Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 817 Making a Judgment
Zhao Kuangyin returned to the capital in a depressed mood, because this time he led a large army to attack Northern Han, and the 100,000-strong army besieged the city, but still could not conquer Jinyang. He returned in disgrace and felt very ashamed.

If we compare it with Su Chen's record in pacifying Southern Han, we will feel that he is inferior.

Although both of them led troops to war, Su Chen had unified the south, while Zhao Kuangyin encountered many obstacles in the north. The Northern Han Dynasty was still standing, the Liao Kingdom was eyeing it covetously, the northwestern vassal states had their own troops, and the Dangxiang tribe was also secretly planning to establish their own regime. The situation was complicated and worrying.

"Am I really not as good as Su Chen? He can unify the south, but why can't I unify the north?" Zhao Kuangyin paced in the Wende Hall, his voice revealing an irritation and unwillingness that was difficult to conceal. There were piles of memorials on his desk, but he had no intention of reviewing them. He just wanted to vent his frustration.

The hall was silent, with only his voice echoing, and every word revealed the anxiety and struggle in his heart.

Seeing his master was angry, the eunuch Wang Jie'en tried to comfort him, "Your Majesty, please calm down. The Lingnan Han Kingdom is corrupt and weak. How can it be compared with the Jinyang Han Kingdom? The men of Jinyang are strong and brave. In the past, Li Shimin, the Prince of Qin, led the Jinyang soldiers to help Li Yuan conquer the world and was invincible. So, there is no comparison. Your Majesty, please don't be angry. You will hurt your precious body!"

Zhao Kuangyin had comforted himself in this way in his heart, but he still felt that the result was not satisfactory. Now, with the comfort of his favored eunuch chief, his anger was barely suppressed.

At this time, Princess Yongqing came to bring cakes to her father wearing a beautiful green feather dress.

"Father, you are back in the palace. Try the snacks I brought."

When Zhao Kuangyin heard his daughter's voice, he looked over. When he saw what Princess Yongqing was wearing, his anger suddenly rose again.

"Look at what you are dressed like! I don't have a daughter like this!" Zhao Kuangyin got angry again.

Princess Yongqing was wearing an embroidered emerald jacket with embroidery and kingfisher feathers as accessories. It was shining with golden light and looked very beautiful, but it was particularly dazzling to Zhao Kuangyin.

"My daughter learned that her father had returned, so she dressed up carefully to come and see him. What's wrong with that?"

Zhao Kuangyin said: "You should change this embroidered ribbon and don't wear such gorgeous clothes from now on."

Princess Yongqing felt wronged: "As the daughter of my father and the princess of the Song Dynasty, can't I even afford to wear an embroidered piece of clothing?"

“I can afford it, but I can’t wear it.”

"The daughters of wealthy families can wear it, so why can't I?
"Girls in the common people would dress like this, but you are different. You are the Princess of the Great Song Dynasty, my daughter. If the superior likes something, the subordinates will follow suit. If the Princess of the Great Song Dynasty dresses like this, and takes luxury as an honor, the palace will start to imitate it first, and then spread to the common people. If everyone imitates the princess's dress, do you know what the consequences will be?"

"What's wrong with that? What consequences could there be?" Princess Yongqing slightly withdrew her lips.

Zhao Kuangyin sighed and said, "By then, the price of Cui Yu in the capital will remain high. Merchants will chase profits and drive up prices, which will lead to extravagance and weaken the country's strength! Now there is the growing hostility of Wu in the south, the Liao in the north, and the Liu Han regime is like a thorn in the throat. As a princess, you must not lead the way in extravagance!"

After hearing this, Princess Yongqing realized that her father was taking his anger out on her after losing the battle.

"If you don't want to wear it, then don't wear it. Who cares? But please don't vent your anger about my father's defeat on me. I can't take responsibility for national affairs!" After Yongqing said this, she turned around and left in anger.

Zhao Kuangyin shook his head. His only intention was to strengthen the Song Dynasty, stabilize the situation, and complete the great cause of unification.

There are many strong opponents now, especially the State of Wu, which makes him increasingly uneasy.

Bianjing was prosperous, picturesque and crowded with tourists.

The atmosphere on the street was bustling, with carriages of the nobles and pedestrians of the common people moving in an orderly manner, shop signs swaying in the wind, and various hawking sounds intertwined, forming a vivid picture.

Meng Yutong was wearing an ordinary round-necked shirt, dressed as a man, and was dressed simply and unpretentiously, like a scholar from an ordinary family, strolling on the streets of Bianjing City, inconspicuous.

She knew very well that the most taboo thing in intelligence work was to attract attention. Only by blending herself into the vast crowd and looking like a passerby would she not be easily remembered and be able to sneak in the dark and collect intelligence.

Her face was also made up, like a disguise, and her originally beautiful and delicate cheeks were cleverly covered, making it difficult for people to see her true appearance. In this way, she could move freely in this prosperous city of Bianjing without attracting anyone's attention. This was exactly what she was pursuing, an ultimate privacy and freedom.

Meng Yutong walked lightly through the bustling streets and then turned into a bustling brothel.

Inside this theater, the storyteller's voice was melodious and fascinating, while the audience who were listening to the story were either sitting or standing, concentrating very hard, sometimes clapping their hands in admiration, sometimes bursting into laughter, and the atmosphere was very lively.

She handed the waiter a few copper coins in exchange for a pot of fragrant tea, picked some delicious dried fruits, and then found a good spot with a wide view to sit down.

Here, she can relax herself to her heart's content without having to pretend. She can just immerse herself in the unique atmosphere of this brothel.

The storyteller was telling a story with great enthusiasm. The story was about a martial arts novel called The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, with a very dramatic plot.

This is the novel that Su Chen wrote to make money after he came to this world. It is a remake of Jin Yong's work.

But the people of Song Dynasty still listened with great interest.

A smile spread out at the corner of Meng Yutong's mouth. She didn't expect Su Chen's work to be so popular here. She had read the novel, and it was quite interesting to listen to someone talking about it now.

After listening to the book, half of the tourists dispersed, and the rest were real tea drinkers, chatting about recent gossip, such as the Song government's failure to achieve success and the prosperity of the Wu Kingdom in the south. Such talk spread in the brothels and theaters, and Meng Yutong was also behind the scenes fanning the flames.

"The Wu Kingdom has unified the south and is becoming increasingly powerful. Maybe it will even launch a northern expedition against the Song Kingdom in the future!"

"I don't know if our Song State can stop it!"

"I heard that Su Chen became the King of Pingnan and has the power of regent. Maybe he can become the King of Wu in the future!"

"Wrong, it's to be the emperor of Wu!"

Some people were talking about it.

Meng Yutong heard this and winked at a shopkeeper. The shopkeeper understood and said to a few people pretending to be customers of the teahouse: "Our emperor will pass the throne to his younger brother. By then, who knows how our Song Dynasty will develop?"

"I heard that many ministers are trying to show their good will to the prefect, Lord Zhao, especially those officials who are frustrated and are planning to choose a new master."

"Ah, is that so?"

"Be careful with your words, don't say anything careless!"

Some people were frightened after hearing this, as it was a secret of the imperial court and could easily lead to a power grab and treason.

Those who spread such remarks were all former members of the Shu Kingdom's intelligence organization. After saying a few words at this moment, they decisively left for the sake of safety.

Meng Yutong did not stay long and stood up and walked into the brothel. This place was like a market, with shops and groceries, as well as some acrobatic performances, and it was very lively.

She would not stay in one place for too long, especially in places where public opinion arose, as it would be easy for her to be targeted by spies from the Wude Division of the Song Dynasty. Therefore, she was still very cautious.

"Su Chen, I'm so happy to know that you have won a great victory and strengthened the Wu Kingdom. I hope we can meet again one day soon!"

Meng Yutong missed Su Chen and felt tenderness in her heart.