Judge of the Song Dynasty

Let the General Police Bureau try.

In other words, if it doesn’t work out, so be it.

Zhao Xu’s tone, in the eyes of Wen Yanbo and the others, was also filled with worry and lacked determination.

Little did they know that Zhao Xu was playing both sides – one hand open, one hand hidden.

After all, the power of Song Dynasty emperors was subject to many checks and balances. Above were the ancestral laws, below was the scholar-official class. It wasn’t the kind of absolute authority where one’s word was absolute law, yet Zhao Xu had particularly many things he wanted to accomplish.

So he had to use his power cautiously.

Regarding Wang Anshi’s reforms, he gave them his full support. No matter what the opposition said, he remained unmoved.

He was determined to reform.

This also meant that in his cooperation with Zhang Fei, he actually had little power left and couldn’t provide Zhang Fei with much support. He could only help Zhang Fei cover his back and provide some technical assistance.