A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 419 What You Think Is What You Think
When the cave master said he wanted to eat Song Xuan's secret for a lifetime.

His four men each had a different expression.

Chi Yu never expected that the cave master could rely on this secret to live off Song Xuan for the rest of his life.

Even if he can't live off the food for a lifetime, as long as he can be resettled in Kaifeng County, that will be enough.

He just wants results and to continue making money.

"Master, your calculations are brilliant!"

Akabane quickly expressed his approval.

The strategist Bai Zhen pondered in his heart whether the cave master's deductions were true.

Even if that treasure was made by the skilled craftsmen under Song Xuan, there is no substitute for it; it is an unparalleled treasure!
Even if it wasn't made during the Tang Dynasty, what impact would it have had on the Khitans?
That was a top-secret technique that the Khitans couldn't replicate even after decades of practice!
This is a rare sight even in the Song Dynasty.

Especially since this is Tokyo, there are many merchants with millions of strings of cash, not to mention some military families who have been wealthy for generations.

This treasure might not necessarily be bought by the poor "Khitans"!
Is the cave master a little too confident?

If it were bought by a military general from our Great Song Dynasty, they wouldn't care whether it was from the Tang Dynasty or not; they would only take the opportunity to get closer to Song Xuan.

If the top scholar could introduce them to a son-in-law who had passed the imperial examination, that would be far more valuable than the money spent on the treasure.

Of course, Bai Zhen, as the strategist, only had doubts in her heart, but said aloud:

"Master, what you said is absolutely brilliant!"

Xiaofeng was quite dumbfounded.

He initially thought the cave master's words made some sense, but the last sentence seemed a bit arbitrary.

What kind of person is Song Xuan?
I've seen all the tricks he used when he was a child. Otherwise, why would everyone be in his shoes, since they're all older than him?

It's all because he's incredibly skilled!

The fact that the cave master could reveal Song Xuan's lifelong secret shows that he underestimated Song Xuan.

If he were to personally threaten Song Xuan, he would likely be killed on the spot by Song Xuan.

Upon careful consideration, that can be considered the cave master's entire life!
He wasn't lying; the cave master did possess extremely high levels of knowledge.

Xiao Feng pursed his lips, and seeing that the other two echoed him, he said:

"The cave master is indeed skilled at planning; we admire him."

Akabane glanced at the two of them; they were both better at flattery than he was.

Cang Lin raised an eyebrow.

He now has some doubts about whether the cave master behind the mask is the same cave master as before.
Could it be that he sent a stand-in to test everyone?
In Cang Lin's view, this was perfectly normal; the cave master was capable of doing such a thing.

He spent the longest time in Wuyou Cave and had previously discovered that the cave master was not the real cave master who came to the meeting, which made him somewhat suspicious at the time.

But later I realized that with the mask on, who would know the true face of the cave master?

However, the cave master knew what everyone looked like.

Moreover, how did the cave master come to such a brainless judgment at this moment?

Even if Song Xuan wanted to set a trap for the Khitans.

Who can guarantee that the Khitans were qualified to eat the bait?
In the eyes of some people in the Eastern Tokyo City, 300,000 taels of silver is nothing but a fart!
That means the Khitans were poor from top to bottom and had never seen much money.

The Song Dynasty gave them this little bit of money, like giving money to a beggar, and they were satisfied.

These are the reasons that Cang Lin wanted to say but couldn't bring himself to say.

But most importantly, we're all rats in the gutter, while Song Xuan is someone else entirely.
He's an official!
He was a high-ranking civil official in the Song Dynasty who achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations.

He doesn't even tolerate the Empress Dowager's in-laws, so why would he tolerate a shady rat like you?

Cang Lin coughed:
"Master, this matter needs further consideration."

"What?" The cave master of Wuyou Cave glanced at him:
"You think my idea won't work?"

The other three looked at Cang Lin, who was indeed the most powerful branch in Wuyou Cave.

He dared to contradict the cave master.

Hearing this unquestionable tone, Cang Lin forced himself to speak:
“Master, Song Xuan is not easy to deal with. He can mobilize not only the army, but also the Imperial Guard and the local militia.”

"If we try to threaten him, what effect will it have? It will only provoke his rebellious mentality and make him continue to pursue my Worry-Free Cave."

Now that Zhong Lijin, the prefectural vice-prefect of Kaifeng, has taken on this job, he has clearly slowed down and is busy with his own further advancement.

He didn't pay much attention to serious official business at all.

He was waiting to become the Prefect of Kaifeng so he could directly appoint Song Xuan to do the job for him; it would be better than doing it himself.

Song Xuan has already proven his ability in eradicating Wuyou Cave.

The Cave Master of Worry-Free Cave looked at Cang Lin through his mask: "Is that what you're thinking?"

"Indeed, Song Xuan is young and impetuous, and prone to acting rashly."

"Otherwise, they wouldn't have insulted Chen Yaozuo and beaten Ma Jiliang in the palace hall, and sentenced Wang Qixiong to death without even asking the Empress Dowager's opinion."

Cang Lin offered another explanation, stating that currently only the Azure Dragon Hall had not been affected by Song Xuan's attack.

Whether Xuanjia betrayed them or not, nobody knows.

It's inevitable that some people will suspect that he had long been colluding with Song Xuan and betraying the other three families, which is why he was able to escape unscathed.

"Oh." The cave master nodded. "So that's what you were thinking?"

“Cave Master, that is indeed the case.”

Cang Lin narrowed his eyes slightly: "Song Xuan is not easy to deal with, so we should not provoke him easily."

"hehe."

The cave master simply smiled and said nothing more.

Cang Lin pursed his lips, certain that the cave master was wary of him.

After all, the previous balance has been broken.

The strategist Bai Zhen immediately understood the true meaning behind the cave master's mindless words.

Whether or not it can threaten Song Xuan is actually not important at all.

The important thing is to test whether the four of them will listen to him as before and not question him.

This is a classic example of calling a deer a horse.

Only Cang Lin, the most powerful leader of the Azure Dragon Hall, dared to contradict the Cave Master.

This is the cave master's ultimate goal!
To quell external threats, one must first secure internal stability. The cave master also harbored suspicions about the people, believing that a ghost was being kept in his house.

Bai Zhen scrutinized Cang Lin, unable to understand whether he had truly colluded with Song Xuan long ago or harbored ambitions to rise in rank.

Xiao Feng dared not utter a sound, but he was conflicted in his heart.

Could it be that my elder brother colluded with Song Xuan even before I did?

Thinking about this made Xiaofeng feel extremely sad.

It was obviously me who came first.

As it turns out, his elder brother secretly colluded with Song Xuan, and may have already sold him out.

After all, he had such a large and wealthy family, and he had cleaned up his name early on, so his descendants still wanted to participate in the imperial examinations.

The other three branches were all devastated. Without any insiders, how could Song Xuan have achieved such precise strikes?

Xiaofeng made up his mind to go back tonight and contact Liu Yishou through him.

He needs to speed up the process of getting things done, otherwise it will really be like getting up early but arriving late.

Not to mention not being able to eat meat, they might not even be able to get a sip of meat broth.

"Cang Lin is right, Song Xuan is not easy to deal with."

The cave master remained silent for a moment, his voice still sinister: "Then do you have any good ideas on how to deal with him?"

"Reporting to the Cave Master, I haven't thought of anything at the moment."

Cang Lin also realized that he was acting rationally, but for Wuyou Cave at present, rationality should probably take a backseat.

Absolute obedience is the top priority.

"I didn't expect it to be so good."

The cave master said in a sarcastic tone:

"Right now, your Azure Dragon Hall is the strongest. If you have any ideas on how to deal with Song Xuan, you must tell me. Otherwise, you might surprise me."

"Yes."

Cang Lin suddenly felt a little sad; perhaps this was the downside of having too much influence.

Even if he tried to argue, he would be met with a rebuttal; they weren't thinking of him as a traitor.

By saying this, are you admitting you have something to hide?
After the meeting, the cave master immediately asked Xiaofeng to give him a gift.

Xiao Feng was taken aback. He was somewhat alarmed, but he obediently stood up.

This is a treatment we've never received before.

Cang Lin watched helplessly as his "little brother" was called away by the cave master.

Everyone knows that the White Tiger Hall is relatively weak, and Xiaofeng has always been led by him.

Akabane Karma stood up, glanced at Cang Lin, and became even more suspicious of him.

After everyone left, the strategist Bai Zhen shook his head:
"Cang Lin, what good are the things you just said?"

"Strategist, do you also think there's something wrong with what I said?"

"no problem."

Bai Zhen gave an affirmative answer: "But it is not your place to refute the cave master's words."

"Hey."

Cang Lin stood up and walked to the window, opening a small crack to look out. The cave master, along with Xiao Feng, led the crowd into the room.

Although it's getting cool in the mornings and evenings, there are still many people on the streets trying to make a living.

His gaze quickly lost sight of his target.

"Strategist, I suspect the cave master is an imposter."

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhen paused for a moment, then spoke:

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean a body double."

Cang Lin shook his head:
"I don't think the cave master would act so recklessly at a time like this."

"Is there something wrong with his health, and he doesn't want us to worry, so he sent a stand-in?"

The strategist gasped.

Sometimes he noticed that the cave master had become less profound.

So I never even considered that possibility.

Listening to Cang Lin's deduction now, he still felt that there was some truth to it.

"what do you think?"

Bai Zhen subtly reminded him, "Don't forget how the previous White Tiger Hall Master, Xiao Feng, died."

"What can I think? What do I dare to think?"

Cang Lin said with a rather helpless expression:

"The cave master is always elusive, who can figure out what he's thinking?"

"For so many years, he has never revealed even a trace of his true colors."

"What thoughts could I possibly have from my youth to my old age?"

"Right now, all I want is to survive under Song Xuan's butcher's knife. We're getting old, is a life of fighting and killing still suitable for us?"

"You can't even handle women anymore!"

"Nonsense," strategist Bai Zhen immediately retorted, "I can easily have sex with two women in one night."

"Yes Yes Yes."

Cang Lin was too lazy to argue with him: "You should drink less medicine, now you're even peeing on your shoes."

"You're slandering me."

Bai Zhen stepped forward: "Go and find two prostitutes right now."

"My bad, my bad."

Cang Lin didn't want to provoke the prodigal son any further: "The main thing is, what do you think we should do now?"

Bai Zhen stopped dwelling on his inability and, after thinking for a long time, shook her head: "Who knows what the cave master is thinking?"

"Even if your judgment is true, neither you nor I know how much of what that substitute said was the cave master's intention and how much was the substitute's intention."

"That's the most troublesome thing."

Cang Lin gently shook his head: "After so many years of working together, the Cave Master still doesn't trust us."

"After all, the cave master is a person from the palace. If we recognize him, it will probably be troublesome for him as well."

"No, do you really believe he's from the palace?"

Cang Lin decided to speak frankly: "I've always felt that the cave master was putting on an act on purpose."

As Cang Lin said, the Lord of Wuyou Cave never claimed to be a member of the imperial palace.

Bai Zhen remained silent, for the cave master was extremely wary of their core members.

No one knows for sure who among their acquaintances is actually the cave master's man.

Then, unexpectedly, he will end his own life with a single blow.

"This matter has really stumped me."

The strategist Bai Zhen shook his head slightly: "Don't think about it. If the cave master is recuperating, there's nothing we can do."

"My main concern is that you and I will be killed by this stand-in."

Cang Lin squinted his eyes:

"He actually tried to threaten an official, especially Song Xuan. Does he really think he's tied Song Xuan to the ground and that Song Xuan will agree to any conditions he sets?"

"You're being too blunt right now."

The strategist, Bai Zhen, also sighed and said:

"But it's normal to be approaching the age of fifty."

Xiaofeng returned quickly; he still needed to confirm this with his older brother.

"Brother, the cave master instructed me."

"what?"

"He just told me to do what he asked me to do: find a way to send a letter to Song Xuan and discuss the terms."

Listening to Xiaofeng's words, Canglin sat in the chair, his brows furrowed with deep sorrow.

"How is this any different from sending you to your death?"

"Does he really think Song Xuan is so easy to deal with?"

"madness."

"Doesn't this terrible idea just further confirm that the glass artifact treasured by the world came from the Worry-Free Cave?"

"He doesn't actually think that our Worry-Free Cave has a better reputation than Song Taisui, does he?"

"The people of Dongjing City listen to us, not to Song Taisui!"

"What are you thinking? What do you think he's thinking?"

"Stupid, so incredibly stupid!"

The other two dared not agree with such remarks.

The authority of the cave master.

That's beyond question.

Cang Lin stood up and lightly patted Xiao Feng's shoulder three times:

"You'd better wait until after the auction is over before you take a look. There's no rush."

"What if that glass treasure isn't bought by the Khitans? We shouldn't just hand it over to them ourselves."

Cang Lin actually felt that the cave master had been using such a long-winded pretense just to kill Xiao Feng, and suspected that his hideout had been raided by Song Xuan first.

Then there's the matter of his cooperation with Song Xuan, which couldn't be discussed openly with the strategist Bai Zhen present.

"I'll listen to my older brother."

Xiaofeng quickly assured him that he was actually a little excited.

After all, contacting Song Xuan at this time wouldn't arouse too much suspicion.

"I'm tired."

Cang Lin waved his hand, telling them to do as they pleased, as he was going back to rest.

Since Song Xuan took office as the magistrate of Kaifeng, the entire city of Tokyo has been transformed.

Those involved in the black and gray industries were all restricted and had no means of countermeasures. They could only keep a low profile and quietly wait for Song Xuan to leave office.

In the entire city of Tokyo, who the hell dares to compare the number of assassins with Song Xuan?

Those yamen runners couldn't wait to die in front of Song Xuan, so that his life could be exchanged for his family's wealth and glory, and for his descendants to have the path of taking the imperial examinations.

Even if you can't take the imperial examination, you can still join the Imperial Guard, which is much better than being a yamen runner.

Social mobility is not something that can be achieved in one or two generations, especially now that the Song Dynasty has enjoyed a long period of peace, even sons of military families cannot easily obtain military merits.

Not to mention ordinary people.

Especially since everyone comes out to make money, and they're always risking their lives, only a brainless thug would think that dying would be useful.

Little did they know that he died so that he could gain more benefits for himself.

The strategist Bai Zhen glanced at Xiao Feng but didn't say much. He planned to go to the brothel to listen to music, and there was still time.

As for what to do?
He's thinking about enjoying himself as long as he can, so he won't have any energy left and end up getting arrested and suffering.

Xiaofeng watched them leave one by one, then stood by the window again, letting the cold wind outside blow on him while concealing him in the darkness.

He is now somewhat conflicted.

Did my elder brother actually collude with Song Xuan all along?

If I were to communicate with Song Xuan, would I be punished?
These are all unknowns.

However, he found the cave master rather strange. Why was he suddenly being so enthusiastic towards him?
The cave master is well-informed; could he also know that he and Song Xuan are old acquaintances?
Many questions swirled in Xiaofeng's mind, refusing to dissipate.

The carefree days of the past are gone forever. Now, Song Xuan, their old acquaintance, is like a mountain weighing them down.

They became increasingly hesitant in their actions, and in the vast city of Tokyo, no matter how much they resisted, they feared they would have little place to hide.

Will Xuanjia continue to be stubborn?

Xiaofeng shook his head. "That's probably impossible. Who would be captured and not want to live anymore?"

People can make all sorts of promises in order to survive.

Xiaofeng has experienced this kind of thing more than once or twice.

He saw the strategist leave, and after a quarter of an hour, he confirmed that no one had returned.

Xiaofeng closed the window and knocked three times on Canglin's door.

"Enter."

Xiao Feng gently closed the door and stood to the side.
"Big brother."

"Hmm, that's quite clever." Cang Lin put down the Journey to the West book he was holding.
"Of all the stories written by the top scholar Song, my favorite is Journey to the West. Although it's about gods and Buddhas, it always feels to me like it's about officialdom." Xiaofeng wasn't very interested in this; he preferred Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Xiaofeng only liked the character Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven; he didn't like any other gods or Buddhas.

The main reason was that Song Xuan greatly admired the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, which influenced him.

"I don't quite understand what my older brother is saying."

Xiaofeng lowered his voice and said:
"And why did you say those things just now? What if it gets back to the cave master's ears?"

"I just want to test whether Bai Zhen will betray me."

Cang Lin stood up, walked to the candle, and trimmed it to make it brighter.
"I suspect that the cave master I'm talking about today is a fake, a stand-in."

"fake?"

Xiao almost cried out, but quickly covered his mouth:

"substitute!"

He almost sold the cave master to Song Xuan, and even found out where the cave master was staying, so he asked him to report any news separately.

That's why Xiaofeng was so excited.

Now that I hear what my elder brother Canglin said, isn't it because the cave master is also testing me?

Does the cave master suspect he's an undercover agent?
Xiao Feng's head was immediately covered in hot sweat.

If it weren't for my good brother's reminder, I would have almost fallen into the trap of the fake cave master.

The fact that he used that terrible idea to threaten Song Xuan is not important; what is important is to find the traitor!
“Yes.” Cang Lin stared at Xiao Feng and said:
"You wouldn't have really been recruited by Song Xuan and are trying to sell us out for your future, would you?"

"Brother, you know me well," Xiaofeng quickly said.

"I couldn't do such a thing."

Cang Lin did not continue the pursuit.

Have you forgotten how you got your position?

When you're out in the game, everyone talks about chivalry and honor, but all they really care about is money and profit.

What he says is not important; what matters is what he does.

“I know.” Cang Lin put down the scissors in his hand:

"Since you've been targeted by the cave master, be careful and don't make any more mistakes."

"The simultaneous destruction of the Xuanwu and Zhuque locations in Wuyou Cave was not something you said, but rather something your subordinates confessed."

"Therefore, you are the prime suspect, and someone is watching you from the shadows."

Logically speaking, Xiaofeng's subordinates shouldn't know the exact locations of these two locations. Either Xiaofeng leaked the information to them, or he wasn't discreet and would inevitably reveal it to others in the future.

Or perhaps Xiaofeng didn't actually escape and was caught by Song Xuan.

There are two possible outcomes, but not much difference between them.

Xiaofeng quickly expressed his gratitude for his good brother's reminder.

He almost actually stepped into the trap prepared for him.

He not only harmed himself, but also Liu Yishou and his entire family.

Xiaofeng didn't know what to do.

Since they've already been implicitly targeted, contacting Liu Yishou would be risky; his distinctive features would make him too obvious, and Chiyu's men would definitely track him down to his home.

Xiaofeng wiped the sweat from his brow. He had thought that the cave master had become suspicious of his elder brother Canglin, so he had called him out alone to keep an eye on Canglin.

What a clever scheme!

Xiaofeng thought that even if they managed to get through this dangerous situation smoothly, the seeds of doubt had already been sown.

Why not turn the tables on them?
I wasn't born into a good family, so I chose to seek wealth and status through risk—this is an age-old truth.

Xiaofeng raised his head and looked at Canglin:

"Brother, I do want to follow the cave master's advice and take a gamble, at least to prove my innocence."

Cang Lin sat down again and pondered for a long time.

Since he volunteered to go, it wasn't me who deliberately sent him to his death.

"There are dangers on both sides. You should carefully follow the cave master's instructions and see how it goes."

Cang Lin also sighed: "I will help you in secret as well."

"Thank you, brother."

Unable to sleep in the upper floors of Wuyou Cave, Liu E was also enjoying the cold wind by the window of her palace.

As she listened to Yang Huaimin's words, she couldn't hide the joy on her face.

“Indeed, Cong De has made great progress while following Song Twelve, and he can even come up with such a method.”

"I didn't believe in the saying 'one is influenced by one's surroundings,' but now I realize that what the sages said makes perfect sense."

Hearing Liu E praising Liu Congde, Yang Huaimin followed suit:

“What the lady says makes sense. Song Zhuangyuan’s classmates formed a study group with him, while Fan Xiang was always last in the entrance exam and almost failed to get in.”

"But he studied under the top scholar Song and managed to achieve a rare feat of passing the imperial examinations three times in a row, which was truly the envy of others. Not to mention that most of the students from Yingtian Academy who dominated the examinations were also students who studied with the top scholar Song."

"Most importantly, the Empress Dowager had foresight. If it weren't for her forcing Prefect Liu to befriend the top scholar Song, such a grand event would not have happened in the capital!"

Yang Huaimin's words were exceptionally pleasing to Liu E's ears.

"Whether it was the common people of Tokyo or the Khitans, they all believed that the Empress Dowager had taken the initiative to donate royal treasures and put them up for auction to help disaster victims."

Yang Huaimin smiled and said, "It's just using Liu Congde's name. Everyone knows that Prefect Liu would never have done something like this before."

"Furthermore, your reputation for upholding justice by eliminating your own family has become the talk of the town!"

Regardless of how things unfolded, this is the final outcome.

When they discussed this matter, they couldn't avoid the decision made by Empress Liu.

Therefore, it is perfectly normal for the people to praise the Empress Dowager.

Song Xuan wouldn't make such a blatant attempt to gain fame and win people's hearts.

It was perfectly legitimate for him to bribe his own subordinates, but it seemed somewhat deliberate to try and win over the common people.

As for the people's spontaneous gratitude, that was their sentiment and had nothing to do with Song Xuan.

"Oh dear, hahaha."

Liu E finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Who says women don't care about fame?
Wearing the dragon robe, Empress Liu was even more willing to let the people praise her policies as excellent ones.

When people pass by, they leave their names, and when geese pass by, they leave their voices.

No politician dislikes having their name celebrated by the people.

Especially positive praise.

Many of Yang Huaimin's words resonated deeply with Liu E.

"I didn't put in much effort in this matter; it was Song Twelve and my nephew who did all the running around."

Liu E felt only joy and comfort:
"I merely agreed to Song Twelve's plan and told him to go ahead and do it boldly. Whatever the outcome, I will back him up."

"Song Zhuangyuan is so young, many officials in the court do not believe that he can achieve anything, especially because of the issue of grain prices. I have also heard that they are impeaching him severely."

Yang Huaimin's face also showed a smug look:

"Fortunately, the Empress Dowager had a discerning eye and did not grant their wish by revoking Song Zhuangyuan's dual responsibilities."

“They all lack vision and just parrot what others say. If they had the ability, the Empress would have given them opportunities to gain experience long ago.”

Liu E smiled, and her words were truly pleasing to the ear.

Everyone likes to hear flattery, especially when everyone opposes it but I support it, and in the end, it turns out I was right.

Empress Liu E often disagreed with those officials, but she lost more often than she won.

Song Xuan did indeed make her look good.

Yang Huaimin's help in boasting here is also because he has new material to use.

"The top scholar of Song Dynasty earned 50,000 strings of cash in the fish-catching competition. I see those treasures are so popular."

"In particular, there is a glass piece made of a gyrfalcon that is especially eye-catching. This auction is likely to yield a profit of 500,000 strings of cash!"

Hearing Yang Huaimin's prediction, Liu E remained rational:
"Five hundred thousand strings of cash?"

"Yes."

"There's no need for that much. If I could earn half of it, I'd be happy."

"Another 70,000 to 80,000 strings of cash will be allocated to Song Xuan for disaster relief and river repair. The rest will be allocated to Huazhou, where the floods are even more severe."

Liu E looked at the lights outside:
"Once the autumn taxes are all collected, the court will be able to breathe a sigh of relief."

"They have no idea how much effort and stress it takes to govern a country. Fortunately, we have a capable minister like Song Xuan."

"This is because Song Zhuangyuan was lucky to have met you, who can make good use of him. Otherwise, even if Song Zhuangyuan had the abilities of Guan Zhong and Yue Yi, he would not have had the opportunity to show them."

Yang Huaimin's praise of people went around in circles, but it still ended up coming down to Liu E.

As long as Empress Liu is happy, his position will be even more secure.

Countless people in the palace coveted his position, wanting to replace him as the Empress's confidant.

"That's all."

Liu E waved her hand, not wanting to mention the matter again, but in reality she was very happy.

"Your Majesty, if we wait until the night of the auction, since you have nothing else to do, would you like to participate in this grand event? If you really do make a profit of 500,000 strings of cash, it might wake you up from your rest."

Liu E was very tempted by Yang Huaimin's suggestion.

Since the late emperor passed away, she has rarely gone out for walks.

They didn't even go to the emperor's mausoleum for the funeral procession; instead, other people took their place.

"That's fine."

Liu E's response was an indirect agreement, and Yang Huaimin quickly responded.

His main concern was that if too many people wanted to join in the fun, there wouldn't be enough private rooms available, which would be a real shame.

Inside the Kaifeng County Government Office.

Song Xuan looked at the work that Zhao Zhen had reviewed, and it was basically just some minor things that could be wrong.

He also wanted to draw it out and give Zhao Zhen pointers.

No need to be so meticulous; learn to focus on the big picture and let go of the small details.

Otherwise, you might easily exhaust yourself.

While Zhao Zhen was not as workaholic as Zhuge Liang or Zhu Yuanzhang, he was still a highly capable and diligent ruler.

Zhong Shiheng came over to express his gratitude.

Cao recommended him directly yesterday, and he learned of his appointment a little later.

Signed documents concerning the judges of Tongzhou and Fuzhou.

The first one is an abbreviation, belonging to the office of the judge of a certain prefecture. They were central officials sent to various prefectures by the Northern Song Dynasty. The second one is the right-hand man of the prefect.

The role of the judge implies that he is the actual person in charge, and his responsibilities extend beyond those of a judge.

Zhong Shiheng has been promoted; he used to be the prefect's deputy, but now he can make decisions on his own in some matters.

Any needs can be reported directly to the imperial court, since they were sent by the central government.

This also aligns with the Song Dynasty's policy of strengthening the central government and weakening local power, as such official positions would not be promoted from the local area to avoid the emergence of independent small kingdoms.

What pleased Zhong Shiheng most was that, for a mid-to-low-level civil official like himself, this position was an extremely important opportunity for experience and promotion.

If you perform well and have a recommender, it is very easy to be promoted to a government official in the capital.

For him, who did not obtain the Jinshi degree, this was the best opportunity to "change his official position," and it was also a major hurdle in the career paths of many officials.

"Fuzhou is an important border town, and this position carries a particularly heavy responsibility."

Song Xuan still poured Zhong Shiheng a cup of tea:

"Judge Zhong, the opportunity is right in front of you. It all depends on whether you can keep your mind focused and work hard to achieve something."

"Thank you, Scholar Song."

Zhong Shiheng was overjoyed; when he was exiled to Douzhou, he had been utterly despondent.

After all, he was directly framed and reduced to a commoner, losing his official position and any protection he could have.

Wouldn't that leave Wang Mengzheng, the eldest daughter-in-law, to be completely at her mercy?
But after his younger brother approached Song Xuan, Zhong Shiheng felt that his fate had taken a turn for the better and he was back on track.

"I will do my job well and will definitely not let Minister Cao down."

If something happens to Zhong Shiheng, his patron Cao Liyong will also be implicated.

In the Song Dynasty, this was the legal code.

Whether one is an official or taking the imperial examination, the person who vouches for the students is not allowed to commit a crime during the examination period.

Otherwise, he could directly affect the students' inability to take the exam, forcing them to wait until next year to find a good person to vouch for them.

"What's there to be ashamed of?" Song Xuan waved his hand.

“My father-in-law doesn’t care about that. It’s you who should do your job well, not only for yourself, but also for the court and the safety of tens of thousands of people on the border.”

"The Western Xia people are ambitious and have the intention to become emperors. The Song Dynasty will not allow it. There will inevitably be a war between the two sides, and perhaps the Liao Dynasty can be drawn into the conflict."

A chaotic war between the three kingdoms?

Zhong Shiheng couldn't believe it; it truly surprised him.

“Scholar Song, to be honest, even though Song and Liao are brotherly nations, Liao may not necessarily help us in dealing with the Western Xia issue.”

Upon hearing this, Song Xuan still held Zhong Shiheng in higher regard:
"You're right."

"Since we've started planning this so early, let's work towards that goal."

"As far as I know, the Khitan emperor suffers from a chronic illness and probably doesn't have many years left to live. The new emperor, upon ascending the throne, loves to show off his bravery."

"The 500,000 Khitans attacked and were defeated by the Western Xia. The Western Xia do not respect the Khitan emperor and want to declare themselves emperor. At that time, we should try our best to win over the Khitans to our side."

"Even if the Khitans don't go all out, they can still share some of the pressure, which is a win for our Great Song."

"Song Zhuangyuan's analysis makes sense."

Zhong Shiheng understood what he had said earlier: why he wanted to unite most of the people and then lead them to fight the Western Xia.

The Western Xia dynasty had a very small population, and it was already internally divided.

The official leader of the Dingnan Army had long since pledged allegiance to the Song Dynasty. Li Jiqian escaped with a few trusted confidants and rebuilt his power through marriage alliances and the annexation of other tribes.

"At that time, the Western Xia people will be isolated everywhere, without any help, and will be even more easily defeated by us."

"good."

Song Xuan said with great approval:

"You should go and focus on your work in the Northwest. I'll find an opportunity to go to the Liao Kingdom as an envoy to gather information about them and understand their internal conflicts in detail. Perhaps that will be of some use to me."

Zhong Shiheng nodded; he truly hadn't expected Song Xuan to have designs on the Liao Kingdom.

However, in such cases, when two sides are at war, there will always be one side that stands by and watches.

When the Khitans were defeated in their attack on the Western Xia, they did not continue the war because they were afraid that if the Song Dynasty learned of this, it would secretly break off its alliance and attack the Liao Dynasty.

After all, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, which they longed for, were a dream that permeated the hearts of every Song emperor.

This was also what the Liao Kingdom feared.

If both countries joined forces to attack Western Xia, then neither side would be so vigilant in Hebei and other areas.

Just as Song Xuan and the other man were chatting, Yang Huaimin arrived with a smile.

He was preparing to tell Song Xuan the good news.

Song Xuan bid farewell to Zhong Shiheng:

"If you are not in a hurry to take up your post, you can wait and watch Wang Qixiong be executed before leaving the capital."

"Thank you for the reminder, Scholar Song. I'm not in a hurry. I was planning to stay in Tokyo for a while."

“I heard from your brother that when your family divided the property, you only kept the books and distributed the rest of the money to your brothers. Now you have quite a few descendants.”

"There's no income from being exiled at home. Tokyo is big, and it's not easy to live here. I'll write you a note so you can take some money to get by."

"Scholar Song, how can this be?"

Zhong Shiheng stood up and quickly refused.

He already has five sons, and if all goes well, he could have three more.

The Zhong family has produced many talented generals and numerous famous generals.

"Why can't it be done?"

Song Xuan directly wrote a note for twenty strings of cash and handed it to Zhong Shiheng:
“I’m sentencing Wang Qixiong to death and fining him. The money will be confiscated. Consider this compensation for your losses.”

"It can't be that you've suffered all this, and all we get is your name cleared, without any financial compensation."

"It's all the government's money, not my personal funding for you. I'm not trying to win you over. Feel free to take it and spend it. If you need more, come back to me."

"this."

Instead of letting him make a choice, Song Xuan directly called out to Xu Xianchun, instructing him to take Zhong Shiheng to the household registration office.

The money in the account is quite plentiful now, only twenty strings of cash, and the price of grain is not high, which is enough for Zhong Shiheng to support himself in Tokyo for a while.

"Then thank you very much, Scholar Song."

Zhong Shiheng's whole family is now living off his younger brother.

"a piece of cake."

When Zhong Shiheng went out, he ran into Yang Huaimin.

"Eunuch Yang, please come in quickly."

"That person just now must not interfere with Master Song's handling of the case, or it would be my fault."

"Don't worry, Eunuch Yang. He is Zhong Shiheng, Wang Mengzheng's aggrieved client who was falsely accused and lost his official position. He has now been appointed and came to me specifically to express his gratitude."

Song Xuan poured tea with a smile as always: "In the end, the injustice has been redressed, and we are extremely grateful to the Empress Dowager."

"That would be great!"

Yang Huaimin has obtained another piece of material to praise the Empress Dowager, which he will surely be able to use in the future.

Song Xuan pushed the teacup towards him: "Eunuch Yang's sudden visit, could it be that he has more good news to bring?"

"Hahaha."

Yang Huaimin started laughing before he even stepped through the door:

"That's why we say that Scholar Song was a smart man."

"Don't know what it is?"

Yang Huaimin sat down and first mentioned Liu E's praise of Song Xuan, noticing that Song Xuan's expression showed he was thoroughly enjoying it.

"Song Zhuangyuan, so the Empress Dowager wants to come and watch you auction these fine treasures."

Song Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly: "Is the Empress Dowager coming too?"

"Yes." Yang Huaimin held up five fingers:
"I might be able to earn 500,000 strings of cash by praising the top scholar in front of the Empress Dowager, so she became interested and wanted to see it for herself."

"oops."

Song Xuan stood up: "Having made a profit of 500,000 strings of cash, Eunuch Yang, you're trying to ruin me and Prefect Liu!"

"what?"

(End of this chapter)