The prince is more stable

Chapter 885 Liao Envoys Arrive at the Court
With her husband becoming emperor, Di Ying and the other women felt not only joy but also greater pressure.

In this era, procreation is of utmost importance, and for women, bearing a son for their husbands is their most important mission in life.

The pressure on the wives and concubines was even greater when the husband was the emperor.

The imperial family must have many sons and grandsons to ensure that the throne remains in the hands of their own family. Zhao Xu was a typical example in the past. After the death of Zhao Xu's only son, there was no one to inherit the throne, which led to the subsequent struggle for the throne among the princes and chaos in Bianjing.

In comparison, Di Ying was under the greatest pressure.

She is the principal wife, and now the Empress, but she has not yet given birth to a prince for Zhao Xiaoqian. Over time, how will the concubines and palace servants view her?
Moreover, the imperial court places great emphasis on legitimacy. Only the sons born to the empress are legitimate heirs to the throne. If the empress has no sons, the succession to the throne will inevitably be chaotic and contentious, and may even lead to more serious wars.

This is not a joke, but something that could actually happen; this is how Zhao Xiaoqian obtained the throne.

After finishing his meal with his wives and concubines, Niao Niao and the others tactfully withdrew, while Zhao Xiaoqian remained in the Funing Palace to handle state affairs, with Di Ying obediently serving him.

In such a vast country, there are too many and too complicated national affairs to handle. It wasn't until dark that Zhao Xiaoqian put down his pen, and Di Ying took the initiative to massage his shoulders.

Zheng Chunhe brought dinner, and this time the couple ate alone.

After dinner, the couple sat together and chatted for a while. Di Ying did most of the talking, recounting what she had seen and heard in Japan, including how Zhang Rong led his generals to conquer cities and territories and massacre villagers.

Di Ying looked somewhat reluctant and whispered, "My lord, General Zhang said that you gave the order for the soldiers to massacre the Japanese. Is that true?"

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded without any attempt to hide his feelings and said frankly, "That's right, it was my order. Zhang Rong was just carrying out my orders. But judging from the situation, Zhang Rong didn't kill enough. Tomorrow I will issue an edict telling Zhang Rong to have no mercy and no scruples. It would be best to leave the land desolate."

Di Ying exclaimed in surprise, "Why? The common people are ultimately innocent. Besides, Japan has been very respectful to the Song Dynasty in recent years, and there has been no friction between the two countries..."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Madam, we can't just look at the relationship between the two countries in the next few decades. You should broaden your perspective and take a longer view."

"The Japanese people are inherently despicable. Now that the Central Plains are powerful, especially in commerce, Japan is confined to a small island with scarce resources. It needs the goods of the Song Dynasty and the culture of the Central Plains to nourish its own people."

"They have something to ask of our Great Song Dynasty, which is why they are so courteous. But once our Great Song Dynasty shows signs of decline, believe it or not, Japan will be the first to invade, seize our Great Song Dynasty's resources, and slaughter our Great Song Dynasty's people."

Di Ying exclaimed in surprise, "Could...could it be like this?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said firmly, "It will definitely happen. That's why I sent Zhang Rong to land in Japan. Protecting you is one of the reasons. Another reason is that I want to take the initiative and occupy Japan. Even if it's not incorporated into our Great Song territory, we will support a puppet regime and completely control Japan."

"In the future, I will also build ports in Japan, set up shipping offices, build ships, recruit and train naval forces, and use Japan as a bridgehead to organize fleets to sail eastward, to find new continents, new crops and products. Therefore, Japan is a strategic location, and I must control it."

"As for ordinary Japanese civilians, their lives and deaths are not important. Their national character dictates that no matter how much we appease and show them kindness, they will not be loyal to the Song Dynasty. In that case, we might as well kill them and let the people of our Song Dynasty manage this land."

“Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts, and this is especially true of Japan. Madam, remember this from now on: I am the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, and you are the Empress of the Great Song Dynasty. We will only work for the benefit of the people of the Great Song Dynasty. We need not be too kind to the people outside the Great Song Dynasty, because it is meaningless. No matter how much we give, we cannot gain their loyalty.”

Di Ying nodded as if she understood: "I am just a woman and don't understand these grand principles, but I will do whatever you say, my lord."

"This is my first time being Empress, and I am afraid I will make many mistakes in the future. I am not sure I can manage the harem well. Please forgive me, my lord."

Zhao Xiaoqian put his arm around her slender waist and laughed, "We are husband and wife, so why bother with forgiveness? If we make a mistake, we make a mistake. No one will dare to laugh at us. We are the most honorable couple in the world. Even if we do something wrong, we should insist that we did nothing wrong and that's how it should be handled."

"Since ancient times, the imperial palace has been a place where people devour each other, with all sorts of complicated relationships and all sorts of conspiracies and struggles. But don't worry, my lady, I'll support you. No matter what you do, I'll support you, regardless of right or wrong, only based on our relationship."

Di Ying rolled her eyes at him and said, "Sir, you must not say such foolish and immoral things in front of outsiders, otherwise you will be impeached and cause trouble for yourself."

Zhao Xiaoqian put his arm around her waist, tightening his grip, and laughed, "My lady, it's getting late, we should go to bed. Tonight, I'll try my best to get you pregnant. Once you give me a baby, you'll have more confidence in ruling the harem."

Di Ying felt a tingling sensation all over her body. Zhao Xiaoqian had just hit the nail on the head. After returning to Bianjing, seeing that her husband was now the noble emperor, the pressure to have a child was even greater. As the empress, Di Ying longed to conceive even more than he did.

"My lord, go and blow out the lamp..." Di Ying said shyly, then, as if remembering something, nervously looked towards the window of the main hall.

Zhao Xiaoqian comforted him, "I have already reprimanded the Imperial Diarist. Don't worry, from now on, no one will dare to eavesdrop on our conversations, or they'll lose their heads."

"I'm going to sleep, I don't know anything, please be gentle, my lord..." Di Ying lay down on the bed fully clothed.

…………

The next morning, feeling refreshed, Zhao Xiaoqian walked out of the Funing Palace and stretched.

Having a wife by my side is indeed much better than being alone. Having a close friend who cares about me has warmed my heart since I ascended the throne.

After stretching his limbs, Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment, then ordered Zheng Chunhe to fetch a short shirt and help him change. Zhao Xiaoqian then began jogging slowly through the palace. Zheng Chunhe was startled, wondering why the Emperor had suddenly started running, and quickly began to catch up.

Zhao Xiaoqian stopped and waved to Zheng Chunhe: "I'm going to exercise a bit to try and live a little longer. You're too old to come along. Let Chen Shou run with me."

Zheng Chunhe stopped and watched Zhao Xiaoqian's figure run further and further away. His old face couldn't help but smile even more broadly.

This emperor is so different from all the emperors of the past.

Chen Shou accompanied Zhao Xiaoqian, running around Yanfu Palace until Zhao Xiaoqian was covered in sweat and his face was flushed. Only then did the two slowly walk towards Funing Palace.

Back at Funing Palace, under Di Ying's personal care, Zhao Xiaoqian soaked in a wooden bathtub, washed himself, and then changed into a yellow robe, looking much more refreshed.

There's no court assembly today, which saves us a lot of trouble.

The Song Dynasty did not hold court assemblies every day; they were usually held only once every three to five days, depending on the emperor's diligence.

Emperor Zhao Xiaoqian was certainly not a diligent emperor, and he would delay court meetings as much as possible, basically keeping them at the bottom line of the court officials. If they delayed for even one more day, the court officials would collectively submit a memorial denouncing the emperor for his laziness and negligence in governing, so he would only hold one meeting at a time.

After taking a bath, Zhao Xiaoqian was about to handle state affairs when Zheng Chunhe entered the palace.

"Your Majesty, the Liao envoy has arrived in Bianjing and is waiting outside the palace gates for an audience."

Zhao Xiaoqian was taken aback: "Liao envoys? What are they doing here at this time of year?"

Zheng Chunhe said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty has probably forgotten that you said at your enthronement ceremony that the annual tributes that the Great Song Dynasty sent to the Liao Dynasty in the past should be accounted for by the Liao Dynasty."

"The Liao envoy has arrived today, probably for this matter."

Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly realized and patted his forehead.

Damn it, I was just too diligent and actually forgot about this.

They've come to deliver money to your door in person! How could you forget about such a windfall? This is the greatest disrespect for money. You should kneel before your ancestors' tablets in the Temple of Heaven and reflect on your actions.

"Issue the imperial decree: summon the Liao envoy to the Wende Hall," Zhao Xiaoqian ordered immediately.

Wende Hall is located next to Daqing Hall in the Imperial Palace. Like Daqing Hall, it served as the place where the emperor handled state affairs and held court assemblies.

The difference is that the Daqing Hall was used for more formal court assemblies, while the Wende Hall was used more frequently, mainly for small court assemblies or as a place to discuss state affairs with the prime ministers.

Today, Zhao Xiaoqian summoned the Liao envoy to the Wende Hall, which can be considered an expression of goodwill.

After all, being polite to someone who brings money to your door is a basic quality of a host.

After Zhao Xiaoqian entered the hall, the Liao envoy had been waiting inside for a long time. Upon seeing Zhao Xiaoqian enter, the Liao envoy immediately stood up and bowed.

"Xiao Fengxian, the envoy of the Liao Kingdom, was sent by the Liao Emperor to the Great Song Dynasty to pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty."

Before Zhao Xiaoqian could even sit down, he was startled by the familiar voice. He looked up and saw that it was indeed Xiao Fengxian.

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately smiled and said, "So the Liao envoy is Brother Xiao. It's been a long time."

Xiao Fengxian hurriedly said, "I am ashamed to accept the title of Your Majesty the Emperor. I should treat you with the courtesy due to a subject to a ruler."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and said, "Brother Xiao, there's no need for formalities. We're old acquaintances. I never expected the Liao emperor to send you as an envoy to the Song Dynasty. If I had known, I should have sent troops north to escort you."

Xiao Fengxian laughed and said, "This humble subject dares not accept such an honor. Two months ago, when the Liao emperor was selecting envoys, it was this humble subject who volunteered to go on the mission, which is how I secured the opportunity to meet His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty."

Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly realized.

Look at the awareness of this Liao traitor, how proactive he is! After we destroy the Liao Kingdom, we should at least give Xiao Fengxian an official position, otherwise he will have betrayed the country for nothing.
"I am overjoyed to see an old friend again. How about this, it's not very interesting to chat in this desolate hall. Why don't we have a drink and reminisce about the past?" Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

Xiao Fengxian looked flattered and hurriedly said, "It is my honor to be able to drink at the same table with His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty. In that case, I will respectfully accept your invitation."

(End of this chapter)