The prince is more stable

Chapter 979 The Second Year of Jingkang
Even the most prestigious imperial families face ordinary family problems, such as disagreements between husband and wife regarding childcare.

My wife takes care of the baby, focusing on creating a warm and happy environment. She gives him all the good food and toys, teaches him to speak and walk, cultivates good hygiene habits, and fosters a loving family atmosphere.

The husband is less particular about taking care of the child; his main concern is simply having fun.

Children raised by women are always concerned about whether their clothes will get dirty and whether their little hands are clean.

Kids raised by men can do whatever makes them happy. They can climb trees to steal bird nests, dig holes in the ground to catch rabbits, and roll around in the mud. They don't care if they get a beating or a scolding; they just want to have their fun first.

Looking at Zhao Hao, who was filthy and looked like a mud monkey, Niao Niao felt a bit disgusted, even as his biological mother, and didn't want to hug him. She hated Zhao Xiaoqian so much that she gritted her teeth.

Zhao Xiaoqian said nonchalantly, "Boys are like that. They're a little naughty, wild, and dirty when they're young. That's how they grow up to be open-minded and optimistic. We've all been like that when we were kids."

Di Ying spat and said, "My lord, don't talk nonsense. I wasn't so wild when I was a child. When I was three or five years old, I was already sitting obediently in my room learning embroidery and going to school to learn to read and write."

Niao Niao pursed her lips and said in a low voice, "Although I have a difficult past, I was not like this when I was a child. I was forced to read and write, and learn music, chess, calligraphy and painting when I was very young."

Di Ying glanced at him and said, "My lord comes from the Chu Prince's Mansion. I heard from my mother that my lord was very well-behaved and obedient when he was a child. He didn't like crowds or talk. No matter the occasion, he would sit quietly and not say a word, just like a little adult. I've never heard of my lord playing so wildly when he was a child."

Zhao Xiaoqian awkwardly touched his nose.

Okay, the childhood they're talking about isn't the childhood of this lifetime.

In his past life, Zhao Xiaoqian was no pushover. He played all sorts of tricks that even adults couldn't fathom. He started secretly collecting protection money in kindergarten and stealing kisses on the cheeks of cute girls.

Later, as he grew up and was slapped hard by reality, Zhao Xiaoqian gradually gave up his supernatural abilities and became an ordinary, mediocre office worker who blended into the crowd.

The things he and his son Zhao Hao played with in this lifetime were nothing more than normal.

If Zhao Hao were to perfectly replicate Zhao Xiaoqian's virtues from his previous life, the women would be furious.

"I... well, I was indeed well-behaved, obedient, and sensible when I was young, and everyone loved me. It was precisely because I was too well-behaved that I inevitably had many regrets in my childhood. These regrets should naturally be made up for in my son, right?"

Zhao Xiaoqian stroked Zhao Hao's little head with loving eyes, but the touch was a bit too strong. Zhao Hao woke up and opened his eyes in a daze. Zhao Xiaoqian was startled. Is this kid so fast at recharging?

Snapped!
Zhao Xiaoqian slapped him on the buttocks and said in a deep voice, "Keep sleeping. Dad will take you out to play when you've had enough sleep."

Zhao Hao's expression brightened. He was clearly awake, but he kept his eyes tightly closed, pretending to be asleep. His acting was quite touching.

Niao Niao rolled her eyes at him and said, "You're all so dirty, how can you sleep? It's good that you're awake, you can wash up and then sleep."

He then instructed the palace maids to fetch hot water and help the young prince undress.

The mother took her son to wash up, while Zhao Xiaoqian sat in the hall, one hand resting on Di Ying's swollen belly.

“There’s another one here. When he’s born, I’ll take him out to play with him too.”

Di Ying said worriedly, "Having a father like you... If I give birth to a boy, that's fine, let him be dirty, let him be crazy, but if I give birth to a girl, who will run around and play like Hao'er, what will I do? I'm afraid no one will be willing to marry her in the future."

Zhao Xiaoqian scoffed: "'The emperor's daughter has no worries about marriage,' haven't you heard that saying? Madam, you're overthinking it. If you really have a daughter, I'll arrange a marriage for her with a handsome top scholar, and she'll be laughing in her dreams. When she wakes up, she'll face the palace and kowtow three times and nine times, shouting 'Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor!'"

Di Ying suddenly paused, then spat a few times and said, "I'm confused. Why give birth to a daughter? I must give birth to a son, and it must be a son!"

His small expression was as resolute as a revolutionary fighter.

Zhao Xiaoqian scoffed disdainfully: "Why must we have sons? Is there a throne to inherit in the family?"

After they finished speaking, the couple suddenly fell silent, staring at each other in awkward silence.

Zhao Xiaoqian touched his nose, and it seemed... there really was a throne to inherit.

Moreover, Di Ying was the Empress, and her son was the legitimate heir, the undisputed future crown prince. As long as he didn't turn out too badly when he grew up, theoretically, he would inherit the throne of the Song Dynasty without a doubt.

After a long silence, Zhao Xiaoqian said quietly, "Madam, let's unload the goods first. After we're done, we can confirm the gender..."

Before he could finish speaking, Di Ying got angry, and bit him hard with her little mouth.

"What are you saying, sir? Do you think I gave birth to a litter of puppies?"

"My son, my son... Fine, pregnant woman, you're the boss. I can't afford to offend you. I was wrong!"

…………

New Year's Eve arrived in the blink of an eye. This year, both Bianjing City and the Imperial Palace celebrated the New Year's Eve in a very low-key manner.

Theoretically, this year is still the period of national mourning for the late Emperor Zhezong. According to the rules, entertainment and weddings are prohibited throughout the country. Even the New Year cannot be decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. It can only be spent in a low-key manner.

Occasionally, the sound of firecrackers could be heard inside and outside the city. There is never a shortage of daring people in this world who would risk being assassinated or exiled to the army just to hear a noise during the New Year.

The constables of Kaifeng Prefecture lazily followed the sound to find the person. If they found him, they would throw him into jail to reflect on his actions for a few days. However, most of the time they couldn't find him. The person who set off the firecrackers wasn't stupid; he wouldn't foolishly stay in the same place after setting them off and wait to be sued.

Of course, the so-called national mourning was just a formality. Those wealthy families in their grand mansions would close their gates, but their backyards would still be filled with singing and dancing, celebrating the New Year. They just didn't dare to publicize it.

As the emperor, Zhao Xiaoqian could not celebrate extravagantly. The palace remained unchanged, without any festive decorations. On New Year's Eve, Zhao Xiaoqian had a reunion dinner with his wives, concubines, and children. Taking advantage of the holiday break in the court, he went to bed early with his two Japanese sisters.

The Song Dynasty court had a lot of holidays. There were usually three to five days of rest during festivals, as well as holidays during spring planting and autumn harvest, and holidays for Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival, and so on. In short, there were all sorts of reasons for holidays.

This year, there was a two-week holiday for the Lunar New Year. After the emperor and his ministers had finished dealing with most of the affairs of state before the New Year, they exchanged congratulations and then went home to reunite with their families.

Reunion is for family, but the court remains turbulent.

The impact of the mass purge of the Nanjing officialdom had not yet subsided, and Zhao Xiaoqian's decision to exterminate three generations of his family still deeply resonated in the court on New Year's Eve.

The court officials now have a fairly good understanding of Zhao Xiaoqian. This emperor, who has been on the throne for less than a year, has committed a crime that is unparalleled among emperors throughout history when it comes to killing people.

Despite his gentle smile and friendly demeanor, he is ruthless towards court officials once their bottom line is crossed. No matter how important an official is, he will kill them without hesitation, and no amount of persuasion can stop him.

Among the emperors of the Song Dynasty, there were not many who had military experience. If you count carefully, there were probably only Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong who had experience leading troops into battle. Now there is Zhao Xiaoqian, who was also a ruthless figure who commanded thousands of troops and defeated the Liao army.

Emperors who had experience in military campaigns all had one thing in common: they were ruthless in killing people and decisive in their actions, unlike other emperors who were indecisive and hesitant, always considering the consequences.

Zhao Xiaoqian purged the Nanjing officialdom without worrying about the consequences, because this official was confident enough that even if a popular uprising occurred, he could quickly quell it within a few days.

However, the complete purge of the Nanjing officialdom, especially the extermination of three generations of several officials, had a tremendous deterrent effect on officials throughout the country.

They finally felt the terror of imperial power and understood that local officials were not independent lords. At all times, the decrees and rules of the emperor and the court had to be obeyed; otherwise, anyone could become the next Li Huai.

The day after New Year's Eve was the first day of the first month of the first year of the Jingkang era.

The heavy snow that fell overnight covered the roads, leaving everything silent and making travel difficult.

Despite the terrible weather, the newly appointed Nanjing garrison commander Zheng Chaozong, accompanied by two servants, hired a very ordinary and old carriage from a brokerage firm, packed his luggage briefly, and left the city early in the morning, heading towards Yingtian Prefecture.

Yesterday at noon, on what should have been a time for family reunion on New Year's Eve, the Emperor specially summoned him and hosted a banquet in the palace as a farewell feast for him.

Zheng Chaozong remembered every word the Emperor said at the palace banquet very clearly.

The most important task upon assuming office in Nanjing is to establish a new policy framework. Taking advantage of the brief vacuum created by the purging of Nanjing's officialdom and powerful landlords, when officials and landlords are at the height of their awe of the imperial court, it is imperative to immediately begin investigating the land and confiscating the land.

The seven counties under its jurisdiction re-registered the land and acreage, uncovered the land in Nanjing that had been concealed or misreported, properly resettled the farmers who lost their land, and redistributed the large amount of vacant land.

The Fangtian Equal Tax Law has been in effect for a long time, but its implementation by local governments has been far from ideal. Most officials are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, while the officials of the Censorate are extremely busy, traveling to various places to investigate and prosecute.

At this crucial moment, Zheng Chaozong, as the Nanjing garrison commander personally appointed by the emperor, was entrusted with high hopes by the emperor. He was well aware that the Fangtian Equal Tax Law had to start from Nanjing, and he had a heavy burden on his shoulders.

Fortunately, the authorities cleared the obstacles for him in advance. The Nanjing officialdom is now a vacuum. Otherwise, if he had entered Nanjing alone, let alone implemented new policies, it would have been uncertain whether he could have survived.

While the people of Bianjing were quietly celebrating the New Year, Zheng Chaozong set off alone, like a resolute warrior, heading towards his beliefs and ideals without hesitation.

Yanfu Palace.

I had a wild night with Japanese sisters on New Year's Eve, and sure enough, I woke up with a sore back and aching waist.

Quantitative change leads to qualitative change; as the number of people increases, the quality of the kidneys changes...

Zhao Xiaoqian rubbed his aching lower back and frowned as he looked at the pile of memorials on his desk.

While other court officials could take a break and relax, the emperor could not. Although it was called a break, he still had to review a lot of memorials every day, just in much smaller quantities than usual.

"Why is there still no news from Zhong Jianzhong's troops? Have they started the battle yet?" Zhao Xiaoqian murmured.

(End of this chapter)