The prince is more stable

Chapter 1009 Appearances are in harmony but minds are separate
There are unspoken rules within the palace that cannot be enforced by law.

Zheng Chunhe was loyal to the emperor, but that didn't stop him from occasionally making some harmless little windfalls.

The eunuchs and palace maids in the harem, the unfavored concubines, and the young women who wanted to rise in rank all fawned over Zheng Chunhe, the personal attendant who had served two emperors.

He received no shortage of gifts and tributes on a daily basis. Even the high-ranking concubines dared not put on airs in front of Zheng Chunhe. They knew very well that as an old servant who had served the emperor closely for many years, Zheng Chunhe was highly trusted by the emperor.

Their favor or disgrace in the harem, their high or low status, whether they would be chosen to serve the emperor tonight, or even be inexplicably banished to the cold palace—Zheng Chunhe's words to the emperor carried great weight.

Zheng Chunhe accepted Xue Meiyun's filial offerings with a clear conscience.

This wasn't the first time Xue Meiyun had bribed him; Zheng Chunhe had accepted bribes several times already.

Xue Meiyun's elaborate scheme to get close to Zhao Xiaoqian and her deliberate attempts to create opportunities for chance encounters would not have been possible without Zheng Chunhe's intentional or unintentional help.

Last night, Xue Meiyun served the emperor and finally got what she wanted. Zheng Chunhe deserves some credit for this, so Xue Meiyun is especially grateful to him.

Zheng Chunhe stayed outside the bedchamber, waiting for Zhao Xiaoqian to wake up. Xue Meiyun then entered the bedchamber, sat by the bed, and stared intently at Zhao Xiaoqian's sleeping face, her gaze gradually becoming deep and infatuated.

She never denied her own utilitarian motives. They had only met a few times, so it would be too hypocritical to say that she had fallen in love with this man after only a few meetings.

Despite her utilitarian motives, she eventually fell for him.

Putting aside his imperial status, his appearance, personality, and talent alone are enough to make any woman's heart flutter.

She was very happy to be with him. She had experienced it firsthand yesterday. This official did not always put on airs like an emperor, nor did he issue orders from a superior position. He even disdained to use the basic ceremonial regalia of an emperor.

He was just an ordinary man who didn't deliberately hide his emotions or flaunt his noble status. He took her around the streets and alleys as an ordinary person and accompanied her to pray for blessings at the Daxiangguo Temple.

His imperial majesty was only displayed in the court. In ordinary times, he could live a life full of everyday joy. Moreover, he had a good personality, and being with him always made one feel happy, without any pressure or restraint.

Such a man, even if he were not the emperor, would be a worthy son-in-law of any wealthy and powerful family.

To be his woman seems... pretty good.

Xue Meiyun rested her chin on her hands as she looked at the sleeping Zhao Xiaoqian, a gentle smile appearing on her lips that she herself did not realize.

Xue Meiyun waited patiently for Zhao Xiaoqian to wake up, not daring to disturb his sleep. Just as Zheng Chunhe had said, Zhao Xiaoqian finally woke up slowly at noon.

Opening his sleepy eyes, the first thing he saw was Xue Meiyun's stunningly beautiful face. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at him with a smile.

Zhao Xiaoqian closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, and the face he saw was still there.

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, "You finally got to sleep with me. Judging from your smile, you must have slept very well, right?"

Xue Meiyun's smile froze, her cheeks immediately flushed red, and she said with shame and indignation, "Your Majesty, I didn't... I didn't..."

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned: "Hmm? Not satisfied? Was my performance poor last night?"

"No, no..." Xue Meiyun panicked, but didn't know how to answer. Saying she was dissatisfied would hurt the official's face, while saying she was satisfied was too embarrassing to say.

Zhao Xiaoqian was unconvinced. He suddenly threw off the covers, patted his stomach, and said, "Look closely, I have six-pack abs, pretty impressive, how could I not be satisfied?"

Xue Meiyun was extremely embarrassed and hurriedly covered her eyes. Although she had experienced lovemaking last night, she had only kept her eyes closed in shyness throughout and had not seen anything in the dim candlelight. At this moment, she mustered up the courage to peek through the gaps between her fingers and then Xue Meiyun showed a puzzled look.

"Your Excellency... doesn't have a six-pack," Xue Meiyun stammered, her face flushed.

"Hmm?" Zhao Xiaoqian looked down and it seemed that there really wasn't any.

How could a lazy person like him possibly maintain daily exercise? Six-pack abs don't just fall from the sky. Right now, he's not exactly fat, but his physique is normal, and he has absolutely nothing to do with being a muscular man.

“It will grow back soon. Isn’t there already one? My woman, don’t you have any patience?” Zhao Xiaoqian said unhappily.

Xue Meiyun smiled and said in a low voice, "Yes, Your Majesty, of course I have the patience. I'm just waiting for you to grow six-pack abs."

"It's getting late, it's already noon. Your Majesty, I will help you change your clothes, wash up, and have your meal so as not to delay the affairs of state."

After dismissing the palace maids who came to serve him, Xue Meiyun personally helped him change clothes, wash up, and have a meal.

Watching Zhao Xiaoqian engrossed in his meal, Xue Meiyun's eyes were filled with undisguised tenderness.

This man is so charming even when he's eating; he eats and drinks heartily without any regard for manners, but he has such a good appetite.

Xue Meiyun stared at him intently for a long time before suddenly asking, "What does Your Majesty like to eat? I can prepare it in advance tonight and make sure Your Majesty is satisfied."

After she finished speaking, Xue Meiyun looked at him nervously.

Zhao Xiaoqian understood her little scheme, but he didn't expose it. After a moment of silence, he said, "The imperial chefs know my preferences. Just give them your orders."

Xue Meiyun immediately showed joy and said happily, "Then I will await Your Majesty's arrival tonight."

Zhao Xiaoqian hummed in agreement, then said, "After I leave, go to Kunning Palace and pay your respects to the Empress. Get along well with the other ladies, and don't try any tricks on them. I don't like that." As he spoke, Zhao Xiaoqian gave her a half-smile and said, "You're a little fox too. I know you're very sensible. You don't need me to teach you basic manners, do you?"

Xue Meiyun smiled awkwardly and said, "I understand."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded.

Although he had favored her last night, he knew very well that this woman was too clever. If she took advantage of being favored and tried to cause trouble in the harem, the harem would soon be in chaos. And Zhao Xiaoqian hated it most when his women were involved in the harem struggles.

Give her a heads-up beforehand and tell her where her bottom line is. Xue Meiyun is a smart person. A truly smart person will not take advantage of her favor and cross her bottom line, because she knows very well what the consequences will be.

…………

While the Song emperor was enjoying a passionate night with a stunning beauty, thousands of miles away in the northwest, war raged and corpses littered the ground.

Zhong Jianzhong faithfully carried out the strategy set by Zhao Xiaoqian. After his army captured Dingzhou City of Western Xia, he continued to march westward.

With Zhao Xiaoqian's prior assurance, Zhong Jianzhong not only showed no mercy in killing and annihilating the Western Xia army, but also showed no mercy to the Liao allies.

From the moment the Song and Liao allied forces captured Dingzhou, they had already met outside the city.

The initial agreement was to jointly send troops to destroy the Western Xia, but after the Song army entered Dingzhou City, tens of thousands of Liao troops outside the city also requested to enter the city and defend it together with the Song army.

Zhong Jianzhong resolutely rejected the request from the Liao army commander.

Immediately, Zhong Jianzhong issued a military order forbidding a single Liao soldier from entering Dingzhou City. This city was captured by the Song army and had nothing to do with the Liao army.

If the Liao army wants to enter the city and get a share of the spoils, they will have to break off relations and attack Dingzhou.

As the commander-in-chief of the Song army, Zhong Jianzhong's tough attitude surprised the Liao army. After the surprise of the friendly nation, there was endless anger and humiliation.

The two countries had agreed to form an alliance to jointly destroy Western Xia, but the attitude shown by the Song army commander clearly indicated otherwise. The Liao army felt that Zhong Jianzhong also regarded them as a hypothetical enemy.

Several days ago, Zhong Jianzhong led his troops to annihilate three thousand Liao soldiers, and the Liao commander-in-chief has not yet settled this score with him.

For the sake of the alliance between the two countries, the Liao army commander tolerated it; of course, it cannot be ruled out that he knew the truth.

After all, the three thousand Liao soldiers had crossed the border to slaughter and plunder the Song people, which was an outrageous act. It was only natural that the Song army would annihilate them without mercy. The Liao army was in the wrong and naturally had no face to settle accounts with the Song army commander.

The complete disappearance of three thousand men was a colossal event, yet it was deliberately concealed and hidden by both sides, and the matter was thus swept under the rug. Neither the commanders of the Song nor the Liao dynasties mentioned it, as if these three thousand men should never have existed in the first place.

Without the highest directives from the two countries' courts, the two head coaches still tried to maintain a superficial friendly alliance, but in reality, they had long been at odds with each other.

Zhong Jian resolutely refused to let the Liao army enter Dingzhou City because it touched upon the interests of the Song Dynasty.

Our relationship is only superficial; we're not even close friends. You don't actually think we consider you allies, do you?

We conquered this city with our own abilities, so why are you freeloading off us? The Song Dynasty is no longer what it used to be, and we won't tolerate this kind of behavior.

After being rejected by Zhong Jianzhong, the Liao army commander was furious but helpless.

At least for now, he doesn't dare to turn against the Song army, otherwise the Liao court will hold him accountable. Although this alliance is fragile, it still exists, and no one dares to take the initiative to end this alliance that is even more fragile than paper.

So, the Liao army, angered by the rejection, left and the 100,000-strong army turned around and began to march south towards Western Xia.

The southern part of the Western Xia Kingdom was precisely where its capital, Xingqing Prefecture, was located. The Liao army's intentions were very clear: to destroy the Western Xia, they had to take the fattest piece of meat.

Upon learning of the Liao army's southward advance, the generals in the Song army panicked and gathered in Zhong Jianzhong's command tent, unanimously requesting to go into battle and attack and occupy the Western Xia capital before the Liao army reached Xingqing Prefecture.

The main goal was to control the Western Xia ruler Li Qianshun and all the powerful officials and nobles of the Western Xia court. Of course, the Western Xia treasury was also at stake; this lucrative prize could not be allowed to fall into the hands of the Liao army.

Faced with the generals' requests to fight, Zhong Jianzhong remained very rational.

Before setting out on the expedition, the emperor set strategic goals, including the capital of Western Xia and control of the Silk Road, both of which were indispensable.

Now that the Liao army is marching south, its forces are poised to strike Xingqing Prefecture, a move that undoubtedly disrupts Zhong Jianzhong's strategic plan.

According to Zhong Jianzhong's plan, after the Song army captured Dingzhou, it immediately continued westward, first clearing out the cities and towns along the Silk Road, and then the army went south to capture the capital, taking the Western Xia king and powerful officials alive. At this point, the strategic goals set by the emperor were basically completed.

The Liao army's actions have undoubtedly ruined Zhong Jianzhong's entire plan.

"These damned Liao soldiers have ruined my plans!" Zhong Jianzhong cursed loudly as he sat in his tent, his face ashen.

After the rant, the problem still needs to be solved.

After pondering for a long time, Zhong Jianzhong suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "Someone, quickly send a message to Zhang Jie, the commander of the Northwest Frontier. I need the help of the Northwest Army."

(End of this chapter)