The prince is more stable

Chapter 834 Silent Coercion
What's the fun in eating and drinking with two little brats?

Zhao Xiaoqian had no fun at all. In the past, when he ate and drank with important figures from all walks of life, in addition to discussing serious business, he would occasionally tell some dirty jokes about his past life and talk about romantic matters between men and women.

Both the speaker and the listener were in high spirits, their faces beaming with excitement as they described the ins and outs of their private matters. In the end, both host and guest were satisfied and went home, where they took advantage of their excitement to work on their wives.

But now, facing two underage kids, Zhao Xiaoqian really didn't know what to talk about.

It's inappropriate to tell dirty jokes or talk about sex; it's a bit disrespectful to elders.

It's also inconvenient to inquire about their studies. If they have any questions about the classics and Confucian teachings, asking them about them would make them look ignorant.
Aside from memorizing some poems in his previous life, Zhao Xiaoqian knew absolutely nothing about the classics and Confucian texts.

After much deliberation, I decided to compose an impromptu poem for them on the spot.

"Open fire, blast his mother!" What a great poem!

It can showcase one's literary talent and also serve as a deterrent to these two brats.

While Zhao Xiaoqian was lost in thought, the King of Yan and the King of Yue were on tenterhooks.

Today, they were inexplicably invited to a banquet by Zhao Xiaoqian, and both of them were terrified when they received the invitation.

They had no idea what Zhao Xiaoqian was up to. In terms of their relationship, the two of them had basically no interaction with Zhao Xiaoqian before, let alone any friendship. The fact that he suddenly invited them to a banquet today was definitely not to celebrate his birthday.

Zhao Xiaoqian is currently at the height of his power, and his prestige in the court and among the people is almost at its peak. The two princes have even heard many rumors that he will most likely become the emperor of the Song Dynasty in the future.

The daily court meetings still feature the Great Rites Controversy, where officials discuss whether to establish the eldest son of the legitimate wife or the most virtuous. However, it is clear to everyone that the so-called Great Rites Controversy is merely a formality, a prelude to Zhao Xiaoqian's ascension to the throne.

The Great Rites Controversy was not yet over, but wise people already knew the outcome.

Although the two princes are young, they are already quite mature and vaguely understand Zhao Xiaoqian's purpose in inviting them today.

The three people present in the Silver Peace Hall at this moment are all directly related to the Great Rites Controversy.

Two of them were considered "eldest sons" by the court officials, while the remaining one was considered "wise and virtuous" by them.

The debate over whether to establish the eldest son or the most virtuous son was raging in court, but within the Yin'an Hall of the Chu Prince's residence, the three of them got along remarkably harmoniously.

“Prince Yan and Prince Yue, we are, in a sense, relatives and brothers, both members of the Zhao imperial family. In the past, I was busy guarding the border and lived there for a long time, so I became estranged from my relatives and brothers in Bianjing.”

"Since I happen to have some free time today, I thought I'd like to invite you two to come over for a meeting, to fulfill our brotherly bond. Come, let's drink to our hearts' content." Zhao Xiaoqian warmly raised his cup.

The two kings smiled wryly, then picked up their cups and drank the goat milk in one gulp.

Great milk! Confused but not brain-damaged!

You cannot tell dirty jokes, talk about matters between men and women, or discuss the teachings of sages and saints.

There weren't many topics to discuss, but Zhao Xiaoqian was determined not to let the banquet atmosphere become dull.

Then Zhao Xiaoqian started talking about food.

In this field, Zhao Xiaoqian's authority was almost comparable to his prestige within the Yan-Yun border army.

The two kings, having been pampered since childhood, were used to fine clothes and delicacies. They had eaten all sorts of things, and when the topic turned to food, the atmosphere among the three quickly became lively.

From Yujie Street to Zhouqiao Bridge, from Daxiangguo Temple to East-West Street, Zhao Xiaoqian recounted all sorts of delicacies, pastries, and dried meats, prepared by steaming, boiling, frying, and stir-frying, with great familiarity and eloquence.

I highly recommend the soup dumplings at the First Floor of Zhouqiao; they are absolutely delicious.

The shopkeeper is a bit of a jerk, even more like a salted fish than Zhao Xiaoqian, never learning his lesson no matter how many times he's been beaten.

In order to promote the soup dumplings at First Floor, Zhao Xiaoqian even revealed the shopkeeper's address.

If you come here because of its reputation but find the shop closed, head straight to the shopkeeper's house and kick that lazybones all the way from his home to the shop. Don't feel bad about it; the shopkeeper is all for that.

The two princes were still young and lacked cunning. Zhao Xiaoqian's joking words made them laugh heartily.

When the banquet ended and the two kings were about to say goodbye, they were somewhat reluctant to part.

Upon leaving the Chu King's residence, the two kings stood outside the gate. A cool night breeze blew, and they were suddenly startled.

By the way, what is the purpose of Brother Zian's invitation to the banquet today?

Recalling every word spoken at the banquet, they realized that Zhao Xiaoqian had been talking about trivial matters from beginning to end, without mentioning anything important.

Could it be that tonight is really just about catching up with the brothers?
"What did we do tonight?" King Zhao Yu of Yan asked Zhao Si, looking completely bewildered.

Zhao Si grimaced and rubbed his stomach: "We drank a lot of goat milk tonight, so much goat milk that my stomach is about to burst. I suspect he did it on purpose."

"What exactly does he mean by inviting us to the banquet?" Zhao Yu then posed the most profound question.

"He deliberately forced us to drink goat milk, trying to stuff us to death." Zhao Si's resentment was heavier than that of a working ox or horse.

Outside the Prince's residence, the chief steward of the residence, who had been waiting for the two princes, came forward to greet them.

Both chief secretaries were adults, and the fact that they could become officials in the Prince's Palace showed that they were quite capable.

Seeing the two kings' puzzled expressions, the two chief clerks inquired about the banquet they had attended at the Chu King's residence. They asked about every detail of the banquet, even clarifying the circumstances under which Zhao Xiaoqian coughed. Zhao Yu sighed, "That's how it happened. King Cheng invited us to a banquet, and we came. From beginning to end, it really was just a banquet; not a single word about serious matters was mentioned. After the banquet, we took our leave."

The two princes were young and could not understand things, but the two chief secretaries did.

The two exchanged a glance, then sighed, "Your Highnesses, the purpose of Prince Cheng's invitation to the banquet is already very clear."

"What's your purpose? Why don't I know?"

"His Highness Prince Cheng invited you two to a banquet to tell you that in this palace, you are the guests and he is the host."

King Zhao Yu of Yan became increasingly confused: "What kind of argument is this? We are, of course, guests, and he is, of course, the host."

“Think about it more deeply. In the Song Dynasty, Prince Cheng is the master, and you two are still guests… If the master tells you to drink goat’s milk, then you have to drink goat’s milk.”

The two kings were startled; they finally realized what was going on.

"He...he wants to..."

The chief secretary sighed: "That's right. He wanted to tell the two princes that one should be sensible and know when to give up, and when to express one's opinion, so as not to end up making things ugly for everyone."

Zhao Yu murmured, "So that's what he meant... Why didn't he just say it outright?"

“How can you say this out loud? Once he says it, it will give others something to talk about. If it gets out that the brothers in the imperial family are killing each other and that he forced you to abdicate, it will be a stain on your record when you become the King. An emperor cannot have any stains.”

Zhao Yu looked enlightened, then fell into deep thought.

The King of Yue, Zhao Si, who was standing next to him, was only twelve years old. To be honest, he had no intention of vying for the throne at all. He was still a child, and at this moment he was still completely bewildered, unaware of what had happened.

Seeing his bewildered expression, the chief secretary of the Prince of Yue's residence sighed, "Your Highness, after we return to the residence, I will draft a memorial for you. You cannot contend for the throne; there is absolutely no hope for you."

Zhao Si shrugged indifferently: "Fine, I never intended to fight for the throne. I'm already exhausted from studying every day, wouldn't being emperor be even more tiring?"

King Zhao Yu of Yan was two years older than Zhao Si, so he was naturally not that naive.

However, Zhao Yu had virtually no political foundation in the court, and he didn't have much ambition. After Zhao Xu's death, Zhao Yu made no move and completely settled down in his palace.

Anyway, if the throne falls into his hands by chance, he will take it; if it is taken by someone else, he will be a carefree prince for the rest of his life. He will have the best of both worlds and be destined for a life of wealth and honor.

The chief clerk of the Prince of Yan's residence looked at him and said cautiously, "If Your Highness has no such thoughts..."

Zhao Yu immediately replied, "I'm not in the mood for that. You can write a memorial for me and send it over later. The sooner I express my opinion, the more favors I might receive in the future. It won't do me any harm."

The chief clerk smiled wryly and said, "Yes, I will write it as soon as I get back."

Zhao Yu turned his head and glanced at the Chu Prince's residence in the night, sighing softly, "My lord's thoughts are so complicated. I never expected that tonight would be a trap..."

Zhao Si let out a long burp and said expressionlessly, "Hurry back to the palace, I've drunk too much goat milk, I need to pee!"

…………

A dinner party at night solved a major problem.

If the historians were present, Zhao Xiaoqian's banquet for the two princes would certainly have been recorded in history, comparable to Zhao Kuangyin's famous "releasing military power over a cup of wine".

In a sense, Zhao Xiaoqian's banquet for the two kings was actually a replica of the "releasing military power over a cup of wine" incident.

No serious business was discussed during the banquet, but Zhao Xiaoqian's act of hosting the two princes itself conveyed an attitude—an attitude of forcing them to abdicate, albeit in a very subtle way.

If it weren't for the insightful analysis by the chief secretary beside the two kings, the two little brats probably still wouldn't have guessed the purpose of this banquet.

The court assembly at Yanfu Palace continued the next day, and the topic of the Great Rites Controversy remained the same.

To be honest, the court officials have been arguing a bit too much lately. The Great Rites Controversy has no new evidence or supporting points, and the arguments between the two sides are just repeating the same old arguments.

Those who advocate for primogeniture argue that this is the established rule, and if you violate it, you are considered a traitor.

Those who advocate establishing a wise and virtuous ruler argue that it's far better for the Song Dynasty to be in the hands of a wise and virtuous monarch than to be in the hands of a mediocre and incompetent one. If you don't want the Song Dynasty to get better and better, you are a traitor.

They argued back and forth endlessly.

Today's court assembly was expected by the officials to be the same as the previous days, with pointless arguments continuing. However, as soon as the assembly began, Zhang Dun presented two memorials.

The two memorials were from Zhao Yu, the King of Yan, and Zhao Si, the King of Yue, respectively.

The memorial made it perfectly clear: we are still children, babies just over a hundred months old, without talent, virtue, or ability. We will not participate in matters of the throne, and we ask the court officials to consciously ignore us.

...We still need to go to school and study.

It must be said that these two memorials were like two bombs, blasting the two sides in the dispute to smithereens.

The court officials who advocated establishing the eldest son as heir were especially filled with grief and indignation.

We were fighting tooth and nail for the throne for you, and you guys just surrendered?

Is this something a human being would do?
(End of this chapter)