Reborn as Murong Fu: This Time I'm the Protagonist

Chapter 506 Emperor Liang Yuan's Legacy

Li Canghai said, "It seems that there was a reason why that old man Wuyazi chose you as the leader of the Xiaoyao Sect. You are indeed qualified."

Murong Fu said, "It seems that your actions this time are not to secure a position as the principal wife for Abi, but to test me. I just can't think of anything that could make you go through such a roundabout way."

Li Canghai asked, "A fortune that could rival that of a nation, are you interested?"

Murong Fu smiled slightly: "What kind of wealth would make you, an old man, go through such a long and complicated journey to amuse me?"

"Five million taels of gold, interested?"

Li Canghai laughed.

Murong Fu's breath hitched.

During the Song Dynasty, silver was scarce. One tael of silver was roughly equivalent to two strings of copper coins, while one tael of gold could be exchanged for ten to sixteen taels of silver, depending on its purity.

Five million taels of gold, taking the middle value, is sixty-five million taels of silver and thirteen million strings of copper coins, which is equivalent to about two years' total fiscal revenue of the Northern Song Dynasty.

"Such a large fortune, apart from an emperor, no one in the world could handle or protect it. You are a decent person in terms of temperament and ability. However, you are too indecisive and sentimental. You can be upset for half a day if a person or two dies. You don't want to cause bloodshed or chaos in the world. You don't have the mindset of an entrepreneurial monarch."

Li Canghai frowned, seemingly quite dissatisfied with Murong Fu.

Murong Fu smiled sheepishly, "It's not as bad as you make it out to be. It's just that I didn't understand things well enough back then, and I didn't think that far ahead. Now that I see it, this Great Song Dynasty, sigh..."

Li Canghai smiled enigmatically: "Now, what do you think of the Great Song Dynasty?"

Murong Fu sighed, "Now it seems that the Song Dynasty is like a magnificent robe crawling with lice. It looks glamorous on the surface, but it's actually quite deplorable. On my journey from Suzhou to Bianliang, I encountered three bandits and refugees alone. Beggars are everywhere. The Beggars' Guild has grown stronger in recent years, but the number of beggars who have joined is only the tip of the iceberg. The suffering and hardships of the people are truly indescribable. People have always praised the wealth of the Song Dynasty. However, the Song Dynasty's territory is far smaller than that of the Tang Dynasty. Its so-called wealth is nothing more than the result of unchecked land annexation and rampant extortion. It's time to close this century-old establishment."

Li Canghai smiled with satisfaction: "I originally just wanted to test your martial arts skills and ambitions. I didn't expect you to have such a change in mindset. Good, very good. In that case, I can entrust this fortune to you with peace of mind."

Li Canghai asked, "Have you ever heard of the treasures left behind by Emperor Liang Yuan?"

Murong Fu's heart skipped a beat: "Jiangling, the treasure left by Emperor Yuan of Liang?"

Li Canghai was startled: "How do you know that Emperor Liang Yuan's treasure is in Jiangling?"

"Emperor Yuan of Liang, Xiao Yi, was the seventh son of Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan. He was enfeoffed as the Prince of Xiangdong, with his fief in Jiangling. During the Hou Jing Rebellion, Xiao Yi, along with other reinforcements, watched the events unfold and observed the rebel army besiege the capital, Taicheng. After Taicheng fell, Emperor Wu of Liang starved to death, and the rebel army plundered the city. Emperor Yuan of Liang, after killing many of his brothers and even inviting the enemy into the country, ascended the throne in Jiangling. However, his reign was short-lived. Less than two years later, the city was destroyed by the Western Wei. Before his death, he burned his entire collection of 140,000 volumes of books. He even declared with certainty that he had spent his life reading, only to find that the books were utterly useless, demonstrating the futility of reading. How laughable, how pathetic, and how shameful!"

Murong Fu said slowly. Li Canghai nodded: "That's right, but there's one thing you didn't get right."

"Oh? Which point?" Murong Fu asked, puzzled.

Li Canghai said, "Emperor Liang Yuan did indeed burn his collection of books before his death, but that was just a small smokescreen played by this short-lived emperor. The real purpose was to hide and move a batch of real treasures. This is the real treasure left behind by Emperor Liang Yuan."

Murong Fu's heart raced slightly: It seems that Emperor Liang Yuan's treasures really do exist in this world, and his previous speculation was not wrong.

"Emperor Yuan of Liang left behind a great treasure, hoping that his descendants could use it to revive the Liang dynasty. Later, at the end of the Sui dynasty, the world was in chaos. Emperor Xiao Xian of the Western Liang dynasty rose up amidst the chaos, attempting to find the treasure left by Emperor Yuan of Liang, but his search was fruitless. As Li Xiaogong and Li Jing of the Tang dynasty conquered Jiangling, Xiao Xian died, and the treasure gradually faded from people's sight and was no longer mentioned."

Li Canghai continued, "However, my Emperor Liezu of Tang was a man of great talent and ambition. He secretly organized people to investigate, and after much searching, he found this treasure."

"However, Emperor Liezu knew that his successor was not the one to continue the legacy and expand the territory, so he did not tell his successor the location of this treasure. Instead, he preserved it in the form of books in the records of the Chongwen Hall in Jinling. Later, when Jinling fell, this collection of books was taken to Kaifeng. Over time, only two people in the world know this secret. No, now there are three people."

Murong Fu said, "I guess the other one is your sister, Li Qiushui, right?"

Li Canghai was slightly surprised: "You knew all along?"

Murong Fu said, "I guessed it long ago. The reason Li Qiushui went to Western Xia to become the queen of Li Yuanhao, the king of Western Xia at the time, was both to escape Tong Lao's pursuit and because Western Xia, under Li Yuanhao's leadership, had dealt a heavy blow to the Song army. Li Qiushui also hoped to use the power of Western Xia to avenge the Song's destruction of Southern Tang, right?"

Li Canghai said, "Indeed."

Murong Fu said, "The Southern Tang has been destroyed for over a hundred years, and its former subjects have long since been integrated into the Song dynasty. Why cling to the hatred of a hundred years ago?"

Li Canghai said, "Your Murong family's Yan Kingdom perished six hundred years ago. Haven't your ancestors still been longing for that country that was destroyed six hundred years ago?"

Murong Fu was speechless for a moment.

"The vast annals of history, with their voluminous volumes, ultimately boil down to just four words: striving to become emperor! Murong Fu, do you dare say you didn't have that thought?"

Murong Fu laughed heartily: "How can a person not know his own limitations? If I were in the same era as Emperor Gaozu of Han or Emperor Taizong of Tang, I would follow the example of Peng Yue and Li Jing, serve them from the north, and be a meritorious dog, competing with the meritorious officials and veteran generals. If I were to encounter Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou or Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, with my abilities, I might be able to compete with them for the world."

"In life, one should be upright and honest. A true man should have the world in his heart and conquer the world with wisdom and strength. I despise those like Zhao Kuangyin, who usurped the throne while his benefactor's body was still warm and took advantage of orphans and widows. This is one of his crimes. The Song Dynasty seized the world but failed to bestow favors upon the people. It claimed to govern the world with the scholar-officials, not with the common people. The people's livelihood was impoverished, and refugees rose everywhere. From the very beginning of the new dynasty, it was gloomy and had no trace of the grandeur of the Han and Tang dynasties. This is its second crime."

"The Song emperors were weak and incompetent, living in a daze. Emperor Zhenzong built palaces and temples on a grand scale, and held ceremonies in the east and west, exhausting the nation's resources. Emperor Renzong inherited his father's legacy, but the accumulated problems only deepened. Emperor Yingzong was mentally ill. Emperor Shenzong's reforms were half-hearted, lacking the decisiveness of a great ruler. The current emperor is even more of a brainless and frivolous fool. What harm is there in taking the Song dynasty's empire?"

Murong Fu sneered, "Since ancient times, none has been easier to seize the world than Emperor Wen of Sui. In my opinion, what harm is there in taking the Song dynasty's empire? It's nothing more than a bunch of spineless literati spouting their so-called golden age. It's just a willow catkin that can be blown away by a single Qiang flute tune."