The prince is more stable

Chapter 737 Before Returning to the Capital
After escorting Di Ying and the others out of the city, Zhao Xiaoqian watched as Zhang Rong and five thousand soldiers escorted Di Ying and her dozen or so carriages eastward further and further away until they disappeared from sight. Only then did he turn back to the city.

Upon returning to the Prince's mansion, all the servants had been dismissed, leaving the vast mansion deserted. As Zhao Xiaoqian strolled through the front and back courtyards, a strange sense of loneliness and desolation washed over him, leaving him feeling empty and adrift, like a piece of duckweed with no one to rely on.

With no one to serve him in his daily life, the scenes of lovers entwined and affectionate were gone, and the entire Prince's Mansion was as desolate as a haunted house.

Zhao Xiaoqian stood in the courtyard for a while in a daze, then sighed and walked alone into the north wing of the backyard.

After seeing his wife and children off, Zhao Xiaoqian was not in a hurry to return to Bianjing.

He needed to make arrangements in advance, at least to ensure his safety after returning to Bianjing. He couldn't act like a fool and enter Bianjing without thinking; that would be stupid.

While feeling lonely, Zhao Xiaoqian also breathed a sigh of relief.

He had already sent away his wife and children, whom he cared about most, which greatly reduced his pressure. Now, as long as he could send his mother, Madam Feng, out of Bianjing, he could go all out.

The night passed peacefully and uneventfully. The next day at noon, just as Zhao Xiaoqian got up, Chen Shou came to report.

Zhen Qing, from the Imperial City Guard, has arrived in Zhen Ding City and is requesting an audience in the front courtyard.

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately went to the front courtyard, where Zhen Qing was standing. Upon seeing him arrive, Zhen Qing hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.

Zhao Xiaoqian carefully examined Zhen Qing's expression and saw that his respectful expression did not seem fake; it was as sincere as ever, with a hint of flattery and ingratiation.

“Zhen Qing, things are different now. I may soon relinquish my power, so you don’t need to be so polite in the future,” Zhao Xiaoqian said with a half-smile.

Zhen Qing laughed and said, "Your Highness, aren't you slapping me in the face with those words? Regardless of whether Your Highness has power or not, you will always be someone I admire. Putting aside everything else, just based on the great achievements Your Highness has made for the Song Dynasty over the years, I should bow down to Your Highness for the rest of my life."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed: "You're such a good conversationalist, I'd love to invite you to dinner."

Zhen Qing smiled and said, "It is my pleasure, Your Highness. How about it?"

Zhao Xiaoqian's smile remained unchanged: "As you can see, there's no one in the mansion. My wife and children have all been sent away, and the servants have all been dismissed. There's not even a cook if you want to eat."

As if he hadn't noticed the changes at the Prince's residence, Zhen Qing said calmly, "There are plenty of restaurants outside. My salary isn't much, but I can still afford to treat Your Highness to a meal."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, "Zhen Qing, you must have heard some of the rumors circulating in Bianjing, right? Shouldn't you be keeping your distance from me at this time, or even turning against me?"

Zhen Qing still wore a fawning smile and said, "I am just a seventh-rank official, and I have been lying low in the Liao Kingdom for many years. I dare not interfere in the affairs of you important people. I only know that His Majesty has not yet issued an edict to dismiss Your Highness from your post, and you are still my superior."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at him calmly: "You still recognize me as your superior?"

"Of course, Your Highness is the head of the Imperial City Guard of our Great Song Dynasty. When you give the order, who in the Imperial City Guard would dare to disobey?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Why?"

Zhen Qing smiled frankly: "I think I'll have a brighter future following Your Highness."

"That's it?" Zhao Xiaoqian was somewhat surprised.

Zhen Qing continued, "My colleagues in Bianjing have informed me that His Majesty's health is probably... Bianjing is about to become quite lively, and I think Your Highness is not content to be idle. If Your Highness is willing, I am willing to serve you."

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned: "Is it so rash? Do you know that I am not the heir to the throne? Only the Emperor's brothers are qualified."

Zhen Qing said dismissively, "Those few, hehe... Although I have been in Liao for many years, I know a little about the character of those princes in Bianjing."

"To put it simply, apart from Your Highness, it would not be a good thing for the Song Dynasty if any of the others inherited the throne. Some of them are cold-hearted, some are cruel and tyrannical, and some are cowardly and incompetent. In short, none of them are wise rulers. Only Your Highness is qualified to sit in that position."

"Moreover, with Your Highness's abilities, that position will definitely be yours if Your Highness desires it."

Zhao Xiaoqian chuckled: "Even I wouldn't dare to be so arrogant and confident, what makes you think that way?"

Zhen Qing laughed and said, "Your Highness probably doesn't know how high your prestige is in the court and among the people. The fate of the Song Dynasty has been turned around by Your Highness alone, and the trend of unification of China is almost visible. The people of the Song Dynasty are not blind; everyone knows this in their hearts."

"Leaving aside others, even those of us who infiltrated the Imperial City Guard with me in the Liao Kingdom, when they talk about Your Highness behind your back, they all wish they could bow down to you. We know that as long as Your Highness is on the throne, the destruction of the Liao Kingdom is only a matter of time, and the unification of the Song Dynasty is also only a matter of time."

"Now that His Majesty's health is failing, I truly believe that if the person who ascends the throne is not His Highness, but someone else, the current excellent situation will surely be completely ruined, and the Song Dynasty may regress to the humiliating period of the past, with each generation being worse than the last, until the Song Dynasty finally perishes."

Zhen Qing's small eyes shone with anticipation as he said earnestly, "This humble official has always believed that among the Zhao imperial family, only Your Highness is the sole wise ruler of the Great Song Dynasty, worthy of our service. Under Your Highness's leadership, we will have a bright future and countless opportunities to achieve merit." "Following Your Highness, besides the greater good of the nation, I also hope to secure a legacy of honor for myself and my descendants. Only Your Highness can give me such an opportunity. Other emperors only engage in internal strife and persecute their own people; only Your Highness's vision extends beyond the Great Song Dynasty."

Zhao Xiaoqian was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "So, you and the Imperial City Guard are both willing to pledge allegiance to me?"

Zhen Qing nodded vigorously, then suddenly knelt down before him, saying, "This humble official is unworthy, but I am willing to risk my life for the position of a meritorious official who helped the emperor rise to power. I beg Your Highness not to abandon me!"

Zhao Xiaoqian let out a long breath and said, "Get up. Do things well, but don't make any promises. Once you get on my pirate ship, there's no way you can get off. Think it through."

Zhen Qing decisively replied, "There's no need to think about it. I know best what Your Highness has done to the Liao Kingdom all these years. As long as Your Highness wants it, the throne will definitely be yours."

Zhao Xiaoqian roughly understood why Zhen Qing had so decisively placed his bet on him. After all, Zhen Qing knew better than anyone the methods used to deal with the Liao Kingdom over the years, both overt and covert, and thus judged that Zhao Xiaoqian was indeed a wise ruler worthy of his following.

"Zhen Qing, I'll accept you as my disciple," Zhao Xiaoqian said solemnly.

Zhen Qing was moved to tears and bowed his head in gratitude: "I am willing to go through fire and water for Your Highness!"

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head and said, "There is no war between Song and Liao for the time being. You and your subordinates from the Imperial City Guard can withdraw from Liao. Then you should secretly infiltrate Bianjing. First, I need to know the attitudes of Wei Jie and Liu Dan from the Imperial City Guard. Second, I need the Imperial City Guard to plant spies in Bianjing..."

"The Imperial City Guard needs to monitor the words and actions of the Emperor's brothers, the Empress Dowager and the concubines in the palace, as well as Zhang Dun of the Council of State Affairs and Zeng Bu'an Tao of the Privy Council. Zhen Qing, can you do that?"

Zhen Qing thought for a while responsibly and said, "It can't be done in a short time, but give me more time, and the Imperial City Guard's spies will slowly infiltrate these people's residences and their surroundings."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded: "There's still time, hurry up and get it done."

Zhen Qing took his leave.

Zhao Xiaoqian sat in the courtyard, his expression still somewhat surprised.

In fact, when he summoned Zhen Qing, he did not seek to win him over to serve him. He only asked that Zhen Qing and the Imperial City Guard, out of consideration for their years of camaraderie, maintain a neutral stance in the upcoming struggle.

He never expected that Zhen Qing would so decisively choose to defect.

Zhao Xiaoqian's past achievements ultimately helped him at this crucial moment. Everyone saw his talent, and when compared with other contestants, his superiority was immediately apparent, making the choice a logical one.

Today was an unexpected bonus.

Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly realized that many people had placed all their hopes on him: his parents, wife and children, generals in the army, and colleagues in the Imperial City Guard.

They were gambling not only with their own future, but also with the lives of themselves and their families.

Zhao Xiaoqian felt an increasing weight on his shoulders. At this moment, he finally understood why some important figures, who clearly wanted to retire gracefully and leave the world behind, were unable to extricate themselves and had to grit their teeth and continue to persevere.

Because important figures bear too many responsibilities, and everyone's hopes and futures are concentrated on them. They cannot retreat; if they do, hundreds of lives will be lost and countless families will be wiped out.

That's why there's that old saying, "When you're in the game, you're not in control of your own destiny."

The same is true for Zhao Xiaoqian today.

The more people joined him, the heavier the pressure became. If he wanted to retreat at this point, millions of heads would roll.

After standing in the courtyard lost in thought for a long time, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly said, "Chen Shou!"

Chen Shou appeared in a flash and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Send someone on horseback back to Bianjing to tell my father that I am coming back. Tell him to immediately arrange for people to protect my safety. All those things that were previously hidden away, whether people or objects, should be brought out and no longer concealed."

Chen Shouying was about to turn and leave when he suddenly stopped and hesitated, saying, "Your Highness, are we only taking these few hundred Imperial Guards with us when we return to Bianjing?"

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and said, "How about I carry 100,000 troops from Yan and Yun around with me on my belt?"

Chen Shou smiled sheepishly: "This humble general is just a little worried. After all, Bianjing is now like a dragon's den and a tiger's lair for the young master. The young master only has a few hundred people by his side. This humble general is not confident that he can protect the young master."

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head and said, "There are hundreds of thousands of troops in Bianjing. How many men should I take back to ensure my safety? It's useless. I might as well be more carefree. Besides, my father will make arrangements in advance. If we really encounter a crisis, even if I can't win, can't I just run away?"

(End of this chapter)