A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 449 You fucking have the audacity of a Jinshi degree
Song Xuan snorted and didn't respond.

He had a forced, insincere smile.

These conservatives always think that their words and actions are also conservative in the eyes of outsiders.

Unfortunately, in the eyes of others, these conservatives are the radicals.

Fan Zhongyan looked at Song Xuan's expression and pursed his lips:

“Warmth, I don’t think my words and actions are radical, in short, not as radical as yours.”

“I’m radical in my actions, and I don’t talk about it. Once I’ve accomplished something, no one has a chance to refute it.”

Fan Zhongyan stopped in his tracks. He thought about it carefully and realized that Song Xuan did indeed prefer a silent, decisive strike.

While in Yingtian Prefecture, he had occasionally heard about the "deeds" of Song Cheng's Timely Rain, but he didn't take it to heart.

Song Xuan stopped and waited for Fan Zhongyan:

"Master, do you think your words and actions are more radical, or Scholar Song's words and actions?"

"Of course it's me!"

Fan Zhongyan pursed his lips again.

Idealists are meant to accept being suppressed by external forces at all times.

Even the most capable person in the world cannot fully realize all their ideals.

"Master, it's just that you are of low status and your words carry little weight that you haven't been suppressed as immediately as Scholar Song."

Song Xuan also sighed:

“Master, your words will only be taken seriously after you are promoted.”

Fan Zhongyan discovered that his disciple's sense of smell and understanding of how to navigate officialdom was far superior to his own.

Although Lao Fan had passed the imperial examination more than ten years ago, he started as a ninth-rank military officer in Guangde Army. He gradually gained experience in local areas before being promoted to a seventh-rank county magistrate, and his reputation for building dikes along the coast grew.

As a result, after observing three years of mourning, he taught at Yingtian Academy, where outstanding students such as Song Xuan emerged, and his reputation began to truly rise.

Recommended by Yan Shu and Wang Zeng, Fan Zhongyan came to the capital to serve as a compiler in the Imperial Library.

Fan Zhongyan was famous for a time, but his official position was relatively low. This position allowed him to have close contact with the emperor, something that others could only envy.

But now Liu E is in power.

Although Fan Zhongyan could easily get close to the emperor, that did not affect Zhao Zhen's governing philosophy.

How can you influence something that doesn't even exist?

"You don't really think that someone as intelligent as Prime Minister Yan would be a cowardly and timid person, do you?"

Song Xuan sighed softly:

"He merely hopes to preserve the official positions of some upright individuals so that they can play a better role in the court in the future. Otherwise, if all the high positions are occupied by some wicked and treacherous people, wouldn't the Great Song Dynasty be in grave danger?"

"Did I misunderstand him?"

Fan Zhongyan felt that Yan Shu thought he would affect his future.

After all, recommending someone in the Song Dynasty was a huge gamble.

If the person being recommended gets into trouble, the recommender is very likely to be implicated.

"Probably so."

Song Xuan didn't want to explain too much, as the underlying logic of many things that everyone was thinking about was quite different.

Fan Zhongyan needed more experience in officialdom.

After the two parted, Fan Zhongyan returned home.

After much deliberation, he decided to write a long letter to Yan Shu, explaining in detail the reasons for his actions and finally stating his attitude.

After receiving the letter, Yan Shu knew that he was in a bad mood at the time, so he wrote back to Fan Zhongyan to apologize, but he didn't want anything to happen to him.

The two dropped the matter and did not dwell on it further.

But the outcome still disappointed Fan Zhongyan. Even with the advice of prime ministers like Wang Zeng, the matter was already a foregone conclusion.

They were just waiting for the Khitan envoy to arrive so they could witness this grand occasion.

And so, amidst the somber atmosphere of the court, the Khitan envoy finally arrived.

Yelü Gou'er didn't even bother to wash up before heading straight to the Kaifeng County Government Office.

At that moment, Song Xuan was eating when he shouted:

"Song Twelve, I've brought the money, but where's the goods?"

Despite being blocked by numerous yamen runners, Song Xuan was only allowed to be brought in after being informed.

"Ouch."

Song Xuan asked Yelü Gou'er to stand outside the door: "Please don't come in, it might affect my daughter's appetite."

Traveling day and night like this, coupled with the hot weather, the smell was indeed quite unpleasant.

Yelü Gou'er snorted: "I didn't break my promise, where's the goods?"

"It's been locked in the warehouse the whole time."

Song Xuan put down his chopsticks:
"You took a crucial key; now I can't even open the vault."

"Moreover, Yelü Shucheng has also sent two Khitans to guard my county office day and night, so you can rest assured."

Yelü Gou'er burst into laughter upon hearing this:

"Alright, alright, take me to see that treasure right now."

"Where's the money?"

Song Xuan stood up and said:

"We exchange money for goods; that's the only way a normal transaction can be considered a cash transaction."

"The money is outside the city; I'll bring it to you in a bit."

Song Xuan had someone summon Liu Congde.

After all, since it involves three parties, there still needs to be a middleman present for this money, at least in terms of accounting.

Yelü Gou'er went to find out about the situation from the Khitans who had been working there for a long time.

The two knelt on the ground and spoke with Yelü Gou'er.

Within the Khitan, the problem of slavery was extremely serious.

People around watched, but they couldn't understand what was being said; instead, they pointed and whispered.

Sang Yi, in particular, was extremely disdainful that two Khitan soldiers with some skill were kneeling on the ground like that.

In the Song Dynasty, such formalities were not necessary on ordinary days.

Sang Yi ordered his men to watch over them and prevent them from going forward. Instead, he went to Song Xuan and told him that the Khitans were speaking and that they couldn't understand them very well.

Song Xuan, however, did not take this behavior seriously.

The Khitan were called a feudal dynasty, but in essence they were still a slave dynasty, which the Jin and Mongol people inherited very well.

"Sang Yi, I may be going to the Khitan as an envoy after this trip. Zhang Fangping will be temporarily taking over my position. Would you like to come with me to the Khitan to broaden your horizons?"

"Go to the Khitan to broaden your horizons?"

Sang Yi did not agree immediately, but wanted to think about it carefully.

The official himself communicated with the two Khitans and learned some Khitan language.

"Yes, it's just to broaden our horizons. After the money is verified, it will be used to pay off debts and share profits with Liu Congde. There won't be much left, so let them keep an eye on it."

Song Xuan poured Sang Yi a cup of tea:

“You can’t just stay cooped up next to the vault and waste your skills. Come with me and broaden your horizons; you might have a chance to make a name for yourself.”

"This humble official will follow the arrangements of Master Song."

Song Xuan nodded:

"Tell Guo En to take him along to see the strength of the Khitan army this time as well."

"it is good."

Sang Yi knew that Song Xuan was grooming Guo En, a young boy.

If a respectable young man like him were to join the Imperial Guard, with his powerful father-in-law, it would be easy for him to get some favors.

Upon hearing that the Khitans had been so eager to send the gold, Liu Congde immediately became interested.

Even if he is not short of money, his love for gold will not diminish in the slightest.

Liu Congde has recently become too lazy to care about the infighting within the court.

He felt that since the mother and son were being kind and filial, why should the ministers have the right to jump up and oppose them?

"Twelfth brother."

Liu Congde greeted them and sat down directly, without even glancing at the thin man next to him who stood up and walked away.

Apart from Song Xuan, Liu Congde didn't treat anyone else in the county government office as a human being.

After all, they truly showed him immense favor, regardless of his talent.

"Big Brother is here."

Song Xuan poured him another cup of tea: "The Khitans are here. They'll help check the purity of the gold later. I'm worried that others might not have enough experience."

"Hahaha."

Liu Congde said with a hint of pride that while he wasn't good at checking other things, he considered himself second to none in the entire city of Tokyo when it came to real money, counterfeit money, and real gold.

As for the first, who knows if there's anyone who loves gold more than him but isn't famous?

Liu Congde was aware of his own limitations in this regard.

"Oh, right," Song Xuan added.
"Once the Khitans hand over the money to me, I'm afraid I'll have to escort this treasure and take the opportunity to travel around the Khitan. Would you be interested in coming with me?"

"Go to Khitan?"

Liu Congde did not immediately agree, and asked with some doubt:
"Twelfth Brother, you're doing a great job as the magistrate of Kaifeng County, how can we send you on a mission?"

“Especially since the journey is long and arduous, if you can’t refuse, I will go and plead with the old lady on your behalf. She’s been in a very good mood lately, so she’ll probably agree to my request easily.”

"Don't."

Song Xuan quickly stopped him, laughing:

"I volunteered to the Empress Dowager to be her deputy and go on a trip to the Khitan. As the saying goes, 'Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles.'"

"I see."

Liu Congde didn't quite understand the thinking of these intellectuals, who always thought of taking the words in books as truth.

"Since Twelfth Brother is going, I'll consider it."

"Hmm, think about it. After all, the journey has been quite arduous."

Song Xuan did not urge him:

“I think the Khitans have a lot of gold. In the past, besides traveling and sightseeing, we should have looked for business opportunities and made money off the Khitans’ gold.”

"Okay, Twelfth Brother, I'll think about it carefully."

Just as they were talking, Qi Lecheng came over to inform them that the carriages had all been moved to the backyard.

Song Xuan nodded: "Go and tell Jia Changchao that school is closed for half a day today. Except for Guo En and the others, we will go over after the school is cleared. Tell Zhang, the county magistrate, to lead a group of men to guard the area."

"Here."

Qi Lecheng hurriedly went over to give the instructions.

The newly appointed County Lieutenant Zhang naturally took charge of the scene, with Khitan soldiers guarding the area.

Once the cleaning was mostly finished, Yelü Gou'er came back over:

"Song Twelve, go and count the 93,000 taels of gold."

"no problem."

Song Xuan laughed a few times:

“I’ve been looking forward to this inventory for a long time, afraid that you’d break your promise and not come, which would delay my earning money.”

"Don't underestimate the Khitan. What's a little money to us?"

Yelü Gou'er didn't catch Song Xuan's teasing at all.

I'm really looking forward to seeing that treasure again.

He still had a chance to touch it before handing it over to His Majesty, but once it reached Khitan territory, he would certainly have no chance.

With a wave of his hand, Song Xuan immediately ordered the newly appointed county clerk, Qian Gansan, to come and lead the people from the household registration office to carry out boxes of gold.

The sight of so much gold gathered together was truly spectacular; combined with the weight of the boxes, it weighed a full five tons.

Song Xuan estimated that the footprint was roughly the size of a medium-sized sprinkler truck.

With so much gold laid out together, Song Xuan felt it represented at least ten years' worth of production by the Khitans.

"Open."

County Magistrate Ban Feng shouted a command, and the boxes were opened one after another.

The crowd stared at the gold before them, most of them revealing fascination in their eyes.

Who wouldn't get dizzy looking at that?
Even Yelü Gou'er, who had seen many boxes before, felt it was a great pity.

It has always been the Khitans who take money from the Song people; this time, it's the Khitans who are giving money to the Song people.

Yelü Gou'er was still somewhat reluctant to part with her.

But it was all for that treasure belonging to the Khitans, for His Majesty's favor, and even more so for the promotion of officials on his own line of work.

This amount of money is perfectly acceptable.

After all, it would only take three years to get it back from the Song people, which would mean getting a peerless treasure for free without spending a single penny.

This deal was worthwhile.

Yelü Gou'er was naturally very pleased with himself, but as for the so-called economic war, he didn't understand it at all.

Anyway, the Liao Dynasty won and kept getting money for nothing, it was a huge win.

There were some things that didn't even require Song Xuan's instructions; Ban Feng would lead his men to patrol the area to prevent anyone from stealing anything.

It's perfectly normal to be tempted by so much gold.

Liu Congde's eyes lit up, and he started moving his left and right hands together.

With so much gold in hand, Liu Congde immediately expressed interest in what Song Xuan had just said.

Isn't this more profitable than risking reselling Phoebe zhennan wood?
"Twelfth brother."

Liu Congde came over, clutching the gold, and whispered:

"I'll go with you to the Khitan region and see if there's any good business opportunity there."

Song Xuan took the two gold bars and weighed them in his hand: "No problem, you can talk to the Empress Dowager yourself later."

"okay."

After agreeing, Liu Congde took the gold and went to continue testing its purity.

As for Song Xuan, it's normal for someone to take out scissors and cut it.

Yelü Gou'er looked at Song Xuan sitting there, seemingly unconcerned:

“Song Twelve, we’ve brought all the money, and the gold can’t be fake. Why don’t we go to the cellar now and take a look?”

“When Yelü Shucheng arrives, it might not be appropriate for you to be alone at the scene.”

"What's wrong with it?"

"If you get too excited and something goes wrong, I won't be able to prove my innocence. I'll need to find more witnesses to be present so that I can explain things clearly."

"That won't do. Is there something wrong with your goods?"

Song Xuan looked up and glanced at Yelü Gou'er:
"Yelü Gou'er, you've made me wait so long to receive the money. I only made you wait for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and you're already so impatient?"

Yelü Gou'er grunted twice and remained silent.

He couldn't wait to see that treasure, rather than wasting time waiting for someone else to come over.

Fortunately, Yelü Shucheng rushed to the county government office after receiving the news.

When Qi Lecheng led him to the backyard, he saw many Song people inspecting gold, and he quickly bowed to Yelü Gou'er.

"Now that Yelü Shucheng has arrived, is everything alright?"

"Of course you can look, but you can't take it right away. You understand the principle of cash on delivery, right?"

"Don't worry, the Great Khitan would never lie about such a thing."

Song Xuan chuckled:
"Of course I trust you, Yelü Gou'er, as the chief envoy, but can you guarantee that none of your subordinates are greedy for money?"

Yelü Gou'er was quite disdainful when asked the question, but he dared not make any guarantees. If he were to be proven wrong, it would be a loss for him.

Because if something like this really happens, it's very difficult for him to find out.

Yelü Shucheng quickly stepped forward and tried to calm things down, saying that everyone had their own agenda and there was no need to get so worked up.

He said a few more words to Yelü Gou'er, saying that since they had already reached the final step, there was no need to rush.

Moreover, it seems that Song Xuan is more worried about the gold than about the treasure.

Yelü Shucheng would check on the situation every three days.

Aside from being oiled daily, no one ever touched those locks.

After this reconciliation, Song Xuan instructed Ban Feng to take good care of the scene.

"Don't let anything go wrong," he said, and then led a few men to the entrance to the vault cellar.

Sang Yi waved his hand, signaling someone to unlock the door first.

When only one lock remains open.

Yelü Gou'er then took out the treasured key and walked over.

The key was inserted into the lock, and it opened smoothly with a lubricated feel.

Yelü Gou'er felt that this was the sound of heaven.

The lock and chain fell to the ground.

Yelü Gou'er didn't need anyone to open the door; he pushed it open forcefully.

After a cloud of dust cleared, there was another door inside, still locked.

Sang Yi put on a wet towel to cover her face and went in first to light the candles on both sides.

After gaining a glimmer of light, he went in, unlocked the last door, pushed it open, and quickly retreated.

"If you're not afraid of dying inside, wait outside for a bit."

Song Xuan stood at the door, not even going in.

Places that haven't been opened for a long time will have a lot of dust flying around when there's a lot of noise, especially when exposed to bright light.

Yelü Gou'er was quite satisfied with the scene, but he didn't rush in.

This shows that the Song people kept their promise and did not actually go inside.

After a while, Yelü Gou'er took the candle and barged in.

I walked to the spot I remembered, took a quick look in the light, and confirmed that the seal was still there; it was a mark I had made intentionally.

He carefully examined the seams of the box and found a single hair.

In this way, Yelü Gou'er was finally relieved, preventing Song Xuan from making any underhanded moves.

Sang Yi lit candles to brighten the road ahead.

Yelü Gou'er shouted and asked Yelü Shucheng to hold a candle for him to light the way.

He wanted to move it himself; he didn't trust anyone else to do it.

Song Xuan and Zhang Fangping stood outside the house talking to each other.

"Twelfth Brother, this treasure is really worth it. I doubt it will ever fetch such a high price again."

"good."

Song Xuan chuckled lightly: "Such a rare treasure is naturally most valuable when it is a unique piece."

Yelü Gou'er carefully placed the box on the earthen bed where the guards lived.

Song Xuan nodded in acknowledgment, and Wang Bao tossed him two keys.

Yelü Gou'er's hands were trembling slightly; he had exerted too much force earlier and could no longer grip the iron lock.

Because it hadn't been oiled for a long time, the lock was very dry and difficult to pry open.

Yelü Gou'er gritted his teeth and struggled for a while before finally managing to open the lock. He then carefully lifted the box.

The treasure inside the box was very well wrapped.

He peeled it open step by step, afraid that he might use too much force and damage this precious item.

Even after the eagle was fully revealed, it remained dazzling and eye-catching.

Yelü Gou'er let out a long sigh of relief.

He then personally carried out another box, which contained swans.

He just glanced at it, and since there were no cracks in the prey, that was enough.

The most important thing is that this gyrfalcon must not have any problems.

Not only Yelü Shucheng, but most of the other caretakers had never seen this treasure worth one million strings of cash.

At this moment, the sound of gasping breaths echoed throughout the room.

Everyone was pointing and whispering, realizing that the precious baby they were taking care of was actually so beautiful.

Unfortunately, it was bought by the Khitans.

Even if Yelü Gou'er really wanted to admire it, he quickly covered it up and locked it again.

He spoke some Khitan language, which attracted many soldiers who began to drive away the county government officials.

"Hey, what do you mean?" Song Xuan questioned.

"Take your gold and stay away from my treasure!"

Yelü Shucheng then came to explain to Song Xuan.

Yelü Gou'er was afraid that someone would steal the treasure, so he wanted to ask Song Twelve's men to leave first.

They also brought a box to avoid being attacked.

"Next time you're on my turf, you'll have to talk to me first. If it weren't for the gold, I certainly wouldn't let it go so easily."

Yelü Shucheng apologized repeatedly. He did feel that the Southern Chancellor had gone too far, but he dared not say anything more.

Now he's begging Song Xuan, trying his best to avoid any major problems at the last step.

Just then, someone came over with three pieces of gold to report.

"Liu Liu, it's not my fault for being careless; even the gold-wrapped iron came out?"

Yelü Shucheng looked at the gold, his face turning red.

He never expected to encounter such an embarrassing situation.

"Yelü Gou'er, the gold you brought isn't pure."

Yelü Gou'er came out of the house and looked at the three pieces of gold that had been cut open. He wanted to get angry, but he held back his anger in the face of Song Xuan's mockery.

There were also Khitans outside at the scene. If the Song people were framing them, they would surely receive confirmation of it.

Yang Ji also came over to report that it was indeed not three pieces, but a whole box.

Yelü Gou'er's face turned even uglier.

It's unbelievable that someone would cheat on something like this, making him lose face in front of the Song people.

Without a doubt, it must have been done by one of the Khitan nobles.

Ordinary people wouldn't dare to fake it here.

Immediately afterward, Liu Congde came over and shouted loudly. After listening, Song Xuan chuckled.
"Luckily, Yelü Gou'er, you arrived early. If you had come a few days later, it would have been difficult to take them away."

"However, the Khitans are indeed skilled at forging iron blocks, and they hid it very well."

"You just wait, my Great Khitan would never do anything to deprive you of your gold."

Yelü Gou'er's face turned ashen. Such a precious treasure.

Liu Congde chuckled twice:
“I knew there was something wrong with this gold the moment I picked it up. I didn’t expect there to be problems even after checking three pieces. Twelfth Brother, the Khitans are not being honest. Can we still do business with them in the future?”

"I believe that Yelü Gou'er's status as the dignified Southern Chancellor is genuine, but his subordinates may not be so clean."

"Hahaha."

Liu Congde burst into laughter. He didn't care about many of the Song Dynasty's officials, let alone the Khitans. He didn't care about etiquette at all.

Yelü Gou'er and the others looked very grim.

This was a diplomatic incident, especially since there was a flaw in doing things for the emperor, and it would continue to be talked about by these Song people.

Yang Ji quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying he would immediately return to Banjing Hall to find someone to raise the money, promising to get it no matter what.

The Great Khitan would never shortchange its troops, thus affecting diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Song Xuan did not dwell on it further, but instead sent Wang Bao to deliver the message.

"The master said that whoever finds out a fake gold bar will be rewarded with a gold bar."

Upon hearing the message from the official's personal guard, everyone was overjoyed and began to examine the place even more diligently.

"Twelfth Brother, shouldn't I take two pieces?"

Liu Congde said with considerable pride.

"inevitable."

Song Xuan had someone retrieve two pieces of gold from the cellar, which he then placed directly into Liu Congde's hand.
"Liu Dalang, wouldn't you say this is the first time you've earned money through your own eyesight, rather than through power?"

"Hahaha."

Liu Congde took the two pieces of gold and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

He admitted that Song Xuan was right, which made him feel even more accomplished about the two pieces of gold.

Yang Ji arrived with Lü Demao close to evening. Raising the money was no easy task.

These nobles didn't care at all about what these Han Chinese said.

Yelü Gou'er was furious and went back in a rage. That's how he managed to scrape together the money, which was mostly silver, not gold, along with some gold and silver jewelry.

Seeing this, Song Xuan was speechless: "Let's settle the score."

Qian Gansan did the calculations and confirmed that they were roughly correct.

Song Xuan picked up the jewelry and returned it to Yelü Gou'er.

"what do you mean?"

Yelü Gou'er was somewhat puzzled.

"I still believe in your character, and you shouldn't be the one to take the blame for this."

Song Xuan had all the money deposited into the account:
“Go back and investigate. It’s not a big deal to lose face at home, but if it happens in another country, it will still be a disgrace to the Khitan emperor.”

"The silver that we Song people gave to the Khitan people never contained impurities such as iron."

Yelü Gou'er felt insulted, but he couldn't retaliate.

He's so old, he knows he can't take other people's kindness for granted.

So he thanked them politely, and then led the person away with the box containing the treasure.

As for the gold, none of it was moved in; Song Xuan simply took away 50,000 taels of gold in Liu Congde's name.

This batch was all intended to be stored in the treasury for Emperor Zhao Zhen as a private stash.

As for the money for the iron stove and honeycomb briquettes to be settled with Tao Hong later, we'll have someone come and take away 10,000 taels tomorrow.

The remaining 30,000 taels were put into the treasury, while the 2,000 taels of interest were set aside for future use.

After finishing their busy work, Song Xuan announced that the entire county government would have a meal together in a couple of days to celebrate their success.

Everyone was overjoyed, as such a large sum of money entering the treasury indicated that their future welfare was guaranteed.

As for the counterfeit gold, it was handed over directly to the workshop so they could reprocess it.

The Khitans entered the city with a large number of carriages and horses, and went directly to the Kaifeng County government office.

The people of Tokyo then knew that the huge sum of one million strings of cash had been received.

Such explosive news has sparked much discussion among the public, who are now speculating that "Little Song Tai Sui" has a knack for making money.

The person who said that even if you had the ability to wipe out the Worry-Free Cave and obtain this treasure, you might not be able to sell it for a million strings of cash.

News spread that evening that the Khitans had tried to deceive Master Song with fake gold, and that he would have suffered a loss had he not checked carefully.

Suddenly, the number of curses directed at the Khitans increased.

The commercial atmosphere in Tokyo is extremely strong, so receiving counterfeit money is a common occurrence.

Whether they are merchants, vendors, or ordinary people, they all deeply resent it.

People who make money by counterfeiting have existed throughout history and in every dynasty.

After all, real money can't be minted, and those master molds are very hard to come by.

However, since they are strung together, it is difficult to distinguish them without careful observation.

Otherwise, how could there be so much counterfeit money circulating in the world?

The discussions among the people of Tokyo naturally reached the Banjing Pavilion.

The envoys from various countries never expected the Khitans to do such a thing; it was truly shameful.

The key is that the Khitans haven't come out to refute it, so it must be true.

No wonder there was a fierce argument coming from their yard that day.

Everything makes sense now.

For the Khitan, a great and powerful nation, to act so despicably on behalf of the Song Dynasty is truly a disgrace to envoys from smaller nations.

Yelü Gou'er could only pretend not to hear the gossip outside; who would have thought such a troubling thing would happen?

Luckily, I managed to get this wonderful treasure.

If he were to fail because he didn't have enough money, Yelü Gou'er would be ready to kill someone.

“Song Twelve is indeed a man.”

Lu Demao shook his head. He had thought Song Xuan would chase after him and laugh at him, but he didn't expect Song Xuan to actually give him a way out.

"Vice Envoy, those people are too..."

Yang Ji swallowed his words again; the actions of those Khitan nobles were truly unacceptable.

Now that His Majesty attaches such importance to this matter, they all want to play tricks.

Do you really think the people of the Song Dynasty were all stupid as pigs?

"No need to say anything more, I think that person will be quite pleased with themselves."

Lu Demao also shook his head, saying that there was simply no way to investigate such a matter.

With so many gold ingots mixed together, who knows which nobleman handed them over?
Yelü Gou'er slammed his hand on the table: "Don't make me find out who did it!"

"Prime Minister, please do not worry. We should wait until we have finished our birthday celebrations before slowly returning to Khitan. That would be the safest course of action."

Lü Demao stroked his beard and said:
"Especially since the people of Song knew that this treasure was extremely valuable, we have now paid the money."

"It's not impossible that someone might try to prevent this treasure from reaching the Khitan smoothly and cause trouble along the way."

"Indeed, the Song Dynasty court is mainly composed of scholars who do not like to fight, but the common people of the Song Dynasty are quite fierce and brave, so we must be wary."

Yang Ji also offered a reminder.

"Hmm, relying on us alone might not be enough to ensure safety."

Yelü Gou'er looked at Lü Demao and said:

"How about we ask the Empress Dowager of the Song Dynasty to send an army to escort us?"

"That's fine."

Lü Demao squinted and thought for a moment:
"It would be best to have either Liu Congde, the eldest aunt's nephew, or Song Xuan escort them. They are the beneficiaries and most want this deal to succeed."

"Otherwise, if something unexpected happens, there will be a lot of disputes, and a conflict between the Song and Liao dynasties is inevitable."

"good idea."

Yelü Gou'er chuckled twice:

"I paid Song Xuan so much money to protect me and escort this treasure to the Great Khitan. I'm really curious to see what his expression will be like."

Several people also started laughing.

They wanted to scheme against Song Xuan, but in reality, they had already fallen into a trap.

It's just that when the information wasn't transparent enough, everyone thought they would be the winner.

On the first day of the fifth month, despite the objections of Wang Zeng and others, Zhao Zhen insisted on leading civil and military officials to offer birthday greetings to Liu E.

To prepare for the performance, Song Xuan got up early and acted as an actor.

As for Fan Zhongyan, he was not qualified to attend the grand court assembly.

Many officials and envoys from various countries waited outside the palace in the dark.

Many ministers are saying that Your Majesty shouldn't do this, but there's nothing they can do.

Everyone was very worried about this, fearing that a female ruler would come to power in the Song Dynasty.

That would be the end of it.

Wang Zeng and others did not look good. Of course, there were also officials who supported Liu E, and their faces all showed a smug look.

They gathered in twos and threes, laughing, a stark contrast to the gloomy faces of those around them.

The Ministry of Rites is the busiest in handling such matters.

In the Song Dynasty, there was no custom of celebrating the Empress Dowager's birthday.

To show respect for the gift, Zhao Zhen kept urging the Ministry of Rites to set the appropriate standards.

The musicians of the Ministry of Rites are extremely busy today. The pieces they play have been carefully rehearsed, and they must perform them from beginning to end throughout the entire ceremony without taking a break.

Song Xuan and others held lower official positions and were performing the "Li'an" music, which was specifically for high-ranking officials. He had already listened to it twice before following the instructions to enter.

By this time, it was already getting light.

At dawn, Liu E was already in place, waiting.

All the civil and military officials, dressed in their everyday clothes, as well as the envoys from the Khitan and other countries, stood in the courtyard below the palace.

The staff at the academy were constantly busy guiding people, afraid of any mistakes in etiquette.

It must be said that this set of etiquette really opened the eyes of the envoys from various countries.

The musicians played countless different pieces of music.

The fact that everyone is not wearing official robes but wearing regular clothes is already a compromise that has been negotiated.

The eunuch Yang Huaimin invited Liu E to come out from behind the curtain at the Huiqing Hall. With the crack of the whip, Liu E sat upright in the center.

Yang Huaimin then went to the back of the palace, to the curtained chamber where the emperor was, and asked Zhao Zhen to put on his boots and robes, and to bow again to Liu E from behind the curtain to offer his congratulations.

Empress Liu, seated on the throne, addressed Emperor Zhao Zhen with a solemn expression:
"The blessings bestowed upon those who tread the path are the same as those of the emperor."

The middle seat was originally where the emperor sat.

Wang Zeng and the others looked extremely grim.

However, Zhao Zhen still knelt down and presented the wine cup to Liu E, saying:

May you live ten thousand years.

Then bow again.

Liu E took the wine cup and replied with a smile:

"Respectfully raising the Emperor's cup."

At this moment, the music from the imperial music academy stopped, and Zhao Zhen returned to his private quarters.

The Imperial Secretary led the civil and military officials to bow again to Empress Liu.

Zhang Qi, representing the court officials, approached Liu E from the west steps of the Huiqing Hall to offer birthday greetings and perform a dance in front of the curtain.

Then he walked down the steps and returned to his post, and the officials bowed to Liu E again.

The Chamberlain, acting on behalf of Empress Liu, read out the imperial edict:
"I congratulate you all."

Zhang Qi then walked from the east steps of Huiqing Hall to the curtain, knelt down outside the curtain with a wine cup in his hand, and the eunuch Yang Huaimin took the wine cup and presented it to Liu E.

Yang Huaimin bowed to the north and reported:

May you live ten thousand years.

Zhang Qi descended the steps and returned to his original position. At this moment, the master of ceremonies shouted loudly:

"Bowing again."

The officials present bowed again.

The Imperial Envoy reads the imperial edict on behalf of Empress Liu:
"I respectfully raise a toast to you all."

The master of ceremonies then called out, "Bowing again."

The officials stood in their assigned positions, and the Imperial Secretary led Zhang Qi and the others up to the palace courtyard, where they sat outside the curtains and in the east and west wings.

Song Xuan sat on the outermost side, waiting for a pot of wine and a wine cup to be placed on the small table in front of him. He drank three cups in one go early in the morning.

"You're a jerk."

Song Xuan complained to Zhang Fangping beside him:

"They didn't even provide any snacks to go with the drinks. It's easy to get drunk if you drink without eating anything."

"Twelfth Brother, be careful what you say."

Zhang Fangping pointed to the officials from the Academy of Rites standing to the side.

If these people drag me out today, I'll lose face.

Song Xuan glared at them, and the people from the ceremonial academy gave an awkward laugh.

He immediately turned his face away, resolutely refusing to look at Song Xuan.

Everyone knows that if you mess with Little Song, you'll really get beaten up.

Even though he chose the courtesy name Song Wen Nuan, the nickname Song Tie Quan (Iron Fist) spread like wildfire.

Zhang Fangping chuckled twice.

Even for low-ranking officials like them, waiting for the wine to be served was a long wait.

Just now, Zhang Qi represented everyone in offering a toast. Now, everyone should drink three cups in succession and offer another toast.

You cannot drink three cups without permission; this is a breach of etiquette and will be punished.

The first cup of wine must be offered to the Empress Dowager after the musicians perform "The Dance of Boundless Virtue".

The second cup is for the performance of "The Dance of the Four Seas Gathering".

The third cup was after the performance of "The Song of the Twin Trees".

After three rounds of drinks, the Attendant-in-Ordinary reported to the Emperor:
"The ceremony is over."

Zhao Zhen then changed into his imperial robes.

He arrived at Tianan Hall to receive congratulations from his officials.

Zhao Zhen felt that the plan was more than half successful.

The Empress Dowager was so happy, and then waited until it was over.

He then took the opportunity to request permission to visit his father at the imperial mausoleum.

His plan was to use visiting his father as an excuse, but in reality, he wanted to see his biological mother.

Zhao Zhen was delighted and very satisfied with the performance of "The Song of Fu'an" by the musicians of the Jiaofangsi.

Liu E was also very satisfied with this scene.

She felt more comfortable than ever before, sitting in the center of the hall instead of behind the curtains.

It must be admitted that Zhao Zhen's flattery hit Liu E right where it hurts.

Zhao Zhen's submissiveness and filial piety further fueled Liu E's desire to overstep the bounds of propriety.

The Empress Dowager should not have enjoyed such extraordinary treatment, let alone had unlimited access to the Emperor.

So, in such a joyful scene, it was natural that someone would stand up.

Zhang Fangping pointed to the person opposite him:

"I'm afraid I'll have to say some congratulatory words, Twelfth Brother. Can't you write something?"

"I can't write it."

Song Xuan said with some doubt, "I have no interest in writing congratulatory messages for others."

“I’m sure that if you write a congratulatory message at this time, the Empress Dowager will definitely find a way to promote you.”

Zhang Fangping realized that when the Empress Dowager was in a good mood, she would bestow countless rewards.

Of course, only her people can benefit.

Sure enough, people kept offering congratulatory messages.

Liu E simply smiled and didn't say anything more.

Song Xuan found this kind of activity somewhat boring.

Then Fang Zhonggong, an official from Kaifeng Prefecture, stood up.

He walked to the center and said with utmost respect:

"We earnestly request that the Empress Dowager establish seven temples for the Liu family."

Such words drew the attention of many officials.

Empress Liu E displayed the ambition for power that was to be expected, so naturally there were opportunists who wanted to "achieve success in the imperial examinations" and speculated on her thoughts, believing that she would follow in the footsteps of Empress Wu Zetian and become empress.

Thus, he couldn't wait to test Liu E's bottom line, hoping that he could rise to prominence and ride in a fast-moving carriage.

According to the system of rites, only the emperor could establish seven ancestral temples.

Therefore, Fang Zhonggong's purpose in doing this is self-evident.

Empress Liu pretended not to understand: "What do you chancellors think of this matter?"

Wang Zeng and the others remained silent, simply watching Liu E to see if she truly wanted to take things further.

Zhao Zhen, who was happily congratulating himself on achieving his goal, was initially angry upon hearing this, and then became bewildered.

If the Empress Dowager really has this idea.

What should I do?

Zhao Zhen wanted to ask these chief ministers to speak on his behalf, but they all remained silent.

Both sides were constantly testing each other, and all the surrounding officials fell silent upon hearing this.

Nobody wants to get involved in this struggle.

Zhongli Jin, the prefect of Kaifeng, stroked his beard and thought that the wine today was truly incomparably fragrant and mellow.

The Khitan envoy, Lü Demao, said to Yelü Gou'er:
"This is going to be interesting."

"What do you mean?"

Yelü Gou'er thought the Song people's wine was good, and he still hadn't had enough.

Lü Demao explained it to Yelü Gou'er, who was dumbfounded.

He looked somewhat bewildered at the seat that the emperor should have been in.

It was customary for the Empress Dowager to rule in the Liao Dynasty, and even if she completely controlled the emperor's power, most people would still support her.

However, the Empress Dowager of the Liao Dynasty never considered becoming emperor.

Why would the people of the Song Dynasty do such a thing?

Yan Shu simply lowered his head and remained silent.

"Your Majesty, I request that the Empress Dowager establish seven ancestral temples for the Liu family."

Fang Zhonggong bowed respectfully once again.

He tried hard to suppress the smile on his face.

Zhao Zhen's face turned pale and then red, and his fists hardened.

Snapped.

Song Xuan threw the wine glass at his head and pointed at him, saying:

"Fang Zhonggong, I'll fuck your mother!"

"You, a mere Jinshi graduate, dare to bark and rave in this hall, uttering words that bring ruin to the country?"

Just as Fang Zhonggong was about to turn around to see who was blocking his way, his view was obstructed by a wine glass.

Before he could react.

Fang Zhonggong's pupils then reflected Song Xuan's sudden flight.

A powerful, flying kick that landed squarely.

Song Xuan kicked Fang Zhonggong, sending him flying into the air, crashing into a pillar, and then slamming heavily to the ground.

Fang Zhonggong started vomiting blood before he even collapsed.

"Cough cough cough."

Fang Zhonggong's blood spurted out in mid-air, splashing onto the nearby officials.

The incident happened so suddenly that no one had time to react before Song Xuan switched from using his hands to using his feet.

Some people even hurriedly got up and hid when they saw Fang Zhonggong spitting blood.

Moreover, the injury appeared to be quite serious.

Zhao Zhen witnessed Song Xuan, like a god descending to earth, "cut down" the officials who wanted to stir up trouble.

He clenched his fists and even felt excited, wanting to jump up and shout.

It's still my 12th brother; he's always known to protect me since I was little!
Liu E did not expect Song Xuan to react so quickly, without giving Fang Zhonggong any reason.

In fact, Liu E wanted to build a temple, which is why she pretended not to know and asked Wang Zeng.

However, Wang Zeng and the others did not respond.

Wang Zeng and Lü Yijian turned around and saw that it was Song Xuan who was angry. They exchanged a glance but said nothing.

Cao was somewhat surprised and wanted to open his mouth, but Zhang Qi stopped him.

On the contrary, Yan Shu was dumbfounded. Just a few days ago, Song Xuan had joined him in criticizing Song Shou and Fan Zhongyan for their inappropriate actions.

Why did he step forward and become the first to speak out today?

Moreover, it happened in such an explosive manner that it gave no one a chance to react.

The Khitan envoy, Yelü Gou'er, coughed up all the wine in his mouth and kept coughing.

Yelü Gou'er hadn't expected Song Xuan to have such a fiery temper; it seemed he was quite polite to him.

Lu Demao was so shocked that he plucked out several of his beard hairs.

As for the envoys from the other smaller countries, they didn't know who Song Xuan was, and they were quite upset because they couldn't get any information about him.

Zhong Lijin was horrified when she saw the miserable state of her subordinate Fang Zhonggong and Song Xuan!

How could he be so ruthless?

Liu E gripped the dragon throne; she hadn't expected Song Xuan to be so "violent."

As for Yang Huaimin, who had just performed well, he was now teetering on the brink of collapse.

Where had he ever seen such a bloody scene?
Even when punishing a foolish eunuch or palace maid, he would drag him away to avoid getting his blood splattered on him.

Song Xuan glanced at Fang Zhonggong:

"Who sent you, surnamed Fang, to overthrow the rule of the Song Dynasty?"

Fang Zhonggong had been kicked so badly that he couldn't speak and kept coughing up blood.

Song Xuan looked at Zhong Lijin:
"Prefect Zhongli".

"not me!"

Zhong Lijin quickly distanced herself from the situation and even tried to hide behind the crowd.

No one else dared to meet Song Xuan's murderous gaze.

Song Xuan stared at him:
"I just wanted to ask him his surname and given name. I remember he worked in Kaifeng Prefecture."

"His name is Fang Zhonggong, and he is a newly promoted Tongpan (assistant magistrate) of Kaifeng Prefecture."

Zhong Lijin replied quickly.

The other civil and military officials who were sitting at the end of the hall and happened to witness this scene were all horrified.

The top scholar of the Song Dynasty.

This seems to be the first time he's ever been this angry.

"Oh, so you're the Vice Prefect of Kaifeng."

Song Xuan certainly knew who he was.

Zhong Lijin had already introduced it, but he wanted to use Zhong Lijin's words to prove it to the court officials.

Song Xuan looked at the seat that should have been occupied by the emperor:
"Your Majesty, this man is wreaking havoc on the court and intends to destroy the ancestral temples and the state of the Song Dynasty."

"Your Majesty, I request that the mastermind be found first, then this scoundrel be executed, and his entire family be exterminated!"

"Under the rule of the Great Song Dynasty, there is no need to establish seven ancestral temples for a second surname!"

Liu E was initially forced back by Song Xuan's actions, instinctively adopting a defensive posture.

At this moment, hearing those accusations of destroying the ancestral temples and state of the Song Dynasty, she truly felt a sense of panic.

In fact, Liu E had lived a life of luxury for so many years and rarely witnessed such real and bloody struggles.

After Song Xuan took the initiative to initiate the group purchase, Wang Zeng also stood up and immediately joined the group purchase:

"Your Majesty, Magistrate Song is right. I request a thorough investigation of this man!"

"I request a thorough investigation of this person."

Vice Chancellors Lü Yijian and Zhang Shixun stood up.

They had been holding back for a long time, and today's performance was something they were forced to participate in.

And then some people started causing trouble.

Now, actors have to get up before dawn to perform, and those who live nearby have to get up before dawn to get ready.

In an instant, all the civil and military officials began to side with Fang Zhonggong. Even those who still had Fang Zhonggong's accomplices dared not stand up at this time.

After all, if everyone wants to achieve merit by following the emperor, they have to live until that time.

They witnessed Song Zhuangyuan's flying kick with their own eyes.

Most people couldn't handle it.

The messenger from the Guiyi Army was somewhat bewildered. No one dared to stand up during the intense fighting just now, so why was it a mere county magistrate who was the first to get angry?

What was his connection to the Song Dynasty?
However, the surrounding envoys were also unaware of Song Xuan's background. They whispered among themselves, never expecting to witness such a spectacle in the Song Dynasty.

Zhong Lijin stood up with her head down, not daring to look at the person he had recommended.

Fang Zhonggong fell to the ground, wailing incessantly.

Although the pain was excruciating, he clearly heard Song Xuan's verdict.

Zhang Fangping also stood up and said, "Please, Your Majesty, investigate this thoroughly."

He gazed at Song Xuan's solitary figure standing in the center of the main hall.

Only one sentence popped into Zhang Fangping's mind:

"Alas, this is what a true man should be like!"

(End of this chapter)