Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 254 The Dramatic Changes in Western Xia
A few days later, as December arrived, Kaifeng became even colder, making people shiver.

That afternoon, Lu Beigu finished his studies at Song Xiang's residence and sat in a mule cart. The cart was traveling along the wide and straight Nanxunmen Inner Street from the inner city to the outer city, intending to return to the Imperial Academy.

This main road running north to south through Kaifeng is always filled with astonishing noise.

Carriages and horses rumbled along the road, pedestrians thronged shoulder to shoulder, and the shop signs on both sides fluttered in the cold wind.

However, today, something different seems to have been mixed into this everyday hustle and bustle.

Inside the carriage, Lu Beigu was pondering the doubts about the scriptures that Song Xiang had explained that day when he suddenly felt the mule cart moving slower and slower until it could move no further at all.

He lifted the thick curtain and looked outside.

The once spacious road suddenly became incredibly crowded, and the chatter on both sides of the street rose sharply, with the voices of ordinary people filled with barely suppressed curiosity.

"Look! Look over there!"

"Wow! What a sight! Where did this come from?"

"They don't look like people from the Central Plains; they have high noses and deep-set eyes."

"Judging from their clothes, they must be barbarians from the northwest!"

Lu Beigu stuck his head out, trying his best to look in the direction of everyone's gaze and discussion.

A sizable procession was seen slowly making its way into the inner city from the direction of Nanxun Gate. People from Kaifeng Prefecture were maintaining order, and no one was allowed to walk out of the inner city; they all piled up on both sides of the road.

The costumes worn by the riders and horses in this procession stood in stark contrast to the bustling Tokyo crowds around them.

The leading group of dozens of riders were all dressed in thick fur coats and wore uniquely styled pointed or round felt hats. Beneath the brim of their hats, they revealed bushy beards, deep-set eyes, and high noses. Their skin was also darker and rougher than that of people from the Central Plains.

Their mounts were not the horses commonly seen in the Central Plains, but rather the taller, stronger, and thicker-maned Dangxiang horses, whose saddles were decorated with brightly colored felt and metal ornaments that reflected a dazzling light in the winter sun.

Following closely behind were hundreds of foot attendants, also dressed in peculiar attire, with curved swords at their waists, solemn expressions, and vigilantly scanning the crowd of onlookers.

At the heart of the group were several officials-looking men who were heavily guarded.

Although they also wore fur robes, their inner garments clearly bore traces of officialdom, with dark colors and solemn patterns.

One of them had a shaved head, a gold band around his forehead, and a stern face, while the other had a thick beard.

They rode on horseback, their backs straight, their expressions showing some weariness from the long journey, but looking at the onlookers from Tokyo, they exuded an indescribable arrogance.

There is another one who looks like a Han Chinese.

"These are Xia people!"

"Is that the 'Western bandits' who repeatedly violate our borders?" someone immediately retorted angrily.

"That's right! Look at that shaved head! There's no mistake! They must be Tangut barbarians!"

"What are they doing here? Are they here again to demand the annual tribute?"

"Hey, what do you know! I heard from my relatives that it was King Li Liangzuo of Xia who sent a special envoy to announce the news of our mourning!"

"Announcement of mourning? Who died?"

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn.

The idle man who was speaking had a mysterious look on his face, but he didn't try to lower his voice. Instead, he shouted loudly as if showing off, which was enough for Lu Beigu, who was not far away, to hear clearly.

"They said she was the Empress Dowager of the Xia Kingdom, that one named Meicang, but she's dead!"

"Meizang? You mean Li Yuanhao's wife, the mother of the current young king?" "That's right! I heard she's incredibly powerful and controls the court!"

"Dead? How did you die?"

When it comes to palace secrets, even those from other countries, the gossip-loving hearts of the people of Tokyo are instantly ignited.

The idler shrugged: "Who knows? This is a barbarian land; they might be fighting amongst themselves. But it's good that she's dead! When that witch was alive, she let her men plunder our borders all the time! Now that she's dead, it's peaceful!"

"Yes, yes, it's good that they're dead!"

A chorus of agreement rippled through the crowd, carrying a sense of schadenfreude over the misfortune of the enemy nation.

"I heard there's a high-ranking official in the delegation named Xu Shunqing. It sounds like a Han Chinese name."

"Sigh, there are quite a few Han Chinese officials in the Xia Kingdom, but they are all ungrateful bastards!"

"Who cares! Anyway, their Empress Dowager is dead. They're probably just going to cry poverty and ask for money and food again this time!"

The people were talking amongst themselves, pointing and whispering, their emotions a mixture of curiosity, disdain, wariness, and schadenfreude.

Beneath the prosperous and inclusive exterior of the Song Dynasty lay a deep-seated hostility towards this powerful neighbor in the northwest.

Lu Beigu stood in the crowd, his gaze fixed on the silent foreign team.

He understood better than the onlookers what the words "announcing the death" meant. It was not just a declaration of Empress Dowager Meicang's death, but also the end of a bloody palace coup.

Lu Beigu had discussed this period of history with Jiang Xinghuo when they were studying the history of the Western Xia Dynasty. Therefore, a lot of information flashed through his mind: the rivalry between Li Shougui and Bu Xichiduo, the embarrassing private life of Empress Dowager Meicang, the bloody killing by Li Shougui in anger, and finally, the swift execution of Li Shougui by the prime minister Meicang Epang, who completely controlled the court and married his young daughter to the nine-year-old king Li Liangzuo.

The travel-worn group before us was the envoy that officially notified the Song Dynasty of the change of supreme power in Western Xia.

Li Liangzuo, who was known in history as "fierce and cunning" and would one day rule in his own right and continue to harass the Song Dynasty, was at this moment just a nine-year-old child who had been manipulated by powerful ministers and had just lost his birth mother.

The powerful figure manipulating him—Li Liangzuo's uncle, Mecang Epang—was using this delegation to announce his victory in the palace coup and his actual control over Western Xia to the Song Dynasty.

"Xu Shunqing".

Lu Beigu silently recited the name of the Han Chinese official in the delegation, and understood.

This must be a trusted Han official sent by Mecang Epang to negotiate with the Song court and fight for interests.

Since Zhang Yuan, a traitor, became the prime minister of Western Xia, many unsuccessful scholars from Guanzhong went to join Western Xia. Among them, the capable ones did indeed obtain high-ranking positions and generous salaries.

"Xia Song was never awe-inspiring, Han Qi was nothing special, and the entire river was filled with imperial carriages, yet they still talked about military strategy."

After silently reciting the poem, Lu Beigu suddenly wondered what Han Qi, the Privy Councilor who had just been promoted to Privy Councilor at the same time as Jia Changchao, thought about this matter.

Should we advocate a large-scale military campaign to quell the conflict, or should we take this opportunity to ease tensions between the two countries?

In any case, the death of Empress Dowager Meicang was an opportunity for Meicang Epang to remove obstacles, while for the Song Dynasty, it was a signal that the situation on the northwestern border might undergo subtle changes, and the beginning of a new round of diplomatic games.

Lu Bei watched as the Western Xia delegation, guided by patrolling soldiers and Kaifeng officials, slowly disappeared at the street corner leading to the Honglu Temple, and the surrounding crowd gradually dispersed.

"Let's continue to Qingfeng Tower."

Today is Lu Beigu's second gathering of the Qingsong Society since he went to Beijing.

At this gathering, an important figure who had just arrived in Kaifeng attended at the invitation of Zeng Gong.

—Wang Anshi.

(End of this chapter)