The prince is more stable

Chapter 495: Bian Shuai Dingbian
Zhao Hao was not uninterested in military and national affairs, but he had to pretend not to be interested.

As a relative of the emperor's uncle, and with his son holding military power on the frontier, Zhao Hao was afraid that Zhao Xu would become interested in him if he showed interest in military and national affairs in Bianliang.

Zhao Xu appointed him as the Minister of Military and National Affairs, which was an honorary title, just like the honorary president or honorary principal of a certain association. It was a respect for his high moral character and prestige, but he was not invited to be the top leader.

Zhao Hao understood this very well, so after he was appointed as an official, he still acted like an old dandy, eating, drinking, having fun every day, walking the dog and playing with the cat, and competing with young scholars for the most beautiful girls in the brothels.

Every time at the morning meeting, he would stand in the class absent-minded or doze off, just to keep everyone company.

Zhao Hao's various performances finally eliminated the criticism in the court.

Originally, the court officials had a lot of discussions about Zhao Hao being appointed to such a high position. Both the King of Chu and his son were so highly regarded by the emperor, so the court officials would naturally not tolerate the family members' struggle for power. Why should I, who have studied hard for decades, not be as good as you in reincarnation?

However, Zhao Hao's performance after being appointed as an official finally made the court officials feel relieved.

It is just an honorary title, and His Royal Highness the King of Chu has no say in the government affairs. Instead, he avoids them whenever possible. Therefore, the official conferring this title on him will have little impact on the government affairs.

So the court officials gradually compromised and accepted the existence of Zhao Hao.

Zhao Hao really lived up to everyone's expectations. After he was appointed as the Prime Minister of Military and National Affairs, he never even entered the door of the Council of State. Except for the court meetings he had to attend, Zhao Hao remained basically the same, using all his life's energy to enjoy life in different ways.

At this moment, in front of Zhao Xu and Zhang Dun, Zhao Hao was still the same, with an ignorant look on his face and clear eyes. What the emperor and his minister were talking about was obviously related to Zhao Xiaoqian, but Zhao Hao was indifferent and even lost his mind without realizing it.

Zhao Xu and Zhang Dun had different opinions on the Liao Kingdom's request to survey the border, and the atmosphere in the hall was a bit awkward.

Zhao Xu glanced inadvertently and saw that Zhao Hao had a dull face and empty eyes, as if he was in a trance. Zhao Xu frowned.

Although I don't want the clan members to have too much power, but... you can't just ignore things.

Otherwise, why would I appoint you to this position if I have nothing better to do?

Do you really treat it as an honorary title? If official positions could be sold, you would have listed them long ago, right?

Turning his head, Zhao Xu said with a pleasant expression, "Uncle Chu...Uncle Chu!"

Zhao Hao shuddered, and the fat on his body trembled violently. He finally came to his senses, his eyes extremely clear.

"Ah, I'm here!"

"Uncle King Chu looks like he's deep in thought. Could he be thinking about the affairs of Song and Liao?" Zhao Xu said with a smile.

Zhao Hao was stunned. "Ah? I'm thinking deeply about... the affairs of Song and Liao? Ah! Yes, I was just thinking deeply about the affairs of Song and Liao."

Zhao Xu and Zhang Dun were both very upset.

Even if you're pretending, could you at least show some acting prowess? The emperor and his ministers are discussing such important state affairs, and you're distracted. With that vacuous look on your face, are you thinking about state affairs?

I'm afraid he's thinking about which brothel to go to tonight to mess with the top courtesan.

Zhao Xu sighed. He had already realized that this Uncle Wang was like an abacus bead, and would not move until it was pushed.

"Uncle Wang, what do you think?" Zhao Xu continued to ask.

Zhao Hao blinked, his face a little panicked.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Hao quietly moved his fat buttocks closer to Zhang Dun. He smiled guiltily at Zhao Xu, then whispered in Zhang Dun's ear, "Mr. Zhang, save me. Where were you talking just now?"

Zhao Xu: “…………”

Zhang Dun: “…………”

Zhao Xu suddenly understood why Zhao Xiaoqian often called his uncle the King of Chu "living dad".

He now also wanted to call Zhao Hao "living dad".

Rubbing his aching temple, Zhao Xu sighed, "Mr. Zihou, please help Uncle Wang repeat it."

Zhang Dun also sighed and told the content of the conversation between the emperor and his minister with a helpless look on his face.

Zhao Hao blinked his small green eyes for a long time, then asked, "Your Majesty, are you asking what I think about this... well, what are your humble opinions?"

Zhao Xu's cheek twitched: "Yes."

Zhao Hao looked bewildered. "Bianjing is thousands of miles away from Zhending Prefecture. The person who truly grasps the latest situation between Song and Liao is my son, Xiaoqian. Regarding Liao's request to survey the border, Bianjing is too far away to make the final decision. Why doesn't the emperor leave this matter to Xiaoqian?"

"After Xiaoqian makes his decision, no matter how the Liao people react, he will surely be able to respond immediately. The initiative of war or peace still lies with the Song Dynasty. I also firmly believe that with my son's ability, no matter what decision he makes, it will be extremely beneficial to the Song Dynasty."

Zhao Xu's heart moved, and approval suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Although Uncle Wang was a bit of a jerk, he was still a blood relative of the Zhao family and wasn't confused at all. His words made a lot of sense. The most appropriate approach was to let Zhao Xiaoqian decide whether to fight or make peace.

Since the imperial court did not intervene directly and pushed its ministers to the forefront, the Song Dynasty had ample room for maneuver.

Even if a peace agreement is signed in the future, as long as the Song Dynasty is ready to continue attacking the Liao Dynasty, the peace agreement will instantly become a piece of waste paper, and the Song Dynasty court will be able to reject it cleanly.

That was a peace agreement signed between Zhao Xiaoqian and the Liao Kingdom privately. What does it have to do with our Song court?
Even if the peace agreement was torn up, it was because of Zhao Xiaoqian's poor personal quality. My Song court has always been a moral model, building a country on integrity and never doing anything treacherous.

Please do not elevate issues of personal qualities to the national level.

Whether to attack or defend, to fight or make peace, the initiative is still in the hands of the Song Dynasty. Isn’t it wonderful?

If the imperial court really signed a peace agreement with the Liao Kingdom, the Song Dynasty's future offensive and defensive strategies would be tied up, and it would be difficult to go back on its word.

After figuring this out, Zhao Xu smiled. "Uncle Wang, what you said makes a lot of sense. If there are any problems in the future, Uncle Wang, you must not hide them. If you have any good ideas, please speak up as soon as possible. Don't wait for me to speak."

Zhao Hao was stunned for a moment and said, "What I just said... can it really be used?"

Zhao Xu quickly glanced at Zhang Dun.

Zhang Dun stroked his beard with a sullen face and said nothing.

As prime minister, Zhang Dun's strength lies in domestic affairs, and he is not very knowledgeable about military affairs. Moreover, the new and old parties in the court are still fighting fiercely. Zhang Dun is more convinced of the view that "pacifying the country before resisting foreign aggression". His current focus is on how to kill all the old parties.

In terms of military, if the Song army did not perform well on the front line, Zhang Dun might have to intervene, carefully select generals, and prepare the troops.

But Zhao Xiaoqian and the Longwei Camp on the front line were too capable. They defeated the Liao army twice in less than half a year and pushed the border of the Song Dynasty more than 400 miles. What else could Zhang Dun say?
What else can he say besides mindlessly praising Zhao Xiaoqian?
From this perspective, Zhao Xiaoqian actually helped Zhang Dun invisibly.

It was precisely because of the repeated victories on the front line that Zhang Dun was free from worries and was able to flex his muscles in Bianliang and devote himself to the great cause of destroying the old party. At the same time, the great victory of the Song army also invisibly boosted the prestige of Zhang Dun, the prime minister, in the court.

After all, no matter how great the achievements of the meritorious officials are, everything is due to the wise leadership of the emperor and the prime minister. The stronger the Song Dynasty is, the more it proves the correctness and rationality of Prime Minister Zhang Dun.

Therefore, when faced with the question of whether to fight or make peace with the Liao Kingdom, Zhang Dun's attitude was actually not that strong.

Now that the emperor's tone clearly favored the King of Chu, Zhang Dun also felt that what the two said made sense.

Zhang Dun also didn't want to have any unpleasantness with the emperor because of this matter. If the emperor pushed him too hard, he would simply recall Zhao Xiaoqian and say to Zhang Dun, "If you can do it, you can do it." Then Zhang Dun would be in trouble, because he knew very well that he was not capable and could not do it.

Border affairs should be left to the people of the border. Whether it is war or peace, it is fine for Zhao Xiaoqian to make the decision. In short, don't disturb me from killing the old party in Bianjing.

After a long pause, Zhang Dun stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "I fully agree with what your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu have said. In that case, your Majesty will issue an order to hand over the Liao Kingdom's request for border survey to the Prince of Hejian for final decision."

"It would be more appropriate for the Song Dynasty court not to intervene directly. If there are any changes in the Song or Liao dynasties in the future, the court will have room to maneuver and retreat."

Zhao Xu said happily, "Mr. Zihou also thinks so. It seems that great minds think alike. This matter is settled. I will immediately issue an order to Zi'an, giving him full authority to handle the Liao Kingdom's border survey and determination. Zhao Zi'an can act at his discretion and make decisions on the spot."

Zhang Dun stroked his beard and smiled, "Very good, I have no objection."

Zhang Dun paused smiling, then took out a piece of paper from his bosom, on which were listed the names and positions of several officials.

"Your Majesty, please review this. I have discovered several remnants of the Yuanyou Party. While in office, they were corrupt and perverted the law, deceiving the emperor and their crimes are unforgivable..."

After talking about the affairs of the border, the prime minister once again threw himself into the great cause of destroying the old party, and no one could stop him.

Zhao Xu took the list, frowned, and carefully discussed the charges against these officials with Zhang Dun.

Zhao Hao, standing beside him, swayed slightly with his fat body, his eyes dull and empty, and his spirit left his body again...

…………

Zhending City.

Zhao Xiaoqian was still intoxicated in the land of tenderness, with three women at home serving him tenderly. As the head of the family, he had to treat everyone equally.

These days, Zhao Xiaoqian had received too much rain and dew, and the three wives were blessed with good weather, but he was suffering from severe drought and could not even squeeze out.

Alcohol and sex have made him so haggard. From today on, he will abstain from sex!
Zhao Xiaoqian decisively slept in separate rooms from the three women temporarily, not touching anyone, and focusing on being pure and free from desires.

After Su Shi left, Zhao Xiaoqian's life became a bit boring. Without the company of a like-minded foodie, Zhao Xiaoqian found that the dishes he cooked were tasteless.

Li Qingchen came over every now and then to eat for free, but Zhao Xiaoqian was very disgusted with him.

In the field of food, like-minded people talk about how to make food more delicious. Both sides have superb cooking skills and high-end taste for food.

But he is not like Li Qingchen, who is only responsible for eating. Not only can he not give any effective suggestions on food, but even his evaluation is just "delicious". How can Zhao Xiaoqian not despise such a person?
If you give Li Qingchen a stone trough and pour some leftover food waste into it, Li Qingchen will probably say it is "delicious".

(End of this chapter)