A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 391 Tiling Tokyo

"As long as there are enough people, it's fine."

Song Xuan had a smile on his face:
"It wasn't all for nothing. I'll rest for a bit before I go for a stroll in the streets."

Yang Huaimin praised him again, then said that he would not bother him anymore after delivering the items.

"Oh, right," Yang Huaimin added, standing at the doorway.
"The Empress Dowager said that so much silt has been removed from the river, and the smell is very strong. I wonder how Scholar Song intends to deal with it?"

"Let me think about this. The dung-producing industry can't possibly consume so much silt."

"Yes, just making inkstones alone would be too much."

Yang Huaimin only mentioned it briefly, telling Song Xuan the news in advance.

Whether he can figure it out or not is none of my business.

After seeing Yang Huaimin out, Song Xuan turned back, and Liu Yishou also indicated that he wouldn't stay any longer.

With so many people around, it's a good time to open a shop and sell spices and the like.

Song Xuan didn't stop him, but just smiled and said that he would go to the incense and medicine shop for a stroll when he had time.

Liu Yishou took his family out, and Cao Qingyao gave them a food box full of snacks to take back with them.

Song Xuan stood at the door, watching them leave, then went back to lie down.

"Twelfth Brother, what are your thoughts?"

Tao Hong sat to the side, feeling that since they hadn't seen each other for so many years, he should be on guard.

Especially considering that so many days have passed and Yan Xuan has not shown up, this is highly suspicious.

"Let's leave it for now, I'm not in the mood for it right now."

Song Xuan snapped his fingers: "Find a suitable place to fire bricks near the river outside the city. I plan to fire all the silt and sand from the Bian River that I've cleared into bricks."

"If we build the iron furnace before autumn arrives, we can mix a certain amount of slag and fly ash together, which should allow many people to work and earn money."

“Twelfth Brother, I only used the money the Imperial Guards had stored here to buy five coal mines. As for iron mines, we have absolutely no connections.”

Although salt and iron are state-owned, private individuals with connections can also obtain mining rights.

Such as those around Liu E.

Coal is not worth much these days.

If someone is willing to buy, they're eager to sell it and make money, putting their money in their pocket.

"I'll talk to Liu Congde about the iron ore after he loses money selling grain. Even if we haul this silt out, it will take some time to dry, so there's no rush."

"clear."

Tao Hong thought for a while:
"Twelfth Brother, if we're going to make bricks and set up iron furnaces, we'll need reliable people."

"Let's go find Qu Ze first. He's currently hanging around with the Beggars' Guild in Tokyo. Maybe we can find some people there. Then we can go back to our hometown and recruit some suitable people."

Song Xuan didn't think there was anything wrong with his arrangement; for things like this, you should ask someone from your hometown.

Even if you don't contact your fellow villagers, they will find a way to come to you.

"Okay," Tao Hong replied. "Does your second brother need someone to follow him around?"

Early this morning, Song Kang went out to stroll around Tokyo City.

"Never mind, I doubt many of the remaining people in Wuyou Cave will recognize him."

Song Xuan waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care.

Tao Hong also chuckled and said he was going to join the fun on the street too.

After all, I've never seen anything like this since I came to Tokyo.

Once outside the scholar's house, Liu Yishou's wife could no longer hold back: "Are you really an old acquaintance of Scholar Song?"

"Yes, we've known each other since we were kids."

"Haha." She playfully bumped her husband.

"I never expected you to have such a trick up your sleeve, keeping it completely hidden from me."

"Hehe, the main thing is that I didn't expect that after more than ten years, he would be able to pass the imperial examination with top honors at such a young age and become the local tyrant of Tokyo. Do you think I can imagine that this is the person I know?"

After listening to Liu Yishou's explanation, his wife thought it was normal, even though it wasn't the first time he had given such an explanation.

Even visiting the home of the top scholar Song still felt unreal.

In particular, the top scholar Song was not arrogant at all, and even had his wife thoughtfully give their daughter a gold longevity lock.

She carefully tucked the baby into the swaddling clothes, concealing the golden lock inside.

Although petty theft has decreased considerably in Tokyo after the reign of Emperor Taisui, one should still be wary of others.

Do you think our son will be able to be tutored by the top scholar Song in the future?

What are you thinking?

Liu Yishou looked at his son who was still eating mindlessly and said, "It's good enough that our son can read. I don't even dare to think about him taking the imperial examination."

"Think about it. I heard that the top scholar Song is going to open a private school in the county government office and find teachers from the Imperial Academy to teach the children of the yamen runners and constables."

"Is your son really inferior to their sons?"

Hearing his wife say this, Liu Yishou sighed.

"I'll swallow my pride and ask him when the time comes. Don't keep causing trouble for Twelfth Brother. If it weren't for him, I would have been dead long ago."

"I know, I know, for the sake of the child, what do you need to save face for!"

"Hey."

Liu Yishou sighed again. Perhaps by helping to capture the Cave Master of Wuyou Cave, he could then make this request in a more natural way.

But right now, Song Xuan has no time for this; he's focused entirely on disaster relief.

He had sold spices to nobles before, and he understood the significance of a reward personally delivered to Song Xuan by a eunuch serving the Empress Dowager.

Twelfth Brother is no longer the little boy who stood up at the bottom of Wuyou Cave and led everyone to escape.

He was the youngest top scholar in the history of the Song Dynasty.

He was known as the "Standing Tai Sui" by the people of Tokyo, and also as the "Upright Official Song" to the disaster victims outside the city.

His talent seemed to be the least noteworthy of his merits.

How could someone like that possibly become just a minor county magistrate? He's more likely to rise to the position of prime minister.

In this way, there is an insurmountable gap between the two social classes.

If one is greedy and insatiable, the friendship of the past may be completely lost.

Liu Yishou understood the preciousness of life precisely because he had experienced a life-or-death ordeal.

He's no longer the impulsive, knife-wielding type he used to be.

That's why he thinks a lot.

Those who went back to their hometown to work with Twelfth Brother back then must have had a closer relationship than I did.

So Liu Yishou wasn't jealous at all that they benefited from being around Song Xuan.

Who would have thought that the gap between the two sides would widen?
"Hey."

Liu Yishou sighed silently:
"What are we going to do now?!"

The streets were teeming with tourists at this time.

He pointed to the person touching someone's purse, and immediately a constable stepped forward:
"Stand there."

Du Lingfeng immediately pinned the thief down, made him hand over the money bag, and then returned it to the victim.

The people thanked him repeatedly, but Du Lingfeng waved him away.

"Young man, you really don't take our master's words to heart."

When the three-handed man saw the leader standing next to the black dog, he immediately realized that the leader had betrayed him.

"You actually betrayed me? Did you really think you could live off the government?"

The hand chuckled:
"There's no way around it, the master is giving too much. As long as I don't take anything and even help the government catch those of you who do, the reward will be substantial, and I'll even get credit."

Du Lingfeng punched him in the stomach: "You dog-like thing, take him back with you."

Three hands knelt on the ground like a shrimp with its back bent:

"Stop hitting me, stop hitting me! I can report this, and I can do things for you, sir."

"Heh, you think you're worthy!"

The hand chuckled:
"It's too late to beg for mercy and join now; there won't be any spots left for you!"

"Don't you even realize that you're trying to take advantage of others by staying home and waiting for good things to come to you? Is that even possible?"

"You can't even get a number in line."

The foreman became more and more smug as he spoke, little did he know that he had turned misfortune into blessing. He had thought he would be assigned to the hard and tiring work of building dikes.

Unexpectedly, his role in the "anti-pickpocketing" effort was even greater than that of the constables and yamen runners.

Nowadays, the two sides can be considered to be "cooperating with the police and the people," especially with long-time thieves like the gang leader.

He can spot his competitors just by walking around the streets, and then report them after they've made their move.

Only when the suspect is caught red-handed can the reward money be considered earned.

The accompanying constables immediately locked up the three-handed man and pinned him against the wall outside the Kaifeng County Government Office, leaving him there as a public spectacle.

The specific arrangements later will depend on the master's wishes.

Du Lingfeng was naturally delighted with the official's method.

This immediately caused a rift between the local thieves in Tokyo.

Moreover, these thieves who sought refuge with the government were quite satisfied.

Not only do they get paid, but they also have connections with the government. Who would have expected such a good thing to happen?
Especially the thief, who is generally a despised class in the underworld.

Unless you're as awesome as the King of Thieves.

But how many master thieves in the world can be so skilled?

He's willing to refuse even the respect due to Wuyou Cave, so what can you do about it?

Chen Xiliang and the others also went out shopping, since Song Xuan had paid them their wages.

Not only that, but recently, under the guise of taking care of children, they were able to use the government's money for bathing to go to public bathhouses and have a good wash.

Although Chen Xiliang was the backbone, compared to his fellow villagers, he hadn't grown any pubic hair yet, which made him feel somewhat guilty, thinking he wasn't manly enough.

"I have truly learned a trick from Scholar Song."

Chen Xiliang pointed to the scene of catching the thief he had just witnessed: "From now on, when we travel in Tokyo, our wallets will be safer."

"Indeed," Pu Shidao said with great emotion.

"I used to think that Song Zhuangyuan was just good at studying, but now seeing how well he organized disaster relief, I am truly impressed."

"Whether they were disaster victims or ordinary citizens of Tokyo, they all respected him greatly and no one dared to cause trouble."

"Hey," Chen Xiliang said with a chuckle.
"Don't forget Chen Yaozi, who was kicked out of Tokyo. He openly instigated his son to cause trouble, and that's what happened."

"Hahaha."

Everyone burst into laughter.

"Although there is no evidence, he must be the one who poisoned the top scholar Song with a drug during the imperial examination."

"Yes, I heard that in order to pass the exam smoothly, the top scholar Song washed his face with ice water ten times, and his hands were so cold that they were about to crack."

"In order to keep himself clear-headed, he wrote the essay in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. After reading it, the emperor directly awarded him the title of top scholar, and none of the other examiners raised any objections."

Zhang Xian also remarked with considerable emotion:
"Furthermore, it allowed scholars who were dissatisfied and submitted their papers early to look at Song Zhuangyuan's exam paper, and as a result, no one questioned his writing."

"This is truly something to be ashamed of!"

Pu Shidao lowered his voice again and said:
"I heard that after the imperial examination, the emperor took the top scholar Song directly to his dragon bed to rest, and Song fell asleep as soon as he lay down. The potency of that sleeping incense must have been quite strong."

"Chen Yaozi is not qualified to be a Hanlin Academician; he should have been dealt with long ago."

Chen Xiliang flicked his sleeves:

"I don't understand why it wasn't dealt with before, and I've heard that it couldn't be found out. Such a serious matter should have been investigated if they wanted to."

Because this matter was related to their interests, they all felt that it was quite unfair to Song Xuan.

What if I encounter this kind of thing myself?
But he didn't have Song Xuan's courage and mental fortitude.

Who can guarantee that they can write an essay that would make them a top scholar when they're in a daze?

In particular, the imperial examination in the fifth year of the Tiansheng era was the first reform, no longer focusing on poetry and prose, but on essays.

In retrospect, many people believed that the reforms were clearly targeted at Song Xuan, a man renowned throughout the three capitals.

"Look."

Sun Bian pointed to the students not far away. The presence of students indicated that the entire family of disaster victims had come to the city for a stroll.

"very nice."

"Yes, that's great. If we didn't know them, how would we know they were disaster victims?"

Because they were going to visit Tokyo, their clothes were all very clean, although there were a few patches.

However, most people's clothes have patches, which is normal.

If clothes can be pawned, how can they not be valuable?
"I heard that the top scholar Song said that officials should not compete with disaster victims for meat, and he took the lead in eating the bones and meat!"

"What's so delicious about meat and bones?"

Sun Bian and the others all thought the oily meat tasted better.

Actually, it's not that we haven't seen disaster victims before.

No disaster victims can live like this.
The whole family has food and drink, and they even get paid. The children are all taken care of.

They worked under the tutelage of the top scholar Song, but it wasn't the kind of work that was too strenuous.

Honestly, they had never seen such disaster relief.

Chen Xiliang had calculated that Song Xuan's method of providing relief through work was more reasonable than corvée labor and cost less money.

"I understand."

Chen Xiliang suddenly shouted, and his fellow villagers all looked down at him.

"What do you understand?"

"people."

Chen Xiliang said with great excitement:
"The way the big shot did it was by treating these disaster victims as normal people, and we treated the disaster victims as normal people, and they also treated themselves as normal people."

"That way, it won't be as repulsive as locusts, and everyone can accept it."

"They earn their living with their own hands, they don't come here to beg."

The group of people were all immediately impressed by Chen Xiliang's remarks.

Because this is a direction they have never considered before: treating disaster victims as normal people.

"Haha, I get it now."

Chen Xiliang couldn't contain his excitement:

“I need to find an opportunity to talk to Song Zhuangyuan about this. I can take turns teaching these kids and go to the construction site to see for myself.”

"This is the true way of being an official, and it will be useful for both of us in the future."

Everyone knows that Chen Xiliang is intelligent, but for a moment they couldn't think of what the true way of being an official is.

"Alright, alright, let's get some lanterns to light up our books, and then we'll talk to you about the ways of being an official."

Chen Xiliang was very excited and brushed past the people.

Empress Liu was already used to scholars who suddenly went mad like this.

It was all just wishful thinking before I became an official.

Since the late emperor's death, Empress Liu had not left the palace for many years.

Especially these incognito visits, because the late emperor particularly enjoyed mingling with the crowd and even going to Fanlou to drink.

Before she entered the palace, she lived in Zhang Qi's house, and the late emperor would go out of the palace in ordinary clothes to meet her in secret.

At that time, Liu E was really looking forward to his arrival.

Now that she's this old, Liu E is not short of people protecting her.

Madam Lin was by her side.

Even if they wear ordinary clothes, they are still very eye-catching on the street.

That fabric was no ordinary fabric.

Liu E also saw many children carrying lanterns, and heard them shouting in accents from other places.

Ren Shouzhong took the initiative to ask if he also wanted to guess the riddles.

Liu E shook her head. She noticed that the disaster victims would occasionally talk about Song Qingtian's words, which drifted past her ears.

Imperial Street hasn't been this lively in years.

Stalls were set up on both sides of the street, and if it were any more crowded, people might fall into the ditch.

“Every time there is a disaster, there are cries and wails everywhere. This time, Song Xuan’s disaster relief is truly different from others.”

Liu E also possesses governing ability. Although she may unconsciously apply double standards to certain individuals, she is also experienced in governing.

"Yes, now everyone knows that Magistrate Song is favored by the Empress Dowager, so who would dare to oppose him?"

Ren Shouzhong wore a fawning smile:

"So Magistrate Song's great achievements are all thanks to the Empress Dowager's strong opposition in appointing him as commander to oversee the disaster relief efforts in Tokyo."

Hearing this flattering remark, Liu E's lips unconsciously curled up in a smile.

If she hadn't boldly given Song Xuan a position, would he have had the opportunity to showcase his abilities?

Just dealing with Chen Yaozi alone required Song Xuan to spend a lot of time and effort negotiating.

Empress Liu believed that by decisively dealing with Chen Yaozi, she had ensured that the court officials would not dare to say anything more.

"A fine horse is common in the world, but a discerning eye is rare."

Ren Shouzhong praised her again, which truly touched Liu E's heart.

She nodded slightly: "This young man indeed has the talent of a prime minister."

At night, Tokyo is ablaze with lights.

Song Xuan stood on the top of Fanlou Tower, looking down at the crowd below, which was still bustling with activity.

"Third brother, this view is truly beautiful. I've heard that you can see the imperial palace from Fanlou. Where is it?"

Song Kang stood excitedly by the window, looking out.

"Second brother, if it were in the past, I would have been able to spot them at a glance. But tonight there are so many lanterns, even on the Imperial Street, that I can't tell them apart."

Hearing Song Xuan's words, Song Kang felt it was a great pity.

"I went out for sightseeing today, and all I felt was that everything in Tokyo was too expensive."

Song Kang shook his head again:

“A man as capable of making money as my third brother is not only the top scholar in the imperial examination, but also has a Privy Councilor as his father-in-law.”

"I really can't believe that this isn't enough to buy a house in Tokyo."

At first, Song Kang thought that Song Xuan's mansion was bought, but he found out that it was rented.

"How much money can my salary possibly amount to?" Song Xuan sat back down at the table.
“There are always few millionaires in Tokyo, while seven or eight hundred thousand of the million-person population are just able to make ends meet.”

"Even if you become a high-ranking official, you may not be able to afford a house in Tokyo."

Song Kang also sat back down and whispered:

“Third brother, I think all the officials are pocketing money. If you take some of the disaster relief funds, it will be enough for the disaster victims to have enough porridge. Ordinary people can’t even afford to eat their fill every day.”

"There's no rush to make money."

Song Xuan glanced at him: "What kind of business do you plan to start after returning to your hometown, Second Brother?"

"Making a living?"

Song Kang blinked for a moment while waiting for the food:
"Third brother, I really didn't think of that."

"My leg hurts every year when it rains. I don't know how to farm, and I have no business acumen."

"All I do on a regular basis is roll dice, have cricket fights, and cockfights. I can't even win every time I guess heads or tails."

"Not to mention compared to you and my older brother, even compared to my younger sister, she is better at math and knows more words."

Song Xuan never gave his second brother pocket money, but he did give his younger sister pocket money and told her to learn to read and write.

Giving money to a gambling addict is not helping him, it's harming him.

"You can't do anything except gamble?"

“Hmm.” Song Kang nodded in agreement: “Third brother, I’m not interested in anything else.”

Song Xuan coughed, unsure of what to do with him.

"Second Uncle, if you have the chance, you can go to the Liao Kingdom for a visit."

Cao Qingyao, who was standing to the side, spoke up:

“I heard my father say that in their area, from the emperor to the common people, everyone likes to gamble and play with money.”

After all, gambling was prohibited in the Song Dynasty, and it could only be done on specific days.

Did the people of the Northern Song Dynasty, from top to bottom, dislike gambling?
Otherwise, how could Guanpu be so popular!

Although they are two different countries, the preferences of people in the north and south are quite similar.

The only difference is that one can only be done secretly, while the other can be openly displayed.

"really?"

Song Kang's eyes lit up:
"If I could go to the Liao Kingdom and have a good time, I would never forget this life."

"How could I dare to deceive my second uncle?"

Cao Qingyao had indeed heard her father mention it, since Cao Liyong not only served as an envoy to the Liao Kingdom but also frequently received Liao envoys, so it was normal for him to know some news about the Liao Kingdom.

Song Xuan was pondering whether his second brother could be used as a spy in the Liao Kingdom.

He probably won't be able to do this job well.

Especially something like being sent as an envoy to the Liao Dynasty, it's unlikely that it will happen to me anytime soon.

What should we do with him?

"Alright, let's eat first."

When Liu Congde came to Fanlou to check the accounts, he learned that Song Xuan had brought his family to eat there, so he naturally sent people to accompany them with music and songs.

Anyway, he'll get a share of this business, and who knows, maybe the top scholar Song will find inspiration here in the future and leave behind some masterpieces of poetry.

It will be a unique offering at Fanlou, and I'm afraid many people will have to spend money to come and taste it.

Liu Congde felt increasingly pleased with himself, especially since grain merchants in Tokyo had repeatedly tried to take the grain they had transported from afar from him.

Will this work?

What a great money-making opportunity! How could I just give it to them for nothing?
These grain merchants weren't very capable of getting people to sell so much grain and transport it to Tokyo without paying tolls.

Because ships travel by water, taxes and fees are levied at intervals.

It's normal to sell at a high price in Tokyo; otherwise, one would have to take a huge risk and lose a lot of money.

Song Kang had never tasted such fine food before. Not only were the dishes delicious, but even the girls singing were incredibly beautiful.

After learning that they had almost finished eating, Liu Congde personally brought over a plate of fruit to greet them.

After getting to know everyone, Liu Congde glanced at Song Xuan's second brother, then held up a small celadon wine cup and invited Song Xuan over to talk.

There's nothing else to it.

Liu Congde just wanted to show off the progress of his grain shipments to Beijing.

"I just found out that you've blocked the river there. Now even the carriage and horse shops in the capital city, which don't have much business, will have to build a shrine for you, the top scholar of the Song Dynasty."

In the Song Dynasty, although common people would often erect shrines for officials, this kind of treatment was not something everyone could receive.

"It's just a matter of timing."

Song Xuan looked at the lights outside: "It has little to do with me. They should be the ones making this money."

Actually, the carriage and horse trading company wasn't very profitable. The city of Tokyo had a well-developed water system, and materials were transported to the capital from various places by boat.

There were docks not only outside the city, but also inside the city.

At that time, unloading and transporting will be done manually, which is much more convenient than using carts and horses.

With people coming and going, it's not easy for vehicles to turn around.

Liu Congde quickly shifted the focus to himself:

“Song Zhuangyuan, I, Liu Congde, have always known that you are a smart man.”

“Now, a grain merchant from the capital city of Tokyo has sent someone to find me, saying that he wants to take the grain that I transported from a thousand miles away. Do you think I should agree?”

“You only had 10,000 shi of grain the night before, so that won’t have much of an impact on them.”

"Yes," Liu Congde took a small sip of his wine, "Do you think I should sell it to them at a high price?"

"Sell it."

"Sell?"

Song Xuan also took a sip of wine:
"Since they asked so sincerely, you should include all your travel expenses and taxes in the calculation."

“Give them a slightly outrageous price and get them to pay it.”

"In this way, we can both recoup some funds and lower their guard, making them think that you only have 10,000 shi."

"If they're just using this as an opportunity to gather information and don't actually intend to buy anything, then when your large shipment arrives, you can negotiate with them without any hesitation."

Following Song Xuan's advice, Liu Congde downed the wine in his cup in one gulp.

“Scholar Song is right. Since they have come to ask with such sincerity, I will give them a price first.”

"This is just my personal opinion. After all, I'm not very good at business, unlike Prefect Liu."

"Well, I've been training like this since I was a child. If Scholar Song put some effort into this instead of always being busy with disaster relief and river repair, then this money would come in easily."

Liu Congde did not hesitate to praise Song Xuan.

He received praise and a reward from the empress for taking the initiative to demolish the illegal buildings on the Huimin River.

That twenty-tael gold belt made him very happy.

Liu Congde believes that officials like Song Xuan, who are neither corrupt nor greedy, are indeed rare.

Many officials from the yamen would use their funds to eat and drink at Fanlou, but he almost never came here to eat and drink with public funds.

This left Liu Congde quite puzzled: was Song Xuan short of money or not?
"Gentlemen love fortune, in a proper way."

Song Xuan smiled and said, "Even when it comes to making money, my consistent principle is to make money off whoever has money!"

"Whoever has money, we'll make money from them."

"Yeah, even if you squeeze every last drop of money out of a poor guy, how much oil will he have left?"

Song Xuan placed the wine glass on the windowsill, stood with his hands behind his back, and asked, "Prefect Liu, do you think what I said makes sense?"

"Yes, that makes sense."

Liu Congde thought back carefully and realized that he usually pocketed the government's money and put it into his own home.

That's simply a matter of whoever has money, and whoever makes money off them!
"Is the top scholar Song planning to make money off the wealthy people of the capital?"

"That's right, it concerns our interests."

Upon hearing Song Xuan's meaning—that he wanted to make money with him—Liu Congde immediately said, "Scholar Song, please explain in detail."

"I'm planning to hold an auction at Fanlou, auctioning off some valuable items. That way, when many people come to Fanlou, they'll order some food and drinks, and maybe even watch the excitement?"

"An auction!"

Liu Congde knew that this was usually done by Wuyou Cave on the black market.

Now, under Song Xuan's attack, Wuyou Cave's power has been damaged, and it no longer holds events.

What are you planning to auction off?

"I plan to ask the government and the Empress Dowager for donations, as well as other kind-hearted people, for some items they wish to donate, to hold a disaster relief auction."

Song Xuan continued to gaze at the streetlights, which twinkled like dragons.
"As you know, the imperial court was to pay annual tribute to the Khitans, and almost all of the money was allocated to Huazhou. The disaster relief efforts in Dongjing City were all paid using the tax revenue from my Kaifeng County."

"We're starting to struggle, so we need to hold some auctions to try and raise some money to continue disaster relief."

When Liu Congde heard that Song Xuan wanted to beg for alms from the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, his eyes widened in surprise.

How could you so openly rob the royal family?
I always do it secretly, not daring to be too conspicuous.

As for other kind-hearted people who want to donate something, Liu Congde thinks there's nothing wrong with that.

But let the royal family send some treasures abroad.

Although ministers' children could rent the royal sedan chair to celebrate their weddings, it was not uncommon for them to do so.

But no one has ever dared to occupy it!
"Scholar Song, this move is probably extremely audacious. Even if the Emperor agrees, will the Empress Dowager agree?"

A smile tugged at the corner of Song Xuan's lips:
"I begged some things from the mother and son, and then took a few items from your house, Prefect Liu. I claimed that they were all taken from the royal treasury. How many people know that it's true?"

"Yup!"

Liu Congde's use of his fist to strike the palm is indeed a valid point.

"No, many of the treasures in my family were also bestowed by the Empress Dowager; they are genuine royal items."

"Then why don't you just take a few treasures that weren't taken from the palace?"

Song Xuan said to Liu Congde:

"It was given to you by someone else. I'll help you sell it for a high price and then share some of the profits with you. It's a win-win situation for everyone."

"Yes, yes, that's a good idea."

Liu Congde felt that anything that came from the palace must be something someone would be willing to pay a high price for.

"I'll go to the treasure vault tomorrow and search carefully."

Everyone knows that Liu Congde's mansion is magnificent.

"Row."

Song Xuan had already decided that it either came from the royal family or was seized from Wuyou Cave.

For example, those "relics of enlightened monks" were wasted when Wuyou Cave took them away; fortunately, the government recovered them.

This temple, or any temple that someone intends to auction it off, should cherish it.

"By the way, Prefect Liu, how many iron mines do you own?"

Liu Congde thought for a moment: "I can't remember clearly, but there should be about five or six places. What's wrong?"

"It's not that my second brother has no business to make; he wants to get some iron and start a business."

Liu Congde glanced back at Song Xuan's second brother, who was still watching the song and dance performance with a grin, and nodded:

"How much do you want?"

"The quantity is probably quite large, don't worry, you'll be well paid."

"If that's the case," Liu Congde thought for a moment:
“There are no iron mines around Kaifeng. To the south is Xuzhou (Xuchang), and to the north is Mengzhou (Jiaozuo), and these two places have iron mines.”

"And if you're going to smelt iron, you should do it in Mengzhou, where there's still plenty of coal."

"Mm." Song Xuan nodded.

"You can do the iron smelting. I need to turn the iron into something else and also get the silt out of the river."

"That's no problem. I'd like to see what valuable things you can make out of iron that you can sell."

Liu Congde was willing to cooperate with Song Xuan in business, as this was the only way their interests could be intertwined.

It's equivalent to a "marriage alliance".

"I wonder how you plan to deal with the silt?"

Liu Congde was also very curious:

"What can you forge by mixing this silt with iron?"

"Iron is iron, and silt is silt."

Song Xuan didn't hide anything from Liu Congde:
"I plan to fire the silt into bricks. As for iron, I haven't come up with a good way to make it yet, but I know that salt and iron have always been profitable, so that's enough for me."

"Hahaha."

When Liu Congde discovered that Song Xuan was also stumped by this matter, he suddenly realized that Song Xuan wasn't so aloof after all, and was just a normal person.

"Making bricks would be quite interesting."

Liu Congde thought for a moment:

"If these bricks and stones cannot be sold, let the imperial court buy them and cover the entire outer city of Tokyo with blue bricks, just like the imperial palace."

"Hahaha, good idea."

Today, Tokyo is the largest city in the world, and paving the outer city with blue bricks would be a huge undertaking.

Song Xuan planned to first build some houses for the disaster victims outside the city after firing the bricks to test the waters, and then make the iron furnace and pipes.

If burning firewood in winter is very effective.

This is a live advertisement.

Selling stoves can make money, but selling coal can make even more money; that market is completely untapped.

Song Xuan agrees with Liu Congde's theory; that's our relationship.

If there are any problems, just ask the imperial court for a bailout!

Song Xuan felt that if all else failed, they could start building a mausoleum for Zhao Zhen now, which would also be a major undertaking.

The emperor's tomb required a great many blue bricks.

However, building it ahead of schedule would violate ancestral rules.

To avoid increasing the burden on the people, the large, dark-skinned Emperor Zhao Kuangyin specifically stipulated that the construction of the imperial mausoleum must be completed within seven months of the emperor's death.

Liu Congde whistled, deciding that if the grain merchants came again tomorrow, he would sell the grain first as a way to mislead them.

They probably won't be able to get any more food if they want to.

After all, the opportunity to make money by cooperating with Song Xuan is yet to come; the earliest way to make money right now is right in front of us.

Song Xuan actually decided to take a few more days off during the ten-day break until some of the river water was drained.

With Zhao Zhen personally overseeing the county government, it's unlikely that any serious incidents will occur.

The Worry-Free Cave's influence was damaged, and the Lifeless Society was completely wiped out.

Now, the hairless giant Ma Liu is just waiting for Song Xuan to wipe out the Green Dragon Hall so that he can officially step forward and become someone the government wants to grant amnesty to.

Otherwise, retaliation is inevitable.

Song Xuan wanted to continue resting at home, but Wang Shu wouldn't allow it.

He went to the county government office to find Song Xuan and waited for a long time. When he learned that Song Xuan was not coming, he came to his home instead.

“Scholar Song, I followed your instructions exactly, sending people to the bathhouse, and even using young boys and girls as bait, but the murderer just wouldn’t take the bait.”

Wang Shu's face showed another look of anxiety:
"Do you think it's because you cleared the silt in advance that the heavy rain didn't flood Kaifeng County, which meant that his alchemy didn't encounter any unexpected problems, so he won't start any work in the short term?"

"I do not know."

Song Xuan poured tea for Wang Shu, telling him not to be in such a hurry:
"This is all just our speculation."

"Perhaps the disaster victims have been receiving too much attention lately, and if something happens, there will definitely be a lot of trouble."

"I reckon the killer usually targets people with little influence. It's just bad luck that he chose your son-in-law."

"How could you talk like that!" Wang Shu was so angry that he didn't even want to drink his tea.

"Alright then, Lord Wang, I'll accompany you to the bathhouse today."

Song Xuan began to speak:

"Let's go to that bathhouse where the incidents often happen. Maybe the killer is observing us from the shadows. Who knows?"

"You always say nice things to me."

From the very beginning, Wang Shu was determined to find the murderer, but now he has lost hope and feels that it is unlikely to succeed.

But they just weren't willing to give up.

Song Xuan was also quite helpless:

"Minister Wang, I've already put the bait in, but the fish just won't bite. What can I do?"

"This murderer may have acted alone, leaving very few traces. I even compared the footprints of all the prisoners in jail and questioned them about this matter, but I still didn't get any useful clues."

Wang Shu remained silent. He felt like he was scrubbing himself raw in the bath, but the murderer still hadn't shown up.

Even young boys and girls are of no use!

"What if he succeeds in refining the pill?"

"We'll be able to witness the immortals ascending to heaven in broad daylight with our own eyes."

Song Xuan's sarcasm made Wang Shu stand up in anger and even fling his sleeves.

“Minister Wang, you can rest assured. There are no immortals in this world. Even if he makes the elixir and swallows it, he will not become an immortal.”

"He can only keep practicing, just like you, holding onto a sliver of hope."

"So all we can do right now is keep throwing bait into the water, creating a feeding area, and fishing for him."

"Row."

Wang Shu looked at Song Xuan and said, "All your talk is useless. Now come with me to take a shower and let's try our luck."

"I'm tired too." Song Xuan stood up.
"Let me call a few people to go with us. It'll be safer for all of us. What if the killer brought sleeping potion?"

"Yes, yes, that makes sense."

Wang Shu's expression turned serious: "We must not do anything that would result in losing both our wife and our army!"

"Hurry up, hurry up."

He urged repeatedly, "I need to give the people of the Imperial City Guard a few more instructions."

Song Xuan called Wang Bao and the others over, and they all went out together, heading straight for the public bathhouse.

This time, he just wanted to try his luck; Song Xuan didn't have much hope.

"bath?"

Wang Bao's face lit up with excitement: "It's been so long since I've had a scrub, this is the perfect opportunity to get one."

"Haha, if I were to scrub your body, it would probably kill me."

(End of this chapter)