I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

...

First an emperor, then a father?

Zhao Shou pondered these words repeatedly, recalling the teachings his father and others had given him over the years.

From the moment an emperor receives his mandate from Heaven and takes charge of the state, he transcends ordinary human ethics and becomes the core of the world's order and the foundation for the continuation of the empire.

"First an emperor, then a father" was never a subjective choice, but rather an inevitability of the emperor's status.

It should be understood that the primary attribute of an emperor is "ruler," the master of all people and the core of the nation, and only secondarily "father," the blood relative and the head of the family.

In the value system of emperors, kinship can never take precedence over national stability and the consolidation of power. This is not cold-heartedness, but a fundamental principle that those who rule the world must adhere to, and an inevitable requirement for maintaining the well-being of hundreds of millions of people.

Some might say, "I'm the emperor, so I can be willful and put family ties above family ties. So what?"
not very.

If there really was such an emperor who couldn't see things clearly, there would definitely be someone or some power to help the emperor correct his understanding, even if that emperor was Zhao Yu, the first emperor of all time.

Not only Zhao Yu, but also Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, and Emperor Taizong of Tang were all the same.

The emperor's power may seem supreme, as if he could control the world at his own will, but in reality, imperial power is never an unlimited freedom. Instead, it is a responsibility that is constrained by the country, the people's well-being, and the order of the court.

The so-called "omnipotence" is nothing more than people's imagination and awe of imperial power. In the end, the real emperor could not escape the fundamental logic of "the world belongs to all".

Power originates from the trust placed in it by the people, and naturally it must serve the fundamental interests of the people. Once it deviates from this core principle, even those with great talent and ambition, such as Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, or those as wise and valiant as Emperor Taizong of Tang, will eventually be devoured by this invisible rule.

In short, the core mission of emperors has always been to safeguard the perpetuity and peace of their empire.

On this territory, the safety of the cities, the abundance of the fields, the implementation of laws, and the support of the people all depend on the emperor.

Therefore, every decision an emperor makes requires weighing the pros and cons and taking a holistic view; every choice must be made without selfish considerations and with a long-term perspective.

National stability is of paramount importance.

If an emperor indulges in the natural instincts of fatherhood and sonhood, substitutes personal love for public justice, and allows kinship to interfere with decision-making, the boundaries between "ruler" and "father" will become blurred, ultimately leading to an imbalance of power and disorder.

Imagine if Zhao Yu had actually abdicated in favor of Zhao Shou, triggering a power struggle among the imperial family, factionalism among court officials, and unrest throughout the country, causing the people to be displaced. In that case, the main responsibility would have fallen on Zhao Yu. If Zhao Shou were to act like Zhao Huan in history, wouldn't Zhao Yu have become like Zhao Ji?
At this point, someone naturally had to stop Zhao Yu from going down this wrong path, telling him that the stability of power is the foundation for an emperor to fulfill his mission. For an emperor, the responsibility to the world is a burden heavier than Mount Tai, while kinship is merely a light shackle. Only by putting the former first can he safeguard the foundation of the country and protect the millions of people, including the royal family.

His father had taught him these arts of rulership long ago, but Zhao Shou didn't believe that his father himself didn't understand them!

'Is Father trying to use the abdication to lure out those treacherous ministers? Or... is it a test for me?'

It's no wonder Zhao Shou thought so much. After all, his father had been so shrewd and calculating all these years. How could he so easily express the intention to abdicate, and then ultimately not abdicate? The crucial point is, if his father hadn't done this, how would people like Wu Min have jumped out? Furthermore, without this incident, how would his father know whether the regents he had chosen were truly reliable?

Zhao Shou was almost certain that this was one of his father's tactics, similar to Zhao Gao's "pointing at a deer and calling it a horse."

'If I dwell on the matter of abdication, I fear my father might replace me.'

'I also have to take a side, and I must be resolute, without showing any emotion!'

Thinking of this, Zhao Shou quickly told Empress Zheng that he was still far from being capable. The Song Dynasty was now larger than ever before, and the national situation was more complex than ever before. He simply did not have the ability to lead the Song Dynasty at the moment. At this stage, apart from his father, no one else could lead the Song Dynasty. It was right for his father not to abdicate. The current management model of the Song Dynasty, in which his father focused on the big picture and he focused on the details, was the best. If the father and son worked together, they would surely be able to lead the Song Dynasty to a higher level.

Zhao Shou spoke earnestly, not at all like he was lying, and showed no resentment whatsoever.

Most importantly, as Zhao Shou's mother, Empress Zheng knew that her son did not have much ambition; he always wanted to be Liu Shan.

Therefore, Zhao Shou easily passed Empress Zheng's test.

But it's not over yet.

Zhao Shou immediately went to see his father, the emperor, and then repeated what he had said to his mother to his father.

After listening to what Zhao Shou said, Zhao Yu nodded noncommittally, and then said directly: "The people I leave behind should not be moved lightly unless necessary, especially the generals and supervisors in the army. Remember, the remaining troops should not be reduced any further. From now on, our Great Song should maintain this number of troops on its homeland."

Worried that his absence would be too long and he would be unable to keep an eye on Zhao Shou, and that Zhao Shou might become like Wanyan Dan and Wanyan Liang, who rashly seized power and changed their temperament drastically, becoming arrogant and self-willed and causing a mess that was difficult to clean up, Zhao Yu said very seriously: "My son, remember this well. If you only value civil affairs and neglect military affairs and border defense, the Great Song Dynasty will be in danger, and your life will also be in danger!"

"My son, do not think my words are alarmist! Military force is the key to our Great Song Dynasty. Merely focusing on the economy and development is absolutely not feasible. Without this military shackle, bandits and traitors can all enter our territory and plunder by trickery and force. The more prosperous the nation's economy, the more severe the threat of invasion will be!"

Upon hearing Zhao Yu's words, Zhao Shou's expression turned solemn.

Zhao Yu continued, “My son, do not think that because I have pacified the four borders and expanded the territory, the Great Song will enjoy peace forever. This is absolutely impossible! In the future, I will enfeoff princes. If you do not have strong military power, your brothers will covet it. Moreover, the destruction of fortresses is always due to internal damage. Therefore, you should strengthen military preparedness to deal with all changes and never be negligent.”

Zhao Shou's expression grew increasingly solemn. He bowed deeply to Zhao Yu and said, "Your subject will remember your father's teachings."

Seeing that Zhao Shou had realized the importance of the army and national defense, Zhao Yu stroked the dragon throne beneath him and said, "My son, you were born the crown prince, and everything is within your grasp. You do not know the power and lust that the dragon throne holds! Countless people covet this position, and to fulfill their desires, they will do anything: brothers harm their brothers, sons rebel against their fathers, and subjects betray their rulers..."

Zhao Shou was sweating profusely as he listened. He increasingly felt that this abdication incident was orchestrated by his father, the emperor, to see if he would succumb to the temptation of imperial power and rebel against his father.

At the same time, Zhao Shou also knew that his father's words were not an exaggeration.

There are far too many examples like this.

For example, during the An Lushan Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, lost the protection of the army, so Li Heng placed him under house arrest until his death.

Therefore, Zhao Yu reminded Zhao Shou to pay attention to cultivating the army and national defense forces, even if it was only for his own sake, and Zhao Shou deeply agreed.

Zhao Shou bowed again and replied, "Your subject will remember this."

Zhao Yu continued to instruct Zhao Shou: "My son, remember this well: It is difficult to rule the world if one is neither deaf nor blind. If you use people based on their strengths, then everyone in the world will be a capable person; if you use people based on their weaknesses, then there will be no capable people in the world. If you want to use their strengths, you must tolerate their weaknesses."

After Zhao Yu handed over the Eastern Depot to Zhao Shou, Zhao Shou realized that many of the ministers he considered flawless were actually corrupt, engaging in bribery, forming cliques, and even outwardly impressive but inwardly wicked officials. Of course, it cannot be said that there were no morally upright officials among the Song Dynasty officials.

In fact, there were quite a few officials of high moral character and integrity among the officials of the Song Dynasty.

The problem is that those officials with high moral character are not necessarily given important positions.

On the contrary, some officials of high moral character, although of good personal conduct and morality, cannot be employed because they are too stubborn and unwilling to listen to different opinions.

The most typical example of this is Sima Guang.

Anyone who judges him must admit that Sima Guang's personal character was not problematic, but such a person should not be used, or at least should not be given important responsibilities. Otherwise, he would not only be of no help to the overall situation, but would also ruin things, or even destroy the Song Dynasty.

Also, don't be afraid of your subordinates making mistakes.

Zhao Yu said to Zhao Shou: "Among those who are willing to take on important tasks, there is no one who is not flawed; only those who hold positions without doing their jobs are able to avoid making mistakes."

A wise person would see that if such people do not overstep the bounds of propriety and are of benefit to the Song Dynasty, they can be tolerated for the time being, and their assets confiscated when the time is right.

"Water that is too clear has no fish; a person who is too discerning has no followers. If you govern your subordinates too harshly, no one will serve you."

Speaking of which, Zhao Shou really admired his father, the emperor, when it came to employing people.

He uses loyal ministers, he uses treacherous ministers, he uses honest officials, and he uses corrupt officials.

What's amazing is that, whether they were loyal ministers or treacherous ministers, whether they were honest officials or corrupt officials, none of them failed to remember the good things about their father, the emperor.

It's no exaggeration to say that even if one day those corrupt officials were to have their homes ransacked and their families investigated, they wouldn't blame their father, the emperor. They would usually just think that they had gone too far and that's why they ended up like this.

Some people, even on their deathbeds, would be grateful to their father for sparing one or two members of their family, and would even take the initiative to say that they had not been able to control themselves and had done many wrong things, thus betraying their father's trust.

Zhao Shou muttered to himself, "Is it a rare opportunity to play dumb?"

Seeing that Zhao Shou seemed to understand the reasoning behind it, Zhao Yu nodded with satisfaction, and then added: "However, my son, you must remember that when fighting with others, you should not easily resort to violence. If you have to fight, you must strike with lightning speed and hit the snake where it hurts most, and not give the enemy any chance to fight back, otherwise they may take desperate measures."

Zhao Shou nodded emphatically in agreement: "Your subject understands the implications and will certainly pay attention, and will never disappoint Your Majesty!"

Zhao Shou is now twenty-seven years old, no longer a child, and has been governing the Song Dynasty for many years. Therefore, Zhao Yu still believes that Zhao Shou can handle these matters well; otherwise, Zhao Yu would not have left so confidently.

However, out of concern for his son, Zhao Yu couldn't help but give Zhao Shou some more detailed instructions, lest he act presumptuously and ultimately harm himself and others:
"Does Your Majesty know why Shu Han was full of talented people when Liu Bei was alive, but after Liu Bei's death, Shu Han fell to the point of 'no great generals in Shu, Liao Hua as the vanguard'?"

"This……"

Zhao Shou did not know what his father meant by these words, so he bowed and said, "Please enlighten me, Father."

Zhao Yu didn't mince words and bluntly said, "In terms of talent, Liu Bei is inferior to Zhuge Liang in commanding troops, defending against enemies, and governing the country. However, precisely because of this, under Liu Bei's command, civil and military officials could display their abilities; while under Zhuge Liang's rule, the wise men were unable to realize their ambitions, and talented people either went to other countries or went into seclusion."

The way of a ruler lies in appointing the virtuous, not in self-appointment; in managing talent, lies in relinquishing authority, not in arbitrary decisions. If one personally handles all matters, there is no room for subordinates to display their abilities; if one monopolizes all wisdom, there is no avenue for the masses to offer advice. This is the reason for the decline of talented individuals in the later period of Shu Han.

At this point, Zhao Yu finally revealed what he truly wanted to say: "My son, you should not emulate Zhuge Liang, but rather Liu Bei. You should let go of what is right and let go of what is wrong, so that the talents of our Great Song can be fully utilized."

At this moment, Zhao Yu suddenly withdrew all his imperial aura and became kind and gentle, just like an old father (only his aura was similar, but his appearance was not at all), and said: "All the things that have happened before were things that the emperor instructed the crown prince to do. Now I want to say some things that a father should tell his son. My son, remember them and be sure to follow them."

Zhao Shou sensed that what his father was about to say was very important, so he quickly replied, "Father, please speak freely, and I will certainly obey."

"When conspiring with someone, you must keep it a secret and be wary of them suddenly attacking you, no matter who they are."

Your personal guards and attendants should not stray more than ten feet from you. On ordinary days, you should often show them small favors so that they will sincerely protect you.

If there are unreliable or untraceable people on either side, they must not be allowed to stay; otherwise, it would be no different from standing under a crumbling wall.

Be kind and lenient towards the women in the harem; do not be too harsh. Remember, a few eunuchs or palace maids can take your life.

In short, one must be wary of those around him at all times. One should not completely trust any confidants or concubines. One must always be vigilant and never let one's guard down.

Observe public opinion in the city, predict good and bad fortune, and take precautions before problems arise.

Memorize at least three escape routes; in case of emergency, choose one to escape quickly.

Even in the palace, one must discern between safety and danger, always remaining vigilant and mindful of potential peril even in times of peace.

Each palace gate is stocked with fine steeds, and the city gates are surrounded by well-equipped saddles and bridles. Assess the situation carefully, and if you sense any danger, immediately rush to a safe place. Do not hesitate, for even the slightest delay will cost you your life.

Avoid drinking alcohol on weekdays and eat less in the afternoon.

"Your Highness should remember this to the core, and take it as your guiding principle, so that you may be able to protect yourself, secure your livelihood, and continue the family line..."

Hearing his father's heartfelt advice, Zhao Shou finally understood why the emperor was said to be a lonely figure.

At the same time, Zhao Shou was completely certain that his father, who had said such things to him, was truly preparing to pass on the Song Dynasty, the greatest empire in history, to him, and was genuinely concerned about his personal safety.

'Perhaps the abdication wasn't solely my father's scheme. If it weren't for Consort Zhang, Consort Li, and the ministers' obstruction, my father would truly have abdicated in my favor.'

At that moment, Zhao Shou felt a sense of relief and warmth in his heart.

Zhao Shou secretly vowed in his heart: "I must govern this vast empire left by my father well, and then pass it on to future generations..."

...(End of chapter)