Chapter 137: Liu Yu

If Zhang Bangchang refused to become the emperor of this puppet regime, then who else could take the throne? Wanyan Zongbi suddenly found himself troubled by the question.

Wanyan Zongbi’s proposal to establish a puppet regime won the general approval of Wanyan Zonghan and the others. Everyone began searching for a suitable candidate to rule it.

Before long, Wanyan Chang found the perfect choice: Liu Yu.

Liu Yu, courtesy name Yanyou, was a native of Fucheng in Yongjing Commandery and had passed the imperial examination during the Yuanfu era.

When Zhao Ji was emperor, Liu Yu served as Judicial Commissioner of Hebei West Circuit and was later appointed governor of Jinan. When the Jin armies invaded the south, Liu Yu saw the chaos engulfing the north and intended to flee to Jiangnan to seek an official post, but the ruling authorities refused to let him go.

Thus, when the Jin army besieged Jinan, Liu Yu killed Guan Sheng, the city’s renowned saber-wielding general, and surrendered to the Jin. Among the Song officials who defected to the Jin, Liu Yu was considered one of the more senior figures.

Yet Liu Yu was a scholar, and in the horse-riding kingdom of the Jin, scholars were not held in particularly high regard. When he heard that the Jin were preparing to establish a puppet state and were seeking an emperor, he approached Wanyan Chang in hopes of securing the position.

Knowing that Wanyan Chang had always been fond of beautiful women, Liu Yu deliberately purchased two young girls who had not yet come of age from a trafficker and presented them to him.

Wanyan Chang was indeed delighted when he saw them, and he agreed to receive Liu Yu.

“Great General, I have heard that our Great Jin intends to establish a puppet Qi regime. I may be an unworthy man, but I have come to recommend myself to you,” Liu Yu said to Wanyan Chang.

Looking at Liu Yu before him, Wanyan Chang thought to himself that few men of Song would willingly undertake an assignment that would cause people to curse them behind their backs. The Jin were already worrying over their inability to find a suitable candidate. They had even considered appointing a surrendered Liao official as emperor of the puppet Qi regime. They had never expected Liu Yu to come knocking on their door of his own accord.

“You should understand the weight of the title. As emperor of puppet Qi, you would be the true sovereign of Shandong, Hebei, and the surrounding regions. Naturally, many people covet the position. It will be no easy matter for me to overcome the objections of the court and place you on the throne.” Wanyan Chang spoke slowly, deliberately wearing a troubled expression.

Seeing this, Liu Yu hurriedly opened a small chest beside him. Inside lay gold that glittered brilliantly.

“Great General, I have only been governor for a short time, so I possess no more than this modest sum. I have brought it all as a token of respect for you. I beg you to make the necessary arrangements on my behalf. If I am able to become emperor, then in addition to paying annual tribute to the Great Jin, I will also present you with a gift of this size every year.” Smiling, Liu Yu carried the small chest of gold before Wanyan Chang.

Wanyan Chang would have been lying if he claimed the gold did not tempt him. After a moment’s thought, he said to Liu Yu, “Since you are so sensible, I will make a few arrangements for you at court. If this succeeds, however, you must provide a chest of this size every year from now on.”

Hearing that the matter might truly go his way, Liu Yu readily agreed. “Thank you for your support, Great General. I shall ensure that this chest reaches your residence on time every year.”

After accepting Liu Yu’s gifts, Wanyan Chang recommended him to Wanyan Zongbi.

Liu Yu then presented Wanyan Zongbi with an even greater amount of silver, and so he became the puppet emperor of the Qi regime established by the Jin.

With puppet Qi serving as a buffer, a buffer zone now existed between the Jin and the Song—at least from the Jin perspective. For the Song, the next enemy they would face was no longer merely the Jin, but the combined armies of the Jin and puppet Qi.

Wanyan Zongbi withdrew to defend the capital, leaving the entire mess of Daming City to Liu Yu.

Once he took office, Liu Yu built an enormous treasury inside his palace. To become this puppet emperor, he had exhausted virtually all his savings over the years. Now that he had finally transformed himself into the ruler of this puppet regime, his goal was to fill the treasury he had built.

His ambitions were understandable, but the people of Hebei and Shandong had suffered through years of warfare. They could barely feed themselves, let alone spare money for Liu Yu to extort.

One day, as Liu Yu walked down the street, he happened to see a man hawking an antique.

Liu Yu seized the fellow at once.

“Tell me—where did you get this?” Liu Yu stared at him with a sinister expression. “Unless my eyes deceive me, this is an object used in the imperial palace. Why is it in your possession?”

When the man learned that the person before him was none other than the current emperor, Liu Yu, he was terrified out of his wits. He hurriedly knelt and begged for mercy, then sensibly offered the antique to Liu Yu.

But Liu Yu shook his head. “First tell me where you got it. Did you steal it from the palace?”

The man hastily shook his head. “Your Majesty, I did not steal it from the palace. But it was indeed stolen.”

“What sort of convoluted nonsense is that? If you dare continue with such glib excuses, I will have your head chopped off,” Liu Yu said angrily.

“Your Majesty, I dug it out of—of a burial mound,” the man said, forcing the words out.

Robbing another person’s ancestral grave was an act despised by all decent people. Having confessed, the man fully expected Liu Yu to order his execution.

Strangely, however, Liu Yu did not have him seized. Instead, he fell into deep thought.

“Here, take this jade pendant back.” Liu Yu returned the pendant he had just taken from the man.

The fellow was overjoyed. He had never imagined that Liu Yu would spare his life, much less return the item he had confiscated. The common people all said that Liu Yu was a tyrant who bled them dry, but perhaps he was not such a bad man after all.

That was what the man thought. Yet Liu Yu’s next words showed him how laughable his earlier conclusion had been.

“I can return this jade pendant to you, and I can spare you the death penalty as well—but you must agree to one condition.” Liu Yu fixed his gaze on the man.

Hearing this, the man thought such good fortune could hardly be real. He immediately agreed. “Your Majesty, simply give the order. I will do exactly as you say.”

“Where did you steal this from? Take me there, and I will spare your life. If we truly uncover any treasures, I will reward you handsomely,” Liu Yu said.

By then, Liu Yu had become utterly obsessed with money. He had even begun coveting the wealth buried in ancient graves. But he truly had no other choice. When the Jin army withdrew north, it had looted virtually every valuable possession in its path. Liu Yu was genuinely impoverished.

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