The emperor seemed frivolous, unfit for the responsibility. Unexpectedly, he had swiftly annihilated the six thieves, hated by the court and the people alike, and all officials submitted to him. Outside the palace gates, the students of the Imperial Academy rejoiced, while in Bianjing, artillery fire erupted, and the people celebrated the demise of the six thieves through the streets.
For a time, all kinds of praises for the newly enthroned emperor were heard everywhere, and Zhao Huan's reputation reached its peak.
"Dongsheng, come here." Zhao Huan felt very bored in the Wende Hall.
"Your Majesty." Cao Dongsheng walked over.
"I want to leave the palace. Please find me some clothes that are suitable for ordinary people."
"Your Majesty, the Jin soldiers are invading, and the people of the capital are in a state of panic. I'm afraid it's not safe for you to leave the palace."
"Bring Wu Ge with you, and we'll disguise ourselves."
"this……"
"Come here, do you believe I can kick your ass?"
"As you wish, I will go right away."
Even though Zhao Huan was mentally prepared, the prosperity of Bianjing still took him by surprise. This was exactly like the rhythm of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
This Bianjing already had large commercial streets, wine shops, brothels, various teahouses, snacks, and acrobatics.
Zhao Huan pretended to be a young man from a wealthy family. Although he was dressed in luxurious brocade and silk, he still couldn't hide his frivolous and gangster aura.
Cao Dongsheng was born to be a butler, and even more so when he dressed up. He was actually serving the emperor in the palace. What made Cao Dongsheng smarter than other eunuchs was that he never touched power. Throughout history, many eunuchs who dabbled in power ended up in a miserable state. This was why Zhao Huan liked Cao Dongsheng.
Wu Ge was dressed as an attendant. He had a beard and a strong body. At first glance, he looked like a rough man.
Zhao Huan imitated the elegant young man holding a folding fan, wanting to be like the talented Tang Bohu, but ended up looking like Ximen Qing. At this moment, they came to a snack street.
A stench, mixed with fragrance, washed over me: the smell of stinky tofu. (Note: Stinky tofu originated during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, though little is known about the fact that it was already being sold on the streets of Bianjing, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty.)
"Fry the new dog emperor, deep-fry the new dog emperor. Fry the tyrant new dog emperor!" A tall and thin man was holding a colander in his hand and rolling the stinky tofu cut into square pieces in the oil pan.
Zhao Huan was furious upon hearing this. "This guy must be tired of living!" In broad daylight, beneath the emperor's feet. How dare someone insult the emperor? This isn't a petition of remonstration; this is a blatant insult, a crime punishable by the death of nine generations of the family. Even worse, the man buying the stinky tofu was surrounded by a crowd of people.
Zhao Huan had no intention of getting on the same wavelength with these common people, but he didn't realize that the stinky tofu seller became more and more outrageous the more he cursed: "This new dog emperor is a hundred times blacker than stinky tofu. I just came from the north. I also know that this new dog emperor has a secret, hehehe..." As he spoke, the stinky tofu seller had a sly grin on his face.
The onlookers were so entranced by what they heard that someone asked, "What's the secret?"
The man who bought the stinky tofu was even more proud: "The son born to this new dog emperor is not his own. This tyrant emperor is wearing a big green hat. Hahahaha..."
"Hahaha..." The people all laughed.
"Well said, give me one."
"You're so good at scolding me, I want some too..."
"I want one too..."
Zhao Huan was shocked. He hadn't expected to be so unpopular among the people. Carrying such a bad reputation, it was no wonder Li Gang said he wanted to punish them. These unruly people were going too far. But how did this guy know Chen'er wasn't mine? It didn't make sense. I wasn't celebrating becoming a father.
A crowd gathered around, buying the stinky tofu and cursing. Zhao Huan grew increasingly angry. He squeezed over and said, "Hey, sir. This emperor isn't very wise. But you don't have to insult him like this, do you?"
Unexpectedly, the crowd immediately erupted in anger: "You traitor, you actually sided with that new dog emperor! Beat him to death!"
So people threw all the stinky tofu and rotten vegetable leaves in their hands over.
A huge man, as tall as an iron tower, flashed out from the crowd. He glared with a pair of ferocious eyes and said, "Humph! Who dares to be so presumptuous?"
The crowd retreated, realizing that this mountain-like man was not to be trifled with. So, they left, whispering among themselves.
Zhao Huan felt so aggrieved that he couldn't express it in words. He looked at Cao Dongsheng and said, "Youwei, why do these people hold such strong grievances against the emperor?"
Because Cao Dongsheng was a famous eunuch close to the emperor, Zhao Huan named him Youwei. Zhao Huan, however, named himself Long Aotian because he was the true dragon emperor. Wu Ge's name was too common, so he simply kept it as Wu Ge.
Cao Dongsheng looked bewildered. "Master Long, the people are cursing the Golden Dog Emperor, the Great Jin Emperor Wanyan Sheng. This Jin thief is difficult to defeat, so the people are naturally gnashing their teeth and cursing him."
Zhao Huan nearly choked. This was his own fault. The stinky tofu vendor had a big mouth, unable to distinguish between gold and new. He was cursing the Golden Dog Emperor, which at first sounded like the New Dog Emperor. Zhao Huan couldn't help but feel ashamed.
The man selling stinky tofu looked at the ferocious Wu Ge with fear, shaking the strainer in his hand.
Zhao Huan was very embarrassed. He took out a silver ingot from his pocket and threw it to the man selling stinky tofu.
"Let's go." Zhao Huan really wanted to slap himself twice. He wanted to escape immediately. So after throwing the silver, he turned around and left, leaving the stinky tofu seller in a mess.
"Youwei, tell me, am I a dog emperor?" Zhao Huan asked as he walked.
"Mr. Long, of course you are not. You are the greatest saint monarch of all time."
Zhao Huan stopped and looked at Cao Dongsheng, patting him on the head with his fan. "I hate dishonest people the most. I have accomplished nothing since I ascended the throne, so how can I be called the greatest sage of all time? Ministers should be brave enough to give advice, and I won't blame you. If you continue to flatter me, I'll spank you."
"Yes, Master Long. I know I was wrong."
Zhao Huan saw a restaurant in front of him, with lights and colorful decorations outside. The decoration was luxurious and exquisite, and he couldn't help but be curious and wanted to go over to find out what it was like.
Unexpectedly, Cao Dongsheng stopped him in front and said, "Um, Mr. Long, there's a brothel up ahead. I'm afraid it's not suitable for you with your status. How about I take you somewhere else?"
When Zhao Huan heard about the brothel, his eyes lit up immediately: "Go, I must go. I want to go and take a look."
It would have been fine if Cao Dongsheng hadn't mentioned it, but Zhao Huan's interest piqued. It wasn't that Zhao Huan wanted to go to a brothel and do something filthy. He was curious; he wanted to see what this legendary brothel was all about. He remembered TV shows of a bunch of vulgar women in makeup, holding handkerchiefs, calling out from the upper floors: "Sir, come play! Sir, come here!" And now that he was there, he was even more eager to go in and take a look. Of course, he couldn't do such filthy things, but drinking some wine was harmless, right?
Thinking of this, Zhao Huan became shamefully evil. Now he was like a wild boar in heat, and no one could stop him.
"Don't stop me, I want to go and take a look." Zhao Huan pushed Cao Dongsheng away and looked straight towards the brothel.
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