huan ate breakfast and then rushed to the prison.
Before he even went inside, he heard screams like pigs being slaughtered.
Cao Sheng was tied to an iron pillar, and a guard from the Imperial City Guard was pouring boiling water onto the pillar, scalding Cao Sheng so much that his whole body was convulsing violently.
After Zhao Huan went inside, he signaled to stop.
The Imperial Guards brought a chair for the Emperor, and Zhao Huan sat down, saying, "Cao Sheng, tell me where Li Wen is. If you tell me, I will release you immediately."
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty...This sinful subject is utterly ignorant, most ignorant of all. I beg Your Majesty to spare me, for the sake of my past merits..."
Zhao Huan said sincerely, "I said that as long as you tell me where Li Wenzheng is, I will definitely release you. A ruler's word is his bond."
What utter nonsense! A ruler's word is law!
"Your Majesty, I do not know..."
"Don't know?"
Zhao Huan's smile faded, and he said to Xie Dahai, "Prepare several ginseng roots. Cut the flesh slowly, sprinkle salt after cutting, and cut again after a while. Don't let him die. You have to be able to cut flesh every day."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Upon hearing the emperor's words, Cao Sheng cried out in despair, "Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life!"
Tell me where Li Wen is?
"Your Majesty, Li Wenzheng has fled to the Western Regions, and I do not know where he is now."
"You really don't know?"
"This guilty subject truly knew nothing!"
Zhao Huan gave Cao Sheng a strange smile, and the latter pleaded, "Your Majesty, if you release this sinful subject, I am willing to give my life for Your Majesty!"
"Release you?" Zhao Huan's smile was somewhat sinister. "Release you, but who will release the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the Northwest that you killed?"
"Do you remember those people who knelt before you that day, begging you to release their civilians and Song soldiers? Did you release them?"
Cao Sheng's face was full of pain.
Zhao Huan waved his hand at Xie Dahai: "Do it. I don't want him to live another moment in this world!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Your Majesty, spare my life..."
At Zhao Huan's command, the Imperial Guards began to untie Cao Sheng.
His back was so hot from being burned by the scorching iron pillar that his skin and flesh were cooked and stuck to it, torn off.
The Imperial Guards pushed over a bronze statue, which was a likeness of Cao Sheng, but kneeling.
Cao Sheng cried and begged for mercy, trying to struggle, but he was bound hand and foot and he didn't have much strength left. He could only feel himself being put into the kneeling bronze statue.
The kneeling bronze statue was not immediately removed. The Imperial Guards began pouring boiling water on it, causing the temperature inside the statue to rise higher and higher, until Cao Sheng's pig-like screams rang out.
Cao Sheng was unable to move inside, feeling the scorching air around him burning his skin.
This feeling is a thousand times worse than death.
Once they had splashed enough water, the Imperial Guards stopped splashing and started pouring in cold water, then clearing the blockage.
Cao Sheng felt much better after that.
Once the temperature returned to normal, they started pouring boiling water again.
This cycle repeated itself, tormenting Cao Sheng to the point of near collapse.
Suddenly, the emperor's voice came from outside: "Cao Sheng, I have decided not to kill you!"
Half-conscious, Cao Sheng immediately perked up upon hearing this: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life!"
"Don't thank me yet. I just want to add something to it. As long as you don't die, I'll let you go!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, may I ask what is being placed here?"
"You'll find out soon enough. As long as you don't die, I'll let you go!"
A glimmer of hope for survival rose in Cao Sheng's heart.
The lid on the bronze statue was opened, and Cao Sheng looked up with difficulty, but he couldn't see what it was.
Until a thick, viscous liquid radiating terrifying heat flowed down from above.
At that moment, Cao Sheng's mind went blank.
It's molten iron!
The molten iron crashed onto Cao Sheng's head like a waterfall, crushing his skull and then rapidly flowing through his entire body, submerging him.
There was no sound from inside. Zhao Huan called out twice, "Cao Sheng, if you are still alive, come out now, and I will spare your life."
Hearing no further movement from inside, Zhao Huan was overjoyed.
"Move the bronze statue to the entrance of the Martyrs' Shrine!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
In the evening, the kneeling bronze statue was transported to the front of the Martyrs' Shrine.
The kneeling statue of Cao Sheng faces the Shrine of Loyal Martyrs, kneeling in worship of the Song Dynasty soldiers he killed.
The incident was reported the following day by the Imperial Gazette of the Great Song Dynasty and the Tokyo Express, and the newspapers were quickly sold out.
Countless people went to the Martyrs' Shrine to spit on Cao Sheng and cursed his ancestors for eighteen generations.
Hundreds of thousands of Song soldiers died at his hands, and another hundred thousand soldiers lost their lives because of his betrayal and turned against their own people.
Cao Sheng was listed by historians as one of the biggest traitors to the Han Dynasty.
Upon returning to the palace, Zhao Huan summoned Xie Dahai and ordered him to send men to the Northwest to infiltrate the Western Regions and search for Li Wenzheng.
At the same time, the emperor also mobilized the Qilin Guard, which began to frequently operate in the northwestern border region, searching for any clues about Li Wenzheng.
As long as Li Wenzheng remains in power, Zhao Huan will feel uneasy.
If Cao Sheng wasn't lying, we now know roughly where Li Wenzheng is, or at least have a direction.
At this point, it's time to start exchanging ideas with the Western Regions.
Whether it's done secretly or openly, we should have some exchanges.
Zhao Huan was pondering who to send as an envoy to the Western Regions when he suddenly received a letter from the Jin Dynasty.
It turned out to be a letter from Wanyan Zongpan, in which he mentioned that Wanyan Zongpan wanted to go on a diplomatic mission to the Song Dynasty, to the capital city of Bianjing, to meet the emperor.
Having heard that the Song people loved Cuju (ancient Chinese football) and polo, Wanyan Zongpan wrote in his letter that he would lead a team to challenge the Song Dynasty in Cuju or polo.
Of course, to put it nicely, this was a friendly match.
It represents the deep friendship between the Song and Jin dynasties.
As Wanyan Zongpan himself stated, the actual purpose of their visit was to discuss trade between the two sides.
In the past year, the conflict between the Song and Jin dynasties during the Song-Xia War has affected border trade between the two sides. This friction has not only failed to lessen but has intensified, seriously impacting both sides.
That's what they say, but Zhao Huan believed that Wanyan Zongpan had other purposes in coming to Tokyo.
As for the specific purpose, Zhao Huan had no idea.
Perhaps they wanted to understand their enemies, or perhaps they wanted to know what the Song Dynasty was really up to in its trade with Japan and Goryeo.
February is the season for apricot blossoms, and Tokyo is already showing signs of spring, with willows along the river sprouting new buds.
The temperature is also starting to warm up slowly.
A Jurchen caravan traveled south from the north, and their arrival drew the attention of everyone in Tokyo.
P.S.: The author got drunk today, so only two chapters... My head's not working properly anymore.
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