Resumen del episodio 4 de Swords into Plowshares
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Qian Hongyou stood on the boat, looking at the increasingly distant Hangzhou city, a myriad of emotions swirling in his heart. Madam Yu was originally a person of strong character, most intolerant of such procrastination and affectation. In her view, the internal strife within the Qian family royal house was disloyal and unjust; leaving even a day earlier would be to escape a sea of suffering.
She recalled her first half of life: Qian Yuanguan, to consolidate his power, married into and relied heavily on the Tian family's influence. Yet, she never shed a single tear, turning around to remarry, while pregnant, to the father of Sun Taizhen and Ayou. Now that the unfaithful man was dead, past grievances were cleared, and even reckoning felt superfluous.
However, she remembered Qian Hongchu's favor of secretly sending messages, so she simply arranged for her daughter Sun Taizhen to stay in Hangzhou and accompany Qian Hongchu for five years. Five years, not too long, not too short, was enough for many things to happen. If a relationship developed between the two within five years, Qian Hongchu would have to marry Sun Taizhen with the grand rites befitting a principal wife.
This was both an alliance and a hidden move, re-embedding her own bloodline and future into the royal house of Wuyue. In contrast, one of the biggest beneficiaries of this turmoil was Cheng Zhaoyue. This person was merely a merchant, yet he managed to seize the opportunity to climb the ranks and presented a letter of allegiance to Qian Hongzuo, accusing many court officials of illegal dealings with the Shanyue Society.
Because the "Shanyue Society" was a local power that colluded with officials and powerful families, engaging in illicit trades, it was not an isolated case in the southeastern region at the time, but a typical microcosm of complex local forces and weak central control. Qian Hongzuo was precisely troubled by the lack of an excuse to rectify the imperial administration and clip the wings of powerful ministers, and Cheng Zhaoyue's "knife" was offered at just the right time.
He seized this opportunity to stage a "drive tigers to swallow wolves" play, pretending to heavily rely on Cheng Zhaoyue. First, he arrested Qian Hongjun and Shen Wenqi, then dismissed Hu Jinsi from his position as a regent minister, intending to strike at various factions. Discerning individuals could see that Qian Hongzuo's goal was not to capture everyone; that would cause a fierce backlash, which his shallow foundation could not withstand.
His deeper intention was to "strike the mountain to shake the tiger." He wanted to make those treacherous court officials understand who the true master was; furthermore, he wanted to make ambitious scoundrels like Cheng Zhaoyue and entrenched veteran powerful ministers like Hu Jinsi tear at each other and keep each other in check.
Hu Jinsi had initially thought that with the late king's entrustment, and by supporting a seemingly soft-natured "Sixth Son," he could rest easy in the future, but he unexpectedly underestimated the other party. Fortunately, the monarch's intention was only to deter, not to completely break ties, so Hu Jinsi took the opportunity to temporarily avoid the limelight, restrain his subordinates, and send word to his son, Hu Jing, to ensure he acted discreetly recently and kept a low profile.
The winds in the imperial court sometimes had to be ridden, as resisting them would only lead to capsized boats and perished lives. Once Cheng Zhaoyue gained power, He Chengxun, like a mad dog ascending to heaven, also caught a "divine aura," being reorganized from the First Guard Division to the Fourth Imperial Retainer Division, and promoted to commander. That very night, Du Zhaoda's entire household instantly turned into a Shura field.
Of the three "grasshoppers on a rope" from before, one achieved soaring success, one became an accomplice, and the remaining one naturally became the abandoned scapegoat. Qian Hongjun was imprisoned and interrogated. His birth father, Qian Yuanyi, was consumed with worry. Chancellor Yuan Dezhao hinted that they could await the return of Shuiqiu Zhaoquan, who was on an envoy mission to the Central Plains, before seeking his rescue.
In 942 AD, Emperor Gaozu Shi Jingtang of the Later Jin fell gravely ill. Shuiqiu Zhaoquan keenly sensed the anomaly; the atmosphere in Bianliang city was heavy, pervaded by a sense of foreboding as if a storm was brewing. Although his friend Fan Zhi found it inconvenient to speak plainly, the worry in his brows was self-evident. Inside the hall, Shi Jingtang lay on the dragon bed, his breath faint.
Before his death, he entrusted his young son Shi Chongrui to Feng Dao. However, Feng Dao knew clearly that a child emperor ascending the throne was no different from a toddler carrying gold through the marketplace, which would only attract a pack of wolves. As soon as Shi Jingtang breathed his last, Feng Dao took Shi Chongrui and left the palace to return home.
His entire clan, old and young, knelt on the ground, imploring him not to be a mantis trying to stop a chariot, placing their whole family in danger for the sake of a child emperor. However, Feng Dao had already made plans. To preserve the young emperor's life, and more importantly, his own political career, he turned to support Shi Chonggui's ascension to the throne.
Ultimately, Feng Dao, using his seasoned political cunning, completed the transfer of power almost without bloodshed. The Zhao family father and son were promoted for their meritorious service in guarding the palace. After the dust settled, Fan Zhi personally saw Shuiqiu Zhaoquan off. The two bid farewell over wine at the Duting Post House. One was an official of the Central Plains dynasty, and the other an envoy of the Wuyue Kingdom. They were like two floating duckweeds, powerless in the torrent of history, each walking their own precarious path, each abiding by their own destiny.
