On the tenth day of the third month, Imperial Guard Commander Lai Chenglong led the Shanxi Imperial Guards in swarming into the rear offices of Jinzhong Prefecture’s magistrate Lu Anyu, arresting and interrogating him on charges of accepting bribes from Ma Yuantong.
As soon as the news broke, Jinzhong was thrown into an uproar. But before anyone could fully process what was happening, the Imperial Guard had already swiftly convicted Lu Anyu, and His Highness the Crown Prince personally ordered his execution by beheading at the vegetable market.
Extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures. Ordinarily, even common people sentenced to death had to be reported to the Ministry of Justice for review, but now with the war chaos in Shanxi, and involving such a grave crime as colluding with bandit leaders, no one dared question whether such immediate execution was proper procedure.
By the time news reached the Cui residence, Garrison Commander Kong was already a fish on the Imperial Guard’s chopping block. It was said that a thousand men under his garrison army had been used to guard the mines, watching over the craftsmen who were hastily minting copper coins.
Under such thunderous methods, half the officials in Jinzhong were either dismissed or executed, all replaced with the Crown Prince’s people. Everyone from top to bottom tucked in their tails and behaved themselves.
On the twenty-first day of the third month, the militia, garrison troops, and drill soldiers gathered from all parts of Shanxi—totaling over thirty thousand men—were stationed outside Jinzhong city under the leadership of Commander Zhou and Imperial Consort Ye Jingkuan, ready for battle at any moment.
The Cui clan of Jinzhong unhesitatingly took the lead in donating two hundred thousand dan of grain. Under the Cui family’s leadership, the wealthy households in the city generously opened their purses one after another, and morale soared for a time.
However, though everything was ready, Zhou Weizhao did not order an attack. Only after Commander Zhou and Ye Jingkuan had surrounded Yangquan County with their troops did he begin having people transport things to the city gate basket by basket. He also assembled a full four thousand archers and began shooting arrows day and night into the walls of Yangquan city, with every arrow without exception carrying a paper note wrapped around it.
Later, people in Jinzhong city heard that what was written in those letters shot into Yangquan wasn’t any nonsense about laying down weapons to avoid death, but rather a promise of tax reductions and exemptions. For the next three consecutive years starting this year, to the Yangquan County common people willing to kill Ma Yuantong and accept court amnesty, thirty percent of the coal mine profits produced in Yangquan County would be distributed entirely among the Yangquan County common people willing to abandon darkness for light.
This truly was—originally they had been worried about how to quell the rebellion without killing all the common people, and now they had this stratagem. There was no movement for the first few days, but with over thirty thousand government troops outside surrounding them layer upon layer, and inside receiving such letters continuously every day, the rebellious will of the Yangquan County people was already no longer as firm as before.
Lai Chenglong looked at Song Chuyi with deep eyes and couldn’t help but sigh. “You and this Highness are truly extraordinary people. To think of such a plan—surrounding without attacking, applying pressure, yet at the same time dangling such a large bait. If this continues, within half a month at most, Yangquan County will run out of ammunition and grain. They can’t hold out much longer. When the day comes that they have no food, there will be those thinking about accepting court amnesty.” First make this group create chaos among themselves from within, and then still worry about not being able to quell the rebellion? Lai Chenglong felt these two shrewd people had so many schemes they were truly impossible to guard against. He couldn’t help but scrutinize Song Chuyi for a while, deliberating before saying, “I remember that in the past, your grandfather and you both wished desperately to first leave the Eastern Palace’s boat. How is it now you’ve reconsidered and want to get back on?”
To get on wouldn’t be getting on the Eastern Palace’s boat. As for the Crown Prince’s character, one could see a glimpse of the whole from the Yangzhou corruption case. The Song family didn’t want to stake their bet on him. If they were going to bet, it would be on Zhou Weizhao.
Emperor Jianzhang wasn’t old yet, but the Crown Prince’s health was truly poor. Who would outlast whom was still uncertain. If the Crown Prince died before Emperor Jianzhang, given the current situation, as long as Zhou Weizhao succeeded in this Yangquan matter, he would be the legitimate heir that no one could find fault with. Then everything would be settled.
Song Chuyi knew what calculations Lai Chenglong was making and simply told him honestly, “This matter is of grave importance. It’s not something I can decide on my own. It’s just that this time His Highness the Crown Prince has helped me so greatly that even if we don’t stand on his boat, we can’t possibly stand on another boat. Speaking of which, Uncle Lai, your concerns are the reasonable ones. There’s still some time left—you should really ponder things carefully.”
Lai Chenglong instinctively wanted to deny it, to say he had nothing to ponder. But when he met Song Chuyi’s eyes, he was possessed by some strange impulse to sigh. Indeed, he couldn’t help but admit that right now he truly did need to think about what stance to take toward the Eastern Palace.
In the garrison headquarters, Ye Jingkuan, who had rushed back to the city overnight, was also consulting with Zhou Weizhao by lamplight. “I’ve ordered three thousand men to cut off Yangquan’s water source. With these spring rains falling heavily and water levels rising, if we block it for a while, the water will only rise more urgently and rapidly. If the common people of Yangquan are stubborn and insist on resisting to the end, we’ll simply release the water.”
This was the strategy everyone had agreed upon after people from the Chancery had gone to scout the terrain. If those common people in Yangquan County refused to surrender no matter what, they would first starve them until they ran out of ammunition and grain, then open the floodgates. Once this great flood rushed in, Yangquan would be more or less finished.
Zhou Weizhao watched as Ye Jingkuan’s finger moved away from the map, then slowly nodded. “Tomorrow I’ll go to the front lines with you.” He was the imperial envoy and also the Crown Prince, coming by imperial decree to suppress the rebellion. Now was the time he should show himself.
Lu Anyu and Garrison Commander Kong had already had their heads cut off. Jinzhong could now be said to be solid as an iron plate. Staying here was much safer than going to the front lines. Ye Jingkuan and the advisors beside him immediately shook their heads in disagreement. “Your Highness’s body is worth ten thousand gold. Could it be that without making a trip to the front lines there’s no way to accomplish things? Everyone knows you’re coordinating from behind. There’s really no need to put yourself in danger.”
“No, I’m going myself!” Zhou Weizhao spoke with finality, his gaze firm, carrying the unique spirited vigor of youth. “Tomorrow I’ll personally go read the imperial edict.” He was the Emperor’s own grandson, the next heir apparent according to ritual law. His reading of the imperial edict would be far more shocking and credible than those words printed on paper. Only if he went could the final step naturally follow its course—if it succeeded, then he and Emperor Jianzhang would be magnanimous and merciful, winning people through virtue, having reformed the common people of Yangquan County and avoided devastation of life. If it failed, then he would have already exhausted all benevolence and righteousness. Releasing water to flood the city at the end would be a helpless measure. No one could say anything against it, and no one could use it to accuse him of being heartless, because he would have already exhausted all methods.
Ye Jingkuan exchanged glances with everyone present. Knowing that since the Crown Prince had already made his decision it would be difficult to change, he could only nod in agreement, then said that Lai Chenglong must personally accompany the Crown Prince. No matter what, having the Imperial Guard nearby to support and protect him would always be safer.