Chapter 89: Delivering the Edict to All People

  In the following days, the palace gate became an open-air inn. The people from Zhongyuan were divided into two groups: one group was in the city giving lectures and distributing propaganda materials, while the other group sat quietly at the palace gate, shouting slogans, becoming a striking scene in Lin'an City, making passersby and high-ranking officials stare in amazement.

  In Lin'an City, there was soon a leak: It is said that although the Jin people went south, all three routes of the Jin army were defeated by the various routes of the Song army. The Song army has now recovered a large area of rivers and mountains. The most advanced one, led by Yue Fei's mobile barracks rear guard, has already fought to the vicinity of Bianjing. At this time of great victory, why should we retreat?

  After learning the news, the people of Lin'an City felt that something was wrong: although the Song army had won a great victory on the front line, recovered a large area of land and rivers, and the Jin army had been defeated, why did the Song army have to retreat, leading these civilians to flee to Lin'an to petition?

  There is no wall that doesn't let wind through, and as for Qin Hui, he was still far from being able to cover the sky with one hand in the imperial court at this time. Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun had lost power, but they were still holding the prestigious position of Can Zheng Zhi Shi in the court, although it was an idle job without any real power, and they had not been dismissed.

  Their disciples and former subordinates saw this as a great opportunity to attack Qin Hui and other pro-peace factions, and naturally did not want to let it go. So, they sent people to spread rumors in Lin'an: At the time of the great victory on the front line, instead of pursuing the victory, the behind-the-scenes mastermind who ordered the withdrawal of various Song armies was actually Prime Minister Qin Hui.

  This immediately caused a stir in Lin'an City, brewing an anti-Qin movement. Some angry people smashed the gate of the Qin Mansion with stones that night and even attempted to rush into the mansion, which really frightened Qin Hui.

  Fortunately, the city guard reacted quickly and immediately dispatched troops to surround Qin's residence, prohibiting ordinary people from approaching. After arresting several leading civilians, they finally managed to suppress the situation. However, as a result, Qin Hui's reputation plummeted, causing some officials who had originally planned to defect from Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun to reconsider due to concerns about their own reputation.

  Zhao Gou could no longer sit still, so many common people had been quietly sitting in the square in front of the imperial palace for a long time, and most of them were scholars, which was really detrimental to the view.

  Many foreign merchants and envoys lived in Lin'an, and officials and merchants from all over the country often came to do business. The impact of this "Central Plains People's Petition Team" had gradually spread throughout the country, making him lose face.

  However, although Zhao Gou was extremely dissatisfied, he could do nothing about these literati.

  Because the Song Dynasty was originally a dynasty that valued literature over military affairs, it followed the idea of the emperor and scholars governing the country together. As long as literati did not commit treason, they would not be sentenced to death, at most they would only be exiled to remote areas.

  These scholars sat quietly in the square, waiting to meet the emperor, and did not violate any laws of the Song Dynasty. Even if someone commented on the government, thinking it was inappropriate to withdraw troops at a time of great victory, this too conformed to the prevailing custom among Song Dynasty scholars of commenting on government affairs.

  In the Song Dynasty, the rule of law has always been highly valued. To convict a person of a crime, an investigation and trial must be conducted, with real evidence obtained to prove that they have violated the laws of the Song Dynasty before a sentence can be passed. Unlike other dynasties where the emperor's whim could decide life or death, this approach does not work in the Song Dynasty.

  Moreover, the banners and slogans shouted by these common people from the Central Plains and the literati who followed him were all in support of the Great Song and this emperor, which made Zhao Gou neither angry nor amused.

  These people are neither easy to catch nor can be beaten, and they really make Zhao Gou feel like a mouse gnawing at a hedgehog, with no place to start, which makes him rack his brains.

  Later on, he finally figured it out. These common people just wanted to see him, so he might as well meet with them and see what their demands were.

  Zhao Gou finally issued an order to announce that he would meet with the representatives of the "Central Plains People's Petition Group" in front of the imperial palace gate, to understand what their demands were.

  The Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty arrived at the front gate of the imperial palace, accompanied by two eunuchs and hundreds of Imperial Guards. Before him stood a sea of people, all standing, numbering in the tens of thousands.

  In front of them were hundreds of scholars dressed in various attire. They had been waiting for a long time to see the emperor, and they were all very excited when he finally came out to meet them.

  A loud-voiced strong man standing on the left side of the team immediately shouted: "Long live the Great Song! Long live Your Majesty!"

  At his shout, the thousands of people on the square all knelt down and shouted together: "Long live the Great Song! Long live Your Majesty!"

  The sound was so loud that Zhao Gou felt his ears ringing. Usually, he would only see dozens of officials shouting "Long live the Emperor" in front of him, but this time there were thousands of people shouting together, which opened his eyes wide and put a few proud colors on his face.

  After the three cheers of "Long Live", Zhao Gou smiled and raised his hand, saying: "All officials..." Only then did he realize that the people in front of him were not officials, so he hastily changed his words to: "Everyone, at ease!"

  At this time, under the leadership of Wang Tong and Zhang Zeduan, thousands of people on the square stood up.

  "Gentlemen, you are all my children and subjects. Although you are in the Central Plains, your loyalty to the great Song Dynasty and love for our country have deeply moved me. I don't know what grievances you have, please tell me!"

  Wang Tong took a look at Zhao Gou, and saw that he was about 37 or 38 years old. His eyes were narrow and long, and when he narrowed them, they looked like a slit. His face was still quite handsome, but his spirit was worn out, and it was clear that he had indulged in too much wine and women. He wore a yellow dragon robe, with a golden crown on his head, which gave him a rather dignified and majestic air, the kind of aura that came from being in a high position for a long time.

  Zhang Zetong took a step forward at this time and said excitedly: "I wonder if the official still remembers the old minister?"

  Zhaogou saw that in front of him was an old scholar with some white hair, over sixty years old, tall and slender, wearing a blue long shirt, his hair combed back on top of his head, inserted with a ordinary wooden hairpin, his face already had many wrinkles, but his skin was still relatively fair, with a long mustache.

  Zhao Gou felt that this person looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall who it was.

  "Your Majesty, I am Zhang Zeduan, the old minister who served in the Painting Academy during the previous emperor's reign! I once even asked you to review my 'Qingming Shanghe Tu'!" Zhang Zeduan said excitedly.

  Zhao Gou immediately became emotional and said: "Ah! I remember now! You are actually Zhang the painter! After Bianjing fell, your whereabouts were unknown, some people said you had already passed away, I didn't expect you to still be in the north!"

  He finally remembered who Zhang Zetong was at this time.

  "Along the River During Qingming Festival" was quite famous at that time, and his father Huizong liked it very much. He even signed it personally and stamped it with his own small double dragon seal. After Zhang Zeduan finished painting, Huizong had all his sons come to see it, and that was when he saw Zhang Zeduan.

  "The emperor still remembers me, I have no regrets even in death!" Zhang Zetian was already moved to tears.

  Then he told the situation that he had to hide himself near Bianjing after the Jingkang Incident, and especially when talking about the atrocities of the Jin army and the hardships of the people, he was already crying.

  Behind him were mostly members of this petition group, all of whom felt deeply moved and the scene was filled with sobbing.

  Zhao Gou was also somewhat moved, and blurted out: "Zhang Aiqing, since it's so hard for you in the north, why don't you just come back to Lin'an? I also appreciate your paintings. How about becoming my court painter?"

  Zhang Zetong heard this and immediately knelt down, knocking his head three times. He said loudly: "The official's love for the old minister is really moving. We common people have no other requests, we just hope that the official can let the army slow down its withdrawal for a few days, so that we, the people of the Central Plains, can pack up our belongings and follow the army south!"

  Zhao Gou listened and casually said: "Alright..."

  The eunuch Wang, who was in charge of the imperial guards behind him, hastily whispered to his ear: "Hasn't the official family already issued an edict about withdrawing troops? If you want to delay the withdrawal, I'm afraid you'll have to discuss it with Prime Minister Qin!"

  Zhao Gou then recalled, he had regained his composure and said in a deep voice: "I have understood Zhang's intention, but delaying the withdrawal of troops is a major military matter, involving the allocation of soldiers and grain, and resettling so many civilians is not a small matter either. Does the minister have a memorial to present?"

  Zhang Zetian was naturally well-prepared and took the finished "Petition of the People" from Wang Tong's hands, presenting it to the authorities. He and Wang Tong had divided their tasks according to Yue Yun's arrangement beforehand. Wang Tong was in charge of internal affairs, responsible for organizing and planning. Zhang Zetian was in charge of external affairs, responsible for submitting the petition and making public declarations.

  Zhao Gou took a rough look and saw that the number of words in this petition was really too many, so he said to Zhang Zetong: "Zhang Ai is not easy to return south to Lin'an, it's really hard work. I think we might as well withdraw first! It's not a good idea to sit at the gate of the imperial palace all the time!"

  Zhang Zetong's face turned solemn as he said, "The imperial edict is something that this old minister should originally follow, but since it concerns the livelihood and safety of tens of millions of people in the Central Plains, I really cannot help but ask boldly: when can Your Majesty give us an answer?"

  "Zhang Zetong, how dare you! You actually dared to question the official like this!" Wang Gonggong, the chief eunuch standing beside Zhao Gou, shouted loudly.

  "Old Wang, don't do this! Zhang Aiqing is also concerned about the people!" Zhao Gou knew the importance of maintaining his imperial demeanor in front of so many civilians and palace guards. He was able to escape to Jiangnan in a state of panic and still received unanimous support from officials all over the country, which was not something an ordinary person could do.

  He thought for a moment and then said to Zhang Zetong: "Zhang Ai, three days later, I will definitely give you a satisfactory reply!"

  Zhang Zetong was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately knelt down to kowtow, expressing his gratitude: "Thank you for your concern, Your Honor! I will definitely dedicate myself to the great Song Dynasty, and die only after exhausting my efforts!"

  Immediately, hundreds of literati behind him and thousands of civilians knelt down and kowtowed: "Long live the Emperor! Long live! Long long live!" The scene was magnificent, giving Zhao Gou full face.

  Zhao Gou couldn't help but reveal a hint of a smile on his face, he waved to the people who had already started packing up their stalls and then turned around and walked into the imperial palace.

  Looking at Zhao Gou's receding back, Zhang Zetian couldn't help but ask Wang Tong beside him: "Wen Qing, do you think the government will agree to our request?"

  Wang Tong smiled slightly and said in a low voice, "This matter is very tricky. Whether the officials agree or not, it's a dilemma. However, I think the courtiers are all wise men and should be able to come up with a solution that benefits both sides. If they really can't think of anything, they will definitely let General Yue temporarily not withdraw his troops, which would also achieve our goal!"

  In fact, there were some hidden things that he didn't mention, that is, among the officials in the court, especially those who opposed the withdrawal of troops and shouted the loudest, many of them secretly took advantage of themselves, otherwise how could they be so desperate to publicize for their own side.

  Zhao Gou returned to his own imperial study within the palace and opened up that scroll of the "Book of Ten Thousand Peoples", beginning to carefully read it.

  After he finished reading the contents of this book, his face suddenly changed, and he stood up to say to Wang Gong: "Old Wang, you immediately go and call for Prime Minister Qin! I have an urgent matter to discuss with him!"

  The eunuch who was waiting on one side responded with a "yes" and was about to go out when he was called back again by Zhao Gou.

  "I have thought it over carefully, and I might as well call in Zhao Ding and Zhang Ju to discuss this matter together. This affair is too big and too thorny! I also made a promise to the people that I would give them a satisfactory answer within three days, but it's really putting me in a difficult position."