The prince is more stable

Chapter 452: Important Matters
Zhao Hao was also puzzled when he was suddenly summoned into the palace by Zhao Xu. Now sitting in the Funing Palace, he still looked confused.

It would have been fine if he was summoned to the palace to chat with Zhao Xu about family matters on ordinary days, but since his son Zhao Xiaoqian became more and more capable and brought more and more honor to the Song Dynasty and the government, Zhao Xu loved his son and summoned Zhao Hao to the palace many times to chat about family matters, ranging from poetry and songs to the philosophy of life.

But the nature of that chat was just casual talk among the royal family, and it did not talk about state affairs at all. The purpose of Zhao Xu summoning Zhao Hao to chat was more of an emotional investment, in order to win over the King of Chu and his son.

But what's going on now?

Zhang Dun and the other two sitting in Funing Palace were all important officials in the court. It was obvious that Zhao Xu summoned them into the palace to discuss state affairs, so Zhao Hao didn't understand why he was among them.

The four people in the hall had their own thoughts. Zhao Hao looked around and felt that the current situation was very inconsistent.

Yes, there was something strange among the four of them, and he was that strange thing...

From the perspective of outsiders, there is now a prime minister, two envoys from the Privy Council, and an uncle who has nothing to do and spends his days flirting with widows in Bianjing City sitting in the palace.

Isn’t the picture very discordant?
It's like three top students who have been admitted to Peking University and Tsinghua University sitting together with a gangster who colludes with gangs outside the school to extort classmates. They are not from the same world at all.

After a long time, Zhao Xu walked into the hall, and the four of them hurriedly stood up and saluted.

Zhao Xu greeted everyone with a smile and sat down.

Without further ado, Zhao Xu immediately took out Zhao Xiaoqian's secret memorial and asked the four of them to circulate it.

After seeing it, the four of them were all shocked. Even Zhao Hao looked incredulous, but then his expression became excited.

Capturing the Liao emperor's grandson alive is an achievement no less than annihilating 50,000 Liao troops. Given the current situation between the Song and Liao countries, the political impact of this incident is too great. So, has my beloved son made another great contribution?
After the four of them finished reading the secret report, Zhao Xu looked around at everyone with a smile.

"You have all read Zi'an's secret report. I would like to hear your opinions on how to deal with this matter."

Zhang Dun stroked his beard and looked deeply at the excited Zhao Hao, with an unfathomable light flashing in his eyes.

It is not surprising to discuss matters, but the government actually let the King of Chu participate in the discussion at this time. Is this some kind of signal that the government sent out in advance? Or is it simply because this matter was done by Zhao Xiaoqian, so the government let Zhao Xiaoqian's father participate. Will it become a common practice in the future?
If it is the latter, today's meeting is meaningless.

But if it is the former, then the government obviously intends to continue to appoint relatives, and the ones appointed are from the lineage of the King of Chu. It is not a good sign that both the father and son of the clan are in power. One Zhao Xiaoqian is enough, and there can't be another living father...

Looking at Zeng Bu and Xu Jiang again, their expressions were equally complicated and unpredictable. All three of them stroked their beards and remained silent.

The atmosphere in the hall fell silent for a moment, and the news of the Crown Prince being captured did not seem to be as important as what Zhao Hao was discussing.

Those who plan things also plan people.

If the government repeatedly breaks the ancestral rules and allows clan members to participate in politics, it will not be good news for the three important officials. The originally balanced situation in the court may be disrupted by this clan force.

Perhaps it was because Zhao Xiaoqian's performance was so outstanding that the emperor had an illusion that relatives were more trustworthy than ministers.

But Zhang Dun really wanted to tell the emperor that Zhao Xiaoqian was just an exception among the clan members, and not all of them were so awesome.

For example, the one in front of you, who is good at eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, and his reputation as a playboy is spread throughout the capital. You don’t think that such a person really has any ability, right?

Suppressing his dissatisfaction, Zhang Dun forced himself to focus back on the business.

"The capture of the Liao Crown Prince is indeed a good thing for the Song Dynasty. His Royal Highness the Prince of Hejian is truly a pillar of the government and has lived up to the trust of the emperor." Zhang Dun said with a smile.

Zhang Dun smiled and bowed to Zhao Hao, saying, "I forgot to congratulate His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu. Your son's promotion to the title of Prince of a County is well deserved. Your Highness has given birth to a fine son, a rare talent."

Zhao Hao smiled innocently, "I'm happy for you. I was just fooling around. I still remember that year when I just shivered in the middle of the night. Who could have thought that I would give birth to such a promising son? Haha!"

Everyone in the hall: “…………”

Zhao Xu chuckled and said, "Uncle Chu, please speak properly and don't lose your manners."

Zhao Hao looked around in confusion. "Did I say something wrong? Aren't we talking about how to give birth to a son who is truly extraordinary?"

Zhang Dun said with a serious face: "No, it's just a normal congratulations."

Zhao Xu couldn't help but laugh and said, "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Mr. Zihou, tell us how to deal with this matter."

Zhang Dun said slowly, "I believe that the Liao Emperor may still be unaware of the capture of the Liao Crown Prince. Furthermore, we cannot discuss this matter directly with the Liao Emperor. If word gets out, the Crown Prince's power will be lost."

"Given the Liao Emperor's temperament, he will definitely depose the Crown Prince and appoint a new heir. He will also never compromise with the Song Dynasty. Instead, this will provoke the anger of the Liao monarch and his ministers, leading to a massive attack on Zhending Prefecture. Therefore, this matter can only be discussed with Yelu Chun, the Liao Prince of Beiping."

"Yelü Chun was the one who lost the person, so he bears the responsibility. If Yelü Chun wants to survive, he certainly won't dare report this to the Liao Emperor. Instead, he will choose to negotiate privately with the Prince of Hejian."

Zhang Dun smiled bitterly and said, "Things are so contradictory. If the Liao Emperor doesn't know about the Crown Prince's capture, then we'll just have to rely on what leverage Yelu Chun has. But if the Liao Emperor knows about it, the Crown Prince will be deposed, and the Song Dynasty will gain nothing."

"So, we can't look at how much the Liao Dynasty's crown prince is worth. We can only look at how much Yelu Chun has. This is very helpless."

Everyone in the hall nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Zhang Dun was undoubtedly intelligent and shrewd. Even from a thousand miles away, he seemed to see through the essence of the situation and pinpoint the key. Zhang Dun continued, "Furthermore, this matter still has time to run its course. The Crown Prince's capture must be resolved swiftly. Sooner or later, this news will be revealed to the Liao Emperor. We must secure as much as we can before he reacts. We have no time to waste on negotiations. Any further delay would only harm the Song Dynasty."

Zhao Xu nodded upon hearing this. "Indeed, if the news leaked, the Liao Emperor would not only depose the Crown Prince, but out of shame and anger, he might even mobilize the entire nation's army to attack Zhending Prefecture, which would cause great trouble for Zi'an."

Zhang Dun said calmly, "In my opinion, we should give the decision-making power on this matter to the Prince of Hejian. The Prince is extremely intelligent and is the commander-in-chief of the army. Moreover, the Prince values ​​profit. He should know what benefits he can get from Yelu Chun to avoid losses."

No one in the hall objected to the evaluation of Zhao Xiaoqian as "profit-oriented", including Zhao Hao, who nodded in agreement.

Zhao Xu smiled and looked at Zhao Hao. He said, "According to the uncle of Chu, what would Zi'an ask of Yelu Chun?"

Zhao Hao blinked in confusion. "Ah? Well... Your Majesty, please forgive my ignorance. I'm really a little, uh, unfamiliar with state affairs. How about Your Majesty give me some time, and then I'll go back and ask the officials in the palace, and then come back to the palace to report to Your Majesty?"

Zhao Xu seemed quite satisfied with his uncle's answer, and his smile grew deeper and deeper.

"No one knows a son better than his father. Doesn't the uncle of Chu know what Zi'an is thinking?"

Zhao Hao wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, I am a relative of the clan and have never dared to pay attention to state affairs. If your Majesty asks about the places to eat, drink and have fun in Bianjing, I will know them all like an old horse. As for what my son would talk about with Yelu Chun, it is really difficult for me."

Zhao Xu was in a very good mood and laughed loudly, "Uncle Chu can't just be so incompetent. Your son is so capable, so you can't be too weak, otherwise you won't be able to control your son in the future."

Zhao Hao smiled and said, "It's okay. No matter how powerful a son is, he's still a son. Why should I be afraid that he will rebel?"

Zhao Xu pondered, "The Liao crown prince was captured, and Zi'an has performed great service. However, he has already been promoted to the rank of a prince, so it would be inappropriate to award him any more, fearing criticism from the court. Since Uncle Chu is here today, why not give him this reward?"

"I appoint the uncle of the King of Chu as 'Ping Zhang Jun Guo Shi Zhong Shi' and grant the Prince of Chu's palace a fief of 3,000 households. Well, it's settled."

Zhang Dun and the other two in the hall looked at Zhao Xu in shock.

Zhang Dun's face darkened and he wanted to say something, but in the end he just stroked his beard and remained silent.

"Pingzhang Jun Guozhongshi" is an official title, and it is only an honorary title without real power.

But it has a characteristic: the official rank is particularly high, higher than that of the prime minister, and it is specially designed for old ministers with high moral character and prestige.

The famous ministers of that time, Wen Yanbo and Lu Gongzhu, were both granted the title of Pingzhang (Pingzhang) for important military and national affairs. The difference was that these two were actually prime ministers at that time, and the additional titles they were granted were just an honor.

Now Zhao Hao was also given this official position. Although the government did not give him real power, in terms of official rank alone, Zhao Hao was already above the prime minister Zhang Dun.

At this moment, Zhang Dun finally figured out many things.

The emperor did not summon Zhao Hao into the palace today for no reason. The purpose of appointing him as the minister of military and national affairs was the emperor's purpose in summoning Zhao Hao into the palace.

Why did the government confer this official position?

Again, the emperor's balancing act.

The new and old parties were fighting fiercely in the court. Recently, with Zhao Xiaoqian's defeat of the Liao army, the court's attention was diverted and the fight between the new and old parties became less intense.

But for Emperor Zhao Xu, Zhang Dun could not be the only one who had the final say in the court, especially since Zhang Dun, the prime minister, had a relatively strong personality and was ruthless in dealing with his political enemies. Zhao Xu was eventually a little afraid of him.

Therefore, Zhao Xu still needed to support a force in the court. The sudden appointment of Zhao Xiaoqian as the secretary of the Privy Council was actually sending a signal. Zhao Xiaoqian was the third force that Zhao Xu intended to support. This force was represented by the royal family and was used to balance the court.

Later, Zhao Xiaoqian left Beijing to take up his post in Zhending Prefecture. The idea of ​​supporting new forces could not be abandoned halfway, so Zhao Hao appeared in Zhao Xu's sight.

Zhao Xu did not expect this force to make any contribution to the court. He just needed this force to exist and be able to influence the court at critical moments. That was enough.

In this case, it is better to bring Zhao Hao into the game. This can not only affect the balance of the court, but also show favor to Zhao Xiaoqian who is far away in Zhending Prefecture, and further win his heart.

For the current Song Dynasty, Zhao Xiaoqian and his Dragon Guard Camp are extremely important to the country and the people. Zhao Xu's dreams are entrusted to Zhao Xiaoqian.

It is only natural to show favor to such an important minister and to improve the relationship between the Chu King's lineage and the royal family.

Today's appointment of Zhao Hao was not a sudden decision made by Zhao Xu. It was obviously a long-standing plan. Zhao Xiaoqian had made great contributions by capturing the Liao Dynasty's crown prince alive. The preparation was sufficient, so Zhao Xu immediately brought it up.

He seems to be the father of the meritorious officials of Jia En, but in fact he has inserted a third force into the court.

One is in charge of important military and national affairs, and the other is the secretary of the Privy Council and the governor of the western route of Hebei. The father and son seem to be weak, but the father's official rank is higher than that of the prime minister, and the son's real power is that of a local lord, with the emperor as his backer. Who dares to say that this force is not strong?

Everyone in the hall was silent, and Zhang Dun's eyes became increasingly dark.

At this moment, he probably understood Zhao Xu's intention and could only sigh inwardly.

The heart of an emperor is like the rain from heaven, which is unpredictable. If Zhang Dun does not want to cause trouble for himself and be suspected by the emperor, he can only accept the fact that Zhao Hao was appointed as the Prime Minister of military and national affairs.

(End of this chapter)