The prince is more stable

Chapter 61 A shocking case
The attack came suddenly, but it was definitely a premeditated assassination.

The time, the place, the ambush, everything was just right.

If it weren't for Chen Shouchao's extraordinary vigilance, Zhao Xiaoqian would probably have been shot into a hornet's nest in the carriage by now.

The targets of more than ten sharp arrows were very clear, all aimed at Zhao Xiaoqian. Half were shot at the carriage, and the other half were shot at Zhao Xiaoqian who was protected by the imperial guards.

In the darkness, Chen Shou and the imperial guards drew their swords and swung them. Zhao Xiaoqian crouched down under the protection of the imperial guards, trying to make himself less obvious as a target.

There were crisp clinking sounds as sharp arrows shot in. Most of them were blocked by the armor on the chests of the imperial guards. Some muffled groans were also heard. It was obvious that some of the imperial guards had been hit by arrows.

"Protect the prince and get out of the alley, quickly!" Chen Shou shouted violently.

Zhao Xiaoqian followed the imperial guards and retreated quickly.

More than ten sharp arrows were shot, and this time the target was still Zhao Xiaoqian.

The imperial guards drew their swords and swung them around. The armor on their bodies saved them and blocked most of the arrows. Of course, several imperial guards were hit by arrows.

There was no trace of the enemy in the darkness, and they only roughly knew the direction from which the sharp arrows came. Zhao Xiaoqian and others were completely in a passive situation.

In this situation, counterattack is no longer possible, and what we need to do now is to protect ourselves.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked around and suddenly shouted, "Knock on the iron tools and shout to the patrol soldiers. The louder the better!"

Chen Shou and others immediately did as they were told.

The soldiers of the imperial guards struck their swords against each other, making clanging sounds, and everyone shouted loudly. The sound drifted in the silent night, and soon some residents in the surrounding houses were awakened and lit their lights.

Chen Shou and the imperial guards continued to retreat step by step until they were out of the alley. However, the enemy hiding in the dark did not shoot any more arrows, and it was obvious that they had fled far away.

The soldiers patrolling the streets from the Bingmasi arrived quickly, and Chen Shou finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It was so dangerous just now. If the reaction had been a step slower, the prince’s life or death would have been unimaginable.

The enemy's assassination methods are also very professional.

From the moment Zhao Xiaoqian took a carriage out of the palace to visit the brothel, he was being targeted.

After coming out of the brothel, Zhao Xiaoqian's return journey had already fallen into the enemy's calculations. The ambush location, the debris piled up in the middle of the road, the dark environment around, etc., the time and place were chosen perfectly.

It can be said that if Chen Shou had not been alert, this would have been a sure-kill situation. Zhao Xiaoqian had no way to dodge the first round of arrows shot at the carriage.

Moreover, the enemy was also very rational. They were not the kind of men who would fight to the death. After two rounds of arrows failed to hit them, Chen Shou and others tried their best to create noise. So the enemy chose to withdraw and escape, no longer fighting.

Protected heavily by the Bingmasi, Chen Shou and others, Zhao Xiaoqian returned to the palace with a grim face.

Inside the palace, Zhao Hao seemed to have received the notification from his servants and was anxiously waiting in Yin'an Hall. When he saw Zhao Xiaoqian coming back, Zhao Hao looked delighted and hurried to meet him.

"Is my son injured?" Zhao Hao pulled his arm and looked him up and down.

Zhao Xiaoqian forced a smile and said, "Father, I'm fine. Several of my brothers in the Imperial Guard were injured while protecting me. Please find a doctor to treat them immediately and provide generous compensation."

Zhao Hao waved his hand and ordered his servants to do it quickly.

In Yin'an Hall, Zhao Hao dismissed the servants, leaving only the father and son in the hall.

Zhao Hao's face darkened. He asked, "My son, do you know who is behind this?"

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head. This matter was really difficult to investigate. He didn't even have anyone to suspect because there were too many possible suspects.

Almost all the old party forces in the court had motives to commit the crime.

How do we investigate this? Arrest and torture them one by one?
Zhao Xiaoqian was very clear that he was hated and had touched the interests of the old party.

From forcing Zhao Hao to submit a memorial to abolish the old system and restore the new, to being later appointed to handle official affairs of the Imperial City Office, under his leadership, the Imperial City Office interrogated and convicted five old party court officials, etc.

Not counting local officials, there were thousands of old party court officials in Bianliang alone. It can be said that Zhao Xiaoqian offended almost all of these thousands of people.

It is almost impossible to find the real mastermind among these thousands of suspects.

The father and son sat in silence, neither of them having any idea who the murderer was.

What the two of them didn't know was that Midnight's assassination attempt on Zhao Xiaoqian had caused an uproar in the city of Bianjing.

Many court officials were woken up in the middle of the night, and even someone in the Forbidden Palace had messages delivered.

Kaifeng Prefecture, Dali Temple, and Imperial City Administration had all been alarmed, and countless officers rushed to the scene in the middle of the night to investigate and search for clues about the assassin.

The security at the Prince of Chu's Palace was even tighter tonight. All the imperial guards under Chen Shou's command were dressed in armor and patrolled around the palace with swords in hand. Even the usually empty courtyard in the palace was now filled with people.

Not long after, a servant hurriedly reported that Wei Jie, an official from the Imperial City Department, requested to see the prince. Wei Jie arrived quickly and was terrified when he saw Zhao Xiaoqian. After taking a good look, he was relieved to confirm that Zhao Xiaoqian was not injured.

"The Crown Prince is safe and sound, a blessing for the Great Song. The Imperial City Administration has dispatched personnel to search the area near where the Crown Prince was attacked. They have located the ambush site of the assassins. They hid in three deserted houses and calculated the time when the Crown Prince would pass through the alley. They then launched a coordinated attack with arrows."

"Those people only fired two rounds of arrows. After failing to kill the prince, they immediately chose to flee. They are all experts."

Zhao Xiaoqian hummed and said, "Have you found any clues?"

Wei Jie smiled bitterly: "They are experts, they left nothing behind. There are only a few footprints left at the scene. The footprints are also very ordinary and almost useless..."

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't hold out much hope to begin with, so he said, "Take your time to investigate. Don't implicate court officials without proof. If the matter gets out of hand, it will be difficult for the government as well."

Wei Jie said cautiously, "The Crown Prince was assassinated. Wasn't that the work of the old party officials?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said nothing.

Is it necessarily the old party? It's hard to say.

The New Party is eager to replace the Old Party. Zhao Xu was too cautious and slow in transferring the New Party to Beijing. If Zhao Xiaoqian was assassinated tonight, the emperor would be furious and countless people would be implicated. The New Party would replace the Old Party quickly.

Therefore, if Zhao Xiaoqian died, it would be beneficial to both the New Party and the Old Party. It is hard to say whether the murderer was from the Old Party.

Even Zhao Xu...he might also need a reason to quickly purge the old party.

I dare not think about it, the more I think about it, the darker it gets.

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head and said, "You investigate first. I won't say anything. I won't mislead you about the direction of the investigation."

Wei Jie bowed in response.

The hurried footsteps were heard again.

The servant reported that someone from the palace had come and the emperor was summoning the prince.

Zhao Xiaoqian hurriedly put on his official uniform and hat, got on the palace's carriage and headed towards the imperial palace.

There were more people protecting Zhao Xiaoqian on this trip. About a hundred imperial guards accompanied the carriage and arrived at the gate of the palace in a mighty procession.

In the Funing Palace, Zhao Xiaoqian bowed and looked up to see Zhao Xu. He looked tired, but there was anger in his eyes.

"These damn things are so bold! They even dare to assassinate relatives. They are lawless!" Zhao Xu said angrily with his face flushed.

Zhao Xiaoqian hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I was safe and sound. I was not injured. It is my fault for disturbing you so late at night."

Zhao Xu looked him over, his tone finally softening. "Zi'an, you're frightened. I'll investigate this matter thoroughly. Kaifeng Prefecture, the Dali Temple, and the Imperial City Division must all give me an explanation!"

"In the Emperor's capital, someone dared to assassinate a relative of mine. This is truly atrocious. If the murderer is not caught, who knows if he will sneak into the palace and assassinate me one day!"

The assassination of court officials was indeed a terrible thing for the Song Dynasty, which had a relaxed political environment. It was no exaggeration to say that the incident that happened tonight was a shocking case that was enough to shock the world.

From the moment he entered the hall until now, Zhao Xiaoqian had been responding while quietly observing Zhao Xu.

Now he was basically certain that this matter had nothing to do with Zhao Xu.

Simply put, even if Zhao Xu needed a reason to purge the old party, there was no need to do such a shameful thing.

Besides, Zhao Xu broke the ancestral law and appointed Zhao Xiaoqian to handle official affairs. He had just demonstrated the emperor's courage, but then he turned around and killed Zhao Xiaoqian. This is illogical.

Zhao Xiaoqian breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that it wasn't Zhao Xu. If the emperor wanted to kill him, Zhao Xiaoqian would have basically no choice but to run away with his father.

After Zhao Xu comforted Zhao Xiaoqian with a few words, his expression became gloomy again.

"The Imperial City Office has three officials, one of whom is based in Zhending Prefecture, on the border between Song and Liao. I just received a secret letter from the Imperial City Office tonight, saying that Liao has sent envoys demanding this year's annual tribute. I've just taken power, and the new laws haven't been implemented yet, so the national treasury has another expenditure."

"Sui Ci" is the official term used by the Song Dynasty. It sounds like the only bit of dignity that can be preserved after being beaten up.

"Give" is called "Ci" from the upper to the lower, so my Song Dynasty is still the boss, and you Liao Kingdom is the second, and what I give you is a gift to you.

But history books are fair. Zhao Xiaoqian knew that the so-called "annual gift" was actually "annual tribute."

After the Treaty of Chanyuan, the Song Dynasty had to pay annual tribute to the Liao Dynasty, which was actually a protection fee. The Song Dynasty gave the Liao Dynasty money and goods, and the Liao Dynasty would not attack the Song Dynasty, and the two countries ceased hostilities from then on.

How much annual tribute is there?

Originally it was 100,000 silver and 200,000 pieces of silk. Later, during the reign of Emperor Renzong, the Liao Kingdom raised the price to 200,000 silver and 300,000 pieces of silk per year.

The separatist dynasties that failed to unify China were so frustrating.

(End of this chapter)