At Wan Qili’s words, the hall fell silent in an instant.
Han Dingxiao groaned inwardly…he didn’t pay much attention to martial world affairs, so he wasn’t clear on Song Qingshu’s marital situation either. Who’d have thought the man had so many complications?
First he brazenly declared he wanted to marry two princesses…that alone was bad enough, and though the emperor’s tone had seemed somewhat accommodating, it turned out he already had a lawful wife!
Han Dingxiao cursed Song Qingshu a thousand times in his heart, but since they were all in the same boat now, he had no choice but to steel himself and try to salvage the situation: “Though Zhou Zhiruo is a sect leader, she’s ultimately just a martial woman…hardly comparable to a Great Song princess of such noble birth. Once Young Master Song marries the princesses, Miss Zhou will naturally step aside. Lord Wan need not worry.”
Before Wan Qili could respond, Song Qingshu cut in: “Zhiruo is my lawfully wedded wife. She was before, and she will be in the future.”
Han Dingxiao nearly fainted. *How ungrateful can you be?* His face livid, he stepped back, deciding not to speak on his behalf again.
Wan Qili, however, was all smiles. *Song Qingshu, Song Qingshu…let’s see how you get out of this one.* With a fake grin, he said, “So your meaning is that you intend to take the two princesses as concubines?”
Song Qingshu replied calmly, as if oblivious to his intent: “And what if they are concubines?”
At these words, the hall erupted once more. Han Dingxiao pinched his brow, feeling lightheaded. Jia Sidao wore a half-smile, content to watch the show. Zhao Gou’s face was purple, on the verge of explosion.
Wan Qili judged the time was right and leaped forward to condemn him: “Such arrogance! You actually dare to make princesses your concubines? This is a blatant insult to imperial dignity…utterly preposterous!”
Song Qingshu said coldly, “A Mongol commandery princess can be a concubine. A Jin princess can be a concubine. But a Song princess…from a state that kowtows to Jin…cannot?”
He wasn’t being foolish…he was deliberately displaying this arrogance to gain leverage in the peace negotiations. Moreover, as a man from a later era, he knew the Southern Song court’s nature all too well: the more aggressive you were, the weaker they became. Show weakness, and they’d bare their fangs and press for more.
His words silenced the hall. Officials exchanged glances. Even Zhao Gou looked uncertain. The bombshells that had dropped from Song Qingshu’s mouth today were one after another, leaving everyone numb.
“Nonsense! Which Mongol commandery princess became a concubine? Which Jin princess?” Wan Qili, as head of the officials, knew something of the Jin and Mongol courts as well. He ran through the list of princesses and commandery princesses in his mind and confirmed none had married as concubines, which bolstered his confidence.
*An imperial house would never let a princess or commandery princess become a concubine,* he sneered inwardly, determined to use this as a wedge to nail Song Qingshu once and for all.
“The Jin Empire’s Princess Qiguo has already been betrothed to me,” Song Qingshu answered.
“Princess Qiguo?” Jia Sidao’s expression tightened. “You mean Wanyan Ping, the Jin Emperor’s sister?”
Song Qingshu smiled slightly. “Correct. Wanyan Ping is Tang Kuo Bian’s sister-in-law. To strengthen the bond between us, Tang kuo Bian personally arranged the match. The princesses of your state are all aware of this.”
The Southern Song officials frowned. They were all political veterans. None believed Tang Kuo Bian had done this on a whim just for some so-called “closer ties.” This marriage was clearly a Jin move to win over the Golden Serpent Camp.
*The Jin Emperor is really willing to pay a high price to win the Golden Serpent Camp’s loyalty!*
That was the thought running through many minds. The wiser ones immediately realized that if the Golden Serpent Camp and Jin joined forces, the Southern Song’s position would become perilous.
“Jin can marry off princesses, so can we. That Princess Qiguo, no matter how impressive, is only one…we have Princess Chengde and Princess Roufu, two of them. At least we have the advantage in numbers.” Many harbored such thoughts, but not knowing Zhao Gou’s stance, no one dared voice them aloud.
Even Zhao Gou on the dragon throne was secretly alarmed. *No wonder Song Qingshu was so confident…he has such a trump card.* He knew that if Jin really married Princess Qiguo to him, he’d have no choice but to agree to marrying off his own princesses as well. Even if he couldn’t fully win over the Golden Serpent Camp, at least keeping it neutral and uninvolved would be acceptable.
Clearing his throat, Zhao Gou asked, “What about the Mongol commandery princess you mentioned earlier, Song Qing?” Mongolia’s current power could be said to surpass all states, and he was very eager to know Mongolia’s stance toward the Golden Serpent Camp.
“The Prince of Ruyang has already betrothed the Shaomin Commandery Princess to me. Lord Han can vouch for this,” Song Qingshu said without a trace of embarrassment. *The Prince of Ruyang isn’t here anyway, and as for Zhao Min…with the bond between us, she shouldn’t mind me borrowing her name for a bit.*
Han Dingxiao found himself once again the center of attention and quickly said, “During the Yangzhou incident, Wang Baobao indeed addressed him as ‘brother-in-law.'”
“Impossible!” Wan Qili grew frantic. Earlier, with the Jin princesses, the other princesses could testify, so he couldn’t say much. But now, facing Han Dingxiao, he was far less reserved: “Lord Han, are you deliberately lying for him because of your friendship with Song Qingshu?”
Han Dingxiao bellowed, “Lord Minister, mind your words! I am utterly loyal to His Majesty…how dare you accuse me of such treachery? The way Song Qingshu and Wang Baobao addressed each other wasn’t known only to me. His Majesty’s personal imperial guards, Ding Dian and Wu Tiande, as well as the Privy Council’s Xin Qiji and Lu You, were all present at the time. Lord Minister can doubt me, and even doubt Lords Xin and Lu, but surely you don’t doubt His Majesty’s personal imperial guards?”
“Your servant dare not!” Wan Qili said hastily. *What a joke!* The personal imperial guards were His Majesty’s most trusted and elite protectors…all not only skilled in martial arts but utterly loyal to the imperial house. If he doubted them, he’d be slapping Zhao Gou in the face and offending a great many people, since each of these guards had significant backgrounds.
Jia Sidao, who had been watching the show, suddenly spoke up: “May I ask Young Master Song, where is the Shaomin Commandery Princess now? Last time I entrusted my son to her care, but since then, I’ve received no news at all.”
Song Qingshu’s heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive. “Hmph…I was actually going to ask your state that question. The Shaomin Commandery Princess disappeared after her mission to Lin’an. I came south partly to propose marriage, and partly to demand an explanation.”
Zhao Gou could no longer remain seated. A Mongol commandery princess going missing on Song territory was no small matter…if mishandled, it could lead to war between the two states. And the Mongols were famously overbearing. “The Shaomin Commandery Princess was safe when she left Lin’an. About a hundred li out of the city, something happened and she vanished. I’ve already issued orders for a thorough investigation, and we will certainly give the Prince of Ruyang’s household an accounting.”
Song Qingshu smiled slightly. “Since Your Majesty has spoken, your word is as good as gold. I shall await the good news.”
Zhao Gou returned a smile, though somewhat forced. He’d been investigating the Commandery Princess’s disappearance for a long time. Aside from discovering that someone had mobilized the imperial guard, he’d found nothing useful. Though he’d more or less figured out who had mobilized them, the Commandery Princess’s whereabouts remained a complete mystery.
“Even if Mongolia and Jin marry their princesses to you, that doesn’t mean Great Song must do the same. Great Song is a state of propriety and civilization…how can it be compared to barbarian nations like Mongolia and Jin, those uncivilized wastelands?” Wan Qili had now formed a blood feud with Song Qingshu, and so he was the one in the hall who least wanted the proposal to succeed. If it succeeded, all the careful groundwork he’d laid to paint the situation as on the brink of war would melt away like ice and snow, and he’d never be able to use his authority to take revenge on Song Qingshu.
Song Qingshu gave him an icy stare: “Lord Wan, the main reason you’ve sat in the Minister’s seat is your political capital from negotiating peace with Jin. If these words of yours reach the Jin court, do you think they’ll find themselves a new representative?”
These words landed like a resounding slap on Wan Qili’s face. Many in the hall looked at him with contempt. Everyone knew how Wan Qili had climbed the ranks: clinging to Qin Hui, surrendering to Jin, slandering Yue Fei… every act had been infamous enough to last a thousand years.
Song Qingshu turned his attention elsewhere and added, “What’s more, Mongolia and Great Song are currently allies, and the Mongols are extremely sensitive about saving face. If they heard these words, even if they didn’t immediately march south, at the very least the matter of returning Sichuan would have to be reconsidered. Lord Wan might well become the greatest traitor in Great Song’s history.”
Zhao Gou was greatly alarmed. He had no ambition for expansion, but his instinct for self-preservation was immense. With half the kingdom and the Yangtze as a natural barrier, he could still feel secure…his only worry was Sichuan, occupied by the enemy, hanging over his head like the Sword of Damocles, forever threatening the empire’s flank.
Earlier, under Wan Qili’s influence, he’d grown greedy…wanting Sichuan, wanting the Huai River region too. Now that the Huai River region was a lost cause, Sichuan was absolutely not to be lost.
“Wan Qili, you’ve spoken too much today,” Zhao Gou said coldly. Mobilizing the imperial guard without authorization had already crossed the line. The only reason he hadn’t acted against him was because he still had uses for him…not to let him cause more trouble.
“Your servant is terrified.” Being rebuked by the emperor before the entire court, Wan Qili’s face alternated between pale and red, his hatred for Song Qingshu now etched into his very bones.
“The marriage proposal can be discussed later. To thank Song Qing for his righteous deeds in Jin, I’ve arranged a banquet at the palace tonight. I hope Song Qing will do me the honor.” Having learned that Song Qingshu’s backing was far more formidable than he’d imagined, Zhao Gou’s tone had become noticeably more polite.
“I would be honored!” Song Qingshu gave a slight bow. Knowing that Zhao Gou would need to confer with his ministers and he’d no longer have a part in the proceedings, he took his leave.
Zhao Gou didn’t detain him and had a eunuch escort him out of the palace.
Once they reached a secluded spot, Song Qingshu used the Soul Capture Art on the eunuch, then quietly slipped toward the direction of the Cold Palace. He’d seen someone deliver poison wine the night before and was still worried about Li Yuanzhi’s safety, wanting to check on her again.
Familiar with the way now, he reached the Cold Palace…but the room held no trace of the girl. His heart sank.