Chapter 44

Volume 1 [Qingpingyue] Chapter 44: The World No Longer Has Li Yuanhao

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I beg for recommendations and a higher ranking. No matter what happens today, I will add an extra chapter...

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"Where do you admire me?" Chen Ke was greatly surprised. He had lived in the Song Dynasty for many years and fully understood the world's value orientation of 'all things are inferior, only reading is supreme.'

Although he had invented many things and had many ideas, in the small Qing County, only the poor who yearned to escape poverty would buy into his ideas. The pedantic scholars, even if they were penniless, didn't take him seriously.

Chen Xiliang had long pointed out to Chen Ke that to win the respect of mainstream society, one must either have outstanding poetry and prose, be erudite and innovative in the classics, or pass the imperial exams and serve as an official well.

So far, Chen Ke had none of these three qualities. Therefore, in the eyes of the scholars in the county, he was just a strange person who neglected his duties and spent his days with the common people. What respect could he possibly receive? However, Chen Ke didn't care about the opinions of those fools. He never sought fame and fortune; he just wanted to live a comfortable life. So he always ignored the sarcastic voices... let others say what they will!

So when he heard that a scholar admired him, and that scholar was Su Shi, his first reaction was surprise: "What is there to admire about me?"

"How can you be so modest, Brother?" Su Shi held his hand, his face full of excitement: "The purpose of a scholar serving as an official is to benefit the people, right? You haven't even become an official, yet you have already benefited the people of Qing County. This is a great achievement!" The two had already compared their ages, and Chen Ke was two months older.

"Uh..." Chen Ke smiled, feeling flattered: "It does seem to make some sense."

"It's not just some sense; this is the right way!" Su Dongpo said excitedly: "Tell me, how did you come up with those ideas!"

"Trivial skills, that's all." Chen Ke shook his head and smiled.

"Soy sauce, stir-frying techniques, lotus charcoal, Huangjiao wine... and the 'Yiguanzhengqi' you designed, each one has changed people's lives," Su Shi countered: "And I've noticed that everything you do is to help others and make their lives better. This is what the sages call 'benevolence'!"

Chen Ke was sweating. He didn't want to be a brain-dead fan of Su Dongpo, but Su Dongpo had become his brain-dead fan. What was going on here?

Su Zhe came to his rescue: "Brother, we need to leave, or we'll be discovered."

"Ah..." Su Shi remembered his situation, nodded dejectedly, and said reluctantly: "How long will you stay at home?"

"Your sister needs to take three doses of Zhenwu Decoction, so at least three days," Chen Ke replied.

"But you must come to talk to me every day." Su Shi held his hand, as if making a difficult decision: "Wait a moment." He walked to the bed, took out a palm-sized object from under the pillow, wrapped it carefully in a handkerchief, and turned to give it to Chen Ke: "Brother, I give you this object to play with, to commemorate our first meeting!"

"..." Su Zhe wanted to say something but ended up just smiling bitterly.

"Thank you!" In this era, it was impolite to open gifts in front of the giver. Chen Ke felt the weight and guessed it was an inkstone. He was never a pretentious person, so he accepted it readily: "I came in a hurry and didn't bring a gift for you, so I'll have to wait until next time."

Su Shi was initially a bit reluctant, but seeing that Chen Ke didn't hesitate, he realized he was a rare straightforward and generous person. He felt as if he had drunk fine wine and said happily: "I'll be waiting for Brother's gift!"

Su Zhe, watching from the side, felt dizzy. What kind of people were these two! They were a pair of clowns...

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Actually, Su Zhe was overly cautious. The elders were drinking and talking, looking like they were in a fierce battle, and had no time to pay attention to them.

At that moment, Su Xun was sitting in the host's seat, with Song Fu and Chen Xiliang sitting opposite each other, and Chen Chen sitting at the end... of course, he had no say in the matter. His main job was to listen and serve tea.

That night, everyone was very excited... the rescue of the Su family's little sister was secondary; the main thing was that a scourge had died.

The scourge was named Li Yuanhao. The founding king of Western Xia, who had been a constant worry for the Song people, had actually died this time... the reason it was said "this time" was because he was rumored to be killed several times every year.

But this time, it was real...

A great hero who had once dominated the world would always die in a shameful way after becoming too arrogant. Li Yuanhao was a prime example. To put it bluntly, he brought it upon himself.

Last April, Li Yuanhao married his son Ninglingge to the beautiful Mei Yishi.

Mei Yishi was so beautiful that even the experienced Li Yuanhao was smitten. As a king who had been a bandit all his life, he always took what he liked, even if it was his own daughter-in-law.

Thus, Ninglingge experienced the nightmare of his wife becoming his stepmother overnight. Before this, his two powerful uncles, Yeli Yiqi and Yeli Wangrong, had already been executed by his father on the pretext of a Song general's plot. His mother, Empress Yeli, had also been deposed last year...

The hatred of losing his wife, deposing his mother, and killing his uncles finally made Ninglingge snap. Unlike the son of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, who endured in silence, Ninglingge, with the 'support' of the prime minister Meicang Epeng, decided to kill his father!

On the Lantern Festival of the eighth year of Qingli, Prince Ninglingge took advantage of the relaxed security during the festival to sneak into Li Yuanhao's bedroom with a knife. Li Yuanhao was already drunk, and although he was alert, his movements were slow, and he was slashed across the nose!

The tyrant who had cut off countless noses never imagined that one day his own son would cut off his nose.

Seeing his father's face turn into a bloodied mess, Ninglingge was frightened and threw the knife, escaping to the prime minister's house. However, Meicang Epeng did not fulfill his promise to help him ascend the throne but immediately captured and executed him.

It turned out that both Li Yuanhao and his son had fallen into Meicang Epeng's trap.

Meicang Epeng was originally the younger brother of Ninglingge's uncle, and later became the younger brother of Li Yuanhao. After Li Yuanhao killed the Yeli brothers, he coveted the beauty of Yeli Yiqi's wife, Meicang, and had her become a nun, secretly consorting with her. Meicang gave birth to a son, Li Liangzuo, who was raised in Meicang Epeng's house.

Because of this relationship, Meicang Epeng became the prime minister of Western Xia. Since his nephew's birth, he and his sister had been plotting to depose Ninglingge and make Li Liangzuo the crown prince. As a close minister of Li Yuanhao, he saw his lust for his daughter-in-law and boldly planned a series of vicious schemes: he encouraged Li Yuanhao to take Ninglingge's wife and incited Ninglingge to kill Li Yuanhao, promising to make him emperor.

Meicang Epeng's plan was well thought out—whether Ninglingge succeeded or failed, he would be executed for regicide, and his nephew Li Liangzuo would become the first in line to the throne.

To ensure success, he used his power to temporarily remove the guards, allowing Ninglingge to sneak into the heavily guarded bedroom. Ninglingge's escape was also facilitated by his covert assistance.

The success of the plan depended on luck, and the Meicang family had the best luck in the world. The most outrageous plan succeeded, and Ninglingge cut off Li Yuanhao's nose and escaped to his house. What was there to hesitate? Meicang Epeng immediately executed Ninglingge for regicide, completely clearing himself of any involvement.

The next morning, the good news came that Li Yuanhao had died from blood loss at dawn. Meicang Epeng then dominated the country—Li Yuanhao's only son was his nephew, so who could challenge him? He made Li Liangzuo emperor, brought his sister back from the temple to be empress, and executed the deposed Empress Yeli, completely controlling the power of Western Xia.

After all this, Meicang Epeng sent envoys to the Song Dynasty to announce the news. The Song Dynasty only then learned of the dramatic change in Western Xia—this was a blessing from the heavens for a regime that disliked war! The emperor immediately offered sacrifices to the ancestral temple, thanking his ancestors for removing this great threat and sowing the seeds of chaos in Western Xia.

Although it was inappropriate to celebrate openly due to the recent diplomatic relations, the emperor still declared a general amnesty and changed the era name to Huangyou the following year...

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"Although it is a just retribution, it is a pity for that scoundrel Li Yuanhao!" Su Xun, slightly drunk, slapped the table: "The court should immediately raise an army to take advantage of his weakness and restore our northwest border!"

"If we really go to war with Western Xia," Song Fu was also very excited: "I am willing to put down my pen and join the army, serving as a lowly soldier in the vanguard!"

"..." Only Chen Xiliang remained silent.

The two looked at him strangely: "The Song Dynasty has a chance to reunite, and you are not happy?"

"I think the court will not fight this war," Chen Xiliang shook his head.

"How can you boost the morale of others and undermine your own?" Su Xun was displeased: "The principle that if the heavens offer it and you do not take it, you will surely suffer, you must understand, right?"

"Of course, I also wish to destroy Western Xia tomorrow," the now more mature Chen Xiliang said calmly: "But I believe the court has three reasons not to fight."

"Which three reasons?"

"The failure of the Qingli Reforms, the exile of Fan Gong and Fu Gong, and the unresolved financial and military issues, which have worsened, is the first reason," Chen Xiliang explained clearly: "The current emperor and ministers probably do not want to fight this war. Otherwise, why would the great news of Li Yuanhao's death be celebrated so secretly? They are worried about angering Western Xia, which is the second reason. The third reason is that the court has just suppressed the rebellion in Beizhou and the southwestern Nong Zhigao is eyeing Guangxi. The court cannot risk a full-scale war without resolving internal issues and preparing adequately."

Although they felt disheartened, Su Xun and Song Fu had to admit that Chen Xiliang's analysis made sense. They said with great disappointment: "Xiliang, are you just going to accept this? This is not like you..."

"On the contrary," Chen Xiliang shook his head, his gaze firm: "The government's incompetence and the country's regrets are precisely the time for us to be ashamed and strive for strength. One day, we will lead a million troops to sweep through the river and break through the Helan Mountains!"

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Today's extra chapter. The Three Rivers event is almost over, I beg for a big push for Uncle Cat, hehe, he won't be angry...

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