The prince is more stable

Chapter 786 Midnight Incident
Zhao Si was filled with boundless hatred.

The most agonizing thing in life is when you realize you're so close to the throne, yet that tiny distance feels like an insurmountable chasm, impossible to cross. You can only watch helplessly as it falls into someone else's hands.

Zhao felt not only hatred, but also fear.

He knew very well that he and Zhao Ji were sworn enemies, and once the throne fell into Zhao Ji's hands, his fate would be extremely tragic.

Fear mixed with hatred was like pouring oil on a raging fire, making Zhao's hatred even deeper.

He hated Empress Dowager Xiang, hated Zhang Dun, hated Emperor Huizong of Song, and also hated Emperor Xiaoqian of Song.

He hated everyone in the court, hated his elder brother Zhao Xu for not leaving a will to pass the throne to him, and hated the Empress Dowager for not supporting him, but instead supporting that bastard Zhao Ji.

As everyone knows, he was the biological brother of the late Emperor Zhao Xu, but he was born two years later than Zhao Ji. Why did the Empress Dowager and others side with Zhao Ji?
A surge of overwhelming hatred boiled within Zhao Si's chest. He clutched his chest, his face ashen. He felt extremely unwell, showing signs of vomiting blood, but he forced himself to endure it.

"Zhao Xiaoqian, you will die a horrible death! I will depose you, depose you!" Zhao Si roared hoarsely.

He hated too many people, but he dared not do anything to the Empress Dowager, nor to the Prime Minister Zhang Dun.

Therefore, all the hatred he felt for everyone around him was transferred to Zhao Xiaoqian at this moment.

Who is Zhao Xiaoqian?
He was merely a member of the imperial clan, and had only won a few battles, thus gaining some prestige in the court and among the people.

Besides that, what is he anyway?
How could Zhao Xiaoqian's status compare to that of the late emperor's own brother? How dare such a person lecture him today? If Zhao Si Ruo doesn't do something, others will really think that he, the Prince Jian, is easy to bully.

In the past, Zhao Xiaoqian was favored and protected by the emperor, but who will favor him now?
Seeing Zhao Si grit his teeth and shout out Zhao Xiaoqian's name, Shen Han, who was standing nearby, was greatly alarmed and cautiously asked, "Your Highness, what are you going to do?"

Zhao Si coldly said, "Don't worry about it. It's too late now. Tell them to pack up your belongings. Before long, that bastard Zhao Ji will ascend the throne and will surely exile me. It's better to pack up and prepare to leave the capital."

Shen Han looked unwilling, but when he opened his mouth, he really didn't know how to persuade him.

In fact, by this time, all signs indicated that His Highness Prince Jian was indeed not destined for the throne.

Even though Shen Han, as Zhao Si's advisor, kept encouraging and persuading him, Shen Han himself knew that there was probably no hope for this matter.

For a moment, Shen Han felt disheartened, lowered his head, responded, and turned to leave.

As Zhao Si watched Shen Han walk away, his eyes grew increasingly sinister.

Zhao Si was violent and, relying on being Zhao Xu's brother, had never been reasonable in Bianjing over the years. Even members of the Zhao clan had to avoid him.

Today, Zhao Xiaoqian has really offended him to death. Not only does he have no intention of supporting his ascension to the throne, but he has also taught him a lesson.

Unable to become emperor, Zhao Si was filled with resentment and had nowhere to vent it. Zhao Xiaoqian's annoying face kept flashing through Zhao Si's mind.

…………

The funeral rites in the palace were still underway. Monks and Taoist priests were performing their respective rituals in the palace. According to custom, the rituals had to be performed for seven days before Zhao Xu's coffin was sent to Yongtai Mausoleum, which was more than 300 miles away from Bianjing.

During these seven days, civil and military officials naturally had to keep vigil every day. Of course, it was impossible for all officials to eat and live in Yanfu Palace, as the palace could not provide enough supplies.

Therefore, there were free time during the vigil and the rituals, and the officials could make their own arrangements, either going home to wash up or returning to their offices to work.

Zhao Xiaoqian had been in the palace for two days and was exhausted, so he left the palace and returned to the Chu King's residence.

He had just returned home, taken a bath, and changed into clean official robes when a servant came to report that more than a dozen court officials had submitted petitions requesting an audience.

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned as he looked at the thick stack of visiting cards in front of him.

He knew why these people were seeking an audience with him; it was mostly about the selection of a new emperor. They were either inquiring about who Empress Dowager Zhang Dun and he preferred, or they were trying to persuade the prince they were allied with by sending gifts.

Zhao Xiaoqian did not want to see these people.

Although among these people, the highest-ranking official was a minister or a scholar of the Dragon Pavilion, and the lowest-ranking official was a senior official or a minister of a certain court.

They were all influential figures, and it was not easy to offend them, but Zhao Xiaoqian really did not want to meet them.

Despite their high official positions, these people cannot play a significant role in the selection of the new emperor; they are merely waiting for instructions and then carrying them out.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Xiaoqian handed the visiting card to a servant and said, "Tell them that I have been keeping vigil in the palace for the past few days and have not slept for several days. I fell asleep as soon as I returned to my residence and will not be receiving any guests."

The servant turned and left.

"Wait!" Not far behind, Zhao Hao called out to his servant, walked over, glared at Zhao Xiaoqian, and said, "These people are not insignificant. Even if you don't want to see them, you can't afford to offend them."

Zhao Xiaoqian raised an eyebrow: "Father, could you help me deal with this?"

Zhao Hao snorted coldly, "I will see them on your behalf. These people are not very useful, but they can help you gain prestige in the court. I cannot refuse to see them."

After speaking, Zhao Hao straightened his clothes and strode towards the Yin'an Hall.

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head with a wry smile; he was simply too lazy to bother with these superficial interactions anymore.

Exhausted, Zhao Xiaoqian turned and went back to his room, pulled the covers over his head, and fell asleep immediately. In the middle of the night, while Zhao Xiaoqian was still fast asleep, he was suddenly shaken awake by a maid from the backyard of the Prince's mansion.

Zhao Xiaoqian opened his eyes, his gaze revealing anger. He was about to reprimand her when the maidservant hurriedly said, "Young Master, get up quickly! There's a fire in the backyard; several rooms have burned down..."

Zhao Xiaoqian was shocked and quickly got up, hurriedly putting on his clothes, and asked, "Why did the fire suddenly start?"

"This servant is unaware of the situation. The fire started suspiciously, and the Imperial Guards patrolling the Prince's Palace are investigating it."

Zhao Xiaoqian paused in his dressing, his eyes narrowing: "Someone deliberately set fire to this place?"

"This servant heard it from Chief Secretary Li of the Prince's Palace. He said the fire started on the roof, and the imperial guards who were putting out the fire also smelled kerosene."

Zhao Xiaoqian sneered: "Fine, very well!"

After getting dressed, Zhao Xiaoqian hurriedly walked to the open space in the backyard.

At this moment, everyone in the Prince's Mansion was gathered here, and the fire in the backyard was still burning. Zhao Xiaoqian looked around and saw that several houses in the backyard were still burning fiercely.

The fire was only a few feet away from the house where he had just been sleeping. The house was surrounded by trees, and several of them were already on fire. If he had been any later, he would probably have perished in the flames.

Zhao Hao walked over, still looking shaken, and looked him up and down, asking, "Qian'er, are you alright?"

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head: "I'm fine."

Zhao Hao frowned and said, "Chief Secretary Li Yizhong said that the fire tonight was suspicious, and it was probably caused by someone. I wonder which assassin dared to provoke our Prince Chu's mansion..."

Zhao Xiaoqian quickly thought of potential suspects, and several faces flashed through his mind.

However, there was one problem he couldn't understand: if someone really intended to kill him, arson seemed too frivolous. Such a method of murder had a very low success rate, unless they were extremely lucky and happened to burn him to death.

In retrospect, tonight's fire seemed more like a result of personal venting.

Turning around and looking around, Zhao Xiaoqian asked in a deep voice, "Have you reported it to Kaifeng Prefecture?"

Chen Shou, standing behind him, said, "I have already sent someone to report to Kaifeng Prefecture."

Zhao Xiaoqian paused for a moment and said, "Send another person to the Imperial City Guard and have Wei Jie investigate."

The efficiency of Kaifeng Prefecture in handling cases was truly questionable. Zhao Xiaoqian preferred to trust his subordinates, the Imperial City Guard, whom he knew well and who were quite capable.

At this moment, the imperial guards and servants in the backyard of the Prince's mansion were still busy putting out the fire. Only Zhao Hao and his son Zhao Xiaoqian stood in the middle of the courtyard, calmly watching the fire gradually weaken.

After a long silence, Zhao Hao suddenly asked, "Was it done by your enemy?"

"I have no clue at the moment."

Zhao Hao grunted and said, "If your enemies would use such a method to kill you, it would be rather foolish. I'm just wondering why they didn't choose to carefully plan an assassination, but instead resorted to such a stupid method as arson..."

“Our palace occupies a large area with many houses and courtyards in the backyard. Unless the entire palace is unconscious, you will definitely be saved once the fire is discovered. Does the arsonist not know this?”

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled wryly and said, "He probably just wants to teach the child a lesson, but he doesn't dare to offend me too much."

Who is the prime suspect?

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment and said, "...Prince Jian is more likely, and it also fits his violent but brainless character."

Zhao Hao frowned: "The new emperor hasn't been chosen yet, how dare Prince Jian do this?"

"He probably already understands that the throne is not for him. I gave him a good scolding in the palace today..."

Zhao Hao nodded: "Given Prince Jian's character, it's probably really him who did it."

After a pause, Zhao Hao said, "Qian'er, make a scene with this matter, especially at such a critical time. You need to establish your authority over the civil and military officials of Bianjing."

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes flashed: "I know what to do, but before that, let the Imperial City Guard investigate thoroughly and make sure this arson case is closed."

Half an hour later, a servant from the Prince's residence reported that Wei Jie from the Imperial City Guard was requesting an audience.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at the fire that had been extinguished. The fire wasn't too big. Several houses in the backyard were burned down. Because of the cold and dry winter in the north, the trees planted in the backyard were also almost burned. The place looked desolate, like a post-apocalyptic ruin.

Upon arriving at the Yin'an Hall in the front courtyard, Wei Jie stepped forward with a concerned expression and bowed: "This humble official just heard that someone dared to set fire, so I rushed here. Is Your Highness alright? Is His Highness the Prince of Chu alright?"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "My father and I are safe and sound. Thank you for your concern."

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian's polite yet somewhat distant and indifferent attitude, Wei Jie looked somber and said with a wry smile, "This humble official understands Your Highness's meaning. Before entering the Prince's residence, I had already instructed the Imperial City Guard to conduct a thorough investigation, and I believe the truth will soon come to light."

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't want the Imperial City Guard to take a detour in their investigation, so he readily recounted his conflict with Prince Jian during the day. Upon hearing this, Wei Jie hurriedly apologized, turned around, left the Yin'an Hall, and summoned the Imperial City Guard to give them some instructions.

(End of this chapter)