The prince is more stable

Chapter 1025 Celebrating the Gathering
With the Western Xia dynasty destroyed, the Song and Liao dynasties were about to enter a period of fierce competition for supremacy.

To be precise, the war between the Song and Liao dynasties began the moment the Western Xia dynasty was destroyed.

Don't forget that there was also a so-called "ally" within the territory of Western Xia. The Song-Liao alliance had not completely broken down yet, but the struggle for Western Xia's territory, cities, people, wealth and other resources had inevitably led to clashes between the two armies since Zhong Jianzhong captured Xingqing Prefecture.

The fragile alliance is on the verge of collapse.

Zhao Xiaoqian believed that in a few days, Zhong Jianzhong would send another urgent military report, indicating that the Song and Liao dynasties were about to go to war on the grounds of Western Xia.

The Liao Dynasty needed to annex the various resources of the Western Xia in order to revive its declining national strength. Yelü Yanxi originally had this intention when he agreed to form an alliance with the Song Dynasty to destroy the Western Xia.

What about the Song Dynasty?
The Song Dynasty also needed to quickly build up its national strength.

The wars of the past few years have emptied the Song Dynasty's treasury. It will take a long time to rebuild the treasury, perhaps two or three years, or perhaps four or five years. Before the treasury is replenished, Zhao Xiaoqian can only implement a policy of recuperation and allow the people to catch their breath.

However, time was of the essence, and Zhao Xiaoqian hoped to quickly destroy the Liao Kingdom and achieve the initial strategic goal of unifying the world.

The only way to quickly build up the foundation of the nation without harming the interests of its own people was to destroy the Western Xia and use the blood shed by the Western Xia to nourish the Song Dynasty.

Both the Song and Liao dynasties were eyeing the huge prize of Western Xia, and the rulers of both countries were determined to take the biggest and fattest slice.

Judging from the current situation, the Song Dynasty has the upper hand. Zhong Jianzhong has already captured the capital of Western Xia, and the ruler Li Qianshun and the court officials and nobles are all under his control. Moreover, the 100,000 border troops under Zhang Jie have also blockaded the north of Western Xia, forming an encirclement of the Liao army within Western Xia territory.

As long as the Liao army dares to fight and plunder, Zhong Jianzhong and Zhang Jie will immediately take action and swallow this Liao army whole.

and then?
Then Zhao Xiaoqian would face strong protests and severe condemnations from the Liao Kingdom, which reserved the right to pursue the matter further, including but not limited to launching a war, etc...

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't care. In his eyes, the Liao Kingdom could only last for two or three years at most. After two or three years, the world would be unified and the Liao Kingdom would be completely wiped out. Their condemnation and protest today would not even leave a trace in the history books.

I am still the great, wise, and flawless emperor of the Song Dynasty, a great ruler of my time. Heaven's mandate is on my side, and the world's hearts are with me.

In particular, this great emperor was incredibly young and somewhat handsome, to the point that people thousands of years later couldn't help but drool over his portrait.

Such a perfect emperor might have countless fans thousands of years later, who would affectionately call him "my charming ancestor"...

As long as the Liao Dynasty can be destroyed and the unification of China can be achieved, Zhao Xiaoqian deserves all of this.

From a national perspective, Zhao Xiaoqian believes in the law of the jungle: the strong prey on the weak, and strength determines everything. There is no question of betrayal, and even if he did, he would have the confidence to do so.

Inside the Funing Palace, Zheng Chunhe led the palace servants to deliver lunch.

Today's lunch was very lavish, with more than a dozen main dishes. The imperial chefs had clearly put in a lot of effort, and the dishes tasted quite good.

Zhao Xiaoqian grabbed Zhao Hao, who was jumping around, and pulled him upside down by one of his short legs, carrying him to the table and holding him in his arms.

Children can't eat hard staple foods, so Zhao Xiaoqian fed him a spoonful of egg custard, which was soft and fluffy, and Zhao Hao liked it very much.

The wives and concubines sat around the table, watching this scene of filial piety and parental love, and each of them wore a happy smile.

Among the women present, the only one who seemed somewhat out of place was Xue Meiyun. This woman had just joined Zhao Xiaoqian's circle of wives and concubines, and in the past few days she had only become familiar with the women, not yet understood them.

At this moment, Xue Meiyun sat at the table, carefully observing everyone's expressions and listening attentively to the women's conversation. She cautiously judged their personalities from their words and actions, and then decided how to get along with them in the future.

Therefore, the women in the imperial harem lived a tiring life. In order to win favor and for their own benefit, they were constantly scheming against each other.

Of course, the women around Zhao Xiaoqian were an exception. They might have their own petty thoughts, but they were harmless and simply part of a woman's natural personality. At least on the surface, everyone got along very well.

The only one who was exhausted was Xue Meiyun. As a newcomer, she suddenly entered this unfamiliar circle and felt like she was walking on thin ice. In this palace, the person who held the power of life and death over her was not only Zhao Xiaoqian, but also Empress Di Ying.

The family was harmonious and happy, except for Xue Meiyun, who seemed like an oddity. But Zhao Xiaoqian could tell that she was very hardworking.

She was trying hard to fit into the family.

She was a smart woman; she knew very well that to win this man's heart, she had to first win over his family.

There was indeed a hint of tea flavor, but on the important issue of right and wrong, Xue Meiyun remained clear-headed and made very rational judgments.

As the family celebrated this joyous occasion, the atmosphere of their gathering grew even more lively, filling the air with the festive spirit unique to the Lunar New Year. Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Xue Meiyun, who seemed a little awkward and forced a smile, and then placed a chicken leg in her bowl.

Xue Meiyun was startled and quickly stood up to thank him. Zhao Xiaoqian winked at her, and Di Ying and the other women who were chatting enthusiastically nearby also saw it. They immediately pulled Xue Meiyun into the chat group and started chattering about all sorts of gossip in the palace.

Just as Xue Meiyun showed a grateful expression, Zhao Hao, who was in Zhao Xiaoqian's arms, suddenly pouted and burst into tears.

Everyone's attention was drawn back to Zhao Hao. Xue Meiyun looked at Zhao Hao with a puzzled expression, wondering why the child had suddenly started crying.

Zhao Xiaoqian had no choice but to patiently explain, "The chicken leg I just gave you... belonged to him."

Xue Meiyun's pretty face immediately turned green: "…………"

I thought you were relieving my stress, but I didn't expect you to actually make me hate you.

This is the eldest son of an official, who may even be qualified to compete for the throne in the future. When he was less than two years old, a concubine named Xue Meiyun stole his chicken leg. He must hold a grudge against her for the rest of his life.
Xue Meiyun was terrified and hurriedly got up to hand the chicken leg in the bowl to Zhao Hao, who was crying loudly. However, Zhao Xiaoqian waved his hand, picked up another chicken leg, and quickly stuffed it into Zhao Hao's mouth.

Zhao Hao immediately stopped crying, grabbed the greasy chicken leg with his two chubby little hands, and began to gnaw on it with relish.

Di Ying and the other women seemed to be used to the way the father and son interacted. Seeing that Zhao Hao had stopped crying, they changed the subject and the group of women continued to gossip.

"My lord, I heard that General Zhong Jianzhong destroyed the Western Xia Kingdom, and their ruler Li Qianshun was captured alive and is being escorted back to Bianjing. Is that true?" Di Ying asked, her eyes sparkling.

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded: "That's right, and Li Qianshun is not even twenty years old yet, and he's quite handsome. What's wrong? Is Madam interested in this little puppy?"

"Get lost! Haven't you ever seen a husband who ruins his wife's reputation?" Di Ying pushed him in dissatisfaction and said, "I heard that the Ministry of Rites is already preparing for a ceremony to offer sacrifices to Heaven and present captives. After Li Qianshun is escorted back to the capital, are you going to kill him as a sacrifice to Heaven?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was taken aback. How could this woman be even more sinister than him?
"Why does my lady think I would kill Li Qianshun?"

Di Ying blinked her almond-shaped eyes wide: "Isn't it a sacrifice to Heaven and offering of captives? There must be offerings for the sacrifice to Heaven, right? Isn't Li Qianshun's head an offering? Just like how ordinary people offer sacrifices during the New Year, placing the heads of three kinds of livestock in the ancestral hall, isn't the imperial court doing the same thing when it sacrifices to Heaven?"

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed. What a dark Empress! Using human heads as sacrifices to the heavens, she's even more cruel than him, the emperor.

Are you sure God likes to eat fresh human heads?

“My lady… study the court’s etiquette more often, especially the part about sacrificing to heaven,” Zhao Xiaoqian sighed. “Our Song Dynasty is the legitimate dynasty of the Central Plains. Unless the heavens send him a dream saying that they want to try something new, they generally don’t use human heads to sacrifice to heaven.”

Di Ying still looked puzzled: "Didn't you say 'presenting captives'? Isn't presenting captives just putting the heads of prisoners on a plate..."

"Why are you still so preoccupied with the heads of prisoners? Did Li Qianshun offend you?"

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed helplessly, “'Presenting prisoners' means making the prisoners kneel in front of the ancestral temple so that the ancestors can see them and confirm that the order has been delivered. The prisoners must be alive, fresh... no, lively and jumping.”

"After presenting the prisoners, the court should still treat them well. I should at least arrange a place for Li Qianshun to stay and give him a minor official title or something. Unless he does something stupid, I should not kill him and will ensure that his descendants enjoy wealth and honor forever."

Di Ying looked a little embarrassed, and the girls next to her all turned their heads away, pretending they hadn't heard anything, but their shoulders were shaking quite a bit.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't take it to heart. Di Ying came from a military family, and as the saying goes, "a tiger daughter of a military family," so of course she was very fierce.

Di Ying was a little embarrassed and snorted in dissatisfaction, saying, "I will study the court's etiquette system carefully in the future, and I will also study it with my sisters."

After a pause, Di Ying continued, "My lord, on the day of the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven and the presentation of captives, may my sisters and I secretly hide behind the Imperial Ancestral Temple to watch? I promise I will behave myself and not cause you any trouble. I'll just take a peek, okay?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said nonchalantly, "It's not some secret or major event, just a ceremony. You can watch if you want."

"Of course, the premise is that you must remain calm and not rush forward impulsively after seeing Li Qianshun, cut off his head and put it on a plate. Remember, when presenting prisoners, you don't need heads, you only need living people."

"I know, I know, I won't do anything reckless. I know you like novelty."

"Yes, I understand. Fresh and lively food is the most delicious," Zhao Xiaoqian said with satisfaction.

The women present looked at each other in astonishment.

What a hellish dialogue between husband and wife! Do all couples in the world chat like this?
(End of this chapter)