Gou Chun was extremely angry. He stormed into the Grand General’s mansion to question his brother. “Zhao Hanzhang’s words are complete deflection. Brother, are you just going to let Ming Yu go, let Zhao Hanzhang go like this?”

“If this ends inconclusively like this, after this incident who will still respect and fear you, Brother?”

Gou Xi looked up at him and asked, “Did you not cross the border to plunder Yuzhou civilians?”

Gou Chun loudly denied, “I did not!”

He said, “Those were our Yanzhou civilians. Those base commoners dared to toy with us like that—we should have killed them back then.”

Gou Xi slammed the table and demanded angrily, “Do you think I don’t know what you did at the border, that the hundred officials at court don’t know? The petitioners may not have entered Yuncheng, but the rumors have long spread throughout the city!”

Forget whether the Emperor and officials would believe Gou Chun—Gou Xi himself didn’t believe him.

“The court provides you with plenty of grain and fodder. Add in what the garrison troops produce themselves, and it’s enough to maintain your forces. Why must you let soldiers plunder civilian grain, and even cross borders!”

Gou Chun protested, “I don’t recognize that border line. Originally Yuzhou was under our control. When Magistrate He was here, nearly half of Yuzhou was in our hands. Zhao Hanzhang is just a woman—on what basis does she become Magistrate and we have to give up territory that originally belonged to us?”

Gou Xi’s expression darkened as he said coldly, “Are you blaming me for failing to hold the territory?”

Gou Chun’s momentum weakened as he lowered his head. “I didn’t mean that. I just feel indignant on your behalf, Brother.”

“I don’t need you feeling indignant for me.” Gou Xi said coldly, “This was my deal with her, the price of the Emperor’s relocation.”

She had reached Luoyang first. She had driven back Liu Cong, killed Wang Mi. The Emperor was in her hands—if she disagreed, he couldn’t take the Emperor away at all.

Getting rid of Prince Donghai only to get Zhao Hanzhang in return would mean his trip was for nothing.

Returning Yuzhou was his concession, so that he could replace Zhao Hanzhang as the person beside the Emperor.

Facts proved his choice was correct. With the Emperor here, all under heaven had to heed his commands.

Did people really think that because Gou Xi had strong forces and many cavalry, he wasn’t short of money?

He was also very poor. His soldiers going hungry was routine—they could only eat their fill when going to battle.

But even so, their days were relatively good, at least much better than the common people outside starving to death.

Yet since the Emperor came to Yuncheng, all regions had to support the Emperor—Jiangnan, the Two Lakes region, Yuzhou, even the semi-independent Shu and Xiliang. When the Emperor issued edicts, they also had to send supporting supplies and troops.

The Gou family army’s living conditions had improved considerably these past months. Previously Gou Xi had to scrimp and save to gather grain and fodder, but now the court allocated funds. Combined with the Gou army’s original resources, the soldiers had sufficient grain and fodder, and could even receive some military pay.

Gou Xi also relied on the Emperor’s support and the officials’ flattery to enjoy his current extravagant lifestyle.

Gou Chun also envied his brother’s current beautiful life—being able to sleep among beauties. Who would want to go out under the blazing sun to drill troops in the heat?

Coming and going in wind and rain, baking in the sun and sweating?

However, he lacked the officials’ flattery. If he wanted beautiful concubines, performers of superior skill, fine horses and swords, he had to spend his own money.

Where did the money come from?

Naturally from the soldiers’ military pay and grain rations.

He appropriated the military pay and grain allocated from above. The common soldiers lived worse than before. Their whole purpose in joining the army was to have food to eat, wasn’t it?

If being a soldier still meant starving to death, why would they risk their lives fighting on the battlefield?

Gou Chun naturally understood this point, so to prevent the soldiers from rebelling, he first increased taxes, collecting money and grain under legitimate pretexts.

But because summer harvest had just begun, and the taxes from early in the year had already emptied ordinary people’s coffers, this additional heavy tax meant that forget common families, even small wealthy households had to empty their family coffers. So the common people had been covertly resisting taxes.

In several border counties, there were private rumors that this was no longer burdensome miscellaneous taxes, but family-destroying taxes.

There was even a saying circulating in secret: “Little Gou is more cruel than Big Gou.”

Whether Gou Chun had heard this rumor or not was unknown, but in any case, when tax collection proved ineffective and to prevent his subordinate soldiers from rebelling, he directly ordered soldiers to go into the fields with swords to forcibly harvest wheat and other grains.

This is what triggered this whole dispute.

Why had Yan Heng suddenly cursed at him like that? Gou Xi believed it was because of Gou Chun, so he harbored some resentment and said to Gou Chun, “I’ll send someone else to guard the Yuzhou border. You go to Qingzhou.”

Gou Chun pressed his lips together, his chest heaving violently. He felt his brother was bowing to Zhao Hanzhang, and resentment filled his heart.

Gou Xi continued, “You are originally the Qingzhou Magistrate—it’s time you took up your post. Go to Qingzhou and get along well with the Prince of Langya.”

Gou Chun agreed unwillingly and reluctantly.

The next day at court, seeing Zhao Zhongyu, he gave him a cold look. Zhao Zhongyu kept his eyes forward, pretending not to notice.

Gou Chun was so angry his fists clenched tight. That very day after leaving the palace, he encountered Zhao Ji on the street, and Zhao Ji was beaten, on the grounds that Zhao Ji had blocked his carriage.

Zhao Ji was beaten terribly. Though his life was spared, he would apparently need to lie in bed for several months. When Zhao Zhongyu heard the news in the palace, he swayed for a moment.

Then he immediately rushed back to the mansion. Seeing his son’s bruised and swollen face covered in blood, and noticing his hand hanging limply, he knew it had been broken.

Zhao Zhongyu’s face turned iron-blue. He had people fetch several more physicians while he went directly into the palace to find the Emperor. “Your Majesty, Gou Chun refuses to accept the court’s disposition and harbors resentment toward us. Many common people died because of him, yet Your Majesty only sent him to Qingzhou without punishing him—this was already a great mercy. But he doesn’t think to repay this, instead resenting us.”

“He resents us but dares not report to Your Majesty or argue with this subject, so he takes his anger out on my son. Your Majesty, do you dare entrust Qingzhou to such a person?”

He continued, “General Gou cannot even restrain his own younger brother. Your Majesty has entrusted him with palace affairs and imperial security—how can you feel at ease?”

Everyone already knew that Zhao Zhongyu’s son Zhao Ji had been seriously injured, and they all expressed agreement.

They looked down on Zhao Ji quite a bit, but in this matter, what had Zhao Ji done wrong?

He wasn’t even connected to this incident. Zhao Zhongyu had joined forces with Zhao Hanzhang to contend with the Gou Xi and Gou Chun brothers—if you had the ability, go after Zhao Hanzhang. If you didn’t dare attack her, wasn’t Zhao Zhongyu still there?

What did involving family members amount to?

Moreover, Zhao Ji was still the Earl of Shangcai. He held rank and title. Though his official position was lower than Gou Chun’s, his title was higher.

His family background far exceeded Gou Chun’s.

Gou Chun’s actions could be considered insubordination.

So after Zhao Zhongyu, several more ministers and censors entered the palace, all impeaching Gou Chun.

But after beating Zhao Ji, Gou Chun ran away. He took his men directly to Qingzhou to assume his post, giving no one a chance to denounce him.

What could be done then?

Everyone could only turn their spearheads toward Gou Xi.

—