The prince is more stable

Chapter 937 Falling out and being ruthless
Who would have thought that the son, who has always been very opinionated and became even more autocratic after becoming emperor, would actually come home today and inexplicably complain to his father?

For a moment, Zhao Hao was in a daze, as if time had suddenly reversed and he had returned to many years ago. He was still a prince walking on thin ice, suffocated by the imperial aura of Emperor Shenzong, while Zhao Xiaoqian was still that introverted, cowardly, and pitiful little prince with no opinions of his own.

Moreover, if an emperor complains to his own father that he has been bullied, there is only one possibility: he has been usurped from the throne.

Zhao Hao gasped in shock: "The rebels have already stormed the palace?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was completely bewildered: "What rebel army? Where is the rebel army?"

Zhao Hao was equally bewildered: "You just said you were bullied..."

Then the father and son looked at each other, their eyes shining with a clear light.

After a long while, Zhao Hao shook his head vigorously, took a deep breath, and said, "Okay, let's start over. You say the first sentence."

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately said, "Father, I have been bullied."

Zhao Hao's cheek twitched violently as he tried to keep up with his son's train of thought: "Who bullied you?"

"Your woman," Zhao Xiaoqian said without hesitation.

Zhao Hao was taken aback, but quickly realized: "Empress Dowager Xiang?"

"Yes, it was her. She bullied my child."

Zhao Hao immediately retorted angrily, "Are you an emperor who's just sitting around doing nothing? You actually let a woman bully you, don't you want to slap her across the face?"

“If I slap her across the face, things will get out of hand. The court officials won’t let me off the hook, and my reputation will be ruined. She is the Empress Dowager, my elder in name only.”

Zhao Hao retorted angrily, "Then what do you intend to do?"

"Your son is unworthy, please, Father, slap her hard!"

Zhao Hao was dumbfounded: "So you came back today just for this?"

"Otherwise what? Should we come back to celebrate Father's birthday? It's not the appointed time yet."

Zhao Hao opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

His son became emperor, which fulfilled his lifelong wish. But he never expected that his son would come back to complain to him.

How could an emperor be so incompetent? He can't even manage his own wife?

No matter how noble the Empress Dowager is, isn't she still just a woman? Back then, he had her completely subdued, making her willingly pose in thirty-six different positions, and she never dared to cause any trouble. How come she's now bullying her son?

"Tell me in detail, what exactly happened, how did she bully you?"

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed in disappointment: "Does Father have to find out right and wrong before he will stand up for his son? Can't he just beat her up first and then talk about reason?"

Zhao Hao replied without hesitation, "Good son, wait for me for an hour. I'm going to the palace to vent your anger. I'll be right back!"

Just as Zhao Hao was about to get up, Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and grabbed him, his heart filled with satisfaction.

This is how a father should behave; this is what a good living father and a good biological father should be like in China.

Then the father and son sat down, and Zhao Xiaoqian told Zhao Hao the whole story of how he had become enemies with Empress Dowager Xiang.

Zhao Hao frowned and fell into deep thought. After a long while, he said, "Qian'er, since you ascended the throne, you have presided over the revision of the new policies and established the Supervisory Office. I have seen all of this. You have grown up and are now the ruler of a country. You have your reasons for doing things. I will not say anything more."

"But this land tax equalization law is the only one I think you've gone too far with. Rushing into it could easily provoke conflict between the powerful and wealthy in the court and the imperial family, which is not very appropriate."

"Why did Wang Anshi's reforms fail? It was because his new policies were too aggressive in some areas, touching the interests of powerful and wealthy landlords. There was no room for compromise with them. In such a vast country as the Song Dynasty, there were countless powerful landlords. Their combined power was something even the imperial family had to be wary of."

"Did Emperor Shenzong not know that reforms could change the status quo of the Song Dynasty? He understood the importance and necessity of reforms better than anyone else. However, in the end, Emperor Shenzong had to abolish many new policy provisions because even as the emperor of a country, he could not withstand the pressure exerted by powerful landlords throughout the country."

“Qian’er, what you are doing now is exactly the same as what Emperor Shenzong did back then. What I am worried about is that you will repeat Emperor Shenzong’s experience, from being determined to reform the country with great enthusiasm, to failing in the end and damaging the emperor’s authority and credibility.”

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head firmly: "I will not repeat the mistakes that Emperor Shenzong made. Wang Anshi's reforms failed because the emperor and his ministers had too many concerns. The reforms were actually not wrong, and most of the new policies were very pragmatic."

"Wang Anshi's mistake was that the people who implemented it were wrong. Officials across the country lacked supervision and used the name of the new policies to levy exorbitant taxes, which only fueled the resentment among the people."

"Furthermore, since the new policy has chosen not to compromise with the powerful landlords, it must go all the way. If it fantasizes that the new policy will be accepted by the powerful landlords, or that the court can reason with them, such a naive reform is bound to fail."

Zhao Hao was stunned for a long time before slowly asking, "How do you plan to deal with this?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said coldly, "I am also under the pressure that Emperor Shenzong and Wang Anshi were under, and it is no less than theirs. However, the difference between me and the previous dynasty is that they had too many concerns and touted their benevolent rule. I am not accustomed to that kind of bad habit."

"The Council of State Affairs and the Office of New Policies discussed the implementation of the new policies, while the Censorate was responsible for supervising the implementation of the new policies. The power of local officials was actually controlled by the court. Next, a group of high-ranking officials who were negative examples will be identified and punished as a warning to others."

"Emperor Shenzong and Wang Anshi were merely talking about reason, which wouldn't work. I held reason in one hand and weapons in the other. After I finished explaining the reasoning, those who obeyed the new policies could live, and those who opposed them should be killed."

Zhao Hao was taken aback and subconsciously asked, "What if we force the powerful landlords to rebel?" Zhao Xiaoqian coldly replied, "With imperial power in hand, righteousness in hand, army in hand, and advanced firearms in hand, no matter how many rebels there are, I can quell them in one fell swoop."

"Reform must be watered with blood and paved with bones before it can be accomplished. If one is too soft-hearted, too cautious, or too merciful in methods, reform will not succeed."

Zhao Hao was silent for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and said, "You just said that you wanted to find a group of negative examples. Today you came to complain about the Empress Dowager, could it be..."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded, took out the data on the land holdings of the Empress Dowager and her maternal relatives from the Imperial City Bureau, and handed it to Zhao Hao.

Zhao Hao took it, examined it carefully, and his expression immediately turned angry.

"Damn it! You filthy woman, I've spoiled you so much, and you've barely put your pants on before you try to steal my son away! You deserve a beating!"

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes crinkled with amusement: "She's the woman Father loves dearly. Would Father really be willing to punish her?"

Zhao Hao spat and said viciously, "Women, there are women everywhere in the world, but my son's empire is unique. I have spent half my life scheming, half my life enduring, half my life pretending to be ugly and docile, and finally helped my son obtain the empire. How can I let a stinking old woman ruin it!"

"Do you think your father is senile and can't even figure out this simple matter?"

As he spoke, Zhao Hao suddenly turned his head, his eyes bloodshot and filled with a chilling killing intent, making him look particularly terrifying.

Clearly, the Empress Dowager's actions had touched a raw nerve with him.

His son's kingdom is his kingdom, and he will not allow anyone to ruin this great kingdom.

"This woman cannot be allowed to live. I will kill her myself and then announce to the outside world that the Empress Dowager has died suddenly from an illness..." Zhao Hao said with a ferocious expression.

Zhao Xiaoqian hurriedly said, "Father, it's not the right time yet. If the Empress Dowager dies now, it will cause a lot of trouble. Let's be patient for now and wait until I have thoroughly settled the Fangtian Equal Tax Law before we consider how to deal with her."

Zhao Hao gradually calmed down and suddenly understood many things.

"So, you plan to use the Empress Dowager and her relatives as a starting point to make an example of them and implement your equal land tax law?"

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and said, "Looking across the land, only the Empress Dowager and her relatives have enough influence to deter powerful landlords. By dealing with her and her relatives, I can better demonstrate my determination and uncompromising attitude to the world. Besides..."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and said, "In addition, the 120,000 hectares of land under the names of the Empress Dowager and her relatives are really making me envious. 120,000 hectares! How many displaced farmers could that resettle? This time, I will make the Empress Dowager and her whole family obediently give it back."

Zhao Hao pondered for a long time, then sighed, "You are the one who can handle the affairs of the court with care and discretion. You are a better emperor than I am."

Then Zhao Hao suddenly gritted his teeth and said viciously, "Although I can't kill that stinking woman now, I'm going to teach her a lesson. My son rules this country, how dare she turn the tables? She deserves a beating!"

"The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Qian'er, you wait here. I'm going to the palace right now to see what that woman is capable of. Letting her be the Empress Dowager, does she really think she's someone important!"

After saying that, Zhao Hao got up and left.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't stop him this time. He had come back to the palace today to complain, and the purpose of complaining was to get his father to deal with that woman. Otherwise, why would he come back?
Zhao Hao stormed out of the room, while Zhao Xiaoqian remained seated in the north wing, picking up a piece of pork hock with his chopsticks.

The pork hock was stewed until very tender; the reddish-brown skin broke easily with chopsticks, and it melted in your mouth with a slurp, releasing a rich, meaty aroma.

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes lit up: "Wow, your skills have improved! The chefs in the Prince's Mansion are much better than the imperial chefs in the palace. How about... I have the Prince's Mansion deliver takeout to me every day?"

…………

Yeonbok Palace, Qingshou Hall.

Zhao Hao's face was gloomy, but he still requested an audience with the Empress Dowager with the courtesy due to a subject.

Soon, a palace maid led Zhao Hao into the hall. He sat solemnly on the throne in front of the Empress Dowager, waved his sleeves at the eunuchs and palace maids, and all the palace staff withdrew. He also carefully closed the hall door.

Only when Zhao Hao and she were alone in the hall did Empress Dowager Xiang reveal a girlish smile, and she walked towards him cheerfully, her steps light and her demeanor swaying.

"Why did you come so suddenly? You didn't even give me a heads-up. If people see you, there will inevitably be gossip..." Empress Dowager Xiang said, seemingly both annoyed and pleased.

Zhao Hao, however, did not respond to her tenderness. His small, beady eyes flashed coldly as he looked her up and down with a strange and indifferent gaze.

Seeing his expression, Empress Dowager Xiang's heart sank, and she asked with some fear, "What's wrong with you?"

Zhao Hao grinned at her, but before the smile faded, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped the Empress Dowager hard across the face.

A sharp crack echoed through the vast, empty hall.

Empress Dowager Xiang had no time to react. She only felt a numbness on her face, and it wasn't until Zhao Hao's hand fell down that she felt a sharp pain in her cheek.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Hao suddenly reached out and grabbed her neck tightly. His fat face was also close to her eyes. His face was flushed, the veins on his neck were bulging, and his appearance was particularly ferocious.

"Who gave you the audacity to interfere in court affairs and act arrogantly towards my son, huh?"

(End of this chapter)