Chapter 016: Brother Su, what do you think?

Upon mentioning this matter, Li Yonghe immediately fell silent. Seeing Li Yonghe’s attitude, Emperor Zhao Zhen, known for his benevolence, couldn’t help but express some frustration:

“Every time this is brought up, my uncle feigns deafness and silence—is he unwilling to share the burden for me?”

Realizing he could no longer feign ignorance, Li Yonghe resorted to another tactic—evasion.

“This is a matter of the state’s foundation. I am but a military man and cannot speak much on it,” Li Yonghe replied.

This time, Zhao Zhen’s anger was genuine. “This is a family matter. I ask my uncle to speak freely.”

Li Yonghe continued, “How can the maternal side interfere in the affairs of the paternal household?”

Zhao Zhen clenched his fists but eventually let them fall, sighing dejectedly.

At this moment, the most pressing concern in the young Song emperor’s heart was not the battles in the northwest nor the restless Liao Kingdom in the north, but the issue of his imperial succession.

Zhao Zhen had no son.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t have children. For example, Princess Fu Kang, known as the Cat Princess, was his own daughter and was now fourteen years old.

He had also fathered sons.

But last year, in the third month of the first year of Qingli, his second son died at the age of three. His eldest son had died at birth. He could not even raise a child, and to this day, he had no heir at his knees.

Zhao Zhen had reigned for twenty years. Now the throne remained vacant, a matter of utmost national importance in a feudal dynasty, one that troubled him day and night.

The “thirteenth militia” the empress mentioned referred to Zhao Shu, a descendant of Emperor Taizong of Song, Zhao Guangyi’s great-grandson; the grandson of King Shang, Zhao Yuanfen; and the thirteenth son of King Pu’an Yi, Zhao Yunrang, who now served as the militia commander of Yuezhou.

In earlier years, due to the lack of an heir, Zhao Shu was raised in the palace by Empress Cao.

After Zhao Zhen’s second son was born, Zhao Shu was sent back to his own family but often visited Empress Cao in the palace.

Originally, as long as the son grew up smoothly, the succession problem would be resolved.

Unfortunately, the child died at three, so Empress Cao proposed to Zhao Zhen the formal adoption of Zhao Shu, with the promise to produce a son in the future.

Zhao Zhen naturally refused.

However, this proposal had many supporters in the court. Many censors petitioned for the early establishment of the heir.

This was also why, upon the emergence of the “Demonic Book” case, the usually lenient Emperor Zhao Zhen issued an edict for the Imperial City Guard to investigate thoroughly—because the matter of succession struck a sensitive nerve.

Seeing Li Yonghe unwilling to involve himself, Zhao Zhen was helpless.

The uncle and nephew exchanged silent glances until Li Yonghe, watching the sun shift, finally asked:

“Your Majesty, what of Su Ze?”

Zhao Zhen understood his uncle’s meaning and replied, “Su Ze will take the Ministry of Rites examination this year. Let him prove himself first. Our dynasty has its own ways of appointing officials. If I favored him now, it might harm him.”

Li Yonghe nodded.

The emperor was not incapable of promoting favored ministers.

For instance, there was the position of Court Poet, which could be granted directly to scholars without official rank.

There were also pathways like hereditary privilege and imperial recruitment.

But the current political climate was such that ministers without the jinshi degree were heavily discriminated against.

Su Ze was still young; it was better to let him take the exam first. Premature attention would only spoil him.

Zhao Zhen rose and glanced once more at the two lines on the folding screen, his love for talent bursting forth uncontrollably.

After pacing back and forth for some time, he said:

“Give this essay to Scholar Ouyang and Commander Fan.”

Scholar Ouyang was Ouyang Xiu, the Hanlin scholar in charge of drafting imperial edicts.

Commander Fan referred to Fan Zhongyan, the current deputy military commissioner overseeing Shaanxi’s pacification.

Li Yonghe understood the emperor’s meaning. As emperor, he could not directly assist Su Ze, but Ouyang Xiu and Fan Zhongyan, renowned ministers who cherished talent, would surely help spread Su Ze’s reputation.

Especially Ouyang Xiu, who was always supportive of talented juniors.

Entrusting this matter to them was the most appropriate choice.

Li Yonghe silently thought that the emperor’s skillful handling had grown ever more refined as he left the Chui Gong Hall with the edict.

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Elsewhere, the servants sent by Zhang Daocheng, upon hearing that the Imperial City Guard had withdrawn from Wang Anshi’s residence, were taken aback.

The Imperial City Guard withdrew?

Could it be that Zhang Xiuyuan had spoken up for Su Ze? Had the emperor granted him a special pardon?

No, even a pardon required a formal charge and an imperial decree.

How could they pardon someone without even arresting him?

Zhang Daocheng was puzzled but ordered the servants to investigate further. Overall, it was good news—at least Su Ze would not suffer imprisonment in the Imperial City Guard’s cells.

Zhang Daocheng summoned a maid and said, “Go tell Lan Niang that the Imperial City Guard has withdrawn. Su Ze should be safe.”

Then he warned, “The situation is still unclear. Order the strong women in the household to watch over Lan Niang carefully. She must not leave the residence and cause trouble these days!”

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At Wang Anshi’s residence, upon hearing the withdrawal of the Imperial City Guard soldiers, Wang Anshi’s younger brother Wang Anli hurried to report to his elder brother.

Su Ze, Wang Anshi, and Zeng Gong showed no concern.

At the moment Zeng Gong finished writing the petition and Li Yonghe hurried to present it to the emperor, the three already knew the Imperial City Guard was about to withdraw.

Wang Anshi and Zeng Gong disliked alcohol, and Su Ze wasn’t fond of drinking either, so the three replaced wine with tea and began to talk freely.

At first, their conversation naturally centered on the Confucian classics.

On this subject, Su Ze dared not boast. Wang Anshi was a fierce scholar who would later annotate the Three Classics. Although his annotation style was “the Six Classics explain me,” using classic commentary to promote his political ideas, a scholar capable of such was certainly well-versed in the classics.

Zeng Gong would also become a great scholar of the classics. Though young now, his discussions on the classics were already profound.

Su Ze’s former self was unlearned, and as a time traveler, he had only casually read the classics without systematic training.

At this stage, he merely listened to their debates, occasionally using modern perspectives to respond, which impressed Wang Anshi and Zeng Gong, who felt Su Ze showed “quite novel insights” into the classics.

But young scholars could not always discuss dry classics.

Soon, the topic turned to current affairs.

The greatest issue now was naturally the threat in the northwest.

Li Yuanhao of Western Xia, a wolf-hearted schemer, had dragged the western front into war, and the Song army had suffered heavy losses in several battles there, even stirring the ambitions of the northern Liao Kingdom.

Wang Anshi spoke vehemently:

“The threat in the northwest does not lie with Li Yuanhao! The Tangut’s tiny state remains unconquered not because of their strength but because of the court!”

Hearing this, Su Ze couldn’t help but think of internet warriors who charge forward with keyboards in hand. Indeed, one must grow slowly. Wang Anshi was only in his twenties and not yet a mature statesman.

The territory controlled by Western Xia was even larger than that of future Germany or France. Su Ze wondered why Wang Anshi called it a tiny state.

In later history, Western Xia held out until the Mongols arrived, never easily subdued.

In Bianjing City, views on the Western Xia war were either “quick victory” or “doomed to fall,” reflecting a similarity to the internet political debates of the future.

Wang Anshi continued:

“The court officials are idle and corrupt, and the imperial guards are bloated and inefficient. This is the root cause of the stalemate in the Western Xia campaign!”

Zeng Gong nodded slightly. Wang Anshi then turned to Su Ze and asked:

“Brother Su, what is your opinion?”