The prince is more stable

Chapter 265: Battle of the Golden Palace
When Zhao Xiaoqian received the imperial edict from Zhao Xu to enter the palace for a court meeting, he was just about to leave the palace and go to the Imperial City Office.

The impact of questioning Zhou Zhi was so great that it had already caused quite a stir in the court and the country in Bian Jing. The follow-up of this matter was not as simple as questioning an imperial censor.

There are procedures for interrogation and conviction, and the Imperial City Bureau is no exception.

Only with witnesses, physical evidence, confessions from criminals, and a series of solid evidence can it be established as an ironclad case that no one can overturn.

Arresting only Zhou Zhi was far from enough. When Zhou Zhi was sent to Bingjingwu, Zhao Xiaoqian instructed Liu Shan to find out Zhou Zhi's accomplices as soon as possible.

Just as he was about to leave the palace to inquire about the progress of Liu Dan's interrogation of the prisoner, as he stepped out of the door, a palace maid hurried in and bumped into Zhao Xiaoqian head-on. Seeing that he seemed to be about to go out, the palace maid couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

I was so lucky. If I had been a little later, I would have lost the prince and would have had to ask the whole city about his whereabouts.

The palace maid immediately passed on the emperor's order without saying a word, ordering Zhao Xiaoqian to enter the Daqing Hall of Yanfu Palace immediately to participate in today's court meeting.

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned for a moment, then the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

It seems that the incident has fermented and reached the court.

Fortunately, the Imperial City Bureau has already secured some evidence, and yesterday they immediately questioned several of Zhou Zhi's accomplices. The chain of evidence for the whole incident is basically complete, and what remains is a verbal battle with the court officials.

After straightening his official uniform, Zhao Xiaoqian calmly got on the carriage and followed the palace servants into Yanfu Palace.

Inside the Daqing Hall, the court meeting was still going on. The emperor and his ministers temporarily put aside the matter of Zhou Zhi being questioned. Zhang Dun presided over the court meeting and talked about other state affairs.

Everyone was discussing state affairs, but everyone, including Zhao Xu, seemed absent-minded. Some court officials could not help but look back several times and peer outside the palace door.

Zhao Xu also looked outside the palace door several times, and his heart became more and more uneasy.

Zhang Dun was presiding over the court meeting. While he was speaking, he suddenly paused for some reason.

There was a long pause. The Golden Palace was completely silent. No one spoke, and a strange atmosphere filled the air.

Everyone knew that the focus of today's court meeting was no longer on other miscellaneous state affairs, but that all the contradictions were concentrated on Zhao Xiaoqian.

In recent days, the contradictions between the monarch and his ministers have become increasingly sharp regarding Zhao Xu's reward and the advice of his ministers. All of this was caused by Zhao Xiaoqian.

At this moment today, with Zhou Zhi being questioned, this matter will at least be resolved.

When the whole hall was in silence, a graceful figure walked to the outside of the hall. Under the gazes of all the ministers, he calmly stepped over the threshold of the hall, walked to the center of the hall, and bowed deeply to salute.

"Your Highness, I, the Duke of Anle, in charge of the Privy Council, the Governor of Zhending Prefecture, the Academician of the Duanming Palace, and the Pillar of the State, Zhao Xiaoqian, have been summoned to the palace to pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Zhao Xiaoqian introduced himself word for word about the four rewards Zhao Xu had received, with a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant.

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole hall was in an uproar.

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard dissatisfied snorts from all over the hall.

The core of the recent stalemate between the emperor and his ministers was Zhao Xu's four rewards.

Although the imperial edict had been issued, it had not been recognized by the ministers at all. Now, Zhao Xiaoqian said it out loud without missing a word.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t admit it, I will accept these four rewards anyway.

Inside the hall, a smile appeared on Zhao Xu's lips. That's right. Accepting my reward without hesitation is the greatest loyalty to me.

After a flurry of murmurs in Daqing Hall, someone finally spoke up. "Duke Zhao, thanks to the support of his clan, has been granted the title of Duke, which is understandable, but I'm afraid to ask what merits you have in accepting such a crucial position as the Secretary of the Privy Council?"

Zhao Xiaoqian turned his head and saw that the person who spoke was Xing Shu, the Minister of Justice.

When Xing Shu was questioning Zhou Zhi in front of him yesterday, he was so frightened by the murderous intent and military might displayed by the Imperial City Bureau that he dared not move.

At this moment today, in front of the emperor and his ministers in the palace, Xing Shu felt that he was able to do it again and was standing up again.

The emperor and all the civil and military officials are present here, and you still dare to order the Imperial City Bureau to arrest me?

Looking at Xing Shu's angry face, Zhao Xiaoqian smiled: "So it was Minister Xing. I heard it. Minister Xing was mocking me. Yes, that's right. I feel deeply mocked..."

Changing the subject, Zhao Xiaoqian slowly said, "As for my 'what virtue and ability', hasn't Minister Xing read the letter of victory?"

Staring at Xing Shu's face, Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes gradually revealed a murderous look. "I, Zhao Xiaoqian, led 5,000 men on a thousand-mile raid, conquering the Western Xia and the Southern Army Headquarters, and the Western Xia capital, Xingqing Prefecture. Along the way, I attacked and ravaged countless Western Xia villages and tribes, beheaded tens of thousands of them, and killed hundreds of Western Xia civil and military officials..."

"My army switched from defense to offense due to my advance. Western Xia was thrown into chaos by my advance and was forced to negotiate peace with the Song Dynasty. From then on, they became our vassal and paid tribute, ceding six cities. The Song Dynasty expanded its territory, gaining a thousand miles of territory."

"May I ask, gentlemen present here, are you qualified to receive official rewards for such achievements?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall was speechless. Even Xing Shu was speechless, his face ashen and he gritted his teeth.

Zhao Xiaoqian let out a sigh of relief. He had not intended to show off his achievements, but these people stretched their faces out to him and asked him to slap them in the face to wake them up.

What could Zhao Xiaoqian do? Of course, he would satisfy them.

The smile on Zhao Xu's face, who was sitting at the head of the hall, grew deeper and deeper. He straightened his appearance and said seriously, "Let me say something fair..."

The ministers felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.

Whenever I start with "to be fair", it means I am going to take sides and what I say next will definitely be unfair, so please be patient.

"Our dynasty is implementing new policies, including the military service law. From now on, all military officers, including commanders, who have military merits, should be promoted."

"The Duke of Anle led 5,000 soldiers from the Dragon Guard Battalion deep into the heart of Western Xia, attacking military headquarters, razing villages, and destroying the capital. This forced Western Xia to sue for peace and cede cities and land. Since the founding of the Great Song Dynasty, has there ever been such a victory?"

"The Duke of Anle won great profits for the Song Dynasty, preserved peace in the northwest for a hundred years, won honor for our emperor, his ministers, and the people, and washed away a century of shame for the Song Dynasty. How can I not reward such a loyal minister who expanded the borders and stabilized the country?"

"You, however, have done nothing for yourself, yet you are jealous of his talent and desperately try to prevent me from rewarding him. What is your intention? If I do not reward him, won't it discourage the officers and soldiers of the army? Who will trust the new policies implemented by my court? Who will believe in the fairness of the military service law? Who will be willing to expand the territory of my Great Song?"

The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. As expected, "fair words" were the opening remarks for taking sides. The emperor almost had the word "partiality" carved on his face.

The more Zhao Xu spoke, the more excited he became, while the ministers in the hall felt more and more guilty.

These words are a bit harsh. "No achievements at all" and "jealous of talented people" are equivalent to pointing at the noses of the ministers and scolding them for being incompetent, and not allowing capable people to take office.

Zhao Xu ruthlessly exposed the little thoughts in the ministers' hearts, and they all felt embarrassed and looked awkward.

More importantly, Zhao Xiaoqian's achievements were real, and all the things Zhao Xu listed were clearly written in the court's victory report. Even if the ministers wanted to refute them, they could not find any reasons.

Rewarding merit and punishing faults is a matter of course. There is nothing wrong with Zhao Xu's four rewards in terms of emotion and reason. The fundamental reason why the ministers opposed it was that Zhao Xiaoqian broke the balance of the court, sat in a position he shouldn't have sat in, and touched the interests of many people.

But this little selfish thought cannot be brought to the table.

(End of this chapter)