The prince is more stable

Chapter 768 Knocking on the mountain and shaking the tiger
It was Zhao Xu's idea to bring the two Wangs to court for questioning.

But Zhao Xiaoqian knew very well that this kind of headless interrogation would not yield any useful information.

The correct procedure for interrogation is to first identify the suspect, then collect evidence, and only with evidence can the interrogation process begin. The evidence is then presented to the suspect, and finally a confession is obtained, making the case airtight.

Zhao Xiaoqian has no evidence at all, and the so-called interrogation is nothing more than a formality.

Is this transition important?
In an ordinary case, such a meaningless formality would be laughable, but in this case, the Emperor himself issued an edict that the two most competitive princes of the Song Dynasty were openly brought before the court by substitutes of the Imperial City Guard. If this were to spread, the entire court would be in an uproar.

and then?
What will the court officials think?
They would feel fear and apprehension, and perhaps they would be horrified to realize that the emperor, who had been staying in Yanfu Palace and had been absent from court for many days and was critically ill, was actually the real boss.

His single thought can still determine the life, death, status, and wealth of everyone. He still firmly holds the state apparatus in his hands, a machine that remains as powerful as ever, capable of crushing anything and everyone that does not suit his will.

The two kings were publicly interrogated. The outcome was not important, nor was the evidence. What mattered was to make an example of them and let everyone know who the two kings were.

Those courtiers who were eager to take sides, and certain candidates for the crown prince who couldn't wait to jump around, must have immediately cleared their eyes after learning that the two princes had been interrogated by the Imperial City Guard.

Regardless of what the future holds for the Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu remains the unique emperor of the Song Dynasty today.

This is the truth that Zhao Xu wants to tell everyone.

No matter how much Zhao Ji and Zhao Si danced, they had to be obedient and subservient while Zhao Xu was alive.

This is the truth that Zhao Xu wants to tell the two kings.

Seeing that the emperor was in trouble, they secretly busied themselves with forming cliques and colluding with court officials, but these little tricks could not fool the emperor.

Today's interrogation is a resounding slap in the face from Zhao Xu to the two princes, a serious warning.

Therefore, the interrogation personally presided over by Zhao Xiaoqian had virtually no criminal significance, but was full of political significance.

In the main hall of the Imperial City Guard, Zhao Xiaoqian slammed his gavel down heavily.

The atmosphere inside the hall became solemn and dignified. Zhao Xiaoqian's expression was imposing without anger, and a sharp, murderous aura filled the main hall.

“Your Highness Prince Cheng, I was in the palace on the night Zhang Dun was assassinated. Everyone in the palace can testify to that,” Zhao Ji said, neither humble nor arrogant.

Zhao Si nodded in agreement: "Me too. Everyone in the Prince Jian’s mansion can testify. By the way, I also invited guests to a banquet that night. I remember all the guests’ names, and they can also testify."

Zhao Xiaoqian said indifferently, "Given your positions, you certainly wouldn't need to personally assassinate someone, so whether you were in the Prince's residence that night is not important..."

As he spoke, Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Zhao Ji and said, "Rumors are circulating in Bianjing that Zhang Dun publicly said that Prince Duan was frivolous and unfit to be a ruler. A few days later, he was assassinated. Zhao Ji, do you have an explanation? Why is it such a coincidence that he was assassinated immediately after Zhang Dun denied you?"

Zhao Ji revealed his anger and said, "What explanation can I give? Zhang Dun rejected me and was immediately assassinated. Do you think I would do such a stupid thing? I can only say that it must be a frame-up by traitors, just to make me lose the support of the people, make the emperor dislike me, and exclude me from the selection of the crown prince."

After Zhao Ji finished speaking, he glanced at Zhao Si, his meaning clear.

Zhao Si received his gaze, and the already hot-tempered man flew into a rage.

He was somewhat intimidated by Zhao Xiaoqian and dared not challenge him, but he had no fear of Zhao Ji. The two were the strongest competitors and natural enemies.

"Why are you looking at me, Zhao Ji? Do you think I'm framing you?" Zhao Si said angrily.

Zhao Ji said calmly, "I didn't say anything, so why did you jump out in such a fit of anger?"

Zhao Si angrily said, "You're clearly talking about me! Zhao Ji, I won't take the blame for this. The assassination of Zhang Dun was most likely instigated by you. Others think you couldn't possibly do such a stupid thing, but in fact, you want others to think that way, and then you put on a victim's act to make everyone think that I framed him!"

"You're quite adept at using deceptive tactics, and I wonder how many shady things you've done before. Your Highness, I suggest that the Imperial City Guard thoroughly investigate Zhao Ji's whereabouts and activities over the past few years. They will surely uncover a series of major cases!"

Sitting in the hall, Zhao Xiaoqian raised an eyebrow, revealing an expression of great interest.

Emperor Huizong's heart sank, and he finally began to panic.

No matter how wise and composed he was, Zhao Ji was still just a young man. He had indeed done many shameful things, and when someone brought it up to his face, Zhao Ji immediately couldn't hide his guilty conscience.

If Zhao Xiaoqian listened to Zhao Si's words and ordered the Imperial City Guard to investigate thoroughly, who knows how many true and false things they would find out. After all, Zhao Ji knew very well that he and Zhao Xiaoqian were mortal enemies.

At such a critical and crucial time, it's hard to say whether Zhao Xiaoqian will take advantage of his misfortune and fabricate a series of major cases to completely remove him from the list of candidates for crown prince.

Realizing the seriousness of the matter, Zhao Ji became anxious, his voice trembling: "Your Highness, Prince Jian is slandering me with baseless accusations. I beg Your Highness to uphold justice. I have lived an honest and upright life and have no fear of investigation by the Imperial City Guard."

Zhao Xiaoqian's lips curled slightly, and he said calmly, "The Imperial City Guard will investigate right and wrong. If you really have nothing to hide, why is Prince Duan sweating?"

Zhao Ji was startled and subconsciously raised his hand to wipe his forehead, only to find that his hand was still dry and not sweaty at all. Zhao Ji was even more shocked and his face became even paler.

Zhao Xiaoqian gave a wicked smile and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, it was too far away. I must have misread it. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Zhao Si sneered repeatedly from the side: "Am I right? You must have done a lot of shady things. The Imperial City Guard must investigate, thoroughly investigate! This guy is definitely not a good person!"

Zhao Xiaoqian then looked at Zhao Si and said indifferently, "Are you teaching me how to do things?" Zhao Si was startled, and hurriedly smiled awkwardly and shut his mouth.

Without any evidence, Zhao Xiaoqian was too lazy to continue the charade, so he calmly said, "It is by order of the Emperor that I have invited you two to court today, and I am acting on his orders."

"Who exactly ordered the assassination of Zhang Dun is not the end of the matter. The Imperial City Guard will continue to investigate. Once the Imperial City Guard obtains irrefutable evidence, you know the consequences better than I do."

Zhao Xiaoqian paused for a moment, then said, "Of course, you can figure out the reasons why the Emperor suddenly issued an order to interrogate you. This time it's a warning, but next time it will be serious."

The two princes' expressions changed several times, and by this time they were indeed sweating profusely, clearly understanding why the Emperor had interrogated them without cause.

This was a sharp rebuke, a warning to them to behave themselves, reminding them that I am not dead yet.

From a political perspective, it doesn't really matter who the real killer was in Zhang Dun's assassination, nor does it matter which of the two kings was the murderer.

What was important was the majesty of the imperial power and Zhao Xu's absolute control over the Song Dynasty despite his critical illness.

The interrogation naturally yielded no results. Following the imperial decree, Zhao Xiaoqian asked a few indifferent questions and then ordered the Imperial City Guard to escort the two princes back to their residences.

Stepping out of the Imperial City Guard office, Zhao Ji faced the biting cold wind, took a deep breath, and his face remained pale.

Looking back, the black plaque with gold lettering hanging high above the Imperial City Guard exudes a chill, colder than the winter wind.

At this moment, Zhao Ji finally realized that he was in grave danger, facing peril at every turn.

Prince Jian, Zhao Si, was a strong contender for the throne. After all, he was the emperor's full brother, and if the emperor were to leave a will on his deathbed, there was a high probability that he would allow Zhao Si to ascend the throne.

Not only that, he also offended Zhao Xiaoqian, the two of whom were already mortal enemies. In this struggle for the throne, Zhao Ji could not guess what Zhao Xiaoqian would do or what role he would play.

Today, he received another stern warning from Zhao Xu, which means that he will have to be even more cautious in the days to come and dare not make any rash moves.

This meant that before the emperor's death, he was kept in the Prince Duan's mansion, forced to passively await his fate, and he was powerless to do anything about it.

Originally, Zhao Ji was confident that he had a high chance of ascending the throne and that he only needed to wait patiently for a windfall of wealth and honor to come.

But now, after carefully examining his situation, he was shocked to discover that he was facing so many crises. The outbreak of any one of these crises could cause him to fail at the last moment and lose his chance at the throne.

Just like Zhao Xiaoqian's biological father back then, he seemed to have a winning hand, but at the last moment someone played a royal flush, so he lost everything and had to pretend to be a spoiled old man, acting crazy and foolish, and being ridiculed and mocked for the rest of his life.

This won't do. Zhao Ji must turn the tide and make the situation favorable to him again. If he loses his chance to ascend the throne, his fate will be tragic.

…………

At night, Zhao Xiaoqian returned to the Chu King's residence, looking somewhat tired.

Despite knowing that the Imperial City Guard couldn't find anything during their days-long investigation, he, as the mastermind behind it all, could only pretend to be serious while sitting in his office.

Solving cases is exhausting, staying up all night is exhausting, and acting is even more exhausting. I've never been this tired, not even when I was leading a large army to fight against the Liao Kingdom.

Zhao Xiaoqian planned to have his maid boil water for him, take a hot bath, and then have a reasonably good-looking maid scrub his back and massage him before finally getting a good night's sleep.

As Zhao Xiaoqian entered the backyard of the Prince's Mansion, before even reaching his own courtyard, he heard laughter and playful noises coming from Zhao Hao's courtyard in the distance.

Needless to say, this was another happy time for Zhao Hao, as he played all sorts of illicit games with his concubines.

Hearing the delightful laughter, Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't help but grit his teeth secretly.

I'm working like a baby outside, and I haven't had a good night's sleep in days. How can you be so happy? Why?

Do you really think you've reached the point where you can enjoy your retirement?

In one's forties, it is the perfect age to plot against the throne and commit heinous acts!

Seeing your diligent and sensible son, you feel no remorse at all, and remain numbly indulging in your tender embrace?
After several days of exhaustion, Zhao Xiaoqian, who was already in a bad mood, became even more unbalanced.

So he tiptoed to Zhao Hao's courtyard and saw singing and dancing inside. He could also faintly hear Zhao Hao's cheerful laughter.

Zhao Xiaoqian snorted coldly and shouted at the closed door.

"Your Highness, her husband has returned!"

The room fell silent for a moment, followed by a flurry of panicked noises, and finally the screams of the concubines.

"Your Highness, please stop this nonsense! This is your residence. Why did you suddenly jump out of the window and escape?"

"Clothes! Your Highness, you're naked!"

(End of this chapter)