Chapter 17: The Crown Prince is about to be crowned
After learning the outcome of this matter, Zhao Xing stopped paying attention to the matter.
As for the negotiations between Song and Liao, Zhao Xing was not interested in knowing about it.
Although he felt aggrieved about sending money to Liao, he couldn't change anything now.
Killing a Liao man would make it impossible for the Liao State to send troops to attack the Song Dynasty, but if the Sui coins were cut off, the Liao State would definitely send troops.
Not to mention trying to persuade his father, even most civil and military officials in the dynasty would oppose it.
After his father’s advice, Zhao Xing also made some changes and began to get close to those officials’ children who he had previously looked down upon.
When these people saw Zhao Xing, who had been very indifferent to them before and didn't pay much attention to them, he suddenly became approachable and was very happy.
In order to please Zhao Xing, he introduced various delicious and fun places in Bianjing to Zhao Xing, and also brought Zhao Xing some valuable rare treasures.
Zhao Xing accepted all of them.
No wonder there were so many foolish kings in ancient times, whose words of wisdom were often offensive to the ears.
Those loyal ministers hope that the emperor can be diligent, but the emperor is also a human being, sitting in the world, and who doesn't want to enjoy it if he has little self-control.
However, Zhao Xing also secretly reminded himself not to get lost in the sugar-coated bullets of these people.
Perhaps because the Song Dynasty had a tough attitude and caught the Liao murderer and executed him directly, the Liao envoy felt that the Song Dynasty was not as weak as he thought.
Maybe the situation on the Liao side was very serious, and the subsequent negotiations went very smoothly. The Song Dynasty used grain to offset this year's new year's coins at three times the current grain price in the Song Dynasty.
But this amount of food was not enough for the Liao State, so the Liao State proposed to exchange war horses for food.
The Song Dynasty still traded grain with the Liao Kingdom for war horses at three times the current price of grain.
Don't think that the Liao Kingdom suffered a loss. Because of the blockade between the Liao Kingdom and Xixia, the price of war horses in the Song Dynasty was very expensive.
Even if the Song Dynasty tripled the price of grain in exchange for war horses from the Liao Kingdom, the Liao Kingdom would not lose.
Everyone is happy to do this. Although giving food to the Liao State is considered as an enemy, if the Song Dynasty is unwilling to trade, the Liao State will have no food and grass, and it is inevitable to send troops.
Since ancient times, the struggle between the Han people and the nomads has been more about survival than ambition.
The nomadic people make a living by grazing. Once there is a natural disaster in the grassland and there is a lack of food, the imperial court of the Central Plains, which has a vast land and abundant resources, will be their target for plunder.
Furthermore, grain is a consumable. Selling some to the Liao Kingdom can avoid war. The Song Dynasty also got a group of war horses. Generally speaking, the Song Dynasty made a profit.
Zhao Xing saw from this news that there should be quite a few problems within the Liao Kingdom.
Otherwise, with the nature of the nomads, how could they honestly conduct transactions with the Han people? I am afraid they would have sent troops to invade and plunder the border.
This also makes Zhao Xing more confident in regaining Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures in the future.
......
On this day, Gu Tingye was distracted several times during class and was scolded by Hai Wenyou and was also punished by copying books.
After class, Zhao Xing asked: "Zhonghuai, what's the matter with you? Are you absent-minded during class?"
"Your Highness, I want to take a leave of absence for a while to visit my grandfather in Yangzhou. I ask for your permission. !" Gu Tingye stood up and saluted.
Zhao Xing stood up after hearing the words and said, "Come with me and go out and talk."
He led Gu Tingye to a pavilion outside, sat down, looked at Gu Tingye and said, "This is filial piety, I have nothing to do with it." It’s not allowed. Gu Hou agreed?”
Gu Tingye said with a sad expression: “Your Highness, my father did not agree, but I still want to go to Yangzhou.”
Last time Zhao Xing. After mentioning it, he became more determined to go to Yangzhou to visit his grandfather.
After Gu Tingye talked to Xiao Qin, Xiao Qin agreed to talk to Gu Yankai.
However, Gu Yankai did not agree. Xiao Qin comforted Gu Tingye and told him not to be anxious and would continue to persuade him.
As a result, after so long, Gu Yan never let go, and Gu Tingye couldn't wait any longer.
If it weren’t for his status as a companion, Gu Tingye would have run away from home.
Zhao Xing was not surprised when he heard this. If Gu Yan had agreed in a meeting, Gu Tingye in the original play would not have gone to Yangzhou on the ship sent by the Yuan family.
Zhao Xing tapped his fingers unconsciously on the surface of the stone table, pondered for a while and said: "They all say that the scenery in Jiangnan is beautiful. I am also very yearning for it and want to see it. Don't worry, I'll go I beg my father, if you allow me to go to the south of the Yangtze River, Guhou will not say anything.”
He originally wanted Gu Tingye to ask Mr. Bai about the private salt, but after thinking about it carefully he gave up.
If the Bai family is really involved in selling illegal salt, Mr. Bai knows that it is what the prince wants to ask, so he may not say anything.
After all, this is a capital crime. Although Mr. Bai only has one daughter, he is not the only one in the Bai family. Only if he personally meets the old man of the Bai family to give a guarantee can the old man of Bai say it.
But his father may not agree to let him go to Yangzhou.
"Your Highness!"
Gu Tingye knelt down on one knee with a face of emotion and said, "How virtuous and capable I am, let Your Highness make a special trip to Yangzhou for me!"
Zhao Xing was thinking about this. How to persuade his father to agree to go to Yangzhou? He was confused by Gu Tingye's sudden action.
It took a while to realize that Gu Tingye had misunderstood and thought he went to Yangzhou to help him.
"Zhong Huai, I want to go to Yangzhou. I have had this idea for a long time. It has nothing to do with you. If I want to help you, I can just go to Gu Hou to intercede for you. Why go to Yangzhou." Zhao Xing helped Gu Tingye up and said.
Gu Tingye thought about it carefully after hearing this, and it seemed that it was indeed the case, and smiled.
"Don't worry, even if my father doesn't allow me to go, I will help you beg Gu Hou." Zhao Xing said.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Gu Tingye said gratefully.
"Class is about to start, let's go back to school first." Zhao Xing said.
……
After the two classes in the morning, Zhao Xing went directly to Longtuge.
After the notification, I was allowed to enter Longtuge.
"My son, I pay homage to my father!" Zhao Xing saluted.
"Fu'er came to see me, what's the matter?" the official said with a smile.
"Father said this as if his son would only come to you when something happens."
Seeing the tired look on his father's face, Zhao Xing came behind his father, put his hands on his shoulders and pressed them.
"Father, you should pay more attention to rest and don't be too tired."
Although he can become emperor after his father's death, at his current age, even if he becomes emperor The emperor was just a puppet and had no power.
And for so many years, his father had poured too much affection into him, which made him recognize this father from the bottom of his heart.
Anyway, he is the only son of the father, and no one can threaten his status.
Zhao Xing also hopes that his father can live a long life, so that he can give him advice later and enjoy life normally, how cool it would be.
It is good to be an emperor, but it is too tiring to be a wise king.
Take his father as an example. No matter how he is evaluated in history, his diligence is true.
I get up before dawn every day to review memorials, and I stay busy until late every day.
Officials spend one-third of the year on vacation, but his father seldom rests.
Zhao Xingdu once thought, if he became the emperor in the future, would he be able to persevere?
The official squinted his eyes and enjoyed it for a while, then smiled and said: "Since you said you have nothing else to do, if you say it later, don't blame me for not agreeing."
"Father, my father. , Erchen is indeed here to see you, but there is still something small that I want to tell you," Zhao Xing said with a stern face.
"Tell me, what's the matter?" The official looked like he had known this for a long time.
"My son wants to go to Jiangnan." Zhao Xing said.
"Huh?"
The official was stunned, sat up straight, turned to look at Zhao Xing and said, "Nonsense, what are you doing in Jiangnan?"
"Father, son, minister Didn't I propose to you a thorough investigation of the salt affairs before? Gu Hou's second son's grandfather is a famous salt merchant in Jiangnan, and he should know a lot about illegal salt matters," Zhao Xing said.
"The salt affairs have been corrupted for many years. It is difficult to find out why they are separated. Your idea is not bad, but there is no need to make a special trip to Jiangnan, right?" The official frowned.
"Father, Zhonghuai's grandfather is already old and may not be able to withstand the fatigue of traveling and traveling, so I thought of making a trip in person." Zhao Xing said.
"No, I plan to make you the crown prince after the year. You can't leave the capital at this time." The official shook his head.
(End of this chapter)