The prince is more stable

Chapter 130: Titled as a County Marquis
Zhao Xiaoqian's heart suddenly sank.

He spoke so seriously and with such a solemn expression, it was as if he was worshipping his ancestors on Qingming Festival, full of ritual sense.

So you don’t give me any reward?

If not money, what would be the reward? An official position? A title?
Honestly speaking, Zhao Xiaoqian's current status as a prince of a clan is already very honorable. Having so many official positions and titles on his head is not actually a safe thing, and it will inevitably attract many people's unfriendly gazes.

Now is the time when the new and old parties are fighting each other. Zhao Xiaoqian deliberately does not participate and stays away from the power center of the court. He does not express his opinions on any government affairs because he does not want to attract attention and be kicked out.

"Your Majesty, I am a descendant of a clan. It is already an exception for you to appoint me to an official position. It is better not to give me other rewards. I am afraid that it will cause criticism from court officials and put you in an awkward position." Zhao Xiaoqian said cautiously.

Zhao Xu shook his head and said, "If I don't reward you for your contributions, how can I gain the trust of the people? Zi'an, do you know how much significance your flintlock rifle has for the Song Dynasty? It's no exaggeration to say it stabilized the country. If such merits are not rewarded, which court official will still serve me wholeheartedly in the future?"

After a pause, Zhao Xu emphasized his tone and said, "What's more, Zi'an is a member of my Zhao clan, a brother, and someone I trust. If he is so mean and unkind even to his own brother, how can I face the ancestors of the Zhao clan?"

Zhao Xiaoqian opened his eyes wide and didn't say anything for a long time.

All his ancestors have been brought up, what can he say?
"Uh, I... thank God for his grace?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked tentatively.

Zhao Xu smiled: "I haven't even mentioned the reward yet, and you're already thanking me?"

After a moment's silence, Zhao Xu slowly said, "The titles of my clan members in the Great Song Dynasty cannot be inherited. You must be aware of this."

"Yes, I understand."

This is the truth. The titles in the Song Dynasty are a bit strange and very different from those in other dynasties. That is, the titles are not hereditary and the only beneficiary is the person himself.

Including the emperor's own sons, they were not immediately given the title of king after birth. Many of them were given titles after they reached adulthood, and the titles they were given were not princes, but marquises, dukes, county dukes, etc.

When the emperor passed away and the next emperor ascended the throne, or when there was a great happy event in the country, the royal family would show special grace and the princes and clan members would have the possibility of being promoted to titles, from a marquis or duke to a prince of a county or a king.

The same was true of Zhao Xiaoqian's father, Zhao Hao. Zhao Hao was the second son of Yingzong and a legitimate prince. His initial title was only Duke of Anle County. Later, he was promoted to Duke of Qi and then to Prince of Dongyang County.

It was not until the death of Emperor Yingzong and the ascension of Emperor Shenzong that Zhao Hao, as the emperor's younger brother, was promoted to King of Chang. Then, his title was changed many times throughout his life, from one king to another. Until today, the title of "King of Chu" has been stabilized.

As for Zhao Xiaoqian, outsiders have always respectfully called him "Crown Prince", but in fact this title is just a title.

Even if he was the only descendant of Zhao Hao's lineage, even if Zhao Hao suddenly died tomorrow, Zhao Xiaoqian would not be able to inherit the title of "King of Chu" immediately. Instead, he would have to start from a marquis or a duke, and upgrade step by step.

Now, the reward Zhao Xu wanted to give him was the honor and status that he had earned through his own ability.

It has nothing to do with whether they are relatives or not. This is Zhao Xiaoqian’s real ability.

Zhao Xu pondered for a while and said, "Your father, the King of Chu, was originally granted the title of 'Duke of Anle County'. Do you know where 'Anle County' is?"

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment and said, "East of Yanyun."

Zhao Xu nodded and said, "Indeed, Anle County once belonged to Yunzhou, one of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. Emperor Yingzong bestowed this title upon your father out of some desire. Unfortunately, after the Battle of Chanyuan, the Song Dynasty lost the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and has been in a passive position for nearly a hundred years."

After a moment's silence, Zhao Xu continued, "The Song Dynasty is now completely different from what it was back then. With Zi'an's help, I have become ambitious. Therefore, I will allow you to inherit the land your father once held. I will grant you the title of 'Founding Marquis of Anle Commandery,' granting you a fief of 1,000 households, and the right to establish a government office and recruit officials."

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned for a moment, his heart neither sad nor happy. He knelt and bowed his head as per the rules: "Your Majesty, I kowtow to thank God for His great grace." Zhao Xu smiled and said meaningfully: "Zi'an, I hope you will continue to work hard and make contributions to the Song Dynasty. Sooner or later, I will take the land you were granted into my own hands."

Zhao Xiaoqian was slightly startled and immediately understood what Zhao Xu meant.

With the flintlock rifle in his hand, Zhao Xu's immature spirit burned fiercely, and he had already developed ambitions for the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

If Zhao Xu could really recapture the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun during his lifetime, it would be extraordinary. This achievement would not only deserve a separate page in the history books, but might even be divided into three volumes: upper, middle and lower.

If a man takes off his pants and urinates towards the ancestral tablets during the ancestral worship ceremony, his ancestors in the netherworld will not blame him. Instead, they will praise him for his big penis, good shooting ability and long range.

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun have been a source of resentment for successive officials of the Song Dynasty.

Just like the white moonlight in our youthful years, we can never get it in our lifetime, but we can never forget it.

Moreover, the white moonlight will never grow old. If you cannot get it, you can let your son get it. If your son cannot get it, you can let your grandson get it. In short, it is the responsibility of your descendants to sleep with this white moonlight.

Today, Zhao Xu seemed to have seen the white moonlight smiling charmingly at him.

She must have a crush on me, I must sleep with her.

Zhao Xiaoqian's mood brightened. The title of marquis just now did not make him too happy, but Zhao Xu's upright look at this moment made Zhao Xiaoqian really happy.

It is a good thing for an emperor to have great ambitions, which is much better than his previous weak state.

"Zi'an, congratulations, you have been granted the title of Marquis of a County. In the future, there will be Duke of a County, Prince of a County, and Prince Yizi waiting for you." Zhao Xu said with a smile.

Zhao Xiaoqian bowed his head humbly and said, "All my honors are bestowed upon me by the Emperor. I will continue to work hard for the Song Dynasty and achieve new achievements."

Zhao Xu was very satisfied with his answer and smiled so hard that his eyes narrowed into slits.

"You've intimidated the Liao envoy today. In future negotiations between the two countries, the Great Song will be able to take the initiative. I'm sure the Liao envoy will be too embarrassed to mention the increase in annual bonuses. Zi'an, please send the Liao envoy back immediately. Just hearing their name bothers me."

"I am slowly training the Liao envoy. What I want to do is not just to discuss the annual gift..."

Zhao Xu was startled and asked, "Besides the gift of the year, what else do you want to talk about?"

Zhao Xiaoqian lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, do you know that Xiao Guangjing's father is named Xiao Wuna. He was the governor of Huanglong Prefecture and the commander of the Liao Kingdom's northeastern route. The Liao ruler Yelu Hongji was particularly fond of him..."

Zhao Xu suddenly became interested: "So?"

"I believe that we cannot just suppress and intimidate Xiao Guangjing, but we must also try to win him over. I mean, I want to use him to connect with the upper echelons of the Liao Kingdom."

"What does Zi'an want to do by getting in touch with the upper echelons of the Liao Kingdom?" Zhao Xu became more and more interested and sat up straight involuntarily.

"Use spies, divide, corrupt, win over, infiltrate, create momentum..." Zhao Xiaoqian said slowly, word by word.

"Your Majesty, there will inevitably be a great war between Song and Liao. However, before that war, I believe we should have a behind-the-scenes force in the Liao court that is biased towards the Song Dynasty. This will be used to constrain Liao's national strength and military power, and increase the Song Dynasty's chances of victory."

(End of this chapter)