Chapter 99

Zhao Gou fondly stroked the golden Buddha, which was his great-grandfather's most cherished possession. He had seen it since childhood, and it had always been revered. He would even be scolded if he got too close. Now, this golden Buddha belonged to him again.

"Your Majesty!"

Lü Yihao slowly said beside him, "From this, it is evident that Chen Qing is indeed loyal to Your Majesty. This golden Buddha can be sold for ten thousand strings of cash in the black market, yet he was not tempted in the slightest."

"I understand!"

Zhao Gou happily said, "I will certainly reward him well and commend his loyalty and patriotism. He has won the battle against Wanyan Huonü, bringing me great honor!"

Lü Yihao knew when to stop and did not need to say more. Seeing that the emperor was still admiring the golden Buddha, he smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please enjoy it! I will take my leave first."

Lü Yihao left and walked out of the Chui Gong Hall, where he met Qin Hui hurrying over. Qin Hui had led a group of Song officials in negotiations with Jurchen envoys that morning, and the talks had just concluded.

"Minister Qin, how did the negotiations go?"

"Basically, we reached an agreement."

Lü Yihao was taken aback, "So quickly?"

Qin Hui smiled bitterly, "This is not a formal peace treaty, but just a temporary ceasefire. Both sides have low demands, and it is easy to tear up, so it was relatively easy to reach a consensus."

"After reporting to the emperor, we will take it to the Council of State for discussion."

"Of course, Minister Lü, please wait a moment, I will come over soon."

Qin Hui bowed and quickly walked to the imperial study. At this time, Emperor Zhao Gou had already ordered the eunuchs to send the golden Buddha to his meditation room. Chen Qing certainly deserved a reward, but it could wait.

"Your Majesty, Minister Qin has arrived!"

"Let him come in quickly."

Zhao Gou was waiting for Qin Hui to report on the negotiations with the Jurchen envoys!

The Jurchens' offer of a one-year ceasefire was a pleasant surprise, and he was more than willing to accept it.

"Your humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty!" Qin Hui entered and bowed.

"Exempt from the formalities, please be seated!"

Qin Hui sat down, and Zhao Gou, unable to contain his eagerness, asked, "How did the negotiations go?"

"Your Majesty, the negotiations went smoothly, and some agreements have been reached. For example, both sides agreed to a one-year temporary ceasefire, with the Yangtze River as the boundary in the east, and both sides will withdraw their troops."

"Will the Jurchens also promise not to attack the northwest?"

"No, they only promised the south of the Yangtze River, and even the Jingxiang region is not guaranteed."

Zhao Gou walked a few steps with his hands behind his back and asked, "Minister Qin, what do you think is their intention?"

"Your humble servant believes they have two intentions: first, to stabilize the north, as there are too many resistance forces in the north, which they find difficult to control; second, to support the puppet state of Qi, giving it a year to consolidate."

Zhao Gou smiled and asked, "Is it not to mobilize troops to Shaanxi?"

"Your Majesty, many people say the Jurchens are negotiating to focus on attacking Shaanxi, but your humble servant does not agree with this view!"

"Why?"

"Your Majesty! The Jurchens have already gathered over ten thousand troops in the Shaanxi region, led by Wanyan Wushu. The eastern front is led by Wanyan Zhanhan, and these are two separate strategic deployments. Your humble servant believes the Jurchen troops in Shaanxi are sufficient, and there is no need to mobilize troops from the east. The mobilization theory does not hold."

Zhao Gou nodded, acknowledging Qin Hui's perspective. The mobilization theory was indeed a bit far-fetched.

Qin Hui continued, "Your Majesty, we can use this year to eliminate bandits in various regions, such as Cao Cheng in the south, Yang Mo in the Dongting Lake, and the remnants of Li Cheng. This is an opportunity for both sides."

"Your words are wise. To repel external threats, we must first stabilize the internal. If bandits are not eliminated, the people will not unite, and resources will be insufficient. These bandits are a major concern for me. What other conditions are difficult to reach?"

"Your Majesty, there are two main conditions that are difficult to reach. First, they require us to withdraw all troops from the Huai River and Yangtze River to the south. Second, they require a guarantee in Your Majesty's name that the Song army will not advance north for a year."

Zhao Gou was also troubled. The second condition was not a problem, but the first one, withdrawing all troops from the Huai River and Yangtze River, would mean abandoning all previous efforts.

Zhao Gou pondered for a moment and said, "Let the Council of State discuss it. If necessary, we can discuss it in the imperial court."

"Your humble servant understands. Additionally, there is another important matter to report."

"What is it?"

"Your Majesty, the Jurchens are willing to release the Empress Dowager under certain conditions."

"What!"

Zhao Gou stood up, surprised and delighted, "Is this true?"

"Wanyan Chang said it himself, but there are conditions."

"What conditions?"

"They propose to exchange the Empress Dowager for Chen Qing."

Zhao Gou's eyes widened. Exchange for Chen Qing?

"Why?"

"It is the Jurchen emperor's intention. They want to use Chen Qing to sacrifice to Wanyan Lou Shi."

Zhao Gou slumped into his seat, the hope that had just risen was quickly extinguished. Even if he agreed, the officials and the military would not.

Qin Hui whispered, "Your Majesty, your humble servant also finds this difficult. However, Chen Qing is just a low-ranking officer, not a major general. Compared to the Empress Dowager's safety and Your Majesty's filial piety, a minor officer is not important."

"This... Let me think about it!"

Zhao Gou was truly at a loss. He wanted his mother to return, but he did not want to anger the military, especially the Western Army.

Qin Hui continued, "The officials who negotiated with me all believe that bringing back the Empress Dowager is a matter of national importance. It is a disgrace for a country's Empress Dowager to be held captive by the enemy. Therefore, I believe most officials will support Your Majesty in bringing her back. As for the military, I believe they will understand Your Majesty's filial heart, and Zhang Jun will prioritize the greater good."

"I still need to think about it."

Seeing that the emperor was indecisive, Qin Hui changed his approach, "Your humble servant knows that Chen Qing is about to return to the northwest. I suggest temporarily placing him under house arrest until this matter is resolved, and then releasing him is not too late."

Zhao Gou walked a few steps with his hands behind his back. He knew this was not right, but he was convinced by Qin Hui.

"Let it be so!"

......

Chen Qing had completed his procedures at the Ministry of War, feeling light and free. He had entrusted 1,500 strings of cash to Huyan Tong to give to Li Qingzhao as an advance for her copying work.

Of course, the price for copying was exorbitant, but this money was actually Chen Qing's support for Li Qingzhao, so she would not worry about her livelihood and could create more timeless masterpieces.

Chen Qing had already booked a private room at the Hu Kou Wine House, planning to have a hearty drink with Huyan Tong and Liu Qiong at noon, and then leave Lin'an for the west in the afternoon.

Chen Qing intended to return by boat, as his warhorse was borrowed from Han Shizhong and needed to be returned to Huyan Tong.

The boat was already booked, and he would travel along the Grand Canal to the Yangtze River, then up the Yangtze to Chengdu, and from Chengdu to Hanzhong. The journey would take at least a month.

In the archery competition, he won a total of 4,500 strings of cash. Normally, winning such a large sum would be difficult to collect, but the Qian family, due to his victory over Wanyan Huonü, readily paid him. This was the largest gambling payout in the history of the Fengle Building in Lin'an.

He deposited 3,000 strings of cash in the Baoji Money House, which he could withdraw in Chengdu.

Chen Qing quickly arrived at the Donghua Gate to retrieve his stored sword and then head to the Hu Kou Wine House.

Just as he reached the Donghua Gate, he suddenly heard a loud shout, "Act!"

Instantly, hundreds of soldiers with spears and bows rushed out from both sides of the city gate, surrounding him. Dozens of cold arrows were aimed at Chen Qing.

"What are you doing?" Chen Qing asked angrily.

Yang Xizhong, the commander of the palace guards, stepped forward and bowed, "General Chen, I am ordered to invite you to rest for two days. Please come with me!"

"I want to know the reason," Chen Qing insisted.

"I am not clear about the specific reason, but I am just following orders. I assure you it is not imprisonment, just a request for you to rest for two days."

"Is it house arrest?" Chen Qing asked coldly.

Yang Xizhong did not respond, implicitly confirming it.

"Wait!" someone shouted from behind.

Chen Qing turned around and saw Lü Yihao running breathlessly.

"Commander Yang, hold on!"

Chen Qing moved forward but was blocked by the soldiers with their spears.

Lü Yihao smiled at Yang Xizhong, "Commander Yang, there is no need to worry. I can guarantee that General Chen will not try to escape or take me hostage."

Yang Xizhong pondered for a moment and nodded, and the soldiers stepped aside.

Lü Yihao approached Chen Qing and whispered, "I just heard that the Jurchen envoys proposed to exchange you for the Empress Dowager. This has caused a strong reaction in the court, and the emperor is in a difficult position. You will have to stay in Lin'an for two days. Rest assured, I will argue for your safe departure."

Chen Qing could hardly believe his ears. To use him to exchange for the Empress Dowager? He chuckled, "The Jurchens are overestimating me!"

"Ah! You killed Wanyan Lou Shi, which the Jurchen emperor considers a great humiliation, so they offered a reward of 100,000 strings of cash for you. But as a noble Song dynasty, how can we use an anti-Jurchen general for a trade? I believe all the officials will oppose this absurd trade."

Chen Qing suddenly thought of Yue Fei, who was also traded in a similar manner.

"Minister Lü, if I may speak frankly, Wanyan Chang is much more important than Wanyan Lou Shi. Why not detain him and exchange him for the Empress Dowager?"

"That is not the way to speak. In a war between two countries, one does not kill the envoy. The court provided a guarantee, so Wanyan Chang dared to come to Lin'an."

Chen Qing snorted inwardly, truly pedantic. If it were him, he would definitely use Wanyan Chang to exchange for the Empress Dowager, or even the two emperors.

Chen Qing did not say more. After a moment of silence, he said, "I will follow the minister's arrangements, but I must remind you that last night, Wanyan Huonü could have easily shot me with an arrow, but he did not. This shows that the Jurchens' true intention is not my head, but to demoralize the Song army, especially the Western Army, to prepare for a second attack on Dasha Pass. This is clearly a Jurchen strategy to sow discord. If the court falls for it, Sichuan will be lost."

With that, Chen Qing bowed to Lü Yihao and turned to Yang Xizhong, "Let's go."

Lü Yihao stood there for a moment, sighed deeply, and hurried to the imperial study.