The prince is more stable

Chapter 69: Friendship Across Ages
It is common sense that if you have lice, you need to disinfect with high temperature.

Su Che seemed unwilling to do so. No matter how warmly Zhao Xiaoqian invited him, he refused to jump into the boiling water.

This is a bit unreasonable.

Every time Tang Seng was captured by monsters, the monsters would boil water first, and Tang Seng never objected.

Look how easygoing he is.

The Imperial City Police asked Su Zhe, and Zhao Xiaoqian was indeed unaware of the matter.

When Zhao Xiaoqian learned the news the next day, he was shocked, which is why he suddenly came to the Imperial City Office today.

At the same time, Zhao Xiaoqian also gained a better understanding of the Imperial City Division under his command.

These guys are really lawless. They even dare to arrest Su Che. They really have a bit of the flavor of the Jinyiwei of the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, questioning Su Che might not only be due to the assassination case, but also due to some court disputes.

The current trend in the court is to exclude the old party and replace it with the new party. Many old party officials will be expelled from Bian Jing for various reasons. Su Che may have been on the blacklist of the Imperial City Administration for a long time.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't like this way of doing things.

The imperial city's Sina must have legitimate reasons, and no wrongful convictions can be made under his rule.

If power is not caged, it will become a ferocious tiger that bites anyone it sees, which is not good for the Song Dynasty or for individuals.

Su Che was taken to the backyard by the subordinates of the Imperial City Bureau to take a bath. At Su Che's strong request, no boiling water was used for the bath.

He took off all his clothes, hat and boots, combed his hair again and again with a comb, and caught many lice. The scene was very relaxing.

After the new look, Su Che came to the front hall and saw that Zhao Xiaoqian was still in a bad mood.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and apologized, "The people below me did not follow the rules. I was really unaware of it. When I learned that Minister Su was arrested, I rushed to rescue him. It was all a misunderstanding. Minister Su, please do not blame me."

Having said that, and in front of the younger generation, if Su Che continued to care about it, it would be unbecoming of an elder, so he could only snort unwillingly.

Of course, fortunately, Su Che was only imprisoned for one day by Bingjingwu and was not tortured, otherwise it would not be something that could be covered up with just a few apologies.

"To show my apology, how about I treat Minister Su to a drink tonight under the shade of flowers?" Zhao Xiaoqian continued.

Su Zhe showed a complicated expression and looked at him.

"I am a member of the Old Party and am about to be driven out of Bianjing by the government. The Crown Prince is aggressively suppressing the New Party. Why would he associate with me, a member of the Old Party?"

Zhao Xiaoqian chuckled. "It's truly pathetic that even making friends in this world depends on whether one belongs to the new party or the old. Your brother and Mr. Jiefu have completely different political views, but even during your exile, you and Mr. Jiefu engaged in lively discussions about history, literature, and poetry. Both of you possess such broad minds and bearing, you are truly admirable."

"Your brother is like this, but why does Minister Su fall into the trap of being vulgar and insisting on judging people by their political affiliation?"

"Jiefu" refers to Wang Anshi. He and Su Shi represented the New Party and the Old Party respectively. However, in their later years, the two had put aside their differences and became good friends in private.

These words made Su Che's eyes light up, and he looked at Zhao Xiaoqian seriously.

This young prince of the clan is truly extraordinary. Being able to say such words, he is at least not a bad person.

Thinking about his own attitude, Su Che felt ashamed that he was not as broad-minded as a young man.

After a long moment, Su Che laughed heartily: "I am old-fashioned. Your words are truly enlightening. I have learned a lot from them."

"If the prince doesn't abandon me, I would be happy to become your close friend, regardless of age difference. What do you think?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was overjoyed and was about to step forward to shake his hand, but suddenly remembered that the man had lice, so he quickly took two steps back and bowed.

The two steps back were taken seriously, and Su Zhe felt a little hurt. "It's all I want to be friends, regardless of age! Your son is over thirty now, right? Next time we meet, won't he have to call me uncle? That... is embarrassing."

Su Zhe's old face darkened.

You say sorry, but you're almost smiling like a flower.

…………

He sent someone to send Su Che back home and made an appointment with him to meet at Zuihuayin tonight.

Zhao Xiaoqian remained in the Imperial City Office.

Now that I'm here, as the boss, I have to familiarize myself with the business. Otherwise, if Zhao Xu asks me about the Imperial City Bureau next time I meet him and I can't answer him, it will affect my future.

Zhao Xiaoqian already understood the basic structure of the Imperial City Administration, which was quite large.

Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, the Imperial City Bureau has been a sharp sword in the hands of the emperor. It is not under the jurisdiction of any department and is directly under the government. In theory, Zhao Xu is the boss of the Imperial City Bureau.

During the founding period of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin positioned the Imperial City Division as a new army. Yes, its earliest form in the Song Dynasty was an army, not the current spy system.

This is particularly similar to the Jinyiwei of the Ming Dynasty.

It was not until the reign of Emperor Taizong that, due to the pressure of public opinion in the court and the practical need for the government to govern the country, the Imperial City Administration laid off many officers and soldiers, leaving behind some elite soldiers who left the military and became spies for the government.

After Emperor Zhenzong, the Imperial City Bureau was gradually divided into the Investigation Bureau and the Ice Well Bureau. At this point, the nature of the Imperial City Bureau as a secret service agency was determined.

Today, the Imperial City Bureau has thousands of personnel under its command, distributed throughout the Song Dynasty, collecting intelligence and rumors for the government.

Many spies were also sent to infiltrate the Liao, Tubo and Xixia as hidden spies to gather important military intelligence from the enemy countries.

The organization is huge. Zhao Xiaoqian was a little confused after learning about it. He didn't expect that he, a small official of the seventh rank, would be in charge of so many people. Suddenly, he felt a little stressed.

"How are the Imperial City Bureau's spies distributed?" asked Zhao Xiaoqian.

Wei Jie was very experienced in his work and answered without hesitation, "Some are lurking in the Liao Kingdom and Western Xia, and the rest are spies, monitoring the residences of the royal family, court officials, and military commanders in Bianjing. They also monitor the prefects and governors in various places."

"Another group consists of soldiers, responsible for arresting people and communicating with the authorities."

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned: "Does my Chu Palace also have spies?"

Wei Jie silently responded with a look that said, "Isn't this nonsense?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was instantly relieved. Well, everyone was working under Zhao Xu, so he just accepted it.

In the previous life, the company boss installed surveillance cameras in the office to monitor his employees and prevent them from slacking off.

The boss is like this and has not changed in a thousand years. What can the employees do?
"What about the ordinary people's market?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked again.

Wei Jie was a little puzzled: "Why would ordinary people in the market place arrange spies?"

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head. "You still don't have a broad vision. A lot of important intelligence in the world is spread through the folk market, such as teahouses, taverns, brothels, and shops. The information that spreads out is often insignificant, but very valuable."

It has to be said that there is a difference between the Imperial City Bureau and the Jinyiwei of the Ming Dynasty. At least they were not as cruel as the Jinyiwei, who had spies everywhere, both in the court and among the people.

The perfection of the Jinyiwei system is truly astonishing. It is invisible and omnipresent like a ghost, and the intelligence collected by the Jinyiwei is often more accurate and larger.

Since Zhao Xiaoqian was in charge of the affairs of the Imperial City Bureau, he naturally had to do his job well, otherwise he would not be able to explain to Zhao Xu.

"Brother Li Yan, arrange for someone to go to the streets of Bianjing City to find some talented people for my Imperial City Division. I need real talents. I can get accurate information about any disturbance in any corner of Bianjing City at the first time. This is the Imperial City Division that the emperor wants to see."

(End of this chapter)