At the General's Residence in Han Chang'an, Zhang Fei quietly nudged the warming brazier a little closer to his own legs.
Ma Chao, who was sitting beside him, immediately became even more unhappy.
With one smooth stretch of his long arms, he dragged the brazier back toward himself.
Zhang Fei's eyebrows slowly stood up. He stared at the famous Jin Ma Chao of Yong and Liang and flashed a very "friendly" smile, showing two rows of dazzling white teeth.
"That Yan Xing. On foot, three moves and he dropped his weapon and surrendered. On horseback, five exchanges and he lost."
As he spoke, Zhang Fei slowly lifted his chin higher and higher, then summarized with four words:
"Nothing special."
Seeing Zhang Fei practically looking down on people with his nostrils, Ma Chao instantly exploded.
"That Yan Xing only caught me off guard when his name wasn't well known. Otherwise, I would have speared him off his horse within three moves."
How Yan Xing used that result to brag all over Yong and Liang was something Ma Chao, as the person involved, naturally knew far too well.
Zhang Fei slowly lowered his head and looked Ma Mengqi up and down from head to toe with a judging gaze, then let out a half laughing "ha."
He did not say a single word.
That somehow made Ma Chao even angrier. He stood up on the spot, clearly intending to drag Zhang Fei outside to settle it with fists and spears.
"Third Brother." Liu Bei pressed his forehead and scolded lightly.
Zhang Fei could only mutter.
"Fine, fine, I believe you, Ma Mengqi, alright?"
"Still, I say that Yan Xing is nothing special."
Ma Chao was so angry he nearly coughed blood. If Jian Yong had not stepped in to mediate, he would absolutely have gone outside to decide life and death with this black brute.
The noisy atmosphere in the hall was suddenly interrupted by the abrupt unfolding of the light screen.
Zhang Fei smacked his lips, looking bored.
"Why is it always brothers killing brothers again? Those royal blood brothers, forget comparing to me and Big Brother and Second Brother."
"Even compared to Mengqi and his cousin Ma Dai, they are way worse."
Ma Chao thought to himself that the Third General finally said something human. Ma Dai was not his biological brother, but they were basically as close as blood.
"I remember, when Mengqi vomited blood and died early, he was even crying and entrusting Ma Dai to Big Brother…"
"Zhang Yide!" Ma Chao roared.
"Why are you yelling so loud?"
Zhang Fei was unhappy, then immediately became flustered.
"Hey hey, why are you sneak attacking like Yan Xing?"
"If you have guts, go outside and fight me on foot for a hundred rounds."
Jian Yong sighed helplessly. Liu Bei rubbed his head. Kongming and the others were already used to this. Lu Su stood there completely dumbfounded.
…
Inside Ganlu Hall, Pei Xingjian looked at everything before him with pure curiosity.
But after receiving his master's warning earlier, he firmly remembered the rule of watching more, listening more, remembering more, and speaking less. His eyes darted around, but his mouth stayed shut.
He saw ministers and generals gathered together. The Emperor and Empress were both present. The imperial physicians sat in place.
Even the Small Treasury officials looked as if facing a great enemy. Ink, paperweights, and paper were already prepared. After hearing the report of the hour, they even hung up their brushes, as if preparing for something serious.
His master also looked like he was about to doze off, but from time to time still raised his head to glance at the blank wall.
This atmosphere reminded Pei Xingjian of the Qinghai battlefield. Before a great battle, it also felt this unbearable.
Fortunately, it did not take long.
With the report of the exact quarter hour, Pei Xingjian watched as a light that seemed to come from nowhere, like a divine miracle, rose up like a coiling dragon and snake, then in an instant occupied the entire blank wall.
Even without turning his head to look at the whole hall, Pei Xingjian could feel that with the appearance of the light screen, even His Majesty seemed to quietly let out a breath.
Li Jing also visibly relaxed. When he turned his head, he saw his beloved disciple looking left and right.
"What is Shouyue looking at?"
Even Li Shimin looked over. Most people, when seeing the light screen, were shocked and suspicious. Someone like Pei Xingjian, who was not afraid at all and instead looked around with slight disappointment, was a first.
"Master, where is the Mysterious Lady? Where are the seven colored clouds? Where are the Yellow Turban strongmen? Why don't I see the River Lord or the Water Lords?"
Li Jing was speechless.
Li Shimin burst out laughing and directly joined in.
"Shouyue is still thinking about those things? If there is anything you want to see, just ask your master."
"When Yaoshi lives a hundred more years, he will be granted a divine rank as a Heavenly King. River Lords, Water Lords, Mysterious Ladies, auspicious beasts, all will have to follow your master's command."
Those words made Pei Xingjian's eyes light up. Without hesitation, he said:
"Master, I want to ride a qilin and meet the Mysterious Lady."
Li Jing gave Pei Xingjian a look of pure disgust.
Back in Liangzhou he looked pretty smart. How did he become this foolish now.
But seeing that the light screen had already started speaking, Li Jing did not bother arguing. He turned his back to his disciple, peeled a grape, and focused on watching.
Strictly speaking, he had been busy with the Tuyuhun war since New Year's Day. This was truly rare leisure time.
The screen began:
[Lightscreen]
[In early 1100 AD, the Song Emperor Zhezong, Zhao Xu, died at only twenty five years old.
This Song ruler ascended the throne at nine, took personal control at seventeen. During his fifteen year reign, he fought two campaigns at Pingxia City that forced Western Xia into submission, and recovered Qinghai and Huangshui regions.
Externally he showed military strength. Internally he pushed reforms. Though far from perfect, he was undeniably one of the rare exceptions among Northern Song emperors. Later generations even called his reign the final flash of light before the Northern Song's decline.
Why call it a final flash? Because Zhezong died without a son. Following the old tradition of brother to brother succession left by Taizu and Taizong, his younger brother, Prince Duan Zhao Ji, was enthroned.
This man later became the famous Song Huizong, also known as the foolish lord of Jin and Prince of Tianshui.
After ascending the throne, Song Huizong quickly found himself in the same awkward position as Song Taizong.
Same brother to brother succession. Same lack of a clear imperial will. Same persecution of imperial clansmen who had legitimate claims.
To the common people, Zhezong was a young ruler who had restored honor against Western Xia. Scholars in Bianliang often missed him. Some bold ones even compared him to Taizu.
As a result, discussion about the true cause of Song Taizu's death was dragged out again.
Song Huizong could not prove that Song Zhezong died naturally, so he chose the stupidest possible method.
In the second year of Chongning, he banned the writings of eleven people including the Three Sus, and added an extra forbidden book: Xiangshan Yelu.
Because grassroots enforcement in Northern Song was far weaker than in later dynasties, the official ban only made the book spread even more widely among the people.
Once it spread, the people naturally wanted to know what hit Song Huizong's nerves. For a culture that loved literature, this was easy. Soon, the 1.0 version of Candle Shadows and Axe Sounds appeared in Bianliang.
In short, when Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi were still nobodies, they met a powerful immortal. The immortal showed some magic and calculated on the spot:
Wow, you are going to be emperor. I even know when you will found your dynasty.
After ascending the throne, Zhao Kuangyin kept searching for this immortal. Sixteen years later, while visiting Luoyang, he ran into him again.
Zhao Kuangyin asked a simple question. How long can I live?
The immortal calculated and said: On October twentieth this year, if it is sunny, you can live twelve more years. If not, prepare for your funeral.
On that day, it was sunny at noon. By evening, heavy snow suddenly fell and would not stop. The palace had several inches of snow.
Seeing this, Zhao Kuangyin urgently summoned his beloved younger brother into the palace and sent everyone else away. The brothers drank together until midnight, nearly drinking Zhao Guangyi under the table. Candlelight cast their shadows on the windows. This was the Candle Shadows.
At midnight, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly grabbed a pillar axe, dragged it on the ground, and loudly told Zhao Guangyi, "Well done! Well done!" This was the Axe Sounds.
After that, Zhao Kuangyin went to sleep and snored loudly.
Zhao Guangyi stayed overnight. By early morning, when the drums were beaten five times and there was no movement inside, the attendants discovered Zhao Kuangyin was already dead.
Zhao Guangyi then ascended the throne before the coffin, beginning his extraordinary life.
The Xiangshan Yelu version is close to myth and looks unreliable at first glance. But don't worry. There are 2.0, 3.0, and even MAX revised versions.
The truth often hides in the corners of historical records.]
Zhao Pu's face was completely stiff.
He was interested in what later generations said about Song Huizong.
But very quickly, he realized that he had zero interest in this Candle Shadows and Axe Sounds thing.
Not only that, he quietly slid himself and his chair backward by a tiny amount.
Just in case something splashed.
The young attendants were trembling. The two scribes recorded everything they heard, but still did not dare to raise their heads.
The air in the hall felt thick and heavy. The attendants heard the Emperor's voice gradually rising.
"Zhao Jiong?!"
"Well done?!"
To be honest, Zhao Kuangyin himself did not even know what "well done" meant. Beyond surprise, he felt a strange sense of confusion.
These four unclear words would be his final words to the world?
Because of that, even with his usual soldier's temper, Zhao Kuangyin did not explode immediately. But from the rising tone of his voice, it was clear that his mood was absolutely terrible.
Thud.
The attendants were very familiar with the sound of knees hitting the floor.
Then came two more thuds. Even though it was inappropriate, the young attendants could not help thinking together:
Crisp sound. Good head.
Then Prince Jin's crying voice filled the hall.
"Your Majesty! Brother!"
"How could your servant dare such a thing? I am wronged!"
In this critical moment, Zhao Guangyi felt his mind become unusually clear. Every word from the light screen replayed in his head, and he quickly found possible weak points.
"Brother and I both know that our Great Song exists only because of Your Majesty's full effort. How could there be such a demonic immortal?"
"And this low class book is even called a wild record. Clearly it is mostly fabricated fiction, written to smear the brotherly bond between us."
"Brother, please see clearly."
Zhao Guangyi kowtowed again, pressing his head firmly to the floor, not caring about the dust on his hands and face.
The inner hall was silent. He could faintly hear the armor and footsteps of the patrolling guards outside. He knew clearly that with just one word from his brother, those guards would rush in, and Zhao Jiong or Song Taizong would become dust.
He also heard his brother's heavy breathing like bellows. Old injuries acting up again. The breathing gradually softened, and the heart in Zhao Guangyi's throat finally dropped a little.
Since his brother did not punish him immediately, things were probably not that bad.
"Then how should I address you?"
"Kuangyi? Guangyi? Jiong?"
"Or Taizong? The Donkey Cart Emperor? Or that so called Gaoliang River Car God?"
The soft but forceful questioning made Zhao Guangyi's heart sink a little.
Even if he did not understand what Donkey Cart Emperor meant, his lifelong instinct with his brother told him to go along with it.
"No matter Kuangyi or Guangyi, I am always Your Majesty's younger brother."
"Heh."
The short laugh held no warmth at all. Feeling the pain in his chest ease slightly, Zhao Kuangyin thought for a moment and finally said:
"Get up. If you have no guilty conscience, why panic and lose your dignity?"
"And this Xiangshan Yelu, just by the name, does not look like a true record. Perhaps…"
Perhaps what, Zhao Kuangyin did not finish.
Zhao Guangyi understood. The screen had already made it clear. This was only the appetizer. There was more to come.
His fate would likely depend on what the later generations said next.
So his heart could not help hanging in midair.
…
"Mengqi, what do you think? Compared to Xuanwu Gate, aren't these Song brothers kind of weak?"
Zhang Fei rubbed his waist while grinning and asked.
Ma Chao gave him a cold look, said nothing, and even shifted his cushion slightly away.
If not for the dark bruise on his cheek ruining the look, his cold face would have been even more handsome.
Kongming was not very interested in brotherly bloodshed. He scratched his chin, slightly puzzled.
"Reform is done to survive. Why would such debates be banned?"