A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 331 I Have Five Ways to Kill Him

Song Xuan didn't rush to answer, but instead wanted to follow up with his own answer:
“Father-in-law, if you have any trusted confidants, I can talk to them.”

What do you have to talk to them about?

Cao Liyong's face was full of confusion: "This is something you can just find anyone to do, it's taboo, you can't do it!"

Song Xuan coughed and said, "If my father-in-law is all alone and has no trustworthy subordinates, then I will have to look for someone else."

"Given Zhang Fangping's connections, I can go to any of the military families in Tokyo with ease, and they will all have to serve me the finest wine."

Cao was so angry at his son-in-law's words that he laughed.

Nowadays, Zhang Fangping, this unmarried third-place scholar, indeed has more influence among the military families of Tokyo than he does.

Zhang Fangping is now waiting for a better price to sell.

It didn't annoy anyone; on the contrary, everyone felt that this was how it should be.

It's because the supply can't keep up with the demand.

Let alone the next batch of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), even the batch after that, it would be incredibly difficult to find another Tanhua (third-ranked scholar) willing to marry a military officer!

Will my daughter and niece still be able to get married when they are older?

These military officers and nobles couldn't wait to get Zhang Fangping drunk, let their daughters enter the bridal chamber directly, and then complete the wedding ceremony later.

However, when the civil official Chen Yaozu kidnapped the second-place scholar Han Qi and attempted to drug and rape him, he was publicly rebuked by the top-ranking scholar Song Xuan, thus losing face.

These military officers were all extremely particular.

Their civil officials may be shameless, but our military officers must be!
Currently, everyone is engaged in a highly tacit and fair competition.

If any daughter, niece, or even grandniece could be captivated by Zhang Fangping, then they would truly be considered exceptionally capable!
"Chang Hetai".

Cao Li first gave out a person's name:
"This man is the youngest son of Chang Side, a founding general. He rose to the rank of Infantry Commander, in charge of the capital's defense. His men are mostly archers, guarding the outer city."

"Li Zhaoliang, the deputy commander of the palace guards, was the nephew of Empress Taizong. He started receiving imperial rations at the age of four and was in charge of the imperial guards outside the imperial city."

"Pan Chengjin, grandson of Pan Mei and nephew of Empress Zhenzong, was in charge of the Northern Wing Army in Tokyo."

"These three people are enough. What big thing do you want to do?"

Within the city of Tokyo, there were four military garrisons, divided into north, south, left, and right sections, each with its own commander.

They were responsible for urban security, handling public grievances, and allocating labor services, which differed from the functions of the Imperial Guards, and they did not have a core combat force.

Song Xuan looked at Cao Liyong. Although he gained power during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, he was also actively trying to get closer to the founding military group of the Song Dynasty.

The Cao family didn't become his confidants either; perhaps they didn't even bother with them.

"Strangle the Worry-Free Cave".

Why are you strangling it?

Cao Liyong was extremely puzzled:
“They are all a bunch of vermin. Every year when the floods come, large numbers of people come to Tokyo to beg for a living and can only join the Worry-Free Cave to survive.”

"you know?"

Cao Liyong chuckled:
“Every year, the migrants who come to Tokyo to make a living are selected and incorporated into my army. However, some people do not want to live like this and take the risk of entering Wuyou Cave.”

Song Xuan nodded. The system of the Song Dynasty's Xiang Army was essentially a "minimum living allowance" system.

It's about providing a place for people without land or housing to work low-income, high-intensity jobs.

Such as road clearing, canal dredging, loading and unloading, kiln operations, etc.

Even the Xiang Army wasn't a place anyone could join.

You must be at least 1.6 meters tall.

Such people have "united front value," preventing you from rebelling.

"Besides, what the Empress Dowager wants now is a balance of power in the court. What are a few merchants killed by Wuyou Cave compared to that?

Cao Li sighed softly:

"If the suppression of bandits causes a mutiny among some local troops, or if the canal transport is suspended, then what you've done will truly be a thankless task."

"So, does Wuyou Cave also send tributes to some of the leaders of the Xiang Army and the Imperial Guard?"

"How could Wuyou Cave have grown so large without official protection after existing for so long?"

Knowing that Song Xuan was publicly parading the body of his deceased subordinate through the streets, Cao Liyong simply lifted Song Xuan up himself.

"The key issue is that I don't know who the forces behind it are, and that's the most troublesome part."

"Even if you want to investigate, you can investigate minor cases and broaden your scope, arresting some peripheral henchmen; there's always a way."

Cao Yongli gently tapped the table:

"Good son-in-law, these things have nothing to do with you. Don't you think about what you're thinking, with such a bright future ahead of you?"

"I would support you even if it meant killing Chen Yaozuo, the Prefect of Kaifeng."

What's the point of going to all that trouble to crush a bunch of bedbugs?

Song Xuan glanced at Cao Liyong:
"I have a grudge against Wuyou Cave."

What grudge could you possibly have against it?

Cao Liyong spread his hands, his face full of confusion.

“I was eight years old when I was kidnapped and almost died in the Worry-Free Cave. I barely managed to escape.”

Song Xuan held onto the table with both hands:

"So I swear, one day I will tear these people to pieces. Even if the leaders are dead, I will grind their bones to dust!"

After hearing Song Xuan's reasoning, Cao Yong was completely dumbfounded.

"You were eight years old when you were abducted from Nanjing and brought to Tokyo?"

"I almost died here!"

Cao Liyong knew that Wuyou Cave would abduct many young children and women.

The streets of Tokyo were filled with beggars, street performers, young girls in brothels, and all sorts of odd jobs.

If someone dies, they die; for every one who dies, two or three more can be brought in.

Where did the population come from?
They were all trafficked children who were lucky enough to survive the journey and were sold for a good price.

These ruthless boys, once they grow up, will become the new generation of "Worry-Free Cave's vital force," maintaining order underground.

If the girl is obedient, she will be sold to a brothel on the ground for people to have fun with.

If you don't obey, you'll be stuck working as a waiter for women in brothels, and you'll never be able to go back up.

Cao Liyong stood up, his eyes filled with astonishment:

"Is this true?"

“Father-in-law, all the men around me escaped from the Worry-Free Cave. They have never forgotten their revenge all these years.”

Song Xuan also straightened up:

"I went to great lengths to take on this important task and become the magistrate of Kaifeng County, not only because of Dean Fan's ten-thousand-word petition, but also because of my own plans."

"I originally intended to investigate slowly first, but trouble came knocking on my door."

"Then I'll take this opportunity to cut off one of its fingers, forcing them to show themselves."

Cao Liyong's eyes were still filled with disbelief.

How could Cao Liyong have never heard of the Wuyou Cave incident over the years?
The government had tried to eradicate them, but the underground was too complicated.

During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, even when the Imperial City Guard went in to investigate, sending out a small team of twelve people, not a single one of them returned alive.

The tunnels inside were too complicated; I don't know how I ended up in the trap.

At that time, Cao Yong did not know why Emperor Zhenzong suddenly became angry and wanted to strangle Wuyou Cave.

It can be said that in the past thirty years, no one has ever been able to escape from Wuyou Cave alive.

Song Xuan actually managed to escape, and he did it when he was only eight years old?

If I could escape on my own, that would be fine.

But he managed to escape with others along with him.

But then I thought about how outstanding my son-in-law is.

This is something he could do at eight years old, so it's normal!

Cao Yongli carefully recalled that the time when Emperor Zhenzong ordered a thorough investigation of Wuyou Cave and sent people from the Imperial City Guard into Wuyou Cave was also twelve years ago.

He couldn't quite remember.

Is this a coincidence?
Cao Liyong remained in a daze, staring blankly at his son-in-law.

He truly never expected his son-in-law to have such an experience.

There was a long silence between them before Cao Liyong came to his senses:

"Twelve, you, you, I, I support you in seeking revenge."

"If you had told me sooner, I would have definitely asked someone to inquire about the Worry-Free Cave."

"I want to do it quietly." Song Xuan nodded slightly.
"Then let your father-in-law help arrange a time to meet. The wealth that Wuyou Cave has accumulated over the years is no exaggeration to say that it is a mountain of gold and silver."

"This is not only for revenge, but also for the revenge of others, and more importantly, everyone can benefit from it."

"After all, once the pig is fattened up, it's time to slaughter it and taste its meat to see if it's fat enough."

Cao Liyong nodded.

Since this is not simply for public good, but rather for personal grudges.

There was nothing more to say; she would fully support her son-in-law in seeking revenge.

"Don't worry about this matter, I will definitely help out."

"Okay," Song Xuan replied.

Cao Yong finally patted his son-in-law on the shoulder:

"Alright, let's settle our scores and, if possible, shift the blame to Chen Yaozuo, the Prefect of Kaifeng."

"I have already written a memorial on this matter, and I expect that it will be under his control in a couple of days."

"Yes, that's what I admire about you."

Cao Li nodded, then inquired about Song Xuan's safety:

"And don't come looking for me tomorrow about the light armor lining."

"Go to the government and get a note first, then I'll get it done for you directly. We absolutely cannot give anyone grounds to criticize us for this."

"clear."

After watching Cao Liyong leave, Song Xuan sat down in his chair and waited for dinner.

Tao Hong then walked over and sat down beside him:
"Young Master, are you planning to take action against Wuyou Cave?"

"While I was busy building up my political achievements, I took the opportunity to deal with them."

Song Xuan closed his eyes and said:
"They've finally provoked us. We're not the pushovers we used to be."

Tao Hong nodded in agreement:

"The only thing to worry about is that they might bite when cornered."

"Our influence in Nanjing has not yet been effectively extended to Tokyo."

"Officially, we don't even know how many of our allies are, and ultimately, we haven't established any underground intelligence channels."

"No rush. They grow up amidst chaos, and they will inevitably suffer setbacks amidst chaos."

"confusion?"

Tao Hong didn't quite understand what Song Xuan meant.

"confusion!"

Song Xuan uttered two words:
"Chaos is the ladder to advancement. Opportunities will only arise when we eradicate the Worry-Free Cave."

"Even if it cannot be completely eradicated, damaging his interests will create a power vacuum, which will be a good opportunity for Qu Ze and others to enter the scene."

In terms of planning, Tao Hong completely trusted Song Xuan.

"That's good."

Tao Hong breathed a sigh of relief:

"Given how things have unfolded, let's call Jiao Ming to Dongjingcheng."

"At least when it comes to food, we need to be careful."

"The other people in this mansion might have been bribed."

"Well, you're right."

Song Xuan nodded: "I will do my best to push forward the operation to wipe out Wuyou Cave."

……

What Song Xuan did today.

In addition, after parading the corpse through the streets, a reward notice was publicly announced.

This demonstrated his firm stance against the forces of Wuyou Cave, and it spread extremely widely.

The cave master of Wuyou Cave, Youming, ordered that all four hall masters be summoned for a meeting.

Xiaofeng entered the sewers and walked for a long time through many twists and turns before finally entering the conference room that had been prepared in advance.

At this time, Chi Yu and Xuan Jia from the Vermilion Bird Hall and the Black Tortoise Hall had already arrived.

Akabane was mainly responsible for intelligence gathering and infiltrating people into the government.
Xuanjia was responsible for torture and silencing witnesses.

"Hey, isn't this Xiaofeng? I heard you're a thief, and you got bitten by that black dog."

"Hahaha."

Xiaofeng is young and newly appointed.

Among the four hall masters, he naturally held a lower position.

"All right."

The strategist, Bai Zhen, waved his white feather fan twice:
"A gentleman is respectful and makes no mistakes; he is courteous and polite to others; all within the four seas are brothers!"

Xuanjia pointed at the strategist and then at Chiyu beside him.

His lip movements sounded like he was always saying those classical Chinese phrases and cursive, how annoying!
Akabane didn't respond.

He wasn't as short-tempered as Xuanjia.

After all, those who use torture techniques are rarely good-tempered.

Especially since this is a lawless place.

Xiaofeng thanked the strategist Baizhen, then sat down steadily to the side.

Before anyone could wait, Cang Lin arrived, and even the hottest-tempered Xuan Jia had to offer him tea.

Cang Lin glanced at Xiao Feng sitting next to him:

"Brother Feng, you're really too careless in doing things."

"I heard that the top scholar Song was paraded through the streets carrying a corpse. Young people like that are very vengeful."

Xiaofeng shook his head, then immediately spoke:

"Brother, I've been betrayed by Wei Shaou. He's told everyone everything."

"Fortunately, I only asked him to move all the valuables to the Erlang Temple outside the city, and he didn't know anything about what happened afterward."

"Hmm." Cang Lin took a sip of tea and glanced at the strategist:
"Strategist Bai, when will the cave master arrive?"

"Don't be impatient."

Bai Zhen waved her feather fan: "The cave master is getting old, and the roads here are difficult to travel, so it will take some time."

"If you ask me, they should have had a party up there a long time ago."

The Azure Scales had been on the ground for too long and were unwilling to crawl into the sewers.

Especially since no one has ever seen the true face of the Cave Master Youming, it would be very difficult to discern any special qualities under such circumstances.

"Please be patient, we'll wait for the cave master a little longer."

No sooner had the strategist Bai Zhen finished speaking than a cough was heard.

Everyone quickly stood up and bowed in the direction of the sound.

Even Cang Lin, who had just been regarded as the eldest brother by everyone and had been complaining, bowed his head to the ground in obeisance.

The true master of the Worry-Free Cave, Youming, wearing a bronze mask, slowly walked to the main seat.

A fragrant aroma wafted over, but it was followed by a hoarse voice:
"sit."

"Thank you, Cave Master."

Only then did everyone dare to sit down.

At this time, the cave was poorly lit, with only a few candles present.

The cave master of Wuyou Cave, Youming, scrutinized everyone before slowly saying:
"I've heard about what happened in Tokyo today."

"This Song Xuan is quite a character."

"It looks like things aren't going to be peaceful in Tokyo from now on."

The other high-ranking members of Wuyou Cave remained silent.

Regardless of whether Song Xuan was putting on a show, the fact that he was carrying a corpse for the yamen runners was enough to overturn their understanding.

Youming's voice was still hoarse: "It seems he really wants political achievements and wants to climb to the position of prime minister as soon as possible."

Does he have that ability?

Cang Lin said rather bluntly, "He's just a kid who hasn't even grown his first hair yet. We can just scare him a little."

"Master Cang, do not be careless." The strategist Bai Zhen waved his feather fan and said, "I have studied this boy."

"Oh?" The bronze mask of the underworld looked at the strategist on his left.

"Let the cave master know that this boy has passed the imperial examination in three categories, and his strength is extraordinary. He is definitely not just someone who can write beautiful articles."

The strategist Bai Zhen sighed:

"His rise and fall in Luoyang were both accompanied by the suffering of the people, which is enough to prove that he had the world in his heart."

"Today at Taoran Inn, witnessing such a tragedy, I was filled with anger and must be determined to seek justice for those who died unjustly."

"Hmm." Cave Master Youming nodded:

"Young people always have a lot of passion, and it won't cool down until later."

Then the cave master, Youming, looked at the last position on his right:
"Xiaofeng, what are you going to do about the mess you've made?"

Sweat immediately streamed down Xiaofeng's face.

He was naturally afraid that the cave master could order him to be killed.

After all, that's how I rose to power.

"Godfather, I do want it."

"Shut up!"

The voice from the underworld sounded like it came from the eighteenth level of hell:
"Didn't I tell you not to call him 'godfather' during discussions?"

"Yes, Cave Master."

Xiaofeng suppressed his fear:
"My original plan was to use the bathroom murder case to scare Song Xuan and force him to increase manpower."

"Why are you scaring him?" Akabane asked, puzzled.

“My people told me that Song Xuan is very good at winning people’s hearts, so I’m afraid we can’t scare him.”

"money."

"money?"

Xiaofeng didn't bother to discuss things further with Canglin, the leader of the Azure Dragon Hall, and told him everything directly:
"Song Xuan collected a large amount of debt, and many shops dutifully paid their debts, especially after Liu Congde was suppressed by Song Xuan."

"He didn't hand over so much money to the Three Departments Commissioner; instead, he gathered it up in the county government office."

“I think this is the perfect time for us to make our move, even if we lose the money.” “Given Song Xuan’s arrogant nature, he certainly won’t make a fuss about it. He’ll just have to suffer in silence.”

"Unexpectedly, the fresh food he ate half a month ago did not come alone; his servant went to Kaifeng County to file a complaint with the authorities."

"That's why Song Xuan led his men to launch a surprise attack on my Taoran Inn's stronghold, leading to the situation we have today."

Xiaofeng originally wanted to cooperate with Canglin to get this money.

Now, in order to save his life, he has no choice but to reveal the whole plan.

They hoped to sway the cave owner's mind with benefits.

Chi Yu and Xuan Jia exchanged a glance. This kid is young, but he's incredibly arrogant. He even dared to send money to the county government.

It seems each generation is bolder than the last.

The strategist, Bai Zhen, fanned himself with a fan. He had also received gifts from Xiao Feng on a regular basis. He spoke to him:

"So, it was all by accident that Scholar Song stumbled upon it."

“That’s exactly right,” Xiaofeng quickly chimed in.
"If the cave master doesn't believe it, he can send Chiyu to the Kaifeng County prison to investigate and find out the truth."

The cave master of Worry-Free Cave, Youming, still had a hoarse voice as he hummed in response:
I believe what you say.

"You only mentioned the cause, but didn't offer a solution."

Xiao Feng blurted out:

"I plan to take on some cases first to distract Song Xuan, so that he loses his motivation and keeps focusing on the Worry-Free Cave."

"Moreover, Kaifeng Prefecture has always targeted Wuyou Cave before, but they always failed halfway through. I don't think Song Xuan has much ability."

"good idea."

The strategist Bai Zhen first agreed with one sentence:
"But it also seems a bit weak. Why does he have to handle these cases personally?"

“He also has a county magistrate under him. Even if he doesn’t trust the county magistrate, it would be reasonable to hand him over directly to the county constable.”

"If your plan fails and he becomes determined to oppose my Worry-Free Cave, what should you do then?"

"The strategist is right."

Xuanjia also stared at Xiaofeng in agreement:

"Little brother, your trick won't work."

Xiaofeng couldn't think of a way to counter it for a while, since Wuyou Cave generally wouldn't kill officials.

Moreover, Song Xuan achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations, earning him widespread respect and immense fame.

If someone were assassinated by the Worry-Free Cave, they would truly face a furious revenge.

The reason why Wuyou Cave committed so many evil deeds was simply for money.

"I have received some news," came the hoarse voice of the cave master, Youming.
"Would you gentlemen like to hear something?"

Who among them would dare to say they didn't want to hear it?

"This top scholar Song spread the word that he wants Xiaofeng to go and apologize to the dead yamen runner, and that he wants your life."

After the cave master finished speaking, everyone looked at Xiaofeng, who was at the bottom of the rankings.

"That's one solution."

Xuanjia chuckled twice. As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. Song Xuan's target was clear: he was only targeting one person.

This directly severed Xiaofeng's connection with the others.

Moreover, their friendship was never very strong to begin with.

Xiaofeng was a little nervous because he was the least experienced!
That also means they are the easiest to be abandoned.

However, he remained calm and did not rush to speak.

“Master, Song Xuan is just a minor county magistrate. Even if he were the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, he wouldn’t be able to take our lives with just a word.”

As the elder brother, Cang Lin immediately spoke up for Xiao Feng, which was not just a matter of mutual dependence.

Instead, it's easier to gain his gratitude by speaking up for him when everyone else is targeting him.

"Yes, Cave Master, when did a mere county magistrate become able to make decisions for my Worry-Free Cave?"

Seeing that Bai Zhen seemed confident, Xiao Feng quickly made a request:
"I hope the strategist can teach me."

Cave Master Youming glanced at the white poisonous bird:
"Does the strategist have a solution?"

"In response to the cave master, I actually came up with five ways to kill him on the way here."

The strategist, Bai Zhen, stretched out a hand with great pride.

Xiaofeng's eyes lit up when he heard this.

The other three hall masters also looked at the strategist.

Five kinds?

"Strategist, speak quickly."

Cang Lin also wanted to gain more benefits from this.

"speak."

With the cave master's words spoken, the strategist Bai Zhen immediately straightened his chest:

"First, since this Song Zhuangyuan is so famous, we should spread rumors to ruin his reputation as an official."

“He sent out gold, silver and copper smugglers to spread rumors in teahouses and theaters that Magistrate Song’s suppression of bandits was a pretense, but that he was actually embezzling stolen silver to pay off his father-in-law’s usurious debts.”

“We can even forge bribery ledgers and deliberately leak them to the Censorate, so that the court can investigate him and distract him.”

"As for the effect, the people of Tokyo will question the protagonist's motives, and his government colleagues will avoid him."

When the strategist Bai Zhen came out with his first plan, Xiao Feng's eyes widened in surprise.

Given how much Song Xuan values ​​his reputation, wouldn't he be furious if this plan came to fruition?
It's really vicious!
"That's not all. In order to create the illusion of Song Zhuangyuan's tyranny, we can keep an eye on the yamen runners in the county government office and see who they talk to."

"Then we'll kidnap this poor man, pretend he was beaten to death by the yamen runners, and use the corpse to incite his family to beat the drum and appeal for justice, and make a scene at the Kaifeng Prefecture."

"Chen Yaozuo, the prefect of Kaifeng, lost face with Song Xuan. Even if he noticed something was amiss, he would turn a blind eye and let Song Xuan be accused of indiscriminately killing innocent people."

The strategist, Bai Zhen, spoke eloquently, waving his feather fan as if he were commanding the three armies.

The cave master of Wuyou Cave, Youming, also agreed.

These officials cherish their official titles the most.

At that time, we will simply throw mud at them, leaving them speechless and unable to defend themselves.

"Second, cut off his aid and isolate Song Xuan."

The strategist Bai Zhen chuckled: "He caused his subordinate, County Magistrate Zhou Derong, to fall from his horse unexpectedly, and the Registrar's house to catch fire suddenly. This is aimed at the internal affairs of the county government."

“Targeting the area outside the county government, spend a little money to incite resentment against Chen Yaozuo, the prefect of Kaifeng, who is Song Xuan’s direct superior, and unite the other merchants whose debts have been confiscated to oppose it.”

"It would be best to have Chen Yaozu issue a warning document to avoid inciting a civil uprising, implying to Song Xuan that if there is any further investigation, next year's performance evaluation will be considered harsh and disruptive to the people!"

"Such a two-pronged approach will surely demoralize the yamen runners and make it difficult for Song Xuan to implement his policies."

"Thirdly, the strategy is to attack the mind."

The cave master of Wuyou Cave repeated: "What is the strategy of destroying the heart?"

“These yamen runners like to investigate cases, so let’s find an opportunity to catch someone, cut out his tongue, gouge out his eyes, nail him to the gate of the county yamen, and leave him a letter.”

"In this way, we will deter all the constables in the county, and no one will dare to follow Song Xuan's actions again."

“To be even more radical, we could even send You Xiao to his hometown, kidnap his brother and bring him to Tokyo, and give Song Xuan a finger.”

"Warn him to stop investigating, and we'll exchange him for a living person; if he goes any further, we'll collect his whole body."

Cang Lin and the others thought this was a good move.

In any case, Wuyou Cave generally doesn't kill officials, but the families of officials are potential targets.

"nice."

These three methods can make it impossible for Song Xuan to make any progress in various ways.

The cave master of Wuyou Cave, Youming, asked, "What about the other two methods?"

"In response to the Cave Master, the above methods are not very effective, so we need to propose a more targeted plan."

Bai Zhen continued waving her feather fan: "We secretly hid the letters between Song Xuan and Cao Liyong in Song Xuan's study, preparing to help the Emperor of Song overthrow the Empress Dowager's rule, and then anonymously report them."

"This?" Cang Lin asked, puzzled. "What's it for?"

"You don't understand politics," the strategist Bai Zhen chuckled.
"Now that the Emperor is getting old, the Empress Dowager still wears the dragon robe and governs, showing no intention of relinquishing power. She wants to emulate the old ways of Wu Zetian."

"If this youngest top scholar, together with Cao Liyong, the highest military commander of the Song Dynasty, were to plot to overthrow the Empress Dowager's rule, do you think he would still allow Song Xuan to stay in the capital city of Bianjing?"

"At that time, even if mud falls into your crotch, it will still look like poop."

"Brilliant!" Xiaofeng couldn't help but exclaim, "Why don't we just use this move directly!"

"No," said the strategist Bai Zhen, shaking his head.

"We haven't even gotten our hands on the notes between Song Xuan and Cao Liyong, so we don't even have a chance to imitate them."

"If the handwriting doesn't match, do you think Empress Liu would be fooled?"

"The strategist is right."

Cang Lin nodded slightly; he also thought this tactic worked.

"When the Yellow River floods the city of Tokyo again, we will incite a popular uprising, have the starving people storm the county government, and then secretly send people to set fire to the granaries, thus confirming Song Xuan's dereliction of duty. To appease public anger, the court will surely dismiss him from his post."

"That's a good move."

Master Youming of Wuyou Cave nodded slightly: "That's a good idea."

"So what's the final move?"

"Forcing Song Xuan to collude with us."

"what?"

As soon as the strategist Bai Zhen said this, everyone felt like they had misheard.

He's the youngest top scholar in the Song Dynasty, and his father-in-law is a powerful figure like Cao Liyong. It's wishful thinking for him to collude with us.

"Talk about it."

Bai Zhen didn't keep them in suspense any longer, and quickly said:
"It's a frame-up. We'll find an opportunity to kidnap a suitable young man, preferably the son of a court official, and have Song Xuan rescue him, only to have him accidentally kill him."

"In this way, with this stain on his record, he will either be under our control or face a desperate struggle."

“Song Xuan has passed the imperial examination with top honors in all three levels. He will surely become prime minister in the future. If he can be put to use by my Wuyou Cave, I don’t know what kind of future my Wuyou Cave will be in.”

The group was momentarily dazed by the prospect described by the strategist Bai Zhen.

The cave master of Worry-Free Cave, Youming, still possesses stronger willpower:
"Don't dream of such a good thing; try the first three methods first."

"Yes."

The strategist, Bai Zhen, responded.

The voice of the cave master, Youming, was still hoarse:
"Now that the government has its eye on Wuyou Cave, I have been restraining my subordinates to avoid causing trouble. Once the storm has passed, we can go back to what we were doing."

"The martial arts world isn't all about fighting and killing. Everyone here is here to make more money and live a better life, not to rebel."

"The official business has been discussed. Your godfather hopes you will all be safe and sound."

"Thank you, foster father."

"Alright, you can all go do what you were doing."

The cave master, Youming, waved for his four adopted sons to leave, leaving behind the strategist, Baizhen.

"You will be in charge of Song Xuan's matter. Make sure he is properly mobilized, but don't go too far. Just make him back down when he sees the difficulty."

"My subordinate understands."

The two, Akabane and Genka, left together, and this incident had no impact on them.

Anyway, all the trouble was caused by Xiaofeng, and if Song Xuan is going to take his life, it will be Xiaofeng's.

Even if the strategist's plan fails, throwing Xiaofeng out to quell the situation would not be a problem for them at all.

Canglin and Xiaofeng left together.

The two walked for a long time before reappearing, and the voices outside reached their ears.

Walking in the darkness underground always makes one feel extremely oppressed, like a rat in the ground.

"I never expected that this top scholar Song would be so hot-tempered and so protective of his own."

Xiaofeng nodded slightly; he hadn't expected things to develop to this point.

Song Xuan's reaction, in particular, was very abnormal.

"He was a top scholar in the imperial examination, and the one who died was just a yamen runner. Why such a big reaction?"

"Hasn't there been cases of yamen runners dying in Kaifeng County before?"

"Perhaps those heads provoked him." Cang Lin walked slowly with his hands behind his back: "Why did you cut off those fresh heads and pile them up in the tomb?"

Xiaofeng was also completely wronged:
"Brother, I thought it was the rule because the people in front of me did it, so I followed their instructions. Who would have thought that something would go wrong and that someone would sneak into the tomb?"

"Then you deserve your bad luck."

Xiaofeng had nothing to say; what could he do but accept his bad luck?

It's simply a disaster.

Cang Lin walked slowly: "But I think the strategist is quite cunning."

"Yes, those scholars are indeed quite cunning."

Xiaofeng also sighed:
"Especially those scholars who failed the imperial examinations, their minds were even more vicious!"

"Hahaha."

Cang Lin pointed at Xiao Feng and laughed loudly: "You, you really think the title of strategist Bai Zhen is just for show?"

Xiaofeng also sighed, "Fortunately, the strategist was on my side."

"Alright, just wait and see the results. Don't show your face for a while, or you'll get sold out."

"Yes, thank you for reminding me, brother."

Even if a sensational event occurs in Tokyo today, the dawn alarm will still be sounded at 5:00 AM.

Before dawn, those who went to the early market to earn money were awakened by the crowing of the monks from Daxiangguo Temple.

Every day at dawn, not only at Daxiangguo Temple, but also at other temples, monks would begin to chant Buddhist mantras while striking wooden fish drums.

Because the other temples could not compete with the Great Xiangguo Temple.

Therefore, these monks would offer the service of announcing the dawn for free in the hope that their alms-begging during the day would go more smoothly.

Of course, such arduous dawn-announcing work is generally not done by regular employees; it is all done by odd jobs or temporary workers who have not yet shaved their heads.

Because there are many temples, these people also take on service duties, such as acting as weather forecasters to remind people who need to go out.

Zhao Zhen, who lived in Yuqing Palace, also heard the dawn. He got up to wash and called a few skilled men to accompany him to eat at a food stall outside.

Di Qing and the others were extremely excited to protect Zhao Zhen and did their best to prevent anyone from getting close.

Given Zhao Zhen's appearance, no one would ever guess that he is the current emperor.

Perhaps he's just a spoiled brat who stayed out all night.

After all, real playboys wouldn't get up this early and bring so many people to breakfast.

Even for the emperor, it would be even more impossible.

In their imagination, the emperor didn't even have to eat by himself; he had to be fed by several beautiful young ladies.

Zhao Zhen felt quite at ease leaving the palace, no longer needing to pay his respects to the ladies-in-waiting every day, nor constantly studying Confucian classics.

Listen to their sermons at Yuqing Palace and spend time with your younger sister.

He even had people accompany him while he shot arrows, which made him look much more dashing.

After finishing his breakfast, Zhao Zhen even bought a newspaper.

This newspaper was not official; it was a commercial newspaper.

Recent news on government and public affairs, as well as various rumors circulating among the public.

Whether the news is true or not, there is always a source.

The fact that events not reported by the imperial court would appear in these small newspapers beforehand is enough to show that the person behind the scenes is not simple.

Many pieces of information cannot be easily collected by just anyone.

This makes it much more convenient to know what's been happening lately without leaving home.

Zhao Zhen found it very interesting to watch the court's debate about Liu Congde and the fact that the Yellow River project was done terribly.

Seeing this, he sighed again.

There's nothing we can do to change this; we can only stay away from the palace.

Then we saw an entire section dedicated to describing the “heroic deeds” performed by Song Xuan, the magistrate of Kaifeng!
The entire page was dedicated to recounting the case and how Song Xuan solved it, along with a direct copy of the reward offered by Song Xuan.

Zhao Zhen read it once, and then read it again.

He was certain he knew nothing about it, and the Imperial City Guard had not reported it to him.

On the contrary, when Song Xuan was investigating the case, he discovered the Liao spies. Now, Geng Fu and others are closely monitoring the Liao spies, which is not conducive to Song Xuan's supervision.

Zhao Zhen was actually concerned about Song Xuan, fearing that something might happen to him and that he wouldn't be able to save him in time.

Even though the Empress Dowager now controls the major political affairs of the court, most of them still dare not disobey the emperor's orders.

Zhao Zhen stood up, clutching the newspaper, intending to leave. The waiter beside him quickly asked if the customer needed any face wash or something similar.

This kind of facial cleanser is designed to help customers who are unkempt and looking unwell before going to "work." It's a facial cleanser with added medicinal herbs.

There's "Queen's Facial Wash" for women and "Imperial Facial Wash" for men; there's bound to be one that suits you.

Whether the Empress uses the same facial cleanser or not, you have no idea.

Zhao Zhen quickly refused. He was already familiar with it and loathed this so-called Empress's facial cleanser.

He already disliked Empress Guo, and now a mere face-washing product had gotten out into the public eye, with people even asking him if he wanted to try it.
Zhao Zhen did not overturn the basin for him, even though the emperor was very "gentle".

So Zhao Zhen wanted to ask Song Xuan about the specific details of the case, but then felt a little impulsive.

"Twelfth Brother must have submitted a memorial, but I haven't seen it yet."

Zhao Zhen stopped again, wanting to learn more about the case from Song Xuan.

After all, it involves the Worry-Free Cave.

He was also very determined to destroy the Worry-Free Cave, but unfortunately the imperial court had not been able to destroy it for so many years.

Now that Song Xuan wants to abort the disease, Zhao Zhen must give him his full support no matter what.

Of course, the greatest support he, as emperor, could offer was merely lip service.

In reality, Zhao Zhen had no real power to govern, even though he was the emperor of the Song Dynasty.

After experiencing the everyday life of an ordinary citizen, Zhao Zhen returned to Yuqing Palace somewhat dejectedly.

Zhao Zhen felt a sense of frustration; he felt he couldn't help.

At this time, Song Xuan was still not awake.

Anyway, he wasn't in a hurry to go to work, so he didn't need to clock in.

After waking up, washing up, and having breakfast, he opened the door with two attendants.

Many yamen runners and constables had been standing outside the gate for a long time, forming several lines and waiting patiently.

County Lieutenant Ban Feng immediately cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

Song Xuan waved his hand: "Brothers, you've all worked hard. Have you all eaten?"

"Ate."

"have eaten."

After receiving an affirmative answer, Song Xuan nodded and mounted his horse.

"Let's go, follow me to Yuqing Palace."

(End of this chapter)