The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 104 Huang Shang (asking for monthly tickets!)
"Oh?" Zhao Ti smiled. He had asked the officials in the state before. Huang Shang only had one son, named Huang Mo. How could he have a son named Bubai? Huang Shang passed the imperial examination and was a top scholar. He would not give his son a name like Bubai.

Zhao Ti waved to the little boy: "Come here."

The child looked around, his expression hesitant.

Zhao Ti said: "Don't be afraid, your father is not at home, no one will take care of you here."

The little boy scratched his head and said, "I was afraid that someone would tell on me and I would be beaten."

Zhao Ti laughed and said, "How can anyone snitch? Do you think I am a snitch?"

The little boy looked at Zhao Ti and said, "That's hard to say. My father always said that you can't judge a person by his appearance."

Zhao Ti said: "This sentence is not appropriate here. How old are you?"

The little boy said, "I am nine years old." He finally couldn't bear it anymore, so he climbed onto the top of the wall, then flipped over and landed on the ground nimbly.

Seeing that he was very skilled, Zhao Ti said, "This isn't your first time here."

The child looked alert: "How do you know?"

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "Come and have some tea."

The little boy walked to the stone table and Ah Zhu poured him a cup of tea. He drank it with one hand while holding the sword-shaped wooden stick with the other hand.

Zhao Ti asked, "What does your father do at home after he finishes his official duties?"

The child thought for a moment and said: "Read a book, write a poem...beat me!"

Zhao Ti wondered, "He is a scholar, why would he beat you?"

The child lowered his head and said: "I don't study hard, I like to dance with sticks, and I am often naughty."

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "You are young, but you know your own problems."

The boy took another sip of tea and said, "Only if you know yourself and your enemy, you can win every battle."

Zhao Ti shook his head: "You used the wrong words again. Your father should be back soon in the next two days. Have you finished your homework?"

The child's expression froze when he heard this, then he cried out "bad news" and stood up and ran to the wall.

Ah Zhu shouted, "Bubai, where are you going?"

The little boy said, "I haven't done any homework. I'm afraid I'll be beaten to death when I come back. I have to finish writing the Thousand Character Classic as soon as possible..." As he spoke, his small figure jumped up, hooked onto the wall, and flipped back to the other side of the yard.

Zhao Ti withdrew his gaze, watched Ah Zhu pour tea, and said in a deep voice, "The matter in Jiangnan is about to be settled. I have sent a letter to Dali. Someone from the Zhennan Palace will take Duan Yu away soon. If you want to go to Dali, I will write a letter to Duan Zhengming, the ruler of Dali, and ask him to make you a princess. Duan Zhengchun and Dao Baifeng will not be able to say anything.

Ah Zhu trembled when she heard this, but said nothing.

On the way from Mantuo Villa to Hangzhou, Zhao Ti told Ah Zhu about his life story and that he had a longevity lock engraved with the words "Stars in the Sky, Sparkling, Forever Bright, and Everlasting Peace". He also had a small paragraph of words tattooed on his shoulder. Ah Zhu was stunned for a long time after hearing this and couldn't help but believe it.

Seeing that she remained silent, Zhao Ti continued, "It is impossible to go back to Chanhe Manor. As for your mother...it is better not to go."

Ah Zhu looked up and suddenly showed a playful expression: "I am not going anywhere."

Zhao Ti looked at her for a few breaths and nodded: "Then I won't let you meet the people from Dali when you return to Suzhou."

Ah Zhu said, "I don't know what Dali is. I don't want to see anyone coming from there, nor do I want to take a step there."

Zhao Ti said: "In that case, just follow me to Tokyo."

Ah Zhu lowered her head and said, "I want to visit the Daxiangguo Temple."

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "The tea is cold. Make a new pot and bring it over."

Three days later, Zhao Ti practiced internal skills all night and slept until noon before getting up. Then he heard a quarrel coming from the direction of the lobby of the provincial government.

After he had finished cleaning up, the noise of the quarrel was still there, and it was getting louder and louder. He went to the hall and saw that Yang Jian was arguing with a man in an official robe, with a clean-looking face and a thin beard.

The two men hurriedly saluted when they saw him come in. The handsome man said, "I am Huang Shang, your humble servant. I greet the King of Yan."

Zhao Ti looked Huang Shang up and down. He was the first in the imperial examination in the eighth year of Emperor Shenzong's Yuanfeng reign. He was good at poetry and a devout Taoist. He was known as Mr. Yanshan.

Eighteen years later, he presided over the compilation of the third Taoist canon of the Song Dynasty, the Wanshou Taoist canon, also known as the Taoist scriptures.

Huang Shang saw that Zhao Ti looked strange, and thought: "Your Highness, King Yan, just now Yang Duzhi told me about military exploits, and I said that I don't need military exploits, as long as the people are happy. Yang Duzhi said that I was mocking him, and I didn't understand, so I started to argue."

"You, Huang Mianzhong, you still say that you are not a bad person, but now you are the bad person who is complaining first!" Yang Jian said angrily when he heard it.

Huang Shang shook his head: "The bandits appeared under my jurisdiction because I was not good at governing. It is my duty to wipe them out. I have no merit to speak of, so what's the point of coming? Just tell Yang Duzhi everything."

Yang Jian pointed at Huang Shang and said, "Your Highness, look at this, what kind of treacherous words are these? You said that all the achievements were given to me. Even if your Majesty saw me taking all the military merits, you wouldn't believe it. And you even said that I am not evil. It's obvious that you have treacherous intentions and are trying to trip me up."

Zhao Ti said: "No need to argue, just report the truth and we will know the merits after calculation."

Huang Shang said: "I obey your orders."

Yang Jian said: "I will obey your Highness's decision."

Zhao Ti nodded and sat behind the desk: "Let's talk about the war so that I can draft a memorial to the emperor."

More than an hour later, Zhao Ti heard the whole process of the war. This time, Huang Shang gathered almost all of the 4,500 soldiers from Fujian Route. Even if there were old or sick soldiers, he found ways to replace them. Then he devised a strategy to divide the Ming Cult believers and spread the news of Taishu Dingqian's killing. After hearing this, the believers became panic-stricken and collapsed.

Then they started a siege, and all the bows and crossbows that had not been used in decades were distributed from the warehouses in Fujian Road, and they chased the enemy all the way to the seaside. During the process, many of them surrendered directly, and by the time they reached the seaside, there were less than 200 people left.

He tricked the Left Emissary of the Ming Cult into sending people to pretend to be seafarers, trick them onto a ship, and then shoot them dead.

Zhao Ti looked at Huang Shang and said, "This matter has been handled well, neatly and without any delay. I will write the memorial truthfully and will not erase any of your achievements."

Huang Shang said: "Although I dare not take credit for it, I will obey your majesty's decision in everything."

Zhao Ti looked at Yang Jian again and said, "Yang Duzhi's contribution is also indispensable. I will report it truthfully."

Yang Jian said: "I thank your Highness."

Then he asked the two to leave. Huang Shang arranged a banquet in the evening. After the meal, Zhao Ti called him to the back hall.

"Doesn't Mian Zhong practice martial arts?"

Huang Shang shook his head: "I am interested in the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi, but I have never thought about practicing martial arts."

Zhao Ti nodded: "Now that this matter is over, I guess His Majesty will transfer you to the capital to serve, so it's a good opportunity to talk about Taoism with Mian Zhong."

Huang Shang was surprised and asked, "Your Highness also likes this door?"

Zhao Ti said with a smile: "The capital is very popular at the moment, but most of them are just seeking fame and reputation. Mian Zhong's going there will be a good opportunity to show off his power."

Huang Shang said: "I am ashamed and dare not show off in front of Your Highness. I have never been a disciple and I only have a superficial understanding."

Zhao Ti smiled slightly: "It doesn't matter whether I become your disciple or not, as long as I have a high level of understanding, it is enough."

The next day, Zhao Ti handed the memorial to Yang Jian and asked him to go back to Beijing to report the victory first.

The next day, Zhao Ti assembled his troops and headed north to Jiangning. Now that the matter was settled, he wanted to visit the former site of Nan Tang Shanhaiguan outside Jiangning City.

After entering Jiangning, he stayed there for a day and then headed straight for the former site of Shanhaiguan before leaving the city.

At this time, the sky was overcast, it seemed like rain was coming, and a cool breeze blew.

(End of this chapter)