Chapter 454
The Story of the Five Concubines
...
Zhao Yu traveled incognito, accompanied by four ministers: Song Jiang, Zhang Bangchang, Chen Kangbo, and Zhao Li; seven concubines: Zheng Xiansu, Wang Yisu, Zhang Chun, Li Lin, Ma Xiaojiao, Ye Shiyun, and Yuan Qingcheng; concubines serving as maids: Liang Hongyu, Fang Baihua, Chen Miaozhen, Liang Damei, Liang Xiaomei, Hua Xiangrong, and Yan Zhengu; and fifty guards.
This was the result of Zhao Yu's repeated beheadings.
Even so, more than fifty cars were dispatched just to accompany them.
Moreover, this only includes those on the surface, not the people who secretly protected and served Zhao Yu's entourage.
Frankly speaking, with this kind of entourage, it can no longer be considered an incognito visit. Anyone who sees it can guess that Zhao Yu and his entourage are important figures out for fun.
Can you believe this is the result of Zhao Yu's efforts?
Otherwise, according to the ministers, the streets should be closed off, and everyone entering Zhao Yu's recreational area should be checked one by one, with suspicious persons not allowed to approach.
Some ministers even wanted to send officials to impersonate the merchants so that Zhao Yu could "travel incognito".
Zhao Yu understood what these ministers were worried about.
It's simply that he's afraid something might happen to the emperor, causing turmoil in the Song Dynasty. Especially now that the Song Dynasty has expanded its territory by thousands of miles, including the fertile northeast, the former lands of Western Xia, the snowy Tibetan plateau, the vast grasslands, the city-states of the Western Regions, and even the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago, all of which have been incorporated into its territory. Millions of foreign peoples are scattered throughout the country, and the Han culture has not yet taken root in their hearts. There are already undercurrents of controversy in the court regarding appeasement and suppression.
If Zhao Yu were to make even the slightest mistake at this juncture, those dormant tribal forces and remnants of the old regime with ulterior motives would likely immediately spring up and stir up trouble, and the hard-won stability of the realm would soon crumble.
Of course, many officials in Jiangnan were genuinely afraid that Zhao Yu's incognito visit might reveal something they didn't want him to see.
For example, in just over a decade, the gentry group in Jiangnan has regained considerable power. They not only continue to annex land, but also extend their reach into various fields of the Industrial Revolution. They collude with officials and merchants, seize land by trickery and force, and remain entrenched in Jiangnan. In at most another hundred years, they will become the actual controllers of Jiangnan again, thus provoking Zhao Yu to raise his sword against them once more.
Well, that's unlikely, because Zhao Yu chose to go down to Jiangnan to stabilize the gentry group there first, rather than to attack them again.
Moreover, having learned from past experiences, the gentry of Jiangnan are no longer so obsessed with land annexation, but are instead focusing more on more profitable businesses, such as the Industrial Revolution, the Age of Exploration, and maritime trade.
But then again, it's better to be safe than sorry. What if Zhao Yu sees something that might upset him? Wouldn't the gentry of Jiangnan suffer again?
However, despite many people trying to stop Zhao Yu from traveling incognito, he still came out with Zheng Xiansu and others.
What relieved those who didn't want Zhao Yu to travel incognito was that, upon seeing Zhao Yu's entourage, they knew that he and his party were no ordinary people, and that no fool would dare to provoke them.
What relieved those who didn't want Zhao Yu to travel incognito was that he simply strolled around the Imperial Street in Nanjing, listened to music in brothels, watched acrobatics, and had a meal at Nanjing's most famous restaurant, without doing anything they didn't want him to see.
Thus, the gentry of Jiangnan were completely relieved and prepared to donate more money and send more beauties to Zhao Yu in exchange for peaceful coexistence between the two sides.
In a brothel, Zhao Yu and his entourage suddenly heard a storyteller recounting "The Story of the Five Consorts," which tells the tale of how five women—Zhang Chun, Li Lin, Ma Xiaojiao, Ye Shiyun, and Yuan Qingcheng—assisted Zhao Yu in becoming the first emperor in Chinese history.
Chen Kangbo, who was standing next to Zhao Yu, said that this was the most popular storytelling in Jiangnan at the moment, and the people loved to listen to it.
In this storytelling, Zhang Chun is portrayed as a female Zhuge Liang, frequently offering advice to Zhao Yu. Zhao Yu's brilliance is largely attributed to her as his strategist. Li Lin is depicted as a female war goddess; the Song Dynasty's ability to reclaim Tibet, Western Xia, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, the Northeast, the grasslands, the Western Regions, Goryeo, and Japan is all attributed to Li Lin. The Li Lin Cannon and Li Lin Gun, developed jointly by Ma Xiaojiao and Li Lin, are entirely attributed to Li Lin's solo research. Ye Shiyun is portrayed as a goddess of medicine and wealth; it's said there's no disease she can't cure, no money she can't earn. A single idea from her can generate hundreds of millions in wealth. Ma Xiaojiao, needless to say, is the most brilliant inventor of her time, responsible for inventing all the amazing machines. Yuan Qingcheng, also needless to say, developed numerous grains, fruits, and vegetables, ensuring the Song Dynasty never lacked food, preventing hunger among the people, and greatly enriching the lives of the people of that era.
Some aspects that are relevant to the times are that this storytelling also mythologizes the five women: Zhang Chun is a master strategist, Li Lin is invincible, Ye Shiyun is both a god of medicine and a god of wealth, Ma Xiaojiao is like Lu Ban (a legendary carpenter) and there is no machine she cannot invent, and Yuan Qingcheng is like the Yan Emperor, a god of agriculture.
In fact, it's not just storytelling; people in the Song Dynasty have already erected shrines in honor of Ye Shiyun and Yuan Qingcheng.
There are two types of people who worship Ye Shiyun. The first type worships her as a god of wealth. The second type of people are doctors who like to worship her and place her alongside Bian Que, Hua Tuo, and Zhang Zhongjing, calling them the four great doctors. Li Shizhen, who was born more than a hundred years later, was thus squeezed out of the throne of the four great doctors by Ye Shiyun.
As for those who worship Yuan Qingcheng, it goes without saying that they are mainly farmers. Every year during the spring planting season, they hold grand events to worship Yuan Qingcheng and pray for good weather and a bumper harvest.
Seeing this, the five women's vanity was greatly satisfied, and they felt that their journey had not been in vain.
As for Zhao Yu, although he is the male protagonist of "The Story of the Five Concubines", he doesn't have many scenes. Most of the time, he is just a man who is destined by fate and then enjoys the fruits of victory. He is also a bit of a womanizer, not only loving the five concubines, but also having affairs everywhere and sowing seeds everywhere.
Of course, since Zhao Yu was still the emperor of the Song Dynasty, neither the author of "The Biography of the Five Consorts" nor the storyteller dared to criticize Zhao Yu, but had to insincerely praise him for being wise and always choosing the right path at crucial moments.
Because Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu were also present, Chen Kangbo specifically mentioned that Zheng Xiansu and Wang Yisu were also characters in the book. One was portrayed as the first virtuous empress of all time, and the other was portrayed as the virtuous empress's younger sister. Both were very positive figures.
After listening, Zhao Yu felt that "The Biography of the Five Consorts" was most likely written by a woman, and perhaps even by one of the women in his harem. Otherwise, he wouldn't know so much about the five women, and it's even possible that one of the five women was behind it.
Zhao Yu did not investigate the matter further.
Zhao Yu got all the benefits, so why can't others say a few sour things?
Besides, after I die, even if the world is flooded, let future generations judge right and wrong.
After listening to the story, Zhao Yu and his entourage continued their stroll through the streets.
Before long, Zhao Yu saw a group of people surrounding a stall from a distance.
As Zhao Yu drew closer, he heard a man boastfully say:
"When I was young, I met a strange man who taught me the Six Jia Heavenly Book. I learned the art of divination and formations, and I was able to understand the changes of Yin and Yang, comprehend the workings of ghosts and gods, possess the ability to communicate with heaven and earth, and have the strategy to govern the country and bring peace to the nation."
If Your Majesty instructs me to lead the troops into battle, I will deploy the Six Armored Soldiers and arrange the Nine Palaces Mystic Formation. At that time, waving the flags will change the color of the wind and clouds, and beating the drums will shake the mountains. In attack, we will crush the strong as if they were unstoppable; in battle, we will sweep away the enemy as if they were dust. Your Majesty's sweeping across the six directions and pacifying the four seas and eight wastelands will be just around the corner..."
Seeing Zhao Yu stop to listen to this man boasting, Zhang Bangchang immediately waved his hand, ordering He Li, the Nanjing garrison commander, to come over quickly with his assistant prefect Sun Fu.
Zhang Bangchang glanced at the man in front of him who was boasting about his knowledge of the Six Jia Zhengbing (a type of military corps), and gestured for He Li and Sun Fu to answer the emperor's questions.
He Li was not familiar with this person, but fortunately Sun Fu knew him.
Sun Fu whispered to Zhao Yu, "Your Majesty, this man's surname is Guo, given name Jing. He was originally from Bianliang. After Your Majesty moved the capital, he eventually came to Nanjing. He is an extraordinary man, proficient in the art of Liujia Zhengbing (a military strategy), and possesses great talent..."
Without even hearing anything else, just hearing the name Guo Jing and the phrase "Six Jia Regular Soldiers," Zhao Yu and Zhang Chun knew immediately that this was the same charlatan who, during the Jingkang Incident, used the "Six Jia Regular Soldiers" to deceive Emperor Huan and his court, leading to the fall of the outer city of Bianliang. Zhao Yu and Zhang Chun thought in unison, "We never expected that swindler Guo Jing would actually be here!"
Sun Fu, standing nearby, was still praising Guo Jing, saying that Qiu Jun's poem "Observing the Times and Feeling the Events" from the Song Renzong era contained the line "Guo Jing, Yang Shi, and Liu Wuji, all lying in the southeast amidst white clouds," which might be a hint from their predecessors to recommend talents to them...
In any case, Sun Fu had great faith in Guo Jing's abilities and wanted to recommend him to Zhao Yu so that he could serve the Song Dynasty.
However, Zhao Yu and Zhang Chun were well aware that Guo Jing was a complete fraud, and his tricks could only fool some fools of this era.
He Li, who was standing nearby, also said, "Your Majesty should take a look. If this person is truly talented, he can be trained to serve the court."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu secretly shook his head, thinking, 'He Li and Sun Fu are loyal, but their brains aren't quite up to par. Letting them govern a region is fine as long as nothing major happens, but if something serious does occur, their stupidity might ruin everything. Hmm… I need to change their positions.'
Zhao Yu felt it was a bit of a pity. After all, He Li was the top scholar in the imperial examination, ranking first in the country. It was really a waste of his talents to make him a deputy for life.
But then again, this is better than him harming himself and others or his abilities never being fully utilized, right?
In short, from this moment on, Zhao Yu had already decided the fate of He Li and Sun Fu, these two loyal but foolish fellows.
Zhao Yu led his men to Guo Jing's stall.
Without Zhao Yu's men even needing to drive them away, upon seeing the imposing presence of Zhao Yu's entourage, people naturally made way for them, clearing out a large open space.
Even at this point, Sun Fu still wanted to help Guo Jing.
He then said to Guo Jing, "Master Guo, what are your abilities? Tell me quickly."
Guo Jing, who was able to completely deceive Emperor Zhao Huan and his ministers, was incredibly perceptive and quick-witted. Not to mention that he knew He Li and Sun Fu, one being the garrison commander of Nanjing and the other the vice-prefect of Nanjing, who were the most prominent officials in the area, he could guess from the imposing manner of Zhao Yu's entourage that they had encountered important figures today.
Moreover, given their high status, Li and Sun Fu could only stand to the side, so how could Zhao Yu, who stood in the very center, be of any lower status?
Guo Jing immediately realized that his chance to rise to power had arrived, so he quickly suppressed his excitement and said to Zhao Yu and the others, "I possess the Six Jia True Army Immortal Technique. If the court employs me, there will be no enemy that cannot be defeated, no city that cannot be breached. Your Majesty will surely be able to unify the world..."
Then, Guo Jing boasted about his "abilities" to Zhao Yu and the others.
After listening, Zhao Yu asked the people around him, "What do you think of this person? Does he have any ability?"
Song Jiang laughed and said, "How can you take the words of a wandering fortune teller seriously?"
Chen Kangbo stared at Guo Jing and pressed him, "You dare to deceive such an important person with such a petty trick? Do you really dare to go into battle and kill the enemy?"
Guo Jing was intimidated by Chen Kangbo's imposing manner and dared not utter a word for a moment.
Zhang Bangchang, unsure whether he believed He Li and Sun Fu or Guo Jing's flowery words, hesitated before saying, "Why don't we teach him to demonstrate?"
Song Jiang and Chen Kangbo didn't believe it, but Zhang Bangchang, He Li, and Sun Fu believed it, and the ball was passed to Zhao Yu.
At this point, it would be rather arbitrary for Zhao Yu to simply say he didn't believe it. Moreover, Zhao Yu also wanted to see what tricks Guo Jing could pull.
So Zhao Yu said to Guo Jing, "Please begin your performance."
Guo Jing then used a cat and a mouse to represent the two opposing forces and staged this absurd game on the street.
The specific approach is as follows:
Use a cat and a mouse to draw a circle on the ground, with two corners representing the paths of life and death. First, put the cat in the path of life and the mouse in the path of death, and the mouse will be killed by the cat. Then put the mouse in the path of life and the cat in the path of death, and the cat will no longer see the mouse.
After the drill, Guo Jing said, "If I use this method of troop deployment, our army will enter the escape route, and the enemy will not be able to see us, thus we can win."
Seeing Guo Jing's incredible abilities, everyone present, including many of Zhao Yu's men, was stunned and had no doubt about Guo Jing's skills.
At this moment, Ma Xiaojiao suddenly said, "Could it be that the cat is full and doesn't want to eat anymore?"
Even if what Ma Xiaojiao said is wrong, it won't be too far off. At most, it's just that Guo Jing trained the cat beforehand to obey commands.
Imagine, zookeepers can tame even ferocious beasts like lions and tigers, let alone a cat.
After Ma Xiaojiao said this, many people suddenly realized what was going on!
Yup!
This cat has already eaten one mouse; how could it possibly eat another one in such a short time?
Could Guo Jing be a fraudster?
Before Guo Jing could even offer a defense, Zhao Yu turned to Zhang Bangchang, He Li, and Sun Fu and said, "You are all less than women and children; how can you possibly shoulder such a great responsibility?!"
Zhang Bangchang and his two companions were thoroughly humiliated by Zhao Yu's scolding, and dared not utter a word.
Zhao Yu flicked his sleeves and left.
At this moment, Zhao Li suddenly caught up with Zhao Yu and said, "Your Majesty, why not give Guo Jing to me? I have a plan that might prove very useful..."
...(End of chapter)