The prince is more stable

Chapter 989 Reencounter with a Beauty
A father's love is as strong as a mountain; if you wet the bed, it won't happen.

It's normal for a one-year-old to wet the bed, but Zhao Xiaoqian suspected that the boy was doing it on purpose when he wet the bed twice in one night.

For the emperor, the most honored ruler, to wake up every day in a puddle of children's urine is a disastrous omen for the country.

When the sun was high in the sky, Zhao Hao woke up rubbing his sleepy eyes. Seeing his father sitting by the bed deep in thought, Zhao Hao grinned and revealed an innocent smile. The experience of wetting the bed twice last night was completely forgotten, as if he had blacked out from being drunk.

The father and son stared at each other in silence; the father's face was ashen, while the son was heartless.

After a long silence, Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, "My dear son, I can understand bedwetting at your age, but what I don't understand is why you wet the bed twice. Can you give me a reasonable explanation?"

Zhao Hao chuckled, ignoring his father's accusations as if they were nothing.

"Dad, I'm hungry, I'm hungry!" Zhao Hao called out in a clear voice.

Seeing his adorable cub crying for food, Zhao Xiaoqian finally couldn't keep a straight face and immediately broke into a smile.

Fatherly love is back; such willful fatherly love.

"How about eating poop if you're hungry?" Zhao Xiaoqian said with a malicious smile.

Zhao Hao, clueless about what poop was, nodded happily with a bewildered expression: "Okay!"

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed heartily.

After washing up and having breakfast, the father and son left the son with his mother, Niao Niao, and then Zhao Xiaoqian left the palace in plain clothes.

There is no court assembly today. Zhao Xiaoqian is not the kind of foolish emperor who would work himself to death. Since he is on holiday, he should act as if he is on holiday.

Under the protection of Chen Shou and other imperial guards, Zhao Xiaoqian carried his toolbox to the Bian River.

Opening the homemade toolbox, one finds a wide variety of tools, including seven or eight different types of fishing lines of varying thicknesses and more than ten different types of fishing hooks.

As the saying goes, "poor students have many stationery items," and fishermen are just as confident. They firmly believe that "if you want to do a good job, you must first have the right tools." As long as you have enough tools, there is no fish in the world that you can't catch.

The New Year has passed, the Bian River has thawed, its surface is sparkling, and greenery is gradually appearing on both banks. Spring is approaching, and it is the season of revival for nature.

Meanwhile, the fish in the Bian River, having been hungry all winter, are as thirsty as women in their thirties and forties, making them easy targets for catches.

Zhao Xiaoqian had long anticipated this opportunity.

With the right timing, location, and people, it would be an absolute injustice not to return with a full load.

Chen Shou and other imperial guards stood watch not far away. Zhao Xiaoqian set up a small folding chair and sat by the river. He refused Chen Shou's help and personally mixed the bait.

Mix a little bit of grains, a little bit of flour, and water to form a dough. Add a little bit of alcohol, knead it into a ball, find a pleasing spot to bait the area, and then put the bait on the hook and cast it into the water.

The movements were fluid, precise, and highly professional.

For today's catch, Zhao Xiaoqian specially prepared a super large fish basket. His goal for the day was to fill the basket and return to the palace to prepare a whole fish feast for his wife and children. If he was in a good mood, he could even cook it himself.

Spring was approaching, but the weather was still a bit cold. Chen Shou thoughtfully draped a bearskin cloak over him. Zhao Xiaoqian sat motionless by the river, his eyes fixed on the water.

Fishing requires patience, composure, and a calm mind...

Zhao Xiaoqian muttered to himself, his expression remaining unchanged.

Half an hour later, Zhao Xiaoqian was still sitting firmly.

I am the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, do you think I don't have this much patience? What a joke!
An hour later, Zhao Xiaoqian's usually calm face began to twitch occasionally, and his expression became somewhat ferocious.

Chen Shou and the Imperial Guards, who were not far away, silently took a few steps back.

Although the officials remained silent, they could still feel the suffocating low pressure in the air; at this moment, it was best not to provoke them.

Chen Shou and the Imperial Guards were already used to the same scene.

The official fished more than once, and each time he went from anticipation, calmness, patience, deep breaths, suppressing his anger, to ferocity, and finally gradually becoming agitated.

This has almost become a fixed procedure.

At this moment, the emperor is in a "ferocious" state and is not far from becoming irritable.

Another half hour passed. Calculating the time, Zhao Xiaoqian had been sitting by the river for an hour and a half. In the super-large fish basket he brought, there was only a small loach, about the thickness of a thumb, swimming happily back and forth, occasionally popping up to blow a bubble, as if it were silently mocking him.

Very well, even the current prime minister doesn't dare to laugh at me. You just wait to be coated in flour and deep-fried by me.

Undeterred, I moved to a different spot and continued baiting and chumming. I changed the bait on the hook, adjusted the float, and sat there for another half hour...

Suddenly, Zhao Xiaoqian stood up and kicked the folding chair into the river.

"Aaaaah—! Damn it, there must be something wrong with the fishing rod today!" Zhao Xiaoqian roared in exasperation.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a familiar and delighted voice came from behind him. "Oh? Brother Zian, you've left the palace again?"

The irritable Zhao Xiaoqian turned his head and, sure enough, it was an acquaintance.

Li Qingzhao, this young yet spirited woman, was beautiful and gentle, yet possessed the boldness and courage of a man.

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately suppressed his anger and forced a gentle smile at Li Qingzhao.

"Qingzhao is becoming more and more... um, no, I misspoke. What I meant was, you're becoming more and more poised and elegant." Zhao Xiaoqian coughed awkwardly twice.

But Li Qingzhao had clearly heard his previous sentence, and her cheeks flushed instantly. She gave him a slightly reproachful and shy look.

Counting the days, it seems that Zhao Xiaoqian and Li Qingzhao haven't seen each other for several months.

Today, Li Qingzhao is dressed in a rather dignified and formal narrow-sleeved palace dress and hairpin skirt, with a few hairpins and flowers in her hair. She finally looks like a quiet and gentle lady from a noble family.

Chen Shou and the others on guard by the river naturally recognized Li Qingzhao and were aware of the ambiguous feelings between the emperor and this woman. So Chen Shou waved his hand and very considerately made way for her. Li Qingzhao did not stand on ceremony and quickly ran to Zhao Xiaoqian.

"Brother Zian, it's quite rare for you to leave the palace today. It seems the fish in the harem pond are no longer falling for your tricks," Li Qingzhao said with a smile.

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately straightened his face: "What are you saying? What are you saying! I can catch fish wherever there is water. How dare you look down on me, little girl?"

Li Qingzhao leaned closer and glanced into his fish basket, then widened her eyes in disbelief and said, "Just... just a small loach?"

Zhao Xiaoqian's face flushed, and he tried his best to maintain his dignity: "You blind fool! What little mudfish? It's clearly a dragon! Emperors only fish for dragons. But this dragon hasn't grown up yet. If we raise it for a few more days, it will be able to fly, do you believe me?"

Li Qingzhao's eyes, as clear as autumn water, immediately curved into crescent moons. She covered her mouth and laughed, "I believe in Brother Zian's fishing skills."

Zhao Xiaoqian felt a burning and aching sensation on his cheeks.

Quickly change the subject, or Zhao Xiaoqian will be so ashamed and indignant that he will drown himself.

"How have you been lately? Are you still spending your days in brothels, gambling and drinking with people?"

Li Qingzhao smiled and said, "I just returned to Bianjing the day before yesterday. I had been traveling for several months."

"Isn't Bianjing fun enough? Why do you have to go out?"

Li Qingzhao looked up and stared into his eyes, smiling slightly. "A few months ago, there were all sorts of rumors circulating in Bianjing. Some people said that the Fangtian Equal Tax Law that you vigorously promoted was an evil policy that would make the people of the world suffer, while others said that it was a good policy that could save millions of people in the Song Dynasty."

“I am just a woman with limited knowledge. Whether it is a good or bad policy, we must go down to the people and personally experience their hardships to know. So I took the opportunity of traveling to visit several prefectures in the capital region.”

Zhao Xiaoqian was taken aback and said, "This is a matter of great importance to the court. Why should a woman like you care about this?"

Li Qingzhao looked into his eyes and said earnestly, "Shouldn't women be concerned about national affairs? Are only men worthy of shouldering the responsibility for the rise and fall of the nation?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was taken aback, and then he remembered that this was Li Qingzhao, the greatest female talent in China. She was the Li Qingzhao who wrote the heroic lines, "To live, be a hero; to die, be a ghost." How could he understand her from the perspective of an ordinary woman?

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately cupped his hands in apology: "I'm sorry, I misspoke. I shouldn't have looked down on women like that."

Li Qingzhao's eyes widened in surprise: "You're apologizing to me?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was taken aback: "Is something wrong?"

Li Qingzhao gazed at him for a long time, then suddenly sighed, "You are the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. Let alone apologizing to a woman, even if you say or do something wrong in court, you wouldn't apologize to anyone for the sake of the emperor's dignity, would you?"

"What kind of talk is this? Even emperors are human. Humans make mistakes. If you make a mistake, you should admit it and apologize. Is that so strange?"

Li Qingzhao covered her mouth and chuckled, "For an emperor... yes, it's strange. Especially since it's an apology to a woman."

Zhao Xiaoqian waved his hand dismissively and asked, "You've been traveling for several months, what have you learned?"

Li Qingzhao said solemnly, "I have carefully read the Fangtian Equal Tax Law promulgated by the court, and I have also carefully inquired about the hardships of the common people. Now I can confirm that you are indeed a good emperor. Under your rule, the people will not suffer so much. Perhaps, the Song Dynasty will soon usher in a golden age."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and winked at her: "If you have any opinions or suggestions about the government, you can send a letter directly to the palace, and I will consider them carefully."

Li Qingzhao's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed with delight, "Really? Can a mere woman like me participate in politics?"

“Other women may not be allowed, but you can. Consider it a special permission from me,” Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

Li Qingzhao continued to look at him expectantly: "Then could you grant this humble woman an official title?"

"Hey! Don't push your luck!"

After exchanging a few words, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly asked, "Why do I always seem to run into you when I'm fishing? What are you doing dressed so formally today?"

Li Qingzhao suddenly remembered something and immediately said, "I almost forgot! There's no time! Brother Zian, come with me quickly. I have to gamble and drink with someone. Today's appointment concerns the reputation of my Li family. I cannot let such a villain succeed!"

(End of this chapter)