The prince is more stable

Chapter 745 Alone
People who haven't reached that age generally can't understand the happiness of Prime Minister Cao.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't understand, but Zhao Hao clearly did.

Look at all the filthy things he's done, targeting widows and married women; his goals are very clear.

It's fortunate that he was a prince of the Song Dynasty; if he had no power or influence, he would have been locked in a pig cage and sunk to the bottom of the river long ago.

As a son, what could Zhao Xiaoqian do about the living father that God had chosen for him?
In recent years, he has lowered his moral standards again and again because of his father. He used to be ashamed of his father's affair with a widow, but later he thought that widows were good, at least they didn't have husbands, no civil disputes, and they wouldn't be caught in adultery.

Later, Huo Die took a fancy to a married woman. Zhao Xiaoqian gritted his teeth and thought that a married woman was fine too, at least she was an ordinary person. A Qing seduced A Lian, and Da Lang had no choice but to say, "Wait for my brother Wu Song to come back."

Later, the father started having affairs with the wives of court officials, including the wife of the censor...

The bottom line really can't be lowered any further; this is going too far.

Honestly, at this moment, Zhao Xiaoqian really had the urge to castrate his living father to completely solve the root of the problem and then he would have no more worries.

I wonder if Zhao Xu's palace is short of a chief eunuch. Even a castrated father needs to find a job; he's in his forties, the age for hard work and struggle.

Scientific research has proven that castrated men live longer, which conveniently solves the hidden side quest of the "living father" and also addresses the worrying lifespan problem of the "living father".

The more I think about it, the more I feel the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The only problem now is that the person involved might not be too happy...

After Zhao Xu offered a few words of advice, it was inconvenient to discuss Zhao Hao's affairs any further. Firstly, it was not honorable, and secondly, Zhao Hao was, after all, an elder, and it was not appropriate for the emperor to discuss his elders behind their backs.

"After Zian returns to the capital, he should rest for a while. Tomorrow, I will convene a court meeting, and Zian can be appointed as the Deputy Privy Councilor. You should discuss with Zeng Bu and An Tao more about how to plan the Northern Expedition against the Liao Kingdom and the future strategy against the Western Xia."

Zhao Xiaoqian was taken aback. The Deputy Privy Councilor was equivalent to the second most powerful figure in the Privy Council, a promotion from the previous position of Signatory Privy Councilor.

It seems that after he voluntarily relinquished his military power, Zhao Xu trusted him again and did not mind giving him a higher official position with real power in the court.

To reiterate, Zhao Xu's target has always been the person in charge of military power, not Zhao Xiaoqian himself.

No matter how high the rank of an official in the Privy Council, there is no need to worry, because the Privy Council has the authority to command troops but not to mobilize them. Although the entire Song Dynasty army has to obey the orders of the Privy Council, the Privy Council itself cannot mobilize a single soldier. The mobilization of troops requires the emperor's personal decree.

Zhao Xu generously promoted Zhao Xiaoqian, but Zhao Xiaoqian was somewhat unhappy about it.

After returning to Bianjing, he lost interest in serving as an official in the court and hoped to take a break. After all, the hardships of leading troops in battles across the country and living in the open had worn him down. Now, he just wanted to lie down and enjoy a life of luxury and debauchery.

After hesitating for a while, thinking of Zhao Xu's impending end to his life, Zhao Xiaoqian finally couldn't bear to refuse and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness."

Zhao Xu smiled with relief: "There are some things that I will not be able to see, but Zi'an you will be able to see them. If the next emperor is tolerant, perhaps Zi'an can return to Yanyun and lead my elite troops on a northern expedition to fulfill the long-cherished wish of the previous emperors."

"I will do my best," Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

It was already past midnight. The shopkeeper had had his fill of soup dumplings, but he dared not close the shop or urge the customers to leave. He sat pitifully in the kitchen, eagerly hoping that this special group of customers would finish their meal and leave.

Zhao Xu yawned; his body couldn't take the late nights anymore, and he felt a little sleepy.

So the emperor and his minister got up to leave, and the innkeeper bowed with a relieved and happy expression as he saw them off. Zhao Xiaoqian was very displeased with the look of impending liberation on his face.

To everyone's surprise, Zhao Xu was amused by the shopkeeper's undisguised eagerness, so Zhao Xiaoqian had no choice but to quietly put down his ready-to-go flying kick.

"Farewell, gods!" The shopkeeper stood outside the shop door, bowing respectfully with an extremely humble expression.

Zhao Xiaoqian said unhappily, "Aren't you going to say 'Welcome back next time'?"

The shopkeeper seemed to be a lazy but honest person. He opened his mouth but found that he couldn't bring himself to say "Welcome to visit again." Deep down, he didn't want Zhao Xiaoqian to visit again.

Seeing that the shopkeeper's face had turned blue, Zhao Xu burst into laughter again and shoved Zhao Xiaoqian.

"Alright, alright, can't you see how annoying we are? Let's not provoke the shopkeeper anymore, or he might just close down and leave Bianjing. Where will we go to eat soup dumplings then?"

After taking a few steps, Zhao Xu suddenly laughed and said, "Now I know why you gave this shopkeeper such a bad look and even hit and kicked him. To be honest, this shopkeeper really deserves a beating."

"My eyes are my ruler; I can punish anyone without being wronged," Zhao Xiaoqian said confidently.

He boarded Zhao Xiaoqian's carriage, which escorted Zhao Xu all the way to the gate of Yanfu Palace.

Zhao Xiaoqian and Zheng Chunhe helped him down from the carriage. Just as they were about to enter the palace gate, Zhao Xu suddenly stopped and turned to look at Zhao Xiaoqian.

"Zi'an, it's so good that you're back," Zhao Xu said with a smile.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked directly into his eyes, and after a long while nodded, smiling slightly, "I also think it's very good."

"Zi'an, don't hate me. I have many reasons to be in this position..."

Zhao Xu seemed to want to say a few more words, but in the end he stopped, shook his head and sighed sadly, waved his hand and walked into the palace gate.

Zhao Xiaoqian watched Zhao Xu walk into the palace gate, and only after the gate gradually closed did he sigh deeply, turn around and get into his own carriage.

The taste of today's soup dumplings is actually not the same as it was back then, but neither he nor Zhao Xu said it out loud.

It doesn't seem to be like, youth swim.

After the palace gates closed, Zhao Xu, inside the palace, suddenly stopped in his tracks. His previously beaming expression was now one of utter dejection. That palace gate had separated him from Zhao Xiaoqian, making them feel worlds apart despite their close proximity.

"The emperor is truly all alone..." Zhao Xu murmured, tears welling up in his eyes.

As he spoke, Zhao Xu suddenly bent over and began to cough violently.

After coughing for a while, Zhao Xu let out a "whoosh," raised his sleeve and wiped it, revealing a bright and terrifying smear of blood on his cuff under the dim palace lantern.

Zheng Chunhe was shocked, but Zhao Xu waved his hand dismissively: "No need to make a fuss, let's go back to Funing Palace."

Zheng Chunhe choked back tears and helped Zhao Xu walk quickly toward the Funing Palace.

…………

Upon returning to the gate of the Chu King's residence, the carriage stopped, but Zhao Xiaoqian remained seated inside, motionless.

The complex and sorrowful expression on Zhao Xu's face when they parted just now was still lingering in his mind.

Zhao Xiaoqian understood; it was a farewell to the innocent friendship of childhood, and also a pang of guilt for betraying true feelings.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaoqian's state of mind was actually the same as Zhao Xu's.

Reality ultimately forces people to grow up; no one can live in the beauty of the past. The steps forward will always shatter those outdated innocence and naivety.

After getting off the carriage, Zhao Xiaoqian walked alone into the backyard of the Prince's Mansion.

The backyard was brightly lit, and the sounds of Zhao Hao laughing and joking with his concubines could be heard from time to time in the courtyard where Zhao Hao lived.

Zhao Xiaoqian stood outside the courtyard for a long time, thinking about the immoral things his father had done, not only without any shame, but now he was having so much fun. Zhao Xiaoqian was immediately filled with anger.

Picking up a stone, Zhao Xiaoqian threw it with all his might, and it smashed hard against the window frame of Zhao Hao's courtyard with a loud bang.

Then the laughter in the room suddenly stopped, and Zhao Hao shouted in surprise and doubt, "Who dares to be so bold! Who?"

Zhao Xiaoqian stood outside the courtyard and said irritably, "Me! What's wrong?"

The room fell silent again. After a long while, Zhao Hao cautiously asked, "My son... is he in a bad mood?"

"That's right! I was in a bad mood, so I just wanted to smash a window for fun!"

"Smash it! Smash it all! It doesn't matter if the palace is burned down, as long as my son is in a good mood." Zhao Hao said cheerfully from inside the room.

Zhao Xiaoqian snorted: "Going to sleep!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

A moment later, Zhao Hao, disheveled, opened the window, peeked out cautiously, and muttered, "Why is my son in such a bad mood today when he met with the Emperor? Could it be that someone has angered him? What audacity!"

…………

The next morning, while Zhao Xiaoqian was still asleep, the Chu King's mansion was packed with guests.

After returning to the capital yesterday, Zhao Xiaoqian was extremely busy, spending the entire afternoon with Zhao Xu until today when guests finally came to visit.

Many people visited Zhao Xiaoqian, mostly court officials. Even Cai Jing, the Minister of Revenue, sent a visiting card. Many more were officials from the Council of State Affairs and the Privy Council.

After all, Zhao Xiaoqian had gained considerable prestige in the court and among the people in recent years. The atmosphere in the court had been somewhat strange a few months ago, with many rumors circulating that the emperor had become suspicious of Zhao Xiaoqian, who held military power. These rumors, whether spoken or not, spread widely.

Yesterday, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly returned to the capital, traveling light and with few attendants, clearly having relinquished his military power in Yanyun. Moreover, it is said that before Zhao Xiaoqian even entered the city yesterday, the Emperor issued an imperial edict bestowing upon him the title of "King Cheng," a hereditary title.

All the strange rumors that once circulated have now vanished.

The emperor's favor towards Zhao Xiaoqian had not diminished in the slightest, and he even broke ancestral rules again for his sake.

Conferring the title of Prince on a member of the imperial clan was completely against etiquette and rules, but Zhao Xu did it anyway, just as he had defied public opinion and insisted on appointing Zhao Xiaoqian as an official in the Imperial City Guard.

Over the years, the emperor has broken many ancestral rules for the sake of Zhao Xiaoqian.

The most controversial move was handing over military power to Zhao Xiaoqian, which seemed less important than his current title of Prince.

They're willing to give him military power, so is it too much to bestow upon him the title of a Prince?

Furthermore, why would the Emperor bestow the title of Prince upon someone with the first character?
Having made such great contributions, he was given military power without hesitation and returned to Bianjing without any worries, causing no trouble for the court. With Zhao Xiaoqian's magnanimous spirit and loyal attitude, being granted the title of a Prince of the First Rank... doesn't seem so serious.

There were indeed some dissenting voices in the court, but strangely enough, most officials accepted the fact very calmly, and it didn't cause much of a stir.

Zhao Xiaoqian was an exception; otherwise, the censors and officials would have torn the roof off the Golden Palace if it had been anyone else.

People in the world are often opportunistic, especially in the imperial court and officialdom, where most are opportunists who change their stance depending on the wind.

Upon hearing that Zhao Xiaoqian had returned to the capital and that the emperor's favor with him had not diminished, court officials flocked to his door to pay their respects, ostensibly to congratulate him on his promotion to the rank of Prince.

(End of this chapter)