The prince is more stable

Chapter 592 The Chai Clan of the Later Zhou Dynasty
Tian Jing was merely a scholar who failed the imperial examinations twice; he certainly couldn't be considered a hero.

Zhao Xin laid out the instruments of torture one by one in front of Tian Jing. Before he could even begin to use them, Tian Jing screamed like a pig being slaughtered.

Zhao Xin revealed a contemptuous smile, and then summoned the clerk of the Imperial City Guard to record the confession.

The interrogation of Tian Jing then began.

With the instruments of torture placed in front of Tian Jing, he readily confessed without much intimidation or interrogation from Zhao Xin. He was completely open and honest, and even wanted to confess more after he had finished.

Starting with the original Xuanqing Temple, this is an unavoidable topic. Tian Jing clearly explained the behind-the-scenes builders of Xuanqing Temple, all the illegal acts they committed, and how many similar Taoist temples there were in the Hebei Road area.

This person was a pawn, but he was also an insider; otherwise, he wouldn't have been entrusted by his master to rescue those Taoist priests.

What Tian Jing and his master did not expect was that the government would arrest him, the person who gave the gift, and even dare to use torture to extract a confession from him.

In the officialdom of the Song Dynasty, almost no official would dare to do such a thing, as it would undoubtedly be against the rules.

Tian Jing and his master were caught off guard and did not expect Zhao Xiaoqian to be such a person. So, overnight, Zhao Xin thoroughly investigated everything about Xuanqing Temple and its master.

Having uncovered the mastermind behind the case, Zhao Xin should have been very happy. Given his ambition for officialdom, he should have been overjoyed and rushing to Zhao Xiaoqian to claim credit.

However, after Zhao Xin received Tian Jing's confession, his expression became very serious, showing no sign of joy, but rather a heavy heart.

After ordering Tian Jing to be imprisoned, Zhao Xin was released from prison and hurriedly went to the Prince's Mansion.

It was already late at night, and Zhao Xiaoqian had long since gone to sleep. Zhao Xin, however, disregarded all that and asked the imperial guards on duty at the gate to wake His Highness the Prince at all costs, as he had important matters to report.

Half an hour later, Zhao Xiaoqian, still grumpy from waking up, was sitting in the prison of the Zhen Ding Prefecture, looking solemnly at the confession recorded by the Imperial City Recorder.

Zhao Xiaoqian wasn't the only one summoned to the prison in the middle of the night; Li Qingchen was also among them.

The two chief officials of Zhen Ding Prefecture were present, and they read the confession from the Imperial City Guard over and over again.

"Bring Tian Jing here, I want to question him myself," Zhao Xiaoqian instructed.

Before long, Tian Jing, his hands and feet in shackles, staggered and knelt helplessly before Zhao Xiaoqian.

Zhao Xiaoqian sized him up and said, "You're Tian Jing?"

Tian Jing also looked at Zhao Xiaoqian and said, "You must be His Highness the Prince of Hejian?"

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded. Instead of answering his question directly, the prisoner asked about his identity. A failed scholar would not have such confidence and arrogance. It seemed that even now, he still had something to rely on, which was probably his master.

"Tian Jing, is the information in your confession true?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked again.

Tian Jing nodded and said, "Every word is true. Your Highness can send someone to verify it."

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced down at the confession, a slight smile playing on his lips, and slowly said, "Daming Prefecture, the Chai family? Heh, they certainly have connections. No wonder you're so confident."

Tian Jing smiled slightly: "Your Highness led the royal army to pacify Liao, which greatly enhanced the prestige of our Great Song Dynasty. I admire you very much. My purpose in coming to Zhen Ding City today is simply to resolve this matter peacefully and I have no intention of offending you. Please understand, Your Highness."

"Were all the actions of those Taoist priests at Xuanqing Temple instigated by the Chai family? Was it all to help the Chai family amass wealth?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked again.

Tian Jing laughed and said, "Your Highness, there's no need to try to trick me. Even if you manage to get something out of me, it will be useless. I'm just a pawn that can be discarded at any time. No matter what I say, the Chai family will not acknowledge it."

Zhao Xiaoqian burst into laughter: "With your stubborn and unyielding attitude, it seems I really can't do anything with you, right?"

Hearing Zhao Xiaoqian's laughter, Tian Jing felt a chill run down his spine, and the hairs on the back of his body stood on end. He could hear the chilling murderous intent in Zhao Xiaoqian's laughter.

Tian Jing immediately lowered his head, his expression becoming much more respectful.

“Your Highness, I am but a pitiful pawn. Why make things difficult for me? I have confessed everything I know. Even if you torture me, you will not get anything out of me.”

Zhao Xiaoqian stared into his eyes and slowly said, "Your identity in the Chai family is..."

"I am a staff member of the Chai family. After failing the imperial examination in the fifth year of the Yuan You era, I was disheartened with the imperial examination. It was the Chai family that sent someone to find me and invited me to come to Daming Prefecture to serve as a tutor and teach the Chai family’s children. Later, I gradually became a staff member of the Chai family."

Just as Zhao Xiaoqian was about to ask something else, he noticed that Li Qingchen, who was sitting next to him, was tugging at his sleeve.

Zhao Xiaoqian stood up without making a sound and walked out of the prison with Li Qingchen.

Breathing in the cool night air, Zhao Xiaoqian's mind cleared considerably.

Li Qingchen sighed bitterly, "Your Highness, I suggest that this matter end here and we should not dwell on it any further."

"Are you afraid of the Chai family?"

Li Qingchen sighed, "This humble official is indeed a little afraid. Your Highness should know about the Chai family, right?"

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded and said calmly, "I know, the Chai family who abdicated in the previous dynasty."

The history of the Chai family dates back to before the founding of the Song Dynasty.

The famous "Chenqiao Mutiny" and "donning the yellow robe" in historical records refer to the process of the founding of the Song Dynasty. Emperor Taizu Zhao Kuangyin was forced to wear the yellow robe by his generals. Yes, that's right, "forced." Zhao Kuangyin himself was very unwilling, but he could not go against the will of the army and the people.

The general was too strong when he draped the yellow robe over Zhao Kuangyin's body, and Zhao Kuangyin could not struggle against it. He could only shyly let the general drape the yellow robe over his body.

Well, the problem is coming.

The yellow robe that Zhao Kuangyin was forced to wear—who did this yellow robe originally belong to?

The answer is the Chai family. The Chai family were the emperors of the Later Zhou dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. When Zhao Kuangyin gained power, the first family to usurp the throne was the Chai family.

The last emperor of the Later Zhou Dynasty was named Chai Zongxun. He was only seven years old when he ascended the throne. At that time, the country was in turmoil due to the young emperor, and Empress Dowager Fu of the Later Zhou Dynasty ruled from behind the curtain, assisting the seven-year-old emperor.

The yellow robe worn by Zhao Kuangyin originally belonged to Chai Zongxun of the Later Zhou Dynasty. After the establishment of the Song Dynasty, the Zhao family was criticized by the people of the world, who said that the Zhao family's acquisition of the country was illegitimate because Zhao Kuangyin usurped the throne as a subject and bullied orphans and widows.

This statement has remained unchanged even a thousand years later.

Of course, Zhao Kuangyin himself felt guilty. After ascending the throne, he treated the Chai family members very well and gave them a dignified and peaceful end. He not only did not harm the orphans and widows, but also granted the Chai family the hereditary title of "Duke of Chongyi".

The Chai family, of course, was very sensible and readily abdicated in favor of the Zhao family. The whole family packed their bags and moved away, first to Fangzhou, which is now near Shiyan in Hubei Province. Later, the Chai Yong branch of the Chai family moved to Daming Prefecture, where they settled down for generations.

Throughout the Song Dynasty, the emperors treated the Chai family very well. After all, given the shameful deeds of the founding emperor, his descendants were too embarrassed to lay a hand on the Chai family again. They had already seized the throne from the orphaned widow and her children; were they really going to exterminate the Chai family as well? The spittle of the world would drown them.

Zhao Kuangyin harbored deep psychological trauma towards the Chai family. Before his death, he left three instructions for future emperors, which were inscribed on a stone tablet.

Two of them were to not kill scholar-officials and never increase taxes.

However, the first precept was to treat the descendants of the Chai family well, and not to punish them for their crimes. Even if the descendants of the Chai family committed the serious crime of treason, they were only allowed to be executed in prison, and their crimes were not to be made public. Their relatives were not to be implicated, so as to leave the Chai family with sufficient dignity.

This shows how much Zhao Kuangyin valued and favored the Chai family.

Even more outrageous, Zhao Kuangyin also issued a "Dan Shu Tie Quan" (a certificate of merit) to the Chai family, granting them immunity from the death penalty.

In other words, the Chai family had accumulated so many powerful influences that even the Song Dynasty emperor couldn't easily deal with them.

Unless the Chai family rebels, no matter what they do, even the Emperor Zhao Xu can only turn a blind eye and let them off lightly.

Now, the Chai family did not rebel, but they have caused deaths. This problem is now facing Zhao Xiaoqian, and he is finally feeling a headache.

Li Qingchen advised Zhao Xiaoqian to stop there, also for this reason.

They're really not to be trifled with. Even the government can't do anything about the Chai family, so what can you do?

Putting everything else aside, Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't afford to offend the "Iron Certificate of Merit" alone. If you put a knife to the Chai family's neck, and the Chai family immediately produced the Iron Certificate of Merit, would Zhao Xiaoqian kneel or not?

This guy is practically cheating! He's invincible in the game, no one can hurt him, yet he can blow other players' heads off at any time.

You report the other player for cheating, but the game officials say that the other player has done nothing wrong.

In the officialdom of the Song Dynasty, no official could afford to offend the Chai family. If someone was unlucky enough to encounter the Chai family committing a crime, no matter how serious the matter, it could only be let off lightly, the case would be hastily closed, and the matter would be forgotten.

Now Zhao Xiaoqian has gotten himself into this mess.

"Is this the end?" Zhao Xiaoqian said with a look of resentment.

Li Qingchen nodded emphatically, his tone more serious than ever before: "That's right, it ends here."

“Your Highness, this case is unsolvable. It involves the Chai family, and even if we appeal to the officials in Bianjing, they will only choose to let it go.”

Zhao Xiaoqian sneered, "The Xuanqing Temple under the Chai family's name alone has been involved in more than a dozen deaths, and then nothing was done about it?"

Li Qingchen said, "Otherwise what? How does Your Highness intend to deal with this? If you question the Chai family members, even the Emperor won't be on your side. In the end, you'll still have to obediently release them."

Zhao Xiaoqian pondered for a moment and said, "The title of Duke of Chongyi in the Chai family is hereditary and cannot be changed. Which branch of the Chai family inherited the title of Duke of Chongyi in this generation?"

Li Qingchen said with a wry smile, "Unfortunately, it happens to be the branch of Daming Prefecture, the great-grandson of Chai Shouli, the father of Chai Rong of the previous dynasty, and the second son of Chai Yong, Chai Ruona."

"Chai Ruone? Is he the Duke of Chongyi of this generation?"

"That's right, it's him. He was granted the title of Duke Chongyi in the fifth year of the Xining era, and it has been more than 20 years since then."

“Chai Ruona is already the Duke of Chongyi, yet the Chai family doesn’t even care about this basic dignity. They’ve built a Taoist temple in Hebei to amass wealth and commit murder. Does the Chai family have no regard for their reputation?”

Li Qingchen sighed and said, "Your Highness, if you have an imperial edict, what else would you have to worry about besides not daring to rebel?"

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment, then sighed helplessly, "If I had that thing, I'd dare to take my pants off and poop in front of Yanfu Palace."

Li Qingchen smiled and said, "Compared to Your Highness, the Chai family has become much more restrained...and their manners are much better."

(End of this chapter)