The prince is more stable

Chapter 266 The Reward is Concluded
As the emperor of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu was young but not stupid.

Today, Zhao Xu was forced by his ministers to summon Zhao Xiaoqian to participate in the court meeting. He felt that his imperial power was challenged. In anger, he simply tore his face off in front of all the civil and military officials in the hall.

I will tell you all your little thoughts in public, such as your opposition to the award, your lack of age and experience, and your lack of virtue and ability...

There are many reasons, but in the final analysis, isn't it just that my reward has touched upon your interests?
There are only so many important positions in the court. Both the new party and the old party are trying to expand the power of their respective camps and occupy advantageous positions to unite and attack dissidents.

Including the Imperial City Office questioning the censor Zhou Zhi, and the ministers who were outraged and impeached Zhao Xiaoqian. Were they really speaking up for Zhou Zhi?
Ha! It was nothing more than finding an opportunity to kick Zhao Xiaoqian down and prevent him from occupying that position.

It all comes down to power and profit.

Do you really think I don't know about this shameful thought?

Zhao Xu looked around at the ministers in the hall, a sneer appearing on his face.

He was determined to be a wise ruler who could unify China. Many things needed to be dealt with urgently. Now the eyes of the monarch and his ministers should be looked to the north, towards the powerful Liao Kingdom. The monarch and his ministers were determined to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, slowly weaken the national strength of the Liao Kingdom, and eventually defeat the strong with the weak and destroy the Liao Kingdom.

At this moment, the court of the Song Dynasty was still in internal strife and factional fighting.

When he first took power, Zhao Xu was inclined towards the factional struggles in the court. This was the imperial art he learned since childhood.

The emperor can only sit securely on the throne if he learns to strike a balance and allows the forces in the court to grow and decline. Therefore, after Zhao Xu took power, he immediately abolished the old and restored the new, suppressing the old party and promoting the new party.

In addition to truly realizing the benefits of the new policy to the country, Zhao Xu also had the idea of ​​letting the new and old parties fight each other in order to maintain the balance of the court.

However, after being persuaded several times by Zhao Xiaoqian and personally experiencing the great victory of Western Xia seeking peace and ceding cities and lands, Zhao Xu has now completely changed his original mind.

No matter how fierce the infighting is or how balanced the political situation is, what benefit will it bring to the entire Song Dynasty?
The continuation of internal friction will only weaken the foundation of the country step by step, making the Song Dynasty increasingly weak and vulnerable.

Isn't it wonderful to win a battle and force the enemy to sue for peace and surrender, cede cities and land, and win dignity and face for the emperor, his subjects, and his people? The cities and lands obtained are tangible benefits, isn't that wonderful?

Now looking at the jealous and hateful expressions of the court officials in the hall, Zhao Xu suddenly felt very sad.

A century of accumulated problems had distorted the minds of the rulers and their ministers. They only saw immediate benefits, and turned a blind eye to anything beyond their sight. Their only concern was to bring down this political enemy, to defeat that political enemy, to obtain this benefit...

Faced with a powerful foreign enemy, they all seemed to be submissive, asking for peace, sending tribute, and believing that anything that could be solved with money was not a problem...

Who else besides Zhao Xiaoqian can truly stand up and turn the tide and teach the foreign enemies a lesson?
Since when did a meritorious official who had made contributions to the country, won honor for the emperor, and fought for the dignity of the people, be envied by all the civil and military officials in the court, who were determined to bring him down and punish him as soon as possible?

Under such circumstances in the court, it was extremely difficult for Zhao Xu to become a capable monarch who could unify China.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xu looked at his ministers with increasing disappointment.

Looking up, Zhao Xu looked around at everyone, his tone unusually cold and hard: "Gentlemen, my award to the Duke of Anle cannot be changed! This matter is settled, and I do not want to hear any more criticism in the future."

"If anyone still refuses to accept this, you can! You too can lead the troops into battle, conquer a thousand miles of territory for me, and force neighboring countries to sue for peace and submit. If you can do this, I will not hesitate to reward you. I will give you as much as I gave Zhao Xiaoqian. I am not kidding!"

"Everything is determined by military merit. The Military Service Law clearly states it."

After hearing such tough words, the ministers finally stopped and dared not say anything more.

In the court, Prime Minister Zhang Dun had a gloomy expression, but Zhao Xu's words were so harsh, and Zhang Dun had been slapped before. He knew very well that if he continued to dwell on the issue of rewards, the matter would be difficult to handle.

There are so many talented people in the world. The government does not have to use him as prime minister. It can be someone else.

After all, the country belongs to the Zhao family, and Zhang Dun does not have the confidence to challenge Zhao Xu's imperial power again.

Following Zhao Xu's firm conclusion, the ministers became sensible and no one opposed the reward anymore, which was considered as tacit approval for Zhao Xiaoqian to sit in this position.

A 19-year-old boy actually became the third-ranking person in the Privy Council. This was rarely heard of in history, and this fact left the ministers speechless.

First of all, he has strong reincarnation skills, and secondly... he is really capable. He has indeed expanded the territory for the Song Dynasty and won great reputation for the Song Dynasty.

What else can I say? Those jealous thoughts are ultimately unacceptable, and it would be ridiculous to come up with other excuses to stop them. When the hall was silent, Xing Shu still snorted unwillingly.

In an instant, all eyes were fixed on him, and the look of the palace chief Zhao Xu was particularly unfriendly. That cold look told him, if you dare to say another word, I will destroy you.

Feeling the warmth and peace in Zhao Xu's eyes, Xing Shu's scalp tingled and he suddenly began to reflect on himself.

You can express dissatisfaction by focusing on the issue at hand, but why do you hum before speaking? What does this hum mean?
Feeling his future was in danger, Xing Shu hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I have nothing to say about the reward bestowed upon the Duke of Zhao."

Zhao Xu's eyes softened instantly, and the ministers also cast contemptuous glances at him.

What are you humming when you have nothing to say?

Xing Shu gritted his teeth, and the long-lost feeling of powerlessness once again came over him.

He had experienced this feeling many times. He had experienced it once when the Imperial City Bureau broke into the main hall of the Ministry of Justice, and he had experienced it again when the Imperial City Bureau rushed into his mansion to question Zhou Zhi. At this moment, it was the third time.

Xing Shu closed his eyes silently, not wanting anyone to notice his sorrowful look.

Am I born a coward?

After deep self-reflection, Xing Shu had to admit this painful fact.

Yes, he is a coward. In front of a strong fist, he talks tough but admits defeat.

What a terrible personality...

Just when he was sinking into deep self-loathing, Zhao Xiaoqian, who was standing in the center of the hall, took the initiative to speak very considerately.

"I could tell from the snort that Minister Xing just made that it was filled with anger, resentment, darkness, loss, and jealousy..."

Xing Shu was shocked: "There's not so much mixed in!"

"Yes, yes, I have heard it all, and I believe that the emperor and the officials in the palace have heard it too."

All the civil and military officials in the palace turned a deaf ear and accepted the emperor's reward to you, which is bad enough. But you also want us to support and agree with you, hetui!

Zhao Xu, who was sitting at the head of the palace, was quite intelligent. After hearing this, he pondered for a while and said thoughtfully, "I think I have heard some of the meaning. It's very interesting..."

Xing Shu grew increasingly panicked. "What the hell! I just snorted, and you interpreted it so exaggeratedly? How is this any different from putting the blame on someone?"
"Your Majesty, I have no other intention. I just happened to have a sore throat, so I just hummed." Xing Shu said in panic.

Zhao Xiaoqian raised an eyebrow at him: "So, what else did Minister Xing want to say after humming?"

Xing Shu wiped his sweat and thought for a long time before he reacted. He was scared by this guy and almost forgot about the important matter.

After straightening his clothes, Xing Shu stood up again. He looked at Zhao Xiaoqian and said in a deep voice, "The emperor's reward is wise. I won't say anything more. I want to talk about another matter..."

"Minister Xing, please speak frankly." Zhao Xiaoqian smiled kindly.

"Yesterday, the Imperial City Department, under the orders of the Duke of Zhao, broke down the gate of my house and arrested the Censor Zhou Zhi in front of the guests. I would like to know what crime Zhou Zhi committed."

"Duke Zhao holds the power of the Imperial City Administration and knows that the laws of the land are strict and that there is no injustice or leniency. Zhou Zhi's guilt cannot be determined based on your empty words. Duke Zhao must at least give the emperor and the other officials an explanation and produce solid evidence to silence the world's gossip."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Is Minister Xing speaking up for Zhou Zhi? Do you think Zhou Zhi was wronged, and therefore you're speaking up for him? It seems Minister Xing and Zhou Zhi truly have a friendship like Boya and Ziqi, the envy of others."

Xing Shu's eyelids twitched.

That's right to say...

Why do I feel like there is a big pit in front of me, and one of my feet is already hanging in the air, about to step into the pit?

(End of this chapter)