The prince is more stable

Chapter 54: First Meeting with Colleagues
After walking out of the palace, Zhao Xiaoqian felt a little dazed.

It was not until this moment that he realized that he was in power. Although he was only a minor official of the seventh rank, his power was indeed considerable.

Execute first and report later, imperial authority grants...

This may not work. The Imperial City Administration does not have that much power, and Zhao Xiaoqian would not dare to do so. Otherwise, Zhao Xu would have cut him into pieces before the ministers reported him.

When Emperor Taizu Zhao Kuangyin founded the country, he established a rule that scholars and officials should not be executed. This is the so-called "gentleman's politics."

The Song Dynasty infinitely praised civil officials and infinitely belittled military generals, and went too far in correcting the wrongs at the founding of the country. The weakness of the Song Dynasty had already laid a deep hidden danger since its founding.

"Gentleman's politics" means that no matter how fiercely political opponents fight in the court, their goal is only to fight their opponents until they lose their jobs or are exiled to a remote place. That's all they want, and they basically won't take their enemies' lives.

For example, Su Shi in the past was charged with such a serious crime as the Wudai Poetry Case, "slandering the emperor and the prime minister in poems and essays", but he was only demoted to the deputy envoy of Huangzhou Tuanlian, which was roughly equivalent to the deputy captain of the Huangzhou militia.

Speaking of Su Shi, Zhao Xiaoqian was quite fascinated by this literary giant whom he had never met.

Su Shi is still alive today, probably living in a sea-view apartment on Hainan Island, eating oysters, fishing for lobsters, and caressing the tanned thighs of local indigenous girls...

Don't doubt it, he will touch it.

If a great writer doesn't touch a girl's thigh, how can he have the nerve to call himself a "great writer"?
When Zhao Xiaoqian thought of Su Shi, he really wanted to trade places with him.

His life, Zhao Xiaoqian's dream.

Do you know how expensive it would be to take a vacation to Hainan Island a thousand years from now?
Since the Song Dynasty had the so-called "gentleman politics", the Imperial City Administration could only suppress the old party forces by throwing them into jail at most. Unless the crimes were extremely serious, they could not easily kill people.

After leaving the Youye Gate, Zhao Xiaoqian was about to get on the carriage when he was suddenly stopped by someone.

A burly man in his thirties walked over. He was wearing a green official uniform and had a look that was quite... well, one could only say that he had all the facial features, characterized by thick hair and a beard covering his entire face. The beard was so dense that it even covered half of his facial features.

Combined with the official uniform he wore, he looked very much like Bi Ma Wen, an official in heaven. The official uniform looked out of place on him no matter how you looked at it.

The man walked up to Zhao Xiaoqian, bowed, and then forced a smile.

It can be seen that he really tried hard to force this smile, and he is obviously not a person who likes to smile.

"How about the Prince of Chu in person?" His voice was rough and hoarse, full of masculinity.

Zhao Xiaoqian also smiled and returned the greeting: "It is indeed me, I wonder who you are..."

"I am Wei Jie, an official from the Imperial City Office, and I am here to meet the Crown Prince." Wei Jie saluted again.

Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly realized that they were colleagues at the same level.

There are three people in charge of the Imperial City Affairs, including Zhao Xiaoqian and Wei Jie.

"So it's Wei...um, Wei Gou Dang?" Zhao Xiaoqian was a little unsure, as he always felt that the word "Gou Dang" sounded like an insult.

Wei Jie had no idea that the word "goudang" had a derogatory meaning in later generations, so he naturally bowed to show his humility when he heard this.

"My courtesy name is Li Yan, so you can just call me by that name, Your Highness." Wei Jie said.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled amiably and said, "We are both here on official business. You don't need to call yourself 'your humble servant.' Since you are a few years older than me, I will call you Brother Li Yan from now on. You can also call me Zi'an."

Wei Jie said hurriedly, "How can you call the prince by his courtesy name? It's too embarrassing for me."

"We are all men. There is no need to push each other around on such trivial matters. Let's just leave it at that." Zhao Xiaoqian said impatiently.

Wei Jie nodded in agreement, but still called him the Crown Prince.

There is a difference between high and low. Zhao Xiaoqian's family background is beyond Wei Jie's reach. People who are not particular about small matters in officialdom probably won't be able to hold office for long.

From the moment Zhao Xu issued an edict to appoint Zhao Xiaoqian as the official, Wei Jie knew very well that the Imperial City Administration would no longer be a three-way balance of power, and Zhao Xiaoqian would most likely be the leader.

If the officials dare to break the ancestral rules when the clan members hold real positions, they must have their own plans.

Zhao Xu had just taken power and the country was in need of development. At this time, perhaps only his brothers could gain his trust. By putting Zhao Xiaoqian into the Imperial City Bureau, Wei Jie knew without hesitation that Zhao Xu probably wanted to put the Imperial City Bureau in the hands of this brother with the same surname.

The Imperial City Administration is a sharp knife. It is very important to know who holds the handle of the knife so that the official can use it with ease.

So when Wei Jie first met Zhao Xiaoqian, he took the initiative to lower his status and regarded himself as a lower official. His reincarnation skills were too high, so he had to show some respect.

"We're just meeting as colleagues. Do you want to celebrate?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked with a smile.

In the officialdom, just like in the workplace, some social engagements are inevitable. Who doesn’t want to have a sensible and generous colleague?

Wei Jie said in a gruff voice, "That's what I was thinking of. I'd like to have a drink with the prince. How about I host him?"

Zhao Xiaoqian blinked.

When Wei Jie said the first sentence just now, Zhao Xiaoqian felt that something was wrong.

After a few words, Zhao Xiaoqian finally understood.

"Where are you from, Brother Li Yan?"

Wei Jie said: "I am from Qingzhou. In the Yuanfeng year, I served as a commander in the Imperial Palace Division of the Infantry Army in Bianjing. In the fourth year of Yuanyou, I was transferred to the Imperial City Division and became an official."

Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly realized that Qingzhou was probably the area around Weifang, Shandong in later generations.

No wonder I like to use inverted sentences so much.

"Come, Brother Li Yan, read after me, 'In the fourth year of Yuanyou, I was transferred by the government to the Imperial City Department.'"

Wei Jie followed along obediently: "In the fourth year of Yuanyou, I was transferred to the Imperial City Division by the government."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled with satisfaction.

Wei Jie said in confusion: "Does this have any other meaning?"

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately lost his temper and sighed, "As long as you're happy, I think that's good."

He touched the silver in his arms, which was a bulging bag, probably quite a lot. Zhao Xiaoqian wanted to invite Wei Jie to visit a brothel, and at the same time he could get what he wanted.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian really lacked understanding of the consumption in brothels in the Song Dynasty. Zhao Hao said that he once spent a thousand strings of cash on a courtesan but still failed to become her lover, which made Zhao Xiaoqian feel a little insecure.

"Eating and drinking won't be too expensive, I'll treat you." Zhao Xiaoqian generously invited Wei Jie to get on the carriage.

The carriage swayed and came to the intersection of Imperial Street again.

Zhao Xiaoqian lifted the curtain of his carriage and pointed to the intersection like a tour guide introducing a scenic spot. "This is where I became famous. Back then, I was so good at it that I almost blew Liu Zhi's head off."

Then Zhao Xiaoqian clenched his fist viciously: "Whoever dares not listen to me, I will smash his head off like Liu Zhi!"

Inside the carriage, Wei Jie's cheek twitched and he sighed, "Your Highness, there's no need to be so subtle in threatening me. Since the Emperor has appointed you to handle official business, I will naturally obey you."

Zhao Xiaoqian quickly put away his ferocious expression and smiled. "It's a misunderstanding, Brother Li Yan, you misunderstood. We are colleagues, how could I threaten you? I just felt like spreading the word about my great achievements. Brother Li Yan, please don't think I'm targeting you."

Wei Jie's cheek twitched again, and it was unclear whether it was a polite smile or an expression of silence.

"Yes, yes, the Crown Prince is so powerful, who in the world dares to offend him? The Imperial City Bureau is headed by the Crown Prince, and I think he will run rampant in Bianjing in the future."

With just a few words, Zhao Xiaoqian established his position in the Imperial City Bureau.

After finally getting an official position with real power, he can't be sidelined by his colleagues. Zhao Xiaoqian is quite satisfied with the current development.

I can’t afford to go to a brothel, but eating and drinking is fine.

On Wei Jie's recommendation, the two came to a place called "Diyilou" on Panlou East Street.

Anyone who dares to call himself "the best" in Bianjing, a city full of delicious food, must have extraordinary abilities.

The most famous staple food on the first floor is something called "soup dumplings".

That’s right, it’s the soup dumplings that became popular all over the country in later generations. Its true birthplace was Bianliang, the capital of the Song Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)