The prince is more stable

Chapter 523 Who Overturned the Table

Zhao Xiaoqian seldom attended court meetings. He usually only appeared at court meetings when there was something important. This "something" usually meant that he had caused trouble or was caused by trouble.

When the officials filed into the palace, many people in the crowd couldn't help but look at Zhao Xiaoqian at the front of the team. Everyone had different looks and expressions, and they all speculated why this young prince suddenly attended the court meeting today.

I'm afraid something big will happen in court today.

Zhao Xiaoqian followed the team into the palace with a smile on his face, without any clues. He even chatted with An Tao in front of him after walking a few steps.

An Tao was an old man who followed the rules. He let Zhao Xiaoqian chat with him but he didn't dare to say anything back. He walked forward with his mouth tightly shut, turning his head to glare at him from time to time, warning him to shut up.

Zhao Xiaoqian seemed very relaxed from beginning to end, as if he was rushing to a friend's banquet. When he glanced at the court team behind him, a cold light occasionally flashed across his eyes.

The ministers lined up to enter the palace and enter the Daqing Hall.

After waiting for a while, Zheng Chunhe entered the hall and said that the emperor was in court and all officials were welcome to pay their respects.

As the civil and military officials bowed, Zhao Xu, wearing a yellow robe, slowly walked into the Daqing Hall.

The first thing Zhao Xu saw when he entered the hall was Zhao Xiaoqian from the court class. His eyes flashed and he took a deep breath.

Today is going to be a fierce battle.

He walked to the front of the hall and sat down. After all the officials had finished their greetings, the emperor and his ministers began to discuss business.

As soon as the court meeting began, a censor jumped out.

"I report that Prince Zhao Xiaoqian of Hejian County has disregarded court discipline, assaulted and insulted the censor on duty, and behaved recklessly. I request that the government punish Zhao Xiaoqian for his misconduct and violation of court rules!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a whisper was heard in the hall. Zhao Xu opened his eyes wide and looked at Zhao Xiaoqian involuntarily, with a look of confusion.

Didn’t we agree to get down to business today?

Why are you fighting with the duty censor again?
Amidst the murmurs, Zhao Xu coughed and said, "Prince of Hejian, is the matter reported by the duty censor true?"

Zhao Xiaoqian stood up and said calmly, "It's not true."

"You are talking nonsense! It was in public, and all the officials in the court saw it with their own eyes. You hit me!" the censor said angrily.

Zhao Xiaoqian rolled his eyes and said, "You looked familiar, so I just patted you and said hello. Is that what you call a 'beating'? Is that how your father beat you when you weren't studying hard as a kid?"

"Pfft!"

Someone in the crowd laughed out loud, but quickly suppressed it.

The censor angrily asked, "Do you know me? You're just saying hello, but do you know my name?"

"I don't know you, so I patted you. I want to get to know you and make friends..."

"you!"

Zhao Xu, sitting at the head of the hall, sighed helplessly. This guy really knows how to stir up trouble. The current big problem hasn't been solved yet, so why would he bother provoking the duty censor? Do you think the court tree doesn't have enough enemies?

As Zhao Xiaoqian and the Imperial Censor argued back and forth, Zeng Bu, the head of the Privy Council, could no longer bear it and stepped out to say, "There's no need to dwell on such a trivial matter in the Golden Palace. Prince Zhao has served on the frontier for a long time, so it's inevitable that he's picked up some of the rougher military habits. It's understandable that he's been a bit rude in his words and actions since returning to Bianjing."

"Sir, I think we should discuss business."

This sentence set the tone, and the censor on duty didn't know what to say anymore. He glared at Zhao Xiaoqian angrily and silently returned to the court.

Zhao Xu also smiled with satisfaction. The hall suddenly fell silent, and everyone's eyes turned to Zhao Xiaoqian.

Everyone knows that it is rare for Zhao Xiaoqian to attend a court meeting. Since he attended today, there must be something going on.

Many people do not remember the last time Zhao Xiaoqian attended a court meeting. He was a typical lone minister who never formed a party or got involved in court disputes.

He clearly has the qualifications to participate in politics, but he seems to have no interest in it at all. Despite his noble status, he is content to live a carefree life.

Unlike usual, today the ministers in the hall looked at Zhao Xiaoqian with much kinder eyes.

The ministers all respected this border commander who turned the situation around between Song and Liao. It is undeniable that when a country gradually becomes stronger, even if it is only strong militarily, everyone in the hall will benefit.

Putting aside the dignity of the country, even if each family's own caravans left the Song Dynasty to make a profit, it would be safer than in previous years and would make foreign countries more awed and fearful. For the ministers, this was also a benefit.

So when Zhao Xiaoqian attended the court meeting today, all the ministers remained silent and polite out of respect, allowing Zhao Xiaoqian to speak first.

There was silence in the Daqing Hall for a long time. Zhao Xiaoqian saw that no one spoke and everyone's eyes were on him, so he didn't hesitate, straightened his clothes, and stood out from the court again.

"Sir, I have something to report."

Zhao Xu sat up unconsciously, perked up, and put on a serious expression like a soldier.

"The Prince of Hejian has something to report," Zhao Xu said slowly. Zhao Xiaoqian pulled a memorial from his bosom, held it above his head with both hands, and said, "I have three ministers from the Council of State, seven colleagues from the six ministries, and colleagues from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Transport, and many other government offices, totaling over thirty people."

Zhao Xu's tone gradually turned colder: "What are you participating in?"

"I report that over thirty individuals have privately seized fertile land in Zhending Prefecture. They instructed officials such as Han Wei, the Transport Commissioner, and Wang Yuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, to survey the land, relocate farmers, and establish a new county. However, they secretly appropriated the fertile land for their own benefit, treating human lives as nothing, and killing over four hundred farmers in Zhending Prefecture."

"The people and events I have implicated are all supported by confessions from fellow criminals, as well as human and material evidence. I present them before the emperor today, and ask him to examine them and eliminate the traitors for the country!"

boom!
The hall was in an uproar. The ministers looked at Zhao Xiaoqian's hunched back in shock, and there was endless whispering among them.

There were still some people in the class who looked stunned, with a hint of panic in their eyes. Then their faces gradually turned cold and they stared at Zhao Xiaoqian intently.

The discussions became louder and louder. Zheng Chunhe, who was standing beside Zhao Xu, hurried down the jade steps, took Zhao Xiaoqian's memorial, then walked to Zhao Xu in small steps and presented the memorial to Zhao Xu with both hands.

Zhao Xu's expression was calm, not surprised at all. He just opened Zhao Xiaoqian's memorial, glanced at it carefully, and then closed it.

"Prince Hejian, this case involves a murder. Today, you are impeaching more than 30 colleagues in the court at the same time. If it is a false accusation, you should know the consequences." Zhao Xu said calmly.

Zhao Xiaoqian lowered his head and said, "Every word I said is true. If it is a false accusation, I am willing to take the blame."

Zhao Xu stared at him deeply, flipping through the memorial again and speaking slowly, "Counselor of State Affairs Liu Xianzhen, Secretary of the Central Secretariat Chen Huan, and Minister of the Imperial Household Qiao Rongzhi, the people the Prince of Hejian is impeaching, are led by you three. Do you have any explanation?"

As soon as he finished speaking, three people from the court came out and knelt in the hall, crying.

"I am innocent! The Prince of Hejian relied on his merits to frame court officials without any reason. I demand that the Prince of Hejian be punished!" Vice-chancellor Liu Xianzhen immediately protested.

The other two people named by Zhao Xu, Chen Huan and Qiao Rongzhi, also echoed the sentiments in grief and indignation, and unanimously accused Zhao Xiaoqian of framing them.

The ministers in the hall opened their eyes wide and looked at the somewhat chaotic court meeting in shock.

Sure enough, once this young prince attends the court meeting, he will definitely cause big trouble!

Liu Xianzhen and the other two protested verbally, but their hearts sank suddenly.

The Council of State Affairs sent Han Wei and others to Zhending Prefecture to measure the land and relocate farmers. Prime Minister Zhang Dun did not participate in the matter, and it was these three people who were in charge.

Han Wei and his men were sent out by these three people, and the powerful people in Bian Jing who occupied the land were also headed by these three people.

Originally, they were still happily making plans and wondering how many acres of fertile land they would have in their hands. However, since Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly returned to Beijing without saying a word the day before, the three of them vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

Zhao Xiaoqian was a frontier commander and usually could not return to the capital unless there was something important. What was even more strange was that with Zhao Xiaoqian's return to the capital, 42 officials including Han Wei who were on duty in Zhending Prefecture cut off all communication with Bianliang.

Liu Xianzhen and the other two still don't know what happened in Zhending Prefecture.

Yesterday they each sent several groups of people to Zhending Prefecture to investigate, but unexpectedly, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly overturned the table during the court meeting today.

Now Liu Xianzhen and the other two were certain that something must have happened to Han Wei and the others, otherwise Zhao Xiaoqian would not have mentioned their names so accurately in the memorial impeaching them.

At this moment, the three of them protested in a righteous manner, with all kinds of grief and indignation, as if they had suffered a great injustice.

But in reality, their hearts were already filled with turmoil, and fear flashed in their eyes from time to time.

They didn't know how much evidence Zhao Xiaoqian had in his hands, nor did they know what Han Wei and the others had done in Zhending Prefecture, and to what extent their actions involved them.

Knowing nothing and with little information available, even though they had experienced many ups and downs in the court, the three of them couldn't help but feel a little panicked when faced with Zhao Xiaoqian's sudden attack.

Facing the appeal from Liu Xianzhen and the other two, Zhao Xiaoqian had a blank expression and cold eyes.

What his father Zhao Hao said was correct. This matter was a big trouble for Zhao Xiaoqian. Instead of letting others expose the matter of killing a criminal official first and put him in a passive position, it would be better to take the initiative to expose the matter and strike first.

If Zhao Xiaoqian revealed the matter first, then Liu Xianzhen and more than 30 other powerful people would have to fall into the vortex of self-proof and unable to extricate themselves.

What are you proving?
They proved that the more than 400 lives in Zhending Prefecture had nothing to do with them.

But Zhao Xiaoqian had evidence and a confession in his hands, and Liu Xianzhen and the others had no way to prove their innocence. They were already involved in this lawsuit and could not clear themselves.

Under the stimulation of such a terrible event, Zhao Xiaoqian's arbitrary killing of 42 criminal officials was not so important, because everyone's attention and vision were shifted to the more than 400 lives in Zhending Prefecture.

It has to be said that Zhao Hao is indeed an old fox. The strategy he set allowed Zhao Xiaoqian to take the initiative as soon as he appeared today.

Looking at Liu Xianzhen and others in the hall protesting angrily, Zhao Xu couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth.

In the past, this cousin had always been unserious and rarely participated in court meetings, but Zhao Xu had never expected that he actually had rich experience in struggle.

The fact that the wicked were the first to file a complaint was enough to make Zhao Xu respect him.

It was obvious that he was the one who killed the offending official without authorization and was involved in the trouble, but after a few words, Liu Xianzhen and the others got into trouble.

Now, does anyone still care about the fate of Han Wei’s forty-two convicted officials?
(End of this chapter)