A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 312 He Knows the Art of Emperorship
Song Xuan's clean and efficient actions surprised not only the onlookers.

Along with Song Xuan, the yamen runners of Kaifeng County also walked with an even more aggressive air.

They acted as if anyone who dared to block their way would be locked up and imprisoned.

The yamen runners of Kaifeng County hadn't felt this comfortable in a long time.

They used to keep a low profile.

We can't afford to mess with anyone!

At this moment, Wei Bin, the head of the clerk's office, who was lying on the stretcher, was still somewhat bewildered by Song Xuan's lightning-fast trial.

The official said he would avenge himself without delay, and he truly meant it.

The matter was resolved within half an hour!
Who is Liu Lou's backer?
That was passed down from Liu Mei.

In the entire Kaifeng Prefecture, who doesn't know Master Liu?

He's tall and tough!

As a result, Master Song simply and cleverly sealed off Liu Lou.

They even took care of these lackeys.

Show no mercy.

They left no room for negotiation whatsoever.

"This property belongs to the Liu family, who are relatives of the emperor!"

When the Prefect of Kaifeng arrived, everyone had to hold their noses and take a detour.

They wouldn't dare to cause trouble.

Wei Bin, lying on the stretcher, craned his neck to look at Liu Lou and everyone else who were chained up.

He lifted the white sheet again and looked at himself lying on the stretcher, where there were some bruises.

The injury wasn't serious at all.

There was nothing like a broken leg.

Is Lord Song deliberately waiting for us officials to be harassed?

Is he making an example of someone to scare others?

After all, according to the laws of the Song Dynasty.

Their sins of resisting taxes and burning tax registers are no small matter.

Moreover, the crime was announced by the high-ranking official in the street, so it will surely spread far and wide.

Throughout the entire process, Song Xuan barely spoke.

He sat among the yamen runners, surrounded by his entourage, exuding an air of authority without being angry.

This staged a scene of the government "legally harming the people".

Even though he instructed others to do it, who doesn't know that this was Song Xuan's intention?

Wei Bin, the head of the clerk's office, lay down again and covered his face with a white cloth.

He suddenly felt a little scared.

I was afraid I wouldn't be able to stop myself from laughing out loud in the street.

This ruined Master Song's plans.

Who dares to be the first to run into him?

Who is the most unlucky?

As for gods fighting, that's none of his business.

In any case, I was just following Master Song's orders.

We have the support of the laws of the Song Dynasty.

Could it be that the tall and strong Master Liu would dare to disregard the laws of the Song Dynasty just because of a few servants?
Replacing these servants with another batch wouldn't have any impact on Master Liu at all.

County Lieutenant Ban Feng was aggressive.

He used to be very cautious in Tokyo.

No one dares to offend anyone, and everyone has to wear a smile.

Banfeng's nickname, "the mountain peak," is nothing but a joke to many people in Tokyo.

As for these authentic restaurants, Ban Feng used to have to curry favor with Ban Lou to have a chance to eat there.

Now that he's latched onto Song Xuan's coattails, Ban Feng feels a long-suppressed sense of frustration welling up inside him.

All gone.

The Kaifeng County government brazenly sealed off Liu Lou's residence.

This matter once again became a topic of conversation among idle people, a story that could be sold for money.

Upon hearing this, Manager Su of Baxianlou Restaurant hurriedly went over to look at the official notice posted on the door.

Pay the outstanding amount within half a month.

He hesitated for a moment.

Should we do this?

Especially when this person is the one who sticks their neck out.

Song Xuan even dared to mess with imperial relatives.

Moreover, he was one of the most powerful imperial relatives in the Song Dynasty!

Our kind of shop doesn't have any royal relatives supporting it.

What good would it do to oppose Song Xuan?
This newly appointed upright official is ruthless.

The proverb "kill the chicken to scare the monkey"—targeting the toughest opponent right from the start—left many people dumbfounded.

Manager Su decided to wait and see.

At least let's see what Fanlou means.

These legitimate businesses also belong to a guild.

I just don't know when it will be held.

Upon hearing this news, the shopkeeper of Banlou immediately sat up while lying on his sickbed.

"Are you telling the truth?"

"I saw it with my own eyes, and I would never dare to lie about it."

The shopkeeper waved him away.

Song Xuan even dared to mess with Liu Lou.

So it's not a big deal for him to humiliate himself a little.

Moreover, it was indeed my fault to begin with.

This official is truly an arrogant and proud person.

He wasn't worried about Song Xuan being retaliated against, because someone would inevitably take action.

Given the current situation in Banlou, should they take a gamble and become the first to betray Song Xuan and join his cause?
This is to change their reputation.

They claimed that everything that happened before was a misunderstanding.

Since the incident, Manager Ban has truly realized that the person who most wants him dead is his colleague, not Song Xuan.

They've spared no effort in publicizing this matter.

They wanted to know even about the beggars on the street.

Upon learning of the plight of his fellow traveler Liu Lou, the shopkeeper of Banlou immediately felt relieved.

It turns out that Master Song wasn't just targeting me personally, but was genuinely addressing the issue, not the person.

That was something I did wrong, but that doesn't mean I'm a bad person!
Having figured out the logic behind it, Manager Ban was no longer upset. Instead, he hurriedly went to pay his respects to his master and became the first to pay taxes!
The manager of Fanlou Restaurant was greeting distinguished guests. Even if the sky were to fall, there would still be a tall man to hold it up.

What is he afraid of?

When the shopkeeper heard the news from the idler, he was visibly taken aback.

He then had someone give the idler some money.

Liu Congde also owns shares in Fanlou, and the company distributes dividends quarterly.

The newly appointed magistrate doesn't even give Liu Congde any face; does he think he's just a greenhorn who's unafraid of tigers?

Or is it a chain reaction following the imperial court's thorough investigation of the Yellow River project in recent days, as well as related shipbuilding matters?

Is someone trying to take this opportunity to bring down the Liu family?
Although there is a lot of information to exchange in Fanlou, the truth and falsehood are all up to one's own judgment.

"Thank you very much, Manager. Even if Master Song wanted to collect the overdue taxes, he would have to think twice before coming to Fanlou."

After accepting the tip, the idler began to flatter him.

Just as the manager of Fanlou was about to say something, he saw his waiter running over quickly:
"Head Manager, two clerks from the Kaifeng County government have come to see you. They want to announce the county government's notice and have it posted at the entrance for half a month."

Manager Luo stood there, stunned for a moment.

The idler rushed out to see if it was true.

If it's true, then I've really come to the right place!
They can make money again by selling this message.

As long as you have firsthand information, you won't have to worry about not making money!
Liu Lou was sealed off.

A notice was posted at Fanlou.

This was enough to let the people of Dongjing City witness the enforcement power of the newly appointed magistrate, Song Xuan.

With Song Xuan stepping forward, the officials in Kaifeng County became even bolder.

If you're unhappy, that's fine. Just keep your problems to yourselves.

But we must show them our displeasure openly, and let them see what the power of Master Song is all about!
Just as Magistrate Zhou was about to see the person off, he saw Qian Gansan running over.

"What happened? Why was it so noisy just now?"

"The master really did bring the man back."

County Magistrate Zhou subconsciously stood up:
"You mean the manager of Liu Lou?"

"The shopkeeper's face is swollen like a pig's head now. Not only him, everyone has been brought back."

Clang.

The person being received by Magistrate Zhou also lost his balance, dropping his crackled glass onto the table and spilling it.

He truly hadn't expected Song Xuan to be so assertive.

"Does Master Song not know who the master behind Liu Lou is?"

"It's impossible not to know."

Zhou Derong sighed and said:

“You all don’t know Master Song. He seems to act haphazardly, making it hard for you to know what he’s trying to do, but he knows exactly what he wants to do.”

Qian Gansan understood what Song Xuan meant; he didn't want them to figure out what he was thinking.

This would make it easier for him to control his brothers.

"As expected of the God of Literature descended to earth, he is truly a man of integrity."

The man who had brought a gift to see Magistrate Zhou immediately withdrew the small box he had intended to give him for money.

"Since Master Song is so firm, let's wait and see."

"Prefect Liu is by no means an easy person to talk to."

Zhou Derong was so angry when he saw the man take the money and leave that he stomped his feet.

Song Xuan's audacious actions made these people realize that they would hardly need to take action themselves.

He dared to offend the most powerful in-law family in the Song Dynasty; he won't be the magistrate of Kaifeng for long.

The Empress Dowager's favor towards the Liu family was so great that even the emperor had to rank behind them.

Everyone knows that the Liu family's debts, the officials' seals, and the people's lives are all meaningless.

Even if it means offending the government, never offend the Liu family!

Otherwise, you wouldn't even know how you died?

"The master was too impulsive. The Liu family is not a pushover."

Zhou Derong clapped his hands: "We've kicked a hard board right now, so please don't let it drag us little bottoms down with us."

"Yes."

Qian Gansan's eyes were also filled with worry.

The Liu family—are they someone we can afford to offend?

Zhao Zhen followed Song Xuan back to the county government office, but he had many questions in his mind.

After all, Song Xuan's approach was far too brutal.

In fact, Zhao Zhen had been quite envious of Song Xuan's behavior just now.

Even a minor county magistrate possessed such power and prestige.

It instilled fear in the people.

At his command, countless people rushed to his aid.

Zhao Zhen couldn't even imagine how majestic he would be after he took personal control of the government!

It can be said that Song Xuan's behavior just now greatly stimulated Zhao Zhen's ambition to seize power.

Zhao Zhen had observed Song Xuan's actions and expressions meticulously and remembered them all.

He hopes that one day he will be able to perfectly replicate it.

Zhao Zhen finally understood what Song Xuan had once told him:
"A petty man cannot live a day without money, a great man cannot live a day without power!"

But as much as it felt good.

Zhao Zhen also knew that the owner behind Liu Lou was Liu Congde.

If he were to complain to the First Madam, it would ultimately be the Twelfth Brother who would suffer.

Zhao Zhen felt a little worried.

Because he can no longer protect Song Xuan, who works for him.

"My lord."

The registrar, Zheng Wenhuan, placed all the accounts on the table.

The people standing nearby counted the confiscated money again and made a tally.

"I have something to say, but I don't know if I should."

"explain."

Song Xuan still served tea:

Am I the kind of person who likes to take my anger out on others because of what they say?

"I always judge matters, not people."

Having heard Song Xuan's words, Zheng Wenhuan didn't try to hide anything from the crowd, and simply said:

"The person behind Liu Lou is not someone to be trifled with."

"He is highly likely to retaliate against the high-ranking official."

"I hope that Your Excellency can make preparations as soon as possible."

Song Xuan nodded:
"I am new here. Tell me about the character of the person behind Liu Lou?"

Zhao Zhen had just wanted to say the same thing.

After all, he couldn't protect Song Xuan at this moment.

However, he also knew that Song Xuan was taking this opportunity to strike at the "power of the Empress Dowager's faction" and remove obstacles to his own rule.

"Prefect Liu forcibly occupied a private residence, and even the former Prefect of Kaifeng, Cheng Lin, was powerless to stop him."

“If you set your sights on Zhou’s Silk Shop on Panlou Street, just throw down ten strings of cash and let them take everything. Nobody dares to interfere.”

“He even has shares in Fanlou, and a rough calculation shows that he earns millions of strings of cash a year, but the taxes he pays have never exceeded one hundred strings of cash.”

"Not to mention he's a tyrant on the canal; I heard the No-Life Society is also under his protection."

"The carriages used are also by members of the royal family, and their pomp and circumstance surpasses that of a prince."

“He even seized the vegetable garden of Daxiangguo Temple to expand his private residence, slapped the abbot in public, and said that the bald monk was arrogant and that even the Buddha was under the control of my aunt.”

“In previous years, there was a children’s rhyme that said, ‘Better to meet the King of Hell than to mess with Liu Guojiu.’ Now that Prefect Liu’s reputation is better, it’s all thanks to his father paving the way.”

Registrar Zheng Wenhuan bowed again and said:

"I've said so much just to remind you, sir, that Prefect Liu is not as reasonable as his father."

"If we go to the Empress Dowager to complain, the master will probably get into trouble."

Hearing about the evil deeds committed by Liu Mei and her family over two generations, Song Xuan disregarded Zhao Zhen's presence and spoke up:

"Did Registrar Zheng only mention the more important things, and not mention the other evil deeds one by one?"

"Indeed."

Zheng Wenhuan cupped his hands and said:

"After you finish your shift, Your Excellency should still go and discuss things with Attendant-in-Ordinary Cao, so that at least you can come up with some ideas."

"Alright, the deeds of Liu Guojiu and his son are too numerous to describe, but their wanton violations of the laws of the Song Dynasty are far too many."

"Whatever tricks you have up your sleeve, I'll take them all. After you've finished counting, put the stolen silver into the treasury and sort out the ledgers so that it will be easier to determine the crime later."

"Here."

Zheng Wenhuan took the account book and went downstairs again.

After everyone left, Zhao Zhen sat to the side, his face clearly showing anger.

He thought that it was bad enough that the Liu family father and son had seized the wealth of the Song Dynasty, but they also had to oppress the people!
This made Zhao Zhen even more intolerant!

"Twelfth Brother, I have never heard of such a thing before."

"Sixth Brother, it would be strange if you had heard of it."

"what?"

Zhao Zhen didn't understand; he was the emperor.

Is it right that I don't know many things?
"Twelfth Brother, isn't that a bit off?"

Song Xuan took a sip of tea:
“These things might not even reach the government, and many people persuaded me to put the bigger picture first and endure it.”

"Even if a small number of cases reach the official level in time, they will be suppressed due to various relationships."

Zhao Zhen looked at Song Xuan with a surprised expression:

"Does this mean that if ordinary people have grievances, they should not seek redress?"

"Just like Mu Xiu, go and beat the petition drum?"

Song Xuan put down his teacup:
"You mean seeking justice?"

"Still beating the petition drum?"

"It was I who encouraged Mu Xiu to beat the Dengwen Drum. Even if it was useless for an official like him to beat the grievance drum of Kaifeng Prefecture, how could it be effective for an ordinary citizen?"

Song Xuan said very seriously, "Sixth Brother, don't disbelieve me. Even if it really comes to that, I would still say that Master Liu was wronged."

"No way."

"Don't disbelieve me, even if it happened that Liu Congde's servant beat up a passerby, startled Liu Congde's horse, and broke the passerby's leg."

"Even a servant can shout that the Liu family's horseshoes were broken by your bones?"

"Then Xiaomin would have to admit that he crawled under the Liu family's carriage himself."

"Why?"

Zhao Zhen truly did not understand.

No one would do that.

Instead of seeking redress for their grievances, they defend those who wronged them.

Such remarks are utterly ridiculous!

"that power."

Zhao Zhen froze on the spot when he heard Song Xuan utter those two words.

He thought Song Xuan would give a long explanation, but he only said these two words.

Just now, Song Xuan ordered everyone to do things, and even though those people from Liu Lou had powerful backers, they didn't dare to resist in the street.

Without him.

Song Xuan holds power in his hands!
Forget about this and that, who in the Song Dynasty would dare to attack an official in the street?

I don't want my entire family anymore!

Zhao Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly, lost in thought.

So many people know the truth about my origins, but not a single one dares to tell me.

It's because the Empress Dowager holds power!
Emperor Zhao Zhen did not quite understand the principles of power and truth.

Song Xuan would not say that in this peaceful time, power is the only truth.

But when chaos erupts, the knife still has to do the talking.

There's no need to tell the emperor about such remarks.

Song Xuan believed that the Confucian teachers who had taught Zhao Zhen since he was a child would not say such things so openly.

"It seems that power is a wonderful thing; many men are fascinated by it."

Zhao Zhen recalled Song Xuan's words once again.

If it weren't for this incident, Zhao Zhen wouldn't have had such a deep impression of that sentence!
Indeed, it is through experience that one learns.

Song Xuan stood up, walked to the table next to him, opened the drawer and rummaged through it:

"Sixth Brother, do you know why Liu Congde dares to be so arrogant?"

"Of course, it's because of the Empress Dowager's favor."

Song Xuan took out a dagger, carefully wiped it, and then picked up a yellow peach.

"Sixth Brother, this yellow peach is like the Fanlou restaurant of today, with a shiny surface."

Then Song Xuan sliced ​​the peach horizontally, revealing the wormhole:
"Liu Congde's reckless behavior is like this rotten part; if power is not checked, it will inevitably hollow out the country from within."

"When the common people have grievances but dare not speak out, they will eventually turn into anger and become the slogan for their uprising and rebellion." Zhao Zhen stood up. He was never afraid of Song Xuan brandishing his sword and spear in front of him.

Because he didn't think Song Xuan would kill him.

However, what Song Xuan said made him extremely indignant.

Since ascending the throne, Zhao Zhen has hoped to make a name for himself.

If officials force the people to rebel, the people will not only curse the corrupt officials, but also curse the emperor.

Who told you to be so blind as to give power to such a person?

"Twelfth Brother, is the imperial court truly being hollowed out by termites?"

"At present, this is probably the case, especially for the Liu family relatives."

A deep sorrow appeared in Zhao Zhen's eyes.

It seems the people of Tokyo have long suffered under the Liu family's rule.

"Sixth Brother, have you ever seen a cockroach?"

"Never."

Zhao Zhen was lost in memories, and then spoke:

"But I've heard that the imperial kitchen has them. If one is found, someone will be furious and they'll have to search every single one and use medicine to prevent it from ending up on our plates when we eat."

“That’s right. There’s a saying in my hometown that I’m sure Sixth Brother hasn’t heard of.”

"What did you say?" Zhao Zhen's eyes were full of curiosity.

Song Xuan said with a rather helpless expression:

"That means if you find one cockroach in a room, there are already countless cockroaches in the darkness."

"Only when the darkness is overflowing with cockroaches will some emerge and be seen by you."

Zhao Zhen frowned, and after thinking for a while, he finally spoke:

"You mean to say that there are countless people like Liu Congde?"

"Of course, with Liu Congde as the main leader, he has united a large group of interest groups around him. Everyone follows Liu Congde because they want to embezzle and break the law!"

Song Xuan cut off the wormhole and gave Zhao Zhen half a yellow peach:

"Do you really think Liu Congde did everything on his own?"

Even if it's Qin.

Song Xuan swallowed back what Qin Hui and his three cronies had said.

"A hero needs three helpers, not to mention a villain, who forms an even stronger wall."

"Not to mention that the common people cannot fight against the officials. In order to survive, they have forgotten that they are also human beings. How could they dare to seek justice?"

"Besides, officials have always preferred to report good news and not bad news. Sixth Brother, you must keep your eyes open in the future and not be deceived by your subordinates."

After listening to Song Xuan's heartfelt advice, Zhao Zhen nodded solemnly.

"From now on, I will send people from the Imperial City Guard to visit the lower levels to ascertain the situation across the land."

"Finally, we'll combine overt and covert investigations to prevent anyone from succumbing to temptation."

Song Xuan mentioned it again.

Zhao Zhen nodded repeatedly, biting into a yellow peach as he said:
"Twelfth Brother, how should we deal with the First Madam's faction's henchmen?"

"Then we need to figure out who isn't one of their faction's subjects, such as promoting someone like me."

Song Xuan said without any politeness:

"We are all Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) appointed by the emperor, and disciples of the emperor. We are more credible than ordinary people. Our main purpose is to maintain a balance of power and never allow any one family to become too powerful."

"Hahaha."

Zhao Zhen was amused by Song Xuan's self-recommendation.

He knew this, and used the new ministers to deal with the old ones.

These are words my father taught me.

However, Zhao Zhen has not yet had the opportunity to unleash his full potential.

and many more.

Zhao Zhen paused in his act of biting into the yellow peach.

Twelfth Brother actually understands the art of rulership?
The Confucian approach to imperial governance, presented as "inner sage and outer king," is actually a logic that uses benevolence and righteousness as a facade while prioritizing power and manipulation.

They claim to be divinely ordained and to rule the people on behalf of Heaven, but in reality, they rule the world as one person and the world serves one person.

The concept of checks and balances was the second lesson Zhao Zhen learned.

Because the first lesson for the emperors of the Song Dynasty was the art of survival.

To prevent being assassinated or usurped.

"So what I need to do right now is to be patient."

Zhao Zhen swallowed the yellow peach in his mouth.

"good."

Song Xuan nodded: "Your Majesty should read more of Han Feizi when you have time."

"it is good."

"Then I will take the opportunity to go out of the palace more often in the future."

Zhao Zhen spat out the peach pit from his mouth: "I can't go to faraway places, but I can take a look around nearby."

"It is excellent that Your Majesty has such thoughts."

Song Xuan sighed: "Actually, do these shops that owe taxes really lack money?"

"Most of them are not lacking."

"In my opinion, the people in Kaifeng are called people, but they are all pigs waiting to be slaughtered in a pigsty."

Zhao Zhen was wiping his hands when he couldn't help but ask in surprise:

"Twelfth Brother, what makes you say that?"

Did the Emperor find Kaifeng wealthy when he left the palace?

“It’s so rich! I’ve seen so much of it along the way.”

Zhao Zhen said with utmost seriousness:

"It's too prosperous. People say that you can see all the flowers of Chang'an in a day, but in my opinion, even if you gave Meng Jiao three days, he still wouldn't be able to see all the flowers of Dongjing."

At this point, Zhao Zhen was still a little proud.

This shows that the people of the capital lived a prosperous life, especially in Kaifeng County where mansions were lined up one after another.

In Song Xuan's view, Kaifeng is a consumer city that relies on its large "civil servant" system for consumption.

The rest of the people all depended on this group for survival and making money.

Kaifeng was filled with "the palaces of imperial concubines, the residences of empresses and nobles, the mansions of high-ranking officials and ministers, and the residences of kings, marquises and generals," which showed the luxurious lifestyle of the power group.

Meng Yuanlao once lamented in his "Dream Record" that there were too many luxurious mansions of officials in the city to record them all.

As for the unhealthy trend of officials engaging in commerce, it began to spread after Emperor Taizu tacitly allowed Chancellor Zhao Pu to openly operate a shop in his residence.

Despite numerous bans being issued, they are often merely formalities and rarely enforced.

By the time of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, many extremely wealthy people had emerged in Kaifeng.

"Sixth Brother, I just heard that Fanlou has an annual income of one million, but it only pays less than one hundred strings of cash in taxes. So who will bear the burden of the remaining taxes?"

Hearing Song Xuan's question, Zhao Zhen replied without hesitation, "Naturally, it falls on the shoulders of ordinary people."

"I believe that the so-called No-Life Society outside the city was originally motivated by people who couldn't survive and decided to commit a heist. But once they tasted success, they started to harm other ordinary people."

"If all the shops in Kaifeng County paid their commercial taxes on time, the people would not suffer so much oppression, and there would be far fewer people forming associations and rebelling."

Song Xuan slowly finished eating the yellow peach:
"Your Majesty will no longer need to travel far to see the lives of ordinary people outside the capital city of Tokyo. Perhaps then you will be able to better understand what I am doing now."

Zhao Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly:
"So, the people's hardships are all caused by these high-ranking officials and nobles not paying taxes?"

"That's right, the key point is that it's very easy to understand, and the amount of tax that needs to be paid is only this much."

“If these people pay less, the tax officials who collect taxes will naturally exploit the common people if they don’t want their families to be ruined.”

"It's a series of interconnected events, Sixth Brother."

Hearing Song Xuan's praise, Zhao Zhen was still somewhat pleased.

He nodded repeatedly: "I will also set up a new tax department in the future, specifically to investigate the taxes of these people."

“Anyone who doesn’t pay taxes will be fined.”

Song Xuan and his minister were talking here.

While resting at home and eating grapes, Liu Congde learned that Song Xuan had arrested everyone in Liu Lou and sealed the place up. He immediately overturned the low table and pushed Zhang Meiren aside.

"That's unreasonable!"

Liu Congde shouted, "Who gave him the guts?"

Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound.

"Yeah."

"First, they discovered Phoebe zhennan wood, and then the Yellow River project was discovered."

"Now even the people from the restaurant have been arrested."

"Song Xuan doesn't take me seriously at all!"

Liu Congren's face was also filled with anger:
"I have never seen such an audacious person who dares to seal up our Liu family's property."

Let alone now, even during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, the Liu family could get whatever they wanted.

They've always been arrogant.

It's perfectly normal for someone to suddenly become furious when they're being targeted.

"Big brother."

Liu Congde also trusted his cousin quite a bit:
"Do you think Song Xuan knows that Liu Lou is our family's business?"

He must know.

Liu Congren said with absolute certainty:
"In the entire capital city of Tokyo, who doesn't know that Liu Lou is our family's business? Song Xuan is the top scholar of the Song Dynasty, and his father-in-law is Cao Liyong. They're not from out of town!"

"Straight bitch!"

Liu Congde's anger remained unabated:

"I think they are deliberately targeting our family, especially Wang Zeng, who is in charge. Song Xuan is also acting on Wang Zeng's orders."

"Otherwise, how would a mere seventh-rank official dare to interfere in our family's affairs?"

Upon hearing the name Wang Zeng, Liu Congren felt a little intimidated.

Even if the Empress Dowager treats the Liu family well, Wang Zeng's position as prime minister is still unshakeable.

"Why don't you go to the palace and ask the Empress Dowager to issue a decree?"

This wasn't the first time Liu Congren had used this idea.

When Liu Congde was younger, he was encouraged by him to secretly alter imperial edicts.

The ten gold artifacts bestowed upon the Liu residence by Empress Dowager Liu were changed to one hundred, and the Director of the Imperial Household Department dared not question it at all.

Liu Congde shook his head: "We haven't found out anything about the Yellow River yet, so it's not appropriate to bother my aunt any further."

In reality, it was after Liu E slapped him that Liu Congde became much more obedient.

There are some things that my aunt will not forgive without question.

Upon realizing that he couldn't exert pressure on Song Xuan through the Empress Dowager, Liu Congren tentatively asked:

"Would it be feasible to get it from the government?"

"That won't work either."

Liu Congde glanced helplessly at his cousin:

"Brother, use your brain. Why would the government help me?"

"Song Xuan was the top scholar personally selected by him. He achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations. How can I give him face by showing favoritism and reprimanding Song Xuan?"

Liu Congren thought about it and agreed, then clapped his hands in great distress:
"Are we just going to let this go like this?"

"There's no need to think about it; this matter has already been spread throughout Tokyo by those idle gossips who sell information."

"Now everyone is watching how our Liu family will respond next."

"If we just swallow this insult, we brothers might as well stay home and commit suicide by swallowing gold. We'll lose all face."

"That can't be."

Liu Congde couldn't think of a suitable solution for the time being.

Asking the Empress Dowager to put pressure on Song Xuan would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

"If you ask me, we should find Chen Yaozuo, the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, to deal with Song Xuan. They already have a grudge against each other."

Liu Congde looked at his cousin:
"It's a pity I don't know when Chen Yaozuo will be back."

"Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst."

Liu Congren was still pacing back and forth in anger:
"Song Xuan even arrested the prefectural magistrate of Kaifeng."

“I’m afraid he won’t listen to Chen Yaozuo’s orders.”

"When did this happen?"

Liu Congde has been following Liu E's instructions these past few days and has not gone out.

"Just a few days ago."

Liu Congde frowned; he hadn't expected Song Xuan to be so bold.

Therefore, it's reasonable to assume that someone is backing him up.

That's why Song Xuan dared to act in this way.

Is it possible that Prime Minister Wang Zeng is also supporting Song Xuan in this matter?

"I can't think of a solution in a short time."

Liu Congde waved his hand and said:

“I’ll go to Lü Gongchuo and ask him for some advice.”

Although the two brothers were furious, they couldn't come up with a solution after thinking for a long time, so they had to ask someone for advice.

Liu Congde was certain that since Song Xuan dared to arrest him, it would be useless even if he went to plead for him.

Perhaps we should ask someone knowledgeable first.

In Liu Congde's view, now that Lü Gongchuo had made contact with him, he was not going to get off the ship.

At worst, we still have Prime Minister Lü to back us up!

At this time, Lü Gongchuo had not yet finished his shift.

As Liu Congde sent someone to deliver a message, Lü Gongchuo felt that he was in deep trouble.

Now it's obvious that Liu Congde must have left many loopholes in the river embankment in Chenliu County.

Lu Gongchuo felt that he himself was in danger, or that once things went wrong, he would definitely not be able to escape.

Even if his own father could plead for him, Wang Zeng wouldn't tolerate any wrongdoing.

Although Lü Gongchuo was unhappy, he still dared not offend the Liu family.

The two stayed in the private room and did not allow outsiders to enter.

Liu Congde talked about the problems he was facing.

Lu Gongchuo was also taken aback. Was this top scholar really that bold?

He even dared to offend the Liu family!

Who gave him the courage?
Even if the Empress Dowager likes Song Xuan, does that mean he should recklessly cross her bottom line?
Throughout the entire city of Tokyo, everyone knows the Liu family's standing in the Empress Dowager's eyes!
Yet Song Xuan dared to act so recklessly.

"Go and explain this to the matriarch."

Lu Gongchuo wondered what Liu Congde wanted to do by coming to him, to boast that Song Xuan didn't give him face and that he was a pushover.
"If I have to go to the Madam for everything, then why should I even ask you?"

Liu Congde said irritably, "Can't we just deal with Song Xuan without going through the Empress Dowager?"

"The whole of Tokyo is watching my reaction."

"If I don't take countermeasures, who will respect me in the future?"

Lu Gongchuo picked up his teacup to hide his desire to laugh.

You don't need to take countermeasures; nobody in Tokyo respects you.

Everyone knows that you are where you are today because you were born into a good family.

The Empress Dowager was only doing this because of Liu Mei.

"Then what do you want to do?"

Liu Congde thought for a while:
"I want Song Xuan to apologize to me in public, and to return him to me as politely as he was arrested, preferably in person."

He stretched out his hand, gesturing as if he were weighing the gold.

Lu Gongchuo was speechless.

Since Song Xuan dared to pronounce the verdict in public, it means that he made no procedural mistakes.

Do you want to force Song Xuan to admit his mistake?

They still want money from him!
Believe it or not, he'd rather lose his official position than let you go.
So sometimes Lü Gongchuo wondered if Liu Congde was being protected too well.

Everyone gave way to him.

To the point that he no longer knows how a normal person should think?

"idiot."

Lu Gongchuo didn't say what he really thought, but it would be good to escalate the conflict between them.

It's all because Song Xuan didn't choose his own sister as his wife.

His father, Lü Yijian, didn't care, but that doesn't mean Lü Gongchuo didn't care about face.

So he carefully considered his words and said:
"Prefect Liu, why don't you secretly contact Song Xuan and plead with him to release your men? Don't be so disrespectful."

Liu Congde immediately stood up, his face full of astonishment, and pointed to himself, saying:
"Me, me, plead with him?"

"Even if Song Twelve is the top scholar in the imperial examination, does he deserve it?"

"A man has his own reasons, and a woman has her own reasons."

Lü Gongchuo smiled:

"Then Brother Liu should go and ask the Empress Dowager for a written order to make Song Xuan bow his head. It will be as easy as turning one's hand!"

Because the Yellow River project was about to fail, Lü Gongchuo also wanted to solidify the fact that Liu Congde was "arrogant and domineering".

He had better be able to alter the edict on his own.

That way, when I need to defend myself in court in the future, I can put all the blame on him.

This has never happened before because no one investigated.

As the magistrate of Chenliu County, Lü Gongchuo could turn a blind eye to this.

Since the construction would be submerged by the Yellow River every year anyway, we might as well go with the flow and do Liu Congde a favor.

But now the cost of this favor is too high, so Lü Gongchuo is not so willing.

"I don't want to ask the Empress Dowager for a written order at this critical juncture, but I also want to get this matter done. Can you think of a way that satisfies both of us?"

Hearing Liu Congde's wildly imaginative words, Lü Gongchuo was so angry he laughed:
"Do you really think I'm Zhuge Liang, capable of coming up with a perfect solution for you?"

"I can't figure it out."

“Brother Lü.” Liu Congde stood up:

"Don't try to fob me off like this, or don't blame me for betraying you later. We're all in the same boat."

Lu Gongchuo didn't know how to respond to Liu Congde's outrageous remarks.

He suppressed his anger:

"Why don't you go directly to Song Xuan, confront him, and ask him to release the person? Just say it's the Empress Dowager's decree."

"What if he doesn't believe me?"

Liu Congde thought Lü Gongchuo's idea was good, as there was a lot of room for maneuver in the oral edict.

"Then let Song Xuan verify it himself. You just need to take him away. Anyway, those people in Tokyo don't know what you were talking about."

"Good good."

Liu Congde nodded repeatedly, agreeing with the point.

As Lü Gongchuo watched Liu Congde leave, his eyes were filled with coldness.

Liu Congde's attempt to demand the release of the missing persons from Song Xuan will surely end in failure.

Who is Song Xuan?
Since they dared to lock up the Liu family members in the street, they certainly weren't afraid of Liu Congde.

This might be the result of Prime Minister Wang Zeng's scheme.

How could Song Xuan, a mere top scholar and a seventh-rank official, dare to do such a thing?
Besides wanting to save face, Lü Gongchuo also had another idea: to prevent Wang Zeng's scheme from succeeding.

This way, his own father would have a greater chance to surpass Wang Zeng.

This was exactly the effect that Lü Gongchuo wanted—to add fuel to the fire.

Only a confused and irrational Liu Congde would do something even more outrageous.

Only in this way can one's responsibilities gradually decrease.

Liu Congde didn't even consider the possibility of anything fishy going on. He didn't even go home and went straight to the Kaifeng County Government Office.

In short, it’s just one sentence.

My Liu family has never suffered such a loss in silence in this area of ​​Tokyo.

If we continue to endure this, we will surely be criticized.

Will I still receive a share of the money from Fanlou's banquet in the future?

Will people still spend lavishly at Liu Lou's place in the future, just to curry favor with him?

For the sake of the Liu family's future standing in the underworld, Liu Congde was determined to find Song Xuan and get everyone out of there, no matter what.

Qi Lecheng, the watchdog, saw a group of people approaching menacingly, guessing they were from the Liu family. He quickly called for his men to come and stop them.

(End of this chapter)