Chapter 595: Deep Discussion

"Yan Wang, it has been a long time."

Entering the courtyard, Prince Chun laughed heartily.

He was Zhao Xu's imperial uncle, and his status within the Royal Clan was higher than his, so he did not need to bow to him.

Princess Chun, however, did not speak; her eyes lingered on Zhao Xu's face for a moment before glancing elsewhere.

Zhao Xu turned and bowed to Prince Chun, saying, "Third Imperial Uncle."

Just like the first time they met, Prince Chun was still chubby and looked simple and honest, appearing completely harmless.

But he no longer dared to underestimate this imperial uncle.

Being able to shoulder a great responsibility in a crisis and rescue Zhao Heng from Jinling, he was not a simple character.

Once he returned to Yancheng, he would definitely have Xu Ke keep a close watch on this couple.

If they had any suspicious movements, he would execute them.

He was not a man of womanly benevolence, especially in troubled times; such kindness was even more undesirable.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, they began to talk about the chaos in Jinling.

Zhao Xu said, "Dou Wei has always been sinister and vicious, but I did not expect him to be this vicious. This time, how does Father Emperor plan to deal with this matter?"

Zhao Heng gave a bitter smile and looked at Zhao Xu, "At present, I am powerless. Among the members of the Royal Clan, you are the only one who can deal with Dou Wei. As for how to handle it, you can make your own decisions; I do not wish to ask about it anymore."

Zhao Xu nodded; Zhao Heng was undoubtedly fulfilling his promise not to interfere in the affairs of the Imperial Court.

This was also fine.

Next, he only needed to act according to his own rhythm.

After cursing the powerful clans for a while and lamenting the Jinling that had been ruined by Xiao Cheng and Dou Wei, Zhao Xu left.

At the same time, he instructed Mi Fei and Zhao Heng to set off for Yancheng tomorrow morning.

Immediately after, he went to the residence of Mi Zhuang and Mi Yan.

"Your Highness."

Seeing Zhao Xu, Mi Yan stood up first, and Mi Zhuang also came forward to greet him.

They lived far away and did not yet know he had arrived.

"No need for formalities." Zhao Xu smiled and pulled Mi Zhuang and Mi Yan to sit at the stone table in the courtyard.

After inquiring about their well-being for a while, he said bluntly, "This time, Uncle, since you have come to Yanzhou, come work at the Prince's Mansion. I have just taken over the Ningjin Dusi and am currently lacking someone to govern that place."

"I am grateful for Your Highness's kindness, but this seems to require asking the Emperor for instructions." Mi Yan was happy, but thinking of something, he sighed.

He was an official of the Imperial Court; joining the Prince's Mansion would not be in accordance with the regulations.

Mi Zhuang stroked his beard, his eyes rolled around, and he shook his head, saying, "The world is in great chaos today, and the Emperor has taken refuge in Yanzhou. Coming here is not to compete for power and profit with the Yan Wang. To seek wealth and peace, he should not ask about worldly affairs, and all court affairs should be left to the Yan Wang to handle."

Zhao Xu nodded at Mi Zhuang; ginger really is spicier when it's old—he could guess Zhao Heng's current thoughts at once.

Zhao Heng was the Emperor; wherever he went, the Imperial Court was there.

Now that Zhao Heng was effectively ignoring worldly affairs, he only needed to report this to Zhao Heng.

Zhao Heng would agree to this matter.

After all, although he was the Emperor, he was now just a commander without an army.

Apart from still holding the title of Emperor, he had no majesty left.

"That is true." Mi Yan suddenly realized, and then he said, "However, I hope Your Highness will request an Imperial Edict from the Emperor."

Zhao Xu almost blurted out the word "pedantic."

But after thinking about it, he held it back.

This could not be blamed on Mi Yan; officials from powerful clans had long lacked respect for the Royal Clan, but officials from humble backgrounds like Mi Yan were respectful to the Royal Clan.

Without an Imperial Edict, he would not feel at ease.

So he said, "After returning to Yancheng, I will request one from the Emperor."

Having said that, he told the two of them the intelligence he had gathered and asked for their views on the current chaotic situation of the Great Song.

Although Mi Zhuang refused to serve as an official in the Imperial Court, he was extremely clear about the trends of the world.

He said, "The Dou Family and Xiao Cheng ransacked Jinling; this shows they are determined to rebel. With Dou Wei's stubborn and sinister personality, I fear that not long after returning to Xiangcheng, he will support the Third Prince to declare himself Emperor and establish a state."

"As the saying goes, the gun hits the bird that sticks its head out; wouldn't he become a target by doing this?" Mi Yan said, somewhat disagreeing with his father's idea.

Mi Zhuang ignored him and continued, "If it were an ordinary person, they naturally would not declare themselves Emperor and establish a state, but a sinister and vicious person like Dou Wei would do so. Only when he becomes the first bird to stick its head out will other powerful clans dare to be the second or third. In this way, his Dou Family will not become the target of everyone, being besieged by both the powerful clans and the Royal Clan."

Mi Yan nodded slightly, and Zhao Xu thought about it, also feeling that Mi Yan's analysis made sense.

Zhao Xu asked again, "Then, besides the Dou Family, who does the Father-in-law of the Emperor think will be the second to declare themselves Emperor?"

"The Xie Family." Mi Zhuang's expression was firm, "Your Highness said that before the Emperor escaped the Imperial Palace, Xie Duan forced the Emperor to name the First Prince as the Crown Prince. At that time, I fear Xie Duan already had the heart of rebellion. If the Emperor had gone with his Xie Family, I fear the Emperor might have died suddenly at any time."

Mi Yan smiled helplessly, "It seems the Emperor understands the powerful clans better than we do; no wonder even though he knew Your Highness did not like him, he still risked coming to Yanzhou."

Mi Zhuang nodded and continued, "Therefore, upon learning that the Emperor had come to Yanzhou, Xie Duan, fearing that the Emperor would issue another Imperial Edict naming Your Highness as the heir, would surely be angered by shame and act first in the name of an Imperial Edict to support the First Prince in ascending the throne, then claim the Emperor is in trouble and slander the Emperor as a fake."

Zhao Xu clapped and laughed; Mi Zhuang had spoken his mind.

Actually, this was not because Mi Zhuang was god-like in his predictions, but because one could roughly deduce it by reading more history books.

After all, there is nothing new under the sun.

Things that happened in the past will happen again now and in the future; at most, the external forms will change.

"The third to declare themselves Emperor should be the Liang Family. The Han Family and the Wang Family, because they are adjacent to Yanzhou, do not dare to raise their tails, fearing that they will draw the Dou Family's hatred onto themselves. Following the Liang Family should be the Fan Family; after all, the Fan Family is far away from the Emperor, and for these years, they have long had the posture of ignoring the Imperial Court," Zhao Xu added one by one.

After speaking, his expression darkened.

In contemporary history, the fall of the Tang Empire began with the founding of states by local military governors.

Afterward, the Central Plains entered the great division era of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

The tendency of the powerful clans of the Great Song to carve up territory was even worse than those military governors, and they had long been dissatisfied with the rule of the Zhao Clan, having no affection for the Great Song at all.

They would be more active in establishing states to get rid of the rule of the Great Song.

Zhao Heng likely anticipated this point as well.

With the powerful clans founding the state, he, this old Emperor of Great Song, had to die.

Only Yanzhou maintained the orthodoxy of the Royal Clan, and he had hope of surviving.

"Hahaha, so Your Highness already had a plan in mind," Mi Zhuang laughed aloud.

Mi Yan looked at Zhao Xu, then looked at Mi Zhuang, and sighed.

He felt as if his sense of presence had vanished in an instant.

"It is just a pity that after more than two hundred and seventy years since the founding of Great Song, it has ultimately ended in disintegration," Mi Zhuang's laughter ceased, followed by a long sigh.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xu looked toward the south, "The malady of the powerful clans has plagued the dynasties of the Central Plains for too long; this great chaos is precisely the perfect opportunity for destruction to precede construction. Why must the Father-in-law of the Emperor be sorrowful? From now on, this Prince will give you all a brand-new Great Song."