History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 181 Emperor Zhaozong Returns
A few days later, it was the Spring Festival. On the sixth day of the first lunar month in the third year of the Tianfu reign of the Tang Dynasty (903), Li Maozhen took advantage of the fact that Han Quanhui and other powerful eunuchs were not present and met with Emperor Zhaozong alone. He told Emperor Zhaozong his plan: to kill Han Quanhui and other eunuchs, use their heads as a token of reconciliation, and respectfully send the emperor back to Chang'an.

Zhaozong was overjoyed. Since he had Li Maozhen's support, what resistance would there be in killing a few eunuchs? He immediately agreed to Li Maozhen's request.

So, 40 Fengxiang warriors arrested Han Quanhui and other eunuchs and beheaded them all. That night, they also beheaded Han Quanhui's accomplices - Zhou Chenghui and Dong Yanbi, two of the "Three Envoys". Li Jiyun, the commander of the Fengxiang garrison in Chang'an, was also one of the masterminds and was also killed by Li Maozhen for the sake of justice.

On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Emperor Zhaozong sent Han Wei and others to the Bian army camp to present the heads of more than 20 eunuchs including Han Quanhui to Zhu Wen for his appreciation, and to bring an oral message: "Previously, the rumors said that it was these few people who humiliated the emperor, alienated the emperor and his ministers, and refused to reconcile. Now, I and Li Maozhen have killed them all. You can tell the troops to calm everyone's anger."

Obviously, this was Zhaozong helping Li Maozhen to shift the blame.

Zhaozong should be very clear about the role played by Li Maozhen and the Guanxi group he represented in the whole incident. The eunuch party headed by Han Quanhui was naturally the initiator, but Li Maozhen could never wash away the guilt of being an accomplice. The reason why he took the initiative to help Li Maozhen to exonerate was mainly because Zhaozong was still Li Maozhen's hostage. What Zhaozong had to do was to show his sincerity to Li Maozhen to the greatest extent to avoid being killed.

This was an unspoken understanding among Zhu Wen, Li Maozhen and Zhaozong.

Zhaozong was Li Maozhen's last bargaining chip. Once Zhaozong was sent out of Fengxiang Prefecture, the life and death, honor and disgrace of Li Maozhen's family would only depend on Zhu Wen's mercy.

Zhu Wen and Zhaozong had the same idea, which was how to make Li Maozhen believe that he would not be retaliated against after handing over the hostages.

Before the formal handover, the nerves of the three parties involved were extremely sensitive and fragile, and they could only maintain a maximum balance through tacit understanding. The "peace talks" were like walking on a tightrope, and they could hardly withstand any disturbance.

However, the accident still appeared.

That day, Zhu Wen went to inspect the camps. When he reached the north of the city, he suddenly discovered that the Fengxiang army was being mobilized in the mountains in the north. He then ordered an attack and captured the general of the Fengxiang army alive.

Zhaozong hurriedly sent his favorite concubine to Zhu Wen's camp to investigate and mediate; Li Maozhen also tried to find out the cause as soon as possible; Zhu Wen sent his confidant Jiang Xuanhui into the city to report.

With the active efforts of the three parties, the problem was finally properly resolved. It was just a small misunderstanding.

The dynamic balance of terror between the three parties may be broken at any time, possibly by a deliberate conspiracy or an accidental misunderstanding.

Generally speaking, the initiative in negotiations lies with the stronger party, especially in a humiliating alliance. The weak party has no right to "negotiate" but only the obligation to "listen to the verdict". The strong party will "pronounce" the weak party under the guise of "negotiation".

However, the alliance under the city of Fengxiang was very strange, as the initiative was in the hands of the weak Li Maozhen. Zhu Wen was afraid to act rashly, and Zhaozong endured humiliation and lived in seclusion, all waiting for Li Maozhen's final price.

After some hard thinking, Li Maozhen finally proposed his price:
First, Cui Yin.

Li Maozhen was very confident in Cui Yin's ability to stir up trouble, and believed that Cui Yin would definitely instigate Zhu Wen to seize Fengxiang, so he had to find this man behind the scenes. What to do after finding him? It would be best to let Zhaozong and Zhu Wen also use him as a token of loyalty, and kill him like they killed the eunuch party; the next best thing would be to ask him to make a guarantee in person that would be beneficial to the Guanxi Group.

Therefore, Emperor Zhaozong urgently summoned Cui Yin and asked him to lead the civil and military officials to Fengxiang to welcome him. He issued four imperial edicts and three personal letters from the emperor to urge him to set off.

We are all old Chinese doctors, please don't prescribe me some folk remedies. Cui Yin kept saying he was ill and refused to move forward.

Li Maozhen also wrote a personal letter to Cui Yin, in which his words were very humble and he begged earnestly.

Cui Yin still refused to come.

Finally, Zhu Wen had to come forward and write to Cui Yin, half jokingly and half seriously saying: "I don't know the emperor. Please help me identify him so that I don't receive the wrong answer."

With Zhu Wen's support, Cui Yin dared to come. However, Cui Yin still did not come to Fengxiang, which is a later story and will be mentioned later.

Second, political marriage.

Li Maozhen proposed two marriages: let his son Li Kan marry Emperor Zhaozong's daughter, Princess Pingyuan; let Prime Minister Su Jian's daughter marry Prince Jing Li Mi, using in-laws as the final guarantee.

Princess Pingyuan was the biological daughter of Empress He, who was very opposed to this marriage. Emperor Zhaozong was so anxious that he stamped his feet and said, "As long as I can leave Fengxiang, why should I worry about your daughter?" This was a double entendre. Yes, the daughter was only temporarily staying in Fengxiang. Li Maozhen's head was also temporarily staying.

make a deal!

【Zhaozong Returns to the Palace】

Li Maozhen's two major demands were basically met, because Cui Yin only agreed to come, but did not actually arrive in Fengxiang. It didn't matter, because Cui Yin still had great value to Zhu Wen, and Zhu Wen didn't want to give up this chess piece now. Even if Cui Yin came to Fengxiang, Li Maozhen didn't dare to touch him. As long as Cui Yin agreed to come, it represented the sincerity of Zhu Wen and Zhaozong, and also represented the reconciliation between Cui Yin and the Guanxi Group.

Of course it would be best to kill Cui Yin, but as long as Cui Yin does not cause trouble for Fengxiang in the future, it is also a discount that Li Maozhen can accept.

On the 20th of the first lunar month, Princess Pingyuan married the son of Li Maozhen. Since people with the same surname were not allowed to marry, Li Kan restored his original surname and changed his name to Song Kan. Prince Jing Li Mi married the daughter of Prime Minister Su Jian.

Two days later, Zhaozong left Fengxiang Prefecture.

Zhu Wen changed into plain clothes and waited for the emperor to punish him. Zhaozong ordered all guards to be withdrawn and only sent a general of the imperial guards to lead the way to report safety to Zhu Wen's camp and announced that all his crimes were pardoned. Afterwards, Zhu Wen changed into civil servant clothes to meet the emperor, kowtowed repeatedly to express his gratitude (he prostrated himself several times) and cried bitterly.

These are all "rules", just like the first bow to heaven and earth, and the second bow to parents at a wedding. As a king, there must be a sense of ceremony.

Zhaozong ordered Han Wei to help Zhu Wen up, and also cried, "The ancestral temple and the country depend on you for safety; I and my clan depend on you for rebirth." You, Zhu Wen, are my reborn parents.

Afterwards, Zhaozong took off his jade belt and gave it to Zhu Wen; Zhu Wen also returned the tribute with a jade saddle, gold, silver, silk, fruit, wine and other gifts according to etiquette.

After a short rest, Zhaozong officially set out to return to the palace.

Zhu Wen personally led the horse and whipped the emperor, and walked more than ten miles in one breath. Zhaozong could not bear it and repeatedly urged him to go back and rest, but Zhu Wen refused, insisting on showing his loyalty. Finally, Zhaozong issued an "imperial edict" ordering Zhu Wen to go down and rest. Zhu Wen then withdrew, but asked his nephew Zhu Youlun to continue to escort him. This was a political show, but also a requirement of etiquette.

On the 25th day of the first lunar month, Emperor Zhaozong arrived in Xingping, west of Chang'an, and Cui Yin then arrived late with civil and military officials.

On the 27th day of the first lunar month, Emperor Zhaozong finally returned to the capital city of Chang'an. He first wept in the Imperial Ancestral Temple without formal attire, and then went to Changle Tower to accept the congratulations of the officials. Afterwards, Emperor Zhaozong held Zhu Wen's hand and, with tears in his eyes, he once again affirmed his merits (the tears lasted for a long time).

The feudal etiquette system is very complicated, but as long as you grasp its essence - one word: cry, the problem can be easily solved.

Zhaozong bestowed on Zhu Wen the honorary title of "Meritorious Minister Who Is Loyal and Upholds the Righteousness to Save the Country and Restore the Origin", bestowed on Zhu Wen's think tank Jing Xiang and others the honorary title of "Meritorious Minister Who Welcomes the Emperor and Assists in the Procession", bestowed on Zhu Youning and other military personnel the honorary title of "Meritorious Minister Who Is Resolute and Upholds the Righteousness to Welcome the Emperor", and bestowed on officers below the rank of brigade commander the honorary title of "Meritorious Minister Who Helps in Quelling the Rebellion in the Four Garrisons".

Since Emperor Xizong, there have been countless such glorious titles.

Reward according to merit, no need to list in detail.

From Fengxiang to Chang'an, Emperor Zhaozong escaped from the wolf pack and fell into the tiger's mouth. Zhu Wen and Cui Yin, a pair of close comrades-in-arms who colluded with each other, launched a wanton purge in Chang'an.

The first to bear the brunt were the eunuch group that lost the protection of the Guanxi Group.

In fact, the massacre of eunuchs had already begun after Li Maozhen accepted the agreement to hand over hostages. In Fengxiang Prefecture, Li Maozhen killed 72 eunuchs; Zhu Wen secretly ordered Chang'an to massacre 90 retired eunuchs; after returning to Chang'an, he killed another 710 eunuchs; and ordered all the roads and towns in the country to search for and kill all the eunuchs who supervised the army.

Other records say that Li Maozhen killed more than 3,000 eunuchs in Fengxiang, and Zhu Wen killed more than 500 eunuchs in one go the day after he returned to Chang'an.

Cui Yin's grand ambition of "killing all eunuchs" was finally realized. Hundreds of eunuchs were killed.

The city of Chang'an was filled with cries of injustice and the eunuchs' cries for mercy were endless. Only 30 young eunuchs were left in the palace to do sanitation and cleaning. The palace maids were responsible for conveying the emperor's imperial edicts. Afterwards, Wang Rong, the governor of Chengde Army in Zhenzhou, was ordered to pay tribute to 50 eunuchs, because the land of Yanzhao was kind and honest, so the eunuchs here were trustworthy.

(End of this chapter)