The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 486 Which tree can't you sleep under?
Yue Wenxuan's consciousness shifted from Li Gang's perspective back to Lin'an, returning to his own life-sized figurine.

His life-size figurine has been staying at Qin Hui's residence recently.

No one would have guessed that the mastermind behind the Northern Song Dynasty actually lived in the prime minister's residence in the Southern Song Dynasty; no one would believe it if this were told.

As soon as Yue Wenxuan returned, he immediately took Xiang Yu, Hou Yi, A Ke, and a large group of unexpected soldiers and headed towards the West Lake...

And at the same time.

Qin Hui stood at the palace gate, his heart filled with trepidation.

After framing Han Shizhong, he was waiting for Zhao Gou to hand Han Shizhong over to him for punishment so that he could hand the living Han Shizhong over to Yue Gongzi. However, he did not expect that Han Shizhong was also very capable. As soon as he heard the news, he immediately went to the palace to meet the emperor.

Qin Hui couldn't get in now. He stood anxiously at the door, fearing that Zhao Gou would order Han Shizhong to be executed directly. If he couldn't capture Han Shizhong alive, he wouldn't be able to complete the task assigned to him by Young Master Yue.

Urgent! Urgent! Zhao Gou, spare his life! Young Master Yue wants to eat him alive!

Meanwhile, in the Southern Song imperial palace, Zhao Gou sat upright on his throne.

Han Shizhong, with a bitter expression on his face, was crying loudly in the hall, the kind of crying that is very heartbreaking.

"Injustice! Your Majesty! Injustice!" Han Shizhong cried out, "This humble general is loyal and devoted to Your Majesty. During the Miao-Liu Rebellion, this humble general risked his life to kill the rebels and ensure Your Majesty's return to the throne. In the Battle of Huangtiandang, this humble general did his best to protect the Song Dynasty... The accusation of treason is all Qin Hui's slander against this humble general."

Han Shizhong cried, “Hu Fang was bribed by Qin Hui to frame me, and Geng Zhu was tortured into confessing. I had no intention of rebelling, not even a little bit. After I became the Privy Councilor, I didn’t have a single soldier left, so it was impossible for me to rebel.”

He cried loudly in the hall, which made Zhao Gou a little embarrassed.

Zhao Gou knew better than anyone that Qin Hui was slandering Han Shizhong.

Because it was Zhao Gou who instructed Qin Hui to slander the pro-war faction!
To successfully negotiate peace with the Jin Dynasty, it was necessary to suppress all voices advocating war.

Zhao Gou, the instigator of the "slander of meritorious officials," knew exactly what was going on.

The victim he had slandered was now weeping loudly in the hall, still recounting his past achievements in saving the emperor. Even Zhao Gou, with his thick skin, was starting to feel embarrassed.

Zhao Gou began to hesitate...

If Han Shizhong isn't dealt with, the pro-war faction will remain in control. However, dealing with Han Shizhong is emotionally difficult, as Han Shizhong has saved the emperor's life multiple times and never interfered in sensitive political matters. He never advocated for the return of the two emperors, nor did he participate in the succession struggle. Upon being appointed as a Privy Councilor, he immediately relinquished his military power…

All these factors combined are enough to demonstrate Han Shizhong's character.

How can I bring myself to kill him?

Zhao Gou pondered deeply...

Han Shizhong, however, was stealing glances at him, wailing loudly and looking quite pitiful. In reality, he was very quick-witted; his wailing was all technique, devoid of emotion. He even let one hand hang limply beside the hilt of his sword...

That's right, Han Shizhong came with a sword.

After the Miao-Liu mutiny, he was granted special permission to carry a sword when entering the palace.

At this moment, the seasoned soldier Lao Han was thinking: "I've survived all these years by being careful, and I even deliberately asked for a house by West Lake to pretend to be greedy and tarnish my image. I've done all this for you, and if you still want to kill me, I'll just have to jump up and unleash a Musou attack."

After thinking for a long time, Zhao Gou sighed and said, "So be it! Minister Han, even if your rebellion is true, I cannot bear to kill you. Go back to the West Lake to retire."

He knew it was slander, but he pretended to be very magnanimous and forgave Han Shizhong.

Han Shizhong slowly removed his hand from the hilt of the sword, and cried out with great emotion, "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

He said thank you aloud, but cursed inwardly: Since you're not going to kill me, there's no need for me to fight you to the death. It's not hard to jump up and kill you, but it's hard to fight my way out alive. Garlic bird, garlic bird, life isn't easy.

Both of them had a brush with death...

Then, he waved goodbye, severing all ties. As he walked out of the palace, Han Shizhong looked up at the sky and sighed, "It's not easy to still see the sky. I can forget about fighting the Jin in the future. I'll just use this life to indulge in pleasure and live a carefree life."

He mounted a poor horse, wobbling and staggering, and headed towards the West Lake.

Zhao Gou allocated him a plot of land by West Lake, where lake-view houses were being built, creating a huge construction site by the lake, filled with smoke and dust...

Standing by the construction site, Han Shizhong looked at the lake-view house where he would live in his retirement, feeling somewhat resentful.

Just then, a young nobleman strolled over from the side, plopped down on the stone bench in front of Han Shizhong, waved and said, "Marshal Han, it's been a long time."

Han Shizhong was in a bad mood and didn't even glance at the newcomer. He waved his hand and said, "Stop messing around, I'm annoyed right now."

The young master laughed and said, "Once you see my face clearly, you won't be in the mood to be annoyed anymore."

Han Shizhong: "Huh?"

He then turned around, took a closer look, and was immediately startled: "Hey? Young Master Yue from the Northern Song Dynasty. What are you doing here?"

Yue Wenxuan laughed: "When I saw Li Gang a few days ago, he asked me the same question. Hey, you guys don't all do this. I get tired of answering the same questions all the time."

After saying that, he took out a letter, which was written by Li Gang, and handed it to Han Shizhong: "This is a letter written to you by Prime Minister Li Gang. Would you like to take a look?"

Han Shizhong was illiterate in his early years, but after rising from a common soldier to a general, he taught himself some characters and was able to read and write to a reasonable degree. He took the letter and looked at it closely...

The expression on his face began to change constantly.

Yue Wenxuan: "So? What are your thoughts after watching it?"

Han Shizhong: "Hey! Li Gang has gone mad, actually inviting me to fight against the Jin in the Northern Song Dynasty."

Yue Wenxuan: "What? General Han no longer wants to resist the Jin?"

Han Shizhong: "Why would I want to carry gold? I now own thousands of acres of prime land by West Lake. Lakeside houses are under construction. Once this house is finished, I can sit by the lake all day, fishing, admiring flowers, and drinking wine. How delightful! You actually want me to give up so much wealth, not be a rich man, and go to war and risk my life? Pshaw! I, Han Shizhong, have fought all my life. Can't I enjoy myself?"

Yue Wenxuan chuckled: "Everyone says that Marshal Han is greedy for money. Every time he makes a great contribution, he asks Zhao Gou for land by West Lake. He's so vulgar. But I know that Marshal Han doesn't love money at all. You asked for this land just to tarnish your reputation and save your life, so that Zhao Gou won't be afraid of you... That's why you were able to get away unscathed after committing the crime of 'treason'. Now that you've achieved your goal of getting away unscathed, this land has already served its purpose. After that, it will be worthless to you."

Han Shizhong was slightly taken aback: Damn, how does this person understand me so well?

Yue Wenxuan: "Marshal Han, stop acting! Your greedy and cunning soldier act is just for survival. Once we're in the Northern Song Dynasty, you won't need to act anymore. Life will be so much easier! Pack your bags, let's set off immediately, shall we?"

Han Shizhong: "Damn it!"

After he finished cursing, he suddenly turned around and shouted at the construction site, "Wife, wife!"

A beautiful woman in red emerged from the crowd; it was his wife, Liang Hongyu. She had been supervising the construction of the lake-view apartments at the site. Hearing Han Shizhong's call, she ran out of the construction site and said irritably, "What are you shouting about? You're making a fool of yourself!"

Han Shizhong: "Let's go to the Northern Song Dynasty and continue fighting against the Jin."

Liang Hongyu was overjoyed: "When are we leaving?"

"Now! Let's go right now!"

"I haven't even packed my luggage."

"What luggage do you need! You're a woman of the world, don't be so fussy like a pampered lady. If you're going out, just go out, what do you need luggage for? Can't you sleep under any tree?"

Liang Hongyu laughed heartily: "That's true, hahaha, let's go."

(End of this chapter)