A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 426 Wrangling
After receiving a few words of healing from Song Xuan, Zhang Shixun now feels extremely comfortable all over.

All the pent-up emotions I'd been holding in for the past few days were swept away.

I never imagined that I would be seen as such a magnificent figure of "calculation without error" in Song Xuan's eyes!

Zhang Shixun reacted so strongly.

It's true, who said that score was due?

If Cao Liyong said it, it would be a joke and wouldn't count.

But when these words came from Song Xuan's mouth, they were like nectar, possessing the remarkable effect of curing the disease without any treatment.

Who is Song Xuan?
He was recognized as a very intelligent person throughout Tokyo.

He almost never boasted about winning the triple crown, as if it were a trivial matter.

But the more he acts this way, the more people will think that Song Xuan is a truly capable person.

Not to mention the achievements he made after he became an official, which many veteran officials could not accomplish.

Zhang Shixun, who frequently handles government affairs, has a deep understanding of this.

At this moment, his image in Song Xuan's mind was so lofty!
Zhang Shixun was overjoyed and immediately ordered his servants to prepare a table of food and wine so that he could entertain Cao Shizhong and his son-in-law.

Seeing Zhang Shixun's appearance, Song Xuan lowered his voice and said:
"Father-in-law, was he always this unpredictable and moody when he was young?"

"That's absolutely not the case, otherwise how could I have become friends with him?"

Cao Yong gently patted Song Xuan's hand, then pointed to his own head, also lowering his voice:

"I've heard that some people experience a sudden surge of energy before death after a serious illness. You'll have to give him a thorough diagnosis later."

"I don't think he has a psychological problem, but rather a problem with his brain. I hope it's not some incurable disease."

"We are close friends, after all."

"I'm very worried about him!"

Because of his nephew's troubles, Cao Yongli also implicated Zhang Shixun, who was forced to retire and return to his hometown.

"Father-in-law, don't worry, I understand the importance of this."

After nodding, Song Xuan quickly ended the conversation.

"Nephew."

"My dear nephew!"

Zhang Shixun came over with a smile and took Song Xuan's hand:

“Let’s sit here first, and you can have a good talk with me about how you were so sure that the Khitans would spend one million strings of cash to buy this treasure.”

Song Xuan laughed a few times, then sat down and explained the details of the auction.

He was absolutely certain that the Khitans would spend a million strings of cash; he had no such idea. His target was sixty or seventy.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shixun realized that shouting "eighty" was extremely risky.

But then Song Xuan said that it was fortunate that Uncle Zhang shouted out eighty, which forced the Khitans to shout out one hundred.

Uncle Zhang deserves credit for this achievement.

Zhang Shixun stroked his beard, listening with great satisfaction. Indeed, it was true; after all, Song Xuan had said that he himself hadn't expected it to sell for a million strings of cash.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Song Xuan took Zhang Shixun's pulse again and again.

He noticed that his pulse wasn't as rapid as usual, because he had been drinking alcohol; it was a bit faster than normal.

"Uncle Zhang, do you really think your health is fine?"

"No no."

Zhang Shixun waved his hands repeatedly and laughed:
"I've just been very tired lately, so I want to rest for a few days. Compared to Zhang Zhibai's health, I'm still a strong young man."

"In that case, I won't stay any longer. Uncle Zhang should get some rest."

"Good good."

Zhang Shixun personally escorted Song Xuan and the others to the door and watched them leave.

After he turned around and closed the door, he kept chuckling to himself.

"So this is how he sees me."

Cao Liyong said with a worried look, "Good son-in-law, have you really not been able to diagnose Zhang Shixun's illness?"

"no feelings."

Song Xuan also found it a bit strange: "What if he really is faking illness to avoid having anything to do?"

"That's impossible."

Cao Li shook his head vigorously:
“I have always known him. Although he likes to play and be lazy, he is extremely concerned about government affairs and would not easily pretend to be sick. Besides, there is no court infighting.”

"Then I cannot refute it for the time being."

Song Xuan didn't have an X-ray machine to examine him, so taking his pulse wasn't as accurate as this method.

"Alright, I'll observe him more closely in the future."

They parted ways on the street and went home separately.

The next day, Zhang Shixun went to work feeling refreshed.

Looking at him, Lü Yijian asked, "Are you cured of your illness?"

"Of course," Zhang Shixun said, puffing out his chest and raising his head.
"Thanks to the extraordinary medical skills of Scholar Song, my heart disease was cured directly."

Upon hearing Zhang Shixun's praise of Song Xuan, Wang Zeng, who was reading the memorial, also raised his head.

His eyes were full of questions. Could it be that Zhang Shunzhi had lost his mind?
I've never heard of Song Xuan being skilled in medicine, let alone some nonsense like being a god.

Lu Yijian was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

Could it be that the dramatic events of that night really caused Zhang Shunzhi to suffer a mental breakdown?

He also developed symptoms of mental illness, just like the Eighth Prince.

He looks like nothing's wrong, but he actually has a mental problem and isn't a normal person.

It's possible that the Eighth Prince is faking illness; Zhang Shunzhi must be careful not to actually be sick.

"Shunzhi, what about here?" Lü Yijian pointed to his head. "Don't you feel anything wrong?"

"I'm perfectly fine," Zhang Shixun said, tossing his robes and looking refreshed.

"I have never felt so happy as I do today. Scholar Song is truly a divine physician."

None of Wang Zeng and the others believed this. They just thought that something might really be wrong with Zhang Shixun, and told him to go home first and then have a doctor take a good look at him.

If all else fails, have Lü Yijian ask the Empress Dowager for permission to find an imperial physician to examine him.

Zhang Shixun refused outright; he was in excellent health and full of energy, perfectly capable of handling more government affairs.

Wang, Zeng, and the other two looked at each other, wondering what had gotten into Zhang Shixun.

Anyway, no one took his claims about Song Xuan being a miracle doctor as true.

The Khitans also wrote letters to the Liao court to complain about Yelü Gouren regarding the issue of tribute.

They dared not vent their anger on Yelü Gou'er to his face, but they could complain to someone of Yelü Gou'er's equal status.

These Khitans are now all inside the Banjing Pavilion.

Tokyo is a bustling commercial city, and with money you can buy many services.

But once you run out of money, there's nothing more to say.

Only the rich are the bosses.

These Khitan nobles spent money lavishly, just waiting to receive their share of the annual tribute. But they couldn't even get their share, and they heard that this year's tribute was to be prepaid to Song Xuan.

They have no money.

Then there weren't many people in Tokyo selling them various services and goods.

The monk Yelü arrived with several chests of gold. He ransacked his own home and even looted Yelü Shucheng's house.

This greatly angered Yelü Shucheng's wife!
Yelü Shucheng was too lazy to say anything to his wife; he would explain to her after the matter was settled and they returned home.

Such a short-sighted woman.

"Prime Minister, I have finished counting. My brothers and I have only managed to scrape together about 11,500 taels of gold."

Yelü Shucheng immediately proposed:
"To avoid any unforeseen complications, we will take the payment slips and the gold to Song Xuan to make the handover first, in order to prevent any accidents."

"But neither His Majesty nor the Song people have given us an answer as to whether they agree to the matter of tribute."

Lü Demao understood Yelü Shucheng's intentions; now that their good deed had been exposed.

Everyone knew that these treasures had been bought by the Khitans. The Song people were discussing it, while the Khitans in the embassy were attacking each other.

He knew that those people had written letters to those in the imperial court, and he didn't know how they would end up fighting over it.
If they rush to hand over the money to Song Xuan now, they will be the ones who suffer losses if anything unexpected happens.

In the end, the price is one million guan, but we have to pay more than 400,000 guan upfront, so the sunk cost is quite large.

Yelü Gou'er, however, made a decisive statement:
“Indeed, since we have already acquired such a treasure through auction, it is extremely prudent for it to be in our hands as soon as possible.”

“I’ve heard that Song Dynasty craftsmen were extremely clever. What if they made a replica and gave us the fake, while they kept the real Tang Dynasty treasures? Who among you could tell the difference between the real and the fake?”

"Therefore, we must act swiftly and decisively, without delay."

Lü Demao felt that Yelü Gou'er's words made some sense.

What if the artisans of the Song Dynasty could also do it?
After all, this is the Central Plains, a land teeming with talented people, especially artisans, whose skills far surpass those of the Liao Dynasty.

“What the Southern Minister said makes sense, especially since there are already a lot of people in Tokyo criticizing Song Xuan for selling the treasure to my Great Khitan.”

"If he can't withstand the pressure and wants to back out, he will definitely find other reasons."

"Yes, yes, let's finalize this right away."

The two parties were supposed to sign a contract at the end of the auction, but they did not because of money.

The translator from Ban Jing Guan wasn't needed, but he did get a free meal and a tip. He'll come back next time.

So the three of them got up and hired a carriage to head towards Kaifeng County.

Song Xuan was listening to Ban Feng's report.

The mere presence of these yamen runners on Xiangfu County's territory did indeed have a significant deterrent effect.

Most of those ruffians were terrified and even wanted to go outside the city to avoid trouble.

"My lord," Ban Feng said, feeling proud, "even so, no one has dared to rebel yet."

"Mm." Song Xuan nodded.

"You're only getting paid for standing guard. Why risk your life for just one or two strings of cash?"

"Remember not to do anything yourself; always have the constables from Xiangfu County do it."

"clear."

Ban Feng was deeply moved by Song Xuan's protectiveness.

Look at what makes a good leader.
This is it!

"By the way, since they are running out of the city, we need to increase patrols in the disaster relief area and actively drive people away from getting close."

Song Xuan's fingers tapped rhythmically on the table:

"The main reason is that I paid the wages to those disaster victims. Most of those who stayed there were elderly and weak, and they were prone to accidents, you understand?"

"Your Excellency understands." Ban Feng grasped Song Xuan's meaning: "I will send someone to keep a close watch on him, and I will also ask the Imperial Guards to patrol more frequently."

"Ah."

Song Xuan nodded and told him to go and rest.

Zhao Zhen looked at the account books from the side:

"Twelfth Brother, we share a lot of profits with Liu Congde. Should this money also be recorded in the accounts?"

"This money doesn't need to be recorded; keep it together with the 200,000 strings of cash from last time."

"Anyway, it all belongs to Liu Congde on the surface, so Sixth Brother should start accumulating a new treasury of sealed assets for future needs."

The Song emperors used their own private treasury money to replenish the national treasury, and this wasn't a one-off occurrence; Zhao Zhen did it frequently after he became wealthy.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhen couldn't help but burst out laughing.

After the money is deposited into the treasury, he will also count it carefully and indulge Liu Congde's craving.

"Very well, very well, let's do as Twelfth Brother says. I will also save money like the Taizu Emperor to prepare for the expenses of recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun in the future."

Zhao Zhen smiled, his face filled with renewed hope for the future.

Qi Lecheng was already used to his identity. He stood outside the door, knocked first, and then came in.

"My lord, the Khitan man named Yelü Shucheng has arrived, and he has brought two older men with him."

"Oh?"

Song Xuan told him to bring the person in, and then told Zhao Zhen to stay behind the screen for the time being.

He hadn't expected the Khitan emperor to reply so quickly; it seemed he was quite satisfied with the treasure.

After all, it is a spiritual totem.

The three of them looked quite well, and Song Xuan invited them to sit down and have some hot tea.

Yelü Shucheng couldn't wait to speak first:

"Scholar Song, my brother has returned with gold. We would like to pay you a deposit of 400,000 strings of cash. How about we sign a contract?"

"Oh."

Song Xuan put down the teapot and glanced at him:
"Bringing in such a large amount of gold, Liu Liu, you truly have great courage."

"It's only ten thousand taels; the rest will have to be paid with this year's annual tribute, as you know."

Song Xuan picked up his teacup and nodded:
"Liu Liu, it's probably unlikely that you'll be able to pay for it with the remaining two years' worth of tribute."

"What do you mean?"

Yelü Gou'er was momentarily stunned:
"Are you going to back out?"

"This matter involves diplomatic relations between the two countries." Song Xuan then waved his finger and said:
“We Song people are reserved in our actions. Since we did not agree on the spot, it means that this matter is not easy to agree to.”

"Yelü Gou'er, do you understand what I mean?"

Yelü Gou'er's face also showed anger: "Do you Song people not keep your word?"

This is the disadvantage of both parties not signing a contract in a timely manner.

What people say is something they can simply deny.

Otherwise, Yelü Gou'er wouldn't be in such a hurry.

"I see."

Yelü Shucheng quickly took over the conversation to appease Yelü Gou'er and prevent the situation from escalating into an argument:
"The payment of three years' worth of tribute to the top scholar Song is not in accordance with the treaty signed between the two countries."

"This is a private transaction, so it shouldn't cause a rift between the two countries."

Song Xuan glanced at Yelü Shucheng:

"Because of my father-in-law, I was simply given a warning."

"Liu Liu, I didn't think this through, so you still need to raise 60,000 taels of gold or 600,000 strings of cash to pay."

"This is different from what we agreed upon before."

Song Xuan glanced at Yelü Gou'er, who was pounding the table, and waved for Wang Bao to sit down and rest, without having to stand up to be on guard.

"Yelü Gou'er, what have we decided?"

"Pay with three years' worth of tribute."

Yelü Gou'er felt that the Song people were going back on their word, so he finally managed to get Lü Demao to write a detailed letter to His Majesty to persuade him to agree.

Before the emperor's reply even arrived, the Song people wanted to change the terms of the trade.

How could this not make him angry?
"First of all, three years' worth of taxes is not enough to cover the costs."

Song Xuan leaned back in his chair and glanced at Yelü Gou'er:

"Secondly, I cannot let this affect my career. You are doing this for your own careers, and so am I, understand?"

Yelü Gou'er remained silent, instead looking at Lü Demao.

"What the top scholar Song said is not without reason."

Lü Demao understood that Song Xuan had probably been reprimanded; after all, three years' worth of tribute was no small sum.

"This means that the Song Dynasty will still pay us the annual tribute the year after next according to tradition. We need to go back to our country to raise gold, but I'm afraid we won't have enough in fifteen days."

"Ah."

Song Xuan nodded:
"I remember you will also come on New Year's Day or next year on the Emperor's birthday."

"So I'm willing to give you up to six months to raise the funds, how about that?"

Lu Demao had intended to argue his case, but he never expected Song Xuan to extend the time, which caught him off guard.

"Really?" Yelü Shucheng asked with great delight.

"really."

Song Xuan picked up his teacup and took a sip:
"After all, you are working so hard for your own bright future in the Liao Dynasty, and I am also working hard for my bright future in the Song Dynasty."

"If this matter can be accomplished, it will serve as a testament to the brotherly alliance between the Song and Liao dynasties, and it will also benefit our respective futures."

“My father-in-law told me that harmony leads to a win-win situation, while a break is a lose-lose situation.”

"I shouldn't have been so aggressive before; it made me seem narrow-minded."

Song Xuan's words convinced Lü Demao that Song Xuan had been warned in the past few days.

Moreover, neither the Empress Dowager nor the prime ministers of the Song Dynasty responded to the requests made by these envoys, which meant they disagreed.

Yelü Gou'er's expression softened; what Song Xuan said did indeed make sense.

The success of this deal will undoubtedly bring benefits to both parties in their respective countries.

“What are you saying, Scholar Song? We were just a little anxious. Now that we’ve talked it out, everything will be fine.”

Yelü Shucheng picked up his teacup:

"Today, let us drink tea instead of wine. Thank you, Scholar Song, for granting us such a long time."

"Once it's all done, we'll celebrate with a drink together."

Song Xuan also raised his teacup and clinked it with Yelü Shucheng's.

"Then let's sign a contract."

Although Lü Demao's attitude towards Song Xuan had changed somewhat, he felt that some things should still be put on paper.

To prevent anyone from trying to renege on the deal, or Song Xuan from changing his mind for some reason.

Especially the repeated reports to His Majesty about this matter, and the subsequent changes of mind.

It's inevitable that what should be a joyous occasion will become something to be criticized.

He feared that His Majesty would think he couldn't even handle such a small matter, and that someone else would end up reaping the rewards. Lü Demao was terrified of this happening, especially after the people in Liao learned of it; he didn't know if anyone would defend him.

No matter how you look at it, he could not be considered a core official of the Khitans.

Even if His Majesty is wise, that was when he was young.

Otherwise, Lü Demao wouldn't be trying to curry favor with the emperor now.

Song Xuan nodded and sent someone to the Banjing Pavilion to summon the three translators who could write Khitan script. Finally, he had some free time today.

They are discussing the details here.

The general arrangement is to pay a deposit of 400,000 guan first, with the remaining 600,000 guan to be paid by the end of May next year at the latest.

Song Xuan picked up the brush and looked at them:

"If I sign and put my fingerprint on this document, can you persuade your emperor to raise funds domestically without paying tribute?"

"Of course, that's possible."

Yelü Gou'er urged Song Xuan to hurry up.

What are you dawdling about?
After wasting so much breath, we've finally managed to get to the bottom of this.

Now that a contract has been signed, the matter is already more than half settled.

He believed that His Majesty was capable of producing 60,000 taels of gold, and that raising a little more would solve the problem.
After signing the four-part contract, Yelü Gou'er picked up the Khitan version and chuckled a few times, before Song Xuan's ink had even dried.

Song Xuan reached out and asked, "Give me the receipt for the annual tribute."

"no problem."

Lü Demao also put down the Chinese contract in his hand and handed over the voucher from his sleeve.

Song Xuan glanced at it and saw that it was stamped with the emperor's jade seal, confirming that there was no problem.

"Alright, Liu Liu will come with me another day. I need to get those 300,000 taels of silver out of the country. I'll need them then."

"no problem."

Yelü Shucheng felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Scholar Song, may we take that treasure with us?"

Song Xuan carefully put away the receipt: "Don't dream about it. The contract states that we will only hand over the goods after full payment is received."

"But what if you can make a fake one?"

Yelü Gou'er said rather bluntly, "I know that you Song people have many skilled craftsmen."

"If we could replicate it, we would have done so long ago."

Song Xuan said rather irritably, "Do we need you to tell me?"

Yelü Gou'er finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It turns out that even the artisans of the Song Dynasty weren't omnipotent.

Yes, they can't even make weapons as well as my Great Khitan, and after many years of war, their skilled craftsmen have probably been killed long ago.

The name "Great Liao" itself implies the presence of fine iron, suggesting that in terms of weapon forging, it was indeed inferior to the Liao Dynasty.

"But I'm still worried."

Yelü Gou'er put down the contract in his hand: "Scholar Song, did you hide the treasure at home?"

"How can it be."

Song Xuan pointed to the ground:
"It is hidden in the county government office. There are many guards and a large number of people watching over it. I sent my trusted confidants to guard it specifically."

"Just in case, I will also send people to guard it together."

Yelü Gou'er spoke directly: "After all, half of this treasure already belongs to my Great Khitan."

"If you hadn't been unable to raise the money in such a short time, I would have handed the entire treasure over to you long ago."

Song Xuan tapped the table a few more times with his fingers:

“However, what you said makes sense. In that case, I will allow you to send two guards to protect my men, but they will live in the county government office and must obey my every command.”

"If you can do that, you can come with them to see where the treasure is hidden, and then leave without worry. If you can't do that, then we can forget about it."

"it is good."

Yelü Gou'er agreed without hesitation.

Otherwise, he wouldn't feel at ease at all. As long as he was sure that the treasure had been hidden here all along, and that Song Xuan wouldn't go to the skilled craftsmen of the Song Dynasty to make a replica, he would be fine.

Yelü Gou'er also wanted to mobilize the Khitan spies buried in the city of Bianjing to closely monitor Song Xuan's information about some craftsmen, in order to prevent him from actually causing trouble.

"Then I won't keep you any longer."

Song Xuan stood up: "I still need to go to the Imperial Workshop to talk to the craftsmen about repairing the river."

"The Directorate of Works?"

When Yelü Gou'er saw Song Xuan looking for craftsmen to do the work, his eyes widened in surprise:
"I'll call my men right away, don't leave."

"Let's witness it together, then we can be at ease."

"It's all right."

Song Xuan didn't care. He told them to go out and find people, and he also wanted to send people to the site to test the purity of the gold.

Only when everyone is present and examines the evidence can we make a clear statement.

So everyone went out, leaving Zhao Zhen in the room. He was already tired of listening to it, so he went over and picked up the agreement to take a closer look.

After Song Xuan had Qian Gansan thoroughly examine the purity of the gold, he sent someone to summon Sang Yi to his side.

"Two Khitans will come to help you guard that treasure. Find an opportunity to give them a taste of their own medicine first, then befriend them and thoroughly investigate the Khitan army."

Sang Yi indicated that he understood: "My lord, you just sold that treasure to them like that?"

"That's right. The money we've earned can be used to repair the river and provide disaster relief. This treasure was originally worth hundreds of thousands of strings of cash, and it can be sold for millions. We've really made a fortune."

Song Xuan turned his back to the Khitan and whispered to Sang Yi:

"Just act like you value this treasure very much. Act well and find out more about the situation in Liao. Your task is very important, and I don't trust anyone else to take it on."

Sang Yi repeatedly assured Song Xuan that he would do as he was asked, as he understood that Song Xuan was worried about the situation in the Northwest and that war would break out in the future.

At that time, everyone will head to the Northwest battlefield to earn military merit.

Sang Yi hadn't expected that the high-ranking official would be interested in the military affairs of the Khitans.

Qian Gansan weighed each one to check its quality and so on.

He had never seen so much gold before.

"Scholar Song, why don't we just go in? There's no point in waiting here."

Despite Yelü Gouren's urging, Song Xuan remained completely unhurried.
"Once we've finished inspecting the gold, we'll move it all inside, and finally, we'll send this treasure in as well."

"We will not send anyone in until you have paid the full amount, and we will also give you a key so we can open it together."

Yelü Gou'er, the Southern Chancellor of the Liao Kingdom, could only obey the arrangement and carefully instructed the two guards he had chosen in Khitan, both of whom were veteran soldiers who had followed him for many years.

So, witnessed by a group of people, Yelü Gou'er watched as the Song people opened several locks and two doors, letting the air out for a while before lighting candles to test whether anyone could enter.

Otherwise, they would all faint from carbon dioxide poisoning inside.

After confirming that everything was correct, they then moved the gold in.

At this point, everything in the cellar was neatly packed in boxes and sealed with tape.

After everything was placed, Song Xuan unlocked the door and let Yelü Gou'er take a look before putting it in a corner.

It has been confirmed that even if an earthquake occurs, it will not be damaged.

After everyone left, Song Xuan locked several doors, including the second one, and then tossed the key to Yelü Gou'er to keep it safe.

The last door was secured with seven or eight locks, each entrusted to a different person for safekeeping.

In this way, no one knows which lock they are the key to.

Yelü Gou'er was speechless this time, and he was completely impressed and convinced.

He felt that the Song people's cellars for hiding money were truly commendable, and that he would build one in his own home after returning to China.

Lü Demao was surprised that Song Xuan's cellar contained so many boxes.

Could it be that all these boxes are filled with gold?
No way!
Where did his small county government get so much money?
"Yelü Gou'er, now you can go and raise the money without worry."

Song Xuan put his hands behind his back and smiled, "If you can't pay by the deadline, this deposit will not be refunded."

"Hmph, don't underestimate the Great Khitan. A mere 60,000 taels of gold can be transported here in no time."

"Then I won't give it away."

Song Xuan waved his hand and watched Yelü Gou'er leave with his men.

"Scholar Song, I await your news. Just send someone to Banjing Hall to find me in advance."

"it is good."

After they all left, Song Xuan gave Sang Yi a look:
"These two Khitans are yours to keep. Do not mistreat them, and do not let them mistreat you."

"In this way, some of you will be able to take turns resting."

"Here."

Sang Yi quickly responded and began to inflict some strength on the two Khitans, demonstrating his immense power.

Song Xuan returned to his room and saw Zhao Zhen looking at the certificate of tribute and the signed contract.

“Twelfth Brother, this light piece of paper is worth 300,000 taels of silver.”

Zhao Zhen sighed with emotion, "I really don't know what to say for a moment."

"Then don't say it."

Song Xuan asked Wang Bao to bring him the keys. He put the two items in the cabinet and locked it. Then he turned around and threw the keys to Wang Bao.

Song Xuan wouldn't personally handle such trivial matters.

As for the fact that a master thief was able to steal the key from Wang Bao, then he must have truly been skilled.

Zhao Zhen couldn't contain his excitement:
"I'll go with my twelfth brother to see just how much space this 300,000 taels of silver actually takes up."

"Well, that's fine too."

After tidying up the place, Song Xuan said, "I'm going to the Imperial Workshop to find some craftsmen now. Sixth Brother, will you come with me, or stay here to handle government affairs?"

"Recently, apart from collecting money, there hasn't been any particularly noteworthy government affairs."

Zhao Zhen stood up:

“The weather is getting cooler, and I’d like to travel around with my twelfth brother to get a feel for the local people.”

"Very good."

Song Xuan then took Zhao Zhen to the Imperial Workshop and found several skilled blacksmiths, instructing them to come to the county government office at 9:00 AM the next day; Song Xuan would not arrive earlier.

They went to the construction site to take a look. As the weather gets colder, they needed to provide hot soup at all times, which required a lot of charcoal.

"Twelfth Brother, what's the difference between that iron stove you mentioned and the charcoal-burning basin we use for heating?"

Song Xuan subconsciously scratched his head.

Indeed, no matter how much an emperor understands the people's plight, he cannot comprehend what ordinary people use to keep warm.

Even if Zhao Zhen's imperial treasury was so empty that mice could run through it, he still used high-quality animal charcoal for heating in the winter (charcoal and spices were made into animal shapes, similar to the twelve bronze heads).
Besides these, there are also hand warmers and foot warmers that can be held in your hand, with charcoal inside and hollowed-out carved shells. They can dissipate heat and prevent burns, and are even full of artistic sense. If they are unearthed, they will be first-class cultural relics.

In addition, the Jiaofang Palace, which was inherited from the Han Dynasty, would have a fire wall and dedicated people to fan the fire and heat the whole house, a privilege that ordinary people did not have.

Moreover, in terms of architecture, thick brocade curtains are hung to block the cold air from the gaps in doors and windows, and carpets are laid in the living quarters, with cotton cushions on the seats.

Before going to sleep, a maid would help warm the bed, ensuring a comfortable sleep.

In contrast, many people can only burn thatch, straw, and inferior firewood to get through the winter, which produces a lot of smoke and little heat.

The family minimized their activities, sitting around the embers of the stove, relying on each other's body heat, thin linen clothing, and their strong will to weather the cold winter.

If the people do not have a strong will, they will become strong corpses.

In short, they are all top-notch!

Du Fu's line, "My cotton quilt has been cold as iron for many years," remained a reality in the lives of ordinary people during the Song Dynasty.

"You'll know once it's made."

Song Xuan didn't offer much explanation:
“Charcoal is expensive nowadays, and many people can’t afford it. It would be better to sell them coal and some honeycomb briquettes that require some technology.”

"So the rich burned charcoal to get through the winter, and the poor burned coal, and they could both survive."

"That's true, I heard charcoal is very expensive."

Zhao Zhen nodded in agreement:

“I know that some people can’t afford to burn charcoal, but that’s because we don’t have many mountains or trees here.”

"I am powerless to change this situation now, and all I could do was pray that God would not make it too cold."

"It is commendable that Sixth Brother has such thoughts. As the saying goes, he is destined to be a wise ruler."

Song Xuan laughed twice:

"Once my iron furnace comes out, it may be able to change the situation where most people cannot survive the winter."

Nowadays, all kinds of mineral resources are controlled by the imperial court. Ordinary people can only mine them secretly; coal is almost unwanted.

It's not valuable, and it's poisonous.

Song Xuan felt it was a pity that the Song Dynasty didn't have potatoes or sweet potatoes, which could be roasted under the stove.

You could put some chestnuts on it and let them bounce around.

"But I've heard that burning coal can easily lead to poisoning and death."

Zhao Zhen asked with some surprise and uncertainty:

"I remember this case. Can Brother Twelve solve such a big problem?"

"Perhaps we can avoid eight or nine out of ten cases."

Song Xuan thought about getting the kettle out so that he could boil water to drink in the winter, otherwise the heat would just dissipate into thin air.

"That would be great."

Zhao Zhen was always very curious about Song Xuan's ingenious ideas. Heaven knows how he was so clever. He could quickly come up with good solutions to problems that were difficult for others to solve.

Heavy snow in Kaifeng caused a shortage of charcoal, and prices soared.

Zhao Zhen remembered that he ordered the government to sell charcoal at low prices, and that a stampede tragedy occurred because people rushed to buy the government's cheap charcoal.

However, even though coal can be used for heating, it is still not accepted by many people.

After all, the reputation of being poisonous had been around for a long time, and those who didn't believe in it died.

During the reign of Emperor Shenzong of Song, in order to promote coal, the imperial court adopted a tax exemption policy to encourage people to purchase it, but the effect was not obvious.

During the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, people's lives became even more difficult. It made little difference whether they died today or tomorrow, and they no longer cared about buying coal for heating.

However, Emperor Huizong of Song also wanted to centralize the sale of coal to further amass wealth.

The next day, several craftsmen looked at the blueprints provided by Song Xuan. In addition to casting an iron furnace, they also had to press iron sheets into cylinders.

Stove grates, iron hooks, and even iron scoops for collecting ash.

This is not difficult at all.

"I wonder how many you intend to make, sir?"

"When do you want it?"

These blacksmiths naturally knew Song Xuan's temperament; he was the kind of person who would only work for money, so they were all full of enthusiasm.

"How many can you make at once?"

Song Xuan felt that this kind of iron stove was not technically difficult; the only thing that required some skill was making honeycomb briquettes.

This burns much longer than purchased coal, and it's also relatively cheaper.

"Reporting to your question, sir, setting up an iron-smelting furnace and casting twenty of these furnaces at once is no problem."

Song Xuan hummed:
"You guys make ten sets first, and I'll use them to test a few."

"If there's anything that needs improvement, I'll let you know. You can also offer your suggestions, and if they're helpful, I'll give you an additional reward."

The blacksmiths quickly agreed, assuring the master that they would deliver the complete set by late afternoon.

Song Xuan didn't waste any words and directly told them to do it.

While we're at it, we'll have someone go to Tao Hong's place outside the city and bring over a cartload of coal for future use.

Sang Yi came to report that he had already defeated the two Khitans.

After all, Sang Yi is rather thin and weak, so who could believe that he is incredibly strong?

A natural-born target of ridicule, yet always able to play dumb to outsmart others.

"Yes, they just need to stay put."

Song Xuan felt that, going back and forth, it would take the Khitans at least a few months to pay off this million-dollar bill.

Jia Changchao noticed that Song Xuan was always loitering in the backyard, so he came out again:
“Scholar Song, the weather is getting colder and colder. The ink in these children’s ink is not dissolving well in the morning. We should warm them up properly.”

“Jia Jiangshu, you don’t need to worry about this. I’ll make some adjustments today.”

"If it's convenient, we'll install heating equipment in both classrooms tomorrow."

"That's a good feeling."

Jia nodded repeatedly:
"Song Zhuangyuan, how come there are still Khitans? In case they are spying on the secrets of the Kaifeng County government of our Great Song Dynasty, we still need to be on guard."

"As far as I know, there are many Khitan spies in Tokyo. Scholar Song should not invite wolves into the house."

"If they can learn Chinese, then they can be considered promising talents for the Liao Kingdom."

Song Xuan snorted and laughed:
"It's not that I think too highly of them, but they're more skilled with knives than pens, so there's no need to worry about that. I'm just inviting trouble."

Jia Changchao was speechless for a moment; so that's how it is.

Then Song Xuan's scheme to spend a million strings of cash to outmaneuver the Khitans makes perfect sense.

Jia Changchao secretly glanced at Song Xuan. Could it be that this civil official was thinking about making great contributions to recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun in the future?

This idea suddenly arose in Jia Changchao's mind; otherwise, Song Xuan would not have targeted the Khitans in this way.

It shouldn’t be.

Whether it's military training or the weapons and equipment in the hands of the soldiers, they are no match for the Liao Dynasty.

Moreover, our Great Song Dynasty doesn't have enough warhorses to pursue the Khitans.

On the contrary, the other side could come and go as they pleased, and in this respect, the Song Dynasty had suffered a lot in the past.

Because Jia Changchao wanted to curry favor with powerful figures, his desire to avoid such blatant ambitions actually hindered his progress.

Jia Changchao tentatively asked:
"Scholar Song, you wouldn't be thinking of breaking the alliance and plotting to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, would you?"

(End of this chapter)