Zhao Kuangyin also knew Zhao Guangyi was right, but if those people developed their own power bases, it would be difficult to deal with them later. Zhao Kuangyin’s own rise in the military had taken only two or three years. Now with battles everywhere, it was extremely easy for military officers to achieve merit. Not hearing the answer he wanted, Zhao Kuangyin’s expression darkened somewhat, but he finally nodded and said: “How can one allow others to sleep soundly beside one’s couch? We’ll discuss this matter further. However, second brother, I’m not comfortable giving the position of Palace Commander to anyone else – you take it.”
Though this had long been expected, Zhao Guangyi’s heart still couldn’t help but pound violently. He suddenly thought of that wooden tablet prophecy “The Palace Commander becomes Son of Heaven,” and his eyelids trembled uncontrollably. To hide this, he quickly lowered his head, left his seat, and knelt to express gratitude.
When he heard the words permitting him to rise and stood up, he saw Zhao Kuangyin’s face grave as water, playing with that Heavenly Yue Axe, obviously still wary of those Ten Brothers of the Righteous Society.
Zhao Guangyi silently took his leave and returned to his study, searching through the night until he finally found that worn brocade cloth in an inconspicuous miscellaneous box. The writing on it remained incredibly clear.
“The Heavenly Yue Axe, axe of King Wu of Zhou, crafted by Grand Master Jiang Ziya, it is said that none but those with the Mandate of Heaven can wield it. King Wu angrily slew a close friend with this axe, later greatly regretting it, saying that those who wield this axe become greatly suspicious, bringing disaster to those around them. It was sealed away in the twelfth year of King Wu’s reign.”
A suspicious heart? Zhao Guangyi didn’t know if he was being overly sensitive – wasn’t this Heavenly Yue Axe fabricated? Why… He clenched the brocade cloth in his hand, his heart in turmoil.
Year 973 CE, Chuigong Hall
“Bang!” Zhao Kuangyin slammed the memorial heavily onto the imperial desk. A printed shadow-blue footed bowl was swept to the ground. With a crisp shattering sound, the soup inside splattered everywhere, landing on Zhao Kuangyin’s cloud-dragon red gold striped gauze crimson robe, leaving scattered stains.
But no eunuch dared come to clean up. At this moment in Chuigong Hall, only Zhao Guangyi was present. Zhao Guangyi kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart. The memorial his elder brother had seen was one he had submitted, so he naturally knew why his brother was furious.
Actually, it wasn’t any major matter – just Commerce Prefect Lei Dexiang’s son Lei Youlin accusing Secretariat officials Hu Zan and Li Kedu of accepting bribes through connections, Shangcai County Registrar Liu Wei forging credentials to fraudulently obtain office, and several similar incidents. Actually, if taken individually, these matters were too trivial to be reported to the emperor, but when combined together, they pointed completely toward one person hidden behind all these affairs – Prime Minister Zhao Pu.
Without Zhao Pu’s protection, it would be impossible for anyone to dare deceive the sovereign and abuse power for personal gain.
Zhao Guangyi looked down at the cup and dish fragments still trembling on the ground, silently thinking that perhaps his elder brother had trusted Zhao Pu before, even treating him like family, often visiting his home and directly addressing Zhao Pu’s wife as sister-in-law. But as time passed, people change.
When his elder brother had been on the throne for just one year, following Zhao Pu’s advice, he had “released military power over cups of wine,” peacefully and perfectly resolving the issue of military generals holding too much power, taking military authority back into his own hands. His elder brother appointed Zhao Pu as Prime Minister, but this wasn’t truly being one person below the emperor and above ten thousand others. Zhao Kuangyin established the Bureau of Military Affairs to manage military matters and the Three Departments to manage finances, reducing the formerly all-powerful Prime Minister to handling only routine administrative affairs. He also separately established Assistant Administrators, Deputy Commissioners of Military Affairs, and Deputy Commissioners of the Three Departments as their respective assistants, creating mutual checks and constraints. Limiting the Prime Minister’s power to the smallest possible scope showed how heavy his suspicions of Zhao Pu were.
But even such precautions ultimately couldn’t put his mind at ease.
The cups and dishes on the ground finally stopped trembling. Zhao Guangyi bent down and carefully picked up the ceramic shards, slowly cleaning them up. This kind of work really didn’t need him to do, but he feared that if he didn’t do something, he’d have to say something. Rather than say the wrong thing, he’d rather do more work.
His elder brother sometimes appeared very magnanimous, Zhao Guangyi thought. Zhou Shizong Chai Rong’s young son hadn’t been killed but was instead enfeoffed as Prince of Zheng. One should know that those meritorious ministers were only posthumously enfeoffed as princes after death. His elder brother said that Great Song would have no living princes of different surnames in the future, but the first exception was that boy surnamed Chai. That boy probably posed no threat whatsoever. That surrendered Shu Ruler Meng Chang was also properly given official position, enjoying his full years before being posthumously enfeoffed as prince. That Li Yu in the south had recently been summoned to come to Bianjing Kaifeng but claimed illness and wouldn’t come. This refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit – it was estimated that troops would be sent to attack Southern Tang before long, and sooner or later he’d become the Last Ruler Li, coming to Kaifeng as an idle guest.
In other words, his elder brother was very tolerant toward people who posed no threat. But what about those who did pose a threat…
How can one allow others to sleep soundly beside one’s couch… the Ten Brothers of the Righteous Society, Zhao Pu… who would be next?
Zhao Guangyi’s hand shook, and the sharp ceramic shard cut across his index finger, blood immediately appearing. He clenched his index finger, restraining the turmoil in his heart.
He seemed to be too close to his elder brother – close to that distance that would arouse his elder brother’s suspicion. Though he believed in the brotherly bond between them, when he raised his head and saw his elder brother fingering the Heavenly Yue Axe in his hand, bone-chilling coldness involuntarily rose in his heart. The brocade cloth in his bosom hadn’t left his person since he’d found it again. The writing on it he could recite backwards, engraved deeply in his heart.
Those who wield this axe become greatly suspicious, bringing disaster to those around them…
“Transmit Our decree: order the Censorate to investigate. If the situation is confirmed, handle it severely.” Zhao Kuangyin’s icy voice slowly came. “Also, promote Assistant Administrators Xue Juzheng and Lü Yuqing to be concurrent chancellors, to discuss military and political affairs together with the Prime Minister.”
Zhao Guangyi prostrated himself to receive the decree, his finger stinging on the cold floor tiles.
He knew this was his elder brother publicly expressing distrust of Zhao Pu. Zhao Pu’s time as Prime Minister would last at most one or two months.
Bringing disaster to those around them… now one of his right-hand men was gone. What about him…
Year 976 CE
Candle shadows flickering, incense wafting, Zhao Guangyi filled a cup with Zhao Kuangyin’s favorite Puzhong wine. This Puzhong wine originated from Puzhou wine, famous throughout the realm since the Northern Zhou dynasty, remaining popular through the Sui and Tang. Whenever Zhao Kuangyin drank alcohol, he must drink this wine.
Seeing Zhao Kuangyin raise his cup and drain it in one gulp, Zhao Guangyi couldn’t help but worry and advise: “Imperial brother, you’re still ill – drinking alcohol harms the body.”
Zhao Kuangyin waved his hand dismissively: “It’s nothing, just a cold. It’s rare to steal a few days of leisure during illness. I called you over to drink – don’t spoil the mood.”
Zhao Guangyi smiled. His elder brother was diligent in government and loved the people. Since Zhao Pu had left office three years ago, all the large and small affairs of court were personally handled by Zhao Kuangyin – one could imagine how exhausting it would be. Seeing his complexion looked good, he stopped trying to dissuade him and reached out to fill another cup.
This cup Zhao Kuangyin wasn’t in a hurry to drink. It was already late at night, and he and Zhao Guangyi sat cross-legged at either end of a low table. For the two brothers to be alone together so intimately was an extremely rare scene in recent years. Zhao Kuangyin breathed in the rich wine fragrance and smiled slightly: “We two brothers haven’t been this close in many years.”
Hearing his elder brother not refer to himself as “We” in that sentence, his tone much more intimate, Zhao Guangyi let down the guard he’d always kept up in his heart. He smiled freely and raised his cup: “Indeed – today we won’t return until drunk.”
It had been years since anyone dared laugh so unrestrainedly in his presence. Zhao Kuangyin was extremely pleased, and the two pushed cups and exchanged toasts, drinking with great enjoyment. Both brothers were fierce generals who had fought their way through battlefields – they weren’t easily intoxicated. But since becoming emperor, Zhao Kuangyin rarely drank with an open heart, so after three rounds he was already somewhat tipsy.
“Thinking of my friendship with Shizong back then, I’m now taking good care of his son, which can be considered not failing his kindness in recognizing my worth…” With alcohol rising to his head and his tongue loosened, Zhao Kuangyin began rambling reminiscently. Zhao Guangyi continued filling his wine while listening, but paid it no mind. His elder brother keeping Chai Rong’s son alive was fishing for fame and winning hearts. A seven-year-old child was naturally much simpler to control – if that child had been an adult back then, his bones would probably have rotted long ago.
“The brothers from the Righteous Society – I granted them all military commissioner positions, gave them wealth and honor. Accumulate money, enjoy themselves thoroughly, ensure their descendants have no want. Isn’t this what being an official is for? One cup of wine! Just one cup of wine solved My greatest worry.” Zhao Kuangyin spoke proudly of the “release of military power over cups of wine” from years past.
Zhao Guangyi smiled and continued pouring wine. Those officers had all expressed tearful gratitude on the surface, but whether they were satisfied in their hearts was something he couldn’t know.
Those men were all heroic figures who had fought their way through millions on battlefields, yet after the release of military power over wine, they could only retire to their fields. What good man wouldn’t want to decide victory or defeat on the battlefield? Even dying wrapped in a horse’s hide would be better than being an idle rich man with nothing to do now. And now those leading troops in campaigns were all civil officials. Though this avoided military generals becoming too powerful, those civil officials were all armchair strategists – how could they know how to fight?
“Sigh, Zhao Pu, Zhao Pu… I regarded him as my right and left hands, consulting him on all matters great and small. But how did he repay Me? When court officials wanted to see Me, Zhao Pu actually required them to first submit statements confirming their memorials dared not contradict current policies before permitting them to enter the hall. He also placed a large ceramic jar in the administrative pavilion – if he didn’t plan to adopt external memorials and reports, he wouldn’t even report them upward, directly throwing them into the jar to burn. That year’s memorial from Lei Youlin – if you hadn’t personally submitted it, Guangyi, I would probably still be kept in the dark!” The more Zhao Kuangyin spoke, the angrier he became, drinking wine as if it were water.
Zhao Guangyi continued smiling and pouring wine. He knew his elder brother tonight just wanted someone to confide in – his job was only to listen, not to agree. Speaking too much leads to mistakes – this was the principle he’d learned for dealing with the world over these years. Moreover, regarding Zhao Pu’s matter, if calculated strictly, it wasn’t Zhao Pu’s responsibility alone. Regarding corruption and bribery, in the sixth year of Kaibao reign, the King of Wuyue Qian Liu, in order to preserve his precarious position, had specially sent someone to deliver a letter to Zhao Pu, gifting ten bottles of melon seed gold, and was caught red-handed by his elder brother who had arrived uninvited. Zhao Pu had been frightened senseless at the time, but his elder brother had casually joked about it, instead advising Zhao Pu to accept what was clearly a bribe.
If his elder brother hadn’t deliberately indulged him, how could Zhao Pu have gained such overwhelming power in court? His elder brother truly had excellent methods – harboring suspicions of Zhao Pu in his heart yet unwilling to damage his own reputation for tolerance, so he employed tactics to let Zhao Pu ruin his own reputation. When things became unbearable and Zhao Pu had earned the anger of all officials, then he dismissed Zhao Pu from office.
Imperial methods were indeed inscrutable as Heaven’s might.