The prince is more stable

Chapter 509: Aftermath
Forty-two human heads were neatly lined up in front of Zhao Xiaoqian.

The blood on their heads had not yet dried, and they died with their eyes open. Even though their heads and bodies were separated, their eyes were still wide open. One could even still see the fear, unwillingness and helpless anger before death in their eyes.

Zhao Xiaoqian was not afraid at all, and looked into the eyes of these heads with an expressionless face.

He was no longer the mediocre and cowardly office worker of his previous life. In this life, he had seen many deaths and lives, and he had seen the corpses of tens of thousands of people, and these corpses were killed by his soldiers under his personal orders.

Zhao Xiaoqian is now a decisive and merciless border commander with tens of thousands of lives in his hands. The forty-two heads in front of him cannot cause him any emotional fluctuations.

"Throw the body into the wild to feed the dogs, and preserve the head with lime." Zhao Xiaoqian ordered.

Below the platform, tens of thousands of people witnessed with their own eyes the heads of 42 convicted officials falling to the ground. When the head of the last convicted official soared into the sky and blood gushed out, the crowd also fell into excitement.

The thunderous applause, cheers, kneeling with tears of gratitude, and expressions of pious awe, all fell into Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes.

There is no need for excessive appeasement. Forty-two heads are enough to completely eliminate the people's resentment.

The means of controlling the people are not complicated. As long as they can see with their own eyes that the court is not completely corrupt, and feel that they and their families still have a way to survive in the future, and finally kill a few public enemies who have aroused public outrage, so that their resentment can be released, then they will never take up swords and guns to rebel.

All the uprisings throughout history have been caused by people being forced into a state of despair where they really see no hope and choose to take risks and face death in order to survive.

Forty-two heads fell today. Zhao Xiaoqian didn't know whether he had eliminated a possible rebellion, but at least he saw the expressions of the people.

There are people who look resentful, but not many. Most of them are convinced and relieved.

That’s enough, the purpose of the forty-two heads has been achieved.

"Where is Li Qingchen? Where is he?" Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly asked while sitting on the high platform.

Below the stage, Li Qingchen walked forward slowly, looking listless.

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed: "What's with that expression? Who offended you?"

Li Qingchen pointed at him speechlessly and said, "When Your Highness decided to execute the official, the Imperial Guards took me under control... Actually, there was no need. Is Your Highness afraid that I will take the blame for them? I'm not that great."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "I'm not worried about you blocking the attack, I'm worried you'll get in the way. Besides, if I keep you under control, you'll have ample reason to clear yourself when the court investigates in the future, so you won't be implicated."

Li Qingchen's cheeks twitched violently, and he couldn't help but raise his voice: "You also know that the court will investigate? Your Highness has always acted prudently, why did you do such an unwise thing today? If all forty-two criminal officials were executed, do you know what the consequences will be?"

Zhao Xiaoqian pondered for a moment, then said uncertainly, "Their backers...will probably be unhappy, right? They might even scold me..."

Li Qingchen was so angry that his chest suddenly twitched and he almost passed out.

With this nonchalant tone, are you courting death or something terrible?

"Alright, I've thought clearly about what I did and what the consequences would be before I took action. Think about it from another perspective. I killed forty-two people. Even if they want to retaliate, they can only kill me at most. When you calculate this, don't you think I got a big advantage?"

"Come on, Old Li, put away your grief and anger. We still need you to clean up the mess here. You are responsible for sending tens of thousands of people back to their hometowns. The land distribution is temporarily suspended..."

"Also, please write a memorial for me, jointly signed by the government office and all the officials in the nine counties under its jurisdiction, clearly stating the crimes of Han Wei and others. I will need this later."

“Also, the evidence of Han Wei and the others’ crimes has been prepared. There is still a fierce battle waiting for me in Bianjing.”

"If you're lucky, you'll continue to call me 'Your Highness' when I return. If you're unlucky, wait for the court's gazette and read the news. The person named 'Zhao So-and-so from Bianjing' will be me."

"Try your best to live a few more years. Twenty years from now, maybe we'll meet again. When that time comes, please hold me patiently, find me some nutritious goat's milk and cow's milk, and feed me with your loving eyes. If I remember you then, I'll pee on you. That's the deal..."

Li Qingchen sighed, he was speechless.

Even after causing such a big disaster, he still looked so happy and not anxious at all. Did he have someone to rely on, or was he just too careless?
On the contrary, Li Qingchen, the bystander, felt like the sky was falling.

Li Qingchen was anxious because he saw everything Zhao Xiaoqian did after he took office in Zhending Prefecture. In just half a year, he not only changed the offensive and defensive situation between Song and Liao, but also brought great benefits to the people under his rule.

He was ruthless in dealing with corrupt officials and cruel officials. Half of the officialdom in Zhending Prefecture was cleansed by him, and the official atmosphere was completely renewed.

When dealing with the Liao army, he made strategic plans, won two battles in a row, annihilated 80,000 enemies, and opened up 400 miles of territory for the Song Dynasty. The Liao army was afraid of his power and never dared to go south to graze their horses again.

As for the people, he requested tax exemption, subsidized farmers and merchants, built markets and granaries, and attracted merchants from all over the world to flock to the city. In just half a year, Zhending City became prosperous and bustling, with goods and money flowing in and out every day.

Speaking of Zhao Xiaoqian's achievements, all the events that happened over the past six months kept flashing through Li Qingchen's mind.

Li Qingchen's mentality has gradually changed over the past six months.

He is no longer the mediocre official who was obedient and only knew how to protect himself. Now he is full of energy and busy every day.

So, who brought about the changes in the situation between Song and Liao, the current situation in Zhending, and the welfare of the people?

Li Qingchen was in a complicated mood at the moment. He didn't know how to evaluate Zhao Xiaoqian's behavior.

How wonderful it would have been if it had continued like this. He was still looking forward to what more surprising changes would happen to the Song Dynasty and Zhending Prefecture in the future, but Zhao Xiaoqian turned around and caused a disaster. "Heartbroken" is the most appropriate way to describe Li Qingchen's mood at the moment.

For the sake of these dozens of scum, he actually sacrificed himself, and the good situation of the Song Dynasty and Zhending Prefecture will be ruined.

Why can't you just hold back? Why don't you find a more tactful way to resolve this? Why do you have to use a butcher's knife to quell your anger?
Li Qingchen felt upset and wanted to curse, but he didn't know who to curse.

As he thought about it, his eyes became red. He sighed deeply and said, "Your Highness, don't worry about the aftermath. I will leave everything to you."

"Your Highness, what you need to do now is to immediately return to Bianjing. Before the news reaches Bianjing, you should quickly return to explain clearly to the Emperor and the ministers in the Council of State. Perhaps... there will be a chance for a turnaround."

"Let's go now. There's no time to hesitate. I look forward to continuing to work under Your Highness in the future. I also hope that Your Highness will avoid disaster and successfully overcome this crisis."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled bitterly and said, "Old Li, don't act like you're leaving on your deathbed. I'm scared..."

Li Qingchen glared at him angrily: "Are you afraid now? It's too late!"

"Well, I should definitely rush back to Bianjing right away. I just didn't expect you to be so reluctant to leave me. Thinking back to how I treated you like a beast of burden back then, I honestly feel a little guilty towards you now..."

Li Qingchen groaned, "You're still treating me like a beast of burden. Aren't I the one who's supposed to handle all the cleanup and finishing work? Hurry up and leave. It'll be too late. If the news reaches Bianjing before you, you'll be in a passive position."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded and saluted him with the highest etiquette of the Jianghu: "The mountains remain unchanged, the water flows forever. If the mountains don't move, the water will. If the water doesn't move, the donkey will move. You and I are in the Jianghu..."

Before he could finish his words, Li Qingchen stamped his feet in anxiety and pushed him down the platform.

"Let's go! What nonsense are you talking about? You're driving me crazy!"

…………

Bian Jing, Zhou Bridge.

In a medium-sized house with three courtyards.

King Zhao Hao of Chu was lying on a widow who didn't deserve a name to exercise and lose weight. He was sweating profusely, and the fat all over his body was trembling as he was burning fat like crazy.

At the critical moment, just one step away from breaking free, I suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside.

"Your Highness, Your Highness! Halt your horses! I have something important to report!"

In the room, Zhao Hao's face suddenly turned pale. It was really hard for a man not to get angry when he was suddenly interrupted at the moment of his last trembling.

"Get out!" Zhao Hao roared angrily.

The person outside the house didn't leave and was still knocking on the door very patiently.

"Your Highness, this is truly an important matter! It concerns the Crown Prince..."

Hearing that it concerned the crown prince, Zhao Hao finally stopped.

The lineage of the King of Chu is not very strong, and there is only one heir. Zhao Hao has to pay attention to anything concerning Zhao Xiaoqian.

Zhao Hao cursed a few times in a low voice, but his anger was still not over, so he could only put on his clothes quickly.

"You'd better have something big happen, otherwise you will be in trouble, and your whole family will be in trouble..." Zhao Hao cursed.

With the help of the widow with a resentful look on her face, Zhao Hao quickly put on his clothes and opened the door angrily.

After opening the door, he didn't even want to look at who the other person was. Zhao Hao kicked him out with a crotch kick, and then spanked him indiscriminately. The man being beaten didn't dare to resist and could only stand there and take the beating.

After beating for a while, Zhao Hao finally felt relieved. He sat down under the pillar outside the door, panting heavily.

"Let go!" Zhao Hao said coldly.

The visitor didn't dare to waste words and hurriedly said, "According to the secret report sent by Ding Jiu from Zhending Prefecture, Han Wei, the Transport Commissioner of Hebei West Route, Wang Yuan, the Minister of Revenue, and others sent by the Bianjing Government Office seem to have offended the Crown Prince."

"Three days ago, the Crown Prince flew into a rage for unknown reasons and mobilized the Dragon Guard Battalion to conduct a large-scale manhunt north of Zhending Prefecture, arresting Han Wei, Wang Yuan, and over forty other officials."

Zhao Hao was startled, his expression suddenly darkening. "What did they do to make my son so angry? Didn't you find out?"

The visitor said cautiously, "Ding Jiu investigated, but it wasn't detailed. He vaguely discovered that Han Wei and his men pretended to obey orders but secretly disobeyed them. They committed many evil deeds against the people of Zhending Prefecture, apparently killing hundreds of people. Furthermore, they helped the powerful people in Bianjing seize land, which was quite excessive. This angered the Crown Prince..."

Zhao Hao's brows furrowed tighter and tighter: "How long ago was the message sent?"

"Three days ago, Ding Jiu sent people on a fast journey and they just arrived in Bianjing."

Zhao Hao's heart suddenly sank, and he said solemnly, "Not good! I'm afraid it's going to be bad!"

(End of this chapter)