A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 427 The Khitans' heavy snow came earlier than usual.

Song Xuan glanced at Jia Changchao:
"Jia is joking."

Jia Changchao originally thought that Song Xuan would provide further explanations or something similar.

After saying that, the other person didn't say anything more.

One sentence completely thwarted Jia Changchao's attempts to probe him.

I don't know what topic to bring up next.

Jia Changchao could only follow Song Xuan's example and stand with his hands behind his back.

He wanted to curry favor with Song Xuan, but Song Xuan was now quite shrewd and didn't give him any chance to prove himself.

Now, the only use for teaching children is for this purpose, and Jia Changchao understands that he still needs to wait for the right opportunity.

After all, it is highly taboo to speak too intimately with someone you don't know well in official circles.

Jia Changchao only suddenly realized what was going on while he was eating.

After all, his relationship with Song Xuan isn't even that of friends.

At most, they are nodding acquaintances who help each other out.

The relationship was also derived from the great Confucian scholar Sun Shi.

Nowadays, Song Zhuangyuan is probably a favorite of the Empress Dowager. He has even dealt with her in-laws, and any objections the Empress Dowager may have have been rejected.

Such a thing would never have happened in the past.
Looking at myself, I was finally recommended by my teacher Sun Shi, but I was kicked out in less than a month, and my future is bleak.

Jia Changchao sighed inwardly, realizing that he had been too hasty.

In the afternoon, after the craftsmen delivered the iron furnace and other equipment to the county government office.

Song Xuan directed people to first start a fire in a small stove with ignition, and then put in some small pieces of coal.

"My lord, it seems that it will take a long time to fully restore it."

"That's right. It's best not to let the fire go out when using it, otherwise you'll have to use up a lot of firewood every day."

Song Xuan responded, but there was no dry corn kernels or straw to ignite the coal.

Lighting a fire every day would be quite an expensive task.

There were quite a few onlookers, and Jia Changchao couldn't help but speak up:
"Scholar Song, is it necessary to use this coal for children in winter?"

"good."

After receiving an affirmative answer, Jia Changchao quickly stepped forward and lowered his voice:

"Song Zhuangyuan said that although coal is cheap for heating in winter, there are cases of poisoning."

Jia Changchao did not think that Song Xuan was a stingy person and that there was no need for him to do such a dangerous thing for the children of yamen runners and clerks.

Did someone deceive him?

“Jia Jiangshu, I want to promote this. If our county government doesn’t prioritize its use, how can we expect others to be convinced?”

"Huh?" Jia Changchao frowned, not understanding why Song Xuan did this.

Song Xuan continued, looking at everyone, "I will also get this in my office, so we can all use it to keep warm in winter."

"The clerk's office will also need to install it. If anyone is unwilling, I will not force them."

Now, Song Xuan is the absolute ruler in the Kaifeng County government.

Although everyone had their doubts, once he spoke, there was absolutely no one who objected.

Hearing this decision, it's hard not to feel apprehensive.

“I know you are all afraid of dying from carbon monoxide poisoning from burning charcoal, and I am afraid too.”

When Song Xuan said this, the people around him laughed a few times, but then quickly shut up.

Anyway, Master Song usually doesn't put on airs.

As long as you don't make any major mistakes, it'll be fine.

An Jun and other officials had also received reports of such deaths.

Therefore, even though coal is cheap, it is rarely used in Tokyo.

Even though it's cold, I might be able to survive if I just tough it out.

However, even if one survives the poisonous smoke, their body will still be damaged.

Such a risky thing is something that very few people are willing to do.

Although the common people are used to living for the moment, the people of Tokyo are still willing to continue to live on, hoping that there will be wine tomorrow.

"However, as you all know, I am always wise and have come up with a way to avoid dying from carbon monoxide poisoning from burning charcoal for heating."

Song Xuan looked around at everyone and smiled:

"If this method is effective, it can naturally be promoted to other regions."

"Perhaps fewer people will freeze to death in the city of Bianjing during the winter, which will benefit the people of the Song Dynasty."

“We knew that the lord would not speak without reason.”

"That's it."

"How could you and I possibly fathom the wisdom of such a man as the Master?"

Song Xuan directly announced that everyone could use their personal experiences to offer suggestions or directions for improvement regarding this heating system.

If it is confirmed that the new furnace can be improved, the county government will issue a reward accordingly.

Song Xuan's words made everyone even more interested.

Money makes the world go round. Burning charcoal for heating in winter was originally a benefit to them, otherwise the county government wouldn't have much charcoal to burn.

They were all focused on their superiors.

The heating allowance issued by the imperial court was not for the use of minor officials; they still needed to contribute "charcoal tribute" to their superiors.

Of course, this was an elegant term used during the Ming and Qing dynasties; in the Song dynasty, it could be called "Dongyi".

In any dynasty, such acts of giving gifts and bribes are unavoidable.

The people in the county government office immediately beamed with joy, clamoring to install it in their own offices first so they could study it carefully.

Song Xuan instructed Qi Lecheng to distribute the precautions he had written, stating that this stove was suitable for poor families but not for wealthy families.

County Magistrate Zhou Derong read it carefully:

"My lord, why can't we let the wealthy use it?"

"If it were promoted..."

"No need." Song Xuan didn't hide anything.

“The houses of the rich are built too well. Although my method can release 80-90% of the toxic fumes to the outside through pipes, 10-20% of the toxic fumes will still accumulate indoors.”

"If you open one or two windows for ventilation for 15 minutes every hour during the day, you can avoid being poisoned by the smoke."

"But at night, no matter how many people are on duty, if they inhale too much toxic smoke, the guards will inevitably have problems and be the first to be poisoned and collapse, unable to call for help."

"But the homes of ordinary people are different; they are mostly thatched and mud houses that leak a lot of air."

"Even if there is only one or two tenths of the toxic smoke, it will dissipate from the room."

"It's not like they all died from poisoning from the smoke while they were sleeping at night."

Jia Changchao immediately realized what was happening.

There is no solution to this toxic fumes; the only solution is to open the windows for ventilation.

The rich use charcoal, the poor use coal.

The top scholar of the Song Dynasty came up with the idea of ​​using this kind of coal for heating during the winter because the poor could not afford charcoal and firewood.

"If Song Zhuangyuan's move succeeds, it will truly save countless lives."

Jia Changchao exclaimed in admiration from the side.

Zhou Derong originally wanted to use this new gadget at home to save money during the winter.

But after hearing Song Xuan's "scientific explanation," he immediately understood that he should still stick to burning charcoal for warmth.

Who made their house so airtight?
Just as Master Song explained, even if someone were arranged to watch over them, the person watching over them would be poisoned by the smoke and collapse, unable to shout to warn others. These wealthy people would simply die in their sleep at night.

The risk is too great; let's give it to the poor.

"You must remember all the precautions in this instruction manual."

Song Xuan also told them that if they had any good suggestions during the use of the product, they could add them to the precautions. If the suggestions were effective, they would still be rewarded.

So, before the ten iron furnaces were even distributed, they all clamored to move them to their own offices first.

Even the jailer, Mao Lang, came to fight over it.

His prison was cold and drafty in the winter, and many prisoners huddled together shivering for warmth, or hugged some straw.

As for burning firewood for warmth, don't even think about it.

There aren't enough jailers to go around, how could they possibly be used for prisoners?

Although the imperial court would guarantee the basic survival of prisoners in jail, this funding would also be divided among the jailers, which was an unspoken rule.

Who dares to file a complaint?

So there's absolutely nothing to be afraid of doing this kind of thing in a prison cell.

They used to use coal for heating in winter.

However, they were not as advanced as this kind of stove; they mostly used torture instruments with branding irons to burn charcoal for warmth.

Song Xuan simply told the craftsmen to install it first, and those who didn't manage to get one today could come back tomorrow to collect it.

Anyway, whoever uses it first may not necessarily have good suggestions to offer immediately.

Jia Changchao was also watching. For example, if the water in the kettle on the stove boiled, it had to be taken away immediately. Never let a large amount of water be poured onto the burning coals, as it would produce a lot of toxic fumes.

He didn't know how Song Xuan came to this conclusion, but he always felt that Song Xuan must have used coal to design murders to have such experience.

After all, this can be considered survival experience.

Based on Jia Changchao's understanding of Song Xuan, how could he possibly be short of money?

We certainly won't need this coal in the winter!
So who exactly taught him this method?
Jia Changchao couldn't understand the question in his heart, and he didn't dare to ask Song Xuan.

Moreover, whether this method will work or not still needs time to determine.

In the past, most of the children in these classrooms would have chilblains on their hands and feet, and it's unclear whether this situation will be any different this year.

Jia Changchao would never do such rough work as lighting a stove.

After all, only people from wealthy families would grow long nails, and there were even dedicated "nail salons" in Tokyo.

Both men and women can get their nails beautified.

This is also a symbol of status, telling everyone that I don't need to do manual labor.

There's nothing to hide about things like those that happen in the county government.

After all, Master Song is currently the hottest topic of discussion in the entire capital city of Tokyo.

The impact of this million strings of cash was truly enormous.

Now, Master Song is promoting this kind of coal for the poor to use during the winter, which can reduce the toxic smoke by eight or nine tenths.

Furthermore, someone spread all of Song Xuan's words.

This naturally sparked a heated discussion. Coal is a good thing, but it happens to produce toxic fumes.

Many stories of people dying from burning coals circulated among the public.

This topic was deliberately stirred up by Song Xuan, who also had people spread it around, with the aim of reducing resistance to its use in the future.

Furthermore, the argument that the wealthy cannot use the property because the house is too well-built made many powerful and wealthy businessmen feel pleased.

If they use the same things as the poor, how can they distinguish themselves?
Not only was the Kaifeng County government office put into use, but several shacks were also built as an experiment to let the people accept it.

There were even county officials who went to explain how to use the stove correctly.

After all, the construction period was coming to an end, and the master would send someone to escort them back to their hometown. This iron furnace and other items would be loaned to them for their use.

I'll have to come back to work next spring and return the iron furnace.

Coal was cheap, and these disaster victims could afford it with their wages, allowing them to get through the cold winter safely.

Most people believed Song Zhuangyuan's words without question.

They were truly delighted that these heating devices, which could consume eight or nine out of ten units, allowed them to purchase even cheaper coal, enabling them to survive the winter.

The trees around Kaifeng Prefecture in the Northern Song Dynasty had long been cut down, otherwise the price of charcoal would not have risen so sharply.

Since Song Xuan wanted to promote this method of heating, he naturally wanted to minimize the number of cases of carbon monoxide poisoning.

He was certain that no matter how much the message was promoted, there would still be cases of people dying from poisoning.

Who will truly learn from others' mistakes unless they happen to them themselves?
However, before the event occurred, Song Xuan still had to have people spread the word and make sure they remembered how to use the method.

Many people are illiterate, making it difficult to write a booklet.

Student Chen Xiliang came to pay his respects to Song Xuan.

"Scholar Song, I've heard that you've been vigorously promoting this method of using coal for heating?"

"good."

Song Xuan poured Chen Xiliang a cup of tea, and then poured one for his two nephews as well.

The three thanked him repeatedly, genuinely surprised by Song Xuan's courteous manner, and were momentarily apprehensive.

But Chen Xiliang wasn't intimidated at all:

"Although I know that the top scholar Song sent people to spread the word, I still think something bad will happen."

"You're right."

Song Xuan glanced at Chen Xiliang with some surprise.

After all, it is difficult to fully implement any policy.

In the Song Dynasty, imperial power did not extend to the countryside, and village organizations were relatively loose, even less so than in the Ming Dynasty.

At least during the Ming Dynasty, clan culture had already reached a high level of maturity.

Zhu Yuanzhang also involved local elders, so that many matters could be resolved internally without having to be reported to the authorities.

The Song Dynasty has inherited the legacy of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The people have only recently settled down, and the strength of clans is still slowly recovering.

Local governments still rely on "local tycoons" for governance.

Song Xuan put down his teacup:
"I am also troubled by this, but all I can do is keep sending people to spread the word and make sure they remember it in order to avoid any casualties."

"After all, it's too cold in winter. These disaster victims can receive some food to take back to their hometowns, but they also need things to keep warm, otherwise they will freeze to death sooner or later."

"I admire the Song Dynasty scholar's love for the people."

After bowing, Chen Xiliang immediately spoke again:
"Since the top scholar Song has arranged for the children of the disaster victims, regardless of gender, to enter the Imperial Academy to learn to read, most of them now know dozens of characters, and there are over a hundred intelligent ones."

"Song Zhuangyuan can install these stoves in the buildings of the Imperial Academy so that these children who are just beginning their education can remember all the precautions."

"When they return to their hometown, they will be able to correct their parents' behavior in time."

"Hmm, good idea, I hadn't thought of that."

Song Xuan clapped his hands and laughed, praising Chen Xiliang repeatedly.

In the past, these children would certainly have had no voice, but they have "read" books.

With this buff, their status will be different from before.

Song Xuan thought for a moment:
"Here's what you'll do: before you part ways, you should give them winter break homework and grade them using 'excellent,' 'good,' or 'pass' based on how many characters they know."

"Even in winter, they should practice writing at home, and be taught how to write the names of their family members, and things like that."

“I will have someone buy a batch of paper and ink, which you can then distribute to these children. Their parents don’t have much to do in the winter anyway.”

“They would gather sand or even furnace ash at home and practice writing in the house.”

"Good good."

Chen Xiliang nodded repeatedly, feeling extremely pleased that he had helped Song Xuan.

"My only concern is that the buildings in the Imperial College are built quite nicely. Staying inside all the time without proper ventilation can easily lead to problems."

Chen Xiliang frowned upon hearing this concern:

“Scholar Song, I’m afraid we’ll need to send someone to guard you at night. If we’re sleeping inside, we’ll need to open a window.”

"good."

Song Xuan nodded, but didn't laugh.

For students like them who had left their hometowns to pursue their studies through the imperial examinations, life in the capital city of Tokyo during the winter was quite difficult.

Song Xuan understood Chen Xiliang's little scheme, which was understandable.

I didn't pretend I wasn't cold.

"You still need to open the windows when you sleep at night."

Song Xuan took the notes and other papers from the side and pushed them to Chen Xiliang.

Let him take it away to copy, not only to teach those children, but also to ensure that everyone else learns it properly.

Song Xuan promoted winter heating tools for the poor, and Song Xiang also actively governed Xiangfu County.

After County Lieutenant Ban Feng led the way a few days ago, he stopped coming.

Zhong Wuliu then became the leader, following Ban Feng's instructions.

They mainly lead their men to serve as a deterrent, but as for actually catching thieves, they will never interfere unless they run into the thieves themselves.

Song Xiang received the same report from his subordinates, but he didn't care.

The original intention was to use Song Xuan's reputation to deter petty people; the rest was naturally left to the local yamen runners.

Therefore, after recording the merits in the past few days, Song Xiang also directly started the "reward money" method.

He had to beg for this money from the old lady.

Compared to his predecessor, Chen Gu, Song Xiang's approach immediately ignited the enthusiasm of the yamen runners in Xiangfu County.

The scholar in front of us, Song Zhuangyuan, is also used to giving out money and is related to Song Taisui, which means that good days are coming for our Xiangfu County.

At least they had some flatbread to eat, so the group worked even harder.

Now they are forcing these prisoners to go directly to dredge the silt, otherwise the longer it takes, the more difficult it will be to dredge.

Zhong Wuliu and other yamen runners from Kaifeng County stood casually to the side, betting with each other whether anyone would try to escape during mealtime.

After all, Magistrate Song of Xiangfu County did not inform the Imperial Guards in advance before coming to patrol this area, which left an extra layer of security.

Not to mention that these prisoners don't even get paid for their work; the time they spend working is used to reduce their sentences.

Song Xiang now relies on "relief," but it's not much, and he currently has no other source of income.

He planned to first dredge the gullies in Xiangfu County and make some progress, and then collect taxes from local merchants using the installment payment method that Song Xuan had suggested.

After Zhong Wuliu and the others returned, they reported the situation to Song Xuan.

Song Xuan simply nodded without paying any attention. He felt that as long as he was willing to do it, and with the Empress Dowager's protection, there would definitely be no problems.

At this time, Zhongjing was the secondary capital of the Khitan. The imperial palace was built in a rather luxurious manner, with the participation of Han Chinese craftsmen, and thus it had the style of the Liao Dynasty as well as Han Chinese influences.

Yelü Longxu had been emperor for many years, and like Zhao Zhen, he had a mother who ruled the country.

His mother, Empress Xiao, had a somewhat ambiguous relationship with Han Derang.

Of course, even if they were indeed husband and wife, it would not violate the customs of the Liao Dynasty.

Empress Xiao Pusage, the current emperor of the Liao Dynasty, was skilled in playing the pipa and had an affair with two pipa players in the palace who were proficient in tuning the pipa.

The matter was brought before Emperor Yelü Longxu, but he didn't care.

The Khitans did not place much importance on chastity and virtue in women.

Both Mongolians and Tibetans would send their wives and daughters to entertain guests, believing that giving birth to children would make their tribe's bloodline healthier.

This custom existed even if we trace it back a little further.

Of course, all of Xiao Pusa's children died, and it's unknown whether Yelü Longxu considered this possibility.

After Yelü Longxu assumed personal rule, his campaigns in the east and west significantly increased the strength of the Liao Dynasty.

However, due to his advanced age, he also developed diabetes.

He looked sickly and had become thin.

He could no longer travel to various places in all four seasons as he used to, to demonstrate the bravery of the Great Khitan Emperor.

I received news a few days ago that the Song people possessed a gyrfalcon that had been left over from the Tang Dynasty.

Yelü Longxu became very interested and specifically instructed Yelü Gou'er and Lü Demao to bring this treasure back.

Immediately afterwards, Yelü Shucheng sent back definite news, describing the object in detail and even drawing a portrait.

This immediately put Yelü Longxu on edge, and he ordered him to cooperate with Lü Demao to buy back this treasure.

The Song people didn't know how to appreciate goods, so how could our great Khitan not?

Yelü Longxu felt that if this object was real, it was a sign of Heaven's favor upon him, indicating that he would live for a long time.

Yelü Shucheng was sent by him to the Central Plains to collect medical books, in order to treat his diabetes.

It seems this kid is really lucky; he actually brought me back this method for treating diabetes.

The thought of such a treasure falling into my hands would make me very happy.

Before Yelü Longxu could continue to dream, he received two consecutive letters from Yelü Gou'er.

One of them bought it for one million strings of cash, which would probably take three years' worth of tribute.

Emperor Yelü Longxu was not short of money, but the thought of paying three years' worth of tribute still stung him.

He had to distribute the annual tribute according to the method left by the Empress Dowager.

This is not the emperor's private property; it belongs to the national treasury!

A portion of it is used for various expenses in the royal palace.

A portion was to be bestowed upon the military and political system of the Great Khitan, especially the troops stationed in Nanjing.

Their plan was to use the wealth of the Song people to defend against the Song army, and this part of the money was absolutely essential.

The remaining portion was distributed among the Xiao clan of the Empress Dowager, the Yelü clan of the imperial family, and other tribal leaders.

In this way, everyone can have a bite of meat.

There's no need to waste lives and suffer losses just to hunt for grain.

After all, you can't always win a war.

Although the Song people lacked offensive capabilities, their defensive capabilities were still superior to those of the Khitans.

Given the Song Dynasty's defenses, this Caogu Valley was not easy to conquer.

We can make a lot of money every year without resorting to violence.

After so many years of peaceful coexistence between the Song and Liao dynasties, the people below rarely clamored to raid for grain anymore.

This annual tribute was an important tool for the Liao emperor to carry out political redistribution and maintain the ruling alliance.

In this way, the leaders of the various tribes could be closely united around the Liao emperor.

The 300,000 taels of silver paid as tribute was a small part of the Song Dynasty's tax revenue.

But for the Khitans, that was a huge sum of money!
Suddenly losing the annual tribute and profit sharing for three years, Yelü Longxu felt that he was losing control over this group of people.

After all, he is now old and ill. If he were young and healthy, he would be confident that he could suppress the others.

This matter has now spread among some high-ranking officials, and they are all eager to test the waters.

He wanted this heaven-sent treasure, but he didn't want to pay three years' worth of tribute.

Fortunately, the matter did not trouble Yelü Longxu for too long.

Because Yelü Gou'er sent another letter.

Before he could agree, the Song people refused to agree to anything about paying tribute for three years.

In short, according to the treaty signed at that time, the tribute would inevitably be paid year by year; it was impossible to pay in advance or not to pay at all.

Therefore, we can only use one year's worth of currency plus gold raised domestically to purchase it now.

Alternatively, they could raise 100,000 taels of gold, and continue to issue this year's annual tribute.

Under the rule of Empress Dowager Xiao Chuo of Liao, peace talks were held with the Song Dynasty, and a large number of Han people, including Han Derang, were promoted to help her govern.

Therefore, the Liao Dynasty's treasury was relatively full.

However, after Yelü Longxu assumed power, he waged wars in the south and north for many years, and also engaged in large-scale construction projects.

In his later years, the national treasury naturally didn't have much money left.

Otherwise, the 300,000 annual tributes would be gone, without passing through their hands.

The nobles in Tokyo wouldn't object so vehemently; they would even write back home to inform them.

They hope they can persuade His Majesty to abandon this idea that would "result in a large loss of money."

too expensive.

The Liao Kingdom was somewhat unable to sustain such a large expenditure.

However, there has been no definite news about this yet.

Naturally, no one dared to be the first to offer advice to the aging Yelü Longxu.

He's currently suffering from illness, so his temper isn't very good.

Anyone with a modicum of sense who wants to preserve their wealth and status will flatter an aging emperor.

Otherwise, he would have taken you and your group of officials with him into the tomb; such things have happened before in the Liao Dynasty.

Of course, Yelü Longxu had no such idea; after his death, he was buried with a large number of precious items burned as funerary offerings.

But there's no guarantee that others won't think the same way, so that those ministers who angered the emperor will go down first to await his death.

Yelü Longxu leaned to one side. He wanted to drink water, but the imperial physician warned him to control his daily water intake.

Empress Xiao Pusa Ge, along with Crown Prince Yelü Zongzhen (his adopted son), supervised the emperor from the sidelines. Otherwise, who would dare to stop the Great Khitan Emperor from drinking water?
All of Xiao Pusa's sons died. Yelü Zongzhen was born to the Empress Xiao Nujin and was adopted by the Empress.

The Empress and the Imperial Concubine came from different Xiao clans.

However, their ancestors both belonged to the branch of Shulu Ping, and Xiao Nujin was closer to their ancestors than the other two.

Xiao Nujin had always been plotting to seize the position of Empress, but Yelü Longxu had a very good relationship with Xiao Pusa, and the young couple had come this far after so many years.

In addition, Brother Xiao is also exceptionally talented, and Xiao Nuojin is definitely not someone Xiao Nuojin can rival.

Yelü Zongzhen grew up by Xiao Pusa's side from a young age and was extremely respectful to her. Xiao Nujin was even more resentful that her son did not know who his biological mother was.

"Your Majesty, why do you look so worried again? Could it be that something has happened in the Southern Dynasty?"

Upon hearing the Empress's inquiry, Yelü Longxu handed the letter to Xiao Pusa Ge.

Empresses and Empress Dowagers of the Liao Dynasty were both capable of participating in and governing the country.

After reading it, Brother Xiao immediately showed it to his adopted son, Yelü Zongzhen, as a way to cultivate him.

"Your Majesty, this saves you the trouble of appeasing the court officials."

Xiao Pusa knew what the emperor was worried about: "It's just that it will be difficult to raise 60,000 taels of gold in a short time."

"good."

Yelü Longxu sighed:
"The Empress Dowager ruled for twenty-seven years, and the national treasury was full. She could give away as many gifts as she wanted to others."

"I have been in power for less than twenty years, and now the national treasury is empty. If I want to buy a priceless treasure, I can't even come up with the money immediately. How can I not be worried?"

"However, during His Majesty's personal rule, the territory of our Great Khitan has expanded considerably, all sides have submitted to him, and the national strength of the Great Liao has continued to rise."

"If soldiers achieve great merit, does Your Majesty intend to be reluctant to spend money, leading to a situation like Emperor Taizong of Song, where all efforts are in vain?"

Although the history of the Song Dynasty does not specifically record the fact that Emperor Taizong of Song's donkey cart drifted, the Liao Dynasty, its old rival, recorded it in detail.

Furthermore, the treatment of the captured Song soldiers was inquired in detail.

Emperor Taizong of Song destroyed the Later Han dynasty, but the money that should have been awarded to him was not distributed, and he continued to attack the Liao dynasty.

The soldier refused to comply.

Do you really think the legacy of the Five Dynasties is just empty talk?
"I would never do something so foolish."

Yelü Longxu had considerable experience in spending money.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have squandered all the savings his elderly mother had worked so hard to accumulate.

"Your Majesty, do you really want this treasure worth millions of strings of cash?"

"Of course."

Yelü Longxu nodded:
"Such a treasure is beyond the comprehension of the Song people; it is surely a blessing from Heaven. Moreover, Yelü Gou'er has already paid 400,000 strings of cash and sent people to guard it together, just in case."

"If I cannot raise the 600,000 strings of cash by May next year, not only will I not be able to get back the previous 400,000 strings, but the Song Dynasty will also look down on my Great Khitan, thinking that they can't even come up with this much money."

Such valuable items were obtained through a public auction, which greatly boosted the prestige of the Khitans.

Once this news spread, Yelü Longxu could easily imagine how ugly the faces of those Song people must have been.

That young scholar named Song Xuan, who was also Cao Liyong's son-in-law, originally intended to pay tribute for three years, but he was probably criticized by the prime minister in the court.

That's why we firmly insist on cash and not the annual tribute for the next two years.

“Father, I have heard that this top scholar named Song Xuan achieved the highest honors in all three categories, and I have also heard Yelü Shucheng express his great admiration for him.”

Yelü Zongzhen spoke up first, saying, "This person is quite intelligent; could he also be a greedy person?"

"Hahaha."

Upon hearing his son's question, Yelü Longxu was eager to impart some techniques for managing people: "Do you know Xiao He?"

"know."

Thanks to Yelü Abaoji, these members of the Yelü royal family knew the story of the early Han Dynasty better than the story of the Tang Dynasty.

Even a minister like Xiao He had to tarnish his own reputation to reassure the emperor.

Yelü Longxu held the precious string of beads in his hand and twirled it around:

“Ministers like Song Xuan, though they wouldn’t emulate Xiao He, all had their own interests and hobbies, such as reading, writing lyrics, gambling, and visiting prostitutes.”

"Perhaps Song Xuan's hobby is making money and becoming famous."

"However, there is no need to forbid them from doing so. It is a good thing for a subject to have private desires. If he has no desires, he will either want to live a life of seclusion and Buddhism."

"Or, he's eyeing the throne you're sitting on, so he needs to cultivate a good reputation."

Yelü Zongzhen nodded in bewilderment, not quite understanding how a subject could covet the throne.

In the Liao Dynasty, this was simply impossible.

The emperor must be surnamed Yelü, and the empress must be surnamed Xiao.

Otherwise, the whole world will slaughter them.

Yelü Longxu's first empress, who also had the surname Xiao, was deposed.

"Remember, people with flaws are more easily driven by you and obey your commands."

"Your subject has remembered."

"Although Song Xuan was a top scholar and was proficient in poetry and prose, Yelü Shucheng inquired and found that his family was not of noble birth, but rather commoners, and his father and brothers were gamblers."

"They have a deep bond between father and son, and brothers. They seem to love making money so much, perhaps they're trying to pay off their father's and brothers' debts!"

“What Father says makes sense.”

Yelü Zongzhen clicked his tongue twice:

“I have always known that the imperial examinations of the Song Dynasty were extremely difficult. I thought Song Xuan must be an intelligent person. I never expected him to have such a background. So it makes perfect sense that he likes to make money.”

"good."

Yelü Zongzhen quickly responded:

"So I suspect that Song Xuan may have set up this scheme in advance, specifically targeting our Great Khitan."

"Hahaha."

Yelü Longxu immediately burst into laughter.

He simply didn't believe that Cao Liyong's son-in-law could have such abilities!

Even Cao Yong didn't have this kind of cunning.

In particular, Yelü Longxu understood the unspoken rules of the Song Dynasty.

Ordinary top scholars would become the son-in-law of the prime minister, let alone those who achieved the highest honors in all three categories.

Ordinary scholars would not choose to come from families of military generals.

Song Xuan, the top scholar who achieved the highest honors in all three imperial examinations, actually became the son-in-law of a military general.

This shows how disliked this person was by the prime ministers and civil officials in the Song Dynasty, which is why Cao Yong was able to take advantage of him.

"Why is Father laughing?"

“I laugh at my son for not understanding the rules of the Song Dynasty. After you have finished learning about the various government affairs of my Liao Dynasty, you should still get closer to Han officials and learn about the various rules of the Song Dynasty through them and spies.”

Yelü Longxu wiped away the tears of laughter that had streamed down his face:
"In this way, you might be able to win over some Song officials to your side."

When Xiao Pusa heard that the emperor wanted her son to be close to Song Chen, she was unhappy.

She had always trusted Zhao Anren, the eunuch who had defected to the Liao Dynasty, but it turned out that he was a spy planted by Xiao Nujin. This made her extremely angry.

If it weren't for the emperor's intervention, she would have torn the southern eunuch Zhao Anren apart by five horses, to teach him what it meant to betray one's master.

"For my own use?"

Yelü Zongzhen nodded and smiled again:

"It seems that Song Xuan is not favored enough in the Southern Dynasty. If he were to be used by our Great Khitan, I wonder what kind of ugly faces those Song people would have."

"Hahaha."

The father and son laughed for a while, and from the few words they exchanged, they realized that Song Xuan's marriage to a military general's daughter could be used by them.

After all, this is too contrary to common sense.

Yelü Longxu originally wanted to mock Song Xuan for not having the cunning to scheme against him, since he was just a young man in his early twenties and couldn't possibly have much cunning.

Those scholars who participated in the imperial examinations, he had encountered countless such officials throughout his life.

Where are there so many capable ministers and officials?
The purpose was simply to ensure that the Han people in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun would not rebel against the Liao Dynasty, thus providing them with a channel for advancement.

After he finished laughing, Yelü Longxu sighed again:
"It seems that we'll have to have our ministers work together to raise these 60,000 taels of gold."

"Instead of having them raise money, it would be better to have Goryeo, Jurchen and other places offer more tribute directly."

Yelü Zongzhen believed that even if they asked their ministers for money, they would force their subordinates to raise the funds.

"Do not."

Yelü Longxu stared at his son and said:
"Don't try to directly control those lowly people, otherwise what's the point of having these officials?"

"Just let them do what needs to be done. The process doesn't matter. You only need the result, understand?"

"My son, I understand."

Yelü Longxu nodded and instructed Xiao Pusa to notify everyone to attend the meeting.

By March next year, we need to gather 100,000 taels of gold, so it's time to get these people moving.

The ministers, of course, readily agreed to the emperor's orders.

As long as their share of the annual tribute is not touched, this year's tribute can still be used by them.

As for making money, the answer is naturally to exploit the other tribes.

The order was then issued to all those who collected taxes, requiring them to gather 200,000 taels of gold by February of the following year.

They gave part of it to the emperor, and then used the other part to pocket the rest.

Now, people everywhere are preparing for the winter. The Liao Dynasty is located further north, where the cold winds arrive earlier.

The various envoys of the Liao Dynasty who were in charge of collecting protection fees went to different tribes to announce that they would collect more taxes.

All my words boil down to just two words: "add more money."

Who dares to disobey the orders of the Great Khitan Emperor?
These are the tribes that are taxed. I don't even need to tell the emperor. I can wipe you all out and claim credit for suppressing the rebellion.

Sheepskins, various treasures, and gold are all 30-40% more than in previous years, and the pressure has suddenly increased.

A sense of despair and inner turmoil permeated the entire Liao Kingdom, with people weighing whether or not to rebel.

The sudden increase in taxes was so overwhelming that it was like a bolt from the blue.

Rebellions by tribes around the Liao Dynasty were commonplace.

Many people are unwilling to be subservient citizens, and without unified leadership, they are simply no match for the enemy.

After all, the Liao Dynasty's many years of conquering the south and north had earned them a formidable reputation, which still left them with lingering fear.

Rebellions by surrounding tribes were frequent, but they were all suppressed without exception.

This deterred many exploited tribes from easily rebelling.

They could only sigh and lament, or try to raise funds to satisfy the Khitan's tax collectors.

Either escape as soon as possible.

But where could they escape to in the dead of winter?

The Khitan nobles wouldn't care about that.

In short, my interests must not be harmed in the slightest.

Not only should I not suffer any losses, but I also want to take advantage of the "cold environment" to make as much money as possible to get through the winter.

As for the lowly commoners at the bottom of the Liao Dynasty, whether they live or die in this cold winter.

What does this have to do with us?

Who told them to be born as commoners, not nobles!

(End of this chapter)