Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 341: Beauty's Favor
From Pei Degu's perspective, the current generation of the Lu family must have known about the grudges between the Pei family and the Lu family in the previous generation. Even though Lu Beigu was young at that time, his older brother and sister must have understood.

Therefore, although Pei Degu was unaware that Lu Beigu's elder brother had passed away, he was quite certain that Lu Beigu most likely knew about him, the enemy of the Lu family.

Since they are already open enemies, he naturally wouldn't have any intention of "completely clearing himself" when framing Lu Beigu, as long as he doesn't leave any evidence in the process.

So why did Pei Degu and even Jia Changchao believe that there were no procedural problems with this obvious frame-up plan?
Because the national conditions of the Song Dynasty were different from those of any other dynasty.

In any other dynasty, this would have been considered an overreaction and a clumsy attempt to frame someone, but it was not in the Song Dynasty.

—The Song Dynasty suffered from the aftereffects of the Five Dynasties.

Regardless of whether the allegations of mutiny by junior officers of the Imperial Guards are true or not, the Privy Council is required, according to custom, to report to the Emperor for a decision as quickly as possible.

Yes, it's only for junior officers. If it were mid- to high-ranking officers, they wouldn't be given this much attention.

It may sound counterintuitive, but the fact is that since the late Tang Dynasty, whenever junior military officers rebelled, it always resulted in major chaos.

Leaving aside the things that happened during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and even after the founding of the Song Dynasty, let's just talk about the current emperor's reign. In the Baozhou Mutiny and the Beizhou Mutiny, which one of them wasn't caused by rank-and-file officers?

Similar incidents have occurred many times in the past, and there are already precedents to follow in how to handle them.

The most recent one was the "Wen Yanbo and Liu Hang's battle of wits" last year, which even Lu Beigu, who was on his way to the capital for the imperial examination, heard about. The incident originated from the fact that the official was in a coma after a stroke, and then someone reported to Wang Su, the prefect of Kaifeng at the time, that a palace guard was inciting soldiers to rebel.

Logically, this matter should have been reported by the Kaifeng Prefecture to the Privy Council, so that the two Privy Councilors, Wang Deyong and Di Qing, could report to the Emperor. However, because the Emperor was unconscious at the time and the civil officials did not trust these two military men, several high-ranking officials from the Council of State Affairs and the Deputy Privy Councilor held a meeting to handle the matter. Their solution was to immediately detain and interrogate the relevant individuals.

Even if it was eventually confirmed that the incident was a misunderstanding, they did not address the issue of the police officer who had been arrested, and simply released him.

To put it bluntly, this is a classic case of "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free."

Whether it's a false report or a false accusation, it doesn't matter. We can investigate it later, but we need to let the authorities know about it first.

That's why, even though Tian Kuang could tell at a glance that something was amiss, he didn't object to reporting the matter to the authorities. He simply said he needed to think about it before signing, thus delaying the process.

Once someone is implicated in "suspected rank-and-file military officers causing trouble," not only a scholar who has not yet entered officialdom, but even an official, will have to undergo immediate investigation according to procedure.

In addition, the Song emperors were highly sensitive to such incidents, so they would usually agree to continue the process and let the Kaifeng Prefecture arrest and interrogate the people.

Did Pei Degu know that such a far-fetched connection of testimonies was insufficient to convict Lu Beigu?
Of course he knows!

But so what? Any matter involving rebellion must be investigated. As long as Lu Beigu is detained, even if a powerful figure speaks up for him, the Kaifeng Prefecture can prove that he is not involved in the matter in just one or two days of investigation, but his career will be over.

This was Pei Degu's purpose.

As for what happened afterward, even if Lu Beigu knew perfectly well who had framed him, he couldn't prove that Pei Degu was behind it.

Because the clerk who brought Jia Yan into the Privy Council was not a member of the Privy Council at all, and the documents were forged, both Jia Yan and the documents had already been taken out of the city by Pei Degu's men, and they would be killed to silence them and the documents would be burned.

There were no witnesses or physical evidence; the only remaining clue was the soldiers who captured Jia Yan.

Even if they were sent to the Third Division of the Three Departments for interrogation, they couldn't get anything out of them.

On the one hand, they were responsible for the security of the Privy Council, and arresting people was part of their duties. Even if they arrested the wrong person, it would just be a misunderstanding. On the other hand, Jia Changchao also had his confidants in the Three Offices. After all, this was not Jia Changchao's first time serving as the Privy Councilor.

Therefore, Pei Degu's plan had no problems with the Privy Council. Procedurally speaking, both the soldiers and Pei Degu were acting impartially, and the mastermind behind the scenes, Jia Changchao, did not even show his face.

Lost in thought, Pei Degu arrived at the gate of Cheng Kan's residence by carriage.

Because it was afternoon and the time for duty, the Cheng residence was very quiet.

Upon seeing that it was Pei Chengzhi from the Privy Council who had arrived in person, the gatekeeper dared not be negligent and respectfully replied, "Prime Minister Pei, my husband says he has a headache from being exposed to the wind and is resting in bed."

"Please inform them that the Privy Council has urgent business that requires the decision of Chancellor Cheng."

Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper immediately hesitated.

If it were an ordinary person, he would have simply sent them away.

However, Pei Degu was usually in charge of some of the daily affairs of the Privy Council. This time, he came to visit in a hurry and his tone was so confident that he really dared not turn him away.

After all, he couldn't bear the responsibility if important military and national affairs were delayed because of him.

Before long, Pei Degu was led to the study.

Cheng Kan was not in bed, but dressed in casual clothes, resting on a couch by the window. There were two bamboo cups on his forehead, which were cupping therapy.

Upon seeing Pei Degu enter, he sat up straight, and the two "horns" on his head swayed as he did so.

Cheng Kan frowned slightly and asked, "What's the matter that's so urgent? Is Minister Tian not here?"

"I apologize for my intrusion."

After making a special look to confirm that Cheng Kan was not wearing glasses, Pei Degu bowed respectfully.

He then briefly recounted the incident of "Jia Yan sneaking into the Privy Council with a knife," emphasizing that "there are both witnesses and physical evidence," "the matter concerns the safety of the Privy Council," and "Minister Tian believes that further consideration is needed."

Although Cheng Kan felt slightly unwell, his thinking remained clear.

Upon hearing the name "Lu Beigu," his eyebrows twitched slightly, and he looked up at Pei Degu.

"A student of Song Xiang?"

Upon hearing these disrespectful words, addressing him by his given name, Pei Degu was secretly delighted—there was hope!

"—It is indeed this person!"

"But Minister Tian is always a man of his own mind, and he feels that further consideration is needed."

Cheng Kan's tone was calm, revealing no emotion.

Pei Degu immediately understood what he meant and hurriedly said, "How dare I question Minister Tian? However, this matter concerns the discipline of the Imperial Guards and the prestige of the Privy Council. Jia Yan has been temporarily detained, and if the relevant people are not handed over for prosecution in a timely manner, there may be unforeseen circumstances. I dare to ask Minister Cheng to return to the Privy Council to take charge of the overall situation and establish clear procedures."

He paused briefly, lowering his voice slightly: "Besides, tomorrow is the palace examination. If we delay because of this, I'm afraid it will cause even more trouble."

This was said subtly, yet perfectly aptly.

Cheng Kan naturally understood the underlying meaning. This matter concerned Lu Beigu, who was Song Xiang's student. He didn't mind causing Song Xiang some trouble.

"Ah."

Cheng Kan suddenly chuckled, seemingly helpless yet knowing: "Alright, since it's urgent official business, I'll make the trip now."

He ordered his servant to remove the cupping marks from his forehead, revealing two bright red marks, and then wrapped a headscarf around his head.

"This wind is certainly not very pleasant, but it won't interfere with our business."

After changing his clothes, Cheng Kan returned to the Privy Council in a carriage with Pei Degu. On the way, he closed his eyes to rest and did not say much.

Upon entering the Privy Council, Cheng Kan went straight to Tian Kuang's duty room and demanded the document. Both were deputy privy councilors, and theoretically had equal power. Since Cheng Kan insisted, Tian Kuang had no choice but to keep it.

Afterwards, Cheng Kan took the documents back to his own duty room and picked up a pen from his desk to dip in ink.

His movements were unhurried; his gaze swept over the document again, and after confirming that everything was correct, he picked up his pen and signed his name below.

—Cheng Kan.

His handwriting is neat and steady, as always.

"Let's proceed according to the procedures."

He put down his pen, his tone flat, revealing no emotion.

"Subordinate to obey!"

Pei Degu suppressed his excitement, carefully blew away the ink, put away the document, and bowed: "I admire Minister Cheng for his dedication to official duties."

Cheng Kan waved his hand, leaned back in his chair, rubbed his temples through his headscarf, and said indifferently, "Go and do your duty. I'll rest a little longer."

Pei Degu said no more and turned to leave quickly.

For him, the most important task was to present this document to the Forbidden City as quickly as possible!

After all, because Tian Kuang refused to sign, he had already wasted a lot of time trying to get Cheng Kan back to the Privy Council. Now he could see that the afternoon sun was beginning to set.

Within the Forbidden City, in the Hall of Hanging Bows.

The lazy sunlight filtered through the carved lattice windows, casting dappled shadows on the ground outside the hall.

The hall was silent, except for the faint snoring of Emperor Zhao Zhen.

His health has deteriorated since he suffered a stroke last year, and recently he has developed a cough due to the spring chill. He had just fallen into a deep sleep after taking some herbal medicine.

Princess Fukang, Zhao Huirou, with a slight frown, quietly withdrew from the palace and whispered to the imperial physician on duty about the details of the Emperor's medication that day.

A series of hurried but deliberately soft footsteps broke the tranquility of the corridor.

Wu Jilong, the Right Vice Director of the Palace Attendants' Bureau, had a tense expression, his gaze fixed on the gate of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a urgent document just handed to him by Pei Degu tucked into his sleeve. Wu Jilong and Jia Changchao were allies. Previously, in the Liuta River case, which Fu Bi had strongly advocated, Jia Changchao had been accused of conspiring with Wu Jilong to undermine Fu Bi's position as prime minister. On that occasion, it was Wu Jilong who instructed officials of the Imperial Observatory to spread rumors, claiming that "the state should not dig a river in the north, causing unease to the emperor," and using this as an opportunity to have someone propose "inviting the empress to participate in government affairs."

Zhao Zhen now has a great deal of distrust towards Empress Cao.

At the beginning of last year, Emperor Zhao Zhen, who had suffered a stroke, was delirious in the palace and shouted that "the Empress and Zhang Maoze are plotting treason," which was something everyone heard.

People tend to speak their minds unconsciously.

It was precisely because he feared that Empress Cao would collude with those inside and outside the palace to bring him to his death and then rule as Empress Dowager that Zhao Zhen violated palace rules and allowed his eldest daughter, Princess Fukang, to take over the palace in place of the Empress.

Normally speaking, this is not very reasonable. How can the empress still be alive, yet a princess be allowed to manage the palace?
There was nothing he could do; apart from Princess Fukang, Zhao Zhen trusted no one.

The purpose of such an action was, of course, to ensure his safety within the Forbidden City.

This is why Princess Fukang has wielded immense power within the palace for the past two years. How powerful? Aside from being unable to participate in court affairs, she is practically the emperor's alter ego, with all palace matters decided by her word.

She even kept the keys to the palace gates.

This astonishing power, in essence, severely eroded the interests of the original powerful figures within the palace, including the empress, concubines, and eunuchs.

Therefore, many people have been working tirelessly in both the inner and outer courts to get Princess Fukang to "marry" as soon as possible.

Emperor Zhao Zhen was naturally reluctant to part with his eldest daughter. On the one hand, she was the only family member he could trust emotionally. On the other hand, if Princess Fukang "married out," there would be no reliable person in the palace to suppress Empress Cao, and his safety would be difficult to guarantee.

Therefore, Zhao Zhen delayed in allowing his eldest daughter to "marry".

Wu Jilong was very close to Empress Cao, so he naturally disliked this eldest princess. He deliberately tried to avoid her, but Zhao Huirou turned around at some point, and her cold voice rang in his ear.

"Vice Commander Wu, why are you in such a hurry?"

Wu Jilong abruptly stopped in his tracks, quickly bowed respectfully, and said in a low voice, "I have disturbed Your Highness. This servant deserves death. The Privy Council has urgent documents that must be presented to Your Majesty immediately."

He spoke quickly and vaguely, deliberately avoiding specific details.

"The Emperor has just taken his medicine and rested; even the most important matter must wait."

Zhao Huirou's gaze fell on his tightly clutched sleeve: "What kind of urgent document is it?"

Wu Jilong lowered his head even further, his words evasive: "Your Highness, it is indeed an urgent matter of the Privy Council, involving the safety of the Forbidden City. This servant dares not be negligent, nor dares to act on his own authority. He can only report to His Majesty for a decision immediately."

He insisted on using "urgent official business" as an excuse without revealing any truth, attempting to evade the issue.

Because Wu Jilong knew that although this eldest princess was noble and now held absolute power within the palace, even surpassing Empress Cao, who was highly distrusted by the emperor, she had no direct power to interfere in court affairs.

During the stalemate, the commotion outside the hall prompted Deng Xuanyan to quietly step out.

The emperor's most trusted old eunuch could tell something was amiss with just a glance.

He first bowed slightly to the princess, then looked at Wu Jilong and asked in a low voice, "Vice Commander Wu, what's all this commotion? We can't afford to offend His Majesty by disturbing his rest."

When Wu Jilong saw Deng Xuanyan, his expression became even more tense, but he still forced himself to remain calm: "Deng is aware that there is indeed an urgent document."

Seeing this, Zhao Huirou knew that Wu Jilong would not tell her the truth, so she gave Deng Xuanyan a barely perceptible nod.

Deng Xuanyan immediately stepped forward, his tone still calm, but he extended his hand.

"Since it's so urgent, let me take a look. If it's truly a matter of life and death, we must report it immediately, even if it means disturbing the officials, right?"

Deng Xuanyan was the Right Chief of the Inner Palace Attendants Department, while Wu Jilong was the Deputy Chief of the Right Palace Attendants Department. Deng Xuanyan was his superior, and as a close attendant to the emperor, he certainly had the authority to decide whether or not to issue a message.

Wu Jilong was caught in a dilemma, so he had no choice but to take out the document from his sleeve and hand it to Deng Xuanyan, adding, "This was personally signed by Prime Minister Cheng, and it is of great importance."

Deng Xuanyan took the document and, in the light of the corridor, slowly and methodically opened it, his eyes quickly scanning it.

He seemed to be looking very carefully, his lips moving slightly as if he were reading silently, yet just enough for those nearby to hear a very faint, intermittent murmur.

"So, Jia Yan, the Japanese army captain, infiltrated with a knife? And he's also involved Lu Beigu, the provincial governor of this year?"

Deng Xuanyan's mutterings reached Zhao Huirou's ears, who was intently watching.

"This is clearly a conspiracy targeting Lu Beigu! They want to drag him into it on the eve of the palace examination!"

Zhao Huirou, born into the imperial family, immediately understood the purpose behind the words, even though she only heard a few.

But as the saying goes, "Heaven's will is unpredictable." To be honest, Zhao Huirou didn't dare to speculate on how her father would handle the matter. Even she couldn't be sure that her father wouldn't order Lu Beigu's arrest, since the matter actually involved a threat to imperial power.

So for her, the most important thing to do right now is to prevent this document from being sent in, so that nothing will happen today.

When the palace examination takes place tomorrow, this conspiracy will naturally fall apart on its own.

Having made up her mind, Zhao Huirou's gaze towards Wu Jilong turned icy cold.

After Deng Xuanyan slowly "read" it, she didn't give Wu Jilong any chance to speak again and simply spoke up.

"His Majesty is unwell and has just fallen into a deep sleep. At this moment, let alone the clerks of the Privy Council, even if the sky were to fall, he must not be disturbed!"

Wu Jilong had not expected that the eldest princess's attitude would suddenly become so firm.

Seeing his plan on the verge of collapse, he panicked and forgot his place in the palace, attempting to forcefully argue, "Your Highness! This matter concerns the safety of the Forbidden City. If there is any delay, I fear..."

Zhao Huirou said no more, but turned her head slightly and gave a look to the middle-aged palace maid following behind her.

The palace maid understood and immediately stepped forward, raising her hand—

"Snapped!"

A heavy slap landed on Wu Jilong's face, silencing his unfinished words!

Wu Jilong was stunned into place by the beating, his cheek instantly swelling and burning with pain and immense humiliation, leaving him speechless: "Your Highness!"

"Snapped!"

The second slap followed immediately, with even greater force, the dull sound even sounding somewhat jarring in the quiet corridor.

Wu Jilong was completely awakened by the blow.

Looking at the princess's cold eyes, and then at Deng Xuanyan's lowered eyes and silent posture as he naturally closed the document in his hand, a chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Wu Jilong instantly realized that he would absolutely not be able to enter the Chuigong Hall today.

If things go any further, it might not be as simple as just getting a slap in the face!

All his calculations crumbled silently before the absolute pressure of his status and the rules of the court.

Wu Jilong lowered his head abruptly, concealing the fear and resentment in his eyes, his voice dry and trembling: "This servant...this servant knows his crime! This servant was reckless, please forgive me, Your Highness!"

"Go back."

Zhao Huirou's voice was devoid of any warmth.

Wu Jilong felt as if he had been granted a pardon. Like a stray dog, he covered his face and scrambled away, disappearing quickly into the end of the corridor.

With a single glance from Deng Xuanyan, the palace servants around them immediately retreated a great distance, leaving the two of them a private space to talk.

He then stepped forward and softly inquired, "Your Highness, what is this?"

Zhao Huirou glanced at the document and said calmly, "If His Majesty asks about it after sunset, just say that the Privy Council sent a document that is not so important, and it has been put aside according to the old practice. There is no need to mention the matter in the corridor."

After sunset, the palace gates were locked.

Unless there is unrest within the palace, the palace gates will not be opened, and orders will not reach the Kaifeng prefectural government.

As long as there is no arrest warrant, Lu Beigu remains innocent and can participate in the palace examination smoothly tomorrow morning.

In fact, as the emperor's most trusted relative, Princess Fukang, Zhao Huirou, who is currently in charge of managing the palace in place of the empress, is truly capable of effectively "isolating the inside from the outside," but she has never done so.

This ability, when combined with the Pengri Army and Tianwu Army, which belong to the Palace Guard, can almost directly determine the future fate of the entire Song Dynasty when it comes to critical moments.

Yes, there are differences among the "Upper Four Armies".

The Palace Guard, the Imperial Guards, the Cavalry Guard, and the Infantry Guard were commonly known as the Three Imperial Guards. Among them, the ones truly responsible for the security of the Forbidden City were the Sun-Praying Army, which was responsible for the rotation of guards within the Forbidden City, and the Heavenly Martial Army, which was in charge of the emperor's ceremonial procession and the guards of the Forbidden City.

As for the Dragon Guard and Divine Guard under the Imperial Guards Commandery and the Infantry Commandery, their main duty was to defend the capital region, focusing more on the outer defense of Tokyo rather than the core area of ​​the Forbidden City.

"Yes, the old slave understands."

Deng Xuanyan bowed in response, put the document into his sleeve, and remained calm, as if nothing had happened.

The corridor returned to quiet, and the spring evening breeze was gentle.

(End of this chapter)