The prince is more stable

Chapter 7 The Disaster of Memorials
The actions against the King of Chu were one after another, pressing forward step by step.

First, they impeached him, then detained him, searched his mansion, and finally summoned the officials of the palace.

All these tasks were completed within two days. Considering the efficiency of the bloated and redundant government offices in the Song Dynasty, the efficiency in dealing with the King of Chu was extremely swift and decisive, without any delay.

Even Zhao Xiaoqian, an outsider who was out of tune with the world, could see that this was a conspiracy, and the mastermind was treating Zhao Hao as an enemy.

The officials of the royal palace were summoned, and Zhao Hao finally became anxious.

He was well aware of the Dali Temple's methods.

For those who entered the Dali Temple, it was no longer a question of whether to confess or not. Under various harsh and cruel torture instruments, they had to confess whatever the interrogating officials wanted them to confess.

Once the officials of the royal palace can no longer handle the situation, all kinds of blame will be put on Zhao Hao. Not only will the charges be easily confirmed, but many new charges will also be "discovered".

By that time, it would probably be a luxury for the Chu lineage to guard the tomb of Emperor Yingzong. The most likely scenario is that they would be demoted to commoners.

The heartless Zhao Hao finally realized the seriousness of the matter. After learning that the officials of the royal palace had been summoned, Zhao Hao hurried out without even having dinner.

Zhao Xiaoqian knew what he was going out to do.

It's nothing more than asking people to inquire and find connections. To be honest, Zhao Xiaoqian thinks it's completely useless.

Being able to take things to this extent, and with an attack that is almost as powerful as thunder, would it be useful to seek help from others at this time?
To be able to plan such a conspiracy and bring a royal family member to ruin, he must have great power. A petty official would not have such ability.

After the officials were summoned, everyone in the palace was in a panic. The concubines and servants gathered together and talked in whispers.

The atmosphere in the palace was extremely depressing, filled with despair before collapse.

Zhao Hao was like a headless fly in Bianjing City, anxious to ask for help from people everywhere.

Zhao Xiaoqian was still sitting alone in his yard, cross-legged and staring blankly at a sandalwood incense burner on the table.

He was trying to sort out the logic of the whole thing.

Zhao Hao was charged with two crimes: making friends with foreign officials and making irresponsible remarks on state affairs.

"Making friends with foreign officials" should be secondary. Fan Chunren was the prime minister and had a prominent status. On his birthday, there were definitely more relatives than just Zhao Hao who came to celebrate his birthday.

The censor singled out Zhao Hao for prosecution, indicating that the so-called "making friends with foreign ministers" was just a superficial excuse.

The trouble was that Zhao Hao also wrote a poem "Xijiang Yue" as a birthday gift, and Fan Xianggong replied with a poem in response.

In this era, anyone who has received education will have written a poem or two. This is not uncommon.

Although Zhao Hao was a fat man, he received elite royal education since childhood, so writing lyrics was easy for him.

As for why Zhao Hao's works were no longer circulated after a thousand years,... of course it was because his literary talent was mediocre and lost in history.

They’re both cooking, but are being able to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes and being a famous chef at a state banquet the same thing?

Zhao Xiaoqian now lacks too much information. He needs to know the specific content of Zhao Hao's "Xijiang Yue" and Fan Xianggong's return poem.

The second crime was "making irresponsible remarks on state affairs". The fundamental reason was that the memorial Zhao Hao submitted to the emperor was clearly an ordinary flattering memorial congratulating the emperor on taking power. How could it be considered "making irresponsible remarks on state affairs"?
Therefore, Zhao Xiaoqian still needed to know the specific content of the memorial.

There's no point asking anyone else for help with this matter, Zhao Hao knows it best.

After thinking it over, Zhao Xiaoqian got up and left the room, calling a servant from the palace.

"Go and invite my father back home and tell him that it was me who said it." Zhao Xiaoqian said calmly.

The servant was stunned for a moment. How could the son invite his father home in such a rude tone?
This prince, who has never left his house, seems to have changed a lot in the past two days...

Zhao Xiaoqian kicked the servant hard on the butt and said impatiently, "What are you waiting for? Do I need to prepare a carriage for you?"

The servant turned around and ran away in a hurry.

Half an hour later, Zhao Hao was found by the servants, and his huge fleshy body rolled into Zhao Xiaoqian's yard.

"Why are you calling your father?" Zhao Hao took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Zhao Hao looked haggard and pale, but the look he gave Zhao Xiaoqian was as doting as ever.

"Don't worry, my son. It's just a minor storm. Your father will definitely get through it safely and keep the Prince of Chu's Palace safe." Zhao Hao comforted him gently.

Zhao Hao thought that his son was feeling anxious and restless staying in the house, so he called him back to seek a sense of security, so he gave him a sense of security as soon as he opened his mouth.

Zhao Xiaoqian felt a little touched. No matter what the character of this biological father was, he was at least unreserved towards his son, and his love for him was beyond words.

"Father, two things." Zhao Xiaoqian said concisely.

Zhao Hao was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "You go ahead."

"First, I want the complete text of the two poems 'Xijiang Yue' that you and Mr. Fan wrote. Second, I want the complete text of the memorial you wrote to the emperor."

Zhao Hao said without hesitation: "I'll give it to you in half an hour."

Zhao Xiaoqian asked curiously, "The study in our house has been emptied by the eunuchs. You..."

Zhao Hao grinned and pointed at his head: "It's all here, not a single word wrong." Without asking Zhao Xiaoqian what he wanted these things for, Zhao Hao ordered someone to bring pen and ink, and started writing without saying a word.

Soon, the original text of two poems and a memorial was completed.

Zhao Xiaoqian had little knowledge of literature. He held the two poems in his hands and couldn't appreciate their charm for a long time. However, the words and phrases were quite unfamiliar, and it was obvious that they had not been passed down to later generations.

Therefore, these two poems should be the social exchanges between literati and have no literary value.

The content is of course also commercial mutual praise, you are good and I am good, you and I must be loyal to the emperor and serve the country under the wise leadership of the government, blah blah blah...

After reading it several times in a row, and with Zhao Hao explaining it word by word, Zhao Xiaoqian was finally sure that there was nothing wrong with the two poems.

So, the key point is that memorial.

Starting from the first sentence of the memorial, "Your Majesty the King of Chu, Hao, is about to die...", Zhao Xiaoqian could not understand a single word.

The long-lost clear and foolish light, spanning thousands of years, once again enveloped his whole body. Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly felt so powerless, as if he were an illiterate reading a book written in heaven.

"Father, I am stupid. Can you...explain it to me?" Zhao Xiaoqian said awkwardly.

Zhao Hao showed a surprised look: "You have been studying poetry and books since you were a child, but you can't even understand the memorials?"

"After the kid was hit on the head by Cuju, he couldn't remember a lot of things." Zhao Xiaoqian explained lightly.

Zhao Hao gritted his teeth, revealing a look of resentment: "That man who played Cuju deserves death! After this matter is over, I will avenge my son!"

So Zhao Hao began to explain the contents of the memorial word by word.

After half an hour, Zhao Hao finally finished explaining.

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes fell on the memorial, and he waved his hand without looking up: "Okay, father, I have something to do, please feel free to do as you please."

Zhao Hao nodded, stood behind Zhao Xiaoqian, and looked at his son's back with a smile.

After a long pause, Zhao Xiaoqian turned and looked at him, saying, "Father, when I said 'whatever you want', I meant... you can leave."

Zhao Hao looked hurt: "Is this prince of no use to me anymore?"

Zhao Xiaoqian thought about it and said tactfully, "Yes."

The room returned to silence. Zhao Xiaoqian frowned and stared at the memorial motionlessly.

The entire memorial is basically meaningless flattery, and the flattery is written in gorgeous, fresh and unconventional language, the kind that would give goose bumps to the person concerned when reading it.

Zhao Xiaoqian read it several times, savoring every word for a long time.

It is certain that there is nothing wrong with the content of the memorial, it's just that the flattery is too strong and corny, and the person who wrote the memorial obviously has moral flaws.

However, but…

A key word was mentioned in the memorial, "Please update the new laws."

"Please Update the New Law" is actually a memorial. It was written ten years ago by a famous historical figure named "Sima Guang".

Yes, it was the famous person who smashed all the Sima jars. This person has been dead for many years.

The content of Sima Guang's memorial was more complicated. To put it simply, it opposed the new law and advocated the restoration of the old law.

Zhao Hao mentioned Sima Guang in his memorial as part of his praise for the emperor.

The gist of it is that Sima Guang once submitted a memorial opposing the new law, and the Empress Dowager and the Emperor have done a good job over the past ten years.

The people of the world have escaped the evil policies of the new law, and now they live and work in peace and contentment. Everyone in the world is grateful for the kindness of the Empress Dowager and the emperor...

Zhao Hao's memorial at this point shows his stance. There is no doubt that Zhao Hao's position is with the old party. Like Sima Guang and Su Shi, he is opposed to the new law.

There is actually nothing wrong with this. During the ten years when the Empress Dowager was in power, the basic national policy implemented by the court was to abolish the new laws and restore the old laws.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Zhao Hao's stance.

However, when Zhao Xiaoqian saw this, his eyelids twitched suddenly and his heartbeat accelerated suddenly.

What others see as “no problem” is a big problem in Zhao Xiaoqian’s eyes.

A thought flashed through my mind, vaguely and instantly.

Zhao Xiaoqian now seemed to have the answer as to why the Chu Palace had been targeted and suppressed in recent days.

It turns out that this flattering memorial is the real killer!

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed. This troublesome father...

Just as he was about to look for Zhao Hao, he heard a loud bang outside the house and the door was pushed open.

A servant looked panicked and said hurriedly, "Prince, this is bad! Officials from the Dali Temple and the Zongzheng Temple have arrived, and they want to summon His Highness to court!"

(End of this chapter)