Chapter 54 This slippery rascal

"Calm your anger, Your Majesty. Precisely because the Prince's status is of the utmost importance, we must act with even greater caution."

"A few days ago, when the Prince's estate was purchasing servants, this subject feared that people from the marketplace might be of unknown origin."

"Thus, I specially selected a few death-sworn guards of exceptional martial prowess and absolute loyalty from the Imperial City Guard. Sending them into the estate under the guise of menial laborers, I seek to secretly ensure the Prince's safety."

The Imperial City Guard was unconstrained by any other organ, answering directly to the Emperor himself. They were responsible for guarding the palace gates, patrolling the grounds, and keeping watch by night.

From high-ranking court ministers down to common folk in the marketplace, everything fell within their surveillance network.

Naturally, this also included keeping a secret watch over the princes and members of the imperial clan to prevent anyone from harboring rebellious intentions or plotting usurpation.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhen's expression softened slightly, and he gave a slight nod, clearly quite satisfied with this arrangement.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he asked indifferently, "Have the Prince of Yan and his son been behaving themselves recently?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, they have been fairly observant of the rules, save for moving a bit too frequently with the brother of Imperial Noble Consort Rong."

Imperial Noble Consort Rong bore the given name Rong Feiluan, and her ancestors had been masons by trade.

Because of her striking appearance and empathetic nature, she won the Emperor's deep favor, rising from a mere beauty to the rank of noble consort in the span of just eight or nine years.

Loving her, the Emperor extended his favor to her kin, conferring upon her father the title of Marquis of Fuchang in recent years. However, this title was merely an honorary one, devoid of any real power.

Rong Fei's brother, Rong Xian, possessed some capability and currently served as the Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard, while the Commander-in-Chief was named Xu Xin.

"Keep a close eye on them. If there is any unusual movement, report it immediately." As Zhao Zhen spoke, a cold gleam flashed in his eyes.

What worth were the favor of a beloved consort or the affections of children? In the face of the state and the safety of the imperial princes, these were nothing more than fleeting clouds.

This Emperor, who ruled with benevolence, was by no means lacking in the iron-fisted resolve a monarch ought to possess.

"This subject obeys the imperial decree," Zhang Maoze replied, his expression unchanging.

At the third quarter of the Chen hour, outside the Wenhua Hall, after the imperial guards chanted his name, Zhao Zhao straightened his official cap, composed his expression, drew a deep breath, and stepped into the hall, executing the proper and reverent prostration between ruler and subject.

"This subject, Zhao Han, Compiler of the Hanlin Academy, pays respects to Your Majesty."

Zhao Zhen abruptly gripped the armrests of the dragon throne, forcibly suppressing the surge of excitement and joy in his heart, and said in a deep voice, "Rise... rise."

As Zhao Han rose, he quietly lifted his gaze, only to meet Zhao Zhen's burning, intense stare.

His heart skipped a beat. Hastily lowering his gaze, he held the *Classic of History* with utmost reverence and said, "Today, this subject shall lecture Your Majesty on the 'Grand Plan' chapter of the *Book of Documents*."

"Good. My lord need not stand on ceremony. Come closer and speak," Zhao Zhen said with a smile, beckoning to him.

A slight tension gripped Zhao Han's heart, but daring not to hesitate, he immediately stepped forward a few paces.

"This is the Great Law imparted by Jizi to King Wu, explaining the Heavenly Dao. It speaks first of the Five Elements: the first is water, the second is fire, the third is wood, the fourth is metal, and the fifth is earth. As the *Book of Han: Treatise on the Five Elements* states, these five are the forms and qi of the Five Constants..."

Standing off to the side, Zhang Maoze wore a smile, his gaze occasionally drifting toward Zhao Han.

When the lecture reached the passage, "The sovereign establishes the highest standard, the sovereign builds upon this standard," Zhao Zhen suddenly interrupted, speaking in a distant tone: "As I read this section of the 'Grand Plan', I wonder if it shares any commonality with the *Rites of Zhou*, which says, 'When the king establishes a state, he distinguishes the directions and sets the positions'?"

A chill ran through Zhao Han's heart, but he cautiously replied, "Answering Your Majesty, the two do indeed share commonalities."

"What the 'Grand Plan' speaks of—the sovereign establishing the highest standard—means that the Son of Heaven must establish the way of righteousness and justice as the standard for all under heaven."

"Whereas the *Rites of Zhou*—when the king establishes a state, he distinguishes the directions and sets the positions—means that when a monarch establishes a capital and founds a state, he must first clearly distinguish the cardinal directions to properly set the stations of ruler and subject."

"This humble subject believes that the former places its weight on establishing the orthodox tradition, while the latter places its weight on rectifying names and positions. Yet, examining their fundamental root, both emphasize that the Son of Heaven must establish supreme and ultimate authority, giving all under heaven a standard to rely upon."

"Just as the *Doctrine of the Mean* states: 'None but the Son of Heaven sets the rituals, establishes the institutions, and standardizes the written characters.'"

"Well spoken! Truly worthy of being the top-ranking scholar whom I personally selected!"

Zhao Zhen clapped and laughed, his eyes filled with praise. The more he looked at Zhao Han, the more he felt the young man possessed the demeanor of a crown prince.

When the scriptural lecture concluded, Zhao Han was just about to request leave to withdraw when he saw a guard bow as he entered the hall and announce, "Your Majesty, Minister of Rites, Lord Han, requests an audience."

Hearing this, the smile vanished instantly from Zhao Zhen's face, and he could not help raising a hand to massage his brow.

Han Zhang's purpose in seeking him could be none other than a single matter: to urge him to adopt an heir from the imperial clan at an early date and establish a crown prince.

"Send him back! I have no wish to see him today!"

Just as the guard acknowledged the order and began to withdraw, a thought struck Zhao Zhen. Narrowing his eyes, he looked at Zhao Han with a smile that was not quite a smile. "My lord is well-versed in historical records and knowledgeable about past and present. In your view, how should I make a decision on the matter of establishing an heir?"

The moment these words fell, Zhao Han froze in place, a silent alarm ringing in his heart.

Could it be that the Emperor, feeling he could do nothing to move Han Zhang, intended to use him, a lowly official, as a warning to others by killing the chicken to frighten the monkey?

While Zhao Han lowered his gaze to ponder a countermeasure, Zhao Zhen spoke in a low tone, "My lord need not be constrained."

"Whatever is said today goes out from your mouth and enters into my ears. Speak your mind freely."

"Can this subject truly speak his mind freely?" Zhao Han cautiously raised his gaze to look at Zhao Zhen.

"A sovereign does not utter empty words. If your answers today please My heart, I shall naturally not treat you unjustly."

Zhao Han drew a deep breath. In his view, among the Princes of Yong and Yan, one was both mediocre in ability and overbearing, while the other possessed excessive ambition and would not hesitate to use a palace coup to seize the throne. Neither was a suitable candidate for the crown prince.

As for Zhao Zongquan of Yuzhou, Zhao Han held him in utter contempt.

That man was cowardly, timid, and ungrateful; it was merely through sheer good fortune that he had stumbled upon a windfall.

To successfully ascend the throne, he had willingly allowed himself to be adopted into Zhao Zhen's line, never expecting that once firmly seated on the imperial throne, this fellow would begin to tear down the bridge after crossing it. Disregarding ritual law and the Empress Dowager's dignity, he had stubbornly insisted on honoring his biological father, Prince Shu, as the Imperial Father, draping it under the fine-sounding banner of benevolence and filial piety.

Looking across the entire imperial clan of the Great Zhou, not a single talented and virtuous person capable of shouldering great responsibilities could be found.

If only he held military power in his hands, once the Emperor passed away, staging a rebellion would not be entirely out of the question.

After quietly weighing his thoughts, Zhao Han cupped his hands and said, "This subject has newly entered the court and possesses shallow qualifications. I only know that the matter of the crown prince concerns the foundation of the state, and since ancient times, it should be decided solely by the sacred will."

"This subject does indeed have one method that can prevent the imperial clan from contending amongst themselves and shaking the foundation of the state, while still allowing the choice of the crown prince to be determined by Your Majesty's sacred judgment, free from interference by the outer court."

"Oh? Let's hear it." Zhao Zhen raised an eyebrow, looking at Zhao Han with considerable interest.

Zhao Han respectfully said, "Your Majesty may personally write the name of the crown prince, seal it within a golden casket, and after a myriad of years, have the grand preceptors and entrusted ministers open the box together, following the imperial edict to enthrone the new monarch."

"Your answer certainly gives me something fresh; it offends no one."

As he spoke, Zhao Zhen thought to himself: This rascal is truly as slippery as an eel. None of the veteran ministers of the former court could come up with such a way out.

With a light hum, he pressed further, "Suppose I were to have a biological son right now; what should be done then?"

Zhao Han's breath caught for a fraction of a second, and he immediately answered, "Answering Your Majesty, it would naturally be to follow the ancestral laws and revere the imperial prince as the crown prince. However, he would need to be meticulously tended to, and additional imperial guards should be dispatched to safeguard the prince's safety."

He remembered that among the imperial clan, any relative or nephew who showed even the slightest prominence had been hunted down by assassins sent by the Princes of Yong and Yan.

Had it not been for this, Zhao Zongquan would not have rushed so hurriedly to Bianjing.

Even if an imperial prince were born, until he matured into his power, neither the Prince of Yong nor the Prince of Yan would completely abandon their ambitions for the throne.

The corners of Zhao Zhen's mouth turned up slightly, while Zhao Han's heart was filled with heavy doubts, the more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt.

After leaving the Wenhua Hall, as he neared the palace gates, Zhang Maoze's voice suddenly came from behind him: "Compactor Zhao, stay your steps!"

"Today's audience won Compactor Zhao the deep favor of the Emperor. These are the rewards that His Majesty specifically commanded me to deliver to you."

Zhao Han lowered his gaze to look at the chests and cages behind him, and said in a low voice, "Lord Zhang, has His Majesty always been this generous?"

Zhang Maoze wore a meaningful smile on his face. "The majesty of heaven is unfathomable. Though I am a close minister by the Emperor's side, I cannot fathom His Majesty's thoughts at every moment. Compactor Zhao should simply accept them."

"Otherwise, I shall find it difficult to report back to His Majesty."