Chapter 880 Prince of Pingxi, Repaying Evil with Kindness

"Mother, please eat."

Zhao Yuannian brought a bowl of noodles and offered it to the Princess of Fu.

The Princess of Fu shook her head and said, "My son, you eat first; Mother isn't hungry."

"Your son has already eaten; I'm full today." Zhao Yuannian used his chopsticks to pick up the noodles in the bowl, revealing the chopped green onions and coriander within.

The Princess of Fu reached out, took the bowl, and began to eat.

Zhao Yuannian watched his mother eat, a smile on his face.

The Princess of Fu felt a little embarrassed by his gaze. Even in later generations, watching a woman eat could still make her feel shy,

Especially now, in the Qian Kingdom, where officials and gentry valued etiquette.

Even in decline, with the royal mansion gone, some habits couldn't be changed in a short time.

Zhao Yuannian immediately shifted his gaze and said, "The Yan people have sent someone."

"Oh?" The Princess of Fu was curious and excited, but even more apprehensive.

When the Prince of Pingxi led his troops to break through, the Fu royal mansion, due to its large number of female family members, couldn't follow in the charge and was left behind.

When the Qian army entered the Yan army's camp, they saw the Fu royal mansion's members dressed in luxurious formal attire.

Currently, they were housed in a military fortress north of the Bian River.

Outside the fortress, many refugees could be seen. Even though the imperial guards had crossed the Bian River and recovered the capital, these people were still uneasy and hadn't dared to return directly.

Saying that the capital had been reduced to a blank slate was an exaggeration.

But a capital city with so many people, in the days after the Yan people invaded, lost its morality, lost its laws, and lost its reverence.

The vast city, with so many people, no one to urge them, but they began "raising Gu" themselves.

Burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of evil became the true reflection of human nature at that time.

Zhao Yuannian overheard the imperial guards guarding them chatting, but he wasn't very clear about the exact state of the capital now.

"Mother, are you worried?" Zhao Yuannian seemed to be teasing her deliberately.

Not belittling, not mocking, but a mother and son still having the interest to joke and relieve the pressure at this time.

It had to be said that Zhao Yuannian had grown a lot.

When Zheng Fan first entered Chuzhou City, Zhao Yuannian, who had just lost his father, was like a clueless little puppy, at a loss in front of Zheng Fan, who was then only a garrison commander.

When Zheng Fan entered Chuzhou this time, Zhao Yuannian had become a little wolfdog, but in front of Zheng Fan, who was already the Prince of Pingxi, young men of the "dog" lineage were really not worth looking at.

And now, trapped, he could be much more unrestrained.

Leaving aside practical abilities, his mental refinement had reached a very high level. With the latter, the former could often achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"Mother isn't worried that he'll forget about us," the Princess of Fu said. "A person like him wouldn't care about us, so he won't forget about us."

"Mother's words are very profound."

"If it were just a matter of personal affection between a man and a woman, it would be necessary to make a clean break when the time comes. Anyone would do that. Among ordinary men and women, it's called 'parting has always wounded the sentimental since ancient times'; among the powerful, it's called 'great men don't adhere to petty details' and is praised as having a grand vision.

Mother doesn't have the face to say that she and he are having an affair. At best, we're just a matter of face for him. A person like him wouldn't want to disgrace himself."

"That's true. After the Yan people sent someone, our food rations were immediately no longer skimped on and were given in full."

The Princess of Fu finished the bowl of noodles completely, not even leaving the soup.

"Mother, would you like more?"

"Yes, Mother needs to gain some weight."

...

"Your Majesty, you've gotten fatter."

Just returning from the Zixia Palace, Chancellor Han Hui said to Zhao Mugou, who was standing before him, when he arrived at his residence.

"Fatter?"

Zhao Mugou was stunned for a moment, then realized that it meant he was bloated.

"Yes, with the nation suffering such a great disaster, the capital breached, and the central government damaged, what I was most worried about was Your Majesty's health.

This Qian Dynasty, after all, belongs to Your Majesty. In any case, as long as Your Majesty can endure, our great Qian can endure."

Zhao Mugou nodded and said, "Your Majesty is our great Qian's hope now."

The grandfather and grandson,

Their eyes met,

Each with a slight curve at the corner of their mouths.

This was the Zixia Palace, the imperial family's summer retreat outside the capital. The imperial guards had already recovered the capital, but the emperor's camp hadn't returned inside.

Because,

It was simply unbearable to look at.

This magnificent capital city, this splendid palace, the solemn ancestral temple, were all riddled with scars.

However, the Zixia Palace was, after all, the Zixia Palace, not the military camp where the grandfather and grandson had been earlier.

At this extremely delicate moment, any slight disturbance could be enough to make the emperor, who was already in a state of emotional tension, take actions that were inconsistent with his previous behavior.

As expected, there must be Silver Armor Guards eavesdropping outside this room.

"Your Highness, what are you planning to do next?"

"I... I don't know," Zhao Mugou said.

He really didn't know; this sentence wasn't deliberately feigning ignorance.

Stay?

Serve the emperor, or help collect refugees, and reorganize the capital?

What are your intentions!

Go back, back to your Prince Rui's mansion; then, with the capital in such a state, you're hurrying back, what are your intentions?

Often, the essence of the problem isn't what you do, but whether the ruler's suspicion of you has crossed the line.

"Stay," Han Hui said. "When I saw the emperor today, he mentioned you, saying that Prince Rui's mansion is loyal to the great Qian."

As he spoke, Han Hui picked up the lid of the teacup and placed it to the side.

"Stay and fulfill the obligations of a royal prince. When Emperor Taizu enfeoffed the princes, their role was to protect the state. Cough, cough, cough..."

Han Hui coughed for a while and then moved the teacup next to the teacup lid.

Zhao Mugou understood the meaning.

He,

Needed to seek to stay,

And at the same time, needed to have his father, come to the capital as well.

But his father had been bedridden for several years; how could he possibly endure such a bumpy move?

But, he had to come.

Prince Rui's mansion represented Emperor Taizu's line. Now that the nation was in difficulty, it echoed the hardships when Emperor Taizu and his brothers founded the dynasty. Now, the two lines should combine to give people political hope and aspiration.

However, after his father arrived in the capital, exhausted from the journey, he was afraid he wouldn't last long.

People who were seriously ill were most afraid of changing environments and being tossed about; this was common sense.

Zhao Mugou greatly respected his father. He believed that if he sent a letter, his father would surely drag his sick body over, and he also believed that his father could understand the deep meaning.

This wasn't "unfilial"; this was fate.

Moreover, the one who made this arrangement was his own grandfather, his father's... own father.

"I proposed to the emperor that you go to Yao City and bring the crown prince back."

Zhao Mugou's expression turned solemn.

After the Yan people invaded the capital, they captured the empress and a group of royal nobles, as well as many princes and palace maids.

The seventh prince, died in the capital. He tried to turn the tide and wanted to defend the capital, but he was crushed into mincemeat under the iron hooves of the Jingnan Army led by Chen Yang himself.

As for the crown prince, he had fled the palace early, fled the capital, and went to Yao City, a guard city south of the capital that originally belonged to the capital.

The people believed that the emperor had died in battle, and the Qian Dynasty had collapsed. At that time, the crown prince, as well as many ministers who had fled to Yao City with him, also thought so.

Otherwise, you couldn't explain why the Yan people could still kill their way to the capital when the emperor was leading the troops in person at the front.

In addition, the situation was precarious, people's hearts were scattered, coupled with the saying: a nation cannot be without a ruler for a day.

The crown prince,

Ascended the throne in Yao City.

After ascending the throne, the crown prince issued three imperial decrees.

The first was to hold a national mourning for the emperor; this was to create a legitimate reason for his ascension to the throne. He was the crown prince, and after the emperor's death, he rightfully inherited the Qian Dynasty's throne.

The second was to send people to the capital to contact the Yan army in the name of the new emperor, demanding that the Yan army not harm "朕 (zhen, imperial 'I')"’s people.

The third was to order the prefectures of Jiangnan to come to the aid of the emperor.

The first one was nonsense.

The second one was even more nonsense than the first.

The third one had extremely clear political intentions. The so-called order to the prefectures of Jiangnan to come to the aid of the emperor meant that you should prepare yourselves. Once the situation turned bad, this new emperor would probably be on a "southern tour."

In other words, the new emperor had already prepared to abandon the north, which was at least currently "rotten," and go to Jiangnan to build a southern court.

With everything ready,

The crown prince and his new court were slowly waiting in apprehension and nervous anticipation.

What they waited for,

Was the news that the emperor had led the imperial guards to return and recover the capital.

"........." Crown Prince.

"........." Ministers who supported the crown prince.

This joke,

Was a bit too big.

When he learned this news, the crown prince blurted out a sentence: Father, how could he not be dead?

And the emperor,

After experiencing a series of blows and witnessing the current state of the capital, had already accumulated a burst of depressed qi in his chest. Upon learning that the crown prince had actually ascended the throne, and that he had not only not become an emperor emeritus but had directly jumped to become the "late emperor,"

The emperor fainted.

This was no longer something that a wise or foolish emperor could bear. Any emperor, facing this situation, after suffering this series of blows, would no longer be able to maintain his composure.

Han Hui picked up the teacup lid,

And tapped it

From top to bottom,

Little by little on the body of the cup, and finally, placed the lid on the table.

Zhao Mugou understood what he meant.

Han Hui was telling him that this trip to Yao City wasn't very dangerous; it was mainly to give the people on the crown prince's side a way to step down.

Yao City only had a group of ministers and guards who had escaped from the capital, and they had gathered a little bit of routed soldiers and refugees.

They were originally prepared to immediately go south if the Yan people showed any intention of taking care of them, so their current power was actually very weak.

On the other hand, the emperor here had an army of 200,000 in his hands. The Qian Kingdom's elite force in Liang would probably be returning soon, and the Three Borders were also loyal to the emperor.

The righteousness was still on the emperor's side. After all, as long as the emperor hadn't died, the crown prince's action was a genuine usurpation.

If the crown prince's strength was switched with the emperor's at this time, everyone might have accepted it, albeit reluctantly. After all, you, the emperor, had created a tragic situation where the capital was breached, so it would be reasonable to abdicate and take responsibility. But the problem was that the crown prince was alone and weak; how could he possibly make a fuss?

Even if the crown prince couldn't step down in this situation, even if he explained, it would be difficult to explain clearly. Even if they superficially resolved the misunderstanding as a father and son and cried bitterly for the nation's situation,

Then,

What next?

Born in an imperial family, who was a fool?

However, this time's recruitment wasn't aimed at the crown prince himself. The crown prince's career was over, but the people around him still had a chance. They could explain, and what's more, there were two chancellors there.

Zhao Mugou's identity was just right. After going there, give them a way out. The crown prince's wishes could actually be ignored. When the people around him were preparing to take the opportunity to step down, this "new emperor" farce would inevitably end.

And Zhao Mugou could also accumulate a huge amount of public support because of this.

What seemed to outsiders to be an extremely dangerous trip was actually very low in danger and contained extremely rewarding political speculation.

In addition, after Prince Rui arrived in the capital, he died.

Sympathy for Emperor Taizu's line,

Respect for Prince Rui's mansion's dedication to the country and achievement of great righteousness,

All of this, the goodwill from the people and the gentry, would be added to Zhao Mugou.

"I'll go,"

Zhao Mugou replied.

Han Hui nodded in satisfaction.

Zhao Mugou asked again,

"Will the Yan people release those relatives and royal nobles who were looted in the capital?"

Han Hui smiled,

And said,

"If you can come back from Yao City, then you can still handle this task."

Han Hui said this frankly.

Anyway, let this prince's son go for things that were likely to lead to death.

If he didn't die the first time, surely there wouldn't be such good luck a second time, right?

Therefore, even if these words were spread, even if they reached the emperor's ears, Han Hui would still be justified.

After all,

Only the grandfather, father, and grandson, the three people, knew the relationship between these three generations.

"Good, for the sake of the Qian Dynasty, I am willing."

Han Hui glanced at the window,

And said lightly,

"The Yan people's request seems very simple. That Prince of Pingxi is quite the romantic; he specifically requested that the people from the Fu royal mansion be exchanged, probably just wanting the Princess of Fu."

"Too much," Zhao Mugou said. "Using a woman for exchange is shameful..."

These words were half true and half false. They could be regarded as Zhao Mugou's helplessness towards the current situation, and could also reflect the rashness of this "child." Giving a slight retort with a bit of a complaint would make the superiors feel more authentic and at ease.

"Endure for the sake of the country."

Han Hui added another sentence:

"I think that Princess of Fu seems quite willing to go."

...

"She can't wait to go,"

Lying on the bed, the emperor, facing the reports from his subordinates, showed a slight tremor on his already bloated face.

Not out of anger,

But under a series of collapses, the Princess of Fu and Prince of Pingxi's affair could only be considered a small dish.

"Your Majesty, please take care of your health," Li Xundao consoled.

"I understand, don't worry, Aiqing (term of endearment for imperial subject), I don't have any other strengths, but one thing, I'm better than the Yan Kingdom's old opponent. My body is better than his, hehehe."

The emperor reached out and touched his face, and then put it down.

"Let Xundao handle the matters outside for me. I need to take good care of this body."

As he said that,

The emperor looked at the eunuch.

The eunuch stepped forward and handed an imperial decree to Li Xundao.

Li Xundao opened it. It was a decree of rehabilitation.

"It's not that I'm stingy. This decree was originally set by me long ago, and it's by no means that I want you to be grateful now. Take a look at the signature."

Li Xundao looked at the signature.

"This is a decree that I personally wrote when I first ascended the throne." The emperor sighed. "How should I put it, the world says that Emperor Renzong was benevolent and unparalleled, but 70 to 80 percent of the current ills of our great Qian Dynasty originated from the Renzong Dynasty.

If I could also be that clay figure emperor who ruled by doing nothing, seeking personal freedom and leaving a name in history, that would be fine, but unfortunately, he enjoyed the blessings, and his descendants will bear the difficulties.

Everyone in the court and the public knows what happened with the Tattooed-Face Chancellor.

I originally planned to rehabilitate the Tattooed-Face Chancellor after I ascended the throne, but at that time, Chancellor Han and the other upright officials of the Renzong Dynasty were still standing in the court. When I faced them, I still needed to be cautious, so how could I dare to bring this out?

Later, after I initially secured my throne, I realized that rehabilitating the Tattooed-Face Chancellor required facing not just those few chancellors, but the tradition of valuing literature and suppressing martial arts that had existed in our great Qian Dynasty for centuries.

When I finally managed to drive Chancellor Han and the others back to their hometowns.

Finally waited for you to come down the mountain,

I thought I could take advantage of this great victory to sort out everything that needed to be sorted out, but who knew..."

"Your Majesty's intentions, I understand,"

"Xundao, I'm too lazy to pretend in front of you. In the current situation, I'm afraid I can't clean it up alone. I can only rely on you.

The court, military affairs, and this damaged north, you have to clean them up for me. I'll avoid the limelight and take care of my body."

"Thank you for Your Majesty's trust, I am willing to serve Your Majesty with all my heart and soul."

"Alright, let's put the ugly words first. When the time comes, when the situation stabilizes, the country is at peace, and the Yan people ultimately fail to go south, I'll kill the donkey after it's done its work when I see that it's about right."

Li Xundao nodded when he heard this and said, "As it should be."

"But I won't kill you. After the world is pacified, you can go back up the mountain again. If there's a need again, come down again. We can also be a happy monarch and minister."

"Good."

At this time,

A eunuch came in from outside to report:

"Your Majesty, the Yan people have sent an envoy again."

...

"This head of the Yan envoy is really... Are there no people left in your Yan?"

Third Master stood there, watching a Qian Kingdom minister use a spirit of great fearlessness to try to reclaim a little bit of dignity for the great Qian Kingdom by attacking people.

Honestly,

It was quite laughable and quite pitiful.

"Yo, our royal mansion has a rule. Everything must be equal.

When sending envoys to great powers, you must find tall ones. When sending envoys to small countries, you must find short ones. The current Qian Kingdom, I'm still considered tall."

"You..."

Third Master rolled his eyes. I'm standing here properly, and you have to give me a stage to perform "Yanzi's Envoy to Chu."

"What does the Prince of Pingxi have to say?"

Li Xundao walked in, and the other officials retreated.

Third Master stood with his hands behind his back,

And said,

"Our master said that he likes the Princess of Fu's plump figure. If you Qian people don't treat her well, and when she's sent back, the Princess of Fu has lost a few taels of meat;

Hehe,

Our master is kind and likes to repay evil with kindness.

We'll have your empress hang a few extra taels of meat on her body and send it back as a free gift!"