Prince Chun of Wei, Yelü Chun, was the Military Governor of the Southern Capital.
He had not taken the field with the army and remained in Nanjing.
He was a close member of the imperial clan, and as Military Governor of the Southern Capital, he was responsible for both military and civil administration throughout the Yanjing region.
Whenever Emperor Tianzuo's misrule became the subject of conversation, and whenever people began to worry aloud about the future of the dynasty, Yelü Chun's name naturally came to mind.
He devoted himself to his duties as Military Governor of the Southern Capital.
He governed the military and civil affairs of Yanjing and the surrounding region, oversaw the city gates and storehouses, kept account of troops and tax grain, and supervised the defenses of the southern frontier and the formal procedures surrounding envoys from Song.
Prince Chun of Wei remained in Nanjing.
He was a close kinsman of the imperial house, and as Military Governor of the Southern Capital, he bore responsibility for the military and civil administration of Yanjing.
And so, the more Liao began to shake, the heavier his name quietly became.
Whenever Emperor Tianzuo wandered between hunting and war, whenever Jin pressed westward from the east, and whenever uneasy whispers spread through the court, someone would lower his voice and speak the name Yelü Chun.
Yelü Chun knew this better than anyone.
That night, only a few lamps burned in the prince's residence.
It was already late, and even the attendants moved quietly through the halls.
Each time the wind brushed against the paper windows, the flames trembled faintly.
Then came word that Xiao Dili, the younger brother of the princess consort, had arrived.
He was the princess consort's own brother.
Even at such a late hour, he was not a man who could easily be turned away at the gate.
Yelü Chun thought for a moment, then ordered that he be admitted.
Xiao Dili entered quietly and bowed with proper courtesy.
His clothes were neat, and his face bore the calm expression of a man who had prepared for this conversation for a long time.
He did not go directly to the heart of the matter.
He did not begin with words such as deposition or rebellion.
First, he asked after his sister.
Then he spoke of the winter in Nanjing.
Only after that did he cautiously mention the sinister rumors spreading through the army.
His words came slowly, each one polished to touch the listener's heart.
"Your Highness, the situation in the east grows more urgent by the day.
"The Jin army has broken through several cities, and many tribes have changed their allegiance and submitted to Jin. Rumors circulate through the army that commanders no longer trust one another. The people are afraid, the imperial clan is deeply worried, and the ministers have fallen silent, watching one another's faces."
Yelü Chun set down his cup.
He was thin, with a long face.
His eyes were deep and quiet, and he rarely showed emotion while listening.
His beard was neatly trimmed, and even his clothing favored restraint over splendor.
"So that is why you came to me in the middle of the night? To tell me this?"
Xiao Dili lowered his head further.
"I have come because I dare to report a matter of great weight. If Your Highness rebukes me, I will accept it gladly. But defeats continue to arrive from the east, the tribes are beginning to turn their hearts elsewhere, and within the army there is growing concern over His Majesty's rule. As a member of the imperial clan, I found it difficult to remain silent while watching events unfold."
Yelü Chun looked at him without speaking.
Xiao Dili took that silence as permission to continue.
"Emperor Tianzuo was born into the most exalted bloodline.
"But Heaven raises an emperor so that he may preserve the dynasty and allow the people to live.
"Hunting has come before affairs of state. The words of favorites have been heard more readily than the remonstrance of loyal ministers. Defeats continue along the frontier, yet discipline at court has not been restored.
"If this continues, Great Liao may possess countless soldiers, yet their hearts will scatter. Its walls may stand high, yet those charged with defending them will waver."
He paused.
The lamplight reflected faintly in his eyes.
His voice remained low, but there was a sweetness in it that drew a listener inward.
Xiao Dili softened his expression as well.
His brows lowered, concern settled around his mouth, and the hint of a smile barely showed.
Not once did he raise his voice.
"Your Highness is a senior member of the imperial house. You have governed the Southern Capital and brought peace to Han and Khitan alike. Neither the officials of the Northern Administration nor those of the Southern Administration treat your name lightly.
"If Your Highness steps forward, the army will gain legitimacy, the court will regain its center, and the people will see a path to survival.
"This is not about the glory of one man.
"It is the path by which Great Liao may be preserved."
Yelü Chun's gaze deepened slightly.
Xiao Dili did not miss the change.
His voice became gentler still.
"General Yelü Zhangnu holds the same purpose.
"He intends to offer rites at the Temple of the Founder and report the peril of Great Liao before our ancestors.
"If the imperial clan and the commanders unite their purpose before the spirit of the founder, the confusion within the army will soon settle.
"Even the Jurchen, upon hearing of Your Highness's virtue, may choose peace over further war.
"They raised their blades because they witnessed Emperor Tianzuo's misrule. It is difficult to believe that they truly seek to sever the roots of Great Liao itself."
For the first time, Yelü Chun spoke.
"You believe the Jurchen will submit without a fight?"
Xiao Dili did not press him with a direct stare.
Whenever he began speaking, he lowered his eyes.
Only when he reached an important point did he slowly raise them.
There was desperation in his gaze disguised as loyalty.
He worked hard to appear like a man who had ridden through the night solely out of concern for the state.
Xiao Dili answered immediately.
"With Your Highness's name, it is possible.
"All of this has happened because of His Majesty.
"The Jurchen may have no fear of Emperor Tianzuo's army, but even they will find it difficult to treat lightly a new court that restores the legitimate line of the founder.
"If Your Highness ascends the throne and extends grace first, the Jurchen may withdraw their armies and return to the proper rites of vassalage.
"It is a path by which the country may be set right before more blood is shed."
The words were truly plausible.
He was not saying that the emperor should be replaced.
He was saying that the country should be saved.
He was not calling for men to raise their swords.
He was calling for bloodshed to be reduced.
Instead of speaking the word rebellion, he spoke of the founder's temple, the duty of the imperial clan, and the safety of the people.
Such are the words of rebellious ministers.
They sound sweet from the very beginning.
Ambition dresses itself in righteousness.
Treason borrows the name of loyalty.
And every time Xiao Dili felt his words reaching Yelü Chun's heart, the corner of his mouth moved almost imperceptibly.
It was a change too slight for most men to notice.
Beneath that humble expression, calculation was moving quickly.
At last, Xiao Dili lowered himself even further.
"Your Highness, Heaven has already sent its signs. The defeats in the east, the unrest within the army, and the departure of the tribes are all omens.
"If Your Highness steps forward now, Great Liao may draw breath again.
"If Your Highness hesitates, the state founded by the Great Ancestor will collapse somewhere between the hunting grounds and the military camps.
"As a kinsman of the princess consort, and as a subject of Great Liao, I stake my life on these words."
Xiao Dili knew how to use his hands as well as his tongue.
When he spoke of the altars of Great Liao, he brought both hands together before his chest.
When he spoke of the suffering of the people, he hid his fingertips inside his sleeves.
When he spoke of Emperor Tianzuo's failures, he lowered his head further, behaving as though the words were almost too painful to utter.
Only when he praised Yelü Chun's virtue did he finally raise his head a little.
Yelü Chun watched him for a long time.
Xiao Dili's words were smooth.
He had woven together the imperial clan, the dynasty, and the people so skillfully that it was difficult to find a flaw.
Yet words that are too smooth often conceal a blade.
And that blade was pointed at more than Emperor Tianzuo.
The moment Yelü Chun accepted those words, he too would lose the road back.
Xiao Dili's face looked less like that of a treacherous minister than that of a loyal one.
That was what made him more dangerous.
Greed is easy to avoid when it shows itself openly.
But the face of a man worried for the country, the respectful voice that invokes the imperial clan, and the lowered tone of one claiming to speak for the people—those things break down a person's defenses.
Yelü Chun finally spoke slowly.
"This is no small matter."
What kind of face does a traitor wear?
What kind of face belongs to the treacherous ministers we know from history?
The chilling truth is that they wear utterly ordinary faces.
Faces no different from those around us.
Faces familiar enough to belong to a friend.
They explain, with desperate conviction, why they had no other choice.
They invoke reality, society, the state, and human nature.
No—sometimes they explain it far too well.
If a man can explain things that well, one cannot help wondering why he did not use that clever tongue in service of the country instead.