A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 364 Is this arrest warrant for you?

Yang Huaimin then said with a smile:
“Last night, Madam Lin went to the Kaifeng government office. Even though she flew into a rage on the spot, it was so late, and there weren’t many yamen runners there to help her.”

"Moreover, the Prefect of Kaifeng is still recuperating at home, and with no leader, the Empress Dowager wanted to let Scholar Song take the lead."

"On my way here today, I heard that many yamen runners went out into the streets looking for her son."

"The person was lost in Xiangfu County, so what's the point of searching for them in Kaifeng County?"

"I still suspect that she orchestrated the whole thing and that she wasn't worried about her son's situation at all."

Song Xuan didn't respond. This was information revealed by Yang Huaimin, and he understood why Madam Lin was so confident.

It turned out that Empress Liu had spoken, appointing the person in charge of the case.

Yang Huaimin felt cool as she entered the room and wiped the sweat from her head with a handkerchief.

Just walking this short distance made me sweat profusely from the scorching heat.

"The Empress Dowager said she sent people to pray for rain, but many days have passed and there has been no heavy rain."

Yang Huaimin then complained:
"In previous years, Tokyo was flooded every year, but this year is strange; it's so hot that it's unbearable to be scorched by the sun."

Song Xuan stood at the doorway, glanced up at the bright sun, and quickly lowered his head to avoid the sunlight.

"Such extreme weather will inevitably lead to another extreme weather."

"Who knows when the heavy rain will start and continue, and the scene of Tokyo being flooded will repeat itself."

"That's impossible, Scholar Song is overthinking it."

Yang Huaimin waved his hands repeatedly:
"The people in the Imperial Observatory are all observing when it will rain, but there has been no sign of it. Otherwise, they wouldn't have asked the Empress Dowager to pray for rain."

There was no need for Song Xuan to tarnish the other party's reputation and step in to do the work himself.

Such institutions are all about mastering the art of deception.

Throughout history, technical officials have held relatively low status and were easily looked down upon, and were not even considered part of the scholar-official class.

However, it plays an irreplaceable role for the country.

Therefore, the position of Director of Astronomy is usually inherited by a family.

The current Director of Astronomy in the Song Dynasty is Zhou Keming, a descendant of the Zhou family from the Tang Dynasty.

Although Zhou Keming holds a senior official position, he is over eighty years old.

Now, his most capable student in his thirties, Yang Weide, is the main person in charge of the work, with Lao Zhou's own son assisting him.

Yang Weide is particularly outstanding in theoretical matters, having compiled the "Six Ren Divine Determination Classic," which, although not yet a complete book, has begun to be written.

Of course, unless one is like Emperor Taizong of Song, who was extremely wary of folk diviners who possessed the ability to observe astronomy.

Even shortly after ascending the throne, he ordered all those knowledgeable in this field to be sent to Kaifeng Prefecture.

Anyone who dares to hide will be immediately executed in the market, and the informant will be rewarded with 300,000 coins.

A year later, Emperor Taizong of Song reiterated that these people were all scoundrels pretending to be gods and ghosts, and sent all the various hidden books on yin and yang to the palace.

His plan to monopolize the study of astronomical knowledge was to firmly grasp the power to interpret good and bad fortune in his own hands.

For this purpose, a separate institution, the Hanlin Astronomical Academy, was established, independent of the Imperial Observatory.

You can say that I, Zhao Er, am incapable of fighting, but if you say that I don't understand politics, then you are not qualified to speak to me.

In the second year of the Tiansheng era, Yang Weide made a big fuss to report to the emperor that there would be a solar eclipse, but the emperor did not come.

The ministers explained that the eclipse was not due to an inaccurate forecast by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, but rather because the Emperor's virtuous governance and the presence of wise ministers had moved Heaven, which had specially cancelled the eclipse that was supposed to occur.

Everyone submitted a congratulatory letter.

Emperor Zhao Zhen was completely fooled by his ministers and genuinely believed it was his fault.

Now that he had been educated and influenced by Song Xuan, Zhao Zhen didn't even want to perform the ritual of praying for rain anymore.

Even if Zhao Zhen doesn't particularly like the Imperial Observatory right now, his father and grandfather were concerned about the Song Dynasty's less-than-stellar military achievements.

Especially after Emperor Zhenzong reached the Treaty of Chanyuan with the Khitan, he felt that his image had been damaged. He used the Heavenly Book and the Fengshan ceremony to downplay the humiliation of the peace treaty. The Imperial Observatory naturally had to report the auspicious sign of the conjunction of the five planets.

This kind of sycophantic activity is not an isolated incident.

As a result, the Song Dynasty's astronomical knowledge was not as accurate as that of the Liao Dynasty.

This forced the envoy to insist that the legitimate authority lay with the Song Dynasty, not with the Khitans.

In the Song Dynasty, the Imperial Observatory and the Hanlin Academy colluded to report only observation documents that were secretly agreed upon and completely consistent. Even astronomical instruments were rendered useless.

His professional skills had declined, and the celestial phenomena he reported to the emperor were merely results calculated from folk almanacs.

It wasn't until fifty years later that Shen Kuo was able to bring the astronomical calendar of the Song Dynasty back on track.

After these incidents involving the Imperial Observatory, Song Xuan had extremely low trust in their performance.

They are not even as accurate as the old farmers in the fields in judging celestial phenomena.

"I hope they are right."

Song Xuan sat back down in his chair, unbuttoned his shirt, and fanned himself.

Yang Huaimin also sat down with a smile:

"Scholar Song, what are you planning to do with Lin Kun?"

"He has been going with the team to clean the ditches for the past two days, and perhaps he has gotten used to this kind of life."

Song Xuan had a smile on his face:
"I will definitely let him go home to reunite with his family before the Mid-Autumn Festival. It will also be to give Madam Lin some face, so that she can't rely on her son now, and she can't rely on her husband either."

Yang Huaimin tried hard not to laugh out loud, so he coughed:
"In this way, we can at least give an explanation to the Empress Dowager."

"With a population of one million in Tokyo, it's incredibly difficult to find someone who's been hidden away."

Song Xuan waved his fan:

"Since Madam Lin is certain that she has been kidnapped and extorted for money, then let's wait for someone to send a message and send people out to search. If they can find her, then Lin Zhongrong will be lucky."

Yang Huaimin had a smile on his face.

As expected, the top scholar Song was indeed capable of handling matters.

Do they really think that just because she is respected by the Empress Dowager, these civil and military officials will tolerate her arrogance and domineering behavior?

Keep dreaming!

Even the eunuchs like Yang Huaimin never received such treatment, where everyone revolved around you.

Not to mention a woman who would be even more guarded against.

If you want to become Shangguan Wan'er, very few officials in the court will agree to it.

When Yu Gao showed Song Xuan the signed confession, Song Xuan first poured him a cup of cold tea to quench his thirst.

Yu Gao thanked him and drank it all in one gulp, finding the herbal tea truly refreshing.

He described in detail Madam Lin's outburst of temper earlier, describing her as aggressive and menacing, as if she wanted to devour the master alive.

“Eunuch Yang, look at me. I am the one who helped her find her son. She hates me so much that she wants to tear me apart, just because I am a good person and did not kidnap her son.”

"Hey." Yang Huaimin chuckled.
“Scholar Song, I already experienced this last night. What good end can good people ever have?”

"Humph."

Song Xuan sighed deeply and said:

"Good people deserve to have knives pointed at them; this world is truly bizarre!"

Yang Huaimin nodded in deep agreement: "Scholar Song's words are truly insightful."

"It's just that I've seen more of people's true colors."

"Then I won't bother Scholar Song any longer. I need to hurry back and report this matter to the Empress Dowager, since Madam Lin is someone close to the Empress Dowager."

"Even if we disregard the monk's feelings, we should still consider the Buddha's feelings. It would be best if Scholar Song took this to heart."

"Alright, thank you for the reminder, Eunuch Yang."

Song Xuan stood up:

"I will send someone to Xiangfu County to find out what's going on. After all, this matter requires the intervention of Kaifeng Prefecture to communicate with Chen Gu, the magistrate of Xiangfu County. Otherwise, why would he listen to me?"

Yang Huaimin also knew about Chen Gu's background.

However, at his age, he only became the magistrate of a county, so his future prospects were limited.

He has absolutely no ability to become a prime minister.

Unlike Song Zhuangyuan, who had a bright future, Yang Huaimin, even if he had ambitions, was very willing to befriend Song Xuan.

Even though there was a rift between him and his father-in-law Cao Liyong, once Song Xuan demonstrated his value, the others had to consider easing their relationship with Cao Liyong.

Only in this way can we gain a greater advantage for ourselves.

For example, Luo Chongxun, a eunuch, was once publicly reprimanded by Cao Yong by having his hat removed, causing him to lose face.

With Song Xuan backing him up, Old Cao could only chuckle and say that nothing like that had ever happened.

Zhao Zhen finally emerged from behind the screen, and after Song Xuan and the others came out, he stretched for a bit.

"Twelfth Brother, is everything settled?"

"Proper my foot!"

Song Xuan leaned back in his recliner: "Who knows who I offended to be kidnapped?"

"There are absolutely no clues about this, and it's not even within my jurisdiction. Even if I were to search, I'd be completely in the dark. I can't very well lead people to Xiangfu County and embarrass Chen Gu, can I?"

"I don't know if he's petty, but if I really did that, wouldn't I be announcing to the world that Chen Gu is a good-for-nothing?"

"How can Prime Minister Lü promote his brother-in-law in the future?"

Song Xuan's words surprised Zhao Zhen. He had never thought that solving a case would involve so many things.

"Twelfth brother, I don't understand."

Zhao Zhen sat to one side, his face showing a solemn expression:

"Chen Gu doesn't have the same abilities as Twelfth Brother, so how could he not cooperate with you to solve the case?"

That's true, but things can't be done that way!

Song Xuan wanted to say that the officialdom of the Song Dynasty was not a place of fighting and killing, especially since factional strife in the Song Dynasty rarely resulted in death.

Many people know that they can't stay in a high position or be in the limelight forever, so showing leniency is also a way of planning for their own future.

"Isn't there an imperial edict from the Empress Dowager?"

Zhao Zhen felt that it would be good to help Madam Lin in this matter, even though she was not a fair person, her son was innocent after all.

"Sixth Brother, just because the Empress Dowager has given an imperial edict, do I have to do it?"

Song Xuan opened his eyes and looked at Zhao Zhen:

"Who knows whether an oral decree is true or false?"

"Does receiving an order with your own ears mean you have to carry it out?"

"Even if there is a will in the hands of a minister, it may not save his life; instead, it may become a death warrant for his entire family."

Yan Shu had genuinely taught Song Xuan a lesson regarding matters concerning the royal family: never get too involved.

Many powerful ministers in history did not have a good ending.

As a well-educated Confucian scholar, Zhao Zhen had read a great deal of history.

He immediately remembered that the struggle between Dou Ying and Tian Fen had led to Emperor Wu of Han seizing the opportunity to eliminate the former dynasty's forces and strengthen his own imperial power.

Even if Dou Ying possessed the genuine edict of Emperor Jing of Han, it would have become a forgery in Liu Che's eyes.

The emperors of the Song Dynasty did not have the same political awareness as the emperors of the Han Dynasty.

Even the Han emperors who were thirteen or fourteen years old throughout history were pure political beings; you couldn't outmaneuver them.

However, there are some things that Song Xuan still needs to be careful about.

Zhao Zhen finally understood why his twelfth brother disliked serving as a minister like Yin Yi or Huo Guang; the risks were too great.

"Why do you think that, Twelfth Brother?"

"Because I am a pessimist, I think about the consequences of defeat before I win, so that I don't get too impulsive and think that I am invincible and that I don't care about anyone."

"Hmm?" Zhao Zhen was even more puzzled: "What do you mean by that?"

As Sun Tzu's Art of War states, "Those skilled in warfare first make themselves invincible, and then wait for the enemy to become vulnerable."

Song Xuan snapped his fingers:
"For example, when the famous Song general Cao Bin destroyed the Southern Tang, he spent half a year building a pontoon bridge across the Yangtze River, just to ensure that his retreat was secure before launching an attack."

Zhao Zhen confirmed once again that his twelfth brother had indeed read Sun Tzu's Art of War and had memorized it all.

Such military treatises were completely prohibited from circulating among the common people in the Song Dynasty and were considered a type of forbidden book.

They were all confiscated by the imperial court.

Only Emperor Taizong's painting could be bestowed upon his ministers so that they could study and study the "Complete Plan for Pacifying the Barbarians".

This map would require 140,000 men to lay out, and its width would be 17 li.

It was massive in scale and had an extraordinary presence.

The premise of this diagram is that if the Khitans dare to launch a direct attack on the Pingrong Wanquan Formation, they will surely be sent there never to return!

Zhao Guangyi did not consider that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun had such suitable territory to facilitate his deployment of this formation, nor did he think about why the Khitans were so foolish as to charge into the formation and why they could not go around it.
The Khitan cavalry were far more mobile than those of the Song Dynasty.

If they attack the flanks or outflank from the rear, the Song army will be thrown into complete chaos and utter confusion.

"Twelfth Brother, would you like to see the Complete Formation for Pacifying the Barbarians, which Emperor Taizong personally drew up, so that you can use it when leading troops in the future?"

"Goodbye."

Song Xuan waved his hands repeatedly and said:
"I already have the sacred armor of Emperor Taizong protecting me, so there's no need for me to look at this grand formation diagram."

"I won't have much of a chance to lead an army of hundreds of thousands in the future, so Your Majesty should leave it to the other generals to observe and learn from."

Song Xuan knew that Zhao Guangyi was not good at military affairs, but he must understand people's hearts.

Did Zhao Guangyi not know the consequences of handing over such meticulously crafted, paper-based military strategies to generals thousands of miles away?
He knows!

But this is the art of rulership.

Because Zhao Guangyi understood the principle that to repel external aggression, one must first secure internal stability, the Liao Dynasty could not destroy the Song Dynasty in a short period of time.

However, Zhao Guangyi could not win battles like his elder brother, so he had to guard against the Song Dynasty becoming the "Later Song".

The glory of the Tang Dynasty is there, but the mess left behind needs to be cleaned up by the Song Dynasty.

Their vigilance towards the soldiers was excessive.

Zhao Zhen could clearly see the disdain on Song Xuan's face.

He doesn't understand military affairs.

But I understand Song Xuan.

If it were something good, how could Twelfth Brother not be interested in such relics of the late emperor?

"Does Twelfth Brother not want to shoulder the heavy responsibility of recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun?"

"If it's a war of annihilation like destroying the Western Xia, I can take the lead. But once we go to war with the Liao, it's not up to me."

Song Xuan shrugged and chuckled, saying:
"Because at present, the Liao Kingdom is still very trustworthy; they really do their job after receiving the money."

As for the subsequent extortion and currency increase, it hadn't happened yet, so Song Xuan couldn't bring it up.

"The Liao Kingdom can still control its subordinate tribes from raiding the south. If war really breaks out, it would be best for the Emperor to personally lead the army."

"Even if the Emperor doesn't personally go to the front lines, his presence in Chanzhou is a great encouragement to the soldiers there, and it also avoids an embarrassing situation like the Treaty of Chanyuan."

"If the mission is successful, it will be the Emperor's achievement, not the result of a general who steals credit from Heaven. This would be an excellent outcome for both the Emperor and his ministers."

Zhao Zhen acknowledged that the Liao Dynasty was trustworthy.

The Liao Dynasty considered itself the legitimate dynasty, inheriting the mantle of the Tang Dynasty.

Even when the Northern Song Dynasty made an agreement with the Jin Dynasty to destroy the Liao Dynasty, the Liao envoy shouted in front of Tong Guan, "The Song and Liao Dynasties have made a century-long vow of friendship. You can deceive people, but you can't deceive Heaven!"

Then, after the war broke out, the Liao Dynasty completely regained its confidence in front of the Northern Song soldiers.

Even if other dynasties made peace with foreign tribes and paid them money, there would still be occasional instances of people raiding the south.

Even if the Han Dynasty granted them marriage alliances and bestowed rewards, the Xiongnu people still lacked credibility.

During the Tang Dynasty, they also offered rewards through marriage alliances, but these nomadic peoples did not keep their word.

In addition, the money that the Song Dynasty gave to the Khitans was just like giving money to beggars.

Even before this money left Song territory, it was spent by the envoys to buy a large number of luxury goods to provide for the enjoyment of the upper-class Khitans.

Because if the two sides were to go to war, let alone 300,000 a year, even 3 million strings of cash would only be enough to pay part of the soldiers' wages.

In the war between Song and Xia, in addition to the national treasury, Emperor Zhao Zhen also contributed money to subsidize the war.

Wang Yaochen calculated that the annual military expenditure was around 20 million strings of cash, not including other unforeseen events.

However, the Song Dynasty did not gain much benefit from this small amount of tribute.

Because it required a much larger sum of money to support soldiers in Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, and other places to defend against the Liao Kingdom.

The Song Dynasty suffered from both excessive military strength and chronic weakness.

Ultimately, both countries happily decayed, only to be crippled by the Jin dynasty. A few years later, the Jin dynasty also decayed and was defeated by the Mongols.

The Liao, Jin, and Xia dynasties all perished before the Song dynasty.

Even after the Mongols entered the Central Plains, they did not escape the corrupt system.

The Mongol upper nobility also became corrupt very quickly, and their fighting strength declined drastically.

If it weren't for the excessive efforts of the Han dynasty rulers in the north, the Southern Song dynasty could have continued to hold on.

When Song Xuan was in the Privy Council, he read various military ledgers from the past and felt that the Song Dynasty's military system was inherently flawed and worthless.

It's a waste of both money and manpower.

Song Xuan, as a Song official, did the math and found that the annual tribute of 300,000 taels of silver was quite a good deal.

The military system will not be changed.

fight?

What a load of crap.

Zhao Zhen coughed:
"Twelfth Brother, shall I personally lead the army?"

"Of course, when the Crown Prince is stationed in Kaifeng, why can't you personally lead the expedition?"

"Now that the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period is long gone, the practice of soldiers eating people and drinking blood has almost been erased from history."

Song Xuan dared not guarantee that the remnants of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms era had truly been eradicated.

Because cannibalism still occurred in the south, not all barbarians submitted to the Song Dynasty.

Emperor Zhao Zhen attached great importance to this matter.

He also dreamed of recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun during his reign, thus fulfilling his ancestors' wishes.

"But I haven't had a child yet."

"Sixth Brother, you should stay in Yuqing Palace to recuperate and don't go back to the palace easily."

Song Xuan coughed and said, "I don't think the palace is a place where infants can be raised."

"Why?"

"You yourself count how many of the late emperor's children lived to adulthood?"

Song Xuan also said with a solemn expression:
"On the contrary, the Zhao clan members outside the palace are blessed with many children and good fortune. Sixth Brother should think more about the reasons."

Zhao Zhen immediately showed a look of horror.

Of Emperor Taizong's nine sons, only three survived to adulthood and left descendants.

Emperor Zhenzong had six sons, the first five of whom died young, along with two daughters. Now, only one son remains, who is seriously ill and who knows when he will pass away.

Zhao Zhen stood up and paced back and forth.

Because his father was originally a leisurely prince, but his eldest brother went mad and his second brother died suddenly, so the throne fell to him.

As for the emperor's brothers, they all died young.

They didn't even outnumber the descendants of Emperor Taizu.

"Could it be that the palace is truly unsuitable for us to live in?"

“I always feel a bit eerie when I go to the palace,” Song Xuan replied.

The Song Dynasty imperial palace was originally the office of the Xuanwu Military Governor during the Tang Dynasty. After the Later Liang Dynasty established its capital in Kaifeng, it was used as the imperial palace.

The same applies to the Later Jin and Later Han dynasties.

Before Guo Wei took office, he allowed his soldiers to plunder Kaifeng for three days. Even if the bloodshed was not to say that rivers of blood flowed, the environment was certainly not good.

He later established his capital in Kaifeng.

Zhao Kuangyin usurped the throne from the Later Zhou dynasty through the Chenqiao Mutiny. He forbade his soldiers from harassing the area and prohibited burning, killing, and looting. He then established his capital there.

It is said to be the imperial palace of the Northern Song Dynasty, but it has been the site of countless wars throughout the ages, and no one knows how many people died inside.

Zhu Wen also favored his daughters-in-law here. When his sons went out to fight, he would order their wives to come to the palace to sleep with him.

The sons didn't care; instead, they used their wives to compete for favor and increase their chances of succeeding to the throne.

Zhao Kuangyin expanded the northeastern part of the imperial city, while Emperor Zhenzong ordered the imperial city to be built with bricks, making it the only brick-built city wall in Kaifeng.

Emperor Zhao Zhen also wanted to expand the palace, but he gave up the idea because the people were dissatisfied with the demolition.

It wasn't until Emperor Huizong of Song ascended the throne that Cai Jing and Tong Guan expanded the project on a large scale.

This is how a royal architectural complex was formed that was not as grand as the imperial palaces of Chang'an and Luoyang in the Tang Dynasty, but at least had complete functions and a complex layout.

"Gloomy?"

Upon hearing Song Xuan's words, Zhao Zhen also realized that he didn't really like the palace; it was too oppressive.

"Twelfth Brother, am I supposed to live outside the palace forever?"

"Yuqing Palace is no less luxurious than Epang Palace. The Qin Dynasty's number one palace in the world is not as luxurious as the Song Dynasty's number one palace in the world. The key is that Epang Palace was not even completed yet."

Song Xuan leaned back in his recliner: "Sixth Brother, don't you feel more comfortable in Yuqing Palace?"

After staying in Yuqing Palace for a long time, Zhao Zhen wanted to return to the palace.

After all, the palace is where the emperor should reside.

But since Song Xuan said so, it must not be without reason.

Emperor Zhao Zhen trusted him greatly, especially regarding the matter of having offspring, which Zhao Zhen valued highly.

"I am at ease, but I have received some advice, and I'm afraid..."

"Just ignore it. What if the Empress Dowager sent someone to test you?"

Upon hearing Song Xuan's remarks, Zhao Zhen's eyes widened immediately.

He had never imagined that such operations existed.

"No, it can't be."

Zhao Zhen was speechless.

Song Xuan glanced at him:
"Sixth Brother, you're getting older and harder to control. Do you think the Empress Dowager will stop testing your obedience in the future?"

Zhao Zhen immediately fell silent; he couldn't guarantee anything.

Anyone could see that the Empress Dowager was very power-hungry and even more unwilling to relinquish power.

Zhao Zhen's desire to rule in his own right was already written all over his face.

"Okay."

Song Xuan opened his eyes and comforted him:
"I was just joking, Sixth Brother, don't take it to heart. What would you like to eat later?"

"I asked Jiao Ming to make a separate one."

Zhao Zhen simply nodded and didn't say anything more.

Zuixian Tower.

Hairless Tiger Ma Liu groped his bald head and sat down to the side.

They looked around at the rather luxurious private room.

He truly hadn't expected the people of Wuyou Cave to be so open and aboveboard.

Look at them, one of the seventy-two legitimate stores.

They even have a brewing license issued by the government; no wonder they are the deeply rooted Wuyou Cave.

There is no doubt about the strength.

"Ma Liulang, what brings you here for tea?"

With a smile on his face, Cang Lin poured tea for Ma Liu.

Ma Liu picked up his teacup, blew on it, then put it down and sighed.

"To tell you the truth, I almost got into trouble. Luckily, I haven't been slacking off and I made a secret passage, which is how I managed to escape."

"Oh, I have heard about it. Most of your men are imprisoned in the Kaifeng County government office. I heard that Scholar Song will release them to clear the mud. Haven't you seen your brothers?"

"I didn't dare to ask."

Ma Liu patted his bald head: "Now I'm really a hairless tiger."

"Why be so dejected, Ma Liulang? As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood. In a year or two, you should be able to rise again. It's no problem for the Wuming Society to regain its former glory."

The fact that he offered such a freebie made Ma Liu feel quite pleased.

"Brother Cang, the reason I've come here today is to ask you for a favor."

"We at Wuyou Cave can't handle a prison break, at least not during the term of this Song Zhuangyuan as the magistrate of Kaifeng."

Cang Lin explained it to Ma Liu again:
"You don't know, ever since a Song Dynasty scholar came to Kaifeng County, the fearsome reputation of the local tyrant has scared away all the petty thieves on the street, and they all ran to Xiangfu County."

"Recently, during the dredging operation, a lot of hooligans were arrested and thrown into jail for dredging. Strangely enough, none of these hooligans ran away. Instead, they encouraged others to run away."

"Not to mention that he has trained the constables and yamen runners in Kaifeng County to be almost like death squads. If Song Xuan gives an order, these people might dare to attack the Imperial Guards of the Song Dynasty."

"I heard that the cellars where they hid money in the Kaifeng county government office were not enough, so they started digging new ones."

"Would I dare to provoke this local tyrant?"

Cang Lin sighed as he finished speaking:
"You know about his announcement. My business in Wuyou Cave suffered huge losses in a short period of time. I don't dare to provoke him."

Hairless Tiger Ma Liu stroked his beard, deep in thought.

Others might assume he was a brute with his big, burly appearance, but he was actually quite shrewd.

Otherwise, they would have been captured by the government long ago, how could they have escaped alive?

He understood the meaning behind Cang Lin's words: he wanted to open the county government's treasury.

But I want to go ahead and pave the way for him, to see how many pitfalls there are.

“Brother Cang, I’ve also heard of this Scholar Song’s reputation. He’s definitely not someone to mess with.”

"That's right. His father-in-law is Cao Liyong, the current Privy Councilor. It's possible that Song Xuan ordered the suppression of your Meiming Society."

"No," the hairless tiger quickly waved his hand and said.

"Brother Cang, you may not know this, but this was definitely not done by Song Xuan!"

"Ok?"

Cang Lin believes that Song Xuan is definitely involved in this matter.

If it weren't for the order from him, the magistrate of Kaifeng County, how could there have been such a perfect force of elite troops suddenly launching a surprise attack on the stronghold of the No-Life Society?
He did indeed want to encourage the hairless tiger to go and scout out the way at the Kaifeng County government office.

Why are you so sure?

The hairless tiger then told Cang Lin everything that had happened recently.

Cang Lin was dumbfounded; he had no idea there were so many twists and turns involved.

He had previously thought that the Chen brothers had hired the No Fate Society to assassinate Song Xuan, but they only gave him five hundred taels of gold, so they came to Wuyou Cave to find him.

It turned out to be the work of Madam Lin, who served the Empress Dowager.

She vented her anger on Song Xuan because of the Fanlou incident.

As expected of a woman, she never thinks before she speaks or acts.

"So, the reason your organization was attacked was because this woman surnamed Lin mobilized the army to kill everyone involved, including the people she sent to contact you?"

"Correct."

"wrong."

Cang Lin's subconscious rebuttal:

I think there's something wrong!

"what is the problem?"

It's hard to say in a short time.

Cang Lin stood up and strolled around for a few steps, pondering the logic behind it.

He always felt something was wrong.

However, there was no further information to help him analyze the situation.

"Brother Cang, I have come here today to ask you for a favor."

"what's up?"

Cang Lin turned to look at him: "Our relationship is mutually beneficial. Now that you are in trouble, how can I not help you?"

"I want to share the gold that should belong to us equally with Brother Canglin."

At the mention of gold, Canglin immediately became interested:
"Good brother, please tell me in detail."

Ma Liu, the hairless tiger, confessed everything about how he had kidnapped Madam Lin's only son.

When it comes time to collect the ransom, we'll need to use the underground passage of Wuyou Cave.

Only in this way could they evade capture by government troops and Kaifeng County officials.

"So it was you who did this."

Cang Lin was of course aware that the constables of Kaifeng Prefecture had gone out to search for people early this morning.

He truly hadn't expected that even after the hideout of the hairless tiger Ma Liu was destroyed, he could still come up with a solution in such a short time amidst such a critical situation.

"I am not very talented, but I do know that in this world, to survive, one must repay kindness and avenge wrongs!"

"it is good."

Cang Lin sat in the chair and chuckled a few times:

"From now on, Ma Liulang's affairs are my affairs."

“We’ll work together to squeeze a big sum out of her, surnamed Lin, and then we’ll split it 30/70.”

"Brother Cang has helped me so much, how can I possibly take seven? It must be split fifty-fifty."

The hairless giant Ma Liu pounded his chest with a deafening roar:
"This is also my sincerity in coming to Brother Cang to do business together."

"Hahaha."

Cang Lin immediately burst into laughter and grasped Ma Liu's hand:
"Good brother, after it's done, we'll split it fifty-fifty!"

"Good brother."

Ma Liu, the hairless tiger, also held his hand tightly.

The two looked at each other and laughed, then drank tea.

After agreeing on some details, the hairless tiger took his leave, saying that he was going to send someone to the Lin residence to deliver a letter, lest things get complicated.

Cang Lin stood by the window, watching the hairless worm leave, and tilted his head:
"Follow him."

"Yes."

After the person left, Cang Lin let out a cold laugh.

Without the assistance of my Worry-Free Cave, you wouldn't even have a chance to take a single piece of gold.

If you're still so greedy, you deserve to have your base destroyed.

Even the hairless Ma Liu is a seasoned veteran.

He thought the people of Wuyou Cave ate in a very unsightly manner.

They didn't put in any effort, yet they wanted 70%!
He had to kneel on the ground and beg him to join Sancheng.

This deal is not worth it.

He openly agreed to a 50/50 split, but once they got to the territory of Wuyou Cave, he was afraid he would be double-crossed and wouldn't get a single tael of gold.

However, without cooperating with the people of Wuyou Cave, there is no way to ensure their safe escape after they take the money.

After pondering for a while, the hairless tiger went back into the theater to watch the play, thinking about how to shake off the people following him.

Mrs. Lin flew into a rage at home, smashing many pots and pans.

What angered her even more was that Song Xuan told her to go home and wait for news from the kidnappers, but he didn't release her husband.

Upon hearing the servant's report that he was dredging silt on the street, he was found to be rotting and stinking.

Mrs. Lin felt that she had wasted so much money.

What angered her even more was Song Xuan's businesslike style, which showed no intention of going to great lengths for her.

"He dares to disregard even the Empress Dowager's words! You just wait!"

As she spoke, Madam Lin threw away the porcelain cup in her hand again.

It was smashed to pieces.

The servants around didn't dare to breathe and could only stay far away, for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

Scholars and officials of the Song Dynasty generally disliked riding in sedan chairs, at least they didn't want to adopt the trend of turning human labor into animal labor.

Mrs. Kelin had an injured foot, yet she still wanted to use people like animals.

Just because of her appearance, Song Xuan wouldn't like her.

Moreover, her reaction was not that of a normal mother, so how could one not suspect that she was staging it herself?

Perhaps he has been in the center of power for too long, and has long since lost much of his humanity.

Madam Lin waited all night but did not receive a letter from the robbers.

However, Song Xuan did indeed receive an audience from Ma Liu, the hairless big worm of the No-Life Society.

"You, a hairless worm?"

Song Xuan sized up the honest-looking man in front of him, a hesitant look in his eyes.

"The term 'a hairless worm' is a vulgar and disrespectful term."

He dared not correct Song Xuan's misheard words at all.

Why do you have hair on your head?

Song Xuan chuckled again: "I get it, you don't have any pubic hair down there, right?"

"Whichever story you choose to believe, I will accept."

The hairless giant Ma Liu wore an awkward smile.

He wouldn't have dared to walk into a trap unless he was truly desperate and had nowhere else to turn.

However, I've heard that Song Xuan is unconventional in his actions and even treats prisoners so "kindly," so I suppose my sentence will be reduced by three degrees if I come forward voluntarily.

"Alright, I don't have time to talk to you about this."

Song Xuan took out the portrait on the wanted poster and asked Wang Bao to compare it to Ma Liu's face:

"Is this arrest warrant for you?"

"This is me, sir."

Ma Liu glanced at the expression on the wanted poster and made the same expression for Song Xuan to recognize.

"No, this isn't you, you fucking thing!"

Song Xuan waved his hands repeatedly and said:
“The person in this portrait is the hairless tiger Ma Liu, and you are the hairless tiger Ma Liu. The two of you are unrelated.”

"what?"

Ma Liu never expected to dare to talk to Song Xuan himself.

But he actually said I wasn't a hairless worm?

How can this be done?
"Yes, it is me, sir."

Song Xuan sneered: "How can you prove you're the hairless tiger Ma Liu in front of the authorities?"

"I!"

Ma Liu, the hairless tiger, was immediately stumped by the question.

Song Xuan stretched out his hand:

“First of all, you are not registered in Kaifeng County, and no one can prove that you are the hairless tiger Ma Liu, so this official cannot determine that you are the hairless tiger Ma Liu.”

"Secondly, how could you, a perfectly good citizen of the Song Dynasty, admit to being a bandit? Clearly, you're not quite right in the head and need to be sent to Futian Hospital for some recuperation."

"Third, if you provide clues about the bandits and admit that you are the person on the wanted list, the reward money will not be paid to you."

Zhao Zhen, behind the screen, was also confused by Song Xuan's words.

He himself admitted it, so why did Twelfth Brother say he wasn't?

Song Xuan's words were unacceptable to Ma Liu.

The wanted man, Song Zhuangyuan, actually thought that he should look exactly like the portrait.

But looking through all the wanted posters from the Song Dynasty, which criminal really looks like him?

If it even remotely resembles the subject, then the artist is highly skilled.

"My lord, I'm completely confused."

Ma Liu, the hairless tiger, was completely bewildered. If an ordinary county magistrate saw him, the bandit leader, wouldn't he be overjoyed and immediately order his men to lock him up in jail to earn merit?

But Song Zhuangyuan insisted that he was not guilty, and that even if he wasn't, he should still be investigated!

"You're definitely confused. Who in their right mind would admit to being the person on the wanted list?"

Song Xuan nonchalantly poured himself a cup of iced tea and pushed it in front of him:
"It must be too hot today, making you dizzy. Have some herbal tea to cool down, then get lost."

Ma Liu subconsciously swallowed; he was truly confused.

Then, obediently, I picked up the teacup and took a sip, only to find it refreshingly cool.

Finally, Ma Liu had a flash of inspiration:
"My lord, I have some of my men in the Kaifeng County jail. If you bring them here and let them identify the real one, you'll know the truth!"

Snapped.

Song Xuan slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and pointed at him, saying:

"I said your name is Hairless Tiger. You can't understand human language. Do I really have to throw you out?"

Overwhelmed by Song Xuan's imposing manner, the hairless tiger Ma Liu immediately knelt down and bowed.

"My lord, this is the first time I've told the truth. I really am Ma Liu, the leader of the Dead Man's Society, the Hairless Tiger. You must believe me!"

Song Xuan rolled his eyes. Damn it.

I never wanted to get involved in this matter in the first place; who knows what kind of schemes were involved?

Even if we help that stupid woman surnamed Lin find her son, she won't get anything good in return.

Instead, it only caused him a lot of trouble.

If Zhao Zhen hadn't been there, Song Xuan would have really beaten him out with sticks.

"What are you doing here?"

"I would like to make a deal with you, sir."

"That's incredibly audacious."

Song Xuan sat down again, looking at Ma Liu, who was still burying his head on the ground:
"Tell me."

"Madam Lin spent two thousand taels of gold to have me assassinate you, pretending to be the son of Chen Yaozuo, the Prefect of Kaifeng. But I am always cunning, so I sent someone to follow him and discovered that he was a member of the Lin family."

"Moreover, I know what Scholar Song did in the capital city. You never oppressed the people; on the contrary, you always protected us common folk."

"Although I, Ma Liu, am a lowly commoner, I am well aware of the meaning of benevolence and righteousness, and I would never dare to assassinate you!"

(End of this chapter)