The prince is more stable

Chapter 903 Sowing Discord and Plotting Against the Country
Funing Hall.

The once lavish banquet was reduced to scraps, as Zhao Xiaoqian had just finished entertaining Xiao Fengxian.

As an envoy of the Liao Dynasty, Xiao Fengxian had spent some time in Bianjing and had finished discussing all the important matters. Early the next morning, Xiao Fengxian would lead the Liao delegation officials to leave the Song Dynasty and return to Shangjing, the capital of the Liao Dynasty.

Therefore, Zhao Xiaoqian specially prepared a banquet in the Funing Palace tonight as a farewell feast for Xiao Fengxian.

The two had known each other for a long time, but their friendship wasn't particularly deep.

Firstly, Zhao Xiaoqian's status is different now, and someone like Xiao Fengxian is no longer worthy of being his friend.

Secondly, while Xiao Fengxian was indeed an important pawn planted by the Song Dynasty next to the Liao Emperor, his true nature was that of a traitor who betrayed his country.

From the perspective of national interests, it was necessary for Zhao Xiaoqian to treat him with courtesy, but from the perspective of personal feelings, he could not feel much goodwill towards someone who betrayed his country.

After a sumptuous banquet, Zhao Xiaoqian personally escorted Xiao Fengxian to the palace gate.

Xiao Fengxian was deeply grateful and felt extremely honored. After all, the Emperor of the Great Song personally escorted him out of the palace, a privilege not bestowed upon ordinary people. He felt that after the Great Song Dynasty destroyed the Liao Dynasty, the Emperor would surely give him an important position.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, after I return to the capital, I will meticulously carry out Your Majesty's plans. First, I will urge the Liao Emperor to kill corrupt officials, replenish the national treasury, and repay the annual tribute owed to the Song Dynasty over the years."

"Secondly, spread the news that Yelü Yanxi had once been a prisoner of the Song Dynasty, which would shake his rule and cause internal strife in Liao, which would be beneficial to the Song Dynasty."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded with a smile, then suddenly said, as if remembering something, "There's one more thing. If it's convenient for you and Xiao Wuna, you might as well do it together."

"Please give your instructions, Your Majesty. I am ready to go through fire and water for you."

"I ascended the throne a few months ago. On the day of my coronation ceremony, I spoke with the envoys from Liao and Western Xia about the matter of paying tribute. Now Liao has responded and sent you as their envoy..."

"But as for Li Qianshun of Western Xia, I have been waiting for him for several months, and there has been no response so far... I am a little unhappy."

Xiao Fengxian was startled and hurriedly said, "This Li Qianshun is blind to the situation and deserves to die. What should I do? Please give your instructions, Your Majesty."

"The amount of tribute is a minor matter. The Liao Kingdom owes only a few million taels, and the Western Xia owes even less, at most a million or so. With the current annual revenue of the Song Dynasty's treasury, I actually don't care about this small amount of money... Money is not important, but the face of the Song Dynasty and the attitude of neighboring countries are very important."

"Perhaps Li Qianshun feels sorry for me and is reluctant to part with such a small amount of money, so he deliberately doesn't respond, which makes me even more embarrassed..."

As Zhao Xiaoqian spoke, he quickly glanced at Xiao Fengxian and said, "The Liao Kingdom is also short of money, isn't it?"

Xiao Fengxian hurriedly replied, "Of course we're short of money. Otherwise, why would the Liao emperor try to imitate our Song Dynasty's reforms and efforts to strengthen the nation?"

Zhao Xiaoqian hummed in agreement and said, "When a country is short of money, it boils down to four words: 'increasing revenue and reducing expenditure.' As for 'reducing expenditure,' cracking down on corrupt officials domestically and confiscating their assets to fill the national treasury can be considered reducing expenditure. As for 'increasing revenue,' we need to look to our neighbors abroad..."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled meaningfully and said, "Nowadays, the Song Dynasty can't afford to offend the Liao Dynasty, but the Liao Dynasty and the Western Xia Dynasty are also neighboring countries. Your two countries are adjacent in the northwest. The Liao Dynasty is short of money, so why not start a war and plunder some money from the Western Xia Dynasty?"

"If the Liao Kingdom can't afford to mess with the current Song Dynasty, surely it can't afford to mess with the Western Xia? What do we do when the country is short of money? Of course, we pick a weaker opponent and rob them of their money!"

Xiao Fengxian was immediately taken aback; he had already understood the meaning behind Zhao Xiaoqian's words.

"Does His Majesty mean that I and Xiao Wuna should persuade the Liao Emperor to launch a war against Western Xia?"

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at him innocently: "Don't you northern nomadic peoples always do this when you're short of money? If your neighbor has something you don't have, it's as if you have it yourself. It's just a matter of you having to go and get it yourself. Is there a problem with that?"

Xiao Fengxian said in astonishment, "But... Liao and Xia have always been on good terms, and Western Xia is especially respectful and courteous to Liao, always paying tribute on time every year. If Liao were to start a war against Western Xia without any reason, even if we could persuade Yelü Yanxi, the officials in the court would not be able to justify it."

Zhao Xiaoqian clicked his tongue and said, "If you're so slow-witted, you might as well donate it to someone in need, like your Liao Emperor..."

"If there's no reason to start a war, you can create one! Disguise yourselves, cross the border to plunder and slaughter border residents, create conflict and friction between the two countries, then frame the Western Xia, incite public anger in the Liao people, and create hostile public opinion..."

"By the time you return, the news that Yelü Yanxi was captured by the Song army will have spread. With the court and the public in turmoil, you and Xiao Wuna can take the opportunity to propose a war against Western Xia to divert domestic conflicts. This is the only way to consolidate Yelü Yanxi's imperial power..."

Xiao Fengxian was immediately amazed and full of admiration. He couldn't help but bow and say, "Your Majesty's bottom line is the same as mine... no, Your Majesty has great foresight... in short, I admire you the most!"

Zhao Xiaoqian's old face turned cold. He'd clearly just been flattering him, but he still felt the guy's insults were incredibly vulgar...

Forget it, I won't bother with these barbarians.

Zhao Xiaoqian patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly, "You are now a subject of the Song Dynasty. Remember to handle the matters I have entrusted to you well... especially debt collection, which is of utmost importance."

"I have come up with so many ways to make money for Yelü Yanxi, and I have worried myself sick over him. If he still doesn't pay back the money, don't blame me for splashing red paint and cursing in front of the Liao palace."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

With a smile, Zhao Xiaoqian watched Xiao Fengxian leave. He stood outside the palace gate for a long time before turning back to Funing Palace. If all went well, Xiao Fengxian and Xiao Wuna would persuade Yelü Yanxi to provoke a war between Liao and Xia, which would naturally be a good thing for the Song Dynasty.

The Song, Liao, and Xia dynasties were all about the ebb and flow of power.

As for moral bottom lines, where is there any morality or ethical bottom line to speak of in the open and covert struggles between countries?

As long as it weakens the opponent's strength and strengthens one's own, no matter how dirty or despicable the means, one can use them without any psychological pressure.

Just as he sat down back in the hall, Zheng Chunhe bowed and entered, saying softly, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine has sent word that, if Your Majesty is not busy, she wishes to invite you to dine at Princess Cheng'an's bedchamber in Liao..."

Zhao Xiaoqian was taken aback. After thinking for a while, he patted his forehead and said, "That's right, the Imperial Concubine is Niao Niao, the Imperial Concubine is Niao Niao... and I personally bestowed the title upon her."

After becoming emperor, all his wives were made empresses and concubines. There were so many that Zhao Xiaoqian often couldn't keep track of them, and his memory became confused.

"By the way, what did the Imperial Concubine want me to do?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked again.

Zheng Chunhe bowed and said, "Your Highness, please come to Princess Cheng'an's bedchamber in Liao Kingdom for dinner."

“Are you treating me like a pig? I just ate with Xiao Fengxian, I’m not hungry, let them eat by themselves…” Zhao Xiaoqian said without thinking.

Zhao Xiaoqian refused calmly, but Zheng Chunhe was anything but calm.

The Emperor was preoccupied with state affairs and paid little attention to the harem, so the unspoken message that many adults could understand was completely ignored by him. However, this did not mean that Zheng Chunhe was indifferent to it.

Having spent half his life in the harem, the Imperial Concubine's invitation to the Emperor to dine together for no apparent reason, especially in the bedchamber of Princess Cheng'an of Liao, was an obvious hint, practically a veiled invitation to the Emperor to "sleep with Princess Cheng'an of Liao tonight."

Clearly, the Emperor did not understand the Consort's implied meaning at all, and directly refused, citing that he had just eaten.

Does the Imperial Concubine want you to come over for a meal? She's clearly inviting you to eat people—specifically, Princess Cheng'an of Liao, to be swallowed whole, skin and bones.

Don't you think about it? All the concubines in the harem have been made empresses and consorts, but Yelü Nanxian still holds the title of "Princess Cheng'an of Liao" to this day. The Emperor has not given her any official title. Isn't it embarrassing for her to live in the palace in such an ambiguous state?

Tonight, the Imperial Concubine clearly intends to resolve this issue.

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian sitting at his desk, opening the memorial and about to write his comments, Zheng Chunhe coughed awkwardly twice and emphasized, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine is in the bedchamber of Princess Cheng'an of Liao, and she has invited you to have dinner with her. Are you... really not going to consider going?"

Zhao Xiaoqian looked up impatiently and saw Zheng Chunhe's strange expression. He was stunned: "Old Zheng, your sneaky, shifty-eyed look makes you seem like an old scoundrel. What's going on...?"

He paused abruptly, finally realizing what Zhao Xiaoqian meant.

"You just said that the Imperial Concubine wanted me to have dinner there?"

Zheng Chunhe breathed a sigh of relief. "You finally figured it out."

"Your Majesty, it is in the sleeping quarters of Princess Cheng'an of the Liao Kingdom."

Zhao Xiaoqian raised an eyebrow, and the image of Yelü Nanxian's cold and broken face immediately appeared in his mind.

It seems that... ever since the women returned to the capital and moved into the palace, Zhao Xiaoqian hasn't seen Yelü Nanxian. These days, he's either been dealing with state affairs or being taken advantage of by Di Ying and the other women in turn. These women are really determined to have his children...

As for Yelü Nanxian, Zhao Xiaoqian had to admit that he hadn't seen her recently.

Tonight, Niao Niao suddenly invited him to dinner; there's probably something fishy going on...

"Old Zheng, let's proceed to Princess Cheng'an's bedchamber," Zhao Xiaoqian immediately ordered.

Zheng Chunhe happily agreed.

Not long after, surrounded by palace servants, Zhao Xiaoqian arrived at Yelü Nanxian's bedroom.

Yelü Nanxian's bedroom was not large. Compared with the other women who had been officially named concubines, her bedroom was rather simple and not very big.

This is the importance of the word "status".

Being nameless and without status, it was ultimately unsuitable for her to live in a large palace, as it would attract gossip among the palace servants. In the harem, a place teeming with women and rife with disputes, Yelü Nanxian's situation was not particularly good.

Zhao Xiaoqian stood outside the palace gate, looking around at the simple sleeping quarters, feeling a pang of guilt towards Yelü Nanxian.

A fragrant breeze wafted towards them, and Niao Niao and Yelü Nanxian came out of the palace to greet them. Niao Niao immediately took Zhao Xiaoqian's hand with delight and said with a smile, "My lord, you've finally arrived! I've been starving."

(End of this chapter)