White-robed Minister

Chapter 254 0252 [Escort to the Liao Kingdom]

After leaving the main hall, Xu Lai returned to the Academy and invited Han Wei to have a drink.

The two of them left Huai Hall chatting and laughing. Immediately, two clerks went to the East Pavilion and West Pavilion to deliver messages to Wang Yirou and Chen Xiang, respectively.

After Wang Yirou finished get off work, she went to inform Wang Anshi.

"What was their relationship like before?" Wang Anshi asked.

Wang Yirou replied, "Our interactions are rather ordinary, and we've never gone out together before the end of the court session. This time, we left together laughing and talking without even waiting for the session to end, so we must be looking for a place to drink and have a private discussion."

Wang Anshi roughly guessed what Xu Lai wanted to do.

Xu Lai has never publicly opposed the reforms, only privately expressing his dissatisfaction with the new laws to the emperor. Even his articles in the "Duo Sheng" magazine only alluded to them, never directly criticizing them.

Therefore, Wang Anshi guessed that Xu Lai's current friendship with Han Wei was mostly related to the affairs on the northwest border.

Xu Lai must have entrusted Han Wei with the instructions on how to respond if there were any changes in the civil and military officials on the frontier during Han Wei's mission to the Liao Kingdom.

Just as Wang Yirou was reporting to Wang Anshi, Chen Xiang, a Hanlin scholar who also received the news, did not secretly go to find Wen Yanbo.

Chen Xiang was not good at military affairs, but he was good at governing the people and was also a scholar.

Chen Xiang greatly admired Xu Lai's deeds in Yingtian Prefecture. In particular, Xu Lai's refusal to take a single penny was even more to Chen Xiang's liking.

Last year, Cheng Shimeng, a good friend of Chen Xiang, was writing to Chen Xiang and talked about Xu Lai's deeds in Guangzhou.

During this time, Chen Xiang was studying Xu Lai's scholarship.

Chen Xiang's academic views were closer to Wen Yanbo in terms of "nature," but closer to Xu Lai in terms of "understanding principles." Therefore, he did not fully accept Xu Lai's ideas, but he was quietly absorbing Xu Lai's methodology.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 20 ...

He has even been studying mathematics and geometry on his own these past few days.

Chen Xiang reasoned based on facts. Since Xu Lai was able to expand the territory by thousands of miles and his military analysis was so logical, he must understand military affairs better than Wen Yanbo.

Therefore, in matters of foreign war, Chen Xiang believed that Xu Lai should be listened to, as Wang Anshi and Wen Yanbo were both laymen.

Taiping Xingguo Temple, in the small courtyard of the meditation room.

Xu Lai and Han Wei were drinking and eating meat.

"An envoy to the Liao Kingdom?" Han Wei was quite surprised.

Xu Lai nodded and said, "It was recommended by Minister Wang."

After he finished speaking, he recounted in detail what had happened that day.

Han Wei sighed, "He's trying to get you out of there."

Xu Lai was not reassured by the emperor's promise, because Zhao Xu was too easily swayed: "After I leave the country, if Prime Minister Wang recommends civil officials to manage the border regions, I hope Your Excellency will step in to stop it."

"I definitely messed it up for him," Han Wei said with a smile.

Xu Lai then said, "If Your Majesty insists on replacing him, you may recommend Zhang Dun or Shen Kuo. If that's not possible, Zhang Dun is also an option."

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"Recommend Zhang Dun?" Han Wei was somewhat reluctant.

Xu Lai said, "If there is no other choice, we can recommend Zhang Dun. It's for the sake of the country."

Han Wei said, "I would definitely recommend Zhang Zi and Shen Kuo."

Shen Kuo was not just a weapon maker; he was also an expert in military formations, astronomy, and geography.

Historically, before Xu Xi's sabotage led to the Song army's crushing defeat, Shen Kuo maintained a perfect record against the Western Xia. Moreover, Shen Kuo's tactics were flexible and varied, often employing feints and diversions to achieve maximum results with minimal losses.

Shen Kuo's only flaw was his weak character. Given his official rank at the time, he could have easily suppressed Xu Xi, but he chose to compromise and back down, ultimately leading to the disastrous defeat at Yongle City.

Xu Lai chatted with Han Wei until evening, then left Taiping Xingguo Temple slightly drunk.

Watching Han Wei leave in his car, Xu Lai waved to Chen Xiaoyi and said, "No need to help me."

Chen Xiaoyi stepped back and followed Xu Lai home closely.

It was late summer, and the evening air still carried a hint of heat. Lights began to illuminate the streets as many Kaifeng residents made their way home, creating a lively and bustling scene.

Xu Lai strolled along the street and saw two people holding folding fans.

Folding fans are ubiquitous in Guangzhou, and they are gradually becoming popular in Kaifeng as well.

Xu Lai's invention of the mulberry shears spread even faster than the folding fan. It was not only widely used in the countryside, but also owned by gardeners in the city, and many scholars who loved planting flowers and trees also had one.

Xu Lai asked, "Are the residents of Kaifeng city very resentful of the exemption from corvée labor law?"

Chen Xiaoyi replied, "Some people are very resentful, while others are applauding."

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Xu Lai smiled upon hearing this.

The exemption law was quite effective in the early stages of its implementation in cities.

The groups with the greatest resentment are none other than officials, monks and Taoist priests, and households with only women (those without adult males). This is because they were not exempt from military service before, but now they have to pay exemption fees.

Meanwhile, the poor in the city can avoid paying the exemption fee and live a more relaxed life than before.

If this standard is strictly followed, Xu Lai actually strongly supports the Exemption from Service Act.

Unfortunately, from the very beginning, some officials were causing trouble in the countryside!

A few years later, they started causing trouble in the city again.

Ignoring the higher cost of living in the city, the threshold for collecting the exemption fee was lowered to the same level as that for rural farmers. This resulted in many small vendors and citizens in the city also having to pay the exemption fee, making it difficult for them to make a living.

"My husband is back!" the doorman called out.

While Xu Lai was drinking with Han Wei in the afternoon, he sent Chen Xiaoyi home to inform him that he would not be eating at home that evening.

Therefore, the family members had already eaten and were in the garden burning incense to repel mosquitoes and cool off.

The eldest son, Xu Wei, is already running around everywhere. The cat we bought to catch mice is now afraid to go near him, having been traumatized by his misbehavior.

The second son, Xu Tao, also learned to walk, but he walked unsteadily, which was the cutest time of his life.

"Third Uncle, Aunt Ding is pregnant!" Dou Niang rushed over to announce the good news.

Dingxiang, who had been sitting under the tree to cool off, was now helped to her feet by a maid and greeted Xu Lai with a joyful expression.

Yu'er held Xu Tao in her arms and made the child call her "Daddy".

Pianpian then scolded Xu Wei, telling him not to lie on the ground and to come over and greet his father.

As soon as Xu Lai got home, all his worries disappeared, and he felt like he had reached the pinnacle of his life.

This was undoubtedly thanks to Pianpian, who was an excellent mistress of the house, managing the entire household in perfect order. The two concubines also listened to her, and although they had their disagreements, they never openly quarreled, much less made a scene in front of Xu Lai.

This made Xu Lai feel very comfortable and at ease.

Of course, the premise is that Xu Lai treats everyone equally, neither spoiling anyone excessively nor neglecting anyone for too long.

Xu Lai had a maid bring him a chair and sat in the garden chatting with his wives, concubines, and niece: "Now that Xiangxiang is pregnant, I'll write to Dr. Zhang from Qinzhou and invite him over. He's skilled in using forceps and his medical techniques are quite advanced."

Dingxiang said, "There's no need for such a big fuss."

Xu Lai said, "We should recommend Dr. Zhang to the Emperor and then promote the use of forceps in Kaifeng. Whether it's royalty or ordinary people, everyone can give birth using forceps."

"My husband is so thoughtful," Pianpian said with a smile.

After chatting about trivial matters, Xu Lai said, "I am about to be sent as an envoy to the Liao Kingdom, and it may take two or three months. If there are any family matters that you are unable to handle, you can ask Shen Kuo for help."

Hearing that Xu Lai was about to leave the capital, his wives, concubines, and Dou Niang were all quite reluctant to see him go.

Yu'er asked, "When is my husband leaving?"

Xu Lai said, "The mission will need to make preparations at least half a month from now; it's not something that can be done just like that."

"That's alright," Pianpian said. "It's a pity that the weather is hot lately, making it inconvenient to go out and play. Otherwise, I could accompany my husband for a stroll around."

"It'll definitely be cool for a day or two," Xu Lai said with a smile.

For the next two weeks, Xu Lai was extremely busy.

He had to go to the Imperial Academy every day, and two nights a week he had to be on duty in the Imperial City, occasionally receiving consultations from the Emperor. He also recommended Zhang Fu, a gynecologist from Qin Prefecture, to the Emperor as a royal physician.

Besides spending time with family, the remaining time is also spent preparing the main manuscripts for the next three issues of "Duo Sheng". As for poems, essays, jokes, etc., Wang Hou, Chang Anmin, and Xie Liangzuo can determine the manuscripts themselves.

Oh, and I also need to answer these three people's questions.

Currently, only Wang Hou has formally become Xu Lai's disciple. Chang Anmin and Xie Liangzuo are not considered Xu Lai's true students.

There were two rainy days during that period, and the weather cooled down.

Xu Lai accompanied his wives, concubines, and sister to worship Buddha and go shopping, and also took a walk in the suburbs to relax.

In mid-June, Xu Lai officially set off.

Xiao Xi and other Liao envoys also traveled with Xu Lai. Since the Song Dynasty had sent envoys, there was no need for them to linger in Kaifeng.

When Xu Lai left the capital, more than ten officials came to the ferry crossing north of the city to see him off.

Besides old friends like Zhang, Shen Kuo, and Lin Yi, Wu Chong, Han Wei, and Chen Xiang also came, along with several historians from the history museum.

Xu Lai was quite surprised by Chen Xiang.

Chen Xiang was Fu Bi's protégé and was very close to Wen Yanbo, so why did he come to see him off?

Chen Xiang smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, saying to Xu, "I will also be leaving the capital in a few days."

17

Xu Lai certainly knew.

Chen Xiang made a minor mistake in his wording while drafting the imperial edict, and the reformists have been relentlessly attacking him for the past few days. Unable to withstand Wang Anshi's pressure, the emperor demoted Chen Xiang to Hangzhou.

Chen Xiang was about to become the prefect of Hangzhou, while Su Shi was serving as the vice-prefect of Hangzhou. These two men, who were in similar predicaments, were about to become close friends.

"Hangzhou is a picturesque place; it's a good place to relax," Xu Lai comforted her.

Chen Xiang chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "I deeply admire Scholar Xu's scholarship. When I return to the capital, I will enjoy a drink with you again."

After chatting with Chen Xiang, Xu Lai bid farewell to his other friends and ended up with a large bunch of willow branches.

Liao envoy Xiao Xi was already waiting on the official ship. He had stayed in Kaifeng for half a year this time, but had not gained anything diplomatically. However, he had bought a lot of books and magazines.

Xiao Xi also collected a considerable number of poems and essays by famous officials.

Yelü Hongji was a cultured man who particularly enjoyed reading such things, which is why Xiao Xi catered to his tastes.

"Goodbye!"

Take care on your journey!

Xu Lai led the members of the delegation onto the official ship one after another.

This is the first time he has "gone abroad" since he time-traveled.

But this country is really absurd; it just went to Beijing and Inner Mongolia for a short trip.

Yelü Hongji is someone Xu Lai knows very well; he's Xiao Feng's sworn brother.

I wonder if I will be able to meet Xiao Guanyin. Xu Lai has long admired Xiao Guanyin.

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