I studied in modern times

Chapter 1053 Intelligence
After dismissing Tusha, Xing Shu shook his head indifferently.

Whether what the foreign monk said was true or false, it didn't cause him any loss.

Composing himself, he led his followers forward.

Soon, he arrived at his destination—a courtyard that looked no different from the surrounding houses.

However, not far from the entrance of this place, there is a military post of Kaifeng Prefecture, where a squad of soldiers is stationed year-round.

Just a hundred paces away, there is a watchtower.

There were more than ten firefighters in the building, and even a water truck specifically for fighting fires.

Clearly, a dwelling with these features cannot be simple.

Xing Shu dismounted at the door, where the owner of the house had already sent servants to wait.

Upon seeing Xing Shu, he immediately stepped forward and said, "My master, having heard of your arrival, has prepared a banquet for you in the back courtyard... Please come with me, sir!"

Xing Shu nodded and followed the man into the house.

Upon entering, the first thing you see is a huge mural. Under the light, you can vaguely see the landscape on the mural spreading out like rolling clouds, with pine and cypress trees standing out among the craggy rocks.

This is an authentic work by Guo Xi!
Although it wasn't their first meeting, Xing Shu couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "These Liao people are truly devoted!"

Guo Xi today is not what he used to be!
Asking him to do something, not to mention the favors involved, the commission alone would be a considerable sum!

However, the owner of this place didn't even blink.

This was truly surreal for Xing Shu, a regular at brothels.

So unscientific!
The key point is that this wasn't just one Liao person.

Yelü Ju, Yelü Yongchang... were all like this.

Even the newly arrived Liao nobles seem to have rented or bought houses in Bianjing and kept women there.

Moreover, they are basically raised as wives!
This made Xing Shu always feel uneasy whenever he met these Liao people.

how?

Is the feng shui of Liaodong specifically designed to nurture love-struck individuals?
This is something Xing Shu doesn't understand!

The pleasure quarters of Bianjing, the capital of the Song Dynasty, produced courtesans who were all exceptional in both beauty and talent.

At the same time, they all receive targeted education and training starting from a young age.

To ensure that when they go public, they won't ruin the brand that their family has built up over decades or even centuries.

Therefore, almost every courtesan has very high emotional intelligence.

They always manage to provide just the right amount of emotional value to their benefactors.

In addition to possessing all of the above qualities, they are also proficient in playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and prose.

While Yelü Ju and his ilk held high positions and wielded great power in the Liao Dynasty, they could almost have any desire for beautiful women.

Can……

They are no longer teenagers or young men in their twenties.

The youngest, Yelü Yongchang, is already over thirty-five.

At this age, what kind of entertainment in Liao hadn't the nobles of Liao tried?

I'm so tired of it, I'm sick of it.

As you can see, Emperor Xingzong of Liao, Yelü Zongzhen, stopped having sex after he turned thirty.

Start fishing and falconry.

no way!
Although the Khitans occupied the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyan, they received a fixed annual tribute after the Treaty of Chanyuan, which they could squander at will.

Ultimately, however, the Liao Dynasty lacked cultural depth and historical accumulation. Coupled with the harsh climate and sparse population of the north, this resulted in a lack of entertainment options.

Even among the top aristocrats, there are only a few things they can play with.

Modern people get electronic EDs from scrolling through TikTok and playing games every day.

Besides, it's just a few ancient people who come and go for entertainment.

Otherwise, why are the most popular brothels in Bianjing now those with Silla maids?
no way!
Those powerful and wealthy people who were already tired of talented women, singers, and famous courtesans, and who even had no interest in Hu women, had a particular fondness for this kind of thing!
In order to be with a Silla maid who was far inferior to the top courtesan in the entertainment district in terms of appearance, speech, and knowledge.

Some scoundrels are even willing to spend a thousand strings of cash for a night of pleasure.

That's enough to buy ten Silla maids from the Liao people!

The landlord in the entertainment district is so rich he's laughing even in his sleep!

Therefore, what Xing Shu considered mere courtesans to be just for fun, Yelü Ju and others saw as—the soulmates they had been searching for!

She understands me so well!
You're so considerate of me!

How could I let such a beautiful woman down?

Of course, there was another very important reason that also influenced the Liao envoys' judgment.

This is because they had no roots in the Song Dynasty.

Their businesses, their wealth, their interests need someone to help hold and take care of them.

At this time, women like Li Shishi, who came from brothels, had a significant advantage.

Especially after Li Shishi and others gave birth to their children.

This advantage is further enhanced by blood ties.

However, Xing Shu is a smart man.

Therefore, although he did not understand the thoughts of the Liao people.

However, the service he provided to the people of Liaoning was meticulous.

To better serve the Liao envoys, Xing Shu even organized a special team.

They specialize in providing a range of services for Liao envoys and their families in the Song Dynasty, including household registration, servant employment, protection of female relatives, retrieval of relatives, and purchase of residences.

Everything is handled in one go, all in one place.

no way!
The people of Liaodong gave us so much.

Led by a servant, Xing Shu passed through the courtyard of the front residence and arrived at a secluded side room.

"Scholar, my master has been waiting here for a long time!" The servant who led the way pushed open the door for Xing Shu.

Behind the door, the faces of Yelü Ju and Yelü Yongchang came into view.

The two Liao envoys turned around, saw Xing Shu's figure, and smiled.

"Scholar, it's been a long time. How have you been?" Yelü Ju rose and greeted him with clasped hands.

“Lately, I’ve been preoccupied with trivial matters and haven’t had time to accompany you two gentlemen on your excursions…” Xing Shu smiled and returned the greeting, “Please forgive me, gentlemen…”

In the past ten days or so, the public opinion storm surrounding the discovery of Jinshan and Yinshan by Liao people in Japan has been affected.

Xing Shu didn't dare go home, only trembling in the academy. There was nothing he could do—public opinion placed all the blame for the Liao people finding gold and silver mountains in Japan on him.

Many people even believe that it was Xing Shu and his uncle who instigated the Liao people to cross the sea and attack Japan.

He Xing Shu is the biggest traitor of the Song Dynasty!
He had already betrayed the court and become a dog of the Liao people!
In no time, his reputation for leniency and punishment became completely tarnished in Shilin.

Xing Shu even heard that some people in their poems and writings had compared him to figures like He Shikai of the Northern Qi Dynasty, Xu Jingzong of the Tang Dynasty, and Lin Te of the Zhenmiao period.

In other words, he has a strong sense of leniency; otherwise, he would probably have become depressed long ago.

Yelü Ju and Yelü Yongchang naturally knew about this matter as well.

Yelü Ju personally invited Xing Shu to sit down at the head of the table, then ordered the doors and windows to be closed tightly, and dismissed the servants.

Yelü Ju then said, "I heard that you've been quite troubled lately, Scholar?"

"What troubles could I possibly have?" Xing Shu laughed. "I am blessed by Heaven; a few hardships are all I need!"

Yelü Ju and Yelü Yongchang exchanged a glance and both breathed a sigh of relief.

What they feared most was that the Song Dynasty court would succumb to public pressure and demote Xing Shu or even dismiss him from office!

If that's the case, then they both need to think carefully about their future.

This was a common occurrence in the history of the Southern Dynasties.

The Zhao emperors had a tradition of making their ministers take the blame for them!
Over the past century, the Southern Song court has produced countless Chao Cuos!

In other words, the struggles in the Southern Dynasties all had their bottom lines.

Otherwise, the story of being cut in half at the waist in court would have been repeated countless times!

For Yelü Ju and Yelü Yongchang, Xing Shu's life or death was actually none of their concern.

However, Xing Shu's fate determined their future stance!
After all—if that young emperor can't even withstand this much pressure and chooses to throw Xing Shu out as a scapegoat.

They will definitely not be able to withstand the pressure from the capital in the future!

It's possible that the escape route they painstakingly prepared might just turn out to be their death trap!
If that's the case, the two of them will have to think carefully about how to be true loyal subjects of the Liao Dynasty.

Therefore, in reality, Yelü Ju's entry into the palace today was a test.

Let's see, can this young emperor of the Southern Dynasty make them risk their lives?
Now it seems that the result of this test has been revealed.

The young emperor's heart was more resolute than one might imagine.

Yelü Ju picked up the wine pot and poured a cup of wine for Xing Shu: "It's wonderful that the scholar is unharmed!"

"Please, Scholar, drink this cup to the brim!"

Xing Shu glanced at the wine offered to him, chuckled, and said, "Don't rush to drink this..."

"Esteemed gentlemen..."

"What exactly happened to the Western bandits?" He raised his head and looked at Yelü Ju and Yelü Yongchang.

Yelü Ju laughed heartily, while Yelü Yongchang calmly took out the edict personally written by the Liao emperor, which had been sent along with the tribute from Goryeo ten days prior, and showed it to Xing Shu.

"Scholar, you will understand after reading this!" Yelü Yongchang said, squinting his eyes.

Xing Shu took it, held it up to his eyes, and examined it carefully by the light.

The Liao emperor's edict was very brief, and it contained only one instruction: to have Yelü Ju go before the Song emperor and propose a joint Song-Liao campaign against Western Xia.

It was almost exactly the same as what Yelü Ju said before the emperor.

After reading it, Xing Shu narrowed his eyes, looked at the two men, and cupped his hands, saying, "Please, gentlemen, enlighten me!"

"Heh heh!" Yelü Ju chuckled strangely, "Scholar, can't you see that?"

Yelü Yongchang said, "This is an old trick of our Great Liao!"

"However, the people who played the roles of me and Shisanlang in the past went to Xingqing Prefecture..."

"And those who were supposed to go to Xingqing Prefecture have come to the Great Song Dynasty!"

"For example, Liu Liufu, and Xiao Xi!"

Xing Shu hummed in agreement. Who were Liu Liufu and Xiao Xi? Of course he knew.

The former was a key figure in the Qingli coinage increase!
Back then, this person almost single-handedly coerced and bribed Emperor Renzong and his ministers to agree to the terms of the Qingli Emperor's increased tribute—an additional 100,000 taels of silver and 100,000 bolts of silk per year.

This was considered a huge diplomatic victory for the Song Dynasty at the time.

Because, in the very beginning, Liu Liufu's conditions were extremely harsh!

They demanded that the Song Dynasty return the ten counties south of the pass that had been seized by Emperor Shizong of Zhou during his northern expedition, as well as the Liao Dynasty.

They also demanded that Emperor Renzong marry a princess from the Liao Dynasty.

They further demanded an increase of 200,000 taels of silver and 200,000 bolts of silk as annual tribute!

In the end, no land was ceded, and the princess was not married; the annual tribute was only increased by 100,000 taels of silver and 100,000 bolts of silk.

In the eyes of the court officials at the time, this was indeed a great victory!
A resounding victory comparable to the Treaty of Chanyuan!
More importantly, after the peace treaty between the Song and Liao dynasties, the Liao emperor immediately launched a campaign against the Western bandits.

This was considered by many at the time to be a result of our dynasty's diplomatic efforts.

And Xiao Xi...

The mastermind behind the cession of territory during the Xining era.

It was this man who entered the court during the Xining era and forcibly seized the land that had not been ceded during the Qingli era.

Few people dare to mention this matter nowadays.

Because both then and now, public opinion has placed the blame on the prime ministers of the time (mainly Wang Anshi and Han Zhen).

But even a fool knows that Wang Anshi was firmly opposed to this in the court back then.

Han Zhen was merely a scapegoat.

The person truly responsible cannot be spoken of or discussed.

"So..." Xing Shu thought for a moment and asked, "What are your country's demands on the Western bandits?"

Yelü Ju chuckled lightly and, without hiding anything, said directly, "My lord is a Uyghur of the Black Khanate, a subject of the Great Liao, and the Xia Kingdom is also a subject of the Great Liao!"

"Now that the Khan is in trouble, my lord has ordered that Zubuyi be sent westward to provide assistance!"

"Therefore, he ordered the King of Xia to send troops to assist him, to fulfill his brotherly duty!"

"Furthermore, the Xia Kingdom should allow Bu Yi to lead his troops westward, and use the Gua and Sha prefectures of the Xia Kingdom as pastures!"

As Xing Shu listened, he recalled the words of the Hu monk Tusha he had met on the way here—the king of the far west kingdom of Fulin seemed to be considering sending an envoy to contact the Song Dynasty because of the Turkic Khan's eastern expedition…

Now, we learn this from Yelü Ju and others.

Because of this incident, the Liao emperor sent envoys to the Western Xia, using both threats and inducements to demand that the Western Xia send troops, and designated Guazhou and Shazhou as places for the Zubu cavalry to rest and graze on their westward journey.

Now that’s fun!
Xing Shu felt that the government would definitely be interested.

(End of this chapter)