Chapter 68

A few people from the Kaifeng Prefecture felt quite embarrassed, especially the straightforward Xie Dahu, who was so ashamed that he was looking at the ground. Is the prince too shameless? The other party is a child not even eight years old, and you want to challenge him to a duel. Who is the real man here?

Zhao Yougong rolled up his sleeves and sneered at the Hu family’s main gate, “Aren’t you afraid? If you dare to come out, I’ll beat you until your face is covered in flowers. Are you scared? Quickly pay up, or don’t blame me for being impolite!”

The Hu family’s servants dared to splash feces at the group of constables, but they didn’t have the nerve to treat a prince like this. The middle-aged beautiful woman handed Hu Weixian to a few servants and then turned back. Looking at the young prince who was standing tall and grinning, she reluctantly bowed, “This servant Hu Yangshi greets the prince!”

“Madam, no need for formalities. Today, I’m not targeting your family. Our Bianliang city is currently improving the streets, and your courtyard wall extends three inches south onto the road. How can you not pay the fine? As the saying goes, without rules, there’s no... what?”

Ma Rulong’s face twitched, and he quickly stepped forward to whisper, “Your Highness, it’s ‘without rules, there’s no square or circle.’”

“Oh, right... ‘without rules, there’s no square or circle.’ Everyone else follows the rules and pays, but your family doesn’t. That’s not right, is it?”

Hu Yangshi’s face, which was originally quite beautiful, turned ugly when she heard Zhao Yougong’s nonsense. What kind of ‘without rules, there’s no square or circle’ is this? It’s just a baseless argument. She couldn’t understand why the Emperor appointed this ignorant Prince Yongning, who can’t even speak a complete sentence, to govern Kaifeng Prefecture.

“Your Highness, if you say so, I must disagree. Our Hu family has lived here since the reign of the previous emperor, for twenty-one years, and we’ve never heard of such a rule. If the court is indeed improving the streets, do you have an official document from the Menxia Province?”

Hu Yangshi’s words were sharp and reasonable, making Zhao Yougong feel a bit uncomfortable. He just wanted to collect protection money, and the document was something the Kaifeng Prefecture made up. How could there be an official document from the Menxia Province? But being a rogue has its advantages; when faced with a problem, you can just pretend you don’t know.

“What Menxia Province? Didn’t you see the notice posted by the Kaifeng Prefecture? Hu Madam, I’ll ask you again, are you going to pay the fine or not?”

Zhao Yougong’s eyes were sharp, and his teeth were bared. Hu Yangshi didn’t back down, lifting her head and coldly laughing, “If it’s not according to the rules, my Hu family will not accept the penalty.”

“Haha,” Zhao Yougong thought to himself, surprised that Hu Yingyuan had married such a woman. He admired her, but he didn’t show it on his face. He took two steps back, crossed his arms, and laughed, “Xie Buto, what are you waiting for? Tear down this illegal structure!”

“Hey, brothers, get your tools!”

Xie Wudi was a rough man. Asking him to argue with the Hu family was impossible, but when it came to tearing down walls and destroying houses, he was a top-notch expert. With Zhao Yougong leading the way, the constables were no longer afraid. At Xie Wudi’s command, they rushed toward the Hu family’s courtyard wall with the oil hammers they had prepared.

Hu Yangshi’s eyebrows furrowed, and her chest heaved. She couldn’t help but shout, “You dare!”

“Boom!” Before she could finish her sentence, Xie Dahu swung the oil hammer, and the wall, made of earth and tiles, instantly had a large hole. One hole, two holes... thud... dust filled the air, and the wall collapsed.

Hu Yangshi’s face turned red, as if she was about to cry. These people weren’t officials from the Kaifeng Prefecture; they were just a group of officials in disguise. Her hand trembled as she pointed at Zhao Yougong, “Your Highness... are you not afraid? Just wait to be impeached!”

Impeached? Zhao Yougong sneered inwardly. He was actually hoping to be impeached. The more people who impeached him, the better. He didn’t want to be the Prefect of Kaifeng, but would Emperor Zhezong agree?

The Hu family was indeed strong and didn’t pay a single coin, but the southern wall facing the street was completely demolished. Facing the ruins, Zhao Yougong led the constables away, leaving Hu Yangshi trembling with anger.

After the Kaifeng Prefecture officials left, the people on both sides of the street started cursing and some even sympathetically comforted Hu Yangshi.

“Hu Madam, don’t be angry. Why argue with such people? Just give them some money and be done with it.”

“Thank you for your kindness, but my Hu family will not accept this. If every household on Carriageway Street refuses to pay, would Prince Yongning and those constables be so arrogant?” Hu Yangshi’s tone was somewhat resentful.

Mao Dagu’s eyebrows slightly raised, but he didn’t take offense. Who would willingly pay? But the common people don’t fight with officials, and not everyone has an imperial censor in their family.

After tearing down the Hu family’s wall, the next few days went smoothly. Not every family was as defiant as the Hu family.

Half a month after Prince Zhao Yougong took over the Kaifeng Prefecture, he went to the Daming Hall for the first time. Wearing formal court attire, with two long wings on his head, he felt a bit awkward. Holding the tablet, he felt like a pilgrim holding incense to worship the Buddha. He woke up early and didn’t eat or drink, constantly complaining about the early court sessions in the Song Dynasty.

According to Song Dynasty rules, officials had to arrive at the Daming Hall before the emperor. It was not yet the hour of the hare (5:00 AM), which would be around 4:00 AM in modern times. A group of people stood in front of the dark hall, unable to whisper or talk, making it a very painful experience.

Just after the hour of the hare, Yang Jian, holding a duster, walked out of the hall.

“His Majesty is unwell today. The morning court is canceled. We will discuss matters tomorrow!”

Hearing this, Zhao Yougong wanted to strangle Yang Jian. Couldn’t the old eunuch have said this earlier? Why make everyone wait for half an hour? The others were used to it, as the emperor often skipped court without reason, sometimes even a few times a month. Zhao Yougong knew that if Emperor Zhezong wasn’t in court, he was probably with Li Shishi, or in Concubine Xiao Liu’s room. No other woman could make him forget about court.

The first court session ended so abruptly, leaving Zhao Yougong somewhat disappointed.

The next day, he woke up before the hour of the hare again. This time, Emperor Zhezong was more considerate and didn’t skip court. As soon as he entered the Daming Hall, Zhao Yougong was lost, trying to find his place. It was his first time attending court, and the old eunuch Yang Jian hadn’t told him where to stand. He stood by a pillar, unsure of what to do, when he heard a soft voice.

“Lingge, your place is here!”

Looking closely, he saw it was Zhao Kai, the elegant Prince of Yuncheng, pointing to an empty spot behind him and nodding at Zhao Yougong.

Counting carefully, it was the sixth position on the right, quite a prominent spot.

Currently, the only princes with official positions were the Crown Prince Zhao Huan and Prince Zhao Kai. Before them were the Chancellor Cai Jing, Deputy Chancellor Wang Fu, and Right Chancellor Li Bangyan. Cai Jing and Wang Fu had special treatment, being the only ones with chairs while everyone else stood.

Standing next to Zhao Kai, Zhao Yougong closed his eyes to rest. Most of the people in the hall were too powerful for him to provoke. On the right were the civil officials, led by Cai Jing, and on the left were the military officials, led by Gao Qiu. The truly dedicated officials were actually at the back.

Speaking of the people in the hall, two must be mentioned: Wang Fu and Li Bangyan. Wang Fu, in particular, was a remarkable figure, jumping from a common official to Deputy Chancellor in just eight promotions. Such a feat was unprecedented in the Song Dynasty, and perhaps in the past two thousand years. The reason for Wang Fu’s promotion was even more ridiculous: Emperor Huizong thought he was handsome, good at playing, and understood art. Li Bangyan was not far behind, rising from a proofreader to Right Chancellor, only slightly behind Wang Fu. His promotions were similar to Gao Qiu’s: he was good at singing and playing cuju (ancient Chinese football), especially cuju, where he was almost unbeatable. It was said that Li Bangyan, in his free time, formed a cuju team with Emperor Zhezong, called the “Huizong Cuju Tyrants.”

While Zhao Yougong was thinking about these officials, he heard someone mention his name. Opening his eyes, he saw a thirty-something censor speaking passionately.

This censor was none other than Hu Yingyuan, the eldest son of the Hu family. He stood up to impeach Zhao Yougong. Hu Yingyuan, a graduate of the Hanlin Academy, wrote a beautifully crafted impeachment letter, turning Zhao Yougong into a notorious villain with his pen.

As soon as Hu Yingyuan finished, a group of censors jumped up, all impeaching Zhao Yougong. They claimed they couldn’t live if Zhao Yougong continued to govern Kaifeng.

Seeing these red-faced, righteous censors, Zhao Yougong’s face turned pale, and he shrank back. Was it really necessary? It was just a few walls, and they acted as if he had killed their fathers.

Emperor Zhezong had anticipated this and smiled, “Prince Yongning, do you have anything to say?”

Zhao Yougong was prepared and stepped forward, bowing, “Your Majesty, I did nothing wrong. I did this for the good of our great Song. I did this to plan and beautify Bianliang, making it a more beautiful capital for the people!”

Sss... Sss...

Many people gasped, and some even laughed. Planning Bianliang? Could Zhao Yougong really have such intentions?

Emperor Zhezong, of course, didn’t believe this nonsense, but he wouldn’t expose it. He smiled and waved his hand, “Ha, everyone has heard. Prince Yongning had his reasons. Let’s drop this matter.”

Emperor Huizong’s words left Hu Yingyuan stunned. Was he mistaken? Prince Yongning was clearly extorting money, yet the emperor believed his lies?

Regardless of what Hu Yingyuan thought, Emperor Zhezong didn’t give him another chance. As soon as he stood up, Yang Jian, waving his duster, announced, “Court is dismissed!”

The censors’ efforts to impeach Zhao Yougong failed, making the Kaifeng Prefecture officials even more arrogant. Within a month, a children’s rhyme spread throughout the capital.

Look, taste, Suzhou has a pig digging graves, Bianliang has a wall-demolishing king.

“Bianliang’s Wall-Demolishing King,” a formidable and powerful title.