The prince is more stable

Chapter 708 New Emperor, New Ministers
The emperor passed away, his face covered with yellow scarf. The people in Beijing are in mourning, and the whole world is sad.

Emperor Yelü Hongji of the Liao Dynasty passed away suddenly on this peaceful night, leaving behind a country riddled with problems and a mess.

Throughout history, most emperors who died peacefully in their old age shared a common flaw: they were wise in their early years of rule but became senile in their later years.

For example, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and so on.

Yelü Hongji could not be compared to these two, but looking at his life as a whole, his life trajectory was not much different from theirs.

After ascending the throne in his early years, Yelü Hongji was considered a wise ruler. He vigorously promoted Han Chinese culture and actively encouraged the Khitan people to learn the classics, rites, and rituals of the Central Plains sages.

However, in his later years, Yelü Hongji became obsessed with Buddhism and built temples throughout the country, which was probably the beginning of the decline of the Liao Dynasty.

In the dead of night, the bells and drums of the Liao Palace rang out again and again, the melodious and sorrowful sound spreading to every corner of the capital. The officials and common people were awakened from their dreams, and then they found that the government's runners had hung white banners everywhere in the streets of the capital.

Inside the Liao palace, Xiao Wuna led the way, and the courtiers echoed his sentiments, unanimously requesting Yelü Yanxi to ascend the throne.

Yelü Yanxi had tears in his eyes. He had waited for this day for far too long. To be honest, at this moment, joy outweighed sorrow.

But joy is joy, and you can't laugh out loud at times like this.

With a stern expression, he declined, refused, and even roared, accusing the court officials of disloyalty and injustice. The late emperor's body was not yet cold, yet you had already put aside the funeral arrangements and urged me to ascend the throne. Were you not trying to harm me?

Xiao Wuna seemed to have grasped Yelü Yanxi's mindset. No matter how much he scolded and criticized him, Xiao Wuna insisted on his own opinion and demanded that Yelü Yanxi summon the court officials in the capital and ascend the throne immediately.

The funeral rites for the late emperor must be legitimate and proper. If the country has no ruler, who will preside over them?
The Khitan people may not have learned much else, but they certainly mastered the hypocrisy of the Han people.

After feigning reluctance and declining three times, Yelü Yanxi finally sighed deeply, muttering to himself with tears in his eyes, "You are implicating me in disloyalty and filial impiety," and then... he was escorted out of the palace by his ministers, coyly and shyly, and went to the main hall of the Liao Palace to formally ascend the throne.

On the night of the 23rd day of the eighth month of the second year of the Liao Shouchang era, Emperor Yelü Hongji of Liao passed away.

That night, Yelü Yanxi ascended the throne and was paid homage by all the officials. The enthronement ceremony was carried out in a hurry. After discussion, the officials bestowed upon Yelü Yanxi an honorific title, "Emperor Tianzuo", and changed the era name to "Qiantong First Year". At the same time, they granted a general amnesty.

After hastily ascending the throne, the Liao Dynasty was plunged into a period of national mourning, which Yelü Yanxi personally presided over. Following the Han Dynasty system, the national mourning lasted for three years, during which banquets, entertainment, and weddings were prohibited.

The Imperial City Guard of the Great Song Dynasty, which was lurking in the capital, secretly released the news that very night.

Early the next morning, a fast horse set off from Shangjing, galloping towards Xijin Prefecture and Zhending City.

…………

Three days later, in Zhen Ding City.

Zhao Xiaoqian held the secret letter sent by the Imperial City Guard, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Yelü Hongji died, as expected.

Months earlier, the Imperial City Guard had secretly reported that Yelü Hongji's health was deteriorating day by day, forcing the Crown Prince Yelü Yanxi to oversee state affairs. At that time, Zhao Xiaoqian knew that Yelü Hongji's life was nearing its end.

Whether it was fate or not, the life of Emperor Zhao Xu of the Song Dynasty also...

However, Yelü Yanxi's ascension to the throne was a good thing for the Song Dynasty.

It's certainly a good thing that the enemy is mediocre and incompetent. In particular, the two pawns that Zhao Xiaoqian had planted, Xiao Wuna and Xiao Fengxian, saw their official careers soar after Yelü Yanxi ascended the throne.

After ascending the throne, Yelü Yanxi adjusted the personnel in the court, dismissed several old-fashioned Liao officials, promoted Xiao Wuna to the position of Privy Councilor of the Northern Court, and enfeoffed Xiao Fengxian as the Prince of Lanling and promoted him to the position of Privy Councilor of the Southern Court.

These two men held the top positions in both the Northern and Southern Privy Councils of the Liao Dynasty.

Of course, it's a good thing.

With a new emperor comes a new court, and Zhao Xiaoqian certainly wouldn't let this opportunity pass as the Liao Dynasty was about to undergo a personnel reshuffle.

The best way to destroy an enemy is to let it rot inside. This kind of destruction is incurable and more incurable than a terminal illness.

Next, we'll use these two pieces.

What should a treacherous minister look like? Please refer to Qin Hui of the Southern Song Dynasty.

They vigorously courted the peace faction while suppressing and framing the war faction, subtly manipulating the emperor into accepting manipulation, thereby achieving their goal of favoring sycophants and alienating virtuous ministers.

Then the country would be completely finished.

They had no other requirements for Xiao Wuna and Xiao Fengxian; they were to do exactly what Qin Hui did.

In the Liao Dynasty at present, there are still a few upright people in the court, and these people cannot be allowed to live.

Since Yelü Yanxi values ​​Xiao Wuna and Xiao Fengxian so much, let the two of them work together in front of Yelü Yanxi to sow discord and frame the only remaining loyal ministers in the Liao court.

Zhao Xiaoqian was eager to see what would happen if the Liao court was full of treacherous officials, and this incompetent monarch and a bunch of treacherous officials joined forces to try to emulate the reforms of the Song Dynasty.

So Zhao Xiaoqian wrote two secret letters and gave them to Jia Jiu, ordering him to send them to the Liao capital, Bianjing, with his trusted men. Although a storm was brewing in Bianjing, the capital of the Song Dynasty, and Zhao Xiaoqian was about to be caught in the eye of the storm, he still had a clear grasp of the relative importance of the conflict between the enemy and himself and the internal conflicts.

As long as Zhao Xu did not dismiss him from his post as the Pacification Commissioner of Hebei West Circuit, he would dedicate himself to the Song Dynasty and strive to clear obstacles for the Song Dynasty's future unification of China.

What made Zhao Xiaoqian so patriotic? Was it a deep love for this land? Was it love? Was it a sense of responsibility?

No, it's the result of nine years of compulsory education in my previous life!
In the backyard of the Prince's mansion, Zhao Xiaoqian has been claiming to be recuperating from his injuries, but in reality, he has been spending all his time with Niao Niao.

Niao Niao was having a hard time carrying her big belly. In recent days, her contractions had become more frequent. After taking her pulse, the doctor told her that this was a sign that she was about to give birth.

The contractions started again, and I can't remember how many times it's happened today.

The phenomenon of uterine contractions in pregnant women is quite amazing. The belly, which is usually soft, becomes hard during contractions, feeling like a large, warm piece of wood.

Niao Niao's expression was a bit complicated. She didn't feel pain, but the feeling was very strange, as if a pair of invisible hands had suddenly tightened their grip on her soft belly.

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian place his hand on her belly with a blank expression, Niao Niao couldn't help but reveal a happy and sweet smile.

"Alright, my lord, the contractions have passed, but I don't know when the next one will be..." Niao Niao rested her head on his shoulder, her voice trembling with anxiety, "The doctor said I could go into labor at any moment, I'm scared..."

“Everything is prepared at home. The doctor and midwife have moved in with us. They are all experienced professionals. What are you afraid of?” Zhao Xiaoqian comforted him softly.

"My lord doesn't understand. Childbirth is a woman's ordeal; whether she survives or not depends on the will of Heaven..."

"Nonsense! If I say I can get by, I definitely can. I am blessed with the nation's fortune and have great destiny. If I can't even protect my wife during childbirth, how can I have the face to govern the country and bring peace to the world?"

Niao Niao's expression grew increasingly happy, her heart filled with sweetness. She loved her husband's unquestionable, domineering tone; it gave her a great sense of security.

"My lord, it's a promise that you must be outside with me when I give birth," Niao Niao said coquettishly.

"Definitely. I'll even set up a protective array for you outside the delivery room with spirit stones. Even the Heavenly King himself would have to kneel and sing 'Conquer,' let alone the lowly Black and White Impermanence." Zhao Xiaoqian made a reckless promise like a scumbag.

Niao Niao blinked, glanced outside the room, then pouted and said, "My lord, I'm suddenly hungry and want to eat something..."

"Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll make it for you myself."

Niao Niao swallowed quietly and whispered, "I really miss the braised pork hock that you used to make, my lord. The kind of braised pork hock where the meat and skin are stewed until it melts in your mouth, so you don't even have to chew it, it just slides right down your throat. Can you make that, my lord?"

Zhao Xiaoqian patted his chest and said, "No problem, just wait two hours."

Just as he was about to get up, Niao Niao grabbed him, saying guiltily, "My lord, be careful not to let my sister find out. She forbids me from eating anything too greasy and makes me eat the doctor's prescribed diet every day. I'm almost sick of it and just want something greasy..."

"Eat whatever you want. If a pregnant woman wants to eat something, it means the baby in her belly wants to eat it. There's no need to be so particular."

Niao Niao smiled and nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right. It's clearly the baby in my belly who wants to eat it. I'm just helping him taste it."

Zhao Xiaoqian said seriously, "That's right, your sister found out. Just tell her that, be more confident. What are you afraid of? Why don't you dare to fight with your sister?"

Niao Niao immediately shrank her neck and said pitifully, "I dare not, I'm afraid you'll throw me into the well, sister..."

Two hours is a long time, but Zhao Xiaoqian and Niao Niao are very patient for the sake of delicious food.

Two hours later, Zhao Xiaoqian carried a large basin into the side room. When he lifted the lid, a rich aroma of meat wafted out.

Niao Niao took a deep breath, her eyes welling up with tears.

Zhao Xiaoqian's face twitched as he watched: "She looks like she's been abused. There's no need for her to look like that. What if the baby grows up with a bitter, resentful face..."

"My lord, please don't speak nonsense. I was just... you've been too busy and haven't cooked for me in a long time. I was just touched..."

Holding chopsticks, Zhao Xiaoqian separated the meat from the bone of the stewed pork hock, which was now tender and juicy, and picked up a piece of dark brown pork skin that broke easily when pinched, and put it into Niao Niao's mouth.

The cooking time was perfect; it truly melted in my mouth.

The lingering aroma of pork skin filled her mouth as she closed her eyes in blissful contentment.

"Delicious! My lord is so amazing!" Niao Niao was so excited that she couldn't speak coherently. "No wonder my lord never talks about poetry and literature when he gets together with Scholar Su. Instead, he talks about cooking. It is indeed much more interesting than poetry and literature, and it is also more practical."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed heartily: "Back in the day, you were a famous and talented courtesan in the brothel. Now that you're a mother, how come you've become as vulgar as me?"

Niao Niao rolled her eyes at him and said, "My elegance is all an act, isn't it the same for you, my lord? Elegance can't put food on the table, but vulgarity can. It's the necessities of life."

Niao Niao's eating manners were rather unrefined; she ate the pork hock bite by bite, her blissful and satisfied expression practically melting away like the pork hock itself.

Outside the courtyard, Di Ying's suspicious voice suddenly rang out.

"What smells so good?"

(End of this chapter)