My father Zhao Kuangyin

As June arrived, the summer taxes were being collected, and envoys from various countries came to Tokyo to present local products.

The first to be appointed was Qian Ti of Wu, who was in charge of the Song Dynasty. It was said that he waited in the inn outside the city at the end of May. Before dawn on the first day of the new year, when the roosters had just crowed, he hurriedly came to the outside of the palace to ask for instructions and wait.

This wait lasted for almost half an hour, until the Imperial Guards were on duty and the Emperor got up early before he finally summoned them.

The envoy's name was Sun Chengyou. He was a regular visitor to the Song court to pay tribute. He had accompanied Qian Weijun (the eldest son) when he went to the Song court before, and now he was capable of handling things on his own.

Now, Sun Chengyou was born into a powerful family; his sister was taken into the palace as a concubine by Qian Ti.

He was fine in his early years, but after he rose to prominence and gained a high position, he became decadent and extravagant.

How extravagant was it? In later generations, four dishes and a soup would be considered luxurious, but this Sun Jiedushi wouldn't touch his chopsticks without at least thirty dishes.

Every banquet requires the participation of the army, navy, and air force; it is a very particular affair.

"I am truly sorry to trouble you, General."

Having said that, Sun Chengyou, disregarding who the goalkeeper was, skillfully handed out something cold from his wide robe sleeves.

If it were any earlier, the general would have accepted without hesitation, but now... doesn't he even consider the time? Is he deliberately trying to harm him?

What are you doing?

Sun Chengyou was taken aback, thinking it was because he thought it wasn't enough, and moved the money into his sleeve...

Seeing this, the goalkeeper became even more annoyed and glared at him.

"Master Sun, please leave quickly! I will not tolerate such filth!"

The deliberately loud shout seemed to be an attempt to demonstrate one's integrity.

Upon hearing this, the dozens of soldiers under the general's command looked at each other, their helmets trembling with laughter.

These constables, with just a few taels of silver, would go to brothels to listen to music. When they were wealthy, they didn't know how to supplement their household income; instead, they would often stay in red-lacquered buildings, frolicking and sprawling on that soft, fleshy spot.

Now he is completely honest and incorruptible, refusing to accept a single penny.

Sun Chengyou was caught in a dilemma, feeling extremely embarrassed and awkward. To make matters worse, the goalkeeper was oblivious and stubborn.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he had no choice but to forcibly retrieve it and slink into the palace in disgrace.

The first person to receive Sun Chengyou was the Imperial Censor Feng Bing, who led him to wait in the Chongde Hall.

"I heard that when Lu Hanlin entered the Jiangnan Kingdom, Li Yu treated him well and presented him with a map of military strategy. This matter..."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Although the map has some discrepancies, it has its merits," Sun Chengyou said with a smile. "If Your Majesty is worried that you might be misled by Li Yu, I can compare it with the map in the Imperial Secretariat when I return to the country."

"Then I'll trouble you."

In this conversation, Feng Bing seemed to have the upper hand.

It should be noted that Qian Ti gave Sun Chengyou the official title of Prefect of Jinghai Army.

The official titles granted to them were Grand Master of the Palace, Grand Protector, and Military Commander of the Eastern and Western Garrison.

If someone asked Sun Chengyou to choose between Song and Wu, he would say without hesitation that he would stay in Kaifeng.

But this was just empty talk; if he were really asked to stay, he would be extremely unwilling.

Why?

While in Wu, he was cloaked in the true gold of the Song Dynasty's "angels," and the siblings supported each other, acting arrogantly and domineeringly. Why should he stay in Kaifeng as a concubine?

This is similar to the Southern Tang Dynasty before it was reduced to the Jiangnan Kingdom. It had a treacherous official named Zhong Mo, and at that time, there was a senior elder in the Southern Tang Dynasty named Song Qiqiu, whose power was no less than that of Zhao Pu.

This man, as an envoy, merely relayed messages between the Zhou and Tang dynasties, embellishing them slightly, which aroused Li Jing's suspicion. Consequently, Li Jing deposed and killed Song Qiqiu, eliminated his followers, took control of the three provinces, and declared himself emperor.

Afterwards, Li Jing realized that Zhong Mo was loyal to Zhou even though he was in Tang's camp, and that he had interfered in the establishment of Crown Prince Li Yu. When the truth came out, he was sentenced to death.

Sun Chengyou is a typical example of a successor; having learned from past mistakes, he is relatively restrained and cautious.

The two had been talking for a short while when another person entered the hall. Sun Chengyou recognized him at first glance, but couldn't quite place him.

Feng Bing, sensing the situation, smiled and said, "It is Erlang. His Majesty has promoted him to the position of Grand Envoy. He has come to receive Lord Sun."

Upon hearing that it was Zhao Dezhao, Sun Chengyou, who already knew about the Li-Ma case, was greatly surprised.

If the case is true, this second son can be described as patient and reserved for more than ten years. Under the circumstances that everyone in the world was looking forward to the succession of the Prefect of Kaifeng, he insisted on striving for advancement.

To be honest, Sun Chengyou didn't think highly of either side. For now, it was enough for him to just be respectful to the Emperor and Prime Minister Zhao.

He was, after all, an outsider. As long as the Southern Tang dynasty was not destroyed, with this barrier in place, the Wu kingdom would not perish.

"The Second Prince's demeanor and brilliance surpass those of the past."

Zhao Dezhao had no intention of being modest. After taking his seat, he went straight to the point and asked seriously.

"Has Li Yu been repairing his armor and weapons in recent years, intending to prepare for war?"

Sun Chengyou was caught off guard by the fact that the game started with such a powerful move.

He had known about Song's intention to conquer Jiangnan for a long time, but he never expected that after only two years of rest following the conquest of the Southern Han, he would send troops again.

"It's not really preparation for war, it's just strengthening the border defenses along the river."

That's it.

Sun Chengyou remained silent.

Tang Wu's situation was actually quite awkward. Zhao Dezhao's implication was that he should return to the country and tell Qian Ti not to hesitate to risk his life when it was time to use troops.

Even if Zhao Dezhao didn't say it, the Wu court and its officials were aware of it.

Back then, Guo Rong also made great efforts in attacking and conquering the Southern Tang Wu Kingdom, which occupied the Huai region. Now, the Song court has issued an edict not to recognize this. Isn't this a case of respecting the previous dynasty and belittling the current one?

Erlang is eager to launch the southern expedition, probably because... he is eager to achieve merit.

Upon closer examination, it makes sense; if they can't capture Kaifeng Prefecture, they can be more aggressive and capture the army.

Of course, this matter depends on the government's attitude; most likely, they will not agree.

"Am I really the same kind of warmongering, tyrannical ruler as the Qin and Han dynasties?"

The person arrived before the voice.

Zhao Kuangyin entered the hall, and everyone rose and bowed. After that, he went to the seat of honor and was exempted from the formalities before sitting down again.

"The three departments have inspected the tribute, and this year's tribute includes 20,000 taels of silver, 10,000 bolts of silk, and 10,000 catties of frankincense... which is indeed quite generous."

Upon hearing this, Sun Chengyou was bewildered.

If the tribute is too little, it's considered frivolous; if it's too much, it will displease the officials.

At the beginning of the Qiande era of the founding of the state, Wu offered 10,000 taels of silver, 10 rhinoceros tusks, and 150,000 catties of fragrant herbs, which was actually the peak in the past thirteen years.

Every year thereafter, the minimum amount was ten thousand taels of silver; if there wasn't enough incense and medicine, silk would be used to make up the difference.

"I have heard that the taxes and levies in the Kingdom of Wu are heavier than those levied on a tiger. Is this true or false?"