The prince is more stable

Chapter 680 Suspicion Arises Between Brothers
Today, when offering sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Zhao Ji was also among the assembled officials.

He wore the same formal Liang crown and court robes as the other officials, and watched as Zhao Xu knelt before the portrait of the late emperor in the ancestral temple in the distance. Beside him, Zhao Hao, the focus of everyone's attention, recited the sacrificial text word by word.

But today, Emperor Huizong had no heart for jealousy or envy.

Emperor Huizong of Song is currently in dire straits.

A children's rhyme from Suining City in Sichuan almost killed him.

Spread a rumor and break a leg.

As the nursery rhyme spread to Bianjing, Zhao Xu was the first to know about it, followed by the bigwigs of the Political Affairs Hall, and finally him.

Upon hearing the nursery rhyme, Zhao Ji was stunned and nearly fainted on the spot. This nursery rhyme was practically aimed at killing him. If the emperor believed it, Zhao Ji would not only be ineligible for the throne, but he might not even be able to save his life.

Moreover, for some reason, there have been far fewer courtiers visiting him in recent days.

Although Emperor Huizong of Song was not universally loved, he was skilled in calligraphy and painting, possessed exceptional literary talent, had a refined taste, and was extremely intelligent in his studies. Therefore, many court officials were happy to associate with him and often drank, made merry, recited poems, frequented brothels, and indulged in romantic pursuits with him in private.

In recent days, however, Zhao Ji has noticed that fewer court officials are visiting him. They seem to regard him as a venomous snake and avoid him at all costs.

Emperor Huizong knew that this was all because of that nursery rhyme.

There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. What the bigwigs in the Council of State all know, they can't be kept from the officials in Bianjing.

With such serious and egregious rumors, who would dare to associate with him?

We used to get together because we shared similar interests and hobbies. Compared to ordinary friends, we were just friends who recited a few more poems. We weren't even close to each other.

Who would have thought that you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, would actually betray the revolution...

The protagonist in the nursery rhyme, you're incredibly bold and daring! The emperor isn't even dead yet, and you're already eyeing the position?
Although many intelligent courtiers knew that the nursery rhyme might not have been circulated by Emperor Huizong himself.

But there's no way to prove this kind of thing. Regardless of whether Zhao Ji did it or not, the fact that the nursery rhyme has spread means that Zhao Ji is in danger.

Officials in the imperial court are all shrewd and naturally want to stay far away from dangerous people and things. Anyone who gets involved with them will be unlucky, especially when it comes to matters related to the throne.

For the past few days, Zhao Ji had been staying in the Prince's mansion, not daring to leave the gate, anxiously waiting for Zhao Xu to summon him for questioning. However, Zhao Xu seemed completely unaware of the matter and had not summoned him.

Zhao Ji grew increasingly anxious and uneasy, spending his days trying to figure out what the Emperor was thinking. Such a serious matter as the nursery rhyme was not even questioned by him. Was he magnanimous and didn't care, or did he simply consider Zhao Ji a dead man and was too lazy to waste words on a dead man?

Of course, nursery rhymes couldn't have spread out of nowhere. Zhao Ji was certain that someone had framed him in secret, with the aim of sowing discord between him and Zhao Xu, and creating obstacles for his path to the throne.

As for the suspect who fabricated the nursery rhyme, Zhao Ji was almost a given.

To this day, who else, besides the King of Chu and his son, is the person he hates the most and has offended the most thoroughly? It must be them.

These past few days, Emperor Huizong has been caught in endless internal strife, and he's almost gone mad.

Finally, on this day, Zhao Ji, as a prince, participated in the ceremony of offering sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

After the ceremony, Zhao Ji saw Zhao Xu return to the palace with a joyful expression. After careful consideration, Zhao Ji felt that today was a good opportunity to defend himself. Taking advantage of the court's great joy at recovering Yan and Yun, he should quickly explain things to Zhao Xu. Perhaps Zhao Xu would be happy and not hold it against him.

After offering sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Zhao Ji immediately went to the Funing Hall to request an audience.

If this isn't explained clearly, Zhao Ji might really become a dead man.

Inside the Funing Palace, Zhao Xu and Zhao Ji sat facing each other. Zhao Xu still had a kind smile on his face, and his eyes were still as doting as ever when he looked at Zhao Ji, seemingly no different from usual.

Emperor Huizong carefully observed Zhao Xu's expression, and at this moment he felt a little more at ease.

Zhao Xu acted like a gentle older brother in front of him. He asked Zhao Ji what books he had been reading recently and if he had any good works. He advised him not to play with strange stones so as not to lose his ambition, and to stay away from brothels so as not to tarnish the imperial family's reputation.

These are all old sayings; Zhao Xu often said the same things when the two brothers were together.

Emperor Huizong's mood became more and more settled, and he readily agreed.

After a long while, Zhao Ji finally got to the point.

"Your Majesty, I have come today to explain..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Xu smiled and said, "You mean the nursery rhyme in Suining City, Shu? Heh, don't worry about it. I know you didn't do this. If you were truly ambitious, why would you spread it around and reveal your intentions prematurely? Such a fool would never sit in this position."

Emperor Huizong breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes reddening as he choked out, "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty."

But Zhao Xu sighed, handed him a memorial, and said, "Brother Ji, take a look at this again."

Zhao Ji accepted the document blankly, and Zhao Xu sighed, "I know you are innocent, but the nursery rhyme has already spread, and the people's hearts are in turmoil. This is not a good thing. The prime ministers of the State Affairs Hall have all advised that this matter should be quelled quickly, otherwise it will be detrimental to the country."

"The Council of State Affairs means that since Brother Ji has come of age, he should be formally granted the title of Prince of the First Rank. Perhaps we should relinquish the title of Prince of Suining. What do you think, Brother Ji?" Zhao Ji's recently calmed mood suddenly turned cold, a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back, and his face involuntarily turned pale.

Whether or not he was granted the title of Prince, or whether or not he was stripped of his noble title, was actually of little concern to Zhao Ji.

At that moment, he understood something.

It turns out that the emperor wasn't indifferent to nursery rhymes; he had ultimately developed suspicions about himself.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have severed his connection with the name "Suining".

The nursery rhyme originated in Suining and contained the phrase "The python robe continues, the vermilion bird rises," and Zhao Ji happened to be the first successor of the Song Dynasty. These factors combined were truly fatal.

When it comes to imperial power and the throne, even brothers can turn against each other, let alone him and Zhao Xu, who are only half-brothers.

Zhao Ji knew that once Zhao Xu became suspicious, that suspicion would not dissipate in a short time, and he could only keep a low profile and prove his innocence with his actions.

So Zhao Ji tried his best to suppress his fear and forced a smile, saying, "Your Majesty, I have come to see you today with this intention. I am now of age and it is indeed time for me to be granted the title of Prince. Please grant me this honor."

Zhao Xu was very satisfied with Zhao Ji's reaction and nodded, saying, "Since Brother Ji does not object, then remove the title of 'Prince of Suining' and promote him to 'Prince Duan'. The Prince's Mansion will be renamed the Prince Duan Mansion, and an additional thousand households of fief will be granted. He will also be given a thousand taels of gold and five hundred bolts of silk."

Emperor Huizong rose and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, I accept the decree and thank you for your grace."

Zhao Xu smiled and said, "Brother Ji, put your mind at ease. I will always love you. We are brothers and have grown up together since childhood. I will not let these rumors chill my brother's heart."

Emperor Huizong said gratefully, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for discerning right from wrong and believing in my innocence."

Zhao Xu hummed in agreement and exchanged a few more pleasantries with him before Zhao Ji tactfully took his leave.

As he respectfully walked out of the palace, Zhao Ji felt a chill run down his spine, as if a sinister gaze was fixed on his back, but he refrained from turning around.

After Zhao Ji had been gone for a long time, Zhao Xu summoned Zheng Chunhe and casually instructed him: "Secretly order Wei Jie of the Imperial City Guard to send spies to infiltrate the Prince Duan's residence and monitor the Prince Duan's every move."

Zheng Chunhe's heart tightened, and he hurriedly obeyed the order.

Zhao Xu paused for a moment, then added, "Also, arrange for spies to be sent into the Prince of Chu's residence."

Zheng Chunhe was now trembling with fear, but he dared not show any emotion and respectfully accepted the order.

…………

Yanyun, Hejian Prefecture.

Zhao Xiaoqian has been extremely busy lately.

After the signing of the Treaty of Hejian between the Song and Liao dynasties, even more complicated matters followed, especially the transfer of power among officials, which was fraught with troubles of all sizes.

Zhao Xiaoqian now realized that the transfer of power was not so simple. It involved the succession of officials at all levels, the clearing and handover of accounts, the statistics of official granaries and treasuries, the pacification of people in various places, and the differentiation between Han and Liao people, etc.

Zhao Xiaoqian was so busy he was overwhelmed and wanted to quit, but Xu Jiang wouldn't let him be a hands-off manager and forced him to do everything himself.

Inside the main hall of the government office, Zhao Xiaoqian sat behind his desk, looking utterly dejected, like dregs of medicine drained by eight hundred women.

"If I had known it would be this troublesome, I shouldn't have made peace in the first place. I should have just fought the Liao army, conquering city by city. Once we captured a city, there wouldn't be so much trouble. We could take whatever was left in the city, give some to ourselves, share some with the soldiers, and hand over the rest to the court..."

Xu glanced at him and said, "Nonsense! War is a dangerous thing, and even sages only do it when they have no other choice. The handover after the peace agreement is the best outcome. It's just asking you to put in a little more effort to oversee the handover. Can't you even endure a little hardship?"

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head repeatedly: "I really can't endure any hardship. Why don't we leave the rest to Mr. Chongyuan? You are the top scholar, and your abilities in this area are far superior to mine."

Xu Jiang sneered: "You're getting more and more nonchalant with your words. Do you think I'll fall for your tricks?"

"You are the commander-in-chief of the army, and the Treaty of Hejian was decided by your word. Our Great Song Dynasty has gained a great advantage. Now what we need to do is to calculate these advantages clearly and then take them into our hands. Is that so difficult?"

Zhao Xiaoqian gave a forced, insincere smile.

Is this difficult?

How hateful are those words, like a top student comparing answers with a struggling student after an exam. The top student says, "Is this really that hard?" and the struggling student replies, "I'll fucking kill you, you believe me? I know people in the world..."

Zhao Xiaoqian also wanted to say that he knew many people in society, theoretically enough to know hundreds of thousands of soldiers...

"The imperial court has sent more than three hundred officials, most of whom are officials with official salaries in Bianjing. They will be dispatched to various parts of Yanyun by order of the State Council to take over the government offices at all levels in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. With them handling this matter, Zian and I will have a much easier time."

Xu Jiang paused for a moment, then suddenly sighed, "The recapture of Yan and Yun is all thanks to Zi'an, but strangely, the Emperor has not bestowed any reward upon Zi'an this time; at least, we haven't received any imperial decree of reward yet..."

"Zi'an, this is very abnormal."

(End of this chapter)