The prince is more stable

Chapter 606 Hearing in the Morning, Dying in the Evening
Chai Ruona, from the Chai family, held a certificate of merit.

These had all become taboos for Zhao Xu. Those who violated the emperor's taboos were unlikely to have a good end.

If the Chai family had abided by the law and lived a simple life as wealthy men, perhaps Zhao Xu and Zhao Xiaoqian would have turned a blind eye and allowed their descendants to continue their lineage.

Like the descendants of King Qian of Wuyue, perhaps in the future, a group of unparalleled national heroes will be cultivated among their descendants, becoming the backbone of China in times of crisis.

Unfortunately, the Chai family was not content with their lot. After they tested the emperor's bottom line, they slowly became a local scourge.

Most suspiciously, Chai Ruona harbored hundreds of wanted criminals and江湖人士 (jianghu figures), a fact that was more serious than his rampant activities in the countryside. It was because of this that Zhao Xu and Zhao Xiaoqian became wary of the Chai family.

Perhaps the Chai family is currently only harboring wanted criminals, but what about the future?

Who knows what the future holds? As the number of farmhands taken in increases, will Chai Ruona still be content to be the Duke of Chongyi?

That's the difference between a fool and a wise person.

Zhao Xiaoqian's adoptive father, Zhao Hao, was also involved in shady dealings. Zhao Xiaoqian had no idea what the mysterious force his adoptive father controlled was, how many people were in it, or what they were doing.

Zhao Hao remained in Bianjing as a carefree prince, indulging in wine and women and seducing widows, which made him a laughingstock in the eyes of the people of Bianjing.

Only Zhao Xiaoqian, his own son, vaguely knew just how terrifying the power he wielded was, a joke in the eyes of the people of Bianjing.

Putting aside the question of loyalty and treachery, let's look at how intelligent people act, and then look at the Chai family...

The Chai family was captured without any doubt, and everyone in the village was taken away by the Imperial Guards.

Chai Ruona was put into a prison cart alone, where he could only stand. The imperial guards also put heavy shackles on him. Chai Ruona cried out his innocence all the way. What made him even more unwilling was that Zhao Xiaoqian took back his imperial edict.

With the Chai family's lifeline taken away, Chai Ruona felt as if the sky had fallen, and from now on, the Chai family might cease to exist.

Zhao Xiaoqian ignored Chai Ruona's cries for justice and rode back to Zhen Ding Prefecture, where he kept playing with the Chai family's imperial edict.

This was the first time he had touched it up close, and to be honest, he was really tempted.

Despite knowing that the imperial edict was essentially a death warrant for officials, it seemed to possess some kind of alluring magic, making people irresistibly drawn to it even though they knew it was a death sentence.

Zhao Xu harbored murderous intent towards the Chai family this time, and Zhao Xiaoqian probably knew the reason. The Chai family's domineering behavior in the area might be one reason, but the biggest reason was probably this iron certificate.

In plays and TV dramas, the emperors of the Song Dynasty were the most miserable, as their ministers would suddenly pull out some item bestowed upon them by the late emperor.

For example, the imperial bestowed golden mace, the imperial bestowed dragon-headed walking stick, the imperial bestowed whip, and so on. These imperial bestowed items are very magical. They can be used to punish tyrannical emperors and sycophantic officials. Once these items are taken out, the officials are more powerful than the emperor.

It seems that the late emperor of the Song Dynasty never did anything worthwhile while he was alive; he spent his life figuring out how to get his ministers to deal with his children and grandchildren.

What did the late emperor's children and grandchildren do to deserve this? They're attacked with weapons at the slightest provocation.

Today they'll give you a gift from the emperor, and tomorrow they'll give you another gift from the emperor. The emperor's life was more aggrieved than that of ordinary people; he was a victim of court bullying.

Of course, this is just a play. The late emperor of the Song Dynasty wasn't that stupid. He originally wanted his children and grandchildren to consolidate the imperial power generation after generation. Who would give his ministers these things to restrain the imperial power of their children and grandchildren? Wouldn't that be foolish?
The golden mace and the dragon-headed cane are all made up, but the iron certificate with the cinnabar in Zhao Xiaoqian's hand is not made up; it is real.

Even if it could not possibly restrain imperial power and was merely something to protect the lives of a certain family, it still violated the taboos of later emperors. A wise ruler like Zhao Xu would not allow such a thing to exist, allowing the Chai family to be above the law.

The downfall of the Chai family was largely caused by this iron certificate.

Thinking of the Chai family's fate, Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and silently put away the imperial edict.

Standing on the prison cart, Chai Ruona finally stopped protesting his innocence. His expression was filled with resentment, and his bloodshot eyes stared fiercely at Zhao Xiaoqian on horseback.

Zhao Xiaoqian, completely unfazed, gave him a faint smile: "Not convinced?"

Chai Ruona shook her head, then suddenly laughed: "I know, this was all a scheme you set up. He Xiong was just a pawn you used to frame me. What you wanted was the destruction of the Chai family."

Now that things had come to this, Zhao Xiaoqian was too lazy to hide it from him anymore and nodded frankly: "That's right, the Chai family should be wiped out."

"Just because the Chai family amassed wealth in Zhen Ding Prefecture and harmed a few ordinary people? Or is it because of my rudeness to you that you hold a grudge against me?" Chai Ruona still couldn't believe it.

How could such trivial matters lead to the destruction of a family? Chai Ruona still couldn't understand it.

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head, too lazy to explain.

This is a clash of values; he can never convince someone to change their values.

In Chai Ruona's eyes, cheating people out of their money and taking the lives of a few people was nothing more than a trivial matter.

Even as they were already on the prison cart, Chai Ruona still maintained the arrogant airs of the former imperial family. Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly smiled and said, "Do you want paper and pen? I can give you the opportunity to write a memorial. Of course, I also guarantee that your memorial will be delivered to the Emperor. I will allow you to defend the Chai family."

Chai Ruona's eyes lit up with joy, and he was about to nod in agreement when he suddenly noticed Zhao Xiaoqian's ambiguous smile. Zhao Xiaoqian was looking at him with a playful expression, as if a tiger was not in a hurry to devour its prey, but instead wanted to tease and play with it with its claws.

Chai Ruona was stunned for a moment, then suddenly shocked and stared at him, her face ashen.

"No, it's not you, it's the Emperor! Is it the Emperor? It's him, he..." Chai Ruona seemed to have lost her mind, muttering to herself incessantly.

Zhao Xiaoqian, seated on horseback, let out a leisurely breath and said, "You've finally figured it out. Not bad, at least you won't die a confused ghost."

Upon receiving Zhao Xiaoqian's affirmative answer, Chai Ruona nearly went mad, hissing, "Why? Why, Your Majesty?"

"For generations, your Chai family has thought you've tested the government's bottom line. You've been careful not to cross that line, thinking that you can ensure your family's safety for generations... But is what you consider the government's bottom line really the bottom line?"

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head, looked at him with sympathy, and said, "Actually, your Chai family has always been crossing the line with the government. The reason why the previous governments did not punish you is because they did not want to be criticized by their subjects. But you are complacent and think that you are above all taboos."

"Knowing full well that they are descendants of the deposed emperor of the previous dynasty, they still don't know how to keep a low profile. They run rampant and harm their neighbors. They insist on courting death. Now the emperor has no choice but to deal with them."

Zhao Xiaoqian then took out the imperial edict, tapped it with his finger, and laughed, "Are you still wondering where the Emperor's bottom line is? Don't worry about it, the Emperor's bottom line is this thing."

"From the moment the founding emperor bestowed it upon the Chai family, your Chai family has been living on the bottom line of all previous emperors."

"Over the past decades, the officials of each dynasty have not dealt with the Chai family because the disadvantages outweighed the advantages. Now the officials want to deal with you because they have accumulated enough reasons, and the Chai family has found a way to bring about its own demise. Chai Ruone, do you understand what I'm saying?"

Zhao Xiaoqian finally broke the ice, and Chai Ruona was utterly devastated.

He got it.

The charges of being a wanted criminal, being involved in treason, or harming the local community were all just pretexts to appease the world. The real reason was that iron certificate.

The "immunity card" not only doesn't grant immunity from death, but it's actually a death warrant.

Standing on the swaying prison cart, Chai Ruona smiled bitterly and suddenly asked, "If my Chai family behaves itself and does not commit those evil deeds in the local area, will the officials spare me?"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "If the Chai family had been well-behaved for generations, the Emperor might have almost forgotten about you. Why would he take action against you? But your Chai family took the initiative to provoke the law of the country. Hehe, provoking the law of the country is tantamount to provoking the imperial power. You so arrogantly jumped in front of the Emperor. If the Emperor did not kill you, he would be doing a disservice to the knife in his hand."

After saying this, Zhao Xiaoqian leaned down on his horse and asked, "Do you understand?"

Chai Ruona burst into wild laughter, her expression twisted and crazed: "I understand, haha, I understand!"

Unmoved by his mad appearance, Zhao Xiaoqian still asked with a smile, "Do you need paper and pen to write a memorial to defend yourself?"

"No more, haha, no more! I, Chai Ruona, deserve it!"

Zhao Xiaoqian said with satisfaction, "If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening. The sages are truly not deceiving me. Look, I found out the way to your house this morning, and I'll rush there tonight and kill you."

"Chai Ruona, this journey to Bianjing will likely be futile. May you have a safe journey to the Yellow Springs."

…………

The capital of Western Xia, Xingqing Prefecture.

Seventeen-year-old Li Qianshun's face was ashen as he glared fiercely at Li Jinzhen, who was kneeling on the ground with her head bowed.

Extreme anger twisted his young and immature face, making him look ferocious and terrifying.

Li Jinzhen was sent as an envoy to the Liao Kingdom to propose a marriage alliance with the Liao emperor, which the emperor agreed to. The emperor even proposed a Liao-Xia alliance. What a wonderful thing! But halfway there, while they were eating hot pot and singing songs, they were suddenly robbed by bandits!
Princess Cheng'an of the Liao Dynasty, the future empress of Western Xia, and the wife betrothed to Li Qianshun by the Liao emperor, is probably now lying on Zhao Xiaoqian's bed, at his beck and call.

What a humiliation this is for a monarch.

My wife has been stolen away, what should I do?
Needless to say, we must attack Ping'an County and rescue my sister-in-law!

When Li Jinzhen returned to Western Xia in disgrace and told Li Qianshun the bad news, Li Qianshun's first thought was to send troops to invade the Song Dynasty.

At the age of seventeen, a time of youthful passion and impulsiveness, just as Li Qianshun ordered officials to be summoned to the palace for a meeting to prepare for the dispatch of troops, Li Jinzhen knelt before him and suddenly grabbed his leg.

Li Qianshun flew into a rage and kicked him several times. His anger and resentment seemed to ease a little with each kick.

"Your Majesty, you must not send troops! The Great Song Dynasty is no longer what it used to be. Any vassal state that dares to raise the issue of war will be destroyed!" Li Jinzhen pleaded, weeping bitterly.

(End of this chapter)