Perhaps because they were far apart, the Duke of Lu and the Duke of Wei were unaware of just how dire the situation was.

But Prince Ji, Zhao Xu, was very clear that he felt as if he had been pressed to the ground by the executioner, and the back of his neck was in constant pain.

Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, had a total of thirty-one sons. Zhao Huan was the eldest, and Zhao Xu was the seventh.

Zhao Shu, the fifth son of Zhao Huan, was killed by Zhao Huan.

Zhao Huan sometimes felt that being an emperor was also very painful. For example, right now, Zhao Xu was kneeling outside, looking very pitiful, and he really felt sorry for him.

However, to be an emperor, a qualified emperor, one should put personal feelings aside.

At this moment, Shao Chengzhang entered.

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Chongguo requests an audience."

Zhao Huan raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised: "What's he here for?"

"Your Majesty works tirelessly day and night to attend to state affairs. The Duke of Chongguo is concerned about Your Majesty's health, so he sent you ginseng soup."

Zhao Huan's expression softened; after all, he was his son.

Zhao Chen was not particularly gifted, but he was kind-hearted. Zhao Huan would talk to him about life every month.

But Zhao Huan felt that there was always a veil between father and son.

Perhaps, in Zhao Huan's heart, that was not his biological son.

Perhaps it was because Zhao Chen, as the eldest son, was destined to inherit the throne, but Zhao Huan harbored some resentment towards this.

"Let him in."

The door opened, and Zhao Chen was carrying a bowl of soup.

"Father."

"Brother, it's so late, aren't you going to rest?"

"My father works tirelessly day and night to serve the country, and I should learn from him."

Zhao Chen took the ginseng soup out of the box: "Father, the soup is hot. I specially asked the kitchen to make it."

Zhao Huan smiled and said, "Brother, you're very kind."

Before Zhao Huan drank it, it was naturally necessary to test it for poison; this was the custom.

Every soup, dish, or wine sent to the emperor was tested for poison, even if it was made by Empress Zhu or Han Chenchen herself.

After the test was completed, Zhao Huan felt relieved and began to drink.

"Brother, how far along are you in understanding the Song Dynasty's road planning that I told you about last year?"

“Father, I have found out everything. If the cement road from Jiaozhou to Dongjing City is completed, the time for transporting the same amount of grain will be reduced by at least half.”

Zhao Chen answered truthfully: "Take Zhu Qing, a wealthy merchant in Dongjing (Kaifeng), for example. His caravan will pay at least half less to the transport teams when purchasing grain in Jiaozhou. Moreover, due to competition, transportation costs may be further reduced. As a result, the price of grain in Dongjing can be reduced to two strings of cash per shi (a unit of dry measure), which is half the price of the first year of the Jingkang era. If all the cement roads in the south are completed and the development of the south is mature, I predict that the price of grain in Dongjing will drop to one string of cash per shi."

Zhao Huan nodded in satisfaction.

Many people who read history only focus on wars, politics, and the military.

However, there is one more thing that cannot be ignored: the transportation system of a dynasty. The transportation system is related to the transportation of grain, which is the most fundamental issue.

For example, before Liu Bang established his capital in Chang'an, some people suggested that he establish it in Luoyang, because Liu Bang's subordinates were all from Guandong and were unwilling to enter Guandong.

However, Lou Jing and Zhang Liang believed that the capital should be established in Chang'an, which was not only easy to defend and difficult to attack, but also had fertile land for thousands of miles.

Most importantly, the canal transport in Guanzhong was highly developed, connecting it with the rest of the country!

Since the founding of this dynasty, Emperor Taizu established the capital in Bianjing (Kaifeng), also taking into account the problem of canal transport. Due to years of development, the waterways in Guanzhong were congested, which damaged the canal transport.

Although Bianjing was not defensible, its canal system was extensive and connected to the south, solving the major problem of grain transportation.

This is also why Zhao Huan pressured Xu Churen in court to slow down the pace of road construction and speed up the project.

Zhao Huan was willing to spend huge sums of money on the transportation system, just as much as, or even more than, on education and scientific research!

As Zhao Huan's eldest son, Zhao Chen absolutely needed to know these things.

After chatting with Zhao Chen for a while, Zhao Huan said, "It's getting late, you should go back and rest."

Zhao Chen suddenly bowed and said, "Father, can you spare Uncle Qi's life?"

Upon hearing this, the emperor's previously kind face instantly turned icy.

Shao Chengzhang, standing to the side, was on tenterhooks.

My goodness, Duke Chongguo, you didn't mention anything else, but you brought up this matter.

Shao Chengzhang quickly pulled Zhao Chen away, saying, "Duke Chong, it's getting late, and His Majesty needs to rest. You should go back first."

"Father, Seventh Uncle is your own brother."

Shao Chengzhang felt an urge to smash his head against the ground and die. "Duke Chong, what are you doing? Saying this at this critical juncture, are you trying to go against your father?"

Your seventh uncle has been kneeling outside for a whole day, and the emperor hasn't even asked him a single question. He's determined to kill him.

"Who sent you to see me!"

Zhao Huan's tone changed noticeably, and even his form of address changed.

In private, he would never use the word "朕" (zhen, meaning "I" or "the emperor") when he was with his children, but now that he used it, it meant that he was questioning Zhao Chen as the emperor.

Zhao Chen is sixteen years old this year. When people reach sixteen, they begin to think about many issues on their own, including how to conduct themselves in society.

Zhao Chen felt that brothers should not kill each other.

“I came here on my own initiative. I felt that Seventh Uncle was Father’s own brother. If I killed him, people would think Father was a tyrant.”

His tone was somewhat weak, but every word was very clear, causing Shao Chengzhang, who was listening nearby, to break out in a cold sweat like a waterfall.

Shao Chengzhang quickly said, "Duke Chong, please stop talking, it's already very late..."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!