The prince is more stable

Chapter 859 Bestowing the Name "Xiuzheng"
Zhao Xiaoqian is a person with normal aesthetics and values. It's certainly not fair to call him great, but it would also be unfair to call him despicable and shameless. He does have a little bit of justice occasionally.

It can only be said that, even as an emperor, he was ultimately still just an ordinary mortal.

They become greedy at the sight of money, get excited at the sight of beauty, occasionally do small evils in secret, and occasionally do small acts of kindness with arrogance.

Regardless of his status, someone like Zhao Xiaoqian would be nothing more than a fleeting presence in a sea of ​​people.

That's how he was in his past life.

Even after becoming emperor in this life, Zhao Xiaoqian's true nature is hard to change.

After all, I haven't been in this job for very long, and I'm still trying to adapt to the new identity and mindset.

So, even though he knew that Jia Da was a woman with a somewhat perverted personality, and that his father, who was such a lecherous man, had never dared to touch her all these years, it meant that this woman was something special.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't dare touch her either.

He remembered that on the night the Prince's mansion set up a trap and killed Liu Mao, the Commander of the Palace Guard, it was this Jia Da who personally carried out the deed.

Zhao Xiaoqian had witnessed Jia Da's killing spree firsthand. If Zhao Hao hadn't stopped him in time, Liu Mao estimated that the bodies would have been scattered all over the place, and it would have been difficult to piece them together.

Zhao Xiaoqian had a deep impression of that scene, so much so that even now, with only him and Jia Da left in the hall, Zhao Xiaoqian felt a little uneasy.

This woman is too taciturn to know her true thoughts or clearly discern her loyalty.

In her story, Zhao Hao might be her father's killer, who plotted to murder her parents when she was young in order to recruit this exceptionally talented assassin.

After learning the truth as an adult, she remained calm and plotted revenge for her parents, waiting for the opportune moment to strike her deadly...

The two didn't exchange a single word in the hall, but Zhao Xiaoqian miraculously conjured up a melodramatic and childish scenario in his mind.

Oh, and with such a melodramatic plot, how could there be no romance?

So, let's add another love story: this woman falls in love with Zhao Xiaoqian, but for the sake of avenging her parents, she has no choice but to tearfully slit his throat. After avenging her parents, she enters a Buddhist nunnery and lives a life of solitude with the ancient Buddha and the flickering lamp...

The more Zhao Xiaoqian thought about it, the more she felt it wasn't worth it. So, this is supposed to be a female-centric drama? What am I? Just a tool for her to slit her throat?
The emperor, did he die so lightly, like a feather?
Shaking his head vigorously, Zhao Xiaoqian tried to clear the random thoughts from his mind and quietly looked at Jia Da.

"Jia Da, this name doesn't sound good. My dad has no taste and just picks names like that, it's like burning a zither to cook a crane..."

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment and said, "I will change your name. First, you will have a surname, so I will bestow upon you the surname 'Zhao'."

Jia Da's expressionless face finally softened. He glanced at him with some surprise, then quickly lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly. He still spoke in a cold tone, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing upon me the surname Zhao. From now on, I will be surnamed Zhao."

Zhao Xiaoqian pondered for a moment and said, "Names... Zhao Cuihua? Zhao Shufen? Zhao Zhaodi? Which one do you like?"

Jia Da's expression changed again, but he quickly regained his composure and said, "Your Majesty can call me whatever you like, even if it's just a cat or a dog, I have no objection."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed heartily: "Alright, I'm not joking anymore..."

His gaze swept across the table and he saw a copy of the Tao Te Ching, with many annotations in red ink. It was a book that Zhao Xu often read.

Zhao Xiaoqian took the book, flipped through it casually, and his gaze settled on a certain page.

"The Tao Te Ching says, 'If you want to contract something, you must first expand it.' I also remember that the Huainanzi says, 'Make it contract, and respond with expansion'..."

“The character ‘歙’ has a profound meaning. It means to be introverted and restrained. It means to be modest and low-key in one’s personalities, but flamboyant and domineering in one’s actions. Hence the saying ‘to be modest and restrained, but to be flamboyant and domineering in one’s actions,’ which is quite in line with your personality.”

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Jia Da and said, "From now on, your name will be 'Zhao Xi'. Do you like it?"

Jia Da was moved again, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his indifference. He simply knelt down on both knees facing Zhao Xiaoqian and said, "Zhao Xi greets Your Majesty and thanks Your Majesty for bestowing upon me this name."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded: "You really should thank me. You know, even my own son was almost called 'Sangbiao' (meaning 'loser') because of this. You can see how lucky you are."

Zhao Xi lowered his head, a subtle smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

Zhao Xiaoqian was very satisfied with the name he chose; he felt he was a genius at naming things.

Given time, he will surely have all of his father's subordinates standing in front of him, and he will name them one by one. When they go out, they will all be named "Zixuan" or "Mingxuan", "Zirui" or "Zimo". With so many elegant people, even the best names will become commonplace.

They can't recognize characters if they don't have a "子" or "轩" in their name.

In Zhao Xiaoqian's previous life, there were about two hundred people in his company, four of whom shared the same name, "Zixuan".

Later, the company's colleagues had no choice but to number the Zixuans, like Zixuan No. 1, Zixuan No. 2... like they were about to launch a carrier rocket.

"Zhao Xi, from now on you will be in charge of official business in the Imperial City Guard. Zhen Qing will be in the open, and you will be in the dark... You are the only female official appointed by me. From now on, you may refer to yourself as 'your subject' in front of me."

"Your subject Zhao Xi obeys the decree."

Zhao Xiaoqian stared into Zhao Xi's eyes and slowly said, "I want you and your men to be my sharp sword, a sword hidden in my bosom and not easily shown to others. No one will be aware of its existence, but whenever I need it, it will always appear in any place I wish it to be, in a timely and accurate manner."

"Zhao Xi, can I trust your loyalty?" Zhao Xi knelt and bowed his head: "Your Majesty, I am willing to serve you faithfully until death!"

"From now on, you don't need to be death warriors. I hope that you are all living, breathing people with flesh and blood, with joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, birth, aging, sickness, and death, marriage and separation, acting only according to your own heart, instead of being emotionless wooden stakes."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Tell your subordinates what I have to say. Those who are willing to continue working for me may stay. Those who have the will to retire and only want to live a peaceful life will not be forced. Give them money to settle down and send them away."

Zhao Xi's emotions were fluctuating greatly today. At this moment, her pretty face was moved again. She pursed her red lips and finally lowered her head and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Zhao Xiaoqian waved his hand and said, "You may leave."

Zhao Xi slowly withdrew from the hall.

When Zhao Xiaoqian was the only one left in the hall, he let out a long breath.

With such beauty before him, the temptation was too great, and he almost let himself be swayed by her and had her serve him in bed.

However, when he thought back to the night he killed Liu Mao, Zhao Xi was like a mad tigress, viciously pouncing on Liu Mao. He would never forget that scene for the rest of his life.

Upon recalling that scene, both Zhao Xiaoqian and his younger brother Zhao Xiaoqian calmed down.

A son of a wealthy family, a ruler of a great nation, will not stand under a crumbling wall, nor will he sleep with a crazy woman.

Even if you strip her naked, it's hard to guarantee that she won't pull out a sharp weapon from somewhere and kill him.

After all, Uncle Qian always pulls the phone out from behind his back to answer it, so who can guarantee that Zhao Xi doesn't have that special ability?
…………

Zhao Xiaoqian spent the next few days in a busy schedule.

The court assembly was held every two days. Apart from that, Zhao Xiaoqian spent most of his time in the Hall of State Affairs.

Every day, he discussed the revised terms of the new policies with Zhang Dun and other prime ministers, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of each clause, scrutinizing every word.

The revised policies were merely a facade; Zhao Xiaoqian was well aware that this was a redistribution of interests.

Every word of the new policy changes may affect the interests of ordinary people and merchants.

Zhao Xiaoqian felt like a surgeon performing a delicate operation on a person named "Xinzheng". The operation was very complicated and extremely difficult. If even a small blood vessel was ruptured, the patient named "Xinzheng" would die.

The work to revise the new policy is progressing very slowly.

The prime minister and deputy prime ministers in the Council of State Affairs include officials from both the new and old parties. This is to maintain the balance of power in the court. Zhao Xiaoqian's position is not yet secure, and he does not want to make any personnel changes for the time being.

The first issue discussed was the "Green Sprouts Law".

The debate began immediately after it started, with the new and old parties each sticking to their own views and refusing to back down. The new party demanded that not a single word be changed, while the old party demanded a complete overturning of the original proposal.

The biggest controversy concerns the government's lending provisions in the Green Sprouts Act.

Wang Anshi's original intention in proposing the Green Sprouts Act was good. When farmers encountered famine and had no rice to cook, the government could lend them grain and seeds.

The goal is to help farmers get through this crisis. Next year, when the fields yield a harvest, the farmers will return the borrowed grain and seeds. Of course, when returning the grain and seeds, a small interest will be added, neither too high nor too low, about 20% of the principal.

The central government proposed benevolent policies, but when implemented at the local level, they turned into oppressive policies that exploited and oppressed farmers.

Local officials discovered a way to make money in this new policy and began to have ulterior motives.

Regardless of whether it was a year of famine or whether the family had enough food, all farmers under the jurisdiction had to borrow grain from the government and repay the principal and interest the following year, regardless of whether they needed it or not.

Officials with a conscience only earn this small amount of interest, falsifying accounts along the way, with the interest portion ending up in their own pockets.

Officials with no conscience will force farmers to take out large loans, and the interest rates are not just 20%. In many places, officials will arbitrarily increase the interest rates to 50%, 80%, or even compound interest.

If such a new policy were implemented, which farmer could bear it? However, not borrowing was not an option; the government would come to their door and force them to borrow.

Of course, you'll be forced to repay the principal and interest in the second year. In some places, you can't even wait until the second year. If you borrow this month, you have to repay next month. If you can't repay, you'll have to sell your house and land, be driven out of your home by officials, and your whole family will become refugees.

Now that the Green Sprouts Act has been brought up for discussion in the Council of State, even Zhao Xiaoqian finds it difficult to define whether it is a good or bad policy, so it is really too difficult to amend it.

Inside the Politics Hall, officials from both the New Party and the Old Party had already rolled up their sleeves and were pointing fingers at each other, hurling insults.

The noisy and annoying shouting gave Zhao Xiaoqian a real headache.

Looking at Zhang Dun sitting beside him, Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, "Mr. Zihou, what do you think?"

Zhang Dun stroked his beard and said calmly, "The dispute over the Green Sprouts Law is about its implementation at the local level. The law itself is not problematic; it's just that the local areas lack supervision from the imperial court, which is why it gets out of control when it's implemented among the people."

(End of this chapter)