How could one not drag the Imperial Noble Consort into this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

For Zhao Chen, his biggest competitor now is Zhao Chun, who is currently enjoying the emperor's favor.

To defeat Zhao Chun, the most appropriate approach is to start with Zhao Chun's mother.

Throughout history, the imperial court has always been a place of unpredictable and treacherous intrigues.

In this environment, everyone is on edge, and everyone is on edge.

Just as the situation in Liaodong had settled down, another setback has caused a great stir.

Li Gang wrote a memorial to the State Council.

In Shenzhou, a suspicious person was apprehended. This person was carrying a letter written by Han Duo and intended for Han's residence in Youzhou.

This was Han Duo's letter requesting help.

This incident caused an uproar among the ministers, who had just calmed down.

What's going on here?

Judging from this letter, the Han family in the capital and the Han family in Youzhou have very close ties!

Suddenly, the imperial court became lively again.

The ministers who had been silently supporting Zhao Chen finally got their chance.

Some say that Han Lixian has been in contact with the Han family in Beijing, secretly dealing with them to amass huge sums of money.

Some people also say that quite a few ministers were involved.

Of course, all of this was backed by the Imperial Noble Consort.

It is suspected that he embezzled a huge amount of money.

And so, in the season when the grass grows and the orioles sing, the palace suddenly became unusually lively.

When the Political Affairs Hall held meetings, the atmosphere changed from being reserved to being unusually unrestrained.

For example, when Chen Yang was in power, he felt there must be something fishy about the matter and insisted on investigating it thoroughly.

However, Minister Hu Quan argued that the letter was full of loopholes and could not be judged based on a single letter.

In order to find out the truth, the Censorate in the capital conducted a separate interrogation of Han Duo.

The result given was that they had no idea.

However, at this point, whether Han Duo's words were true or false was no longer so important.

The important thing is that if someone believes this is true, then this matter won't be hastily resolved.

Who would believe it's true?

Of course, it's the group of people who support Zhao Chen.

Having found such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it's natural to give it your all.

On this day, Chen Yang and Hu Quan had a big argument at the meeting table in the Political Affairs Hall.

The two sides finally couldn't hold back and started arguing. Then, the secretaries of the Secretariat, the Grand Secretary, the Left and Right Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Works, Commerce, Justice, War, Rites, Revenue and Personnel all became agitated.

The usually low-key Jiusi Temple has suddenly become very active.

Unlike the restraint shown in the emperor's morning court, the meetings in the Hall of State Affairs behind closed doors could only be described as unrestrained and liberating.

For example, Chen Yang slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "This must be thoroughly investigated!"

"It's obvious that someone is deliberately stirring things up!"

Neither side could convince the other, so they started throwing shoes.

Yu Yunwen couldn't take it anymore. He was at his wit's end. After several reprimands, the effect was still minimal.

Those who want to hurl insults at each other, and those who want to throw shoes, throw shoes.

Seeing this, some people are determined to make a big fuss.

Han Lixian, who was far away in Youzhou, finally couldn't sit still any longer. He rushed to Tokyo overnight and waited at the palace gate early in the morning.

However, he was not granted an audience with the emperor.

Han Lixian stayed in Tokyo.

Zhao Huan has been spending time with Zhao Chun lately; this is their private time together.

"Tell Father why we want to spread Confucian classics to the European continent?"

Zhao Chun said in a childish voice, "Europe is a land of barbarians, and it needs the enlightenment of sages to live in peace and not pose a threat to our Great Song Dynasty."

Zhao Chun's education was very clear; he was told what to do and why.

It's hard to imagine that a four-year-old child could say such things.

Zhao Huan said, "Confucianism is about self-cultivation and making the barbarians more docile so that the Song Dynasty can be at peace. Remember, if the barbarians do not submit, we will have to use our swords."

Zhao Chun nodded.

"Okay, next question, let's continue: why was paper money issued in Europe?"

"Because Jiaozi was the universally accepted currency in the market, printed uniformly by the Royal Bank, Europe's acceptance of Jiaozi meant that the imperial court could print Jiaozi and directly purchase what it needed there. Once Jiaozi became widespread, the purchasing power of the Jiaozi in people's hands would fluctuate depending on the amount issued by the Royal Bank and the Royal Bank's interest rate, which would have a significant impact on the European economy. If too much Jiaozi was printed, the people of the Song Dynasty could use Jiaozi to shop in other countries, thus transferring the risk of inflation abroad."

Zhao Huan nodded.

"Then why station troops there, at such a long distance?"

"Because military strength is the foundation for guaranteeing everything."

Zhao Huan held Zhao Chun's little hand, very satisfied: "Very good. Remember this: when looking at problems, you must look at them from the highest perspective. Don't worry about the gains or losses of a single city or town. Military strength is the foundation for ensuring everything."

Zhao Chun nodded. Although he still didn't understand these things very well, he seemed to have grasped some of them.

"Father, I recently heard that Grandfather was having an affair with a corrupt official. Is that true?"

"Chun'er, come with your father."

The father and son walked to the pond in the back garden.

At this time, the willow branches sprout new green shoots, and the spring breeze carries a fresh, moist fragrance.

Zhao Huan pointed to the willow tree in front of him and asked, "Look at that tree, what's different about it compared to the surrounding trees?"

"It seemed to be dying; the surrounding trees had lush foliage, but it didn't."

Zhao Huan then led Zhao Chun past the willow tree.

Standing very close, he continued, “Look, this half of it has already sprouted new green leaves, and it’s even more lush this year than last year. The reason you said it was dying was because you only saw what you could see from where you were standing, but you couldn’t see its back, the side that’s intertwined with the other branches. It’s precisely on this side that many new green leaves have sprouted.”

"Father, are you trying to tell me that what happened to Grandfather isn't true?"

"Chun'er, what your father wants to tell you is that you can't easily draw conclusions about something just because you hear or see it, because we can only see one side of the story, or hear other people's subjective comments, which are not entirely accurate."

"So how will Father handle this?"

"Naturally, it involves collecting everything related to the person in question."

"What if we can't collect them? What should we do then?"

Zhao Chun's personality is so similar to mine; he always gets to the bottom of things.

"If we fail to collect the necessary information, we must make the decision that is most beneficial to the overall situation based on the circumstances before us. The emperor must be responsible for all his actions in the overall context."

"If the overall situation requires this person, then we need to find a way to retain him."

"If it's not needed, then there's no need to spend too much time and energy on it."

Zhao Chun nodded: "Father, I understand what you mean. If this is false, how will you deal with the person behind it?"

"Investigate covertly. The same principle applies: weigh the pros and cons. If the person behind it is valuable and usable, then use them; if not, there's no need to waste time."