I studied in modern times

Chapter 789 The Best Candidate for the Liao Diplomatic Mission: Su Shi
Before dawn, Zhang Dunli was found dead in the place where he was confined.

His death was extremely painful.

His pants were full of shit and urine, his tongue was sticking out very long, and the bones in his neck were almost all broken.

The key is the way he died, which was extremely strange.

He hanged himself.

Hang the mosquito net on the beam, tie a knot, then wrap it around your neck, tighten it layer by layer, kneel on the ground, and hang yourself.

This method of suicide is obviously extremely difficult and theoretically impossible to accomplish by one's own strength.

Moreover, the multiple fractures in his neck seemed to explain something.

However, the relevant parties quickly announced that Zhang Dunli, the former imperial concubine's commander, demoted deputy commander of the Dengzhou militia, and a criminal living in Guangzhou, had committed suicide.

Moreover, after the announcement, his body was sent directly to a small temple outside the city for cremation.

The reason is that this is what the guilty minister begged for during his lifetime.

Doesn’t Zhang Dunli call himself a lay Buddhist?

It is normal for Buddhists to be cremated after death!

……

The wind and rain continued until the 21st day of April, and it rained for a whole day and night before it gradually stopped.

A heavy rain washed the city of Bianjing.

Even the air became fresher.

In Duting Posthouse, Yelu Ju walked out of the room where he had been feeling stuffy for a long time, came to the streets, took a deep breath of the air of Bianjing city, and smiled.

Yelu Yongchang, who was beside him, was already looking in the direction of the Liu family's old house in Yongchangfang.

He really fell into the gentle paradise of Bianjing City and couldn't extricate himself!
However, he could not go to Yongchangfang to meet Chongniang today.

Because today, he and Yelu Ju needed to go to the outskirts of Bianjing together with the officials of the Southern Dynasty to welcome the silver shipped from the Liao Kingdom, and supervise the Southern Dynasty officials to count, weigh and record it.

This is related to the issuance of new Jiaozi.

The old emperor needs these Jiaozi for his grand plan of conquering Korea!
As the trade between Song and Liao became increasingly close.

The large amount of inexpensive and high-quality consumer goods from the Southern Dynasties have become the key raw materials supporting the Liao Dynasty's war machine.

Cheap tea, porcelain, cloth...

As well as luxury items such as brown sugar, icing sugar, and Yuye wine.

These are all what the Liao army needs.

In particular, the Liao army has now cleared all the strongholds outside Kaesong, Goryeo, and the Battle of Kaesong has officially begun.

Large armies especially need rewards to boost morale.

The Liao Dynasty needed a large amount of goods to appease and reward the Bohai, Jurchen and other tribes.

Let them cooperate with the Liao army's attack strategy, and at least not cause trouble or attack the Liao army's logistical supply lines as they did in the previous three times the Liao army invaded Goryeo.

This requires a large amount of Southern Dynasty goods.

Therefore, Yelu Ju and Yelu Yongchang both knew that this batch of silver was only the first batch this year.

Soon, more hard currencies such as silver and gold were escorted to the Southern Dynasty, turned into Jiaozi, used to purchase commercial goods from the Southern Dynasty, and then sent back to become playthings for the nobles in the capital, rewards for the three armies, and materials for rewarding the surrendered civil and military officials of the Jurchens, Bohai, and even Goryeo.

While waiting, several newsboys appeared from the other side of the street holding tabloids.

"Selling newspapers... selling newspapers..."

"The capital is flooded with sweet rain, and the water level of the Bian River rises three times a day!"

When Yelu Ju heard this, he winked at the attendant beside him, who immediately stepped forward, took out a few copper coins, bought a tabloid, and handed it to Yelu Ju.

Yelu Ju took today's Bian Jing News and scanned it. The case of Zhang Dunli, the son-in-law of the emperor, which had been discussed and talked about every day in the tabloids a few days ago, had disappeared completely from the tabloids, without even a single word.

The content that appears in the tabloids has turned into all kinds of interesting stories and anecdotes.

What strange thing happened somewhere in the south wing of Xincheng, or a complicated case happened in a county in Kaifeng Prefecture...

In the tabloids, a dozen different news and interesting stories are enough to attract readers' attention.

Combined with the front-page headlines, the rainfall in Gyeonggi Province yesterday was completely attributed to the report that the emperor was a sage and moved God, who finally sent down the rain.

This really made Yelu Ju look at it, and he couldn't help but sigh: "Back then, in the case of the King of Wei, if the Lord had such means, how could it have come to this point today?"

The King of Wei of the Liao Dynasty had died long ago.

However, the gossips and secrets about his life and death were widely circulated throughout the Liao Dynasty.

The gossip about Queen Xiao Guanyin spread everywhere.

According to folk legend, the old emperor's head was already covered with green grass.

The blow this dealt to the royal family is self-evident.

In particular, the blow to the crown prince's reputation was immeasurable.

Many people are saying that perhaps the crown prince and the former crown prince are not the flesh and blood of the current emperor.

Now, a large part of Liao’s motivation to conquer Goryeo also comes from this.

The old emperor hopes to unite the country by expanding territory and whitewashing the situation, while also reconciling conflicts in order to leave a stable foundation for the crown prince to rule!

Therefore, in the old emperor's mind, Goryeo must perish!

This is about the country!
But unfortunately...

Because the matter of King Wei had caused so much noise, almost everyone knew about it.

As a result, the King of Wei and his party were worried every day, fearing that the Crown Prince would come to the throne in the future and make a list of their targets.

The ministers around King Liang were also worried every day, fearing that King Wei and his relatives would cause an accident or even assassinate King Liang.

Xiao Wuna stayed by the Crown Prince's side almost every day.

Zhao Xiaoyan and Wang Shiru were personally responsible for the crown prince's food and daily life.

The more the Liang Party does this, the more uneasy the Wei Party will feel - you are guarding against us like this now.

What will happen in the future?!
Therefore, after the death of King Wei, everyone tried their best to send beauties to the palace.

The current Queen Xiao Tansi and Imperial Noble Consort Xiao Wotelan are their masterpieces.

Everyone has only one thought in mind - I hope the old emperor will have another son!
This way everyone has something to look forward to!
However, several years passed and the old emperor grew older.

However, the concubines in the palace were not feeling any movement in their stomachs.

The Wei Wang party is anxious!

Everyone started to think of ways and find a way out.

It was for this reason that Yelu Ju succumbed to Xing Shu's sugar-coated bullets, settled down in the Southern Dynasty, and then felt at ease telling the Southern Dynasty's rulers and ministers many secrets of the Liao Dynasty.

Now thinking back, if the old emperor had been more efficient in his work, he would not have been able to prevent the rulers and ministers of the Southern Dynasties from stirring up trouble.

Things wouldn't have gotten to the point where everyone is in danger.

Yelu Yongchang, who was beside Yelu Ju, heard Yelu Ju's sigh. He chuckled and said, "Brother Liu, didn't you hear about it?"

"Ok?"

"Two years ago, the Queen had begged the Lord to raise the Prince of Liang as his own..." Yelu Yongchang had a close relationship with the royal family, so he knew a lot of palace secrets that outsiders didn't know.

Yelu Ju was shocked when he heard this and asked quickly, "What did the Lord say?"

"The Lord agreed at first!" Yelu Yongchang said, "But later, Wang Shiru and others urged him not to do so...so the Lord changed his mind!"

Yelu Ju let out a sigh and shook his head.

If the Queen can raise the Prince of Liang, with the bond of family affection, the Prince of Wei and his party will not have to worry.

Yelu Yongchang looked towards the north and said leisurely: "Prince Wen Zhong once told me..."

"When the King of Liang ascends the throne, the country may be in turmoil!"

Yelu Ju sighed, "Yes!"

The hatred for killing my father is irreconcilable!
What's more, the King of Wei and his party killed not only the King of Liang's biological father, but also his grandmother, biological mother, and all his in-laws.

As long as the King of Liang ascends the throne, even if he is unwilling, he will have to wield the butcher knife against the King of Wei and his party due to the requirement of filial piety.

At that time, I will be at the mercy of others and the only way to survive is to run away.

The Southern Dynasty was the best destination to escape to.

so……

"I have to make more money!" Yelu Ju said to himself, then looked at Yelu Yongchang and said, "My dear brother, too!"

"Yes!" Yelu Yongchang nodded.

Although he was not a member of the Wei Wang party, he belonged to the Emperor's party.

However, what if one day, the country is in chaos and returns to the situation at the beginning of the country where people kill each other's entire families?

Doesn't he have to prepare a way out?

Today, Goryeo is on the verge of destruction.

The Liao Dynasty's powerful people had few choices.

Southern Dynasty is the most suitable and best destination.

so!

Seize the time and make money quickly. The right thing to do is to make enough money before that day!
……

Funing Hall, East Pavilion and Quiet Room.

Zhao Xu listened to Shi Deyi's report and also looked at the public opinion summary of the Investigation Department.

"The discussion about the imperial consort in the streets of Bianjing must continue to decline!" Zhao Xu said, "Tell Tong Guan to step up his efforts and continue to publish the secrets and interesting stories of Bianjing and even the prefectures and counties of the world!"

"Also, notify the governor, Mr. Lu, to open the pawnshop as soon as possible to start buying!"

"Then, have Tong Guan publish the amount of money raised from the purchase in the newspaper as soon as possible!"

As a former anchor, Zhao Xu is well versed in how to manipulate traffic.

The public's memory is very short. So, if there is a scandal, it doesn't matter, just quickly cover it up with a lot of various news and major events.

Regarding Zhang Dunli's matter, Zhao Xu now has only one idea - the public should not be allowed to discuss this matter, especially the details involved.

Because discussion will lead to thinking, and thinking will lead to disenchantment. Once the public disenchantment with the royal family...

"Yes!" Shi Deyi bowed and accepted the order, and was about to retreat.

Zhao Xu stopped him and said, "Duzhi, go to Kaifeng Prefecture and inform Cai Jing that the confiscated property, gold and silver from Zhang Dunli must be inspected immediately and then sent to the Fengzhuang warehouse... As for the remaining property, except for that belonging to Princess Shoukang, all others must be sold as soon as possible!"

"Yes!"

"In addition... the properties of Fayun Temple will also be handled in the same way!" Zhao Xu added.
Zhang Dunli still has quite a bit of property.

At the very least, he still had a fortune of two or three hundred thousand strings of cash.

Among these, more than half were extorted from believers by Zhang Dunli using Fayun Temple.

Taking into account the industries and funds of Fayun Temple, Zhao Xu felt that he could definitely raise 500,000 strings of cash!

Now, these money will naturally return to their rightful place - the packaging library.

Not long after seeing Shi Deyi off, Zhao Xu received a notice from the Ministry of Revenue - the 200,000 and 700 taels of silver that the Liao people had sent to the Song Dynasty as a reserve for Jiaozi had arrived.

The Ministry of Revenue has inspected the quality and weight and found no problems, so it has been escorted into the palace by imperial order.

When Zhao Xu received the report, he set out immediately and waited in a side hall next to Jingfu Hall where the sealing pile warehouse was located.

After waiting for about an hour, Zhao Xu finally arrived at the silver convoy led by Di Yong himself.

A total of thirty carts, loaded with boxes of silver ingots, were delivered to the Jingfu Palace, accompanied by the Liao envoy Yelu Ju, the deputy envoy Yelu Yongchang and others.

Boxes of silver were carried into Jingfu Hall under the personal supervision of Zhao Xu.

A look of pride began to appear on Zhao Xu's face.

He was sure that these two hundred thousand taels of silver were just the beginning!
In the future, more silver, and even gold, will flow from the Liao Kingdom into the Song Dynasty.

After all the silver was deposited into the warehouse, Di Yong, along with the soldiers of the First Dragon Commander, and the Liao envoys, left the palace.

Zhao Xucai leisurely brought his people to Jingfu Palace.

Liu Weijian had been waiting for him here for a long time.

As a household slave of Zhao Xu's lineage, Liu Weijian was Zhao Xu's most trusted eunuch.

Therefore, Liu Weijian has the most titles among the eunuchs in the palace today.

As the supervisor of the Internal Eunuch Department and the envoy of Yeonbokgung Palace, he was also in charge of various departments, in charge of the affairs of the Imperial City Department, and co-supervisor of the Imperial Pharmacy, etc.

It can be said that he is Zhao Xu's well-deserved money bag in the palace.

"Your Majesty, I respectfully wish you all the best!" Liu Weijian knelt down from a distance and kowtowed to greet him respectfully.

"Old Qianxia, ​​get up quickly!" Zhao Xu stepped forward to help him up: "I have already told you that although you and I are master and servant, we are like family!"

"And in my eyes, the old commander is an elder!"

"How dare I?" Liu Weijian said quickly.

"Old commander..." Zhao Xu shook his head and smiled bitterly. He did not force it, but said, "Take me to see the silver ingots that have been put into the warehouse!"

"promise!"

Liu Weijian led Zhao Xu into Jingfu Hall and came to a newly built warehouse. He took out the key and opened the heavy door of the warehouse.

"Your Majesty..." Liu Weijian said, "This storehouse is where the silver sent by the Northern Tartars is stored..."

"Yeah!" Zhao Xu nodded and stepped in.

I saw long silver ingots neatly arranged on the shelves in the warehouse.

All of them are standard Liao Dynasty official silver ingots.

He walked forward, picked up a piece, and looked at it in his hand.

There are official stamps and engravings of the Liao Dynasty on the silver ingot.

It was these inscriptions that made Zhao Xu squint his eyes.

"It was cast on September 23rd of the second year of Da'an in the Liao Dynasty. The supervising official was Xiao Budaya, and the craftsman was Lin Erhu..." He frowned as he read.

It's so wild!

The Liao general who led his troops to Japan? !

"Old Commander..." Zhao Xu turned around and asked, "Is the Liao Lord safe now after the New Year?"

Liu Wei replied simply: "That's right! This year is the third year of the Northern Tartar Lord's Da'an..."

"Oh, so that's it..." Zhao Xu put down the silver ingot and glanced at the silver ingots in front of him.

He immediately gave the order: "Old officer, count all the silver ingots engraved with 'Xiao Bu Da Ye' and report to me..."

"promise!"

Liu Weijian immediately mobilized people and started counting.

Half an hour later, the results came out.

A total of 232 silver ingots engraved with the name Xiao Budaya were found, spanning from September last year to February this year.

Moreover, starting this year, the stamp on the silver ingot has changed.

Clear stamps of origin began to appear - Da'an Island in Xiaozuan.

"Daan Island?"

"Da'an Island..." Zhao Xu murmured, chewing on the term.

He knew that this island must be the origin of the silver.

The question is…is it there?
One thing is certain - this island must have been named by the Liao ruler Yelu Hongji!
"It seems that I have to ask Xing Shu to ask Yelu Ju and Yelu Yongchang to see if they know the location of Da'an Island!"

Do what you want to do. After Zhao Xu returned to Funing Palace, he issued an edict to pardon the punishment.

The next day, Xing Shu reported back - Your Majesty, I have learned that the so-called [Da'an Island] of the northern barbarians is actually the [Tsushima Island] that they seized from Japan. It is said that it was the first Japanese territory occupied by the Liao general Xiao Budaye when he led his army to chase the defeated Goryeo army last year!
"Tsushima Island..." Zhao Xu recalled the map of Northeast Asia he had seen in modern times.

He vaguely remembered that Tsushima Island was right on the edge of Kyushu, Japan.

It seems that during the Warring States Period in Japan, the reason why the monkey Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Korea was because he was fooled by the daimyo of Tsushima Island.

Now, the Liao people are using Tsushima Island as a base and jumping into Japan. Is this a boomerang?

Unfortunately, Xiao Budaya’s past and character are still shrouded in mystery, making it difficult to see clearly and understand.

Zhao Xu only knew that he was born into the Bali clan of the Liao Dynasty's uncle's family - Liao's external relatives came from three surnames, namely Yishi, Bali, and the family of Abaoji's empress Shulü after the founding of the country.

Because Yelu Abaoji worshipped Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, and regarded himself as a member of the Liu clan, the Khitan's in-laws all had the Han surname Xiao.

But in fact, the Xiao family was a huge political group that was tied to the Yelu family.

Things became even more chaotic after he joined the Shulü family.

Because Shulü clan was a Uighur!
Even the Liao people sometimes couldn't tell the followers of these Xiao family members, so they simply divided them into two branches: the second prince's uncle's branch.

Before the founding of the country, Yishiyi and Bali were considered one branch, and after the founding of the country, the Shulü family was also considered one branch.

The former is called the Great Uncle and the latter is called the Small Uncle.

There are further subdivisions below, which seem to be divided into five accounts.

But only the Liao people themselves know how it was divided specifically.

Anyway, Yelu Ju and others reported that Xiao Budaya was a descendant of Fang Bali, the eldest uncle of the state, and his father and grandfather were not famous, but were minor officials.

But his generation rose.

Because he had the upper hand over the Liao Grand Tutor Yelu Dilie, who was a close confidant of Liao ruler Yelu Hongji, Yelu Dilie kept him by his side and guided him like a nephew.

Yelu Dilie was the most trusted veteran minister of Yelu Hongji after Yelu Yixin.

This person was the Liao royal minister that Zhao Xu was most familiar with.

Because in modern times, Zhao Xu had seen his epitaph, which was kept in the Liao and Jin City Wall Museum in the imperial capital.

From the epitaph, we know that Yelu Dilie came from the absolute imperial party system of the Liao Dynasty - the line of King Wen Zhong.

He is the descendant of Han Derang's younger brother Han Dewei.

Therefore, Yelu Dilie has always been loyal to Yelu Hongji. He has made great efforts in both pacifying Yelu Chongyuan and stabilizing Yelu Yixin. Therefore, he was successively appointed as the King of the Southern Courtyard, the Privy Envoy of the Northern Courtyard, etc. In his later years, he continued to hold important positions such as the Governor of Shangjing and the Governor of Nanjing.

It can also be known from the epitaph that his first wife was Bali, who was from the Khitan family!
and so……

This Xiao Budaye should have a close relationship with Yelu Dilie's first wife.

Maybe even a direct relative!
Only this can explain why Yelu Dilie kept promoting Xiao Budaye.

Maybe they are something like brother-in-law or nephew.

Last year, when Liao attacked Goryeo, Yelu Dilie appointed this man as the vanguard.

This person did not disappoint Yelu Dilie's promotion. According to Yelu Ju and others, he was the first to arrive in Pyongyang!
Because he was the first to reach the site and made great contributions, he was appointed as the Pyongyang Recruiting Envoy and became a general.

then……

While pursuing the defeated Goryeo army and Jurchen mercenaries, he crossed the sea and followed the defeated soldiers to the island of Japan.

The time was around August last year.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xu became even more interested in Xiao Budaye.

He planned to send an envoy to follow Yelu Ju and others when they returned to the court to find out more details and make plans for the future.

But who should be sent to Liao to do this?

Zhao Xu thought about it and felt that only one person could complete this task successfully.

Su Shi! Su the Bearded Man!
There is no other reason!

It’s because Big Beard is really good at making friends!

Moreover, he is very famous and has fans all over the world.

Not only the Song Dynasty had a bunch of fans, the Liao Dynasty also had a bunch of fans.

In Zhao Xu’s previous life, Su Shi was sent as an envoy to the Liao Kingdom and gained a lot!
(End of this chapter)