I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 40: Drawing a sword to help when the road is rough
The envoy Wang Zhi had an urgent errand to attend to, so after a brief chat with Yang Zhi, he hurriedly said goodbye and went to do his business.

Zhao Zicheng heard the whole chat between the two people and was a little surprised, but he did not show any expression on the surface.

He sorted out the timeline in his mind and soon felt relieved.

After Yang Zhi lost the Flower and Stone Gang, he was supposed to wander the world for half a year. Only after hearing about the emperor's amnesty did he dare to return to Tokyo to report and try to get away with it by scheming. Before returning to Tokyo, he passed by Liangshan Lake and fought with Lin Chong, who was forced to surrender.

But when Yang Zhi returned to Tokyo, Gao Yanei had just been castrated by a group of thugs, and Gao Qiu was extremely upset, so he refused to let him go. His colleague Wang Zhi spent all of Yang Zhi's money, and then he had to make arrangements to get him out. Then he had to sell knives and kill Niu Er, which caused a lot of trouble later.

According to this timeline, when Zhao Zicheng cleared Yang Zhi's grievances, it should have been half a year before Lin Chong went to Liangshan.

Considering that Lin Chong killed Lu Qian in the snowy mountain temple in winter and was framed for burning the Cangzhou army's hayfield, and Zhao Zi claimed that he rescued Yang Zhi in early March, Lin Chong should have already killed Lu Qian and fled back to Chai Jin's farm by then.

Lin Chong should have been able to hide with Chai Jin for a long time, because Gao Qiu should not have been determined to kill Lin Chong at the beginning.

Gao Qiu certainly didn't care about the deaths of minor figures like Lu Qian and Fu An, but when Gao Yanei was castrated, Gao Qiu's rage escalated, and he ordered Cangzhou to hunt Chai Jin down at all costs, which made it impossible for Chai Jin to hide.

As for the causal logic behind Gao Yanei's castration, it's quite clear: Gao Yanei's first attempt to deal with Lin Chong was foiled by Lu Zhishen, and the yamen runners who escorted Lin Chong back home were unable to report back and betrayed Lu Zhishen. The Gao family then sent men to Daxiangguo Temple to force Lu Zhishen away, and then waited for an opportunity to capture him.

However, Lu Zhishen escaped after being tipped off by a scoundrel, and the Lin family lost all their care and protection. Mrs. Lin then hanged herself. To vent Lu Zhishen's anger and avenge Mrs. Lin, the scoundrel castrated Gao Yanei.

The conflicts and revenges escalated further, resulting in a chain reaction. Lin Chong had no choice but to go to Liangshan. Yang Zhi was then held accountable for his previous crimes because Gao Qiu was in a bad mood.

Now, because of Zhao Zicheng's butterfly effect, Yang Zhi's line has become unrecognizable, but Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen's line has not changed much.

Following this logic, Zhao Zicheng quickly came to a conclusion:

At this critical juncture, it should be the night before Lu Zhishen is forced to leave. As long as Lu Zhishen hasn't left, the Lin family hasn't been pushed to the brink of despair. Mrs. Lin might not have committed suicide yet, and Gao Yanei hasn't been castrated yet. Lin Chong is probably still hiding at Chai Jin's farm, but that will be soon. As long as the pursuit of him intensifies, Lin Chong will be forced to go to Liangshan at any time.

It seems that the Water Margin originally said that Lin Chong was ostracized by Wang Lun on Liangshan and suffered for a long time. Only after he defeated Wang Lun and supported Chao Gai did he dare to consider sending people to Tokyo to pick up his family. However, after the minions came back after inquiring, they said that Mrs. Lin "was forced to commit suicide and had been dead for half a year."

Lin Chong hasn't even gone to Liangshan yet and is still with Chai Jin. Even if he did, it would have taken more than half a year for Chao Gai to go up the mountain and fight Wang Lun. So, the timeline is very consistent.

……

Zhao Zi said that he didn't want to reveal his thoughts, so he didn't say anything until the royal envoy left, acting as if it had nothing to do with him.

But he had already been thinking about how to win over Lu Zhishen and others to work for him.

Zhao Zi said that he was well-versed in history in his previous life, so he was not so rough in looking at things. Some of the so-called heroes in Water Margin were more like thugs in his eyes, but Lu Zhishen was one of the rare people in Water Margin who had no black spots in his character.

Lin Chong and Wu Song both lived up to their reputations as righteous men, with Lin Chong being the most innocent. Wu Song, on the other hand, was particularly guilty of killing innocent people in the later battle against Zhang Dujian and Zhang Tuanlian, killing even stranger maids and servants. Otherwise, Wu Song had no particular issues with harming innocent people.

This was a bit far-fetched. Zhao Zi said he couldn't make a firm judgment on the character of people like Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen. He would have to see them in person before he could confirm. But for now, he had to find a way to win them over, provided they didn't affect his plans or cause him any trouble.

After the royal envoy left, Zhao Zicheng considered his words carefully and asked Yang Zhi nonchalantly, "Is that Lin Chong, whom my brother mentioned earlier, also working under the command of the Palace Marshal? Brother Yang, are you familiar with him? How did he offend General Gao and cause such a serious crime?"

Yang Zhi didn't know what Zhao Zicheng meant by this, and thought he was just curious, so he said casually, "I don't know the inside story either. I've heard of Lin Chong a long time ago, but I've never had the chance to make his acquaintance.

I was transferred to Tokyo at the beginning of the year and am directly under the command of the Palace Marshal's Office. Last year, I was still in the Western Army. Since being transferred to the Palace Marshal's Office, I have been working hard for the Flower and Stone Gang, and I have little time to rest, so I have no time to make friends with the best players in the capital.

I've heard that Lin Chong's spearmanship is quite extraordinary, and I've always wanted to spar with him using the Yang family spearmanship inherited from my family. I never thought he would commit so many serious crimes."

Zhao Zicheng nodded, thinking to himself that it was no wonder that Yang Zhi met Lin Chong at the foot of Liangshan a few months later and got to know him after a fight.

If they were both in Tokyo and both were skilled in the Imperial Guards, they should have known each other for a long time. It turned out that Yang Zhi had been in the Western Army and had just been transferred here, which made sense.

Since Yang Zhi had no impression of Lin Chong, Zhao Zicheng didn't want to directly arouse his sense of justice. He could only be patient and pretend to be curious, wanting to take Yang Zhi to find out the situation.

As for Lu Zhishen's safety, Zhao Zicheng was not too worried and there was no need to be too anxious, because with Lu Zhishen's martial arts, he would definitely be able to escape, so it was not that urgent.

Moreover, the Palace Marshal's Office also had some dignity and did not dare to take direct action. It asked the abbot to expel the illegal fake monk from the temple first, so that Zhao Zicheng had enough time to make arrangements.

This also indirectly shows how powerful the Daxiangguo Temple was in Bianjing City during the late Northern Song Dynasty. With the power of the Palace Marshal's Office, if they wanted to capture a monk, they had to go through the formalities first and wait until he was no longer protected by the Daxiangguo Temple.

Daxiangguo Temple was indeed the largest financial institution on Earth in the 11th century. In recent years, Zhao Ji has been quite supportive of Taoism and suppressing Buddhism. In the early years, when Buddhism was not suppressed, who knows how arrogant it was.

It’s no wonder that when Lu Zhishen took over the vegetable garden, he thought on the first day that “it’s normal for the ruffians to come and steal some vegetables, I’ll just turn a blind eye”, because this temple was so rich and powerful.

Although Yang Zhi was surprised that Master Zhao suddenly cared so much about the fate of an ordinary imperial guards instructor,
But Master Zhao had done him a favor, and there must be a reason why he did this, so Yang Zhi didn't bother to think about it too much.

He first asked a clever soldier to secretly inquire about the Lin family's residence and who else was in the family. Zhao Zicheng was very cautious. He did not go to inquire in person, nor did he even ask Yang Zhi to inquire, for fear that the person being questioned would remember his appearance and reveal his flaws in the future.

Zhao Zi said it was because he was too handsome, while Yang Zhi had a large dark birthmark on his face. The degree of prominence of their physical features was comparable.

The news was soon discovered. The Lin family lived in an alley near Zhou Bridge, and the crime that was initially brought against the Lin family was also easy to find out.

"It turns out that Lin Chong was sentenced to beating on the back, tattooing, and exile to Cangzhou simply because he bought a precious sword by mistake and Gao Qiu asked to see it. He mistakenly entered the hall with the sharp blade. How despicable!

Regardless of the subsequent killing of Lu Qian and the burning of the hay barn, just looking at the first charge, it's clear that he was framed by Gao Qiu! People all say that Gao Yanei fell in love with his wife, so he framed him. There's no doubt about it!"

Zhao Zicheng didn't want to appear too prophetic, so when he commented on the case with Yang Zhi, his words were relatively rational, and he didn't say that Lin Chong was completely innocent.

There is currently insufficient evidence to ascertain who burned the Cangzhou military hayfield, and it would be easy to be exposed if we say too much.

Yang Zhi was also a straightforward martial artist, and he sympathized with Lin Chong's plight. However, he also had a timid side, and he didn't know how to deal with this injustice.

"Then, sir, what do you think we should do? After all, it's someone else's business."

Zhao Zi said that he couldn't do this by himself, because he had just thought of a plan. If he wanted to rescue the people, he had to get Yang Zhi's cooperation - he might need to use the blank certificates that Yang Zhi had just received from the Palace Marshal's Office.

So Zhao Zicheng subtly tried to provoke Yang Zhi's fighting spirit: "Brother Yang, are you the only one without a sense of justice?" In a moment of desperation, Zhao Zicheng blurted out the original lines from the famous scene in the storybook. This was the original lines from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms when Kong Rong asked Liu Bei to rescue Tao Qian.

Yang Zhi was also a little embarrassed by the sudden appearance of classical Chinese, and hurriedly explained: "If you have been wronged, we will distinguish between right and wrong and will go through fire and water for you! But although Lin Chong's plight is pitiful, he is, after all, an outsider whom we didn't know well..."

Yang Zhi is not the kind of pure hero who indiscriminately steps on injustice when he sees it. He can only go through fire and water for those who have done him a favor. This is his limit.

After years in the military, this is a common survival philosophy after the edges have been smoothed out. If you jump in at the first sign of injustice, you'd have more lives to live and would have left the world long ago to avoid disaster.

After Zhao Zicheng knew his attitude, he discussed it with him and said, "If I feel unfair and want to do something, would Brother Yang be willing to accompany me?"

Yang Zhi hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "If you insist, I'll accompany you. But I don't know how to do it. You are a member of the royal family of the Song Dynasty, so there's no need to take such risks..."

Zhao Zicheng raised his hand to stop Yang Zhi's wild thoughts. "Don't worry, I'm not planning on doing anything too outrageous. I've also thought it through. Lin Chong is far away in Cangzhou, and we don't know whether he's alive or dead. No matter how wronged he is, there's no need for us to get too involved right now."

I wanted to help him, simply because I valued his talent. At this point, I can no longer hide this from Brother Yang. Having been in Jiangnan for several months, you should have witnessed what Zhu Zhen did. You've also seen the grievances and hardships facing the people of Jiangnan.

In my view, Jiangnan is now a furnace ready to be ignited at any moment, roasting Zhu Zhen on the fire. If anything were to happen, the people and officials of Jiangnan would face an unpredictable fate. I am destined to be appointed by the Ministry of Personnel and return to my hometown to serve as an official. During these turbulent times, I must strive to recruit courageous and capable warriors to prepare for any eventuality in Jiangnan.

So don't worry. Over the past few months, I've been befriending the heroes in the army for this very reason, not for any other ulterior motives. Since Lin Chong is a skilled warrior and a skilled trainer, and has a good reputation among his colleagues in the Palace Marshal's Office, we must save him if we can.

Although Lin Chong has endured much hardship, suffered severe injuries, and been exiled, he hasn't yet committed a murderous feud. Currently, Lin Chong only hates Gao Qiu and his son, not the entire court. If we can protect his family, he might be grateful and willing to serve us in the future.

But if more fatalities occur, it won't just be a matter of hating Gao Qiu."

Zhao Zi said that if he was from a gangster background, he wouldn't have to worry about this problem, but his surname was Zhao, and even though he was five or six generations away from the emperor, in the eyes of outsiders, he would easily be hated by the emperor himself.

Zhao Zi said that he had been making friends with heroes along the way, and this process had lasted for two or three months, but he had never openly told Yang Zhi about his motives.

This time, the step is relatively big, so some things must be made clear at this opportunity to let Yang Zhi know what he is trying to achieve by doing all this.

Otherwise, it would be bad if Yang Zhi thought now that "Young Master Zhao also has the surname Zhao, and he wants to secretly accumulate fighting power. Is he dreaming of becoming the king?"

Zhao Zicheng thought to himself that given his current kindness to Yang Zhi, it was possible for the other party to go through fire and water for him, but it would be difficult for him to join him in the rebellion.

After all, participating in a rebellion would implicate the entire family. If something really happened, Yang Zhi's own life would not be enough to compensate, and his family would also be implicated.

But I am just worried about changes in Jiangnan, and I am accumulating strength for this purpose, so I can say it openly, which is convenient for both of us.

Yang Zhi was initially a little surprised by these heartfelt words, but then he felt a strong sense of trust. If the young master hadn't considered him a close confidant, he would never have dared to say such words.

Yang Zhi immediately perked up and expressed his loyalty: "Master, since you trust me so much, what else can I say? Just give me your instructions. How can we protect Lin Chong's family? And should we also find a way to protect the monk who is friendly with him and protects his family?"

Zhao Zicheng organized his words a bit and laid out the plan he had just thought of: "This matter was originally quite troublesome, but fortunately, God has provided us with an opportunity. We have just obtained the blank certificates of junior officers from the Palace Marshal's Mansion, which can be used by the thieves who are waiting to whitewash their identities.

Originally, Li Jun might have used up one of the Dutou certificates, but now that the situation has changed, he can just keep one of the Deputy Dutou certificates for Li Jun. He can save the other two Dutou certificates for now.

I am not the kind of reckless person who would risk his life regardless of the cost. I just did it because it was convenient.

At that time, we will first go to the house of Lin Chong's father-in-law and tell them that the situation is critical. Lin Chong's friends who had previously sheltered them are about to be framed by Gao Qiu, and ask them to prepare for evacuation.

Then, go find the monk and convince him to change his identity to avoid disaster. Since he was originally a captain of the Western Army, and was able to become a monk because of a murder case, he can now reattach his hair and face tattoos, adopt a new identity, and rejoin the army. Once this is accomplished, you should smuggle him out of the city as quickly as possible and find a place to hide along the way.

When the time comes, I will wait until everything is settled in Bianjing and I am appointed by the Ministry of Personnel, and then I will come to join you."

Zhao Zi said that he was afraid that the night would be too long and he decided to let Yang Zhi take his trusted soldiers, Li Jun and others to leave first.

Anyway, Yang Zhi had already received his appointment and certificate from the Palace Marshal's Office, so he could leave at any time. He had been reluctant to leave before only to wait for Zhao Zicheng.

But Zhao Zi said that he could not leave immediately and he had to wait for the appointment from the Ministry of Personnel.

Now Yang Zhi has also changed his plan to leave within a few days. Others will definitely not suspect anything. It seems that he is leaving Beijing only because he has completed his business, and the timing is completely consistent.

Moreover, in this way, the suspicion of collusion between Zhao Zicheng and Yang Zhi would be further reduced in the eyes of outsiders. It would seem that Zhao Zicheng and Yang Zhi were only involved together because of the Flower and Stone Gang case, and they would not think that Yang Zhi was particularly loyal to Zhao Zicheng.

After Yang Zhi sorted out these causes and effects, he also felt that it made sense, so he planned to carry it out. However, with his simple thinking, he quickly saw some problems and could not help but remind him:
"My lord, your plan is certainly a good one, but it seems to have some problems. It's easy for an ordinary person to shave their head and become a monk, but once you've shaved your head and become a monk, wouldn't it be extremely difficult to grow your hair and pretend to be a soldier? Even if you do it with all your might, it's easy to be seen through, right?

Furthermore, the Lin family is said to be on edge. According to recent reports, Lin Chong's father-in-law, Instructor Zhang, now sees everyone as someone sent by Gao Yanei to target his daughter. "You are a noble, and if you rashly offer help to someone you don't know, wouldn't they think you have ulterior motives? It would be difficult to gain their trust immediately."

Zhao Zi said, "Don't worry about these two problems. I have my own way to deal with the monk's hair. Once the monk who is friendly with Lin Chong surrenders to us, his family will naturally believe us. Besides, I have other ways to win their trust faster.

Just take care of the blank certificate issue first, then have your trusted confidant spend a fortune to get a set of long hair, preferably from someone who has recently become a monk, and have their hair shaved completely off, and then buy and keep it. Finally, just be prepared to accompany me to find the monk, and I'll let others handle the rest."

After receiving the order, Yang Zhi immediately began to make arrangements. That same day, he asked a smart confidant to buy a set of hair at a large sum of money.

Anyway, Zhao Zicheng had just received a large sum of money, and he didn't take it all in Jiaozi; he also took some in cash. Furthermore, Daxiangguo Temple was so large, with monks becoming ordained every day. Finding hair shaved by a new monk would be incredibly easy, and it would be invisible to anyone.

In the Song Dynasty, there were already a very small number of people who wore wigs, and the materials used were all real hair cut from living people or long hair. However, the way they were attached and worn was rather rough, making them easy to see at a glance and easy to pull off, not as realistic as later generations.

But for Zhao Zicheng, these small details are not a problem if he uses his brain a little.

-

PS: The first few paragraphs may be a little detailed, but it doesn’t matter since it’s a free public chapter.

Mainly because someone was confused about the timeline yesterday, so I sorted it out carefully.

(End of this chapter)