Chapter 658: Frost Kills All Herbs (3)

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Author: Fenghuo Xizhu HouUpdate Time: 2014-07-27 02:30:22 Word Count: 3931

In the Qi Mansion's study, Qi Yanglong looked at the middle-aged man, who could not hide his exhaustion, and said wistfully, "Your Majesty, a bowstring stretched taut for twenty or thirty years—how could it not break?"

The Zhao Emperor laughed openly, "There's no helping it. I didn't have you by my side to assist me before. If you had come to the capital twenty years earlier, I might have lived another twenty years. But life is full of imperfections, and I've come to accept that."

Qi Yanglong sighed softly, then said solemnly, "There is something I wish to ask, though I'm unsure if it's appropriate."

The Emperor nodded, "Between you and me, Master, as that secret letter stated earlier, there is nothing that cannot be said, nothing that cannot be done."

Qi Yanglong asked, "Your Majesty can tolerate the wild and unrestrained demeanor of Tan Tan Weng, can tolerate the Yellow Gate officials drinking heavily and sleeping on duty, can tolerate the Zhang and Gu families operating under your nose, can tolerate the 'standing emperors' Bi Yan'er in front of you and Han Shengxuan by your side, can tolerate the scholars of Jiangnan debating politics, and can tolerate literati writing nostalgic poems, reminiscing about previous dynasties. You have not slackened in your duties for a single day, accumulating over nine million words of imperial edicts over twenty years. Why then can you not tolerate a vassal king of a different surname, who merely occupies a corner of the realm and harbors no rebellious intentions?"

The Emperor said bitterly, "Are you asking this, knowing the answer, because you fear I am determined to humiliate Beiliang?"

Qi Yanglong remained silent, his eyes gleaming as he stared at this lord of the Central Plains, who had been full of ambition since his youth.

He did not possess the late emperor's achievements of unifying the realm, but his ambition was even greater.

The Emperor felt the rustic scholarly air in the study, a fragrance he had been intimately familiar with since childhood. He used to frequently tear up books and play with his closest imperial brother, Zhao Heng, whereas he had spent little time with his full brother, Zhao Yi, back then. After a brief moment of distraction, the Emperor recollected his thoughts and said calmly, "Master, please rest assured. Since the only person I truly could not tolerate has died, then a Song Dongming from Luming Commandery is indeed tolerable. You wish to lift the ban on canal transport and fully support Beiliang against Mang. I have heeded your advice. Just before entering this mansion, I instructed the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue not to continue making things difficult for Beiliang."

The Emperor continued, "Before you came to the capital, Master, you asked me how I would deal with Zhang Julu. To be honest, it wasn't that I personally couldn't tolerate Grand Secretary Zhang; rather, the Zhao dynasty could not tolerate him, and I had to make a choice. Speaking frankly, my prestige is far inferior to that of the late emperor. Before I ascended the throne, our royal father, before his critical illness, established a secret family rule for us princes: no matter who inherited the throne, literary arts must be emphasized and military power suppressed. This is also the true reason Zhao Heng lost to me. He was too much like the late emperor; his military achievements were the highest among the nine princes. If he were to rule the world, facing south from the north, he would contend with Beiliang even if it exhausted the nation's strength. I was able to stop at the precipice back then, but Zhao Heng was destined not to. I remember when we were young, he said he would hold a jade axe and demarcate the borders north of Beiliang and south of Nanjiang."

The Zhao Emperor, no longer in his prime, stood with his back to Qi Yanglong, his finger tracing an ancient text. He said helplessly, "It's the same principle for my sons' generation: the eldest son, Zhao Wu, lost to the fourth son, Zhao Zhuan. A person who ascends the throne must not lack the ambition to conquer Mang, but their ambition must not be *too* grand. However, Zhuan'er's prestige is inferior to mine, his father. Back then, it was extremely difficult for me to balance the military officials. For Zhuan'er to tame the civil officials in the future will also be a long and arduous task. Having or not having Zhang Julu's civil official faction makes a world of difference. After I die, if Zhang Julu lives for even one more year, whether he is in court or out of office, Zhuan'er will be constrained year after year. Moreover, Zhuan'er naturally possesses the character of a refined scholar, with a romantic temperament. Many times, even when he knows something is wrong, he will be soft-hearted towards those civil officials who wield the pen. Scholars, even if they truly care about the world, often prove to be idealistic but impractical when it comes to doing things beneficial to the common people, falling short in execution. Such civil officials become more terrifying the higher their position. In fact, during the debate between you and Wine-Offering Wang at Shangyin Academy, I was inclined to agree with the defeated Wine-Offering Wang. It's just that, from my position, such words are not appropriate to utter."

"The Daliyang dynasty has endured for over two hundred years, but in my view, the true birth of our dynasty was in the first year of Yonghui! Compared to the four-hundred-year longevity of the Dafeng dynasty, how is Daliyang different from a swaddled infant? Zhuan'er is far from a time when he can rest easy and be a wasteful emperor."

"I naturally know that no dynasty has ever lasted for a thousand generations or ten thousand years. One day, the world will no longer bear the Zhao surname, and the head of the family registry will change to another name. Descendants of the Zhao imperial family will receive both good and bad posthumous titles in the future. But I hope there will be good ones, and even bad ones, for having more is always better than having fewer."

"When I was young, I listened to the Grand Tutor, whose official position had not yet been abolished, recount history. When he mentioned the lifespan of each dynasty, I always felt that it was like scholars taking a long or short imperial examination. However, those taking the examination could pass it down from father to son. If someone wrote an excellent paper, they would gain favor from Heaven, the chief examiner. If someone wrote a muddled paper, something would be deducted. Through such additions and subtractions, when there was nothing left to deduct, that imperial family ruling the world would lose its eligibility for the examination, and a dynasty would come to an end. If we count from the founding of Daliyang by Grand Ancestor, I believe that in terms of governance, I have surpassed eight or nine out of ten of my predecessors, only losing to a handful of individuals including the Grand Ancestor with his great vision and the late emperor with his profound understanding of people."

As the Emperor rambled on, his face glowed with a sickly radiance.

For a long time, the Emperor spoke openly, while the elder listened intently, occasionally smiling knowingly.

In this world, surely only Qi Yanglong could make the Zhao Emperor speak so freely.

He suddenly laughed, "Your three disciples—Xun Ping, Master Yuan, and Master Xie—have all wholeheartedly assisted Daliyang. One could say that you, Master, and your three disciples have supported half of our dynasty's realm. Your merits are truly immeasurable and beyond official recognition."

From the Zhao Emperor's way of addressing the three, one could discern his varying degrees of closeness to Qi Yanglong's disciples. Though he had spent the least time with the scholar Xun Ping, he considered him an intimate friend whom he could address by name. His addressing Yuan Benxi as 'Master Yuan' stemmed from genuine respect, while calling out Xie Feiyu's name directly showed a sense of casual familiarity.

The elder waved his hand and said, "Compared to those famous figures of the Spring and Autumn period, I, Qi Yanglong, gained renown the latest and am widely considered the dullest and most uninspired scholar. When I was in my thirties, I was still wandering the jianghu, achieving nothing, while Zhang Julu and Huan Wen's mentors were already famous throughout the land. And that old fellow from Jiangnan Dao who likes to keep cats... when they rose to power, I could only observe from afar, too ashamed to visit their homes. Speaking of our respective disciples, on the surface, mine seem the most promising. But if we truly compare them, Zhang Julu, who openly displays his sharp intellect, and Huan Wen, who maintains a simple facade—the latter is on the same path as I, and ultimately cannot escape worldly conventions. As for my three disciples, although each of them has aspects where they surpass their master, compared to Zhang Julu, only Xun Ping, if he lives for another twenty years, might be able to compete. The other two are not his equal."

Qi Yanglong sighed, "Zhang Julu is the only one who can be called a talent beyond his age, on par with Huang Sanjia. People say he is merely a repairman for Daliyang. Heh, they greatly underestimate Bi Yan'er. This time I came to the capital, I had no intention of tearing everything down and starting anew. On the contrary, many of Zhang Julu's measures were too rigid. I am here to mend and patch things up; I am the true repairman. Without Zhang Julu's prior work, I wouldn't be able to achieve anything. I would spend my entire life in Shangyin Academy, pursuing some useless scholarship that would be forgotten in a few generations."

The elder looked at the Zhao Emperor, extended his hands, and chuckled softly, "Your Majesty, you are undoubtedly a good emperor. You are naturally intelligent, yet you still diligently strive to compensate for any shortcomings. I dare say, currently, there are only rankings for generals and prime ministers. If there were a ranking for emperors, throughout the past thousand years, starting from the Great Qin Empire, and adding another thousand years into the future, you could still be ranked among the top ten."

The Emperor paused, then burst out laughing, "Can I also snag a spot on a 'Top Ten Masters of the World' list, like a martial arts ranking?"

Qi Yanglong laughed along, then nodded emphatically.

The Emperor walked to the window of the Iron Sword Zither Heart Study, looked up, and saw a flock of pigeons crossing the capital's sky. Faintly hearing their cooing, he asked self-deprecatingly, "Master, am I speaking kindly because I am about to die?"

For the first time, Qi Yanglong was at a loss for how to answer.

The Emperor murmured to himself, "How wonderful it would be if Xu Xiao had no sons, or if that young man had died young in the jianghu but left behind descendants. Then I would not hesitate to bestow upon Xu Xiao the highest posthumous title, grant that young man hereditary succession, and invite Xu Xiao's grandson to the capital to enjoy privileges even surpassing those of the Zhao imperial princes and grandsons. As long as my Zhao dynasty rules the world for one day, his Xu family descendants would enjoy prosperity for one day. Alas, the regrets in this world stem from the absence of the word 'if.'"

Qi Yanglong remained silent.

The Emperor composed himself and asked with a smile, "Master, what was that matter you wanted to discuss last time but said the time was not yet ripe?"

Qi Yanglong slowly replied, "The matter is the decentralization of power, to completely break up local forces. However, this must wait until the realm is unified, and Beiliang has been assimilated. According to Daliyang's current four-tiered administrative division—dao, prefecture, commandery, and county—the chief official of a dao is merely a division of civil and military authority between the Jiedushi (Military Commissioner) and the Jinglueshi (Pacification Commissioner). As long as the Jiedushi completely overshadows the Jinglueshi, it's no different from a sovereign during the chaotic Spring and Autumn period. Daliyang once suffered greatly from the scourge of regional warlordism, and we absolutely cannot repeat that mistake. Especially after absorbing Beiliang, with the original fourteen daos, there will be over twenty-four daos in total. While this seems like a lot, given the current level of postal service, most Jiedushi and Jinglueshi, outside the Central Plains heartland, would be 'far from the emperor's reach.' The establishment of the dao level was originally temporary and should be abolished later. Not only that, but Daliyang's current thirty-plus prefectures must also be further subdivided, with some large commanderies separated to become prefectures. Under the premise of maintaining shared civil and military governance and mutual checks and balances, the realm should ideally have eighty prefectures in the future. Moreover, the Prefectural Governor and General of each prefecture must be rotated every four to six years, and upon rotation, they must make a personal appearance before the Emperor in the capital. The implementation of this measure will not face too much resistance. After all, by then, both the civil and military chief officials of a prefecture will hold real power and high official ranks, which everyone will welcome. Even if some existing Jinglueshi and Prefectural Governors harbor resentment, they won't be able to withstand the pushing and pulling of their subordinate officials. If they dare to act against the tide, they will bring about their own downfall; the court won't even need to intervene, as others will naturally help the court displace them."

Qi Yanglong hesitated, then raised his arm, making a fist and then relaxing it, before speaking. "This is about centralizing power. Next, it will depend on the Zhao emperors' ability to delegate power. When centralizing, one must not be too tight or rigid, nor hold on without letting go, nor engage in nepotism. When delegating, one must not think it's a one-time, permanent solution. Scholars can debate whether human nature is inherently good or evil, but an emperor must firmly believe that human hearts are fickle and desires are insatiable, requiring constant application of both benevolence and might. But broadly speaking, as long as this matter succeeds, it will certainly not be difficult for the Zhao family of Daliyang to remain at the top of the family registry for another two hundred years. As for specific measures, for example, in frontier areas, one can slightly favor kin over the truly capable, while closer to the capital, one should employ the capable over kin. This principle must be followed during rotations. However, such matters are ultimately just minor details."

The Emperor listened to the elder's words with rapt attention, not daring to miss a single word.

Qi Yanglong seemed to have an epiphany and said, "The unity and division of the realm are inevitable. But tracing back to the root, every time the world falls into chaos, it's because the ruling dynasty has blocked all avenues for people to rise. In truth, for both common people and officials, it's very simple: give them something to hope for in their hearts. With hope, they will fear death and won't want to die."

"Ultimately, no matter how stingy an emperor is, he must still give everyone a pair of shoes to wear. Do not let the people go barefoot and thus be unafraid of those with shoes, leading to that final thought of risking everything to pull the emperor off his horse."

"In this regard, Xu Fengnian has done very well. From Beiliang's military generals to civil officials, and down to the common people, all his actions tell the people of Beiliang that if he, Xu Fengnian, has blessings, he shares them with them; if there is hardship, he bears it with them."

Hearing this, the Emperor unexpectedly murmured softly, "How wonderful it would be if this young man were my own son. Even if he became my son-in-law back then, it would have been fine."

Qi Yanglong found himself between laughter and tears, wanting to remind His Majesty that he had just said there were no "ifs" in this world.

The Emperor silently gazed out the window, lost in thought for a long time.

Qi Yanglong also remained lost in thought with him.

The first year of Xiangfu, after autumn began, made many people uncomfortable. But in fact, even more distressing turmoil lay ahead.

When frost kills the grasses.

Many will die, including many who have already attained great wealth and status.

The Emperor suddenly turned his head, tears streaming down his face. "Master, I don't want to die yet. I still want to gaze upon this world, from south to north, just a few more times. Even one more glance would be enough."

Qi Yanglong was left speechless. He stood on his tiptoes to pat the shoulder of the tall man, who was not wearing his imperial robes today.

This scene was both comical and tragic.

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