Song Xiu

Chapter 12 Who is Zhang Dejun?
The first court assembly of the Song Dynasty ended amidst expressions of gratitude.

After the court assembly, Zhao Kuangyin led Zhao Guangyi and Zhao Pu to an elegant palace within the palace city.

The Empress Dowager Du, who had just moved into this palace, was living there.

At the beginning of the new dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin not only painstakingly pacified the court in Chongyuan Hall, but also secretly arranged for Empress Dowager Du's residence in advance, which is enough to show that Empress Dowager Du held a very important position in Zhao Kuangyin's heart.

Empress Dowager Du seemed to have known all along that Zhao Kuangyin would arrive after the court assembly.

When Zhao Kuangyin entered the palace, he saw that Empress Dowager Du was already sitting on the magnificent phoenix throne, waiting for him.

Upon seeing Empress Dowager Du waiting for him with a smile on her face, the filial son Zhao Kuangyin quickly led Zhao Guangyi and Zhao Pu to kowtow to Empress Dowager Du.

What many people don't know is that although Zhao Pu was not a member of Zhao Kuangyin's branch of the Zhao family, he served Zhao Kuangyin, Zhao Hongyin's father, as a nephew when Zhao Hongyin was still alive.

This led Zhao Hongyin to instruct Zhao Kuangyin to treat Zhao Pu as a brother before his death.

Given this connection, it is only natural that Zhao Pu could pay his respects to Empress Dowager Du along with the Zhao brothers.

Seeing her son, dressed in a dragon robe, paying his respects to her, there is probably no mother in the world who would not feel joy at such a scene.

"Be flat."

Upon hearing Empress Dowager Du's words, Zhao Kuangyin rose and sat down beside her.

As for Zhao Pu and Zhao Guangyi, they stood to the left and right respectively, each serving on one side.

After Zhao Kuangyin sat down, Empress Dowager Du grasped his hand and said with emotion:
"The Zhao family is truly living a life of unparalleled glory and wealth today."

If your father were still alive, he would be very proud of what you have achieved today.

Seeing that Empress Dowager Du was happy to mention the deceased Zhao Hongyin, Zhao Kuangyin, in order to prevent Empress Dowager Du from turning from joy to sorrow, did not follow up with what Empress Dowager Du was saying.

"Yesterday at the army camp, my son asked Liu Ge'er to arrange a sleeping tent for his mother. Did Liu Ge'er neglect this task in any way?"

Zhao Kuangyin did not blame Zhao Dexiu for his reckless intrusion into the commander's tent yesterday.

Zhao Kuangyin was a little worried that Zhao Dexiu would be distracted by one thing and neglect another.

“The arrangements made by Brother Liu are acceptable; Kuangyin need not worry about this.”

As a mother, what does it matter if we live in poor conditions? As long as my son achieves something, I will be content.

At this point, Empress Dowager Du reached out and beckoned Zhao Guangyi, who was standing to the side.

After Zhao Guangyi came to her side, Empress Dowager Du took his hand and placed it in Zhao Kuangyin's hand:

"Guangyi played an indispensable role in the success of this great undertaking, assisting in planning and strategizing, and running around tirelessly."

Maintaining an existing business is more difficult than starting one; you, Kuangyin, personally experienced the chaos of the previous dynasty.

"In the future, to stabilize the nation, you must rely heavily on Guangyi. Remember the principle that brothers united can move mountains."

As she said this, Empress Dowager Du looked at Zhao Kuangyin with anticipation.

When evaluating Zhao Dexiu, Empress Dowager Du simply said that he was "acceptable."

When it came to evaluating Zhao Guangyi, Empress Dowager Du couldn't hide her admiration.

Zhao Pu, who witnessed this scene, was not surprised.

Although Empress Dowager Du's actions had already caused Zhao Guangyi to overstep the boundaries between ruler and subject.

Zhao Pu had a close relationship with Zhao Kuangyin's family, and he had long known that Empress Dowager Du had always favored Zhao Guangyi.

As the saying goes, one should not interfere with relatives even when they are not close. As long as Zhao Guangyi's behavior does not go too far, he will turn a blind eye to some things.

Empress Dowager Du's earnest instructions brought joy to Zhao Guangyi.

Next, Zhao Guangyi glanced slightly at Zhao Kuangyin, wanting to observe how Zhao Kuangyin would react to Empress Dowager Du's instructions.

After listening to Empress Dowager Du's instructions, Zhao Kuangyin showed a look of understanding on his face.

"Mother, rest assured. The new dynasty is newly established and its foundation is not yet stable. I understand the importance of relying on relatives to consolidate the foundation."

Only after receiving Zhao Kuangyin's promise did Empress Dowager Du gradually release his hand. It was only then that she seemed to remember she had a grandson, and asked in confusion:

"Where is Liu-ge'er?"

When Empress Dowager Du inquired about Zhao Dexiu, Zhao Kuangyin naturally smiled.
"The Empress caught a cold yesterday. Since Dezhao and Defang are young, I sent Liuge'er to take care of them before the court session ended."

“Liu Ge’er is a filial son.”

Everyone else could see Empress Dowager Du's favoritism, so how could Zhao Kuangyin not know?

Therefore, whenever he had the chance, Zhao Kuangyin would praise Zhao Dexiu in front of Empress Dowager Du.

Unfortunately, once a woman's preference is formed, it is almost impossible to reverse it.

“Taking care of one’s mother is a matter of great moral obligation, and it is Liu’er’s duty to do so.”

A single, unintelligible remark came from Empress Dowager Du's lips, prompting Zhao Kuangyin to quickly change the subject.

Yanqing Palace was the palace that Zhao Kuangyin chose for Empress Wang.

After Zhao Kuangyin entered the palace at noon, his family moved into the various palaces within the imperial city.

Logically speaking, Zhao Dexiu is currently a minor and does not hold any official position, so he should not be allowed to attend today's court assembly.

After presenting the Imperial Seal, Zhao Kuangyin did not tell Zhao Dexiu to leave—his lack of explicit objection was tantamount to acquiescence.

With this in mind, the thick-skinned Zhao Dexiu stayed in Chongyuan Hall for quite a while, enjoying the "Crown Prince listening to the government" treatment ahead of time.

However, this treatment did not last long.

When a eunuch quietly arrived before him with an imperial decree, Zhao Dexiu could only reluctantly leave Chongyuan Hall.

Empress Wang, Zhao Dexiu's stepmother, had always been in poor health. When Zhao Dexiu arrived at Yanqing Palace, Empress Wang had just finished drinking her medicine and was resting with her eyes closed.

Empress Wang was deeply moved when she saw Zhao Dexiu come to visit her.

Unlike many short dramas made in later generations, Empress Wang was not a wicked stepmother.

Although Empress Wang also gave birth to a prince, Zhao Defang, for Zhao Kuangyin, Zhao Defang is currently an infant.

In an era with a high infant mortality rate, it was questionable whether Zhao Defang would even be able to grow up, let alone compete with Zhao Dexiu for the throne.

Even if Zhao Defang eventually grows up, it will be more than ten years later.

More than a decade was enough time for Zhao Dexiu to build a powerful force based on his status as the eldest son of the main wife.

Why did Zhao Dezhao, despite being the eldest son of the legitimate wife, fail to remain the crown prince throughout his life?

One important reason is that by the time Zhao Dezhao came of age, Zhao Guangyi's power, which was unchecked, had become too great.

Zhao Guangyi's power was so great that even Zhao Kuangyin eventually considered moving the capital to undermine Zhao Guangyi's influence.
Empress Wang came from a prestigious family, so she naturally understood certain principles.

In addition, Empress Wang was kind and benevolent, so after she became Zhao Kuangyin's second wife, her relationship with Zhao Dexiu remained good.

Moved, Empress Wang talked to Zhao Dexiu for a long time. Later, seeing that Empress Wang was sleepy, Zhao Dexiu suggested that he carry Zhao Defang out for a walk so that Empress Wang could rest properly.

Empress Wang was happy to give Zhao Dexiu and Zhao Defang a chance to develop their relationship, so she agreed to Zhao Dexiu's idea.

And so, Zhao Dexiu, with the babbling "Eighth Prince" in one arm and following the eunuch who had brought him there, wandered around the imperial city.

Upon arriving in the capital, Zhao Dexiu found many places unfamiliar.

Along the way, the eunuchs ahead noticed Zhao Dexiu's curiosity about the imperial city and enthusiastically explained the various locations within it to him.

After hearing the eunuch's explanations, Zhao Dexiu realized that he was quite eloquent and could recount many strange tales in a slow and deliberate manner. He didn't seem like an uneducated person. Out of curiosity, he asked the eunuch in front of him for his name.

To be asked his name by Zhao Dexiu seemed like a great honor to the eunuch, and he quickly turned around, bowed to Zhao Dexiu, and replied:

"This servant's name is Zhang Dejun."

Zhang Dejun?
If your name is Wang Ji'en, that would be great.

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(End of this chapter)