Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 20: Eight Horses (Part )
Daxing Palace, Wude Hall,
Emperor Yang Jian sat with his feet dangling, leaning back on the throne, his fingertips tapping the armrests in time with the rhythm. The musicians in the palace struck their hammers, and the bells and chimes rang out in unison, their golden melodies resonating with the melodious melody of jade, their echoing lingering echoes lingering in the air. The beautiful courtesans danced gracefully to the beautiful music.

Five dancers lined the courtyard, their costumes vibrant, like the morning glow reflecting off the snow, a dazzling display of light. They wore golden crowns adorned with pearls, their hairpins trembling and shimmering. They wore colorful feathered gowns with trailing ribbons, resplendent with embroidery, embroidered with dragons and phoenixes, reminiscent of the splendor of peonies.

As they dance, the colorful ribbons flutter, like a startled swan taking flight, the winding dragon slithering, the graceful steps moving like a willow swaying in the wind, the sleeves raised and the waist bent, showing their grace, leaping and spinning, overflowing with agility. The music becomes faster, the steps become more rapid, and the agile posture is like a galloping horse or a surging river.

When Yang Jian saw this, he was inspired. He held the jade pipa and gently stroked the icy strings. The sound was clear and melodious, and the sound was soothing as he plucked it, like the melting ice and the gurgling stream in spring, echoing with the dance and music in the hall. The musicians played bells and drums in harmony, metal and stone struck each other, and the elegant melodies of the zither and the sheng and 绹 were played together.

During the three hundred years of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the world was turbulent, chaotic, plagued by wars and disasters. Common people faced a precarious fate, struggled to make ends meet, and were filled with sorrow. People of the time gradually turned to music as a way to express their feelings, relieve their worries, and find solace.

Living in this turbulent world, Yang Jian, like many other emperors of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, enjoyed the music of stringed instruments and had a profound understanding of rhythm. In his youth, Yang Jian was particularly skilled at playing the pipa, and he composed two poems, "The Sky is High" and "The Earth is Thick," which express the bond between husband and wife.

Even after becoming emperor, Yang Jian did not give up this hobby and even rebuilt classical music, fusing the seven tunes of the Western Regions—Sudali, Jishi, Shashi, Shahoujialan, Shala, Panshan, and Shiliyan—with the five notes of the Central Plains—Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi, and Yu.

The music of the Sui Dynasty combined the simplicity and elegance of the Central Plains with the agility and diversity of the Western Regions, bringing the musical rhythm of the Central Plains to a higher level and entering a new realm.

When the dance and music were over, Yang Jian smiled and put down his jade pipa, waved his hand downwards, and signaled the dancers to leave. The dancers first bowed to Yang Jian, then shouted "Long live Yang Jian", and slowly left the Wude Hall.

"Ha, what a delight! What a delight!" Yang Jian laughed heartily, leaning back against his throne after the dancers had left. As emperor, he had the full power of the empire at his disposal, but the weight of his responsibility was too great, and facing this heavy burden, Yang Jian often felt anxious and nervous.

Yang Jian's way of dealing with his anxiety was simple: he would summon dancers and musicians to the Wude Hall to release his pent-up stress. After each outburst, he would clear his gloom and once again become the energetic, headstrong and confident Emperor of Sui.

The eunuch Chen Dexin entered from outside the palace and bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Li Gongfu, is requesting an audience outside the palace."

Hearing that it was Li Gongfu, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, who was outside the palace, Yang Jian's face darkened. He waved his sleeves and said to the musicians in the palace, "You can leave."

"Yes," the musicians bowed in the hall, placed their instruments lightly on the ground, and touched the ground with their foreheads. After standing up, they stepped back quickly sideways, and only after leaving the Wude Hall did they dare to turn around and leave quietly.

Yang Jian glanced at Chen Dexin and snorted, "Let Li Gongfu come in."

At this time, more than two months had passed since Li Ziqi impeached Wang Yi. Yang Jian had thought that no matter how powerful the person behind the scenes was, Li Gongfu would be able to close the case in a month at most. However, he did not expect that Li Gongfu led the Hundred Cavalry Division to search for more than two months but still could not give Yang Jian the result he wanted.

Yang Jian was very angry about this, but Li Gongfu was still his closest minister, and Yang Jian's trust in him was unquestionable. Therefore, he had deliberately kept the matter cold for the past few days, waiting for Li Gongfu's report.

After Li Gongfu entered the Wude Hall, he knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I, Li Gongfu, pay my respects to you."

Yang Jian looked indifferent. He glanced at the kneeling Li Gongfu and said softly, "Li Gongfu, you disappoint me greatly. It took you so long to report back. Is there finally a result?"

Li Gongfu bowed his head and said, "I have failed to obey the Holy Order. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Facing Li Gongfu's apology, Yang Jian's eyes turned cold and he said, "I don't want to punish you. What I want is a result, a result that satisfies me."

Li Gongfu replied, "I have indeed found the person behind the Li Ziqi case." "Who is it?"

Yang Jian's eyebrows twitched and he asked meaningfully.

Li Gongfu said: "Duke Dou Chi of Deng,"

"Who are you talking about?"

Yang Jian was stunned for a moment and muttered, "Duke Deng, that old fellow? How could it be him?"

Dou Chi was born into the Fufeng Dou family and was the eleventh-generation grandson of Dou Zhang, the Grand Herald of the Western Han Dynasty. During the Northern Zhou Dynasty, he was promoted to the Duke of Guangwu County and appointed as the General of the State.

The Fufeng Dou family was already very prominent during the Northern Wei Dynasty. By the generation of Dou Chi, the Fufeng Dou family had intermarried with wealthy families such as the Yuwen family, the Yang family, and the Li family, and they were all prominent families in the Western Wei, Northern Zhou, and Northern Sui dynasties.

Dou, the first wife of Yang Jian's nephew Li Yuan, who, upon Yang Jian's abdication, expressed regret for not being a man and unable to save her uncle from danger, was a descendant of the Fufeng Dou clan. Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou, Yuwen Yong, was Dou's full uncle, which is why, when Yang Jian succeeded the Zhou dynasty, the Dou clan referred to the Yuwen clan as their uncle.

Yang Jian was puzzled and asked, "Why did he instruct Li Ziqi to impeach Wang Yi?"

He did not doubt that Li Gongfu had framed Dou Chi, but what was Dou Chi's motive was what confused Yang Jian.

"The detailed reasons still need to be investigated in detail,"

Li Gongfu said in a deep voice, "For the past two months, I and the Hundred Cavalry Division have been secretly investigating Li Ziqi's connections, screening his relatives and friends, and combining them with any unusual behavior before and after Li Ziqi's impeachment. We have finally determined that the mastermind behind this is Duke Deng Dou Chi."

"Dou Chi, this old fellow has one foot halfway into his grave, yet he still wants to stir up trouble. Is he thinking his death isn't fast enough?"

Although Yang Jian smiled, it was a cold smile with murderous intent in it.

Yang Jian thought he had treated Dou Chi well, appointing him as Grand Tutor, treating him with special courtesy, and praising him without even mentioning his name. This was the pinnacle of what a minister could achieve.

The reason why Yang Jian treated Dou Chi with such courtesy was that Dou Chi had a long career and had served in four dynasties. Not only had he served in the same dynasty as Yang Jian's grandfather Yang Zhen, he had also been a subordinate of Erzhu Rong. His resume was quite extraordinary.

You must know that Erzhu Rong, the powerful official of the Northern Wei Dynasty, was the hero who came closest to the great cause of unifying the world. After his death, each of his subordinates became a hero in his own region.

Gao Huan of Northern Qi, Yuwen Tai of Northern Zhou, Heba Yue of Guanlong, and the great general Hou Jing were all prominent figures among them. Even Yang Jian's father, Yang Zhong, and Li Yuan's grandfather, Li Hu, had served under Erzhu Rong. One can only imagine the abilities of those who could attract the attention of this great hero.

Therefore, after Yang Jian established the Sui Dynasty, he respected Dou Chi very much. Even though Dou Chi stood by and watched when Yang Jian usurped power, Yang Jian did not neglect Dou Chi after he ascended the throne. Otherwise, Li Yuan, as Yang Jian's nephew, would not have married Dou Chi's daughter.

(End of this chapter)