The prince is more stable

Chapter 847 Integrating Forces
Throughout history, so many emperors have accomplished nothing. Those with a better temperament were at most rulers who maintained the status quo, while those with a more tyrannical temperament simply became incompetent and tyrannical rulers.

Now that Zhao Xiaoqian has taken this position, he has some understanding of what a foolish and tyrannical ruler is like.

Sometimes emperors genuinely want to achieve something great, but they can't stop their courtiers from playing tricks. Any legitimate matter, once it passes through their minds, becomes a tool for struggle and a weapon for killing the enemy.

As for the original intention of the matter, whether it can bring positive meaning and benefits to the people, they don't care; they'll kill their political enemies first.

Zhao Xiaoqian also encountered this situation.

The factional strife in the court has become so intense that even if previous emperors deliberately created two camps in the court to control the situation through imperial balancing tactics, the current situation is a bit excessive.

It’s too late.

What Zhao Xiaoqian can do now is to cool down the tension between the old and new parties, while also preventing the transfer of officials from becoming a weapon for mutual attacks between the two parties, which has already delayed Zhao Xiaoqian's important work.

The time is not yet ripe to cool down the two parties, and there is no suitable reason to intervene.

After the court session ended, Zhao Xiaoqian, with a somber face, went into the rear hall of Daqing Hall to change his clothes without saying a word. Zheng Chunhe carefully helped him change into loose and comfortable casual clothes and removed his double-winged hat.

"Old Zheng, summon Zhen Qing from the Imperial City Guard to the Funing Palace to see me in half an hour."

"The slaves obey the order."

Zhao Xiaoqian paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What has my father been doing these past few days?"

Since his coronation ceremony, Zhao Hao has basically disappeared from public view. As a member of the imperial family, he was not allowed to participate in court affairs, so he rarely appeared at court meetings. Now that the throne has passed to his son, Zhao Hao can rest easy.

One can imagine how happy this living father must have been these past few days.

Zheng Chunhe hesitated for a moment, then said, "His Highness Prince Chu has not entered the palace these past few days, and this servant truly has no idea what His Highness has been doing outside the palace..."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and said, "I can basically guess what he did..."

Zhao Xiaoqian then asked, "Has the Empress Dowager been in the palace these past few days?"

Zheng Chunhe's expression immediately turned strange. After hesitating for a while, he said in a low voice, "Since the Emperor ascended the throne, the Empress Dowager seems to have been leaving the palace more frequently. Every time she tells the palace servants that she is going back to her parents' home to visit her relatives, but she is visiting her relatives so frequently in just a few days. Perhaps the Empress Dowager is missing her relatives particularly lately."

Zheng Chunhe may or may not know the answer; in any case, he certainly cannot show that he does not know. The palace is a place of intrigue and danger, especially for those serving the emperor. Zheng Chunhe had known for many years what he should and should not say.

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed again; he naturally knew the answer.

The couple was deeply in love, and Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't say anything, but weren't they afraid of causing trouble by meeting so frequently?

I never imagined that I, who had been a spotless and pure emperor, never having favored a single woman since my ascension to the throne, would have my own father turn the palace upside down...

"Old Zheng, in half an hour, please ask my father to come to the Funing Palace. I have something to discuss with him," Zhao Xiaoqian instructed.

Zheng Chunhe should naturally be the one.

Half an hour later, inside the Funing Palace, Zhen Qing and Zhao Hao arrived at the palace gate at the same time.

Zheng Chunhe had been waiting outside the hall for a long time. Upon seeing the two arrive, Zheng Chunhe respectfully bowed to Zhao Hao and then invited them into the hall.

Upon entering the hall, the two saw Zhao Xiaoqian sitting behind a desk reviewing memorials. Zhen Qing bowed without saying a word, and Zhao Hao followed suit without hesitation.

Zhao Xiaoqian hurriedly stood up, took Zhao Hao's arm, and said, "Father, if you bow to your son, I will shorten my lifespan. You wouldn't want to see me die young, would you?"

Zhao Hao grinned: "'Ruler and subject, father and son,' 'ruler and subject' comes before 'father and son.' When I see you, I should naturally pay my respects as a subject. This is the rule. I don't want to be gossiped about by those officials. They're too noisy."

It was already noon, and Zhao Xiaoqian, without putting on any airs of an emperor, ordered Zheng Chunhe to bring lunch, and the three of them sat in the hall to eat together.

The rules for dining in the palace were too strict. Zhen Qing stood there awkwardly, thanking the emperor profusely for the banquet. Finally, he sat down tremblingly, looking like he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet. He was lucky if he could even taste the food, let alone be full.

Zhao Hao was much more relaxed. After all, he was his own son. Even though his son had become emperor, the father-son relationship had not changed at all and remained the same as before.

Zheng Chunhe and several palace servants delivered the lunch, but Zhao Hao only had a bowl of raw vegetables mixed with sesame oil in front of him, while Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhen Qing had a much more lavish spread of food.

Zhao Hao was furious: "I finally get to enjoy a palace banquet, and this brat surnamed Zhen gets meat and vegetables while I'm still eating grass. Does he really think I'm a beast of burden? What, 'The wind blows the grass low to reveal this king'?"

Startled, Zhen Qing hurriedly stood up and said with a forced smile, "Your Highness, how about I switch with you?"

Zhao Xiaoqian pointed at Zhen Qing and said, "This is none of your business. Sit down."

Then he said to Zhao Hao, "Eat if you want, or starve if you don't. Don't you know your own body shape? Being this fat will shorten your lifespan by at least twenty years. If you eat vegetarian food for every meal and lose half a pound, you might be able to gain a month of lifespan in return. Are you in or not?"

Zhao Hao stuffed a mouthful of lettuce into his mouth and said resentfully, "Damn it! To live a few more years, I'll take it!"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled: "Father is so good. By the way, I heard from the doctor that sexual intercourse can also help with weight loss, but it shouldn't be too frequent. Father, you can decide what to do."

Zhao Hao beamed: "This is good, I like this one."

Then, Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhen Qing saw a plump ox or horse happily grazing. The imperial banquet was certainly not just for eating; Zhao Xiaoqian knew Zhen Qing wouldn't enjoy the meal. The banquet was governed by strict etiquette and rules, and apart from the emperor and his father, no one could eat to their heart's content.

So Zhao Xiaoqian decided to start discussing serious matters at the palace banquet.

“Zhen Qing, the Imperial City Guard needs to be expanded. The Imperial City Guard needs to recruit a large number of informants and spies. In addition, secret outposts of the Imperial City Guard must be set up in various local government offices of the Song Dynasty and within the borders of the Liao and Xia countries.”

"I want the Imperial City Guard to form a comprehensive network, so that it can get me any information I want."

Zhen Qing hurriedly stood up and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

"The most pressing matter right now is the matter of sending one hundred officials to civilian life, which was discussed at today's court meeting. The Imperial City Guard has mobilized personnel to disguise themselves and monitor these one hundred officials, so as to truly play a role in supervising officials and power."

"If any official commits any illegal act in a locality, he must not conceal it and must immediately report it to me."

A truly wise emperor does not place his hopes on believing in the good nature of his subjects.

Human nature is too fragile. Instead of trusting human nature, we should trust the law and the system. Only an impeccable law and system can suppress the darkness of human nature and prevent the demons in everyone's heart from being unleashed.

Therefore, Zhao Xiaoqian could not possibly be so foolish as to believe that the hundred officials sent to the countryside could truly understand the hardships of the people and truly live, eat, and work alongside them.

But what if there's a pair of eyes watching them intently from the place they've been sent to?
Every move an official makes is under the supervision of the Imperial City Guard, like a sword hanging over their head at all times, which can eliminate a large number of dark thoughts in the hearts of officials.

If the new and old parties want to use the new policies to attack each other, then let's let the facts speak for themselves. The secret surveillance of the Imperial City Guard will let them know what price they will pay for deliberately provoking trouble.

From the Black Ice Platform of the Qin Dynasty to the Imperial Guard of the Ming Dynasty, secret service organizations that served as the emperor's eyes and ears have never ceased to exist since ancient times. Zhao Xiaoqian can now understand the necessity of their existence.

Therefore, the Imperial City Guard must be expanded to become the Song Dynasty version of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. As long as the emperor holds the reins, and it is not granted excessive power, its benefits to consolidating imperial power will ultimately outweigh its drawbacks.

During the palace banquet, Zhen Qing clearly ate without any enjoyment, his body tense at all times, maintaining a state of walking on thin ice. Whenever Zhao Xiaoqian asked a question, Zhen Qing would immediately stand up and answer tremblingly.

Then look at the cows and horses grazing happily nearby...

Setting down his jade chopsticks, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly said, "Father, how about handing over your forces to me?"

Zhao Hao immediately nodded: "I'll give them all to you. Later, I'll have Jia Da go to the palace and hand them all over."

With Zhao Xiaoqian's ascension to the throne, Zhao Hao's lifelong wish was fulfilled. There was no need to keep this power in his own hands anymore; since his own son needed it, he should give it to him.

Everything Zhao Hao owns belongs to his son; it's only natural.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled happily: "Father is very wise and understanding. I will personally stew a big pork hock later..."

Zhao Hao's eyes lit up, but before he could speak, Zhao Xiaoqian quickly replied, "...to let you smell it to your heart's content."

Zhao Hao was furious and pointed at him angrily: "If you weren't the emperor, I would really..."

Zhen Qing looked on in surprise, and couldn't help but smile knowingly as he watched the father and son interact.

Zhao Xiaoqian continued, "Zhen Qing, I will arrange for a group of good people to be assigned to the Imperial City Guard. From now on, the Imperial City Guard will be divided into two parts, one overt and one covert."

"On the surface, you are in charge and have the authority to control and command the Imperial City Guard's spies and agents. On the surface, a woman named Jia Da will control and command her subordinates. Both of you are working for the Imperial City Guard, but you are not subordinate to each other and do not interfere with each other."

"You are only responsible to me. No one has the right to interfere in the affairs of the Imperial City Guard. You and Jia Da have no subordinate relationship. You are two completely unrelated lines. Only when I order you to work together can you unite as one and get things done."

Zhen Qing hurriedly bowed and accepted the imperial decree.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "By the way, Liu Dan of Bingjing Office, I promised him that I would promote him to a higher rank. Liu Dan is now the Chief Administrator. Zheng Chunhe, go and issue an imperial edict to promote Liu Dan to 'Junior Supervisor' and increase his monthly salary. He will still be in charge of Bingjing Office."

Zheng Chunhe, standing outside the hall, also bowed to receive the imperial decree.

Zhen Qing then respectfully took his leave.

Inside the Funing Palace, Zhao Hao smiled at his son and said with satisfaction, "Look at you, the emperor, you're truly making a difference. Perhaps the Song Dynasty can really flourish under your rule. When I pass away, I can finally hold my head high and meet our ancestors..."

Zhao Xiaoqian asked cautiously, "Would our ancestors consider us, father and son, to be traitors who usurped the throne? Would Father be beaten to death if he saw them?"

Zhao Hao was startled, then said angrily, "Killing someone is just a matter of a head falling to the ground. I've already become a ghost, how else can I die?"

"My son brought prosperity to the Song Dynasty, a glorious achievement that brings honor to our family. Why should I be killed? We're all ghosts, there has to be reason!"

Zhao Xiaoqian said quietly, "We can reason about our usurpation, but you seduced your brother and sister-in-law and caused chaos in the palace. There's no reasoning about that, is there? Father, you should work on your muscles so you can take a beating later..."

Zhao Hao coughed violently, his face turning red.

Zhao Xiaoqian, the dutiful son, added sarcastically, "According to the rules of the martial world, seducing one's brother's wife is punishable by three cuts and six holes... With Father's build, it would take a Tang Dynasty longsword to pierce through him, wouldn't it?"

(End of this chapter)