The prince is more stable

Chapter 248: Rewarding Imperial Decree
The two unknown forces have different priorities.

Zhao Xiaoqian's attitude towards the 500 people who helped the Song army capture Xingqing Prefecture was to let them go for the time being. At present, this force was relatively friendly and did not cause any damage to the Song Dynasty, so it could be put aside for further investigation.

The force that ambushed the Song army in the canyon is a real hostile force that must be investigated and cleared out as soon as possible.

The specific investigation process was handed over to the Imperial City Division, and Zhao Xiaoqian only needed to know the result.

With Zhao Xu's special order, the Imperial City Division could be said to have executed first and reported later. With the imperial power's special permission, no official involved in the case would be spared. Liu Dan, who was in charge of Bingjingwu, must have been even busier.

Returning to the palace, Zhao Xiaoqian yawned tiredly.

Last night he was the one who couldn't escape the clutches of the women, and there were three of them at that.

In ancient times, powerful men married so many wives, but it was impossible for them to have fun every night. Even the most powerful men would be drained of their wealth.

The main thing is that men can’t escape their nature throughout their lives, and that is… I haven’t played this game.

After returning to the palace, Zhao Xiaoqian took a nap and slept until the afternoon, when he was carefully woken up by Yuan'er.

An imperial decree of reward came from the palace.

Zhao Xiaoqian hurriedly got up, put on his official uniform with the help of Yuan'er, and hurried to the Yin'an Hall in the front courtyard.

Inside the Yin'an Hall, Zhang Shangying, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, stood smiling in the hall. An incense table was set up in the hall, and Zhao Hao had already been standing there waiting respectfully.

Zhao Xiaoqian entered the hall, and father and son saluted at the same time facing north. Only then did Zhang Shangying unfold the yellow silk and announce the decree.

After reading the complicated and difficult-to-understand standard parallel prose, Zhao Xiaoqian vaguely understood its meaning.

It was indeed an imperial decree of reward, and Zhao Xu once again made an exception for the children of the clan.

"In charge of the affairs of the Privy Council", "In charge of the affairs of Zhending Prefecture", "Scholar of the Duanming Palace", "Pillar of the State".

The four rewards are all of great importance.

He was the third-ranking person in the Privy Council, equivalent to the third-in-command, and was in charge of supervising military affairs across the country.

Being a scholar in Duanming Palace means officially stepping into the status of a civil servant.

"Zhuguo" is a honorary official without an actual position, but the Song Dynasty official system has a total of twelve ranks of honorary officials, among which the highest rank is "Shang Zhuguo". The "Zhuguo" awarded to Zhao Xiaoqian ranks second.

What is interesting is that "Knowing the affairs of Zhending Prefecture", which means the prefect of Zhending.

Zhending Prefecture, located in the north of the Song Dynasty, happens to be on the border between Song and Liao. It is a typical border town. What’s more interesting is that Zhending Prefecture is also close to the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

These four decrees of reward contain a huge amount of information.

After Zhao Xiaoqian understood the imperial decree, he stood there in a daze. It was only when Zhao Hao behind him pulled him that he came to his senses. He respectfully faced north to express his gratitude and stood up.

He took the imperial edict of reward with both hands and exchanged polite greetings with Zhang Shangying. After Zhang Shangying said goodbye and left, Zhao Xiaoqian turned around and instructed the servants of the palace to quickly invite Cai You to the palace for a talk.

Zhao Hao stopped him and asked, "Why is it called Cai You?"

"I'm not quite clear about the imperial decree of the reward. Cai You is my advisor, so I'd like to ask him to help me explain the deeper meaning."

Zhao Hao pointed at his nose and said, "Am I not a human? Can't I explain it to you?"

Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly showed a complicated look.

Father, of course he is a good father, but other than that, Zhao Hao is known as a playboy who indulges in drinking, whoring and gambling in Bianliang. How could he understand such a profound imperial edict?
I still remember that when I first crossed over, Zhao Hao finally worked hard to get involved in politics, but unfortunately he stood on the wrong side and was almost used as cannon fodder by Zhao Xu.

If it weren't for his status as the emperor's uncle, Zhao Hao would have celebrated his first birthday by now...

Is it reliable to ask him to interpret the imperial edict?
I love my father, but I love the truth more...

The father and son stared at each other in silence for a long time. Zhao Xiaoqian then laughed heartily: "Father, stop arguing! We have something serious to deal with here! I'm just going out for a while and will be back soon..."

"You bastard! Stop right there!" Zhao Hao was furious. "The way you looked at me like I was trash just now really upset me!"

"Father, the look in my eyes just now was definitely not..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhao Hao reached out and grabbed him: "Come on, follow me to the study!" In the study in the backyard of the palace, Zhao Xiaoqian looked at the furnishings in the study and praised it from time to time.

Jade Ruyi, jade paperweight, golden Qilin, golden… eh? Golden Baba? What kind of taste is this?
Zhao Xiaoqian put the golden baba in his arms without leaving any trace and decided to take it back to study it...

"Take it out and put it back!" Zhao Hao had his back to him, but he seemed to know his every move very well.

Zhao Xiaoqian put the golden baba back to its place with a frown.

Zhao Hao sighed and said, "Qian'er, don't worry. After your father dies, these will all be yours..."

Zhao Xiaoqian blurted out, "Then the question is, when will father... Well, father, let's get down to business. Please, please help me interpret the imperial edict."

Reluctantly looking away, Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhao Hao sat opposite each other.

Zhao Hao's expression suddenly became solemn at this moment, which made Zhao Xiaoqian feel very unfamiliar. It seemed that he had never seen his father so serious before.

"He's in charge of the Privy Council, the Prefect of Zhending Prefecture, a Pillar of State, and a Scholar of the Duanming Palace... Qian'er, did you notice? These are all honorary positions, without any real power, but they hold extraordinary significance. The emperor's bestowal of these titles must have profound implications."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded. The first two official positions both had the word "Ling" in them, which meant they were just official titles and did not carry any specific powers.

The following titles of Pillar of the State and Academician of the Duanming Palace were merely honorary titles.

"The government has awarded this child four official positions, all of which are honorary. What's the deep meaning behind this?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked in confusion.

Zhao Hao smiled and said, "The emperor wants to use you, but he also wants to silence the gossips of the people. So he added the word 'Ling' before your official title to test the attitude of the court officials."

"After all, you are a descendant of the clan. It takes great courage for the government to break the ancestral rules."

"In the past, you were given official duties and appointed as the Deputy Envoy for Strategic and Pacification. These were either directly under the emperor or temporary positions. They did not affect the interests of the court officials, so most of them turned a blind eye and did not care."

"But now, the Secretary of the Privy Council is the third most important person in charge of the Song Dynasty's military affairs. How can this reward not affect the interests of the court officials? If the emperor directly appoints him, won't the court be in chaos?"

"So the emperor added the word 'Ling' in front of the title, meaning it's just a nominal position, giving the court officials some time and space to accept it and try their best to prevent any disturbances in the court. The emperor is very fond of you, and this is his way of protecting you..."

Zhao Xiaoqian had already understood a lot, so he blinked and said, "It's impossible for this empty position to be in charge forever, right?"

Zhao Hao smiled. "As expected of my son, he's truly intelligent. The so-called 'leading the signing of the Privy Council' can be understood as a nominal position, or as the candidate for the third most important figure in the Privy Council."

"Given time, if the court officials gradually accept you, or if you have made contributions to the Song Dynasty, then the government will naturally remove the word 'leader'. You will truly be the 'signatory of the Privy Council', and you will be able to bear the title of 'envoy and prime minister'."

Zhao Xiaoqian drew inferences from this and asked, "So, the emperor's additional title of 'Inspector of Zhending Prefecture' is probably related to the affairs of the Privy Council, right?"

"That's right! Zhending Prefecture, located on the border between Song and Liao, is a typical frontier town, frequently raided and plundered by the Liao Kingdom. It also borders the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. The emperor has appointed you as the prefect of Zhending. Although the title currently includes the word 'Ling', I suspect it will be removed soon."

Zhao Xiaoqian was surprised and asked, "The emperor wants me to go to Zhending to be the prefect?"

Zhao Hao said slowly, "If you don't go to Zhending to serve as an official, how can you make contributions to the Song Dynasty and secure your position as the third most important person in the Privy Council? The official's rewards are all connected and have deep meaning."

Zhao Xiaoqian remained silent and lowered his head.

When leaving Xiazhou, Zhang Yu had predicted that for the achievement of stabilizing the northwest, the emperor would not just promote him to a higher rank.

With the promulgation of the Military Service Law, the court now gradually attaches importance to military merit. Zhao Xiaoqian's example of meritorious service is too conspicuous and outstanding. If the government does not reward him, the Military Service Law will be difficult to convince the public in the future.

Sure enough, Zhao Xu's reward decree came, and there were four rewards in one breath, all of which were heavyweight official positions in the court.

The reward was not given randomly. After Zhao Hao interpreted the deep meaning behind it, Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't help but admire Zhao Xu.

He was given an official position and honors, and the foundation was laid for Zhao Xiaoqian to continue to make contributions in the future.

As expected, none of the emperors are stupid, they are all very smart.

Zhao Xiaoqian vaguely saw the face of his boss in his previous life, and told him earnestly, "I have high hopes for you in the company. After this project is completed, I will promote you to team leader, and you will be responsible for larger projects in the future..."

From ancient times to the present, spanning thousands of years, the same world, the same boss, the same cake...

(End of this chapter)