The prince is more stable

Chapter 858 Balancing Light and Darkness
Bian Jing, Yanfu Palace.

Inside the Funing Palace, Zhen Qing stood before Zhao Xiaoqian, his hands respectfully hanging down, and reported on the ambush and killing of Zhao Ji.

Zhao Xiaoqian listened expressionlessly, not missing a single detail Zhen Qing mentioned.

He was always a cautious person, and if the matter of intercepting and killing Zhao Ji was not handled properly, it would be a stain on his reputation as emperor, one that he could never wash away for the rest of his life.

But Zhao Ji was the one who absolutely had to die.

Yes, they must die.

Whether it was the humiliating history he read in his past life or the grudges and entanglements he had with Zhao Ji in this life, Zhao Ji was someone he could not allow to live.

Perhaps he had lost all his spirit, or perhaps he had no desire to fight anymore, but Zhao Xiaoqian would not risk gambling with his humanity; eliminating him was the best option.

"Are you sure no trace was left?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked anxiously after Zhen Qing finished speaking.

Zhen Qing lowered his head and said, "I guarantee with my life that there was absolutely no trace left. The Imperial City Guard has always been reliable and clean in its work, and Your Majesty should know this."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Creating the appearance of being attacked and devoured by a ferocious beast is a good idea, and it's also quite reasonable."

Zhen Qing continued, "This matter has been reported to the local government. The government sent two officials to inspect the body. The bodies of Zhao Ji and the officials have been placed in the local mortuary for burial. The county magistrate reported the facts. The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review should know about this by now, but no one has any objections. The case will be closed soon."

Zhao Xiaoqian let out a long breath and murmured, "He's finally dead, that's good..."

"Jie Jie Jie!"

The sudden, eerie laughter sent chills down Zhen Qing's spine, causing him to involuntarily take a step back and stare at him in terror.

Zhao Xiaoqian's strange laughter stopped abruptly, and he said seriously, "We conspired to do something that only villains could do. After it's done, the mastermind behind it must make this kind of laugh, otherwise it wouldn't be appropriate."

Raising his chin, Zhao Xiaoqian encouraged, "Smile too."

Zhen Qing immediately burst into laughter: "Hehehe!"

"Alright, shut up!" Zhao Xiaoqian interrupted quickly, "It's fucking awful, you're not allowed to laugh."

"Yes," Zhen Qing replied, bowing his head in grievance.

When Emperor Huizong died, Emperor Xiaoqian remained completely unmoved, as if he had merely brushed a speck of dust off his shoulder.

Those who deserve to die should not remain in this world. Zhao Ji undoubtedly deserves to die; for everything in his past and present lives, he deserves to die.

There was another person, Zhao Xiaoqian, who was hesitating about whether he should die.

Zeng Bu.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review had sent a memorial to Zhao Xiaoqian a few days ago regarding the final verdict in his case, but Zhao Xiaoqian had yet to respond.

The opinions of the Court of Judicial Review and the Censorate were to execute him and exterminate his entire family.

This verdict is normal, reasonable, and legal. After all, Zeng Bu committed treason, which in ancient society was an unforgivable crime, punishable by the extermination of his entire family.

Zeng Bu's actions certainly deserved to die. If it weren't for his blind loyalty and stubbornness, Bianjing City wouldn't have been in chaos, and Zhao Xiaoqian would have taken the throne in a gentle and legal way, without having to resort to violence.

It was because Zeng Bu suddenly seized military power from the Palace Guards and ordered the Imperial Guards to block the city gates and seize the palace that Zhao Xiaoqian had no choice but to send the Yan-Yun border troops to take action. After some twists and turns, the situation in Bianjing was stabilized.

Now that the outcome is decided, those who need to be accounted for must be accounted for.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian still hesitated when faced with the verdicts handed down by the Court of Judicial Review and the Censorate against Zeng Bu.

To be fair, Zeng Bu had not made any major mistakes before this. During his tenure as Privy Councilor, Zhao Xiaoqian led the Yan-Yun border army to fight against the Liao Kingdom.

It was precisely because of the support of powerful figures like Zhao Xu, Zhang Dun, and Zeng Bu that he was able to avoid any logistical problems and fight bravely against the enemy without any worries, thus achieving the current results.

The meaning of "liquidation" is, first and foremost, to "calculate"—to calculate his merits and demerits throughout his life, to weigh his contributions and mistakes. Even if he is unforgivable in law, in terms of human sentiment, one must ultimately take out a scale to weigh his good and evil, right and wrong.

Zhao Xiaoqian wanted to forgive Zeng Bu, but Zeng Bu's crime was too great to be pardoned. Moreover, he could not set a precedent, otherwise anyone in the world would dare to rise up in rebellion, since they wouldn't die even if they were caught.

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Xiaoqian asked, "Where is Zeng Bu being held now?"

Zhen Qing said, "He was originally imprisoned in the Dali Temple prison, but Zeng Bu's crimes were too serious. So after the Dali Temple and the Censorate interrogated him, the Imperial City Guard took over. Zeng Bu is currently being held in Bingjingwu."

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned: "Is he imprisoned in Bingjingwu? If he fell into the hands of that pervert Liu Dan, is Zeng Bu still intact?"

Zhen Qing hurriedly said, "Zeng Bu was once a Privy Councilor. Before he committed the crime, he held a high position. Without the Emperor's decree, Liu Dan dared not torture him. Zeng Bu is still alive and well."

Zhao Xiaoqian closed his eyes and pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "Go to Bingjingwu and see Zeng Bu. Ask him if he regrets the crimes he has committed. If he says he regrets them, then demote him to a commoner and exile him to Lingnan. This time, there is no need to intercept or kill him; let him live."

"If he insists that he has no regrets, then... let him be treated with dignity, without implicating the Zeng family, and allow Zeng's descendants to still participate in the imperial examinations."

Zhen Qing bowed and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Your subject obeys the decree."

After saying that, Zhen Qing suddenly burst into a strange laugh, which was very fitting for the occasion.

Zhao Xiaoqian felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this, and grabbed a memorial from the table and threw it at the person in question.

"Insolence! This is a just and fair decision by me. There's no need for the villain's triumphant laughter!"

Zhen Qing was startled and quickly bowed to apologize.

"That's settled then. Whether Zeng Bu lives or dies is up to his own choice. If he insists on his decision and doesn't regret it, I will respect his beliefs, but I also hope he will respect the laws of the Song Dynasty," Zhao Xiaoqian said calmly.

"I am not flattering or fawning, but I truly believe that Your Majesty's handling of the matter, which balances kindness and severity while taking into account both legal principles and human sentiment, is truly benevolent and magnanimous, deserving the title of 'benevolent ruler'."

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and said, "You say you're not flattering me, but in reality you are." "Let me say something else..." Zhao Xiaoqian called out towards the outside of the hall, "Old Zheng, summon Jia Da to see me."

Zhen Qing blinked blankly, puzzled by Zhao Xiaoqian's address. He didn't know whether the "Jia Da" the official was referring to was a person's name or a pet.

After a long while, a young woman dressed in a short-sleeved top and with a graceful figure entered the hall and silently bowed to Zhao Xiaoqian.

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded, pointed at Zhen Qing, and said to Jia Da, "You two get to know each other. From now on, you'll all be colleagues in the Imperial City Guard."

"Zhen Qing is in the open, and Jia Da is in the shadows. They are not subordinate to each other, but they can cooperate in their actions. You only obey my orders."

Zhen Qing's mind was a bit confused; he was still pondering the name "Jia Da," wondering if there was actually anyone in the world with the surname "Jia."

Her father, her whole family, are all from niche backgrounds...

He looked up and saw Jia Da's stunningly beautiful, aloof face. Zhen Qing was stunned, a look of amazement flashing in his eyes.

Such a stunning beauty, yet she only serves the emperor?
If nothing unexpected happens, this woman should be one of the legendary imperial bodyguards.

Zhen Qing had been a long-time undercover agent in the Liao capital, Shangjing. When Zhao Xiaoqian led his army to fight against the Liao, Zhen Qing also cooperated with the Song army on the front lines.

Zhen Qing naturally knew a lot about Zhao Xiaoqian. He had vaguely sensed that there was a force assisting Zhao Xiaoqian, but this force was too mysterious and Zhen Qing had never seen it with his own eyes.

Having met this Master Jia today, Zhen Qing has finally touched the tip of the iceberg of this mysterious force.

Therefore, "Jia Da" is not a name, but just a code.

Suicide squad members are not entitled to have their own names; they only have numbers.

Since this woman is ranked in the top tier and is the eldest, it is clear that her abilities far surpass those of Zhen Qing.

After imagining what was happening, Zhen Qing immediately felt a deep respect for Jia Da and took the initiative to clasp his hands in a salute to her, saying, "This humble official, Zhen Qing, greets you!"

Although Jia Da was a death squad member, she was always taciturn, and with her skills, she never took Zhen Qing, a nobody, seriously. When Zhen Qing took the initiative to bow to her, she only gave him a cold nod in return.

Despite being treated so coldly by Jia Da, Zhen Qing wasn't angry at all.

"Cold-eyed, arrogant, I like it!" Zhen Qing thought to himself.

I really want her to stomp on my head with her foot; that's what love is...

Zhao Xiaoqian, who was standing to the side, saw Zhen Qing's sycophantic behavior and secretly sneered.

“Zhen Qing…”

"The minister is here."

Zhao Xiaoqian pointed to the silent Jia Da and asked, "Is this girl good?"

Zhen Qing was taken aback. He first looked at Jia Da's face, and then cautiously said, "Jia... is beautiful and intelligent, with stunning looks that are hard for any gentleman to dream of. She is very good."

Despite Zhen Qing's high praise, Jia Da remained expressionless, as if he were a complete outsider.

Zhao Xiaoqian was speechless.

"She is stunningly beautiful" is obvious to anyone with eyes, but which of your dog eyes saw that she is "beautiful inside and out"?

Was it when she was killing people without hesitation?

Seeing Zhen Qing's disgusting expression of having found love, Zhao Xiaoqian had no choice but to kindly remind him: "I'll just say one thing. I never refuse, take the initiative, or take responsibility for beautiful women, but this woman is so stunning, yet I've never dared to touch her. You're incredibly smart, why don't you think about why?"

Zhen Qing was overjoyed: "Even someone as noble as an official has a woman he cannot obtain. So this woman is truly so pure and refined?"

I love this high-end product even more!
Zhao Xiaoqian smiled; good advice is no match for a damned devil.

Okay, if I don't let you taste the bitterness of love, you probably won't appreciate the saltiness of the ocean.

"The Imperial City Guard's focus now will be on the hundred officials who are about to be transferred to local posts. You two will arrange for spies to keep a close eye on these hundred officials. I need to know what they have been doing since they were transferred to local posts."

Zhen Qing and Jia Da bowed together: "Your subject obeys the decree."

Zhao Xiaoqian gestured to Zhen Qing and said, "You may leave now."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I shall take my leave." Zhen Qing glanced at Jia Da with reluctance before slowly leaving the hall.

Only Zhao Xiaoqian and Jia Da remained in the hall.

Zhao Xiaoqian silently scrutinized Jia Da, examining him carefully from head to toe.

The living father must have found this woman from somewhere and trained her to be a suicide soldier. There must be a lot of stories behind this.

Such a stunningly beautiful woman, yet her name is "Jia Da," which is rather inelegant.

Zhao Xiaoqian's prized horse was named "Gousheng" and his son was named "Sangbiao," so naming things has always been one of his strengths.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaoqian had an idea. He felt that he should give Jia University a better name, and strive to make it popular and unforgettable.

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Xiaoqian stared at Jia Da's stunning face and slowly said, "Jia Da, this name doesn't sound good. How about I change it for you?"

Jia bowed expressionlessly: "It is entirely up to Your Majesty to decide."

(End of this chapter)