Chapter 4

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"Too much, it's really too much." Zhao Yun said angrily.

At this moment, Zhao Yun was having lunch with Empress Xie Daqing and their two children, but halfway through, he lost his appetite.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Xie Daqing asked with concern.

Xie Daqing was the current empress and had given birth to Zhao Hao and Zhao Ling'er, securing her unshakable position.

Speaking of Xie Daqing, her story was also legendary.

Xie Daqing's grandfather, Xie Shenfu, had served as the Right Chancellor. Due to his role in supporting Empress Dowager Yang, she selected a Xie family girl to enter the palace. At that time, a magpie's nest in the palace was considered an auspicious sign.

Xie Daqing was born with dark skin and a black mole near her eye. After a serious illness, her skin peeled off, leaving her as white as jade, and the black mole disappeared. Originally, Zhao Yun intended to make Jia Shi the empress, but Empress Dowager Yang believed that Xie Shi was dignified and blessed. The courtiers whispered, "If we don't make the real empress, will we make a fake (Jia) empress?" Thus, Xie Daqing became the empress.

Xie Daqing was not as favored as Jia Guifei, but she won the favor of Zhao Yun by giving birth to Zhao Hao and Zhao Ling'er, a pair of twins.

What further solidified her position was that no other concubine in the palace had given birth to children.

Thus, no matter how much Jia Guifei was favored, she could not shake Xie Daqing's position.

In ancient times, especially in the palace, a mother's status was often determined by her children, which was very common.

"Shi Miyuan is becoming more and more outrageous." Zhao Yun said angrily.

Since everyone present was close to him, Zhao Yun did not hide his true thoughts.

As for the guards and eunuchs serving nearby, they had already moved away from this area.

In the palace, the most important thing was to have a keen eye.

Upon hearing the name Shi Miyuan, Zhao Hao frowned slightly.

Zhao Hao was not a historian, but he had heard of this name.

Shi Miyuan was a powerful minister who had greatly assisted Zhao Yun in ascending the throne.

In the 17th year of Jiading, Emperor Ningzong passed away. Shi Miyuan, along with Empress Dowager Yang, fabricated Ningzong's will, deposed the crown prince Zhao Hong as the Prince of Ji, and established the Prince of Yi, Zhao Yun, as the new emperor, known as Emperor Lizong of Song.

In other words, Zhao Yun's throne was not legitimate.

Because of this, Shi Miyuan acted with impunity, controlling the government and making decisions on his own. His followers almost controlled all important positions from the central to the local levels.

The current court, rather than serving Zhao Yun, was more like living by the grace of Shi Miyuan.

Shi Miyuan held power for 26 years over two reigns, and he was known for his favoritism and tyranny, often referred to as "Four Woods and Three Villains."

Shi Miyuan and his followers submitted to the Jin and brutally exploited the Southern Song people. They accepted bribes and printed a large number of new banknotes, which could not be exchanged for gold, silver, or copper coins, only for old banknotes, and at half the value. This led to an oversupply of banknotes, a drop in currency value, soaring prices, and widespread suffering among the people.

Even commoners knew that a corrupt minister, Shi Miyuan, had emerged in the court.

Zhao Yun, of course, was not unaware of this, but he had no way to deal with Shi Miyuan.

Thanks to Zhao Kuangyin's promise to "govern the country with scholars," the Song emperors had the least power among all dynasties.

Although Zhao Yun had ascended the throne, he had no way to deal with Shi Miyuan.

Zhao Yun and Shi Miyuan were like two grasshoppers tied to the same string, sharing both glory and disgrace. Denying Shi Miyuan was equivalent to denying the legitimacy of his own succession. Therefore, he could only let it be.

However, Zhao Yun was still an emperor, and no emperor was willing to have a minister acting as a regent above him.

So far, Zhao Yun had been on the throne for eight years but had never involved himself in state affairs, with all political power held by Shi Miyuan.

Zhao Yun was almost at his limit of tolerance.

However, he could only vent his frustration privately in the harem and lacked the courage to approve the ministers' impeachment of Shi Miyuan in the court.

Zhao Hao looked at Zhao Yun and shook his head inwardly.

His father was really mediocre, lacking any imperial resolve.

Or perhaps, few Song emperors had imperial resolve.

This was their tragedy and the tragedy of the Han people.

However, since he was his father, he still needed to help him. Before he was strong enough, he still needed to rely on Zhao Yun in many ways.

"Father, removing Shi Miyuan is actually a simple matter, as long as Father can make up his mind." Zhao Hao said.

Zhao Hao was ten years old, and although young, he had already won the praise of the entire court.

Everyone knew that the current crown prince was a prodigy, known for his intelligence and good behavior since childhood.

Zhao Yun, more than anyone else, understood his genius son.

Zhao Hao was not just a prodigy; in Zhao Yun's eyes, he was a prodigy.

Sometimes, Zhao Yun felt he was not as capable as his son.

Zhao Hao had always been very decisive, and the facts proved that his decisions were always correct.

Therefore, Zhao Yun did not dare to underestimate Zhao Hao just because of his age.

"Hao, what do you suggest?" Zhao Yun asked.

Xie Daqing also looked at Zhao Hao, extremely satisfied with this son.

She always believed that the best reward from heaven was giving her Zhao Hao and Zhao Ling'er.

She loved Zhao Ling'er the most, but she valued Zhao Hao the most.

"Father, let me tell you a story. In a distant Western dynasty called the Qing, the royal family was the Aisin Gioro clan. After the Qing dynasty established its rule, the emperor disappeared, and a young emperor ascended the throne. Because he was young, a man named Ao Bai controlled all the power in the court. Even after the young emperor took charge, Ao Bai still held equal power. Conflicts inevitably arose between the emperor and the minister, and the young emperor began to plan how to subdue Ao Bai."

Zhao Hao recounted the story of Emperor Kangxi and Ao Bai to Zhao Yun, who had a mixed expression after listening.

No matter how ignorant he was, Zhao Yun could not fail to understand the hidden meaning in Zhao Hao's words.

"Hao, in the Song dynasty, no emperor has ever harmed a minister. Everyone adheres to a底线, whether it's court struggles or factional disputes, they do not endanger lives." Zhao Yun said.

This was indeed true. In both the Northern and Southern Song dynasties, few ministers were killed due to political struggles, which was different from other dynasties.

Or perhaps, this was the style of governance by scholars.

However, Zhao Hao sneered at this.

"Father, times have changed. The current Song dynasty is not the same as before. We face internal and external threats, and the Mongols are eyeing our territory, ready to invade. The corrupt minister in the court is causing chaos, and the people are suffering. If we do not change, we will all be sinners of history." Zhao Hao said.