A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 409 Is your information reliable?
Do you know why Song Xuan left himself an out in the end?

Lü Demao pointed outside and said:
"He could have chosen not to make the suggestion to erect a monument and inscribe it on a stone."

"But why did he say that?"

Faced with Lü Demao's question, Yelü Zongfu fell into deep thought, and finally had a flash of inspiration.

"Song Xuan is only concerned about my royal status!"

Upon hearing this answer, Lü Demao felt as if a wad of phlegm was stuck in his chest.

What did he think?

I really have to get this off my chest.

“Everyone in Liao recognizes your identity, but this is Song.”

"Royal status doesn't work in front of civil officials, especially since his father-in-law is Cao Liyong. Even if Song Xuan just publicly humiliated you, what can you do?"

The Liao dynasty, from top to bottom, all recognized the prestigious reputation of Cao Yong of the Southern Dynasty.

To deny his identity would be to humiliate the Liao emperor, the deceased empress dowager, and Han Derang, the spiritual leader of this group of Han officials.

Even they praised Cao for his courage in entering the camp alone to negotiate, and for discussing the alliance treaty with them in detail without backing down.

This created favorable conditions for peace talks between the two sides.

In the Liao Dynasty, you actually dared to publicly humiliate and slander Cao Liyong, which means you wanted to overthrow them.

Do you think you can get away with being politically incorrect?
Faced with Lü Demao's question, Yelü Zongfu's expression grew increasingly grim.

Because he realized that he really couldn't control Song Xuan.

Whether in words or actions, one is at a disadvantage.

Lü Demao, however, had no intention of letting him off the hook, and continued to press him for answers:
"Or do you think that Song Xuan will be punished by the Song Dynasty because of you?"

Yelü Zongfu remained silent once again.

"On the other hand, even if he is the son-in-law of a military man, he is still a civil official. Civil officials in the Song Dynasty have always been difficult to deal with. Do you think those Song Dynasty prime ministers would reprimand him for humiliating you?"

"From what I know, these people will only praise Song Xuan for doing a good job!"

"On the contrary, it was you, Yelü Zongfu, who, as the envoy, took the initiative to cause trouble, which not only made you lose face, but also made the Emperor of our Great Liao lose face by sending such an incompetent person as an envoy."

"It will only make them, the Southerners, think that our Northern Dynasty has no one to rely on!"

Yelü Zongfu subconsciously took a half step back.

He really hadn't thought of that much.

"There's no need for such words; you're being overly cautious."

Yelü Gou'er, the mastermind behind it all, never imagined there would be so many intricacies involved.

We're just here to get money.

Lü Demao did not want to explain to Yelü Gou'er.

His father was Yelü Xiezhen, and even Xiao Talin was his father's deputy. Their family had been wealthy and powerful in the Liao Dynasty for generations.

But these Han officials were different.

When he gets old and can no longer work, there will always be someone to take on the task of being an envoy and receiving Song Dynasty envoys.

In particular, these Han Chinese have an advantage.

Yelü Zongfu was chosen as the chief envoy for training; how could he not see through the traps in the Song people's words?
This is extremely irresponsible towards the future of the Liao Dynasty.

Lü Demao believed that, based on the Song people's cultivation of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), someone like Song Xuan would definitely become an envoy to gain experience and broaden his horizons, and in the future, he would become a prime minister of the Song Dynasty like Wang Zeng.

There are traces to this; the Song Dynasty's system for training civil officials was something that Lü Demao truly envied.

If you, Yelü Zongfu, were suppressed in the Song Dynasty, and you are still suppressed when you return to the Liao Dynasty, that is absolutely unacceptable.

Because there are no small matters in diplomacy.

These Han officials were grateful for Han Derang's promotion and naturally wanted to help his descendants, even though they were all his nephews and grandnephews.

Lü Demao also knew that the Liao Kingdom lacked the environment to nurture such people, and he could only sigh:
"Yelü Zongfu, I am not targeting you on purpose, but I hope that you can also carry the banner of my Great Liao in the future."

"I know."

Yelü Zongfu certainly understood where his family's base of influence lay, and he also knew the affection and care in the hearts of the Han officials who had been promoted by his grandfather's generation.

Because the Han family had grown into the largest family in the Liao Dynasty, second only to the Yelü and Xiao families.

The other Han officials also took Han Derang as their role model, hoping that their families would grow stronger in the Liao Kingdom.

In the political environment of the Liao Dynasty, only by sticking together more closely could they survive.

"Jade must be carved to become a useful object; I will definitely think twice before acting in the future."

Lü Demao nodded:

"Fortunately, we have plenty of time in the future and will have many opportunities to outdo him. Let's take today's incident as a lesson."

After bowing, Yelü Zongfu went out to change his clothes, having just been kicked several times by someone in a fit of anger.

Although he was already affiliated with the royal family, his status was still insufficient when facing the real royal family and the empress's family.

Yelü Gou'er expressed his confusion:

"Scholar Lü, why?"

Lü Demao waved his hand:

“Prime Minister, I am getting old and I don’t know how many more times I can travel between Song and Liao. It is necessary to train the next generation to take my place.”

Upon hearing this, Yelü Gou'er nodded without saying anything more.

Han Chinese people tend to think long-term.

After Yelü Zongfu was given a private lecture on his lessons, the other Khitan nobles, after cursing and beating Yelü Zongfu, left the embassy to stroll around Tokyo.

Since we've come all this way, we have to enjoy ourselves.

If they hadn't been tricked by Yelü Zongfu, their wallets wouldn't have been so depleted before they even got to enjoy their newfound wealth.

However, the Khitan nobles were not too worried and continued to spend lavishly.

Since they came here to receive the annual allowance, there's no need to worry; they're sure to get some money.

Cao Liyong rode a tall horse, his face showing an extremely comfortable expression.

Especially when listening to the praise from Yang Chongxun and the other man.

“Minister Cao, when I first heard Scholar Song speak like that, I thought he was very weak in dealing with outsiders.”

"I never expected this!"

Yang Chongxun was truly convinced.

He could never have imagined that a few words could have such an effect, leaving the Khitans speechless and unable to express their grievances.

In all his years as a deputy envoy, Yang Chongxun had never been so pleased as he was today, having already thoroughly outmaneuvered the Khitans on the very first day.

Otherwise, these Khitans would have come up with even more unreasonable demands.

"Song Zhuangyuan truly deserves to be called the most intelligent person in the world," Xia Shouyun chimed in from the side.

"I never expected this to be the case. The Khitans looked really grim."

"Haha, that's right, that's right." Yang Chongxun said with a touch of nostalgia:

“In the past, I had only seen the Khitans look unpleasant in front of Minister Cao, but now they are doing the same in front of Scholar Song.”

"If Scholar Song were my son-in-law, I'd probably wake up laughing in the middle of the night."

Xia Shouyun smiled:
"Then forget about it. Why not try to take advantage of Zhang, the third-ranked scholar?"

Cao Liyong glanced at Yang Chongxun. He still wanted to make a move on Zhang Fangping, but he was afraid that the other party would not be happy about it.

However, Cao, accustomed to the "Mr. Nice Guy" persona, did not utter any sarcastic remarks.

"Too."

Upon returning to the Privy Council, Cao Yong discovered that Lü Yijian was playing chess with Xia Song there.

Yang Huaimin waited while drinking tea.

When Lü Yijian saw Cao Yongli return, he quickly put down the chess piece in his hand and asked how it went.

Before Cao could speak, Yang Chongxun and the other man explained Song Xuan's methods, giving those who had caused trouble a severe warning.

Lu Yijian didn't think Song Xuan would suffer a loss, but he didn't expect Song Xuan to be able to swindle money from the Khitans.

It seems that Song Xuan is now trying every means to raise money to help the disaster victims.

"Wonderful!"

Yang Huaimin stood up:
"Scholar Song is truly a quick-witted fellow. We must return to the palace immediately to inform the Empress Dowager."

Anyway, as long as the Liao envoy doesn't die in the capital, it's perfectly normal for everyone to exchange greetings.

Because Song people would also receive the same treatment in Liao, it just depends on who can gain the upper hand verbally.

Xia Song stroked his beard, shook his head slightly and chuckled a few times, showing considerable approval of Song Xuan.

Because his father died in the war against the Liao, Xia Song had no good feelings towards the Khitans.

When the court ordered him to go to Liaodong as an envoy, he was so angry that he refused to continue his official duties.

……

When the group arrived at Fanlou, the doctor saw that it was Song Taisui who had arrived.

He quickly called out to the shopkeeper, then hurriedly ran down the steps to greet him, saying a few words of hello to delay the inevitable, waiting for the shopkeeper to come out and greet him.

Manager Qian personally led them inside:
"Master Song, are you hosting a dinner today?"

"They invited me; I'm a guest."

Song Xuan pointed to the Khitan people beside him, and Manager Qian raised an eyebrow:
"Please go to a private room on the third floor."

Yelü the monk served him a jar of Snow Wine first, and after he drank it, he ordered the other dishes.

After the group sat down, Wang Bao sat down directly.

Xu Xianchun then went down to invite the yamen runners to have dinner in the main hall.

They didn't know how a lot of gold and silver had suddenly been pulled out of there, so they took this opportunity to find out more.

The Liao people also minted coins, but they were not commonly circulated and were mostly used for rewards.

They used coins from the Song Dynasty, which were contraband and could not be allowed to flow into the Liao Dynasty in large quantities.

After assuming power, Yelü Longxu also followed the example of the Song Dynasty, expanding the scope of commercial taxes and sending people to find gold and silver mines for mining.

Therefore, when these nobles arrived in Tokyo, they were all prepared to exchange their gold and silver for copper coins.

"I do not drink alcohol while on duty."

Song Xuan patted Wang Bao beside him:

"He drank with you guys on my behalf."

"Haha, that's great."

Yelü the monk was overjoyed, as it was no fun for him to drink alone.

Yelü Shucheng didn't object; he wasn't there to drink.

It would be great if someone could keep his cousin company while he drinks; the two of them could chat about literature.

"Song Twelve, how much do you know about the poetry and prose of our Great Liao?"

Song Xuan shook his head slightly:

"Liu Liu, I don't know anything about your poetry, I've never even heard of it."

"Of course, you don't need to mind that I don't even know much about the poetry of the Song Dynasty."

Song Xuan's bluntness did indeed make Yelü Shucheng feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Because it's the truth.

Compared to the Khitans' self-entertaining poetry, their foundation in this area was indeed inferior to that of the Song Dynasty.

Even though a large number of Han officials promoted the Sinicization of the Liao Dynasty, only a minority of them truly knew Chinese characters. How could you write poetry and prose under such circumstances?
Why not sing some grassland songs? Perhaps that will attract the Liao girls to your tent, allowing for a deeper exchange.

But Song Xuan said that he didn't know much about the poetry and prose of the Song Dynasty either, and Yelü Shucheng couldn't help but laugh out loud.

As expected, a genius like him wouldn't care whether other people's poems are good or bad; in short, none of your poems are as good as mine.

This is a kind of self-confidence that he can't envy.

Yelü Shucheng would be very happy to see that one day Song Xuan will encounter a situation like Li Bai's "Yellow Crane Tower," where he finds it difficult to put pen to paper. That would surely be even more interesting.

"Hahaha."

Yelü Shucheng took a sip of tea:
"I drink tea in Zhongjing, and that's very expensive."

Three years after the signing of the Treaty of Chanyuan, Yelü Longxu established a new capital at the Xi King's camp, named Zhongjing Dading Prefecture (present-day Chifeng).

"Is there no one in Zhongjing who makes tea?"

Song Xuan deliberately asked, "Even if they have the skills, they can't grow tea trees."

"No, but there are many Han Chinese who raise silkworms and weave silk."

"Hey." Song Xuan looked puzzled. "Isn't the silk from my Great Song Dynasty enough for your needs?"

"We all use your Song Dynasty silk, and the silk they make is sold to you Song people."

Song Xuan: ???
"Do locals look down on silk made by locals?"

Hearing Song Xuan's question, Yelü Shucheng shook his head slightly, then gave a wry smile:

“We all believe that the silk of the Song people is the best and the most precious, so even if the silk they made is good enough, we don’t use it.”

Song Xuan suddenly realized that the two companies' products were actually quite similar.

But labeling it "imported" makes you seem more prestigious and powerful.

That's the premium on face.

Many people are willing to pay this premium.

Song Xuan never expected to encounter this kind of thinking at this time.

"What, do you think Liao Dynasty silk is better than Song Dynasty silk?"

"I didn't have that idea."

Song Xuan laughed a few times: "Liu Liu, is your Great Liao suffering from a disaster?"

"of course."

Yelü Shucheng briefly described the four prefectures of Shanxi (Yun, Ying, Shuo, and Huan), which had previously suffered from both war and famine.

Since ceasing hostilities with the Song Dynasty, the King of Jin (Han Derang) has ordered a reduction in taxes to attract refugees, encourage land reclamation, and exempt people from paying for agricultural tools in case of poor harvests, thus stabilizing prices in various prefectures.

These policies have been in effect and have been operating smoothly ever since.

Hearing these words, Song Xuan felt that Han Derang's policy was clearly to make concessions to a large number of Han people, so that they could live in the Liao Dynasty with peace of mind.

After these Han people survived the famine, they paid taxes to replenish the Liao Dynasty's treasury.

The main ethnic group of the Liao Dynasty was a nomadic tribe that generally engaged in herding and hunting. Only a small number of Bohai people, Khitan people, and Xi people, who were influenced by the Han people, were engaged in agriculture.

Herdsmen handed over their livestock, and farmers handed over their grain, both of which were subject to different taxes and corvée labor.

Moreover, Song Xuan believed that the Liao Kingdom was not weak at present, and they had been peacefully managing the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun for more than 20 years.

Even though there may be various problems in the first few years, once the time is long enough and a generation has grown up, the benefits of farming should begin to appear.

The Liao dynasty's dual economy, which involved governing the Khitan people with the state system and treating the Han people with the Han system, led to the parallel development of animal husbandry in the grassland region and agriculture in the southern and eastern regions.

Moreover, Yelü Longxu was very willing to vigorously develop agriculture and had given special instructions regarding farmland, forbidding the Khitan people from harvesting hay and grain in the fields.

Most people continued to live by their traditional way of production, and the results were remarkable.

In the long run, the window for the Song Dynasty to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun will become smaller and smaller.

Song Xuan took a sip of tea, unsure of what to say for a moment.

The policy is indeed a good policy, and from what he said, it's being implemented quite well.

He couldn't discern any ethnic or class conflict in Yelü Shucheng's words. If he wanted to find any loopholes, Song Xuan felt he had to go and see for himself.

Perhaps we can see the cracks and find a solution.

"So it is said that the Liao Dynasty has reached its zenith because of its good governance."

"Hahaha."

Faced with Song Xuan's flattery, Yelü Shucheng was indeed somewhat insecure:
"In some aspects, it still falls short of the Song Dynasty."

Because the officialdom of the Liao Dynasty was not as good as it claimed.

Since the deaths of the King of Jin and the Empress Dowager, and the enthronement of the emperor, the administration of officials has not been as clean and efficient.

It is a phrase used to describe the practice of forcing out virtuous officials and appointing treacherous ones.

Yelü Shucheng would not say this to Song Xuan's face.

"These are just some basic policies, but because King Qin Jin failed to reform the Northern Privy Council (which manages the military and political affairs of the Khitans), many of its functions have been neglected and the country has suffered many defeats in foreign affairs."

Yelü Shucheng did not deliberately conceal the Liao state's defeats in foreign wars.

The situation in the military is indeed not very good right now.

Many people placed their sons in the army, and many of them held official positions that were more numerous than those of ordinary soldiers.

If this continues, how can we not lose the battle?

Song Xuan thought this was because Han Derang was able to wield considerable influence in the Liao Dynasty.

As long as he doesn't interfere with military power, but instead offers advice, reforms the bureaucracy, and helps him build up the court, both the Empress Dowager and the Emperor will support him.

The largest war between the Song and Liao dynasties ended many years ago.

As for overwhelming the surrounding tribes, there's no need to mobilize the entire Khitan army.

If these Khitan nobles don't fill their own armies, where else can they fill their own?

These are all limitations of the times, not to mention that for the Khitans, only by fighting could they acquire more slaves.

The Khitan nobles also owned land, but it was mostly farmed by captured slaves.

Yelü Shucheng also concealed some things from what he was saying.

Many nobles didn't even recognize Chinese characters.

Even if they wanted to achieve political success in their official careers, they couldn't compete with these Han officials. They were considered good officials if they didn't bully the people under their jurisdiction.

While they were talking, Fanlou began serving the dishes one after another.

When Liu Congde came to check the accounts and learned that Song Xuan was there, he immediately arranged for the courtesan Su Qingrou and others to go in and sing.

Monk Yelü put down his wine bowl:

"You know what, the tunes sung by this southern woman are really beautiful."

Wang Bao also put down his wine bowl: "I have never heard a young lady from the Liao Kingdom sing a song."

"They won't sing this kind of song, at most they'll bite your shoulder."

After Yelü the monk finished speaking, he even started clapping along.

Liu Congde came in at this moment and asked someone to add a bowl and chopsticks.

Song Xuan also helped introduce them; they were mainly the eldest aunt's nephew.

Yelü Shucheng immediately offered Liu Congde a cup of wine, showing his worldly wisdom. Liu's connections in the Southern Dynasty were much stronger than Yelü's connections in the Liao Dynasty.

If we need to interact with them in the future, we will inevitably have to rely on them.

Liu Congde didn't have much hostility towards the Khitans, especially since he was going to sell them some "royal treasures" and that glass gyrfalcon.

The atmosphere was warm and enthusiastic, and everyone enjoyed themselves immensely.

"Scholar Song, when will those precious glass artifacts be delivered to Fanlou for display?"

Liu Congde asked impatiently, "Tomorrow is the final of the fish-catching competition. After this is done, I will send someone to demonstrate it in the lobby."

"That's good, that's good," Liu Congde replied repeatedly.

"What glass products?"

"It is an eagle-shaped artifact, which I obtained by chance."

Song Xuan glossed over the matter of the gyrfalcon, focusing instead on the auction:

"It's not that there's been a disaster; the court hasn't submitted its autumn tax, so they're in a bit of a bind. That's why Prefect Liu wants to organize an auction at Fanlou to publicly auction some royal treasures, all of which are rare and exquisite."

"This is how we raise disaster relief funds, so that these people don't actually freeze to death in front of me."

Liu Congde was very satisfied. He felt that Song Xuan was really generous for claiming his excellent idea as his own.

If this gets out, the reputation of my Liu family will surely improve a lot.

Yelü Shucheng never imagined that the Song Dynasty had fallen into such dire straits that they had to rely on auctioning off royal treasures to provide relief to disaster victims.

"This is a donation from the public, and I will certainly cooperate fully."

Song Xuan raised his wine glass and clinked it against Liu Congde's:
"In this way, the wealthy merchants in Tokyo won't have to spend money for nothing; they will at least get some benefits."

"I see."

Yelü Shucheng felt that such a thing could never happen in the Liao Dynasty.

For a Khitan nobleman to be able to feed his vast slave population every day was considered incredibly kind.

Even though Han Derang had been working to improve the administration, after his death, when Emperor Yelü Longxu took over the reins of power, he outwardly complied with some of the policies Han Derang had left behind, but in reality, he didn't take them too seriously.

The punishments for crimes committed by Khitans and Han Chinese were completely different.

Two people fought to the death, and the sentences differed depending on their ethnicity.

Even if the laws are the same, the Khitans would still be protected when they infringed upon the political rights of the Han people.

If it were the other way around, the Han people would not escape easily; they would either die or lose a piece of flesh.

The laws of the Liao Dynasty stated that killing a slave would be punished and that one should not kill without authorization, but in practice, what difference would it make if someone did kill them?
Nowadays, officials in the Liao Dynasty are corrupt and their practices have deteriorated.

Especially after the gold and silver mines were opened, everyone felt they had become rich, and extravagance became rampant among the Khitan nobles.

Even the empress's carriages and horses were decorated with gold, and various golden Buddha statues were built. As a result, the Khitan nobles also competed to imitate this.

Yelü Shucheng was not a short-sighted person; he naturally wanted to uphold the image of the Liao Dynasty. When he heard Song Xuan explain the reason for the auction, he was still quite shocked.

The Song Dynasty imperial family was willing to put these things up for sale in order to overcome the immediate difficulties in providing relief to the disaster victims!
Yelü Shucheng felt that the Song people were better at winning over the hearts of the people.

Yelü Zongfu said that the Liao people were fat and strong, but that was only possible because many people from the lower classes met that condition.

“Then I’ll definitely come and join in the fun.” Monk Yelü patted the wine jar beside him.
"Then we'll drink fine wine and see just how beautiful this Southern royal treasure really is."

"Hahaha." Liu Congde also laughed.

"Just mention my name, Liu Congde, and someone will lead you upstairs for a better view."

Yelü the monk poured himself another sip of wine:

“That’s great! I’ve donated all my money to Scholar Song so he can use it to help the disaster victims.”

"Hahaha."

Upon hearing this, Liu Congde realized that something he was unaware of had happened, and he immediately picked up his wine glass:
"That's a true friend, this table is on me."

"How can this be allowed?"

"I'm in charge here, and I can handle this."

Liu Congde made no attempt to hide his abilities, demonstrating his strength.

Yelü Shucheng also nodded slightly.

He also wanted to see if people would actually spend real money at this so-called auction to help with disaster relief.

He had heard that during years of famine, some Han Chinese landlords would give away grain to their neighbors, but he didn't know if it was true or not.

As Yelü Shucheng's Han Chinese teacher once said, it is better to have no books than to believe everything in them.

Some principles in books don't make sense, so you have to travel thousands of miles to see for yourself.

"Thank you very much then." Yelü Shucheng bowed politely.

"Hahaha."

Liu Congde didn't take it seriously.

He also wanted to make money off the Khitans.

Song Xuan picked up his glass and caught Liu Congde's gaze.

If Song Xuan had invited them directly before, it would have been beneath him to lower his status.

They made sacrifices, and then Liu Congde took action after they had drunk their fill.

In short, everyone felt it was normal and not deliberately arranged.

"By the way, what kind of eagle is this glass artifact?"

The monk Yelü chuckled:

"I have a gyrfalcon, which is extremely fierce and best at catching swans. Once, it even caught a swan with a pearl. This must be a blessing from heaven."

Yelü Shucheng also agreed with his brother's words.

Because it's rare for a gyrfalcon to catch a swan and find pearls, it must be a blessing from heaven.

Liu Congde was greatly puzzled.

He had never heard of swans having pearls inside their bellies, so he looked at Song Xuan.

Song Xuan knew that swans also eat clam meat, so he swallowed it along with the pearl and was captured by the gyrfalcon.

So he stuffed a glass marble into the belly of the glass swan, which was clearly a targeted act.

If the Khitans knew about Chinese history, they would know that these marbles were quite easy to obtain.

Seven monochrome glass beads, all of which were aristocratic playthings, were unearthed from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng during the Warring States period.

However, Song Xuan pretended not to understand at this moment:

"Such things happen in the Liao Kingdom? It's truly a wonder of the world. Could it be that mine is the same?"

"Hahaha."

Yelü the monk was very proud of himself, which was one of the reasons why no one could impeach him for drinking alcohol in broad daylight while he was an official.

However, Yelü Shucheng clearly gleaned key information from Song Xuan's words:

"Song Twelve, what do you mean by 'yours too'?"

"I initially thought it was just an ordinary glass artifact. I don't know much about this kind of thing. If it weren't for Monk Liu telling me, I wouldn't have known about this story."

Song Xuan's words piqued the curiosity of the monk Yelü:

"Song Twelve, what exactly does this eagle you're talking about look like?"

"It's about an eagle catching a swan, and there's a glass bead under the swan's neck."

“crown”.

Yelü the monk stared wide-eyed; he was certain that the swan truly possessed a pearl.

Is the location where it meets the chest below the neck?

"Yes." Song Xuan asked, quite surprised.

"You've never even seen my treasure, Monk Liu, how do you know its exact location?"

Monk Liu stopped drinking and asked, "Song Twelve, could I take a look beforehand?"

Even Liu Congde stared intently at Song Xuan, because he had never met him before.

Song Xuan chuckled twice:

"Since you, Monk Liu, are so loyal, what harm is there in letting you take a look at this beforehand?"

Song Xuan waved his hand casually:
"After you finish eating, go to my house first. After you've finished admiring it, I'll put this thing at the county government office for safekeeping."

"Then we sent someone to deliver it directly to Fanlou, so that everyone could have a good look at it."

"Good good."

Yelü the monk was itching to see Song Xuan, his heart was breaking. He couldn't even enjoy drinking anymore, and all he wanted was to see this precious darling of Song Xuan immediately.

"Song Twelve, you are truly magnanimous."

Yelü Shucheng raised his wine cup and quickly said, "I'd like to offer you a toast."

"All who come are guests."

Song Xuan picked up his wine glass and said with a smile, "You two brothers are quite different from the rest of us."

"Haha, thank you for the compliment."

Yelü Shucheng had few friends in the Liao Dynasty because the other Khitan nobles did not like to learn Chinese.

Poetry, lyrics, and songs are all niche pursuits.

Hunting on horseback would be a better way to demonstrate one's bravery.

They were originally a nomadic people, so they were not particularly interested in the Central Plains civilization.

Moreover, the system of harvesting hay and grain was not abolished.

However, they have now changed direction. Unable to go south, they have all chosen to go north to deal with the other nomadic tribes.

Therefore, there are very few Khitan nobles like Yelü Shucheng who are very interested in Central Plains culture and are at a high level of understanding.

He was willing to come to the Song Dynasty to broaden his horizons and paid close attention to Song Xuan.

Now I finally understand the saying, "Seeing is believing."

"By the way, Liu Liu, does your Liao Dynasty treat the Jurchens very harshly?"

Why does Song Twelve ask such a question?

Song Xuan had a smile on his face:

"Because a Jurchen came to our Song Dynasty, saying that your Liao Dynasty was tyrannical and oppressive, and that you frequently implemented population reduction policies. His father and brothers all died at the hands of the Liao army."

"This is slander."

Yelü Shucheng directly refuted:

"Our Great Liao Dynasty has a vassal relationship with the Jurchen tribes. If any of them rebel against the Great Liao and disobey orders, we must take action to teach them a lesson."

Yelü the monk remained silent, for he knew that Song Xuan was telling the truth.

At the beginning of the emperor's reign, the Jurchens maintained a tributary relationship with the Song Dynasty, which was intolerable to the Liao Dynasty.

What if, in the future, Song Dynasty officials collude with the Jurchens, allowing them to sabotage the war from the rear and affect the overall situation?

Therefore, the Liao Dynasty gradually conquered many tribes in Nüzhen in order to sever their tributary relationship with the Song Dynasty.

Submit or die!
There is no second option.

After so many years of conquest, the Jurchen tribes finally submitted to the Liao Dynasty.

Yelü Longxu established several grand palaces to strengthen his control over the Jurchen region.

He also set the location of the spring hunting camp (temporary capital) in the Liaodong region, so that various tribes in the northeast would pay homage to him one after another.

The emperors of the Khitan people traveled around all four seasons, which were divided into spring, summer, autumn and winter.

The Spring and Autumn Period was for handling ethnic relations, while the other two were mainly for convening conferences between officials from the North and South.

The fact that Jurchens had now defected to the Song Dynasty was truly perplexing to Yelü Shucheng.

How did they all escape?

Is it because His Majesty now suffers from diabetes, and the news has already spread throughout the Liao Dynasty, that these Jurchens can no longer contain themselves?
"I see."

The fact that Song Xuan had a smile on his face indicated that someone of Yelü Shucheng's level was unaware of this matter.

"I think they are all unfortunate people who escaped from Goryeo. They are so poor that they can't afford to eat. They came to my Great Song to beg for food and want to be incorporated into the Song Dynasty."

"Goryeo?"

Now, the Liao Dynasty is powerless to influence Goryeo, and after three wars against Goryeo, the Khitan have suffered some losses.

The main reason is that Goryeo demonstrated its value in united front work.

The Liao Kingdom no longer demanded the six prefectures of Jiangdong or an audience with the King of Goryeo. The war ended as long as they submitted a letter of surrender.

"That's right, they came from Goryeo. They said there was some internal strife there. Goryeo was a small country that was originally a vassal state of our Song Dynasty."

Song Xuan pondered for a moment and said:
"But they haven't come to pay tribute for many years, which is outrageous."

"Now there are rumors of internal strife circulating over there, Liu Liu, are you aware of that?"

Yelü Shucheng shook his head.

He knew that the internal strife in Goryeo occurred during the Liao Dynasty's attack on Goryeo, and that the two sides had long since ceased hostilities and made peace.

The Liao Dynasty had no idea what was happening inside Goryeo.

Moreover, he knew that Goryeo and the Song Dynasty had not nominally severed their tributary relationship, but there was no substantial interaction between them.

"That's weird."

Song Xuan's eyes showed a thoughtful expression: "Are these Jurchens really refugees?"

"Don't worry about them."

Yelü Shucheng didn't want to talk about these things either, because Song Xuan wasn't interested in the poetry and songs he wanted to discuss; instead, he kept talking about the Liao Dynasty.

"It seems that Song Twelve has some interest in our Great Liao?"

"Yeah." Song Xuan nodded slightly:
"That's right. I'm also thinking of becoming an envoy and going to the Liao Dynasty to see the beautiful scenery of the grasslands. I'm tired of reading about galloping horses, green grass, and blue skies with white clouds in books every day."

"And there is also the scene of the vast sky, the boundless wilderness, and the wind blowing the grass low to reveal cattle and sheep."

"Hahaha."

Yelü Shucheng never expected that Song Xuan would be so curious about the grassland scenery.

However, Song Xuan's words made Yelü Shucheng somewhat smug:

"This was because Emperor Gao Huan of Qi ordered General Huli Jin to sing the 'Song of Changle' in public to boost morale."

At that time, Gao Huan had suffered a defeat and fell ill, and the Western Wei government spread rumors that he was dead.

He took this action in order to maintain morale among his troops.

This was originally a song of the Xianbei people, and the Khitan people rose to power after the Xianbei, belonging to the same language system.

"After all, the Song and Liao dynasties were brotherly nations, so it was perfectly normal for them to exchange envoys with each other."

Song Xuan had a smile on his face:

"Perhaps in that setting, I gained new inspiration for poetry."

"Good good."

Yelü Shucheng was overjoyed to see this happen.

Especially since Song Xuan was a leading figure in this field in the Song Dynasty, he was genuinely willing to learn from Song Xuan.

After all, their ancient sages from the Central Plains said that one becomes red when near vermilion and black when near ink.

While in the Liao Dynasty, Yelü Shucheng felt that he had reached a point where he could no longer break through to new heights.

Because he had already defeated all the Liao people without being able to defeat them.

Therefore, we must step out of our comfort zone and come to the Song Dynasty to broaden our horizons.

Perhaps then he could break through his own limitations and elevate the poetry and prose of the Liao Dynasty to new heights.

The monk Yelü had no interest in poetry and songs at all, but he still lent a hand.

Liu Congde, however, had a change of heart. What was Song Xuan's purpose in wanting to go on a mission to the Liao Kingdom?
If this matter can be accomplished, should I get involved?

After all, he had learned from other sources that the Liao Kingdom had opened a number of gold and silver mines.

Compared to copper coins, fewer copper coins were exchanged for gold and silver in the Liao Dynasty compared to the Song Dynasty.

Because copper coins all relied on the Song Dynasty for transportation (smuggling), especially since Song Dynasty copper coins also had the label of "imported", they had to be more attractive than local gold and silver.

It's perfectly normal for it to be more valuable.

"Liu Liu, I suddenly remembered something else."

Song Xuan put down his wine cup: "What is the relationship between the Liao Dynasty and the Western Xia?"

"So far, so good."

Although Yelü Shucheng didn't understand why Song Xuan suddenly asked about this matter, his answer was still quite proper.

"King Li Deming of Western Xia sought a marriage alliance with a princess of our Great Liao for his son. The marriage was arranged between the two sides, but because His Majesty favored Princess Xingping, the marriage was not completed immediately."

Song Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly. He vaguely remembered that the Liao princess whom Li Yuanhao married was a member of the imperial family.

The Liao emperor looked down on the Tangut people and would never marry his own daughter to them.

"Liu Liu should go back and tell the Emperor of Liao to be careful of the Western Xia people. They are ambitious and will surely become emperor in the future."

"what?"

Yelü Shucheng was greatly alarmed, because the highest rank a Western Xia state could attain was "King".

Once he declares himself emperor, he will be on equal footing with the emperors of the Song and Liao dynasties.

How can this be done?
"Song Twelve, why do you say that?"

"While I was searching for the people of Wuyou Cave, I discovered clues about the Western Xia spies, which I have already handed over to the Imperial City Guard."

Song Xuan lowered his voice and said:
"However, the letters we found revealed that they were secretly studying the preparations for the coronation ceremony."

Becoming emperor has never been a trivial matter.

Many things are prepared well in advance.

If an emperor ascends the throne hastily, he usually does not have a good ending.

Even in the Liao Dynasty, Yelü Abaoji had Han officials create a unique enthronement ceremony that combined the customs of the Central Plains and the Khitan people.

Yelü Shucheng's expression changed drastically.

This is crucial news.

The Western Xia people harbored wolfish ambitions.

Tibet increased its desire to pay tribute and pass through, but Li Deming refused. Moreover, Yelü Longxu discovered that many tribes had defected to Western Xia and wanted to attack him.

Unfortunately, I was busy fighting against Goryeo and other tribes like the Ugu at that time and didn't have time.

After pacifying the aforementioned forces, Yelü Longxu personally led an army of 500,000 under the pretext of hunting to attack Western Xia, but was defeated by him.

Since Li Deming defeated our Great Liao, our attitude towards Great Liao has also changed.

Upon hearing Song Xuan's words, Yelü Shucheng naturally frowned.

Although he was studious, he was also very interested in politics.

At this moment, Su Qingrou, the most beautiful courtesan of Fanlou, pretended to take a sip of water to moisten her throat, preparing to rest for a while.

Actually, she stopped to listen more clearly because she heard Song Xuan mention the Worry-Free Cave.

Liu Congde never expected that Song Xuan's investigation would lead him to the Western Xia people.

However, once this happened, he knew it was no small matter, so he held his breath and didn't dare to say a word.

Because he really doesn't care about these things and doesn't know much about them.

Yelü Shucheng pondered for a long time before earnestly asking:

"Song Twelve, is your information reliable?"

(End of this chapter)