You have truly caused me great suffering!

The New Year is approaching, and this New Year will be relatively peaceful.

After several years of fierce fighting, all sides are recuperating.

With the fighting temporarily over, the pressure eased, and most of the laborers returned to their hometowns.

Moreover, this time it wasn't corvée labor, but mostly work relief, so everyone came back with their wages.

Having money in hand makes the New Year more enjoyable and lively.

Logically speaking, this kind of weather is not suitable for people to go out; the cold north wind will fairly torment every passerby.

However, many people braved the wind and snow to travel to Taiyuan.

Just after Wu Jie left, Huo Anguo from Huaizhou also headed north to Taiyuan.

Many gentry from Huaizhou came, and they all expressed the same sentiment: dissatisfaction with Henan Prefecture, especially Luoyang.

Although Huaizhou belongs to Hebei, it has always had many connections with Luoyang, the western capital of the Song Dynasty, because of its proximity to Luoyang.

Now, because they have joined forces with the Dingnan Army, they are being targeted by their former elder brother, Luoyang.

After all, Luoyang was the stronghold of the Song Dynasty's high-ranking officials and scholars.

As the New Year approached, Chen Shao also gave civil and military officials in Taiyuan a holiday, allowing his subordinates, who had been busy all year, to reunite with their families.

Chen Shaoze found a rare pleasure in coming to this era, and began to learn calligraphy and painting from others.

He has a deep-seated identification with and love for the culture of his ancestors.

He used to be so busy he was spinning like a top, but now that he has some free time, Chen Shao likes to relax.

Regardless of their skill level, they were very enthusiastic, and when they started learning, they sought guidance from famous teachers and masters.

Li Tangchen goes without saying; as a professor at Taiyuan Academy, his calligraphy is upright and elegant, making him a perfect match for Chen Shao.

The painter was Zhang Zeduan, who fled from Shandong and served as a "Hanlin Painting Academy Attendant" during the Xuanhe era. He was later expelled and made a living by selling paintings.

In Emperor Huizong's eyes, the painter who created the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll was actually nothing special.

He preferred the style of "A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains" and "Flowers and Birds," which were rich and elegant, rather than "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," which depicted the lives of ordinary people.

In his study, Chen Shao was copying an ancient painting after reading the memorial.

On the veranda, the guards arrived hurriedly with several men.

Huo Anguo was not from Huaizhou, but all the Huaizhou gentry and officials under his command pushed him to come and speak to Chen Shao.

Their reasoning was that Prefect Huo was a military man, as was the Prince of Dai.
This is taking advantage of the honest Hebei veteran Huo Anguo. In the end, if you go and fight for our interests, it will benefit us Huaizhou people, and if it doesn't, you will lose face in front of the Prince of Dai.

Feeling uneasy, Huo Anguo went to Chen Shao's study and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Huo Anguo was a military man by origin. Although he rose to the position of prefect, he still possessed considerable courage.

Upon meeting Chen Shao, he showed no stage fright, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble official greets Your Majesty."

"No need for formalities, please sit."

Chen Shao glanced at his clumsy work, smiled and shook his head; the skill level was quite average.

Cui Die handed him a towel, and Chen Shao wiped his hands and smiled, "You've come all this way in the wind and snow for the New Year, is there something important?"

Huo Anguo grinned and said, "It's all because of those people in Luoyang. They've gone too far and made things difficult for us in every way!"

"Luoyang is the Western Capital. Every year, Huaizhou has to pay tribute to Luoyang with medicinal herbs such as 'prepared rehmannia root' and 'Huai yam,' which are escorted by the 'Huaizhou Imperial Household Department' and stored in the Luoyang Imperial Pharmacy. In previous years, the handover was done at the end of the year, but this year they have made things difficult in many ways and repeatedly returned the tribute!"

"The guild halls established by the Huaiqing merchants in Luoyang have also been shut down without cause!"

"What's even more despicable is that they actually expelled scholars from Huaizhou from the academy!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Shao pondered for a moment, wondering if these people had become too arrogant after he transferred Qu Da away.

Seeing Huo Anguo's angry expression, Chen Shao reassured him, "I am already aware of this matter."

"Your Majesty, I believe they dared not act this way when General Qu was in charge. It is only because they lacked the deterrent power of a large army that they have become so unrestrained! I request Your Majesty to dispatch troops to Henan Prefecture and see if they dare to act again!"

Deploying troops to Henan Prefecture is a normal procedure, and Chen Shao would have done so even without this incident.

Qu Duan's departure was an unexpected event. After Chen Shao occupied Hedong, his first action was to infiltrate Luoyang.

However, Luoyang is indeed quite eerie.

It was probably the most fortified stronghold of the gentry and officials of the Song Dynasty. In some ways, it was even more stubborn than Bianliang.

I previously sent Qu Duan to guard the area, and it was somewhat effective, but not by much.

After thinking about it carefully for a while, Chen Shao slowly began to understand why Qu Duan was useful there.

Because Qu Duan was not a civil official, he was not very bound by their system.

However, Qu Duan was from the Song Dynasty system and was a proper military officer in the Western Army. He was still somewhat influenced by the Song Dynasty's emphasis on civil affairs over military affairs over the past hundred years.

To deal with this stronghold of scholar-officials and nobles, we cannot use people from the Song Dynasty's official system.

Chen Shao immediately thought of someone who would never be suppressed by civil officials—that was—Meicang Pang.

After coming up with this idea, Chen Shao couldn't help but smile, feeling that his move might be a bit too advanced for the gentry of Luoyang.

Chen Shao's entry into the Central Plains was always based on the principle of "legitimacy".

Now it's time for you to experience another card in my hand: I am a barbarian.
Chen Shao had always known that the gentry of the Song Dynasty, especially those at the top who were tied to the officials and scholars, would never be of one mind with him.

Only those like Li Tangchen, Liu Jizu, or Zhang Xiaochun, who are not doing well and happen to be in a place like Hedong, would turn to him.

The reason is simple: whoever lives the most comfortably in the Song Dynasty and has the most assets will not want the Song Dynasty to collapse.

From this perspective, the old nobles and former officials in Luoyang loved the Song Dynasty even more than the emperor.

The reason they hadn't attacked Chen Shao and the Dingnan Army was because the Jin army was coming on strong, while the imperial army had suffered defeat after defeat.

They wanted the Dingnan Army to drive the Tartars out first; otherwise, the Tartars would be in even greater danger than the Dingnan Army if they came in.

After all, Chen Shao still tried to reason with you, but the Tartars don't listen to reason at all and just kill people directly.

Sure enough, no sooner had the Tartars been driven away than trouble broke out.

"I understand. I will send a great general to be stationed on Northwest Jingxi Road."

Huo Anguo was surprised that the Prince of Dai was so easy to talk to, so he quickly stood up and clasped his hands in greeting.

Chen Shao smiled. "It's the New Year, and it's kind of you to make this trip for official business. I don't have anything to give you. Someone, bring me my seal!"

The newly arrived maid, Li Yumei's cousin Li Wanshu, stepped forward with the seal of the Prince of Dai, which Chen Shao placed on his painting.

"Roll it up and tie it up for Prefect Huo."

Li Wanshu smiled, bent down to roll up the painting, and then tied it with a red ribbon, her technique quite skillful.

Chen Shao laughed and said, "My humble work is nothing to laugh at, but it's just a token of my appreciation!"

Huo Anguo's eyes lit up. He didn't know that Chen Shao had been giving away calligraphy and paintings to people everywhere these past few days.

Almost every high-ranking official in Taiyuan Prefecture had a painting hanging in the center of their study.

He happily took the Prince of Dai's masterpiece, left Chen Shao's study, and went to stay in the city, intending to stay in Taiyuan for a few more days. Although Taiyuan was not as bustling as Bianliang, it was definitely the second most popular city in the Song Dynasty.

After Huo Anguo left, Chen Shao immediately summoned Pang Ge, who was hiding in the mud.

Upon hearing this, the young man was overjoyed. He couldn't wait until after the New Year, as the people of the Tibetan tribe didn't have the custom of celebrating the New Year.

Chen Shao never considered the garrisoning of Pang Ge's troops in Meicang as the final solution to Luoyang, so he simply didn't give him any instructions.

The point is to let this kid cause trouble, escalate the conflict, and then it will be easier for me to make my move.

Thinking back to when he passed through Luoyang, Chen Shao couldn't help but laugh at the appearance of the Sima clan chief.

These decadent families have no real ability; they've simply relied on their ancestors' wealth and have lived a very comfortable life all these years.

Do you have the fighting skills to fight against us, the tough guys from the Northwest?

Do you have that kind of ruthlessness?

Because Bianliang also had a holiday.

The Song Dynasty had a very long annual leave, a full thirteen days, and that was only in name.

They usually wouldn't go to the government office to report for duty until after the Lantern Festival.

Many officials from Hedong took the opportunity to return to Taiyuan.

Naturally, they wanted to see the Prince of Dai upon their return, but only a very few people were able to have their wish fulfilled.

The others also gathered in small groups to drink and feast in Taiyuan, connecting with each other.

In the bustling alleys of the city, there is a unique building that looks like a traditional Chinese academy, with its white walls, green bricks and blue tiles, truly resembling an elegant place.

Unfortunately, elegance is merely a facade.

As soon as you enter the gate, a pimp wearing hairy pigskin boots and a green turban comes to greet you and announce, "The girls upstairs are here to see you."

A servant quickly tossed over a piece of silver and pushed the pimp away, saying, "Stop making a racket, where is Miss Luo Yun?"

"So it's because you have a date with a beautiful lady." The pimp, who had accepted the tip, grinned lewdly and bowed, saying, "Please come in, gentlemen."

The man surrounded by servants was dressed as a middle-aged scholar, and he seemed quite familiar with this place, exuding an extraordinary air.

It was Geng Nanzhong, who was at the height of his power.

He was originally the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince of Donghua Palace, but now the Emperor always refers to him as "Teacher Geng".

Moreover, he was one of the earliest members of the Dingnan Army faction, and he and Wei Li held out in Xiping Prefecture for two years, making great contributions.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they are riding high on their success.

After Geng Nanzhong gained power, he was no longer as resentful as before. He became more amiable, kind, and easy-going, which attracted a large number of officials to his side.

He returned this time to get closer to the Prince of Dai, since although he had always been in the central government, he had not had much interaction with the Prince of Dai.

Geng Nanzhong is very shrewd. He is the best at weighing power and knows this path well: no matter how much you do in the court, it is not as important as giving the Prince of Dai a good impression.

Thinking back to the misunderstandings he had with the Prince of Dai at the beginning, Geng Nanzhong became even more worried, so he arrived in Taiyuan early for the New Year.

Then, they would take the opportunity to win over some officials, preparing to start factional strife after the Prince of Dai succeeded in his mission.

Before Dingnan Army and Chen Shao had even established their own state, Geng Nanzhong had already begun preparing for the next struggle, which meant he was several versions ahead of Chen Shao.

It was still early, and there weren't many guests in the courtyard at this time. The group crossed the courtyard and entered the main hall. After Geng Nanzhong sat down, he waved his hand.

With his trusted confidants bowing their heads, Geng Nanzhong made sure again that invitations had been sent to all the people he was to host today.

His subordinate quickly assured him, and Geng Nanzhong nodded slightly, his eyes closed, calculating the value of each person who had attended the banquet that day.

He arrived early, before the guests, which would have been impossible in the past.

At that time, Geng Nanzhong was still arrogant and, because he had no power, he just gave up.

Now he is humble in every way. To be honest, he is a master at forming cliques and engaging in factional struggles.

The only pity was that they ran into Cai Jing.
If Geng Nanzhong's political maneuvering was a gifted talent, then Cai Jing was an unparalleled genius.

They were beaten so badly they couldn't hold their heads up for over a decade.

One by one, beautiful women filed in, carrying trays with exquisite teacups on them, and bowed to the group.

These women were of all shapes and sizes, some delicate and pretty, some tall and slender, others petite and graceful, their figures filling the building.

Geng Nanzhong was just thinking with his eyes closed, completely ignoring them.

At this moment, the curtain was lifted, and a beautiful girl entered. She was wearing a plain white dress, which made her face look fair and delicate. She was a lovely girl, but wearing such plain clothes was somewhat out of place for the current season.

As soon as she entered, she outshone the other girls. "Luo Yun greets Mr. Xi Dao."

Although she was a famous courtesan in Taiyuan, she rarely served such important figures, so she appeared somewhat reserved.

If one could gain his favor and be brought to his residence, even becoming a concubine would be a good way out.

Otherwise, how will they live when they grow old and lose their beauty?

Geng Nanzhong simply took a sip of tea and said, "Sit."

"Thank you sir."

“I have an old friend who is from Fenzhou. He has long admired your beauty. He will be here soon. Please keep him company. I will reward you handsomely afterward.”

Upon hearing this, Luo Yun's face paled slightly. She gave a bitter laugh to herself, but could only swallow her tears and pretend to be happy, nodding gently.

Suddenly, Geng Nanzhong, who was sitting there, coughed up a mouthful of blood.

A large group of officials, laughing and joking, came upstairs and were met with a scene that horrified them.

"Xi Dao!"

"Mr. Xidao!"

"Lord Geng!"
-

Guangyuantang was located within the government office of Taiyuan Prefecture.

The stark white light shone on the stark white window paper, mingling with the faint smell of blood and decay in the air.

Geng Nanzhong's body lay on a long table in Guangyuan Hall. The wrinkled old coroner was dissecting him, taking out his internal organs one by one for examination.

Several agents from Guangyuantang covered their noses with handkerchiefs, enduring the nauseating smell, and stared intently at everything on the table.

Wang Yin remained expressionless, but his eyes gleamed with a sharp light, as if he were fascinated by each of the bloody organs.

Geng Nanzhong's death enraged the Prince of Dai, who ordered that the murderer be found.

Wang Yin sensed that a violent storm was about to break.

Guangyuantang was created for this very purpose!

"How about it?"

"It's poisoning, and it's a highly toxic poison."

Wang Yin's eyes lit up even more, and he almost clapped his hands in approval. He steadied himself and said in a deep voice, "You continue the inspection here. I'll go report to the Prince of Dai." (End of Chapter)