The prince is more stable

Chapter 746 The Boss Arrives
The Song Dynasty was extremely stingy in granting titles, even to members of the imperial family. Unlike other dynasties, princes or members of the imperial family were granted the title of king at birth.

When the emperor's own son was born, he rarely granted him the title of king directly. Instead, he would first give him the title of duke or state duke, and then gradually promote him to a higher rank as he grew older.

For example, Zhao Xiaoqian's father, Zhao Hao, was the son of Emperor Yingzong, but he was initially only granted the title of "Duke of Anle". Later, he was promoted to "Duke of Qi", and then to "Prince of Dongyang". It was not until Emperor Shenzong ascended the throne that Zhao Hao was granted the title of "Prince of Chang".

The titles of the imperial family members in the Song Dynasty were progressive, provided that your direct relative was the emperor. If you were not the emperor, you would probably only be a duke or a prince for your entire life.

Therefore, the title of Prince Zhao Xiaoqian was very prestigious.

Zhao Xiaoqian was the emperor's cousin, and the highest rank he could attain in his life was Prince of the County. However, Zhao Xu specially granted him the title of Prince of the First Rank. This was partly due to Zhao Xu's guilt towards Zhao Xiaoqian, and partly due to Zhao Xiaoqian's outstanding achievements. These special circumstances led to this exception.

Strangely, this time, there was not much opposition from the court officials to the bestowal of the title of king.

In any case, Zhao Xiaoqian's contributions to the Song Dynasty over the years were beyond what the court officials dared to even imagine. He single-handedly turned the tide of the nation, transforming it from a country that had lost its sovereignty and suffered humiliation to one that was proud and honorable, all in just a few short years.

To be honest, such merit is at its peak, to the point that even the emperor doesn't know how to reward it.

Therefore, although Zhao Xu's conferment of the title of Prince Yi Zi was against etiquette, it was reasonable, and most of the court officials calmly accepted the fact after the initial surprise.

Of course, there are also a few foul-mouthed individuals, such as the censors, who are naturally displeased with everything and like teddy bears, wanting to criticize everything. They are naturally unhappy about Zhao Xiaoqian being granted the title of king, and from yesterday to today, many censors have submitted memorials opposing it, requesting the emperor to rescind the decree.

Zhao Xu naturally didn't bother to pay attention. Before deciding to confer the title of king, Zhao Xu had already discussed it with Zhang Dun, Zeng Bu, and others, and all the important officials expressed no objection.

The big shots have all tacitly approved, so who cares about the buzzing of a few flies below?

It was already late morning, and Zhao Xiaoqian was still fast asleep.

After returning to Beijing yesterday, Zhao Xiaoqian, who was having trouble sleeping in his new bed, tossed and turned for a long time before finally falling asleep.

Early in the morning, a maidservant knocked cautiously on the door. Zhao Xiaoqian, half asleep, heard it but didn't bother to respond and turned over to continue sleeping.

The maid was both terrified and persistent, knocking with a heart-pounding intensity, as if she were not knocking on a door, but on her own death knell.

The prince's temper upon waking was known throughout the entire manor; he was quick to explode. If the maid hadn't been forced by the steward, how could she have dared to risk such an outrage by waking him up?
The weak, intermittent knocking continued from early morning until late afternoon.

In his dazed state, Zhao Xiaoqian felt a surge of anger well up inside him. He got up, grabbed an incense burner from beside the bed, and smashed it against the door.

"Get out! If you dare disturb my sleep again, I'll beat you to death!" Zhao Xiaoqian roared.

The knocking stopped immediately, and the sound of a maid sobbing could be heard from outside.

Zhao Xiaoqian lay down, intending to continue sleeping, but how could he fall asleep after such a fit of rage? After tossing and turning a few times, Zhao Xiaoqian sighed in resignation and sat up.

"Come in and help me change," Zhao Xiaoqian said.

The door opened, and the maid, with tears on her face, walked in cautiously to dress Zhao Xiaoqian and comb his hair.

Zhao Xiaoqian wanted to scold her, but seeing the maid's tear-streaked face, crying like a little kitten, he couldn't bear to scold her anymore.

"Remember this, no matter how important it is, you are not allowed to wake me up while I'm sleeping, or the consequences will be severe," Zhao Xiaoqian earnestly instructed.

The maid sobbed for a moment and said, "His Highness asked me to wake you up. We have guests at the Prince's residence."

"I'm not some hostess, why should I be woken up when guests come?" Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't help but get angry again.

There's no way around it; morning grumpiness is like a woman who's being unreasonable—it doesn't follow any logic, you just have to vent.

The maid shrank back in fright and said in a tearful voice, "The guests have all come to visit you, Your Highness."

"Go out and tell the guests to go die," Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile, trying to suppress his anger.

The maid shook her head in alarm, daring not to say such a thing even if she were beaten to death.

After venting some of his morning grumpiness, Zhao Xiaoqian's emotions gradually calmed down, and his thoughts returned to normal.

Who is the guest?

"It is Prime Minister Zhang, Privy Councilor Zeng, and dozens of court officials. They dared not share the same hall with the Prime Minister and Privy Councilor, so the Prince invited them to a side courtyard for reception. Prime Minister Zhang and Privy Councilor Zeng are in the Yin'an Hall, where the Prince is personally entertaining them."

Zhao Xiaoqian rubbed his face and sighed helplessly, "I only returned to the capital yesterday, why are so many people visiting me? What did I do?"

"They said it was to celebrate the crown prince's investiture as a king..."

Zhao Xiaoqian understood: "You mean to take advantage of a colleague's promotion and raise to organize a team-building event?"

The maid didn't understand and didn't dare to speak.

Having dressed himself properly, Zhao Xiaoqian stood in front of the bronze mirror, looking at his handsome reflection. He leaned closer to the mirror, squeezed out a blackhead with two fingers, and then sighed contentedly.

"Let's go, we're going out to greet the guests." Upon arriving at the Yin'an Palace, before even entering, they heard Zhao Hao and Zhang Dun's exaggerated laughter, seemingly discussing some indecent topic.

As Zhao Xiaoqian entered the hall, Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu instinctively stood up. Zhao Xiaoqian quickly stepped forward and bowed to them.

"Greetings, Lord Zhang; greetings, Envoy Zeng. It has been a long time since we last met in Bianjing."

Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu reached out at the same time and supported his arm. Zhang Dun smiled and said, "Zi'an, you dare not be so polite. You are now His Highness Prince Cheng. According to etiquette, it should be me who bows to you."

Zhao Xiaoqian hurriedly said, "How dare I address you two gentlemen as superiors? You are my elders and I should accept your respect."

The question of who should bow to whom could be debated for ages. Zhao Xiaoqian smiled, but was getting impatient inside.

Zhao Xiaoqian's humble attitude clearly pleased the two men, and their wrinkled faces beamed with even brighter smiles.

Zhao Hao sat beside him, a satisfied smile on his face. His eyes glanced at Zhao Xiaoqian, and he felt even more proud, as if admiring the most proud work of his life.

"Um, have you two eaten? If not, shall we have something to eat?"

Before they even started chatting, Zhao Xiaoqian extended a warm invitation.

This invitation left the three people inside the Silver Peace Hall completely bewildered, exchanging bewildered glances.

Zhao Xiaoqian said somewhat embarrassedly, "Young people tend to be playful and sleepy. I just got up and I'm very hungry. Besides, I was seriously injured in Yanyun, and my injuries haven't healed yet. The doctor said to take good care of myself, not to overexert myself, and not to go hungry..."

Zhang Dun laughed: "Very well, no pretense, no formalities. Zi'an treats us like family. We've been apart for so long, why don't Zixuan and I trouble your household for a meal?"

Zeng Bu nodded with a smile.

Zhao Hao then ordered his servants to prepare a banquet in the Yin'an Hall.

Everything else in the Chu Prince's mansion was ordinary, but the fine wine and delicacies were unparalleled in Bianjing. Moreover, the chefs in the mansion had undergone rigorous training personally conducted by Zhao Xiaoqian, making them exceptionally fast at serving dishes.

Soon, the maids brought in steaming hot food and wine. Zhao Xiaoqian narrowed his eyes. The food was served so quickly; he wondered if the cook had prepared it in advance...

Chinese people prefer to discuss business when there is wine and food; many important matters and deals are settled over meals.

When the food was served, Zhao Xiaoqian apologized and began to eat and drink heartily.

Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu stroked their beards and smiled as they watched Zhao Xiaoqian eat and drink heartily, their eyes filled with admiration.

Some things were classified and the thousands of officials in Bianjing were completely unaware of them, but several high-ranking officials in the court knew them very well.

Some time ago, the emperor became suspicious, and the garrison in Yanyun experienced several upheavals. Zhao Xiaoqian was recuperating in Yanyun at that time, which must have been the most difficult time for him.

Moreover, Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu had a vague idea of ​​the Emperor's thoughts, and the more things progressed, the more anxious they became.

They worried that the Emperor's suspicions might come true, that Zhao Xiaoqian would cling to military power and refuse to relinquish it, and that he would disobey imperial orders. They were even more concerned that the Emperor and Zhao Xiaoqian would break off relations directly, causing internal strife in the Song Dynasty. If Zhao Xiaoqian harbored rebellious intentions, it was not impossible for him to lead his troops straight to Bianjing.

Yesterday, upon hearing that Zhao Xiaoqian had returned to the capital without any troops, only his personal imperial guards, Zhang Dun and his companion were both surprised and delighted, and immediately wished they could pay him a visit.

Unfortunately, after inquiring, I heard that Zhao Xiaoqian was summoned by the emperor, and the emperor and his minister even went out of the palace in disguise to eat soup dumplings at Zhouqiao, and did not part until late at night.

The high-ranking officials in the court were all exceptional individuals, possessing unparalleled intelligence. Upon seeing that Zhao Xu and Zhao Xiaoqian had no ill feelings towards each other after their reunion and even went out of the palace incognito, the two officials immediately began to speculate wildly.

It seems that after Zhao Xiaoqian relinquished his military power and returned to the capital, the emperor's favor towards him did not diminish at all. Moreover, Zhao Xiaoqian posed no threat to the imperial power from then on, and the emperor may rely on him even more in the future.

Therefore, in Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu's view, Zhao Xiaoqian, who had been relieved of his military power, was also a promising talent and would inevitably be reused by the emperor in the future.

This is why the two bigwigs went to great lengths to visit Zhao Xiaoqian. Besides being optimistic about Zhao Xiaoqian's future value, they admired his decisiveness and loyalty even more.

He clearly had an invincible army under his command, yet he was willing to let go of it and return to the capital without hesitation. Zhao Xiaoqian's loyalty was beyond question, and not only Zhao Xu was relieved, but the two big shots were also relieved.

To put it more bluntly, whether the Song Dynasty would continue to prosper and advance towards the goal of unifying the world, or suddenly fall into internal strife and return to the situation of warlordism at the end of the Tang Dynasty, all depended on Zhao Xiaoqian's decision. His one thought saved the people of the world from a disaster and accumulated great merit.

"Zi'an, eat more. Your family's chef is quite skilled. This squirrel fish is delicious. If it weren't for my shyness, I would love to live in the Chu Prince's mansion and eat your chef's dishes every day." Zhang Dun said as he served food to Zhao Xiaoqian.

Zeng Bu's eyes flashed, and he also put some food on Zhao Xiaoqian's plate.

Compared to Zhang Dun's composure, Zeng Bu's emotions were actually more complex.

Zhong Cheng's thirty-odd generals were appointed in Yanyun after he and the emperor discussed it privately. Later, it was said that Zhong Cheng and the others did not have a good ending and were decisively driven out of the camp by Zhao Xiaoqian. In the end, Zhao Xiaoqian and Zeng Bu exchanged blows from afar, and Zhao Xiaoqian won.

Of course, now that Zhao Xiaoqian has returned to the capital, all grudges can be put aside. Zeng Bu's original intention was also to stand on the emperor's side and eliminate the troubles for the Song Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)