Do you know: I am the crown prince

Chapter 408 A Thunder

Song Chaozhong wanted Shen Congxing's sister to participate in the selection, not because he wanted to build up power in the harem, but because he did not have that ability.

He did this because he thought that he would have someone of his own among the concubines in the harem, who would be able to understand some of the developments in the palace, and if he was favored, he could also influence her at a critical moment.

However, he did not place all his hopes on Shen Congxing. He wanted Shen Congxing to send his sister to the talent show just for the sake of just in case.

"My sister is spoiled. I'm afraid if she really enters the palace, she might misbehave in front of the emperor or offend the nobles..."

Although Shen Congxing is a capable person, he is very considerate of feelings.

He knew something about the situation in the palace, and he knew his sister's personality even better, so he was not very willing to let his sister enter the palace.

"Cong Xing!"

Song Chaozhong patted Shen Congxing on the shoulder and said, "Being an official is not as simple as you think. There are so many people eyeing a position. Waiting for your boss to be promoted is actually the dumbest way. You don't have any background. Others are eyeing your position and plotting against you. Even I may not be able to protect you.

But this reward is the grace of His Majesty. Not to mention that you have already accepted it, even if you haven't accepted it, would you dare to refuse it?

Your Majesty, there are not many concubines in the palace. Although appearance is considered in the selection, family background is equally important.

This is the first time that His Majesty will be selecting contestants, and not only will contestants be selected from the general public, but also some civil and military officials and nobles will be chosen.

We, the generals, are all rough men, and the women in our families are all ordinary looking. I heard that your sister is very beautiful and has a great chance of being selected, so I told you this. If you don't want to, just pretend I didn't say anything."

"Thank you for the reminder, uncle, but I still have to go back and discuss this matter with my sister." Shen Congxing said.

"It's natural."

Seeing that Shen Congxing was already moved, Song Chaozhong smiled slightly and did not continue the topic.

…………

The report on the Duke of England's dispatch of troops was sent back to the Privy Council. After reading it, Zeng Gongliang hurriedly brought the report to ask for an audience with Zhao Xing.

After listening to Zeng Gongliang's story, Zhao Xing looked at the report and pondered, "Mr. Zeng, do you think that if the Princess of England takes the initiative to send troops, it will trigger a war with the Liao Kingdom?"

"Your Majesty, this is not a question of whether or not a war will be triggered, but that the Song Dynasty was the first to break the alliance. The most important thing is that the Duke of Ying did not ask for permission and mobilized troops on his own, which is a big taboo," said Zeng Gongliang.

"Big taboo? What big taboo?"

Zhao Xing said calmly, "When a general is away from home, he is not subject to the orders of the emperor. Now that the road to the Northern University is closed, the transmission of information is slow. How can I ask for instructions on everything? Moreover, I have given the Duke of England special permission to act at his own discretion. What crime has he committed?"

The saying "A general is not bound by his king's orders when he is away from his lord" is just for reference. Since ancient times, any general who dared to do so would never have a good end.

But this time the Duke of England can only be considered to have acted on his own, and it cannot be considered to have disobeyed the king's orders. These are two completely different concepts.

However, the Duke of England's behavior was still considered taboo in the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty court's control over the military had reached a pathological level, and the generals had almost no autonomy.

The British Duke's act of mobilizing troops without authorization was naturally a taboo.

But Zhao Xing doesn't care about these.

"My dear minister, just tell me whether the Duke of Ying's action will lead to a war with the Liao Kingdom."

"will not!"

Zeng Gongliang pondered for a long time after hearing this, and said: "Let's not talk about the fact that Liao has been in chaos for so long and is temporarily unable to send troops. Now it's snowing heavily in the north, and Liao has many cavalry, so it's not convenient to send troops. What's more, winter is not suitable for siege!"

"That's good!" Zhao Xing nodded.

In fact, he also felt that the Liao Kingdom might send troops to the extreme, but he was worried that he had missed something, so he asked Zeng Gongliang for confirmation.

After a moment's silence, Zhao Xing said, "Let's keep this matter under wraps for now and don't make it public!"

At this time, when the news of the Duke of England sending troops spread, it was inevitable that there would be some rumors, but Zhao Xing did not have the time to argue with the officials.

Once he obtains the imperial seal and announces it to the world, his prestige will surely reach its peak, and he won't have to worry about so many things then.

"Yes!" Zeng Gongliang hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed.

"If there is nothing else, Lord Zeng, please leave first." Zhao Xing waved his hand.

Zeng Gongliang bowed and was about to leave when at this moment a loud noise was heard from somewhere and the entire palace shook slightly.

"Quick escort!"

The imperial guards outside the hall had no idea what was happening, but they still rushed into the hall and protected Zhao Xing as soon as possible.

"Your Majesty, this is an earth dragon turning over. Your Majesty should leave the palace quickly and seek refuge in an open area outside!" Zeng Gongliang said anxiously.

The so-called earth dragon turning over is an earthquake. When Zhao Xing felt a slight vibration underground, his first reaction was to think it was an earthquake.

However, the area near Bian Jing is almost entirely plains, and the mountains are just hills, so the probability of an earthquake is very small.

And the vibration stopped very quickly. Thinking back to the sound at the beginning, Zhao Xing guessed a little.

"This shouldn't be a dragon turning over. Even if it is, it's already passed."

Zhao Xing rejected Zeng Gongliang's proposal and said in a deep voice: "Sanshui!"

"The slave is here!"

"Send an edict, telling the officials in the imperial city not to panic. Also, order the Five Cities Military Division and the City Defense Battalion to go out to prevent unrest in Bianliang. Order the Grand Chancellor and several other ministers to go and pacify the people on my behalf!" Zhao Xing said.

"Yes!" Sanshui responded and hurried away.

"My dear Zeng, please step down as well!" Zhao Xing said.

"I'm leaving now!" Zeng Gongliang saw that the vibration had subsided, so he bowed and left.

Zhao Xing ordered Zhang Feng to come over and told him to investigate the source of the noise.

…………

Just as Zhao Xing expected, the sudden noise and vibration caused chaos in Bianjing.

The reason why the ancients were superstitious was that there were too many things that could not be explained.

Earthquake is one of them, so it is called "earth dragon turning over".

When the vibration came, some people in Bianjing fled in all directions, while others knelt on the ground and kowtowed continuously.

Fortunately, Zhao Xing's order was issued quickly, and the Five Cities Military Department and the City Defense Camp were dispatched and quickly quelled the chaos.

Han Zhang and others personally came forward to appease the people, allowing those frightened people to gradually calm down.

Even so, there were still some wealthy families who felt uneasy and wanted to flee Bianliang with their families.

Upon seeing this, Han Zhang forcibly stopped the people from leaving the city.

Once more people flee, the people's hearts, which have finally settled down, will inevitably become chaotic again.

After arranging all these, Han Zhang went to the palace to meet Zhao Xing and reported the situation.

After listening to this, Zhao Xing nodded slightly and said, "You did a great job, sir."

"Your Majesty, I don't think this is a case of a dragon rising from the ground. We should investigate the matter as soon as possible to calm the people," said Han Zhang.

"It's definitely not a dragon turning over!"

Zhao Xing's face was gloomy as he asked, "Does the great lord know about the Gunpowder Bureau?"

"Gunpowder Supervisor?"

Han Zhang was stunned when he heard this, and quickly thought of the department that Zhao Xing had asked people to set up before.

Because Zhao Xing did not spend money from the national treasury to set up the Gunpowder Bureau, and did not mobilize officials from the court to take up the post, but instead recruited craftsmen from the public, Han Zhang almost forgot about the Gunpowder Bureau.

(End of this chapter)