The prince is more stable

Chapter 1015 Deep-seated Problems in People's Hearts
Talking too much about benevolence, righteousness, and morality often imprisons oneself.

Just like a renowned hero who is praised by his peers for his unparalleled benevolence and righteousness, the hero has to carry this reputation of "benevolence and righteousness" on his shoulders. When he travels the world, he must always keep the words "benevolence and righteousness" in mind in everything he says and does.

It's safe to say that from now on, this hero will be too embarrassed to do anything petty like stealing chickens or dogs, and he won't even dare to use the "monkey stealing peaches" trick when fighting with others.

This is what is known as "being burdened by fame".

The same applies from the perspective of the nation. The morals and etiquette of ancient sages are so deeply ingrained in people's hearts that officials in the court have to prioritize benevolence and righteousness in their actions, and they must always have a just cause for everything, the so-called "glorious righteous path".

Those who constantly preach "morality" will ultimately suffer the consequences of their own morality.

Destroying Western Xia and taking it all for oneself would be entirely beneficial to the Song Dynasty, yet the Song Dynasty found itself on a moral high ground, too embarrassed to break the alliance.

It's an outrageous habit. At such a crucial moment concerning the rise and fall of the nation, how can they talk about "morality"?

Inside the Daqing Hall, Zhao Xiaoqian gazed at Cai Jing with a smile.

This old fellow understands me best, and he's not so pedantic. My choice back then was right. The court does need a group of shameless people; otherwise, if everyone is a moral gentleman, we'll be too constrained to do anything.

From the emperor's perspective, treacherous officials are actually easier to use and more to his liking than loyal officials.

The treacherous ministers are good at reading people's expressions and understanding human nature. They can also provide emotional support to the emperor at any time. Whatever the emperor wants to do, the treacherous ministers will not consider whether it is right or wrong. They will just do it first and think about it later.

Loyal ministers are different. We don't doubt their loyalty or their righteous indignation, but such people are often stubborn and pretentious, and they like to refute everything.

What's even more disgusting is that their rebuttal is based on a string of Confucian classics, immediately occupying the moral high ground, and then looking down on the immoral emperor with contempt...

This is very annoying; Zhao Xiaoqian, for one, is very annoyed.

If you were truly moral gentlemen, I would accept it. But your words and deeds are consistent. How many times have you secretly committed theft, prostitution, corruption, and other illegal acts?

They do all sorts of immoral things, then turn around and righteously condemn the emperor for being immoral. The emperor knows their true colors, yet he has to swallow his pride and accept their condemnation. Who knows how disgusted the emperor must feel?

We're all cut from the same cloth, so why can't we sit down calmly and discuss how to do something truly despicable?

Look at Cai Jing, how efficient he is in his work and how adept he is in his conduct.

“Mr. Yuanchang’s words are very much to my liking… Haha!” Zhao Xiaoqian smiled meaningfully and said, “I haven’t seen your son Cai You for a long time. I will reward him with some gold and silver later.”

"Back then, Cai You and I frequented brothels together. Unfortunately, given my current status, it's really inappropriate for me to go to brothels now. So, I'll have to let Cai You experience all the pleasures of the world for me."

The conversation was very intimate; Zhao Xiaoqian's tone made it sound like he was family with Cai Jing, causing the faces of the assembled officials to change.

They're all seasoned veterans; who wouldn't realize that the Emperor is deliberately targeting them?

You are all a bunch of pedantic fools. My relationship with you is nothing more than that of ruler and subject.

Cai Jing is more to my liking, so I am willing to be close to the Cai family father and son. How about that? I ask you, are you angry or not?

The ministers had varying expressions, especially Zhang Dun, whose face was as black as ink, and he remained silent with a gloomy expression.

Cai Jing was overjoyed. He was well aware of why the Emperor had deliberately shown favor to the Cai family in front of the assembled officials, but he didn't mind. In fact, he needed the Emperor's favor to consolidate his position in the Council of State Affairs.

Cai Jing was immediately moved to tears and kowtowed to thank Heaven for its grace.

Zhao Xiaoqian said calmly, "It is of great importance to the country that our Great Song Dynasty has taken over Western Xia. It is certainly wrong to break the alliance with the Liao Dynasty, but from now on, the Great Song Dynasty can bring the entire Western Xia under its control and completely control the Silk Road."

"More importantly, after occupying Western Xia, the Song Dynasty can calmly plan its future in the Western Regions. In my lifetime, I want to restore the glory of the Tang Dynasty, and the territory must be expanded to the size of the Anxi Protectorate during the Tang Dynasty."

"Swallowing Western Xia to the end is my most important move. Otherwise, if Western Xia were to be divided between the Song and Liao dynasties, the Song would face countless obstacles and constraints from the Liao when it came to developing the Western Regions in the future."

"At that time, our Great Song Dynasty would be constrained in its actions and unable to carry out its tasks. Thousands of years later, future generations will blame us for being so useless. Why did we leave this hidden danger and trouble behind when we had the ability to solve all of this?"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Gentlemen, I am willing to bear the infamy of this generation in order to benefit future generations. This is called 'the sin is in the present, but the merit is for all ages'."

"As for how history will judge me, I was just a skeleton at that time, but my soul was elevated to the ranks of immortals because of the many good deeds I had done. I have already become an immortal, so why should I care about how mortals evaluate me?"

The courtiers: "…………"

You're so confident!
Cai Jing listened with a broad smile and was about to offer some flattery when a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

A eunuch appeared outside the palace gate, panting heavily, and said, "Your Majesty, Zong Ze, the garrison commander of Beijing, urgently reports from 800 li away..." "Zhe Keshi's 20,000 border troops from Youzhou have been ordered to cross the border and march north to avenge the people of the northwestern border of the Great Song Dynasty. Their troops have already entered the heart of the Liao Kingdom 200 li away. Wherever their troops go, they are invincible, defeating many Liao armies, annihilating more than 10,000 enemies, and slaughtering and burning countless Liao villages and tribes. The Liao court is in great chaos."

A loud bang echoed in the hall, shocking and uproaring the assembled officials.

Zhao Xiaoqian sat at the head of the hall, his eyes closed in deep thought, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Zhao Xiaoqian remained calm as he coldly observed the shocked reactions of his ministers.

Staring at the eunuch, Zhao Xiaoqian slowly said, "Issue the decree that this merit be attributed to Zong Ze and Zhe Keshi, as a basis for their future promotion."

Before he could finish speaking, a civil official suddenly stepped forward from the court and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, it is certainly gratifying that the Youzhou border troops have annihilated the enemy, but this battle was fought without a just cause and violated the greater good. The Song and Liao are still allies, and it is not advisable to antagonize each other at this time."

"I believe that an imperial edict should be immediately issued to order Ke Shi's troops to retreat to Youzhou, in order to safeguard the overall situation of the Song-Liao alliance in destroying Xia."

After this person finished speaking, many people immediately stood up in the court and echoed his agreement, all saying that Zhe Keshi's troops should be withdrawn immediately.

Zhao Xiaoqian's expression was cold and his eyes were icy.

This is the Song Dynasty, which suffered humiliation for a century. Although it is now powerful, many people still have weak knees and cannot be cured.

Zhao Xiaoqian gave a cold laugh: "No just cause for war? The Liao army crossed the border in the northwest to slaughter and plunder the people of my Great Song Dynasty. I led the troops of Youzhou north to take revenge. How can you say that there is no just cause for war? What do you gentlemen have to say for me?"

That civil official was commendable for his courage. It seemed that it was a great honor for a civil official to contradict the emperor. Regardless of right or wrong, it was right to contradict him first, and he could leave a good name in history for being "fearless of power".

"The Northwest was the war zone where the two countries allied to destroy Xia. The situation there was complicated and chaotic. It was certainly hateful that the Liao army crossed the border to slaughter and plunder, but this matter should only be resolved through diplomatic means, not by retaliating in kind."

"If the actions of Zhe Keshi's troops lead to a complete breakdown in relations between the Song and Liao dynasties, and the Liao ruler is angered and raises an army, not only will the war in the northwest be affected, but our Great Song will also bear the infamy of initiating the conflict. I think this is inappropriate."

Zhao Xiaoqian narrowed his eyes: "The Song and Liao are at odds? Enraged enough to raise an army? Let alone whether Yelü Yanxi has the guts, even if he does, does our Great Song fear him?"

"Since I ascended the throne, I have always wanted to lift up the Song Dynasty and make all its subjects stand tall and proud. But what about you? You seem to find it more comfortable to kneel. What should I do?"

"Over the years, I have personally led the army and defeated the Liao army countless times. Why do you still fear the Liao people like tigers? Are you really incapable of standing up?"

With a cold gaze fixed on the civil official, Zhao Xiaoqian sneered, "According to you, no matter how powerful my Great Song Dynasty is, offending the Liao people is unacceptable. My raising troops to march north is simply a violation of the law of heaven. I must kowtow to Yelü Yanxi to admit my mistake and voluntarily cede territory and pay reparations?"

"You're satisfied now that you've done this, aren't you?"

The civil official's expression immediately changed, and he hurriedly said, "I had no such intention; I was only thinking of the overall situation in the Northwest..."

Zhao Xiaoqian spat, "What nonsense about the big picture! What did I talk to you about before this? We talked about how to break with the Liao Kingdom. I've wanted to break the so-called Song-Liao alliance for a long time, and you're still talking about the big picture..."

His tone gradually turned somber as Zhao Xiaoqian stared at him and slowly said, "If our Great Song Dynasty were to destroy the Liao Dynasty in the future, I'm afraid you would also run to the north to mourn at the graves of the Khitans, wouldn't you? You enjoy kneeling before the Liao people so much, are you truly a subject of our Great Song Dynasty?"

The civil official's face grew increasingly ashen, but he also sensed the chilling undertone in Zhao Xiaoqian's words. His reason stopped him from arguing any further. He had a premonition that if he said another word, his career would end today, and he might even be thoroughly investigated by the Imperial City Guard.

The civil official, speechless and embarrassed, withdrew.

The hall fell into silence.

This civil official's stance did not only represent his personal views; it could be said that a large portion of the court still feared the Liao Dynasty like a tiger.

The image of the Liao Dynasty as powerful and invincible has been deeply ingrained in people's minds for a century, and it cannot be reversed by a few victories. The more victorious the Song army is, the more they worry about a greater backlash.

Adults' values ​​are already set and difficult to change, and Zhao Xiaoqian cannot be dismissed from office and punished for such a trivial argument.

Only time will tell. As more news of victories arrives from the battlefield, perhaps people's hearts will change. At the very least, they will feel that kneeling is no longer so comfortable.

An unbearable silence fell over the palace; neither the emperor nor his ministers spoke, and everyone was in a foul mood.

Just then, another burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence.

Another eunuch appeared outside the palace, panting heavily, and reported: "Your Majesty, the Liao envoy has arrived in the capital. The envoy has been traveling day and night."

"By order of the Liao Emperor, the Liao envoy earnestly requests peace talks with the Song Dynasty. The Liao Emperor implores Your Majesty to withdraw the troops from Youzhou. The Liao Emperor is willing to apologize and compensate Your Majesty for the Liao army's massacre and plunder of the people in the northwest border region."

(End of this chapter)