Chapter 82: The New Administration in Youzhou

Fang La’s rebellion in Jiangnan bore the slogan “Purge the Emperor’s Court of Evil, Welcome Prince Yi,” and rumors swirled that Song Jiang’s band in Shandong was deeply entangled with that very Prince Yi. Now, the former Prince Yi, once stripped of his title and reduced to a commoner, had transformed in Liao into the Grand Commander of Youzhou, bearing the title of Prince of Song. To claim that the uprisings across the Central Plains had nothing to do with him was to stretch credulity beyond belief.

Yet, words now were futile. The fires of rebellion raged across the land, and pulling back the armies to suppress them seemed the only course, leaving no energy to pursue the Prince of Song. Still, all knew that Empress Zheng favored the Eighth Prince, Zhao Yu, and this former Prince Yi was famed for his filial piety. If Empress Zheng herself were to intervene, it seemed possible, perhaps even likely, that Yanyun could be reclaimed without the shedding of blood.

A fine notion, but implementation was another matter. Every courtier knew that, because of the Prince Yi affair, Empress Zheng had already been confined to the cold palace, with whispers that Emperor Huizong intended to depose her. Given this, could Zhao Yu, having seen his mother so humiliated, ever truly return to the Song dynasty’s embrace?

Thus, when Li Gang finished speaking, all eyes turned toward the Emperor Huizong, whose face was clouded and grim…

“The command of Grand Commander of Youzhou, Prince of Song: Effective immediately, all granaries under Youzhou’s jurisdiction are to be opened and grain distributed to the people; no official is to defy this order—disobedience will be met with execution. From this day forth, all registers of bondage are to be abolished, and the people returned to the land—defiance punishable by death. All households must report their members to the authorities; those who conceal people will likewise be executed…”

Reform must proceed step by step. Zhao Yu wished to see Youzhou flourish, but such transformation could not happen overnight.

Even so, these three edicts alone were enough to stir a tempest across Yanyun. Opening the granaries was a bid for the people’s hearts; abolishing slavery was a means to swell both the army’s ranks and the region’s labor force.

Releasing grain was one thing, but abolishing the registers of bondage struck at the very heart of the landlords and gentry. It wasn’t long before several Khitan nobles sought out Yelü Min.

Yelü Min’s family held no lands in Youzhou, so Zhao Yu’s orders did not threaten his own interests. Besides, their interactions had kindled in the general a profound respect for Zhao Yu, and he enforced Zhao Yu’s commands without hesitation.

As for Xiao Yiyi, there was no need to ask—no one dared even utter a word of dissent against Zhao Yu in her presence. She wholeheartedly supported his actions, believing that, in the face of national crisis, without real change, the country’s fall was imminent.

The young woman was shrewd; she recorded Zhao Yu’s every deed in detail and sent reports to her aunt—thus showing that Zhao Yu had not lost control, and at the same time, preparing her aunt for any future slander or impeachment against Zhao Yu.

Today, Zhao Yu was receiving a Han Chinese visitor from the capital in his study, and upon learning this, Xiao Yiyi tactfully excused herself.

A wise woman knows when and how to act, and knows that a man destined for greatness needs space to act on his own.

With the New Year only days away, Youzhou bustled with life thanks to the disbursal of grain from the granaries. Xiao Yiyi had planned to take Xiuxiu and Wanyu shopping, but before she could leave, a distant relative arrived at her door.

The Xiao clan was prominent in Liao—the imperial consorts for generations had hailed from their line, and their family branches were scattered throughout the realm.

Her visitor was Xiao Keyeda, cousin to the imperial son-in-law Xiao Xian. Upon hearing it was him, Xiao Yiyi immediately knew his identity. She wanted to refuse him, but for her imperial sister’s sake, she could not. After some consideration, she had Xiao Keyeda admitted.

Xiao Keyeda was over forty, his body plump as a well-fed rat, his eyes half-closed with the excesses of wine and women. He relied on his status to seize land by force or by guile; nearly all the fertile lands around Youzhou were his, and he kept a large number of serfs. Zhao Yu’s order to abolish bondage threatened his very livelihood.

No sooner had he entered than he threw himself to the ground, wailing, “Your Highness must deliver me!”

“What is the meaning of this? Get up and speak properly.”

Though they shared the Xiao surname, Xiao Yiyi had no patience for such men.

“Princess, the land around Youzhou was won by our ancestors with their lives. It is the heritage of our Khitan people. If the Prince of Song continues like this, it will soon become Han territory. I beg Your Highness to persuade the Prince to rescind his orders and cease this course.”

“Xiao Keyeda, tell me—while our Khitan warriors battle the Jurchen in the north, have you, as a Khitan noble, contributed a single grain of food or sent a single soldier to the front?”

“Well… Our Khitan warriors are unmatched! Did we not already slay Wanyan Aguda? Why should we need to act?”

“Hmph! My steward was right—you are nothing but a pack of parasites, feasting on the country’s lifeblood, growing fat off its suffering, and when true crisis comes, you are the first to flee. Let me make this clear: I wholeheartedly support every edict issued by the Prince of Song. If you have any tricks, bring them on—I welcome them all.”

Xiao Yiyi’s words left Xiao Keyeda flushed and thick-necked with rage. At length, he spat, “So Your Highness sides with the Han to oppress your own Khitan people? You’ll regret this!” With these words, he turned to leave.

There were plenty of Khitan nobles in Yanyun—he refused to believe they’d all cower before Princess Yiyi’s authority. He would go and rally them all…

Xiao Keyeda had barely taken a few steps when pain stabbed through his back, and the point of a blade burst from his chest.

“You… you dare kill me?”

“Take it as dying for the sake of the Great Liao,” Xiao Yiyi replied coldly. Then she raised her voice in a sudden cry: “Guards! Help! Someone has assaulted the princess!”

The last thing Xiao Keyeda saw was Xiao Yiyi tearing her own collar, before his vision went black and life fled from him.

Xiao Yiyi had received Xiao Keyeda in the company of Xiuxiu and Wanyu. The two girls had never witnessed such a scene; they fainted dead away with fright.

As Xiao Yiyi’s cries rang out, guards swarmed in from all sides…

Zhao Yu, deep in discussion with Yang Xu in the study about the next steps, was jolted by the commotion and rushed over immediately.

By then, Yelü Huan had already arrived, and the headquarters was tightly sealed by guards. Xiao Keyeda’s corpse lay in the courtyard like a dead dog.

Upon Zhao Yu’s arrival, Xiao Yiyi, her clothes disheveled, flung herself into his arms, sobbing, “Your Highness, he tried to violate me—I killed him. I… I never want to face anyone again…”

The guards, all palace veterans, were sworn to protect the princess and held her in high esteem. Seeing her thus wronged, they were livid, their glares at Xiao Keyeda’s corpse seething with hatred. At a single word from Xiao Yiyi, they would have hacked the body to pieces.

Zhao Yu was fuming as well, though suspicion gnawed at his heart. This was the headquarters—how drunk would a man have to be to do such a thing here?

He glanced down, and for a fleeting moment, caught a glint of cunning in Xiao Yiyi’s eyes.

And in that instant, all became clear to him…