Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 1217 A chicken... oops, a true friend is a rare find in life.

The palace in Bianliang looked more exquisite and compact than the original palace of the Liao Dynasty's Linhuang Prefecture. The civil and military officials of Qi walked around and looked at the palace, occasionally whispering among themselves.

As they walked along, they saw groups of prisoners kneeling on both sides of the road. As the sound of warhorses approached, the imperial guards, eunuchs, and palace maids all lowered their heads even further, as if they were afraid of being noticed.

Occasionally, someone would muster the courage to raise their head and shout, "Congratulations to His Majesty the Qi Emperor on entering the palace! This humble servant is willing to die for you!"

"This servant is also willing to serve the new dynasty."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

The eunuch's uniquely high-pitched voice rang out from both sides, and the Qi soldiers guarding the area raised their spears and iron swords, hesitating for a moment whether they should strike.

The eunuchs' clamor and the Qi soldiers' hesitation emboldened the palace maids nearby, who cried out, "We servants also have our hearts set on Qi, please accept us, Your Majesty!" More and more voices joined in the flattery, and even the kneeling imperial guards looked at each other, forgetting all about saving face, and hurriedly expressed their loyalty to the passing Qi officials.

Lu Bu frowned, looked around, and glanced at the guards beside him: "Tell them to be quiet."

The guard and his companions immediately dismounted, cracking their whips: "Shut up! All of you!"

Several screams of pain rang out, and for a moment everyone fell silent.

Lu Bu dismounted at the entrance of the Zichen Hall, where he was to receive the envoy. He stepped inside, looked around at the magnificently decorated hall, sat down on the dragon throne, and shifted his position, saying, "It's not as comfortable as ours."

The civil and military officials who followed him in all chuckled. Lü Bu, leaning to one side, sat at the head of the table and said, "Go outside and see where those Song Dynasty officials are. Why haven't the Zhao family father and son arrived yet?"

Some of the guards went out, mounted their horses, and trotted away.

……

The scenery receded, and the sound of horses' hooves echoed on both sides. Zhao Ji was not bound by any ropes and sat shivering, curled up in a ball on a flatbed cart. He would occasionally glance at the Qi soldiers on both sides, feeling that their gazes were somewhat mocking and unfriendly, though he was not sure if it was just his imagination.

Along the way to the capital, one could see infantrymen in black armor, wolf riders in iron armor on warhorses, and captured young men dragging cartloads of corpses away.

The prisoners, strung together, were led across the road, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and disgust as they looked at Zhao Ji in the carriage.

Why are they looking at me like that...?

Zhao Ji's eyes showed some confusion, then resentment. They were all spineless cowards! If they had fought bravely and kept these Qi people outside the city, I wouldn't have been paraded through the streets like a spectacle. Useless bastards! They deserve to die! They deserve to die!

With his head lowered, Zhao Ji slowly wrapped his arms around himself, not daring to let anyone see his resentful expression. His lips parted slightly, silently cursing everything around him.

Not long after, the carriage stopped, and Wanyan Huonu, who was following beside him, looked at the huddled Zhao Ji with great interest and chuckled: "Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, oh, no, Emperor Emeritus, get out of the carriage."

The Jurchen knights around him laughed. Zhao Ji, who had been burying his face between his legs, paused for a moment, then slowly raised his head. The bright sunlight returned to his eyes, and he looked somewhat nervously at the cavalrymen who were all watching him.

Seeing that he hadn't moved for a long time, Wanyan Huonu impatiently gestured to the cavalryman beside her: "Please invite the Emperor Emeritus of the Great Song Dynasty down, hurry up."

A knight quickly pulled on the reins and reached out to grab Zhao Ji. Zhao Ji, who was already in a panic on the flatbed cart, tilted to one side when pulled.

It was just his bad luck. The temperature had been rising these past few days, and he had also been drinking stag blood wine, so he had a fever. He was wearing something a little thin, and his clothes ripped open with a "rip-rip" sound. He fell off the flatbed cart and landed on his butt with a thud.

“Ah! Hiss——”

"Ouch……"

Wanyan Huonu pretended to cover her eyes on horseback, then lowered her hand and looked at the somewhat embarrassed Jurchen cavalryman: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and help the Emperor Emeritus up."

The knight then dismounted and picked the man up like a chick.

"Put me down!"

Zhao Ji struggled for a moment, his face somewhat embarrassed. The cavalryman released him, and he staggered to his feet. He didn't dare to glare at the knight and walked inside with a livid face.

Behind them, Tong Guan and Gao Qiu approached cautiously, hunching over and trying to minimize their presence as they followed the figure in front.

Before even entering the imperial city, Zhao Ji, who was walking forward, seemed to be looking at something. He suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at the figure next to him who was surrounded by several military doctors and eunuchs. Somewhat uncertainly, he walked over and peeked inside.

Just as the cavalrymen following behind were about to go and stop them, Wanyan Huonu raised her hand to stop them. She looked at her father and Yelü Mawu and the others who were following behind, and saw that they were also silent. Then she looked at the group of people here with great interest.

"Huan'er?!" Zhao Ji, having bypassed the figures, finally saw the person lying on the ground and was immediately shocked. He quickly took a few steps forward, looked at his son's pained expression, and angrily asked the eunuch beside him, "What happened? How did Huan'er get into trouble?!"

"The...Emperor Emeritus?" Several eunuchs then noticed someone behind them and quickly turned around to bow. "Your Majesty was kicked by the Qi Emperor's warhorse, which is why you are like this."

“Qi…” Zhao Ji said one word and then fell silent. After a short while, he put on a calm expression: “Huan’er, the ground is cold. Don’t fall asleep.”

Zhao Huan suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Zhao Ji.

The retired emperor turned his head and faced the army doctor. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "How is the injury?"

"No vital organs were injured," a military doctor said, standing up and looking at the Zhao father and son. "Just give them some medicine to relax their muscles and improve blood circulation, and make sure they rest."

After saying that, he ignored the others and turned to leave.

The expressions on the faces of Zhao Ji and his son Zhao Huan softened slightly. They then exchanged a glance, both revealing an unspeakable look, before simultaneously looking away.

Wanyan Loushi frowned in displeasure as he watched the army doctor leave while the two men remained motionless.

Wanyan Huonu, who knew her father best, quickly said, "Gentlemen, if there's nothing else, you should leave. His Majesty is still waiting."

"My son is injured!" Zhao Ji turned around with a cold face, looked at the several generals with unfriendly expressions, and then softened his tone: "He has difficulty moving around. I hope you generals will have pity on his young age and find a stretcher to carry him."

"What a nuisance!" Yelü Mawu said impatiently, gesturing to the side and muttering, "Your Song royal family is really something, having already undergone the coming-of-age ceremony for a young person!"

Emperor Huizong's expression remained unchanged, treating it as if he were talking to himself.

Cavalrymen from behind threw over the soft bag they were carrying. Zhao Ji quickly ordered several eunuchs to lift Zhao Huan up, holding him up by the four corners to make sure he wouldn't fall. Urged on by the Qi generals beside him, he led his men inside, swaying back and forth.

Along the way, they saw the same scene that Lu Bu and the others had just witnessed. However, the father and son couldn't even muster any resentment at this moment. They kept walking inside, thinking about what they should say to the Emperor of Qi when they met him.

Following the bloodstains on the ground, they walked to the Zichen Palace. The two looked at the Left Guard soldiers in black iron armor outside with mixed feelings. Just as they were about to step forward, Wanyan Loushi walked over with a whoosh and glanced at them, saying coldly, "Wait here."

He left behind the grim-faced father and son, and went in first with the generals behind him to pay homage to the emperor.

Before long, a guard came out and shouted to the father and son, one standing and one lying in a soft-sided bag, "Hey! His Majesty wants you to come in."

Deceiving too much!

The four words simultaneously flashed through the minds of both Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan. They clenched their fists, then relaxed them and stepped inside.

Tong Guan and Gao Qiu instinctively wanted to follow, but the guards next to them stepped forward and held their iron spears horizontally in front of them, saying, "We didn't call you."

Neither of them dared to insist, and could only watch helplessly as the father and son went inside, each with a worried expression on their face.

Inside the Zichen Palace, it was still the same as the two remembered, but the person sitting on the dragon throne had changed, and the people below had changed from elegant people in court robes to fierce people in iron armor.

There were burly men in black armor who brought him from Wansui Mountain; tall guards wearing iron helmets and thick armor, leaning on phoenix-headed axes; there were also stout men leaning on large pole swords; and generals wearing phoenix-winged helmets, with horizontal swords hanging at their waists, and with ordinary-looking appearances.

There were also a few men who looked refined and scholarly, wearing leather armor and carrying swords at their waists; they were probably civil officials accompanying the army.

The number is too small; this certainly doesn't represent all the generals in the Qi army...

As Zhao Ji pondered this in his heart, a wave of sorrow washed over him, and he dared not think too much about what the other Qi generals were doing.

Several eunuchs put down the soft bag, helped Zhao Huan stand up, and then hurriedly knelt down, crawling backward on his knees, his head touching the ground, not daring to move.

The Zhao father and son glanced again at Lü Bu, who was sitting on the dragon throne in golden armor, and after a moment of silence, slowly knelt down.

"The Prince of Xiabang, Zhao Huan (father, Zhao Ji), greets His Majesty the Emperor of Shangbang."

Fang Xuedu and Li Ying glanced at the two kneeling Song emperors, then sat upright in their chairs, closing their eyes to rest. Wang Zheng and Li Zhu, on the other hand, both wore smiling expressions, observing the two Song emperors with the curiosity of curious children. Lü Bu slapped the armrest of his chair, rubbed it a couple of times, and suddenly spoke up: "Playing tricks on me, is that interesting?"

Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan exchanged a glance. The young emperor forced a smile, enduring the pain, and said weakly, "Your Majesty, why do you say such a thing? My father and I only have respect for you. How could we dare to play tricks on you?"

Lu Bu frowned, looking at the two fawning smiling faces below with some disgust: "You don't keep your word, you don't even mention it, and you always change your mind at the last minute after we've agreed on something."

bang——

He slammed his hand on the armrest of the chair: "This isn't just playing around!"

Sweat beaded on Zhao Huan's forehead; for a moment, it was unclear whether it was from pain or anxiety. His face showed signs of distress, and he was unable to speak.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Ji quickly said, "Things have changed too quickly, and we have no choice but to do this."

"So it's still my fault?" Lü Bu looked at the father and son strangely.

Zhao Ji bowed and scraped, "I dare not, I dare not. It is all our fault. The officials below were disrespectful and offered reckless advice, which is why Your Majesty misunderstood."

The faces of the Qi Kingdom's civil and military officials in the Zichen Palace all turned strange. Li Zhu suddenly spoke up, "So, neither of you made any mistakes here."

Emperor Huizong of Tang shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, no, we were also wrong. We should not have been misled by the court officials."

Lu Bu pinched the bridge of his nose, his tone tinged with displeasure: "You're still making fun of me."

Zhao Ji's expression froze, and he quickly shook his head repeatedly: "No...no, absolutely not."

"Fine, I'm too lazy to waste any more words with you." Lü Bu lowered his hand and looked at Wanyan Loushi: "How is Yelü Yanxi doing?"

Both the Zhao father and son wore expressions of confusion.

Wanyan Loushi immediately understood, stood up and bowed to the front: "They take us out for a walk every day, and on festive occasions they have to perform dances and songs on a high platform. I think they are living a good life."

He paused for a moment, then smiled slightly: "But he must be feeling incredibly lonely with no one to talk to."

Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan's eyes gradually widened.

“That’s really not good. A person needs a few close friends to survive.” Lü Bu was very satisfied with Wanyan Loushi’s quick reaction. He continued what he had said and turned his gaze to the kneeling father and son.

"I understand perfectly well that you are all in the same boat. It is difficult for those in high positions to find someone to confide in. Since that is the case, I will help you find a confidant to accompany you today, so that you can experience the existence of friendship in this world."

"His Majesty……"

"Our ancestral graves are here, Your Majesty, please have mercy!"

Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan were immediately flustered. They realized that they were being sent to keep the Liao king company. Although they didn't know where he was or how he was doing, they just needed to listen to the general's words in reverse.

Lu Bu looked at them coldly and raised his hand: "Wanyan Loushi, Yelü Mawu."

"Your subordinate is here." x2
The two men who stepped forward blocked the Zhao father and son who were kowtowing repeatedly.

"You will have three days of rest for your troops. After the prisoners are presented at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, you will send the father and son to accompany Yelü Yanxi. If they arrive safely, it will be a great achievement for you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

As the joyful voice fell, Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan suddenly sat down on the ground.

Lu Bu, sitting on the dragon throne, looked down and suddenly revealed a cold smile: "By the way, remember to do a naked sheep-leading ceremony in each county, and let the people in the city watch. Start from Bianliang. Two days later, have them walk from Nanxun Gate all the way to the north, circling the imperial city."

"Here!"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

Zhao Ji and his companion collapsed to the ground. Just as they were about to say something, Lü Bu waved his hand and said, "Take them away. They're an eyesore."

"Wait...don't do that!"

"Let us go!"

"Your Majesty - Your Majesty -"

Two shrill voices faded into the distance as the guards dragged them away. Several eunuchs exchanged glances upon seeing this, then quickly got up, hunched over, and followed them out.

The noise had been constant since the two Zhao Song emperors left, interspersed with a few roars and insults.

"That's really noisy."

"I didn't expect these two to have such loud voices."

Inside the Zichen Palace, the person sitting in the seat laughed out loud. However, even after the guards who had dragged the person out returned, the noise was still going on outside, and everyone suddenly realized that something was wrong.

Su Yi frowned and looked at the guards who had entered: "What's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?"

Someone stepped forward and bowed, saying, "It was General Lin Chong who beat up a minister from the Southern Dynasty outside."

"Oh……"

The drawn-out sound came from Su Yi's throat, then he turned to look at the crowd with strange expressions on their faces, scratching his head: "Your Majesty, this..."

"Let Lin Chong in."

Lu Bu chuckled, "Really, what's the point of taking action on your own? Don't scare those Song officials who are coming over."

The guards who had entered quickly turned and ran out. A moment later, Lin Chong walked in with a livid face, crossed his arms and bowed towards the dragon throne: "This humble general Lin Chong greets Your Majesty."

Lu Bu looked at the bloodstains on his knuckles, adjusted his posture, and chuckled, "Looks like you beat him up pretty badly."

Lin Chong knelt down and said, "...This humble general is guilty; I should not have acted without authorization."

Several generals in the hall rolled their eyes.

Lu Bu pinched the bridge of his nose again on the dragon throne and muttered softly, "What a waste of your good looks." Then he raised his voice and said, "Stand up. I haven't blamed you. Don't kneel all the time."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Lin Chong took a breath, exerted force with his legs, and stood up without anyone's help despite being clad in heavy armor.

"What's that outside...?" Lu Bu glanced at Li Zhu beside him.

"Gao Qiu".

"Yes." Lü Bu nodded, looking at the people below: "Is it Gao Qiu?"

“It was that fellow.” Lin Chong lowered his head. “I went to his residence but didn’t see him. I only found out he might be in the palace after I killed his adopted son.”

"It was just a coincidence." Lu Bu nodded, not saying much. Seeing his sorrowful appearance, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, this man is yours. Take him far away to kill him, so that the palace won't be filled with blood."

Lin Chong's eyes widened, and he excitedly clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Your Majesty!" He then turned around and walked out like a whirlwind.

"This Lin Chong is overly cautious."

Li Zhu shook his head: "The court of the Song Dynasty has produced military men who are neither military men nor civil officials who are neither civil officials. It is truly boring."

"I have too many preconceived notions in my mind; I'm afraid I'll never be able to change them in this lifetime." Yelü Ma Wu also sighed, "Fortunately, I still have one advantage: my exceptional spear skills."

Before long, the captured court officials gathered outside the palace.

(End of this chapter)