The prince is more stable

Chapter 811 Bloodshed in the Prince's Mansion
The "Feast at Hongmen" is a cliché, but it will never go out of style.

For thousands of years, Chinese people have preferred to conduct business at the dinner table.

Negotiations to resolve issues, cooperation between two strong competitors, and strategic alliances are all conducted over the dinner table.

Of course, this includes murder.

How could a set of methods that have been used by our ancestors for thousands of years and are still being used by the court and the common people be outdated?

This is no longer just a dinner party, but a cultural inheritance!
Tonight, Zhao Xiaoqian will, as usual, use this old trick passed down from his ancestors to set up a trap.

The essence of the Feast at Hongmen lies in the fact that the one with the intention is the one who is not.

Now, Zhao Hao and his son Zhao Xiaoqian are willing, but Liu Mao and other military generals are not.

That's exactly what they're trying to do—surprise attack and manipulation of people's hearts.

Liu Mao led his generals to the Yin'an Hall. Inside, Zhao Hao sat in the head seat, with Zhao Xiaoqian sitting to the side. The father and son wore warm and gentle smiles, their enthusiasm tinged with friendliness.

Liu Mao led the way forward, bowed and clasped his hands in greeting: "This humble general Liu Mao greets Your Highness the King of Chu and Your Highness the King of Cheng."

The generals behind him also bowed and shouted in unison.

Zhao Hao and his son stood up, laughed heartily, and stepped forward to greet Liu Mao. They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries intimately, treating him with the same kindness as if he were their own brother.

Liu Mao stood in the hall chatting incessantly with Zhao Hao, but all the military officers' eyes still intentionally or unintentionally fell on Zhao Xiaoqian, who stood to the side with a smile and no words.

It has to be said that Zhao Xiaoqian now has more influence than Zhao Hao, and his influence is much greater than that of his father.

The reason why all the generals came to the door tonight was entirely to save face for Zhao Xiaoqian.

This young man is a legendary figure in the Song Dynasty. He made outstanding contributions to the Song Dynasty at a young age. Judging from the current situation, the new emperor may still give him important responsibilities after he ascends the throne.

This was a very significant invitation, so when Zhao Xiaoqian invited all the generals to his home in his own name, no one dared to refuse. After all, Zhao Xiaoqian's prestige was now renowned in the court, the army, and among the common people.

Being personally invited by him is an honor for a military general.

His Highness Prince Cheng has shown you favor, so you'd better treat him with utmost respect and not be ungrateful.

At Zhao Hao's invitation, everyone took their seats in the Yin'an Hall.

Soon, servants brought out steaming hot food and wine. The rich aroma of the food stimulated the generals' sense of smell, and several of them couldn't help but secretly swallow their saliva.

Zhao Hao sat at the head of the table and said with a smile, "Generals, please forgive me. Dance and music are forbidden during the national mourning period, so it is really inconvenient for me to invite singers and dancers to entertain us. It would be a bit of a hassle for us later. Please forgive me for the poor hospitality."

The generals all said they dared not.

Zhao Hao raised his cup in a toast and said a few polite words. The generals dared not be negligent and all stood up, holding their cups with both hands and drinking them down.

Zhao Xiaoqian remained silent with a smile. Tonight's main character was the host, and he also enjoyed this kind of hosting job, so let him do his job.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere at the table gradually became lively.

The guests and hosts chatted and joked with each other. Many military officers even stood up to respectfully toast Zhao Xiaoqian, their words filled with admiration and respect. They recounted Zhao Xiaoqian's achievements over the years as if they were their own.

The detailed account of his achievements and deeds was so thorough that even Zhao Xiaoqian, one of the parties involved, was stunned by some of the details and occasionally chimed in as a straight man.

"Wow? That's amazing?"

"Is there such a thing?"

"So lofty and awe-inspiring! So lofty and awe-inspiring!"

It's no wonder Zhao Xiaoqian was surprised. It's certain that the group of military officers in front of him had undergone advanced training in the brothels of Bianjing, otherwise the process of recounting Zhao Xiaoqian's achievements wouldn't have been so outrageous.

Just like what those storytellers in brothels say, in the end even a thunderbolt from the heavens was summoned by Zhao Xiaoqian, and more than 100,000 Liao soldiers were struck dead by lightning...

Zhao Xiaoqian's exaggerated and exaggerated comedic timing made the military officers a little embarrassed.

"Didn't you do this yourself? Why are you acting like it has nothing to do with you? Of course, the details might be exaggerated a little, but a person with high emotional intelligence would just smile and acquiesce at this point, while a person with low emotional intelligence would say, 'Huh? There's such a thing?'"

When the generals were all quite drunk, Liu Mao finally remembered the important matter of attending the banquet that evening.

"His Highness invited us tonight, saying it was for the enthronement ceremony of the new emperor tomorrow. I wonder if Your Highness has received imperial orders to oversee tomorrow's enthronement ceremony? If so, we will obey Your Highness's commands without hesitation."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Of course there is an imperial decree, but this decree is rather unusual. Would you like to hear it?"

Liu Mao was taken aback. He suddenly noticed that the expressions of Zhao Hao and his son Zhao Xiaoqian were a little strange at the moment, but he still smiled and said, "This humble general is a government official, and I still have to go through the formalities. If Your Highness can show the Empress Dowager or Prince Duan's decree, that would be even better."

Zhao Xiaoqian's expression gradually became serious. He said, "I do not have the Prince Duan's decree, but I do have the Empress Dowager's decree. The Empress Dowager gave me a secret decree, and it was an oral instruction."

At this moment, not only Liu Mao, but also the other military officers realized that something was wrong. They sobered up a bit and all turned their attention to Zhao Xiaoqian.

Zhao Xiaoqian lowered his eyes and said coldly, "The Empress Dowager issued an oral decree: a month ago, Prince Duan coerced the Empress Dowager, threatening her life, and forced her to summon the ministers and establish Zhao Ji as the new emperor." "The Empress Dowager sent a trusted confidant out of the palace to deliver this oral decree to me, hoping that my father and I can gather the imperial guards of Bianjing to rescue the Empress Dowager and eliminate the traitor Zhao Ji at tomorrow's enthronement ceremony!"

With a loud bang, all the military officers, including Liu Mao, stood up and involuntarily took a few steps back, staring in horror at the unmoved father and son.

"You, you, you... His Highness Prince Cheng, are you drunk? This is no joke, it could be fatal!" Liu Mao's face was pale, and he forced a smile.

Zhao Xiaoqian remained seated at the table, calmly toying with the wine cup in his hand, not even bothering to look at him, and said with a half-smile, "Do you think I'm joking about something this important?"

Liu Mao was increasingly horrified. Zhao Xiaoqian’s words sounded righteous, but any normal person would know that they were clearly a pretext for rebellion. What did he mean by the Empress Dowager being coerced, or that Prince Duan was forcing the Empress Dowager to establish a new emperor? You’re insulting my intelligence.

"Please forgive me for not daring to participate in the matters that Your Highnesses are plotting. Let's pretend we were never here tonight!" Liu Mao turned around, his face pale.

The other military officers were also terrified and, in a daze, followed Liu Mao to take their leave.

At this moment, Liu Mao had no other thoughts. He just wanted to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible, then immediately report to Prince Duan and the Prime Minister, and finally mobilize the Palace Guard troops to surround the Chu Prince's mansion.

Liu Mao and the others hurriedly left Yin'an Hall. Zhao Xiaoqian remained seated as a mountain, his eyebrows unblinking, casually playing with the wine cup in his hand. His usually gentle and refined face was now filled with murderous intent.

It wasn't until Liu Mao and the others reached the front courtyard of the Prince's Mansion that Zhao Xiaoqian finally spoke from inside the hall.

"Those who cannot be used by me, kill them!"

As soon as the words were spoken, dozens of figures suddenly appeared in the gardens, rockeries, rooftops, and other places around the front courtyard. They were dressed in black, their faces covered with black cloths, only revealing pairs of cold eyes that stared coldly at the group of military officers.

Liu Mao and the others felt a chill in their hearts. Only then did they realize that tonight was a deadly trap.

Liu Mao turned around abruptly, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at the father and son inside the hall.

"Zhao Xiaoqian! You dare to rebel! Aren't you afraid of having your entire family executed?"

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed: "Don't make it sound so serious. My nine generations of relatives also include the new emperor Zhao Ji. What you're saying is even more treasonous than what I'm saying."

Liu Mao gritted his teeth and said, "I, Liu, have received imperial favor for generations and am loyal only to the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty. How can a usurper like me submit to the throne!"

Zhao Xiaoqian said slowly, "Whether you submit or not is not important. What's important is that you're not here. All I want is your military power."

Everyone gasped again. Liu Mao suddenly sneered, "Even if I gave you military power, what use would it be to you? If the Palace Guard and the three armies of Bianjing want to mobilize troops, they need the Emperor's decree and the Privy Council's official documents. Do you have them? Otherwise, even I, Liu, cannot mobilize a single soldier."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and said, "Of course I know, that's why I said it's important without you."

“Those of you who want to live, come into the hall yourselves. Those who want to fight to the death for the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, stand still.”

Liu Mao gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling violently, but he remained motionless. Despite being surrounded by dozens of men in black, he showed no fear, staring at Zhao Xiaoqian inside the hall with eyes full of anger.

This man, whom Zhao Hao considered a seasoned veteran, was unexpectedly so loyal to the Song Emperor, which was quite a surprise to Zhao Xiaoqian.

But it doesn't matter, he's not important, and he's not the target tonight.

The other generals were just as resolute as Liu Mao, or rather, most of them were very resolute, showing no sign of compromise or bowing down even when facing life and death.

Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. He was indeed a military general guarding the capital, and his political loyalty was impeccable. It was a pity that he couldn't use him. In that case, these steadfast people would become his nemesis, and he had no choice but to get rid of them.

At the same time, Zhao Xiaoqian also noticed a person in the crowd who was hanging his head and not speaking, with his shoulders slumped and his face pale. Everyone else was glaring at him in the Yin'an Hall with anger and fearlessness, but this person was looking down at the ground with some fear, not daring to look directly at him.

Zhao Xiaoqian had a good idea of ​​what was going on. This person was probably Han Song, the deputy commander of the Palace Guard, whom Zhao Hao had mentioned. He was someone who could be won over and made to submit, and Zhao Hao had also taken control of Han Song's wife and children beforehand.

Having reached this point, there was nothing more to discuss, and Zhao Xiaoqian had no patience to reason with a group of dead people.

With a wave of his hand, Zhao Xiaoqian coldly said, "Make your move."

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of men in black rushed forward with their knives. Liu Mao and the others were shocked and hurriedly drew their knives to fight back.

Unfortunately, the men in black that Zhao Hao had brought tonight were all handpicked, and they were all masters of individual martial arts. Although the generals were brave and extraordinary, their strength lay in troop formation and battle, not in individual martial arts. In this respect, the generals were no match for the men in black.

Screams soon erupted from the front courtyard; generals had fallen, and men in black had died in battle.

A fierce battle finally came to an end after an hour.

Liu Mao and the others were all killed by the men in black, leaving only one person standing trembling in the front courtyard.

The only survivor was Han Song, the deputy commander of the Palace Guard. Zhao Hao had given prior instructions, and the men in black did not attack him.

Zhao Xiaoqian then rose from inside the Yin'an Hall and walked into the front courtyard. Seeing Han Song's terrified and bewildered expression, Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Vice Envoy Han, I have long admired your name."

Han Song knelt down before Zhao Xiaoqian with a thud, his voice trembling: "Please, please spare me..."

"Among all the generals tonight, I had already discerned that Vice Envoy Han was the only outstanding figure present, and indeed he was," Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

Han Song lowered his head, his whole body still trembling uncontrollably: "This humble general is willing to serve Your Highness."

(End of this chapter)