A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 414 A Teammate's Backstab Hurts Too Much
Zhong Wuliu quickly rolled Song Xuan twice on the ground.

Only then did he excitedly get up to announce this good news.

Song Xuan couldn't help but laugh out loud, pointed at his back without saying a word.

reading.

For many families in the Song Dynasty, this was something unattainable.

Despite Tokyo's bustling prosperity, there are countless people who toil every day just to ensure their families have enough to eat the next day.

Survival is already so difficult.

Where would we find the extra money to support our children's education and literacy?
Women who could read were generally from wealthy families. Ordinary families usually didn't have this privilege; they couldn't even afford to support their sons, let alone their daughters.

Now that even your daughter can learn to read, who wouldn't want to send her to study?

The discussions inside the county government office never stopped; everyone was talking about how their sons would become successful candidates in the imperial examinations.

People around him started teasing him, asking if his ancestors' graves were emitting auspicious smoke, yet he still wanted to pass the imperial examination.
“Your Excellency is a reincarnation of the God of Literature. If my son studies under your guidance, he will surely become intelligent at a young age.”

Zhong Wuliu chuckled a few times: "None of you understand the intricacies of this."

"Is there really a method to it?"

"Of course," Zhong Wuliu said very seriously.

"The young master has achieved the highest honors in all three categories, and his classmates and friends have also made the list. Yingtian Academy has practically dominated the top ten. Do you think this is just a coincidence?"

Yes, that's true.

"And then there's Master Fan, the son-in-law of the Shi family. He hit the jackpot three times in a row and accompanied the high official. That's a once-in-a-millennium occurrence."

"Yes Yes Yes."

They all knew how wealthy the Shi family was, and they had found such a lucky son-in-law.

The good fortune of the Cao and Shi families, both military generals, made the other military families so envious they almost choked.

Zhong Wuliu coughed once:
"This is called Feng Yi treading the waves, with the water god following, the giant turtle shaking its head, the three mountains dancing, the clouds following Taiyi, the gods protecting, and the alligator drums thundering, boosting the battle drums."

Everyone was puzzled but impressed, and finally someone asked:

"What do you mean?"

"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed; you must figure them out yourself."

Zhong Wuliu slipped away from the crowd without knowing what it meant; he had only heard it from others.

When the craftsmen returned in the afternoon, after experiencing it firsthand and having those who did the work use it as well, they finally had some suggestions for improvement.

Because the design of the wheelbarrow still adheres to the concept of being pulled by mules and donkeys.

So two long sticks would stick out from the front, which is inconvenient.

It would be better to saw off two long sticks and use a rope to pull them from the front, so that they can rest and pull at the same time.

Once outside, you can simply push it up and tip it over, which is even more convenient.

Also, transporting goods up from the riverbed requires walking up a gentle slope.

Even if the mud in the bag is made extremely smooth, it will still leak out from the back.

Their idea was to raise the height of the bag on three sides and place a movable board at the front.

Even if you push it upwards, the silt won't all flow out at once.

Once outside the city, the planks can be removed and the structure tilted over, making it even more convenient.

Song Xuan nodded in satisfaction, and then personally distributed the reward money to them, telling each person not to complain that it was too little.

The craftsmen were overjoyed; it was a delightful surprise.

They quickly promised to deliver the newly improved wheelbarrow the next day for your inspection, sir.

Song Xuan watched them leave. "That civil engineering guy has principles. If the money's right, he'll do the job right away."

In short, most of the people who walked out of the Kaifeng County government office had smiles on their faces.

In fact, after Song Xuan announced the news, it only temporarily sparked a discussion, but ultimately it did not come to fruition.

So even if other government departments were sour, they would just mutter a few words and move on.

But the fact that it was about to land made the people from the other government departments extremely jealous.

I used to think that the story of Song Zhuangyuan was just meant to encourage people, but who knows when it might actually come to fruition.

Now that it's about to be implemented and the private school is actually being set up, everyone is even more excited.

Upon hearing this news, Zhongli Jin, the prefectural magistrate of Kaifeng, immediately brightened up.

Although he failed to curry favor with Liu Congde, the nephew of the eldest aunt, he was not one to give up easily.

If a county magistrate like Song Xuan can do this kind of thing, then I can too. It's a good opportunity to win over these people.

So that they won't all be hoping to take up positions in the Kaifeng County government!
Otherwise, it would be absolutely unacceptable if I were to become the Prefect of Kaifeng and have no one at my disposal.

The constables of Xiangfu County were the first to receive the news; they overheard the yamen runners of Kaifeng County discussing the matter while they were out and about.

It's one thing that the wages for individuals in Kaifeng County are high, and Master Song likes to give out gifts during holidays. Now he's even starting to teach their children to read and write.

How could they sit still after such explosive news?
The yamen runners in Kaifeng County are now rich and have little to do, so the ruffians and scoundrels dare not cause trouble in Kaifeng County and have all gone to Xiangfu County.

Nowadays, they are the ones who truly have little money, many tasks, and great danger, which makes them even more resentful.

No longer kept secret as before, the news reached the ears of Chen Gu, the magistrate of Xiangfu County.

He was still angry and upset because Xiangjun had flipped the table and refused to let him work for free.

Hearing about this again now only made him angrier.

Everyone was fine, so why was Song Xuan so arrogant and domineering, and why did he have to give such good treatment to these lowly clerks and runners?
This is utterly contrary to the ancestral rules of the Song Dynasty!
Making them work is a way of serving the imperial court, and it's what they're supposed to do.

Now that he's started paying his yamen runners, all the county yamens across the country are following suit, and who knows how much of the people's hard-earned money will be wasted.

Chen Gu felt increasingly angry and wrote a memorial impeaching Song Xuan, accusing him of embezzling public funds and bribing his subordinates, asking what his intentions were.
If every county magistrate in the Song Dynasty were to follow this example, the country would surely fall apart. I hope Your Majesty can correct this in time.

Chen Gu did not discuss this matter with Lü Yijian.

So when Chancellor Wang Zeng finished reading Chen Gu's impeachment memorial, he glanced at Lü Yijian with a strange look.

Lü Yijian was looking at other memorials at the time and did not notice.

Who doesn't know that you, Lü Yijian, are the Empress's man?

Now, even the slowest-witted courtiers have realized what was happening.

The Empress Dowager has been subtly proclaiming that Song Xuan is one of her people!
If it weren't for Song Xuan, given the Empress Dowager's past double standards in treating court officials, whenever they encountered relatives of the empress, it was always the officials who suffered.
But when Song Xuan arrived, he not only upheld the laws of the Song Dynasty, but also produced the laws that the Empress Dowager had once written to punish the children of officials who committed wrongdoing.

Now Wang Qixiong is just waiting to be executed, and no one can say a word.

No one expected that what the Empress Dowager thought was a good thing would actually be carried out by Song Xuan.

With Wang Qixiong dead, the court officials will surely exercise strict control over their own offspring.

Wang Zeng wondered if Song Xuan's performance was so outstanding that Lü Yijian, the most important member of the Empress Dowager's faction, couldn't sit still.

It wasn't Chen Gu who felt sour; it was Lü Yijian who truly felt sour.

Wang Zeng then handed the memorial to Zhang Zhibai, who raised an eyebrow after reading it.

Was this done at the behest of Lü Yijian?
Everyone knows he's his brother-in-law!
Zhang Zhibai remained silent and handed the memorial to Zhang Shixun.

Zhang Shixun was drowsy. He casually picked up the memorial that Zhang Zhibai handed him and his eyelids twitched a few times.

As a relative by marriage of Lü Yijian, he stood up:

“Tanf, take a look at your brother-in-law’s memorial.”

"My brother-in-law?"

A strange look appeared in Lü Yijian's eyes: "What memorial did he submit?"

Zhang Shixun observed Lü Yijian's performance without saying much.

With such a close relationship between you, how could you not know about his memorial to the throne?

They even started acting with me!
Lü Yijian found the three of them rather strange, so he opened the memorial to see what his brother-in-law Chen Gu's memorial looked like.

Before Lü Yijian could finish reading, he couldn't sit still any longer and stood up abruptly.

Because Chen Gu's deep resentment was practically bursting out from this memorial.

The stench made Lü Yijian restless.

"I know nothing about this."

After standing up, Lü Yijian emphasized:
"Submitting the memorial was entirely Chen Gu's personal act, and I had no way to interfere."

None of the three spoke.

When you first said you couldn't control Chen Yaozi, everyone believed you for the time being, because Chen Yaozi was known for his short temper.

The second time you said you couldn't control Chen Yaozuo, everyone hesitated because Chen Yaozuo wasn't a hot-tempered person.

The third time, you said you couldn't control your brother-in-law Chen Gu. Who can believe that now?

Empress Liu had long since figured out the kinship relationships among the important officials in the court, not to mention that everyone knew that all three of them were Lü Yijian's people.

You won't know when something happens.

When something goes wrong, you're caught off guard.

Were they actually promoted by you?
So after Lü Yijian finished speaking, the room remained silent.

Silence was the best answer; no one believed Lü Yijian's words.

"I truly know nothing about this matter."

Lü Yijian also felt somewhat embarrassed.

Chen Gu himself couldn't do it, but because others could, he wanted to abandon this method.

They were all people who had worked at the grassroots level. The official clerks were alright, but how many of the yamen runners were wealthy?

The county magistrate would usually use public funds to reward these people.

There are unspoken rules.

Song Xuan was a bit flamboyant in his actions, but not outrageous.

Although these people are lowly, they will still work for you after you take the money.

Otherwise, how can it be a long-term solution for an official from another region to force them to work simply by using his power?
Last time, Chen Gu disappointed Lü Yijian utterly because of the dredging project.

Now he has openly impeached Song Xuan without even consulting him beforehand, which almost made Lü Yijian furious.

Now he is speechless, and even his in-law Zhang Shixun has not stood by his side.

This shows how unreliable Chen Gu's actions were.

"I'll go find him."

"Hey!" Wang Zeng quickly called out to Lü Yijian:

"Tanfu, now that a report has been submitted, this is an official matter. How can you handle it privately?"

Lu Yijian's hand, which was holding the memorial, trembled slightly for a moment.

He was truly angered by it again and again!

Everyone was connected in countless ways because they were all trying to advance further or preserve their family's position in the court.

These accomplices of mine, when faced with trouble, they all act so recklessly, only caring about their own pleasure!
Do they really think that if something goes wrong, they can get away with it because of their accomplices?

Even if they are related to the Empress Dowager by marriage, they will still be dealt with if necessary!

"Yes," Zhang Shixun chimed in from the side.

"Let the Empress Dowager decide this matter. Perhaps Magistrate Chen's words make a lot of sense."

Although Zhang Shixun was related to Lü Yijian by marriage, he was also recommended by Cao Yong to the position of vice prime minister, and the two had a good relationship.

Zhang Shixun started to speak in a sarcastic and sarcastic tone.

Lü Yijian was truly suffering in silence, unable to express his bitterness.

Because everyone knows they are your allies, and you hold the position of prime minister.

That means you'll always be the priority.

If they all bypass you, what kind of accomplices are they?

They don't listen to you, so who would believe you!
However, Lü Yijian truly experienced what it meant to be betrayed.

This made Lü Yijian even more uncomfortable than when others attacked him.

Could it be that my judgment is flawed, and I've misjudged everyone?

"good."

Zhang Zhibai agreed, and he began to doubt Chen Gu's governing abilities.

With good examples right in front of him, he not only couldn't study, but also tried to ruin others because he couldn't do it himself.

That's not a matter of ability or attitude, but rather a matter of having impure intentions.

Such people can be quite harmful in officialdom.

Zhang Zhibai uttered a soft "Not bad," which further shattered Lü Yijian's resolve, and his expression turned ugly.

"Tanf, since this wasn't your intention."

Wang Zeng was too lazy to investigate whose intention it was, but for the time being, Song Xuan was doing an excellent job, which naturally attracted many envious officials.

This is all inevitable.

Wang Zeng had also received this kind of treatment, since he had also achieved the highest honors in the imperial examinations.

Therefore, he could understand Song Xuan's situation!
Lü Yijian was deeply wounded by the betrayal and was too exhausted to explain anymore.

Let the Empress Dowager do whatever she wants with it.

In any case, given the current situation, there's no way to protect him anymore, so we might as well let go. Maybe my brother-in-law doesn't want to live in Tokyo anyway.

He also longed for the outside world, just like Chen Yaozi.

With the prime minister's encouragement, Liu E soon saw the memorial impeaching Song Xuan.

After reading it, she couldn't hold back her emotions any longer.

Chen Gu's reasoning was too "macro-level".

Do you really think she doesn't know what's going on in the county government?
Liu E was not a truly delicate young lady from a wealthy family.

She grew up enduring hardship, and after getting married, she traveled thousands of miles, from Sichuan to Tokyo to make a living.

Ultimately, the couple couldn't survive, and her ex-husband, Gong Mei, sold her off.

That's when he finally found the right opportunity to curry favor with Emperor Zhenzong of Song, and from then on lived a happy life.

Empress Liu placed the memorial in her hand on the table and glanced at Lü Yijian:
What do you all think of what Chen Gu said?

Empress Liu threw the question back at Wang Zeng without saying a word, waiting for Lü Yijian to give his own explanation.

Let's see what he really means.

With the other three prime ministers remaining silent, Lü Yijian had no choice but to bite the bullet and say:
"Your Majesty, while Chen Gu's words do have some merit, they may cause the other officials and servants in the government offices to have a slightly unworthy thought."

"Oh." Liu E nodded. "Then what does Prime Minister Lü think we should do?"

Lu Yijian cupped his hands again: "But then again, Scholar Song did nothing wrong in what he did."

"Oh?"

Liu E looked at Lü Yijian and thought, "Anyway, it's your brother-in-law who said it, so isn't that what you mean?"

How come things are now blocked on both ends again!
"Currently, Chen Yaozuo, the Prefect of Kaifeng, is in Huazhou providing disaster relief, and many matters in Dongjing City are being handled by Song Xuan, the Magistrate of Kaifeng County."

"His clerks and officials were busy all day long, and during this time they also carried out a large-scale raid on the Wuyou Cave hideout."

“The yamen runners all suffered injuries, so it is only reasonable for Magistrate Song to reward the yamen runners who had made contributions.”

Empress Liu was somewhat confused about Lü Yijian's thoughts.

Since he chose to speak up for Song Xuan, why did he go to the trouble of sending his own brother-in-law to impeach Song Xuan?

Isn't this like stabbing yourself in the back—a thankless and futile effort?

"So what do you think?"

Lü Yijian immediately offered his opinion.

That means this memorial is completely unfounded.

Liu E looked on with suspicion. Was it you who ordered this to be done behind her back?
Or is it because you want to advance further for Song Xuan that you are willing to sacrifice your own family for the greater good and cut off your brother-in-law Chen Gu's path to advancement?
Liu E then looked at Wang Zeng, hoping he could give her a reasonable explanation.

Now that the "slacking off" competition has just ended, Song Xuan must have made some money, which he used to share with his subordinates, so that makes sense.

The auction is the main event, in particular!
Wang Zeng didn't say anything harsh, but in short, Song Xuan did a good job in Kaifeng County.

They solved a problem that none of them could solve.

Moreover, reading is not something unique to the Kaifeng County government; Song Xuan also found opportunities for disaster-stricken children outside the city to learn to read.

Why didn't Chen Gu attack this matter?
Liu E nodded, then looked at Lü Yijian and said:
"I remember that Chen Gu was also sent to clear the silt from the ditches in Xiangfu County in advance. What stage has that reached now?"

Lü Yijian no longer protected his brother-in-law:
"Your Majesty, he still hasn't finished it."

"what?"

Liu E immediately felt incredulous.

Song Xuan had already made a sample in advance, so whatever the demonstration showed, we just replicated it.

Especially considering that Chen Gu is a veteran official who has served for many years, he couldn't even handle this little matter!

Lu Yijian could only further explain that Xiangfu County did not have extra money and hired soldiers from the local militia, but due to some conflicts...

So all of these people went to the Bian River to maintain order, and construction has not started yet.

Empress Liu was somewhat displeased upon hearing this.

Chen Gu couldn't even control the county government, yet now, out of jealousy, he directly impeached Song Xuan, which shows how despicable his character truly is.

"Since he can't do it, there must be someone in our great Song Dynasty who can."

Liu E sent the few of them down to discuss and come up with a new candidate for Xiangfu County.

She didn't want to wait until next year when the capital city experienced heavy rains, when the floodwaters in Kaifeng County had all drained away through the ditches, while the floodwaters in Xiangfu County were still deep enough to row a boat.

In the end, it will be the people of Xiangfu County who suffer from the disaster.

He's incompetent and jealous; there's no need for him to stay in that position.

They immediately labeled him as derelict in his duties.

Empress Liu has decided to exile Chen Gu to a southern region inhabited by barbarians for further training.

She summoned Yang Huaimin and asked him to bring Song Xuan into the palace with the account book from the fishing competition, as she had something to discuss.

Yang Huaimin hurriedly went to the county government office and invited Song Xuan over.

On the way, they talked about the impeachment of Chen Gu, the magistrate of Xiangfu County.

Song Xuan's face showed a strange expression: "Could it be that Prime Minister Lü doesn't like me?" "Scholar Song, you wouldn't dare say such a thing."

Yang Huaimin was not one to stir up trouble: "I don't think Prime Minister Lü is someone who knows the inside story; on the contrary, he seems caught off guard."

Song Xuan shook his head: "I believe that the Chen brothers made the decision without informing Prime Minister Lü."

"But Chen Gu is his own brother-in-law. Even his own brother-in-law doesn't consult him on his actions, acting as if he has no faction. Eunuch Yang, if this happened to you, would you believe it?"

"Of course I don't believe it!"

Yang Huaimin shook his head repeatedly: "Could it be that Prime Minister Lü's acting skills have become even more refined, and he even fooled me?"

“I once heard a saying in my hometown: ‘A man who is old and does not die is a thief,’ just like Sima Yi.”

Song Xuan narrowed his eyes:
"I even promoted his son with great effort, and I taught him everything I could to solve any problems he encountered. I never expected that Prime Minister Lü would stab me in the back."

"Alas, Scholar Song was too kind-hearted. He gave his subordinates' children the opportunity to study, which aroused jealousy."

Yang Huaimin chimed in, "This really isn't Song Zhuangyuan's fault. Others are just jealous of us, and there's nothing we can do about it."

"It can only be said that the top scholar Song was like the bright moon in the sky, obscuring the twinkling stars, which is why they did this."

Song Xuan sighed as well: "In our Great Song Dynasty, who doesn't want their children to study?"

"Even if it were Eunuch Yang, your nephew, you would surely make him study, wouldn't you?"

"Correct."

Yang Huaimin nodded in agreement. Studying in the Song Dynasty was the only way to make a living!

Song Xuan truly hadn't expected that Lü Yijian would still try to suppress him at this point, and for a moment his face became somewhat tense.

Once inside the palace, Empress Liu didn't waste any words and directly handed Chen Gu's memorial to Song Xuan.

Song Xuan quickly finished reading it, since Yang Huaimin had already mentioned it earlier anyway.

However, Chen Gu used more elegant language in his memorial, expressing his concern for the country and its people.

It was as if if he continued to do things his way, the Song Dynasty would be doomed.

Song Xuan rolled his eyes; the tactic of labeling someone was so outdated.

How could such a problem be a fatal flaw for the Song Dynasty?
Could these scholar-officials not know the real fatal flaw?

However, everyone knew but pretended not to know, and no one dared to mention it.

It's rare to be confused.

If you say it out loud, you'll be in big trouble.

They only talk about trivial, insignificant issues.

Lü Yijian did not leave either, but was kept there by Liu E.

He observed Song Xuan's reaction, as if being attacked was none of his business.

Song Xuan closed the memorial and handed it to Yang Huaimin.

"Scholar Song, what do you think?"

Seeing Song Xuan being slandered yet remaining calm and composed, Liu E couldn't help but admire him.

She had witnessed the behavior of many officials after they were impeached.

Some loudly proclaimed their innocence, spouting nonsense and attacking others.

Some even got so angry that they wanted to confront the other side in court.

People like Song Xuan are truly rare.

“Your Majesty, there’s a proverb that’s popular in my hometown.”

"Oh?" Liu E's interest was immediately piqued:
"What?"

"If you are not envied by others, you are a mediocre person!"

After hearing this, Liu E also felt that it made a lot of sense.

"Not being envied means being mediocre? That's true."

Empress Liu praised him several times, saying, "That's quite a spirit."

"With such a popular proverb in the hometown of the Song Dynasty's top scholar, it is truly worthy of being the birthplace of the founding emperor of our great Song Dynasty."

Lu Yijian remained silent. He noticed Song Xuan glance at him, so he didn't say anything more.

Lü Yijian believed that Song Xuan also suspected that he was the one targeting him all along.

But in his heart, he truly felt a deep sense of injustice.

Where is the upright and just official?
"Lord Lü, look at the magnanimity of Scholar Song. When you get back, you must give your brother-in-law a good talking-to. If you have the ability to do things, don't be incompetent and try to smear others."

Liu E paused for a moment: "This is not the way of being an official!"

"Your Majesty is right."

Lü Yijian readily agreed.

The reason Liu E kept Lü Yijian alive was because he was also a representative of the Empress Dowager's faction.

Song Xuan is a rising star of the post-revolutionary party.

She didn't want too much distance to grow between them.

Therefore, we want to mend the rift between the two of them so that they can cooperate better in the future and work together for the court.

“Scholar Song, this matter is what Chen Gu himself thought and felt.”

Lü Yijian explained something to Song Xuan.

"I believe what Prime Minister Lü has said."

Song Xuan's quick agreement made Lü Yijian even more suspicious that he didn't believe him.

Who doesn't know your personality, Song Xuan? You're the kind of person who can take a loss.
You even dared to take action in the imperial court.

Now that Chen Gu is slandering you so much, and you haven't said a single harsh word, Lü Yijian can't believe him.

So Lü Yijian said, slowly and deliberately:
“Scholar Song, I, Lü Yijian, have never bothered to explain my actions to others. Moreover, I have a brain and would never do something so foolish.”

"I would never advise others to do such mindless things behind their backs."

Seeing that Lü Yijian was about to break down, Song Xuan nodded again:
"Since Prime Minister Lü has put it this way, I am willing to believe him."

Lu Yijian felt somewhat weary; he would definitely need to carefully screen his cronies from now on.

To prevent this from happening again.

Empress Liu was pleased to hear Song Xuan's magnanimity.

"Alright, since it was a misunderstanding, let's clear it up and that's it."

Song Xuan verbally believed him, but he still harbored suspicion towards Lü Yijian.

Even if he didn't know, did he usually control Chen Gu in a certain way?
Without even a hint of tacit approval, how could Chen Gu, a long-time official, have managed to make things this ugly?
Lu Yijian didn't want to explain too much. Originally, his second son's association with Song Xuan had been promoting friendly relations between the two sides.

Unexpectedly, she was betrayed by her own brother-in-law.

These people really don't care about the big picture at all.

"By the way, Scholar Song, did you bring the account book I asked you to get?"

Liu E was very interested in Song Xuan's fish-catching contest and wanted to see how much money was involved.

Song Xuan handed the account book to Yang Huaimin.

Liu E carefully read through the documents and felt that Song Xuan's bookmaking really did not control the odds, and many people made money.

However, this is also where many people believe it is fair.

"To earn more than 50,000 strings of cash in ten days is a first for me, truly an impressive achievement."

Liu E was very satisfied with what Song Xuan had done.

As long as you don't end up spending a lot of money after all that work.

"Your Majesty flatters me. This fish-catching contest is just a trial. If there are many participants, we can hold it several more times."

Song Xuan followed up by saying:
"Perhaps more people will participate in the next round, because those who are selected have actually received benefits."

"good."

Liu E was not particularly sensitive to these figures to begin with, and now that she saw Song Xuan making money, she felt reassured.

The flood in Huazhou required a lot of money, and she was satisfied that Song Xuan could be self-sufficient here.

Lu Yijian glanced at Song Xuan; he didn't think the data was fabricated.

He believed that Song Xuan had only been an official for a short time, so how could he be so audacious as to fabricate false accounts?

Moreover, this was his first time organizing a major competition, so he was determined to reassure the Empress Dowager.

Lu Yijian suspected that Song Xuan had deliberately overstated the amount, supplementing it from his own county government's slush fund, and he didn't believe that Song Xuan had concealed nearly 200,000 strings of cash in profits.

Empress Liu instructed Yang Huaimin to hand over the account books to Song Xuan, inquiring whether he had encountered any problems with the project, so that she could send the Director of Works to assist him.

Song Xuan naturally flattered his fellow townsman Li Hong, saying that he had taken the initiative to bring his men to help.

They were especially helpful with the handcart issue.

Liu E was also pushed out of Sichuan by Gong Mei in a handcart back then, so she inquired more carefully about what had happened.

After receiving such a detailed and improved answer from Song Xuan.

Only then did Liu E become certain that Li Hong had sent someone on his own initiative.

"If everyone in the court were as proactive as Li Hong, the burden on my shoulders and that of all the prime ministers would be much lighter."

Lü Yijian certainly knew Li Hong, and also knew that he and Song Xuan were from the same hometown, so it was understandable that they would take care of each other.

After Liu E finished her reflections, she was certain that she could make money with Song Xuan.
"Scholar Song, don't try to fool me. I didn't make any money from this fishing competition, and now I'm even putting money out of my own pocket to claim I did."

"I understand the principle of losing money at the beginning to gain publicity."

"Haha, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Song Xuan carefully put away the ledger and said with great certainty:
"We did make money; otherwise, the tax revenue from Kaifeng County alone wouldn't have been enough to support the project's continuation."

"That's fine."

Liu E couldn't help but sigh again:
"I have also heard about how I, the top scholar of the Song Dynasty, swindled a lot of gold from the Khitans, all for the sake of the disaster victims outside the city."

"I'm sorry you had to suffer."

"What's there to feel aggrieved about?" Song Xuan said nonchalantly.
“If the Khitans hadn’t provoked me, I wouldn’t have bothered with them.”

"Oh, so there's such a hidden story?"

"Correct."

Song Xuan then told Liu E about Yelü Zongfu's provocation; he was the grand-nephew of Han Derang, a Han Chinese.

Nowadays, people are given surnames, etc.

The real Khitans of the Liao Dynasty were indifferent to such matters, but the Han Chinese officials serving in the Liao Dynasty were eager to show off their choice, claiming that the Liao Dynasty was superior to their Song Dynasty in every way.

Liu E also didn't quite understand why they, who were of the same clan, had to come to this point.

Song Xuan then repeated what he had said to his fellow villagers here.

Empress Liu E never imagined that the relationships within the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun would be so complex.

Therefore, those who boast about recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun and claim that they will be welcomed with food and drink by many Han people are just imagining things.

Such a conclusion was something even Lü Yijian had never heard of before, and it immediately opened his mind.

"I never imagined that so many of the key points were like this."

Liu E sighed again. In any case, she hated war and only hoped that no large-scale conflict would occur on the border.

Ideally, the border troops should also avoid any unrest or disturbances.

Otherwise, once war breaks out, whether it's quelling internal strife or fighting external wars, she truly has absolutely no backbone.

That would force the government to take center stage, something Liu E was very unwilling to see.

"Thanks to Scholar Song for clearing up my doubts, otherwise I would still be in the dark and almost believed those who were clamoring to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun as soon as possible."

"Your Majesty, if our Great Song Dynasty truly has the strength to recover them, that would be fine. Otherwise, if things continue like this, the people of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun will be completely assimilated into the Khitan people."

Lü Yijian felt that Song Xuan was delusional. The alliance they had finally signed had lasted for over twenty years with peace and tranquility.

The happiest people would be the Han Chinese officials and scholars in the area if the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were to be recovered.

Song Xuan's words just now had already pointed this out.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. It's enough that we both know the situation."

Liu E waved her hand:
"I heard that the Liao emperor is already ill, so he probably won't be making any more trouble."

"I reckon that after so many years of fighting in the north and south, he was truly heartbroken when the late emperor passed away, and I know that too."

"Peaceful coexistence between the Song and Liao dynasties is the only proper thing to do; otherwise, once war breaks out, there will be great suffering and loss of life."

"What the lady says makes sense."

Lu Yijian echoed, "With the war between the Song and Liao dynasties reignited, the Western Xia will likely benefit."

The Western Xia Tanguts had even defeated the Khitans, and now they had their eyes on the Uyghur territory.

The Uyghurs' power was waning, and the Song Dynasty's assistance to them was too limited to address their immediate needs.

It's impossible to send troops to aid under the pretext of purchasing warhorses, just like last time.

Once the Western Xia people occupy the Uyghur territory, won't they covet the Song Dynasty's territory?

The Tanguts will only become more and more rampant.

"By the way, how's the preparation for the auction going?"

Liu E's requirement for the fish-catching contest was simply not to lose money, but she paid close attention to the auction that Song Xuan and Liu Congde had jointly organized.

After all, the girls she was sending out were all royal treasures, and she didn't want to lose face too much.

Song Xuan then said some key points, and mentioned that the Khitans would also be interested.

The rest were not said in front of Lü Yijian.

"That's good. Since the threshold of ten strings of cash has been set, I'll be satisfied if these things sell for one hundred thousand strings of cash."

Liu E understood that Song Xuan was in no hurry to hold the event because he wanted to promote it more and make it more interesting to many people.

After everyone chatted for a while, Liu E spoke again:
"Lord Lü, have you discussed when to meet the envoy?"

The issue of tribute should be brought to the forefront.

This is also why Song Xuan is able to be self-sufficient, which satisfies Liu E, given that there is not much tax revenue yet.

Once the new taxes are deposited into the treasury, there will be no need to worry about this small amount of money.

"I wonder when Your Highness will be able to spare the time."

Liu E thought for a moment and said, "Three days later."

Although she was to pay tribute to the Liao Dynasty, Empress Liu still decided to hold some grand ceremonies to avoid being looked down upon by the Liao Dynasty.

Especially during the tribute ceremony, the Liao envoys were required to follow complex court etiquette, present state letters, and convey the Liao emperor's greetings.

This is also a tacit understanding between the two parties, a social nicety where both sides have to give each other face.

Of course, this set of elaborate rituals was originally intended to seize the Song Dynasty's etiquette and legitimacy.

After giving Lü Yijian a specific time, Empress Liu turned to Song Xuan and asked:

"Three days, is that enough time for you to promote it?"

“That’s enough, Your Majesty. I would like to hold the auction in five days. This will give everyone some time to prepare and prevent it from seeming too coincidental.”

"Ah."

Liu E was still willing to believe Song Xuan's arrangements, after all, he had actually carried them out.

Song Xuan did not stay long either, and together with Lü Yijian, he took his leave.

The two walked together toward the gate of the imperial city, as their office, the prime minister's office, was also close to the gate.

“Scholar Song, I knew absolutely nothing about what happened today beforehand.”

Lü Yijian explained it again:
"You should also know that my brother-in-law is not so rational in handling some things."

"How could I possibly misunderstand Prime Minister Lü?"

Song Xuan still had a smile on his face: "If Chen Gu hadn't been so inactive, my skills wouldn't have been revealed."

Lu Yijian felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

He did want these people to achieve some political success; otherwise, with so many officials in the court, how could you possibly get a promotion?

Lü Yijian was completely unprepared for what Chen Gu was doing.

Now even Lü Yijian suspects that it's all the people with the surname Chen who are his nemesis!

They're all stubborn, each one more difficult to deal with than the last.

Lu Yijian watched as Song Xuan turned and went to the Privy Council, swaggering in, and then saw the people opposite him immediately greeting him. He felt quite helpless.

So he briefly explained the Empress Dowager's arrangements to Wang Zeng and the others, and then went straight home.

He didn't have to wait long before he called his brother-in-law, Chen Gu, to his home.

Chen Gu noticed that Lü Yijian was sitting there, just quietly waiting and watching him.

"Should I call him brother-in-law, or should I call him Prime Minister Lü?"

Upon hearing such unrepentant words, Lü Yijian immediately erupted:

"Chen Gu, what exactly do you want to do!"

"What?"

Chen Gu also said excitedly, "Song Xuan has done many things that violate the rules, so I can't impeach him?"

"Are you really jealous of him because he broke the rules?"

"I'm jealous of him?"

Lü Yijian's face turned bright red. He stepped forward and pointed at Chen Gu's nose:
"Can you guarantee that those high-sounding words you say are your true inner thoughts?"

Chen Gu had never seen Lü Yijian like this before. He subconsciously took a step back, but then felt his aura weaken.

Chen Gu then stepped his leg back:

"That is true."

"Fine, fine, fine." Lü Yijian took two steps back in anger.

"Even at this point, you're still being stubborn."

"For so many years I've been paving the way for you, making you feel like life is going too smoothly."

"Now you're deliberately making yourself miserable, trying to prove that you, Chen Gu, didn't get to where you are today because of me, isn't that right?"

(End of this chapter)