I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 458 Being a deadbeat in Bianjing! Being a Liao envoy is a dangerous job
November 20th, Hongfu Tea House, west of Bianjing City.

In the back hall.

Hongfu, the owner of Hongfu Tea House and the leader of the Liao spies, paced back and forth with a smile on his face, muttering, "I'm going to get rich! I'm going to get rich! I'm going to get rich!"

A quarter of an hour ago.

He learned from his informants that tea merchants in Bianjing City were all hoarding Jian tea.

Tea in the Song Dynasty was divided into three grades.

The worst is loose tea.

That is tea that has been simply stir-fried and is the staple tea for the common people.

The next best is tea leaves.

That is, tea made from carefully selected tea buds through processes such as steaming, roasting, and sealing.

The best is wax tea.

That is, the best tea buds are selected, steamed, ground into a paste, and then pressed into tea cakes to make fine tea.

Jian tea is the La tea produced in Jianzhou, and is the best La tea in the whole Song Dynasty.

For example: Longyuan, Shengxue, Xiaolongtuan and other famous teas are all Jian teas.

One cake of Jian tea can be sold for forty strings of cash.

Only wealthy families can afford it.

Hong Fu has been in Bian Jing for more than three years. In addition to collecting intelligence, his favorite thing to do is to study the tea ceremony and research the tea business.

Influenced by the Song Dynasty's trade, he did not consider himself a spy but a tea merchant.

Because of his special status, he should not be too ostentatious.

In the past two years, he has been engaged in the tea reselling business.

There are gains and losses, but I never get tired of it.

Tea merchants hoarding Jian tea means the price of Jian tea will increase.

According to past practice, if you stock up on tea now, you can make a fortune when the price of tea rises sharply during the gift-giving season before the end of the year.

Having no money makes money slowly, having money makes money quickly.

He used most of the intelligence funds given to him by the Liao court on business, using public funds to earn private money.

at this time.

An old man with gray hair and a hunched body walked in quickly.

"Boss, you're looking for me?"

Hong Fu said: "Hurry up and take out all our remaining money to buy a large amount of Jian tea. Buy as much as you can!"

"Boss, we...we are out of money. We have spent all our money on the tea shop and tea leaves!"

In addition to owning a teahouse that distributes tea, Hongfu also bought two shops this year and renovated them into tea shops.

The old man continued, "Boss, our delegation will arrive next month. If they check the accounts and find that we have spent most of the intelligence funds on business, I'm afraid... I'm afraid..."

Hong Fu widened his eyes.

"Lao Hai, you have followed me for so many years, how could you say such a stupid thing? Can't you cook the books?"

"I...I...I...I will be beheaded for falsifying accounts!"

Hongfu walked up to Lao Hai and patted him on the shoulder.

"My sea steward, why don't you understand?"

"We traveled thousands of miles and risked our lives to come to the Song Dynasty. Why? In addition to collecting intelligence for the court, we also have to think about our second half of life."

"The salary the court gives us is so low that it's not enough to live in Bianjing. If we return to Liao in two or three years and can't find a good job or even a way to make money, how will we live? How will you support your four sons?"

"The business environment of the Song people is much better than ours. As long as there is capital, even a fool can make money. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We must make a fortune!"

"I still have some private money, which I will give to you later. In addition, we can use our tea shop and teahouse as collateral to find lenders to borrow money. Borrow as much as you can, the more the better!"

"Boss, you absolutely cannot do this. The interest rate for private lending is too high. If the price of tea doesn't go up, we will lose everything!"

"Believe me, this is definitely a sure win business!"

Hong Fu thought for a moment, and then said, "Notify them. When the delegation arrives, we will all cry poor and say that searching for intelligence in Bianjing City is very expensive. We beg the court to increase the intelligence expenses, preferably double it!"

"Will the higher-ups agree?"

"Whether they agree or not, we have to cry poor. The more we cry poor, the higher-ups will think we are doing a good job and the more likely they are to increase intelligence expenses. If they say the expenses are sufficient, then the expenses next year will definitely be reduced. Isn't that what the higher-ups think?"

"Now you know how to make false accounts, right?"

"I got it, I got it!" Butler Hai nodded and then stepped back.

Hong Fu stroked his beard and murmured, "I am indeed a business genius. It's a pity that the Liao Dynasty doesn't have such a strong business atmosphere as the Song people. When I make enough money, I will resign immediately. This kind of thing can easily cost you your head. Whoever wants to do it can do it!"

……

Compared with the Liao Dynasty's spy gangs, they had sufficient funds.

The scale and financial resources of the Western Xia spy gang were much inferior.

The headquarters of the Western Xia spies was located in the south of Bianjing City.

The leader, nicknamed Liang Laoliu, opened a rental company for oxen, horses, donkeys and carts, called Liang Laoliu Rental Company.

The Xixia spies mainly investigated the routes and destinations of the caravans heading from Bianliang to the northwest.

They were not interested in the military strategies and topographic maps of the Song Dynasty.

Because their ultimate goal at the moment is to take advantage of the external or internal chaos in the Song Dynasty and steal or rob the Song Dynasty when it is unprepared.

Xixia is a thief.

They felt that if they could steal and rob the Song Dynasty a few times and take a few bites of its fat meat, they would be able to greatly enhance their country's national strength.

As for a full-scale war with the Song Dynasty, they didn't even dare to think about it.

It is much easier to deal with Liang Laoliu Leasing Company.

All you need to do is lower the price so that Liang Laoliu Leasing Company will have no business or will have to do business at a loss.

According to Cao Yi's current influence.

It would be easy to bring Liang Laoliu Leasing Company to bankruptcy within a month.

……

Three days later, in a teahouse.

Cao Yi was drinking tea leisurely when a middle-aged businessman walked quickly up to him.

"Boss, both fish have been hooked, and there's a surprise!"

"Hongfu Tea House borrowed money to buy tea and mortgaged all their properties; Liang Laoliu Leasing Company's business is bleak and they are losing money every day. Within a month, both shops will go bankrupt!"

"As for the other businesses on the list, they are very small and it is not a problem for them to operate at a loss and go bankrupt within a month."

"Okay, very good, let's do it this way. Be careful and don't let them find out that it was us who did it."

"Yes, boss!"

Cao Yi picked up the teacup and took a sip. The task Su Liang assigned to him was not difficult.

He was curious about what Su Liang’s next plan would be after these people’s businesses collapsed.

If he just defeated them, it would not be considered a military achievement at all, and given Su Liang's status, he would simply not bother to do such a thing.

There will definitely be big moves later, and Cao Yi is looking forward to it very much.

……

In the blink of an eye, it's December.

That is the last month of the fifth year of Huangyou, the twelfth month.

This year was particularly cold, with five heavy snowfalls in November alone.

The first day of December.

Before noon, heavy snow began to fall again.

The snow was as thick and dense as goose feathers, but it still couldn't cover up the bustle of Bianjing City.

Some wealthy people in some provinces prefer to come to Bianjing City to celebrate the New Year with their whole family, and many businessmen will also stay in Bianjing City to celebrate the New Year at the end of the year.

This led to a surge in the population of Bianjing City.

Even though it was snowing heavily, the various restaurants and inns were still crowded with people.

Afternoon, Censorate.

Su Liang was reading official documents in the house.

An official came over quickly and said, "Su Sijian, Northwest Prime Minister Fan's memorial has been sent to the Censorate."

Fan Zhongyan would report to the court on the military training situation in the northwest every month.

Every official in the Reform Department will see the copy first.

Su Liang opened the memorial and was immediately amused. He couldn't help but ask, "This... can this also lead to a fight?"

The memorial said:

This year, the Xixia delegation that came to the Song Dynasty to celebrate the New Year met with the delegation of the Zuosilo tribe among the Tibetan tribes in Qinzhou of the Song Dynasty, and the two sides fought each other.

The Western Xia delegation had twelve injured and seven dead; the Zuosilo tribe had ten injured and three dead.

If the Qinzhou garrison had not stopped them in time, the casualties would have been even greater.

The reason for the fight between the two sides was: at the beginning of the year, the Xixia people had a conflict while grazing horses in the territory of the Zuosiluo tribe. After the two delegations met unexpectedly, they had an argument over the matter and then started fighting.

After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, Tubo was divided into many parts, and internal strife continued, forming tribes.

One of the tribes was known as Qingtang Tubo.

Also called the Zuosilo tribe.

Zuo Siluo was the leader of the tribe. He advocated joining the Song Dynasty to resist the Xia Dynasty and had a very good relationship with the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Zhen had granted him many titles and provided material resources to the tribe. Zuo Siluo is now the governor of Baoshun Army and the chief of Miaochuan.

Zuo Siluo's position made Xixia very uncomfortable.

Li Yuanhao, the founding emperor of Western Xia, once personally led an expedition against Zuo Silu, but unfortunately suffered heavy losses.

Later, Western Xia changed its strategy and began to appease Zuosilo and take the initiative to show goodwill. However, Zuosilo was deeply indebted to Song and had always been in conflict with the Western Xia people. The relationship between the two sides had always been very bad, with constant minor fights.

This matter is of great benefit to Su Liang's long-planned Xihe strategy.

He is naturally happy.

At the moment, the Western Xia delegation and Zuo Silu were each going their own way, and accompanied by the imperial guards of the Song Dynasty, so it was impossible for them to fight again.

Fan Zhongyan submitted this memorial.

He hoped that the Honglu Temple would make arrangements in advance to prevent the two sides from fighting again in Bianjing City and causing accidental injuries.

……

On the fifth day of December, in the afternoon, at Hongfu Tea House in the west of Bianjing City.

In the back hall.

Hong Fu frowned and paced back and forth, looking very anxious.

"Why would the price drop? According to past practice, shouldn't the price of Jian tea soar when the twelfth lunar month arrives?" Hong Fu murmured.

Old Man Hai, the housekeeper and accountant of Hongfu Tea House, walked over quickly.

"Boss, I found the reason! In the past two days, many Jiangnan merchants have entered Bianjing and brought a large amount of Jian tea. I'm afraid that the price of Jian tea will not soar this year. Let's sell it quickly, otherwise the price will most likely drop. The later we sell, the more we will lose!"

"What? There were no Jiangnan merchants in previous years, so why are there Jiangnan merchants this year?"

"I guess... I guess... everyone is thinking about the price of tea going up in Bianjing in the twelfth lunar month, so they all start to stock up. Plus, the bumper harvest in Jiangnan tea fields this year has led to an oversupply, so the price can't go up!"

Hongfu's legs trembled slightly.

"How much money is left in the teahouse?"

"I bought all the tea leaves. The remaining money is only enough for daily food and drink."

"When will the money we borrow be due?"

"From the 10th to the 13th of this month, they will expire one after another."

"It's due so soon?"

"The interest rate is too high, and the value of our collateral is limited, so I only borrowed it for twenty days!"

Hong Fu slumped down in the chair.

"If we sell all the Jian tea we have today, how much will we lose?"

"More than 50,000 strings of cash, and Jian tea is not selling well right now. If we default, we will be fined, and the fine is very heavy. This time, we...we have suffered a huge loss. And the delegation will arrive in Bianjing City in 15 days. How should we explain it? The chief and deputy envoys of this delegation are Yelu Qi, the governor of Shiping, and Zhou Bai, the minister of Chonglu. These two have long been dissatisfied with us, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to fool them!"

Hong Fu was overwhelmed for a moment. After thinking for a while, he said, "You go and talk to the money lender and ask them to give us a few more days. Then we can sell tea leaves and look for other money lenders to quietly fill this hole. Remember, don't make a big deal out of it!"

"Just wait until the delegation leaves Bianjing City."

"During this period, I will apply for another sum of money from the embassy. If it works, we can get through this hurdle. If not, we can think of other ways. Let everyone below shut up and never let the embassy know that we are selling tea with collateral or we will all lose our heads!"

"Yes, I understand." Butler Hai nodded.

Now he is on the same boat with Hongfu, and it is impossible for him to get off the boat.

……

That day, at dusk, when the government was dismissed.

Not long after Su Liang left the Censorate, Cao Yi, the uncle of the Cao State, got into his carriage.

"Jingming, the price of tea has dropped, and it will definitely not go up this year. The mortgage loans of Hongfu Tea House will also expire from the 10th to the 13th. Now they have all the tea and it is difficult to sell. They have no ability to repay. I am afraid that selling the tea shop and tea house at a low price will not be enough to pay back the debt."

"The Xixia spies don't know how to do business. Their rental business can only last two days before it goes bankrupt. As for the spies from Japan, Korea and other countries, their business is extremely bad if they have shops. When will we close the net?"

Su Liang thought for a while.

"The Liao Kingdom's envoys will enter the capital on the 15th. You can ask the money collectors to collect the debts on the 14th. After making a fuss, report to the authorities. Kaifeng Prefecture and the Imperial City Department will come out to cooperate with you. You don't have to worry about what happens next!"

"I will use this incident to turn all these foreign spies into caged birds!"

"Jingming, if we do this, Liao and Xixia will probably do the same to our spies. Will it end up being out of control and causing our spies to lose their lives?"

Su Liang shook his head.

"No, on the contrary, it will make our secret agents' lives more comfortable. Just wait and see!"

Although Cao Yi still couldn't understand why it could make the Song Dynasty's spies live more comfortably.

But he believed what Su Liang said.

……

The fourteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, afternoon.

Eight wealthy men blocked the gate of Hongfu Tea House, bringing with them more than thirty servants.

"Pay back the money! Pay back the money! Pay back the money!"

The sound was so loud that it soon attracted many people to watch.

The teahouse manager Lao Hai walked out quickly and said, "Everyone, please be kind and give me a few more days. I will pay the penalty interest and I will settle the account with you after the new year!"

"Lao Hai, don't think we don't know that all the money of your Hongfu Tea House is invested in tea. Now the price of Jian tea has not increased, and you have no money at all. Even if you sell your shop now, I'm afraid it won't be enough to pay us back! What will happen if you run away after the New Year?"

"Pay back the money! Pay back the money! Pay back the money!" the servants shouted loudly.

There were more and more onlookers around.

Tomorrow, the front-page headline of Bian Jing’s tabloids will definitely be about Hongfu Tea House.

Lao Hai clenched his fists, feeling very angry.

He is a military man, and if he was not worried about exposing his identity and making things worse, he might have taken action.

At this time, Hong Fu walked out angrily and shouted: "Why are you shouting? I just don't have money. If you have the guts, just break in, move what needs to be moved, smash what needs to be smashed, or if you really can't do it, beat me up!"

Hongfu's business failed and he was ready to throw in the towel.

Hearing this, a money owner said, "Let's report it to the authorities! Let's report it to the authorities!"

Say it.

A money owner left with several servants, while the others still blocked the door to prevent Hongfu and Lao Hai from escaping.

At this time.

Hong Fu walked up to Lao Hai and whispered, "Get all the things out!"

Lao Hai nodded.

What Hongfu did was the intelligence they collected.

If they go to Kaifeng Prefecture now, they will at most be considered deadbeats. If their information is discovered, they will be beheaded.

Little did they know that all their actions were under the eyes of the Imperial City Bureau.

About a quarter of an hour later.

People from Kaifeng Prefecture came and took away all the people in Hongfu Tea House and sealed the door.

not far away.

Su Liang stood together with Xiong Chong, who was an official from the Imperial City Bureau.

"Mr. Xiong, it's time for the Imperial City Bureau to take action. We must find all the Liao spies and intelligence evidence in the city. Then, when the Liao envoys arrive in Beijing tomorrow, we will be able to put on a good show!"

"I obey your command!" Xiong Chong bowed.

……

The fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, near noon.

A Liao Dynasty delegation of more than one hundred people arrived in Bianjing City in a mighty procession.

The chief envoy of the Liao Kingdom's delegation, Yelu Qi, the Jiedushi of Shiping, and the deputy envoy, Zhou Bai, the Qing of Chonglu, sat on their horses and, led by officials from the Honglu Temple, headed towards Duting Posthouse with expressionless faces.

Once upon a time, being the envoy to congratulate Song on the New Year was a good job, and Liao officials vied with each other to go.

But now, with the Song Dynasty becoming more and more powerful, there are always problems with Liao officials in the Song Dynasty. After returning to the Song Dynasty, they are all demoted.

Yelu Qi and Zhou Bai were not very happy when they received this assignment.

Along the way, the worldly-wise people of Bianliang were not very welcoming to them. Some even shouted: Recover Yanyun, recover the homeland of Han and Tang Dynasties!

soon.

The delegation arrived in front of Duting Posthouse, less than 200 meters away from the reception area ahead.

And this time.

Deputy Envoy Zhou Bai looked up into the distance and couldn't help but said excitedly: "Brother Yelu, look forward quickly!"

The leader, Yelu Qi, looked up and was also a little dazed.

"Song's Prime Minister Wen Yanbo, the prefect of Kaifeng Bao Zheng, and their favorite minister Su Liang, actually...actually came to greet us. This...this is quite a big event!"

According to past practice, at most a deputy prime minister and a group of officials from the Honglu Temple would be needed to welcome him.

Now, in addition to the officials from the Honglu Temple, the Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty came to welcome them in person, and Bao Zheng and Su Liang, the two most admired scholars of the Liao people, also came to welcome them, which made Yelu Qi and Zhou Bai very proud.

Yelu Qi immediately smiled.

"The Southern Dynasty's reception with such a standard shows that they want to have a good relationship with our Liao Dynasty. Just based on the standard of this reception, we have brought honor to our Liao Dynasty. When we return, we will definitely be rewarded! We will definitely be rewarded!"

"Brother Yelu, let's be more reserved, be more reserved, don't let them look down on us!"

Immediately, the two men straightened their chests, dismounted from their horses when they arrived at the gate of Duting Posthouse, and walked towards Wen Yanbo and others.

At this time.

Zuo Youding, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, stepped out first and said with a smile, "Special Envoy Yelu, Deputy Envoy Zhou, welcome to the capital of Bianjing, the capital of the Song Dynasty!"

Yelu Qi and Zhou Bai were a little surprised.

Prime Minister Wen Yanbo was clearly standing nearby, but Zuo Youding was the first to extend his hand, which was clearly against etiquette.

At this time.

Wen Yanbo, Bao Zheng and Su Liang came over.

Yelu Qi smiled and said, "Minister Wen, Scholar Bao, and Censor Su, I didn't expect you to come to pick us up. Song and Liao are brotherly countries. There's no need to be so polite, no need to be so polite!"

Wen Yanbo smiled faintly.

"Special Envoy Yelu, you may have misunderstood. I am not here to welcome your delegation, but a case has recently occurred in Kaifeng Prefecture and I need your cooperation. I am afraid that Master Bao cannot invite you, so I came here in person."

"Case? What case?" Yeluqi asked puzzledly.

On the side, Bao Zheng said expressionlessly, "There is a Hongfu Tea House in the city. The owner of the tea house, Hongfu, recently borrowed money to stock up on tea and wanted to sell it at a high price, but failed. He was reported by the lender. During the investigation, Kaifeng Prefecture discovered that there were Liao people among them, and there was also some intelligence. I would like to trouble the two special envoys to move to Kaifeng Prefecture and identify them!"

"Of course, the delegation is exhausted from the journey, so you two can go into the museum to rest for a while before going on. Is that okay?"

this moment.

It seemed as if countless horses were galloping through Yeluqi and Zhou Bai's hearts.

When they heard the words "Hongfu Tea House", they knew something had happened.

If Bao Zheng was the only one here today, they could still find an excuse, saying that Bao Zheng was rude and refused to execute the order, and then delay time to seek a solution.

But Wen Yanbo could almost represent the emperor of the Song Dynasty. If they dared to refuse to go, it would be disrespectful on their part. Wen Yanbo could even force them to be sent to Kaifeng Prefecture.

The current Song Dynasty is very tough.

Wen Yanbo smiled and said, "If this is a misunderstanding, I will definitely host a banquet myself and let Bao Xueshi and Jingming accompany you to calm you down!"

Yelu Qiqiang forced a smile and said, "No problem, we should cooperate. After we put our belongings inside and change our clothes, we will go to Kaifeng Prefecture. How about that?"

"Ok, Ok!"

……

A moment later, inside Duting Posthouse.

Yelu Qi said angrily, "This Cui Fu is such a loser. He collected useless intelligence. Now he was arrested and taken to Kaifeng Prefecture for not paying for business. He also embarrassed us. I... I want to kill him immediately!"

Cui Fu means Hong Fu.

He liked the phrase "Hongfu Qitian", so he changed his name to "Hongfu" and his courtesy name to "Qitian".

Zhou Bai thought for a moment and said, "When we get to Kaifeng Prefecture, we will fight back. If they don't have solid evidence, we will never admit that they are spies from the Liao Dynasty. In addition, the Song Dynasty also has spies in our capital. We can use them to exchange and try to suppress this matter. If it becomes known to everyone, our careers will be over!"

"Yeah." Yeluqi nodded in approval.

Little did they know that Su Liang had dug a bigger trap waiting for them.

(End of this chapter)