Jin Dynasty.
Jurchen people.
Still a dignitary.
Once, the Jurchen people had dealings with Great Zhou, but ever since the Jurchen captured Kaifeng and abducted the emperor at that time, who later died in Jin Country, and after Duke of Chengguo Zhu Shan shot dead the Jurchen Emperor's most valued prince with an arrow in his campaign of vengeance, the two nations became implacable enemies.
The presence of Jurchen people in the capital is indeed a terrifying prospect.
Although it was not yet midnight, the hall suddenly fell into complete silence.
Not a single noise from either inside or outside, only the smoke trailing lazily from the bronze lotus incense burners on the tables seemed to bring a hint of liveliness.
The man standing in the hall chuckled.
"If I could have the honour of an audience with His Majesty thanks to Lord Huang's introduction, Yu Chihai would die without regrets," he said, bowing deeply again, "It would be an immense honour."
Lord Huang chuckled as he finished the last stroke of his writing.
"I heard Lord Yu has excellent penmanship," he said.
Yu Chihai smiled and walked over, respectfully taking a seat in front of Lord Huang's table, earnestly admiring the freshly written characters.
"Scholar Huang's calligraphy truly lives up to its celebrated reputation," he remarked, "To write the standard script of the Three Scripts Hall so marvelously is awe-inspiring."
The standard script of the Three Scripts Hall is something every scholar must learn, and to be praised as awe-inspiring in a script that everyone is adept at and writes well, indeed shows it is quite out of the ordinary.
Huang Cheng smiled and took a hand towel to wipe his hands.
"I copied the Diary for Emperor Renxiao for five years," he said, "Emperor Renxiao once mentioned that aside from my honesty and good handwriting, I had no other skills."
Upon hearing of Emperor Renxiao, Yu Chihai suppressed his smile and bowed his head solemnly.
"I too am deeply saddened by what happened to Emperor Renxiao," he said.
Emperor Renxiao was the emperor who had been kidnapped and died in Jin Country, the grandfather of the current emperor.
The room fell silent once again.
Huang Cheng slowly continued to wipe his hands.
"Sorrow," he said, "Do you know how painful it is to watch a loved one being lost?"
Yu Chihai's expression grew even sadder as he observed Huang Cheng with a degree of sympathy.
This Lord Huang had also just lost a loved one.
"Lord Huang," he said, "please take care of yourself."
Huang Cheng looked at him and chuckled.
"No, what I mean is, as a father losing a son, it's not just sad but also excruciatingly painful," he said, "But as a son losing a father, while it is sad, the pain isn't quite the same."
Yu Chihai was taken aback; this Huang Cheng was cunning, greedy, ruthless, and vengeful. Now that he had lost his son, he seemed even more unbalanced.
Huang Cheng tossed the hand towel onto the table.
"It seems Lord Yu has been living comfortably lately, to have had the leisure to come to our Capital," he said.
Yu Chihai forced a wry smile.
"Lord Huang, if we were living comfortably, I wouldn't have risked so much danger coming here," he said, "I'll not hide it from you; before I came here, we had already conducted a funeral at home."
"The danger isn't that great, you're here nonetheless," Huang Cheng said.
Yu Chihai bowed deeply to Huang Cheng once more.
"It is thanks to the blessing of Lord Huang, whose word is as good as his bond. Although he's no longer with us, the connections he left have been helping us. Otherwise, I truly wouldn't have been able to make it here," he said, raising his hand to wipe away tears, "It's a pity I never had the chance to meet Lord Huang in person."
Huang Cheng looked at him.
"Are you threatening me?" he asked.
Yu Chihai sat up straight in front of the table, leaning forward.
"No, Lord Huang, I am imploring you," he said earnestly, raising his head, "We are truly in dire straits; winter is upon us, and the constant pursuit by the Duke of Chengguo means we cannot survive. It wasn't our intention to provoke hostilities."
Two Prefectures, hundreds of citizens dead or injured and taken captive, and more than half of the homes burnt to the ground; in his words, it was merely a request for some rice and grain to survive the winter.
Huang Cheng shook his head.
"The barbarians are truly shameless," he said.
"Lord Huang, our plea is sincere. Winter is approaching, and the persistent attacks by the Duke of Chengguo have left us with nowhere to turn," Yu Chihai said, looking down sadly before looking up again, "We sincerely seek peace; we can compensate for the previous conflicts as long as our nations can reconcile."
Compensation, huh? Huang Cheng stroked his beard and smiled.
"The Duke of Chengguo probably doesn't want it," he said.
"After all, the Duke of Chengguo is the Duke of Chengguo, but isn't the land of Great Zhou still under His Majesty the Emperor's rule?" Yu Chihai said, "Isn't it said that His Majesty the Emperor is most benevolent? Doesn't His Majesty wish for peace and prosperity among the people, rather than to see them suffer from warfare?"
Huang Cheng's expression darkened.
"It is not up to you, a mere child, to judge our emperor's actions." he said.
Yu Chihai immediately bowed deeply.
"I was wrong." he said.
Once again, silence fell in the room, with the distant faint sound of war drums in the background.
"You want our two nations to return to friendly terms?" Huang Cheng asked.
"Of course." Yu Chihai quickly looked up without hesitation and said, placing his right hand over his heart, "We are sincere, and I ask Lord Huang to convey this to his majesty."
"Conveying your message isn't important; what matters is what you do." Huang Cheng said.
A smile appeared on Yu Chihai's face.
"We will show the emperor our sincerity, we're willing to cede two prefectures." He said, and he pushed a gift list across the table, "And these are our tokens of sincerity for you, Lord, which have already been sent to your mansion."
Huang Cheng didn't even glance at the gift list handed to him, but instead picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup of tea.
"I am old, I can't drink anymore, I can't chew meat, brocade clothes no longer suit me, and I am unable to wear leather boots – these trinkets are of little interest to me." he said.
Yu Chihai pushed another gift list forward.
"Everyone knows of Lord Huang's high morals and integrity, but one should also consider their children and grandchildren." he said earnestly, "Lord Huang's son is no longer with us; his wives, concubines, and children still need to get by."
Hearing his son mentioned, Huang Cheng's expression showed a hint of sorrow.
"We all have sons and daughters, and they are also someone else's children." he said, "Since ancient times, how many soldiers return from wars?"
Yu Chihai leaned forward quickly, nodding repeatedly.
"Lord Huang, his grace Duke Zhu Shan has a wife and children safe and secure, how could he know the pain of being separated from flesh and blood by life and death." his eyes filled with tears as he spoke, "For one man's achievements thousands turn to bones, for his glory he steps on the bones of the sons and daughters of great Zhou and the Jurchen people."
He started to cry miserably while bowing to the ground as he spoke.
"My third son has already been sent to the battlefield, and I, an old man, truly wish I could take their place."
Huang Cheng looked at him, showing a trace of pity.
"With your status, you still have to send your sons to battle?" he asked.
"Our Great Jin does not have as much land, wealth, and people as your great Zhou. Now, being pressured by Duke Zhu Shan, not only us but also the princes and lords have to bear arms and go to battle." Yu Chihai said, raising his hand to wipe away tears, "Weapons show no mercy, the battlefield is chaotic, no one can look after others, several princes are already wounded, the princes are wounded, my sons..."
He covered his face and bowed to the ground again.
"I don't know if I'll be able to see them again when I go back."
Huang Cheng showed a sympathetic face and gestured with his hand.
"Lord Yu, take heart." he advised.
It took several attempts before Yu Chihai stood up again.
"I've lost my composure, Lord Huang must be laughing at me." Yu Chihai said as he covered his face.
Huang Cheng poured him a cup of tea and casually moved the gift list aside, pushing the cup of tea towards him.
"We are all parents; I understand." he sighed.
Yu Chihai thanked him repeatedly and then downed the tea in one gulp.
"Do you truly wish for peace between our two nations?" Huang Cheng asked pensively after a moment.
Yu Chihai hurriedly put down the teacup.
"Lord, if it weren't for this, why would I have traveled thousands of miles to come here?" He said earnestly and urgently, while producing another document, "Look, here is the edict from our emperor..."
He tried to hand it over, but Huang Cheng did not take it.
"Since that's the case, then let's see your sincerity." he said.
"Our sincerity has just been mentioned to the Lord, the cession of..." Yu Chihai hurriedly said.
Huang Cheng raised his hand to stop him.
"That is your sincerity for all to see. I'm asking about the sincerity you're showing the emperor." he said.
Show the emperor sincerity? Isn't it the same as what is shown to the rest of the world?
Yu Chihai was slightly startled.
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Thank you.
Continuing to ask for monthly tickets, sorry for the disturbance, thank you.