The prince is more stable

Chapter 1036 The Origins of the Conflict
Before Zhao Xiaoqian ascended the throne, he was not only a prominent figure in Bianjing, but also an idol to many of the city's playboys.

After all, the Crown Prince of Chu, who came from a similar background to a playboy, was able to gain the emperor's favor and be granted military power, leading troops to defend the border and defeating the Liao army many times, thus giving the Song Dynasty a great boost.

With such dazzling achievements, other playboys couldn't even catch up to him, let alone see his taillights.

Everyone else is just a spoiled brat who lives a life of idleness and complacency, so why are you so outstanding?

Even before Zhao Xiaoqian became emperor, he was already famous throughout the world.

The names of Zhao Xiaoqian were well-known among the playboys of Bianjing, but since Zhao Xiaoqian took command of the army and assumed power, he had little contact with the playboys of Bianjing. So although many playboys had heard of him, very few actually knew him or had even seen him in person.

Only then did Jiang Huan, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, take the lead in bowing down, and the纨绔 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) behind him realize what was happening and, in a panic, also knelt down.

Zhao Xiaoqian left the palace incognito today, not intending to reveal his identity.

Throughout history, many emperors enjoyed traveling incognito, imagining themselves as upright and just officials. In the early stages, they suffered countless grievances and humiliations, and even though they were accompanied by highly skilled imperial guards, they dared not utter a single word.

Until the very end, a dramatic turn of events occurred, and the emperor finally couldn't help but reveal his identity. A group of fools bowed down in terror, and in the end, those who deserved to die died, and those who deserved to be rewarded were rewarded. The emperor and his beloved concubine embraced each other tenderly, resulting in a happy ending suitable for all ages.

Zhao Xiaoqian disliked doing this kind of thing; it only served to give him a chance to show off at the last minute, and offered no other benefit.

Moreover, cases and grievances occurring in officialdom and among the common people required the emperor to travel incognito, conceal his identity, and personally handle them. In some cases, the emperor himself had to put himself in dangerous situations in order to resolve the matter perfectly.

Conversely, how rotten must this country be, and how broken must the various levels of the imperial administration be, for the emperor to be responsible for all the judgments of right and wrong, good and evil in the world?

What about the imperial court and local judiciary? What about the power of oversight? What about the duties of officials? Everything is a complete mess, isn't it?

Aisin Gioro Xiao Xuanzi, sit down. I wasn't talking to you.

Zhao Xiaoqian's incognito tour was simply a tour; he had no intention of revealing his identity or showing off at the end.

The reason he traveled incognito was that he disliked grand and cumbersome formalities, disliked seeing everyone bowing and scraping in fear, and disliked that when officials below him saw his yellow robe, they would only spout empty rhetoric and not tell him a single truth.

Besides, today's incident involved my two Japanese fathers-in-law getting beaten up, and I heard it was related to a brothel, which is not a respectable matter.

Who could imagine the emperor, dressed in a yellow robe and accompanied by imperial guards, clearing the way with gongs and drums, coming to a brothel to uphold justice and resolve his father-in-law's romantic entanglement?
Historians must not write anything that would tarnish their own reputation.

Faced with the kneeling and bowing of officials and playboys, Zhao Xiaoqian felt ashamed and burning.

“Get up, don’t kneel, have some self-respect…” Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, covering half of his cheek with one hand.

Everyone hurriedly stood up, bowed their heads, and dared not utter a sound.

Looking down at his two fathers-in-law, who were still lying motionless on the ground, Zhao Xiaoqian turned to look at Jiang Huan, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies.

“They…” Zhao Xiaoqian hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

Jiang Huan said respectfully, "...They seem to be a bit dead."

"Call a doctor, save the person first," Zhao Xiaoqian sighed.

Having lived two lives, this was the first time in my life I had saved a Japanese person. This was something even more shameful than dealing with a sex scandal.

The doctor arrived quickly; the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies had arrived with the doctor before Zhao Xiaoqian did.

Judging from Jiang Huan's panicked appearance, he probably just found out that these two Japanese men might really be the emperor's father-in-law, and things have gotten out of hand.

Bianjing was a gossip hub where news spread quickly, and the news that the imperial army had almost wiped out Japan was already common knowledge.

Who would have thought that two insignificant vassal lords would arrive in a country on the verge of destruction, only to turn out to be the emperor's father-in-law?
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies was alarmed, and the纨绔 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) who had made the move were even more alarmed. They had initially held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that the two Japanese were just bluffing, but when they saw that the Emperor had indeed arrived in disguise, their hearts finally died.

Two doctors were kneeling on the ground, treating the father-in-law's injuries.

Zhao Xiaoqian's gaze then shifted to the playboys.

With a quick glance, Zhao Xiaoqian's lips curled into a smile.

Oh, there are actually a few familiar faces inside.

The one I know best is Cai You, who blends into the crowd, knees slightly bent, letting others' heights block his face, trying his best to hide himself.

That's right, Cai You, Cai Jing's son.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled meaningfully. Your father is currently riding high, and you, his unworthy son, have immediately caused him trouble.

It's safe to say that once this guy gets home, the title "my unworthy son" will be upgraded to "bastard."

Cai You kept his head down among the group of playboys, trying not to be noticed by Zhao Xiaoqian. He looked guilty, even though his father, Zhao Hao, had stolen another man's wife and was more self-righteous than him.

Another acquaintance was Zhao Zhongyu, the biological son of Zhao Zongsheng, the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court.

As fellow members of the same clan, Zhao Xiaoqian naturally had dealings with him in the past, but the relationship was superficial. After all, Zhao Xiaoqian was busy with his career at the time and was fundamentally different from these playboys, so they rarely got along. Zhao Zhongyu was Zhao Zongsheng's son, born in his later years, and the whole family doted on him.

Two years ago, when Emperor Zhezong Zhao Xu was still alive, Zhao Zongsheng submitted a memorial requesting to retire and resign from his position as Minister of the Imperial Clan Court. At that time, Emperor Zhezong Zhao Xu, mindful of the old Minister of the Imperial Clan Court's hard work and great achievements, intended to let Zhao Zongsheng's son, Zhao Zhongyu, succeed him as Minister of the Imperial Clan Court. However, Zhao Zhongyu refused to accept the position and resolutely declined.

Zhao Zongsheng was furious, but he had a son late in life and spoiled him rotten, so he had no choice but to let him be. As for the position of Minister of the Imperial Clan, Zhao Zongsheng could only continue to hold it, hoping that Zhao Zhongyu would suddenly become sensible one day and take over the position.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaoqian met Cai You and Zhao Zhongyu. His expression was ambiguous, but the two men had already buried their heads in their crotches and dared not look at him at all.

The terror in the hearts of these spoiled brats at this moment was simply beyond measure.

After beating the two Japanese men to a pulp, they only heard them intermittently say that they were the father-in-law of the Song Dynasty emperor.

Seeing that things were going badly, their attendants rushed to the Court of State Ceremonial to report the news. It wasn't until they saw Jiang Huan, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, running over in a fit of rage that the playboys finally realized they had gotten themselves into big trouble.

Later, the emperor indeed arrived in person. The纨绔 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) were already pondering what words should be inscribed on their epitaphs, and what kind of words could perfectly record their uneventful and unremarkable lives of idleness and waiting for death...

While the doctor was saving his father-in-law, Zhao Xiaoqian had already identified all the纨绔 (playboys) of the family.

Of these people, Zhao Xiaoqian only knew a small portion of them; he had never met most of the others.

Of course, who they were and who their fathers were was not important to Zhao Xiaoqian.

Their gazes were fixed on Cai You and Zhao Zhongyu, the two they were most familiar with, and it seemed that their fathers also held the highest positions.

Raising an eyebrow, Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile, "Cai You, my virtuous brother Ju'an, come out. Stop hiding. I've already seen you."

Cai You stepped forward helplessly, bowing with an embarrassed and fearful expression: "Your subject Cai You greets Your Majesty."

Zhao Xiaoqian then looked at the other one: "Brother Zhongyu, you can't hide it anymore either. Who told you to be so bright and outstanding..."

Zhao Zhongyu stepped forward with a bitter expression, bowed, and said, "Your subject Zhao Zhongyu greets Your Majesty."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked down at his two fathers-in-law, who were still being blessed by the doctor. This time, they had lost a lot of blood, and the doctor estimated that they would not be able to be saved for a while.

"Let's go upstairs and find a private room so we can have a chat."

As he spoke, Zhao Xiaoqian took the lead and went upstairs, followed by Cai You and Zhao Zhongyu with bitter faces. The other playboys looked relieved, thinking that the emperor only recognized them, otherwise they would have had a hard time getting through this ordeal today.

In the brothel's private room, Cai You and Zhao Zhongyu knelt down as soon as they entered, their faces filled with fear.

“I am guilty, Your Majesty, please punish me,” Cai You said.

Zhao Xiaoqian brewed himself a pot of tea, took a slow sip, and said calmly, "Don't rush to apologize. You must tell me what happened today."

Cai You remained silent for a long time before beginning his explanation.

The matter is not complicated, it's even a bit melodramatic.

In summary, it was two Japanese men who molested a courtesan, while the group of spoiled brats acted out of righteous indignation and taught them a lesson.

This brings us to the clash of values ​​between the Japanese and the Song Dynasty.

Perhaps to the Japanese, women in brothels and similar establishments are people they can touch and hug at will, and even if the women are unwilling, they can only endure it, since they are in a profession that serves the people.

The two fathers-in-law were not too big or too small, but they were among the most prominent feudal lords in Japan, and were also descendants of the imperial family. They were known for their arrogant and domineering manner in Japan. If they wanted to touch a woman, it was considered an honor for her, and no woman had ever dared to refuse them.

Now that they have come to the Great Song Dynasty, they are humbled to the dust before the emperor. But today, after entering a brothel, they subconsciously feel that the brothels in the Great Song Dynasty are the same as those in Japan.

But that's not how brothels in the Song Dynasty operated. It was a legitimate spa, but two lecherous old men came in and insisted on the full service, saying they had plenty of money.

Although the courtesan of the Song Dynasty had a low social status, she was still a goddess who was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting and was sought after by scholars and wealthy playboys.

At most, they're just female public relations staff or chat companions; nobody dares to take advantage of them. But today, two oddballs showed up.

The courtesan entered the private room and soon screamed in shock. Her screams, filled with shame and anger, attracted the brothel owner and his thugs, as well as the playboys who were having a gathering in the next private room.

The rest of the story is obvious.

In Bianjing, the capital of the Song Dynasty, the two fathers-in-law provoked a group of unruly and dissolute young men, and their fate was naturally predictable.

After listening to Cai You's account, Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and rubbed his aching temples.

Sure enough, I ended up with two useless fathers-in-law.

Cai You, looking terrified, lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I really didn't know that the two men were your...fathers-in-law. If I had known earlier, I would have risked my life to stop them from attacking. It was only when they were about to be beaten to death that they shouted that they were your fathers-in-law. By then, it was too late."

(End of this chapter)