Chapter 27: Prince Gao (3)
After my master rescued me and brought me back to the Gao family, he went alone to Ankang County to plead guilty. Instead of punishing him, the county reported to the emperor, claiming that a remarkable warrior had emerged from the prefecture. My master was honored at the government office, but he returned unhappy. He blamed me, saying that if I hadn't set a trap, he would never have gone up the mountain to confront the bandits. He believed that I was using my noble status as the grandson of Gao Mingqing to blackmail him. Don't you think he's overthinking things?
After he calmed down, I told him that I saw a man robbing a woman in the wilds of Yanyi that day. I stepped forward to stop them and was captured. He believed me - or maybe he didn't believe me completely, anyway, he apologized to me and said he knew I was helping him out of kindness. A few days later, he told Ankang County Commander that he and I had defeated that gang of thieves together. Ankang County Commander went to tell Jinzhou Prefecture that there were two chivalrous men in Hanyin County, one was a descendant of the Gao family, and the other was a son of the prime minister of Dali, and they should be recommended to the higher authorities. Jinzhou Prefecture asked a clerk to write down our deeds and post them on notice boards in the streets and alleys. Seeing our glory, the people of Jinzhou also captured the bandits and scoundrels and handed them over to the public, but they did not receive any rewards from the prefecture and county. This is because they were not descendants of generals and were unreliable.
Thanks to our distinguished backgrounds and our heroic deeds, my master and I earned a reputation in Jinzhou. However, whenever there was an opportunity to show off or claim credit, I was the only one to do it. I told everyone that the remnants of Yang Zaixing's bandits, numbering over a hundred, were occupying the northern slopes of Bashan Mountain. I disguised myself as a bandit and infiltrated the bandit's lair, working with my master to eliminate them from within, all for the sake of peace. People were willing to believe my words, just as the prefectural and county officials were willing to believe that I and the two Gao clans were not ordinary people. Just as the people of the Song Dynasty were willing to believe that Duke Zhongwu, who died in prison, would be resurrected from the battlefield. My family, far away in Dayao, also believed my words, believing that I had risen to prominence in Jinzhou through my martial arts skills. In the 25th year of Shaoxing, my father passed away in Yaozhou. My master returned with me to attend the funeral and was summoned by my uncle.
At that time, my uncle, Gao Liangcheng, had returned to Chuxiong, and Gao Zhenshou had taken the position of prime minister. My master and I traveled to Zixi Mountain to meet my uncle. My uncle took a liking to my master and wanted to keep him in Chuxiong as a general. Not only did my master refuse my uncle's invitation, he also left without saying goodbye that very night. I considered him ungrateful, so I stayed alone in Dayao, accompanied by my younger brother, Gao Chengguang. Gao Chengguang had just started learning martial arts, and I was able to teach him techniques because I had often watched my master practice with a spear. I couldn't guarantee that my teachings would be effective, so I occasionally teased him, forcing him to perform difficult moves. Chengguang wasn't very bright, and to this day, he still believes in my martial arts prowess and often calls me "Master" in front of outsiders. I didn't want to be his master, and my previous guidance and teasing were only meant to convince him to trust me in other matters and to follow my lead. How could I not know that the master would inevitably offend the disciple, and the disciple would have to repay the master's debt? How could I, so intent on winning over Chengguang, have become his enemy?
A year later, I left Dayao and fled to the Wumeng tribe of the Song Dynasty, passing through Juzhou, Qianzhou, Kuizhou, and finally returning to Jinzhou. When I met my master again, he wanted to expel me. He seemed to have come to a realization during our time apart. He said I was cunning and calculating, a bureaucrat born to manipulate power. I didn't leave. I knew how to make it impossible for him to expel me. I told him, "Three years ago, you lied to my father about my academic success. Your lie has now been exposed in Yaozhou. I was expelled by my father." Did he believe me? Even if I didn't say it, it was what he believed to be the truth. He had no choice but to take back his words and have my room decorated. That night, he cooked stir-fried beef heart and braised pig's trotters. While drinking with me, he seemed to have awakened from a deep sleep and even wanted to call me brother. I said, "That's impossible." And so, he became my master again. The next five years, like the previous six, were spent at the Gao family home in Hanyin County, and nothing happened.
Now, to satisfy your purpose, I need to tell you about Shi Gong. Only by talking about Shi Gong can I reveal the true nature of those people in the imperial court. Otherwise, you might think that he, a high-ranking official in the Privy Council, summoned my master to the capital in the Gengchen year of Shaoxing because he valued his talent.
Many people inside and outside the imperial court believed that he inherited the will of the Duke of Zhongwu and was a complete advocate of war. In fact, he was originally a member of the Qin Party and a follower of Yang Yuan. Even earlier, he sent spies with Lin Dasheng to Ezhou to take up his post and planned Wang Jun's frame-up of Zhang Xian. I know that he claims to be a descendant of the Duke of Weiguo, but he doesn't allow others to mention his last name. His last name is not Shi. He is just related to the descendants of Shi Yisun. With his relationship with the Shi family, let alone receiving favors, even if he was asked to ask the Shi family for a few strings of money, his family would not give him alms. However, he eventually became a Privy Councilor, handling the border defense of the world. It is too far-fetched to say that his family background is too far-fetched. You only need to know that at that time Shi Gong was the secretary of the Privy Council and the planner of the Jisufang. After the Shaoxing Peace Agreement, the Jisufang no longer had a chief officer, and the border military affairs it was in charge of were also jointly managed by the two governments. However, in the Gengchen year of Shaoxing, when the Jin army was about to invade the south, due to military needs, the Three Provinces Privy Council Jisufang was re-established - this was not without Shi Gong's intervention.
I later heard from Doctor Zhao that even before Duke Zhongwu was wrongfully imprisoned, Lord Shi knew that the treacherous elements in the court would inevitably force a ceasefire. Taking advantage of his position as a spies, Lord Shi instigated a northern assassin to assassinate Emperor Xizong in the Jin capital, believing that a successful assassination would rekindle military power and return it to the generals. In other words, by then, he had already betrayed the Qin faction and staked his government on a greater war. I don't know why he blocked the peace talks. Whether it was to save lives, reclaim northern territories, or overthrow the Qin faction's rule, I don't think his strategy was brilliant. His reckless actions in a changing situation, with no clear purpose, reveal him to be a man of humble origins. Born without a legacy or a good reputation, he yearned for a radical change, seeking to bring down the officials, nobles, profiteers, and hypocrites throughout the court.
In the end, his assassination plan failed, the war did not break out again, and Duke Zhongwu was not released from prison.
After Qin Hui's death, Shi Gong became a secretary of the Privy Council and concurrently served as a counselor in the Secretariat. For the next four or five years, he managed border defense, recruited northerners as spies, and assigned scouts to spy on Jin and Xia, all while searching for evidence against any remaining Qin faction members and eliminating them one by one. I've heard that at the time, there was an official in the court named Jiang Yanying, whose fate was almost the opposite of Shi Gong's. In the 11th year of Shaoxing, he rallied various academic officials and petitioned to retain the Huaidong Xuanfu Division, preventing the Qin faction member Lin Dasheng from becoming the governor of Huguang. Later, while Shi Gong manipulated the "converts" who had defected from the north and those who had been granted official positions through imperial influence to hunt for evidence against the so-called "Qin Clique" in the capital, Jiang Yanying joined forces with Zhang Shixiang, Yu Yaobi, and Luo Ruji. He compiled a book called "Frosty Sky Records," detailing the crimes of Li Gang and others in plotting war. He also praised Zhang Jun, who had seized millions of acres of farmland from the people, and recast his massive land annexation after being enfeoffed as the Prince of Qinghe as an act of aid to the people. When spies presented this work to Shi Gong's residence, Shi Gong learned that Jiang Yanying was intent on falsifying history and that he had written this book out of a premonition that the unjust imprisonment of Duke Zhongwu would devastate the court. However, he could not let Jiang Yanying go. He had once been controlled by Zhang and Qin, and had fabricated testimony on behalf of Wanqi Xie that Duke Zhongwu was "scheming." Perhaps these events had become a stain he could not wash away. Therefore, he forbade anyone to mourn Zhang Jun, and forbade Jiang Yanying, a civil servant, to slander Li Gang and Zhang Jun with his pen. So, in the 29th year of the Shaoxing reign, Shi Gong used these notes, which had nothing to do with current politics, to create an impeachment memorial to the palace. Jiang Yanying was demoted to live in Jiyangjun. Doctor Zhao told me that the person who had obtained the evidence against Jiang Yanying for Shi Gong was none other than Lang Qi, a household slave in the Jiang residence.
This slave was originally a serf who worked the land for the Jin in Dingqiang City. He once worked as an ironsmith in a military workshop. Later, after committing a crime there, he fled to Xiangyang. It's said that he saw no future in being a military craftsman, so he wandered south, begging for food as he arrived in Xiangyang. Unsuccessful in joining the army in Xiangyang, he didn't become a bandit either. Instead, he became a servant under the Jiang family. Later, Jiang Yanying taught him some characters and took him on as a student. Lang Qi's Xiangyang dialect was taught by Jiang Yanying, and his ability to recite the "Seven Military Classics" must have also been taught by Jiang Yanying. It's said that he once served as a lieutenant, likely with the support of the Jiang family. After leaving the Jiang family, he learned spearmanship from an Ezhou general and was sent to a military academy by Shi Gong. He passed the military imperial examination and was awarded the title of Yiwei Lang... These experiences were possible thanks to his betrayal of Jiang Yanying. When we arrived in the capital, my master and I unexpectedly became his friends. Shi Gong seemed to have completely ignored the fact that the three of us had different backgrounds and had no similar personalities or temperaments. He made us his "guests" and treated us as haphazardly as if we were able-bodied men captured from the people.
However, Lord Shi summoned my master to the capital not to elevate Lang Qi's status. Lord Shi and Lang Qi shared a tacit understanding, much like my master and I. Lord Shi admired Lang Qi and wanted him to be a righteous man. He wanted to reveal to those who knew of his past crimes and his true identity Lang Qi, as if to paint a picture of himself within Lang Qi. What had been done could not be undone, and he could not portray his false accusations against Lord Zhongwu as righteousness. However, he could disguise Lang Qi's betrayal of Jiang Yanying as a righteous act. Lord Shi's partiality brought Lang Qi and my master together. It was in the middle of the Gengchen year in Shaoxing that Lord Liu recommended my master and me, each receiving a military rank. Upon arriving in the capital, we became Lang Qi's allies.
At that time, my master and I were unaware that Ye Yiwen had already sent word back to the capital of the impending Jin invasion. Tang Situi had been dismissed, and officials were busy planning the upcoming war. My master and I lived outside Brahma Temple, while Langqi resided in the government office in Jisufang. Shi Gong occasionally summoned my master and me, sending Langqi to fetch us. Langqi spoke with a Xiangyang accent—relying on his years of early arrival in the capital, he acted like a local and never exchanged a single word with us. For six months, Shi Gong never entrusted my master and me with any important matters, treating us as mere guests. I paid someone to inquire about his spies, with Langqi as their leader. Neither master nor slave revealed their political views, clearly not considering us their own. If we were to discuss the favors Shi Gong bestowed upon us at that time, the greatest of them was his elevation of my master to the rank of envoy.
At that time, I wanted to know his purpose for summoning us, so I took the initiative to visit the Shi residence and ask why Master Shi didn't leave the task to Master and me. Master Shi mentioned Master's ancestor, Gao Qingyi. Gao Qingyi had served as a Liao official and then as a Jin general, a well-known figure at court. Master Shi explained that he was suspicious of appointing someone who could not be appointed, but to appoint a member of the Gao family, the court needed to be convinced. To do so, one must not only demonstrate merit but also loyalty. Therefore, Master must first establish a reputation and then achieve merit. Master Shi promised to petition the court to secure new positions for us. Soon after, Master was promoted to the rank of envoy, while I, as a member of the Gao family, was appointed Deputy Envoy of Hemen, a title only. In terms of rank, I was higher than both Master and Lang Qi. What I couldn't understand was that Master's rank was lower than Lang Qi's. If Master Shi cared about Master's ancestor being a Jin general, why did he summon him to the capital? Lang Qi is just a fugitive from Longxi who committed a crime. His current situation stems from betraying his master. How could such a man possibly hold the position of Master? Perhaps the people of the Shi Mansion and the capital cannot see through his true colors, perhaps even Shi Gong is unaware of his intentions. But I know he is not as honest and righteous as outsiders claim—you may not believe it—I know Lang Qi's intentions, just as I have always known the plans of the Southwestern Yi people. The Southwestern Yi are the people of Dali. Although Lang Qi is a commoner, he is a remarkable commoner. I can see that he is capable of what others cannot: betraying his master and patricide, or even killing his own relatives. He wants to become a general from a commoner, but even if he does, he will surely be a treacherous man who controls a border crossing and enjoys the benefits of both sides.
The court shouldn't entrust important tasks to those without a background, even if they truly possess military talent. Look at those generals stationed on the border! They might not be up to the task, driven by a ruthless rage and a ruthless heart, driven by military merit, which everyone possesses. Therefore, a general's loyalty must be guaranteed by his life, property, and family reputation. The more distinguished a person's background, the less likely they are to turn against others. Shi Gong understood this, and so did Lang Qi. The chivalrous reputations and anecdotes Shi Gong created for Lang Qi were precisely to fill in the gaps in his background. I had long seen through their tactics. Shi Gong and Lang Qi had hinted at me not to embarrass them, but in reality, I was worried that their foolishness would one day embarrass me.
In August of that year, Shi Gong invited Lang Qi and Master to the training grounds of the Dianqian Division for a martial arts competition, inviting a group of military officers to watch. This was actually my idea. After arriving in Beijing, I'd been in frequent contact with the officers of the Dianqian Division. They knew the names of my cousin, grandfather, and father, were interested in the customs of Dali, and were curious about how a foreigner like me could speak Jinzhou dialect. I'd been to Wuxian Tower and Fengle Tower with them. When Lang Qi arrived to deliver Shi Gong's orders, I sat with them in a restaurant by West Lake, drinking, and had Lang Qi wait outside. I spoke ill of Lang Qi to them, not fearing he'd overhear. Lang Qi noticed my disdain for him and demanded I defame him. I remained silent—I never spoke to him. To embarrass him, I went back to Shi Gong and told him that the officers of the Dianqian Division wanted to see Master's martial arts. Shi Gong knew that this was my idea and declined once, but he actually wanted to see the master's martial arts, so he set up rules and weapons on the training ground and let Lang Qi and the master compete on the field.
That day, they agreed to compete in only three events: horse archery, crossbowmanship, and spearmanship. Master emerged victorious in all three. Shi Gong, wanting to help Lang Qi regain face, challenged him to a sword duel with Master. This was the first time I'd seen Master wield a sword. Lang Qi was more formidable than I'd expected. He was already tall, and holding a four-foot Han sword, he seemed nine feet tall. Still, he wasn't as skilled with a sword as Master. Master's techniques required the ability to pierce heavy armor and sever horse hooves, emphasizing a strong charge and minimal defense, giving him an advantage in the arena. When Lang Qi was defeated, he didn't get angry. With that false, foolish smile, he approached Master, complimenting him on his martial arts prowess. Then, coming to me, he wondered about his disciple's skills. I laughed too. Everyone present knew I wasn't a martial artist. My brothers and friends all knew I had become a deputy envoy of the Hemen clan thanks to my family background. They laughed at Lang Qi's stupidity, walked out of the training ground in square steps, sat down at the wine table, and told the story of Lang Qi's past humbleness and bad behavior over and over again.
After a few such pranks, I began to believe that I knew Lang Qi's feelings perfectly. To this day, I am still convinced that before the Xinsi Year of Shaoxing, Lang Qi could not defeat me. However, once the Xinsi Year of Shaoxing arrived, fate favored him.
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