Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1029: The Eunuch Marries a Wife

“Ah Ke?” Hearing the conversation below, Song Qingshu couldn’t help but be taken aback. When he brought Ah Ke back to Yanjing City, there were so many things happening that he never figured out how to settle her down, so he entrusted her to Prince Kang for safekeeping. He had almost forgotten about her existence. How could it be that Han Dingxiao’s words seemed to be related to her?

“The little Lady of the King Pingxi family?” Li Kexiu was startled, weighing the situation in the Jianghuai region, which was indeed a bit delicate. However, he had not openly rebelled against the court and had always been compliant. But Wu Sangui was different; the court had always known of his rebellious intentions. Wu Sangui’s daughter being in Yanjing City was like having a hostage in hand, making him cautious. Therefore, the court’s concern for Wu Sangui’s daughter would only be greater than that for his own family, never less.

“I believe Lord Li has already made a judgment in his heart,” Han Ding said, “Let me reveal a secret to you. The Lady Ah Ke of the King Pingxi has already been successfully rescued by our people.”

“What!” Li Kexiu stood up in surprise.

Not to mention him, even Song Qingshu was taken aback. Ah Ke had actually been rescued by the Southern Song people? That must mean Wu Sangui had reached some kind of agreement with the Southern Song; he just didn’t know the specifics.

“Lady Ah Ke has not only been rescued from Yanjing City, but we have also safely sent her back to Lin’an Prefecture,” Han Ding continued.

“Lin’an?” Li Kexiu looked puzzled. In his view, since Ah Ke had been rescued, she should have returned to Shanhai Pass. Why would she be sent all the way to Lin’an?

As if sensing his confusion, Han Dingxiao explained, “We did not use Lady Ah Ke as a hostage. Sending her to Lin’an was the idea of Prince Pingxi.”

“Why?” Li Kexiu frowned and asked, as he truly couldn’t understand the reasoning behind voluntarily sending one’s daughter out as a hostage.

“Because we have established an alliance with the Southern Song, and to solidify this relationship, King Pingxi specifically sent his daughter to the Lin’an Imperial Palace to become a consort of our Emperor of the Southern Song,” Han Ding said, leaving both Li Kexiu and Song Qingshu speechless.

‘Ah Ke has become a consort of the Southern Song Emperor?’ Song Qingshu momentarily lost his train of thought, even feeling a pang of jealousy. Although he had no romantic feelings for Ah Ke, he was deeply impressed by her beauty, which inherited the stunning looks of her mother, Chen Yuanyuan, and could indeed be described as breathtaking.

The possessiveness of men made Song Qingshu quite uncomfortable, but his expression soon turned strange. 

‘Wait a minute… The current emperor of the Southern Song is Zhao Gou, right? He is famously known as the eunuch emperor in history!’

Zhao Gou was not always a eunuch; he was a very normal man before. However, one day, while he was in the palace with his concubines, a eunuch rushed in to inform him that the Jin army was only a few dozen miles away. Zhao Gou was so frightened that he lost all composure and hurriedly fled with everyone.

Later, Jin Wuzhu led a hundred thousand iron cavalry in pursuit, while Zhao Gou desperately ran ahead, eventually escaping to the seaside and boarding a ship to flee. This incident later became known as the famous “Search the Mountains and Inspect the Seas to Capture Zhao Gou.”

Afterwards, with the efforts of various loyalist armies, they finally repelled Jin Wuzhu, and the situation in the Southern Song barely stabilized. However, due to the trauma from this incident, Zhao Gou could no longer engage in intimate relations. Coupled with the early death of his son, he had no choice but to adopt a son from the royal family as the crown prince. Thus, the imperial lineage of the Song Dynasty returned from the line of Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi back to that of Emperor Taizu Zhao Kuangyin. Some say this was a case of karmic retribution, a fitting justice for Zhao Kuangyin, but that is another story for another time.

The reason Song Qingshu knew so clearly was that during his time, information was exploding, and historical materials were abundant. Moreover, the Song Dynasty had long been destroyed, so there was nothing to avoid discussing. Thus, he was aware of the fact that Zhao Gou had long since lost his ability to perform the deed. However, after spending quite some time in this world, Song Qingshu discovered that no one knew about this matter. But then again, it made sense; the emperor could not be without heirs, if this information were to spread, it could easily shake the foundations of the state. Therefore, this matter was likely the highest secret of the Southern Song, known only to a select few.

Wu Sangui had clearly miscalculated this time. He thought he could win Zhao Gou’s favor by leveraging his daughter’s stunning beauty to gain greater benefits for himself, but instead, he foolishly sent his daughter to the palace to live in loneliness. Even though Zhao Gou had become a eunuch, Song Qingshu still felt a bit displeased about this situation. He didn’t know how Dongfang Muxue had managed to make such a huge blunder. The next time he returned to Yanjing City, he would definitely give her a good spanking.

However, just thinking about Dongfang Muxue’s proud demeanor sent a chill down Song Qingshu’s spine. The idea of spanking her was truly a path to self-destruction. 

Although Song Qingshu’s martial arts skills today were no less than Dongfang Muxue’s, especially since she was still injured and couldn’t possibly be his opponent, he always felt a bit intimidated in front of her. Perhaps it was because the memories of being hunted down by her back in the day were too vivid, making him subconsciously hesitant to use the same rogue tactics he employed against other women.

Song Qingshu realized this point; a man’s pride told him he couldn’t let this continue: ‘Hmph, next time I must make her see clearly, only then can I restore my authority!’ 

Below, Han Dingxie said, “Now, with the Manchus pressing from the Mongolian border and the internal chaos of the Three Feudatories, Shandong has already been occupied by the Golden Serpent Camp. We are on the verge of collapse, and it would be wise for Lord Li to make early plans.”

Li Kexiu showed a hesitant expression. After a long while, as if he had made a monumental decision, he said, “Alright, I can submit to the Great Song, but until my family is safely rescued, I will not openly change my allegiance. I hope Minister Han can understand.” 

Han Dingxie replied, “I will immediately arrange for people to rescue your family once I return to Lin’an. However, once they are safely rescued, Lord Li must immediately declare his identity and sever ties with the Manchus.”

“Agreed,” Li Kexiu replied succinctly, “but during this period, the Great Song needs to provide military rations and funds to show sincerity. The Golden Serpent Camp has occupied Shandong, and the grain transport has been completely cut off. We can no longer receive supplies from the Qing court.” 

Han Dingxie thought to himself that during the early years of the Southern Song’s founding, various warlords led the court’s finances but often did little work. He wondered if Li Kexiu was trying to take advantage of the situation to defraud the court of supplies. After all, the Jianghuai region was traditionally prosperous, and he found it hard to believe that Li Kexiu had truly reached a point of starvation.

Now, with years of warfare, the court needed money and supplies everywhere, and Li Kexiu commanded an army of one hundred thousand. The rations and military expenses for such a force were no small amount, and supplying them would likely strain the court’s resources. However, the immediate priority was to win over Li Kexiu. Once he changed his allegiance and had no way back, the court would have plenty of methods to deal with him slowly…

Han Dingxie continued, “No problem. After I return to report, I can prepare for this matter. However, this amount of grain and funds is not trivial. The three departments and the Censorate will definitely raise questions. To minimize resistance, we need Lord Li to express his intentions, so I can speak on your behalf in the court.” 

Li Kexiu sneered inwardly; this was clearly a request for a letter of allegiance. However, he had anticipated this and calmly asked, “How should I express my intentions?”

Han Dingxiao stood up and paced, saying, “Because the Emperor’s heirs are not flourishing, the Empress Dowager has issued a decree this year to expand the number of concubines in the palace. As ministers, we should also share the burden for the Empress Dowager. I’ve heard that Lord Li has a daughter, who is just twenty-eight years old and exceptionally beautiful; it’s a great opportunity.” 

Li Kexiu’s expression changed, realizing this was what they called a ‘token of loyalty.’ If his daughter entered the palace as the Emperor’s concubine, it would naturally tie him to the Southern Song court, and they wouldn’t suspect him of harboring any treachery. However, that girl, Yuanzhi, had been raised so spoiled that she might not agree to this marriage.

On the roof, Song Qingshu felt quite frustrated, thinking to himself, ‘Why does Zhao Gou, a eunuch, need so many wives? Is he just going to keep them in the palace as decorations? He didn’t care about Ah Ke’s situation, but now they wanted to set their sights on Li Yuan Zhi? Hmph, if I don’t ruin this deal for you, how can I justify my friendship with that girl?’

Seeing Li Kexiu silent, Han Dingxiao continued, “Lord Li should know about the Jingkang Incident, when our two sovereigns fled north, and among them was the current Emperor’s first wife, the Xing clan. To commemorate her, the Emperor has never established a Empress since ascending the throne. It wasn’t until a few years ago, upon hearing that Empress Xing had passed away in the Jin state, and with the Empress Dowager and various ministers persuading him, that the Emperor finally considered the idea of establishing a new Empress. Your daughter, being both talented and beautiful, along with her extraordinary family background, has a great chance of being chosen. This is a heavenly opportunity that you must not miss.”

Li Kexiu was also moved by these words. If his daughter became the Empress of the Southern Song, he would become a state father-in-law, and his status would naturally be extraordinary. Moreover, the concerns he had about potential issues after surrendering would be easily resolved…

However, Li Kexiu was a regional power and couldn’t be so easily swayed by this tempting offer. He quickly realized that he was not the only one eyeing the throne of the Empress. Not to mention the daughters of the prominent families in the Southern Song, even Wu Sangui’s daughter, who was said to possess a heavenly beauty, along with Wu Sangui’s influence, was above him. Yuanzhi might not be able to compete with her.

Nevertheless, the bait was too tempting. Even though Li Kexiu knew things wouldn’t be that easy, he was still quite tempted: “This is indeed a good plan, but this matter is of great importance, and I need to go back and think it over.”

Han Dingxiao knew that such matters couldn’t be decided quickly and didn’t take it to heart: “That’s only natural. Lord Li, you may go back and consider it, but with today’s incident at Yuqing Temple, all parties will turn their attention here. It would be best for you to make a decision soon.”