The prince is more stable

Chapter 21 The King and His Ministers Meet Again
I am indeed sick, manic, and want to beat the heads off these old guys.

When Zhao Xiaoqian first met these relatives, he felt that they were kind-hearted and were family members, so he had some good feelings towards them.

I was too naive. None of these old guys are fuel-efficient. They are all so smart.

"No!" Zhao Xiaoqian refused decisively.

Zhao Zongsheng and others looked at each other, and then looked at Zhao Hao together.

Your good son, you take care of it.

Zhao Hao's plump cheeks twitched slightly, and he said quietly, "My son, our family is about to sell our land..."

"Oh my god!" Zhao Xiaoqian immediately changed his words.

Everyone was shocked. Is it possible to be a person without principles?

Zhao Xiaoqian was also full of helplessness. The fact that he had no money really had a hold on him.

Who told him to have a prodigal father? He gave all his family wealth to the Taoist priest without keeping anything for himself. Is faith so valuable these days?
Not wanting to see these old guys, Zhao Xiaoqian picked up a cup of tea on the table next to him and took a sip slowly.

Everyone remained indifferent and soon began to discuss the consumers of snow salt.

It seems that there was no etiquette for serving tea to guests in that era, and they simply didn't understand it.

…………

Zhao Xiaoqian entered the palace again.

With the mission entrusted to him by the royal family, he felt much calmer when he entered the palace this time than last time.

He was still standing outside the Youye Gate, handing over the ivory badge. Coincidentally, the commander guarding the palace gate was still the same one from last time.

The jade pendant given last time was obviously of great value. The commander was very enthusiastic when he saw Zhao Xiaoqian. When he heard that Zhao Xiaoqian was going to the palace to meet the emperor, he immediately ordered his soldiers to go to the palace to ask for instructions.

Not long after, a eunuch came out and led Zhao Xiaoqian into the palace with a smile.

In the Funing Palace, Zhao Xiaoqian met the emperor Zhao Xu again.

Zhao Xu looked tired. Zhao Xiaoqian had seen him twice and always felt that he looked unwell. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was supporting his forehead with one hand and yawning continuously.

Zhao Xiaoqian was very familiar with this situation. In his previous life, he climbed over the school wall and stayed up all night in an Internet cafe with his classmates, and he looked like this the next day.

Zhao Xu had obviously worked all night, and Zhao Xiaoqian finally had a very intuitive picture of the hard work of handling state affairs.

It seems that being an emperor is more tiring than being an ox or a horse. Oxen and horses are cherished by farmers and can only do half a day's work at most. Compared with animals...

After seeing Zhao Xiaoqian, Zhao Xu forced himself to cheer up and laughed heartily.

"Zi'an is here again, I'm very happy." Zhao Xu said with a smile.

Zhao Xiaoqian greeted him respectfully and said, "Your Majesty bestowed upon me the honor yesterday, and I have come to the palace today to express my gratitude."

Zhao Xu waved his hand: "No need, you deserve it. I said before, you and I are brothers, no need to be polite."

"Yes, I also think that brothers shouldn't be so polite, but my father, the King of Chu, thinks I should still go to the palace to express my gratitude. If I fail to show proper etiquette, I'm afraid I'll be impeached by the court officials, which would be a big trouble."

Zhao Xu laughed heartily: "It seems your father is so frightened by the censors' gossip that he dares not tell anyone about him, haha."

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. My father has been cautious all his life, wishing only to be a carefree and carefree member of the clan. What he fears most is being impeached by the censor and being dragged into trouble."

Zhao Xu was stunned and looked at him deeply.

He seemed to hear something else in Zhao Xiaoqian's words.

Recently, the court has been in an uproar over Zhao Hao's memorial. To this day, there are still countless memorials impeaching Zhao Hao, and the words in them are becoming more and more sharp and the insults are becoming more and more unpleasant.

The old party already had the majority of power in the court, so one can imagine how big a hornet's nest Zhao Hao's memorial had stirred up. Many censors even collected countless charges against Zhao Hao over the years.

He seized land, forcibly took women as his wives, was disrespectful to the previous emperor, exploited farmers, and used more carriages and ceremonial processions than allowed when traveling.

These charges were well-organized. In short, Zhao Hao must be put to death.

However, after the memorials were submitted, they were all stopped by Zhao Xu and ignored.

Zhao Xu was well aware of the old party's intentions, and even more so, what he wanted to do. Abolishing the old laws and restoring the new was a must, and Zhao Hao was the leader in pushing this forward.

The leading figures must not be harmed, and no matter how serious the crimes are, they must be suppressed.

Now Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly said that the King of Chu "only wishes to be a leisurely and free clan member for the rest of his life." With Zhao Xu's IQ and EQ, he certainly would not think that this was meaningless chat.

He soon understood what Zhao Xiaoqian meant.

The King of Chu could wave the flag and shout slogans to promote the new law, but he only needed to use his voice. How the new law was implemented was a matter for the emperor and his ministers in the court, and the Chu Palace did not want to get too deeply involved.

Unless you, as emperor, have the courage to break the ancestral laws and let the royal family take real power.

This is probably what Zhao Xiaoqian meant.

Zhao Xu looked at Zhao Xiaoqian with more and more admiration. He was such a smart young man. He was only eighteen years old, but it was rare for him to have such a quick mind. He also knew how to advance and retreat.

The King of Chu was only responsible for shouting, saving Zhao Xu a lot of trouble.

He had been hesitating for the past two days about whether to give Zhao Hao an official position with real power. After all, Zhao Hao was the pioneer in advising on the new law. If he did not hold real power, he would be unjust and his words would not be heard.

But if he was given an official position, it would be against the ancestral law, and Zhao Xu would be scolded by the court officials.

Now Zhao Xiaoqian, on behalf of the Chu Palace, has taken the initiative to give in and expressed his willingness to continue to call for and promote the implementation of the new law. If all the ministers in the world were as understanding and sensible as the Chu King and his son, Zhao Xu's life would be extended by many years.

At this time, Zhao Xu's impression of the Prince of Chu's Mansion improved a little, and he looked at Zhao Xiaoqian with more favor.

"I understand. It's just that my uncle, the King of Chu, has been wronged. I cannot compensate him at the moment. I will come to your house to thank you another day." Zhao Xu said with a smile.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Father isn't really aggrieved. Most of the scolding he received was blocked by the emperor. The one who is truly aggrieved is the emperor."

"The emperor has said that you and the lineage of the King of Chu are not only monarchs and subjects, but also relatives and family. If the emperor has troubles, the lineage of the King of Chu is willing to share the worries for the emperor."

Speaking is an art. Zhao Xiaoqian's words made Zhao Xu feel particularly happy. His tired body, which had been up all night, now felt much more relaxed.

Just as they were about to chat about some family matters to enhance their relationship, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly took out a bag from his arms.

"I came to the palace today, and there is one more thing..."

Just as he was about to open the paper package, Zhao Xiaoqian hesitated: "According to the rules, don't we have to test it for poison or something first?"

Zhao Xu looked at the paper bag curiously: "Food?"

"To make the food delicious..." Zhao Xiaoqian continued, "We must not break the rules. Please ask the emperor to summon the palace maids to the palace to test for poison first, and then we can discuss other things."

Zhao Xu thought about it and decided to call the eunuch into the hall.

The poison testing process was very quick, and no one knew what method was used. The eunuch came in a moment later, holding the paper bag in both hands, indicating that it was non-toxic.

Zhao Xu stared at the paper package and asked, "What is this?"

"Sir, this is salt, the kind used in cooking, but it's different from ordinary salt..."

When Zhao Xiaoqian opened the paper package, Zhao Xu was immediately attracted.

"It's so white, is it really salt?" Zhao Xu said in surprise.

"The snow-white color is one thing, and the taste is also different. Why don't you try it yourself, Your Excellency?"

Zhao Xu dipped his pinky finger into his mouth and his eyes lit up. "Salty! But not bitter at all. Strange, there really isn't a trace of bitterness!"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "This is something I made yesterday. If the emperor doesn't mind, this salt can be used by the palace in the future."

Zhao Xu nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay! Zi'an is thoughtful..."

Then he paused and asked curiously, "Was this created by Zi'an?"

"Yes, I have no great ambitions. I just like to tinker with things to eat, drink, and have fun with. I made this by chance when I had nothing better to do in my spare time."

Zhao Xu looked at him in surprise: "How many surprises do you have that I don't know about?"

Zhao Xiaoqian almost fell off the cushion.

I was born by Xia Yuhe by the Daming Lake. Are you surprised?
(End of this chapter)