The prince is more stable

Chapter 499: Unexpected Fire
The trip out of the city was very fruitful.

Zhao Xiaoqian returned to Zhending City with satisfaction.

Riding on his horse, Zhao Xiaoqian was thinking about the future strategy against Liao.

In fact, there are many neighboring countries around the Song Dynasty today, including Western Xia in the northwest, Liao in the north, Tubo in the southwest, as well as Uighurs, Huihes, Jiaozhi, Pagan, and the legendary Duan family Dali, which has lovers all over the world.

These neighboring countries had some friendly and some hostile attitudes towards the Song Dynasty, but the most troublesome were Liao and Xia.

Zhao Xiaoqian's strategy was to destroy the Liao Kingdom, take over the Western Xia, and finally solve the two major troubles for the future of the Song Dynasty, the Jurchen tribe and the Mongolian tribe.

Only after these troubles were resolved could the Song Dynasty truly be considered to have unified China.

From then on, the emperor, his subjects and the people of the Song Dynasty could truly enjoy peace.

The strategy against the Liao Kingdom has basically been outlined, and the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun are the key.

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun were equivalent to the Liao Kingdom's valve. Once they were captured by the Song Dynasty, the momentum of the entire Liao Kingdom would be lost.

If the Song Dynasty is fully prepared and wants to launch a full-scale war against the Liao Kingdom in the future, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun will be the first place to be attacked.

Apart from anything else, the title of Zhao Xiaoqian as the Prince of Hejian is located within the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. When Zhao Xu named him the Prince of Hejian, it was a kind of urging him. If he didn't quickly recover Yanyun, your title as the Prince of Hejian would be illegitimate, and you would have to deal with it yourself.

Now Zhao Xiaoqian has slowly laid out his chess pieces in the Liao Kingdom, and the Imperial City Division has also hidden many spies in Shangjing, especially Xiao Wuna and his son and Xiao Fengxian.

Today, the Liao Kingdom has been infiltrated by the Song Dynasty from the court to the people. At some critical moment in the future, these buried chess pieces may play a big role.

The problem now is that we should have asked Zhao Xu for permission to expand the Zhending border army, fully equip them with firearms, and have a number of at least 70,000 to 80,000 people.

There is no shortage of firearms and ammunition. The Bian Jing Firearms Bureau should have produced a lot of them these days.

What Zhao Xiaoqian was worried about was Zhao Xu's trust issue.

Zhao Xu could trust him with 30,000 Dragon Guard soldiers, but what about 70,000 or 80,000? Did Zhao Xu still trust him as much as before?

Even if Zhao Xu trusts him, what about the court officials in Bian Jing?
In this era where civil officials are valued more than military officials, it is a taboo for military generals to hold too much military power. Even famous generals like Di Qing were suspected by the emperor.

Can Zhao Xiaoqian be trusted?

He was born into a clan, was young and capable, and had the ability to reverse the country's destiny. The firearms he invented were invincible in the world. Would Zhao Xu dare to give such a minister too much military power?

The Song Dynasty came to power illegitimately, and military power was the most sensitive thing, more sensitive than in any other dynasty. Otherwise, there would not have been the story of "releasing military power with a cup of wine."

Zhao Xiaoqian believed in Zhao Xu's courage and ideals, but he also knew Zhao Xu's psychological bottom line.

No matter how wise an emperor is, how would he feel when facing a minister who holds a large army?
People's hearts are hidden, so Zhao Xiaoqian didn't dare to gamble.

Therefore, after the Battle of Juma River, Zhao Xiaoqian should have submitted a memorial requesting permission to expand the border troops, but he delayed writing this memorial because it was too taboo.

The memorial requesting an imperial decree was not submitted, and the action to retake Yanyun came to a standstill. The Dragon Guard Battalion was stationed at the Feihu Bingmasi, and had nothing to do except training. The daily consumption of food and fodder for men and horses was very high, and the high morale of the army gradually calmed down. Zhao Xiaoqian still did not mention the expansion to Bian Jing.

However, the established strategy could not be stopped because of this. Zhao Xiaoqian was hesitating whether to return to Bian Jing to report the matter to Zhao Xu in person.

If Zhao Xu is trustworthy, then we will expand the army and prepare to recapture Yanyun.

If he could not be trusted, Zhao Xiaoqian would hand over his military power and continue to be the crown prince of Chu in Bian Jing, concentrating on having children with several women in the palace and expanding the lineage of Chu.

Zhao Xiaoqian was riding on his horse, thinking so hard that his head ached. Chen Shou next to him reminded him and he found that he and his group had already arrived outside Zhending City.

He rode into the city, and the streets were still bustling. The common people all knew him, and when they saw His Royal Highness the Prince coming in person, they all stepped aside and bowed in reverence.

When they were almost at the Prince's Mansion, Zhao Xiaoqian finally let go of his worries.

As a person, don’t take yourself too seriously. Would the Song Dynasty be destroyed without Zhao Xiaoqian?

Even if Zhao Xu was worried about him, there would eventually be someone else to lead the troops and retake Yanyun.

What was Zhao Xiaoqian’s original intention?
It is to change the destiny of the Song Dynasty and avoid the Jingkang Shame. Today's history has actually changed a long time ago, and the fate of him and his family will inevitably change. So what is there to worry about?
I have no ambition in the first place. Does it matter who leads the troops to seize Yanyun and destroy the Liao Kingdom, and who holds the military power?
At worst, I can just quit.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xiaoqian felt relieved, and then... he was hungry.

After running all the way back to the city, Zhao Xiaoqian was already starving. Seeing that the Prince's Mansion was not far ahead, he suddenly felt heroic.

"Go home and eat meat! Eat stewed pork elbows, stewed over high heat until they are tender and the skin melts in your mouth. I can eat two!" Zhao Xiaoqian said proudly while riding on his horse.

The expected cheers from Chen Shou, Jia Shi and others did not sound, and Chen Shou and the others behind him were silent.

Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't help but turn his head and saw Chen Shou and others with ugly expressions, pointing in the direction of the Prince's Mansion.

"Prince, I'm afraid you won't be able to eat this pork elbow today..." Chen Shou said with a grim face.

"What do you mean?" Zhao Xiaoqian looked in the direction of his finger, and then his face immediately became ugly.

Thick smoke was floating in the sky above the Prince's Mansion. From afar, the imperial guards on duty at the gate of the mansion were rushing inside in a hurry, carrying buckets and basins.

Many civilians were standing in the open space outside the gate, having brought buckets and basins from their homes. No one dared to go in, but the buckets and basins were handed to the imperial guards who were fighting the fire. Zhao Xiaoqian's eyelids twitched, his face suddenly turned cold, and he immediately galloped away.

Countless speculations flashed through his mind. Was he a spy from the Liao Kingdom, a remnant of Liu Qianliang, or a local official or gentry landlord whom he had offended?
No matter who it is, if they dare to burn his house and murder his concubines, Zhao Xiaoqian will really go on a killing spree in Zhending Prefecture.

Feeling anxious and cold, the group soon arrived at the gate of the Prince's Mansion.

Zhao Xiaoqian jumped off his horse, and the imperial guards who were busy putting out the fire were overjoyed to see him come back and rushed forward to greet him.

Zhao Xiaoqian's face was gloomy. As he walked inside, he asked, "Who set the fire? Have you found out? If the culprit hasn't been caught, then tell Li Qingchen immediately. Order the city gates to close and dispatch the Imperial City Administration to investigate!"

As he was speaking, he had already walked to the front yard.

The imperial guards following closely behind wiped the sweat from their sweat, with a strange expression on their faces. After a moment of hesitation, they reported, "Sir, the arsonist is not an outsider..."

Zhao Xiaoqian sneered: "What the hell are you talking about? If not an outsider, then an insider?"

The imperial guards immediately replied, "Yes, it is the prince's wife..."

Zhao Xiaoqian stopped immediately and turned to look at him in astonishment: "What do you mean?"

The imperial guard said in panic, "Yes, yes...Mistress Niaoniao, the fire was started by her."

Zhao Xiaoqian was even more shocked: "Is she crazy? Burning down her own house for fun?"

"I heard... that Mistress Niaoniao learned to cook, occupied the kitchen in the backyard of the palace, and drove the chef out. Later, for some unknown reason... a fire broke out." The imperial guard said with difficulty.

Zhao Xiaoqian's body shook and he was stunned for a long time without coming back to his senses.

Learning to cook and burning down the kitchen was a cliché he had always thought was part of some domineering CEO's melodramatic plot. Anyway, the wise, cold-blooded and ruthless CEOs all liked the cute, confused and mentally retarded heroines. Really, their tastes were surprisingly consistent.

Like a curse of fate, a person who is too powerful and too perfect deserves to be paired with a mentally retarded person. This is called the law of conservation of mass, commonly known as "retribution."

But Zhao Xiaoqian never thought that this retribution would fall upon him.

How the hell do I look like a boss?

Have I ever exposed my broad, iron-hard chest and abdominal muscles, or am I naturally cold-blooded and can drop the temperature around me by several degrees with just a glance, or have I ever said coldly in bed, "Sit on it and move yourself"?
…I think I did the last one, but that was because I didn’t have the energy.

Zhao Xiaoqian pursed his lips, his jawline becoming more pronounced. His eyes were as cold as iron, and a devilish, eccentric smile appeared at the corner of his mouth...

Then he quickly rubbed his face and said, "Be more normal!"
"Let's go to the kitchen in the backyard!" Zhao Xiaoqian ran away, and Chen Shou and others quickly followed.

When they arrived at the backyard, they saw the servants of the Prince's Mansion running around in panic. Everyone was carrying buckets and basins to fetch water to put out the fire. The scene was so chaotic that it looked like bandits had entered the house.

There were several familiar figures in the crowd, namely Niao Niao and two Japanese sisters.

They also rushed towards the fire with basins in their hands, their faces full of anxiety, regret and worry. However, the maids in the backyard tried their best to stop them and refused to let them get close to the fire. The three women were so anxious that they jumped up and down.

Niao Niao was anxious and angry, and kept wiping her tears. Looking at the raging fire in the kitchen, Niao Niao wanted to die. The two Japanese sisters held her arms, one on each side, and whispered to comfort her.

Look at the fire in front of me, well, it's burning quite fiercely. The kitchen is probably gone, leaving only the beam frame, and the area around it is more than ten feet in radius is scorched earth.

Zhao Xiaoqian walked gently behind the three women and patted Niao Niao on the shoulder.

Niao Niao trembled all over and turned her head in fear. Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian's familiar face, Niao Niao burst into tears: "My lord, I have caused great trouble..."

The two Japanese sisters also lowered their heads, looking honestly as if they were admitting their guilt.

Zhao Xiaoqian put his hand on Niao Niao's shoulder, and his voice was magnetic and greasy.

"Woman, you are playing with fire!"

Niao Niao was stunned for a moment, then cried, "I didn't mean to do that. When I was lighting the stove, I accidentally set the firewood pile next to it on fire. When I reacted, the fire had already spread to the beams..."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "No problem. If you like, I can light a dozen atomic bombs as fireworks for you."

"What is an atomic bomb?"

"It's like the beacon fire lit by King You of Zhou. The mushroom cloud is particularly beautiful, and not a single one makes a sound."

Looking up at the kitchen where only the black frame was left, Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head.

The kitchen was beyond saving, but the fire was under control and nearly out.

There were many servants and imperial guards in the palace, so there was no shortage of manpower to put out the fire. So Zhao Xiaoqian took Niao Niao and the Japanese sisters away and returned to the bedroom in the backyard.

Seeing that Niao Niao looked like she had lost all hope in life and wanted to commit suicide to thank the world, Zhao Xiaoqian smiled.

"It's just a kitchen fire. It's no big deal. There's nothing to blame yourself for. As long as no one is hurt, I'll build a new kitchen from scratch with cast iron. If you can still burn it, that's a sign of your ability."

(End of this chapter)