I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 498: A life-and-death gamble! Su Jingming vs. the spit-mouthed Japanese envoy

The first day of the twelfth lunar month, near dusk.

The sky was overcast and the north wind was biting.

Thin layers of ice formed in the open-air water tanks that stored clean water in the Song Dynasty Imperial Palace.

The weather is getting colder.

The pedestrians on the street were hunching their necks and walking hurriedly.

soon.

A heavy snow fell, covering the entire city of Bianjing.

There were few customers in the shops on both sides of the main streets in the city, but the restaurants were crowded with people and cars.

Eating hot pot (cooked over fire) on a snowy day is a favorite of the people of Bianjing.

There is no chili pepper at the moment.

But the soup base, made with mutton broth and seasoned with onions, ginger, garlic and pepper, still has a unique flavor.

Slice lamb and cut venison into strips.

Add shrimp, crab and shellfish, paired with vegetables such as yam, winter melon and lotus root, and a pot of hot wine, it is simply the most enjoyable thing on earth.

……

In a private room on the second floor of Fanlou.

Zhao Zhen, Empress Cao, Concubine Miao, Su Liang, and Tang Wanmei sat at the same table.

Princess Fukang, the eldest prince Zhao Xun, the second prince Zhao Han, Su Zimu, and Su Qin sat at another table.

There is a pottery stove in front of each person.

There was a blazing charcoal fire on the stove, with a copper pot on top, and several palace maids serving on the side.

The two sides ate and chatted, having a great time.

Today, Zhao Zhen is quite happy.

After multiple revisions and three reviews, the new "Song Dynasty Criminal Code" has finally been finalized. It will start printing tomorrow and will be distributed nationwide at the beginning of next year.

Zhao Zhen liked the lifestyle of ordinary people very much.

He invited Su Liang and his family to Fanlou for hotpot.

On the one hand, it allowed Concubine Miao and Princess Fukang to thank Su Zimu, and on the other hand, it was also a special favor to Su Liang's family.

The scholar-officials of the dynasty.

The only family that could sit together with Zhao Zhen's family in the restaurant outside the palace to eat hotpot was Su Liang's family.

Because of the involvement of children.

Zhao Zhen and Su Liang both enjoyed eating, drinking and chatting very much. After eating for more than an hour, they went home.

……

The next day, it was broad daylight.

In the Censor Taitai courtyard.

Su Liang sat in a room with a charcoal fire burning, flipping through recent court reports.

"This year, there are not only many delegations coming to celebrate the New Year, but they also come quite early!" Su Liang murmured.

Today, the Song Dynasty's foreign trade is booming unprecedentedly.

After occupying the Hehuang area, trade and economic cooperation with various western countries and tribes will surely increase.

All countries and tribes were looking forward to doing business with the Song Dynasty, and some remote small countries and tribes in the west that had little contact with the Song Dynasty also sent envoys.

Come so early.

Naturally, they wanted to establish good relations with the Song Dynasty and further promote trade cooperation.

All the countries surrounding the Song Dynasty, except Western Xia, arrived, including Goryeo and Japan, which had bad relations with the Song Dynasty.

Western Xia never sent an envoy.

This was because after the war on the banks of the Yellow River, the Song Dynasty closed the market, recalled the envoys in Western Xia, and expelled the envoys from Western Xia who remained in the Song Dynasty.

Everyone can see that the war between the two sides is not over yet.

As for the Liao Kingdom.

It still maintained superficial harmony with the Song Dynasty. Although they were wary of each other, they still sent envoys to congratulate each other on the New Year this year.

……

Near noon.

Su Liang was looking through the documents.

Prime Minister Wen Yanbo's personal clerk, Lao Xu, was brought in by a minor official from the Taiwan Court.

Old Xu cupped his hands and said, "Central Prime Minister Su, it's bad. The Japanese envoy Qingyuan Youde is making a scene in front of the Honglu Temple!"

"He accused the Left Minister of the Honglu Temple of Cao Hu, a military general of the Song Dynasty, of posing as a merchant and plundering their sulfur, gold and silver from Japan, and demanded an explanation from the court."

"Envoys from various countries and people on the street are all watching. After Zuo Siqing sent someone to report to the Minister of Literature, the Minister of Literature has gone to the Honglu Temple. The Minister of Literature knows that you know the most about this matter, so he asked you to go to the Honglu Temple as soon as possible!"

"Is Qingyuan virtuous?" Su Liang stood up.

The special envoy to Japan this time is Qingyuan Youde, who comes from the Qingyuan clan, a noble and military family in Japan.

But this man does not know martial arts, and is not good at leading troops in battle.

But a man of letters.

He claimed to have read all the Four Books and Five Classics, and had a deep understanding of the customs and etiquette of the Song Dynasty.

"Prepare the carriage!" Su Liang strode out.

……

A quarter of an hour later.

Su Liang arrived at the gate of Honglu Temple.

At this time, the palace was surrounded by people in three layers inside and outside, and envoys from various countries and tribes stood in the innermost layer.

Su Liang could hear Wen Yanbo's loud voice from a distance.

"Special Envoy Qingyuan, if you frame our Song Dynasty without any evidence, damage our court's reputation, and falsely accuse our Imperial Censor Su Jingming, I will never let you off easily!"

At this time, Qingyuan Youde's voice sounded.

"Whether it is a frame-up or not, when Su Liang comes, you can confront me!"

"The Prime Minister is here!"

With several soldiers clearing the way, Su Liang strode into the middle of the crowd.

Qingyuan is a virtuous man, about fifty years old.

He is short and slightly fat, with a wisp of green beard under his chin.

When he saw Su Liang, he smiled disdainfully and asked, "Are you Su Liang?"

"Yes, I'm Su Liang!" Su Liang strode up to him, looked around, and then said, "Why do you want to confront me?"

When Wen Yanbo saw Su Liang coming, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

He knew that Cao Hu was ordered by the imperial court to control Japan through trade, but he did not know many details.

Therefore, he did not say much, only saying that Qingyuan Youde was slandering the Song Dynasty.

Qingyuan Youde took two steps back, then rolled his eyes, and after a pause, he said, "I have three questions. Please answer them, Su Zhongcheng."

"Please speak." Su Liang said with a relaxed expression.

"First, there is a big merchant active near my Dongying Island. His name is Cao Hu. According to my investigation, he is a descendant of the Cao family, a relative of the emperor. He once served as the head of the cavalry of the imperial guards of the three yamen. He pretended to be a merchant and disrupted the maritime trade market, causing serious damage to my Dongying maritime trade. May I ask Su Zhongcheng, is this business or aggression?"

Su Liang was about to answer when Qingyuan Youde took a deep breath and continued, "Secondly, during his time as a merchant at sea, Cao Hu bullied the weak and robbed people, causing hundreds of casualties in Japan. He also called himself a Confucian businessman. Minister Su, is he a great thief of the Song Dynasty or a Confucian businessman?"

"Third, I also know that Cao Hu was once the captain of Su Zhongcheng's guard. I guess he was appointed by Su Zhongcheng, who was in turn ordered by the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty claimed to all countries that they were free to do business and equal trade, but they did such dirty things in private. I would like to ask Su Zhongcheng, is your country a country of etiquette or a country of bloodlust? Do you rely on your strong national strength to be so unscrupulous and unreasonable?"

Su Liang hasn't answered yet.

Qingyuan Youde gathered his strength and said, "My dear envoys, today I, Qingyuan Youde, risked my life just to seek justice for you. Today, Japan was bullied, robbed, and merchants were killed. I'm afraid you will suffer the same tomorrow!"

Qingyuan Youde wanted to bring all the envoys from various countries to his side.

Hear this.

Su Liang immediately understood Qingyuan Youde's intention of doing this.

present.

Cao Hu has controlled most of Japan's maritime trade.

Japan has felt a huge threat, but they are powerless to do anything.

Therefore, they thought of standing on the moral high ground to condemn the Song Dynasty, and stood together with envoys from various countries to force the Song Dynasty to withdraw from maritime trade near the East Japan Island.

Qingyuan Youde was determined that the bigger the fuss he made, the safer he would be.

If the Song Dynasty dares to kill him, it would be silencing him.

It was well known that the Song Dynasty court had always valued its reputation, and he felt that he had attacked the Song Dynasty's soft spot.

Su Liang's face was always filled with a faint smile. After Qingyuan Youde finished speaking and paused for a few breaths, Su Liang smiled and said, "Special Envoy Qingyuan, are you finished?"

"That's it!" Qingyuan Youde said coldly.

Su Liang looked around and said, "Special envoys, let me ask you a question first. Most of you have traded with merchants from our dynasty. Has our Song Dynasty bullied the weak and robbed people, causing you to suffer some unfair treatment?"

"No, not at all! The trade cooperation between our dynasty and the merchants of the Song Dynasty is very harmonious. It has always been mutually beneficial and win-win. We have not suffered any grievances!" Dali's special envoy Xu Yingcun shouted at the top of his lungs.

In recent years.

Because of the trade between Dali and the Song Dynasty, both the imperial court and the people benefited greatly and became much richer.

He naturally supported the Song Dynasty.

Followed by.

Some envoys from small countries that benefited from the Song Dynasty's trade also shouted: No.

The Liao envoy Xiao Kaishi and the Goryeo envoy Wang Youcheng also shook their heads.

Naturally, they dare not make up stories about things that did not happen, otherwise they would be in trouble if nothing was found.

Their predecessors had all suffered at the hands of Su Liang.

Before they came, they were told that when they arrived in the Song Dynasty, they should not mess with Su Liang.

Su Liang looked at Qingyuan Youde with a smile and spread his hands.

"Special Envoy Qingyuan, it seems that your guess is wrong. Our dynasty's trade cooperation with other countries is still very harmonious."

"Hmph! You just haven't taken action against them yet. Don't say anything else. Answer my three questions first!" Qingyuan Youde glared, still very confident.

"it is good!"

Su Liang rubbed his cold hands, coughed dryly, and slowly spoke.

"First question, Cao Hu is indeed a descendant of the Cao family, one of our imperial relatives. He once served as the head of the imperial guards and even as the captain of my bodyguard. However, he had long ago resigned from the military and turned to business. The Privy Council can check his military record, so this cannot be faked. Therefore, your claim that he pretended to be a businessman is completely untrue."

"As for claiming that he destroyed the maritime trade market and caused serious damage to your country's maritime trade, this is more of a market behavior. Is it his fault that you can't do business with him? He has never borrowed power from the Song Dynasty court. If there is such behavior, please provide evidence!"

"The second question is, because Cao Hu is my captain of the guard, I paid more attention to him. As far as I know, he did have a fight with others at sea, but the people he killed were all pirates or black-hearted merchants. This was to eliminate harm for your country and help the safe development of maritime trade. How can it be considered bullying the weak and robbing? If he killed innocent merchants in your country, please show me the evidence!"

"The third question is even more ridiculous."

"When and where has our dynasty failed to observe etiquette? If our dynasty wants to destroy Japan, it can be done with just a wave of the hand. If you think Cao Hu was appointed by our dynasty, please show us the evidence!"

Su Liang had long anticipated that Japan would discover Cao Hu's identity.

Therefore, we have made all preparations long ago.

All of Cao Hu's actions followed the logic of "reasoning with the reasonable and taking action against the unreasonable". All those he eliminated at sea were Japanese merchants who were smuggling or engaging in robbing one another.

He would report to Su Liang and Cao Yi every month.

Therefore, Su Liang was very clear about it.

Su Liang's strategy was to take advantage of the selfishness of Japanese merchants and control Japan's maritime trade.

This was Cao Hu's personal behavior and could not be blamed on the Song Dynasty court at all.

Qingyuan Youde was a little speechless. After thinking for a while, he said, "Then...then...how did my Japanese sulfur, gold, and silver flow into your country?"

"You should ask those smugglers in your country. If you keep these things tightly hidden, how can they leave the island? Did the merchants from the Song Dynasty sneak into the island of Dongying to steal and rob?"

At this moment, envoys from some countries suddenly understood something.

Dongying is close to Liao.

In the past two years, we have been resisting the sale of sulfur, silver, gold and other items to the Song Dynasty, but the smugglers on the island of Japan don't care about that, they just want to make money.

Ever since.

Sulfur, silver and gold still flowed into the territory of the Song Dynasty.

After all, it was because they were unable to control the thieves within their own family, and it is difficult to blame the Song Dynasty for this.

Qingyuan Youde originally thought that his "three questions" could kill Su Liang.

Unexpectedly, the other party forced me into a state of speechlessness.

"You...you...you just rely on your mouth to speak, you are not credible at all!" Qingyuan Youde said angrily.

"Special Envoy Qingyuan, you are the one who relies on your mouth and spews shit! You have no evidence at all, but you are slandering the reputation of our Song Dynasty. What do you want to do?"

Hearing the words "mouth full of shit", the onlookers instantly became excited.

Su Liang cursed like this.

Not only did they not feel it was rude, but they found it quite refreshing.

At this time.

Wen Yanbo puffed out his chest and added, "Qingyuan Youde, you slandered our Song Dynasty so much. I will chop you off on the street today, and your king will have nothing to say!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Qingyuan Youde suddenly panicked.

"When I return, I will definitely find the evidence. If I can't find it, I...I will apologize to the Song Dynasty officials!"

Su Liang walked up to him with a serious expression.

"You're looking for evidence? By the time you return to find evidence, it will probably be the second half of next year!"

"Until you find it, our Song Dynasty will continue to suffer from this slander. Can you be responsible for the losses? Can you afford it?"

"Besides, what if you find a false certificate?"

"As for an apology, you openly slandered our dynasty in front of all the envoys on the street. If an apology is useful, what is the use of our Great Song Dynasty's decree?"

"If I go to your Japan and tell the world without any evidence that your Japanese ruler is a homosexual, likes to abuse children, kills civilians, and does all kinds of evil, will your ruler let me go? Will you let me go back to your country to find evidence?"

Su Liang suddenly became angry.

"Then...then what do you think we should do?" Qingyuan Youde was a little flustered, and his arrogance just now was completely gone.

"Easy, investigate this matter immediately!"

"It would be unfair for me to come to the North to investigate this matter, or for you to come to Japan to investigate."

"I suggest that we let the Liao Kingdom's special envoy Xiao and the Goryeo King's special envoy judge right and wrong. Let's go to the sea together and find evidence. If our merchant Cao Hu is guilty of bullying the weak, robbing by force, disrupting maritime trade, and killing innocent people, I will apologize to your country on behalf of our country, withdraw all the Song merchants in the Dongying Island area, and then compensate you for all your losses according to the charges."

"If there is no crime, you, Qingyuan Youde, are openly slandering our Song Dynasty. Your ruler must personally apologize to our dynasty, and you must commit suicide. Do you dare to bet?"

After saying that, Su Liang looked at Wen Yanbo.

Wen Yanbo nodded.

He absolutely supported Su Liang's action.

It is better to strike once to prevent a hundred blows. We should be harsher when dealing with such shameless people.

Qingyuan Youde was still in a daze.

Xiao Kaishi, the Liao envoy, quickly added: "Central Prime Minister Su, this matter has nothing to do with our dynasty. I am here to celebrate the New Year. If I go to the sea, who will come to celebrate the New Year of the Song Dynasty?"

"Me... Me too, we shouldn't get involved in this matter!" Goryeo envoy Wang Youcheng also said nervously.

These two are both very smart!
After investigating this matter, no matter who is right or wrong, both countries will offend someone, and they don't want to be the scapegoat.

Su Liang looked at the two of them and said, "You two, you must participate! The reputation of our Song Dynasty cannot be lost. This is more important than celebrating the New Year. Besides, the delegations all have deputy envoys. It won't affect us. We will set off tomorrow. That's it!"

Su Liang's tone was very firm.

If the two of them refused to go, he could forcibly take them away.

At this time, Qingyuan Youde spoke.

"You two, only you can do justice! If you don't go, who else can I trust?"

The current envoys of various countries.

Only Liao and Goryeo might stand with Japan.

If these two people are unwilling to judge right from wrong, Qingyuan Youde will have no hope at all.

Qingyuan Youde felt very regretful at this moment.

He originally wanted to use the reputation of the Song Dynasty as a "country of etiquette" to force the Song Dynasty to withdraw its merchants from the East Japan Island area, but he never expected that it would turn into a life-and-death gamble.

This time, he had to gamble his life and give it a try.

Xiao Kaishi and Wang Youcheng were helpless and had to nod.

On the side, Wen Yanbo looked at Su Liang and nodded with satisfaction.

The fact that Su Liang dared to take such a gamble showed that he was sure of winning.

By dragging the Liao and Goryeo envoys into the water, this incident could create a rift between them and Japan, isolating them from each other.

This move was very beneficial to the Song Dynasty's future wars.

"You three, see you at the East Pier of Bianhe River tomorrow morning!"

After saying that, Su Liang and Wen Yanbo left. They were going back to the palace immediately to ask Zhao Zhen for orders.

And this moment.

The envoys around them, some looked at Su Liang, some looked at Qingyuan Youde, and warned themselves in their hearts: Don't provoke Su Jingming! Don't provoke Su Jingming! Don't provoke Su Jingming!
To provoke other scholars and officials of the Song Dynasty would be like hitting your head against a rock, with a bloody wound that you would just need to heal.

But provoke Su Liang.

It was as if he had run into an ambush of archers and crossbowmen, and ended up being pierced through the heart by thousands of arrows. He was also cursed and spat upon by thousands of people, and would be infamous for eternity.

(End of this chapter)