Simultaneous Transmigration: The Re-merging of 99 Selves

As the Jingyang Bell rang, the vermilion Hening Gate slowly opened, revealing the imperial road paved with bluestone slabs.

The officials straightened their official robes and filed in according to their rank.

Zhao Yu patted the chestnut shells off his hands, casually tossed aside the oil paper package, and mingled into the line, walking slowly and steadily forward.

His royal court attire stood out conspicuously among the purple robes of the court officials.

Outside the Chuigong Hall, guards from the Hall of Imperial Guards lined up on both sides, checking the officials one by one before allowing them to enter the hall.

When it was Zhao Yu's turn, the leading guard was stunned when he saw his face, and almost dropped the waist token in his hand.

"Prince Yong... Prince Yongjia? You... what brings you here?"

"What?" Zhao Yu raised his hands, smiling as he asked, "Am I not allowed to attend court? According to the ancestral system of our Great Song Dynasty, princes of the imperial family have the right to attend court and participate in political discussions. Or do you think I am unworthy to enter this Chui Gong Hall?"

The guard quickly bowed and smiled obsequiously, "Your Majesty is too kind. How could I have meant such a thing? Your Majesty's status is so noble that there is no need for inspection. Please come in, Your Majesty."

After saying that, he quickly stepped aside to make way.

Zhao Yu put down his hand, straightened the hem of his court robe, and walked into the Chuigong Hall.

The palace was already brightly lit, with gold bricks paving the floor, dragon pillars reaching for the sky, and the throne high above, exuding an oppressive atmosphere.

The officials lined up on both sides according to the rule of civil officials to the east and military officials to the west.

Zhao Yu walked to the front of the line and stood not far from him was Shi Miyuan, the current prime minister.

Shi Miyuan glanced at Zhao Yu out of the corner of his eye, but said nothing. He stroked his long beard slightly, his expression remaining calm.

A moment later, a crack of a whip was heard outside the palace, accompanied by the eunuch's high-pitched announcement: "His Majesty has arrived!"

Surrounded by a group of eunuchs, Emperor Zhao Kuo slowly walked up the imperial steps and sat on the dragon throne carved with dragons and phoenixes.

The fan opened and the music stopped; the hall fell silent instantly.

"All officials bow—!" the gatekeeper announced loudly.

All the officials bowed and paid their respects.

Only Zhao Yu bowed slightly, gave a salute, and then straightened up and stood still.

Among the officials kneeling in obeisance, his tall and upright figure stood out conspicuously.

Zhao Kuo frowned slightly, glanced at Zhao Yu, and then quickly looked away.

In his view, whether Zhao Yu came today or not, or what he said, was not important.

The important thing is to finalize a peace agreement with the Jin Dynasty today, so that the Jin people will stop their advance, and he can continue to sit on this dragon throne in peace.

"All of you, rise."

Zhao Kuo waved his hand, his voice hoarse and weary.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The officials bowed in gratitude again, then rose and stood in their respective ranks.

Shi Miyuan straightened his official robes, stepped forward slowly, and bowed to Zhao Kuo: "Your Majesty, after three months of negotiations with the Jin delegation, we have finally agreed on all the terms of the peace treaty. Today, I am presenting this document for Your Majesty's perusal."

"Bring it here." Zhao Kuo nodded, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible ease.

The eunuch beside him descended the steps, took the letter from Shi Miyuan with both hands, and turned to present it to Zhao Kuo.

Zhao Kuo took the letter, quickly flipped through a few pages, and put it aside, a satisfied look on his face.

"Minister Shi, you have worked tirelessly day and night for this peace negotiation. I am very pleased with you. With you here, I can finally rest easy."

"Your subject dares not accept such praise." Shi Miyuan quickly bowed, his tone humble. "It is my duty to share the emperor's burdens and to plead for the people. It is my responsibility to facilitate peace between the two countries, to stop the fighting, and to spare the people of Lianghuai from the suffering of war. There is no need to talk about hardship."

As the emperor and his minister spoke in unison, it seemed as if they had already finalized the peace agreement.

Zhao Kuo glanced at the officials in the hall and said, "Regarding the peace negotiations, do any of you ministers have anything else to report?"

The hall was completely silent.

Regarding such a major matter as peace negotiations, Shi Miyuan had already privately quelled all opposing voices.

Those officials who advocated for war were either dismissed or demoted, or transferred to other places.

Those who remained in Lin'an were either his cronies or opportunists seeking to protect themselves.

At this point, naturally no one would be foolish enough to stand up and provoke him.

Shi Miyuan lowered his head, a smile playing on his lips.

He had already begun to plan how to further consolidate his power and how to purge those dissidents in the court who were still not obedient after the peace treaty was signed.

Just then, he caught a glimpse of Zhao Yu out of the corner of his eye, and his heart skipped a beat. A bad thought popped into his head: What if he causes trouble?

Then, Shi Miyuan shook his head again.

Zhao Yu has always been indifferent to politics and devoted himself to cultivating Taoism. He has been feared by the emperor for so many years and has no real power in his hands. How dare he jump out at this time?

I must be overthinking it.

But just as he was relieved, a clear voice rang out in the Chui Gong Hall.

"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present."

All eyes instantly turned to the source of the voice—Prince Zhao Yu of Yongjia.

Zhao Kuo's face showed obvious impatience. He waved his hand and said, "Third Brother, you have always been devoted to cultivating the Dao and have never participated in politics. This peace negotiation concerns the overall situation of the court. It is for the officials and ministers to discuss. You should not say anything more and may leave."

But Zhao Yu shook his head, stepped forward, and bowed to Zhao Kuo: "Your Majesty misunderstands. I did not mean to criticize Prime Minister Shi's peace terms. I just have some questions and would like to ask Your Majesty and Prime Minister Shi for clarification."

In front of all the civil and military officials, and given Zhao Yu's status as a prince, Zhao Kuo couldn't very well just kick him out.

Having no other choice, he patiently asked, "What is it that you don't understand? Please speak freely."

"Your Majesty," Zhao Yu raised his head, his gaze fixed on Zhao Kuo on the throne, "since such a crucial peace treaty concerning the fate of the nation has been finalized, why didn't Your Majesty and Chancellor Shi clearly explain the specific terms of the peace treaty to all the civil and military officials?"

"Though I am not well-versed in politics, I know that listening to all sides leads to enlightenment, while believing only one side leads to ignorance. So many officials in the court are pillars of the nation, well-read and knowledgeable in state affairs. If we don't show them the concrete details of the peace negotiations, how can we expect them to offer advice? How can we gain the trust of the people?"

Zhao Kuo's face instantly turned extremely ugly, and Shi Miyuan's smile froze on his face.

How could they possibly state the terms of the peace agreement in public?

The Song emperor was to reduce the Jin emperor to the status of an uncle and nephew, and the Song emperor was to address the Jin emperor as his uncle; the annual tribute was increased by 300,000 taels of silver, and 3 million strings of cash were allocated to reward the army; the four prefectures of Tang, Deng, Hai, and Si in the Huai River region were ceded to the Jin...

Each and every one of these is a great disgrace and a loss of sovereignty and national humiliation.

Even if Zhao Kuo was shameless, he couldn't possibly say in front of all the officials that he wanted to recognize the emperor of the enemy state as his uncle, could he?

But Zhao Yu's words were all reasonable, leaving them with no way to refute them.

For a moment, Zhao Kuo and Shi Miyuan were both frozen in place, caught in a dilemma.

Shi Miyuan reacted quickly and immediately gave Qian Xiangzu, the Vice Minister of State Affairs, a wink.