The prince is more stable

Chapter 743 Night Tour of Bianjing
Zhao Xu was unusually happy today.

This joy was genuine; he even felt better physically.

Zhao Xiaoqian's return to the capital relieved a major worry for him. This worry was not only about military power, but also because he had once again proven Zhao Xiaoqian's loyalty.

In a moment, a thought even popped into Zhao Xu's mind: perhaps everyone in the world would betray me, but Zi'an would not.

Thinking of the suspicion and suppression Zhao Xiaoqian had been exerted on him over the past few months, Zhao Xu couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

As it turned out, Zhao Xiaoqian was an upright and loyal minister. He did nothing to betray himself. With just one letter from him, Zhao Xiaoqian decisively relinquished his military power, traveled lightly back to Chang'an, and preferred to remain retired in the capital, living a life of wealth and powerless.

Isn't such a person a loyal subject?
When factors such as power and interests are set aside, the relationships between people often become very pure and sincere.

The relationship between Zhao Xu and Zhao Xiaoqian now seems to have returned to what it was back then, with no ill will between them and no suspicion between ruler and subject.

Seeing Zhao Xu's expectant eyes, Zhao Xiaoqian sighed inwardly.

The problem wasn't the taste of the food at First Floor Restaurant, but the people there.

Even if he accompanied Zhao Xu today, the taste would probably still be off, because the person is still the same as before, but the heart is no longer the same.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled warmly at Zhao Xu and said, "Since Your Majesty is in such a good mood, I am willing to accompany you. It just so happens that I have been away from Bianjing for a long time and have been missing the soup dumplings at the First Restaurant."

Zhao Xu laughed heartily and hurriedly beckoned Zheng Chunhe into the hall to help him and Zhao Xiaoqian change into civilian clothes.

When Zheng Chunhe entered the hall, she saw Zhao Xu smiling so happily, his pale face even seemed to have gained some color. Zheng Chunhe didn't know why, but her eyes still reddened, and she felt happy from the bottom of her heart.

Two eunuchs nervously helped the two men change their clothes. During this time, one of the eunuchs accidentally dropped one of Zhao Xu's jade pendants, which shattered. The eunuch was so frightened that he knelt down and begged for forgiveness. However, Zhao Xu merely glanced at him and casually waved his hand, ordering the palace servants to collect the broken pieces of the jade pendant. He did not blame the eunuch.

Zheng Chunhe watched in utter shock.

In the past six months, Zhao Xu has become increasingly capricious, often flying into a rage over trivial matters. The mistake the young eunuch made just now would have been met with death by beating under normal circumstances.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Xu let the matter go lightly today, without making a fuss about it at all.

Zheng Chunhe's gaze involuntarily drifted towards Zhao Xiaoqian.

It has to be His Highness Prince Cheng; only he can calm Zhao Xu down.

After changing into civilian clothes, Zhao Xiaoqian dressed modestly as a merchant, while Zhao Xu wore a silk round-necked long gown and a scholar's gauze hat, looking like a refined gentleman in a turbid world.

The two stood in front of the bronze mirror, admiring their respective appearances, then looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"Zi'an, traveling incognito is actually quite fun once in a while. Taking off the imperial robes is like changing my identity and my life. If I weren't the emperor, Heaven would surely not have been so cruel to me..."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Your Majesty is the emperor, and Heaven has not treated you unfairly. It is just a minor ailment. If Your Majesty trusts my advice, as long as you keep a cheerful mood, Your Majesty will surely live to be a hundred years old. A good mood can cure all diseases."

Zhao Xu smiled and pointed at him: "Although I know that you are just like the imperial physicians, trying to fool me, your lies are more pleasing to the ear, and I like to hear them."

Zheng Chunhe cautiously said from the side, "Does Your Majesty and His Highness wish to leave the palace? This servant has already arranged for the Imperial Guards to be disguised and waiting outside the palace gates to ensure Your Majesty and His Highness's safety."

Zhao Xu grasped Zhao Xiaoqian's hand and strode out of the palace gate.

"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll eat five baskets of soup dumplings from the First Floor Restaurant!"

"My appetite is not to be outdone by others. I am not talented enough to eat more than six baskets of food!"

"Hey, you trying to mess with me? I'll eat seven baskets of food!"

"I'll eat eight baskets!"

Zheng Chunhe followed closely behind, and seeing the emperor and his minister bickering like children, he couldn't help but smile broadly, secretly wiping away the tears on his cheek with his sleeve.

It seemed like it had been a very long time since the Emperor had been so happy. The relationship between the two, the Emperor and his minister, was quite complicated in Zheng Chunhe's eyes.

When Zhao Xiaoqian held military power, the emperor was on guard day and night, unable to sleep, and did not hesitate to assume the worst about Zhao Xiaoqian.

When Zhao Xiaoqian relinquished his military power and returned to the capital, it was as if the clouds had parted and everything had returned to normal.

Zheng Chunhe liked the current emperor, liked the current Zhao Xiaoqian, and liked seeing the close relationship between the emperor and his minister at this moment even more.

It was already night. Fortunately, the imperial court encouraged commerce, and Bianjing not only had no curfew, but was even more prosperous after nightfall. Every night, regardless of social status or wealth, people enjoyed strolling through Bianjing's night market and taking a boat trip on the Bian River.

As Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhao Xu exited the palace gate, dozens of men dressed as commoners stood outside. Zhao Xiaoqian knew that these were the emperor's personal guards, also known as the palace guards, who were considered top-notch experts within the palace.

Not far from the palace gate, Chen Shou and other imperial guards also came forward. The two groups met and seemed to know where the other came from, nodding to each other in acknowledgment.

Zhao Xu boarded Zhao Xiaoqian's carriage, which slowly moved towards Zhouqiao.

Inside the carriage, Zhao Xu would occasionally lift the curtain to curiously observe the crowds outside. He watched as ordinary people and merchants bought and sold goods, their faces flushed as they haggled over prices. Children, holding their parents' hands, skipped and hopped through the streets, their mouths bulging with snacks. Looking at all this outside the carriage, Zhao Xu couldn't help but smile with delight.

"Zi'an, do you think our Song Dynasty can be considered a prosperous and glorious era?" Zhao Xu asked excitedly.

Zhao Xiaoqian remained silent for a while, then smiled wryly and said, "Your Majesty, I really don't want to discourage you, but there is a prerequisite for a prosperous and peaceful country, which is that the country must at least be unified."

Zhao Xu immediately fell silent, his face somewhat somber: "I'm afraid I won't live to see that day... But I truly wish to live to see it. 'Unification of the world' is my long-cherished wish..."

"Why doesn't Heaven give me more time? Three to five years would be enough. With Zian's abilities, he will surely be able to wipe out the Liao and Western Xia kingdoms for me, and restore the Song Dynasty to its rightful place, unifying the four seas."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and said, "Your Majesty, please take good care of your health. We will wait until that day."

Zhao Xu lowered his eyelids and said in a low voice, "If I had trusted you as always, perhaps today Zi'an would have already led his army straight to the Liao Kingdom's court and wiped out all the disobedient people in the world."

"In the end, it was I who missed the opportunity to seize the military opportunity and ruin this great situation. If I miss this moment, I will never see the day when the world is unified."

Zhao Xu hung his head in regret, while Zhao Xiaoqian sat beside him, silent and dejected.

A strong fortress is always breached from within.

Today, Zhao Xu has once again proven the truth of this statement.

Zhao Xu was right. The Yan-Yun army originally had the opportunity to reorganize its troops and continue its northern expedition. When Yan-Yun was recovered, there was no need to sign the peace treaty with the Liao Kingdom.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian had anticipated Zhao Xu's suspicions, which forced him to slow down the progress and temporarily sign an alliance with the Liao Kingdom so that he could focus on dealing with the impending changes in the Bianjing court.

The opportunity was indeed missed.

But the one who missed out was Zhao Xu, not Zhao Xiaoqian.

Zhao Xiaoqian lived to be a hundred years old, and in his lifetime he would surely lead his army to wipe out the Liao and Western Xia kingdoms, unifying the world. His life had progressed to this point, far removed from his initial desire to be a carefree, unambitious person.

Since that's the case, why not take the unification of the world as our mission and create a prosperous empire for the people of the Song Dynasty that is no less glorious than that of the Han and Tang Dynasties?

The streets were crowded, and the carriage swayed and stopped frequently, taking more than half an hour to reach the state bridge.

The emperor and his minister alighted from their carriage, both in good spirits. As they walked and laughed, they reached the entrance of the First Floor Restaurant. Suddenly, they stopped in their tracks, staring at each other at the closed doors, speechless for a long time.

"This, this is... the shopkeeper's business is failing?" Zhao Xu asked, puzzled. "I've been here several times, and business has always been good. Why has it closed down for no reason?"

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and said, "It's not that business is failing, but that business is too good. The shopkeeper is too lazy to do it. People hate money. Making too much is a hot potato."

"What do you mean?"

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't explain, but turned his head and glanced at Chen Shou indifferently.

Chen Shou immediately understood and turned to leave.

Zhao Xiaoqian said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, just wait and you'll see that the manager of the First Pavilion is no ordinary person..."

Zhao Xu laughed: "If you're not an ordinary person, then what are you?"

"He's a lazy man, incredibly lazy. I've personally beaten him several times because of his frequent shop closures. It's been a long time since I've been to Bianjing, but I didn't expect this shopkeeper to be so unforgiving and still the same."

Not long after, Chen Shou returned with one person.

The man walked in front, and Chen Shou walked behind. Every few steps, Chen Shou would kick the man's buttocks hard. The two of them, one in front and one behind, kicked him all the way to the shop entrance, just like a shepherd herding sheep.

The shopkeeper was wincing in pain, clearly Chen Shou had given him a good beating. "Given a beating" meant more than just kicking his butt; he probably suffered some other kind of punishment as well.

Upon seeing the familiar Zhao Xiaoqian, the shopkeeper forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "God! You've arrived!"

The shopkeeper glanced at Zhao Xu beside him again, then continued with a bitter expression, "Gods, you've arrived!"

The shopkeeper got beaten up, and Zhao Xiaoqian showed him no sympathy whatsoever. Such a good business, in such a prime location and during such a busy time, and you really have a grudge against money, actually closing the shop.

Zhao Xiaoqian kicked the shopkeeper in the backside and pointed at him, cursing, "If you have a grudge against money, just close the shop and never do this business again! You work three days on and two days off, and you've driven all the customers away. If business turns out like this, God must be blind to let the secret recipe for soup dumplings fall into your hands."

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian's fierce scolding, Zhao Xu tugged at his sleeve uncomfortably and whispered, "Zian, let's be lenient when we can. This shopkeeper is pitiful too..."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and whispered in his ear, "Your Excellency only sees the thief being beaten, not the thief eating meat. Don't be fooled by his pitiful appearance; this fellow is like a donkey..."

Zhao Xu asked curiously, "Especially stubborn?"

"No, it's not that. Someone has to whip it from behind, otherwise it won't move. If I don't encourage it, it will starve to death sooner or later."

(End of this chapter)