The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 22 Be confident
He stepped out of the door, ordered everyone to keep an eye on the study and not allow anyone to enter, and then went to the front hall.

After a while, he entered the hall and saw a eunuch sitting on a chair drinking tea. Seeing him coming, he hurriedly stood up and saluted: "Your humble servant Tian Xi, I pay my respects to the king."

Zhao Ti nodded: "The Queen Mother called me?"

The eunuch said, "The Queen Mother has ordered the prince to come to the palace, saying that she has something to ask you."

Zhao Ti smiled slightly: "Let's go now."

Quarter of an hour later, he returned to the imperial city and entered from the Zuoye Gate again. However, this time he did not go to the Cining Hall, but to the Ciming Hall.

Ciming Hall was where Empress Dowager Xiang lived, and it was also quite large. Empress Dowager Xiang had a strong personality and was not liked by everyone in the harem, except Zhao Ji, who regarded her as a support because of his mother, Chen.

When he entered the hall, he saw the Queen Mother sitting in the middle. Zhao Ji was whispering something next to her. When he saw him coming, he quickly shut up, turned his head away and deliberately didn't look at her.

Zhao Ti remained calm, bowed to Empress Dowager Xiang, and said, "Auntie, you called me?"

Empress Dowager Xiang said expressionlessly, "Prince of Yan, Prince Duan came to me to complain, saying that you broke into his residence, extorted money and property, ignored our brotherhood, and threatened and intimidated him. Is this true?"

Zhao Ti blinked and shook his head, saying, "That's not the case."

"You, you lied!" Zhao Ji turned his head away immediately after hearing this and said angrily, "Madam, he lied. He brought people into my house like a bandit from the mountains or a bandit from the green forest. All my guests were scared away. Not only did I lose face, but he also extorted more than a dozen of my beloved things and left!"

Empress Xiang showed displeasure: "Prince Yan, are you still going to hide this from me?"

Zhao Ti said, "It's not that I don't want to tell you. There was no extortion or threat to Prince Duan. It was Prince Duan who brought people to my house and beat up the gatekeepers. He was arrogant and unreasonable, so I came to ask for the medicine money. It was reasonable."

"What do you mean by reasonable?" Zhao Ji said angrily, "You injured so many of my men, why are you asking for money for the medicine for your men? What can my men say?"

Zhao Ti touched his chin and said, "Prince Duan can ask me for it, but you never asked for it from the beginning to the end, right?"

Zhao Ji was stunned for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Then you have to pay me for the medicine now. You injured so many of my men, the medical expenses must be double the amount!"

Zhao Ti said: "Okay."

Zhao Ji asked, "When will it be brought?"

Zhao Ti shook his head: "No."

Zhao Ji was startled, then his face turned pale with anxiety: "King of Yan, are you kidding me?
Zhao Ti said: "I only asked you to ask for it, but I didn't say I would give it to you. How can you say it's a joke?"

Zhao Ji was so angry that his face turned blue. He looked at Queen Mother Xiang and said, "Auntie, please help me. This, this Prince of Yan is really going too far..."

Empress Dowager Xiang said coldly, "Prince Yan, this is your fault. I don't need to ask about the cause. Since both sides were injured, why did you go alone to ask for the medical expenses? Prince Duan refused to give it to you and led his men to chase him all over the mansion, making him lose his manners. He was also extorted for his property. Is this what a prince should do?"

Zhao Ji said, "Auntie, I was not blackmailed by him at that time. I was stern and cold to him, but he pulled out a sharp knife and threatened me with a fierce look. In the end, I had no choice but to let him take my property."

The corner of Zhao Ti's mouth twitched: "The wind is as sharp as a knife? Prince Duan, have you listened to too many operas or read too many novels? How can this happen?"

Zhao Ji said: "Anyway, you have taken the things away. Now that my madam is seeking justice, you must return them all and compensate me!"

Zhao Ti said: "No."

"You!" Zhao Ji wanted to rush forward to argue, but he was afraid, so he could only look at the Queen Mother: "Madam, you see, the Prince of Yan is a robber, a bandit..."

Empress Dowager Xiang snorted, "Prince Yan, what you did is evil, isn't it? Why don't you return home and return Prince Duan's property!"

Zhao Ti frowned, "Madam, what you said is too serious. You don't ask about the cause, but only the consequence. You favor Prince Duan. Your words and deeds are evil. Please forgive me for not agreeing with you!" "Prince Yan, what did you say!" Empress Dowager Xiang looked unhappy and said angrily, "I have no children. You are all illegitimate children. I treat you all equally. Who would I favor?"

"Auntie favors Prince Duan!" Zhao Ti said indifferently.

"Tell me how I favor him. If you can't, I'll take you to the emperor and the Empress Dowager and ask them to tell you how disobedient and unfilial your words are. Do they match your status as a prince?"

Zhao Ti said slowly, "Prince Duan compensated me for the medicine. It was a mutual agreement and there was no coercion. Now you are asking for it on behalf of Prince Duan. Prince Duan has changed his mind and you are supporting him. Isn't that partiality?"

"You!" Empress Dowager Xiang jumped up from her chair and said, "You are so brave. Are you saying that I want it from you?"

Zhao Ti didn't say anything, with that expression on his face. He didn't care about offending Empress Dowager Xiang. Empress Dowager Xiang suppressed the palace people during the reign of Emperor Shenzong, including his mother, Concubine Xing. Except for her own confidants, almost everyone had been punished by her.

If Zhao Xu was not around, and the throne would be passed down from the legitimate heir to the legitimate heir if possible, or from the eldest son to the eldest son if not. Empress Dowager Xiang would definitely find faults in herself and support Prince Duan to the throne. The legitimate heir is undisputed, but the eldest son is unreliable. History has already proved this. At that time, she and the other party were enemies.

As for now, even if Gao Taotao died, the other party could not do anything to her. Zhao Xu would be in power, but she would not be given any power at all. Zhao Xu's relationship with her was not good either, because Empress Dowager Xiang had also punished Zhao Xu's mother, Concubine Zhu, more than once.

"You forced Prince Duan to take his property and refused to return it. I tried to uphold justice, but now it seems like I am blackmailing you?" Empress Dowager Xiang was so angry that she slammed the table with her hand.

"Auntie, I've said before that it was Prince Duan who compensated my subordinates for the medical expenses. We both agreed at the time and the money was settled. I didn't expect Prince Duan to go back on his word and demand payment later. This is not the behavior of a gentleman and I am ashamed to be compared to him as a brother." Zhao Ti said slowly.

"I don't want to be with a bandit like you!" Zhao Ji said angrily.

"Prince Yan, you keep saying that we were both willing, but you are just talking nonsense. How dare you say that Prince Duan is not a gentleman?" Empress Dowager Xiang was furious.

Zhao Ti looked at the two of them, suddenly chuckled, reached out and took out a piece of paper from his arms, then unfolded it. He saw black words on the white paper and bright red fingerprints, which were extremely clear.

He said leisurely, "Auntie, this is the written voucher that Prince Duan wrote to me when we settled the money. It clearly states that he gave it voluntarily as medical expenses. It is signed and sealed. It is like a mountain of evidence!"

Empress Dowager Xiang stiffened when she heard this. She glanced at the paper and turned to Zhao Ji with a sullen face, "Prince Duan, is this something you signed?"

When Zhao Ji saw the document, he was stunned for a moment, and suddenly realized the reason why Zhao Ti asked him to write it. He was immediately furious and shouted, "Prince of Yan, you are a black-hearted robber. You deliberately asked me to sign this document just for the current situation, right? You are a Sima Zhongda..."

Zhao Ti snorted: "The evidence is here, no need to say more."

Empress Dowager Xiang said nothing, her face was so dark that water was about to drip. Zhao Ji wanted to speak, but she stopped him coldly: "Shut up!"

Seeing this, Zhao Ti smiled slightly and said, "Madam, since there is nothing else, I will leave the palace." After saying that, without waiting for the Queen Mother to reply, he turned around and walked out of the hall.

Zhao Ji stamped his feet in anger behind him: "Madam, Madam, this warrior is so rude, this matter cannot be let go like this."

Empress Dowager Xiang took a deep breath, suppressed her anger, sat back in her chair, and said calmly, "You signed it yourself, how can it not be counted?"

Zhao Ji said: "Even if I don't want those things, I can't get over it. He brought people into my son's house, drove away the guests, chased and threatened me. How can I let him go so easily!"

Empress Dowager Xiang was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice: "It's okay, I will let the Grand Zongzheng Temple handle this matter, and I will never let him get away with it!"

Zhao Ti left the palace and returned home. It was getting dark, so he went to the study to get two swords, a long and a short sword. Then he called Zheng Fu, Bai Zhan and others, and after giving them some instructions, he went to the secret room.

The secret room is large and is where he usually practices martial arts. The space is wide and he can move around freely. It is also equipped with tables, chairs and beds so he can rest when he is tired.

He walked to the innermost stone couch and sat down, then took out the book containing the Phantom Yin Finger technique, gathered his energy, and gently opened it.

(End of this chapter)