The prince is more stable

Chapter 953 Understanding the Righteousness
Bian Jing, Yanfu Palace.

Last night, Zhao Xiaoqian showed a rare display of fatherly love, holding his son Zhao Hao as they slept in the same bed.

Perhaps the weight of fatherly love was too heavy for Zhao Hao to bear, and as a result, he wet the bed in the middle of the night. When Zhao Xiaoqian woke up, he found himself sleeping in a puddle of urine, his body covered in a wet, foul smell.

He didn't dislike his own son too much. After all, he was only a little over a year old, and it was normal for him not to be able to control his bladder. Zhao Xiaoqian didn't want to blame him. After all, he might not be able to control his bladder when he got old, so he had to teach this kid to reciprocate kindness.

After getting up, Zhao Xiaoqian took a bath and casually tossed his restless son into the tub as well. The father and son wrestled naked for a while before Zhao Xiaoqian picked up his son, dried him off, and then swung him around in the breeze a few times…

Don't ask why he shakes himself. Women won't understand this kind of ritual, just like they don't understand why men shake themselves a few times after urinating.

Winter has arrived, and the weather is very cold. The father and son are dressed in thick clothes. Several charcoal fires are lit in the Funing Palace. Zhao Xiaoqian holds his son on his lap and watches Zhao Hao with affection as he holds a small pot and gulps down goat milk.

Although she has stopped breastfeeding at this age, she is still in a critical period of development and needs to keep up with her nutrition. Every day, without fail, she drinks three small jugs of goat milk, which is a strict rule set by Zhao Xiaoqian.

Di Ying and Niaoniao sat opposite the father and son, watching this scene of filial piety, and the two smiled sweetly.

The scene would be even sweeter if the husband didn't touch her.

Zhao Hao tilted his head back and gulped down goat milk, but Zhao Xiaoqian stared curiously at the exposed part in the middle of his open-crotch pants. He secretly pinched it with his finger, and Zhao Hao, who was drinking goat milk, suddenly opened his eyes wide, was startled, and turned to look at him in confusion.

Zhao Xiaoqian gestured to him with a doting look, telling him to keep drinking and to concentrate on whatever he was doing.

Zhao Hao drank again, and Zhao Xiaoqian's wicked fingers reached towards the boy's crotch once more...

Di Ying finally couldn't stand it anymore and said angrily, "My lord, can you be serious for once? You're the emperor now, and you're still doing such lewd things. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at by outsiders?"

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at her: "What do women know? Mind your own business. I'm just observing my son's development. This little thing has to work when he grows up, otherwise we'll have no descendants."

Niao Niao rolled her eyes at him: "Hao'er has been examined by the imperial physicians countless times. They all say he is very healthy and has no problems. My husband doesn't need to worry about it."

Zhao Xiaoqian pondered, "Although it's normal, we must strive for excellence and not be complacent. Starting tomorrow, we'll have two iron balls hanging from our crotches. We'll start training from a young age, and I'm afraid we'll charm all the women in the world in the future..."

Di Ying and Niaoniao stared at him in disbelief for a long time before finally reacting.

"You, you, you... No way! I'll fight you to the death!"

Seeing the two women's strong reaction, Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned for a moment before he had no choice but to compromise.

"Alright, alright, let's not practice now, we can talk about it in a few years. I'm doing this for his happiness..."

"Even in a few years, it won't work! I've never seen a father like you, ruining your own son," Di Ying said angrily.

Seeing that his wife was angry, and considering that she was still heavily pregnant, Zhao Xiaoqian had no choice but to abandon this wonderful idea.

"Alright, I was just saying it casually. Don't be angry, or you'll upset the baby in your belly." Zhao Xiaoqian tossed Zhao Hao, who had just finished drinking goat milk, aside and walked over to Di Ying to gently comfort her, casually touching her slightly protruding belly.

"Our kid's doing great, right? How about we hang him on a couple of iron balls..."

Before she could finish speaking, Di Ying flew into a rage. Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and then gently comforted her.

The three of them sat together chatting for a while when Di Ying suddenly said, "I heard that after returning to the Chu Prince's Mansion yesterday, my husband obtained land deeds for tens of thousands of acres of land from my grandfather and plans to hand them over to the Ministry of Revenue?"

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded: "That's right, it was my father who offered it voluntarily. I was so moved at the time that I intended to refuse, but my father insisted on contributing to the construction of the Song Dynasty. He cried and begged me to accept his goodwill towards the court, so in the end I had no choice but to reluctantly accept it..."

Di Ying and Niao Niao looked puzzled. Di Ying hesitated and said, "Are you sure you're not mistaken, sir? Were those land deeds really handed over by Grandfather on his own initiative?"

"Of course, our Chu royal family has been loyal and virtuous for generations, and we care deeply about the people. We have never lagged behind in doing anything that is beneficial to the country," Zhao Xiaoqian said righteously.

Di Ying chuckled and said, "My lord, there might be a discrepancy in what you're saying. Last night, after my father finished his business, my grandfather insisted on having a drink with him. He cried his eyes out, saying that the Chu Prince's mansion had been robbed inexplicably. The criminals broke into the mansion and looted all the land deeds for more than 20,000 hectares of land."

“Grandpa also said he didn’t want to live anymore and that he would give up meat, alcohol, and women from now on because these things cost money and he couldn’t afford them anymore. He sounded so pitiful that my father almost cried with him.”

"To comfort the old man, my father took him to a brothel. In the end, my father paid for the drinks at the brothel, but the old man refused to pay a single penny..."

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned and muttered, "These two in-laws are really... Luckily they are in-laws, so I don't mind them making a fool of themselves."

Di Ying sighed and said, "My husband is truly ruthless, even towards his own family."

Zhao Xiaoqian snorted coldly: "To implement the new policies, I must first target my own family; otherwise, how can others be convinced?"

"Don't worry, I'm not a spendthrift. I have to take care of both the family and the country. In the near future, our Chu Prince's Mansion will still make a fortune. Our family property will only be more than it is now. Don't keep focusing on the little land you have. That's too narrow-minded."

Di Ying blinked, seemingly understanding but not quite grasping Zhao Xiaoqian's words.

After hesitating for a moment, Di Ying continued, "Last night, my father drank with my grandfather and heard what he said. My father is a bit unsure. Our Di family is now related to the imperial family, and my father said we should set an example for the officials of the Song Dynasty. The Di family should also hand over the land under our name to the court so as not to put our son-in-law in a difficult position." Zhao Xiaoqian blinked: "How much land does your family own?"

“My father said that the Di family owns more than 2,000 mu of land, half of which is top-quality land…”

Zhao Xiaoqian paused for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "There's no need to hand over this little bit of land. Let your father-in-law keep it and live a good life."

Di Ying said somewhat embarrassedly, "After my ancestor passed away, the Di family's situation deteriorated year by year. It wasn't until I married my husband that the family's situation improved. Our land holdings have indeed fallen into disrepair."

Zhao Xiaoqian praised, "This also shows that my father-in-law is an upright person and an honest official who does not embezzle the people's hard-earned money. Otherwise, with his current status and position, it would be too easy for him to make money and seize land. I am very pleased that he did not do so."

Di Ying chuckled and said, "It would be wonderful if my husband didn't want it. I was worried that if my husband really took over the Di family's two thousand acres of land, my family would go hungry. My father's meager salary is not enough to support the family."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded, then said seriously, "As the son-in-law of my father-in-law, I cannot sit idly by and watch my father-in-law's family live such a miserable and desolate life... Yesterday I discovered a treasure trove, filled with countless gold and jewels. I will find an opportunity to sneak in again and steal some valuable items to help my father-in-law."

Di Ying asked in astonishment, "My lord didn't even leave the city yesterday, so where did you find the treasure?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said mysteriously, "It has to be said that I was quite lucky. I discovered this treasure in the Chu Prince's residence yesterday..."

Di Ying murmured in shock, "The treasure trove of the Chu King's mansion..."

Di Ying immediately realized what was happening and exclaimed, "Isn't that the savings my grandfather accumulated? My lord, you..."

Zhao Xiaoqian said solemnly, "Nonsense! Treasures in the world have no owners; only the virtuous possess them. The treasures I have discovered naturally belong to me."

Di Ying was so shocked by this shameless argument that she remained silent for a long time. After a long while, Di Ying resolutely said, "I don't want it, and neither does the Di family... My husband is the emperor now, yet he still acts like a spendthrift and steals family property. If word gets out, it will be a huge scandal for the imperial family. It is absolutely unacceptable."

"Besides, my lord, you're using my father-in-law's savings to support my family. If this comes to light, my father-in-law might even hate me. No, no, I'll pretend I didn't hear anything today!"

Seeing that Di Ying was adamant about not agreeing, Zhao Xiaoqian had no choice but to give up.

The father-in-law's family is having such a hard time, the son-in-law should definitely lend a hand.

The imperial treasury was naturally unusable, and the palace treasury also had fixed income and expenditure. It didn't matter, Zhao Xiaoqian personally had a share of the profits from snow salt and tea. He would give half of his share to his father-in-law later, which would be enough to ensure that the Di family would live comfortably for generations.

Now that he's in that position, personal interests really don't matter anymore.

On the third day after Zhao Xiaoqian issued an edict at court to promulgate the Fangtian Equal Tax Law, the court was once again shocked by a piece of news.

In support of and endorsement of the Fangtian Equal Tax Law promulgated by the emperor, the emperor's father, King Zhao Hao of Chu, announced that he would hand over more than 20,000 hectares of private land belonging to the Chu royal family to the court.

This news is even more shocking than the request to hand over land to the Empress Dowager's relatives.

Empress Dowager Xiang and her relatives handed over their land, claiming it was a voluntary act. However, many court officials knew the inside story. Moreover, the Censorate also investigated two of Empress Dowager Xiang's maternal relatives, confiscating their land and executing them.

Can this situation be called "proactive"?

They were clearly forced by the emperor, but because they had lost power as relatives of the empress dowager, they dared not speak out against it.

However, the transfer of land to the Chu King's residence had a different significance.

The King of Chu was the emperor's biological father, and it's highly likely that he voluntarily handed over his land to support the Fangtian Equal Tax Law.

Although the King of Chu only handed over 20,000 hectares of land, far less than the 120,000 hectares handed over by the Empress Dowager's maternal relatives, the King of Chu did so voluntarily, showing much more awareness than the Empress Dowager's maternal family.

Upon hearing this news, officials and commoners in Bianjing flocked to the Chu Prince's residence, showering Zhao Hao with boundless praise.

Phrases like "deeply righteous," "concerned for the common people," and "willing to die for the cause" poured in one after another.

Zhao Hao, who had been wallowing in self-pity in his palace, became listless and sighed constantly after his son robbed him of his land deeds. He secretly pondered whether making his son emperor was a loss or a gain...

In any case, the current situation is terrible; they've even lost their life savings, and they don't know if they'll be able to recover their losses in the future.

As a result, countless court officials and dignitaries came to visit him, and Zhao Hao had no choice but to force a smile to entertain them.

Faced with the flattery of powerful officials, especially when they praised him for his great sense of justice, he handed over more than 20,000 hectares of land without hesitation, making him a role model and idol for the Song Dynasty officials.

Zhao Hao felt increasingly uncomfortable as he listened. What was meant to be a compliment turned into a sarcastic remark, as if the speaker was mocking him and calling him a great traitor...

What the hell is this "deep understanding of righteousness"? Did I hand it over voluntarily?

I was clearly robbed by that spendthrift son!
(End of this chapter)