As soon as Fan Zheng's evil Dongpo flesh came out, King Shen immediately turned losses into profits, and the officials who originally impeached Fan Zheng were disappointed.
Although the DPRK unanimously recognized the legitimacy of Zhao Xu's throne, many die-hard conservatives still had no good impression of Fan Zheng, who loved to use evil methods and advocated reforms. Whenever they had the opportunity, they spared no effort to drive Fan Zheng away from the official family.
However, sometimes it was clear that the overall situation was decided, but Fan Zheng used evil methods to reverse the situation, which greatly frustrated them.
"Evil doctor Fan Zheng!"
Zhao Tingzhi gritted his teeth and felt resentful in his heart.
Fan Zheng had his most beloved son Zhao Mingcheng sentenced to three years in prison, but he was always helpless, which made him suffer.
"Master Zhao, King Yong Zhao Hao has not left Bianjing yet. Will the Censor continue to impeach?" Suddenly a Censor came to report.
"Prince Yong hasn't left Beijing yet?" Zhao Tingzhi said in surprise,
You must know that after the collective impeachment of the court, the Empress Dowager had ordered King Yong Zhao Hao to serve as Huainan Jiedushi within a time limit. Now that the time limit has passed, he has not left yet.
The censor smiled bitterly and said: "Originally King Yong had agreed to leave, but before leaving, Prince Yong's son suddenly fell ill, so King Yong made a memorial and left the capital at the end of the day."
Everyone knew that King Yong was already a cornered beast, and he used even some excuses that were not on the table. He just wanted to stay in Kaifeng City for a longer period of time so that the Empress Dowager could change her mind.
Zhao Tingzhi was moved. Now he relied on the Empress Dowager to be in power. He didn't like Fan Zheng, so he barely kept his position.
If one day, the official family is in charge and Fan Zheng becomes as powerful as Wang Anshi, how can he still enjoy his good fruits?
"If King Yong ascends the throne..."
Zhao Tingzhi's heart skipped a beat, and the more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
If he helps King Yong ascend the throne, he will not only be able to follow the dragon, but it will not be easy to suppress Fan Zheng and save his son in the future.
"In addition to legal principles, it is nothing more than human feelings. Prince Yong's son is ill. If we press too hard, we may cause displeasure to the Empress Dowager." Zhao Tingzhi excused Prince Yong.
When the censor heard this, he immediately thought of the mother-son relationship between the Empress Dowager and King Yong Zhao Hao. The Empress Dowager was originally unwilling to let Zhao Hao leave Bianjing, so why should they be evil people again? Besides, King Yong could always find reasons to stay. Unable to open.
That night! Prince Yong's Mansion!
"The Queen Mother still hasn't let go!"
King Yong Zhao Hao looked up at the dark night sky, his heart felt cold.
Unlike Li Kefei who couldn't wait to leave Bianjing, he racked his brains to stay in Kaifeng.
Now that ten days are about to pass, the queen mother still has no intention of leaving him behind. If this continues, I am afraid it will once again arouse opposition from the government and the opposition.
"Your Majesty, a man is here to visit. He doesn't want to reveal his name. He just claims to be an old friend of your Majesty." Suddenly, a servant came to report and handed over a token.
"Please come quickly!" King Yong looked at the token and said in his heart.
Soon, a man in black robes came to King Yong. Under the dim light, he turned out to be Zhao Tingzhi, the censor Zhongcheng.
"Prince Yong, farewell and safe!" Zhao Tingzhi said with cupped hands.
Zhao Hao sneered and said: "How could Mr. Zhao not know about my situation? Since you have given up on me twice, why did you come to see me again today?"
The reason why Zhao Hao planned that position was not without supporters. However, this time he aroused collective opposition, which hit him hard.
Zhao Tingzhi shook his head and said: "It's not that we don't support King Yong, but that the Queen Mother doesn't support King Yong. Don't you understand, Your Highness? If you want to get that position, you must get the support of the Queen Mother, otherwise everything will stop." .”
King Yong fell silent immediately after hearing this.
The first time, the queen mother gave up on him for the sake of power. But this time, the queen mother was old and it was time to hand over power. It was his last chance, but the queen mother chose to give up on him again and let him leave the capital.
King Yong shook his head helplessly and said: "The Empress Dowager is too kind-hearted, and the officials are so vicious that she even threatened the Queen Mother with the lives of all the princes. Now I am afraid that the Queen Mother will not believe anything I say."
Not only did Empress Dowager Gao not believe it, but he himself was not sure whether he would be able to accommodate Zhao Xu and the other emperor's nephews after he ascended the throne.
Zhao Tingzhi shook his head and said: "Although the Empress Dowager is indecisive, she is devoted to her country. There is only one reason that can make her change her mind, and that is the danger of the Song Dynasty."
"The Song Dynasty is in danger?" King Yong asked puzzledly.
Zhao Tingzhi said with vicious eyes: "If the official family has been dormant and waited until the death of the Empress Dowager before revealing its intention to reform, His Highness King Yong will have no chance of succeeding to the throne. However, since Fan Zheng became the imperial physician, the official family has changed its dormant attitude. With such a state of mind, I have repeatedly believed in the right and wrong methods. Although it can gain power for a while, it will surely succeed and fail in the wrong direction."
King Yong's heart moved, and he solemnly said: "Please also ask Mr. Zhao to teach me."
Zhao Tingzhi sneered and said: "Since Fan Zheng is inciting the government to reform, why not His Highness King Yong follow the trend and persuade the Empress Dowager to give the officials a chance to reform. Only in this way can the Empress Dowager understand who will be the leader of the Song Dynasty. Who is the leader of ZTE and the leader of the Song Dynasty?"
King Yong's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. Everyone knew that Zhao Xu admired the new law the most, but the Empress Dowager was the most likely to hate the reform. As long as Zhao Xu promoted the new law, it would definitely aggravate the Empress Dowager's disgust.
The conservatives who make up the majority will see Zhao Xu's true face and turn to him, and he will completely reverse the situation.
Zhao Tingzhi and Zhao Hao had a secret discussion, and Zhao Tingzhi warned: "This will be the last chance for His Highness King Yong."
Zhao Haoning nodded, rather than leaving Beijing in such a mess, it would be better to give it a try.
Day two!
King Yong officially announced his departure from Beijing and knelt alone outside the palace, asking only to see the Empress Dowager one more time before leaving.
Empress Dowager Gao felt great compassion and finally nodded in agreement.
In the Chui Gong Hall, the mother and son met again. King Yong said with tears in his eyes: "We say goodbye now. I wonder if I will be able to see my mother alive in the future. Please forgive my child for being unfilial."
Empress Dowager Gao was very sad. She was already old and knew that her time was short, so she naturally wanted her son to accompany her.
However, Queen Mother Gao was not stupid. She shook her head and said, "Don't blame Queen Mother for being ruthless! The fault is that you should not have relied on your favor to have thoughts that you shouldn't have."
"The child does not..." Zhao Hao quickly defended.
Empress Dowager Gao slapped the armrest heavily and shouted angrily: "No, you really think that the Ai family is old and confused. If you hadn't ordered Xiaoer, how could Xiaoer have framed the official family? You must leave Bianjing this time. The Song Dynasty has already We can no longer withstand the turmoil, and we can no longer use our remaining national strength to engage in unnecessary internal friction."
Faced with Empress Dowager Gao's rebuke, King Yong was not worried but happy.
He knew that the Queen Mother's thoughts had indeed been guessed by Mr. Zhao. She had exiled him from Bianjing in order to serve the country wholeheartedly, but for the sake of a stable inheritance of the throne, it was possible that she could serve the country wholeheartedly and abolish the official family and establish him.
At that moment, Zhao Hao raised his head and looked directly at Empress Dowager Gao, and said bluntly for the first time: "That's right! The child is indeed interested, but the child is not doing it for his own selfishness, but for the sake of his mother and the great Song Dynasty."
Queen Mother Gao looked at her always filial son in shock, as if she had met him for the first time.
"Sir, it's useless for you to read the books of sages. Have you forgotten the way of kings and ministers?"
Zhao Hao spared no effort and said: "Mother, the country of the Song Dynasty is not just the power of one person, but the country of my Zhao family. When Taizu Taizong, he once established the Golden Chamber Alliance, and the younger brother eventually came. On that day, the emperor's brother died of illness. According to the The alliance of the Golden Chamber deserves that the child be enthroned.”
"The Alliance of the Golden Chamber!"
Empress Dowager Gao felt guilty. The Golden Chamber Alliance was established by Taizu Zhao Kuangyin and Taizong Zhao Guangyi's mother, Empress Dowager Zhaoxian. Its purpose was to absorb the lessons of the successive demise of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, because the successor was too young and unable to control the situation. If the country wants to last, the successor must have certain qualifications and prestige.
So the alliance of the Golden Chamber was made, and brothers eventually became brothers.
Zhao Kuangyin—Zhao Guangyi—Zhao Tingmei—Zhao Dezhao...it was passed down first to the three brothers, and then to Zhao Kuangyin's son.
When Shenzong died, the oldest of the existing princes, Zhao Xu, was only ten years old. He did meet the conditions of the Golden Chamber Alliance. There was a strong voice in the court to neutralize King Yong Zhao Hao. In the end, Empress Dowager Gao chose to support Zhao Xu's ascension to the throne.
"The Alliance of the Golden Chamber?"
Empress Dowager Gao shook her head and laughed. The Golden Chamber Alliance seemed beautiful, but it was very difficult to implement. After Zhao Guangyi came to the throne, he first forced Zhao Dezhao to death, and then framed Zhao Tingmei, and finally made the Golden Chamber Alliance exist in name only.
When Shenzong was seriously ill, she held on to Empress Dowager Gao's clothes and begged her. Obviously, she did not want Zhao Dezhao's tragedy to happen again. In addition, because she was in power behind the curtain, she finally secretly asked Liang Weijian to make a dragon robe for Zhao Xu, causing The established fact that Zhao Xu ascended the throne.
Zhao Hao's face was ferocious as he continued: "The child is the mother's legitimate son. If Zhao Xu is the emperor's brother's legitimate son, the child will never have any wrong thoughts, and the official mother is just a lowly palace maid, and a concubine is safe. Coveting the throne? Does the royal family really want to make Zhu's three fathers the Grand Master and Taibao?"
Zhao Hao continued to use the second trick taught by Zhao Tingzhi, taking advantage of Empress Dowager Gao's disdain for Zhu's family background to achieve his goal.
Zhu's father, named Cui Jie, was born as a commoner and died when she was very young. Her mother, Li, remarried Zhu Shi'an and changed her surname to Zhu. Later, she was entrusted to a relative named Ren to raise her. Zhu has three fathers.
Later, Zhu entered the palace as a royal attendant and was favored by Shenzong. She gave birth to two sons and five daughters. The eldest son was Zhao Xu. Although Empress Dowager Gao made Zhao Xu emperor, she looked down upon Zhu.
So far, she has been suppressing Zhu's treatment. It was not until recently that she came forward to the Queen Mother to improve Zhu's treatment. However, she has never given Zhu the most important position of queen.
"How presumptuous! Mrs. Zhu is your royal sister-in-law, how can she be the one you slandered." Empress Dowager Gao scolded her sternly.
However, Zhao Hao knew his mother's character well and could hear the looseness in her voice. He immediately continued: "The sons and ministers covet the throne, and they also have the heart to consider the mother. The mother is trying her best to suppress the Zhu family. How can the officials, as parents and children, not know , Moreover, the official family has reached the age of pro-government, and the mother has not returned the power, how can the official family not feel resentful, and the mother does not consider the affairs after her death?"
Empress Dowager Gao was shocked. How could she not know that Zhao Xu was dissatisfied with her, especially since Zhao Xu had clearly reached the age of pro-government, but she had always held the power.
Empress Dowager Gao forcefully argued: "I am not greedy for power, but the officials are still too young to control the court."
She just denied the Golden Chamber Alliance, but now she uses the Golden Chamber Alliance to forcefully defend herself.
"And the official family has changed now! It has become different!" Empress Dowager Gao added one last sentence to increase her persuasiveness.
Yong Wang Zhao Hao sneered and said: "What the Queen Mother said is Fan Zheng's behavior after entering the palace! Fan Zheng behaves strangely, likes to use evil methods, and advocates official reforms. From the perspective of his sons and ministers, the official changes must be due to Fan Zhengjiao instigated and deliberately paralyzed the queen. When the officials take charge, they will definitely restart the new law, which will harm the country and the people! By then, the Song Dynasty will be in danger."
"Restart the new law?" Empress Dowager Gao's expression changed. Even she had heard about the outrage caused by Wang Anshi's reform in the harem. Coupled with her conservative thinking, she supported Sima Guang's complete repeal of the new law as soon as she came to power, and Zhao Xu would take over the government in person in the future. Reintroducing the new law would be a slap in her face.
"At that time, the Ai family was already under Jiuquan, and the new and old laws had nothing to do with the Ai family." Empress Dowager Gao said helplessly.
Zhao Hao said sadly: "Can the Empress Dowager bear to watch the Song Dynasty be destroyed in one day?"
Empress Dowager Gao's face changed and she said coldly: "What do you want the Ai family to do to support your succession? Can you ensure that you abide by the Golden Chamber Agreement, or will you kill your son to repay the power!"
Zhao Hao solemnly said: "My child cannot guarantee that he will abide by the Golden Chamber Agreement, let alone kill his son to return to power, but my child can guarantee that the official family and all the emperor's nephews will live a prosperous and prosperous life."
Empress Dowager Gao looked at Zhao Hao, who was really a villain, and sighed in her heart. If Zhao Hao really said that he would kill his son to return to power, or that he would pass on to the Shenzong lineage a hundred years later, she would be disappointed.
"However, the official family will also guarantee you a life of glory and wealth, why do you still covet that position." Empress Dowager Gao asked rhetorically.
Zhao Hao said with an upright face: "What I ask is not for my own selfishness, but for the country of the Song Dynasty. Today I boldly ask my mother to be the country of the Song Dynasty and return the government to the official family."
"You..." Empress Dowager Gao was suddenly shocked and looked at her most beloved son in disbelief.
Zhao Hao solemnly said: "The son-in-law is not asking the mother and queen to give up all power, but giving the officials the opportunity to govern themselves. If the officials are really capable of revitalizing the Song Dynasty, the son-in-law is willing to give up the throne and give full support to the officials. If the officials are stubborn, they will not realize it." , restarting the new law will harm the country and the people, I will never allow him to destroy our country, the Song Dynasty."
When Empress Dowager Gao heard this, her expression changed and she said: "That's nonsense. The throne is child's play. How can I allow you to test it? Get out of the palace now and leave the capital immediately to take up your post."
Zhao Hao said with a sad face: "My mother has made a decision, and my sons and ministers will never have any complaints. It's just that in the future, our Song Dynasty will no longer exist, and the alien cavalry will wreak havoc in the Central Plains. It will be too late for my mother to regret it!"
After that, Zhao Hao bowed solemnly to Empress Dowager Gao, turned around and left decisively.
Zhao Hao left with a tragic face, but he was always paying attention to the situation behind him. However, when he stepped out of the Chui Gong Hall, he still did not hear Empress Dowager Gao's plea to stay behind him.
However, when he reached the gate of the imperial city, there was still no eunuch behind him to deliver the message. Zhao Hao felt sad, but still followed Zhao Tingzhi's plan and gritted his teeth and stepped out of the palace.
Returning to Prince Yong's Mansion, Zhao Hao no longer hesitated, immediately packed up his belongings and took his family members straight out of the south gate of Kaifeng City.
Just more than a mile out of the city, a man rushed over and said anxiously: "Let us report to His Highness King Yong that the Empress Dowager is ill and wants to see King Yong."
Zhao Hao was overjoyed and secretly exclaimed that he had made the right bet! But there was a sad expression on his face:
"Mother! The child is unfilial! He failed to serve his right and left."
Same day! King Yong returned to Bianjing again.
(End of chapter)
