The prince is more stable

Chapter 302: Threatened by Public Opinion

A pot of tea, dark and thick like medicinal soup, I wonder how much tea leaves are put in it.

Zheng Chunhe looked at Zhao Xu with a wry smile, then lowered his head and said nothing.

Zhao Xu smiled and said, "I like bitter tea, it's just right for refreshing myself. Zi'an's way of drinking it is only suitable for scholars to savor it carefully. I don't have that kind of luck."

Zhao Xiaoqian understood that Zhao Xu really drank tea as medicine, not for pleasure, nor for elegant drinking, but purely for refreshing himself, sacrificing his sleep time to handle state affairs.

If you like hard work so much, why don’t you go and farm?
"Your Majesty, everything is excessive. Although tea is light and elegant, and drinking it regularly can prolong life, your Majesty must not drink it in this way. It will cause health problems. I really dare not harm your Majesty." Zhao Xiaoqian advised seriously.

Zhao Xu nodded. "I know all about it. I'll have to reduce my tea drinking gradually. I'm used to the strong taste of tea, and I'm not used to the lighter taste."

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't say much. After all, the man was the boss, not his son. Even if he was a son, he wouldn't like to listen to his father preaching.

Then the two of them looked at the pot of strong and bitter tea brewed by Zheng Chunhe.

What to do? The tea is already brewed, and I can’t drink it but I can’t waste it either.

Zhao Xiaoqian blinked and politely asked the eunuch outside the hall to bring a dozen eggs from the imperial kitchen, and then asked someone to set up a charcoal stove inside the hall.

When Zhao Xu saw Zhao Xiaoqian's unusual behavior, he suddenly became inexplicably excited. He had a premonition that something good was about to come out.

Zhao Xiaoqian buried his head in his work.

Strong tea leaves, put them in.

Add cinnamon and star anise.

Add a little rock sugar and mix it in.

Put a dozen eggs in it.

Bring to a boil over high heat. When the eggs are fully cooked, take them out, crack the egg shells, put them back into the pot and continue to simmer over low heat.

After half an hour, a strong aroma of aniseed filled the air.

Zhao Xu and Zheng Chunhe's eyes widened. The rich aroma whetted their appetites. They couldn't help but move their throats constantly, staring at the pot more and more eagerly.

Finally, Zhao Xiaoqian took the pot down and put it aside to cool.

Zhao Xu's eyes sparkled: "Can I eat it now?"

"Wait for it to cool down so the soup can absorb the flavor."

Zhao Xu had no choice but to suppress his appetite, greedily inhaling the aroma in the hall, staring at the steaming pot.

After a long time, the pot was finally half cold. Looking at Zhao Xu's impatient expression, Zhao Xiaoqian smiled.

"It's almost done. If the officials are interested, please..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhao Xu rushed out, impatiently lifted the lid of the pot, and took out a dark brown egg with a wooden spoon.

Zheng Chunhe said carefully: "Sir, according to the rules, we must first test for poison..."

Zhao Xu didn't even raise his head, his hands busy peeling the eggshells. He said, "What's there to test? Don't I trust anything Zi'an made?"

After he finished speaking, the eggshell was peeled off. Zhao Xu took a bite and his eyes became brighter and brighter, with a look of deep surprise.

"Good! Good eggs!" Zhao Xu mumbled in praise, "Zi'an, you're so talented. It's just an ordinary egg, but after you've transformed it, it's become so delicious."

Zhao Xiaoqian also took an egg, peeled it, and ate it slowly and unhurriedly. He also gestured to Zheng Chunhe to let him try it as well.

Zheng Chunhe finally couldn't resist the temptation of delicious food, so he bravely took an egg and started eating it.

The three of them squatted beside the pot and wolfed down the food without any manners.

Until the end, Zhao Xu ate four eggs in a row and finally couldn't eat anymore. He choked and beat his chest repeatedly. Zheng Chunhe hurriedly brought a bowl of water and served him to drink. Only then did Zhao Xu show a satisfied smile.

"Zi'an, is there any explanation for this thing?"

"Your Majesty, this is called 'Tea Eggs'. As for the cooking process, Your Majesty has watched it all. I will write down the secret recipe and have the imperial chef prepare a few for breakfast every day."

"'Tea eggs'? Haha, what a great name, quite fitting. I never thought tea could have such wonderful uses besides just drinking it. I've learned a lot today!" Zhao Xiaoqian said, "Tea has many wonderful uses. For example, wiping your eyelids with tea every morning can improve your eyesight. Carrying a tea bag in your pocket can enhance your fragrance and eliminate body odor, and so on."

After saying this, Zhao Xiaoqian burped.

If people eat too much, they will not only feel sleepy, but also a little confused. After Zhao Xiaoqian had eaten and drunk his fill, he stood up and said goodbye to Zhao Xu.

Under the astonished gazes of Zhao Xu and Zheng Chunhe, Zhao Xiaoqian patted his bloated belly and slowly walked out of the Funing Palace.

After a long time, Zhao Xiaoqian ran back in a rage.

"No! I didn't come to the palace today to make tea eggs, I have something important to do!"

Zhao Xu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh and laughed out loud.

"I was just wondering what Zi'an was doing in the palace today. He went into the hall, cooked a pot of tea eggs, and then left. Could it be that he really meant to 'finish his business and leave, hiding his identity and reputation'? Haha, he's such a kind-hearted person."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled bitterly and said, "I was stunned just now, and my mind is a little unclear..."

Zhao Xu wiped away the tears of laughter and said, "Tell me, what's the matter, Zi'an? It's probably not very important, at least not as important as the tea eggs, haha!"

Zhao Xiaoqian's cheeks twitched slightly. If a person's sense of humor is too low, then when they laugh, they really look like someone with a mental disability...

When you offer sacrifices to the Taimiao at the end of the year, thank your ancestors for letting you become the emperor. Otherwise, with your extremely insulting laughter, if you had another identity, Zhao Xiaoqian would beat the shit out of you by now.

"I would like to ask, Your Majesty, today at the court session, ordered the three courts to investigate the case of Su Shi. Does Your Majesty really intend to punish Su Shi?"

Zhao Xu's smile froze, and he sighed, "The entire court is impeaching me, and the public outrage is unbearable. If I don't issue this order, the New Party will overturn the palace."

"Mr. Dongpo is also a talented person. Not only are his articles and poems excellent, but his popularity is also extremely bad..."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, "The emperor must have misunderstood. It's not that he's unpopular, but that his enemies are in power."

Zhao Xu was silent for a while, then said, "I know, but I can only pretend not to know."

This was a very clever remark, and Zhao Xiaoqian understood the general meaning.

Abolishing the old and restoring the new was the national policy set by Zhao Xu after he took power. Supporting the new party and suppressing the old party was also tacitly approved by Zhao Xu.

Since he has acquiesced, Zhao Xu cannot undermine the New Party.

If Zhao Xu rejected the New Party's proposal to impeach Su Shi, it would be equivalent to slapping the New Party in the butt with his own hands.

It's not just a slap on the New Party's ass, it's a slap on Zhao Xu's own face.

For both emotional and logical reasons, and for both public and private reasons, Zhao Xu had no choice but to stand on the side of the New Party.

His attitude was very important, and it was equivalent to the weather vane of the court. If Zhao Xu favored Su Shi in front of all the civil and military officials in the court, the signal sent would be too strong. There would even be rumors in the court that Zhao Xu changed his orders every day and planned to restore the old laws and abolish the new laws, which would then sweep across the entire Song Dynasty like a storm.

Zhao Xu sighed, then suddenly looked at him and asked, "Zi'an, are you here for Su Shi?"

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded. "Yes, I have a close personal relationship with Su Shi, and I want to protect him. I really don't want the Song Dynasty to lose a great poet who will go down in history. Just as Li Bai and Du Fu's calligraphy in the Tang Dynasty were all famous in their own time, so is Su Shi in our dynasty."

"Such a great talent, unrivalled in history, should be treated as a national hero by the Song Dynasty. If he is punished for those vile things that happened in the court, the Song Dynasty will lose at least half of its literary heritage and lose the hearts of scholars and literati all over the world."

Zhao Xu hummed and said with a wry smile, "Ever since I learned to read, I have always loved Su Shi's poems. I don't want to punish Su Shi, but now the situation has become like this..."

Zhao Xiaoqian was delighted when he heard this.

Judging from Zhao Xu's tone, it seemed that he was not very willing to deal with Su Shi, but it was just not convenient for him to favor Su Shi.

I feel much more at ease with this attitude.

As long as Zhao Xu turns a blind eye, Zhao Xiaoqian will be able to win against Zhang Dun.

Zhang Dun had three courts to conduct joint trials, and Zhao Xiaoqian also had the Imperial City Court under his command.

Nowadays, every family has a violent law enforcement agency. It’s a standard feature of powerful officials.

(End of this chapter)