A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 457 You were hurt by wine and women

"Yelü Gou'er ran away with his crippled son."

Song Xuan continued writing without looking up:

"Han Zhengshi has nothing to worry about. Those Khitans are dead, so be it. They don't care about it themselves."

"It's still a bit troublesome."

Han Yi clenched his fist and couldn't help but sigh.

If they all die, it means they didn't listen to advice.

Since the dead cannot testify, we can simply let their corpses speak for themselves; they all died in the jaws of death.

Such injuries are generally impossible for a person to perfectly replicate.

Moreover, there are still surviving Khitans who can testify to this.

But now that they're half-dead and crippled, these are the kinds of people who will do everything they can to intensify hatred while they're still alive.

Song Xuan didn't care. Let the Khitans bring hatred, what's a little less?

Despite the alliance between the Song and Liao dynasties, many Khitans still wanted to make a fortune by raiding and plundering.

After all, the 300,000 annual tributes could only win over the Khitan nobles, and the vast majority of the middle and lower classes had no chance of obtaining the benefits.

Song Xuan was unaware of whether the Khitans had a tradition of subjugating their superiors, since they considered themselves the legitimate successors of the Tang Dynasty.

Seeing Song Xuan's composed demeanor, Han Yi sighed again. He had expected this all along, hadn't he?
That's why he spent three days hunting and playing outside, and wasn't in a hurry to escort the Khitans out of the territory.

Looking back now, Han Yi always felt that Song Xuan had deliberately provoked Yelü Gou'er.

Force them to act recklessly and send them to their deaths, until their strength is greatly diminished.

When escorting that treasure, Yelü Gou'er had no choice but to obey Song Xuan's arrangements.

Of course, on the other hand...

Han Yi felt that the Khitan envoy Yelü Gou'er ignored Song Xuan's repeated advice and insisted on leading a group to hunt tigers in order to demonstrate the bravery of the Khitan people and humiliate the Song people.

As a result, they were ambushed by the tiger and suffered heavy casualties. They truly reaped what they sowed, which further highlighted Song Xuan's foresight.

Han Yi took the memorial written by Song Xuan, and what was written on it was indeed the second guess that had been in his mind.

Furthermore, Song Xuan suggested that the Jurchens who had submitted to the local hunters assist them in hunting, and Guo Yanyu, who served as the translator, strongly recommended their people for their bravery.

Song Xuan handed over the pen:
"Envoy Han, the Khitan delegation suffered heavy losses within our Song territory. It would be best to report this matter as soon as possible. If you think there is anything inappropriate in what I wrote, you can add it."

Anyway, since it's at the post station, they can just have it sent over directly. The time it takes to get to Tokyo is much faster than they can walk.

Han Yi didn't have any particular plans; he just wanted to complete this mission. Who would have thought that something unexpected would happen?

Moreover, while the rulers of both the Song and Liao dynasties maintained a friendly and restrained relationship, their respective ministers did not share this view.

The Khitans felt that this amount of tribute was not enough and that they wouldn't get a share.

The people of the Song Dynasty felt that allowing barbarians to sit on equal footing with the Song Dynasty was an insult to the dignity of the Celestial Empire.

Their usual attitude towards Khitan envoys was less friendly than their attitude towards other smaller powers.

Even when it comes to seating at meals, you have to be seated at the back.

After taking the pen, Han Yi wrote down his basic agreement with Song Xuan's words, mainly because there were many tigers in Hebei Province, and he hoped that the court could send someone to deal with it, which would be a way to rid the people of this scourge.

After he finished writing, he handed it to Song Xuan and, as usual, went to visit the injured Khitans.

Wang Gui stood outside the pharmacy, listening once again to the local hunters describe the scene.

The shock on his face when he heard that a tiger could easily kill a person didn't seem fake.

Before encountering the tiger, Wang Gui thought it was nothing more than a slightly more powerful beast.

These tigers can now "ambush" their prey, so they're no longer just fierce beasts.

The imperial guards were all discussing that the mountain lord must have eaten many people and gained sentience, which was why he took the initiative to ambush the Khitans.

Then the imperial guards praised Song Zhuangyuan again for thinking of his brothers.

Although everyone was skilled in archery and horsemanship, if they really encountered a tiger, even their warhorses might not be able to outrun it in a short time.

If you want to fly a kite for a tiger in the mountains, you're dreaming; you'll only meet a terrible end.

Di Qing truly understood; this was what Song Xuan meant by killing without a knife.

It turns out that the tactic of provocation really works, and it's highly replicable.

Lu Demao arrived late. He asked Yang Ji to watch over the treasures and went inside to see Song Xuan sitting behind the counter, not knowing what he was doing.

When he entered the ward, there was a strong smell of herbs.

Lu Demao first looked at the Southern Chancellor Yelü Gou'er and found that he was alright. He had bloodstains on his body and a doctor had bandaged him up.

He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

As for Yelü Zhigu, who was lying on his sickbed, he was pale. When he saw the mangled severed arm on the table, Lü Demao was so frightened that he almost fell backward.

He initially thought that Yelü Gou'er was seriously injured and had been tricked by Song Xuan, but it turned out that Yelü Zhigu was injured.

Then it's nothing serious, as long as Yelü Gou'er is healthy.

Lü Demao immediately inquired about Yelü Gou'er's injuries from the doctor.

The doctor was very polite, saying the injury wasn't serious, but he mentioned the possibility of contracting rabies.

After all, that tiger ate many people, and if it got sick, it could infect people as well.

Lü Demao blinked, but didn't say much, usually focusing on the danger.

He also needed to ask about the treatment for rabies.

At this time, Lü Demao could not speak ill of Song Xuan in front of outsiders.

The doctor was a Song dynasty man.

Song Xuan's memorial was sent to the capital city of Tokyo overnight by messengers. Matters concerning envoys were no small matter.

Liu E received another memorial from Song Xuan early in the morning, leaving her somewhat bewildered.

I've already sent someone to handle it, so why is Song Xuan so intolerant of any wrongdoing?
What happened to them this time in the local area?

After reading it, Liu E instinctively clicked her tongue in astonishment.

It turns out that the Khitans brought this upon themselves by deliberately going after the tiger, so it wasn't Song Xuan's fault.

Empress Liu immediately sent the memorial to the prime minister, instructing them to quickly devise a plan and to send someone to inform the Liao Kingdom.

"Song Wenwen, Song Wenwen."

Liu E sat in the chair and shook her head:

"You really are too soft-hearted. You can't even keep an eye on a few Khitans and let them run wild."

Yang Huaimin chimed in from the side: "Scholar Song has always been kind-hearted."

"That's true."

Liu E agreed.

How can Song Xuan's treatment of disaster victims and ordinary people not be described as a kind-hearted official?

"If anyone is to blame, it's those Khitans who acted on their own initiative, ignored Scholar Song's arrangements, and went their own way. Now that they've caused trouble, Scholar Song is the one cleaning up their mess."

Yang Huaimin sighed softly, "Your Majesty, they just think Scholar Song is young!"

Liu E nodded: "Is the tiger problem in Hebei really that serious?"

"I don't know." Yang Huaimin then thought of something else:
"But I remember that during the reign of Emperor Taizu, there was a special order to hunt tigers. At that time, the tiger problem was even more serious. Perhaps after so many years, the number of tigers has increased again."

"After all, tigers are ferocious beasts; they are the only ones that can kill everything, and there are no other ferocious beasts that can kill them."

"Ah."

Liu E also came from Sichuan, and had heard about the threat posed by the fierce tigers of Sichuan.

She didn't care much about the lives of the Khitans, and in her opinion, it was the Khitans who wanted to humiliate the Song people first, and they brought it all on themselves.

A few days later, Wang Zeng received another memorial from Song Xuan. He wondered what injustice Song Xuan had encountered this time and who he wanted to impeach.

After opening it casually, Wang Zeng frowned.

When it comes to matters concerning the Khitans, the two sides will likely spend some time arguing and bickering.

"I remember Song Wenwen was usually quite domineering, wasn't she?"

Wang Zeng handed the memorial to Lü Yijian:

"How come he can't even do such a simple job as an escort properly?"

In Wang Zeng's view, Song Xuan's actions were too "respectful" to the Khitans, allowing them to act recklessly.

Lu Yijian took it and examined it carefully. He felt that Wang Zeng's view was a bit too broad.

It was clearly Song Xuan who did it on purpose. Don't be fooled by his use of euphemisms and the corroboration from Han Yi.

Although Lü Yijian did not understand those Khitans, he did understand Song Xuan.

Upon closer inspection, it appears that Song Xuan wanted to help the local people get rid of the tiger threat, but he was unsure how powerful the tigers were, so he sent the Khitans to test the waters first.

He will definitely send people to kill the tiger later, there is no doubt about that.

“Lord Wang, I must say something for Song Wenuan.”

Lü Yijian handed the memorial to Zhang Zhibai and smiled:

"As long as the Khitans don't burn, kill, and loot within the territory of the Song Dynasty, does the Song Dynasty really think it can restrict them from hunting?"

"Moreover, Song Wennuan's actions were not too outrageous; he was patiently trying to dissuade them, but he was instead publicly humiliated by the Khitans."

"The fact that such a heavy loss of life has occurred is the result of the Khitans' own actions and has nothing to do with our Great Song Dynasty."

"However, we still need to send someone to inform the Liao Kingdom as soon as possible to avoid any misunderstandings."

"Mm," Zhang Zhibai replied.
"I never imagined the tiger problem would become so serious. The imperial court should intervene. If we were back to the founding days, the tigers would swim across the Yellow River and storm into the capital city of Tokyo."

Wang Zeng was not worried about the tiger problem, which he considered to be an internal issue; the imperial court could simply issue an order.

The only concern is that the Song Dynasty is currently in a state of flux, with the Khitans being very unstable and prone to breaking the alliance.

This isn't just what Wang Zeng thought.

The Liao emperor would also think that Zhao Zhen would take the initiative to start a war.

Both the Song and Liao sides tried their best to abide by the alliance, but mutual distrust was a basic principle.

Even now, the Song Dynasty's heavy military force is still used to defend against attacks from the Khitans.

"That's true, but in diplomacy we still need to be careful and lest we give the Khitans an excuse."

Wang Zeng looked at Zhang Zhibai:
"How do you think we should inform the Liao Kingdom?"

Zhang Zhibai thought for a while:
“Lord Wang, let’s just report normally. If we are too weak, it will only make the Khitans arrogant and cause trouble.”

That makes sense.

Wang Zeng shook his head:
"I do hope that Song Wenwen can be tougher when he needs to be tough on foreigners. He can't even keep an eye on the Khitans."

Zhang Shixun rolled his eyes at Wang Zeng; he had heard about Yelü Gou'er's temper.

How could a fierce general, who wasn't even a military officer of the Song Dynasty, possibly show such respect to Song Xuan, a newly appointed top scholar?

Didn't you see that Song Xuan had already tried to persuade them, but the Khitans wouldn't listen and even mocked us Song people for being cowardly?

Now that something has happened, they're not children, so how can you blame it on my Great Song Dynasty?
It's even more inappropriate to blame it on Song Xuan.

So when Zhang Shixun defended Song Xuan, the group was somewhat bewildered.

Although Zhang Shixun and Cao Liyong were on good terms, it wouldn't be right for Zhang to publicly refute Wang Zeng, would it?

Lü Yijian felt it was unnecessary, so he just went along with Wang Zeng's words and said a few words, since Song Xuan couldn't hear him anyway.

After being rebuked by Zhang Shixun, Wang Zeng didn't seem to mind, and instead earnestly explained:

"I had too high expectations of Song Xuan. I felt that he shouldn't have tolerated this kind of thing happening."

“Lord Wang, no one wants this to happen, but in my opinion, the Khitans bear the greatest responsibility, and the secondary responsibility lies with the tigers within the territory of our Great Song.”

Zhang Shixun stroked his beard and shook his head:

"As for Song Wenwen, he bears no responsibility. No one else could have handled it better than him."

Wang Zeng nodded, not wanting to argue about it.

Since Zhang Shixun spoke so righteously and sternly, he would be in charge of drafting the explanation for the Khitans.

When the time comes, hand it over to the Empress Dowager for review, and it's best not to give the other party any leverage.

When the time came, Lü Yijian looked at his future in-law:

"You didn't need to argue with Prime Minister Wang just now; it was all over in the end."

"When did the Song Dynasty become Wang Zeng's personal fiefdom?"

Zhang Shixun snorted:
"Don't think I didn't see that he's been using Song Xuan as a weapon all along, and that I don't take some of his actions seriously."

Lu Yijian coughed lightly: "What kind of spell did Song Twelve cast on you to make you protect him so much?"

“We didn’t give him anything.” Zhang Shixun stood with his hands behind his back.

“Don’t think that Song Wenwen is too young to understand anything. A smart child like him will eventually become disheartened if things continue like this. He might end up like Yan Shu, which would be a real loss for our Great Song.”

When Yan Shu, a man who never sticks to his own pot, was mentioned, Lü Yijian stroked his beard and remained silent; Yan Shu was too good at protecting himself.

As for Song Xuan, he is still young and still has the idea of ​​eliminating evil for the people, but it is unknown how much of that will remain when he gets older.

On the carriage.

Yelü Gou'er had no temper left when facing Song Xuan.

After all, Song Xuan's method temporarily saved his son's life.

Otherwise, without resorting to amputation to save oneself from such an injury, even in a country like the Liao Dynasty with its lower level of medical care, one would not be able to save one's life.

Yelü Zhigu rested for five days until his fever subsided before continuing his journey.

Through Lü Demao's words, Yelü Gou'er learned that Yelü Shucheng had suddenly fallen ill and had been taken to a pharmacy by Song Xuan to be treated as a traditional Chinese medicine doctor.

He, on the other hand, led a large group of people on a hunting trip, presumably hoping to get a bargain.

Yelü Gou'er could also see through Song Xuan's little scheme, which was to stage a scene where the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

He guessed that Song Xuan had lost track of him, so he was just leading people to hunt on the outskirts.

When Yelü Gou'er ran out with the guide, he did see those Song soldiers leading their prey away.

As for Lü Demao's claim that Song Xuan did it on purpose, Yelü Gou'er did not believe it.

A defeat is a defeat; you can always come back stronger next time.

At least during the debriefing, Yelü Gou'er confirmed that Song Xuan's words and actions were consistent with his status as an accompanying envoy.

He wanted to scheme against me, but I wanted to scheme against him too.

Unfortunately, it all came to nothing.

Yelü Gou'er noticed that ever since Yelü Shucheng recovered from his illness, he had been following Song Xuan around and had even stopped talking to him.

I guessed it was because my expression was too unpleasant that I was afraid of taking my anger out on him.

Song Xuan chatted and laughed with Yelü Shucheng, while the hunters he had arranged set off to track the trail.

After all, he couldn't let the Khitans die in vain, so he wouldn't go so far as to steal the credit.

"Song Twelve."

Yelü Shucheng asked very sincerely, "If I want to learn some methods of internal strife, which books should I read?"

"hehe."

Song Xuan glanced at him:
"This kind of knowledge cannot be provided by books. Once you become an official, this skill will be automatically unlocked."

"It just varies from person to person. Some people understand quickly, while others understand slowly, perhaps only gaining a painful understanding at the end of their lives."

There is an old saying in the Central Plains: "What you learn from books is never enough; you must put it into practice to truly understand."

Yelü Shucheng pondered for a long time. He had read many books on Central Plains learning, but he had never heard of this ancient saying.

"I hope Song Twelve can tell me the source."

"It's about reading on winter nights—poems written by self-discipline."

Song Xuan swallowed Lu You's words.

"I knew I'd never heard of it!" Yelü Shucheng exclaimed, his face beaming with delight.

"Song Twelve, I wonder if I know the full text of this poem?"

Song Xuan, in a free-flowing manner, wrote: "The ancients spared no effort in their studies; what they did in their youth bore fruit in their old age, followed by those two lines."

Yelü Gou'er immediately began to recite it. He had a photographic memory; he remembered everything Song Xuan said.

Lü Gongbi quickly asked, "Was this something your twelfth brother did before the imperial examination?"

"good."

Song Xuan nodded slightly:

"It was something I said after I received the title of Jieyuan, but I didn't reveal it to anyone. So many years have passed, and I've unconsciously started using ancient language."

"Hahaha."

Lu Gongbi laughed again: "Speaking of this, Twelfth Brother, I'm reminded of another funny story."

"What's the fun?"

"So that my twelfth brother may know that while I was studying at the Imperial Academy, I heard that someone actually used the Romance of the Three Kingdoms as a historical allusion and wrote it into their exam paper."

Lu Gongbi shook his head and said, "If it were me, I wouldn't write anything. Leaving it blank is better than being discovered."

Upon hearing Lü Gongbi's explanation, Song Xuan was left speechless, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

"He's the kind of person who knows how to take shortcuts."

Song Xuan clicked his tongue twice: "I hope the teacher grading the paper next time hasn't read my Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Maybe then I can get away with it."

"Hahaha."

Lü Gongbi, of course, did not participate in the imperial examinations. After laughing, he asked:
"Twelfth Brother didn't find it strange at all."

"Of course, when I took the imperial examination myself, I couldn't remember it, so I made up some allusions and even fooled the examiner Yan Shu."

Upon hearing Song Xuan's description, Lü Gongbi immediately stopped laughing:

"Twelfth Brother, is it really true?"

Song Xuan had a smile on his face:
"Of course, I'd rather make mistakes than do nothing."

"What's wrong with writing something random? Those examiners have only studied a few years longer than me, and they don't necessarily know more than me. What do they know?"

Lü Gongbi was greatly shocked.

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

Yelü Shucheng was already engrossed in Song Xuan's poem.

He discovered the poems he had wanted to exchange with Song Xuan.

It's truly a piece that can't be compared to the one before us.

No wonder Song Xuan rejected him at that time and was unwilling to sing with him.

His casually written, uncirculated poems are so philosophical, yet Song Xuan doesn't take them seriously at all—what a waste of talent!
During the mission's stay for medical treatment, the imperial decree concerning the eradication of the tiger problem arrived.

The local magistrate was deeply troubled, never expecting the delegation to cause trouble in his territory and alarm the imperial court. He could only regret it in secret and continue to issue proclamations to recruit warriors.

However, given the tiger's notorious reputation, and the fact that the well-equipped Khitans had suffered countless casualties (it turned out there were two tigers, not just one), who would dare to go?
After being reminded by Song Xuan, the hunter secretly went to look for tracks and indeed encountered a dead tiger.

Overjoyed, he quickly added insult to injury, took out a rope, and prepared to drag the tiger down the mountain before calling for help.

Otherwise, the credit would go to someone else.

The delegation strolled leisurely to the Zhaozhou Bridge.

Song Xuan rode his horse and watched from a distance.

The river was not high at this time, so when he saw the younger Zhaozhou Bridge, he naturally rode up to take a look.

It must be admitted that the Zhaozhou Bridge is indeed more exquisite and has not been damaged by war.

Moreover, this place is frequented by a great many people, with pedestrians walking on both sides and carriages passing through the middle.

On the other side of the bridge is Cao Rui, the current military supervisor of Zhao Prefecture, Cao's nephew, and Song Xuan's cousin.

"Brother-in-law." Cao Rui rode up on his horse, laughing heartily.
"I received a letter from my father. I thought you would arrive soon, but I didn't expect it to take so long."

Song Xuan laughed heartily, "Cousin, it's been a long time."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two rode off side by side.

"Brother-in-law, I heard that something happened to the Khitans."

"Yes, they were arrogant and conceited, and I tricked and killed many of them."

"it is good!"

Cao Rui's eyes lit up: "This is something to celebrate! Let's go have a big drink!"

"Cousin, did your uncle give you some instructions?"

"I already reminded you, but I think you're being overly cautious."

Cao Rui said nonchalantly:

"In the entire Zhao Prefecture, who dares to offend the Cao family?"

"The prefect of Zhao Prefecture?"

Upon hearing Song Xuan's question, Cao Rui paused:
“They are all changing prefects, but we are the ones who are permanently stationed here.”

"Oh, I was overthinking it. It turns out my cousin doesn't like promotions."

“But then again.”

Cao Rui looked at Song Xuan with considerable surprise:
"Brother-in-law, do you have a plan?"

"I haven't moved around for many years."

Song Xuan shook his head: "Well, everyone has their own ambitions. If my cousin likes it here, then he should stay here."

"I brought my elder brother along this time, as a way to give him the experience to accumulate military merits."

“Brother Yuan is also in the group, why don’t we invite him to come along?”

Cao Rui wanted Cao Yuan to say a few words on his behalf.

Who doesn't want to improve?

He also wanted to become the Privy Councilor!
Even a deputy position would be fine.

“In the army, everyone has their own duties. How can we summon him because of personal feelings? The soldiers around him will definitely be dissatisfied.”

Song Xuan pulled on the reins:

"I wanted to help my elder brother with some things, so I was extremely strict with him in the army to make sure no one would gossip about it."

"My brother-in-law is the one who thinks things through the most; that's how we should do it."

Cao Rui nodded repeatedly, then lowered his voice and said:
"As for my promotion, does my brother-in-law have any connections?"

"I came here wanting to do something for my cousin, but..."

Song Xuan shook his head slightly:

“I heard from my uncle that you are a heavy drinker, and judging from your pale complexion, you are probably also a womanizer. Now you can’t even handle a sword or spear for half an hour. It’s tough.”

"Who said that."

Cao Rui quickly pounded his chest to show that he was very strong.

But he suppressed his cough, which made him feel a little embarrassed.

Song Xuan gestured for him to stop, then reached out and checked his pulse.

He paused for a moment before speaking:

"Cousin, you've been ruined by wine and women. You often have a dry mouth and cold hands and feet. I'm afraid you often feel tired in bed, and that kind of pleasure comes and goes quickly."

"nonsense!"

Cao Rui glanced instinctively at the soldiers four or five steps behind him, and quickly shook his head:
"Brother-in-law, I'm very virile, I can do it seven times a night, no problem at all."

The more Song Xuan spoke, the more guilty Cao Rui felt, and upon closer inspection, everything made sense.

But can a man say no in this kind of thing?

"Tsk." Song Xuan shook his head:

"I was going to tell my cousin a recipe, but since he's so brave, I won't."

"But."

Cao Rui quickly grabbed Song Xuan's reins:
"On the other hand, who doesn't want to be stronger? I want to try ten more times. I hope my brother-in-law can teach me."

"No, doing it ten times a night would really exhaust me, and I'd die."

Song Xuan pulled Cao Rui's arm away: "How could I harm my cousin? No, no, absolutely not."

Cao Rui was so anxious he was scratching his head and wishing he hadn't boasted.

Turns out my brother-in-law really does know a thing or two!

All those symptoms he'd just mentioned weren't for nothing; Cao Rui was incredibly anxious.

He doesn't have any major flaws, except he likes to drink a little and is a bit lecherous.

In Cao Rui's view, it was simply human nature.

It's perfectly normal for a real man to have women by his side when he has power in the world.

Led by Cao Rui, the two arrived at his official residence.

Cao Rui quickly invited Song Xuan inside; the wine and dishes had already been prepared.

Song Xuan looked at the people in the courtyard, seemingly unconcerned, and said he needed to use the restroom first.

Cao Rui personally led him there, and after he washed his hands...

Song Xuan asked, somewhat puzzled, "Cousin, is your government office so short of money?"

He pointed to the gap in the wall beside him.

"It's been in disrepair for years, and it collapsed after it rained. I'm too lazy to fix it."

Cao Rui chuckled:

"You know I don't care much about money, so I don't have any money to repair the wall, and the prefect won't approve it."

"But I'm fine too. Who would dare to come here easily?"

"That's true."

No sooner had Song Xuan finished speaking than a brightly dressed woman walked in through the gap, excitedly calling out:

"Master Cao, is there a guest today?"

Cao Rui quickly waved for her to leave.

Looking at the slightly embarrassed Cao Rui, Song Xuan asked, "Cousin, is this your new sister-in-law?"

"This handsome young doctor really knows how to talk."

The woman leaned directly against Cao Rui, sizing up Song Xuan: "Who is this gentleman?"

"My brother-in-law."

"never heard of that."

"Tsk, so he's the top scholar." Cao Rui glared at her.

"ah."

The woman was extremely surprised and looked at Song Xuan carefully: "Seeing is believing, the top scholar is truly impressive."

"Hello, sister-in-law."

Song Xuan finally understood why Cao Rui had made such a grand and righteous statement about not repairing the wall.

It turns out he kept a mistress, which made it easier for her to come and go.

I have to say, this woman looks quite radiant.

The woman chuckled and said, "The top scholar really knows how to talk."

Cao Rui did not send her away, but led her directly to the table and had wine and dishes served, and she served Ju'er.

“Cousin, let me make this clear: I won’t drink the wine. The rules I set must be followed in the army. Otherwise, if I’m bullied by the Khitans and my words carry no weight, I’ll be in trouble.”

Cao Rui wanted to say that the Imperial Guards were nothing special, but when he thought about how his brother-in-law had gone deep into the Khitan territory and he really couldn't help him, he simply stopped urging him to drink.

If I persuade my brother-in-law to drink too much, how will I ask for that wonderful remedy?
Song Xuan was mainly there to clear mines.

We've already cast our lines, so there's no rush to catch the fish.

If Cao Rui quits drinking, the risk of this bomb can be greatly reduced.

Cao Rui was fed wine by the woman, and Song Xuan had to admit that green tea had quite a market.

"Cousin, how did you meet your new sister-in-law?"

At this point, Cao Rui shook his head and sighed:
"Luo is a maid brought in by your sister-in-law. I favor her quite a bit. Your sister-in-law is a woman who can't tolerate any nonsense. The house is in chaos every day."

Song Xuan picked up a piece of food, thinking it was a mistress he was keeping, but it turned out to be one of the family's women who had been brought outside.

"So I pretended to drive her out of the mansion and marry her off to a local man, right next to the backyard of this government office."

Song Xuan blinked. Was this the kind of scenario Brother Le was putting on for Xi Jiujiu's nine mistresses?
"I see."

While eating, Song Xuan asked again, "Sister-in-law, is your marriage with that person just a pretense?"

"Of course not, we are really getting married."

While serving food to Cao Rui, Luo also served food to Song Xuan.
“Your cousin likes this feeling, especially when he knows my husband is coming back and is waiting outside the door, he puts in even more effort.”

"Cough cough cough."

"Don't say these things."

Cao Rui glared at Luo Shi.

Song Xuan knew that the Northern Song Dynasty was relatively open to women.

However, he was somewhat surprised to see an acquaintance engaging in this kind of "eating in one place and sleeping in another" scenario.

Good guy.

It turns out it wasn't Le Ge's doing, but rather a scene between Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian.

Song Xuan took a sip of tea: "Sister-in-law, do you think your husband is willing to do this?"

"He has no choice but to accept it."

Mrs. Luo tilted her head slightly:

"If it weren't for Master Cao providing him with money and food, would he be able to live a life of ease and sleep in the same bed with my beautiful wife?"

"Tsk."

Song Xuan was at a loss for words, feeling that things weren't so simple.

He glanced at Wang Bao and Xu Xianchun, who were eating in silence.

Xu Xianchun immediately put down his chopsticks:
"Twelfth Brother, I'm full. I'll go back and tell them not to cook for us."

"Ah."

Song Xuan responded:
"We didn't bring enough food, so we should save as much as we can. Once we're in Khitan territory, I'd be happy to have some rice with roasted mutton."

“Yes.” Xu Xianchun left immediately.

"Brother-in-law, this mission to the Khitan is a tough one."

Cao Rui didn't think he had done anything wrong at all.

Since he has power and influence, he knows that the victim will suffer and must keep it to himself.

Song Xuan couldn't tell whether the aggrieved party was enjoying it.

If he left Cao Rui, he would have nothing left.

But even honest people have their breaking point and moments of anger!

Cao Rui is truly a deadly trap.

Luo inquired about Tokyo, his eyes filled with envy, expressing his desire to live there.

Song Xuan chuckled as he described how difficult life was in Tokyo, where there were many people and everything was expensive, making it difficult for ordinary people to even afford a house.

She, however, felt that this was not a problem, since she had Master Cao.

Cao Rui had drunk quite a bit, and his mind was filled with thoughts of how to recover from the damage caused by wine and women and regain his manly vigor.

So he simply sent Luo away, telling her to go back and wait.

After Luo left, Song Xuan chatted with Cao Rui, without mentioning that incident at all.

It wasn't until Xu Xianchun returned and said that Han Zhengshi had something to do, and that the injured Yelü Zhigu had fainted again, that he wanted to ask Song Zhuangyuan to go back and take a look.

Song Xuan nodded:

"Cousin, I have some important business to attend to. Come find me after I'm done and you've sobered up."

"it is good."

Cao Rui dared not stop him.

Song Xuan told Wang Bao to leave immediately.

Cao Rui then noticed that almost all the food on the table had been eaten.

He glanced at the burly man beside Song Xuan; he was truly intimidating when he stood up!
Only after the three of them left the government office did Xu Xianchun reveal the information he had gathered.

That's why the aggrieved party often drank to express his resentment.

Moreover, according to the neighbors, the couple often argued.

Sometimes, when Master Cao was worried that the maid would be taken advantage of, he would join in and scold the aggrieved woman.

Upon hearing this, Song Xuan was utterly bewildered.

Does Cao Rui like NTR (Netorare, a form of sexual intercourse) or does he like being NTR'd?

After all, that maid had also had a relationship with her husband, and Cao Rui was still protecting her?
Therefore, Song Xuan felt that the relationship and "emotions" between the three of them were quite complicated.

“Twelfth Brother, many people in Zhao Prefecture know about their affair.”

“People on the street often laughed at him.”

"So I don't think this is a good long-term solution, since those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose."

Xu Xianchun, leading the donkey, said, "It is very likely that something will happen that will implicate Cao Shizhong."

"Yes, your analysis is correct."

Song Xuan knew that Cao Liyong had been tricked by his nephew, but he didn't know how he had been tricked.

After arriving at the post station, there was nothing else to do.

The imperial guards learned from Cao Yuan that Cao Shizhong's nephew was there, so the top scholar of the Song Dynasty went to the banquet with him.

Otherwise, given Song Zhuangyuan's habit of never welcoming local officials, how could he have gone there so easily?

Listening to Liu Ping's report, Song Xuan gained a lot of understanding about mobilizing troops, especially marching.

During each debriefing meeting, while others were learning, Song Xuan was also learning.

He still lacked sufficient information about the true army of the Song Dynasty.

Fortunately, with a team of four or five hundred people, there's no need to worry about dedicated logistics, making it easy to get started.

Song Xuan went straight into the house and lay down on the bed to rest. He had been quite tired from riding the horse all the way.

"The top scholar of the Song Dynasty".

"what happened?"

Song Xuan turned to the side and asked, "What news?"

The person at the rear told them about the hunter, who had killed a tiger, but there was still no news about the tigress.

Song Xuan nodded and told him to go and rest first, and that they would take turns later.

Anyway, we can kill one at a time, but the tigress is more difficult to deal with. We don't even know if she's pregnant with cubs yet.

After Song Xuan had eaten his fill and taken a nap, he looked at the official gazette delivered by the post station.

Policies to crack down on corruption have been issued, but the policy to prohibit extravagant banquets and excessive drinking during welcoming and sending-off ceremonies has not yet been issued.

Song Xuan knew, of course, that those worthy of drinking were all members of the scholar-official class, a privilege not usually afforded to military officers.

Now that the knife is about to be plunged into their own heads, these scholars and officials seem to be carefully weighing the pros and cons, unwilling to give up such a benefit.

After all, it was a symbol of status. Who wouldn't want to enjoy the privilege of becoming a Jinshi, a scholar who had to pass the extremely difficult imperial examinations?
Song Xuan felt he would have to write another memorial on this matter later. Being a civil official in the Song Dynasty was indeed good; he could keep sending messages and not care whether the emperor had read them or ignored them after reading them.

Unlike Emperor Yongzheng, who, after reading about the emperor's health, would reply to his ministers saying that he was in good health before moving on to the next document.

He'd send another routine greeting next month, like a bootlicker. After that, he didn't know what to say next. The subject was simply trying to increase Yongzheng's workload, which infuriated Yongzheng to the point that he couldn't even get angry.

After all, it's just a way of asking how you are and showing concern for you!
Without keeping Song Xuan waiting any longer, Cao Rui came to visit.

He really wants to be a "seven times a night" guy!
"Brother-in-law, are you busy?"

"not busy."

Song Xuan invited Cao Rui to sit down, putting down the official gazette in his hand: "Cousin, are you sober now?"

"woke up."

Cao Rui got straight to the point and said he wanted the aphrodisiac formula.

Song Xuan asked him to extend his hand so he could take his pulse again.

For a long while, Song Xuan's brows remained furrowed.

"Cousin, do you want to treat the symptoms or the root cause?"

"What does it mean?"

Song Xuan withdrew his hand and poured him a cup of tea:

"If you want to be vigorous for a year or two, I have a simple recipe that can do it. However, after a year or two, you won't be able to urinate three feet into the wind, and you'll often just urinate on your shoes. Eventually, you'll lose interest in that kind of thing."

"Wouldn't that make him a eunuch?" Cao Rui quickly waved his hand.
"That won't do, brother-in-law. We're relatives, you have to give me the best possible treatment!"

Song Xuan picked up his teacup and took a sip:
"It seems you're planning to be vigorous and energetic for the next ten years, and then go on to fight on the battlefield, make new contributions, and rise through the ranks to the Privy Council?"

"Correct!"

Cao Rui said ambitiously:

"Brother-in-law, you've hit the nail on the head! This is exactly what I've been wanting!"

"But cousin, this road sounds like a smooth highway, but it's actually very difficult. Are you confident you can handle it?"

"I have it!"

Cao Rui was so excited by the promise Song Xuan made that he could hardly contain himself, gesturing wildly as he said, "I really want to take this path."

Song Xuan stood up, walked to the side, took the bronze mirror, and let Cao Rui look at himself.

"What do you mean?"

Cao Rui looked at himself in the mirror.

"I was already being very polite by not asking my cousin to take a piss in the mirror."

Song Xuan's impolite words did not anger Cao Rui, because he knew that his future was tied to Song Xuan.

If Song Xuan can promote him in the future, he might be able to become his uncle!

When the Song and Cao families rise to power in the imperial court, one a civil official and the other a military leader, Cao Rui would be overjoyed just thinking about it.

"I know I'm not good enough for you yet, so please give me some pointers, brother-in-law."

"Cousin, can't you see the problem when you look in the mirror?"

Upon hearing Song Xuan's question, Cao Rui touched his face and said, "I think I'm alright."

"wrong."

Song Xuan pointed at him and said, "You, Cao Rui, have been ruined by wine and women, and you look so haggard. What are you going to do from today onwards?"

(End of this chapter)