The prince is more stable

Chapter 159 The King is Unhappy
The issues at the national level are very complicated and it is difficult for Zhao Xiaoqian to judge.

Ordinary people always label a person easily.

For example, if this person petitions on behalf of the people, then he must be a flawless good person, a saint. Anyone who says he has shortcomings is spreading rumors, has ulterior motives, and is standing against the people.

It's either black or white, either good or bad. The more innocent and simple a person is, the simpler the world is in their eyes. There are only two colors, black and white. It's useless to reason with them. They just stubbornly believe what they believe.

In Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes, Su Zhe cannot be judged as good or bad.

Su Che is not a god, he is also an ordinary person, with advantages and disadvantages.

If Zhao Xiaoqian had first judged whether Su Che was a good person or a bad person and then decided whether to save him, he probably would not even have left the palace.

Su Zhe is Su Zhe, a friend who once drank and got drunk with Zhao Xiaoqian in a brothel.

Is this a reason to save him?

Of course, and that’s the only reason.

What pillar of the court, what leader of the literary world, what brother of Su Shi, these are just labels, not reasons.

"Friends" are the reason for saving people.

After leaving the house, Zhao Xiaoqian did not go to Yanfu Palace, but went straight to the Imperial College.

After finding Cai You in the Imperial College, Zhao Xiaoqian whispered a few words to Cai You, then got on the carriage again and headed straight for the palace.

At this time, a night had passed since Su Che was imprisoned, and no one knew whether Su Che suffered any punishment in the Ministry of Justice prison.

If it was Xing Shu, the owner of the goods, who interrogated Su Zhe, there is a high probability that Su Zhe would have been paralyzed on one side by then.

There is no doubt that Xing Shu has this ability.

There are many resentful people in this New Party team, from Zhang Dun to Xing Shu.

He is just like a special forces king who has returned to the city. I wonder if the daughter of Zhang Dun and Xing Shu was sold to a brothel by the old party, otherwise why would he have such a strong desire to kill.

…………

At the same time, in the Funing Hall of the Imperial Palace.

Zhao Xu and Zhang Dun sat opposite each other, and the king and his minister were discussing an important matter.

After Zhao Xiaoqian's several admonitions, Zhao Xu was convinced. He also believed that it was necessary to establish a military service law to enhance the combat effectiveness of the Song Dynasty's imperial guards.

However, Zhang Dun, the Shangshu Zuo Pushe and the head of the Zhengshi Hall, insisted on opposing it.

The national policy of prioritizing civil officials and despising military officers is not so easy to reverse.

The military service law is a matter of great importance. If it is really promulgated, the status of warriors will be raised, which means that the status of scholars will be relatively lowered. How can the high-ranking scholar-official class accept this?

Zhang Dun was also a scholar-official.

Zhao Xu explained until he was dry-mouthed for the entire morning, but Zhang Dun still shook his head in opposition and sincerely advised Zhao Xu that the laws of the ancestors should not be abolished lightly. If the emperor was accused of being "unfilial", it would be a great damage to the dignity of the royal family.

A deep feeling of powerlessness once again struck Zhao Xu's heart.

Zhao Xu felt that it was too difficult to govern a country.

He couldn't even convince the prime minister, so how could he convince the people of the world?
"Mr. Zhang, our Song Dynasty already has powerful firearms. If we can boost the morale of the soldiers, the Song Dynasty can face the Liao Kingdom in the north directly and no longer be afraid of the war provoked by the Liao Kingdom. We can even... we can even fight the Liao Kingdom. Don't you want that?" Zhao Xu sighed.

Zhang Dun said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards and the Guards are already very good. There is no need to change anything. With powerful firearms, they will only be better. There is no need to change anything. I implore Your Majesty to follow the ancestral system and be a wise and virtuous sage."

Zhao Xu sighed, "Zi'an was right the other day. You've lost your ambition. Enjoying peace is nothing more than cowardice. You... have never considered unifying China and restoring the splendor of the Han and Tang dynasties."

Zhang Dun still stubbornly said: "Of course I have thought about it, but I think this matter should be taken slowly and not rushed. It would be naive to think that the government would immediately reorganize the army and fight against Liao and Xia just because they have powerful firearms. War is a dangerous thing, a matter of life and death..."

Hearing Zhang Dun call him naive, Zhao Xu's temper gradually grew, and his tone gradually cooled. "Taking it slow and steady doesn't mean doing nothing. I don't intend to launch an expedition to wipe out the barbarians right now. I'm merely proposing a military service law to boost the morale of the Song army. Is that too hasty?"

Zhang Dun was also losing some patience. In his eyes, Zhao Xu was a young man of only twenty years old, an old fox who was cunning and experienced. It was really tiring to explain things to a twenty-year-old young man!

"Those who oppose the military service law are all officials in the court, not just me. If the whole court opposes it, why should the government insist on going its own way, thus causing discord and alienation between the emperor and his officials?"

Zhao Xu was stunned for a moment, then he stood up in anger: "Mr. Zhang, what are you talking about! What are you talking about!"

"I am neither incompetent nor a spendthrift. It's just a military service law, and the whole court has turned against me. Are you so intolerant of my opinion?"

Seeing Zhao Xu getting angry, Zhang Dun suddenly realized that what he had just said was indeed a bit too much.

After all, the emperor is the emperor and the minister is the minister. These days, Zhang Dun has been in charge of the government affairs hall and his position is too high. He may have become a little arrogant. He even spoke to the emperor in a tone of teaching, which is a big taboo for a minister.

Zhang Dun then hurriedly bowed and apologized: "Your Majesty's mood swings, I know my fault, I was also anxious at the time and said something rude, Your Majesty, please forgive me."

Zhao Xu's expression was icy, but he was still seething with anger. He stared at Zhang Dun and said coldly, "That's it for today. I'm tired, you leave!"

Zhang Dun opened his mouth to speak, but seeing that Zhao Xu was still angry, Zhang Dun could only sigh helplessly, apologize again, and carefully leave the hall.

Half an hour after Zhang Dun left the palace, Zhao Xiaoqian also entered the palace to meet him.

After entering the Funing Palace, Zhao Xiaoqian saluted and looked up. He saw that Zhao Xu's face was ashen and his chest was heaving rapidly. He was obviously angry.

Zhao Xiaoqian was shocked, his mind racing, feeling that today was not an auspicious day to plead for Su Che.

I don't know who has offended Zhao Xu, but if I plead for mercy now, Zhao Xu might get angry and immediately order Su Zhe to be beheaded in public. That would be...

He originally wanted to save Su Che, but ended up becoming Su Che's death warrant. Zhao Xiaoqian was probably embarrassed to eat at his table.

"Your Highness greets you... Uh, I'll take my leave!"

So Zhao Xiaoqian just finished his ceremony and immediately turned around and left.

Zhao Xu was so confused by his outrageous actions that he forgot to be angry and hurriedly called him.

"Zi'an, what do you mean?"

Zhao Xiaoqian had no choice but to turn around and said seriously, "It's like this. I just woke up from a nap today. My mind was a mess. I don't know why I entered the palace. I only woke up just now. I was shocked. Who am I? Where am I..."

"Now that I am awake, I should return to normal. I will not disturb the emperor in handling state affairs. I will take my leave."

Zhao Xu was so angry that he laughed. He had seen a lot of people talking nonsense, but he had never seen anyone talk so fresh and unconventional.

"Be serious. I'm in a bad mood today. Don't provoke me." Zhao Xu warned.

"I will come again after the emperor's anger has subsided..."

"Don't bother. It's a long walk from the palace gate to Funing Hall. Aren't you tired of going back and forth? Now that you're here, let's get down to business."

Zhao Xiaoqian thought about it and felt that apart from Su Che's matter, he seemed to have other important things to do, so it would be more appropriate to talk about the important things that would not anger others first.

So Zhao Xiaoqian took out a thick stack of papers from his arms and held them in front of Zhao Xu with both hands.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial City Office has received a map of the Liao border defenses secretly transmitted by Xiao Guangjing. It lists the Liao troops stationed along the borders of Zhending, Daming, and Hejian, the three prefectures of the Great Song Dynasty, along with the generals in charge, as well as the personalities, backgrounds, and qualifications of each commander."

The anger on Zhao Xu's face disappeared, and he immediately said happily: "Xiao Guangjing is really being used by the Great Song Dynasty?"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "It's roughly correct. The specific situation still needs to be reviewed by the Imperial City Bureau. However, since he is not of our race, his heart must be different. We can't trust Xiao Guangjing too much. Any news he brings must be reviewed by the Imperial City Bureau first."

Accepting the defense maps and a long list of Liao generals, Zhao Xu said happily, "This is great news. Next, let Xiao Guangjing act as a liaison. Zi'an should find a way to connect with his father, Xiao Wuna. This man is much more important than Xiao Guangjing."

(End of this chapter)