Bao Qing secretly regretted that he had nothing to do, but since Yelu Chongyuan reached certain agreements with the court, why did he always hold himself back?

After the court dispersed, Bao Qing, Fan Zhongyan and Lu Yijian were kept by Renzong.

"Bao Qing, you really shouldn't mention the Liao envoy!" Fan Zhongyan said.

Seeing this, Renzong waved his hand and said, "That Yelu Chongyuan is really hateful. This time he pulled Bao Qing and refused to let go. Isn't he just want to ask me for more money?"

Bao Qing was puzzled when he heard this and asked, "Why should he ask us for money?"

"Why do you need money? The fire in Honglu Temple burned the Liao envoy to death. Do you think the Liao people will give up?" Lu Yijian said angrily.

"Bao Qing, we have done our best. Yelu Chongyuan blackmailed us on this matter!"

Bao Qing shook his head slightly and said, "We can't give this money! There is nothing we can do if we don't give it to him."

"The Liao envoy is dead. If the Emperor of Liao is angry and the troops are suppressing the border, will you Bao Qing be responsible?"

Bao Qing looked at Lu Yijian with contempt and asked, "Where is our current border? If I remember well, our current border is Mozhou. Even if the Liao Kingdom sends troops, it will not attack Mozhou."

Lu Yijian glared at Bao Qing and said, "The Ninth Prince has a relationship with the Liao people. If the matter is not handled well this time, it may be used by the Liao people. What if the Liao people and the thief join forces to deal with our Song Dynasty, what should we do?"

"The Liao people are not that stupid. They just hope that our Song Dynasty will continue to be so chaotic. The Liao people don't want to see that we win or the thief win. Your Majesty, I think we should not be able to give a penny. If we give money, it is actually helping the thief. We will give the Liao people money to recruit soldiers and horses, wouldn't it be better?"

Fan Zhongyan nodded and said, "Now, Yelu Chongyuan has been biting Bao Qing and is afraid that he wants to ask for more money."

"Your Majesty, I think it is necessary to investigate this matter publicly. The fire at Honglu Temple is very strange. The people who died were the clan members of Empress Xiao of Liao, and Yelu Chongyuan was not worried at all, but he was just thinking about asking for money. So, Your Majesty! You should investigate this matter publicly to block the mouths of the Liao people."

Renzong nodded when he heard this. Now the Song Dynasty's wealth is very tense, and there is still war on the front line, so there is no need to be stupid enough to give money to the Liao people.

"Let's do this! Bao Qing is fully responsible for the investigation of this matter. Fan Aiqing, you Kaifeng Prefecture is fully assisted." Renzong said.

When Bao Qing heard this, he secretly shouted "Not good".

"Your Majesty, you see, my injury has not healed yet. And let Kaifeng Prefecture deal with all of this major issue that is related to national diplomacy!" Bao Qing shouted quickly.

"Your Majesty, no. I have taken office as Kaifeng Prefecture, and many matters have not been clarified yet. Bao Qing is just right! Don't worry, Bao Qing, I will fully support you."

"Bao Qing, you still want to recommend the plan you proposed by yourself?" Lu Yijian glanced at Bao Qing in disgust and said.

"This matter is settled. Lv Aiqing, you will spread the Liao people in a while."

...

"What? The Emperor of Song Dynasty canceled all promises?" Yelu Chongyuan roared angrily.

"Yes, prince! They said that the fire incident was investigated publicly. As for compensation, we must wait until the case is investigated clearly before negotiation!"

After hearing this, Yelu Chongyuan was so angry that he paced around the room.

No, if you don’t want this money, how can you explain to your emperor’s brother when you go back? Yelu Chongyuan came to the Song Dynasty thousands of miles away, but it was not really just a trip as Mrs. Yelu said. His mission was to try his best to get some money from the Song Dynasty and increase the annual monies every year.

Of course, you cannot just ask for money like a scoundrel, you must have a reason. Now, the Liao envoy Xiao Lugu was burned to death by a fire in the Honglu Temple, which was just the reason.

"Prince, the person sent by Master Lu who came to the public. Before leaving, the man said that the prince should not provoke villains like Bao Qing. Otherwise, he would not be like this, and this is Bao Qing who investigated the fire in the Honglu Temple this time."

"It's him again? What kind of ability does Bao Qing have? Even a noble prime minister can't play with him? It seems that the money we sent was spent in vain. Go down and make an appointment with Mrs. Yelu, and help me ask Bao Qing for me, and I will say that I will hold a banquet in Dongsheng Pavilion tonight."

After Bao Qing went back, Dong Yanran told him that a woman had been waiting for him in the living room for a long time. Bao Qing was slightly surprised. Could it be that Fu Rou had found her? Haha, this woman is really bold.

"Bao Qing, are you finally back?"

When Bao Qing saw it, it turned out to be Mrs. Yelu.

"What's the point of madam?" Bao Qing asked in confusion.

"Some things I want to talk to you."

"Talk? You said!"

"Xiao Lugu died. He is the clan brother of Empress Xiao. This incident will inevitably cause trouble when it reaches the Liao Dynasty. After I go back, the queen will inevitably ask me. I want to ask you to help me check, how did Xiao Lugu die?" said Mrs. Yelu.

This is not a chat, it is obvious that I have something to ask for myself. According to Mrs. Yelu’s words, there is still a problem with Xiao Lugu’s death. Didn’t the fire happen by chance? Of course, I have not yet gone to the on-site investigation and cannot suspicion casually.

"Then let me ask you, what do you think of Xiao Lugu's death? You have to tell me one direction, right?"

Mrs. Yelu thought for a while and said, "Can it be Yelu Chongyuan did it?"

"Is there any possibility? Does Madam know the purpose of Yelu Chongyuan's trip?"

"This! It seems that you came to the Song Dynasty for money."

"Then Xiao Lugu is probably the same as this, right? The two have different methods, but the goals are the same."

"No, Xiao Lugu came to discuss a peace agreement with the Song Dynasty. The Great Liao did not want to be involved in the civil strife of the Song Dynasty, nor did he want the last incident in Bazhou to happen again. At the same time, he also hoped that the Song Dynasty would end the civil strife as soon as possible."

Mrs. Yelu said it was so high-sounding that Bao Qing was very dissatisfied. Suddenly, a thought flashed through Bao Qing's mind and discussed a peace agreement? What if someone wanted to maliciously undermine this peace agreement? Then killing this envoy to discuss peace is the best and most direct way.

"Madam, do you think! Could it be the fire set by the plum blossom gang controlled by the Ninth Prince?" Bao Qing asked.

"Plum Blossom Gang?" Mrs. Yelu was obviously a little shocked, and then immediately shook her head and said, "It is definitely impossible."

Bao Qing looked at Mrs. Yelu with a deep meaning. Bao Qing never mentioned it to Mrs. Yelu, and the Ninth Prince's Plum Blossom Gang was originally very secret. When the Thirteenth Prince wanted to escape through the secret passage, the Hongfu Jewelry Store secretly said that there was a plum blossom mark on it. At that time, Bao Qing was puzzled, but later he gradually forgot about it. Now looking at Mrs. Yelu's reaction, she obviously knew about the Plum Blossom Gang.

"How can Madam be so sure?"

"I'm guessing. The power of the Ninth Prince probably won't extend to Bianjing!" Mrs. Yelu was a little embarrassed.

"Ha, I'm also guessing. Let's wait until I've visited the scene and talked about it. When I came back, I heard from the servants that the prince wanted to have another banquet at Dongsheng Pavilion. I wonder if the wife was invited?"

Mrs. Yelu nodded and said, "Before you came back, someone came to deliver a letter. Bao Qing, what did you think Yelu Chongyuan was treating us at this time?"

"I'm not a god, how can I know."

When Mrs. Yelu left, she suddenly turned around and said to Bao Qing: "Actually, Empress Xiao appreciates you very much. The Queen hopes that you can have a chance to visit Liao Kingdom."

Bao Qing was confused when he heard this. What does Mrs. Yelu mean? The queen of Liao Kingdom has nothing to do with her, so how much can she know about her?

After Mrs. Yelu left, Bao Qing brought Jin Wandao and Gongsun Ce, and first went to Kaifeng Prefecture to find Fan Zhongyan. Fan Zhongyan sent the chief inspector Shen Wuba to take a group of constables with Bao Qing to Honglu Temple to check the scene.

Honglu Temple is within the Imperial City. Because there was a big fire just a few days ago, officials are actively preparing for a large-scale renovation. When Bao Qing came in, some building materials placed on the roadside could be seen everywhere.

Lord Wu, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, has received the order and should actively cooperate with Bao Qing. As soon as he heard the notice from his subordinates, he hurried out to greet him.

"Mr. Bao, please! I have long suspected that there is something wrong with this fire. Our Honglu Temple is usually very strict in management, because the people living here are envoys from various countries, so how could a fire occur? The Ministry of Personnel is so angry that it actually said that our Honglu Temple was negligent in management in the assessment memorial."
Chapter completed!