The prince is more stable

Chapter 540: No Fight, No Death
"Zhengsi" means the emperor's eldest son.

That is the first son born to the emperor and the empress. However, the emperors of this generation of the Song Dynasty did not have many offspring. Zhao Xu had been on the throne for more than ten years, and it was not until tonight that he gave birth to his first prince, who was not the empress's son.

Some of the ministers shouted "legitimate heir", this word has a special meaning.

As everyone knows, the relationship between the emperor and Queen Meng is very cold. From the day of their wedding, Zhao Xu has basically never favored Queen Meng.

The reason for this is partly due to the couple's personalities and feelings, but the bigger reason is that Zhao Xu's choice of queen was arranged by the Empress Dowager at the time, and Queen Meng was personally selected by the Empress Dowager.

Given Zhao Xu's deep hatred for the Empress Dowager, even if Queen Meng was a thousand times good and powerful, Zhao Xu would never favor her and let her bear his child.

Because of this, the concept of "legitimate son" no longer exists in the royal family of the Song Dynasty. If the royal couple does not have sex, how can there be a legitimate son?

So if Concubine Liu gave birth to a prince tonight, if nothing unexpected happens, this prince should be the future crown prince of the Song Dynasty.

In the future, perhaps the emperor will give birth to a second or third prince with other concubines, but the royal family emphasizes seniority. Unless the first prince makes a fatal mistake, his position as the crown prince is basically unshakable.

The matter of the royal couple has long been no secret, which is why some ministers suddenly shouted "the country has a legitimate heir."

Theoretically speaking, the prince born to Concubine Liu tonight is indeed the undisputed "legitimate heir" and will inherit the throne in the future.

The ministers gathered outside the palace gate and waited for most of the night. Finally, they received the good news and the crowd was immediately excited.

After waiting so long, the official finally gave birth to a boy. May our ancestors bless you!

The ministers were in tears, and some of them who were full of emotion could not help but cry loudly, and bowed three times towards the direction of the former emperor's tomb, as if the Song Dynasty was on the verge of destruction, and Concubine Liu stepped forward to save the country and the people from dire straits.

The greatest hero will have a litter of sons.

From then on, Concubine Liu’s image as a heroic mother was firmly established in the minds of the ministers.

While the ministers were crying excitedly, Zhao Xiaoqian was not very excited or happy. He was a lucky guy and knew that Concubine Liu was most likely giving birth to a son, so of course he was not surprised.

History is mysterious. As he travels through time, many things change, but some things still stubbornly continue along their original trajectory.

Looking around, he found that everyone was crying excitedly. Zhao Xiaoqian thought about it and felt that he was too calm and a little out of place, so he also raised his head and howled a few times.

Turning his head inadvertently, Zhao Xiaoqian saw Zhao Hao kneeling in the crowd at first sight.

Zhao Hao's expression at this moment was very complicated. He looked as excited and happy as the other ministers. His mouth was grinning widely, and he seemed very happy.

However, if you look closely, you will find that there is a gleam in Zhao Hao's eyes, mixed with disappointment, gloom, dissatisfaction, brutality and other negative emotions.

It's amazing how a person's eyes can reveal so much information at the same time.

Zhao Xiaoqian's heart tightened. Now he vaguely knew what Zhao Hao was thinking, a rebellious thought.

If there was anyone in the world who least wanted Concubine Liu to give birth to a prince, it would be Zhao Hao.

At this moment tonight, when the whole world is celebrating, the most disappointed person is Zhao Hao.

When Zhao Xiaoqian noticed something strange in Zhao Hao's eyes, his heart grew heavier.

He really has no ambition and has no desire for the throne, but if his father insists on coveting the throne, what should he do as a son?
I used to be quite curious about Zhao Hao's intentions and thoughts, but once some truths were revealed and their naked true appearance was exposed, it would only lead me into greater trouble and whirlpool.

The ministers knelt outside the palace gate for a long time. At this time, the city of Bianjing was also in an uproar. The news that the country had a legitimate heir had obviously spread. Candles were lit in various mansions and houses in Bianjing, and the sounds of gongs and drums could be heard everywhere. The people were celebrating the happy event of the royal family.

Zhao Xiaoqian watched the movements around him quietly. Only then did he realize how important a country's crown prince was to its subjects.

The crown prince is established and the people’s hearts are won.

The lucky baby who was just born tonight and is still in swaddling clothes probably doesn’t know that he carries the expectations and hopes of the entire country.

After gathering in front of the palace gate to celebrate, the ministers stood up, bowed deeply towards the palace gate, and then turned around and left.

Zhao Xiaoqian said goodbye to Zhang Dun, then helped Zhao Hao up and said softly, "Father, let's go back home."

There was still a joyful smile on Zhao Hao's face, but Zhao Xiaoqian, who was very close to him, found that his eyes were empty and lifeless, without any joy. Zhao Hao seemed to be afraid of revealing his true thoughts, so he kept his head down and did not meet other people's eyes.

Sighing, Zhao Xiaoqian said, "Father, why do you have to..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhao Hao said coldly, "Shut up! Don't talk. Let's go, get in the carriage and go back home."

Zhao Xiaoqian silently supported him as they walked a few steps. Zhao Hao then said, "Keep laughing. Laugh heartily. Let people see your smile clearly!"

Zhao Xiaoqian forced a smile.

As the father and son walked towards the carriage, they said goodbye to the ministers with a smile.

After boarding the carriage and the car slowly started moving, Zhao Hao's smile suddenly faded, his shoulders slumped, and he felt as if all his energy had been drained away, slumping limply inside the carriage. After a moment, Zhao Hao remembered something and reached out to knock on the wall. Zhao Xiaoqian could tell there was a special rhythm to the knocks.

Soon, a strange, deep male voice was heard from outside the carriage.

"Your Highness, Prince Zhao Ji of Suining is here tonight. He's standing alone in a dark corner, quite far from the palace gate, on the Imperial Street outside. No one can see him."

Zhao Hao's expression remained unchanged as he said calmly, "What expression did he have when the emperor gave birth to a child?"

"Upon hearing that the emperor had given birth to a son, Zhao Ji's expression was filled with disappointment and anger. He punched the wall beside him, his hand seemed to bleed, and he quickly turned and left."

Zhao Hao hummed and said, "I understand. You can leave."

There was no sound outside the carriage.

Zhao Xiaoqian watched all this quietly, and his understanding of Zhao Hao's thoughts became clearer and clearer.

Zhao Hao sat up straight, looked at him expressionlessly, and said, "Did you hear that clearly?"

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded.

Zhao Hao continued, "If you don't fight for something, someone else will. When they get it, what do you think will happen to you? What will happen to our family?"

Zhao Hao stared into his eyes, and for the first time, he sneered and sneered, "Having no ambition is not a virtue, it's a path to death! Do you think you're just a commoner, and as long as you're honest and dutiful, you can live a peaceful and smooth life? Qian'er, you're too naive!"

"Born into a family like this, you're destined to fight. If you don't fight, you'll die! And your entire family will die!"

"Guess why Zhao Ji was disappointed and angry just now? He didn't want the emperor to give birth to a prince. As long as the crown prince hasn't been appointed, he still has a glimmer of hope. If the crown prince is appointed, he won't give up!"

Zhao Hao said coldly, "According to your thinking, you have no ambition in anything. You only claim to have no ambition. You think that the emperor can trust you and use you. Do you think that's safe? Ha! A new emperor appoints new ministers. The current emperor may trust you, but what about the next emperor? Can you guarantee that he won't be suspicious of you?"

"Don't forget that you hold military power, and now you're so powerful that you're even more powerful than your master. Which emperor wouldn't be suspicious of you? Don't you know what happened to Di Qing, your father-in-law's son?"

"The government is using you now because it needs you, not because it trusts you. You must understand this! When the world is stable and at peace, that will be the time for you and me to die! From ancient times to the present, haven't there been enough examples of people being abandoned after their rabbits have died, and of bows being put away after their birds have been killed?"

Zhao Hao's words were so thought-provoking that they made Zhao Xiaoqian's eardrums buzz and he was unable to come back to his senses for a long time.

After a long while, Zhao Xiaoqian said in a low voice, "Father, are you planning a rebellion?"

Zhao Hao remained silent for a long time.

Zhao Xiaoqian is a smart man, and at this moment he seems to have figured out a lot of things.

Zhao Xiaoqian then continued, "Rebellion requires military power. Father may have some strength under his command, but it's far from enough. However, I have military power. Father... are you interested in the military power in my hands?"

Zhao Hao closed his eyes, but his cheeks kept twitching, making him look a little ferocious.

Zhao Hao looks very strange tonight.

"Rebellion is the worst possible strategy." Zhao Hao finally spoke, slowly saying, "I hope you can take that position legitimately."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed: "I sit? I'm just a relative, not a direct descendant of the emperor. How can I take the throne legitimately? Even if the emperor's prince died young, according to the rules, the throne should be passed down from the elder brother to the younger brother. Zhao Ji is the rightful candidate."

"Besides, the official is only in his twenties now. His life has just begun. Isn't it too early for father to set his sights on this position?"

Zhao Hao said coldly: "You and I are of one mind, Zhao Ji will not be able to accomplish anything! As for the emperor..."

Having said this, Zhao Hao suddenly stopped talking, but his expression was somewhat profound.

Zhao Xiaoqian was startled: "What's wrong with the emperor? Does father know something?"

Zhao Hao shook his head, avoiding the question, and slowly said, "After tonight, some of my plans will have to change. Ha! You are so lucky to have given birth to a prince. But it doesn't matter. Let's see how Zhao Ji performs first."

"Qian'er, you will be reinstated soon. Don't worry too much. After returning to Zhending Prefecture, lead the troops with peace of mind and expand the territory for the Song Dynasty. Leave the affairs of Bianjing to me."

"The time is not right yet. There may not be any results in three to five years. You don't have to rush into a decision. Just wait and see what happens. As I said before, sometimes things just push you and force you to make a choice, even if you don't want to."

Zhao Xiaoqian lowered his eyelids and whispered, "I still prefer that father who does nothing but eat, drink, and whorehouse, and whores widows whenever he has time."

Zhao Hao smiled and said, "I have always been like this. Please quickly forget the look I showed tonight."

"I can't forget it. It's so ugly..."

"...You are really straightforward."

(End of this chapter)