The prince is more stable

Chapter 303 Analyzing the Pros and Cons
Compared with previous dynasties, the imperial power of the Song Dynasty was more centralized.

The founding emperor Zhao Kuangyin learned from the harm of local separatist regimes in the late Tang Dynasty. From the beginning of the founding of the country, he took all the power of the world into his own hands, especially the power of prime minister and military power, and was extremely cautious.

In short, the emperor of the Song Dynasty possessed supreme power and could interfere in state affairs and personnel matters at any time. He also held military power tightly. Even though there were many military generals in the world, no one could mobilize a single soldier.

This is also one of the reasons why Zhao Xiaoqian has been holding Zhao Xu's thigh tightly. As long as he holds this thick thigh tightly, he is not afraid of offending anyone. Even if it is the prime minister of the dynasty, he has the confidence to fight.

Today, Zhao Xiaoqian entered the palace, and what he wanted was Zhao Xu's attitude.

Even if Zhao Xu could not openly favor Su Shi, as long as he could remain neutral and pretend to ignore it, Zhao Xiaoqian could protect Su Shi.

Now listening to Zhao Xu's tone, it seemed that he admired Su Shi's literary talent, and Zhao Xiaoqian felt more at ease.

"Your Majesty should know that Su Shi is actually a down-and-out official who has been exiled for many years. His fate has been full of misfortunes over the years, and he has been demoted further and further away. Now he is just a deputy governor with no real power. He is already around sixty years old, and his time is running out..."

"From the perspective of the imperial court, such people are completely harmless. They will not affect the overall situation of the government's implementation of the new policies, nor will they have any impact on the power of the imperial court."

"But Su Shi's position in the literary world is extraordinary. He has many supporters in the court and among the people. Scholars all over the world regard him as a role model. He has great appeal in the literary world..."

"If such a person were to be punished by the court for such a minor matter, whether it was dismissal and exile, or even worse, imprisonment, it would cause an uproar in the literary world. The government and the court would surely be severely criticized and condemned by scholars all over the world, which would be of no benefit to the court at all."

"The only beneficiary was Lord Zhang. He did resolve his feud with Su Shi, but the price he paid was the reputation of the emperor and the court..."

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at Zhao Xu and said hesitantly, "This matter sounds like it's making the court a big scapegoat, but Minister Zhang didn't have to pay any price and used the power of the court to deal with his former enemy."

Zhao Xu was slightly moved and fell into deep thought.

The grudge between Zhang Dun and Su Shi is no secret, and it can be said that it is known to everyone in the world.

This time, when the ministers impeached Su Shi, everyone with a discerning eye knew that it was Zhang Dun who was behind the impeachment. As for the motive, everyone knew it tacitly, and Zhao Xu certainly knew it better.

Now that Zhao Xiaoqian had made this analysis, Zhao Xu felt more and more that something was wrong.

Yes, Su Shi was just a demoted official who could not make any waves. He was in such a miserable situation, but the court still wanted to step on him hard.

What happens after stepping on it?
Zhang Dun got his revenge and relieved his hatred, and said lonely as snow, "The grudges of the past are over."

But what role did the court play in this?
Become the knife in Zhang Dun's hand?

Why!

Did you, Zhang Dun, open the imperial court?
Let’s look at the charges that the ministers brought against Su Shi. The biggest charge was “slandering the emperor”, and the other was forming a clique and holding private gatherings.

There's too much flexibility in this matter.

A few downtrodden, oppressed officials from the old party reunited after many years, gathered together, chatted about current affairs, and perhaps, if they got drunk, cursed the tyrant emperor a little...

Is this a problem given the relaxed political environment of the Song Dynasty?

Since when did the rulers and ministers of the Song Dynasty become so intolerant?

As for the consequences, Zhao Xiaoqian's analysis was correct. It was easy to deal with Su Shi, but what would happen after that? How would the literati and scholars of the world view him as the emperor and the Song Dynasty?
Given Su Shi's current status and influence in the literary world, if he were really punished, Zhang Dun would be fine, but he, the emperor, would have to take the blame. I wonder how many literati would write about him in their articles and poems, cursing and satirizing him in various ways. The emperor's reputation would be tarnished, and it would be tarnished for hundreds or even thousands of years.

And what did Zhao Xu and the court get?
Nothing to gain except notoriety.

After Zhao Xiaoqian's analysis, Zhao Xu's thoughts suddenly became clear. At the same time, he was secretly annoyed that he should not have expressed his opinion so readily at today's court meeting.

At that time, Zhao Xu was forced by Zhang Dun and the ministers, and since it seemed on the surface to be just an investigation into a demoted official, he did not think too much about it.

Now that he thought about it carefully, the consequences were very serious. Zhao Xu was only in his twenties, and he didn't want to be infamous for his crimes in articles written by literati all over the world.

"Zi'an is right. I was indeed impulsive..." Zhao Xu's expression gradually grew serious. He gritted his teeth and said, "How despicable is this Zhang Dun. He used me and the court as a weapon to settle his own personal grudge. He deserves death!"

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes lit up, realizing the opportunity was fleeting. He quickly offered a slanderous oath: "Execute him! Execute him immediately! If the emperor needs you, I am willing to help him restrain Zhang Dun's hands and feet." Zhao Xu sighed and glanced at him indifferently: "Execution is not an option. If I were to kill the prime minister without authorization, do you know what the consequences would be?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was immediately disappointed.

It's a rare opportunity to be a treacherous minister who makes false accusations, but in the end, he was wronged.

Although Zhang Dun could not be executed, Zhao Xu's thinking had changed at this time. He was clearly aware that Su Shi must not be harmed.

This guy is so awesome, he is simply the Song Dynasty version of Li Bai and Du Fu, and can be said to be the intangible cultural heritage of the Song Dynasty.

If this inheritance was disposed of by the imperial court, it would be tantamount to destroying one's own reputation, and it would be a self-destructive act without gaining any benefits.

What fool would do such a thing?

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Xu slowly said, "Zi'an, there are some things I can't say, and some things I can't do, but... I still hope that Mr. Dongpo is safe and sound."

The smile on Zhao Xiaoqian's face deepened, he understood the meaning of Zhao Xu's words.

"It is inconvenient for the emperor to do this, and I am willing to share your worries." Zhao Xiaoqian said without hesitation.

Zhao Xu also smiled: "Be more restrained in your actions and don't offend people too much, otherwise I won't be able to pretend to be deaf and dumb."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I promise not to kill Zhang Dun..."

Zhao Xu was shocked: "Even if he gets hurt, it's not okay! Don't be rude to Zhang Dun."

At this time, Zhao Xiaoqian was relieved. Since Zhao Xu chose to support him, there was a high probability that Su Shi would be saved.

Just as he was about to say goodbye, Zhao Xiaoqian remembered something and took out the information sent by Zhen Qing, the official from the Imperial City Bureau, from his pocket.

"Your Majesty, there were unusual troop movements in Liaodong last month. The Liao Kingdom's Zhejin Prefecture sent over 10,000 Liao cavalrymen directly to Zhending. A small group of them crossed the border and plundered our border villages, killing dozens of our civilians before quickly withdrawing."

Zhao Xu read the military information with a serious expression, and his face became increasingly gloomy.

"Okay, okay! It seems that the Liao Kingdom no longer wants to abide by the Treaty of Chanyuan." Zhao Xu gritted his teeth.

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment and said, "I believe that the Liao Kingdom's border attack this time should be a test to test the current combat effectiveness of our Song Dynasty border troops and the status of their flintlock musket equipment."

"If our border troops counterattack, and they are well-equipped with muskets, the Liao Kingdom will immediately compromise and push an unimportant person to take the blame. If the border troops continue to perform poorly as in previous years, the Liao Kingdom may launch a large-scale invasion."

"After the Song-Xia War, the Liao Kingdom felt threatened by the Song Dynasty. It could either immediately provoke a war to force the Song Dynasty to surrender, or sit back and watch the Song army grow stronger while the Liao Kingdom gradually weakened."

"It seems that the Liao Kingdom chose the former. A small group of troops crossing the border to attack the border is just the beginning of things."

Zhao Xu nodded. "Zi'an's words make sense. I'll hand this over to the Privy Council and have General Zeng Buxu and the others discuss it. The border troops in Zhending Prefecture must hold steady first and not act rashly."

The border between the two countries was shrouded in war clouds. Zhao Xiaoqian knew that Zhao Xu could not make a hasty decision and had to plan before taking action.

After finishing the business, Zhao Xiaoqian said goodbye and left the palace.

When I walked out of the palace gate, Wei Jie was waiting outside.

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian coming out, Wei Jie stepped forward with a questioning look in his eyes.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled at him and said, "Old Wei, bring the Imperial City Division's men and horses and follow me to the Su Mansion."

Wei Jie hurriedly said, "I am waiting here for the Duke of the County. I was just about to pass on a message. Just now, the Ministry of Justice has sent a letter, ordering officers to go to Su Zhe's residence and arrest Su Shi for questioning."

Zhao Xiaoqian was startled. "Let's go! I'm going to the Su Mansion. Old Wei, gather the Imperial City Division's men immediately. Su Shi must not fall into the hands of the Ministry of Justice!"

(End of this chapter)