A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 463 As everyone knows, the top scholar Song was always kind to others.

"Why do I say that?"

Song Xuan snorted and laughed:
“Yelü Gou’er, listen to me. You collected two million strings of taxes and spent one million strings to buy this treasure from my Great Song Dynasty.”

"With such tremendous credit falling on your head, how many of your colleagues in the Khitan will genuinely congratulate you, rather than be jealous of your good fortune?"

Yelü Gou'er didn't feel anything about the two million strings of cash levied, but he felt that Song Xuan's next sentence truly touched his heart.

Within the entire Great Khitan, who wouldn't be envious of the credit he so easily obtained?
Even the usually benevolent Prince of Yan was dragged into this farce.

What about the rest of the people?
The factions within the Khitan were extremely complex, a fact that Yelü Gou'er was acutely aware of.

Song Xuan was just going with the flow; he wasn't lying to him.
"That's right," Yelü Gou'er readily agreed.

"It has to be you."

Song Xuan snorted and laughed:
"I'm not doing this for you, but if anything goes wrong with this treasure and you come to me for it, I don't have any replacements."

"Moreover, our Great Song Dynasty has always been based on integrity in business. Have we ever been in arrears with the annual tribute payments over the years?"

"Indeed, I believe it."

Yelü Gou'er's last shred of doubt about Song Xuan was also dispelled.

After all, he had some doubts about why Song Xuan was helping him so much.

Song Xuan continued:

"If you do as I say to the person testing you, then firstly, once the treasure develops a crack, no more people will continue to covet it."

"The matter of presenting the treasure has become a hot potato."

"No one can withstand the emperor's wrath when he is enraged; whoever touches this treasure will die."

"Secondly, you can test whether he is your true ally."

"They still want to stab you in the back; they'll easily leak these two pieces of information."

“Those people aren’t jealous of you; they’re just waiting to see you make a fool of yourself.”

"Think about it."

Hearing Song Xuan's words, Yelü Gou'er nodded slightly.

"exactly."

Yelü Gou'er had experienced this situation before.

"Once you enter Zhongjing, when you present treasures to your Khitan emperor, someone might have already spoken ill of you to the emperor, just waiting to see you make a fool of yourself."

"The treasure you presented remained intact. Do you think the emperor will trust you or the others in the future?"

"You don't need to retaliate against those who are waiting to see you make a fool of yourself; the emperor will naturally help you."

As Song Xuan described it, Yelü Gou'er's eyes grew even brighter.

He had never really thought about this situation before; he only thought about fighting the other party to the death and making sure he beat him until his eyes were full of stars.

Now, thanks to Song Xuan's brilliant idea, Yelü Gou'er experienced for the first time what it felt like to have a "strategist" by his side.

This is an experience that Lü Demao could not provide.

Lü Demao also had to consider his own family's interests.

They wouldn't tell Yelü Gou'er anything about luring the snake out of its hole or using someone else to do the dirty work.

After all, they were only temporary partners.

After this matter is concluded, Yelü Gou'er may not continue to serve as the chief envoy.

"Good good."

Yelü Gou'er lowered his voice again: "Thank you, I'll remember it."

"If you ever need any help in the future, I, Yelü Gou'er, will definitely find a way to repay you."

Song Xuan nodded, without any politeness: "My second brother wants to open a gambling den in Zhongjing. Can you help him out?"

Yelü Gou'er blinked subconsciously. Although he wasn't being polite, in his impression, the Song people had always been rather reserved.

Why did Song Xuan immediately state his demands as soon as I mentioned wanting to repay him?

However, Yelü Gou Ren immediately replied, "No problem, with me here, I will definitely not let anyone cause him any trouble."

He didn't understand why Song Xuan's second brother, who sounded like a learned scholar, would open a gambling den.

Could it be that he wants to stay and become a spy?
Yelü Gou'er didn't understand, but agreed first.

After seeing Yelü Gou'er agree, Song Xuan added:

"You must remember one thing: never reveal that flawed reason at the beginning. Only when you are pressed for an answer and it becomes unavoidable should you tell the person the truth. That way, the information will be more credible."

"Okay, I understand everything."

Yelü Gou'er thought that the Song people were truly masters of infighting.

With him around, the Song Dynasty court can forget about ever having peace again.

After Song Xuan left, Yelü Gou'er entered the carriage, looked at his injured son, and told him to rest well.

They will be rich and powerful in the future.

Yelü Zhigu's complexion still hadn't become rosy:

"Father, what was Song Xuan whispering to you about? You must not be fooled by him."

"You think your father can be so easily fooled by him?"

Yelü Gou'er looked at his son's severed arm wound:

"I only listen to him now because I need him. But once I no longer need him, do you think I'll still listen to him?"

Yelü Zhigu nodded.

He's in a pretty depressed state right now. He's incredibly lucky to have escaped from the tiger's jaws.

Now Yelü Zhigu can't hate his father or himself for being so arrogant and ignorant, so he can only transfer his hatred to Song Xuan.

Even if Song Xuan cut off Yelü Zhigu's arm to save his life, Yelü Zhigu still couldn't accept this reality.

Looking at his son's state, Yelü Gou'er could only sigh inwardly:

"I hope we can make it to the capital smoothly this time, so that my son can also enjoy wealth and honor in the future."

Yelü Gou'er felt quite bitter inside.

Unexpectedly, the person he could trust turned out to be a Song dynasty person.

Within the territory of the Liao Dynasty, many people were hoping that their offering of treasure would lead to trouble!

Although Yelü Gou'er didn't understand why Song Xuan arranged for his second brother to stay in Zhongjing, it was still a way of keeping a hostage, which was not necessarily a bad thing for the Liao Dynasty.

When Song Xuan returned and met with Han Yi, he told him that the Prince of Yan had not invited these Khitans at all.

Han Yi then confirmed, "Indeed, there's no such thing as a good banquet. Should we still go to this treacherous banquet?"

"just go."

"But is this a trap?"

Song Xuan had a smile on his face:
"Envoy Han, what kind of Hongmen Banquet is this? It's just a bully inviting bandits. Xiao Xiaomu doesn't even have Xiang Yu's skills."

"You and I are envoys of the Great Song Dynasty, when did we become ruthless bandits?"

Han Yi felt that Song Xuan was belittling his own status.

"In their eyes, we are just ruthless bandits, which is why they set up this trap to try and put us in our place."

After Song Xuan's explanation, Han Yi finally agreed:

"What good does it do them to oppress us? When they get to the Khitan emperor, they have to fawn over us."

"Then go ask the Prince of Yan." Song Xuan shook his head slightly.
"I don't really understand why he would set up such an ambush on the hilltop."

"Sigh, this mission has truly been quite exhausting."

Han Yi sighed.

The main problem is that we haven't even met Yelü Longxu yet, and his men are already causing all sorts of trouble.

It seems that Yelü Longxu is truly getting old and can no longer control many of the empire's officials, allowing them to run rampant.

"What's so tiring about this?"

Song Xuan chuckled twice:
"Envoy Han, I am very much looking forward to seeing what kind of tricks the Khitans will come up with to broaden my horizons."

Han Yi said nothing more.

Anyway, it was all just polite talk with the Khitans. Next, we would still need to rely on Prince Yan Xiao Xiaomu's men to lead the way to Zhongjing.

He repeatedly warned Song Xuan and the others not to drink too much, lest they be tripped up by the Khitans or have their actions recorded by the eunuchs.

When Xiao Xiaomu received Han Yi's reply and learned that the chief and three deputy envoys had all come to the banquet, he was greatly surprised.

He thought Song Xuan would refuse outright.

After all, this top scorer displayed a rather "tough" attitude.

"Father, isn't this a better plan?"

Xiao Tali said with great excitement.

"good."

Xiao Xiaomu also nodded slightly.

He sent someone to find Han Lu and, as planned, to find Yelü Gou'er and clear up the misunderstanding between them.

Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, then we can deal directly with Song Xuan alone.

Xiao Tali meticulously prepared a banquet.

Song Xuan instructed Liu Ping to patrol the area around the post station in shifts, as the Khitans might retaliate, and to keep an eye on the horses.

So, led by the envoy of the Prince of Yan, they turned onto the street corner of the Prince of Yan's residence.

Han Yi kept instructing Song Xuan on the way:
"Scholar Song, do not be impetuous with your youth. Our two countries are allies, there is no need to get angry over a few words."

"Our Great Song Dynasty is a celestial empire, while the Khitans are barbarians everywhere. It's not worth getting angry at them."

"We've lost our status as Jinshi for nothing, so please don't find me annoying."

"Today is a banquet, not a battle."

Song Xuan didn't say much, only indicating that he had remembered.

To show his respect for the Song envoy, Xiao Xiaomu laid out a red carpet that stretched from the street corner all the way to his banquet hall, a distance of several hundred steps.

The envoy dared not step onto the red carpet, but stood outside and invited the Song envoy to walk on it.

Han Yi glanced at Song Xuan.

"Good heavens." Song Xuan clicked his tongue twice.
"So the Khitans also knew how to flaunt their wealth like Shi Chong. Let's see just how rich this Prince of Yan really is."

Han Yi laughed heartily.

Knowing the allusion Song Xuan was referring to, he stepped forward. The more the Khitans flaunted their wealth, the better for the Song Dynasty.

Liu Congde chuckled:
"They dare to call themselves rich when they pave the road with such tattered blankets?"

Song Xuan followed behind Han Yi: "Liu Dalang, you have to give him a chance to be arrogant."

"Hahaha, let him go to Tokyo another day to see what real fine silk is like."

Liu Congde followed suit:
"If all else fails, I can buy a few bolts of fine silk from my brother-in-law to broaden my horizons."

Wang Chong became completely subdued.

Despite his father being a wise prime minister and having been bribed by the late emperor, he married several sisters and didn't leave much property to his brothers.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Prince of Yan's residence, many bare-chested Khitan soldiers stood on both sides, holding torches.

Muscles are bulging and knotted, eyes are fixed straight ahead.

Han Yi glanced at them subconsciously, not understanding why Prince Yan Xiao Xiaomu had shown off his shirtless soldiers, as if to indicate that they didn't have any knife-wielding axemen hidden in the courtyard.
Could it be that he really intends to stage a trap?
Han Yi turned to look at Song Xuan, who was following behind and giving his comments, and heard Liu Congde say:

"So the Khitans also had tattoos when they were soldiers!"

Tattooing was originally a custom of some backward tribes in southern China in ancient times, also known as tattooing and cutting hair.

However, after the Song Dynasty, tattooing became a trend not only for soldiers, but also for people from all walks of life, artists, and young people.

Furthermore, associations and various competitions have been developed.

The fact that the tattoos on the body of the playboy Yan Qing attract the admiration of many women is not without reason.

During the Tang Dynasty, many young rascals had tattoos, such as tattooing "I'm not afraid of the Prefect of the Capital" on their left arm and "I'm not afraid of Yama" on their right arm.

Khitan culture was deeply influenced by the Tang and Song dynasties, and many places imitated it.

They wouldn't refuse a tattoo.

"Holy crap, they really do have wolf head tattoos?"

Song Xuan was even more amazed.

He thought that the character of Qiao Feng, the great hero, was fictional.

Han Yi listened to their words and sighed inwardly.

As expected, the Khitan Yan King's so-called military intimidation and show of force were completely ineffective in front of Song Xuan.

As for Liu Congde, he became even bolder and started telling Song Xuan that someone's wolf head wasn't properly tattooed.

As for Han Yi's brother-in-law, he followed at the back without saying a word.

Xiao Tali looked at the Song envoys and saw that they were completely unconcerned about the large number of strong Khitan warriors, and even commented on the poor quality of their tattoos.

This really made her feel frustrated again.

In particular, the person who had led the way came over to report that the Song people were not intimidated by the luxurious red carpet that stretched for hundreds of steps.

They were all commenting that the red carpet was of poor quality, not as good as the silk from the Song Dynasty, and that they had never seen anything like it before.

Xiao Tali also liked Song Dynasty silk.

Although the Yan-Yun region could produce some silk, they looked down on it all.

Therefore, upon hearing his subordinates' report, Xiao Tali could only hope that the house would be more luxurious.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Song Xuan and the others entered the banquet hall.

"Wow, this is the first time I've seen this."

Song Xuan pointed to the dome above, and Liu Congde clicked his tongue in agreement:
“Not bad, Twelfth Brother, this Khitan has quite the taste.”

The banquet hall is not made of traditional beams and pillars, but rather imitates a grassland dome, with a complete Big Dipper constellation inlaid with gold and various gemstones.

With the candles lit in the room, it truly felt as if we were under the night sky.

Song Xuan clicked his tongue twice:

"However, I remember that some people would put a Big Dipper formation or something similar on the coffin lid after the burial. These Khitans really don't understand."

"good."

Liu Congde remembered.

The emperor's coffin was decorated with such carvings on both the top and bottom. Even when lying in the coffin, the emperor was not in a normal lying position, but rather in a pose to convey auspicious meanings such as benefiting his descendants.

"No wonder it looked so familiar. If it weren't for Twelfth Brother, I wouldn't have thought of it."

Liu Congde stamped his foot again: "They still used jade to pave the place."

"Tsk, interesting."

Song Xuan also stepped on it; he hadn't thought of this thing yet.

"However, compared to my home, this Prince Yan's house is still rather shabby."

Liu Congde chuckled smugly.

Song Xuan flicked his folding fan: "Liu Dalang, have you sold all the golden nanmu wood you have to the Khitans?"

Liu Congde's eyes widened instinctively, and he tried to cover Song Xuan's mouth:

"Twelfth Brother, you mustn't talk nonsense."

"No, that's not true. How could I do such a thing?"

"It must be a misunderstanding!"

Song Xuan laughed twice:

"Why be nervous? I was just joking."

Liu Congde chuckled and looked around carefully. He realized that there shouldn't be any Phoebe zhennan wood in his Prince Yan's mansion.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. The Song Dynasty didn't have enough golden nanmu wood. Even if it was smuggled into Khitan territory, how could it possibly be given to a king?
There were quite a few people within the Khitan who were granted the title of king.

"I never imagined that a small Prince Yan's mansion would be more luxurious than the imperial palace of my Great Song Dynasty."

Han Yi commented in a very serious tone:
"Those jewel-studded stars, could they be the so-called Eastern pearls?"

"should be."

Liu Congde responded, as he had some knowledge of treasures.

The Song Dynasty imperial palace was indeed rather simple.

Starting with Emperor Taizu of Song, the imperial palace was not made too extravagant. In fact, the expansion of the palace was stopped because the people disagreed.

"This pearl is quite a big investment."

Song Xuan solemnly stretched out his fingers and gestured: "Let me count how many there are, enough to eat and stay at Fanlou for a few days."

"No need to count."

Liu Congde stood with his hands behind his back: "Twelfth Brother, if we play around like crazy, we can spend all the money from these pearls in one night."

"I really don't know how many high-priced projects Fanlou is hiding."

Upon hearing Song Xuan's words, Liu Congde simply chuckled. Since taking over from Madam Lin, he had been racking his brains to develop new businesses.

The money spent on entering Fanlou was truly enormous.

Even though many people in Tokyo are hoping for good weather tomorrow so they won't be unable to work, there are still many people who will spend money like water to enjoy themselves.

Whether it was the Northern Song Dynasty or the Khitan, the gap between the rich and poor was so large that they seemed to belong to different eras.

Just as they were looking around, the main figure, Prince Yan, Xiao Xiaomu, walked in from the back hall and invited them to sit down with a smile.

In such diplomatic settings, meals are usually served individually, and it's rare to see a large round table like a family banquet.

Han Yi and his entourage sat in a row of distinguished guests, opposite several people who were there to keep them company.

Xiao Tali hid behind the curtain, preparing to observe the situation on the field.

Only now, up close, did she realize that Song Xuan, without armor or a gun, did not have a fierce look on his face.

He sat there quietly, dressed in Hanfu, and was quite handsome.

He was at least much more handsome than the men who pursued her.

While Prince Xiao Xiaomu of Yan was speaking with Han Yi, the chief envoy of the Song Dynasty, his eyes were constantly sizing up Song Xuan, who was sitting in the second seat.

Song Xuan was sitting quietly without saying a word, which Xiao Xiaomu found quite unbelievable.

Why does he look so fierce when he puts on armor?
Furthermore, having heard rumors that he had kicked a colleague to death in the palace, Xiao Xiaomu always felt that Song Xuan, who was now sitting there quietly sipping tea, was not the Song Xuan of the rumors.

At this moment, someone carrying a tray entered the hall.

Xiao Xiaomu enthusiastically introduced the famous dish of roasted camel, which he called "Meat Mountain".

When you cut open a camel, you find sheep inside.

When you cut open the sheep's belly again, there's a swan inside.

If you cut the swan open, you'll find it's made by steaming bear paw meat mixed with rice.

It is a dish that combines the best of both worlds.

Han Yi was greatly surprised. To be honest, it was the first time he had ever seen this kind of barbecue. He quickly uttered some words that he had never heard of before.

Liu Congde turned his body to the side:

"Twelfth Brother, can we eat this?"

"I don't know." Song Xuan was also quite surprised:
"I reckon the camel meat on the outside is cooked through, but the sheep inside isn't even cooked yet. What a waste of something as delicious as bear paws; I've never even tried them."

"So, judging from this, the Khitans roasted it layer by layer."

With Liu Congde's reminder, Song Xuan realized that this dish was really time-consuming, so Xiao Xiaomu wanted to buy more time for his people to persuade Yelü Gou'er.

Fortunately, I took precautions in advance, hoping that Yelü Gou'er would know who to cooperate with for his own benefit.

"I wonder if Vice Envoy Song's observation is based on the fact that he once ate a camel from my Great Khitan?"

Xiao Xiaomu has already shifted his focus directly to Song Xuan.

"I have never eaten roasted camel."

Song Xuan said with great surprise:

"I always thought that camels were commonly used in the Northwest, but I never imagined that the Khitans also had camels."

"Alas, Scholar Song, this is your ignorance."

"Hmm?" Song Xuan blinked. "What does Envoy Han mean?"

Before Xiao Xiaomu could refute, Han Yi launched the first attack:

"More than eighty years ago, after Emperor Taizong of Liao suffered a great defeat in the Battle of Yangcheng, he naturally returned to Khitan on a camel. You are still young and it is normal that you do not know this. The Khitan people have a lot of camels, so don't forget."

Yelü Deguang led 80,000 elite troops on a southern expedition after the Later Jin emperor refused to continue paying tribute to the Liao dynasty. However, he suffered a major defeat at Yangcheng in Hebei.

First, they fled for more than ten miles in a Xi cart, but felt it wasn't fast enough, so they decided to ride a camel and head north.

Han Yi felt that the Prince of Yan had never seen anyone humiliate Song Xuan by presenting him with a roasted camel before, so he immediately started a fight.

"So there are interesting stories like this."

Song Xuan immediately added to the group's message:
"I have heard very little about the Khitans' defeats; Liu Liu has never mentioned it to me."

"I don't want to torture this camel like this, stuffing things inside it all the time, making it bear some painful memories."

Han Yi nodded approvingly. Song Xuan's mind works fast. If he hadn't followed up with the questions, he might not have been able to perform so well.

Wang Chong was somewhat surprised by his brother-in-law's actions.

On the way here, my brother-in-law kept warning Song Xuan not to make a move or start any trouble. How could he, the envoy, mock the Khitan emperor right away!
Is this operation correct?

The Khitan officials sitting opposite the Song envoy dared not speak and looked at Xiao Xiaomu.

Han Yi's initiative to "explain the science" caused Xiao Xiaomu's expression to change slightly. He had only just begun to show off when his sore spot was touched.

However, he did not get angry, but instead gave a wry smile:
"The top scholar of the Song Dynasty was a talented young man in the Song Dynasty, so it is normal that he did not understand some things."

Han Yi raised an eyebrow slightly, watching him as if he was about to say something.

"I wonder if the top scholar of the Song Dynasty knows the interesting story of Emperor Taizong's defeat in the Northern Expedition?"

Xiao Xiaomu had a smile on his face.

He was certain that Song Xuan knew nothing about it.

Many important officials in the Song Dynasty were unaware of this matter, and it was not recorded in any of the so-called daily conversation records of the emperors in the Song Dynasty.

The Khitan officials opposite him exchanged smiles, waiting to see Song Xuan make a fool of himself.

"Of course I know."

"you know?"

Xiao Xiaomu's face showed a look of doubt:
"Absolutely impossible!"

Song Xuan snorted and laughed:
"You just want to tell me the old story of how Emperor Taizong of Song failed to besiege this place and fled two or three hundred miles to Zhuozhou in a donkey cart overnight."

Xiao Xiaomu's expression changed drastically; he hadn't expected Song Xuan to actually know.

This not only prevented him from giving Song Xuan a "science popularization" response like Han Yi did, but also prevented him from doing so.

On the contrary, the Song people said it so openly and honestly, as if they didn't take it seriously at all.

This made Xiao Xiaomu's counterattack seem utterly ridiculous.

So this is what the civil officials of the Song Dynasty were like, indifferent to their emperor's defeat.

This made Xiao Xiaomu feel like he had punched cotton, leaving him with a burning anger that he couldn't vent!

Han Yi took a sip of tea, his heart filled with turmoil.

How come I've never heard of this before?

Han Yi lived during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Song until he was 25 years old. He passed the imperial examination at the age of 30 and became a minister of Emperor Zhenzong of Song.

He had never heard of this before in his entire life!
As for Liu Congde and Wang Chong, they looked at Song Xuan with utter shock.

Because they were younger, they didn't know about this either.

Who would dare spread rumors about Emperor Taizong?
"Is Song Xuan out of his mind?"

Liu Congde subconsciously glanced at Lu Shouqin, the obedient eunuch standing to the side.

How could Twelfth Brother talk such nonsense!

"I wonder where Scholar Song learned this from?"

Xiao Xiaomu was still trying to save face:

"As far as I know, I'm afraid no one in your Song Dynasty knows this."

"That's utter nonsense. Don't judge a gentleman by your own petty standards."

Song Xuan gave him a look of utter contempt:
"No one knows how I, the son of a commoner in the Song Dynasty, learned of this matter."

Xiao Xiaomu was speechless.

He glanced at Han Yi, who remained composed, and at the two deputy envoys who looked like they'd asked why he'd brought this up.

Xiao Xiaomu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and gave a wink to the person sitting next to him.

Liu Liufu then stood up:

“Scholar Song, this matter is a secret. My ancestors were also envoys to the Song Dynasty. You Song officials know nothing about it.”

"Then was then, and the present is now."

Song Xuan glanced at Liu Liufu:
"Judging from your clothes, I can tell you are a Han Chinese who has studied the classics. You have been living among barbarians for a long time and do not know the principles of speaking ill of superiors, relatives, and the virtuous. This is quite normal."

Song Xuan's understated sarcasm immediately broke Liu Liufu's guard.

He hadn't expected Song Xuan to be so rude, showing absolutely no mercy. He had even hoped to make friends with him.

Liu Liufu clenched his fist tightly inside his sleeve:

"Isn't what Scholar Song said a bit too harsh?"

"Liu Dalang, you tell him." Song Xuan snorted.
He's not worthy to speak to me.

"Hahaha."

After Liu Congde laughed heartily, he said with a forced smile:
"Twelfth Brother has always been rude. It's already a favor that he didn't beat you to death on the spot."

Liu Liufu subconsciously took a step back.

He felt a chill run down his spine and broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

What should I do if I feel a little unwell?
Song Xuan's infamous reputation is indeed well-known.

He could really kill his colleague on the spot!
Liu Liufu had thoroughly investigated the identities of the members of the delegation.

Among the Song Dynasty delegation, the one who should have been the most arrogant and domineering was Liu Congde, the eldest empress's nephew.

As a result, Liu Congde became extremely docile in front of Song Xuan.

Even he was willing to be Song Xuan's lackey, so Liu Liufu didn't dare to look Song Xuan in the eye and quickly turned his head to the side.

However, Liu Congde did not let Liu Liufu go:
"If you're not satisfied, you can go and ask your Khitan envoy."

"No need."

Liu Liufu waved his hand; he had already inquired about it.

As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated," he felt it was unnecessary.

"If you think it's too far, you can just ask the Prince of Yan who stopped you a few days ago. He's sitting right there. Ask him if the top scholar of the Song Dynasty speaks harshly or not."

Seeing that Liu Liufu had backed down, Liu Congde naturally looked around at the Khitans opposite him.

They seemed to think, "Your Prince Yan is sitting right in front of me."

Feel free to ask.

But which of these people would be so heartless as to seek confirmation from the Prince of Yan?
Isn't this a veiled slap in the face to the Prince of Yan?
Song Xuan smiled as he looked at Xiao Xiaomu, who was sitting in the main seat:
"Hey, Liu Dalang, don't talk nonsense. As everyone knows, this top scholar has always liked to be kind to others!"

"Yes, in the entire city of Tokyo, who doesn't know that my twelfth brother is a great philanthropist!"

Liu Congde raised his glass with a smile.

Han Yi felt a chill run down his spine.

Why is Liu Congde acting like a Song Dynasty fanatic? I've never seen him praise Song Xuan like this before within the Song Dynasty!

With Song Xuan's fiery temper, how can you say he's kind to others?
Wang Chong, who was also a deputy envoy, was completely dumbfounded.

He never expected that he would be so obsequious to Liu Congde, only to see such a fawning expression on Liu Congde's face!
It's like looking in a mirror.

Is this situation correct?

You are the nephew of the Empress Dowager, how can you flatter Song Xuan, a mere seventh-rank county magistrate?
Wang Chong felt that his worldview had been severely impacted.

Faced with Song Xuan's friendly compliment, Xiao Xiaomu could only force a smile and pick up his teacup again.
"Please, everyone, try this tea."

"This is a snow mountain herbal tea made after a blessing by a Khitan shaman. Drinking it is very beneficial to the body."

Liu Congde chuckled and picked up his teacup.

After Liu Liufu sat down, his expression was not good.

This was the first time he had suffered a setback, and it happened in front of the Prince of Yan. How could he possibly accept this?
Losing face was a small matter, but Liu Liufu couldn't swallow the humiliation of losing face in front of the Khitans because of the Han Chinese opposite them.

But he dared not say anything more to Song Xuan, fearing that Song Xuan would jump off the table and beat him up.

Even bystanders couldn't stop him!
Given Song Xuan's infamous reputation for being able to kill someone with a single kick, Liu Liufu was quite certain that his small frame couldn't withstand it.

He actually said he likes to be friendly to people; he really has a thick skin.

How could someone like that become the top scholar in the imperial examination, and even achieve the triple crown?
Liu Liufu felt increasingly angry that he couldn't even become the top scholar in the imperial examinations in the Liao Dynasty!
Although Zhao Weigan was a military general, he was happy to see Liu Liufu suffer setbacks; those who wield the pen are always cunning and scheming.

Unfortunately, when they encounter someone from the Central Plains who truly wields the pen, this is how they end up looking so defeated.

It's truly laughable!
Although the four major families of Yan and Yun have all intermarried, they are also in competition with each other, both in the imperial court and in terms of local interests.

They share similar interests, but also have many disagreements.

Zhao Weigan picked up his wine cup. He didn't like drinking tea and had originally planned to perform a sword dance, but now it seemed that Song Xuan wasn't afraid of such a thing.

Zhao Weigan found the top scholar, whose hands were stained with blood, quite interesting.

The Song people have become so brave and valiant; if they want to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun...

Does that mean there will be a war?
Zhao Weigan, as a military general, was extremely willing to fight.

Especially during the war between the Song and Liao dynasties, this was the only way for their family to gain more benefits from the war.

Ma Yuan felt that the Song people opposite him were difficult to deal with, but he couldn't think of any way to deal with them. He was just there to keep them company.

Even a family like Liu Liufu's, which had trained civil officials for generations, couldn't win an argument with the other party. As a military general, he was even less adept at speaking.

What's the point of rushing in if you can't even say a word?
Besides, Ma Yuan knew that the person sitting opposite him, Song Xuan, was known as "Little Song Tai Sui" in Tokyo.

Such people.

How could he be a good person?

Fortunately, he became a civil official in the Song Dynasty.

If he became a military general, he would probably follow the example of those generals in the early Song Dynasty, and only feel satisfied by eating human flesh and drinking human blood on a daily basis.

This situation was very rare for Ma Yuan within the territory of the Liao Dynasty.

Therefore, there was no intention to stand out.

Xiao Tali frowned as he saw his father get the short end of the stick.

Her illusions about Song Xuan's handsome appearance shattered instantly.

When he's quiet, he looks like a handsome young man.

But inside lurks a ferocious tiger.

It's always looking to devour someone!

Xiao Tali found it unbelievable that a top scholar of the Song Dynasty could beat a colleague to death in public and not be punished.

Even if His Majesty is no longer as wise as he was in his youth, he will not allow such a person to exist in the court.

Seeing that these people were all afraid of Song Xuan's fierce reputation and dared not communicate with him much, Xiao Tali became very anxious.

Then all the methods prepared later became unnecessary.

They even shamelessly claimed that Song Xuan was kind to others.

Xiao Tali snorted a few times, saying that her father was the only one who truly treated people well!

How could someone like Song Xuan possibly do something kind to others?

If he really were that kind of person, he wouldn't have done those things.

Xiao Xiaomu had served as an official for so many years, and he had never encountered such subordinates and messengers.

How can this young man be so unreasonable?
There's no way to communicate with him effectively; he's completely impervious to reason.

How did the emperors, empress dowagers, and high-ranking officials of the Song Dynasty tolerate such people running rampant in the court?

Could it be that I haven't paid much attention to the Song Dynasty in recent years, so I'm completely unaware of the internal changes within the Song Dynasty?

Xiao Xiaomu did not believe that Ma Yuan's statement was false.

Therefore, when facing people like Song Xuan, Prince Xiao Xiaomu of Yan found it quite troublesome.

There's no need to consider a battle of wits.

As for physical violence, that's even more disgraceful.

Prince Xiao Xiaomu of Yan could only order people to perform songs and dances first.

He needs time to think things over.

Accompanied by music, several Han Chinese dancers dressed in green gauze entered the arena and began to dance.

Song Xuan observed that it incorporated some elements of Khitan dance.

Inside the inn.

Han Lu sat opposite Yelü Gou'er.

The door suddenly slammed shut, the candlelight flickered, and then everything returned to calm.

"Prime Minister, I heard from the Prince of Yan that you have been bewitched by that Song man?"

Yelü Gou'er shook his head: "Third brother, this matter is too complicated to explain in a few words."

"The Prince of Yan specifically sent me to find you today to clear up the misunderstanding here."

"What misunderstanding need to be cleared up?"

Faced with Yelü Gou'er's rhetorical question, Han Lu sighed:

"The idea of ​​ambushing on the mountaintop was actually His Majesty's idea."

"His Majesty's idea?"

Yelü Gou'er simply didn't believe it.

How much does His Majesty desire this treasure? How could he do something so reckless?

"Correct."

Han Lu then recounted how Yelü Gou'er had encountered a tiger and suffered heavy losses, explaining that the Song people had sent someone to inform him in advance.

When His Majesty learned of this, he was furious and ordered the Prince of Yan to take appropriate measures to retaliate and curb the arrogance of the Song people.

"So, Prime Minister Nan, this is truly a misunderstanding. How could the Prince of Yan have set an ambush for you?"

"Third Brother, we encountered a tiger, it wasn't something the Song people deliberately arranged."

Yelü Gou'er stroked the teacup in his hand: "Why would Your Majesty misunderstand?"

How could I possibly lie to you?

Han Lu quickly took out the imperial edict that His Majesty had written for the Prince of Yan and showed it to him.

After Yelü Gou'er finished reading it, he thought it didn't seem fake.

"So it was the Prince of Yan who deliberately ambushed them on the mountain?"

Yelü Gou'er didn't understand why the Prince of Yan did this. There were many ways to intimidate the Song people.

They even deceived him first, so much so that Yelü Gou'er subconsciously wanted to return to Song Dynasty territory in order to protect this treasure.

This made him lose face in front of the Song people.

Therefore, in Yelü Gou'er's view, His Majesty's original intention was good, but it was distorted by the Prince of Yan.

In short, there are problems.

The problem couldn't lie with His Majesty, so it naturally fell on the Prince of Yan.

Yelü Gou'er easily understood the reasoning behind this.

"You are acting in accordance with the imperial edict, so how could the Prince of Yan harbor any resentment towards you?"

After the misunderstanding was cleared up, Han Lu carefully put the imperial edict away again.

"Prime Minister Nan, the King of Yan specifically asked me to tell you the truth, also in order to help you."

"help me?"

Yelü Gou'er looked puzzled: "What does the Prince of Yan mean?"

"The Song people have ill intentions and want to destroy that treasure on the way. Don't trust them, Prime Minister."

"They want to destroy this treasure?"

Yelü Gou'er lowered his voice and asked, "Where did Third Brother get his information?"

"The Song people have always been cunning. They didn't use tigers to damage the treasure within Song territory because they wanted to get rid of suspicion. They came to my Great Khitan territory to cause trouble."

Han Lu squinted slightly:

"The Prince of Yan will find a way to continue to intimidate these Song people. He will definitely inform the Prime Minister of the South in advance to prevent the treasure from being damaged."

"The safest course of action is for the Southern Chancellor to take the treasure and leave directly. This way, the Prince of Yan can focus on dealing with these Song envoys without worry."

Yelü Gou'er was somewhat tempted: "But aren't there still sporadic rebellions from the Zubu tribe?"

"What's the big deal? The Prince of Yan directly dispatched three thousand troops to the Chancellor of the South, heading straight for Zhongjing. This will make His Majesty happy for a few days sooner. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Ah."

Yelü Gou'er nodded: "Third Brother is right."

"The Song envoy is currently feasting at the Prince of Yan's residence and is sure to get completely drunk. Why doesn't the Southern Prime Minister set off immediately?"

"No," Yelü Gou'er waved his hand.
"It's too dark at night, and the roads are unclear. If I rush, I could easily overturn my car. I'm not in a hurry to leave."

"I underestimated things."

Han Lu then spoke up, "How about the Southern Chancellor departs early tomorrow morning before the Song envoys?"

“My son’s injuries are quite serious. Even if I walk quickly, I can’t walk fast.”

"If we place him in the Prince of Yan's residence, we guarantee he will receive treatment from a better doctor."

Yelü Gou'er sighed again: "Third brother, this is a real dilemma. I don't trust the shamans of our Great Khitan to cure him."

On the battlefield, if one out of ten wounded soldiers survives after being treated by a witch doctor, it is considered that the soldier is lucky, not that the witch doctor is highly skilled.

Even when His Majesty was ill, he sent Yelü Shucheng to the Song Dynasty to secretly record medical books and bring them back for reference.

All of this made it impossible for Yelü Gou'er to believe Han Lu's words.

Han Lu never expected that Yelü Gou'er, after two missions to the Song Dynasty, would become so distrustful of the medical skills of the Khitan doctors.

Although he didn't believe it himself, he wanted to convince the person in front of him.

So he advised again:

"Prime Minister, the Song people's medical skills aren't that good either. Even if there are doctors in the Song delegation, would they really treat the people of our Great Khitan with care?"

Under Han Lu's questioning, Yelü Gou'er thought back carefully.

The doctors of the Song Dynasty didn't believe their son could survive after being bitten on the arm by a tiger, so they couldn't cure him.

It was Song Xuan who decisively cut off his son's arm, saving his life.

The key point is that they used a heated axe that glowed red to chop him, saying that this could quickly stop the bleeding and disinfect the wound, preventing him from bleeding to death.

Yelü Gou'er was certain that Song Xuan was treating him seriously.

Otherwise, his son would have died on the borders of the Song Dynasty that day and would never have returned alive.

Although Song Xuan's words were harsh, Yelü Gou'er believed that he wasn't simply targeting him.

Song Xuan even beat a colleague to death in public in the main hall of the country.

He said some harsh things to himself.

That's so kind of you!

So when Song Xuan didn't show any intention to kill, and just said some unpleasant things, everyone would think that Song Zhuangyuan was a really friendly person!
If Song Xuan even gives you advice or praises you a couple of times.

Some people might think that the way the top scholar Song treated them was so kind and approachable, it was truly unique!

"Third Brother is right."

Han Lu was overjoyed upon hearing this: "Then, Prime Minister Nan, do you agree to withdraw from the Song Dynasty delegation?"

Yelü Gou'er shook his head decisively: "I disagree!"

(End of this chapter)