Moma Liangshan

Chapter 113 A Whisper in the Pillow, the Emperor's Heart Unfathomable

Wang Hao agreed with Li Shishi's words and said, "I'll find someone to do it right away!" Li Shishi shook her head and said, "You've been traveling all year round; how much do you know about needlework and embroidery? Let Li Rongshang handle it!" Wang Hao said, "I'll do as you command, sister!" Li Shishi continued, "Do you know what your fiancée, Princess Roufu, is born in?" Wang Hao shook his head and said, "I'm ashamed!" Li Shishi smiled and said, "She's also a Tiger, the same zodiac sign as the Emperor! So, you should give her your tiger skin!" Wang Hao smiled sheepishly and said, "I wouldn't dare lie to you, sister; I received two tiger skins in total." Upon hearing this, Li Shishi felt a pang of jealousy and said, "Her tiger skin must be even more..." "Superior quality?" Wang Hao was caught off guard and could only hurriedly say, "Sister's is excellent!" Li Shishi immediately asked, "What's so excellent about it?" Beads of sweat appeared on Wang Hao's forehead, and he stammered, "Sister's picture is of a tigress, and Huanhuan's is of a tigress." Li Shishi's anger was palpable, and she asked, "You're calling me a tigress?" Wang Hao was completely defenseless and said, "Sister is a fairy from the Moon Palace, transcendent and otherworldly, how can you be compared to a fierce tiger?" Knowing that Wang Hao meant no offense, Li Shishi stopped teasing and asked softly, "Are the tiger bones and tiger penis still there?" Wang Hao's eyes widened unconsciously, and he leaned closer to answer, "Yes!" Li Shishi said, "Put them in a jade box and send them all to me." Wang Hao was puzzled and pondered inwardly. Li Shishi hesitated for a moment, then said to herself, "The Emperor is obsessed with cultivating Taoism and refining elixirs, and I have a marital relationship with him, so you should understand!" Wang Hao thought to himself, "Could it be that 'tiger bone is used in elixirs, and tiger penis is used to enhance male virility'?" Wang Hao did not dare to say this aloud, but after leaving Fanlou, he ordered someone to secretly send him tiger bone and tiger penis in jade boxes.

Palace affairs are always shrouded in secrecy. After receiving an invitation from Li Shishi, Emperor Huizong secretly visited Fanlou. Upon his arrival, Li Shishi immediately took his hand and led him to the place where the golden tiger was kept, saying, "Brother, do you know what's covered under this red silk?" Huizong led Li Shishi around the room and said, "Judging from its outline, it seems to be a statue." Li Shishi smiled and said, "Brother, you're so clever! You guessed it right away!" Seeing Huizong's smug expression, she continued, "This is a gift from Wang Hao to you." Huizong looked disappointed and said, "I am a first-rate expert in epigraphy; why would I need him to go to such lengths and send another statue?" Li Shishi shook her head and said, "Brother, just lift this red silk, and you'll know my heart's desire!" Huizong didn't believe her and said, "Is that so?" With that, he forcefully pulled back the red silk. In an instant, the unique luster of gold and the jewels in the tiger's eye sockets reflected each other, dazzling and captivating. Emperor Huizong could hardly believe his eyes and said, "Eunuch Chen, please help me verify whether this is copper or gold!" Eunuch Chen replied, "This golden tiger was indeed commissioned by Prince Wang to be cast by Li Rongshang of Fanlou. The gold used was all obtained during this mission to Liaodong." Eunuch Chen continued, "My nephew works under Prince Wang, and he was responsible for transporting these 66,000 taels of gold into the capital. However, such a large sum of money was difficult to store, so he asked me to borrow it from the capital's treasury. Later, when Li Rongshang used Wang Hao's warrant to retrieve the gold, it was also my doing."

Emperor Huizong carefully stroked the golden tiger before him, praising, "Minister Wang is truly a loyal minister, he deserves a reward!" Li Shishi said, "My brother said that presenting this golden tiger to Your Majesty was not out of loyalty." Huizong asked, "Not out of loyalty, perhaps there is another motive?" Li Shishi feigned anger, saying, "Brother, you are so busy with state affairs, how can you be so forgetful?" Huizong smiled and said, "Please remind me, Shishi!" Li Shishi said, "Brother has already betrothed Princess Roufu to me, so I said that presenting the golden tiger to you was not out of loyalty, but out of filial piety!" Huizong laughed and said, "If every imperial son-in-law were like Minister Wang, I would not need to worry about insufficient funds and resources!" Eunuch Chen seized the opportunity to say, "The ancients said, 'Loyalty and filial piety are difficult to reconcile,' but Prince Wang has achieved both." "A perfect solution! Truly a hero of our time!" Emperor Huizong laughed heartily and slowly said, "I originally thought Wang Hao's claim of plundering Liao's wealth was nothing but arrogant talk, but now it seems we underestimated his talent!" Li Shishi took Emperor Huizong's arm and said, "Although my brother is not a scholar of great learning, his methods of making money are truly astonishing. However, no matter how successful he is, he always keeps his 'father,' his elder brother, in his heart!" Eunuch Chen also chimed in, "This servant specifically sent someone to inquire. When Young Master Wang returned to Jiaozhou from Liaodong, he brought a total of 100,000 taels of gold, of which 66,000 taels have already been presented to Your Majesty." Emperor Huizong examined the golden tiger and slowly said, "Wang Hao has truly lived up to my expectations!" After the dust settled, Li Shishi leaned close to Emperor Huizong's ear and told him about the tiger bone and tiger penis. Emperor Huizong unconsciously glanced at Li Shishi's collar, and Li Shishi feigned anger, pulling Emperor Huizong towards their boudoir.

On the seventh day after Wang Hao arrived in the capital, he entered the palace to meet the Emperor. The matter of Huang Jinhu was a tacit understanding between the two. Emperor Huizong, looking at Wang Hao's still-skin-chapped face, asked, "What is the winter scenery like beyond the Great Wall?" Wang Hao replied, "A thousand miles of ice, ten thousand miles of snow." Huizong then asked, "How is the war between Jin and Liao?" Wang Hao replied, "The Jin army is strong and powerful, poised to sweep across the world; the Liao is declining, in danger of collapse." Huizong was silent for a moment, then said, "Tong Guan came to see me, proposing an alliance with the Jin to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun; you, as an envoy, have acted on your own initiative, cooperating with the Liao. If you cannot give me a sufficient reason, I fear you will be guilty of deceiving the Emperor!" Wang Hao sighed slightly, thinking to himself, "What is destined to happen will happen. Fortunately, the Emperor is only questioning me in the Imperial Study, not debating in court." "!" he exclaimed, "The Jurchens are uncivilized, disregard morality, and are solely driven by profit. I fear that once they have completely conquered the Liao Dynasty, they will also be eyeing our Great Song with predatory intent." Emperor Huizong replied, "Our Great Song has a million-strong army, which has been building up its strength for a long time. Now that Western Xia has been defeated, what is there to fear from the Jurchens?" Wang Hao pondered for a moment and said, "Western Xia is a small country with a small population. It would take more than ten years to defeat them, requiring the entire tax revenue of Yongliang and Bashu and the mobilization of 100,000 elite troops from the Xifeng Army. The Jin and Liao dynasties cover thousands of miles and have millions of people. Although our Great Song can defeat them, it will be difficult to completely destroy them. If the border wars continue, the money and grain of the Central Plains and Jiangnan will all be used for military affairs. At that time, the emperor will be exhausted, soldiers will die on the battlefield, and the people will go hungry. I cannot bear to see such a tragic scene!"

Emperor Huizong looked at Wang Hao and said, "I will not pursue your secret dealings with the Liao Dynasty; as for your subsequent cooperation with the Liao, I can also turn a blind eye. However, you must understand that if the Liao Dynasty were to fall one day, and the Song and Jin dynasties were to meet at the border, someone would have to take responsibility for the past unpleasantness between the two sides!" Wang Hao returned Emperor Huizong's gaze and said, "The Khitan have been established for over two hundred years, accumulating wealth far exceeding tens of millions. The Jurchens are advancing triumphantly, their troops stationed outside the capital. Emperor Tianzuo faces the peril of national annihilation and will surely struggle desperately. In such a situation, gold and silver are like dirt; only provisions and weapons can save lives and property. I intend to sell our dynasty's provisions and weapons to the Liao Dynasty, firstly to plunder their wealth, and secondly to prolong the war between the Jin and Liao." "Never stop. In this way, just a few years will be enough to exhaust the manpower, resources, and wealth of the people beyond the Great Wall. At that time, Your Majesty can lead your army north, expanding the territory as easily as wielding a brush!" Emperor Huizong was moved and said, "If one day the banners of the Great Song Dynasty cover the grasslands, I will grant you the honor of a prince to marry Huanhuan!" Wang Hao sighed and said, "Your subject will certainly do everything in his power to weaken the Jin and Liao dynasties and strengthen the Great Song Dynasty." Emperor Huizong nodded in satisfaction and said, "I heard you made two tiger dolls to give to Huanhuan?" Wang Hao smiled sheepishly and said, "I obtained two fine tiger skins in Liaodong, but I dared not keep them to myself, so I asked Eunuch Chen to send them to the palace!" Emperor Huizong said, "With such kindness, I can rest assured!"

After Wang Hao left, Emperor Huizong asked, "Will the Great Song Dynasty truly be able to destroy the Western Xia, or recover the Hetao, Youyun, and Liaodong regions one day?" Eunuch Chen replied, "Whether we can expand our territory, I dare not presume to say, but I believe we can seize the Liao Dynasty's two hundred years of accumulated wealth!" A half-truth is the most believable, Emperor Huizong said, "Very well, if he can truly seize the Liao Dynasty's two hundred years of accumulated wealth, then I can make him fund the training of 100,000 elite troops for the court, capable of conquering the grasslands." Slightly melancholy, he continued, "Although the Great Song Dynasty has a million-strong army, apart from the 90,000 Xifeng troops of the northwestern generals, they are all garrison troops, unable to launch distant expeditions!" Eunuch Chen... After much hesitation, he asked, "Your Majesty, aren't you afraid that Wang Hao will become too powerful and difficult to control one day?" Emperor Huizong shook his head and said, "If the Song Dynasty didn't suffer from widespread poverty, figures like Chen Sheng and Wu Guang wouldn't have been able to rally the masses. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, constant warfare led to the disintegration of powerful clans. With no poor people to incite and no powerful families to rely on, how could Wang Hao, a mere commoner, possibly rule as emperor? Don't you see that the old and new factions in the court have been fighting amongst themselves for decades, yet they ultimately have to obey my every command?" Eunuch Chen seized the opportunity to say, "Only a wise ruler can control a powerful minister!" Emperor Huizong laughed and said, "The Song Dynasty can have powerful ministers, but it will never have truly powerful ministers!"

The banquet at the palace proceeded as scheduled. When the curtain was drawn back on the 66,000-tael gold tiger before the assembled officials, they were utterly astonished. Emperor Huizong praised Wang Hao highly before the court, acknowledging his meritorious service as an envoy to Liaodong. However, a moment later, he said, “Emperor Wu of Han dispatched Zhang Qian to the Yuezhi to attack the Xiongnu from both east and west, finally escaping the predicament of the marriage alliance between the princesses of Emperors Wen and Jing. While the Song Dynasty is spared the humiliation of a marriage alliance, it suffers from the burden of paying tribute annually. With the loss of Youyun Pass, there are no defensible terrains for three thousand li north of the Yellow River, forcing us to deploy 500,000 troops to defend against the Liao army. Ma Zhi, a Liao official, though physically in Liao, has his heart in Song. He has traveled a great distance to inform me of the true strength of the Khitan and the war situation between Jin and Liao. I have decided to appoint Ma Zhi as the Song envoy, to travel from Bohai to Jin to forge an alliance!” Upon hearing this, the officials whispered amongst themselves, deeply aware of the unpredictability of the emperor's heart.