Chapter 12: Citywide Emergency Alert
Who was Cao Rui? He was the current Empress Dowager’s own nephew, so even the emperor had to address him as “uncle.”
Eunuch Chen was a mild-mannered man and didn’t want to confront Deputy Commander Cao directly.
He found an excuse to leave the office, skipping work to report back at the palace.
Trying to cram over two hundred people into just two jail cells was impossible unless they were all finely chopped up like minced meat.
Fortunately, everyone cooperated perfectly; the scene was surprisingly peaceful.
People were networking, making friends, handling business deals. To an outsider, it might have seemed like some kind of trade guild holding a major transaction.
A crowd gathered around Li Chang’an, all eagerly asking about the specific procurement plans.
He raised both hands and gestured for silence.
“Everyone, please quiet down and listen! Our Huimin Academy is a project jointly overseen by His Majesty and Minister Wang, aimed at benefitting the people and bringing them prosperity. I fully support anyone who wishes to contribute. However, my energy is limited and I can’t oversee everything personally.
“On the way here, I thought of a solution. Instead of trying to please everyone, let’s hold a tender!”
No one had heard the word “tender” before.
“A tender means this: I will announce the projects we need to procure, and each of you can choose which ones you want to compete for.”
Everyone immediately understood. The Imperial Guards and palace also procured this way, though they called it “buying.”
“Mr. Li, can you explain the exact rules to us?”
“Certainly. I will list all the projects and notify everyone in advance. Each procurement item will specify detailed standards, payment terms, and acceptance procedures. You choose which bids to submit, reporting your price and quantity to me. I will hire a professional broker from the jade trade to evaluate the bids.”
Evaluate bids?
The shopkeepers were confused by all these new terms, so they kept asking questions, soaking up knowledge like they were studying under a god of wealth.
“Evaluating bids means selecting the most suitable bidder according to my procurement standards. The winning bidder may be one or several, and the broker will decide.”
On the way here, Li Chang’an had finally realized that his fate was deeply intertwined with the jade trade; he couldn’t just rely on others.
If a tool was needed, it had to be used—he couldn’t be a reckless fool.
After some consideration, everyone agreed the method was indeed feasible. Li the God of Wealth wouldn’t have to struggle anymore, and they could justify their dealings with the authorities without needing to curry favor—money would speak.
Inside the room, Cao Rui drank tea angrily but didn’t offer any follow-up plan.
His subordinates were anxious, silently cursing their boss, thinking: “Boss Cao, be reasonable! Things have escalated—how will you handle this later?”
The old man had backing, but what about us? If this blew up, we’d get nothing and end up as bystanders.
As more people gathered, this small place became increasingly unbearable.
The first problem was the latrine, originally just a small pit. After everyone had held it in all morning, the courtyard quickly became unbearable.
The second problem was the office room, where people came and went—some spat, others wiped their noses, deliberately making the place disgusting.
You couldn’t hit them, nor could you scold them—it was maddening.
After a while, the stationed agents all left on errands, locked the doors, and disappeared.
Gradually, only the captured representatives of prominent families and Cao Rui’s trusted men remained in the courtyard.
“Sir, should we interrogate or release them? Please make a decision.”
“Yes, Deputy Commander Cao, many important families will soon arrive. Should we release them or not?”
Cao Rui thought bitterly, If I knew, wouldn’t I have already given orders?
After much thought, he bit his lip and said, “Release everyone else, but keep Li Chang’an locked up!”
Cao Rui was furious. How had he been so confused earlier? Now how could he salvage this situation? If the emperor found out, would the Empress Dowager lodge a complaint?
He’d inevitably be scolded by the old man at home. This was truly a case of losing more than he gained.
No, he had to find a fault with Li Chang’an. That spoiled playboy dared to defy a member of the royal family—if not punished, he wouldn’t feel satisfied.
Having spent a long time in the Imperial City Department, Cao Rui had many tricks up his sleeve. He thought of a charge—exceeding regulations.
In an imperial society, there were many sensitive points.
Though the Song Dynasty was historically the most relaxed society, where even common people didn’t have to avoid using the emperor’s characters, there was still one rule: on architecture, commoners were not allowed to build excessively grand residences on pillar and beam structures.
A schoolhouse couldn’t be considered a Taoist temple or Buddhist monastery.
He had seen Feng Shouli’s drawings—it was definitely exceeding regulations; the building was grander than a temple.
“Huh? Why are they back? And why are there so many people outside?”
“Sir, bad news! These people have banded together, saying they want to accompany the God of Wealth to prison!”
This enraged him; he nearly bit his teeth in anger.
“Hmph… If they refuse to cooperate, lock them all up! A bunch of unruly commoners, daring to form factions and threaten the government—I think they’re planning a rebellion.”
He went to have someone draft a memorial and ordered his men to detain everyone.
His trusted men were stunned. “Boss Cao, you’ve fled the scene. When the families come asking later, should we release them or not?”
Each person in the courtyard had powerful backing; who could a mere military officer offend?
News of Li Chang’an’s arrest gradually spread throughout Bianliang.
“Someone kidnapped the little God of Wealth—they must be desperate!”
“Did you hear? Imperial Uncle Cao captured the God of Wealth, hoping to monopolize the opportunity for riches.”
“No way! I’ve benefited from the little deity’s blessings and haven’t had a chance to repay him yet.”
Fortunately, the construction site was managed by wealthy Wei Ming and Feng Shouli, so no chaos ensued there. But the market was another story—arresting the living God of Wealth was downright bullying.
In all the world, only Judge Bao and Li the God of Wealth cared about the common people.
No, we must lodge a complaint for Li the God of Wealth!
Before long, the drums of grievance were sounded at Xiangfu County, Kaifeng County, and the Kaifeng Prefecture office. A large crowd of commoners gathered to defend Li Chang’an.
That was the God of Wealth, a blessing from heaven—how could the government arrest him?
The officials in these three places were also baffled. Who on earth was arrested? Must be a hallucination from eating too many roasted soybeans.
They all passed the buck, saying their own jails had no such prisoner.
Eunuch Chen returned to the inner palace to report the news and then retired to his quarters to rest.
No sooner had he lain down than a young eunuch came to announce that the emperor wanted to see him.
He ran all the way, sweating profusely, lips pale, covering two miles in less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
“Cao Rui, this isn’t right. I told him to send someone to inquire about the school’s name to prepare an inscription for Li Chang’an. Why did he personally go and arrest people?”
Emperor Zhao Xu was puzzled. Did Cao Rui not understand, or was he just unclear enough?
Gradually, the Imperial City Department began sending messages to the inner palace.
Soon, Old Master Ouyang Xiu requested an audience to discuss an important matter with the emperor.
One after another, Sima Guang, Wang Pang, and Qian Dajun also arrived.
Zhao Xu held the latest report from the Imperial City Department: “Many places in the city have seen people voicing grievances for Li Chang’an, attacking the prefecture office, and disturbing public order.”
The ministers entered one by one, all speaking about the same issue.
“We can’t arrest Li Chang’an. There are five thousand jobs involved, which means five thousand families. The residents of Dongguo are mostly families of the militia. If this escalates, there will be chaos! We must stop immediately; if the militia riots, tens of thousands live just outside the city walls.”
Sima Guang, as Censor-in-Chief, sternly rebuked the young emperor Zhao Xu for his poor judgment.
He accused him of being too lenient with his maternal relatives, damaging the court’s reputation.
After the officials left, Zhao Xu angrily smashed several porcelain tea bowls. This was so unfair—the trouble wasn’t even his doing.
“Cao Rui, you really think you’re my uncle!”
“Let’s go set up at Cining Palace. I’m going to ask grandmother if the Cao family can still be controlled!”