Late Song Dynasty: From Imposter Magistrate to Emperor Donning the Imperial Robe

Chapter 100 Angelic Horse Administration

Seeing Yang Chengde being blocked at the door, Li Chong sneered, showing no intention of helping him out.

He secretly kept the news from himself, so his intentions were obvious. Why bother helping him?

Besides, judging from the soldier's indifferent attitude, it's uncertain whether my words as the county magistrate will have any effect. It's better not to humiliate myself.

Turning back, Li Chong followed Pharmacist Gao into the post station.

"Brother Yaoshi, may I ask what position you hold in the court? And what official business do you have accompanying Lord Ma on this mission?"

Li Chong asked tentatively, then immediately added, "Of course, if there's anything you'd rather not say, Brother Yao, you don't need to tell me."

Pharmacist Gao gave a wry smile and then shook his head: "What position? What official position do I have? I am already grateful that the officials have given me a job because they see that I am still of some use. How could I dare to ask for any official position?"

At this point, Pharmacist Gao couldn't help but sigh.

Li Chong's eyes darted around, and he thought to himself, "This guy has a story, and he seems to still harbor resentment towards Zhao Ji."

Li Chong was unaware that Pharmacist Gao was not actually a Song person, but a Han Chinese from the Liao Dynasty.

As the Liao Dynasty weakened and internal turmoil occurred frequently, Gao Yaoshi and more than two hundred friends and relatives boarded a ship to cross the sea and prepare to go to Goryeo to escape the chaos.

Unexpectedly, the sea breeze was so strong that it blew them all to Tuoji Island, which belonged to the Song Dynasty.

Wang Shizhong, the then prefect of Dengzhou, met them and later mentioned the matter in his report to Emperor Huizong of Song. The arrival of Gao Yaoshi and others brought important intelligence to the Northern Song Dynasty.

The Jurchens raised the banner of rebellion against the Liao Dynasty and continued to attack and seize former Khitan territories. They have now advanced to the west of the Liao River and become a force to be reckoned with.

In fact, as early as the fourth year of the Zhenghe reign of the Northern Song Dynasty, Wanyan Aguda had already started a rebellion. However, the Northern Song Dynasty had always been complacent in its civil administration and military affairs, and it was also plagued by Emperor Huizong of Song, a tyrannical ruler.

He was so focused on cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao that he had no idea about the changing situation in the region between the white mountains and black waters.

But now, a golden opportunity has presented itself, and Zhao Ji couldn't help but be tempted.

He first sent Gao Yaoshi across the sea under the pretext of buying horses to contact the Jurchens and explore the possibility of allying with the Jin to attack the Liao.

However, Gao Yaoshi's initial attempt was unsuccessful. Upon seeing the Jurchen patrolling soldiers on the shore, he dared not approach and was nearly shot to death. Thus, he had no choice but to return in frustration.

Emperor Huizong and his ministers believed that Gao Yaoshi's lack of official rank and title was the reason why he had not attracted the attention of the Jurchens.

Thus, the mission that Li Chong met took place, with Wuyi Dafu Ma Zheng as the chief envoy, and crossed the sea to the Jurchens again.

It can only be said that Emperor Huizong and his ministers were truly naive. To the Jurchens at that time, the official titles of the Northern Song Dynasty were probably like a heavenly book, and they could not distinguish between high and low officials.

Historically, if it weren't for the efforts of the Pharmacist Gao, the Jurchen patrol would probably have killed them on the spot after stealing their gifts.

As for Ma Zhongfu, the military officer, he probably couldn't even speak properly at that time.

However, since Gao Yaoshi was merely a powerful figure and a Han Chinese from an enemy state, what benefits could Emperor Huizong and his ministers possibly offer him? He was given nothing more than a nominal position in the army.

For Pharmacist Gao, his repeated crossings of the sea and his near-death experiences were certainly not for these empty titles.

However, at this time, Gao Yaoshi still harbored illusions about Emperor Huizong and his ministers, after all, he had messed up his mission last time.

He was still hoping that if he handled this matter well, his superiors would reward him with a promising future, so after only a moment of dejection, Pharmacist Gao cheered up again.

Of course, Li Chong is currently unaware of the reasons behind this, only guessing that the team is going to contact the Jin Kingdom, and is still carefully verifying this.

Seeing that Pharmacist Gao first suppressed his emotions and then perked up again, Li Chong made a series of wild guesses in his mind.

Pharmacist Gao then instructed Li Chong, "As for the purpose of our mission, do not inquire. It is a confidential matter and cannot be discussed with outsiders."

"Of course, I won't ask anymore." Li Chong nodded repeatedly, becoming more certain of his guess.

"When you meet Lord Zhongfu later, don't say much, just give him a proper reply. Lord Zhongfu is always kind, so I don't think he will make things difficult for you."

Li Chong then thanked him again.

Before long, the two arrived in front of the house, and Pharmacist Gao gestured for Li Chong to go inside.

After straightening his clothes, Li Chong stepped into the room with some trepidation.

There weren't many people in the room. A middle-aged scholar sat at the head of the table, presumably the envoy Ma Zhongfu.

Sitting below was a pale-faced, beardless man with a delicate, effeminate appearance; it was obvious without asking that he was a eunuch from the inner court.

A young man stood beside them, serving them; he looked quite heroic.

The three of them looked at Li Chong at the same time, creating a strong sense of pressure.

Li Chong bowed his head and stepped forward a few paces: "This humble official greets Lord Ma. I apologize for any shortcomings in my welcome."

Ma Zheng waved his hand: "I have no other official position and cannot be considered your superior. Get up."

Pointing to the eunuch beside him, he introduced, "This is Chief Eunuch Zhang of the Inner Palace Secretariat. Please greet him."

Li Chong had gained some understanding of the official system of the Northern Song Dynasty in recent days. He knew that the Inner Palace Attendants were close confidants of Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji).

This eunuch was indeed no good.

With such important people being sent out, Li Chong became increasingly certain that they were probably going to cross the sea to contact the Jin Kingdom's allied forces.

"Zhang Duzhi," Li Chongxing greeted him.

Zhang An gave a casual "hmm" in his throat, taking it as an agreement.

Immediately, Zhang An looked at Ma Zheng impatiently: "Why did Lord Zhongfu summon him here? Didn't he say that this trip must be kept secret? We should stay overnight and set off early tomorrow morning. The Emperor is still waiting for a reply."

Glancing at Zhang An, Ma Zheng cursed inwardly, "He really is a eunuch! All he knows is how to curry favor with the emperor!"

He was handling a matter of national importance, how could he possibly send in a eunuch? But since it was Zhao Ji's decree, Ma Zheng had no choice but to patiently explain.

"So many people came to greet us outside the city today, making quite a fuss. Who knows if someone might spread the news? This journey is of great importance, and we must ensure that the news doesn't leak out. We need to stop for a few days to sort things out before continuing our journey, otherwise, wouldn't we be delaying our important mission?"

After hearing Ma Zheng's explanation, Zhang An turned his attention to Li Chong.

"You scoundrel! Didn't the people we sent say that all we needed to do was arrange the lodging? Who told you to make such a big show of welcoming them outside the city?"

Li Chong feigned a look of panic: "Lord Ma and Lord Zhang are both well aware of the situation, but I was truly unaware of it. The welcoming ceremony was handled entirely by the county clerk, and I was in the countryside at the time, only learning of it later."

Ma Zheng frowned: "You also came from a family that passed the imperial examinations, yet when faced with problems, all you know how to do is shirk responsibility to your subordinates. Where have all those years of studying the classics gone?"

Upon hearing Li Chong's words, Ma Zheng assumed he was shirking responsibility and immediately felt a surge of displeasure.