My father Zhao Kuangyin

In the Fu Ning Palace, after three days, Emperor Zhao lifted the ban on alcohol again, drinking one cup after another with even greater ferocity.

Seeing this, Madam Song felt a pang of heartache and tried to curtsy to take the cup away, but her petite figure was no match for the large, dark hands on the prayer mat.

"My husband, please don't drink anymore..."

"How could I not drink? These three men surnamed Zhao are all my own flesh and blood, my advisors. The world is not yet at peace, yet they fight amongst themselves. Today it is even worse; they dare to stage a play and assassinate an official in the street!"

Even though half a day had passed and he had dealt with the three leniently, his anger had not subsided by evening.

They were all family, all members of the Zhao clan. What Zhao Kuangyin wanted was not the result, but an attitude.

Although these words are somewhat unreasonable, they are based on reason.

There was nothing that could be done; that was just the kind of person the founding emperor was.

Winning or losing is not important; what matters is the essence of the struggle.

You may win today, but he may win tomorrow. Zhao Kuangyin is reluctant to part with Zhao Pu, nor can he bear to part with his third brother who has controlled Kaifeng Prefecture for many years.

He believed he was still in his prime, with the Jiangnan region still unsettled and the Yan and Yun regions yet to be recovered. His eldest son, younger brother, and even the prime minister were already vying for his position.

Even if it had nothing to do with usurping the throne, it was enough to chill Zhao Kuangyin's heart.

As for whether Zhao Pu is a member of the imperial clan, Emperor Xuanzu had already given the answer: of course he is.

Knowing she couldn't persuade him otherwise, Song whispered to Wang Ji'en to summon Zhao Defang. When the latter quietly entered the hall, she pretended not to know what was going on.

"Your grandfather is in a bad mood, don't disturb him," Madam Song said, frowning.

Although Zhao Defang was somewhat reserved, he had prepared beforehand and quickly accepted the reply.

"Grandpa, excessive drinking is bad for your health. Please, Grandpa, stop drinking."

Zhao Kuangyin glanced over, sighed softly, and said with a touch of bitterness.

"Defang is so kind and obedient; he never bothers me."

Song was facing away from the imperial couch. When she heard these words, she almost couldn't hide her laughter. She then turned slightly to give Zhao Defang a wink.

Seeing the mess on the carpet, Zhao Defang cautiously stepped forward.

The way the mother and son acted suggested a shrewd, self-serving mentality.

As for why it wasn't a case of the oriole unaware of the oriole behind, it's because by the time Song realized what was happening, the four Zhaos were already holding talks under the emperor's tutelage, and the emperor was furious; it was too late.

Even now, some might mistakenly believe that it was Li Zheng who was indignant and wanted to kill corrupt officials.

"Grandpa, Second Brother... Third Uncle, and Master Zhao didn't mean to upset you."

"Oh?" Zhao Kuangyin looked at him in surprise and asked, "Then what do you think they mean?"

What do you mean? Isn't that the meaning?

Perhaps due to insufficient preparation, Zhao Dezhao was momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say.

Just as Zhao Kuangyin was feeling slightly disappointed, Lady Song quickly began to whisper sweet nothings in his ear.

"My husband is in the prime of his life, and Defang is skilled in both literature and martial arts, accompanying him on hunting trips and banquets. I have no idea what they are worried about..."

Zhao Kuangyin pursed his lips, glanced at Zhao Defang again, and made no decision.

Honestly, could he not understand the unspoken meaning in his young wife's words?

Is this meant to make him follow the example of Emperor Taizong of Tang and establish Li Zhi as emperor?

In the early Tang Dynasty, this was a good strategy, but things are different now. Whether the Zhao Song dynasty's rule is stable is another matter. It has not even achieved unification, and there is still the Liao dynasty, which claims to be the legitimate dynasty, in the north.

It's not that we want to expand our territory beyond the former Tang Dynasty, but at least we should take back what we should take back.

Throughout the Northern and Southern Song dynasties, neither could be considered a unified dynasty.

Another potential threat is the Song family.

It wasn't that Zhao Kuangyin was worried that she would become a demon queen; it was just that the interests of mother and son were highly aligned, and Zhao Defang didn't have much of her own opinion at the moment. In any case, they still had to wait and see, at least until she got married.

"Grandpa, please don't drink anymore."

"I'm not drinking anymore."

Zhao Kuangyin was never a stubborn person. His wife advised him that for the sake of his health, he should indulge himself appropriately.

"Has Su Qing found any clues?"

These words were directed at Li Shenyou, who had remained silent all along.

"Your Majesty, Li Zheng is a lonely man with no relatives or family. Commissioner Su has arrested and interrogated more than eighty people, including the shopkeepers and servants of the Zhulou tavern that are related to him."

Zhao Kuangyin frowned slightly.

"I know he has a reputation for being a cruel official. What I want is the truth, not a confession obtained through torture."

"In that case, I shall depart..."

"No need, let him investigate."

Anyway, we won't find anything out.

If one of the three Zhaos is truly identified and made public, it will only make things worse and cause further embarrassment.

The saying goes, "Don't wash your dirty linen in public; even if the meat rots, it'll rot in your own pot."

"But there is concrete evidence, so do not rush to convict him; let me see it first."

"Here you are."

Upon hearing this, Li Shenyou immediately understood. After taking a few steps outside, he turned around and instructed a junior guard to go to the Dali Temple on behalf of the "Emperor".

Song glanced at him a few times and saw that Zhao Defang was doing nothing. She then ordered the latter to do the work of a palace servant, taking away the cups, wine pots and other self-degrading tools in front of the emperor.

Although Zhao Defang was pampered and a bit clumsy at work, slowing down his movements made him appear more composed and even filial.

If Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Pu are indeed connected, it would be a good strategy to mention Si'er as well, thus stabilizing the court from two opposing sides.

Thinking of this, Zhao Kuangyin feigned anger and asked.

"What is that brat doing?"

Song did not respond; it was Li Chengyou who answered.

"Your Majesty, this morning, Erlang prepared a coffin and went to... the Ma family residence."

After he finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

Zhao Defang's heart skipped a beat, and he almost dropped the glass cup, which made Song Shi's heart jump.

After a long silence, Zhao Kuangyin showed no anger, but simply sighed and said:

"Let him go on his own."

Upon hearing this, Song and Li's expressions became subtle again.

Erlang values ​​"loyalty and righteousness," how could he possibly win the emperor's favor?

How can we know whether it's a forgery or the truth?

"I am ignorant, my husband, could you please tell me whether Ma Shi actually accepted bribes or not?"

"Not only is the Yellow River muddy, but it also floods every two years. I have ordered officials along the banks to take strict precautions. Do you still remember when the Yellow River breached its banks four years ago (Kaibao era), flooding Chanzhou?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Song frowned, and after recalling for a while, she vaguely remembered.

"I remember that it flooded thousands of acres of farmland, but fortunately it was after the autumn harvest when the floodwaters burst and the dikes broke, drowning many people but preventing a famine."

Don't underestimate the Song family's seemingly insignificant claim of drowning. Compared to the famines and locust plagues of the past, these families in distress are truly insignificant.

In short, fewer people died, Chanzhou had ample reserves, the imperial court provided effective disaster relief, and the disaster was contained.

However, this is only a temporary solution and does not address the root cause. Given the current level of execution and technology, controlling the Yellow River is extremely difficult, and the Yuan Dynasty, which led to the downfall of the Song Dynasty, paid a heavy price for it.

Even if it was indirect, the Yellow River's scourge had already reached its peak at that time, and it was beyond repair.

However, it is currently in a period of growth, so it's not that severe, just annoying.

When Zhao Kuangyin brought up this old matter, he was not concerned about the flood itself, but rather it would lead to another old case.

"My lord, are you referring to... Prefect Yao Shu?"

Now, Empress Dowager Du had four brothers. Her fourth brother, Du Shenzhao, was the brother-in-law of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. After being transferred to Chanzhou, he was incompetent, so Yao Shu was sent there to serve as his assistant.

The recommender was none other than Prime Minister Zhao.

Later, because the Yellow River breached its banks and the report was not submitted in time, Yao Shu ended up being executed in the marketplace.

This was clearly intentional; there's no need to guess further.

The rift between the two initially arose because the servants of the Prime Minister's residence wouldn't let Yao Shu in. Yao Shu was there on official business in Kaifeng Prefecture, but he was deliberately blocked and felt intentionally humiliated.

After this incident escalated, the two ended up in a situation where "Yao was unforgiving, and Ze Ping was unjust."

It should be noted that before this, both Feng Zan and Liu Ao were members of Zhao Guangyi's faction; the former was exiled and the latter was dismissed from office.

The reason for recommending Yao Shu and even making such a basic mistake as failing to report in a timely manner is obvious.

At that time, Zhao Kuangyin was so angry that he condemned the crime early on. By the time he realized his mistake, the edict had already been issued, and he couldn't very well take it back and slap himself in the face.

Looking back, Zhao Kuangyin inevitably felt some guilt, but as the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, he could not admit his mistake.

"Great corruption is corruption, and so is petty corruption. Ma's mansion near the Imperial Street was bought with funds from Li Shouxin. He may be frugal, but he was never stingy with the expenses of his mother, wife and children. Execution was a bit excessive, but he was not innocent either."

"So that's how it is." Madam Song chuckled lightly, no longer surprised.

From the fact that Ma Shi suddenly agreed to go out after Zhao Dezhao led his family into the Dali Temple, it can be seen that this man loved his family very much. He could suffer himself, but he could not bear to suffer his elderly mother, wife and children.

As for his father-in-law's corruption, Ma Shi still benefited from it, so calling him pure and innocent is obviously an exaggeration.

Thinking of this, Song couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

To her, it was unwise for the two men to lose their lives for a "trivial" sum of money.

Poor Erlang, he is still suffering in silence, unaware of the full story.

………………

P.S.: In the chapter "I Shoot with Elegance", Cheng and Liu were reversed. This has now been corrected.