You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 18 The Grand Tutor's Joy

I waited in the living room for a while.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps could be heard.

Li Liangsi and Chen Shao stood up at the same time, ready to greet Cai Jing.

Cai Jing's reputation is well-established in history.

However, in the Northern Song Dynasty, an era in which the ruling system was becoming increasingly strict and the powers of various parties checked each other, there was a powerful minister who controlled the court for decades, both in and out of office.

It remains one of the most terrifying entities.

During late-night chats in the dorm, you can freely criticize Cai Jing, saying he's nothing but trash without any problem.

But now that the era has arrived, Chen Shao knows he must be fully prepared.

As if flitting among flowers, a group of maids entered the room. These young girls were all charming and lovely, dressed in floral skirts and embroidered flowers. They bowed their heads and quickly and efficiently perfumed the room and swept the floor.

The two were dumbfounded, and then a large group of servants busily set up stoves outside the brocade curtains.

The stove was outside the living room, using its heat to warm the air inside the curtains. People had to be careful of the smoke getting inside, and they were all covered in soot from the smoke outside, enduring the pain without daring to cough.

Li Liangsi was considered an upper-class figure in the Liao Dynasty, but he had never seen such a grand display before. Even Emperor Tianzuo of the Liao Dynasty probably couldn't have imagined such a thing.

Of course, they just couldn't think of such a method, not that they didn't want to.

Extravagance also comes in different levels. Someone as adept at enjoying life as Cai Jing truly embodied the saying, "You can't imagine the happiness of Grand Tutor Cai!"
With a shout of approval, Cai Jing finally arrived.

Behind him followed two middle-aged scholars, both wearing soft hats and simple clothes, looking both neat and dashing. They were both around forty years old, the plump one with an elegant demeanor, clearly experienced officials who had weathered many storms in the political arena.

The other one was relatively darker and looked very shrewd. He gave the first impression of being overly clever and calculating.

Between the two men was an elderly man with a handsome face and a white cloth wrapped around his head.

Is this Cai Jing?
Chen Shao couldn't help but take another look. The old man should be in his late seventies or eighties, but he was well-maintained and looked like an ordinary elderly man in his sixties. He had a fair complexion, white eyebrows, and a handsome and lean face.

Although he hadn't said a word yet, Chen Shao could tell at a glance that this person was terrifyingly strong.

At his age and in his current state, he may be past his prime in bed with his beautiful wives and concubines, but he is definitely at his most formidable in the officialdom.

"Is that right? I've heard about you for a long time. Your courage and magnanimity in coming to Song from the north without hesitation are truly admirable!"

After Cai Jing finished speaking, Li Liangsi trembled and quickly stepped forward to bow, saying, "Greetings, Prime Minister Cai."

Chen Shao also bent down.

Cai Jing glanced at him but didn't say anything; he didn't remember what this person did for a living.

At this moment, the sound of a zither gently rose from the back hall. Chen Shao listened intently and found the music to be extremely gentle, like a person sighing softly, or like morning dew moistening flower petals, or a gentle breeze brushing willow branches. It was like a clear spring flowing slowly over his body and into his limbs, and most of his fatigue and exhaustion disappeared.

I don't know where this tune came from; it seems to be another one of Grand Tutor Cai's daily routines.

When you talk and chat with people, your voice naturally has a soothing quality; that's what makes life human.
Cai Jing and Li Liangsi exchanged a few more compliments before taking their seats in turn. Cai Jing introduced Li Liangsi to Li Liangsi, saying, "This is Lan Congxi from the Water Conservancy Bureau, and this is Gao Jie."

Both of them were members of the Cai faction and were close to the emperor; Lan Congxi was a eunuch.

Cai Jing brought them here today with a purpose.

Cai Jing spoke slowly and clearly, with a very amiable tone. One could not discern the ruthlessness he displayed when dealing with political enemies.

It should be known that once the Yuanyou Party Stele was erected, the Song Dynasty court was completely emptied!
"Minister Cai, this time we..."

Cai Jing remained unmoved, smiled, and waved his hand: "I know you are eager to make a name for yourselves, but I still maintain the same point: since the Treaty of Chanyuan, the Liao and Song dynasties have maintained friendly relations for generations. When has the northern border ever been so peaceful?"

Once war breaks out, I really don't know how long it will last. You all come from the Northwest, and you know better than I do what the Northwest is like.

Our Great Song Dynasty mobilized the entire nation to support the troops in the Northwest, yet after a century, we still could not conquer Xingqing Prefecture or destroy the Western Xia. How much wealth and manpower was wasted during this period?

The Liao Dynasty's national strength far surpasses that of the Western Xia by a hundredfold. Once you start a war, how will you end it?

Li Liangsi quickly said, "Prime Minister Cai, you are unaware that the Liao Dynasty is all show and no substance, and the Jurchens are also very brave. If we can join forces with the Jin to attack the Liao, we will surely achieve a great victory!"

"Since the Jurchens are so brave, how can you guarantee that they won't continue their southward invasion after destroying the Liao?"

"Minister Cai!" Li Liangsi said, becoming increasingly agitated. "The Jurchens are few in number. They have already reached their limit in controlling the vast Khitan territory and are unable to advance south!"

"Hehe, of course you're familiar with the Khitans since you come from them. Their ancestors also started from small tribes. Back when the Turks were powerful, they ruled the grasslands. How do the eight Khitan tribes compare to the Jurchens of today?"

Cai Jing continued unhurriedly, "Moreover, once the war begins, such a major undertaking as the conquest of Liao will require a tremendous amount of money, laborers, soldiers, and supplies. Have you calculated that?"

This time, Li Liangsi was at a loss for words.

He glanced at the composed Chen Shao and gave him a meaningful look.

Chen Shao ignored him.

Li Liangsi grew anxious. "Chen Shao, say a few words."

Chen Shao coughed lightly and said, "Our Commander Xuan said that the conquest of Liao is inevitable. It would be best if Minister Cai would cooperate. Otherwise, please just wait and see how we achieve great success!"

Behind Cai Jing, the expressions of the two officials were quite interesting; they looked at Chen Shao as if he were a fool.

Even with Cai Jing's remarkable composure, his expression changed after hearing this.

But he quickly recovered and laughed, "Good, good, good. It is the ancestral system of the Song Dynasty to control the military with civil administration. The Northwest region still needs Tong Guan to suppress and pacify it. I will definitely cooperate with him to attack Xia."

This is completely irrelevant; he clearly said he was going to attack Liao, so why is he talking about attacking Xia?

Chen Shao didn't really care about these things; neither the campaigns against Liao nor Xia could change the fate of the Song Dynasty.

He only wanted to get Tong Guan's promotion as soon as possible, start as a minor military officer in the Northwest, and settle down to have his own little territory.

Now, he felt like a piece of duckweed, drifting in this unfamiliar dynasty from a thousand years ago.

Today's conversation will surely reach Tong Guan's ears, and that is Chen Shao's purpose.

In the Northwest, Cai Jing had very little say; it was Tong Guan's territory.

Chen Shao wanted to let Tong Guan know that he, as a pawn, was brave and daring, and that he wasn't even afraid of Cai Jing for Tong Xuanshuai's sake.

Loyalty that is not absolute is equal to absolute disloyalty.

I, Chen Shao, will never sit on the fence!

You won't regret promoting me!
(End of this chapter)