A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 291 Reassessing His Strength
Empress Liu was not unfamiliar with great Confucian scholars.

There are many people who can become great Confucian scholars of our time.

Those scholars, whether they are teachers or learned individuals, would flatter each other and gain the support of other scholars.

Liu E had long known about the wicked intentions of those scholars.

However, the probability of these great Confucian scholars being honored with a place in the Temple of Confucius is extremely low!
Therefore, upon hearing Song Xiang's words, Liu E stood up in great surprise and voiced the question that had been on her mind.

"Yes, Your Majesty, it is indeed possible."

Song Xiang could tell the weight of Song Xuan's pronouncements on those four sentences.

To be honest, even Song Xiang was extremely excited.

Not to mention the rest of the people.

This new idea proposed by Song Xuan may become the spiritual pursuit of "Song Confucianism".

This created a new Confucian theory, guiding future generations to pursue it.

Especially since Song Xuan is still so young, who knows what level he will reach in the future?
Song Xiang only hoped that Song Xuan would not be too corrupted by officialdom.

After receiving a definite answer, Liu E slowly sat down again.

She struggled to process the astonishment in her heart.

It seems that Song Xuan's abilities will need to be assessed upwards in the future.

This young man has already gained a reputation in the academic community at a young age.

And his teacher, Fan Zhongyan, was also gaining increasing fame.

If this master and disciple were to stir up trouble in the court, it would be quite troublesome.

Although Liu E was not afraid of political struggles, she defeated the forces of Kou Zhun and Ding Wei, who were even more powerful than the master and apprentice duo.

Kou Zhun has died and has not been exonerated to this day.

Ding Wei, on the other hand, was eating coconuts on Hainan Island, enjoying the company of giant female mosquitoes.

But at that time, the emperor listened to her, or rather, she controlled the harem.

Now that Zhao Zhen is growing up, it is impossible for the Empress Dowager to completely control him.

Empress Liu could not act as she did at the end of Emperor Zhenzong's reign, because at that time Emperor Zhenzong was bedridden.

Empress Liu could use Emperor Zhenzong's name to do whatever she wanted.

Zhao Zhen was young, so she could have done that.

But children always grow up.

Most importantly, she was not Zhao Zhen's biological mother.

This matter is currently a closely guarded secret within the palace, but it's uncertain when it will leak out in the future.

The world has never lacked bold people.

Liu E realized she had been careless.

It wasn't I who selected Song Xuan as the top scholar.

It was Sixth Brother who took the shortcut.

Although Song Xuan's words pleased Liu E, Liu E always felt that Song Xuan was not one of her own.

Secondly, his father-in-law, Cao Liyong, was not one of his own.

In addition, Song Xuan had become enemies with the Chen brothers, who were part of the Empress Dowager's faction.

This will surely cause a huge uproar in Tokyo.

Liu E certainly did not want her own people, who had been promoted, to be demoted and sent out of the capital.

That must be Song Xuan.

According to Liu E's plan, she wanted to use Song Xuan, this troublemaker, to teach the Chen brothers a lesson.

Because she discovered that not all members of the so-called Empress Dowager faction listened to her.

She also forcibly stopped the case that the emperor wanted to investigate during the palace examination.

Even if there is evidence, it becomes as if there is no evidence.

Now, hearing Song Xiang praising Song Xuan so highly, Liu E no longer believes that he is trying to kill Song Xuan with praise.

She still believed in Song Xiang because of his character.

Liu E gestured to Madam Lin to return Song Xiang's family letter to him.

After Song Xiang took it, he bowed slightly.

So many students who came to study abroad all heard Song Xuan's speech.

Once they return to their hometowns, they will surely spread the news extensively among their classmates.

It can be said.

Song Xuan seized a great opportunity for publicity.

These students will automatically spread his "ideas" far and wide, and without his knowledge, a large number of followers will gather under his banner.

Song Xiang felt that it was possible that a few students would emerge who wanted to follow Song Xuan in their pursuit of knowledge.

After Song Xiang took his leave, Liu E wrote down Song Xuan's four lines of poetry on a piece of paper and then asked Madam Lin to deliver the paper to Lü Yijian to inform him.

Madam Lin also held an official position, but instead of going directly to Lü Yijian, she instructed a eunuch.

Lu Yijian, who was handling government affairs, received a note delivered by a eunuch from the Empress Dowager's side. He assumed it was something he needed to be instructed on privately.

After all, Empress Liu was used to bypassing the two government offices and issuing orders directly through the eunuchs around her.

Lü Yijian listened to the eunuch's explanation that Song Xuan had returned to his hometown and was invited to give a speech at Yingtian Academy to encourage the students.

After the eunuch left, Lü Yijian raised an eyebrow slightly.

This is perfectly normal!

If one is to be the dean of Yingtian Academy, then one must make a great deal of publicity.

The Empress Dowager specially sent someone to write a note, which Lü Yijian thought was really making a fuss over nothing.

Is he planning a rebellion?
Lü Yijian slowly unfolded the folded note, and four sentences came into view:

"To establish a moral compass for Heaven and Earth;"

"To establish a purpose for the people;"

"To continue the lost learning of the sages;"

"Bring peace to all eternity!"

Lü Yijian's eyes widened immediately.

Is this something a young man like Song Xuan could say?

The first line by Song Xuan breaks through the concept of "interaction between heaven and man" that has been prevalent since the Han and Tang dynasties, elevating "mind" to the essence of the universe.

Heaven and earth take the creation of life as their heart, and sages participate in the transformation and nurturing, enabling all things to fulfill their nature and destiny. This is the heart of heaven and earth!

Scholars of the Song Dynasty believed that the Confucian tradition originated from Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, and King Wen of Zhou, then went to Confucius, and finally to Mencius.

After Mencius passed away, his teachings were not transmitted.

After the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Confucianism has been revived in the Song Dynasty, and it has further promoted the teachings that have been lost for thousands of years.

Lu Yijian's eyes were filled with disbelief.

He thought that Song Xuan's ability to achieve the triple crown in the imperial examinations was already unprecedented, but he ended up doing something even more incredible!

This means to become a saint on the spot!

Lü Yijian could see that once Song Xuan's four sentences spread throughout the land, countless Confucian scholars would gather around him and be at his beck and call!

Thinking about this, Lü Yijian felt a headache coming on.

He thought Song Xuan was quite capable, but he didn't expect him to be this capable.

Lu Yijian used to think highly of Song Xuan; otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to take him as his son-in-law.

However, Song Xuan had a unique "taste" for women's beauty, unlike that of ordinary people.

Lu Yijian naturally wanted to find out where he had lost. He sent people to find out what Cao Yongli's daughter looked like, so this loss was really unexpected.

Furthermore, when Song Xuan examined his second daughter's pulse and said she had health problems, Lü Yijian immediately gave up on the idea.

Lu Yijian was faced with two paths: either he would choose one and go all the way down it.

Before Song Xuan rises to power, they should find an opportunity to crush him and vent the anger in the Chen brothers' hearts.

Alternatively, they could have a good conversation with Song Xuan and reconcile their differences with a smile.

Previously, Lü Yijian didn't care about the first point.

It's perfectly normal for young people to experience many hardships.

However, after Song Xuan displayed the qualities of a "great Confucian scholar," even if he was dismissed, he could still choose to teach many students.

In the future, most of those who passed the imperial examinations in the Song Dynasty were his students.

In this way, can the Lü family guarantee that they can suppress all of Song Xuan's students at all times?

impossible!

It wasn't that Lü Yijian was overthinking things.

His intention in forming a faction was to safeguard the overall interests of the Lü family in the Song Dynasty, not to single out anyone for personal gain.

Scholars like Kou Zhun and Ding Wei, who fought each other and wanted to kill each other, were a minority.

Lu Yijian sighed softly.

He was thinking to himself that he should have a talk with the Chen brothers; it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester!

Why does Prime Minister Lü sigh?

When Wang Zeng returned from the toilet, he saw Lü Yijian standing there with a piece of paper in his hand, sighing.

He didn't stand on ceremony and took the paper to look at it.

Wang Zeng was able to recognize Empress Dowager Liu E's handwriting.

However, these four sentences were clearly not something Liu E could have said.

After Wang finished reciting it silently, he was unable to calm down for a long time.

"Who submitted the memorial to the Empress Dowager?"

Seeing Wang Zeng's astonished expression, Lü Yijian became interested:

"you guess?"

"Fan Zhongyan?"

Wang Zeng felt that these words were very likely spoken by Fan Zhongyan, after all, this man was a man of great vision and insight.

But subconsciously, I also believe that it wasn't Fan Zhongyan who said it.

If he were to submit a petition, it would be addressed to the emperor.

It will be handed over to the prime minister first, and will never be shown to the empress dowager first.

Because Fan Zhongyan's ten-thousand-word memorial also contained the idea of ​​the Empress Dowager returning power, it was disliked by the Empress Dowager.

"wrong."

Wang Zeng's eyes were full of inquiry:

"Which reclusive sage was it?"

"Lin Bu?"

The phrase "plum blossom wife and crane son" refers to Lin Bu, who was very well-known in the Song Dynasty.

"Or is it a posthumous work left by the deceased Wei Ye?"

Similarly, the recluse Wei Ye was also very famous.

He was honored by imperial decree, and the place where he lived after his death was named "Thatched Cottage in Spring Dawn," with a dedicated temple for him to enjoy incense offerings.

Lü Yijian's face held a teasing expression:

"No, you know this person."

Wang Zeng raised an eyebrow. He recognized him. After thinking for a moment, he said uncertainly:
"Could it be the newly appointed top scholar, Song Xuan?"

"Hey?"

When it was Lü Yijian's turn, curiosity appeared on his face:
How did you guess it was him?

"After all, the most renowned Confucian scholars in the world are all in the imperial court, so why not guess their identities?"

"It sure is him!"

Although Wang Zeng had not spoken with Song Xuan in detail, he had heard many stories about Song Xuan from Yan Shu and Fan Zhongyan.

"He actually possesses such earth-shattering and awe-inspiring thoughts that even I, an old man, am ashamed of my own inferiority!"

Wang Zeng looked at the four sentences written on the note again, which could be said to have won over the hearts of scholars all over the world.

It can be said that Song Xuan's words instantly became the life goal of scholars all over the world.

To guide them in the right direction in their confused lives.

This was no less than an elevation of the historical status of Confucianism in the Song Dynasty.

Seeing Wang Zeng's shocked expression, Lü Yijian relaxed.

I was initially filled with both worry and a sense of frustration!
Wang Zeng achieved the highest honors in all three categories, as did Song Xuan.

Even Wang Zeng admitted that he was inferior to Song Xuan, so there was no need for me to feel defeated.

It seems that there is a huge difference between those who have achieved the highest honors in all three categories.

After making fun of Wang Zeng, Lü Yijian actually greatly admired Song Xuan's talent.

Not only did he write excellent poems and essays, but he could also easily gain the "followers" of scholars all over the world.

Putting his talent aside, Lü Yijian also wanted the followers of scholars all over the world.

This is the only way to ensure that the interests of the Lü family can be maintained for a long time.

"Xiaoxian, why do you think these four sentences weren't written by Liu Yun or Sun Shi?"

"One of them is very old, and the other is full of ambition; neither of them could write such magnificent words."

Wang Zeng made a nonchalant assessment of the two great Confucian scholars of the time.

Lü Yijian nodded slightly, agreeing with Wang Zeng's assessment.

Sun Shi had no interest in an official career; he was only pleased that he had selected so many talented people for the court and wanted to retire.

Liu Yun, on the other hand, was determined to become prime minister, but he had virtually no experience as a local official. He was always kept by the side of the late emperor to compile the "Illustrated Classic" and the "Complete Record of the Imperial Archives," and to revise the daily records of the emperor's activities.

Before he could even begin his duties as a prefect in the local area, he was transferred and returned to the capital.

What governing experience do they have?

Such a person has absolutely no chance of becoming a prime minister.

Liu Yun is currently indulging in unrealistic fantasies.

Do you really think Song Xuan said those things on his own merits?

Wang Zeng glanced at Lü Yijian. If it were truly the core idea extracted by someone else, it would have been publicly proclaimed long ago. Why would it be Song Xuan's turn to speak about it?

Unless he's dead!
Wang Zeng also didn't believe that there really was such a person in the world who was so indifferent to fame and fortune that he would voluntarily give up the opportunity to become famous to Song Xuan.

Seeing Wang Zeng's silence, Lü Yijian knew that he had harbored a slight suspicion.

After all, Song Xuan is far too young!

Even if he proposed it in his prime, it would be more convincing.

"Yes, who would willingly hand over such a great opportunity to gain fame to someone else!"

Lu Yijian sighed softly; he just felt a headache coming on.

The Chen brothers haven't made a move yet.

News has just come from Empress Guo that she is going to call on her family to deal with Song Xuan.

As a result, Song Xuan directly released such a bombshell. It was normal for those from military families not to understand, but Lü Yijian could not pretend not to see it.

He was indeed thinking of giving them a chance to sit down and talk things out, to resolve their differences.

Wang Zeng glanced at Empress Dowager Liu's handwriting.

He understood that Lü Yijian had pledged allegiance to the Empress Dowager, but what was the Empress Dowager's intention in writing these four sentences about Song Xuan to him?

Wang Zeng couldn't figure it out for a moment.

After all, Wang Zeng couldn't judge Empress Liu's thinking by common sense, given that she was a woman.

Wang Zeng put the paper back on Lü Yijian's table. He had already made up his mind to support the prefectural school in his hometown as well.

Anyway, he doesn't eat or dress well.

Now that he has no children, he has accumulated considerable wealth as prime minister.

It was Song Xuan's actions that spurred Wang Zeng's desire to nurture students from his hometown.

"This child has a bright future ahead of him!"

Lü Yijian sighed softly:
"I wonder what the Emperor will think when he finds out about this."

Of course, Wang Zeng wouldn't use the information he received from the Empress Dowager to talk nonsense with the Emperor.

After all, Wang Zeng didn't want to get involved in the matter of the emperor's birth mother.

This is a matter for the imperial family; how can a subject presume to speak out?
Just as Empress Guo always made a scene in the palace, Prime Minister Wang Zeng would not care.

"Song Twelve is the top scholar appointed by the Emperor himself. How could he not be happy if he knew about this?"

Wang Zeng smiled and said, "The Empress Dowager has the world at heart. She knew about such a grand event in the study of Confucianism in the Song Dynasty even before we did."

He was certain that this must have happened after Zhang Shide wrote the letter.

After all, Zhang Shide stated that more than 5,000 students from Yingtian Academy have come to study here, and it is estimated that more will come in the future.

The academy doesn't have enough money to support it, so we hope the imperial court can allocate more funds and supplies.

Wang Zeng felt that Yingtian Academy should indeed receive funding, as it was truly the number one academy in the world.

Furthermore, with Song Xuan's four lines about Yingtian spreading far and wide, even more people will likely go there.

He immediately handed Zhang Shide's letter to Lü Yijian, saying that such matters needed to be discussed and a plan should be devised.

Lu Yijian subconsciously exclaimed:
"All the scholars who left Tokyo went to Nanjing."

"The flourishing of education is exactly the situation the imperial court hopes to see."

Wang Zeng said leisurely with his hands behind his back, "We should ask Yingtian Prefecture to allocate money and grain as soon as possible, otherwise we really can't hold on."

Let alone feeding and caring for thousands of people, just dealing with their bodily functions is a major undertaking.

Cao Yong and his family set off from Tokyo and arrived at the Nanjing dock.

Upon hearing the news, Song Xuan immediately came to greet them personally, arranging several donkey carts to pick them up.

Then Song Xuan stared in disbelief at the dowry that filled ten large ships.

"Father-in-law, are we going to move the whole family to Songcheng?"

"Hey, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Cao said with obvious pride, "This is the dowry I'm preparing for my daughter."

"hiss."

Zhang Fangping looked at the dowry, which consisted of ten large ships.

He couldn't stop thinking that he really needed to find a military general as his father-in-law.

From Fan Xiang to Song Xuan, all of these can serve as evidence.

Those martial arts masters are truly not short of money!

And she's even willing to spend money on her son-in-law!

"Ah."

Wang Tai felt that Cao Liyong had truly put his heart into it.

As the son of a prime minister, his father Wang Dan's daughter's wedding was extremely extravagant.

"This is only part of it; after all, you still have to make a living in Tokyo."

"what?"

Even Wang Tai, who had seen the world, thought Cao Liyong was exaggerating!

Even though he made great contributions and received several salaries, the Cao family could still earn interest money from the Daxiangguo Temple.

But they can't be rolling in money, can they?

Could it be that, in order to put on a show, they also borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates from Daxiangguo Temple or other temples in Tokyo?
Han Qi also stared at Cao Liyong with a look of astonishment.

The Shi family was one of the wealthiest families in Tokyo, a fortune accumulated over generations.

Now that he has a son-in-law who has passed the imperial examination, Shi Yuansun is spending lavishly to honor his deceased ancestors.

But the Cao family's foundation is really not deep.

“Father-in-law, I actually think my house is quite big, but with so much dowry being sent, my rooms can’t hold it all.”

Song Xuan felt that Cao Liyong had not only emptied his own savings, but also borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates.

They insisted on comparing themselves to the Shi family, a long-established military family.

“Lord Cao, I can testify.”

Lu Lejian's eyes also showed shock:

“We live in Twelfth Brother’s house, which is quite spacious, but if all these dowries are moved there, even if the rooms are full, they still won’t be able to fit them all.”

"Haha, let's just pile them up in the yard for now. We'll need them eventually."

Cao Liyong didn't care at all.

His only daughter got married, and she married a top scholar who had passed the imperial examinations three times in a row.

Both in character and intelligence, he was far superior to ordinary people. In particular, Song Xuan, as the top scholar who achieved the highest honors in the imperial examinations, did not choose to marry into the prime minister's family, but instead chose to marry him, a military general.

Song Xuan has shown such sincerity.

Even if my Cao family goes bankrupt, so what?
Didn't Li Bai say that?

The daughter is gone and come back.

Moreover, Cao used this position as Privy Councilor to receive a very large monthly salary.

That's equivalent to about 200,000 RMB per month.

Other benefits were not included in the monthly salary; for example, twenty or thirty bolts of silk, satin, and cotton were provided for making clothes in spring and winter.

He also provided 100 shi of rice per month and clothing and provisions for 70 servants.

Regardless of whether you have enough servants in your household, the imperial court will issue them to you according to this number.

Firewood, charcoal, and salt—give us everything.

You have more firewood than you can burn each month.

The clothes are worn for three days and then discarded; there's still more fabric than can be used to make new clothes.

Even if you eat salt to death, several people will die from the saltiness before the seven stones of salt can be used up before the next month's harvest.

It was decided by Emperor Taizu of Song that all you need to do is serve the Song Dynasty wholeheartedly.

You don't need to worry about other living issues; the imperial court will take care of everything for you.

Later, Emperor Zhenzong of Song gave a collective pay raise to all civil and military officials.

Tokyo City boasts an impressive 72 official stores.

However, the monthly profits of most legitimate businesses could not match the monthly salaries and other benefits of these few high-ranking officials in the imperial court.

Not to mention that four out of Cao Li's seven sons received salaries.

Song Xuan, for example, was a seventh-rank official when he first entered officialdom as the magistrate of Kaifeng.

Because Kaifeng County was located in the capital region and had ten thousand households, he received a monthly salary of twenty strings of cash.

The number of county magistrates in other regions was not as high as Song Xuan's, and most of them had half the number of magistrates.

For example, when Fan Zhongyan was a county magistrate, his monthly salary was only ten strings of cash.

Fortunately, the imperial court allocated him official land in Ningling County.

Although Fan Zhongyan was not promoted, he became a government official in the capital, and his monthly salary increased by eight strings of cash.

Song Xuan also had two other official positions from which he could receive a salary.

As long as Song Xuan doesn't have any intention of buying a house in Tokyo, he's guaranteed to live a carefree life.

However, he was still no match for Cao Yongli.

Cao Liyong did not only hold the position of Privy Councilor; he also received salaries for his other official positions.

Seeing Cao Liyong's obvious delight, Song Xuan quietly pulled him aside:
"Father-in-law, did you go and borrow money from loan sharks?"

"Bullshit," Cao Liyong sneered.
"Do you really think the Cao family's wealth accumulated over decades is so meager?"

“Your father transitioned from a civil to a military career, so he would have more money, but that mansion in Tokyo is not cheap.”

Song Xuan also spoke without any politeness:

“I can understand my father-in-law wanting to give his daughter a larger dowry, but I will not agree to him taking out a loan at exorbitant interest rates.”

"Let alone you, the Privy Councilor, even a prime minister can go bankrupt when he marries off his daughter."

"Don't forget, your son-in-law is not a stupid person!"

"No," Cao Liyong waved his hands repeatedly.
"Loan sharks, even a dog wouldn't lend to them."

Song Xuan said without any mercy, "I won't lend you the dog, but you can."

"If you don't believe me, ask your mother-in-law later."

Cao used his hands behind his back to resolutely deny borrowing money at exorbitant interest rates.

"Shouldn't we send someone to guard this dowry?"

"Then we'll need to find someone to unload the ship!"

Cao Liyong's face showed anxiety:
“I’m not comfortable leaving so much wealth at the dock.”

"In Yingtian Prefecture, people don't pick up lost items on the road, and they don't lock their doors at night. Just listen to that and forget about it."

“I will have someone keep an eye on it. In Songcheng, no one dares to touch my things, Song Shier’s Timely Rain.”

Cao Liyong looked at his son-in-law, who seemed like a "local big brother".

I always felt that it didn't quite match his status as the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Whose son is the top scholar? Isn't he a refined gentleman or something like that?

Cao Yongli immediately shook his head, firmly rejecting the idealized image he held in his heart.

He met many top scholars in the imperial court, and none of them were the type of gentle and refined gentleman.

Song Xuan looked at the ten large ships, all packed full:
"After the wedding, I will return to Tokyo to hold another wedding. I won't be back for at least three to five years. Leaving so much dowry here will attract unwanted attention."

“Especially those who are family members. Don’t think that my gambling father and brothers wouldn’t do such a thing. If they had any shame, they wouldn’t have become gambling addicts.”

"what do you mean?"

"Of course we'll take it back intact. The dowry will stay at the Cao residence. Do we, father-in-law and son-in-law, need to stand on ceremony?"

Cao Yong thought about it and realized that he did indeed want to make a grand display.

In particular, it was vanity at play; they couldn't let the Shi family outdo them.

Even the wedding of the Three-Tailed Man was so extravagant.

The wedding of the Three Scholars should be even more extravagant than his!
Later, the emperor personally issued an edict that officials' weddings should not exceed 200,000 coins, but who took the imperial decree seriously?
It was common for many people to hold weddings that exceeded the limits set by the imperial court by ten times.

Song Xuan left Cao Liyong behind and pulled Qu Ze aside to give him some instructions, saying that the next few days might be a bit tough.

On the first day of the banquet, there will still be a shift change and drinking activities.

Qu Ze immediately patted his chest to reassure Song Xuan that this matter must be arranged properly.

Don't even think about taking anything off the ship.

"Twelfth Brother, should I do what Cao Cao did and link them together with iron chains?"

Qu Ze chuckled: "Just in case, if it really gets stolen, after all, money has always been a powerful motivator."

"Just make your own arrangements."

Song Xuan smiled and said, "It's a good opportunity for me to see what the young master is capable of."

Qu Ze immediately perked up and repeatedly told Song Xuan to watch out.

He was planning to follow Song Xuan to Tokyo to make a living, and he was never one to settle down.

Chief Cao did not refuse, but told him to take advantage of his youth to go to Tokyo and broaden his horizons.

And Song Xuan, the magistrate of Kaifeng, was there to look after him.

As long as you don't get caught up in the underground labyrinth of Ghost Fanlou, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Qu Ze was at a loss as to how to bring it up with Song Xuan.

Now that opportunity has come knocking on his door, how could he not be happy?

Song Xuan didn't care anymore and directly asked the Cao family to travel light on the donkey cart.

They were going to live in a house they had rented in advance, and then they would be paraded through the streets in a sedan chair.

There is always such a process.

Cao Liyong was too lazy to take a carriage, so he rode a donkey and followed Song Xuan, who was riding a horse.

He was deeply moved to see that even some ordinary people were taking the initiative to chat with Song Xuan.

I still know too little about Song Xuan.

It seems that he has a certain reputation as the timely rain of Songcheng.

After all, the top scholar who achieved the highest honors in all three categories was the envy of many scholars.

But in terms of closeness, none are as close as Song Xuan to these common people.

Cao began to feel a little worried that Song Xuan was too kind.

The city of Tokyo had a population of one million, and within the city were only two surrounding counties.

One is Kaifeng County, and the other is Xiangfu County.

The remaining fourteen counties are suburban counties of Beijing.

The people in Tokyo are a complex bunch. My good son-in-law is kind-hearted and is also the magistrate of the "red county," so it's inevitable that he will be taken advantage of by those with ulterior motives.

Just like Guan Yu, who was proud of his superiors but not of his inferiors, and bullied the strong but not the weak.

I will tell him these things in detail after he returns to Tokyo to take up his official post, so as to avoid being plotted against.

Although Cao Liyong was worried, he was extremely proud that the people of Songcheng all knew his son-in-law.

Even though he was riding a donkey, it did not diminish the height of his head as he held it high.

Cao Liyong smiled, finding it a kind of enjoyment in himself.

It's something that others can only envy.

Hearing the scholar who had stopped talking about the Four Lines of Responding to Heaven and establishing a destiny for Heaven and Earth, I felt strange.

What new term is this?
But the donkey walked very fast and skipped over it, not giving him a chance to hear it.

Then the family went directly into the newly rented house and rested separately.

Cao Yuan and his brothers couldn't sit still either. They first went to confirm the address of their lodgings, and then they went out for a stroll.

They sailed downstream on the boat for a day and a night, and the women needed to wash up.

Cao Yuan and the others didn't care.

After all, I've rarely had the opportunity to leave Beijing in my life, and now I'm always thinking about going on "adventures" and seeing the world.

Cao Yong followed Song Xuan out, intending to go to Song's home to discuss the wedding day with the Song family patriarch.

Song Xuan had nothing to do; as the "protagonist" of the wedding, he just needed to follow the arrangements.

So he sat down at Gao Zunfu's stall, cracking watermelon seeds and watching his shop's business.

Watermelons at this time of year are not sweet, have fewer red sacs, and more seeds, making them more suitable for eating with roasted seeds.

Gao Zunfu looked at this top scholar, who was truly calm and composed. Back when he got married, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep at all.

"Twelfth Brother is really living a leisurely life."

Gao Zunfu felt that he had already reported the most important information, and the emperor must be aware of it.

There's nothing else worth reporting. Are the Imperial City Guards going to eavesdrop on the top scholar in the middle of the night?
That's incredibly tasteless.

Moreover, the men around Song Xuan were all quite skilled.

"Actually, nothing's wrong."

Song Xuan handed Gao Zunfu a handful of melon seeds:
"This is my first time getting married, I have no experience, I'll just follow the arrangements of my elders."

Song Xuan deeply understood that "rites" were an important "weapon" for maintaining the feudal dynasty!
Therefore, a strict set of etiquette was established for everything.

"Too."

Gao Zunfu smiled; he was extremely curious about Song Xuan.

After all, talented people are hard to find!

The Emperor truly has a discerning eye.

"I do have experience as a groom."

Gao Zunfu smiled and said, "If Twelfth Brother doesn't mind, would you like to listen?"

"Since I have nothing else to do, I might as well listen."

Gao Zunfu then went on to talk about his marriage.

Song Xuan nodded slightly. Judging from his description, his family didn't seem to be poor, so he shouldn't have been reduced to setting up a stall here.

Although he already knew they were from the Imperial City Guard, Song Xuan still didn't expose them.

Because he couldn't figure out whether the people in front of him from the Imperial City Guard were under the command of the current emperor or Empress Dowager Liu E.

Song Xuan wouldn't easily reveal their hand until they had shown their cards.

Gao Zunfu was completely unaware of the flaws in his words.

In his view, the mission was accomplished.

This profitable operation should be shut down in the future.

"Is Twelve-Lang going to become the magistrate of Kaifeng County?"

Song Xuan glanced at him: "You're certainly well-informed."

"To be honest, thanks to Shierlang, I've made some money these past few years, so I'm thinking of opening a branch in Tokyo to continue benefiting from his fame."

Gao Zunfu was also preparing an explanation in advance so that he could return to Tokyo and make a normal public appearance.

"The waters of Tokyo are deep."

Song Xuan poured himself a cup of tea: "This is also Tokyo style. What kind of specialties are you selling in Tokyo?"

"a ha ha ha."

Gao Zunfu almost forgot about his "Tokyo" brand.

After all, those responsible for surveillance were all from Tokyo.

"To be honest, the Tokyo flavor is also something we made up."

Gao Zunfu said with a grin:

"When we got to Tokyo, we said it was Nanjing style."

"Hahaha."

Song Xuan smiled in agreement: "You're quick-witted, you really deserve to make money!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Twelfth Brother."

Song Xuan patted Gao Zunfu on the shoulder:

“You’ve been selling in front of my shop for a few years now. When I get married tomorrow, you can come and eat at the banquet. Don’t rush to do business. It won’t make a difference if you stay for three more days.”

Gao Zunfu was taken aback and quickly stood up to thank him.

He never expected that he would be invited by Song Xuan.

He had planned to come and freeload at the banquet the next day, which was open to everyone.

After all, Chef Qinglou's skills are top-notch.

"We get along very well as neighbors, and we might even meet again in Tokyo in the future."

"sure."

Gao Zunfu was thinking of continuing to monitor Song Xuan, so that he could make money in Tokyo.

It's just unrealistic.

Because there are people in Tokyo who know him, including military families, it's inevitable that his identity will be exposed.

He made excuses not to attend the Shi family's weddings, and instead his other brothers went.

Gao Zunfu didn't even dare to acknowledge Cao Liyong in this place, and could only disguise himself and hide.

After all, his wife was a member of the Cao family (Cao Bin's granddaughter and the future Empress Cao's sister).

We're all related by blood.

Without an official explanation, it's really not appropriate to talk about this matter.

The news of Song Xuan's marriage spread throughout the city.

Because the Song Dynasty had the custom of welcoming guests at dawn and setting off at dusk.

During the day, they would go to the bride's house to pick her up and put her in the bridal chamber, and then hold the wedding ceremony at dusk.

Just like the custom in Tianjin's urban area today, the wedding was held in the evening.

In the suburbs and other places, weddings are usually held at noon, while those held in the evening are considered second marriages.

Song Xuan led his entourage to the wedding in the morning, which was extremely ostentatious.

He took out all the gold hairpins and gold belts that the emperor had bestowed upon him.

Wearing a turban, with a bright peony flower tucked behind her ear.

Song Xuan rode on a saddle horse decorated with colorful silk, accompanied by his attendants in blue robes, candle-bearing boys, and brothers carrying "colorful baskets" (baskets containing betrothal gifts such as geese, wine, and silk).

They proceeded to the woman's home amidst the sounds of drums and music.

Along the way, musicians played tunes such as "Yin Yue" (引乐), and neighborhood children chased after the bridal sedan chair, laughing and asking for lucky money.

It must be admitted that Song Xuan's appearance was quite stylish.

The young women on the street were tempted to throw their handkerchiefs over.

Unfortunately, he's the groom today, so it's really inappropriate for him to do something like this in the street that would invite disapproval.

But even just following the group and taking a few more glances is a bonus.

Unless they were living in dire poverty, very few young women would be willing to become someone's concubine.

After all, a concubine is really just a commodity.

The master could give away or sell them at will, and even a man's legal wife had the right to sell his concubines.

When going to fetch the bride, less copper coins are scattered; only after the bride is put into the sedan chair is a large amount of money scattered along the way.

Han Qi, Zhang Fangping, and others, as the bridesmaids, were naturally teased and hit with bamboo sticks by the women of the bride's family, who blocked the door amidst their laughter and commotion.

No one is allowed in without giving a gift.

Only after Zhang Fangping obediently handed over the wedding money was Song Xuan allowed to enter the house.

At this moment, Cao Qing, wearing a gold-embroidered long-sleeved shawl, a pearl and jade crown, and covering her face with a round fan, stepped out and boarded a painted "flower-eaved" sedan chair.

This is a gold and bronze eave that Lao Cao specially rented for use by the royal family.

Before Song Xuan could see Cao Qingyao's face in the bridal chamber, he needed to compose a poem to remove the fan.

Song Xuan wasn't in a hurry to open her fan in public and invite her into the sedan chair.

They made a lot of noise and music as they headed home.

Zhang Shide and many of his acquaintances, along with other students, came to the banquet.

He received a reply from Fan Zhongyan, in which Xiwen agreed to the matter of the tuition fee.

Once it is officially launched, it will alleviate the financial pressure on the academy.

Zhang Shide, however, did not contribute any money.

To express his gratitude to Song Xuan, he took out a set of his own books as a congratulatory gift.

The books in the collection are usually unique pieces.

He made a special copy and then brought Song Xuan the original Tang Dynasty edition of Chen Shou's "Records of the Three Kingdoms".

I hope that he can write a better version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms in his spare time; that would be a token of my appreciation.

"This is too valuable. I will find someone to print a few copies and then return the original to Master Zhang."

"It doesn't matter."

Zhang Shide smiled and said:
"Since it's a congratulatory gift, there's no reason to take it back. Why are you so dissatisfied? Do you not like it?"

"Hahaha."

Song Xuan was indeed not very familiar with the later parts of Romance of the Three Kingdoms because they were too tragic.

Having the memory of the original Romance of the Three Kingdoms, perhaps I can write something with a similar flavor.

"Sit, sit, sit."

Song Xuan invited Master Zhang, the other teachers and students of the academy to sit down.

Wang Gongshou was truly broke, so he could only write a few auspicious words and send them to Song Xuan.

"Very good, very good. I will definitely hang the calligraphy of the future top scholar of the Song Dynasty in my home."

Wang Gongshou also knew that his friend Yu Zhouxun had passed the imperial examination and become a Jinshi. He also wanted to pass the imperial examination, but he heard Song Xuan say that he wanted to become the top scholar.

He was at a loss for words, muttering that he would definitely work hard and not let his twelfth brother down.

In fact, Wang Gongshou was not so confident; he only wanted to pass the imperial examination as soon as possible to alleviate his family's poverty.

The old neighbors from Ningling County also came, and even the magistrate of Ningling County came to attend Song Xuan's wedding.

Of course, he was dressed in civilian clothes; otherwise, a county magistrate who left his county without cause would be held accountable.

Fortunately, Song Dynasty officials have always been known for their lax and undisciplined style.

Who would actually make a big deal out of it?

The magistrate of Ningling County pulled Song Xuan aside and gave him a stern lecture, which was actually just him trying to curry favor with Song Xuan.

He made it clear that he would promote members of the Song family to local official positions and would never allow anyone else to bully the Song family.

In short, he hoped that Song Xuan would remember his kindness.

Song Xuan thanked him profusely.

In this kind of situation, everyone benefits.

Then Song Xuan suggested dealing with his father and brother, two gambling addicts, and not giving them any chance to act recklessly, lest they cause unnecessary trouble.

The magistrate of Ningling County was aware of Song Xuan's complicated family situation.

He'll handle this; it won't affect your future as a top scholar, and he'll say things like that.

Song Xuan invited the magistrate to sit down, and then looked at his gambling father, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, sitting at the same table!

(End of this chapter)