The prince is more stable

Chapter 182 The Emperor's Will
A capable man who keeps taking women back to his room does not prove how powerful his masculinity is.

Men, as a species, are born with genes for exploration and adventure, as well as genes for exclusivity and domination.

Combining the two, that's... I haven't played this before, let me give it a try.

After you play with it, don’t let others play with it. Keep it in your collection.

This is the root cause of the so-called "having many wives and concubines".

After Zhao Hao divorced Feng, he frantically took in more than a dozen concubines within a year, which fully demonstrated the natural flaws of men.

Once a man lets go of himself and has enough capital to do so, he will be so free that he will be shoulder to shoulder with the sun.

Zhao Xiaoqian found himself gradually becoming like his father.

He is only eighteen years old, but he already has three women in his name. If things continue at this rate, by the time he is forty, he will have countless women in his mansion.

From now on, when I walk around my mansion, I have to ask every woman I meet, "What's your name?" The whole mansion is full of beautiful women, noisy and noisy. If the fights get to the most intense point one day, I might as well send myself off with a bowl of medicine...

Zhao Xiaoqian secretly warned himself that he had to control his pace, otherwise his future would be uncertain. He could have been a historical figure who would go down in history, but because of the uneven distribution of energy in the harem, he was murdered by his wives and concubines. The historians did not know how to evaluate his shameful life.

After a night of tossing and turning with Yuan'er, Zhao Xiaoqian was severely sleep-deprived. Taking care of Yuan'er's sensitive feelings as a new bride, he stayed with her tenderly for a while. Just as he was about to take a nap, someone came from the palace. The emperor summoned him to discuss matters in the government hall.

The Council of State was where the prime ministers worked. Zhao Xiaoqian was just a small county marquis and had no right to enter.

Choosing to hold the meeting in the Government Hall indicates that it is a very important matter to discuss, otherwise it would not be so formal.

Zhao Xiaoqian seemed to have realized something, and hurriedly put on his official uniform and rushed into the palace.

As he stepped into the government hall, he saw several old acquaintances sitting inside, greeting and chatting with each other. When they saw Zhao Xiaoqian walk in, the noise in the hall suddenly became quiet and everyone's eyes turned to him.

Zhao Xiaoqian first stood at the threshold and saluted the prime ministers and deputy prime ministers with a smile, his tone and attitude showing humility.

Then Zhao Xiaoqian walked slowly inside, looking around, trying to find the most inconspicuous place in the corner to sit down and be a cute little transparent person.

As I walked in, I could hear whispers on both sides of my ears.

Zhao Xiaoqian's cheeks twitched a few times. He knew that when he passed by this group of old guys, he had already ruined his reputation.

Fortunately, I met an acquaintance, Zhang Dun.

Zhao Xiaoqian bowed to Zhang Dun and called him "junior".

Zhang Dun smiled gently, as if he had completely forgotten the embarrassing behavior of Zhao Xiaoqian when he robbed the Ministry of Justice and took Su Che away. The two of them greeted each other and were as close as father and son.

"Zi'an's wedding is coming soon. Have all the preparations been made in the mansion? Is there anything I can help you with?" Zhang Dun asked with a smile, his doting eyes as if he was looking at his own promising sons or nephews.

Zhao Xiaoqian said hurriedly, "Everything is almost ready. We will be married on the eighth day of next month. I would like to ask Mr. Zhang and all the other gentlemen to take the time to attend the ceremony. Thank you very much."

Zhang Dun stroked his beard and smiled, pointing at Zhao Xiaoqian and saying to the people in the hall, "You may not know, but Zi'an is about to get married. On the day when the Chu Palace and the Di family proposed marriage, I, a humble old man, served as a witness and acted as a half-matchmaker. On Zi'an's wedding day, I will have to drink at least three glasses of wine here."

Everyone in the hall, whether they knew it or not, burst into laughter.

Zhao Xiaoqian also forced a smile, but he was still young after all, and his fake smile was not as natural as others, and looked very stiff.

Although he was secretly complaining, Zhao Xiaoqian had to put on a fake smile like everyone else.

Damn this worldly wisdom.

While socializing, Zhao Xiaoqian glanced outside the hall.

Why hasn’t Zhao Xu come yet? I can’t stand it anymore.

Zhang Dun laughed twice, then suddenly added, "Zi'an did a good job on the river embezzlement case. The Imperial City Bureau uncovered something that the Dali Temple and the Censorate failed to detect."

Zhang Dun slowly looked around at everyone in the hall and said in a deep voice, "This should serve as a warning to us ministers. Like all of you, I cannot just sit in the government hall. I should go out more often and understand the people's sufferings."

"I don't want another major case to happen in the future, and for the Imperial City Bureau to uncover it first. How embarrassing would that be for you all?"

Everyone in the hall nodded in agreement.

Zhao Xiaoqian pretended not to hear anything and sat in the corner, looking at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose.

Zhang Dun's words were very balanced and no one could find any fault with them.

But there was an implicit meaning between his words, which was that you, the Imperial City Bureau, were meddling in other people's business this time, so you should be more restrained in the future.

Well, you are the prime minister, you are the leader, whatever you say is reasonable.

I was wrong this time, I will do it again next time.

"Minister Zhang, you are too kind. The Imperial City Division just discovered this case by accident. They may not be so lucky in the future. Cases in the court still mainly rely on the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple." Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

Zhang Dun's expression softened slightly; he naturally understood what Zhao Xiaoqian meant. Very good, both sides had found a way out. There was no need to dwell on those taboos. It was the emperor's fault for doting on this boy, and even the prime minister didn't dare to provoke him.

Although he was unwilling to admit it in his heart, after the last prison break to rescue Su Che, Zhang Dun was actually a little wary of Zhao Xiaoqian. He tried not to provoke him if possible, and they kept to themselves.

Finally, with the eunuch's call outside the hall, the emperor arrived.

Everyone hurriedly stood up to greet him.

Zhao Xu, wearing a yellow robe, walked into the government hall and sat in the main seat.

He first glanced around and saw Zhao Xiaoqian sitting in the corner. Zhao Xu frowned and said, "Zi'an, why are you sitting so far away? Have you done something wrong and are afraid to see people?"

Everyone laughed again.

So Zhao Xiaoqian had to follow Zhao Xu's wishes and sit next to Zhang Dun in a very conspicuous position.

Zhao Xu nodded in satisfaction and repeated his old tune, "Zi'an is getting married soon. I'm sure you've all received the invitations, right? When you go to the ceremony, don't forget to bring gifts. Make them generous. Don't be stingy and ruin Zi'an's good mood."

There was another burst of laughter, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became very harmonious and joyful.

Zhao Xu looked at Zhao Xiaoqian and said with a smile, "Happy events bring joy to people. The wedding day is approaching. I see that Zi'an looks radiant today, his face full of rosy glow... Hmm? Why are there dark circles under Zi'an's eyes?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was shocked. Was he finally discovered?
I spent the whole night with Yuan'er last night and hardly slept. The physical exertion was also quite tiring, so naturally my eyes are dark.

Zhao Xiaoqian sat up straight and said solemnly, "I was troubled and sleepless last night. Thinking of the internal and external troubles facing the Song Dynasty, and the hard work and dedication of the emperor and the ministers for the country, how could I sleep peacefully?"

Everyone in the hall was immediately in awe.

"Zi'an is a true patriot. The government should reward him as a patriot." Zhang Dun said with emotion.

Zhao Xu glanced at Zhao Xiaoqian with a half-smile and said, "Well, I should indeed repay him with my honor."

After a long period of contact, Zhao Xu had some understanding of his cousin.

This guy is not the kind of person who worries about his country and can't sleep at night.

The dark circles under his eyes were probably related to women. After a tiring night, he was still waving the banner of worrying about the country and the people. This was not just being thick-skinned, it was simply shameless.

"I summoned you today to discuss another matter. I will discuss with you today whether the 'Military Service Law' is feasible. You can speak freely. There is no crime if you speak too much." Zhao Xu said seriously.

Everyone in the hall was awed, and then looked at each other with different expressions. In the silence, no one knew how much information was exchanged.

Finally, everyone's eyes turned to Zhang Dun.

Zhang Dun gritted his teeth secretly.

Of course, he disagreed with the Military Service Law. This law had hidden dangers and would shake the status of civil officials in the Song Dynasty. As a member of the civil service class, how could Zhang Dun be willing to go against his will?

However, at this moment, he couldn't say anything against it.

Zhang Dun did not forget that the last time he and Zhao Xu almost got into a quarrel in Funing Palace was also because of this military service law.

Then Zhao Xiaoqian led his army to rob the Ministry of Justice prison, which showed Zhao Xu's serious dissatisfaction and was a severe blow to him.

Zhang Dun was already in his sixties and remembered both eating and being beaten.

After that disagreement between the emperor and his ministers, Zhang Dun had learned his lesson and did not want to have any more unpleasantness with Zhao Xu.

The hall fell into a long silence and no one dared to speak.

After a long moment, Zhao Xu looked at Zhang Dun, his tone somewhat cold: "Mr. Zhang, you are the Shangshu You Pushe, what do you say?"

Zhang Dun heard the coldness in Zhao Xu's tone. He looked up at Zhao Xu's expression, which was as cold and indifferent as his tone.

Zhang Dun was shocked. He knew that Zhao Xu's words actually contained a warning.

The emperor's will must be carried out, and no one is allowed to object, not even the prime minister!
If the prime minister does not agree, then replace him.

The emperor and his ministers had actually discussed the military service law many times, both publicly and privately, and Zhao Xu had talked about it with many important ministers.

It seems today that Zhao Xu's patience has run out and he doesn't want to reason anymore.

Zhang Dun was silent for a long time, then stood up and bowed deeply, saying, "I have no objection to the military service law... We can discuss the details."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall stared at Zhang Dun in disbelief.

When the military service law was mentioned in the past, Zhang Dun was the one who opposed it most vehemently. I didn’t expect that this guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes would also betray the revolution!

(End of this chapter)