The prince is more stable

Chapter 335 The Secret of the True Chamberlain

It is indeed a memorable thing for a man to have offspring. Not only does it give an account to his ancestors, but it also implicitly proves to the world that he can do it!

What's more, this is the current emperor who is the focus of the world, and this is also the first child conceived by one of Zhao Xu's concubines since his wedding.

All the people in the world, whether male or female, breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as she can give birth, it will be easy. Even if this baby is a girl and cannot inherit the throne, as long as the emperor is determined and keeps trying, he will eventually give birth to a son, and the legal heir of the Song Dynasty will be undisputed.

Tonight, Zhao Xu will hold a banquet in the palace to entertain the royal family.

After receiving the news, Zhao Xiaoqian immediately packed up his fishing rod and rushed back to the palace.

It's still early, but preparations must be made.

When you go to someone's house for a banquet, don't you have to prepare some gifts?

Less than half an hour after returning to the palace, Zhao Hao and Zhao Xiaoqian were sitting in the study in the backyard, looking at each other with dejected expressions.

The royal family naturally includes Zhao Hao, the emperor's uncle.

The father and son will go to the palace for a banquet together tonight. The question now is, what to give as a gift?

The 500,000 taels of silver that came into the palace treasury the day before were all spent by Zhao Hao.

The son was not to be outdone, so he stole all the valuables in the palace and sold them. It might be a bit of an exaggeration to say that the Chu Palace was now penniless, but it must be extremely poor.

Gifts given to the emperor cannot be too shabby, but the palace has no money. What should we do?
The father and son looked at each other, each worried.

"Or... just say that both father and son are sick and can't attend the banquet tonight?" Zhao Hao asked tentatively.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and said, "Your Majesty, please consider this matter yourself. This morning, the servants in the palace saw you jumping around, but you suddenly fell ill this evening. Moreover, both father and son fell ill at the same time. You are clearly not giving the emperor face."

Zhao Hao leaned back with his fat body, looking ready to be slaughtered. "What should I do? I originally had some valuable furnishings at home, and it wouldn't be shameful to give them away, but you took them all. The palace is now empty, and I can't even scrape together a thousand taels of silver."

Zhao Xiaoqian sneered, "If you hadn't spent the five hundred thousand taels, why would my child steal things from home?"

As he spoke, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly leaned in front of Zhao Hao and asked curiously, "The money has been spent anyway, and I won't say anything. Father, can you tell me now where the five hundred thousand taels were spent? I promise not to pursue the matter. I'm just asking out of curiosity."

Zhao Hao's cheek twitched, and he immediately looked around and said something else: "...My son, don't worry, leave the gift-giving to me, your father. I will ensure that our King of Chu and his son will be honored."

Having said that, Zhao Hao drove Zhao Xiaoqian out of the study. Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned and paced back and forth outside the study for a few times. Then he saw Zhao Hao open the door of the study. Miraculously, he was holding a white jade statue of Taoist deity in his hand.

The statue is about one foot tall, and the facial expressions and clothing details are carved vividly, and the carving is particularly lifelike.

When Zhao Xiaoqian saw the statue for the first time, he immediately estimated its value, which was at least 20,000 taels.

Then Zhao Xiaoqian thought of another thing. It was obvious that he had searched Zhao Hao's study thoroughly a long time ago. He was not satisfied after the last search, so he searched it carefully inside and out several times.

So, where did this statue of the Taoist deity come from?

Zhao Xiaoqian stared at Zhao Hao in amazement, pointed at him, and then pointed at the study: "You, you...it, it..."

Zhao Hao held the statue in his hands and sneered, "Boy, you're still a novice. Remember, a man, whether young, middle-aged, or old, must always leave a way out for himself. Just wait until everyone thinks you're at the end of your rope, then take it out and amaze the world, turning your life around."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded blankly, then looked towards the study again.

"I know, there is a secret compartment or a secret room in the study! There are many good things hidden in it!" Zhao Xiaoqian said excitedly.

Zhao Hao's old face froze, and he pretended not to hear anything. He held the statue of Daojun and walked towards Yin'an Hall.

"Father, please open it and let me see it..."

Zhao Hao still heard nothing and quickened his pace holding the statue.

"It's okay if you don't show it to me. Father, please don't squander the family fortune again. Those good things are your inheritance..." Zhao Xiaoqian followed behind him, admonishing him worriedly. "By the way, would it be convenient for Father to show me the will?"

…………

As night falls, a night banquet is held in Yeonbokgung Palace.

As evening approached, many carriages were parked outside the palace gate.

The royal family members of the Song Dynasty got off their carriages, dressed in luxurious clothes, and gathered in front of the palace gate, chatting and laughing.

Generally speaking, the clan members of the Song Dynasty had relatively close relationships, and there wasn't much intrigue among them.

After all, before Zhao Xiaoqian, the royal family members were like parasites raised by the court. Apart from making money to buy land, there was no conflict of interest between them. No one held real power, so there was nothing to fight for.

For example, Zhao Hao's way of life was a typical template of a clan member. He pretended to be cultured and hung out with literati every day, while also taking care of cockfighting, walking the dog, and playing with crickets. He also visited brothels and flirted with widows. His life was the envy of even gods.

Of course, ever since Zhao Xiaoqian miraculously emerged as a clan member last year, the thoughts of the clan members of the Song Dynasty have been different from previous years.

Everyone was eager to make a move, and began to pay attention to maintaining their reputation in the court and the public. They only hoped that the emperor, while favoring Zhao Xiaoqian, would also pay attention to them and give them some powerful official positions.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xiaoqian seemed to be just an exception. Apart from him, Zhao Xu had no favor for any other relatives.

It is unknown whether the clans of the Song Dynasty are harmonious with each other now, but the clansmen have a unified attitude of jealousy and envy towards the King of Chu and his son. Of course, there is also some sour talk behind their backs.

As the setting sun was about to sink into the horizon, the carriage from the Prince of Chu's Palace slowly arrived.

Zhao Xiaoqian, dressed in gorgeous clothes, jumped off the carriage, and then helped the fat Zhao Hao get off the carriage as well.

As soon as the father and son appeared in front of the palace gate, they attracted the attention of all the clan members.

After everyone was stunned, they immediately stepped forward to greet him warmly.

No matter how jealous or envious one is of this father and son, superficial harmony must be maintained, especially since Zhao Xiaoqian now holds a special position in the court and is also a relative of the clan. It can be said that he has double the benefits, and no one dares to show disrespect to Zhao Xiaoqian.

As soon as Zhao Hao and his son got off the carriage, they were surrounded by clan members. The father and son were immediately caught up in the frenzy of flattery and almost lost themselves.

Until the palace gate suddenly opened, Zheng Chunhe walked out of the palace with a respectful smile on his face and invited all the relatives to enter the palace for a banquet. Only then did the relatives line up according to the rules and walked into Yanfu Palace obediently.

Zhao Xiaoqian deliberately walked at the end of the team and smiled at Zheng Chunhe.

"Eunuch Zheng looks good today and looks several years younger. With your energy, living to be a hundred years old is no problem." Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

As he spoke, a gold ingot weighing about five taels was quietly stuffed into Zheng Chunhe's hand.

Zheng Chunhe felt the cold temperature in his hand, and was suddenly surprised and happy. He looked around hurriedly, and then stuffed the gold ingot into his arms without leaving any trace.

"Haha, thanks to the emperor, I am happy today. The Song Dynasty will prosper forever and have many descendants. Even though I am a eunuch, I am very happy to hear the good news."

Zheng Chunhe suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Today is the palace banquet, and the Queen Mother is also here..."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded meaninglessly. Since Zhao Xu had a queen, it was normal for the queen mother to attend the palace banquet.

Zheng Chunhe continued, "Prince Suining has always been a favorite of the Empress Dowager, who dotes on him greatly. I have quite a few connections within the palace, and it's said that Prince Suining seems to have quite a few complaints about you, Duke of Suining, and has spoken ill of you in front of the Empress Dowager, both openly and covertly."

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned and it took him a long time to remember.

Isn’t the Prince of Suining the prodigal artist Zhao Ji?
This guy must have taken the wrong medicine to be saying bad things about me in front of the Queen Mother?

Turning his head to look at Zheng Chunhe, Zhao Xiaoqian asked doubtfully, "Have I ever offended Zhao Ji?"

Zheng Chunhe smiled helplessly: "I don't know about this. Anyway, what I said is the truth. As for the cause and effect, please investigate it yourself, my lord. I really can't help you..."

(End of this chapter)