The prince is more stable

Chapter 921 The most important thing
Visiting friends and taking the opportunity to consolidate his power in Bianjing (Kaifeng) was a fruitful day for Zhao Xiaoqian.

Now all that's missing is to eat the steamed fish made by Zhang Xiaoyi's wife.

Zhao Xiaoqian could barely be considered a gourmet. When it came to food, he was more meticulous and discerning than when it came to choosing women. Ordinary people couldn't satisfy his tastes. The imperial chefs in the palace were repeatedly summoned and scolded by him, which caused them to develop professional psychological trauma.

The steamed fish made by Zhang Xiaoyi's wife was the only one that he could eat without getting tired of it. He wondered how she made it. Zhao Xiaoqian wanted to go to the kitchen to ask her for advice, but his wife was too socially anxious. When she saw Zhao Xiaoqian come in, she panicked and couldn't say a word.

Zhao Xiaoqian felt that if he talked to her any more, the woman might panic and jump into the well, so he reluctantly gave up trying to communicate with her.

Fortunately, Zhang Xiaoyi married this woman, so whenever he wants to eat fish, he can just come to his house.

After eating and drinking their fill, Zhao Hao and Zhang Xiaoyi had gotten along quite well.

The boy was held tightly in Zhang Xiaoyi's arms, who personally fed him every bite of food and carefully picked out fish bones for him. This made Zhao Hao extremely happy, and he called out "Uncle Xiaoyi" sweetly, which made Zhang Xiaoyi's heart flutter.

The father and son had surprisingly similar tastes, and Zhao Hao especially liked steamed fish. The two of them finished more than half of the two mandarin fish together, and they enjoyed the meal very much.

After finishing his meal, Zhao Xiaoqian patted his bottom and took his leave, hugging Zhao Hao.

Today, thanks to Zhang Xiaoyi, Lu Changheng, the prefect of Kaifeng, was also rewarded by Zhao Xiaoqian with a meal at the same table. Lu Changheng was extremely grateful and kept his buttocks tucked between his legs throughout the meal, feeling both honored and cautious. Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't even remember whether Lu Changheng had eaten anything.

After leaving Zhang Xiaoyi's house, Lu Changheng escorted Zhao Xiaoqian and the others to the carriage waiting at the alley entrance.

Just before boarding the carriage, Zhao Xiaoqian said to Lu Changheng, "Regarding the integration of idlers in Bianjing, you should cooperate with Zhang Xiaoyi to handle things efficiently. In the future, you should discuss with Zhang Xiaoyi how to control public opinion in the streets and all matters related to the Kaifeng Prefecture's handling of cases, such as the investigation of suspects."

"Yes, I obey your order."

Zhao Xiaoqian paused for a moment, then said, "When the constables patrol the streets near Zhang Xiaoyi's house, they often make sure to patrol around his neighborhood."

"He is my friend, and it is important to protect his family."

"Your Majesty understands, and will certainly not fail in your trust."

Lu Changheng's curiosity about the relationship between the Emperor and Zhang Xiaoyi had reached its peak, and he finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness, but since this Zhang Xiaoyi has such a close relationship with Your Majesty, why doesn't Your Majesty grant him an official position and rank? Then he would naturally be able to protect himself, without having to rely on the Kaifeng Prefecture's servants..."

Zhao Xiaoqian was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "If you were Zhang Xiaoyi, I would bestow upon you an official position and rank. Do you want it?"

Without hesitation, Lu Changheng blurted out, "It is a gift from the Emperor, and I cannot refuse it."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "He's different from you."

After saying this, Zhao Xiaoqian carried Zhao Hao onto the carriage. Chen Shou and Zheng Chunhe served as guards on both sides of the carriage, while a hundred imperial guards escorted the carriage as it headed towards Yanfu Palace.

Inside the swaying carriage, Zhao Xiaoqian was holding Zhao Hao, about to give him a kiss on the cheek, when he remembered that the boy had just rolled around on the ground and, although he had washed his face, it still looked dirty. So, he rationally restrained his fatherly love and didn't kiss him.

"Sang Biao, is Uncle Xiao Yi's house fun?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked with a smile.

"Fun!" Sang Biao answered loudly.

Do you like Uncle Xiao Yi?

"I love it! Let's eat fish!"

"When Uncle Yi has his own child, you two can play together and roll around on the ground together."

…………

For Zhao Xiaoqian, leaving the palace was practically a vacation, and he had a very fulfilling day.

The father and son were happy, but when they returned to the palace, Di Ying and Niaoniao felt like the sky had fallen when they saw Zhao Hao looking like a dirty mud monkey. They angrily grabbed Zhao Hao and ordered the palace servants to prepare hot water and wash the boy thoroughly.

Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't escape being scolded and complained about by the two women, but he didn't care and would do it again next time.

The next morning, Zhao Xiaoqian went to court in a daze. After the court session, Zhang Dun and Han Zhongyan came to the Funing Hall to request an audience.

With the establishment of the Censorate, the most important thing in the court now is to expand its scale, carefully select officials of reliable character, and exercise the power of the Censorate.

The second step is to discuss and revise the new policy provisions.

These two matters are of paramount importance to the court officials and the emperor at present.

Zhang Dun and Han Zhongyan arrived together. While waiting for the Emperor's summons outside the Funing Hall, Zhang Dun and Han Zhongyan even chatted and laughed, their relationship appearing quite harmonious. After a period of power struggle between the Emperor and his ministers, and the harsh realities of life, Zhang Dun ultimately had to acquiesce to the existence of the Censorate and the power that had been taken from him.

Since the emperor insisted on doing it this way, Zhang Dun, as the prime minister, had no choice but to obey unconditionally.

Since he couldn't struggle against it, he could only close his eyes and silently enjoy it; that probably describes Zhang Dun's current state of mind.

So after Zhang Dun accepted reality, he was able to chat and laugh with Han Zhongyan, looking like a close comrade-in-arms with a deep friendship.

Zhao Xiaoqian summoned the two men to the Funing Palace and his first concern was the expansion of the Censorate and the selection of officials.

"The Censorate currently has about 120 officials, of whom more than 80 are newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) in the second year of Shaosheng (1094), and are around 20 or 30 years old. The other 40 or so are drawn from various government offices in Bianjing (Kaifeng), including retired officials who are on leave in the capital," Han Zhongyan reported.

Zhao Xiaoqian said in a deep voice: "Supervisory officials must be selected based on their character. This is a strict requirement. After they are selected and enter the government, their character must be examined repeatedly. We will not hesitate to set some traps, tricks, and temptations to test whether their character is trustworthy at critical moments."

"If anyone succumbs to temptation and wavers in their principles, they will be immediately removed without exception."

Han Zhongyan bowed and said, "Your subject understands. Most of the supervisory officials are newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). These officials are young, energetic, and have the ambition to serve the country. They have not experienced the darkness and injustice of officialdom, so their hearts are still relatively pure. The world in their eyes is still black and white."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded: "I believe they are righteous now, but human nature cannot be trusted too much. Today they are righteous, but after being corrupted by the officialdom, they may not be trustworthy tomorrow."

"Therefore, I have said that supervisory officials are rotated every three years and are held accountable for life. This is also to curb the evil in the hearts of officials. Their humanity may not be able to resist the temptations of officialdom, but the laws of the Great Song Dynasty can help them curb the evil in their hearts."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dun's eyelids twitched.

He always felt that the Control Yuan had taken away the power of the Council of State Affairs, and that it was the very important power of personnel supervision.

But now, after hearing what the Emperor said, Zhang Dun suddenly felt that the Censorate was not what he had imagined.

Life wasn't actually that easy for this newly established government office. Everyone assumed that the officials in charge of the Censorate, who held the power to impeach and supervise officials across the country, would be arrogant and domineering. But in reality, the officials in the Censorate also faced immense pressure.

In particular, the three-year rotation system, the lifelong responsibility system, and the traps and temptations that they may fall into at any time and place, all catch them off guard and put their character to the test.

If they waver even slightly when faced with temptation, they will not only lose their positions as supervisory officials, but also their official posts and titles.

However, we are all mortals after all, and we cannot escape the seven emotions and six desires. What kind of person can resist the temptations of the world time and time again?

Unless one's character is truly exceptional, every day for an inspector is like walking a tightrope; one wrong step and they'll fall off a cliff, never to recover.

In this sense, supervisory officials actually face greater pressure than most officials in the world; they have to live each day with extreme caution.

Thinking of this, Zhang Dun felt somewhat relieved.

Fine, let the power be taken away, he doesn't care anymore.

Originally somewhat jealous and even resentful of Han Zhongyan, Zhang Dun's resentment lessened considerably after seeing that life in the Censorate was not actually that comfortable.

At that moment, he turned his head to look at Han Zhongyan and showed what he thought was a friendly smile, with a hint of sympathy in his eyes.

Seeing that you are not doing well makes me feel at ease.

Han Zhongyan, who was listening to Zhao Xiaoqian's sacred teachings, inadvertently received a kind and friendly look from Zhang Dun, who was more amiable than ever before.

The usually petty and vengeful Master Zhang inexplicably smiled at him, causing Han Zhongyan to feel a chill run down his spine, his muscles tense, and his mental vigilance to reach its peak.

Han Zhongyan was previously only a Vice Minister of the Chancellery, essentially a deputy prime minister in the Council of State Affairs. He would always be inferior to Zhang Dun, having previously maintained a distant and respectful attitude towards him.

However, now the ancestral graves of the Han family are suddenly emitting smoke, and he has been promoted by the government to the rank of Inspector General, not only on par with Zhang Dun, the current prime minister, but also showing signs of being suppressed.

Han Zhongyan quickly immersed himself in his role. Now, he was an upright and impartial inspector. Even the friendly smiles from the prime minister were seen as highly unstable signals by Han Zhongyan, who immediately became more vigilant.

What's this old man up to?
Why is he smiling so strangely at me? Could he be plotting something? Is he still determined to abolish the Censorate?

The atmosphere between the two was a little strange at the moment, their eyes occasionally meeting, their gazes carrying a deeper meaning.

Zhao Xiaoqian was talking about the expansion of the Censorate, a serious national matter of utmost importance. As he spoke, he glanced up and noticed that Zhang Dun and Han Zhongyan seemed distracted. The two exchanged furtive glances, and Zhang Dun wore an extremely strange smile.

Zhao Xiaoqian was shocked. What were these two old geezers doing?
Zhao Xiaoqian tapped the table lightly and said earnestly, "Gentlemen, can you please be serious?"

"I'm discussing serious matters. You two are exchanging flirtatious glances, which not only interferes with state affairs but also violates public morals. At your age, isn't it a bit late to engage in this kind of love-at-first-sight drama? Where were you all this time? All those missed opportunities..."

(End of this chapter)