A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

第418章 这个秘密我吃一辈子（双倍月票投给我哈）
"Let's talk about it when we get back."

吕德懋发现了耶律庶成等人也在排队凑热闹。

This news certainly cannot be kept secret, and we must treat this matter with caution.

Inside the Ban Jing Hall.

Lü Demao began writing letters.

Yelü Gou'er, who was standing nearby, also knew the Khitan script.

待到吕德懋写完之后，还在画画，他才开口道：

"Are you worried that the value of this gyrfalcon will exceed the value of this year's tribute?"

"Of course."

After seeing the actual item, Lü Demao became even more convinced of its immense value and its great appeal to the emperor.

If they fail, they will not only lose their future, but also their lives.

Therefore, Lü Demao was naturally very nervous.

Although Yelü Gou'er was very tempted by the treasure, he still found it hard to believe when he heard Lü Demao give it such a high valuation.

Because a live, extremely fierce gyrfalcon was a symbol of status; unless bestowed by the emperor, no one else had the opportunity to use a gyrfalcon for hunting.

Even when gifts were given to the State of Song, sometimes an extremely precious gyrfalcon would be included.

辽国投其所好会送皇帝两匹好马，以及一些散马，还会送一些兵器。

This has always been a tradition of the Liao Dynasty.

Yelü Abaoji started sending weapons as gifts.

The weapons produced by the Song Dynasty are still not as good as those of the Liao Dynasty.

辽国早早就设立专门的官员打造武器，而宋朝的兵器制造就挂在三司下，并无专人管理。

相比于辽国，宋朝自然就没有多严格要求武器的质量。

From Emperor Renzong of Song down to his officials, everyone complained that the military equipment manufactured in the capital was simply not refined enough.

"A live gyrfalcon is so valuable that even a thousand pieces of gold couldn't buy it in the Liao Dynasty."

Lu Demao was drawing carefully, and took a moment to speak:

“南相爷，这里是大宋，宋人对于武器制造都不会精益求精。”

Do you think they would prefer a live gyrfalcon, or a gyrfalcon that they can handle at any time?

"Oh, how could this be?"

耶律狗儿觉得三十万岁币都不够买这一只海东青，着实是有些冷静下来。

He thought he was rich enough, but one of the Song people's treasures was worth more than all of his treasures combined.

这种心理落差可不是能够被轻易抹除的。

“Prime Minister, this is quite normal. In terms of writing poetry, our Great Liao is inferior to them, but in terms of iron smelting and weapon manufacturing, they are inferior to us.”

"We are inferior to them in terms of population and taxation, but in terms of armored and elite troops, our Great Liao is stronger than them."

Lü Demao then added a few more detailed strokes:

"The main difference lies in the different preferences of the Song and Liao dynasties, which led to different values ​​for certain things, making them not very comparable."

Yelü Gou'er looked at his meticulous painting and found that it did resemble the original quite well.

“但是这个琉璃宝贝，宋辽两国都是认的。”

Lü Demao emphasized another point:
“It was extremely precious in the Tang Dynasty.”

大辽自诩继承大唐的法统，耶律狗儿对于这话也是认同的。

"I still think it's too expensive."

"Prime Minister Nan, this is just a preliminary estimate, just in case."

吕德懋却是觉得不贵，要不然都没地方买去。

Moreover, the tribute paid by the Song Dynasty was intended to be directly consumed by the Khitan nobles and could not be taken back to the Liao Dynasty.

Now the annual tribute is all spent by the emperor alone; preserving his own wealth and future is of utmost importance.

As for the opinions of the other Khitan nobles, that's none of my business.

This letter was a preemptive measure taken by Lü Demao to avoid becoming a victim of political struggle.

In the Liao Dynasty, engaging in political struggles could truly mean physical annihilation of you, and it would also implicate your entire family.

Unlike the Song Dynasty's system of exile, at least it wouldn't immediately kill you, and you could still have a chance to turn things around.

The fact that Su Shi could survive being demoted repeatedly, even to the point of being exiled to Danzhou, is the worst possible outcome of factional strife.

"in case?"

"Yes, if so much money is used, will the others be happy?"

Yelü Gou'er took a few steps:

"You're right, we really need to be on the safe side."

He quickly stamped his personal seal on the letter, signifying his agreement to use the annual tribute, even if it wasn't enough, to use next year's tribute.

In short, everything was obtained for free from the Song Dynasty, so there was no heartache at all.

As for the other nobles being unhappy, their unhappiness is not important; what matters most is His Majesty's happiness.

After Yelü Gou'er finished stamping the document, he spoke:

“还得是你，要不然我都糊涂了，极大可能会做出错误的决定。”

Lu Demao simply smiled and said nothing more, instead ordering someone to send the letter away as quickly as possible.

Even if the letter doesn't reach the emperor before the auction, as long as it's sent out, it's like having insurance for yourself.

Whether it was Yelü Shucheng or Yelü Zongfu, Xiao Xiaoxian went to join the fun and see this so-called gyrfalcon.

They all envisioned how they could win His Majesty's favor if they could buy him back.

他们个个都起了心思，要来找正使耶律狗儿询问什么时候去领取岁币，他要尽快拿到自己分配的那个份额。

Only in this way can we have the capital to auction off that glass gyrfalcon.

If they only bring some gold leaves, it won't be enough to buy anything. One gold leaf can only buy about three VIP tickets, and there's still money left over to buy a pot of good tea.

Following the excuses prepared in advance by Lü Demao, Yelü Gou'er shifted all the blame onto the Song people.

In fact, the Song people had already prepared warehouses. Spending a little money could prevent another war from breaking out, which was a profitable deal.

尤其是目前大宋不搞天书运动那些费钱的项目，国力也在缓慢的上涨。

Yelü Shucheng received a reply from Emperor Yelü Longxu, and he returned to his room in great excitement.

Yelü Longxu directly praised him for using literature to communicate with the top scholars of the Song Dynasty and for extracting key information about this treasure.

Especially those from the Tang Dynasty, they were simply a gift from heaven to the Liao Dynasty. It was only right that our Liao Dynasty had the opportunity to obtain the treasures of the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, Yelü Longxu instructed Yelü Shucheng to cooperate with Yelü Gou'er in completing this task.

News had already been sent back from Tokyo by spies.

Yelü Shucheng raised his head; Song Xuan was right after all.

Not only were there spies from the Western Xia in the capital of the Song Dynasty, but there were also quite a few spies from the Liao Dynasty.

Otherwise, His Majesty wouldn't have known about this treasure beforehand, and wouldn't have secretly dispatched Yelü Gou'er and Lü Demao to handle the matter.

Yelü Shucheng felt that he had also contributed, and given the scale of the event, this treasure would surely attract a lot of attention. He wondered if he could buy it with the gold that his younger brother had brought.

Since His Majesty has decided to pay with annual tribute, Yelü Shucheng is in no hurry to give them this letter to read.

He was waiting for his younger brother, Yelü Heshang, to arrive with the gold so he would have a better idea of ​​what was going on.

At this time, because the tribute was not issued in time, the Khitan nobles outside had begun to make a fuss, saying that they would go to the Song people to demand an explanation.

Yelü Shucheng, however, had some understanding. He had also seen Yelü Gou'er and the others visit Fanlou, and now that they weren't going to collect their annual tribute, they were also planning to do the same.

Nobody knows exactly how valuable it is.
Yelü Shucheng realized that he had gained the upper hand through Song Xuan, and that this connection alone far surpassed that of everyone else in the Khitan delegation.

As for the Han people like Yelü Zongfu, they all looked down on the Song people, disdaining to share the same customs as the Han people. They probably thought that even when gathering information in the capital city, they were not as good as a Khitan.

耶律庶成顿时有些想要发笑，毕竟在官场上厮混，那必须是要有眼力见，能够获取陛下欢心，才是最快的升官方式。

Anyone can see that His Majesty definitely likes that treasure.

现在都闹着要钱，却不说花钱的目的，就是想要自己独吞功劳。

"Fools."

Yelü Shucheng felt that studying Han classics from a young age was the right choice.

Since the Song and Liao dynasties have signed an alliance and haven't fought each other for so many years, it will be even more difficult for them to fight in the future.

不如好好学会同宋人交朋友，才能更有利的反哺自己在大辽的官场上更进一步。

Therefore, Yelü Shucheng couldn't understand for a moment why Yelü Zongfu and other proper Han people had such a bad attitude towards the Song people.

It's completely unnecessary.

It's getting more and more noisy outside; everyone's arguing and trying to get an explanation from the Song people.

Because the gyrfalcon's treasure was so precious, and because of its advantage as a spiritual totem, they subconsciously ignored the introduction of the perfume.

In fact, currying favor with the Empress was also a viable path. The Empress's power in the Liao Dynasty was extremely large, and eventually it all became the power of the Empress Dowager.

Led by Yang Chongxun, the Song soldiers outside the door barged in and stared at them coldly.

It's getting dark, why are you still causing trouble? What are you up to?
Yelü Gou'er opened the door and shouted:
“全都给我滚回屋子里去，要不然我宰了你们。”

"When to receive the annual tribute is my decision. Who dares to cause trouble again?"

Xiao Xiaoxian then confirmed it.

It turned out that it wasn't the Song people's fault, but rather Yelü Gou'er's desire to claim all the credit for buying that glass artifact.

"Humph."

Xiao Xiaoxian's face showed anger, and he went straight back to his room to think of a solution.

As for the others, they were threatened by Yelü Gou'er and dared not retaliate on the spot, so they went back sullenly.

Seeing that he had intimidated the crowd, Yelü Gou'er told Yang Chongxun to leave to avoid any misunderstanding.

Yang Chongxun found it amusing, as this was the first time the Khitans had staged such a farce over an unequal distribution of spoils.

He didn't know why Yelü Gou'er chose not to collect the tribute immediately.

待到班荆馆内再次回复平静后，女真人国晏端也轻轻关上了窗户，他不知道契丹人为什么要分岁币。

但是在樊楼展出的海东青他也去看了，对于契丹人的吸引力不是一般的大。

“爹，他们这是？”

因为契丹人一直都在吃喝玩乐，对于他们这些女真人并没有放在眼里。

In contrast, the Jurchens were practically destitute. If it weren't for the Song Dynasty providing them with food, they wouldn't have enough to eat, let alone have the money to go out and have fun.

The Song Dynasty is currently keeping them in the embassy, ​​and they don't know when they will be summoned.

The Khitans, who came later, were the first to be summoned.

"I don't know." Guo Yanduan shook his head repeatedly.

"Who knows what's going on? It would be better if they fought like dogs and a few of them died."

Guo Yanyu didn't respond; he was well aware of his father's hatred towards the Khitans.

However, I am currently too weak to take revenge.

After the Khitans stopped making noise in the courtyard, they walked around the house trying to figure out what to do.

Yelü Shucheng knocked on Yelü Gou'er's door.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow. Get lost."

“南相，我是耶律庶成，有消息要告知。”

Lü Demao opened the door with a smile and invited him in:
"It was too noisy just now, and the Prime Minister is a little angry. Don't take it to heart."

"a piece of cake."

Yelü Shucheng turned around and closed the door, then walked over with a smile and sat down.
"Prime Minister, I have a secret letter from His Majesty here, and I would like to show it to you."

Upon hearing this, the two of them immediately became restless.

他怎么能比自己先收到陛下的亲笔书信呢。

What's the hidden story behind this?
Yelü Gou'er no longer wore a dog-like expression, but instead asked with a smile, "Where is it?"

Yelü Shucheng took the letter written to him by the Emperor of Liao from his bosom and handed it to Yelü Gou'er to read.

耶律狗儿十分小心的接过信件，他发现信封开了，便明白是陛下给耶律庶成写的，然后他按照陛下的意思交给他来看的。

Lü Demao also took a candle and went over to help light the way, and also to see what the emperor had written.

After Lü Demao finished reading, he narrowed his eyes and sized up Yelü Shucheng.

"I never imagined that you, Yelü Shucheng, would have such a close relationship with Song Xuan?"

"We started talking about it that day, and I decided to go and take a look."

"Today I saw you go to him to compose and exchange poems, but he said he was not good at poetry. I thought the relationship between you two was very strained."

“是你去热脸贴冷屁股呢。”

"I only realized afterward that it was my inappropriate wording that displeased Scholar Song."

Yelü Shucheng had a smile on his face.

Anyway, I was the one who discovered it first and touched it myself.

吕德懋也明白为什么耶律和尚总是不见了身影。

Others thought that Yelü the monk had been killed, but he did not believe it.

Because Yelü Shucheng showed no sign of anxiety.

Therefore, Lü Demao immediately realized that Yelü the monk had been sent back to Nanjing by Yelü Shucheng to raise gold and silver, intending to bid for this treasure on his own.

However, His Majesty's letter arrived first, which allowed Yelü Shucheng to explain things clearly to the two of them.

"Good, it seems His Majesty really likes this treasure."

Yelü Gou'er had a better idea of ​​what to do.

Otherwise, he might be able to suppress this group of people for a while, but he couldn't suppress their constant desire to cause trouble.

With His Majesty's letter in hand, we can definitely keep them quiet at crucial moments.

"What do you plan to do?"

Lü Demao looked at Yelü Shucheng and felt that Yelü Shucheng had come alone because he did not want to share the credit with the others.

In particular, this letter solved their immediate problem.

"What ideas do I have?"

Yelü Shucheng wore a calm smile:

"If it weren't for Your Majesty, I would have also caused a scene with those people outside. I never imagined that the Prime Minister also carries an important mission."

Yelü Gou'er sighed. Such a major event must not be publicized, otherwise the price of that treasure would inevitably rise uncontrollably.

How much gold and silver have you raised?

“Vice Envoy Lü, I don’t know either. I can only try my best to raise funds, after all, my family is not well-off.”

Yelü Shucheng's biggest expense was buying books, and these things were very expensive in the Liao Dynasty.

除了获取科举外的书籍是平价，其余书籍都是要靠花重金买走私渠道才能获取。

"The Southern Chancellor intends to buy it with annual tribute, which is why he is not collecting it in time, lest he lose control and they take it away."

"You are very kind, Prime Minister Nan."

吕德懋又继续问道：

"Yelü Shucheng, could you perhaps go and inquire about the price with Song Xuan again?"

"Price?" Yelü Shucheng's face showed a strange expression:
"He had already said that the highest bidder would win. This money was not only intended for disaster relief and river repair, but it was entirely a way for the Kaifeng County government to raise funds on its own, and none of it was turned over to the national treasury."

"hiss."

Lu Demao still found it hard to believe that Song Xuan dared to establish an "independent kingdom" right under the emperor's nose in Tokyo.

They don't hand over any of the money they earn to the national treasury.

"How could he be so bold?"

“大娘娘早就放权给他，东京城治河与赈济灾民的事全都让他宋煊一个人干了。”

Yelü Shucheng had some understanding of this matter:

"Others would find it difficult to take on the task, but Song Xuan handled it so well. The Empress Dowager will surely support him."

"Moreover, Song Xuan and Liu Congde, the nephew of the Empress Dowager, jointly organized this auction. All those royal treasures were provided by this man."

"I see."

After attending the banquet, Lü Demao hurriedly went to visit Fanlou without inquiring about any further information.

They were afraid of leaving behind the news that the Khitans greatly admired this treasure.

He discovered that these idlers in Tokyo were quite capable.

You can buy information from him, and he can also sell your information to others for profit.

In short, no information can remain unsold unless he is dead.

However, there were many idle men in Tokyo who relied on this for a living, so they had virtually no opportunity to kill.

"Then why don't you go and find out from Song Xuan, and try to make sure his asking price doesn't exceed 300,000 guan?"

Yelü Gou'er made his request: "Otherwise, we might not have enough money."

“Prime Minister, this is probably not something that Song Xuan can decide alone.”

"I made a special effort to find out about Liu Congde today. He is a nephew of the Empress Dowager and does all sorts of evil things. He even dared to snatch the Emperor's women to be his concubines."

“再加上宋煊又是用他的地盘进行买卖，许多宝贝都是刘从德的，他们之间还要分润。”

"Liu Congde's behavior suggests he's not a kind person."

Lü Demao and Yelü Gou'er exchanged a glance.

They could hardly believe that someone would dare to force the emperor's wife to become a concubine.

就算事契丹人的婚姻，那也是得等父亲死后，儿子才能纳庶母为妻，兄长死后，弟弟可以纳嫂子为妻。

Of course, this practice was despised by the Han people, so the Liao Dynasty had laws against it. However, with the current emperor, in order to maintain the ruling position of the Khitan people...

Eight or nine years ago, an edict was issued prohibiting the three branches of the Hengzhang clan from marrying members of the lower clans, but the rule that one could marry a widowed sister-in-law was not abolished.

"Is what you said true?"

Yelü Gou'er expressed his doubts.

大辽都没有这么狂野的臣子，只有最狂野的太后，为了清洗大批臣子，然后砍下自己的手臂陪葬耶律阿保机。

"Everyone in the entire city of Tokyo knows about this. If the Prime Minister doesn't believe it, he can spend some money tomorrow to find a layman to investigate further."

Yelü Gou'er had already witnessed the group of idlers at Fanlou; they really did get things done for money.

吕德懋是认同的：“看样子这南朝也有许多我们不知道的利害关系。”

"Correct."

Yelü Shucheng also said that this was the first time he had heard of it, and it completely refreshed his worldview.

The emperor of the Song Dynasty is so young, but he should not swallow this insult.

He believed that Liu Congde would inevitably be purged in the future.

"We don't have much capital, so we need you to go out and find out more so that we can have a better understanding of the situation."

耶律庶成当然不会主动说出来，让他们拿明年的岁币，只是说自己这里尽量凑钱，能够买下来最好。

Lü Demao nodded, hoping to spend less, but he felt it was unlikely.

If it's done secretly, it might work.

However, Song Xuan's grand exhibition allowed everyone in Tokyo to feast their eyes on it. Even if 100,000 people spent money to see it, it would still generate hundreds of guan in revenue.

Even if a few hundred wealthy businessmen stay behind and pay more for tickets to get those so-called member seats, they still make a lot of money.

Lü Demao greatly admired the business acumen of the Song people.

He had never heard of any of these ways to make money before; it was truly an eye-opener for him.

After Yelü Shucheng achieved his goal, he also said that he would go to Song Xuan to find out more useful information. Yelü Gou'er excitedly saw him off at the door.

This is unprecedented treatment.

耶律庶成脸上喜色不减，慢悠悠的离开。

After everyone left, Lü Demao spoke:
“Prime Minister Nan, if he hadn’t received His Majesty’s personal letter, he would have wanted to take all the credit for himself.”

"That's an unfounded statement," Yelü Gou'er said nonchalantly.

"Actually, when I first saw that glass piece of gyrfalcon, I had the same thought."

“他如今身上也没有官职，要不是陛下身体有病了，让他来偷偷背下来大宋医书，耶律庶成能够随我们一起来吗？”

"I reckon that, given His Majesty's temperament, he will likely be coming to the Song Dynasty for a long time to collect medical books, memorize them, and bring them back to the Liao Dynasty. Perhaps we can find a folk remedy to treat His Majesty's illness."

Lu Demao also knew about diabetes, and he had heard that there seemed to be no cure for the disease.

But who would risk their life to tell an emperor that their illness is incurable?
Fortunately, everyone still has the "Southern Dynasty" as a place to find hope.

After all, this is the Central Plains, where medicine is more advanced than in the Liao Dynasty.

“The Southern Prime Minister is right. Yelü Shucheng also wanted to have a higher official position when he entered officialdom, and he was willing to give up all his family wealth for this. It is truly something that ordinary people cannot do.”

面对吕德懋的赞许，耶律狗儿不以为然。

Yelü Shucheng's father was the Grand Tutor, so his official position wouldn't be low; he would only have a brighter future.

现在大辽上下，谁不想要讨好皇帝啊？

Therefore, there is no need to criticize Yelü Shucheng's petty intentions.

If it weren't for his visit, Yelü Gou'er wouldn't have dared to make such a big decision. It was only after Lü Demao finished writing that he dared to affix his seal.

After all, he had made a better choice between offending others and offending the emperor.

Inside Fanlou.

Liu Congde stood on the third floor, still looking down.

Song Xuan finished his meal here, but people were still queuing up to visit Fanlou.

“Scholar Song, I think someone has come to see this place more than once.”

Liu Congde narrowed his eyes: "Are you scouting the location?"

"You have a point."

Song Xuan was too lazy to refute:
"In two hours, we will stop letting people visit. We need to put all these treasures away to prevent them from being stolen."

"it is good."

Liu Congde called Manager Qian over and asked him to estimate the number of people in the team based on two hours.

The people behind them told them to come back tomorrow.

Although Fanlou never closes at night, for the safety of these treasures, it is necessary to start closing the store for the first time ever.

After receiving the order, Manager Qian personally took charge of the task.

Once there were only a few people around, Liu Congde said excitedly:
“Scholar Song, I estimate that these treasures could fetch a million strings of cash.”

Earning a million strings of cash in three days—this is a business that makes so much money! Even Liu Congde couldn't make this much money reselling Phoebe zhennan wood!

It's said to be three days, but actually the first half of the night on the third day is the real time to make money.

如今这些时间，算不得什么太大的支出。

"One million strings of cash?"

Song Xuan snorted and laughed:
"In my estimation, Prefect Liu should make a higher estimate, lest the warehouse for storing money is not enough."

"Oh dear, hahaha."

Liu Congde grinned so hard his back teeth were showing; he had never done such a profitable business before.

He was radiating excitement from the inside out, showing no signs of fatigue.

"I dare not easily respond to what Scholar Song said."

刘从德抿着嘴都不自觉的想笑。

This is all based on my own abilities, so I should at least get half of it.

"By the way, if we sell things here, do we still need to pay taxes?"

"Of course I'll go!"

Song Xuan glanced at Liu Congde:
“We’ll pay a small tax and leave a lot of money behind. Now, no matter how the other officials try to get their hands on this money, it will be in vain.”

"Prefect Liu, compared to a million strings of cash, how much tax can you possibly pay?"

"Yeah, hehehe."

刘从德还从来没有上税的习惯，但是因为以前上税这事，被宋煊提干过后，就留下了心理阴影。

He might be bold enough to not pay taxes in other people's jurisdictions, but when doing business with Song Xuan, he still had to abide by the rules.

宋煊也觉得累了：
"I won't be coming tomorrow. Please keep an eye on things. I didn't go to the county office today under the pretext of communicating with the Khitans."

“When our auction day falls on a weekend, I’ll come and help you prepare in advance.”

"Good good."

刘从德摆摆手，让宋煊自己个走，他要把这群宝贝全都卖出去。

They had never thought of "counterfeiting" before, since they had no idea how many palace treasures the Empress had bestowed upon them.

Liu Congde was also dishonest, packaging Song Xuan, last week's darling, as being from the Tang Dynasty era.

He also mixed in some folk treasures, packaging them as gifts from the royal family.

Song Xuan went home to rest. Some people who were queuing up learned that Fanlou was going to close for the sake of its treasures. After being persuaded to leave, they refused to go.

有闲汉就想要睡在门口，然后把自己的位置卖给其余想看的人，当黄牛这个活，可不是突然就出现的。

Zuixian Tower.

无忧洞洞主再一次召集了会议。

He still wore a mask, and although the tea in front of him smelled fragrant, he never ate or drank outside.

Not to mention that there are few people now who use fingerprint extraction to solve cases, even if there were, many officials in the Song Dynasty would not be able to master this technology.

Although nowadays, when signing or affixing a document, one must leave their entire palm print.

"Tell me, how many treasures do you actually have in your hands?"

The gyrfalcon glass piece was said to have been seized from the Wuyou Cave.

He had never witnessed this before, and he knew that his subordinates would hide money from each other, but he had turned a blind eye to it in the past.

I never expected they would dare to hide such a treasure; they are simply audacious!

“Cave Master, you know me.”

Seeing that the cave master was staring at him, Xiaofeng, the leader of the White Tiger Hall, spoke first:
"Although I have served as the hall master for the shortest time, I have worked diligently and have never had such an opportunity to find a treasure before!"

The Cave Master of Worry-Free Cave nodded, then looked at Chi Yu, the Hall Master of Vermilion Bird Hall, who had almost been captured.

“Cave Master, you know me.”

Akabane quickly explained:
“I usually only manage to place people and train spies, so I rarely have the opportunity to directly connect with those fat sheep. The shops I run are mostly frequented by merchants who don’t have enough money.”

The cave master of Wuyou Cave nodded, then looked at the strategist Bai Zhen.

“Cave Master, you know me.”

Bai Zhen quickly spoke up:

"I've always only enjoyed playing with women and received a fixed monthly allowance. I've never associated with any merchants, let alone had the opportunity to acquire this priceless treasure."

The cave master nodded, then looked at Cang Lin, the leader of the Azure Dragon Hall, who had been watching the spectacle.

"I?"

苍鳞不可置信的指着自己道：
“Master, my Drunken Immortal Pavilion is impregnable. Song Xuan has not been able to find its whereabouts to this day, and it is impossible that it was taken from here.”

Someone lied to me.

Upon hearing this, the people at the table exchanged glances.

到底谁才是真正的背叛者？
Xiao Feng was the most tense.

他虽然打定主意要投靠宋煊，靠着眼前这几个人换取他将来的锦绣前程。

However, he hasn't contacted Song Xuan yet, so the cave master couldn't possibly have discovered him.

所以他整个人都绷着，一旦发现不对，就直接冲过去控制洞主。

He's always so mysterious, is he really someone from the palace?

The cave master of Wuyou Cave observed his four subordinates through the mask.

"You all know who it is."

几个人脸上流露出难以置信之色，当真不知道，或者说心里有猜测也不会率先说，就等着洞主一声令下。

Who knows if a fight will break out in a moment?
"Who?" Cang Lin asked, mustering his courage. "I hope the cave master will enlighten me."

The cave master of Wuyou Cave sized up the group. The team was becoming difficult to manage; everyone was on edge. If this wasn't dealt with soon, something terrible might happen.

"Of course it's Song Xuan."

"Song Xuan?"

Xiaofeng breathed a sigh of relief, but also looked puzzled:
"Cave Master, how could it be him?"

The other three also felt that the cave master's words were cryptic and didn't understand what he meant.

Indeed, everyone had their own suspicions about the traitor, and some were extremely disappointed when the cave master announced the answer.

"If it wasn't him, then it could be one of you?"

The cave master of Wuyou Cave wore a smile on his face:

"If such a precious treasure had been obtained by our Worry-Free Cave beforehand, word of it would have spread long ago."

"How could this possibly be kept secret?"

"But don't you find it strange that Song Xuan suddenly took out this treasure?"

面对洞主的提问，苍鳞当即附和道：
"It's really weird."

"Such a treasure of the world could not possibly appear out of thin air."

"Could it be a royal treasure?"

The strategist Bai Zhen mentioned it briefly:
“I went to see it. Not only was there a piece of glass, but there was also a bunch of rotten grapes, which was also glass. That one was quite valuable.”

“皇家宝贝，能被宋煊拿出来，我觉得不大可能。”

Akabane shook his head repeatedly: "Liu Congde is such a miserly person, such a treasure would never have fallen into his hands."

Akabane had also planted spies among the Liu family's servants, so he was aware of some of Liu Congde's actions.

He loves to go into the vault and count money; he never gets tired of it.

像这种视财如命的人，把这等宝贝拿出来，就显得十分不正常。

"That came from Song Xuan."

无忧洞洞主极为肯定的道：
“Song Xuan had skilled craftsmen who could make glass. His business in Nanjing, Yingtian Prefecture, involved gambling equipment made of transparent glass.”

"Therefore, this item must have been made by one of his subordinates."

Upon hearing this, Xiaofeng's eyes lit up. He knew, of course, that those who were with Song Xuan were the same people who had escaped from Wuyou Cave together before.

I wonder who possesses this skill.

So many years have passed, Xiaofeng is somewhat hesitant to acknowledge them, and even somewhat unrecognizable to them.

Xiaofeng is now certain that the people who followed Song Xuan are living quite well.

"what?"

Cang Lin was dumbfounded; he truly hadn't expected Song Xuan to have such a skilled craftsman under his command.

"How is this possible!"

“是啊，宋煊有这门手艺，他早就该卖大钱了，怎么可能以前还要靠着卖凉浆过活？”

No one understood, but no one dared to directly refute the cave master's judgment.

无忧洞洞主微微一笑：“经过我的观察，宋煊此人极其谨慎，他年幼把握不住这门生意，所以就选择沉寂下来。”

"After he left his hometown of Lema Town, he immediately used this skill again, falsely claiming that he had bought it from Guangzhou and other places by sea."

"But less than a year later, a man surnamed Lei in Nanjing also acquired this kind of glass and even partnered with Song Xuan to sell Sanxingcai."

"Once is normal, but if it happens two or three times, then this excuse doesn't hold water. Why should he always get all the good things?"

"If such a good thing really existed, it would only be the turn of someone as powerful as Liu Congde, not Song Xuan."

Several people nodded in agreement: "The cave master is right."

"I never expected this."

“确实，宋煊他太狡猾了。”啸风赶忙追加一句。

As for whether it's true or not, they have no evidence and can only agree.

“又是绝世珍宝，又是海东青的。”

The cave master of Wuyou Cave squinted and said:
"I suspect that Song Xuan and Liu Congde deliberately set up a trap to steal the annual tribute from the Khitans."

These words made Cang Lin even more convinced that the cave master was someone from the palace and was truly well-informed.

Even when the cave master spoke to him, he didn't think about it in that way.

The group looked at each other, wondering if they were going to tip off the Khitans.

“洞主，那咱们该怎么办？”

Xiaofeng boldly asked the question, actually wondering if this was an opportunity to make a contribution.

“Song Xiang has also started serving as the magistrate of Xiangfu County. My informant told me that he went to see Song Xuan on the very day he took office.”

"Therefore, I suspect that after this auction ends, Song Xiang will replicate Song Xuan's methods and carry out rectification of Xiangfu County, and our activities on the ground will be greatly restricted."

“他凭什么要帮他？”苍鳞压低声音：
"They were all successful in the imperial examinations, and Song Xiang became an official much earlier, so he would definitely suppress Song Xuan."

"The two of them are related."

洞主再次抛出一个重磅消息，让几个人越发确信洞主是在宫中厮混，要不然绝对无法知道这么多内幕消息。

However, the fact that he could freely enter and leave the palace suggests that his position must have been quite high.

“若是祥符县也复刻开封县。”军师白鸩摇摇头：

“My living space in Wuyou Cave will be further compressed. If we really have to retreat underground, decades of planning will be in vain.”

"Yes." The Cave Master of Worry-Free Cave nodded.

"So I plan to discuss a business deal with Song Xuan."

Upon hearing this, the pupils of the other four people contracted, all unable to believe their ears.

Would someone like Song Xuan make a deal with the cave master?
“洞主，当真不是在开玩笑？”

Cang Lin coughed lightly: "Then Song Xuan is probably mortal with evil; he can't tolerate any wrongdoing."

"Bullshit, they can't tolerate a speck of dust in their eyes."

洞主哼笑一声：
“宋煊眼里真容不住沙子，他也就不会雇佣监狱里那些犯人给他干活，更不会与杀了人被充军之人喝酒吃饭成为好友。”

Xiaofeng felt that the cave master was extremely terrifying.

Because he also believed that Song Xuan really did things without any method, and no one could guess what he was thinking.

Just like the cave master, he had tried to follow him many times, but he dared not make a move that would alert him, and thus lost track of him.

The cave master's abilities and thinking are clearly too superb. It's best to be careful, lest you be purged before you even have a chance to turn against him.

“不知道洞主要如何做，我等定然全力支持。”

Xiaofeng's face showed excitement: "I finally managed to settle down in Xiangfu County again. If something happens again, sigh."

“其实也没什么，待到拍卖会结束后，我就是跟他说他所谓的宝贝是他半月前做出来的，却卖给了契丹人高价。”

"If this matter reaches the ears of the Khitans, they will definitely feel cheated and taken advantage of. If the two countries go to war again, I don't know if the court will abandon Song Xuan to quell the matter."

The cave master of Worry-Free Cave wore a sinister smile:

"I could live off this secret for the rest of my life!"

(End of this chapter)