The King of Northern Liang!
Ouyang Xiu more or less understood what Wang Yue meant. It was all just a matter of circumstances coming together. He was a carefree sort, so he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he smiled and said, "His Majesty sent me here, really, to block your way east. As long as you don't head east, we can still be good friends. If you do, I'll have no choice but to cut off your head."
Wang Yue knew Ouyang Xiu wanted him to give his word, so he replied solemnly, "Since you've put it that way, Brother Ouyang, I'll give you a straight answer. My next plan is to open up the Silk Road, so my focus will be on the west.
"I hope Great Song will be ready as well. Once I've dealt with the troubles in the west, Northern Liang will attack Western Xia, and Great Song can reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun!"
Hearing Wang Yue's words, Ouyang Xiu was reassured. He smiled and changed the subject, chatting with Wang Yue about what he'd experienced over the years and the poems he'd written.
Wang Yue held his own with ease. They talked late into the night, until Wang Yue was thoroughly drunk. His guards escorted him across the newly built Lanzhou Great Bridge and back to Northern Lanzhou.
After Wang Yue left, Ouyang Xiu downed several bowls of hangover soup before staying up all night to write a memorial.
The Privy Council received Ouyang Xiu's memorial and, after discussing it, sent it to the palace.
After reading the memorial, the emperor furrowed his brow and asked, "Prime Minister Lü, how much of what Wang Yue told Ouyang Xiu do you think was true, and how much was false?"
Lü Yijian was a