Wanyan Liyao held the jade cup in both hands, his eyes fixed on the rising steam. His legs were pressed tightly together, his toes twitching occasionally, showing his unease. The elderly man sitting before him was the Minister of Rites of the Sui Dynasty, a high-ranking official of the second rank. Since the Northern Liao Khan, Wanyan Yong, decided to break away from the Mongol Empire and pledge allegiance to the Sui Dynasty, sending no fewer than ten groups of envoys to secretly seek an audience with the Sui Emperor, this was the first time he had received such high-level treatment.
Previously, although the Sui court treated those envoys with courtesy upon arriving in Chang'an and they received considerable rewards from the Sui Emperor, their requests to submit to the Sui Dynasty made no progress. The Sui Emperor, whom they regarded as their Heavenly Khan, simply refused to see them.
This time, it seemed things had taken a turn for the better.
Wanyan Liyao was well-versed in all books about the Sui Dynasty and had inquired about it from many people. He even disguised himself as a Han Chinese and lived in the Central Plains for three years in his youth. If it weren't for the urgent events that occurred in the Ten Thousand Mountains of Northern Liao, he would have preferred to be an ordinary citizen of the Sui Dynasty in a small town.
The Ten Thousand Mountains were too harsh and cold, incomparable to the magnificent world of the Sui Dynasty.
He loved the beautiful mountains and rivers of the Sui Dynasty, the confidence on the faces of its people, its written language, and even its women. Although, if he wished, all the beautiful women of Northern Liao would be willing to marry him. Northern Liao was extremely poor and cold, but its women were renowned for their unparalleled beauty.
Several women from Northern Liao were also in the Sui emperor's harem. While the Grand Khan of the Mongol Yuan Empire was from the Mongol nobility, three of the twelve Lesser Khans were from Northern Liao.
The nobles of the Mongol Yuan Empire and the wealthy merchants of the Sui Dynasty also boasted about marrying a woman from Northern Liao. The women of Northern Liao were not only fair-skinned but also naturally alluring. Countless wealthy merchants, after acquiring a Northern Liao woman, lost all interest in the courtesans of brothels.
Even so, during his three years of seclusion in the Sui Dynasty, Wanyan Liyao still felt he would much rather marry a rough-around-the-edges country woman from the Sui, and live a quiet life farming and tending flowers—a truly enjoyable existence. He would rise early, hoe in hand, and head to the fields; his wife would wipe his sweat and bring him water. Life would be simple, peaceful, and fulfilling.
In Northern Liao, there was no land to cultivate.
"I've heard that the cold of the Ten Thousand Mountains is unparalleled in the world. When I was young, I once thought of visiting your region, but later, as an official, I didn't have the time. Later still, when my burdens lessened and I had more free time, my body became too weak to travel."
Huai Qiugong noticed Wanyan Liyao's unease and smiled, saying, "The Sui Dynasty has always treated you Northern Liao people as friends, and I imagine you've felt that. So you shouldn't feel so uneasy in Chang'an; you can consider this your second home."
Wanyan Liyao quickly put down the jade cup in her hand and clasped her hands together… Shi sincerely said, "The hundreds of thousands of people of Northern Liao are willing to prostrate themselves at the feet of the great Heavenly Khan and pledge their allegiance. You know, we have unparalleled sincerity and loyalty. If the great Heavenly Khan is willing, we can even migrate our entire tribe to the Central Plains to become subjects of the Great Sui. We are willing to cultivate the land for the Great Sui and donate our horses and provisions."
Huai Qiugong couldn't help but smile, stroking his snow-white beard, and said, "Your Majesty does not lack hundreds of thousands of people, and the Great Sui has plenty of land."
Wanyan Liyao's eyes dimmed, unsure of what to say.
"His Majesty values your sincerity precisely."
Huai Qiugong personally poured tea for Wanyan Liyao, speaking kindly and gently, "Before I came, His Majesty specifically instructed me that he knows the hearts of the Northern Liao people are loyal to the Sui Dynasty. He told you to rest assured, this matter cannot be decided in a day or two. The Sui Dynasty is the strongest in the world and has never feared any enemy. But to blindly do something without any preparation is foolish… Do you understand what I mean?"
"This humble subject understands."
Wanyan Liyao's heart skipped a beat, and he almost couldn't help but laugh. Huai Qiugong's meaning was clear; how could he not be overjoyed? "You're no ordinary commoner."
Huai Qiugong picked up a thin stack of papers from the table beside him, casually flipped through them, and chuckled, "In the third year of the Tianyou era of the Great Sui Dynasty, you entered the pass through Niangziguan in Shandong Province, using the name Chen Sansheng. The Great Sui travel permit you carried was issued by the Xiangcheng County government in Hexi Province. I don't know how much silver you spent to buy it, but that's not important. The magistrate of Xiangcheng County was beheaded because of this, though it was publicly stated that he died of illness."
"You lived in the countryside of Xiangcheng for three years, spending your time either sightseeing or secluded at home reading. You were very diligent and studious, developing quite a skill in calligraphy." "Even the professors at Xiangcheng Township School couldn't write as beautifully as you. In just three years, your knowledge surpassed even theirs. Three years later, because your father… that is, the Khan of Northern Liao, Wanyan Yong, wanted to eliminate his brother who was plotting a rebellion, he summoned you back for discussion. Therefore, you left Xiangcheng and returned to Northern Liao. I firmly believe that Wanyan Yong's decision to submit to the Sui Dynasty is absolutely related to your three years with the Sui… Am I right, Your Highness Prince Wanyan Chongde of Northern Liao?"
Wanyan Liyao's expression changed drastically. He subconsciously shrank back, his eyes filled with disbelief, but even more so with fear, as he looked at Huai Qiugong. "Don't be afraid."
Huai Qiugong smiled and waved the paper in his hand. "I only just learned about this myself. This was given to me by Lord Hou, the Commander of the Intelligence Bureau, before I came here. The Intelligence Bureau has much more information about you than this. If you hadn't spent those three years living in the countryside of Xiangcheng, diligently studying, occasionally traveling without any other thoughts, and not deliberately investigating the situation of the Sui Dynasty's border troops, how could you have survived until now?"
The Sui Dynasty's Intelligence Bureau!
Commander Hou.
Wanyan Liyao deeply memorized these two names, and her awe of the Sui Dynasty deepened considerably.
...
...
The Sui Dynasty occupied the Central Plains and never lacked large-scale cities. The largest of these was naturally the capital, Chang'an. Even many long-time residents of Chang'an probably couldn't say exactly how big it was. For over a hundred years since the founding of the Sui Dynasty, the construction of Chang'an had never stopped. Each emperor of the Sui Dynasty had two things they were obligated to do, and these had never changed.
First, foreign wars, seizing territory from others and making it part of the Sui Dynasty.
Second, the repair and expansion of Chang'an City.
Compared to his father, the current Sui Emperor, Emperor Tianyou, Yang Yi, has one commendable achievement: this seemingly unassuming emperor completed most of the repair and expansion of Chang'an City. This was thanks to Wu Yidao, a wealthy man who willingly donated half of his fortune, worth hundreds of thousands of gold coins, to repair an entire city wall. This also included the construction of forty-eight wards within the city. As a reward, the Sui emperor not only bestowed upon Wu Yidao the title of First-Class Marquis but also granted him an entire street within those forty-eight wards.
Chang'an City is 128 li long from east to west and 108 li long from north to south.
Just the construction of the city wall alone was an enormous undertaking.
For over a hundred years, Chang'an City had been under continuous construction. Only when Emperor Tianyou finally completed the repairs did Chang'an truly become a complete imperial capital. The city wall was two zhang wide and forty-nine chi high, its broad surface allowing a dozen soldiers to walk side by side. It was complete with horse-faced ramparts and arrow towers. Every thirty paces, a heavy crossbow was installed, and every two paces, a wolf-tooth mace was mounted.
The cost of just crafting the heavy crossbows and wolf-tooth maces was staggering.
Chang'an City consisted of four sections: east, west, south, and north. The east, west, and south sections each had thirteen gates, while the north section had ten, totaling forty-nine. When Wanyan Liyao entered the city, he entered through the smallest gate, Dingqian Gate, which already left him utterly astonished. If he had entered through the Houde Gate in the north or the Yongding Gate in the south, he would likely have been too astonished to move.
Chang'an City was the heart of the Sui Dynasty, and the Taiji Palace was its very heart.
The imperial palace was located in the north section, covering ten thousand mu.
The imperial palace was roughly divided into four parts, with the Taiji Palace at the center, where the emperor held court. To the west of Taiji Palace was Yeting Palace, and to the northeast was the East Palace, the residence of the Crown Prince. To the south lay the Imperial City, the residence of the Empress and concubines.
The Emperor held court in the Taiji Hall.
A short walk north from a small gate behind the Taiji Hall was the Baohe Hall, much smaller than the Taiji Hall, but no less important, as it was where the Emperor rested and conducted state affairs. The so-called Imperial Study was located within the Baohe Hall.
The Imperial Study was the East Warm Pavilion within the Baohe Hall.
Emperor Tianyou, Yang Yi, was arguably the least womanizing emperor of all the Sui Dynasty emperors since its founding. His number of concubines was less than a third of his father's. His favorite woman was still the Empress, and even the most critical person could not find fault with the emperor in this regard.
The Emperor rarely returned to the Imperial City, usually residing in the East Warm Pavilion. His ministers said the emperor was diligent, but in reality, he was too lazy.
The emperor had privately complained more than once about why the palace had to be built so large; even going to meet a woman required a long journey, leaving one with aching legs—how could one do anything by the time they arrived? Little did he know that the common people were already complaining. If residents of the western city wanted to dine at the Huifeng Restaurant in the eastern city, they had to set off a day in advance, taking a direct carriage through the city for a whole day, and then finding an inn to stay overnight…
The Minister of Rites, Huai Qiugong, because of his advanced age and great merit, had the privilege of not kneeling before the emperor. Not only did he not have to kneel, but he was also given a stool to sit on whenever he came to the East Warm Pavilion.
"How is it?"
The emperor picked up a piece of almond pastry and put it in his mouth, eating while flipping through memorials. This was an emperor with some eccentricities; he didn't like sitting in chairs, but instead had a kang (heated platform bed) built in the East Warm Pavilion. When handling state affairs, he liked to sit cross-legged on the kang, and when tired, he would lie down and take a nap.
Of course, this was praised by his ministers as a sign of diligence.
In reality, it was because he was lazy.
He was lazy in some ways, but he was never negligent in handling state affairs.
Huai Qiugong pursed his lips, offering no reply.
Emperor Yang Yi waited a while without a response, then turned his head and noticed the old minister, his hair and beard both white, staring intently at his almond pastries, licking his lips repeatedly. He couldn't help but smile and instructed the eunuch Su Buwei serving him to take the remaining half-plate of almond pastries to Huai Qiugong.
"At your age, aren't you ashamed?"
Huai Qiugong picked up a piece of almond shortbread and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing as he replied, "Seeing Your Majesty eating so deliciously made me craving some... The Northern Liao people should be fine; it doesn't seem like a conspiracy orchestrated by the Mongols. This old minister thought about it, and if it really was a scheme by the Mongols, it's far too clumsy."
"Mengge has the intention, but not the courage."
The Emperor smiled and asked, "Isn't Li Xiaozong guarding the border city of Fangu? He's clever enough to know to send people to Chang'an immediately."
"After hearing Yan Chongde say that a man named Fang Jie saw through their scheme, and even said that he..." He was reassured; once he arrived in Chang'an, a very high-ranking official would surely meet him.
"Fang Jie?"
The Emperor paused, startled. "Why does that name sound so familiar?"
The eunuch Su Buwei, standing bowing beside him, whispered a reminder, "Isn't he the candidate Fan Gu selected for the Martial Arts Academy? Your Majesty mentioned him to Lord Hou, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, yesterday."
"Him again?!"
The Emperor sat up straight, thought for a moment, then picked up a thick notebook from the table. He picked up a vermilion brush and neatly wrote the two characters "Fang Jie" on it, then wrote a note below the name in tiny characters. After blowing on the ink to dry, he closed the notebook and set it aside.
The notebook was thick and looked quite old. It was blue, and three large characters were neatly written on the cover:
"Record of Talented Individuals".