The prince is more stable

Chapter 493 Something is fishy
Secular people always have to go with the flow in the world, and sometimes they are unwilling to do so, so they stir up a small wave of resistance in the downstream, but it is quickly submerged in the rivers and lakes.

Zhao Xiaoqian was a vulgar man.

If there is anything special about this layman, it is that he is a layman who has lived two lives.

People who have lived two lives may not be more sensible than others, but they are definitely no less knowledgeable about human relationships than others.

Unless it is absolutely necessary, he will not do anything eccentric or unacceptable to the world.

This is the most basic quality of an adult.

So Zhao Xiaoqian finally agreed to Han Wei's request. He knew that this was not Han Wei's personal request. Han Wei's words represented many powerful figures in Bianliang.

Among them may be his acquaintances, such as Cai Jing, or even... his own father.

Zhao Xiaoqian knew very well that his father was not a moral gentleman and would definitely take advantage of any opportunity. What's more, the person who conquered this land was his son, so he felt even more justified.

"Your Highness, rest assured. The land of 300,000 farmers and refugees will be distributed first. The remaining vacant land will be divided among the powerful people in Bianliang." Han Wei promised solemnly.

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded indifferently. He did not believe in the so-called guarantee. He only believed in his own eyes. If he found that something was wrong, he would decisively stop.

Seeing that the deal had been made, Han Wei and Wang Yuan were overjoyed. They stood up and toasted Zhao Xiaoqian three times with a glass of wine.

Then Han Wei turned his head again and looked at Li Qingchen who was accompanying him and said with a smile: "Judge Li, your mediation is also a great favor. We are very grateful. We will also present some gifts later. I hope Judge Li will not despise it."

Li Qingchen quickly glanced at Zhao Xiaoqian's face, then said calmly, "I only made a recommendation. It's not a big favor. No reward without merit. I appreciate your kindness, so there's no need to send it off."

Han Wei said repeatedly: "Yes, yes, Judge Li, please don't refuse."

After a banquet, the four of them discussed this important matter in the main hall.

Everyone's mind was no longer on drinking and having fun. After Zhao Xiaoqian sent away the geishas, ​​he chatted with Han Wei and Wang Yuan for a while. Before they knew it, it was late at night, and the two of them tactfully took their leave.

Li Qingchen did not leave. Zhao Xiaoqian secretly winked at him, so Li Qingchen stayed.

After sending Han Wei and Wang Yuan out of the mansion, Zhao Xiaoqian returned to the main hall, frowned and pondered for a long time.

Li Qingchen sat quietly by the side, not daring to disturb his thoughts.

After a long pause, Zhao Xiaoqian slowly said, "Old Li, do you think what these two people said is credible?"

Li Qingchen hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me for speaking frankly. I'm afraid this matter is not that simple..."

"Why?"

"The powerful and influential people in the capital are all like tigers and wolves. Once they set their sights on something, they will bite it like a tiger or a wolf staring at its prey, and they will bite it and refuse to let go. And the place they bite will definitely be the most juicy part of the prey."

"Han Wei said that the land of farmers and refugees should be distributed first, and the rest will be distributed to the powerful and wealthy. In my opinion, this should be heard the other way around."

Zhao Xiaoqian raised an eyebrow. "So, in reality, the rich and powerful get to pick out the best farmland first, and only then will the remaining land go to the farmers and refugees?"

Li Qingchen smiled bitterly and said, "Being able to distribute it to farmers and refugees is a sign of having a clear conscience. What I'm worried about is..."

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned deeply. "Will the refugees from the peasant households not even be able to get the inferior land?"

Li Qingchen sighed, "Your Highness, the powerful are man-eating. Confucius said, 'A harsh government is more ferocious than a tiger.' But it's not the harsh government that's the ferocious tiger, but the powerful officials who formulate and implement it. They are the real man-eating tigers."

Zhao Xiaoqian's expression turned cold. "The land my soldiers and I fought for with our lives, and they just took it all with a single word? Haha, what a good calculation!"

Li Qingchen smiled bitterly and said, "What else can we do? No one knows how many powerful people are plotting this behind the scenes. The combined power of these people is unstoppable."

A sharp gleam flashed in Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes, and he said coldly, "This is just speculation between you and me. I'll send someone to keep an eye on these officials. If they don't go too far, I'll turn a blind eye. But if they really force farmers and refugees to leave their land, I won't tolerate it."

Li Qingchen's eyelids twitched, and he hurriedly said, "Your Highness, calm down. Han Wei was only pushed to the forefront by those bigwigs. The people behind him are very powerful. Even if Your Highness is trusted by the government, I'm afraid it will not be a good thing. If you get involved in this incident, it will ruin the Northern Expedition against the Liao Kingdom."

Zhao Xiaoqian chuckled, "The soldiers fought bravely for their country on the front lines, but these parasites plundered the spoils. What was the point of their sacrifice? Were they working for these powerful people?"

Waving his hand towards Li Qingchen, Zhao Xiaoqian said, "You don't need to persuade me. I can judge right from wrong, good from evil, based on my own conscience. Their eating habits are too ugly, I won't tolerate them."

Li Qingchen looked anxious and hesitated to speak, but seeing Zhao Xiaoqian's determined expression, he could only sigh.

After Li Qingchen said goodbye, Zhao Xiaoqian called Chen Shou over.

"Send a fast horse to the Feihu Military Command to summon Zhao Xin to come to see me in Zhending City. Bring all the subordinates from the Imperial City Command with you."

Chen Shou clasped his fists, accepted the order, and left in a hurry.

…………

The next morning, while Zhao Xiaoqian was still asleep, five or six horse-drawn carriages stopped outside the Prince's Mansion. The carriages were loaded with wooden boxes, sealed with oilcloth. When they arrived, a group of servants in blue clothes silently unloaded the carriages and piled the boxes outside the gate.

For some reason, the guards on duty outside the gate were not sure what to do, and since His Royal Highness was still asleep, they did not dare to disturb him and had to let them pile up the boxes from five or six carriages outside the gate.

The servants in blue clothes unloaded the cart and left. When Zhao Xiaoqian woke up and heard the report from the imperial guards, he was stunned for a moment, and then ordered the imperial guards to move the boxes into the front courtyard of the Prince's Mansion.

The boxes piled up like mountains took up most of the space in the front hall. Zhao Xiaoqian stared at the boxes with a frown, then asked Chen Shou to open one of them.

When the box was opened, it was found to be full of silver ingots, and all of them were of the same specifications and weight, all of which were official silver weighing ten taels each. Judging from the luster of the silver ingots, the quality was also very pure.

Chen Shou opened a few more boxes, and unsurprisingly, they were all filled with silver ingots. With such a huge amount of money, Chen Shou's hands were shaking as he opened the boxes.

Despite receiving such a huge windfall, there was no trace of joy on Zhao Xiaoqian's face.

It is true that he is greedy for money, but he also knows that this windfall is not only hot to the touch, but also unscrupulous.

If Zhao Xiaoqian accepted it, Han Wei and others would act unscrupulously, and Zhao Xiaoqian could only watch without making any opposition.

Taking money to do things is the rule in official circles.

Looking quietly at the piles of boxes, Zhao Xiaoqian fell into deep thought.

Chen Shou asked anxiously, "Sir, do you still want to open the box?"

Zhao Xiaoqian came back to his senses and shook his head, saying, "Don't open it. Seal the boxes, find a few carriages to reload them, and send them back to the inn where Han Wei and Wang Yuan are staying. Tell Han Wei in person that I won't accept the gift until the matter is completed. I won't accept this generous gift for now. We'll talk about it after the matter is completed."

Chen Shou responded and asked his fellow imperial guards to move the boxes.

The imperial guards were busy and sweating, but Jia Shi hurried in from outside the door with a letter sealed with wax in his hand.

"Prince, His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu in Bianjing has sent you a letter..."

Zhao Xiaoqian took the letter, checked the sealing wax, opened it, glanced at it hastily, and couldn't help showing a complicated expression.

"This living father is really not surprising at all..." Zhao Xiaoqian murmured.

His son has been fighting outside for half a year, and Zhao Hao has not often written to express his condolences. Now he has caught up with the opportunity.

The content of Zhao Hao's letter was exactly as Zhao Xiaoqian had expected, it was about the land north of Zhending Prefecture.

Like those bigwigs in Bian Jing, he also wanted to get a piece of the pie and enclose more land for the Chu Palace. The letter specifically noted that he only wanted high-quality farmland, at least 10,000 hectares, and 20,000 or 30,000 would not be too much, and 50,000 or 60,000 would also be acceptable.

Not only that, Zhao Hao also said that after Zhao Xiaoqian was promoted to the title of Prince of Hejian, he only had a prince's mansion granted by the emperor in his name, and no land or fertile fields. It was really too shabby. If it were made public, it would make people laugh. So he took this good opportunity to let Zhao Xiaoqian carve out some land for himself.

Anyway, it is an unowned land, and it will not go against one's conscience to occupy as much as possible. Zhao Hao advised Zhao Xiaoqian not to be polite or shy. Now is the time to fight. My son has conquered the territory with his own hands, so he should be the first to choose the best farmland, otherwise he will suffer a great loss.

Even dogs know to eat shit when it's hot, so my son wouldn't be worse than a dog, would he?

After reading the letter, Zhao Xiaoqian felt mixed emotions.

His only thought at this moment was to take a long vacation, rush back to Bian Jing on horseback, tear up this shameless letter and throw it in Zhao Hao's face.

This father was eating, drinking and having fun in Bianjing, and he knew nothing about anything. When he saw others coming to take advantage, he also followed suit and joined in the fun. He didn't realize how upset his own son was right now, and how thick the paste in his head was...

After reading the letter, Zhao Xiaoqian immediately tore it into pieces and threw it away.

Jia Shi was watching stupidly from the side. Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian's unfriendly expression, Jia Shi didn't dare to say anything. He didn't know what had happened to make this father and son unhappy.

Pointing at Jia Shi, Zhao Xiaoqian said, "Come here."

Jia Shi took two steps closer and asked, "What are your instructions, my lord?"

"Pick one of your men who's eloquent, have him ride back to Bianjing on horseback, and point your finger at his nose and curse him for half an hour in front of my father. Then tell him that every curse word he used was from the bottom of my heart."

Jia Shi's face turned pale, his eyes filled with fear, and he subconsciously took two steps back: "Your Highness, why don't you kill me? I dare not do this. No one dares to take this job."

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him sideways: "What are you afraid of? He's just a fat man weighing 300 kilograms."

Jia Shi's cheek twitched. Did you hear what others said?
He is your biological father, of course you are not afraid of him, but in our eyes, this 300-pound fat man is a man-eating devil. Who would dare to point at his nose and curse at him?

Seeing Jia Shi's face full of fear and resistance, Zhao Xiaoqian frowned and waved his hand: "I can't count on you, get out!"

Jia Shiru was pardoned and ran away crawling away.

(End of this chapter)