The first person the emperor summoned was Xiao Yu, an imperial son-in-law.
The lamps inside the command tent flickered low, while the sound of hoofbeats continued outside through the night.
The Liao encampment was still vast and sprawling, but the emperor's thoughts had already turned toward the Supreme Capital.
"Imperial Son-in-Law!"
Xiao Yu stepped forward and prostrated himself.
"Loyalty. I await Your Majesty's command."
The emperor looked down at him for a long moment.
Xiao Yu was a son-in-law of the imperial house.
His rank allowed him to command troops, and he could naturally come and go near the temporary palaces where the empresses and consorts stayed.
At a time like this, there were few men whom the emperor could trust with matters inside the imperial household.
There were even fewer to whom he could entrust the imperial women.
"You will take troops and go to Guangping Marsh."
Guangping Marsh: Located around the present-day border region northwest of Naiman Banner and northeast of Ongniud Banner in Inner Mongolia, near the confluence of the Laoha River and the Xilamulun River. It was formerly known as Baima Marsh, and in Khitan usage as Ousi Marsh.
Xiao Yu raised his head.
"Guangping Marsh, Your Majesty?"
Guangping Marsh was a winter imperial residence and seasonal naba site within the capital region.
It was a broad waterside plain where the emperor and imperial consorts stayed during winter and conducted affairs of state.
The flat marshland stretched roughly twenty li east to west and ten li north to south. Sand flats and open plains surrounded it, with many elms and willows, and the area was considered relatively mild even in winter.
It was one of the first inner imperial strongholds that had to be protected from rebellion.
In winter, the emperor's tents, the residences of the consorts, and the camps of the imperial guard spread across the area.
It was a hunting ground and a traveling court.
An imperial residence and a military camp at once.
"Protect the empresses and consorts. Seal the palace gates securely and inspect everyone who enters or leaves. Keep horses and wagons set apart, and maintain guards day and night."
Only then did Xiao Yu understand the emperor's intention.
The blade of rebellion was not pointed solely toward the battlefield.
If Yelü Zhangnu had gone to the Supreme Capital, his words could soon shake even the inner reaches of the imperial house.
The emperor intended to secure that place first.
If someone seized the residence and took members of the imperial family as hostages, the situation could become extremely dangerous.
Perhaps it would never come to that.
But no one could know what men might do.
Once a person began to fall apart, there was no telling where it would end.
Xiao Yu bowed deeply.
"I shall carry out Your Majesty's command. I will assume responsibility for the defense of Guangping Marsh and ensure the safety of the imperial consorts."
The emperor stepped closer and spoke in a low voice.
"Do not let word of this spread. The consorts must not be alarmed. The soldiers must not understand what this movement truly means. You are to move under the pretext of protection."
"Loyalty. I receive Your Majesty's command."
Xiao Yu rose and withdrew.
The moment he stepped outside the tent, his guards joined him.
His orders came quietly and quickly.
Prepare the horses.
Select several detachments of imperial guards.
Secure the road toward the imperial residence first.
A body of soldiers began to move silently through the darkness.
Cloth was wrapped around their scabbards.
The bells were removed from their horses.
Their destination was not the battlefield.
It was the inner heart of the imperial house.
After Xiao Yu withdrew, the emperor summoned a Hanlin Academician.
He ordered the scholar to draft an imperial letter in his name.
It was addressed to Prince Chun of Wei.
Recently, sinister rumors have spread through the army, and Yelü Zhangnu has abandoned his duty as deputy commander and departed for the Supreme Capital.
He claims that he goes to offer rites at the Temple of the Founder, yet in truth he seeks to borrow the name of the imperial clan and disturb the hearts of the army.
I know that you hold an important place within the imperial house, that you carry the blood of our ancestors, and that you share responsibility for the altars of Great Liao.
For that reason, I send you this letter.
If Yelü Zhangnu and his followers come before you, seize and bind them at once. Punish severely any man who lends an ear to their words.
The founder's temple is no place in which to hide rebellious intent, nor is the name of the imperial house something traitorous ministers may borrow for their own purposes.
What is happening today is no minor disturbance.
The Jin enemy stands before us, and the armies of many tribes are gathered in one place. If our unity breaks from within, danger to the dynasty will stand directly before our eyes.
You must make your loyalty clear, uphold the duty of the imperial clan, and cut off the first shoots of this wicked faction where they stand.
If any man speaks of deposition and enthronement in your name, he is not a man honoring you. He is a man pushing you into disaster.
Consider this deeply.
I wish to trust your heart.
If you immediately bind the traitors, present them to the throne, and restore stability to the dynasty, it will be counted as a great achievement of the imperial house.
Upon receiving this letter, act at once and explain the circumstances fully to the messenger Yixin before sending him back.
Time within the army is urgent.
Do not delay.
Imperial Letter of Emperor Tianzuo.
Before the ink had even dried, the emperor read it over with his own eyes.
Then he had it read aloud and listened carefully once more.
Only after that did he summon Yixin.
"Bring in Yixin."
A short while later, Yixin, a junior palace attendant of the traveling court, entered.
He moved lightly and read situations quickly, as befitted a man accustomed to carrying small but urgent commands within the palace.
He understood the weight of words passed between princes and ministers.
The emperor lifted the letter from the table and sealed it.
A red imperial seal was pressed into place.
A silk cord was tied tightly around it.
"Deliver this letter to Prince Chun of Wei."
Yixin received the imperial letter with both hands.
He tightened his grip so that his fingers would not tremble.
A letter bearing the emperor's seal was no simple greeting.
It was an object meant to test the heart of the man who received it.
The emperor stared directly at Yixin.
"Prepare several spare horses. Change mounts along the way and ride as fast as you can. Do not stop on the road. You must meet Prince Wei in person. Do not place this in another man's hands. Watch him read it, and bring back his answer."
"Loyalty. I will deliver it at the risk of my life."
The emperor swallowed the rest of his words for a moment.
Prince Yelü Chun of Wei.
That name had now become the most dangerous name in all of Liao.
Yelü Zhangnu had moved while carrying that name with him.
There were men who considered Yelü Chun benevolent, weighty within the imperial clan, and capable of replacing the emperor.
For that reason, the emperor wanted to trust him.
At the same time, he feared him more than anyone.
The imperial letter was a blade asking for loyalty.
Its words were probably gentle.
The state is in turmoil.
Treacherous men plot deposition and enthronement.
The hearts of the imperial clan must be united.
But beneath those words lay one unmistakable question.
Which side will you stand on?
Mine?
Or Yelü Zhangnu's?
Answer now.
The emperor spoke in a low voice.
"Tell Prince Wei this. Yelü Zhangnu has gone to the Supreme Capital with treacherous intentions. He means to use Your Highness's name to carry out his scheme. As a senior member of the imperial clan, Prince Wei must preserve the dynasty and cut off the first shoots of rebellion."
Yixin bowed again.
"I shall deliver every word without omission."
The emperor looked once at the letter in Yixin's hands.
That thin sealed document seemed to carry the Temple of the Founder in the Supreme Capital, Prince Wei in Yanjing, seven hundred thousand soldiers in the field, and the emperor's throne itself.
That letter had to arrive before any army bearing swords.
Before Yelü Zhangnu could spread his message completely, the emperor needed an answer of loyalty from Prince Wei's own mouth.
"Go."
Yixin rose and withdrew immediately.
A horse was already waiting outside the tent.
He placed the imperial letter deep inside his robes and secured it again with a leather strap.
As soon as he mounted, two guards took position on either side.
A small body of cavalry formed around him, some ahead and some behind.
The darkness before dawn was still deep, and the wind cut across their faces like a blade.
Yixin drove his horse forward without looking back.
The lights of the traveling court receded behind him, while the sharp rhythm of hoofbeats raced across the frozen road.
He carried only a single letter.
Yet that letter had to divide the heart of one prince, break the legitimacy of a rebellion, and prove that the emperor was still the emperor.