The prince is more stable

Chapter 759 Promotion, Demotion, Appointment, and Removal
The path Zhao Xiaoqian followed was actually somewhat similar to that of the famous general Di Qing.

They all held military power independently in the field, then aroused suspicion from the emperor, were stripped of their military power, and were transferred back to the capital to join the Privy Council.

Di Qing's ending was not good. Just because of the flood in Bianjing, Di Qing took his whole family to the Daxiangguo Temple to escape the flood, and he was severely impeached by the court officials. In the end, he was demoted to a remote place and died of depression.

Zhao Xiaoqian is now walking the same path.

However, Di Qing was a loyal minister, and he could only be slaughtered at the mercy of others. Zhao Xiaoqian was different. His nine years of compulsory education in his previous life had taught him that there was never a savior, nor could he rely on gods or emperors...

What still makes him bow down and be subservient is the friendship he once shared with Zhao Xu.

In fact, when Zhao Xu was alive, Zhao Xiaoqian already had the opportunity to lead his army back to the capital under the banner of "serving the emperor" or "purging the court of corrupt officials".

Ultimately, it was the bond of brotherhood between ruler and subject that sealed away the resentment in Zhao Xiaoqian's heart.

With Zhao Xu alive, Zhao Xiaoqian remained a loyal minister and general of the Song Dynasty.

After Zhao Xu's death, Zhao Xiaoqian had no more scruples and killed anyone who stood in his way.

Don't say that Zhao Xu was kind and didn't kill Zhao Xiaoqian. In fact, Zhao Xiaoqian was kind enough, which is why he has endured until now.

Today, Zhao Xu and Zhao Xiaoqian discussed the matter openly, directly addressing the selection of the commander-in-chief of Yanyun. In reality, Zhao Xu was telling Zhao Xiaoqian that he could no longer allow him to command troops. From now on, Zhao Xiaoqian would be a high-ranking official of the Song Dynasty, but he would never be allowed to lead troops again.

Zhao Xiaoqian had a very carefree attitude. It didn't matter; things don't always stay the same.

Zhao Xu's life may have been peaceful and uneventful, but after his death, Zhao Xiaoqian was anything but kind.

“Since Your Majesty has taken a liking to Chen Songling, although I am not familiar with him, I agree with Your Majesty’s opinion,” Zhao Xiaoqian said.

Zhao Xu nodded. In fact, he had already chosen the candidate. Of course, if Zhao Xiaoqian disagreed, Zhao Xu would reconsider. After all, Zhao Xiaoqian's words carried enough weight now, and Zhao Xu could not ignore them.

“Since Zi’an has no objection, the Privy Council will issue a transfer order tomorrow. Zi’an, you…” Zhao Xu hesitated.

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately understood his meaning, and said, "I first request to be relieved of my posts as the Pacification Commissioner of Hebei West Circuit and the Prefect of Zhending, so that I may devote myself to the Privy Council. In addition, I also have a post in the Imperial City Guard, which I request to fill..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Xu waved his hand and said with a smile, "You can keep your official position in the Imperial City Guard. When you take up your post in Bianjing, there will be many things that need to be handled by the Imperial City Guard. In the past few years, while you have been in charge of the Imperial City Guard, its power has grown greatly, even extending to the Liao and Western Xia kingdoms. In any case, Zian, you are still the person I trust the most."

After a pause, Zhao Xu sighed, "Zi'an, I'm sorry to have wronged you. Before I leave, I will instruct the new emperor to give you another important position. Zi'an should understand the principle of demoting and then reinstating important officials during the transition between the old and the new."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded; of course he understood.

Before an emperor dies, he often demotes or even dismisses some important officials, and then reinstates them when a new emperor ascends the throne. This is to demonstrate the majesty of the emperor's power and to inspire awe in the officials. It is also a way for the new emperor to show his favor to the officials and to ensure that the officials remain loyal to him.

Zhao Xiaoqian simply nodded, offering no objection whatsoever.

Zhao Xu then said, "By the way, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun have been recovered. I don't really like the name Nanjing Xijin Prefecture of Liao. What do you think would be a better name for it, Zian?"

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment and said, "Xijin Prefecture is located north of Bianjing and was formerly Youzhou. Its geographical and strategic location is very important. In the past, the capital of the Song Dynasty was Daming Prefecture. Now that Yanyun has been recovered, Daming Prefecture has lost its strategic importance."

"Therefore, I believe it would be better to remove the name 'Beijing' from Daming Prefecture, and revert Xijin Prefecture to 'Youzhou,' and change it to Beijing of the Great Song Dynasty."

Zhao Xu smiled and said, "Zian'an's insightful views on governing the country are very convincing. I also think that Xijin Prefecture can be renamed Youzhou and named after 'Beijing'."

"After I discuss this with Zhang Dun, Zeng Bu, and others tomorrow, I will convene a court meeting, and let's decide on this matter then."

Zhao Xu's mood suddenly improved, and he laughed heartily, "Expanding territory and renaming newly conquered lands, this feeling is indeed quite good!"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please take good care of yourself. It would be even more wonderful if you could personally rename the capital of Liao in the future."

Zhao Xu's smile faded, and he sighed, saying with a wry smile, "I no longer have any hope for this. I just hope that the future new emperor can do it. As for my reputation in history, based on the recovery of Yan and Yun, it probably won't be too bad. At least I won't be cursed by future generations. I'll be satisfied."

…………

After returning to the capital, Zhao Xiaoqian always felt a vague sense of oppression whenever he met Zhao Xu.

Every meeting felt like a final farewell, and that feeling was truly unbearable.

The next day, an imperial edict indeed arrived from the palace.

Zhao Xiaoqian was dismissed from his post as the Pacification Commissioner of Hebei West Circuit and the Prefect of Zhending, and was promoted to the position of Privy Councilor.

Zhao Xiaoqian was already aware of this decree regarding personnel appointments and dismissals, and he felt no unease. However, it stirred up quite a storm in the Bianjing court and among the people.

As we all know, Zhao Xiaoqian was a hero of the Song Dynasty. Without him, the Song Dynasty would not have been able to achieve its current great situation, let alone recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

The Liao people were terrified of Zhao Xiaoqian. This heroic figure, who had secured the Song-Liao border and commanded an army of 100,000, was suddenly stripped of his military power by the court and reassigned to a position in the Privy Council. Many of his subjects found this unacceptable. The biggest controversy stemmed from the fact that the Song Dynasty was building up its strength, preparing for a northern expedition within a year or two, and the best candidate to lead this expedition against the Liao was none other than Zhao Xiaoqian.

At this critical juncture, the court stripped Zhao Xiaoqian of his military power. How is this any different from destroying the Great Wall itself? Does the Emperor have no ambition and feel satisfied as long as he recovers the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun?
Despite the seemingly excellent situation, this personnel appointment and dismissal decision is truly baffling to many.

There are also rumors circulating, which are quite accurate.

Zhao Xiaoqian's achievements ultimately overshadowed the emperor's, and his military power was immense, posing a threat to imperial authority. From the emperor's perspective, the only option was to strip him of his military power.

The consolidation of imperial power is always more important than territorial expansion; there is no room for negotiation on this.

Public opinion in Bianjing (Kaifeng) was in an uproar, with some supporting the court's decision and others vehemently condemning the officials for discarding their usefulness after the fact.

The reaction in the imperial court was relatively calm. Officials, after all, thought more deeply than ordinary people. In their eyes, the outcome was already predetermined from the day Zhao Xiaoqian recovered Yanyun.

Throughout history, how many of those who have achieved great merit but overshadowed their masters have met a good end?
To be honest, the Emperor has already done more than enough to treat Zhao Xiaoqian well and even bestow upon him the title of Prince.

Regardless of the discussions in the court and among the public, the appointment and removal of Zhao Xiaoqian has been finalized, and the Emperor cannot reverse his decision.

However, at the same time, another rumor was quietly circulating among the common people of Bianjing.

This rumor was even more eye-catching than the appointment and removal of Zhao Xiaoqian.

Rumors are circulating that the Emperor's health is deteriorating, and the Empress Dowager and high-ranking officials have begun discussing who should succeed him.

The candidate will naturally be chosen from among the current brothers of the emperor.

The Empress Dowager and Chancellor Zhang Dun had a disagreement over the selection of a new emperor.

The Empress Dowager supported Prince Duan, Zhao Ji, to succeed to the throne, while Zhang Dun firmly opposed it. He believed that Prince Duan, Zhao Ji, was frivolous and showed signs of senility even in his youth, and should never become the new ruler of the Song Dynasty, otherwise he would surely bring about the downfall of the country.

The Empress Dowager and Zhang Dun clashed as a result. One side followed the ancestral system, insisting that Zhao Ji must be the successor, while the other side advocated for a virtuous ruler. They argued that in the current favorable situation, if a foolish emperor were chosen to ascend the throne, the country would be in danger again, and they would be ashamed before their ancestors.

The rumors gradually spread from the imperial court to the common people and the marketplace.

There's not much else in Bianjing's streets, but the most common are idle scoundrels and ruffians. These people are generally poor, yet they like to act like big shots and pontificate about the world.

Just like that greasy middle-aged man at the barbecue stand in my past life, baring his belly and drinking ice-cold beer, he talked non-stop, from domestic policies to international situations, with such a confident and domineering manner that the earth would fall apart without him.

The idle scoundrels of Bianjing were probably just like that. Upon hearing the rumors, they got excited and immediately gathered in groups of three or five, pointing fingers at the court and spouting nonsense.

Then the idlers also got into a dispute. Some people thought that the Empress Dowager's idea was right. Since the Emperor had no son, he should follow the ancestral system and let the closest brother ascend the throne. This was called "rule". If the rule could be violated at will, the court would be in chaos in the future.

Some people also believe that Prime Minister Zhang's proposal is correct. The Song Dynasty is on a great upward trend. If the eldest son is chosen instead of the most virtuous, who knows what kind of person the new emperor will be? If he is a foolish emperor, wouldn't the situation that the Emperor and Prince Cheng have worked so hard to build over the years be lost in one fell swoop?

There was a lot of debate among the common people, and the rumors, passed from person to person, had unknowingly become the truth. No one doubted that they were false, and everyone's attention was focused on the selection of the new emperor.

As rumors spread, Prime Minister Zhang Dun was naturally affected as well.

When he went to the Hall of State Affairs in the morning to perform his duties, several colleagues looked at him strangely, their eyes filled with both admiration and incomprehension.

No one knew why Minister Zhang was so stubborn. The Emperor was still alive, yet he dared to discuss the new emperor's choice in public. Was he really not afraid of being punished by the Emperor? He was quite the man!
Since ancient times, the topic of imperial power and the crown prince has been extremely taboo. To be honest, I have never seen anyone as bold as Zhang Dun.

Zhang Dun received strange looks from his colleagues, and he himself had no way to express his suffering.

The rumors circulating were outrageous, including claims that he argued with the Empress Dowager face-to-face about the selection of the new emperor, and even that he turned on the Empress Dowager and overturned the table.

Examine the conscience of these people who spread rumors. Did I really do that?

That's all slander!
How many times have I grown the courage to overturn the table with the Empress Dowager?

Of course, Zhang Dun did talk about the selection of a new emperor. It was during the days when Zhao Xu was coughing up blood and unconscious. As the prime minister, with the emperor in such a state, it was impossible not to discuss this topic.

Rumors are flying everywhere, getting more and more distorted, and have even spread to the point that Zhang Dun is firmly opposed to Prince Duan, Zhao Ji, has turned against the Empress Dowager, and even disregards the Emperor.

Zhang Dun did have a fiery temper, a stubborn personality, and a narrow mind, but as a prime minister, he must have had basic emotional intelligence, right?

Even if Zhang Dun had ten more lives, would he dare to do that?

Zhang Dun is in a bad mood right now. He really wants to know who is spreading these rumors, which are practically driving him to his death.

(End of this chapter)