The prince is more stable

Chapter 332: Selecting Talents for the Country
Whether in the high officialdom or in the distant world, it all depends on human nature and worldly wisdom.

When you encounter officials and clerks who do things according to the rules, it’s not that they don’t understand, but that you are not qualified to ask them to talk about the ways of the world.

Zhao Xiaoqian is different, he has enough qualifications.

In fact, he could accomplish this task without asking Cai Jing for help.

However, the process will be a bit tortuous, and it may even catch the attention of someone with ulterior motives, leading to a minor impeachment and adding to the trouble. It would be better to do Cai Jing a favor.

Anyway, Cai You had already become Zhao Xiaoqian's disciple. Even if Cai Jing didn't help, wouldn't he make arrangements for his son Zhao Xiaoqian in the future?
After the deal was concluded, Cai Jing made no loss, Zhao Xiaoqian profited greatly, officials of all ranks in Bianjing could drink tea produced in the Chu Palace, and the GDP of the Song Dynasty was boosted...

Who lost?
No one loses, everyone is a winner.

The Chu Palace had more than 4,000 kilograms of tea, and at the price of 20 taels per kilogram, Zhao Xiaoqian could earn more than 80,000 taels of silver from this transaction. Together with the various gold and jade artifacts looted from his father's study and bedroom, Zhao Xiaoqian made more than 100,000 taels of silver in just one or two days.

I have to say, this is what it takes. No matter whether the money comes from a legitimate source or not, I just want to ask you, have you got the money? Is it worthy of your money?

After leaving Cai's house, Zhao Xiaoqian was in a very good mood. The panic and urgency of the previous two days were no longer there. With hundreds of thousands of taels of silver on him, he felt inexplicably more confident and spoke to everyone with confidence.

After returning to the palace, Zhao Xiaoqian was about to get off the carriage when he saw a familiar figure circling outside the gate. Zhao Xiaoqian narrowed his eyes and recognized that the man was Su Shi.

Zhao Xiaoqian blinked hard, and the memory of the dead began to attack him...

The day before yesterday when I was fishing, I seemed to have promised Su Shi something. What was it?

Then Zhao Xiaoqian was shocked. Damn it, he almost forgot about the diplomatic mission to Liao Kingdom!
To be precise, if Zhao Xiaoqian had not met Su Shi at this moment, he would have forgotten it.

Zhao Xiaoqian, whose leg was almost touching the ground, quickly retracted his slender legs. The carriage curtain was tightly closed, and he hurriedly shouted to the driver from inside the carriage: "Go, go! Let's get out of here first!"

The driver whipped the carriage quickly, and it started moving again just as it stopped. Chen Shou and other imperial guards who were guarding the carriage were puzzled, but they still followed the carriage out of the palace gate.

At this time, Su Shi, who was circling outside the door, saw the carriage.

Of course he knew Zhao Xiaoqian's carriage. Even if he didn't know him, he was familiar with Chen Shou, who had been guarding Zhao Xiaoqian for many years.

"Hey, stop! Is that my dear brother Zi'an inside?" Su Shi called out.

No one in the carriage said anything. Outside, Chen Shou finally managed to be clever and replied in a deep voice, "Master Su, the prince is not in the carriage."

Su Shi said suspiciously: "Not here? Who is in the car? Let me take a look..."

Just as he was about to step forward, he was stopped by Chen Shou: "There are women from the royal family inside. I'm afraid it's inconvenient. Scholar Su, please forgive me."

When he heard that it was a female relative, Su Shi felt too embarrassed to ask any further questions and could only watch the carriage go away in disappointment.

Only after the carriage had left the palace for a long time did Zhao Xiaoqian lift the curtain. He glanced guiltily at the back, then gave Chen Shou a thumbs-up: "What a clever little fellow... I'll give you a chicken drumstick later."

Chen Shou smiled reservedly: "It is my duty to share the worries of the Crown Prince."

"Don't make such nice things of it. You're not talking about sharing my worries? You're clearly helping me avoid debt..." Zhao Xiaoqian rubbed his face and ordered the driver, "Go to the Government Affairs Hall."

The Council of State is located in Yeonbok Palace, and ordinary officials are not allowed to enter. Those who are qualified to enter are basically important officials at the level of prime minister or deputy prime minister, such as Shangshu Pushe, Zhongshu Menxia Shilang, and Canzhi Zhengshi.

Fortunately, Zhao Xiaoqian's official rank was not low. He was the third-ranking person in the Privy Council and was qualified to enter the Council of State.

However, the official system of the Song Dynasty was the separation of military and political affairs. The Political Affairs Hall was in charge of political affairs, while the Privy Council was in charge of military affairs.

Officials from the Privy Council had sufficient qualifications to join the Council of State, but it was still rare. To avoid suspicion, the Council of State and the Privy Council did not visit each other on weekdays.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't care about that. He had been to the Political Affairs Hall before, and there were many acquaintances there, whether friends or enemies, he just asked if he knew them well.

When Zhao Xiaoqian stepped into the threshold of the Council of State, the court officials inside were shocked and looked at him stupidly as he walked in.

The person sitting behind the desk in front of the government hall was naturally Prime Minister Zhang Dun. When he saw Zhao Xiaoqian coming, Zhang Dun frowned and put down the pen he was using to review the memorials.

"Duke Zhao is a rare guest in the Council of State. It's rare to see such an important official of the Privy Council here. Today I'm really enlightened." Zhang Dun laughed.

On the surface, he was welcoming, but in reality, his words were full of ulterior motives, implicitly criticizing Zhao Xiaoqian, as an official of the Privy Council, for not visiting the State Affairs Hall. The young man had no idea how to avoid suspicion. Zhao Xiaoqian heard the meaning, but pretended not to understand.

He wanted to use practical actions to tell Zhang Dun that young people not only did not know how to avoid suspicion, but were also shameless beyond imagination.

"I miss Mr. Zhang so much that I came here uninvited. I hope you gentlemen don't mind my recklessness." Zhao Xiaoqian saluted with a smile.

Zhang Dun pulled the corners of his mouth with a forced smile.

Now that he has said that, it would seem unbecoming of an elder to blame him any further.

They had fought each other several times, and Zhang Dun had some understanding of Zhao Xiaoqian. He knew that this guy would not come to his house for no reason.

So Zhang Dun invited Zhao Xiaoqian into a side hall on the west side of the government hall and ordered the eunuchs to serve him tea and snacks.

"I am busy with state affairs, so I won't be polite with Lord Zhao. What business does Lord Zhao have in coming to the government hall today?"

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded: "Something happened."

"Duke Zhao, please feel free to speak."

"Well, my grandfather contracted a tea plantation. Seeing how hard he works and how hard his life is, as his grandson, I really want to help him share some of the heavy pressure..."

Zhang Dun was stunned, his pupils trembling.

Do you want to listen to what you said? Your grandfather, Emperor Yingzong...contracted a tea plantation?
Zhao Xiaoqian had just started talking when he noticed something was wrong with Zhang Dun's expression. He suddenly realized that he had been distracted...

Damn it, the tea has already been sold, right? Why are you still thinking about this?

Zhao Xiaoqian quickly gave Zhang Dun an apologetic smile, then rubbed his temples painfully with both hands: "I'm sorry, I haven't been sleeping well recently, and I often talk nonsense in broad daylight. My mind was confused just now, and I said the wrong thing..."

Zhang Dun's expression finally relaxed. Well, young people are allowed to make mistakes. If they admit their mistakes and correct them, they are still good comrades.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Xiaoqian changed the subject and continued, "...It's not grandpa, it's grandpa. Grandpa contracted a tea mountain."

Zhang Dun was so frightened that he almost jumped up on the spot.

Then suddenly Zhao Xiaoqian laughed again: "Haha, just kidding, just kidding, the atmosphere was a bit awkward just now, so I told a little joke to lighten the mood..."

Zhang Dun: “…………”

So, is it relieved?

It's even more embarrassing!
Do you really want to kill the prime minister?

"Duke Zhao, let's talk about business." Zhang Dun sighed weakly.

Zhao Xiaoqian hummed and said, "The emperor said the other day that he would send an envoy to the Liao Kingdom to question the Liao emperor about his border raids. I wonder if they have decided on the envoys?"

Zhang Dun narrowed his eyes, revealing a cunning look: "Why do you ask this, Lord Zhao?"

"Recruit talents for the country."

"Who did the Duke of Zhao recommend?"

"Su Shi."

A fierce look flashed in Zhang Dun's eyes, and he snorted coldly, "Duke Zhao and Su Shi do have a mutual admiration for each other, but the imperial court has sent an envoy, and this is a matter of national affairs. This is not something to be taken lightly."

Zhao Xiaoqian blinked: "This is not a joke, I'm serious."

"Although Su Shi was a leader in the literary world and had many supporters among officials and the public, he was ultimately just a corrupt scholar. How could he be qualified to take on such an important task?"

"An old horse in the stable should not be underestimated for his desire to serve the country. Prime Minister Zhang, you should not be biased in the government and national affairs." Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)