A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 430 You fight your way, I'll fight mine.

Today's grand court assembly provided plenty of entertainment for everyone.

Led by Fan Zheng, the censors collectively launched an attack to impeach Song Xuan for crimes such as abusing his power for personal gain. However, they were rendered speechless and all lost their official positions.

The fact that the imperial court has now begun to reform and re-establish the system of censors and remonstrance officials has truly delighted both civil and military officials.

As the top scholar Song said, a bunch of bullies who pick on the weak and fear the strong are not fit to serve as censors.

If any of them dared to impeach him, then we might even admire him.

As a result, they treated each person differently based on their status, which was a disgrace to the scholar-official class. What was there to despise about military officers?
Fan Zheng and the others were pulled to squat outside the main hall, watching the crowd walk by.

Many of the ministers deliberately repeated loudly, "Why do I hear a dog barking?"

So that's what a dog barks!
Immediately afterwards, a burst of laughter rang out.

Some people said they learned something new today, having learned a new word.

So that's what "not keeping proper curtains" means. Or maybe it's just that scholars like to embellish their own image.

The job of censors and remonstrance officials is inherently about deliberately causing trouble; who could like such a group?
In addition, they always cause trouble for no reason. Just by looking at how they treat people differently based on their status, you can see how awful they are.

Fan Zheng and the others were like defeated dogs, helplessly waiting to be ridiculed.

Based on past experience, those in such prestigious positions are bound to climb the ranks in the future.

Now that they've fallen from grace and are being ridiculed, they're expected to maintain their dignity. Such a fall from grace is something not everyone can bear.

Song Xuan stood in front of the group, looking down at them, and said:

"Fan Zheng, who ordered you to do this?"

"No one ordered me to do that!"

Fan Zheng gritted his teeth and said:

"I just can't stand your abuse of power for personal gain."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Song Xuan snorted and laughed:
"Gentlemen, you've come this far and you still don't realize you've been used. You deserve to be dismissed."

"Since I became an official, I have always been unwilling to make enemies with others, but some fools have come to cause me trouble. So don't blame me for fighting back."

Song Xuan pointed at Fan Zheng and said:
"But even if you don't tell me, I'll investigate myself. It's just a few people, the scope is very small."

Fan Zheng's face grew increasingly grim. He hadn't expected that Song Xuan would not only kick him while he was down, but also come over to check if the stone had hit his head.

The eyes of the other officials in the censorate were already on Fan Zheng.

"Fan Zheng, tell me the truth, did you take bribes from someone to get you to do this?"

"I didn't!" Fan Zheng shouted.

"He framed me."

"He framed me."

"You've ruined us all, and you won't even let us die knowing why?"

Seeing that the group was embroiled in a fight, Song Xuan wanted to continue watching the spectacle.

He didn't believe that no one was behind this.

Even if there wasn't, he intended to make them believe that someone was sabotaging them behind the scenes.

After all, rumors often don't require logic, and imagination is human nature.

Once they're guided to think about it, the matter will inevitably continue to develop.

Everyone is subject to suspicion.

Song Xuan not only wanted to kick them when they were down, but also wanted to prevent them from uniting. It would be best if they fought like dogs.

After all, the imperial court wanted them to maintain their dignity, and Song Xuan couldn't openly retaliate. Otherwise, everyone in the officialdom would feel insecure and have to be wary of Song Xuan.

"Scholar Song, the Empress Dowager requests your presence."

Yang Huaimin came out of the main hall and called out.

Song Xuan nodded, then looked at Cao Liyong, who was still watching the spectacle:
"Father-in-law, don't worry about them. You all go back first, I'll go over later."

"Ah."

Cao Liyong intended to take action.

If his son-in-law hadn't been there, he would have made sure they saw what it meant for a soldier to be here.

Scholars talk about reason, but I'm a military general.

They like to use their fists to reason.

Cao Yong watched his son-in-law leave, then snorted and walked away as well.

Song Xuan entered the main hall again, and followed Yang Huaimin into a side hall, which was the place where the emperor rested while waiting for the grand court assembly.

By this time, Zhao Zhen had already left, and Empress Liu was no longer allowing him to be involved in political affairs.

"Your Majesty, I have come to pay my respects."

At this time, Liu E was also dressed in imperial attire.

She sat to the side, gesturing for Song Xuan to sit down and talk.

The maidservant quickly served tea.

What you said in the hall just now was quite right.

Liu E observed her fair fingers and looked at her newly manicured nails:

"Few of these censors are capable, and their power should be restricted. Otherwise, how many officials will be willing to work with peace of mind?"

“Your Majesty is right.”

Liu E glanced at Song Xuan:
“I know you were more tactful in the main hall. Now that it’s just the two of us, please speak freely about your thoughts on the matter of the censors.”

"The Empress Dowager is truly insightful and discerning."

Song Xuan naturally began by praising, "In fact, if the officials of the Censorate are not subject to supervision, it is very easy for problems to arise that are not under their supervision."

"The darkest place is under the lamp?" Liu E chuckled. "That's true."

"The Ministry of Personnel should supervise the Censorate and the Censorate, and the Censorate and the Censorate should supervise the Ministry of Personnel, so that they can supervise each other."

"We must also establish a special law for mutual supervision between supervisors and officials, and we must never allow them to collude with each other, otherwise it might lead to chaos."

"And what?"

Liu E's curiosity was piqued. Could it be that Song Xuan wanted to impeach the other departments?

Song Xuan coughed and said, "Your Majesty, in the officialdom, it is inevitable to have a few close friends, so there are some things that I cannot always say to others."

Liu E waved her hand, telling the others to wait outside. She hadn't expected that Song Xuan, despite his young age, was so ambitious.

Such a sense of secrecy is probably rare among officials throughout the entire Song Dynasty.

"Your Majesty," Song Xuan said, bowing slightly.

"I actually suspect that the colleagues in the Imperial Observatory and the Hanlin Academy of Astronomy have colluded with each other."

"Oh?" Liu E raised an eyebrow slightly:
"Could it be that because they all miscalculated the heavy rain, you think they're all unreliable?"

Song Xuan nodded:
"That's true. Observing celestial phenomena is a tough job. You can't sleep all night, and not many people can endure it."

"Furthermore, during the reign of Emperor Taizong, those who had different outcomes on both sides would be punished, so they worked diligently."

"Emperor Zhenzong was a tolerant person, so he was not as strict about these matters as Emperor Taizong."

"Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, he cares even less about these two places."

"When I was chatting with that Khitan man Yelü Shucheng, I was surprised to find that their Liao Dynasty's astronomical knowledge was far more advanced than that of our Song Dynasty."

Song Xuan sighed: "Therefore, I have this suspicion in my heart."

Liu E strongly agreed with Song Xuan's words.

The reason she didn't stay by Emperor Zhenzong's side all the time was because Emperor Taizong didn't want his son to be too obsessed with women.

Especially for someone like Liu E, who wasn't even considered a widow and was essentially sold off, her status was unjustly lowered.

How did you come to know about the differences in how the two late emperors handled affairs?

Liu E felt that no matter how learned Song Xuan was, without someone telling him about this kind of information, he wouldn't be able to analyze it so clearly.

Even if it were Cao Liyong, he hadn't yet risen to prominence during Emperor Taizong's reign.

How could he possibly have had too much contact with Emperor Taizong?
Especially some royal secrets, which ordinary people do not know.

"When I was in the countryside, I enjoyed reading the court's official gazettes and collected many of them from the founding of the Song Dynasty to the present day."

Hearing Song Xuan's words, Liu E nodded slightly, which made sense.

It's understandable that he knows so much about things that have been going on in the court for so long, and his essay in the palace examination also confirms this.

Song Xuan picked up his teacup and took a sip. Liu E was a shrewd person to have managed to get to where she is today and sit firmly in this position.

If she hadn't been overly biased towards her in-laws and subordinates, she could be considered a competent politician.

However, Song Xuan felt that he was not qualified to say such things, after all, he was also "bathing" under Liu E's care at this moment.

"Song Zhuangyuan was learned and talented. Today I have finally witnessed his erudition."

Empress Liu was extremely satisfied with Song Xuan, who had no powerful connections, and whose father-in-law was a military talent.

This shows that he would not be easily accepted by the civil officials in the court.

Otherwise, how could a top scholar with such a bright future be impeached by the civil service group time and time again?

Even the prime ministers showed little intention to protect Song Xuan, just like Song Xiang.

Such a capable person, who is not easily accepted by the civil service, should be put to my use!

Therefore, Liu E was very satisfied with Song Xuan:

“I have read all the memorials they submitted today that impeached you, and some of them do make statements that could lead to misunderstandings about you.”

"After all, you are young, and there is no need for me to teach you the principle of standing out from the crowd."

"Go back and think of a way to turn your reputation around."

"Reputation?" Song Xuan shook his head slightly.
"Your Majesty, if I were to actually spend money to buy a reputation, I'm afraid it would give others even more ammunition against me."

“I was merely ordering my subordinates to do things for me, giving them small rewards, and even sending their children to school, and I was attacked like this.”

"But then again, even if they were allowed to study and learn to read, how many of them do you think would pass the imperial examinations?"

Liu E nodded. How could she not know the cruelty of the imperial examination after all these years?
Everyone wants to pass the imperial examination, but since the founding of the Song Dynasty, how many people have passed the imperial examination every three years?
The competition was even fiercer for students like Song Xuan. Students who might have made the list in previous years failed.

"Besides, studying has always been an expensive thing."

Song Xuan sighed again and said:

“Even if I give them some rewards, they are determined to support their children’s education, and this amount of money is not enough.”

"Of course I understand what you mean, but people only focus on the good and never on the bad."

When Liu E thought of this, she couldn't help but chuckle.
"In the end, whether it's the emperor or the common people, everyone is burdened by desires."

“What the Empress Dowager says is truly the truth.”

Liu E seemed quite pleased with the praise:
"You are too sharp and ambitious. The censors and remonstrators have impeached you. There must be someone behind this."

"really."

Song Xuan chuckled lightly: "I was wondering why I was suddenly facing a collective impeachment when I've been doing so well lately?"

"I don't know who this person is."

Liu E paused, then looked at her fingernails:

"However, I was able to help you this time, but who knows what excuse I might have next time? What are your plans?"

"Then I'll just disappear for a while."

Upon hearing Song Xuan's words, Liu E was immediately taken aback; she hadn't expected Song Xuan to have such thoughts of backing down.

This is not okay.

Her intention was to teach Song Xuan to be grateful, not to make him resign from his official post at such a young age.

After all, Liu E also cared about her reputation.

"Oh, Scholar Song, why are you so extreme!"

Liu E quickly tried to defend Song Xuan, saying, "You're so young, how can you become so lax and undisciplined after encountering even the slightest setback?"

“Especially since this river management project is about to end, you won’t distribute an extra shi of grain to the people in the name of the government. In that case, the money will be spent, and the reputation will belong to the government. You don’t need to worry about spending money to buy a reputation.”

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Excellency. I will consider it carefully."

"Well, that's right."

Empress Liu was very satisfied with Song Xuan's willingness to follow the good advice.

Young people always want to confront things head-on and don't know how to be tactful at all. He still needs more experience.

"Your Majesty, there is one more thing I would like to say."

"You said."

Song Xuan coughed lightly and cleared his throat:
"I estimate that the Khitans will be unable to raise 900,000 strings of cash this year."

"So when they send the money next year, I also want to take the opportunity to act as an envoy and go to the Khitans to broaden my horizons and see how they govern their country."

"I will learn from the good aspects and record the bad ones to prevent my Great Song Dynasty from having such problems."

"As an envoy?"

Liu E, however, felt that there was nothing seriously wrong with the matter.

In short, both sides acted as envoys to each other, and many people felt that going to the Khitan was a difficult task.

After all, the food and environment there are not as good as those in the Song Dynasty.

The Khitans used to come to the capital of the Song Dynasty, Bianjing, to enjoy themselves. This place was much better than their harsh and cold homeland.

Even though they built a capital city, it wasn't exactly prosperous.

It doesn't fit with this word at all.

"Were you swayed by what those Khitans said?"

Faced with Liu E's question, Song Xuan laughed twice:

"Bullshit, what adjectives could those Khitans possibly use?"

"My main purpose is to read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles, to see the scenery of the grasslands and to see the place where Huo Qubing, the champion general, sealed the wolf's lair."

"You are honest."

Liu E did not care about Song Xuan's "offensive" words.

After all, no one had dared to speak to her like that in so many years, so it felt novel to her.

"Yes, I wish to travel around as an official while I am young, so that when I am old and my legs are weak, I won't be able to see any scenery. It would be a case of having the will but not the strength."

Song Xuan had a smile on his face:

“Your Majesty, Tang Dynasty poets wrote frontier poems from far away, but if I want to write frontier poems, I only need to go to Daming Prefecture or Qinfeng Road.”

"So I thought I'd wander around and reflect a bit, and maybe I could even write something."

Liu E chuckled softly twice.

These days, it's been a long time since we've heard of Song Xuan composing any famous poems.

Last time I heard that some learned Khitan man wanted to exchange poems with him, but he flatly refused.

So that's what Song Xuan was thinking.

"Scholar Song was being modest. Perhaps he has been too busy with official duties lately to write poetry."

Liu E nodded:
"In that case, if you wish to serve as an envoy to the Khitan, it will be a simple matter."

"But don't you think that after you leave as the temporary envoy, Kaifeng County will be handed over to someone else?"

"Will your successor change the policies you left behind, and be unable to protect the remaining nine hundred thousand strings of cash?"

Nowadays, there are far more Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) than official positions in the Song Dynasty.

Furthermore, Kaifeng County is a national county; how could it be without a ruler for even a day?

Song Xuan thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, may I appoint a temporary replacement?"

"Oh?" Liu E looked at Song Xuan: "Whom do you want to recommend?"

"Zhang Fangping."

"Zhang Fangping?"

Liu E also remembered Zhang Fangping; after all, there are very few people in the world who possess the ability to remember everything they see.

"Can he do it well?"

"If he can't even do things like following the old rules well, then he won't be able to take on important responsibilities in the future."

Song Xuan deliberately put Zhang Fangping in a difficult position in front of Liu E.

"good."

Liu E knew that Zhang Fangping didn't have any special background, and as a third-ranked scholar, he was a promising talent.

"Doesn't he have a favorite woman yet?"

Liu E wanted to find out more.

After all, the imperial court preferred that officials had families, so that they could better serve the court.

If not, she was willing to arrange a marriage for him, and perhaps even bring him to her side.

"Yes, I have one."

Song Xuan explained again.

Zhang Fangping now lives in his own home. He said he already has a girl he likes, but he'll wait until his parents discuss when to get married before taking things further.

He was also afraid that Liu E would interfere in Zhang Fangping's marriage.

Hearing Song Xuan's words, Liu E nodded: "Since he already has a wife he likes, that's good."

"There's no rush. I reckon you don't like going to the Khitans in winter. It's warmer in May or June, so it won't be too cold."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

Song Xuan hurriedly thanked him.

"Alright, alright, go and rest now. If you need anything in the future, just submit a memorial to the emperor. Try to spend the money on disaster relief so that people don't always have to worry about it."

Liu E added a reminder, clearly satisfied with Song Xuan's explanation.

The Song Dynasty had no shortage of scholars.

Studying books doesn't guarantee you'll pass the imperial examination.

Song Xuan's method is indeed a way to achieve great things with little money.

It seems that there aren't many academically gifted children in Tokyo; they can't compete with students from other places.

Liu E watched Song Xuan leave without saying anything more.

She never expected things to turn out this way.

However, Song Xuan is not without his flaws.

This young man is still very young and has a strong desire to travel around; he hasn't settled down completely yet.

That's normal.

Looking at her manicured nails, Liu E thought to herself, "If Song Xuan, at such a young age, already shows such deep cunning, I wouldn't feel comfortable using him."

To avoid being retaliated against later.

These officials of the Song Dynasty, despite their affectionate way of calling her "Empress Dowager," actually have the Emperor in their hearts!
Did you really think Liu E was unaware of the truth?
Song Xuan emerged from the side hall expressionlessly and then had Yang Huaimin lead him away from the area.

After all, you can't just wander around the palace.

"Song Zhuangyuan was very cautious in his actions."

Song Xuan nodded slightly:

“Eunuch Yang, I can’t be careless in my actions. I haven’t even done anything wrong yet, and this is the first time we’ve been collectively impeached.” “If someone reports my words to these people again, who knows how they’ll attack me.”

Yang Huaimin also expressed his agreement.

So that's what we were talking about!
Although Song Zhuangyuan was shrewd and experienced, he was not cautious enough, and his words were easily probed out.

It seems that Scholar Song still harbors great resentment towards these people!
Yang Huaimin did not offer any advice, but simply watched Song Xuan leave for the Privy Council before returning to report.

Inside the Privy Council's office, charcoal had already been lit, making the room warm and cozy.

"Hahaha."

Cao Liyong's loud laughter came from inside the room. Song Xuan lifted the curtain and saw Cao Liyong gesturing wildly, as if demonstrating how to beat someone up.

"Father-in-law, are you putting on a show like a giant monkey?"

"Hahaha."

After Song Xuan finished speaking, the people in the room burst into laughter again.

When it comes to insulting others, you have to look to Song Zhuangyuan, who didn't even spare his father-in-law.

Cao Liyong benefited from having a poem called "Po Zhen Zi" to rely on.

These days, the Privy Council brings it up all the time.

The air of pretentiousness is always uncontrollable.

Every few words have to veer towards higher matters, and they're always dreaming of bugles and camps echoing in the sky.

This caused Zhang Qi to have nightmares about Cao Yongli nagging in his ear, which would wake him up in fright.

Now, being teased like this by his son-in-law, Zhang Qi burst into laughter.

Who told you to finally brag about having a good son-in-law to annoy me!

"Big monkey, that's so apt! No wonder you're Old Cao's good son-in-law."

"Hahaha."

Cao Liyong didn't care, and instead sat down to the side and mocked:

"My big monkey has a great son-in-law who can write lyrics for me, unlike any of you!"

Zhang Qi: No, not at all.

Xia Song: No, not at all.

It's pointless to talk about this, yet we keep bringing it up.

They both belong to the type of families that only have sons and no daughters, let alone sons-in-law.

Song Xuan also sat down to the side:
"You two Privy Councilors, there's no need to look so grim."

"If my son can marry a good wife, then we'll have hit the jackpot."

Zhang Qi was comforted, since he had his son training alongside Song Xuan anyway.

Xia Song's son is still quite young.

"I've certainly had an eye-opening experience in the court today." Xia Song didn't dwell on it too much, but instead looked at Song Xuan:

“Song Zhuangyuan has been too flamboyant lately, which has aroused jealousy.”

"envy?"

Song Xuan snorted and laughed:
"It's likely that someone is instigating this from behind; jealousy alone wouldn't lead to this."

"Moreover, I didn't go into detail about those examples when I was in court."

“If a thorough investigation were to be conducted, it would certainly cause a great uproar. The fact that the Empress Dowager intervened in time is a fair way to punish both sides equally.”

"Should we each be equally blamed?"

Upon hearing Song Xuan's words, Xia Song was at a loss for words.

Those seven arrogant censors were all dismissed from their posts.

Even though you're perfectly fine, the Empress Dowager summoned you privately; she might even offer you some words of comfort.

Is this what they call giving each other equal blame?

Xia Song really wanted to laugh.

Zhang Qi was also quite speechless, then smiled:
"That's true. Your standard for defining what constitutes a loss is different from others, Song Zhuangyuan."

Cao Liyong was referring to two colleagues:

"You two have no compassion whatsoever. My son-in-law has suffered such injustice; isn't that a loss for him?"

"Yeah."

Xia Song didn't care anymore.

It's normal for anyone serving as an official in the capital to be impeached a few times by censors and remonstrance officials.

Their job is to nitpick.

"But then again, you've amassed so much wealth and treated your subordinates well, it's normal for people to be jealous."

Xia Song analyzed for Song Xuan:

"Chen Gu, the former magistrate of Xiangfu County, was the brother-in-law of Lord Lü. You have outshone him and he has been sent to a desolate place to serve as an official in a sorry state."

"Not to mention the other counties in the capital region of Tokyo, even the clerks and runners of our Privy Council are very envious of your Kaifeng County."

"This has made us consider this matter, but we're a low-income department, where would we get the money to do these things?"

“What Privy Councilor Xia said makes sense.”

Song Xuan shrugged and said, "But I still stand by what I said. I don't take the money I collect, but I distribute it to my subordinates so they can live a better life. That's normal."

"Besides, given the pressure of the imperial examinations in Kaifeng County, even if someone passes the preliminary examination, how many out of 100,000 people can outperform students from other places?"

Regarding the second point, everyone agreed wholeheartedly, as the examination for the provincial examination in Kaifeng Prefecture was inherently simpler than that in other prefectures and states.

Even if they passed, most of them failed the provincial examination.

The fact that Song Xuan and his classmates topped the list is proof of this, and many students will flock to them because of their reputation.

Xia Song believed that Yingtian Academy would produce at least three or four consecutive top scholars.

Before us were Song Xiang and Song Xuan, who knows how many more will come up?

After all, some ambitious students will try their luck at Yingtian Academy, which will increase the probability of producing outstanding individuals.

“My dear nephew, you’d be better off keeping the money in your own hands.”

Zhang Qi chuckled. Giving away piles of silver to those poor people is truly a sin!
What will others think of you?
Everyone else entered officialdom through the imperial examinations or their fathers' influence, setting them apart from others. As a result, your subordinates don't need either of those things and can live a comfortable life.

Many people wouldn't feel comfortable about this.

"Uncle Zhang, if I wanted to make money, would I need to embezzle this little bit of silver?"

Song Xuan snorted and laughed:
"Then you underestimate me."

"Yes, yes, everyone knows how Scholar Song made money. He was extraordinary, able to manipulate everyone in the entire capital city."

"It's just going with the flow," Song Xuan waved his hands repeatedly.
"Privy Councilor Xia flatters me. I have no habit of manipulating others. It's just that they are too greedy and want to profit from the national crisis."

"That's different."

Xia Song stroked his beard and shook his head:

"If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't have the ability to subdue Liu Congde and make him admit defeat, so he wouldn't dare to cause trouble."

"So this is the kind of tactic you, Song Xuan, employ!"

"And today in the main hall, I thought you would defend yourself, but you didn't explain at all."

"In this way, Fan Zheng and the others are completely put on the defensive, and you are leading them by the nose."

"Hahaha."

At this point, Song Xuan still felt a little proud: "Prime Minister Xia, this is military strategy."

"What military strategy?"

Xia Song's eyes lit up. Could it be that Song Xuan had also studied military strategy?
After all, military books were forbidden to circulate in the Song Dynasty, so where did he learn them?

Cao puffed out his chest, ready to vouch for his son-in-law.

This method is called: You do your thing, I'll do mine.

After Song Xuan finished speaking, the three of them fell silent, having never heard of it before.

Cao Li's eyes darted around as he pondered carefully. He had never seen this sentence in any of the military books he had ever read.

Where did he learn to be such a good son-in-law?
"You fight your way, I'll fight my way!"

Xia Song narrowed his eyes slightly: "What do you mean?"

"The core of this military strategy is to seize the initiative on the battlefield and force the enemy to fight according to my rhythm and methods, rather than passively responding to the enemy's actions."

Song Xuan explained it to the three of them briefly:
"First of all, we must not let the enemy lead us by the nose. They want us to fight a decisive battle at a time and place they choose, in a way they are good at, but we will not do as they wish."

"Secondly, we must persist in using our most effective and efficient tactics to attack the enemy's weaknesses."

"What will you do if the enemy attacks you?"

"I'll make sure you can't hit me."

Song Xuan chuckled, "Just like today when Fan Zheng and others impeached me, I simply didn't respond."

What can they do?

Xia Song remained silent for a long time, reviewing Song Xuan's actions in his mind. Indeed, he had firmly implemented such a tactic.

"Could it be that you, my dear nephew, figured out this military strategy all by yourself?"

Zhang Qi pointed to Cao Liyong, who was equally bewildered:
"Don't blame him. We know your father-in-law's capabilities."

"Now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore."

Song Xuan coughed lightly and said seriously:
"Actually, I wrote Romance of the Three Kingdoms just to put my military strategies into practice and see if I could win."

Xia Song and Zhang Qi exchanged a glance, both seeing disbelief in each other's eyes.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is actually a military treatise?
Those who overcame numerous obstacles and defeated many enemies, when compared with a map, it became clear that Song Xuan didn't even understand geography; it was obviously just random writing.

How could it be a military treatise?

“Good son-in-law, don’t deceive them anymore. This method is what I taught you.”

Cao Liyong quickly stepped forward to claim it: "Romance of the Three Kingdoms is just a storybook, how could it be a military treatise? It's utter nonsense."

"You just said you didn't deceive the people of the city, but if you go around telling this story, no one will believe you."

Xia Song naturally didn't want Cao Liyong to use this incident to show off after finishing his explanation of the "Breaking the Formation" strategy.
"I believe it!"

"I believe it now."

Zhang Qi nodded repeatedly.

He planned to go back and carefully read the unfinished Romance of the Three Kingdoms, to ponder how much of its military strategy was actually sound.

I used to only hear storytellers talk about how powerful figures like Lü Bu, Guan Yu, and Zhao Yun were.

Hey, you two.

Cao Yongli thought his son-in-law wanted to go to the Northwest to practice his skills.

Unexpectedly, military strategy was employed.

In Tokyo, many things are spread through various channels.

Some things about the Grand Court Assembly have somehow spread among idle people.

But there was one thing: they impeached Song Taisui, and as a result, all those who were questioned by Song Taisui were dismissed from their posts.

Moreover, I've heard that the system of censors and remonstrance officials is also going to be reformed.

He truly lives up to his reputation as the "Song Tai Sui" (a powerful figure in Chinese mythology).

In the past, most people who dared to speak out against the censors and officials kept a low profile.

Song Xuan summoned all the heads of the county government for a meeting.

Everyone was a little uneasy, after all, they all knew that Master Song had been impeached.

Song Xuan sat in the specially reserved meeting room, where people were seated in both rows.

"My lord, everyone is here."

"Yeah." Song Xuan responded:
"I've called you here today for nothing much, I just have one request."

Everyone held their breath, and then they heard:

"Go back and inform everyone. Everyone must remember that from now on, no one is allowed to reveal how much of a reward they received."

"Don't tell anyone in your family who has a loose tongue, such as your wife, parents, or children."

"It's one thing for you to eat meat, but you have to smack your lips in front of those people who can't even get meat broth."

“These censors impeached me for these matters, and I removed them from office once.”

"After the reform of the censorate system, do you think I can remove them twice more?"

Song Xuan's words left everyone looking at each other in bewilderment.

Since the lord distributed bonuses to everyone, the brothers' lives have indeed improved.

Therefore, it's inevitable to feel a sense of pride and satisfaction.

After all, life had been too hard before.

"Don't worry, sir. When we get back, we will definitely warn our brothers not to utter another word."

Ban Feng quickly patted his chest to assure him, seemingly indicating that the official was in a bad mood due to the impeachment.

“I can give you a few more strings of cash. Anyway, you can’t make a fortune in Tokyo. At most, you can eat meat a few more times at home.”

Song Xuan stood up and walked around the long table, saying, "But some people can't stand you eating meat a few more times, you know?"

“If I hadn’t argued with the Empress Dowager, your future treatment would have been cut even further.”

"From now on, when we brothers eat meat at home, we should keep our mouths shut and not go outside to tell others, or people will hold a grudge, understand?"

"clear."

"Yes." Song Xuan listened to everyone's repeated assurances:

"You must make sure to explain the stakes to your men. Other county governments don't run private schools, but our county government does, and you know how jealous they are."

“I’m not joking about this. If any more rumors like this reach my ears, every single one of you will be fined.”

"I won't punish the men below, but I will punish you leaders who ignored my words and failed to convey them properly."

"Registrar Zheng, write this matter down for me in a moment, and have everyone sign and affix their fingerprints, so that you won't have to tell me you forgot when it comes time to pay fines."

“Yes, sir.” Zheng Wenhuan quickly replied.

"The second thing is that the project will be completed in a few days."

Song Xuan extended his hand and said:

“County Magistrate Zhou, I’m planning to hold a farewell party. The disaster victims and civilians who worked on the construction site, as well as the fire brigade and the imperial guards who helped with patrols, will all have a good feast.”

"Of course, there are also people from our county government office. Apart from not being allowed to drink alcohol, please hire a few more people from the entertainment district to perform up there."

Upon hearing Song Xuan's idea, everyone immediately beamed with joy.

The gloom from the scolding earlier vanished; after all, their good life was due to Master Song's competence.

He was envied for no reason, and someone impeached Master Song. That Master Song must have been furious.

"My lord, are we going to hold another banquet?" Zhou Derong asked with a smile.
"I'm afraid it will be another expense."

"I plan to spend more of the money I have to make room for the 900,000 guan next year."

Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed.

The total amount was one million strings of cash. Even if taxes were levied, the money still ended up in the pocket of Kaifeng County.

Regardless, they can be certain that they will have a good year.

If Lord Song is successfully re-elected for three more years, he will have more than enough money to last three years.

"Alright, shut your mouths. I don't want to see your back teeth."

"Hahaha." Everyone burst into laughter again.

Song Xuan stretched out his finger and said:
"This is not just about rewarding the workers; I also want to hire boats to take them home."

"We will provide them with some food, iron stoves, coal, and the like according to their population to help them get through the winter, and they can continue working when spring comes next year."

"You are truly a benevolent and righteous man."

Ban Feng spoke first, immediately launching into a praise session.

Everyone immediately followed suit.

Song Xuan waved his hand:
"That's the situation. Do you have any other good ideas?"

"We put it together and it was adopted, which is the old rule."

With Song Xuan's words, everyone immediately began to offer suggestions and ideas, hoping to handle the matter perfectly.

In short, I will never hold the high-ranking official back.

Song Xuan looked at what Zheng Wenhuan had recorded and found that he had indeed recorded them all.

"Yes, there is one more thing, which is the most important one: taxes."

"My lord," Zhou Derong reported proactively.

"Because of the imperial court's policies this year, many people have paid their miscellaneous taxes without causing any trouble. Everything went smoothly, and almost all of them were collected."

"I don't want almost, I want everyone to collect it."

"Understood," Zhou Derong said. "I'll go and arrange for more people to bring the rest here."

"Go find someone first. If you encounter any difficulties, come back and report. You must not take away the villagers' belongings, nor can you bully their daughters or wives."

"Here."

Zhou Derong went out first to give instructions.

This is a good opportunity to lift the curtain and let some air in, so that everyone doesn't get poisoned by the smoke.

The precautions regarding this matter are quite deeply ingrained in people's minds.

Everyone treated it as a break in the middle of the meeting, and most of Ban Feng and others believed that they were also participating in the "Grand Assembly" in a disguised way.

In the past, I would never have dared to think like that.

"My lord, I have already given the instructions."

Zhou Derong hurriedly returned to report.

"Well, now hang up the curtain. I have something important to announce."

The faces of the group were serious, and their previous playful demeanor had vanished.

What the high official said is extremely important.

“Our Kaifeng County government can say that we have exceeded our tax revenue target this year. This money will be turned over to the national treasury. Qian Gansan, you should count it out in advance.”

"Here."

Song Xuan looked around at everyone and said, "In order to prevent the county governments from being jealous of us, I have decided to implement a tax refund policy for all merchants and farmers who pay taxes in Kaifeng County this year."

"Tax refund?"

This was the first time anyone had heard this word.

Throughout history, taxes have always been collected by government agencies, so how could there be tax refunds?

"What do you mean by tax refund, sir?"

Even the registrar, Zheng Wenhuan, has now stopped writing; he no longer dares to record things on paper to form meeting minutes.

"This means returning a portion of the money to those who pay taxes, as a reward for their merit in paying taxes on time this year."

Song Xuan explained very seriously, "I don't intend to do this every year, but only this year."

No one dared to answer in the meeting room.

(End of this chapter)