My father Zhao Kuangyin

Zhao Dezhao handed the bow to the attendant, then turned and walked back into the banquet hall with a slight smile on his lips.

"Was my archery skillful?"

As he approached his seat, he couldn't help but smile at his second brother, as if his previous feat had been utterly ordinary.

Zhao Defang parted his lips slightly, clearly stunned. By the time he recovered, Zhao Dezhao had already taken his seat, and he couldn't help but secretly regret falling behind due to stage fright.

As the saying goes, one wrong step leads to another, and before he knew it, he was starting to feel discouraged.

Zhao Dezhao's beloved third uncle remained expressionless throughout.

He dared not look Zhao Guangyi in the eye, and could only sit upright on the prayer mat, very properly.

"Snapped!"

Previously silent, Prime Minister Zhao couldn't help but chuckle and clapped his hands in approval.

"Seeing Erlang hit the target three times in a row, I couldn't help but recall Your Majesty's past glory as a master archer!"

Based solely on the phrase "in the past," he dared to bluntly say that the emperor was old; no one else would have dared to say that.

Of course, Zhao Kuangyin was already quite pleased with himself, so he wouldn't argue with Zhao Pu over words. Upon hearing this, he laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"I reiterate my words: I conquered the world with my bow and spear, served in the army for over a decade, personally led dozens of battles, large and small, and was the bravest in the army. This is a mandate from Heaven. How could my sons not be skilled in archery and horsemanship?"

Watching the official raise a cup in one hand and rest his other hand on his knee, laughing and talking, it was clear that old heroes like Shi Shouxin, who were eager to seize the moment, were moved to tears when they recalled their past glories.

Over the years, the emperor has remained as spirited and righteous as ever, unchanged.

Perhaps it was Zhao Pu who spoke up, and the winds shifted... a bit off, because Wang Shenqi actually chimed in with a comment.

"Your Majesty, whenever there is a successful archery match at a banquet, there will always be a reward; this is the custom."

If Wang Shenqi himself said this, no one would disagree.

It should be noted that he was praised for his outstanding performance at the archery competition held by Emperor Shizong of Zhou, where he shone brightly and received high praise.

In the early Northern Song Dynasty, the system was largely inherited from the Zhou Dynasty. Zhao Kuangyin, as the "Later Emperor," also had a competitive nature. In the third year of the Kaibao era, the emperor summoned Wang Shenqi to a banquet for archery. Those who shot consecutively were rewarded with imperial horses and golden saddles and bridles.

Of course, what mattered most was not material possessions, but prestige, especially the authority of the Imperial Guards.

Erlang's first archery competition saw him fire three shots in a row, each hitting the bullseye. It's no exaggeration to call him a divine archer.

"How could I forget?" Zhao Kuangyin looked at his eldest son and laughed heartily, "It's kind of you, Zhongbao (whose courtesy name is Wang), to speak up for you. Whatever I have, whatever reward you desire, I will give you!"

Although his father said he would give whatever he could, Zhao Dezhao would certainly not ask for much.

Otherwise, if he wants to seize the throne, shall I?

You need to be tactful in your words and actions.

Zhao Dezhao is currently caught in the middle and finds it difficult to make a decision.

First of all, he would not choose those mundane things, such as BMWs, beautiful women, mansions, and jewels, as they are useless to him.

If we ask higher up, it's nothing more than asking for the same thing as before.

Demanding titles and wives, they transformed archery skills into practical political gains.

But with his third uncle sitting right next to him, it was really difficult for him to speak.

Furthermore, these important national affairs cannot be decided by a single banquet or archery contest.

Zhao Pu cheered for him mostly because of his discord with his third uncle, rather than because he genuinely favored him or intended to make him the crown prince.

Naturally, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. If I can get close to Prime Minister Zhao, becoming a king is not a difficult thing at all.

After much deliberation, Zhao Dezhao remained silent, instead letting out a long sigh and staring intently at his wine glass.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Kuangyin's eyebrows furrowed in displeasure.

"I want to reward you, so why are you sighing and complaining?"

"What my son wants, I'm afraid... I can't give him."

After he finished speaking, the banquet became even quieter than before.

Unable to provide?

If we're talking about bestowing a title of king, how could we not do it?

If a royal title is insufficient, what then is desired?!

Just as the wind was shifting again and again, and his good third uncle almost chuckled out loud, Zhao Dezhao spoke earnestly once more.

"Just a few days ago, I and Mother persuaded you to quit drinking. But within a few days, during this archery banquet, I saw more than nine cups of wine being drunk... Not to mention the fainting spell I had while shooting arrows, I don't care about anything else, I just ask you to take care of your health."

Zhao Kuangyin loosened his grip on the cup, which fell onto the table as light as a feather yet as heavy as Mount Tai.

Before Zhao Guangyi's expression could change slightly, Zhao Defang, who was to Zhao Dezhao's left, was already horrified. Looking at his second brother's compassion, he was unable to calm down for a long time.

Is the struggle for the crown prince position always like this?

That archery technique was truly superb; it was even a counter-attack arrow.

In other words, Song was not present at the time; otherwise, it would have been difficult for her to have any reservations.

As the emperor and his ministers fell silent, Zhao Pu couldn't help but sneer.

"Not to mention that the nation is founded on filial piety, the well-being of the ruler and father is surely the greatest reward for a subject and a son."

"What Zeping said is absolutely right. Your Majesty should have given up drinking long ago."

Wang Pu reacted quickly and immediately joined Zhao Pu in singing.

Wang Shenqi, as the primary victim of the drinking culture, expressed his true feelings and even stood up to bow and offer his honest advice.

"Your Majesty! Excessive drinking is harmful to your health! I implore Your Majesty not to drink any more!"

Before the play was even finished, Zhao Guangyi's expression turned somewhat strange.

It was just a routine archery banquet, how could it have turned into this...?

"I..." After ascending the throne, Zhao Kuangyin pondered for a long while before sighing and saying, "My shooting was unsuccessful, though it may be fate, it is also up to human effort. From this day forward, I shall abstain from alcohol."

After saying this, he ordered the palace servants to remove the wine and water from the table, not even sparing the officials' portions, claiming it was for their own good, to help them abstain from alcohol and maintain their health.

Zhao Guangyi was in high spirits when the wine was abruptly taken away. Although he was angry, he kept it to himself and could only sigh and try his best to calm down.

My nephew is different now, really different. He should have believed the rumors that outsiders were spreading.

Now Zhao Pu is truly opposed to him, and if this continues, it may be too late to take back what has been done...

Of course, Zhao Guangyi wasn't in a particularly dire or urgent situation. The two brothers were twelve years apart, a full generation apart.

This gives us a glimpse into the Zhao family's fertility, which is indeed hereditary and poor, resulting in many infant deaths and missed pregnancies. It's not fair to blame everything on Jiu Mei.

You agree, don't you, my kind and loving third uncle?

Zhao Dezhao couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at it. For some reason, he had gradually come to identify with this body and even the place that history had given him, and he couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.

Rejoice!

After the officials were impressed, the archery banquet did not last long. When the veteran general Wang Shenqi showed off his two consecutive hits, Zhao Kuangyin rewarded him again. After that, there were seven or eight more people, mostly new recruits from the Imperial Guards.

One of them, named Gao Qiong, was a former subordinate of Wang Shenqi.

Now, this man was a fierce and wicked rogue in his youth, and became a bandit. After being captured by the government soldiers, he managed to break free of his shackles on the eve of his execution and then turned to Wang Shenqi.

Now, Wang Shenqi is a semi-retired old man who has been stripped of his military power, and Gao Qiong has some ambiguous relationship with Zhao Guangyi.

Of course, even if Zhao Guangyi had not been granted a title or established his own government, Zhao Kuangyin would have been very lenient with this kind of cultivation of his faction.

In reality, this elder brother treated his younger brother exceptionally well, regarding him as his own son and grooming him to be the crown prince. However, the latter did a series of despicable and immoral things...

As the elder brother, I can give up the whole world, but as the younger brother, I cannot give up the lives of my two nephews, nor even the life of my own fourth brother.

As Zhao Dezhao sighed, Gao Qiong also hit the bullseye with all three shots. Although he didn't hit the bullseye as perfectly as Zhao Dezhao, he still pleased the official and was immediately rewarded handsomely.

As Gao Qiong walked back to Zhao Guangyi, whether intentionally or unintentionally, she secretly glared at him as if she were resentful.

By this time, Zhao Kuangyin had sobered up a bit and began discussing the governance of Shu with Zhao Pu and Lü Yuqing.

Zhao Dezhao was a novice in politics and governance. At this moment, he would rather do nothing than make a mistake in public, so he was very respectful and listened attentively.

Half an hour passed, and as darkness fell, the archery banquet finally came to an end.

Just as the civil and military officials were leaving one after another, three people were called back.

Surprisingly, Zhao Guangyi was not among them; instead, Zhao Pu, Wang Pu, and Zhao Dezhao were included.