On November 29, the 17th year of Jiading, on the fifth watch day, Lin'an City, Dongbian Gate, and the Prince's East Palace.
It was still dark outside the room, and the study was dim and dim. A candle was as bright as a bean. Zhao Hong leaned on the back of the chair, with his feet on the desk, his eyes closed and motionless.
From the trembling hands on his knees, it could be seen that he was also very nervous.
In the final analysis, he is also a common man, and at the critical moment when life and death are at stake, when he ascends to great wealth, and holds supreme power, he feels guilty.
Shi Miyuan, Yang Guizhi, Xia Zhen, these people are closely connected, inside and outside the palace, they can be said to block out the sky and the sun. Can he, the master of the East Palace, succeed in ascending the throne after all his hard work?
Or will he fail in his efforts, be deposed by the imperial edict, and wait for the end to come?
The fate of life is ups and downs, and it seems that the real chapter is about to come.
After thinking about it, the tense nerves for days and the fatigue from sleepless nights finally conquered his mind and made him fall asleep in a hazy state.
There seemed to be footsteps, as if someone had added a quilt to himself. He wanted to wake up but couldn't. There seemed to be a knock on the door, and he got up in confusion and opened the door. He saw his elderly mother, petite and thin, wearing a yellow cotton coat and a beige woolen hat on her head, looking at him with loving eyes.
Hasn’t my mother passed away for more than twenty years? How come you're alive again?
The mother looked at him. Soon, the mother turned into a dark and thin grandmother. The grandmother looked at Zhao Hong for a moment with an expressionless face, and then opened her wrinkled mouth.
"Grandson, you are too difficult! You can't be too straight! The world has changed!"
Grandma disappeared, and there was boundless darkness outside the door. Zhao Hong immediately became anxious.
"Mom, grandma, don't go!"
With a creaking sound, the door was pushed open, and Zhen Dexiu and several other ministers rushed in, waking up Zhao Hong from his sleep.
"Your Highness, what time has it been and you are still pretending to sleep here. There is already chaos outside!"
I saw Zhao Hong lazily leaning on the chair. He looked like he was sitting but not sitting, and he was looking like he was lying down but not lying down.
Zhao Kuo passed away, and Zhao Hong, the current prince, was still here like a normal person. He was really big-hearted!
"Your Highness, Your Majesty Yulong Bintian, you must be ready to ascend the throne!"
Chen Duanchang also looked anxious and urged Zhao Hong.
"Your Highness, why are you not surprised or sad at all when the officialdom is so prosperous? What does it mean that the imperial army is facing a powerful enemy?"
Xu Xuan, the young minister of Dali Temple, asked in surprise.
"Your Highness, do you already know about the official Bintian? Why didn't the palace invite you? Did the official leave any edict?"
Wu Jing, the governor of Lin'an Prefecture, adjudicated too many cases out of sheer curiosity.
A posthumous edict?
Finally someone understands!
Zhao Hong's face looked better. He stared at everyone and finally didn't get angry.
Can't we allow him to see his relatives in his dream for a moment?
"Your Highness, why are you crying?"
Noticing the tears hanging from the corners of Zhao Hong's eyes and his ugly face, Xu Xuan asked in surprise.
"You two evil spirits from Dali Temple are here, the wind is blowing, and your eyes are uncomfortable and shed tears."
Zhao Hong wiped away his tears and put his feet down, his expression still lazy.
"Zhen Gong, Chen Gong, Xu Gong, Wu Gong, please don't be so impatient. If you haven't slept well all night, why don't you just take a nap?"
"Your Highness, the Emperor is doing great, don't you really know?"
Zhen Dexiu said angrily.
If the emperor is doing well, Zhao Hong will ascend the throne. At this time, we are not ready to take the throne.
Chen Duanchang looked at Zhao Hong in surprise and said nothing.
This prince is so elusive that no one knows what he is thinking.
Wu Jing was also curious. Looking at Zhao Hong's confident look, he seemed to have been prepared.
"My dear gentlemen, it seems that you are more anxious than me."
Zhao Hong looked at the anxious people and put away his smile.
"Everyone, Gu Zao already knows that His Majesty had already conquered Long Bintian last night."
People are emotional animals. After Zhao Kuo passed away, it was pure lies to say that he was not in pain.
"Your Highness, when did you know that His Majesty had passed away?"
Chen Duanchang asked curiously, secretly suspicious.
The imperial army had completely surrounded the palace, with one post every three steps and one sentry every five steps. How did Zhao Hong know this? Shi Miyuan did this, what on earth was he going to do?
The atmosphere in the palace was mysterious, and so did everyone else, looking at Zhao Hong with concern.
"Ms. Chen, your Majesty passed away at midnight last night, but I just got the news. I think of the scene of practicing Tai Chi with His Majesty, which makes me sad for no reason..."
Mentioning Zhao Kuo, an official of the Song Dynasty who had just died of illness, Zhao Hong became listless for a moment and sighed softly.
When Wei Liaoweng came in, he originally wanted to tell Tian Yi what he said, but there were many people with mixed ears, so he had to keep silent.
"His Majesty has passed away, but Shi Miyuan did not tell His Highness the Crown Prince. It is really deplorable!"
Zhen Dexiu burst into anger.
Needless to say, this traitor is up to something else.
"It's useless for Shi Miyuan to play tricks. Now that Emperor Bintian and His Highness the Crown Prince are in charge of the rule, what else can he do?"
Xu Xuan snorted coldly.
Once the prince ascends the throne, Shi Miyuan's good days may come to an end.
"Prince, stop dawdling and come with us to Funing Palace. You will be busy later!"
Wu Jing frowned and persuaded Zhao Hong to come.
In the ancestral system of the Song Dynasty, the day when the old emperor ascended to heaven was when the new emperor ascended the throne. The prince is so slow that he is not in a hurry to ascend the throne. He is really ambitious.
Wei Liaoweng looked at Zhao Hong thoughtfully, but still kept silent about what Tian Yi told him.
He wanted to see how Zhao Hong would deal with the changes in front of him.
"Li Tang, go and watch outside and don't let anyone in."
Zhao Hong whispered and Li Tang walked out.
"Your Highness, you are so mysterious, what are you doing?"
Zhen Dexiu asked in surprise.
At this time, engaging in these mysterious and blind tricks can definitely wait until after he ascends the throne.
"Everyone knows that the late emperor passed away last night, and the palace was blocked. Shi Miyuan and his son, Cheng Mi, the Minister of Rites, Zhao Guicheng, the heir of King Yi, and Yang Gu and Yang Shi, two nephews of Queen Yang, entered the palace overnight and were busy. In the middle of the night.”
Zhao Hong looked at everyone and said it seriously.
"My dear gentlemen, do you think that I, the crown prince of Song Dynasty, can successfully ascend the throne?"
He didn't know these things, he just improvised based on his own historical foresight.
There was a dull atmosphere in the room, and everyone was shocked. After a moment, the truly virtuous scholar spoke in a trembling voice.
"Shi Miyuan refused to let the prince see His Majesty for the last time, and summoned Zhao Guicheng, the heir of King Yi, into the palace. Is this an attempt to depose the prince and establish a new king?"
Otherwise, why would you welcome Zhao Guicheng into the palace mysteriously? Why let the Yang brothers enter the palace?
As for Cheng Mi, the Minister of Rites, although he did not know how to make imperial edicts, he was familiar with the rules of the palace and drafted edicts, so he was a suitable candidate.
"How...is this...possible? Isn't this an edict?"
Wu Jing's lips trembled and he spoke unconsciously.
The emperor never had the intention to depose the prince, nor did he have the will to depose the prince. No need to ask, Shi Miyuan is going to take over.
"Empress Yang's two nephews, Yang Gu and Yang Shi, entered the palace to persuade..."
Wu Jing said in a trembling voice, looking at Xu Xuan with trembling hearts.
If Yang Guizhi didn't nod, even if Shi Miyuan was audacious, he couldn't depose Zhao Hong unless Shi Miyuan killed Yang Guizhi.
If you think about it carefully, I'm afraid that the old story of the imperial edict and the murder of Han Yuzhou during the Kaixi Year will happen again.
Repeat the old skills and never tire of it. How brave these people are to play with national affairs.
"Your Highness, what should we do?"
Xu Xuan asked in a trembling voice.
If you think about it carefully, Zhao Hong's fate may no longer be decided by himself.
"If Thief Shi dares to depose the crown prince, I will fight with him!"
Zhen Dexiu's face turned red and he drank it suddenly.
"True sir, the same goes for me. I must fight for justice for His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Wei Liaoweng understood something about it, and he was so angry that he shouted sternly.
No wonder I felt something was wrong so early in the morning. Based on what Tian Yi said, it turned out that Shi Miyuan was already plotting something evil and doing something treacherous.
This traitor, has he lost his mind and gone crazy?
"I asked why there are so many forbidden troops guarding outside the East Palace. It turns out they are targeting His Highness the Crown Prince. His heart is so cruel!"
Xu Xuan suddenly realized it and burst into anger.
In fact, not only the area outside the Prince's East Palace, but also the entire Forbidden Palace, surrounded by imperial troops, were all controlled by Shi Miyuan's confidants.
"Look at it like this, today in the court, the traitorous prime minister and the traitorous queen are going to repeat their old tricks. Those who obey me will prosper, and those who go against me will perish!"
Wu Jing's face was ashen and his heart was in confusion.
The imperial guards in the palace were so tightly guarded that Shi Miyuan and Yang Guizhi had obviously joined forces and made drastic measures, ready to eliminate dissidents and promote Zhao Guicheng to the throne.
"My dear gentlemen, please be patient. I have something here for you all to take a look at first."
Zhao Hong was moved, took the edict and spread it on the table.
The times are tough and the truth is revealed in times of adversity.
Those who can stand with him at this time are worthy of his sincere treatment, and they are all people of character. He didn't want to hide anything from them either.
Several ministers came forward and were shocked when they saw the succession edict on the table.
"The late emperor... personally wrote... the edict!"
Several people watched carefully, and it took them a long time to recover from the shock, and they were all relieved.
"Your Highness, with this edict written by the late emperor himself, it will not be that easy for the traitor Shi Miyuan to correct the edict!"
Zhen Dexiu was so excited that her face glowed red.
With this edict written by Zhao Kuo, how easy is it for Shi Miyuan to cover up the sky with one hand?
"Your Highness, it seems that you are well prepared!"
The look on Wei Liaoweng's face became much more relaxed.
It turns out that Zhao Hong has the sword of Shangfang, which is the late emperor's imperial edict. No wonder he is so calm and composed.
"Your Highness, although there is an imperial edict from the late emperor, Shi Miyuan is in charge of the imperial army in the palace, and I am afraid he will resist stubbornly. Do you want the old minister to leave the palace and bring some official business into the palace?"
Lin'an Prefecture Yin Wu Jing was still worried.
"My lords, please be prepared on your own, so there is no need to worry or take any trouble. My lords, go to court with peace of mind and just add fuel to the flames when the time comes. Please keep the matter of the late emperor's edict secret for the time being, so as not to alert others."
Zhao Hong cupped his fists and saluted, speaking solemnly.
"Your Highness, take care of it!"
"Your Highness, there are forbidden troops guarding the outside of the East Palace. Those who come here are not evil!"
Several ministers saluted together and gave solemn instructions. Then they left one after another with deep thoughts.
There are forbidden troops outside the East Palace, so we can only act according to the opportunity.
"Mr. Wei, why are you back again?"
When Wei Liaoweng left and came back, Zhao Hong couldn't help but be stunned.
"Your Highness, Tian Yi asked me to tell you that last night Shi Miyuan and his son, Empress Yang's nephews Yang Gu and Yang Shi, King Yi's heir Zhao Guicheng, Minister of Rites Cheng Ju and others entered the palace overnight. He also said that there should not be any outside the city. There are forbidden troops entering the city. You can rest assured!"
Hearing Wei Liaoweng's words, Zhao Hong knew it and nodded with a smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Wei. Why didn't you tell me just now and why did you come all the way back?"
"Your Highness, you prepare for a rainy day and don't panic in any situation. I underestimate you."
Wei Liaoweng sincerely admired Zhao Hong for his strategizing and calmness.
If he were at Zhao Hong's age and in this situation, he would never be able to think of these ways to deal with it, nor would he be able to do so many things.
"Wei Gong, I hope you can help me in the court when the time comes!"
Zhao Hong solemnly bowed and bowed.
"Your Highness, take care!"
Wei Liao and Weng Su bowed before saying goodbye and leaving. He left the Prince's East Palace, and the eastern sky was already dawning.
At dawn, if Zhao Hong can successfully ascend the throne, the weak and impoverished Song Dynasty may have a day of revival!
