The prince is more stable

Chapter 758 Selection of the Head Coach

As a core member of the old party, it was already quite an achievement for Su Shi to be appointed as the acting governor of Jiangnan East Circuit.

In an environment where Zhang Dun held power and was cracking down on the old party, Su Shi, as an official of the old party, rose to prominence. Besides his close relationship with Zhao Xiaoqian, which Zhang Dun could not afford to offend, Su Shi's performance during his mission to the Liao Dynasty was indeed remarkable.

After considering various factors, Zhang Dun was willing to let go of this dissident, but he didn't like Su Shi staying in Bianjing and getting in his way, so he kicked him to Jiangnan.

The fact that Su Shi's fate in this life is different from that in historical records is good news.

Zhao Xiaoqian doesn't care about a person's political stance when interacting with them, whether they belong to the New Party or the Old Party. That's their own political opinion, just like some people like to eat meat and some people like to eat vegetables. It's purely a personal matter. It would be ridiculous to judge someone's political inclination before making a private interaction with them.

In the following days, Li Qingzhao indeed visited. The young girl really didn't know what polite words were, and she took Zhao Xiaoqian's casual remark seriously.

So Zhao Xiaoqian had no choice but to take Li Qingzhao on a stroll around the streets. In the past few days, they visited the Xiangguo Temple, the Imperial Street, the Zhouqiao Brothel, and even several royal gardens outside the city.

Li Qingzhao appeared very excited, skipping and jumping around Zhao Xiaoqian, completely unlike the gentle and talented "Yi'an Jushi" of legend.

She was just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, the perfect age for jumping and skipping. Zhao Xiaoqian also wanted to jump and skip, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

During the few days they traveled together, Zhao Xiaoqian clearly sensed Li Qingzhao's subtle feelings for him.

The feeling was subtle. Li Qingzhao addressed him as a brother, appearing to be a pure and close friend, but Zhao Xiaoqian could always sense that, out of his sight, her beautiful eyes were always watching him, like vines entwining a tree.

But when Zhao Xiaoqian turned his gaze back, her eyes immediately shifted elsewhere, her face beaming with a bright smile, still that innocent and naive young girl.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't know how to respond to her feelings, at least not now, so he could only pretend to be deaf and dumb when they traveled together these past few days.

A few days later, one morning, a palace maid arrived at the Prince's residence, conveying an imperial decree summoning the Emperor.

Zhao Xiaoqian dressed in his official robes, went out, got into his carriage, and entered the palace.

Outside the Funing Hall, Zheng Chunhe was waiting under the corridor. When he saw Zhao Xiaoqian approaching, Zheng Chunhe stepped forward and greeted him warmly.

Zhao Xiaoqian returned the greeting with a smile, glanced around the hall, and then looked at Zheng Chunhe.

Zheng Chunhe understood the meaning in his eyes, so he gently shook his head.

After looking around, Zheng Chunhe lowered his voice and said, "His Majesty's health is deteriorating. He has been absent from court for the past few days. Today, he summoned His Highness to an audience, perhaps because of matters concerning official positions. Yesterday, the Privy Council sent several memorials, which His Majesty read until late into the night."

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately understood.

He has returned to the capital and relinquished his military power, but the Yan-Yun garrison has yet to appoint a new commander-in-chief. For an army of 100,000 men, the absence of a commander-in-chief can easily lead to trouble.

It seems that Zhao Xu summoned him today mainly to discuss the selection of the commander-in-chief of the Yan Yun garrison.

So Zhao Xiaoqian straightened his clothes and went into the hall.

This time, Zhao Xu did not sit at the desk, but lay half-reclined on the bed. His bedside table was still piled high with memorials and official documents. A small low table was set up in front of Zhao Xu, and he worked while lying in bed.

Zhao Xiaoqian stepped forward to greet him, and Zhao Xu turned his head and smiled.

"Zi'an is here, please have a seat."

Zhao Xiaoqian observed Zhao Xu's complexion. Compared to the last time they traveled incognito to Zhouqiao, Zhao Xu's face had become increasingly ashen in just a few days.

A person who is seriously ill will not only have a pale complexion, but will also have a healthy glow.

At this moment, Zhao Xu looked very unwell; at least among all the living people Zhao Xiaoqian had ever seen, he was the one who looked most like a dead man.

At first glance, it seemed as if all of Zhao Xu's life force had been drained away, his eyes were sunken, his face was bloodless, and his whole body was shrouded in an indescribable aura of death.

Zhao Xiaoqian's heart grew heavier; he knew that Zhao Xu's days were truly numbered.

With a long sigh, Zhao Xiaoqian said in a low voice, "Your Majesty should rest and recuperate. The affairs of state can be temporarily handed over to the prime ministers of the State Affairs Hall. Given Your Majesty's current health condition, why should you continue to toil on paperwork and exhaust your energy?"

Zhao Xu smiled bitterly, "I know my own body. This is no longer a matter of resting. If I hadn't trusted the sorcerers and mistakenly taken the elixirs they concocted, I might have lived a few more years..."

Zhao Xiaoqian's voice grew colder: "Those sorcerers plotted against Your Majesty, a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family. If Your Majesty cannot bear it, I am willing to share Your Majesty's burden."

Zhao Xu shook his head: "Enough. I have already released them. Words cannot be taken back. This is my retribution. If I were to kill again before I die, I would be afraid that I would commit a sin that would ruin my next life."

“My only son died in infancy. During that time, I was heartbroken and lost my composure. I made many mistakes. One was to hold a grand selection of concubines and favor my new brides. The other was to believe in sorcerers and mistakenly take elixirs to prolong my life. Both of these things overtaxed my body, leading to this situation.” “In the end, I am the one who made the mistakes. I can’t blame anyone else.”

Zhao Xu remained silent for a moment, then looked up and smiled again.

"Zi'an, I am not awake for long periods of time these days. Most of the time I am in a state of confusion and delirium. That is why I have summoned you to the palace today. Please speak frankly."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will obey any decree you give."

Zhao Xu pondered for a while and said, "Yan Yun has a 100,000-strong army stationed there. General Xu is currently acting as the commander-in-chief. However, General Xu is a talented man, but he is indecisive and not suitable to be promoted to the position."

"I intend to send another commander to Yanyun, and Xu will remain as the deputy envoy. As for generals such as Zhong Jianzhong and Zong Ze, they were all cultivated by Zian. I originally planned to transfer them to the Northwest and Hedong armies, but the personnel changes in the army should not be too numerous, so we can only proceed slowly."

Zhao Xu's tone became increasingly calm: "I probably won't live past this winter. I was full of enthusiasm back then, hoping to unify the world in my lifetime. In fact, the Song Dynasty now has the necessary conditions, and we are just waiting for the right opportunity to launch a northern expedition. This achievement will probably be left to the next new emperor."

Zhao Xiaoqian said sadly, "Your Majesty..."

Zhao Xu raised his hand to interrupt him, saying, "Birth, aging, sickness, and death are inevitable for all people, including myself. Zi'an, there is no need to be sad."

"I am not transferring Zhong Jianzhong and Zong Ze to their posts for the time being, in order to prepare for the future northern expedition against the Liao Kingdom. Good generals are hard to come by. If they are transferred elsewhere, it may result in soldiers not knowing their generals and generals not knowing their soldiers, which will reduce the chances of our Great Song winning the northern expedition. It is better to keep them in the army."

"In a year or two, the imperial court will have stockpiled enough grain and fodder, and then it can launch a northern expedition against the Liao Kingdom and unify the world."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed sadly, "Your Majesty, please take good care of your health. In a year or two, I would like to stay in Bianjing to continue to share Your Majesty's burdens and watch Your Majesty create achievements that no emperor in the history of the Song Dynasty has ever made, and shine in the ancestral temple."

Zhao Xu's eyes reddened, and he lowered his head, choking back tears, saying, "I also wanted to see that day, but alas, I did not live long enough, and my long-cherished wish could not be fulfilled. Such great achievements can only be left to the next emperor."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed. At this moment, he really didn't know how to comfort Zhao Xu, because Zhao Xu was more clear-headed than anyone else. He knew that his days were numbered, and words of comfort seemed so empty and meaningless.

Zhao Xu quickly regained his composure and forced a smile, saying, "This is fate. What can we do? So be it, we shall accept our fate."

"Zi'an, today I will issue an edict appointing you as the head of the Privy Council. From now on, the Privy Council will be jointly managed by Zeng Bu and you. Now I would like to inquire about the candidate for the commander-in-chief of Yanyun."

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned, his mind racing.

Zhao Xu should have already known who the head coach of Yan Yun would be. He said he was "consulting" but it was really just "notifying" him, which was also a way of giving face to the former head coach.

"The decision is entirely up to Your Majesty; I have no objection," Zhao Xiaoqian replied immediately.

Zhao Xu smiled with satisfaction and said, "I have a candidate here: Chen Songling, the Vice Chancellor, Grand Counselor, and Military Governor of Guangde. What do you think of him, Zi'an?"

Without a second thought, Zhao Xiaoqian said, "I think it is very appropriate. I agree with Your Majesty's choice."

Zhao Xu suddenly asked, "Tell me, how old is Chen Songling? What does he look like? What is his personality like? What positions has he held?"

Zhao Xiaoqian: “…………”

"Zi'an...do you not even know Chen Songling?"

Zhao Xiaoqian awkwardly tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Ah, this..."

Zhao Xiaoqian genuinely didn't know who Chen Songling was. He always maintained a distant relationship with the court, and the officials he knew were all heavyweight figures.

This man named Chen Songling had a long list of official titles before his name, the most prestigious of which was "Vice Chancellor," which was equivalent to a vice prime minister.

However, there were many deputy prime ministers in the Song Dynasty. Apart from Zhang Dun, who was the head of the government, almost all the others in the Council of State Affairs were deputy prime ministers. Zhao Xiaoqian did not hold a position in the Council of State Affairs, so how could he possibly know them all?

Zhao Xu chuckled and shook his head: "Zi'an, you don't need to be so discreet. I summoned you to discuss this matter because I genuinely wanted your opinion. There was no other meaning behind it."

"Chen Songling is a man of considerable composure. In the years before Zi'an had distinguished himself and when the Song Dynasty was in a weak position, he strongly advocated stopping the annual tribute and resisting the Liao Dynasty. He repeatedly submitted memorials saying that the Song Dynasty had lost its sovereignty and humiliated the country, and that the emperor and his ministers had lost their integrity..."

Zhao Xu continued, "During the Yuan You era, when Chen Songling was only the Vice Minister of War, I read one of his policy essays. It was very well written. The only shortcoming was that at that time, our Great Song Dynasty was not strong enough and its military strength was weak, which was insufficient to support his policy essay strategy."

"Yan Yun is currently lacking a commander. After much deliberation, I think this person might be worth a try. What do you think, Zi'an?"

What could Zhao Xiaoqian say?
Of course he agreed, what else could he do?
Anyone could be the commander-in-chief of Yanyun, because even if Chen Songling were to take up the post, he would not be able to control the military power in a short period of time. Given the prestige of Zhong Jianzhong and Zong Ze in the army, Chen Songling would have to outwit and outmaneuver these two men for at least six months before he could gradually take control of the military power.

Half a year is enough time for the world to change drastically.

(End of this chapter)