The prince is more stable

Chapter 507: Man Does Not Deceive Heaven
Since ancient times, officials in Beijing have been arrogant, and those with powerful backers are even more arrogant.

Han Wei's arrogance was ingrained in his bones. Even when facing the Prince Zhao Xiaoqian, he tried to remain polite and calm, but his words still unconsciously revealed a sense of arrogance.

Han Wei was a Jinshi in the Yuanfeng period. He was a graduate of a formal academic school, but he had a special talent, which was his skill in painting.

So after the imperial court selected scholars, he was first appointed as a painter in the Hanlin Academy of Painting, an official position with almost no real power and no benefits.

After spending three years in the Hanlin Academy of Painting, Han Wei saw the situation and decisively defected to the New Party when the New and Old Parties were fighting fiercely. However, he was very cautious and did not want to offend the Old Party.

During this period, Han Wei took advantage of the momentum of the New Party, was transferred out of the Hanlin Academy of Painting, and was promoted to the governor of Jizhou.

During the Yuanyou period, the court's direction changed suddenly. The New Party lost power and the Old Party gained power. Han Wei's cautious character saved him, so he decisively changed camps and joined the Old Party.

Taking advantage of the momentum of the old party, Han Wei was promoted again and transferred back to Beijing to serve as the Minister of Justice.

Later, during the Shaosheng period, the young emperor once again re-employed the New Party, and the direction of the court changed again. Then what happened?

That’s right, Han Wei has switched to the New Party camp again.

If it were someone else, he would have been killed long ago because he kept jumping back and forth between the two camps.

But Han Wei is a weirdo. No matter which camp he is in these years, he will never offend the enemy camp. Not only that, he also makes friends with the court officials of the enemy camp. With his wonderful painting skills, he has gained many close friends in the court and the country.

In addition, Han Wei is a good person and is always generous when giving gifts. He only keeps one point of the money he gets and gives the remaining nine points to his superiors.

It is difficult for anyone to have the heart to kill a person who knows how to make friends and behave. Han Wei has been promoted repeatedly over the years, but he has been promoted all the way. Last year, he was promoted to the Transport Commissioner of Hebei West Road, which makes him a big man who holds power in a certain area.

Unexpectedly, Han Wei, who has always been a good person, fell into the hands of Zhao Xiaoqian.

Is Han Wei reluctant to give up the benefits? No, he is very willing to give up. When he met Zhao Xiaoqian for the first time, he told him openly that he would never treat His Royal Highness the Prince badly. This sentence is very straightforward in official circles.

Moreover, a rich gift arrived the very next day, several carriages fully loaded with silver boxes, the air of wealth was suffocating.

To be honest, Victor Han’s sincerity is already sufficient, continuing his usual style of being a good person.

A person who just knows how to behave may not necessarily be able to distinguish right from wrong.

What Han Wei was thinking about was how to use benefits to win over Zhao Xiaoqian, but he never thought about whether what he was doing was right or not.

As long as you have money and land, does right or wrong matter?

I give you money and land for free, but you refuse them. Are you stupid?

Zhao Xiaoqian and Han Wei, their values ​​and outlooks are completely different, just like their current situation, one in prison and the other outside.

"Han Wei, I heard that you were also born into a scholarly family, and passed the imperial examination during the Yuanfeng period. You were considered a rare talent. Did you read the books of sages purely to cope with the imperial examinations? You didn't take a single word of what the sages said to heart?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked in confusion.

A trace of shock flashed across Han Wei's face, and then he calmed down.

"Zhao Xiaoqian, you don't have to ridicule me. If we were to discuss the teachings of the sages, I could confidently debate with the great scholars of the day for three days and three nights. However, the teachings of the sages can only be used for imperial examinations, not for governing the country. You are also well-known for your talent in Bianjing, but you should know that the teachings of the sages are too outdated. If you use them to govern the country, the country will perish."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled. "I know that a scholar who becomes an official can no longer be called a scholar. The big dye vat of officialdom has dyed you into a different color. You may not call yourself a scholar, but you should at least be a 'human being'."

Han Wei was stunned for a moment, and then his face changed suddenly.

"If you still have a trace of conscience, think about what you have done since you came to Zhending Prefecture. Have you done anything humane? In your eyes, the common people are not even as good as pigs and dogs. Han Wei, don't forget that before you passed the imperial examination, you were also a common people!" A long-suppressed anger flashed in Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes.

As Zhao Xiaoqian spoke, his tone suddenly became gloomy.

"Do you know how many people died in Zhending Prefecture because of your actions? According to the figures reported yesterday, you killed 34 people on the spot in the nine counties and villages under Zhending Prefecture's jurisdiction, 316 people died during the migration, and 124 people were beaten to death in more than a dozen resettlement sites..."

After passing through the wooden bars of the prison, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly reached out and grabbed Han Wei's collar, pulling him heavily in front of him. Staring into Han Wei's eyes, Zhao Xiaoqian's face was full of murderous intent.

"More than 400 people under my rule, more than 400 lively lives were killed by you. Han Wei, tell me, what should I say to those living people? They are all staring at me."

After saying that, Zhao Xiaoqian punched Han Wei hard in the face across the fence.

Victor Han cried out in pain and staggered back.

Seeing the murderous intent on Zhao Xiaoqian's face, Han Wei's heart trembled and he had a bad premonition.

"Zhao Xiaoqian, as human beings, we all have our own aspirations. You seek conscience, I pursue fame and fortune. There's nothing wrong with either of us. Now that you've broken the rules, I hope you'll take care of yourself."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed again: "Are you suddenly scared? What are you worried about? Worried about how I'm going to deal with you, right? Are you still dreaming of being escorted back to Bianjing and having the officials of the Dali Temple try you, and then you'll be fine? Is that what you think?"

Victor Han’s eyelids twitched, and the ominous premonition in his heart became stronger and stronger: “Zhao Xiaoqian, don’t make the same mistake again and again!”

Zhao Xiaoqian sneered, "I'm a person who breaks the rules. If there's one, there will be another. Since I've broken the rules, I might as well break them to the end."

"You...what are you going to do?" Han Wei's eyes finally lit up with fear. He had harmed so many people and remained indifferent. He had devoted himself to the seizure of land for the powerful. Even when facing Zhao Xiaoqian, he was still domineering and arrogant, full of confidence.

However, when Zhao Xiaoqian showed his murderous intention, Han Wei finally began to panic.

He realized that this was Zhao Xiaoqian's territory.

If Zhao Xiaoqian did not intend to let them return to Bianliang alive, then they would definitely not survive.

Staring at Han Wei's expression and seeing him gradually change from arrogance to horror, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly felt sad for him.

How ridiculous it is to see the ugly appearance of the former scholars after they lost their faith and ideals.

"I have sent back the tens of thousands of people you relocated. They are now camped outside Zhending City, and the government provides them with food every day... Han Wei, do you know why I didn't just send them back to their villages, but instead gathered them outside Zhending City?"

Han Wei pursed his lips and said nothing. He had already sensed the crisis. His mind was working rapidly at this moment. He had to find a way to save himself.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't care whether he answered or not, and said directly: "Because I want to help the people settle a grudge. I want to let them see with their own eyes what the end of their enemies is."

Victor Han was originally absent-minded, but at this moment he was suddenly startled.

"You, you really dare..."

Zhao Xiaoqian's smile was like a sharp knife, piercing his eyes and hurting them.

"Yes, I really dare, Han Wei. There is a folk saying, 'killing someone means paying with your life'. The laws of the Song Dynasty also have this rule, and the government also uses this rule as a principle when deciding cases. Now, this principle will fall on you."

"You killed over four hundred people, and I only wanted a few dozen of your lives. So, you've made a profit, but I can't do anything about it. You only have one life..."

Han Wei grabbed the wooden bars of the prison with both hands, his eyes bloodshot and glaring, "Zhao Xiaoqian, if you kill us, you will get into trouble, big trouble!"

Zhao Xiaoqian remained unmoved and said with a smile, "That's something that will happen after you die, so you don't have to worry about it. If I can't handle this disaster, the worst that can happen is that I'll accompany you on the road to the underworld. We'll be companions on the road to the underworld, and then we can discuss right and wrong in front of the King of Hell."

"Zhao Xiaoqian, are you crazy? We are all officials of the imperial court, sent by the Council of State. You dared to kill an official without an imperial edict? Do you think the government can protect you?"

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes were sharp as needles, and he said slowly: "It doesn't matter whether I live or not, what matters is that you all have to die."

“Han Wei, this matter cannot be passed, more than 400 lives!”

…………

When I walked out of the prison, the sunlight outside stung my eyes.

Zhao Xiaoqian lowered his head and closed his eyes for a while to adapt, then slowly opened his eyes.

"Chen Shou!"

"The end will be here."

Zhao Xiaoqian said in a deep voice, "Send the order to bring the prisoners, Han Wei, Wang Yuan, and others, forty-two in total, to the place where the people are gathered outside the city."

"Strip them of their official uniforms, load them onto prison carts, and drive them around the city before leaving."

"The executioners are on standby outside the city. I will mobilize 10,000 soldiers to maintain order. I will be waiting for them outside the city in an hour."

After Zhao Xiaoqian finished speaking, Chen Shou did not move, so he turned his head curiously, but saw that Chen Shou looked hesitant.

"What's wrong?"

Chen Shou whispered, "I shouldn't have said anything about what the Crown Prince has decided..."

"Then shut up."

"No, I still want to persuade the Crown Prince. These are more than forty officials. If the Crown Prince kills them here, it will really cause great disaster."

"The Crown Prince is single-minded in resisting the Liao. He has a strong army and ample provisions under his command. This is the time to realize his ambitions. If he loses his future because of this incident, or even faces prosecution, who else in the Song Dynasty has the ability to make the Liao people never dare to come south to graze their horses again?"

"Prince, you are charged with the important task of recovering Yanyun. You also said that you would destroy Liaoxia and unify China. If you kill the official, all your ambitions and aspirations will be in vain. Prince, please think twice!"

Zhao Xiaoqian lowered his eyelids and whispered, "Years later, the Liao and Western Xia dynasties were destroyed, and the Song Dynasty unified the country. My descendants asked me, 'When Zhending Prefecture was persecuted by evil officials and cruel bureaucrats, and more than 400 people died, where were you? What were you doing then?'"

Zhao Xiaoqian raised his eyes, looked at Chen Shou and chuckled. "Tell me, how should I answer this question? Should I say that I played dumb because a little impatience can ruin a big plan? Because I only had eyes for the overall situation of Song and Liao, so I didn't see what was happening right in front of me?"

"Chen Shou, I can't explain! You can deceive others and yourself, but you can't deceive God. If I don't kill Han Wei and those criminal officials today, it will become a stain on my life that can never be washed away. Every day for the rest of my life, I will feel ashamed of my compromise today."

"If I don't understand this thought, my life will be wasted."

(End of this chapter)