The prince is more stable

Chapter 236: Don’t do human affairs
The Xixia officials who came for peace talks said goodbye and left Xiazhou City.

Today, Western Xia is facing a shocking change. These ministers loyal to Li Qianshun are busy rushing back to assist the king. Of course, they also want to grab a good position for themselves. The reshuffle of the court means that their glory and wealth are coming.

As for the land and cities ceded to the Song Dynasty, as well as various humiliating conditions, to be honest, they didn't care.

Don’t they know how Empress Dowager Liang died and how Li Qianshun came to power?

It has to be admitted that the death of Empress Dowager Liang unexpectedly led to a win-win situation for all three parties.

Li Qianshun gained power, the Song Dynasty quelled the threat from the northwest border, and the Liao Kingdom eliminated a hidden danger.

Everybody was delighted, and celebrated with singing and dancing.

Xiazhou City.

When the news of the end of the war between Song and Xia spread inside and outside the city, there was a thunderous cheer in the Song army camp.

The soldiers ran out of the tents, jumping and roaring to express their excitement.

The people in the city also cheered and took to the streets to celebrate excitedly.

For ordinary people, war is something they hate deeply. They do not have the ability to profit from troubled times, and when war comes, they can only wander around with their families.

The people of this era actually had very humble wishes for life. They only hoped that they could live in peace and prosperity until old age, without being hungry or cold, and without being overwhelmed by the torrent of war.

In Xiazhou City, more and more people came to celebrate. People slowly gathered and unknowingly stood in front of the prefect's office.

Looking at the closed gate, the people knelt down in front of the gate, bowed their heads and sincerely thanked the officials and generals of the Song Dynasty for ending the war and allowing the people to have a good day of respite.

The people did not know who the officials and generals of the court were, but they knew very well that it was these unknown officials and generals who gave them peace.

After kneeling down, the people stood up and left on their own accord.

Peaceful days have arrived, and now it’s time to work hard to make a living for yourself, your wife, children and the elderly.

It's hard work, but solid. The little happiness in my heart is like the thoughts of a young girl, which can only be seen quietly from the upturned corners of my mouth.

…………

The atmosphere inside the government office was also quite peaceful and happy.

With the ceasefire between the two countries, Zhao Xiaoqian's mission came to an end. Since everyone was celebrating the arrival of peace, as the biggest contributor to this matter, how could Zhao Xiaoqian keep a low profile?

So Zhao Xiaoqian ordered a banquet to be held in the backyard of the government office.

It's not necessary to celebrate anything, the main thing is to have a feast.

Those who attended the banquet included Zhang Qie, Xiao Guangjing, Zhong Jianzhong, Zhe Keshi, Zong Ze, Zhang Xiaoyi and others.

Life is peaceful now, so let's have some fun.

The sumptuous dishes were served on the table. There were no exquisite delicacies in the Northwest, and the cuisine was mainly rough. The most famous ones were mutton, roasted whole lamb, boiled lamb, stewed lamb, braised lamb, etc., all kinds of mutton.

Large pieces of meat were served and eaten with a small dagger. It was quite unusual at first, but after a few bites, I suddenly felt that this way of eating was quite interesting. No wonder the men in the northwest from ancient times to the present are all tall and strong.

The atmosphere at the banquet was very warm. The war was over and everyone was relaxed. In the long run, the northwest of the Song Dynasty could maintain peace for at least ten years after this war.

This is definitely great news for the court in Bianliang.

The person who made this happen the most was of course Zhao Xiaoqian, but in addition to him, all the officials and generals, including Zhang Qie, would also be rewarded by the government.

After all, everyone pulled out a thorn that was deeply embedded in the flesh of the Song Dynasty. How could the emperor and his ministers in Bianliang not be happy?

The armistice agreement had been urgently sent to Bian Jing by express horse, along with a joint memorial from Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhang Yu.

In his memorial, Zhao Xiaoqian truthfully recounted the entire process of the Song-Xia War in a neither humble nor arrogant tone, without any intention of seeking credit. Instead, he focused on describing the contributions of Zhang Yu, Zhong Jianzhong, Zhang Xiaoyi and others, and requested that they be rewarded.

There was only one thing that Zhao Xiaoqian glossed over using the Spring and Autumn style of writing.

That was the process of the night attack and capture of Xingqing Prefecture.

I really can't put it into words. The biggest contributor to Zhao Xiaoqian's troops' capture of the Western Xia capital should be those mysterious five hundred people.

This matter has remained an unsolved case to this day. Zhao Xiaoqian racked his brains but could not figure out who ordered those 500 people and why they helped him break the city. According to Zhang Xiaoyi, those people seemed to have a deep connection with him.

If this mystery was not solved until his death, Zhao Xiaoqian would not be able to rest in peace. Before his death, he would definitely make up a story saying that these 500 people stole his huge fortune. His descendants would surely be more determined to track down the whereabouts of these 500 people.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't mind doing something occasionally that would harm his descendants but not benefit himself.

At the banquet, cups and glasses were clinking, but Zhang Qie alone had a frown on his face.

As a border commander with a very sensitive status and official position, Zhang Qie has been walking on thin ice for many years. No matter whether others can reach the other side or not, he will definitely be able to reach the other side.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian murdered Empress Dowager Liang, which broke Zhang Qie's cautious plan.

He had never done anything so outrageous in his life, and he was deeply worried. He could keep the news secret from the court officials in Bianjing, but he absolutely could not conceal it from Zhao Xu, or he would be guilty of deceiving the emperor.

So, if Zhao Xu knew that he and Zhao Xiaoqian were so bold as to kill the Queen Mother of Western Xia, how would he react?
Without the order from above, how dare you do such a serious thing? Don’t even think about your future, you’re going to lose your life.

Not to mention that poisoning Queen Dowager Liang was Zhao Xiaoqian's personal act. Zhang Yu was the governor of Huanqing Road and the commander-in-chief. Zhao Xiaoqian had to take responsibility for what he did, regardless of whether Zhang Yu knew about it or not.

Zhang Yu would continue to worry until Zhao Xu made his decision. Zhao Xiaoqian even speculated that Zhang Yu had already secretly written a suicide note...

"General Zhang, please put aside your frown and drink to your heart's content today. You are a meritorious official and the government will not do anything to you." Zhao Xiaoqian offered him a glass of wine.

Zhang Qie didn't even take the cup, showing no respect for him, and even glared at him.

"You've wronged me terribly! Lord, I'm not saying you..."

Just as he was about to start mumbling, Zhao Xiaoqian stopped him decisively: "Since this old man is not talking about me, then don't say anything. Come on, Zhang Shuai, show off a little. After drinking, go back to your room and go to bed early."

He picked up the cup and poured the wine into Zhang Qie's mouth without saying anything.

Zhang Yu's eyes widened as he struggled. At this moment, he somehow remembered Empress Dowager Liang who was forced to drink poisoned wine...

Zhao Xiaoqian put down his wine glass and said with a smile, "Don't worry, General Zhang. The emperor will never blame you for the death of Empress Dowager Liang. On the contrary, he will reward you. Just think about it, killing that woman solved a huge problem for the Song Dynasty."

"Not only did it save the soldiers from bloodshed, but in terms of money and food alone, the death of Empress Dowager Liang saved the Song Dynasty a huge amount of money and food. Wars are fought for money and food. Killing her is a great merit."

"The truce between Song and Xia, and the death of Empress Dowager Liang, are of great significance to the Great Song. From now on, the Great Song's external strategy must be adjusted, yes, to a more proactive direction. This achievement is more significant than the expansion of territory. The Great Song, the emperor, you and I will all benefit immensely."

Zhang Qi sighed, picked up the cup and took a swig.

Forget it, the work has been done anyway, so what’s the point of worrying? As for how the government will judge us, let’s wait for the imperial edict from Bian Jing.

The two chatted for a long time, and Zhang Qie temporarily let it go, but Xiao Guangjing on the side became a little impatient.

"Are you done talking? Then it's time to serve the food!" Xiao Guangjing said.

Zhang Qie glanced at him indifferently.

The fact that Xiao Guangjing was a traitor to the Song Dynasty was a top secret in the court of Bianliang. Zhang Qie naturally didn't know about it. In his eyes, this Liao envoy was very domineering and often didn't speak human language.

After Empress Dowager Liang died, Xiao Guangjing continued to preside over the peace talks between Song and Xia in Xiazhou City. During his stay in Xiazhou City, Xiao Guangjing ate, drank, and took bribes, molested girls, bullied merchants in the market, and kicked away stray dogs on the roadside...

To be honest, Zhang Qie had received many complaints from the people, accusing the Liao envoy of not speaking human language and not doing his job. Zhang Qie was in great trouble, but he had no choice but to use the official tactic of "dragging" to temporarily appease the dissatisfied people.

Strangely, Zhao Xiaoqian, who was also a playboy, was extremely tolerant of Xiao Guangjing's behavior. It was unclear whether he agreed with Xiao Guangjing's behavior or was just swallowing his anger because he owed him money.

At this moment, Xiao Guangjing looked impatient again. Zhang Qie glanced at him and said nothing, too lazy to pay attention to him.

Zhao Xiaoqian was puzzled and asked, "Hasn't the food been served a long time ago? What's that in front of you?"

Xiao Guangjing chuckled and said, "This dish is different from that. We have wine and meat, so how can we not have sex? The music of stringed instruments, bamboo, bells and drums, accompanied by beautiful singing and dancing, is what makes a banquet complete."

Zhao Xiaoqian raised his eyebrows: "So what dishes did you prepare?"

Xiao Guangjing raised his head proudly and clapped his hands outside the court.

A group of women, about seven or eight of them, walked in from outside the hall. They were wearing gorgeous wide-sleeved and narrow skirts, and walked in barefoot.

As the melodious sound of drums and music began, the group of women stood in the hall and began to dance.

However, the guests present were all stunned.

Not because of the beauty, but...

After a long silence, Zhao Xiaoqian closed his eyes, rubbed his eyes hard with both hands, and turned his head to the side, as if he would get styes if he looked at them any longer.

"Excuse me, Brother Xiao, where did you pick these old onions?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked politely.

Xiao Guangjing said confidently, "It's not easy to find these old onions in the wilderness! Due to the war between Song and Xia, all the brothels in the city have closed down. I went through great pains, searching the entire city for the past few days, to pull out these old... well, these beautiful women who still have their charm."

Zhao Xiaoqian had to glance at the hall again. Seeing these beauties whose average age was about forty years old, he tried hard to find strong evidence that they still had "charm".

However, it failed...

It is said that the average lifespan of ancient people was only 30 or 40 years old. This means that after these long-lived beauties finished this dance, their days were numbered...

"You... please tell them to stop quickly. Don't shorten our lifespans, well... don't shorten their lifespans either. Let them go back and enjoy their retirement. Don't torment them anymore!" Zhao Xiaoqian begged helplessly.

I finally understand why there have been complaints from the people these days, accusing the Liao envoys of doing their job.

The masses are indeed simple, kind, and do not tell lies.

(End of this chapter)