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Chapter 224 The Song Family Was Quite Sensible

Chapter 224 The Song Family Was Quite Sensible
Lingnan.

Princess Pingyang left the government office and returned to the Song family.

Subsequently, the Song family patriarch and others also learned about Princess Pingyang's setback at the government office.

Inside the council chamber.

The Song family patriarch and the eight heads of each branch of the Song family all looked grim.

They never expected that the Eastern Depot would even disregard Princess Pingyang; they were truly arrogant.

What the Song family patriarch and his group found most unbearable was Cao Shaoqin's domineering and framing remark.

They forged imperial seals and sewed dragon robes.

If the Eastern Depot were to pin such a charge on them and execute them without prior notification, the Song family would be in serious trouble.

Even though the Song family is one of the four major clans, they cannot afford such consequences.

Perhaps some people naively believe that this was a frame-up by the Eastern Depot, and that the imperial court would not punish the Song family based solely on the Eastern Depot's one-sided account.

But the Song family patriarch and his ilk are all seasoned veterans who have weathered many storms. They know better than anyone that the world is not simply black and white.

For emperors, there is nothing they are incapable of doing as long as they can consolidate their imperial power.

If the Song family does not cooperate with the court, then the Eastern Depot can frame them and pin such a crime on them. The person in the palace will definitely not blame the Eastern Depot.

Because the Eastern Depot's actions were exactly what the person in the palace wanted, handing the knife to deal with the Song family into her hands.

How could the person in the palace possibly blame the Eastern Depot for framing her?
The Song family patriarch composed himself, glanced at the butler, and said, "Have you prepared the visiting cards I asked you to prepare?"

The Song family patriarch never imagined that Princess Pingyang would be able to bring Song Yan back.

The reason the steward was to tell Princess Pingyang the news was simply to let Princess Pingyang test Xun Yu.

I want to see Xun Yu's attitude.

It now seems that Xun Yu's attitude was very firm.

If the Song family doesn't respond soon, the Eastern Depot might really frame them and take action against them.

The butler immediately bowed and said, "Master, everything is ready."

The Song family patriarch nodded; "Very well, let's go to the government office to deliver the visiting card!"

"I will personally visit Xun Yu at the government office."

After not responding to Xun Yu for several days, leaving Xun Yu hanging, the Song family patriarch is now putting on a show.

The Song family patriarch believed that Xun Yu was probably also waiting for him, the Song family patriarch, to take the initiative to visit him.

The other eight heads of various branches of the Song family present were all stunned for a moment.

They never expected that their clan leader would personally visit Xun Yu at the government office.

It should be noted that as one of the four great clans, there are very few people in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty whose patriarch would take the initiative to visit.

"Yes, sir."

The butler accepted the order and left.

"Clan leader, Xun Yu is a newly appointed Minister of Revenue. Isn't it a bit too much of a show of respect for him to personally visit him at the government office?"

After the butler left, one of the people in charge frowned and said.

The Song family patriarch shook his head; "Although Xun Yu is the newly appointed Minister of Revenue, he is actually one of the people in the palace."

“Our Song family has already dragged this out for three days; we need to make some gestures.”

"Otherwise, how would that person in the palace view our Song family?"

The head of the Song family gave a deep look at the eight heads of various branches of the Song family sitting below.

It wasn't that the Song family wanted to give Xun Yu, the young Minister of Revenue, a proper send-off, but rather that they wanted to show it to the person in the palace behind Xun Yu.

He wanted to show the person in the palace the Song family's attitude and put their mind at ease.

……

Government office.

Lobby.

After the Song family presented their visiting card, Xun Yu personally welcomed the Song family patriarch into the government office.

Regardless, the Song family has accomplished this superficial feat, and Xun Yu must also do the same.

"It is truly an honor for Chief Song to personally visit Xun Yu!"

Xun Yu had tea served, sat down, and said with a smile.

"Lord Xun, you flatter me. I am a man nearing the end of my life. What could I possibly have to do to make you feel so honored?"

The head of the Song family also spoke with a smile.

The two exchanged polite greetings.

Xun Yu looked at the Song family patriarch and asked, "Patriarch Song, regarding the purpose of Xun Yu's previous visit to the Song family, I wonder if the patriarch has reached a conclusion in the past two days?"

The Song family patriarch nodded; "To be honest, Lord Xun, I have tried my best to persuade the rest of the Song family these past two days, and I have not disappointed you."

"Cooperating with the imperial court is the Song family's duty."

"If Lord Xun has any needs or instructions, please feel free to speak up, and the Song family will do its utmost to cooperate."

The Song family patriarch stated this.

"However, I must first thank Lord Xun for helping the Song family get rid of some parasites."

"If it weren't for Lord Xun, I wouldn't have known that there were so many parasites in the Song family ruining the family's reputation and honor."

The Song family patriarch changed the subject and thanked Xun Yu.

Upon hearing this, Xun Yu smiled without changing his expression and said, "The Song family is large and powerful, so it's inevitable that there will be a few scoundrels. Clan Chief Song doesn't need to worry about them."

"Since the Song family is willing to cooperate with the imperial court, that's all the better."

"Xun Yu will immediately allocate manpower to measure and survey the Song family's land. We hope that Clan Chief Song can cooperate to the best of his ability."

"Xun Yu thanks Chief Song in advance."

Xun Yu bowed to the Song family patriarch and expressed his gratitude.

Xun Yu had already anticipated this outcome after receiving the Song family's invitation.

Perhaps this is a choice the Song family had no choice but to make given the current situation.

They certainly won't cooperate fully, and might even resort to some underhanded tactics.

But none of these matters to Xun Yu.

Once the Song family speaks up, things will be much easier.

"Rest assured, Lord Xun, my Song family will fully cooperate with you in your actions."

"I shall take my leave now and have my men prepare accordingly."

As the Song family patriarch spoke, he stood up.

“Very well, Xun Yu will see Chief Song off.”

Xun Yu also stood up and saw the Song family patriarch out of the main hall.

After the Song family patriarch left, Cao Shaoqin appeared beside Xun Yu.

"Although the Song family makes it sound nice and promises to cooperate, I'm afraid they won't be honest."

Cao Shaoqin said, watching the Song family patriarch's departing figure.

"It's alright, as long as the Song family asks."

"If they want to outwardly comply but inwardly defy me, I have my own ways of dealing with them."

Xun Yu looked in the direction the Song family patriarch had left and said with a glint in his eyes.

He knew all too well that the Song family would not behave themselves.

But as long as the Song family speaks up, he has plenty of ways to deal with their petty tricks.

Cao Shaoqin withdrew his gaze and looked at Xun Yu; "What should we do with those Song family members who were captured?"

The arrest of those members of the Song family was intended to pressure and intimidate them.

The Song family has now responded, agreeing to cooperate with the imperial court.

So, should these arrested members of the Song family be killed or released?

Xun Yu also withdrew his gaze, glanced at Cao Shaoqin, and said, "Although the Song family patriarch was expressing his gratitude to me on the surface, he actually had a deeper meaning."

"But how could the people arrested by the Eastern Depot be released so easily!"

"Apart from Song Yan, all the other members of the Song family who were arrested should be handed over to Lord Zhang for trial in accordance with the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty!"

"Let's release Song Yan after a few days! He is, after all, the son of Princess Pingyang. Let's give this Song clan chief some face."

After saying this, Xun Yu turned and walked back to the main hall.

Xun Yu could easily understand the deeper meaning behind the Song family patriarch's words. But unfortunately, this wasn't a deal, and Xun Yu had no intention of releasing the Song family members who had been arrested.

When the Eastern Depot began arresting these people, the fate of the Song family was already sealed.

This can be seen as Xun Yu's way of intimidating and warning the Song family!

Now that the Song family has responded and is willing to cooperate with the court's actions.

Xun Yu then did not delay any longer and immediately summoned the Ministry of Revenue personnel to personally lead the survey of the Song family's land.

With the Song family taking the lead, Xun Yu believed that things would go much more smoothly in Lingnan.

……

The Song family patriarch's face darkened as he left the government office.

He had already hinted at it to Xun Yu in his words, and the Song family patriarch did not believe that Xun Yu had failed to understand.

However, Xun Yu remained silent, which made the Song family patriarch's expression somewhat unpleasant.

Originally, the Song family patriarch thought that by giving Xun Yu a response and fulfilling Xun Yu's previous request, Xun Yu would release the Song family members who had been captured.

But now it seems that he was just making assumptions.

Those members of the Song family who were arrested will likely find it very difficult to leave unscathed.

As for Song Yan, the Song family patriarch was not worried that Xun Yu would do anything to him.

Regardless of the circumstances, Song Yan's status is undeniable, and the Song family patriarch doesn't believe that Xun Yu would be unwise enough to harm Song Yan.

"Go home."

The head of the Song family got into the carriage and returned to the Song residence.

……

With the cooperation of some members of the Song family, Xun Yu led his men to begin measuring and surveying the Song family's land.

Originally, the Song family wanted to deceive everyone and use some means to deal with Xun Yu.

However, the result was that none of the Song family's methods had any effect on Xun Yu.

Xun Yu meticulously measured and tallied all of the Song family's land, both openly and covertly.

At this moment, the Song family realized that Xun Yu was no ordinary person, much more so than they had imagined.

But it was too late; they could only grit their teeth and continue to cooperate with Xun Yu.

……

royal palace.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen looked at the complex pattern in his hand, his brows furrowing slightly.

This complicated matter was brought up by the King of Kaoshan in the Southern Frontier.

The memorial requested that Prince Zhou Zhan of Kaoshan be granted a post in the capital and that Zhou Yu be put in charge of the Zhennan Army to guard the southern border.

This would have been the best thing for Zhou Chen.

Zhou Yu was his man, and he was 100% loyal to him. With Zhou Yu in charge of the Zhennan Army and stationed in the southern border, Zhou Chen was completely at ease.

This was also one of the reasons why Zhou Chen sent Zhou Yu to the southern border.

The fact that Prince Zhou Zhan of Kao Shan was able to voluntarily relinquish his military power to Zhou Yu saved Emperor Zhou Chen a lot of trouble.

After all, King Zhou Zhan of Kao Shan was a veteran of three dynasties and had been stationed in the southern border region for many years.

If Emperor Zhou Chen were to issue an edict, it would chill the hearts of the veteran officials.

It is absolutely a win-win situation that King Zhou Zhan of Kaoshan was able to voluntarily abdicate and give way to a worthy successor.

However, these are all arrangements Zhou Chen has made for the future, not for the present.

At present, Zhou Chen has no plans to have Zhou Yu replace Zhou Zhan, the Prince of Kao Shan.

"It seems that Prince Zhou Zhan of Kao Shan has seen through my intentions, which is why he took the initiative to request an imperial decree and submit a memorial."

Zhou Chen thought to himself as he put down the memorial in his hand.

It's not the right time to replace Zhou Zhan, the Prince of Kao Shan, with Zhou Yu.

Although Zhou Chen believed in Zhou Yu's ability to command troops, Zhou Yu's qualifications still seemed somewhat lacking.

Even with the victory of just annihilating the southern barbarian tribes, it's still not enough.

Taking over from the Prince of Kao Shan to guard the southern border rashly could lead to some adverse consequences.

Previously, letting Lü Bu and his men take command of the army was a last resort.

Now, there are enough generals. The Prince of Kaoshan and the Zhennan Army are somewhat different from the Shenwu Guard and the Zhenbei Army, and there are also essential differences between them.

Therefore, we should wait and see before discussing this matter further.

Zhou Chen put the memorial aside for the time being and temporarily suppressed it.

At this moment, Cao Zhengchun entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your Majesty, this is news that has just come back from Lingnan."

Cao Zhengchun stepped forward and presented a slip of paper to Zhou Chen.

Without saying a word, Zhou Chen took the note from Cao Zhengchun's hand.

I opened it and glanced at it.

"Hehe, the Song family is quite sensible and understands the situation."

"In this way, with the Song family taking the lead, it can be considered that a gap has been opened in the upper-level aristocratic families."

"From now on, Xun Yu and the others will have a much smoother journey."

The note contained information that the Song family had cooperated with Xun Yu to measure and survey the land.

The news was relayed back to Luoyang by the Lingnan imperial guards immediately.

Zhou Chen put down the note in his hand and said, "If the Song family is willing to cooperate with the Ministry of Revenue in measuring and surveying the land, then the other three major clans should also cooperate."

"The remaining three great families, including the Langya Wang family, are probably all fine."

"Without the resistance from these top-tier aristocratic families, the resistance from below will be much easier to resolve."

"The land survey and statistics are all set, so now we should prepare for other things."

At this point, Zhou Chen looked at Cao Zhengchun; "Is there any movement outside the pass?"

"Your Majesty, according to the news sent back by the Imperial Guard, the foreign tribes from all directions are already mobilizing troops to defend against our Great Zhou."

"Scouts from the Western Rong and Northern Di have been constantly monitoring the movements of my Zhenbei Army and Xiliang Army."

"They probably also anticipated that our Great Zhou would not let this go easily and might send troops beyond the pass."

Cao Zhengchun recounted the news he had received from outside the Great Wall.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen sneered, "These alien thieves reacted quite quickly."

"However, even if they redeploy troops for defense, it's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. After losing hundreds of thousands of soldiers, how many troops will they have left?"

Zhou Chen wore a cold smile.

"Let the imperial guards try their best to find out what's going on outside the gates."

"Especially the terrain outside the pass, it would be best to draw it into a map and send it back to prepare for the army's next move out of the pass."

Zhou Chen said to Cao Zhengchun.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Cao Zhengchun cupped his hands in greeting.

"besides."

"Send an imperial edict to Zhao Yun, ordering him to immediately return to Luoyang with the White Horse Cavalry."

Zhou Chen continued.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Cao Zhengchun's eyes flickered, and he bowed again to accept the order.

The recall of Zhao Yun and the White Horse Cavalry suggests that His Majesty is preparing to wage war beyond the Great Wall.

Cao Zhengchun thought to himself.

"Go!"

Zhou Chen waved his hand.