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32 Humu Di Intones Poems and Visits the Netherworld Vice has never failed to come home to roost; Do nothing evil to gain wealth and fame. Just as sure as water drips from the eaves, Retribution never misses the mark. It is said that the most treacherous court minister of the Song dynasty was Qin Hui [1090–1155],1 courtesy name Huizi, a native of Jiangning. He was born with a peculiarity: his feet measured one foot four inches from heel to toe. He was therefore nicknamed the Long-Foot Scholar when he was a student in the National University. Later, he passed the imperial examinations and rose to the post of vice–censor in chief in the reign period of Jingkang [1126], when the capital fell under attack by the Jurchen [Jin] army and the two emperors, Huizong and Qinzong, were carried o to the north. Qin Hui, too, found himself stranded among the Jurchens. He cultivated a friendship with Wanyan Chang,2 a Jurchen tribal chief, and said to him, “If you let me go back to the south, I’ll be willing to spy for the Jurchen state. If, by any luck, I rise to power, I will certainly initiate a peace negotiation out of my gratitude for the great Jurchen state, and have the Southern Song dynasty cede territory and subjugate itself to the Jurchen state.” Wanyan Chang reported accordingly to the Jurchen ruler, who instructed his fourth son, Wuzhu [Wanyan Zongbi, d. 1148], to enter into a secret pact with Qin Hui. Qin Hui was then released to the south. Qin Hui and his wife, Wang-shi, journeyed south by sea. On arriving at Lin’an, the capital of the Southern Song dynasty, they claimed that they had gotten away by killing their Jurchen prison wardens. Emperor Gaozong believed their story and asked Qin Hui about the situation in the north. Qin Hui extolled in glowing terms the prowess of the Jurchen troops and claimed that the Southern Song dynasty was no match for them. Not surprisingly, Emperor Gaozong took fright and asked Qin Hui for a good plan. Qin Hui said, “Since the house of Shi of the Later Jin dynasty submitted itself to Liao, the central plains have been on the decline and there is little chance of revitalizing in a short period of time. That the empire was nearly wiped out in the 557 Jingkang crisis was more the will of heaven than the work of humans. Your Majesty just started the southern dynasty, with the populace still apprehensive and the generals away from court, in command of massive forces. Should any one of them betray you, the game will be as good as lost. (A foreshadowing of the murder of Yue Fei.) The best course of action for now is to hold back the troops and make peace. Draw a demarcation line separating north and south so that both sides will not invade each other. Remove military power from the generals, and Your Majesty can sit back and enjoy your riches in ease, while the people of the empire will be free from misery and su ering. Wouldn’t that be most desirable?” The emperor replied, “I do wish to make peace. My only fear is that the Jurchens will not agree.” “When I was among the Jurchens,” said Qin Hui, “I came to be respected by the Jurchen chieftains. If Your Majesty entrusts me with the mission, I will find a way to guarantee success of the peace talks. Nothing will go wrong.” Overjoyed, the emperor then and there conferred upon Qin Hui the title of vice-director of the Department of State A airs. Promoted soon thereafter to the post of deputy prime minister, Qin Hui took on the sole responsibility for peace talks and appointed Goulong Ruyuan as his vice–censor in chief. All court ministers who advised against the peace talks were removed from their posts at Qin Hui’s insistence. (How e‹cient!) Among those demoted and banished were Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, Hu Quan, Yan Dunfu, Liu Dazhong, Yin Tun, Wang Juzheng, Wu Shigu, Zhang Jiucheng, and Yu Chu. In the meantime, Yue Fei [1103–42] was putting the Jurchen forces to rout in battle after battle. Wuzhu, the fourth son of the Jurchen ruler, was driven into such desperation that he sent his trusted subordinate Wang Jin to Qin Hui with a note stu ed into a wax ball. On the note was written...

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