Imperial edict to the Jiangnan envoy
In the late autumn of the eighth year in Shaoxing, the sky was gloomy, as if a layer of haze was covering the sky over the south of the Yangtze River.
Liang Hongyu stood on the riverbank outside Suiyang City, looking at the official ship slowly approaching in the distance, her brows furrowed.
Liang Hongyu was dressed in a green shirt, a square scarf on her head, and a long sword dangling from her waist, looking every bit the elegant young man she was. Jinxiu was also dressed as a servant, and the two of them blended in with the band on the riverbank, not conspicuous at all.
On the riverbank, Suiyang County officials, both high and low, were already lined up, along with hundreds of soldiers arrayed in neat rows. Magistrate Feng Xingshi stood at the front, his face sullen. A band on the levee played festive music, but it couldn't mask the humiliation that permeated the air.
"Sir Feng, the Jin envoy's ship has arrived." The county magistrate reminded in a low voice.
Feng Xingshi nodded slightly and waved his hand: "Play music!"
The scene was bustling with the sound of drums and music. The boats on the river were getting closer and closer. There were three large ships in total. The one in the front was a warship, two stories high, equipped with bows and arrows, wood and stones. In the middle was a passenger ship, decorated with lights and a red carpet on the deck. Behind it was also a warship.
"Girl, look at that flag!" Jinxiu pointed at the big flag fluttering in the wind on the boat. Her voice was very low, but it couldn't hide the anger in it.
Liang Hongyu narrowed her eyes and saw the five glaring characters "Imperial Edict to the Envoy to Jiangnan" written on the scarlet banner. She gripped the sword at her waist tightly, her knuckles turning white from the exertion.
"What a 'requited order'!" she sneered. "The Jin people are treating our Great Song as a vassal."
Feng Xingshi's face became more and more ugly. When the Jin envoy's boat docked, the Jin envoy did not get off the boat for a long time. Instead, the person who got off the boat was a Song man, and this person was Wang Lun.
Wang Lun looked displeased. He approached Feng Xingshi and asked, "Sir Feng, why don't you kneel to welcome the Jin envoy?"
"Kneeling to welcome the Jin envoy? Although I am a seventh-rank county magistrate, I am also a minister of the Great Song. How can I kowtow to the Jin envoy? Lord Wang, what does this 'imperial edict to the Jiangnan envoy' mean? Does this mean that Jiangnan has become a vassal state of the Great Jin? Are all of us now citizens of the Great Jin?"
After saying this, he suddenly turned around and shouted to everyone in the county government office: "Everyone, I cannot obey your orders today!"
Feng Xingshi turned around and left. The officials in the county government looked at each other. Seeing that Lord Feng had left, some of them followed him, while others were still hesitating.
Wang Lun wanted to curse Feng Xingshi, but he had already left in his sedan chair, followed by the band and soldiers on the riverbank, leaving Wang Lun and others alone on the dock.
Jinxiu looked at Magistrate Feng's departing back and sighed, "This Magistrate Feng does have some backbone."
Liang Hongyu watched coldly as the Jin envoy Zhang Tonggu stood at the bow of the ship, arrogant and ignoring the Song Dynasty officials left on the opposite shore.
Liang Hongyu whispered to Qiu Feng, "Follow that Lord Feng."
The two men quietly left the crowd and followed Feng Xingshi. Feng Xingshi returned to the county government office, ordered the gates to be closed, and posted a notice on the door: "The Jin envoy has insulted the country. Feng, I dare not obey your orders. I am resigning and leaving now. I hope those who come after me will be cautious."
Seeing this, Liang Hongyu quickly stepped forward and said with a bow, "Lord Feng is so righteous. I admire you."
Feng Xingshi turned around and saw a strange young man. He asked cautiously, "Who are you?"
"My surname is Liang, and I serve under General Han." Liang Hongyu lowered her voice. "Today, I see you are retiring to declare your loyalty, so I've come to see you off."
Feng Xingshi's expression eased slightly when he heard this. "So they're General Han's men. I've only done my duty. The Jin have humiliated our Song Dynasty so much. If I continue to grovel, how can I face our ancestors?"
As he was speaking, he suddenly heard someone behind him say, "Master Feng, what a magnificent statement!"
The three of them turned around and saw a scholar in his early thirties walking towards them quickly. He had a thin face and bright eyes.
"Editor Hu?" Feng Xingshi asked in surprise.
"It is I," the visitor said, bowing. "I am Hu Quan, editor of the Privy Council. I happened to be passing through and witnessed Lord Feng's heroic feat. It is truly admirable."
Liang Hongyu's heart moved. She had heard of Hu Quan's name a long time ago. This man was upright and incorruptible, and was one of the few pro-war factions in the court.
Feng Xingshi smiled wryly and said, "Mr. Hu, your praise is unjust. I am only a county magistrate and powerless to change the overall situation. This is all I can do to express my feelings."
Hu Quan said sternly, "Lord Feng's resignation is a resounding slap in the face to those who curry favor with the powerful. Qin Hui is now the sole ruler of the court, obsessed with peace talks. If this continues, the country will be ruined!"
Seeing people coming and going around, Liang Hongyu whispered, "This isn't the place to talk. Why don't we find a quiet place to talk?"
Hu Quan nodded. "There's a 'Qingfeng Teahouse' up ahead. It's quite secluded. Why don't we go there and have a chat?"
The four of them arrived at the teahouse and chose the innermost room to sit down. The waiter brought the Longjing tea and then left.
Hu Quan pulled out a scroll of memorials from his sleeve, his expression solemn: "Please look, both of you. This is the memorial that I, Hu, am preparing to submit."
Liang Hongyu took it and unfolded it, only to see the following inscription: "Your Majesty, Wang Lun was originally a perverted villain, a scoundrel in the marketplace. Due to the Prime Minister's ignorance, he was made an envoy... Your Majesty occupies the position of your ancestors, yet you have used it as a vassal of the Jin Kingdom? If Your Majesty yields to it, the spirits of your ancestors' temples will be defiled by the barbarians... Qin Hui, as a trusted minister, also acted in this way... I, as a member of the key government, have no right to live under the same sky with Qin Hui and his people..."
Reading this, Liang Hongyu couldn't help but clap her hands and exclaim: "Excellent! Hu Bianxiu's memorial is as sharp as a knife, directly pointing out Qin Hui's crime of selling out his country for personal gain!"
Feng Xingshi was also excited and said: "If Hu Bianxiu's memorial could reach the ears of the emperor, it would surely shake the government and the country!"
Hu Quan smiled wryly and said, "You two don't know, I'm only an eighth-rank editor. My memorials have to go through many layers of circumstance. I'm afraid they've already fallen into Qin Hui's hands before they even reach the emperor."
Liang Hongyu pondered for a moment, then suddenly had an idea: "Editor Hu, how about printing this memorial and distributing it to the public?"
Hu Quan was stunned: "This..."
"Hu's memorial is full of righteousness. It would be a shame if it were to circulate only within the court," Liang Hongyu explained. "Why not print a thousand copies and distribute them in teahouses and taverns throughout Lin'an? Let everyone in the world know Qin Hui's treasonous crimes and the humiliation the Jin people have inflicted on us!"
Feng Xingshi clapped his hands and said, "Great idea! This way, even if Qin Hui wanted to cover it up, he wouldn't be able to silence the world's gossip!"
Hu Quan's eyes flickered. "Mr. Liang, this is a brilliant plan. However...printing and disseminating it might be risky."
Liang Hongyu smiled slightly. "I have some connections with General Han, so I can arrange for someone reliable to handle this. As for the risks..." She picked up her teacup and drank it all in one gulp. "With our country in crisis, why fear the risks?"
Jinxiu's blood boiled as she listened, and she couldn't help but interrupt, "My...my young master is right! At worst, we can just fight them!"
Hu Quan was moved by the heroic spirit of the two men and said solemnly, "Well! In that case, I, Hu, would like to entrust this memorial to Master Liang. I only hope it can awaken the people of our country to fight against the Jin bandits together!"
Feng Xingshi also said: "Although I have retired, I still have some old subordinates in Suiyang who can lend a hand."
As the four of them were discussing, they suddenly heard a commotion outside the teahouse. Qiu Feng alertly walked to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain and looked out. Her face suddenly changed: "Oh no! Officials are coming this way!"
Hu Quan's expression was stern: "Could it be that the news has leaked?"
Liang Hongyu quickly hid the memorial in her arms and said in a deep voice, "Let's go our separate ways!"
Hu Quan bowed and said, "I'll leave the memorial to Mr. Liang."
Feng Xingshi stood up and said, "I am familiar with the streets and alleys of Suiyang and can show you the way."
As the four of them exited the teahouse's back door, they saw a group of officials rushing in from the front gate. Liang Hongyu and Jinxiu mounted their horses, while Hu Quan and Feng Xingshi blended into the crowd and quickly disappeared into the streets.
Jinxiu rode her horse to catch up with Liang Hongyu and asked worriedly, "Miss, have our whereabouts been exposed?"
Liang Hongyu sneered: "No problem, let's go to Lin'an first."
The two riders sped away.
Dusk fell, and the lights of Lin'an City gradually lit up. Liang Hongyu reined in her horse and looked up at the words "Zuixianlou". She dusted herself off and whispered to Jinxiu beside her, "Remember, here I am Master Liang."
Jinxiu nodded in understanding, slinging the two swords tighter to her back. The two had come all the way from Suiyang, their clothes still stained with the cold dew of the autumn night.
The three floors of Zuixian Tower were brightly lit, and from within came the sounds of stringed instruments, mingled with the clatter of wine and toasts. The sharp-eyed servant at the door recognized Liang Hongyu. Just as he was about to speak, she glanced at him and he immediately changed his tone, shouting, "Young Master Liang has arrived. Please wait in the private room upstairs!"
As you cross the threshold, you are greeted by the aroma of wine mixed with the fragrance of food.
"Mr. Liang, you're finally here!" A crisp voice came from the stairs. Liang Hongyu looked up and saw Qiu Feng, wearing a light yellow skirt and a smile on her face, walking down the stairs quickly.
Liang Hongyu nodded slightly: "Miss Qiufeng, how are you?"
"Thanks to you, sir, everything is fine." Qiu Feng bowed deeply, her voice very low. "The 'Tingyu Pavilion' on the second floor is ready. Please follow me."
The three of them passed through the noisy first floor and ascended the carved staircase. The second floor was much more elegant than the first, with several private rooms separated by screens, and faint shadows could be seen moving inside. From the innermost room came the sound of stringed instruments, accompanied by the clear voice of a singing girl.
Qiu Feng led the two of them to an elegant room called "Tingyuxuan". She looked around to make sure no one was paying attention before gently pushing open the door.
The interior was elegantly furnished. A round mahogany table was set with a few exquisite side dishes and a pot of warm rice wine. Qiu Feng closed the door, turned around and bowed: "Miss, why are you here?"
Qiu Feng came to Lin'an City not long ago on Liang Hongyu's secret order to inquire about the peace talks. Unexpectedly, her own daughter and Jinxiu also came to Lin'an City.
Qiu Feng walked to the table and poured a cup of tea for Liang Hongyu and Jinxiu respectively.
After traveling all night, Liang Hongyu suddenly felt thirsty. She sat down at the table, took a sip of tea, and then asked, "Has there been any unusual movement in Lin'an recently?
Qiu Feng pulled a scroll of paper from her sleeve. "Qin Hui has been trying to win over some officials and suppress those who oppose peace talks."
Liang Hongyu sneered and asked Jinxiu to take out the memorial. Jinxiu then took out Hu Quan's memorial from her bosom and handed it to Liang Hongyu.
"Qiu Feng, you must immediately arrange for someone reliable to copy and print a thousand copies of this memorial."
Qiu Feng took the memorial and quickly scanned it by candlelight, anger gradually igniting in her eyes: "This...this editor Hu is so bold! He actually dared to directly ask for Qin Hui's execution!"
"That's why we need to let the people of Lin'an know." Liang Hongyu walked to the window and gently opened it a crack. Downstairs, the night market had just opened. Colorful lanterns illuminated the bluestone pavement like daylight. Pedestrians jostle shoulder to shoulder, and the cries of hawkers are endless.
She turned, her eyes gleaming with sparks: "Qin Hui wants to cover up everything, so we must expose his treasonous behavior to the world."
Qiu Feng carefully placed the memorial in her arms and said, "Don't worry, young lady. Zuixianlou has long-standing ties with Wenhuazhai in the west of the city. Their owner is an old subordinate of General Han, so he's absolutely reliable. I'll make the arrangements right away."
"Remember," Liang Hongyu warned, "find engravers who have no connection with the government. After printing, don't store them together. Distribute them immediately."
Jinxiu added, "We can ask the brothers from the Beggars' Sect to help distribute it. They'll go from street to street, making them least likely to arouse suspicion."
Qiu Feng nodded: "I'll do it right away."
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