Chapter 304 Poisoned Wine
After the Jin Dynasty conquered the Liao Dynasty, it also adopted the Liao Dynasty's five capital system because of its vast territory and sparse population, which made it easier to manage.

The five capitals of the Liao Dynasty were: Dongjing Liaoyang Prefecture (now Liaoyang, Liaoning), Xijing Datong Prefecture (now Datong, Shanxi), Nanjing Xijing Prefecture (now Beijing), Shangjing Linhuang Prefecture (now Balin Left Banner, Inner Mongolia), and Zhongjing Dading Prefecture (now Ningcheng, Inner Mongolia).

On this basis, the Jin Dynasty retained the Liao Dynasty's Dongjing, Xijing, and Nanjing unchanged, changed Liao Zhongjing to Jin Beijing, abolished the original Liao Shangjing, and used Huining Prefecture (Acheng, Heilongjiang), the capital built by Aguda when he founded the country, as the Shangjing of the Jin Dynasty.

Of course, Xijin Prefecture was once briefly held by the Song Dynasty and was renamed Yanshan Road Yanjing Prefecture by the Song Dynasty. This name change was also used by the Jin Dynasty.

Before the Jing Kang period, Xu Kangzong went on a diplomatic mission to Shangjing, in the name of congratulating Wuqimai on his succession to the throne, in order to test the attitude of the Jin people towards invading the Song Dynasty. At that time, he was shocked by the simplicity of Shangjing.

Fan Rui came here after nearly three years and saw that Shangjing City had changed a lot, but it was still far from the cities in Song Dynasty.

Although its scale reaches that of a medium-sized city in the Song Dynasty, its interior is still not as good as that of an ordinary prosperous county town. It gives the impression that a nouveau riche enclosed land to build a villa, but ended up turning it into a self-built house in the countryside. Apart from its size, it does not have much aesthetic value.

Jin was able to transform from a tribe into a country quickly through brutal force, but knowledge of astronomy, calendar, architecture, etc. required a long period of historical accumulation. The ability to transform ordinary villages into large-scale cities was also due to the craftsmen obtained from the Liao Dynasty, especially the Han people living in Yanyun.

In fact, according to the course of history, the Jin Kingdom would have conquered the Northern Song Dynasty and obtained a large number of craftsmen. They would have imitated the outer city and imperial city of Bianliang and renovated and upgraded the capital city. Unfortunately, the Jing Kang in this dimension is incomplete.

Without the most advanced craftsmen in the Northern Song Dynasty, the construction time of Shangjing City would have been infinitely extended, and the final presentation would have been very different. However, Wuqimai, who was committed to promoting sinicization, continued to recruit talents in the Han area.

After Erlido completely controlled Hebei, he continued to recruit craftsmen from all over the country and send them to Shangjing. Fan Rui also used magic to impersonate a craftsman and reached his destination unimpeded.

Unlike what Fan Rui had imagined, Shangjing not only had low rammed earth walls, but the guards at the city gate were also very lax. He thought, shouldn't it be easy to save people?
As long as they found the retired emperor, the empress dowager, the concubine dowager, the queen, etc., they would gather them together and easily lead them over the earth wall and out of the city at night, and then disguise themselves and return to the Song Dynasty in the south.

Are there pursuers?
Sorry, I can call the wind and rain.

The Jin Kingdom has a vast territory and a sparse population. Looking for people is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Thinking of this, Fan Rui's mouth corners slightly raised.

If I rescued your majesty's family, even if I only saved one or two important people, would your majesty still enjoy wealth and glory without me? Maybe my status would be higher than Song Jiang's.

"Song He (Fan Rui's pseudonym), what are you standing there for? Go to your apartment and get some rest first. You have to go back to work tomorrow at the earliest!"

"Oh, here we come."

Hearing the craftsman's call, Fan Rui trotted after him.

Although Shangjing City is simple, it covers a large area. In order to rescue people, one must first find a good location. The residence that the boy took him to was the shed where the craftsmen were accommodated.

The craftsmen worked in various places in the city, and their residences were where they gathered and where intelligence from the capital was gathered.

Fan Rui had already inquired about everything on the way, so as soon as he arrived, he dropped his bag and wandered around the "work shed area", looking for "workers" who were resting at home, chatting and making friends, and greeting them with all the usual words.

"Where are you from, old man?"

"How long have you been in Beijing?"

"Are you used to it here?"

If I met someone enthusiastic, I would continue; if they were cold, I would decisively change them. However, there were few people staying in the apartment during the day, and many of them had just arrived in Beijing, so they did not get any useful information.

On the eve of dusk, the "workers" returned to their residences one after another, and the deserted apartment suddenly became lively. However, birds of a feather flock together. The Han people from the Song Dynasty and the former Liao Dynasty, although they still worked together during the day, would huddle together when they returned to their residences.

The Han craftsmen in Liao, like the Liao people, now regarded themselves as Jin people. The Han craftsmen in Song came from the occupied areas. Due to the external weakness of the Song court, they could not help but feel ashamed and were also despised by the Han people in Liao.

Fan Rui also discovered the abnormality after nightfall, because the shed area where he lived was relatively quiet, which was obviously not conducive to intelligence gathering, so he went to the Han people's shed area in Liao.

These people gathered in groups of three or five to play games such as throwing dice, hitting thigh stones, and fighting crickets for fun. They also chatted about family matters and the situation between the Song and Jin dynasties. It was like a small society.

Fan Rui was wandering around aimlessly when he was suddenly attracted by the discussion of three people on the side of the road.

"The concubine of the Emperor Taishang of the Song Dynasty is serving other men in the laundry house? How is this possible?"

"Why would I lie to you? I've been working for my employer these past two days and heard a lot of people talking about how they could experience being an emperor for just one or two ounces of silver."

"Isn't this too cruel? Can the Emperor of Song tolerate this?"

"He is now trapped in Shangjing, like meat on the chopping board. What else can we do if we can't bear it? By the way, I heard that the concubine in the laundry house is the biological mother of Emperor Zhao Gou of the Song Dynasty."

"hiss"

The three people who were eating melons were talking happily when suddenly a stone flew to the side of the tent. They turned around and saw Fan Rui grinning awkwardly. He was so excited while listening that he didn't notice kicking the stone on the roadside.

Seeing Fan Rui's unfamiliar face, a bearded man stood up and stared at him, frowning and questioning: "Are you a craftsman from the south? What are you doing here?"

"Uh"

Fan Rui bowed and explained with a smile: "I just arrived today and passed by here on my way back to my apartment."

"newcomer?"

The bearded man relaxed his vigilance a little, pointed ahead and reminded: "Then hurry up, everyone is north and south, go find your own people and stick together."

"Our own people? Aren't we all Han Chinese? I just heard you talk about the laundry house and it was quite interesting. Can I join in the fun?"

"Ok?"

Fan Rui pretended to be ignorant even though he knew the truth, which confused the bearded man.

At this time, the triangular-eyed servant next to him saw the situation and said, "You black man, you are not shameless. The laundry houses in the capital are purer than the Jiaofangsi of the Song Dynasty. The women there all use their beauty to serve men. The woman we are talking about just now is the concubine of the Emperor Emeritus of the Song Dynasty. Are you sure you can listen to me?"

"She's not my wife, what's there to be offended about? Can you enter the laundry house by paying money?"

"What's your name? I didn't expect you to be such a wonderful person. Do you want to be the emperor for once?"

"My younger brother Song He."

As soon as Fan Rui finished speaking, the bearded man pulled him to sit down and said meaningfully: "Just think about it. To live happily in the laundry house, you must at least be a Jurchen and have an official position."

"No. Is she really the Empress Dowager?"

"Although I didn't see it myself, this matter is no secret among the Jin people. If you don't believe it, go and verify it yourself. Anyway, the laundry house can't be moved away."

The bearded man raised his hand after he finished speaking, with an expression that he didn't want to be treated anymore. Seeing this, Fan Rui immediately explained: "I dare not disbelieve it. I heard that last year the Jin army went south to Bianliang and took away several royal women. Are they all in the laundry house?"

"Except for Concubine Wei, no one else has heard of it."

"Carpenter Li, you only know about the laundry house. Although I don't know about other female relatives, I am sure that the wife of Emperor Zhao Gou of the Song Dynasty, Xing, is in the Prime Minister's Mansion."

The three of them revealed a lot of shocking information, and Fan Rui felt very complicated after hearing it.

Your Majesty's biological mother and first wife are both in a dishonorable state now, especially Wei, who is being humiliated in the laundry house. Can you take her back?

After Zhao Gou ascended the throne, he did not establish a new one, but kept the position of empress to Xing. It sounds like he was only devoted to Nianhan, so he was more worthy of saving than Wei.

With his open-minded and humble attitude, Fan Rui quickly gained the recognition of strangers during the conversation. In the end, all three of them were willing to take him with them. However, he pretended to be a bricklayer and could not get along with the other party's carpenter, so they had to give up with regret.

It’s not that Fan Rui doesn’t want to pretend to be a carpenter, but the carpenter’s skills are too difficult, unlike the bricklayer’s skills where he can take advantage of the situation.

After staying in Shangjing City for seven or eight days, Fan Rui worked and inquired at the same time until he had collected all the information. Then he pretended to be sick and left his post to start the action.

On the morning of the third day of the seventh lunar month, when Nianhan was out at court, the sky above the Prime Minister's Residence suddenly became overcast, and strong winds blew in the surrounding streets, raising dust that blocked out the sky and the sun.

Fan Rui took advantage of the chaos to sneak into the palace, looking for his target, Queen Xing Bingyi.

Although Nianhan was the prime minister, his mansion was not big. It was just a small courtyard surrounded by a dozen stone houses.

The wind and sand were blinding, and the guards and servants in the mansion, who were wearing Hu clothing, were all looking for shelters to hide.

Fan Rui quickly passed by one stone house after another, and finally saw a woman in Song Dynasty clothes in the north. She was leaning against the wall with her back to the courtyard, looking into the house.

Could she be the queen's maid?
Fan Rui stepped forward, covered the woman's mouth with one hand from behind, and said in a deep voice: "Don't yell, don't make a fuss, I was sent by the government to save you."

"Um"

When the woman heard the word "official", her body couldn't help but tremble. Fan Rui then noticed her bulging belly and immediately withdrew his hands in confusion.

"Don't be afraid. Tell me where Queen Xing is."

"Queen Xing? Who are you?"

"I am Fan Rui, may I ask who you are?"

"Fan Rui? I'll kill you!"

When Xing Bingyi heard the name, she couldn't help but raise her fist and hit him.

Fan Rui was skilled in martial arts after all, so he quickly grabbed her wrist and threatened, "Don't force me to use force. Do you still want to return to the Song Dynasty? Tell me where Queen Xing is, and this storm will soon be over!"

"You're not hiding this time, are you using a new method? You were running very fast in Zhending back then."

"This is incomprehensible. I'll ask you one last time. If you don't tell me, I'm leaving!"

Fan Rui was confused. He didn't want to get entangled with the person in front of him anymore, worried that it would attract other people, so he issued an ultimatum.

"Xing Bingyi is dead!"

"what?"

"Still pretending to be confused, I said I was dead"

"what?"

Even if Fan Rui's reaction was slow, he could now guess that the person in front of him was Xing Bingyi.

He invited her into the room with shock, then prostrated himself and said, "Please forgive me, Queen, for I was blind and did not recognize a great man."

"Aren't you Fan Rui who went to Zhending to rescue people last time?"

"Zhending? I was there two years ago under Song Jiang, but I never went there again. I don't know, Madam."

It's really not him? Then who is the other Fan Rui?
If I had been rescued successfully at that time, why would I have ended up like this?
Xing Bingyi touched his bulging belly and replied with a bitter face: "Get up, why are you so late? I can't leave in my current condition. It would be embarrassing for His Majesty to go back to the Central Plains."

"Your Majesty, please don't belittle yourself. His Majesty has always reserved the position of Queen for you, but your health is really poor now. How about I go back and ask His Majesty first?" Fan Rui asked cautiously.

"So much the better."

Xing Bingyi sighed. She really wanted to return to the Central Plains, but now that she was Nianhan's woman, she also wanted to know Zhao Gou's attitude. After all, this was a matter of royal reputation.

"Take care, my lady. I'll take my leave now."

"Wait a minute, take this token back with you!"

"Eh."

Fan Rui held a gold earring in both hands. The other one had been brought to Zhao Gou by Geng Yanxi last year.

"Sir, you have great magical powers. It's not easy for you to come to the capital. How about taking the emperor away first?"

"Well, I'll do my best."

Xing Bingyi really wanted to leave, but was afraid that Zhao Gou would feel resentful, so she tried to save the country in a roundabout way and asked Fan Rui to save Huizong first. Even if she could not be the empress when she returned, the Central Plains was more comfortable than the capital, and Huizong felt the same way.

Standing in front of the stone house, she looked up at the clear sky and regained confidence in returning.

Fan Rui asked his "co-workers" in advance and already knew the location where Huizong was under house arrest. He spent half a day to check out the location, so he waited until dusk before setting out.

As night falls, the sandstorm starts to blow again.

While the guards were closing the door to avoid the wind, Fan Rui rushed into the courtyard and saw flickering fire in the wind and sand. He didn't know where Huizong was, so he could only search room by room.

When I was recruited to Tokyo to meet the emperor, I saw Zhao Ji from afar in the palace. Now I couldn't be sure about it even though he was in front of me, but as long as I saw his Han appearance later, I would be almost certain.

Unfortunately, in order to block the wind and sand, the doors and windows of the houses in the courtyard were closed, which made it difficult for Fan Rui to identify quickly. He had to use the wind to push the door and slowly confirm.

As luck would have it, the first door Fan Rui opened was the one he met, a woman dressed in Song Dynasty clothing.

Is she the Grand Empress Dowager? But she doesn't look like the Empress Dowager at this age, could she be a maid from the Central Plains?
Thinking about how he almost was rude to Xing Bingyi because he didn't recognize her in the morning, Fan Rui learned from his experience and made a hushing gesture when they met, and then went straight to the point.

"Which room is the emperor in? I'll take you away from here!"

"Ok?"

"Don't you understand? I'm here to save His Majesty the Emperor!"

The woman nodded sharply and pointed outside the house.

Fan Rui understood and turned to leave. The door was slammed shut and the woman in the room pulled the bolt while yelling something.

When the guards in the courtyard heard the shouting, they immediately ran towards the direction of the voice, which made Fan Rui stunned.

What's going on? Is this woman betraying me?

Enter the mother and grab the bird!

Fortunately, Fan Rui had magic protection, and the surrounding walls were relatively low, so he was able to escape in the end.

The small courtyard that was alarmed by him was destined not to be peaceful that night. At first there was a continuous noisy sound, and soon torches were lit in the entire nearby area. The search did not stop until midnight.

Next door to the courtyard, the neighbor Zhao Ji, who was under house arrest, heard the noise and came to the door to watch. He saw the fire and heard the shouting and scolding, and wondered what Yelu Yanxi was doing.
It turned out that Fan Rui entered the wrong door at night and broke into the courtyard where Yelu Yanxi was imprisoned. He met the woman wearing Song Dynasty clothes, who was the Jurchen maid given to him by Wuqimai. However, this girl liked to wear Song Dynasty clothes, so Fan Rui misunderstood her at that time.

Early the next morning, many patrol soldiers appeared in Shangjing City and searched the residential areas.

When Fan Rui saw that they were coming for him, he no longer planned to stay in Shangjing and fled the place of trouble in advance. However, because of his mistaken entry last night, Yelu Yanxi received a pot of poisoned wine.

On his way back to the Central Plains, he met some scattered cavalrymen who were also heading south. These people had received orders from Xie Ye to rush to the Yunzhong area to assemble and prepare in preparation for retaking Taiyuan.

Since Nianhan was able to kick Erlido out of the army, Wuqimai was determined to take revenge. He wanted to use the help of Marshal Xieye to severely deplete the strength of the Western Route Army.

(End of this chapter)