Song Xiu

Chapter 16 You still dare to show your face before me?
Based on his intuition, Zhao Dexiu dared not be careless.

Zhao Dexiu first summoned a palace attendant and ordered him to urge Zhao Dezhao to wash up.

After Zhao Dexiu tidied himself up slightly in front of a bronze mirror inside the hall, he immediately went outside.

It was a cold winter morning.

However, Zhao Pu, who was nearly forty years old, seemed unfazed by the cold and stood quietly outside the hall, pretending to be resting with his eyes closed.

Upon arriving outside the hall, Zhao Dexiu glanced reproachfully at the eunuch behind him, then strode to Zhao Pu:

“Zhao Shumi, it’s cold outside. Please come inside to avoid the cold.”

Thanks to the memories left by his predecessor, Zhao Dexiu has a certain understanding of the complex official system of the time.

The position of Privy Council Academician may sound unremarkable, but it actually wields immense power.

Generally speaking, a Privy Council Academician is the Privy Councilor's deputy, assisting the Privy Councilor in handling the Privy Council's daily affairs, and also has the responsibility of supervising the Privy Councilor.

With Wei Renpu arrested, the Privy Council is leaderless. Zhao Pu is able to exercise the power of the Privy Councilor by virtue of his position as a Privy Council Academician.

During the Five Dynasties and early Song Dynasty, the Privy Councilor had the power to mobilize the Imperial Guards!
Zhao Pu's ability to rise to the position of Privy Council Academician demonstrates Zhao Kuangyin's trust in him.

Zhao Dexiu's sincere invitation made Zhao Pu abandon his idea of ​​closing his eyes to rest.

Looking at the eldest prince before him, who was so courteous, Zhao Pu smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "I am preoccupied with official duties and cannot enter."

Zhao Pu, in turn, politely declined Zhao Dexiu's offer.

Zhao Dexiu was not a naive young man who was oblivious to human relationships. Although Zhao Pu answered him with a smile, he could still sense a sense of estrangement from Zhao Pu's refusal.

Upon further reflection, Zhao Dexiu understood the reason behind it.

Both his previous memories and Zhao Pu's advice the day before proved that Zhao Pu's perception of him was not bad.

However, since their identities have now changed dramatically, it is best for an important official in the outer court to avoid getting too close to the prince.

After realizing that Zhao Pu was intentionally distancing himself from her, Zhao Dexiu did not take offense.

Never be naive enough to think that you can easily obtain everything just because you are a prince.

Having kept this in mind, Zhao Dexiu, while understanding Zhao Pu's intentions, showed even greater respect for Zhao Pu on his face:
“What Zhao Shumi said is absolutely right.”

Zhao Pu had been watching Zhao Dexiu's performance closely.

Seeing that Zhao Dexiu showed no pride in his princely status and showed no sign of anger at his "lack of respect," but instead became even more respectful of him, Zhao Pu's opinion of Zhao Dexiu subtly rose a few points higher.

A prince who treats virtuous scholars with courtesy would win the favor of Confucian scholars in any dynasty or era.

While Zhao Pu secretly gave his approval, he remained outwardly calm and composed.

"His Majesty has issued an oral decree."

After reading Zhao Kuangyin's edict, Zhao Pu led Zhao Dexiu toward a side hall in the imperial city.

Even though it was only just dawn, many eunuchs and palace maids were already sweeping the roads throughout the imperial city with clean water and brooms.

Zhao Dexiu, who was following behind Zhao Pu, quickly realized that something was wrong.

The main roads within the imperial city were interconnected, and there were clearly many roads to take, but Zhao Pu deliberately led him onto the road where the most eunuchs were cleaning.

The eunuchs who were cleaning naturally dared not stop Zhao Pu, but the successive retreat of many eunuchs would invisibly increase the time to reach the destination.

At this time, the Song Dynasty had just been established and the Privy Council was busy with many affairs. Given Zhao Pu's love of power, how could he waste his time on things that shouldn't be wasted?
Just as doubts arose in his mind, the sharp-eyed Zhao Dexiu noticed many scarlet spots on the ground.

Zhao Dexiu, who came from a military family, immediately recognized the scarlet spots on the ground as blood.

The imperial city is where the emperor resides, and normally such foul things should not exist there, unless they are recent creations.

How many untold killings took place in this imperial city yesterday?
Zhao Dexiu pondered this point.

Whether it was the explanation he saw in his past life or the "Three Laws" promised by Zhao Kuangyin that he personally experienced in this life, they all proved one thing: the Chenqiao Mutiny was a righteous and bloodless mutiny.

In retrospect, this fact is untenable. To give a mutiny the reputation of being bloodless, besides actually achieving that, there is another way—kill people so that they are not recorded in history books.

Such as palace eunuchs of low status, and some low-ranking officials and soldiers who swore to never be loyal to the Song Dynasty.

Their lives were worthless to begin with, so they were used as a warning to others!
Having figured everything out, Zhao Dexiu's eyes showed a hint of understanding.

Even in times of chaos, the imperial throne remains, in essence, cold and chilling.

A warm and affectionate facade can be used to soothe people's hearts, but if one really thinks that so-called "virtuous governance" can suppress the chilling coldness brought by the imperial throne, that is basically a pipe dream!
When it's time to be ruthless, there can be no room for weakness.

While Zhao Dexiu was pondering, he did not notice that Zhao Pu, who was leading the way, turned around several times to observe his expression.

When Zhao Pu saw the look of understanding in Zhao Dexiu's eyes, an approving smile immediately appeared on his lips.

The eldest prince was indeed exceptionally talented, and his efforts were not wasted.

After spending time alone with Zhao Kuangyin last night, Zhao Pu went back and thought about it for a long time. Finally, he realized the other meaning behind Zhao Kuangyin's words to him last night.

Zhao Kuangyin wanted to select a worthy successor, and to ensure the competition was as fair as possible, he did not want him to rashly join the competition.

If he were to do that, it would undoubtedly be a betrayal of Zhao Kuangyin.

Having figured this out, Zhao Pu, even though he secretly wished for Zhao Dexiu to become the crown prince of the Song Dynasty, had no choice but to distance himself from Zhao Dexiu.

Despite the distance between them, he could still choose which path to take with Zhao Dexiu.

As for what Zhao Dexiu could "self-discover" under his guidance, can we blame Zhao Pu for that?
Zhao Pu, from beginning to end, remained impartial and neutral.

When Zhao Pu turned around again, he noticed a hint of gratitude in Zhao Dexiu's gaze, which made his smile widen even further.

Between men, some unspoken understandings are beyond words.

The side hall that Zhao Pu led Zhao Dexiu to was not far from Zhao Dexiu's bedroom.

Even though he deliberately took a detour along the way, Zhao Pu still arrived at his destination after about a quarter of an hour.

After stopping, Zhao Pu said calmly to Zhao Dexiu behind him:

"This side hall is where Wei Renpu, the former Privy Councilor of the previous dynasty, lived."

His Majesty wants you to become his disciple.

Zhao Pu's tone was calm and concise, but when his words reached Zhao Dexiu's ears, they caused a huge uproar in Zhao Dexiu's heart.

Just now in Yande Palace, Zhao Dexiu received an oral instruction that he should follow Zhao Pu's arrangements for everything today.

Zhao Dexiu had thought that Zhao Kuangyin intended for him to follow Zhao Pu today so that he could learn about governance.

The result was that he became an apprentice?
It's one thing to take someone as an apprentice, but why not choose good comrades like Fan Zhi and Wang Pu who are willing to make progress?
Given Wei Renpu's loyalty to the Great Zhou, why would he be willing to teach him?
Moreover, he himself had a grudge against Wei Renpu.

For a moment, Zhao Dexiu felt a mix of emotions.

Before Zhao Dexiu could calm down, Zhao Pu had already ordered his men to push open the palace doors.

As Zhao Pu strode into the hall, Zhao Dexiu, no matter how unwilling he was, could only grit his teeth and follow behind.

The sudden opening of the palace doors allowed light from outside to flood into the interior.

Wei Renpu, who was enjoying reading at a table in the hall, was the first to see Zhao Pu.

Because he didn't recognize Zhao Pu, Wei Renpu remained calm until he squinted and clearly saw the young figure behind Zhao Pu:

"Zhao Dexiu!"

"You still dare to show your face before me?"

Wei Renpu was so angry that his white beard trembled, and he slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

(End of this chapter)