My father Zhao Kuangyin

After several days of maneuvering, Zhao Dezhao dared not be idle. In the past few days, more and more officials in the Secretariat and Chancellery have been investigated and their property confiscated, showing signs of his impending downfall.

Seeing this situation, he was already looking for a second big tree to lean on.

Regardless of whether Zhao Pu can secure his position as prime minister or even retaliate against Zhao Guangyi, he must make a proper choice regarding the aftermath and not put all his eggs in one basket.

Now, Wang Pu, Zhao Dezhao's prospective father-in-law, the minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor by Guo Zhou, and the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, is clearly the best choice.

This high-ranking official, who was promoted three times to the rank of first-class official, was erudite, kind-hearted, and had a fine demeanor. Most of the officials he recommended rose rapidly in rank, hence the reputation of being a "private official in charge of the emperor's affairs".

The so-called "Heavenly Official" refers to the Minister of Personnel. In the early years of the dynasty, there was basically no shortage of talent. The emphasis on the imperial examination and the Gongyuan (Imperial Examination Hall) was to build up reserves and ensure a smooth succession of talent.

A figure like Wang Pu is truly rare, both inside and outside the court.

With his excellent knowledge, character, virtue, and even demeanor and appearance, he would have been a figure like Xie An or Wang Dao in the Wei and Jin dynasties.

This analogy is made because Wang Pu was like that; he also considered social status when choosing a wife. He himself came from Qixian County in Taiyuan, but he married a woman from the Langya Wang clan, who was from the same family as Empress Wang.

Although the family's social standing has declined, it still retains the foundation of its "family learning".

Grand Tutor Wang's only flaw was that he was extremely stingy, treating everyone equally, whether it was others or himself.

Having discussed the advantages and disadvantages, let's talk about offspring.

He had four sons: Yisun, Yizheng, Yiqing, and Yixu.

According to Song, his fiancée was the youngest in her family, the fifth child, and seventeen years old, a beautiful and vibrant age.

After clearing his mind, Zhao Dezhao finished his breakfast, prepared some small gifts for the Prime Minister's residence, and then headed to the Grand Tutor's residence.

The servants at the gate, unaware of the situation, saw the armored soldiers of the Crane Control Army and mistakenly thought they were there to arrest someone. They rushed into the mansion in a panic, leaving their colleagues outside, sweating profusely.

It should be understood that civil and military officials of the Song Dynasty could only be assigned household servants, not guards. This was a privilege reserved for members of the imperial family. Zhao Pu himself only had a few more household servants and attendants, and dared not touch any armor, bows, or crossbows...

Zhao Dezhao himself also benefited from Ma Shi's honor, which allowed him to have a small honor guard.

Of course, if a new emperor were to ascend to the throne, none of this would matter.

"I have only come to pay my respects to the Grand Tutor today; I have no official business to attend to."

After getting out of the car, Zhao Dezhao quickly offered an explanation to avoid any misunderstanding.

Upon hearing this, a servant lowered his head and smiled.

"I'm sorry, Erlang. Kaifeng has been very hot lately... My lord has been having trouble sleeping at night. Perhaps you could wait for him in the main hall for a while..."

"In that case, please do not trouble the prince because of me."

Zhao Dezhao may have recalled the famous story of Liu Bei's three visits to Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage, and even with the relationship between him and his father-in-law, he was still extra polite and cautious.

As for the servant's claim of insomnia, it was probably only half true.

Why?

Li Shouxin and Ma Shi were father-in-law and son-in-law, and now that they were implicated in this case, Wang Pu was more or less shocked by the actions of his good third uncle.

Li Ma of yesteryear, was he not also the future king Zhao?

Choosing the wrong side means you'll be treated leniently, let alone receiving honors or titles. Being exiled would be considered a light punishment.

Looking back now, his good third uncle really killed three birds with one stone...

He may not be skilled in archery, but he is skilled in it, especially in matters of power and strategy.

Even though Zhao Dezhao hasn't received an imperial decree or a formal contract for the marriage yet, it's still possible to foster a good relationship, especially by properly appeasing his father-in-law.

Of course, besides Wang Pu, Zhao Pu also needs to be kept calm. In any case, he needs to be reassured and not be passive in everything.

Zhao Dezhao felt an urgency to finalize the engagement.

After passing through the corridors and side rooms, Zhao Dezhao arrived at the spacious main hall and sat in the left row, receiving tea and cakes served by the maids, waiting quietly.

The layout of the main hall inside the Prince's Mansion is divided into north and south sections, separated by a porch and a screen.

In the midst of the emptiness and silence, a faint rustling sound reached my ears.

Zhao Dezhao looked toward the screen, where a graceful figure was faintly visible...

That was clearly not Old Man Wang.

If you ask why, it's because there's a faint candlelight behind the screen, illuminating a graceful curve with interwoven moonlight and crisscrossing ravines.

When it comes to a man's plumpness, Zhao Dezhao has nothing to say, but his head seems to have a towering cloud-like hairstyle, which his mother used to wear when she was in Yingchun Garden.

The poem about Mulan says: She combs her hair by the window and applies makeup in front of the mirror.

Even a woman like Mulan, who is somewhat masculine, could experience this situation, so it naturally has nothing to do with Old Man Wang.

Zhao Dezhao saw through it but didn't say anything, instead deliberately offering a guilty suggestion.

"It is my fault for disturbing the Grand Tutor's peaceful sleep."

As soon as the words were spoken, the figure trembled, clearly lost in thought.

"Cough...cough...Erlang, what brings you to seek me out so early in the morning amidst this stormy weather?"

A slightly strange voice rang out, and Zhao Dezhao, upon first hearing it, actually managed to mimic Wang Pu's tone.

Is he skilled in ventriloquism?

Zhao Dezhao pursed his lips and smiled, "I've come to tell the Grand Tutor a secret from the past."

"What secret... Grandpa."

Wang Pu glanced at him coldly and rebuked him softly.

"Don't even mention a young lady, even a widow wouldn't be as licentious and rude as you!"

"I'm just worried that Erlang might get cold... so I'm entertaining him on behalf of his father..."

"Entertainment? More like torture!" Wang Pu said irritably.

Wang Zhaoyun's phoenix eyebrows were curved, and she put on a wronged expression, appearing extremely innocent.

"Don't interfere in the affairs of adults. Go on your way."

"Yes."

Wang Pu genuinely suffers from insomnia and is grumpy when he wakes up. If there weren't outsiders present, he would inevitably be lectured for half an hour.

However, Wang Zhaoyun did not think so. After turning her back and leaving, she couldn't help but stick out her tongue, looking quite smug.

At this moment, in Zhao Dezhao's eyes, the young Grand Tutor suddenly lost his temper, bowed, and ran away from behind the screen in a sorry state.

As soon as Wang Zhaoyun left the hall, a maidservant who had assisted in the crime smiled and said...

"My wife, that Erlang is really stupid; he can't even see that."

"Perhaps you've been reading too much and your eyes are playing tricks on you... Why are you scolding him for no reason?"

"It was my fault... my fault..."

The maidservant quickly suppressed her smile and repeatedly said no.

That's what they say, but Wang Zhaoyun was still a little surprised. Couldn't they see through her figure?

Wang Zhaoyun was momentarily plunged into self-doubt.

"It's all your fault. I just told you to keep an eye on things outside, but why didn't you tell Grandpa when he came?"

"My lord paced back and forth outside twice. Seeing that the situation was serious, I dared not act rashly."

"What else could it be? It's just that Li Shouxin has already been convicted of bribery, but he's still dissatisfied and wants to protect his husband, causing trouble for no reason..."

At this point, Wang Zhaoyun couldn't help but reveal a hint of melancholy.

Even if it's not out of love, but purely for profit, she was still in love with Zhao Erlang.

Not to mention that Zhao Dezhao is very likely to become the Crown Prince and will be granted the title of King sooner or later. Whether it is a one-character King or a two-character Prince, it can be considered that she has married into a superior family, so there is no question of her being at a disadvantage.

As her prospective husband, the daughter of a prime minister, who had been taught virtues and skills for women since childhood, was frivolous but knew what was important.

For example, if a maidservant speaks without restraint, she will suffer the consequences if she is not disciplined.

"Since it's a secret and important matter, it certainly won't be discussed in the main hall. You should go to the study and wait there."

"My lady is... well, you see."