A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 440 An Extraordinary Father and Daughter

Song Xuan had reminded Cao Yong more than once.

Now that his good son-in-law had said this again, Cao Yong felt a little uneasy.

Now the entire Cao family depends on him for support.

Even if the son-in-law has a bright future, that's a matter for the future.

In particular, his younger brother and nephew were all rewarded with official positions because of Cao Liyong, which is the so-called "recommendation of the virtuous without regard to relatives".

But if something goes wrong, he, as the sponsor, will also be implicated.

"You're right, I'll write to them again to remind them."

Cao nodded slightly.

After all, they were all officials stationed on the border, far from the emperor's reach, so mistakes were bound to happen.

As for officials, many cannot be thoroughly investigated.

Everyone makes mistakes.

Song Xuan felt that there were no problems around the Song Dynasty, but the court was in turmoil. The Empress Dowager's faction and those who supported the emperor but actually wanted to expand the power of the prime minister were starting to fight for the right to speak.

After all, the emperor has grown up, and it's time for him to make the decisions.

The emperor must rely on his ministers, not his relatives!
Once factional strife breaks out, there will always be a pretext, and there will always be someone to sacrifice.

Military officers were the kind of people who could be sacrificed in the factional struggles of the Song Dynasty.

After seeing his father-in-law agree, Song Xuan smiled and said:

“None of my brothers-in-law are the kind of people who can cause trouble.”

"Since you're stuck in the palace accumulating seniority without achieving any merit, why don't I take my brothers-in-law on a trip to the Khitan?"

"Take a walk around?" Cao Liyong asked, puzzled.

"I intend to ask Your Majesty to allow me to select some Imperial Guards to accompany me, not only to protect that treasure, but also to ensure my safety."

Song Xuan lowered his voice and explained again:
"I suspect that unrest is bound to occur within the Khitan, so I want to see how well the Khitans are at suppressing rebellions."

"Could it be that those Jurchens said something to you last year?"

What could they possibly tell me?

Cao Liyong nodded:

“The words of those Jurchens are not to be trusted either; they all have their own purposes.”

Song Xuan waved his hands repeatedly:

"I have never believed what the Jurchens say."

"They are nothing more than a replica of the Khitans of the past. Now they are being bullied and look pitiful. But when they become powerful, they will bully others just like the Khitans. All these foreign races follow the same pattern."

Cao Li nodded. Those Jurchens also had their own ulterior motives, wanting the Song Dynasty to deal with the Khitans and relieve the pressure of confronting them head-on.

Previously, the Song Dynasty also had a strategy of using them to contain the enemy in the rear, but this strategy was abandoned after Emperor Taizong of Song's northern expedition failed and the two sides signed an alliance.

"Indeed, I am also uneasy about the Khitans. We agreed to the annual tribute of 300,000 taels in the past, but will they be satisfied in the future?"

“Father-in-law, the reason I am certain that a rebellion will occur within the Khitan people is because…”

"Firstly, Emperor Yelü Longxu is getting old and has fallen ill, so he has relinquished his political duties. However, his son is still a minor, and in addition, there have been signs of rebellion in the country since the defeat in the war against Western Xia."

"Last year, because of that treasure worth one million strings of cash, they forcibly increased taxes, which added fuel to the fire in their already scalding pot."

"I'm just waiting to see what their pot of oil will look like when it explodes!"

Cao Yong never considered the possibility that the "economic" aspect would lead to internal strife among the Khitans.

He harbored deep doubts about this.

It's just raising taxes, isn't it?

A million strings of cash is a significant sum for an individual.

That could be an astronomical figure.

But for a huge country, that's just a drop in the ocean.

Although he was in the Privy Council, he had also listened to the reports from the three provincial officials on the annual tax revenue of the court during the Grand Court Assembly.

The amounts are in the tens of millions of strings of cash, and some have even risen to fifty million strings of cash, and they keep increasing every year.

This is the statistical result after the imperial court had been exempting taxes in certain areas due to years of disasters.

One million strings of cash were nothing to the Song Dynasty court at the time, as the annual coinage of the Song Dynasty started at this amount.

Even so, the unstoppable outflow of copper coins led to a money shortage.

So much so that 770 coins were often enough to buy a whole set of cash.

The official standard was 77. For example, if a craftsman's daily wage was 200 coins, the employer would actually pay 154 coins as 200 coins when settling the wages.

However, once the contract is signed on paper, the person must be paid 200 copper coins; otherwise, it would be a violation of the laws of the Song Dynasty.

Only in certain places and for specific transactions will we insist on using the foot-tracking method, as this is fair.

In fact, in many cases, the provincial system was the true operating rule of the Song Dynasty.

Song Xuan's payments and wage distribution in Kaifeng County were all handled by the local authorities.

The large sums of money he spent led to the fact that both the disaster victims and those he hired were willing to work diligently for Master Song.

Song Xuan didn't even need to assign someone to supervise them; they started monitoring the others internally, telling them to work hard and not to slack off.

If the money is right, it can save a lot of trouble.

By the later years of Emperor Renzong of Song, the government was collecting over 100 million in taxes every year.

Of course, because Zhang Yuan and other unsuccessful candidates demonstrated their value in the united front, as long as candidates passed the provincial examination, they would not be dismissed, and the palace examination became a mere formality.

There are more and more officials, but not as many official positions.

The bureaucracy is like an overloaded house, becoming increasingly bloated and inefficient.

To maintain these enormous expenditures, the people became increasingly burdened. Coupled with years of famine, self-employed farmers went bankrupt, a large number of refugees emerged, and uprisings broke out one after another.

They appeared extremely weak in the face of the invasion of the Western Xia and the unreasonable demand of the Liao Dynasty to increase the annual tribute.

The rebel army was defeated and incorporated into the local militia. The already large army was still used by the Song Dynasty as a reservoir.

Excessive spending has led to a continuous deficit every year, exacerbating the financial crisis.

These problems are now beginning to emerge.

So when Cao Liyong shared his inner doubts with Song Xuan...

Song Xuan couldn't help but burst into laughter.

“Father-in-law, although the Liao Kingdom is also a country, it still practices the slave-owning system at its core.”

"Not to mention the Khitan nobles, they retained the exploitative status of Xi Shigui. The Xi royal family possessed a considerable number of retainers and some slaves, as well as a large amount of land."

"Of course, this also includes some Han Chinese military leaders and landlords who have served the Khitans, and they also own large tracts of land and slaves."

"The wealth created by these slaves is pocketed by various minor lords and will never be handed over to the court for taxes, especially by the upper-class nobles of the Xi tribe who have been heavily enslaved by the Khitans for generations."

Cao Liyong nodded:
"That is true. Although I have never been an envoy to the Khitan, I have heard that the Xi and Khitan tribes were once renowned in the world. Both were powerful and neighboring countries. When they merged, they became ruler and subject to each other, a situation that has lasted for hundreds of years."

"The Khitan were divided into eight tribes, while the Xi tribe was divided into five. As for the Xi tribe that was annexed by the Khitan, an additional tribe was added, but this tribe was entirely prepared for laborers, recruits from various tribes, and displaced people."

"However, Yelü Longxu has further weakened the Xi royal family due to his defeat in battle. The Xi kings are no longer succeeded by their sons after their fathers died, but were appointed by the emperor. The Xi royal family also all have the surname Xiao."

In the Liao Dynasty, when "other surnames were despised and the Yelü and Xiao surnames were honored."

This change in surname undoubtedly enhanced the status of the Xi royal family.

The Xi royal family's political superiority was also reflected in the legal privileges they enjoyed.

"The Xi King's Mansion, together with the Southern King's Mansion, the Northern King's Mansion, and the Yi Shi King's Mansion, are known as the Four Great King's Mansions. They are all large tribes and should not be poor."

“Yes, they are rich.” Song Xuan leaned back in his recliner.

“I have read some materials about the Khitans and heard that the Xi King’s Palace, with its five tents and six military governors, offered seven gold mountains, soil, and riverbeds (to build Zhongjing, which became Dading Prefecture). This shows how vast their land was.”

Under the preferential policies of the Liao Dynasty, the King of Xi not only had vast land and residences in the Zhongjing area, but also a summer resort.

Su Zhe wrote "The Residence of the Xi King" when he was on a mission to Liao: "The Xi King has a five-acre residence and a fiefdom with one-tenth of a acre of land. The old fortress opened up the capital, and the remaining people are mixed with the Han people. They do not know the lowly status of servants and are happy to have the power of killing and killing."

“Father-in-law, we can only get a glimpse of the whole picture from a small part. In the Liao Kingdom, the rich do not pay taxes, so it is the ordinary people who pay taxes.”

"Our Great Song Dynasty only produces around 10,000 taels of gold per year. How much gold can the Khitans produce per year?"

"When the Khitan emperor says that a tax of one million strings of cash will actually be collected at least two million strings of cash by the time it is implemented."

“They left one million strings of cash at each of their mountain strongholds and gave one million strings of cash to the emperor. Yelü Longxu even had to thank them.”

"Whether it will trigger a rebellion is not within their consideration; the money in their hands is the most important thing."

"what?"

Cao Liyong had never encountered anything like this before.

As a commander in the army, he would not let logistics pass through his hands, thus avoiding any obstruction from the rear.

The purpose was to ensure that even if Song Dynasty generals rebelled, they would have no money or food, and their soldiers would not be at their beck and call.

"I'm not well-educated, good son-in-law, don't try to fool me."

"It's an old tradition for the central government to issue policies and for local governments to add their own layers of restrictions."

Song Xuan chuckled:
"Father-in-law, there's no need to be alarmed. Such situations only occasionally occur in the Song Dynasty."

It's not that the Song Dynasty was all innocent and pure; the main issue was the current practice of offering high salaries to encourage honesty and integrity.

Following the handling of corrupt officials by Emperors Taizu and Taizong, and with Emperor Zhenzong's partial delegation of power.

Currently, the scholar-official class has a high opinion of themselves, believing that they are also half masters of the country, and not many people are forcibly demanding taxes from the common people.

However, it was also common for relatives of the emperor, eunuchs, and some military generals to engage in business, compete for markets, and amass wealth.

It was simply a different way of making money compared to the Khitans who occupied vast territories.

Cao then sat down again. None of the civil officials he had met had ever done this before.

Even Wang Zeng, whom he once looked down upon, would be someone Cao Yong felt was incapable of doing such a despicable thing.

"Based on your analysis, the lives of the people under Khitan rule are probably going to be very difficult."

"Of course, the Han people of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun have always been of value for united front work, so I think this tax increase is mostly being levied on the ethnic minorities in the north."

Song Xuan snorted and laughed:
“Living conditions in the north are becoming increasingly unbearable. Once these foreign people can no longer endure it, they will rise up in rebellion, and then they will be able to take a big bite out of the Khitans.”

"The Khitans, accustomed to a life of ease, will inevitably be caught off guard."

"Even the Khitans were caught off guard, so I'm afraid my Great Song Dynasty won't be able to withstand it either."

Cao Liyong had a certain understanding of the fighting capabilities of the Song soldiers.

The more prosperous the place, the faster its combat effectiveness declines.

The harsher and colder the place, the more it upholds the principle that the strong rule everything.

The weak don't even need to wait to be killed; the bitter cold would have taken their lives long ago.

Without sufficient military strength, it's difficult to farm, and if you can't hunt for prey to survive the winter, you'll freeze to death. You simply can't survive.

As for the elderly?

If they don't die by a certain age, they will be abandoned and buried in the mouths of wolves and vultures.

The steppe tradition passed down from the Xiongnu people is that the old, weak, sick, and disabled can all be abandoned, and only the strong warriors are left behind.

They could then abduct women from other tribes, have them bear their children, and that tribe could still exist.

Agricultural culture and grassland culture differ entirely in how they handle many things.

Filial piety, which was revered by successive dynasties, was nothing but a load of rubbish in the eyes of the grassland people.

A look of surprise flashed in Song Xuan's eyes; he had underestimated his father-in-law.

Such insight is truly rare!

"how?"

Cao Liyong glanced at him: "Do you think there's something wrong with what I said?"

"Let me tell you, if those Jurchens are well-equipped, they are no weaker than the Khitans in terms of fighting power."

"No."

Song Xuan shook his head: "I underestimated my father-in-law's abilities. If I were to say what he said, people would surely laugh at me for being a worrier."

"Hahaha."

Cao laughed heartily a few times, feeling quite pleased with his son-in-law's praise.

“I spent my whole life honing my skills in the army. Even though the Treaty of Chanyuan was signed, no one regarded it as a permanent agreement.”

Cao Yong stroked his beard and sighed, "In fact, for the first ten years, the North persisted in preparing for war, believing that the Khitans, being a foreign tribe, must all be heartless and treacherous."

"How could they possibly keep their promise? It's just a temporary measure."

"For this reason, we continued to send out many spies to the Khitans to gather information, while also training troops on the border."

"I just didn't expect the Khitans to be so trustworthy. More than 20 years have passed and they really haven't fought."

"As a result, military preparedness has become much lax."

Cao Yongli shook his head again: "Looking at the national gift sword presented by the Khitans, I found that it is even more exquisite than the swords made by our Great Song Dynasty."

"In this skill, our Great Song Dynasty is indeed inferior to the Khitans who have been fighting all the time."

"If all the Han people in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were used by the Khitans, it would be extremely dangerous for our Great Song Dynasty."

"If we fight again, we will definitely suffer losses, and the Song Dynasty may not be able to defeat the Khitans."

Song Xuan nodded.

Their generation has spent half their lives fighting against the Liao, so how could they suddenly let their guard down?
The older generation of Khitan soldiers did not give up their preparations to fight against the Song Dynasty.

However, both emperors were relatively trustworthy.

Even after Emperor Zhenzong died, Yelü Longxu was still worried that Zhao Zhen, being young and impetuous, might take the initiative to start a war between the Song and Liao dynasties.

The Song Dynasty was also worried that the Khitans might launch a surprise attack while their emperor was young and had just ascended the throne.

Therefore, during this period, envoys from both the Song and Liao dynasties traveled back and forth very frequently, all in order to test each other and gather information from various sources to ensure that the other side would not resort to force.

Even if the emperors of the Song and Liao dynasties all passed away to the next generation, they might not necessarily live in peace.

Cao also revealed his true feelings:
"Actually, I wanted to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. Not only me, but Cao Wei, the most capable commander of the Song Dynasty, also had this idea."

"Otherwise, Cao Wei would never have been able to use his skills until his death. Now that he is sickly, he has no chance at all."

"In the future, it will be virtually impossible for the Song Dynasty to find another commander capable of leading independently among the sons of its founding generals."

After careful consideration, Song Xuan realized that among the commanders who dealt with the harassment from the Western Xia, there was practically no son of a founding general who could stand up and take charge on his own.

Shi Shouxin's grandson, Shi Yuansun, was defeated and captured in a battle against the Tanguts. He was later exchanged for a prisoner of war, which further weakened the Shi family.

As for Cao Yi, the third-generation core descendant of Cao Bin's family, it wasn't that Cao Liyong looked down on him, but rather that each generation was weaker than the last.

This also saddened Cao Li, who felt that the Song Dynasty would not produce many more talented and capable generals in the future.

The Khitans did not know how long they could abide by the alliance.

Meanwhile, the Tangut people also frequented the northwest.

The Song Dynasty no longer had the capable people who could guard the northwest like the pack of wolves it had when it was first established.

When General Wang Yansheng was stationed in the Northwest, he often hosted banquets for his subordinates, and he would tear off the ears of the Tangut people on the spot to eat with their wine.

He repeated this many times. After publicly eating hundreds of ears of the Tangut people, the Tangut people were so terrified that they dared not invade the border again for twenty years.

If he doesn't kill you, he'll simply enjoy the process.

Regardless of whether his actions were humane or not, a man from the Central Plains was perceived by other ethnic groups as inherently cruel.

Damn it, the Central Plains dynasties always cursed us, the barbarians who ate raw meat and drank blood, but it turns out they were the ones who were even more ruthless!

That's still quite intimidating.

"Doesn't this align perfectly with the founding emperor's thinking after establishing the dynasty, completely suppressing the path of military generals leading troops to usurp power?"

Upon hearing Song Xuan's question, Cao Yongli couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

Most things in this world have two sides.

If you can defend against one side, how can you possibly gain benefits from the other side?
"That's true." Cao Liyong nodded.
"It is precisely because the sons of the founding military generals in the capital do not have many capable talents that I have been thinking about whether to ask the Emperor and the Empress Dowager to hold a military examination."

"We should search among the common people for literate people who are willing to become military generals, so that if there are border troubles in the future, we will not be without a commander to lead the charge."

"That's a good idea."

Song Xuan nodded. It was more appealing for a military officer to directly lead troops as a general than to be a common soldier.

"Hopefully, we can select a group of people who can truly lead troops in major battles for the country."

In response to Cao Liyong's感慨 (sentiments/reflections), Song Xuan joked:

"And then, after rising step by step to the rank of commander, must one diligently study the military formation diagrams left by Emperor Taizong?"

"Tsk."

Cao Li glared at his son-in-law:
"You can't say such things casually in the future. Even if I give you the military formation diagram, you can hang it at home and you can't put it away."

"Go, go, go."

Song Xuan waved his hand to indicate that he understood. In the mid-to-late Song Dynasty, most of the generals who faced foreign invasions were civil officials who had transitioned to military roles, and there were very few sons of powerful and wealthy families left.

After all, it's a matter of life and death. If you want to get your gold plating done, why go to a dangerous place to get it done?

It was quite safe to gild the border between the Song and Liao dynasties.

The intensity of the fighting in the Northwest is by no means low.

Yang Huaimin was always happy to tell Liu E about any news or disturbances in Tokyo.

"What did you say?"

Liu E said with some surprise, "Song Twelve suddenly has a daughter!"

"exactly."

Yang Huaimin was also very surprised, but he knew that this matter could not be kept secret.

Since Song Xuan made such a big fuss, it was bound to reach the ears of the Empress Dowager.

Rather than having someone else report it in advance, Yang Huaimin decided to speak up first.

This also proves that there is no possibility that the two of them formed a faction.

Otherwise, one would subconsciously try to cover it up for him.

"That's really strange."

Empress Liu instructed Yang Huaimin to go and investigate the matter with the Imperial City Guard.

Who is this woman, and how did she manage to attract him?

He's willing to acknowledge this daughter as his own, yet he's still so flamboyant about it.

The upright and virtuous Song Zhuangyuan suddenly had a daughter, and Liu E also wanted to get involved in this juicy story.

In her mind, someone must have conspired with Song Xuan to arrange for his wife and children to be given away, which is why he did this.

After all, Song Xuan's character is quite trustworthy.

She wasn't the only one who thought this way; many others shared the same opinion.

So when people are gossiping, they unconsciously put themselves in Song Xuan's shoes and try to exonerate him, thinking it's definitely not his fault.

The Imperial City Guards are efficient, especially since they had already sent people to monitor Song Xuan. Therefore, this information was unknown to others.

The people of the Imperial City Guard are documented.

"Gu Tongpan's wife?"

Liu E looked quite surprised: "Why does this name Gu Ziming sound so familiar?"

Yang Huaimin was completely stunned.

After all, he was originally there to deal with the Hanlin scholar Dou Chou, and he was there to supervise as the Empress Dowager's eyes and ears.

It was only after talking to Cao Yong in Songcheng that the knot in his heart was untied.

This is the Empress Dowager's art of controlling people; Minister Cao must play the bad cop.

To prevent eunuchs like Zhou Zhengxian from colluding with outsiders to attempt to depose the Empress Dowager and directly invite Zhao Zhen to assume personal rule.

How did the top scholar Song end up with the woman of his enemy?

The woman's figure was really not good-looking, and she was much older than the top scholar of the Song Dynasty.

As Liu E listened to Yang Huaimin's account of the case, she also found Song Xuan's actions somewhat incomprehensible.

To be honest, Dou Chou's student Gu Ziming has a very special teacher-student relationship.

Otherwise, they wouldn't both have died.

This is the first assassination attempt on a Tongpan-level official since the founding of the Song Dynasty.

People generally have great respect for officials; even if they criticize them, they do so behind their backs.

"I remember that Gu Ziming helped Dou Chou's son plot to get rid of Song Twelve, but after the plot failed, Dou Chou's son assassinated Gu Ziming in public?"

"Your Majesty has a good memory, that's exactly right."

Yang Huaimin also couldn't understand why Song Xuan would do such a thing.

Could it be that the Dou family has some new scheme in mind, so Song Xuan is using the mother and daughter to make his enemies hesitate to act against them?
It shouldn’t be!

"That woman was quite beautiful?"

"I haven't noticed."

Yang Huaimin began by saying:

“Your Majesty, how about I have Scholar Song come over, so that he won’t be confused and cause problems?”

Empress Liu pondered for a long time. In fact, she usually didn't interfere in the family affairs of her ministers.

But now everyone knows that Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki were both promoted by her.

Moreover, the situation in Tokyo is indeed much better than before.

There were far fewer ruffians and scoundrels, and the people lived in greater peace and contentment. Everyone praised the two Song Taisui (Lord Song) and, by extension, the Empress.

This fueled Liu E's vanity; what she wanted most now was "fame"!
During her many years in power, none of the relatives she trusted were able to help her gain a good reputation among the people.

Now that two top scholars have achieved the triple crown, how could Empress Liu not care for and cherish them?

In particular, neither Song nor Song had any power base in the court.

Cao Liyong's foundation was as weak as a wheat stalk; it would collapse with a single breath.

There are no lodging-resistant wheat varieties in the Song Dynasty now.

Wheat varieties that have been cultivated only appeared in the 21st century, and have since been improved and refined.

"Just tell him that I heard he has a beautiful daughter and asked him to bring her to the palace so I can see her. I would be very happy to see her too."

Liu E couldn't resist wanting to know the gossip about why Song Xuan was supporting his enemy's wife and daughter.

"Here."

Yang Huaimin responded and then hurriedly left the palace.

Just as Song Xuan was about to go on duty, he spotted Yang Huaimin rushing ahead of him.

"Eunuch Yang, is something urgent?"

When Yang Huaimin saw Song Xuanzhen carrying his daughter and about to go to work, she quickly stopped him:
"The Empress Dowager was overjoyed that Scholar Song suddenly had a daughter, and specially sent me to bring you and your daughter to the palace."

"what?"

A look of doubt appeared in Song Xuan's eyes: "What does Your Majesty mean by this?"

"I have heard some rumors."

Yang Huaimin immediately distanced herself from the situation, and only after speaking did she begin to examine the daughter Song Xuan was holding.

He was somewhat surprised for a moment.

How come this young lady isn't a carbon copy of Song Xuan?

They look so alike, especially in their eyes and eyebrows.

After all, in his opinion, Song Zhuangyuan was handsome, so his daughter wouldn't be too bad either.

"Rumors?"

Song Xuan didn't explain anything: "Since we're going to the palace, let's take a donkey cart."

"Here."

Wang Bao went to get the carriage ready, while Xu Xianchun went outside to tell the yamen runners that the master was going to the palace.

Ban Feng and the others naturally agreed, which was a sign that Master Song was favored.

How could an ordinary person be frequently summoned by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor?
So everyone had a radiant face.

After getting into the car, Yang Huaimin asked curiously, "Scholar Song, aren't you going to introduce him?"

Song Xuan laughed and patted his daughter: "Say hello to Uncle Yang."

"Sisi greets Uncle Yang. My name is Song Sisi, and my father is Song Twelve."

Yang Huaimin responded with a sound of agreement, then smiled broadly.

Such a sweet, childlike little girl is so adorable.

Moreover, she spoke fluently and was not at all stage-frightened.

"Okay, okay." Yang Huaimin quickly reached into his sleeve:

"When we first met, Uncle Yang wasn't prepared at all; he just brought some malt candy to eat."

Song Sisi looked at the gold leaf and shook her head:
"Thank you, Uncle Yang. My father doesn't let me eat malt candy, saying it'll rot my teeth."

Yang Huaimin glanced at Song Xuan and said with a smile:
“It’s okay to eat a little bit occasionally. Your father was a top scholar, but he wasn’t as good as me when it came to food. If your teeth are bad at your age, they can grow back.”

Song Sisi glanced back at Song Xuan:
"Is Father lying to me?"

"Of course not." Song Xuan laughed a few times.
"Don't listen to your Uncle Yang. We should eat less of that maltose stuff, it'll rot your teeth."

Song Sisi glanced at Yang Huaimin again:
"Uncle Yang, do you think what my dad said is true?"

“I can’t argue with your father.” Yang Huaimin placed the gold leaf in Song Sisi’s palm.

"If Miss Song wants to eat something, just buy it. There are so many kinds of food in this capital city."

"Sisi doesn't want it. My dad will buy it for me. Thank you, Uncle Yang."

Song Sisi held the gold leaf in her hand, it was the first time she had ever seen one, but she still handed it to Yang Huaimin.

“Scholar Song, your daughter is no ordinary child.”

Yang Huaimin didn't force anyone to give it to him.

After all, he was a eunuch, and he always asked for money without giving it away.

He's already become a eunuch, why wouldn't he do it for money?

Everything else is fake, and he can't enjoy it.

"Her mother is very strict with her, and I usually can't get involved."

Song Xuan hugged his daughter tightly: "It's better to keep her by my side for as long as possible, so I can take care of her."

Yang Huaimin tacitly refrained from asking any questions.

Is she really Song Xuan's biological daughter?

After all, this young lady is intelligent and can probably understand a lot of what he says.

"Eunuch Yang, has there been any news from the capital city of Dongjing lately?"

"No."

Yang Huaimin knew that Song Xuan had asked for leave to return to his hometown.

He was thought to be attending the wedding of Zhang Fangping, the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination, but unexpectedly he brought his daughter home.

It's unknown whether the young Mrs. Cao had a falling out with him behind his back.

"However," Yang Huaimin added, "..."

"Judging by the days, shouldn't the Khitans be setting off by now?"

Perhaps.

Song Xuan shook his head: "I haven't received any news from Yelü Shucheng during the time I was away."

The two also chatted about gossip in the capital city, such as how Song Xiang, the Grand Duke of Song, had set up cages on both sides of the county government office.

Yang Huaimin never expected that the usually composed Song Xiang would do such a thing, and could only speculate that the public security in Xiangfu County was getting worse.

Moreover, it seems that some local powerful figures have started to find people to impeach him.

Song Xuan did not comment on the matter.

He did not face opposition from local powerful figures in Kaifeng County, but he first gained control of Liu Congde, and then, because of his father-in-law's connections, plus the marriage of his classmate Zhang Fangping as a gimmick.

The most important factor was Song Xuan's overly forceful governing style.

The local powerful families who controlled various shops in Kaifeng County all restrained their tempers and dared not cause trouble.

But Song Xiang is different; the only means he can rely on is to call in people!
Song Xuan lacks many of the advantages he possesses.

Upon arriving at the palace gate, Ban Feng and the other yamen runners, already accustomed to this, went straight to the tea stall and sat down.

They were all surprised that Master Song would bring his daughter into the palace.

This shows how much the official doted on his daughter.

They were outside the door, completely unaware of why Yang Huaimin had come; they only knew that entering the palace was no small matter.

Thus, under the watchful eyes of many imperial guards, Song Xuan carried the child into the palace.

Fortunately, the Song Dynasty palace was relatively small, and they quickly arrived at Liu E's palace.

Yang Huaimin went in first to report, but in reality, he just shared some information and left it to Liu E to decide for herself.

Empress Liu then had someone come in.

"Your subject Song Xuan, along with his eldest daughter Song Sisi, pays respects to Your Majesty."

"Sisi greets Your Majesty."

Song Sisi stood beside Song Xuan and bowed respectfully.

The etiquette I was practicing was originally for a family gathering, but I never expected to use it here first.

"Come closer."

Liu E sat upright in the main seat, and it was difficult to see the faces of the father and daughter clearly.

So Song Xuan took his daughter's hand and slowly walked forward.

"Come closer."

It wasn't until she was within three steps of Song Xuan that Liu E could clearly see her youngest daughter standing beside him.

The little girl is so pretty, with such big, bright eyes.

"Sisi, come here, come here, let Grandma take a look."

When greeted, Song Sisi first glanced at Song Xuan, and only after seeing him nod did she step forward.

Liu E first looked Song Sisi up and down, and the more she looked, the more she thought the girl was very pretty.

So he picked her up.

Yang Huaimin and the others were all shocked, but they quickly held their breath and lowered their heads to bury their emotions.

Because those who served her closely knew that even though her most favored nephew, Liu Congde, had a child, the eldest aunt rarely held him.

It can be said that the eldest aunt found the children noisy or stupid and was unwilling to have much contact with them.

Even for the emperor, it was mostly the concubines who took care of him.

Aside from in front of the late emperor, the Empress Dowager never really showed any real care for the Emperor in private.

Such old stories, upon closer reflection...

Those who served Empress Liu were truly incredulous; how could such a situation have arisen?

Liu E had tea served to Song Xuan and offered him a seat, while she chatted casually with Song Sisi about everyday matters.

Song Xuan finished his entire bowl of tea.

Liu E no longer needed to ask whether this was her biological daughter.

Just listening to the logic in the girl's reply, and looking into her eyes, it was as if she were a carbon copy of Song Xuan.

"You, Song Twelve, are something else."

"You actually managed to get your enemy's woman into your bed, and even have her give birth to such a beautiful and clever daughter for you. You really have some serious skills!"

Of course, Liu E only complained in her heart and did not say these words in front of the intelligent daughter.

Liu E had some snacks brought over before setting Song Sisi down and letting her choose what she liked to try.

Unexpectedly, Song Sisi picked out the prettiest piece first and told the old lady to eat it first.

This action amused Liu E so much that she bent over backwards. No one had ever been so bold as to offer to feed her.

Liu E readily took the food and took a bite, telling Song Sisi to eat it.

Song Sisi then gave another piece to Song Xuan, and then distributed it to the people standing before picking one for herself to eat.

Yang Huaimin and the others were caught in a dilemma: whether to eat or not.

Liu E was quite amazed.

Let them thank us and then eat as they please, so as not to disappoint Miss Song Yi's kindness.

After everyone bowed in unison, Song Sisi was somewhat incredulous.

She had never seen such a scene before, and tilted her head:
"These are Grandma's snacks. If you want to thank someone, thank Grandma."

Song Sisi nestled close to Song Xuan, who then took out a water bottle and fed his daughter some water.

These words made Liu E even more convinced that Song Xuan's daughter was no ordinary person:
"Song Twelve, your daughter is quite adorable."

Song Xuan chuckled:
"Your Majesty, I don't like to eat alone, so this is a way of teaching you by example."

Liu E nodded, her doubts resolved, and she had also gotten halfway through the gossip.

Song Xuan's daughter's eyebrows and eyes are exactly like his.

Empress Liu didn't want to say such boring things.

He behaved exceptionally well, especially since his daughter was there.

Liu E didn't press further about what exactly happened back then.

Song Xuan was able to disregard past grievances and get together with his enemy's wife.

Previously, Empress Liu did not believe that there were child prodigies everywhere in the Song Dynasty, as if they were auspicious omens fabricated by the late emperor.

It's a product of local governments working together for political purposes, and everyone turns a blind eye to it.

But seeing it today, I am certain that some children are more intelligent than ordinary people.

This matter is true.

Unlike the children she had seen in Tokyo, who were not only unintelligent but also unlikable.

As for child prodigies, Liu E has actually seen very few over the years.

With the passing of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, reports of child prodigies and their exploits decreased significantly across the country.

Liu E was certain that Yang Huaimin wouldn't dare lie to her, and he recounted everything in detail from the moment he met Song Xuan.

Song Sisi's performance just now was not something Song Xuan taught her on the way here.

Liu E could only blame it on Song Xuan's good upbringing of her daughter.

She was poised and confident, showing no stage fright whatsoever, and never made a fuss.

In such situations, many children cannot do this, let alone combine several elements into one.

Song Xuan did teach Song Sisi to share at family gatherings, but didn't say much else.

Anyway, this is the time for the little girl to play and have fun, so why bother instilling so much etiquette in her?

"Actually, I'm not just surprised that you suddenly have a daughter, I also have official business to discuss."

Liu E asked Yang Huaimin to bring the memorial on the table to Song Xuan.

Yang Huaimin became increasingly respectful towards Song Xuan.

He originally thought that Song Xuan could win the favor of the Empress Dowager.

He was lucky.

But even Song Xuan's daughter is so pleasing to the Empress Dowager.
That can't be explained away by luck alone.

That father and daughter are truly capable.

Yang Huaimin suddenly felt incredibly envious of Song Xuan!

Song Xuan took the memorial and glanced at it.

It was probably about Liu Sui impeaching the newly appointed Kaifeng Prefect Zhongli Jin for transporting dozens of ships full of rare flowers and stones, accepting bribes from the imperial palace, and bribing powerful officials.

Song Xuan clicked his tongue, realizing that he lacked taste and didn't know how to appreciate unusual flowers and rocks.

This kind of refined taste is not much different from that of a young lady who flips through pigeons or reads through the history of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhong Lijin actually managed to give it away!
"What?" Liu E looked at Song Xuan and asked, "You also find it strange?"

"Your Majesty, what do you wish to ask me?"

Song Xuan closed the impeachment memorial and set it aside:
"Mainly, I'm not in charge of impeachment matters."

Zhong Lijin was specially promoted by Empress Liu to replace Chen Yaozuo, the former prefect of Kaifeng.

Chen Yaozu performed well in disaster relief efforts in Huazhou.

Empress Liu had already decided to promote him to the position of Hanlin Academician once he returned.

The next step up from this position is the possibility of being nominated as vice prime minister; if one cannot advance further, then there's nothing more to say.

As for Zhong Lijin's sudden promotion by Empress Liu, it was because he had the extraordinary ability to expel relics from between his eyebrows.

Empress Liu was also a devout Buddhist.

It's perfectly reasonable for her to promote a subordinate with a Buddhist-like mindset!
Liu E had been holding Song Sisi for quite a while, and now she realized her arms were numb. She moved her arms around.

Do you think this is true?

(End of this chapter)