The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 252 Seeking the Royal Court in the South (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Xingzhou, north of the city, the Western Xia royal palace.

The palace was not particularly large, but its construction was extremely luxurious, with gold and jade decorations, and a magnificent and opulent appearance.

The palace originally contained countless gold and silver jewels and various valuable artifacts, all accumulated and treasured over a hundred years before and after the founding of the Western Xia Dynasty.

But now it is empty; the gold and silver treasures are gone, leaving only some daily necessities. However, these items are all made of valuable materials and are pleasing to the eye.

When Zhao Xu returned to Tokyo, he moved the Western Xia's national treasury and palace treasures to make up for the losses suffered by the Song Dynasty in this war.

This great battle nearly depleted the Song Dynasty's reserves accumulated after its five-pronged campaign against the Western Xia. Without the replenishment of the Western Xia's national treasury and palace resources, even if the Hequ region were captured, the court would still be impoverished for a long time.

If such a massive war of annihilation yields no results, then regardless of victory or defeat, it will directly drag a country into poverty.

However, if there is absolutely no anticipated benefit, unless the emperor is out of his mind or there is a deep-seated hatred involving survival, and war is unavoidable, then a country's emperor would order a war of this scale to be launched.

The war to destroy the Western Xia was launched because it was determined that the losses incurred by the army could be compensated. This is why the court officials did not object. If the war had been fought in an extremely barren place with no financial gain, the court officials would not have supported starting the war.

At this moment, the row of palaces at the very front of the royal palace has been transformed into the Northwest Pacification Office of the Great Song Dynasty. The soldiers stand tall and proud, their armor gleaming, and red tassels in their hands.

Zhao Ti lived in the palace, which was not unusual. In the eyes of the Song Dynasty, the Western Xia was merely an outer kingdom, and the Song Dynasty had already bestowed upon them the title of emperor and made them the ruler of the country during the reign of Yuan Hao.

Zhao Ti was a first-rank prince. Since Zhao Xu dared to appoint him as the governor-general of all affairs in the northwest and to have full control over military and political power, it would be absurd for him not to live in the existing Western Xia palace.

The king's actions were not considered overstepping his bounds, and the ministers could not offer any explanation. If Zhao Xu suspected him, he would have many reasons, and merely being cautious about his residence would be of no use.

Zhao Ti spent half a month integrating the Western Xia government affairs. The officials of Western Xia came from all walks of life, including Tanguts, Khitans, Han Chinese, Uyghurs, and even Arabs from the west.

Almost all officials surrendered, even the Tangut royal family of Weiming was no exception.

There was no such thing as unwavering loyalty, preferring death to surrender, or a willingness to die for one's country. However, this was consistent with the Western Xia's usual style. Whether it was Li Jiqian in the beginning or Li Yuanhao who later founded the country, they surrendered without hesitation and never blushed at the slightest.

People still need to be used, especially ministers in charge of people's livelihood. Although Zhao Xu left behind some officials brought from the court, it was far from enough.

These officials are certainly capable, but firstly, there are not enough of them, and secondly, they do not have enough understanding of the original situation and politics of Western Xia. They need a period of time to get used to each other before they can handle various affairs skillfully.

Zhao Ti promoted and appointed some of the surrendered officials who still had a relatively clean reputation. He killed those who had surrendered but were found to be treacherous, cunning, and corrupt after investigation, and then confiscated their property and moved it into the Pacification Commissioner's Office.

This was not in accordance with the rules of accepting surrender, since it was a matter of the former state, and it would be inappropriate to surrender now and then punish them. But Zhao Xu had taken all the money, so they had to find a way to make ends meet.

Moreover, all those killed were people who had a grudge against the people. When the list of those killed was posted, the people of Xingzhou City applauded and cheered.

As for the ethnicity of the officials who were demoted and promoted, there was no significant difference in treatment. In fact, the Han people who had served the Western Xia for many years were not necessarily more reliable than the Tanguts and Khitans at this moment.

Both Empress Dowager Liang and Empress Dowager Liang were Han Chinese, but they didn't hesitate to order wars on the border, looting, burning, and killing without batting an eye. Some of the generals in the western army of the Song Dynasty were Tanguts and Tibetans, but their loyalty was unwavering.

After handling all the duties of the officials and writing detailed reports, Zhao Ti finally breathed a sigh of relief when he sent the memorial to the capital, Tokyo.

However, military control in Xingzhou City and other areas has not been completely lifted. This will continue for a while, after all, with the change of dynasties and flags, there needs to be a period of maintenance and consolidation.

After finishing his official duties that afternoon, he strolled around the palace and saw Azhu and Lanjian planting flowers in the garden with flower hoes.

The two men looked at him as he approached, put down their hoes, wiped their sweat, and stepped forward to greet him.

Azhu said, "Your Highness, I brought a lot of flower seeds from Tokyo. My sister Lan'er and I planted some. There is plenty of sunshine here, so they should grow and bloom soon."

Zhao Ti nodded, then suddenly remembered something and said, "You two pack your things, I'll take you somewhere."

A'Zhu asked, "Where is Your Highness taking us?"

Zhao Ti said, "I told you about your sister Azi last time. She lives in Shuiyue Nunnery not far away. Let's go and see how she is doing."

Azhu said happily, "Your Highness really took me to find my sister? Your Highness, rest assured, although my sister is naughty, I will definitely discipline her well and teach her how to behave."

Zhao Ti smiled and shook his head: "Do you still remember what I said last time? You can't be easily taught or corrected. Even if you were sent to your father's side in Dali, I'm afraid it would be difficult to correct you."

A'Zhu was overjoyed but also a little saddened upon hearing this. She blinked her bright eyes and said, "Your Highness has gone to so much trouble."

Zhao Ti shook his head and said, "If it weren't for you, although I wouldn't have killed him with one palm, I would have just let him live or die on his own."

Azhu said, "My sister was abandoned by her mother when she was young and entered into the evil path. It was not her wish. Over the years, she has been influenced by what she sees and hears, and naturally she has learned the evil methods of the demonic path. But I think it is still possible to save her."

Zhao Ti thought for a moment: "It's not easy to change things using ordinary methods. Let's see how it goes. You two pack your things and come with me."

A'Zhu responded and pulled Lan Jian to change her clothes. After a short while, Zhao Ti called Tong Guan, Bai Zhan, and a few others, and then ordered a scout of soldiers to leave the palace.

Li Qiushui's Shuiyue Nunnery is located to the west of the palace, not far away, and is surrounded by a forest.

At this moment, he didn't know if Li Qiushui was still in the nunnery. After all, the Western Xia Kingdom had been destroyed, and in principle, it was not appropriate for her, as the Empress Dowager, to stay. However, the possibility of her escaping with Li Qianshun was not very high.

At this moment, the soldiers cleared the way ahead, and in a short time, they arrived at the outer edge of the forest.

There are many Buddhist temples and monasteries in Xingzhou City. After Zhao Xu entered Xingzhou, he ordered that they not be disturbed or damaged, so these places were almost all kept intact, and the monks and nuns inside were not arrested or questioned.

However, Zhao Xu wiped out the witch cult in one fell swoop. The entire area where the witch cult was located was leveled, and everything inside was either destroyed or taken away.

Upon entering the woods, one could vaguely see a cluster of houses deep within. As one approached, a plaque hung above the gate, bearing the three characters "Shuiyue Nunnery".

Bai Zhan stepped forward and knocked on the door. A moment later, a nun came out. When she saw many soldiers in armor outside, she looked panicked and whispered, "Who...who are you looking for?"

Bai Zhan said, "Find Layman Li who is practicing here."

The nun stammered, "We don't have any lay Buddhists here, we are all people who have shaved their heads and entered the Buddhist order, we don't have any lay Buddhists from other places who stay here."

Zhao Ti stepped forward with his hands behind his back and asked, "Is Li Qiushui here? Didn't the former Empress Dowager of Western Xia also shave her head and become a nun?"

The nun was immediately shocked upon hearing this: "You, you..."

Zhao Ti said, "Don't be alarmed. I came to see her once last year. I was in that courtyard with its clouds and moonlight. Is she here? Take me to see her."

The nun stammered, "You...you're looking for Abbess Shuiyue? There's no Empress Dowager anymore, only Abbess Shuiyue..."

“That’s her. Lead the way.” Zhao Ti nodded. He hadn’t expected that Li Qiushui had really gone completely into monastic life and even shaved her head.

Bai Zhan said, "Little master, why don't you lead the way? Even if we force our way in, we won't be unable to find it. You must obey my orders."

The young nun could only nod, lower her head, turn around, and walk into the nunnery, with the others following behind.

After passing several main halls and two rows of meditation rooms, we arrived at a spot behind the hermitage where an exquisitely crafted moon gate appeared, with the four characters "Cloud Shadow Water Moon" engraved above it.

Then, entering through the round gate, one arrives at a side hall with two rows of plain lanterns hanging under the eaves. The hall door is open, and this is the very place where Zhao Ti last met Li Qiushui.

The group walked over and looked inside. They saw a Bodhisattva statue enshrined in the front of the hall. The statue was solemn and dignified, and the figure wearing a nun's hat and white monk's robe was standing with his back to the door in front of the Bodhisattva statue. His arms seemed to be clasped together, and a low chanting sound came from it.

Zhao Ti sized up the figure. Although the loose clothes concealed her figure, he still recognized her at a glance as Li Qiushui.

The scripture being recited was still the Lotus Sutra, the voice deep yet melodious, devoid of joy or sorrow, as if detached from worldly affairs, with nothing able to affect the mind.

Zhao Ti said calmly, "Li Qiushui, I've arrived."

The chanting of the figure in front suddenly stopped, and Li Qiushui said, "Benefactor Zhao, I didn't expect you to come here again. It seems that you are a member of the royal family of the Song Kingdom."

As she spoke, she slowly stood up, turned around, her face bare, old scars clearly visible, her expression serene, with a gentle glow.

Zhao Ti glanced at her and said, "That's not important. Since you have already entered the Buddhist order, the Song Dynasty has no intention of making things difficult for Buddhists. You can continue your cultivation as long as you don't get involved in outside affairs. No one will bother you with your past. I'm here for another matter."

Li Qiu softly chanted a Buddhist prayer: "Benefactor Zhao, please sit down and have some tea."

Zhao Ti nodded and sat down against the wall. Two young nuns brought him tea, which he took a sip of. Li Qiushui then spoke up, "Since Benefactor Zhao has not come to inquire about the past affairs of the Xia Kingdom, what is the reason for your esteemed presence?"

Zhao Ti glanced at A Zhu beside him and said, "Where is A Zi? Tell her to come out and see me."

Li Qiushui was slightly surprised upon hearing this: "So, Benefactor Zhao has come to see Azi?"

Zhao Ti nodded: "Where is he?"

Li Qiushui shook her head: "You've arrived too late, benefactor. Azi secretly left Shuiyue Nunnery without even telling me."

"Ah?" A'Zhu exclaimed softly upon hearing this, looking at Zhao Ti.

"He sneaked away?" Zhao Ti stroked his chin.

"That's right. When the Song army besieged the city, I saw that she was somewhat panicked. She was probably worried that my identity would implicate everyone. Later, Li Qianshun abandoned the city and fled. When the Song army entered Xingzhou and relaxed their control over the city for a few days, she disappeared. I suppose she left the city."

"Young master, could something unexpected happen?" A'Zhu murmured, her face full of worry.

Zhao Ti shook his head. What could possibly happen to A Zi? It's more likely that something bad would happen to someone else than to her.

"In your opinion, where would she go?" Zhao Ti asked, looking at Li Qiushui.

“This…” Li Qiushui pondered, “Did Benefactor Zhao use some kind of magic on her before? She was worried that Benefactor Zhao wouldn’t come back to undo it. Before, when the onset date was approaching, she mentioned that she wanted to go to Dali, saying that Benefactor Zhao said that if she didn’t come to Xingzhou, he would tell her to go there to resolve the matter. It’s possible that she went to Dali.”

Zhao Ti frowned and said, "There's still some time before that technique takes effect, why is she in such a hurry to run out?"

“This…” Li Qiushui said, “Although she has a lively personality, she may also be worried and scared. Moreover, with the army besieging the city and the chaos of war, it is possible that she panicked and ran away after the city was finally opened.”

Zhao Ti nodded: "But we should wait a little longer. Isn't this a bit too much of a fear of death? How long exactly have we been gone?"

Li Qiushui said, "He disappeared from the nunnery the day after the city gates were opened, without telling me or leaving a letter. It is most likely that this is the case."

Zhao Ti nodded: "Since that's the case, I understand. I won't stay any longer. Layman Li, please continue your cultivation here."

He stood up and walked out, followed by the others.

After leaving Shuiyue Nunnery, Azhu asked, "Your Highness, will my sister really go to Dali?"

Zhao Ti thought for a moment: "That's possible, but there's still some time before the technique takes effect. I guess she's worried about being implicated by Li Qiushui, so she ran away in advance."

Azhu said, "Then what about my sister now..."

Zhao Ti said, "She should be on her way to Dali, but she may not arrive there soon. Her personality is eccentric, and who knows if she might get delayed or have some fun somewhere."

A'Zhu pondered for a moment and whispered, "Your Highness, I... I want to go out and find my sister."

Zhao Ti shook his head: "The palace still needs you to manage things. Besides, even if you go, can you find her again? It's better not to meet her. If you do meet her, you might be deceived by her again."

A'Zhu smiled and said, "Your Highness, how could I be fooled by my sister?"

Zhao Ti glanced at her for a few moments and smiled, "That's true. A'Zhu is very clever and won't be fooled by that unruly younger sister. But we'll not go for now. I need to investigate Li Qianshun's whereabouts and will be leaving Xingzhou. I'll also see if I can find her. You should stay and take charge of the internal affairs."

A'Zhu's bright eyes sparkled as she said, "Your Highness, this servant obeys."

Afterwards, everyone returned to the palace. A few days later, Zhao Ti read the reports about the southward pursuit of Li Qianshun, as well as the news from Yang Jian's side. They had indeed found some traces of Li Qianshun, but he had already crossed the Western Sea and was heading south.

After pondering for a while, he ordered Zhang Jie to come to Xingzhou from the Weifu Military Command in Heishan, and let Lü Huiqing take over the military affairs there.

When Zhang Jie arrived, he summoned the civil and military officials who had been left behind by Zhao Xu and discussed the matter for two days. The military commanders in various regions issued several orders, and after everything was settled, they prepared to lead their men south to find Li Qianshun.

Actually, he didn't necessarily have to do this himself, but he planned to take this opportunity to go to Dali to look for Mu Wanqing's whereabouts, and since Azi had disappeared, he wanted to see if he could run into her and capture her along the way.

If Azi were to go to Dali, she would certainly not detour through the Song Dynasty and then turn southwest. Instead, she would go straight down from Xingzhou to Tibet and then enter Dali through Jianchang Prefecture.

A few days later, after preparations were completed, Zhao Ti took only Tong Guan and Zhu Chuyi with him, along with three thousand elite soldiers. The rest, including Bai Zhan and Zhou Tong, remained in Xingzhou to protect the palace and monitor the safety of the city.

Then they left the city and headed southwest towards Zhuoluo and Nanjunsi, passing through Gaizhu City, and heading towards Longyou.

Upon arriving in Longyou, he settled in Qingtang City. At that time, Yang Jian was stationed there, and Zhao Xu did not summon him back.

Zhao Ti inquired about Yang Jian's investigation into Li Qianshun. After Yang Jian recounted the details, he said, "Your Highness, I believe Li Qianshun has fled deep into the Tibetan tribes, making him difficult to find."

Zhao Ti nodded in thought, and Yang Jian continued, "Those states over there are not on good terms with our Great Song. If we send troops there, there will inevitably be conflict and war. If we don't send troops, we will have too few people and it will be difficult to find out where we are."

Zhao Ti said, "However, we still need to go and take a look, so that we can give His Majesty and the court a complete explanation. After that, whether to send a letter of state to demand it or to raise troops depends on His Majesty's intentions."

Yang Jian agreed, and then said, "Your Highness, how about I accompany you?"

Zhao Ti smiled and shook his head: "You should just stay and guard Longyou. This place is vast and sparsely populated, with a mix of ethnic groups. Most of the officers have been withdrawn to Xihe. It's not like Xingzhou. I can leave there with peace of mind, but not here."

Yang Jian said, "Then I will remain on guard, but how will Your Highness proceed?"

Zhao Ti said, "Send more troops and sweep across the borders of the various Tibetan tribes again. If we can't find Li Qianshun, we'll exchange him for 500 Tibetan soldiers, change their uniforms, and take them with me to the Tibetan royal court first. After that, we'll adapt to the situation."

Yang Jian said, "Your Highness, the Tibetan royal court is alright; they can exchange official letters and tribute with our Great Song. As for the other tribes..."

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "This matter is not a problem. I know what I'm doing. Just make sure the news doesn't leak out."

Yang Jian said, "Then I will make the arrangements."

Two days later, troops were dispatched from various parts of Longyou to advance, while Zhao Ti led three thousand soldiers directly south.

More than ten days later, news came from other places that Li Qianshun was still nowhere to be found. General Zhao Ti left five hundred barbarian soldiers behind and sent the rest back to Qingtang. Then he continued south.

We had already passed the Dafei Mountains, the site of the fierce battle between Xue Rengui and the Tubo during the Tang Dynasty. Ahead lay the Kunlun Mountains. In reality, the Kunlun Mountains were not controlled by any country or power; they were merely a border between the north and south.

The Kunlun Mountains stretch for five or six thousand miles and are three hundred to seven hundred miles wide. This distance is longer than the distance from Kaifeng, the capital of the Eastern Capital, to Guangzhou in Guangnan East Road, and even longer than the distance from Tokyo to the sea and across the sea to Qiongzhou.

This mountain range is extremely complex. Although there are flat areas leading to it, they are few and far between. The terrain is undulating, with some peaks reaching almost into the clouds and others covered in snow. Few people live on the mountains, but there are many wild animals.

They arrived at a slightly flatter plateau road, but it was hundreds of miles away from where Zhao Ti and the others had gone to that cave last time.

Zhao Ti climbed to the top of a mountain and looked around. He saw that the vast expanse of mountains stretched endlessly, with uneven terrain, white peaks and dark hills, each place different from the last.

His thoughts raced, recalling the thousand-year-old frozen corpse he had seen in the cave, the words "Ice Silkworm Palace" and "Divine Sword Palace" on the walls, the white-robed swordsman and the strange monk, and the ancient sects of Kunlun that Zhao Xu had mentioned in his later letter. He fell into deep thought.

This vast and unparalleled place stretches for five or six thousand miles and is hundreds of miles wide, longer than the northernmost to the southernmost point of the Great Song Dynasty. Several or even a dozen ancient sects are hidden within it, seemingly just a drop in the ocean. Without a guide, no matter how treacherous and complex the terrain, it would be impossible to find them. Even if one wanted to send troops to completely resolve the enmity between the Great Song and them, it would be impossible.

He then thought of the Thirty-Three Forms of the Taizu Fist, wondering what importance this fist technique held to those ancient sects that they hadn't forgotten it for so many years and even went to Tokyo to seek revenge. Did these people know that the thirty-third form of this fist technique had actually been lost for many years?

After standing on the peak for a long time, Zhao Ti finally came down and spent two or three days leading everyone across Kunlun.

In fact, he and Tong Guan could cross the mountain in a day using their lightness skills. After all, although the widest part of Kunlun is more than 700 li, the narrowest part is more than 300 li. These mountain passes are relatively narrow, but the barbarian soldiers do not have such a fast pace.

After crossing the Kunlun Mountains, there were many scattered Tibetan tribes. They were small tribes with little power. Although nominally under the administration of the royal court, in reality, the royal court's orders could not reach this place.

Zhao Ti led his men slowly south, sending 500 Tibetan soldiers to various tribes to scout ahead. Along the way, they found no news of Li Qianshun, and after several days, they gradually approached the Tibetan royal court.

The legitimate royal court of Tibet was Lhasa, where the Red Mountain Palace, the grand palace built by Songtsen Gampo to welcome Princess Wencheng, is now in ruins.

On this day, the crowd saw the city of Luosuo in the distance. The city rose majestically from the mountains and stood at the foot of the Red Mountain. Ancient city walls surrounded the city, mottled and weathered, exuding a long-lasting charm.

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "Let's go and take a look at this ancient Tibetan city. Maybe we'll find something."

(End of this chapter)