The prince is more stable

Chapter 301 Border Military Affairs
Censorate, Ministry of Justice, and Dali Temple.

The famous three-court trial in opera refers to these three courts.

Once a case alarms three courts at the same time, it means that it is not a small matter, and the people involved are definitely not just one or two, but a large number.

Some famous major cases in history, so major that even official history had to mention them, were usually decided after a joint trial by the three courts.

This time, the honor of the three-court trial of the Song Dynasty was inexplicably attributed to Su Shi.

It can be considered an alternative way to leave a name in history.

Imperial City Office.

Zhao Xiaoqian sat upright, staring at a secret letter in his hand with a serious expression.

The secret letter was urgently delivered by Zhen Qing, an official from the Imperial City Bureau stationed in Zhending Prefecture.

There are a total of three officials in the Imperial City Administration, Zhao Xiaoqian and Wei Jie are two of them, and there is also a Zhending Prefecture stationed on the border between Song and Liao all year round. Their main responsibilities are to monitor the Liao army in the north and transmit intelligence to the Liao court.

The secret letter sent by Zhen Qing contained something quite serious.

More than a month ago, there were signs of troop mobilization in Zhejin Prefecture of Liao State, with about tens of thousands of people moving towards the Song-Liao border.

The Imperial City Division stationed at the border kept a close watch and discovered that a small group of Liao troops had crossed the border and entered the territory of the Song Dynasty. They raided two villages, killed dozens of Song civilians, looted the villages, and then quickly withdrew to the territory of the Liao Dynasty.

Liao's attacks on the border were not unusual before the Treaty of Chanyuan.

However, since the Song and Liao dynasties signed the Treaty of Chanyuan, such serious incidents as border attacks have rarely occurred on the Song-Liao border.

No matter how the Treaty of Chanyuan was criticized by contemporaries and later generations, we have to admit that one of its clauses was of positive significance, that is, the two countries agreed not to invade each other.

This clause brought long-term peace to the world, and the two countries were able to develop and become stronger in a peaceful environment.

This time, a small group of Liao troops crossed the border and attacked the border, which broke the peaceful atmosphere on the Song-Liao border and was of a very bad nature.

Zhao Xiaoqian read the secret letter carefully twice, and after confirming that he had not missed any important information, he slowly folded the secret letter and put it in his arms.

"The world is in turmoil again..." Zhao Xiaoqian murmured.

Zhao Xiaoqian stood up and walked out of the back hall. He was about to go to the palace to meet Zhao Xu, but Wei Jie hurried towards him.

"My Lord, today's court meeting has been adjourned. The Emperor has issued an order for the three courts to investigate Su Shi for defaming the emperor."

Zhao Xiaoqian was startled and asked, "Why did the emperor issue this order?"

"At the court meeting, Zhang Dun stood up and personally impeached Su Shi. The emperor had no way to hide from it. He saw that the law was wrong and he would punish it. The emperor had no reason to object."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed.

What a fucking mess this is.

Outside, the Liao army is ready to make a move, and the border is about to be shrouded in war clouds. Inside, these old guys are still busy fighting among themselves, and the new and old parties still take pleasure in beating each other's brains out.

The demise of the Song Dynasty was not at all unfair. If it weren't for the fact that the demise of the country would implicate him, Zhao Xiaoqian would not have wanted to care about it.

It seems that the only person who is truly worried about the country is Zhao Xiaoqian.

The world is in tatters, and the prince is mending it.

So, why the hell should I work so hard for these useless old bastards? If they piss me off, I'll just take a fortune and flee overseas, take my parents, wife, and kids and own a tiny island, and make it my own country.

I will be the emperor myself, recruit soldiers, train soldiers, build warships, make weapons, and after I have a million soldiers, I will march into the Central Plains. I don’t care who the hell is the emperor, I will kick him down with one kick.

The more Zhao Xiaoqian thought about it, the more it made sense. This approach seemed good and could be used as a backup plan.

"Prepare the carriage, I want to go to the palace." Zhao Xiaoqian straightened his clothes and said.

…………

Yanfu Palace, Funing Hall. Zhao Xu, who had just finished his court session, was so exhausted that he slumped down inside the hall. Zheng Chunhe brought in a set of tea sets and tea leaves, which were sent by Zhao Xiaoqian.

Of course, Zhao Xu would not do the tea-making process himself. As a personal eunuch, Zheng Chunhe learned how to make tea from the young girl at the Mingyu Tea House opened by the Prince of Chu after leaving the palace. This gave him an additional skill. From then on, he made tea for Zhao Xu every day and performed tea art.

Being able to stay in the palace for so many years and being relied upon as a close confidant by Zhao Xu, Zheng Chunhe is far superior to ordinary people in terms of interpersonal skills and intelligence.

After going through a dazzling tea-making process, although it is still a bit awkward, it is generally smooth and pleasing to the eye.

After Zhao Xiaoqian gave him the tea, Zhao Xu gradually became more and more addicted to it. He had a strong taste and always liked to drink strong tea. After drinking it, he would feel full of energy and stay up all night more often.

At this moment, Zheng Chunhe was performing tea art in front of Zhao Xu. Zhao Xu squinted his eyes to watch his movements, but he was thinking about something else in his mind.

At today's court meeting, the decision to order the three courts to investigate the Su Shi case seemed a bit impulsive.

Zhao Xu was not a foolish emperor, he knew exactly what Zhang Dun and the others were planning. It was just that Zhao Xu was forced to step down by the ministers and had no choice but to issue this decree.

If this case is confirmed, it will not only be Su Shi who will be punished, but a large number of old party officials will also be implicated.

In other words, Zhang Dun’s main purpose was not to punish Su Shi, but to punish the large number of officials implicated in the Su Shi case.

Zhang Dun has been the prime minister for more than half a year. During this period, Zhang Dun implemented new policies, abolished old laws, and cleaned up the old party in the court, but the results of the new policies were really disappointing.

Many local officials and gentry pretended to obey the new policies but actually disobeyed them. Zhang Dun was extremely anxious, so he became anxious to speed up the process of cleaning up the old party and make the implementation of the new policies smoother.

Zhao Xu saw Zhang Dun's mentality, but he still thought Zhang Dun was a little impatient.

The implementation of such a major new policy would not produce results in one or two years. Zhao Xu was not in a hurry, but Zhang Dun felt very uncomfortable sitting in the position of prime minister.

After all, the perspectives and standpoints are different. No one in the court questioned why Zhao Xu became emperor, but if Zhang Dun failed to achieve results after serving as prime minister for a long time, some people would definitely question how he could continue to serve as prime minister.

It was probably with this mentality that Zhang Dun became anxious and was about to break down, and the pace of cleaning up the old party also accelerated.

With the same mentality, it is understandable that Zhang Dun was eager to deal with Su Shi and drag a large number of old party officials into the water.

Of course, there are also some private agendas involved.

The love-hate relationship between Zhang Dun and Su Shi was also one of the reasons that prompted Zhang Dun to take action.

This is like the Dragon King returning to the city. I am now so awesome that all those who offended me in the past, come and die.

I don’t know why Zhang Dun hated Su Shi so much. Could it be that during the years when Zhang Dun was exiled, Su Shi sold his wife to a brothel to entertain customers?
After the delightful tea art performance, Zheng Chunhe smiled and placed a cup of hot tea in front of Zhao Xu.

Zhao Xu took a sip from the cup. The strong bitter taste made him shudder all over, but his sluggish spirit instantly perked up and his mind became extremely clear.

"Refreshing! But too bitter." Zhao Xu smiled and said, "Zi'an has both good and bad talents. His new gadgets always work unexpectedly well. Not bad, not bad. Zheng Chunhe, tell Zi'an to send me another ten kilograms of tea."

"There are so many people in my harem, including the Queen Mother, the Empress, and the concubines. What's the point of giving a few pounds? It's so stingy."

Zheng Chunhe said cautiously, "Your Majesty, Lord Zhao has instructed us that tea can be soothing and elegant, but not in excess. Your Majesty drinks strong tea every day, so I'm afraid it's inappropriate for you to drink it this way."

Zhao Xu sighed, "Every day, the government affairs are piled up like a mountain. I don't trust those people in the government hall, so I have to work hard myself. If I don't drink something to refresh myself, how can I cope?"

Zheng Chunhe was about to persuade him again when a eunuch stood outside the palace door and reported that the Duke of Anle wanted to see him.

Zhao Xu chuckled, "This guy doesn't need to be talked about. Once he's talked about, he'll come. Hurry up and call him in."

Zhao Xiaoqian entered the hall, bowed first, then sniffed and smelled a strong aroma of tea in the hall.

"The emperor is drinking tea. I came at the right time and I am in for a treat." Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

Zheng Chunhe brought a cup of tea with great discernment.

Zhao Xiaoqian took a sip and immediately spat it out with a "Puff" sound. He said in confusion, "Eunuch Zheng, you brought the wrong thing, didn't you? This is not tea, it's clearly medicine."

(End of this chapter)