The prince is more stable

Chapter 1037 Scandalous Affairs
It was truly a shameful thing for the Song emperor to personally intervene in resolving such a scandalous affair.

If the person involved wasn't his father-in-law, this kind of disgusting mess wouldn't even have the right to appear before Zhao Xiaoqian.

But now that they're here, things have to be resolved. Besides, no matter how bad the father-in-law's character is, their daughter is so lovely, sensible and obedient, she'll cooperate in any position, and the two sisters always take turns with him, making Zhao Xiaoqian linger.

For the sake of the two sisters, this matter must be done today.

"What happened today was the fault of my two fathers-in-law. Of course, you were also at fault for being too ruthless," Zhao Xiaoqian concluded immediately.

Cai You and Zhao Zhongyu certainly dared not refute, for whatever the Emperor said was right.

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, looking ashamed, and said, "It's a misfortune for my family to have produced these two... In short, I am very ashamed."

Cai You and Zhao Zhongyu were stunned, then knelt down in great fear: "Your Majesty, why do you say such things? It is all our fault."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, “I am not a foolish ruler who cannot distinguish right from wrong. Do you think I cannot see who is right and who is wrong? The fault today lies with my two fathers-in-law. You do not need to take the blame upon yourselves.”

Despite Zhao Xiaoqian's fair assessment, Cai You and Zhao Zhongyu did not feel relieved.

Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. You can never just take the emperor's words literally. Who knows how this love affair will turn out?

Throughout history, anything related to royalty has been able to implicate countless trivial matters, eventually culminating in a massive case that has claimed countless lives.

Today I beat up the official's father-in-law. Who knows what the official is thinking?
If the Emperor intends to use this case as an excuse to replace a large number of dissatisfying officials in the court, thereby consolidating imperial power and establishing imperial authority, then who knows what fate awaits the纨绔 (playboys) present today, as well as their fathers and grandfathers.

Zhao Zhongyu's expression improved slightly. He knew that he and his father were both members of the imperial family, and his father was the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court.

Their family held a relatively undisputed position within the royal family. Furthermore, the father and son had never interfered in court affairs, nor had they formed any factions. They had not touched the emperor's imperial interests at all, so the emperor would probably not punish them severely.

But Cai You's feelings were quite different.

His father is Cai Jing, who has recently been given an important position by the emperor. If nothing unexpected happens, he will likely replace Zhang Dun and be promoted to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, becoming the rightful prime minister of the Song Dynasty.

At this critical juncture, Cai You has caused such a huge disaster for his father that the future of the Cai family father and son has once again become uncertain and unpredictable.

The will of Heaven is unpredictable, and the Emperor's intentions are unfathomable. Even if this official before us was once a friend with whom we played and drank, he is now an emperor.

The prince of yesteryear is now the emperor; things are vastly different now. Will he still remember those past friendships?
Seeing the two people in front of him still looking fearful and uneasy, Zhao Xiaoqian roughly understood what they were thinking.

Perhaps in their view, whatever the emperor decides to do, whether it is a big or small matter, will eventually develop into a major event that will shock the court and the world.

Zhao Xiaoqian felt somewhat wronged, and he didn't know who set the rule, but the emperor was always going to do important things.

But even an emperor is just an ordinary person. Can't he live a peaceful life? Why make such a fuss over something so simple?
“You don’t need to worry. What I said means exactly what it says. There’s no need to overthink it. It’s better to be upright. There aren’t that many conspiracies in the world, nor are there that many so-called ‘the emperor’s wrath causing millions to die.’ Too many deaths wouldn’t do me any good,” Zhao Xiaoqian sighed.

Cai You and Zhao Zhongyu were somewhat relieved upon hearing this.

Zhao Xiaoqian raised an eyebrow at Cai You, then suddenly laughed: "I won't pursue this matter today, since it wasn't your fault. But Brother Ju'an, you're likely to get a severe beating when you get home..."

Cai You's eyelids twitched, and his face immediately turned ugly. He sighed bitterly, "I shouldn't have come today, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess... When I get home today, I'm afraid my father will hang me up and whip me."

"I remember I recently granted you an official position. If your father beats you, it would be considered assaulting a government official. You can go to Kaifeng Prefecture to report him," Zhao Xiaoqian said maliciously, stirring up trouble.

Cai You sighed, “Although I hold an official position, my father holds a higher one. Besides, it is only natural for a father to beat his son. My official position cannot protect me. When I return today, I will inevitably suffer a gruesome end.”

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and said, "You get beaten up even if you're not an official, and you still get beaten up even if you're given an official position. Isn't this official position a waste?"

Cai You's college entrance exam results were not ideal...

It's hard to say whether Cai You was just unlucky, but he failed the imperial examination last year.

Later, in order to curry favor with Cai Jing, Zhao Xiaoqian made an exception and granted Cai You, a student who had failed the imperial examination, the title of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), and allowed him to enter officialdom through hereditary privilege, serving as Secretary and Compiler of the Imperial Library.

However, judging from today's situation, Cai You has probably not been able to change his playboy nature and is still hanging out with the group of playboys in Bianjing.

The Cai family's ancestral graves had clearly started to emit green smoke, but an unworthy descendant urinated on them, almost extinguishing the smoke.

"Do you spendthrift playboys often gather in brothels?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked.

Cai You and Zhao Zhongyu's cheeks twitched simultaneously.

Although what Your Majesty said is true, they are indeed纨绔子弟 (spoiled brats who squander their wealth), could you please be a little more tactful? Even if you are the emperor, you should speak like a human being.

“Most of us are the youngest in our families, some neither the eldest nor the legitimate heir, and therefore cannot inherit official positions or titles. We can only spend our lives eating, drinking, and loafing around. That’s why we do often gather for drinks,” Cai You said carefully. Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Cai You, sized him up, and said in confusion, “It’s one thing that they are not valued because they are neither the eldest nor the legitimate heir in their families, but I remember you are the eldest son of Master Yuanchang, and you now hold an official position. Why are you getting involved with them?”

Cai You sincerely defended himself, saying, "Of course I am different from them. I am simply a failure of my own ability and have willingly fallen into depravity..."

Zhao Xiaoqian: “…………”

I couldn't even refute that!

Turning his head to stare at Zhao Zhongyu, this guy was also the eldest son, and was highly regarded by Prince Pu, Zhao Zongsheng. He was to inherit the title of Prince Pu in the future. He almost became the Minister of the Imperial Clan two years ago, but he firmly declined.

Just as Zhao Xiaoqian was about to speak, Zhao Zhongyu immediately and cautiously pointed at Cai You, saying very bluntly, "I am just as useless as my brother Ju'an, and I have willingly fallen into depravity."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed in exasperation: "You speak with such self-righteousness, should I award you an prize?"

Cai You and Zhao Zhongyu looked embarrassed. After all, they still had their limits and knew that what they had said in front of the Emperor was undignified.

Zhao Xiaoqian, however, fell into deep thought.

These spoiled young men in Bianjing were used to being lawless. They were certainly not good people, but they weren't completely evil either.

For many years, they have been running rampant in the streets of Bianjing. Unfortunately, their fathers and grandfathers were all powerful officials in the Song Dynasty, with a very strong backing. Even the prefect of Kaifeng dared not interfere when they committed crimes.

Keeping these destabilizing elements in Bianjing and letting them continue to run rampant is ultimately not a good idea.

Even a piece of toilet paper has its uses; surely these spoiled brats can't be less useful than toilet paper.

If Zhao Xiaoqian could take advantage of his father-in-law's beating to resolve the security issues in Bianjing, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

It's impossible for an emperor to leave the palace incognito just to resolve a sex scandal; that would be too degrading for him.

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly said, "Cai You, go and summon all those纨绔子弟 (spoiled brats) downstairs. I want to see them."

Cai You didn't understand, but he still obediently went downstairs.

Soon, a dozen or so spoiled young men stood awkwardly and fearfully in the private room, their heads bowed and looking at each other anxiously.

I had long heard of this official's great name and knew about his legendary deeds. Today, I finally saw the legendary official in person, but I never expected it to be in such an disgraceful setting.

Zhao Xiaoqian remained calm, smiled gently at everyone, and said, "Don't worry, the fault today is not yours. It was indeed my two fathers-in-law who were at fault first, and I will not blame you."

The group of playboys immediately breathed a sigh of relief, their expressions becoming relaxed.

Zhao Xiaoqian, however, couldn't bear to see the spoiled brats so relaxed, so he added quietly, "But what will happen to you when this gets to your fathers or grandfathers is your own business. Just accept your fate."

The young dandies, who had just begun to smile easily, froze upon hearing this, their expressions turning bitter.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked around at everyone and said, "Those of you present today who have achieved official rank, please raise your hands."

No one raised their hand except for Cai You.

After raising his hand, Cai You turned around and looked around. He found that he actually stood out from the crowd, and a smug look immediately appeared on his face.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him, and like dealing with wounded soldiers on the battlefield, promptly delivered the finishing blow: "Cai You, you can also put your hands down. Your honor is a special gift from me."

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd, and Cai You awkwardly lowered his hand.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked around at everyone again and said, "Those who hold official positions with nominal stipends, please raise your hands."

Everyone raised their hands.

The bureaucracy of the Song Dynasty was very bloated. No matter how unworthy the children of powerful and influential families were, their fathers and grandfathers would always find them a meaningless official position. At the very least, they would be a nominal official with no real power, but they could live off their salary until they died.

So don't be fooled by the fact that this group of people are ignorant and only know how to eat, drink and have fun. Almost every one of them is a high-ranking official, such as a military officer or a doctor. Their official titles are terrifying and they are not to be trifled with.

Every day, a group of street urchins with official positions and powerful backers roam the streets of Bianjing, making them invincible.

Looking at this group of good-for-nothing playboys, Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes revealed approval. He sincerely praised them, "Other young people are like the morning sun, full of vigor and hope. You're different; you're like the first pee of the morning—not only yellow, but also foul-smelling..."

The group of spoiled brats: "???"

(End of this chapter)