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

Chapter 117: The Star-Shifting and Combination Finger (Two Chapters in One)

After the court was dismissed, Zhao Ti went to the Ministry of Rites to ask for the list of the Western Xia delegation. As expected, the leader of the delegation was General Helian Tieshu, but the name of Yipintang Deputy Master Yeli Chunfeng was not on the list.

He thought to himself, since Helian Tieshu's identity was not concealed, the names on the list were most likely true. Yeli Chunfeng's official rank was not high, so there was no need to hide it. Since he did not come, there was a lot of room for improvement.

He has a badge of Yipintang, and Yeli Chunfeng said that if he goes back and asks for the position of deputy hall master for him, there is a 90% chance that he will be successful.

After returning to the palace, Zhao Ti rested for a while and then went to the pavilion in the middle of the lake to drink tea.

The little maid Ruyi was feeding the lake fish with Wang Yuyan and Azhu. The fish kept jumping out of the water, splashing clear water, which made the three of them very happy.

Zhao Ti coughed lightly, stood up and walked over. When the fish saw Zhao Ti, they were so scared that they all ran away, sank into the water and dared not come out.

The little maid Ruyi said, "The prince has scared the fish away again."

Zhao Ti frowned and said, "These fish are not close to me. I will catch them all and braise them next time."

Ah Zhu blinked and said, "Your Highness has never fed these fish, right?"

Zhao Ti said: "I haven't fed him before."

Wang Yuyan smiled and said, "That's right. Fish will become close to you if you feed them often. Fish are also smart and know who is feeding them."

Zhao Ti glanced at her, turned and left the pavilion, and walked towards the stable. Black Rose had been lying under the shed, but when she heard the familiar footsteps, she made a "swish" sound and stood up.

The groom stepped forward and saluted. Zhao Ti said, "I will feed the horse."

Then he took the fine feed made of bean cakes and eggs and began to feed Black Rose: "I asked your original master's father and he said that the mother and daughter were thin-skinned and ran back to the mountains. I asked him to tell your original master to come to Tokyo. But even if she comes to Tokyo, I will not return you. You are already my horse."

Black Rose was a little mare. She couldn’t understand what Zhao Ti was mumbling, but she knew that Zhao Ti treated her very well and fed her much better food than her original owner.

It rubbed its head against Zhao Ti, who stroked it gently a few times, then smiled and went back to the practice room to practice.

Two days later, the Western Xia delegation arrived in Tokyo, with more than one hundred people. Someone spread the news on the roads in Gyeonggi Province, and the people rushed to intercept and scold them.

The national strength of the Song Dynasty in recent years was almost entirely consumed by the Western Xia. Since the time of Emperor Renzong, military expenditures have been increasing. During the reign of Emperor Renzong, the annual military expenditure was 10 million strings of cash, but by the time of Emperor Shenzong, it had skyrocketed to 48 million strings of cash, and almost all of it was used to fight a tug-of-war with the Western Xia on the northwest border.

From the Empress Dowager Liang to the present Empress Dowager Liang, all the people in Western Xia are capable of doing evil and are the kind who are afraid that the world will not be in chaos. At this time, the King of Western Xia, Li Qianshun, is only eleven years old, and the Empress Dowager Liang is only twenty-seven years old, but she is in charge of the government and makes decisions on everything.

Since Li Liangzuo, Western Xia has had Han queens. Li Bingchang and Li Qianshun have Han bloodline, and Empress Dowager Xiaoliang is a Han woman.

The people knew something about these things, and because they knew, they were angry and resentful. When the Western Xia delegation arrived, they immediately brought their relatives and friends to rebuke them.

Finally, there was no choice. In order to avoid conflict, Zhao Xu had to order the soldiers to provide protection on all sides. However, the soldiers were unhappy because they were all imperial guards from the capital, and there might be uncles or uncles among the common people. So they let them off a bit and asked many of them to throw debris into the convoy.

At the head of the delegation was a man riding a majestic Qing Tang horse. He was tall and mighty, with a beard like steel needles under his chin, and his face seemed as if carved from stone, without any expression at all.

A white-faced, beardless knight next to him said, "General, you should go to the rear team to take shelter."

The man raised his mouth and narrowed his eyes slightly, sneering: "It's good for an incompetent to be like this. If he really had the ability to win the battle and defeat my Great Xia men on the battlefield, how could he be so angry right now? The people are like this, I think the Emperor of Song is also naive. I am so happy in my heart, how could I hide!"

The knight whispered, "Yes, the general is right."

At this time, someone threw a stone in from a distance, straight towards the man's face. The man raised his arm and grabbed the stone in his hand, then exerted force on his palm, and saw pieces of debris slipping through his fingers.

Zhao Ti was sitting in front of the window on the second floor of Jinfeng Tower, just in time to see the delegation's convoy entering. He glanced lightly at the convoy and landed on the majestic Qing Tang horse in the lead. He thought to himself, could this man be Helian Tieshu?

The scale of the Western Xia delegation this time was extremely high. Helian Tieshu was not only the general who conquered the east, but also the king of a different surname of Western Xia. Generally speaking, envoys of this level would only be dispatched to discuss important matters.

Zhao Ti had read the letter. Empress Dowager Xiao Liang of Western Xia had listed more than twenty items for negotiation, but only three of them were really important.

First, the Song Dynasty opened up the market and liberalized border trade. Second, Xixia purchased 100,000 shi of grain at a time, not at the official price, but at a price 20% lower than the official price. Third, a piece of land in Xihe was ceded to Xixia for horse breeding, and then these horses could be sold to the Song Dynasty at the same price as in previous years.

Zhao Xu would never agree to any of these three clauses, and no officials in the court would agree to them. Especially the third one, which required ceding land. How could he agree to that!

Zhao Ti knew that these were all just a cover, and the purpose of Empress Dowager Xiao Liang was to send Helian Tieshu to observe the strength of the Song Dynasty.

After Gao Taotao passed away, Zhao Xu took power and abolished the old laws and restored the new laws, changing the reign title to Shaosheng. Empress Dowager Xiao Liang wanted to see whether there would be chaos in the Song Dynasty court and whether Zhao Xu's position as emperor was stable.

If the Song Dynasty's court was in chaos, it would inevitably start to use some small actions, invade the border, or even send troops to attack.

Zhao Ti looked at the convoy downstairs gradually going away, thought for a moment and returned to the mansion. When he got home, he called Ah Zhu over.

Ah Zhu was wearing a light blue dress. She looked at Zhao Ti and asked, "What does your Highness want me to do for you?"

Zhao Ti said, "The maidservant, go get some ointment to help me improve my appearance."

Ah Zhu was surprised and said, "Now that Your Highness is in Tokyo, who else can you change into?"

Zhao Ti thought about it and realized that it was impossible to change into Murong Fu's appearance. Without anyone else as a reference, he picked up a brush and drew a picture of a handsome young man on paper: "Change yourself to this appearance. Remember the appearance in your mind. You may need it in the future."

Ah Zhu nodded, then took out the disguise cream and powder and began to change Zhao Ti's appearance. However, it took longer than the previous time on Guangmingding, and it was not completed until most of the afternoon.

Then Zhao Ti called Zhou Tong and Wang Chengzong, and the two of them still pretended to be Deng Baichuan and Gong Ye Qian, without changing their appearance. Zhao Ti took off Taizong's sword hanging on the wall of the study, walked out of the mansion, and went straight to Duting West Posthouse.

Duting Posthouse on the north bank of the Tokyo Bian River was used to receive envoys from the Liao Kingdom, while Duting West Posthouse was specifically used to receive envoys from the Western Xia Kingdom.

After a while, they arrived at Duting West Posthouse. They saw that there were not only imperial guards but also Xixia warriors guarding outside.

He hesitated for a moment, took out the Yipintang silver medal left by Yeli Chunfeng from his body, walked forward and waved the medal lightly at the two Xixia warriors.

The two warriors were startled when they saw the sign, then glanced at the imperial guards without leaving any trace. One of them stepped forward and said, "Why are you so late? The general is waiting anxiously, why don't you come in quickly?"

Having said that, Zhao Ti winked and nodded, then walked into the hall with Zhou Tong and Wang Chengzong. The imperial guards on the side did not say anything when they saw this. After all, even the envoys of Western Xia had the right to enter and leave the hall or invite others in.

After passing the outer gate and stepping onto the bluestone road inside, the Xixia warrior whispered, "Who are you?" Zhao Ti replied calmly, "Jiangnan Murong Fu."

"Ah?" The warrior looked Zhao Ti up and down and said, "You are Master Murong? I heard Deputy Hall Master Yeli talk about you. Even the general mentioned you before he came to Song State this time."

Zhao Ti nodded: "Why didn't Deputy Hall Master Yeli come?"

The warrior said, "Someone in the country has to take charge of the affairs of Yipintang, and the general asked him to stay."

After a while, I entered the blue-tiled hall in front and saw a burly man with a curly beard sitting at the table. He was wearing casual clothes and had his hair shaved and braided in the style of Western Xia. His face was as angular as a stone sculpture.

The warrior stepped forward and saluted, reporting: "General, Master Murong of Gusu is here."

Seeing that it was the leader of the delegation who was watching from the top of the Golden Wind Tower, Zhao Ti could not help but bow slightly and said, "General Helian is in person. Murong Fu is polite."

Helian Tieshu looked Zhao Ti up and down with a blank expression on his face. After a few breaths, he smiled and said, "Mr. Murong is indeed trustworthy. I just arrived in Tokyo today and Mr. Murong is here. I guess he has been waiting here for a long time?"

Zhao Ti smiled slightly: "They came here more than ten days ago. I didn't know when the delegation would arrive. I didn't expect General Helian to come so soon."

Helian Tieshu said, "I heard from Yeli Chunfeng that you want to be the deputy head of Yipintang. Do you know that the deputy head of Yipintang must be a relative of the Great Xia Emperor?"

Zhao Ti said: "My identity and martial arts are different from those ordinary people in the martial arts world. Does General Helian want me to join them and be just an ordinary warrior?"

At this time, the white-faced beardless warrior next to him said, "How dare you ask the general a question?"

Zhao Ti sneered: "I'm talking to General Helian, who the hell do you dare to interrupt me?"

The white-faced, beardless warrior trembled with anger. He took a step forward and grabbed Zhao Ti's shoulder.

Helian Tieshu raised his eyebrows when he saw this, but did not stop it. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, as if watching a show.

Zhao Ti snorted, suddenly raised his hands, a strong wind rose, and he circled and released his palms, covering the white-faced, beardless warrior.

Then the warrior's hand that was originally reaching for Zhao Ti suddenly turned around and slapped his own left arm hard. Zhao Ti screamed in pain and jumped backwards.

Helian Tieshu's eyes lit up: "Is this the unique skill of the Gusu Murong family... Dou Zhuan Xing Yi?"

Zhao Ti blinked and said, "General Helian has a good eye, it's the changing of times!"

"Okay, okay!" Helian Tieshu said with a smile, "I heard about the name of Dou Zhuan Xing Yi when I was in Da Xia. After seeing it today, it is indeed well-deserved. I heard that Mr. Murong also has a finger technique?"

The corners of Zhao Ti's mouth rose. He had just used Qiankun Da Neng Yi to pretend to be Dou Zhuan Xing Yi, but he didn't expect the other party to ask about the Sanhe Finger again: "The Sanhe Finger is a family tradition, it should be no worse than the Dali Duan family's Yi Yang Finger!"

As he spoke, he pointed a finger at the white-faced, beardless warrior. A gloomy and light voice sounded, and the warrior's mouth twitched. He jumped to the side and said angrily: "Murong Fu, don't go too far!"

Zhao Ti's face darkened: "Do you think you can call me by my full name?"

After saying that, he tapped his hands, and the warrior ran around like a rabbit, avoiding the wind.

Helian Tieshu said: "Mr. Murong, it's OK."

Zhao Ti stopped when he heard this: "General Helian, although I am not from your country's royal family, my martial arts skills are not comparable to those of mediocre people. Yipintang recruits people with strong martial arts skills from all over the world, but no matter how strong they are, can they be better than me? Aren't you willing to give up the position of a mere deputy hall master?"

Helian Tieshu looked at Zhao Ti and laughed, "Mr. Murong is indeed a proud person. I like heroes with abilities the most in my life. If someone has abilities but doesn't show off his pride, I don't know what the use of those abilities is."

Zhao Ti said: "General Helian, you are too kind."

At this time, Helian Tieshu glanced at the white-faced warrior next to him who was already sweating coldly and said, "Go and get the identity token of the deputy leader of Yipintang and the official seal."

The white-faced, beardless warrior glared at Zhao Ti fiercely, then turned around and went inside.

Helian Tieshu continued, "I heard Yeli Chunfeng talk about your martial arts, so I went to ask His Majesty about this matter. His Majesty gave you an official position, so I brought it with me on this trip. However, seeing it with my own eyes is believing, and I cannot rely on hearsay, so I didn't bring it out just now."

Zhao Ti bowed and said, "General, what you said is very true. Murong Fu admires you."

"Okay, okay." Helian Tieshu looked at Zhao Ti and said, "I know your family's background. Joining my Great Xia is your best choice. If there comes a day in the future..."

Zhao Ti hurriedly bowed his head and said, "Murong Fu has realized it. Thank you, General, for your advice."

Helian Tieshu nodded. At this time, the white-faced warrior brought out a plate with a golden waist badge, a fist-sized seal, and a roll of paper documents on it.

"The waist badge is a token of the deputy head of the First-Rank Hall, the document is your certificate of appointment, and the seal is the official seal of a lower-rank seventh-level military officer."

The Xixia official system was also quite complex, with five levels of officials: upper, lower, middle, lower, and last, corresponding to different military and political categories. In addition to the grades, there were twelve levels within the grades. The lower grade corresponded to the frontier army organization, and the seventh level was similar to the position of a lieutenant general, but he did not join the frontier army and served as the deputy head of the first-grade hall.

Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes and thought to himself, I am actually an official of Western Xia. He showed a happy expression and walked forward to take the food on the plate.

Helian Tieshu said: "Now that you are an official of Daxia, you should serve the Queen Mother and His Majesty."

Zhao Ti said sincerely: "Your Majesty, you are a man of great virtue, both civil and military, blessed with great fortune and longevity, and may you rule the world for thousands of years!"

Helian Tieshu nodded with satisfaction: "The delegation will stay in Tokyo for a while. I will send more military missions depending on the situation of the Song Dynasty court. Please leave your address and wait for me when I return. I will notify you if there is anything."

Zhao Ti agreed and reserved an inn location under the name of Jinfeng Tower. Then he turned and walked out of the hall, taking Zhou Tong and Wang Chengzong who were waiting there with him to leave the inn.

He walked around the street a few times, took off his disguise, and returned to the palace, where he saw Yang Jian waiting for him.

Seeing Zhao Ti coming back, Yang Jian hurried forward and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor summons you to the palace."

Zhao Ti asked, "Do you know what happened?"

Yang Jian said, "It is about the Xixia envoys. The emperor wants His Highness to preside over the matter and discuss the other side's letter with the envoys together with the Minister of Rites."

(End of this chapter)