"..."

In the courtyard.

Looking at Xiaoli with a face full of 'my poetry sells really well,' Xu Yun felt like there was something stuck in his throat he couldn't spit out.

As a Song Fan.

He certainly knew that in the current era, there were often transactions involving the buying and selling of poetry in certain gray areas.

Just like buying and selling papers in the 21st century, where there's demand, there's a market.

Every festival, pleasure boats would lavishly purchase some beautiful poems, to be sung by the leading figures of various pleasure boats during the holidays.

In some articles from later generations, this kind of activity is also called the competition for the flower queen.

The current period is the flourishing era of pleasure boats in Bianjing. Li Shishi, Xu Poxi, Feng Yinu, Sun Sisi, and others were almost breaking their heads for the fame of the flower queen.

Among them, the most famous singing princess was undoubtedly Li Shishi.

According to the "Records of the Splendor of Tokyo: Capital City Art and Entertainment," Li Shishi was a person of unparalleled elegance, setting the standards of beauty for her time.

Unfortunately, in ancient Huaxia, only four great beauties were recognized, from Xi Shi in the Spring and Autumn to Lady Yang of the Tang Dynasty, the four slots were long filled.

Li Shishi was born too late and missed that wave of titles.

But if there were to be a ranking for the five great beauties instead, Li Shishi would definitely be among them.

However, Li Shishi's most popular period was between 1102-1110, and at this moment, she hadn't shown her overwhelming advantage yet.

Therefore, in such intense competition, the importance of a good poem speaks for itself, being crucial for victory.

Singers from later generations often paid fifty to a hundred thousand for a good song, and it's not uncommon for even better ones to go for two to three hundred thousand.

Some top-notch songs could sell for as much as 600,000 to 800,000.

Thus, with Xiaoli's current reputation, selling three poems for about two hundred guan isn't a big deal—this girl might be a girl, but status-wise, she's definitely a 'poetry maven.'

However, Xu Yun was worried that...

This girl might sell "Zhegu Tian," right?

And if she gets a taste of it, she might end up becoming Li, the 'sell some poetry for funding' Qingzhao?

Don't let it develop to the point where Xiaoli even starts incorporating some scientific terms into her poems?

Like "And more sycamore with fine rain, base ester dehydrogenation, drip by drip." Or something?

Ssss....

Feeling like he's getting further along the path of being pummeled by Xiaoli's fangirls and fanboys...

However, seeing Xiaoli's face full of excitement, Xu Yun could only reluctantly nod:

Well, as long as the girl is happy.

Studying science isn't a dead end, who knows if Xiaoli might become a genius in both arts and sciences in the future?

He then followed Xiaoli to Old Su's side and recounted the whole situation.

Old Su had already learned of Xiaoli's intentions the day before, so he didn't hesitate much and agreed to Xiaoli's request on the spot.

Of course.

Agreement is one thing, but Old Su didn't budge at all on the price.

Not only didn't he offer a discount, but he even increased it by about 20%.

After all, the resources were found through Xiaozhao, so getting approval was already a backdoor move; in formal proceedings, no sensitive traces could be left.

After getting approval.

Xu Yun returned to his room and began to compute the curvature values Xiaoli needed.

Two days later.

In the morning.

"Creak creak....."

After finishing the breakfast brought by the servant, Xu Yun returned to the desk and began writing in a small notebook.

This was his custom-made memo, which recorded some projects or "achievements" he had completed, as well as his thoughts for the future.

It was worth mentioning.

Although Old Su's family was very safe, and theoretically no one would go into his room to steal things...

Considering the error margin, Xu Yun ultimately decided not to use Chinese characters, but instead used...

Morse code and the English alphabet.

The entire memo was divided into two columns, the left column labeled 'ok,' the right column labeled 'nook.'

The left side indicated completed projects, while the right side indicated future plans.

Though grammatically speaking.

The English for completed and unfinished should be finished and unfinished, Xu Yun's arrangement looked rather rustic.

But at this point in time, his English teacher wasn't even born yet, no need to worry too much, as long as he understood it, it was fine.

And below the completed projects were several lines of Morse code.

The top-ranking one was:

—••, •—

•••, ••—, •—, —•

•••, ••— (Don't say I'm rambling, 7 characters equal one word)

Combined, it means "allicin."

Anyone who has been in the espionage community would know.

Writing Morse code isn't difficult.

Writing it fluidly can be even quicker than letters and pinyin.

Plus, its appearance can be disguised using 'mathematics,' so Xu Yun mainly chose Morse code to record text.

Because again, stability is key.

Aside from allicin, the completed projects also included several other terms:

Generator, electrolytic cell, syringe, microscope, chalkboard chalk, curvature formula, math and science introductions, rescuing Wang Yue, killing cockroaches, and a series of terms.

If we consider the situation from the last 1665 'dungeon,' the completed project scores would obviously not be too low.

It seems as long as Old Su's last wishes are completed, Xu Yun could successfully return to reality and receive a score.

But don't forget.

The mission's name is [Making a Fuss], with difficulty ranging between [★★☆☆☆-★★★★☆].

Xu Yun had a vague feeling:

What he's been doing wasn't particularly difficult, it seemed achievable by anyone, and likely far from meeting the four-star standard.

Not to mention, from a national perspective, Xu Yun also didn't want to see the suddenly abrupt demise of the flourishing Song Dynasty in twenty years.

Therefore, the next direction....

Xu Yun came to the nook section, and next to the goal of "continue killing cockroaches," he wrote down a string of Morse code.

•———,••,•—

—••,•—

•—••,••

—••,••—

Another crucial point is.

The following plan should not be limited to Old Su Mansion but should expand its influence.

If there's an opportunity, it's best to reach out to some big figures in the Imperial Guard.

Although the Song Dynasty was very typical in valuing civil over military affairs.

But if one can achieve a military officer rank of Third Grade or above, they still hold a certain position.

Looking at the memo in front of him, Xu Yun couldn't help but gently bite the end of his brush, which was also an action he really liked:

"The highest military position in the Song Dynasty is Grand Commandant, but Emperor Huizong will soon break up the position of Grand Commandant from the top three, and later there were several Grand Commandants, wasn't there?

Tong Guan is certainly one, Wang Hou must be one too, and Old Zhong was later Vice Imperial Secretariat, if I remember correctly....

Besides, the Four Generals of Revival can be ruled out, and I don't remember the rest....."

Currently, Emperor Huizong of Song has just ascended the throne, and the Grand Commandant is still one of the top three positions, which will be officially broken apart in a few years.

Therefore, Xu Yun directly abandoned the idea of asking Old Su's list—under normal historical circumstances, when Old Su died, the Grand Commandant was still one of the top three.

According to later developments, in a few years, Emperor Huizong of Song will break up the Grand Commandant into nine positions.

They are respectively the Commander of the Palace Guard, Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Chief of the Imperial Guard, Commander of the Imperial Guard Cavalry, Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Chief of the Imperial Guard, Commander of the Imperial Guard Infantry, Deputy Commander, Chief of the Imperial Guard.

They are also called the Three Marshals of the Imperial Guard, the Three Marshals of the Cavalry, the Three Marshals of the Infantry, collectively known as the Nine Marshals of the Imperial Court.

In "Water Margin," Gao Qiu's real position was one of the Three Marshals of the Imperial Guard.

That's why he was called Marshal, Grand Commandant.

According to the storyline of "Water Margin."

Song Jiang was later appointed Chuzhou Pacification Envoy, and Wu Yong was appointed Military Victory Commander, both of whom could indeed be called "Grand Commandant Song" and "Grand Commandant Wu."

However, although there were many Grand Commandants later, those who were genuinely capable and currently in relatively high positions during this period were quite limited.

From a broad perspective, the most suitable person to contact in the Imperial Guard is undoubtedly...

Old Zhong.

Old Zhong, also known as Zhong Shidao.

In "Water Margin," Lu Da often mentioned Old General Zhong, who was this person.

He came from a family of generals, with outstanding military achievements, and ultimately became Vice Imperial Secretariat.

It is no exaggeration to say that Old Zhong was the soul of the entire Great Song's Western Army.

Although Old Zhong had both victories and defeats in his career, in terms of military capability alone, he was undoubtedly recognized as the Northern Song's last pillar.

Actually.

During the entire Jingkang Incident, his strategy was correct:

First, he swiftly dispatched elite troops from Tong Pass and then tended to hold back Wanyan Zongwang of the Eastern Route Army.

Once Zongwang's isolated force was deeply entrenched and had no supply linings, he would then bite back. At the very least, he intended to rebuild the Hebei defensive line.

Hedong's Taiyuan Western Route Army commanded by Wanyan Zhonghan could be attacked in collaboration with Wang Bing's forces from Taiyuan, as Taiyuan was a fortified city surrounded by mountainous terrain, making it difficult for Zhonghan to breach.

However, Old Zhong encountered the legendary teammate Emperor Huizong, who delivered one of the most famous operations in Huaxia's history:

First, he made a surprise attack with Yao Pingzhong that became known to everyone in the city, leading Zongwang to happily accept the gift.

Then he forbade the Eastern Route Army from retreating and refused plans to repair the defense line, urging Zhong Shidao's brother Zhong Shizhong from Hedong to go into battle.

Zhong Shizhong first won but later lost, ultimately dying on the battlefield, wrapped in horse hides.

By the eve of the Jingkang Incident, the Jin soldiers besieged Bianjing again.

At this time, Zhong Shidao, who was seriously ill, made a last suggestion to Emperor Huizong's son, Emperor Qinzhong:

Your Majesty, you should retreat to Chang'an temporarily, and entrust the Capital City wholly to the generals in charge.

As expected, Emperor Qinzhong, who inherited Emperor Huizong's excellent bloodline, continued to ignore it, accusing Zhong Shidao of being cowardly due to his age, and rejected his advice.

Eventually, the 76-year-old Zhong Shidao passed away in regret and bitterness.

A month later, in November of the First Year of Jingkang, Bianjing fell.

What can you say to that.....

In summary.

Old Zhong was undoubtedly the most suitable option, but Xu Yun was not quite sure if the Minister of Strategy was currently in Bianjing.

Under normal circumstances.

Old Zhong should be serving as Prefect in Weizhou, defending the frontier and would not easily return to the Capital City.

However, with the recent strategic gains in Qingtang, it's possible that Old Zhong might also return for a report.

Actually, Xu Yun had also asked Wang Bing about this matter earlier, but alas, Wang Bing returned to the Capital City for medical reasons with Wang Yue first, and he needed to inquire further to determine the full entourage's members.

Therefore, Xu Yun first drew a question mark next to Old Zhong's Morse code to indicate uncertainty.

Then he thought for a moment and wrote down another name:

Wang Hou.

This is also a previously mentioned character, who in a certain sense, was one of the reasons why Tong Guan could rise.

Although Wang Hou might not be as famous as Old Zhong in history, in terms of achievements or abilities, he was only slightly below Old Zhong.

And compared to the uncertainty surrounding Old Zhong, Wang Hou's whereabouts were quite clear—he had already returned to Bianjing with Tong Guan.

More importantly...

Wang Hou and Wang Bing share a kinship relation; they practically had the same great grandfather, though not the same great grandmother.

"Old Zhong, Wang Hou, as long as we can connect with either one, in conjunction with the status and network that Old Su still possesses, and the previously laid 'Black Rye Erguotou'...."

Looking at these two names and the plan written earlier, Xu Yun lightly nodded:

"In this way, the configuration to cause some trouble is nearly complete....."

While Xu Yun was pondering, Yongzhu's voice suddenly came from outside the door:

"Brother Wang, the master is asking you to come over."

Xu Yun hurriedly put away the memo, calmed his breath, and replied:

"Coming immediately, Brother Yongzhu, did the master mention anything?"

"Yes, Prince Jian just arrived at the mansion."

.......

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.