Chapter 82 Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi
(Note: This article tends to believe that Emperor Taizong of Song was not innocent in his succession to the throne, and the content of the article also goes in this direction)
A few days passed in a flash.

During these few days, the emperors issued a series of orders, arranging tasks according to the information obtained from the sky. Some were to make up for the previous deficiencies, and some were to open up new areas. The court officials were also busy and dizzy because of this. In addition to being busy, some people had to worry about their own safety, which was really stressful.

While the emperor and his ministers were busy, the sky darkened again.

【Ding Dong——Welcome to watch the historical live broadcast】

[Our protagonist in this issue is Emperor Taizong of Song! 】

Song.

Zhao Kuangyin and others immediately became excited. Isn’t this the second emperor of their Song Dynasty?
Zhao Kuangyin had a blank expression on his face, and his sharp eyes swept over the three people sitting obediently in front of him: Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Dezhao, and Zhao Defang. As for Zhao Guangmei, he sat on the other side and was not on the review list.

Because it was not the end of the dynasty, but the end of being nailed to the pillar of shame - the failure to recover the Central Plains, the army had big problems, the unknown situation of the Jingkang Shame, repeated migrations to the south, internal struggles, and the corrupt atmosphere (drunkenness and dreamlessness)...

Faced with such speculation, Zhao Kuangyin was unwilling to believe it, but what could he do?
He could only make changes to some systems and ministers that might cause problems based on his own guesses, hoping to avoid the consequences in the Sky Curtain.

And just as he was carefully carrying out reforms and searching for clues that might lead the Song Dynasty to its doom, he discovered one thing: his good brother Zhao Guangyi was quite scheming!
This was beyond his expectation. He had thought that his younger brother was very good and had never thought of entrusting his inheritance to his younger brother. Therefore, when Tianmu mentioned the problems of the Song Dynasty, he beat his son. But now it seems that it is not impossible that his good younger brother will take the throne!
Zhao Kuangyin: “…”

His attitude towards his younger brother changed subtly.

And when the sky curtain appeared today, he ordered Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Defang to come together. He wanted to see which person he didn't know became the Emperor Taizong!
【Song Taizong accepted the foundation established by Song Taizu and consolidated the rule of the Song Dynasty. He eliminated the Northern Han Dynasty and ended the separatist situation of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. He strengthened the imperial examination system, expanded the group of literati in the Song Dynasty, and truly promoted the imperial examination system thoroughly.

He was the leader of the Northern Song Dynasty and even the entire Song Dynasty. He was the chariot god of Gaoliang River who became famous in one battle. He was also the good brother of Emperor Taizu. 】

Song.

"Crash--" Zhao Guangmei's elbow knocked over the teacup on the table, the shiny porcelain shattered to the ground, and the tea in the cup splashed all over the floor.

But no one cared about this insignificant matter at this time.

Zhao Kuangyin had already stood up, and his strong body gave the few people a great sense of oppression. He looked at Zhao Guangyi coldly without saying a word.

The brothers Zhao Defang and Zhao Dezhao breathed a sigh of relief, and then took another breath - what would happen if their second uncle ascended the throne? So they also stared at Zhao Guangyi closely.

Although I always feel that this sentence is a bit weird, I can't care so much now.

Zhao Kuangyin nodded and finally spoke: "What about the leader of that trend? Is it your fault that the Song Dynasty has become...?"

Zhao Guangyi's face suddenly turned bitter. How could he know!

Ming Dynasty, Hongwu Years.

The young Zhu Bo chuckled: "I was reading a book recently. Could the Gaoliang River Chariot God be the one that saw Emperor Taizong of Song defeated in that battle?"

The whole hall suddenly burst into laughter, and the air was filled with a happy atmosphere.

Tang Dynasty, the eighth year of Wude.

A group of people, like Zhao Guangyi, felt quite subtle about the phrase "good brother".

Li Jiancheng: “…”

Li Shimin: "..."

[Emperor Taizong of Song, also known as Zhao Guangyi, the younger brother of Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, can also be called Zhao Guangyi. He was the second emperor of the Song Dynasty.

He was the brother of the founding emperor, not his son, which was very rare.

Of course, this situation is not impossible. For example, Taizu had no son, or this younger brother was really talented and had the support of the people. In addition, the succession was chaotic during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, so Taizong's ascension to the throne seemed to be no problem.

However, the rise of Emperor Taizong of Song did not fall into the above situation. 】

Song.

This turn startled several people.

Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Defang breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. They thought they would die in the near future. Fortunately... No, how did the second uncle get to the position?
After reacting, the two immediately looked at Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi, only to see that Zhao Kuangyin was staring at Zhao Guangyi, as if gritting his teeth in a trance, while Zhao Guangyi's face had turned even paler and seemed a little shaky.

Zhao Kuangyin was indeed gritting his teeth. The miracles had already been said. If his son had not died and Zhao Guangyi had not been as invincible as Emperor Taizong of Tang, how could he have ascended the throne? There were only a few options - and none of them were good things!

"Zhao Guangyi..."

[On the night of October 20th, the ninth year of Kaibao, Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, suddenly passed away at the age of fifty.

On the second day, the emperor's younger brother Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne. 】

"!" Zhao Kuangyin was in turmoil when he heard the sad news of his own death. It was the ninth year of Kaibao! It was the first year of Kaibao, and it was only nine years away from the future. Only nine years!
"Zhao Guangyi, my good brother, is really a good brother!" He passed away suddenly. Who wouldn't understand these words? He is really a good brother!
His face was grim as he picked up the stick that had always been beside him - yes, the same stick that he had used to beat his two sons last time.

"Brother, brother, calm down!" Zhao Guangyi stood up hurriedly and tried to dodge.

What happened on this night? It can be summed up in one word: candlelight and axe sound.

The candlelight and axe sound tells such a story:
On the night of the 19th, the weather suddenly changed, and snow and hail fell suddenly. Taizu summoned Guangyi to the palace to drink with him. At this time, all the palace servants were sent far away, and only the figures in the palace could be seen from afar.

Then, under the candlelight, Zhao Guangyi sometimes left the table, showing a humble and evasive look. After drinking, the clock struck three, and the snow piled up several inches outside the palace. Suddenly, Taizu hit the ground with a pillar axe in his hand, and said to Guangyi loudly: "Good job, good job!" Then he took off his belt and went to bed, snoring like thunder.

At four o'clock the next morning, that is, in the early morning of the 20th, Taizu died suddenly.

Of course, the climax of the story is yet to come.

After Taizu's sudden death, Empress Song ordered Wang Jie'en, the chief eunuch, to summon Zhao Defang, the son of Taizu. But Wang Jie'en went to find Zhao Guangyi instead, along with Cheng Dexuan, the left yamen official who was good at medicine.

Cheng Dexuan did not come here on his own. According to him, at the second watch, someone came to his house and knocked on the door, saying that Prince of Jin Zhao Guangyi was not feeling well and wanted to see him. He opened the door but no one showed up. This happened three times. He was worried that there was really a problem, so he rushed over and waited outside the house.

The two went to find Zhao Guangyi together. After Wang Jie'en told Zhao Guangyi about the matter, he urged Zhao Guangyi that "if time passes, it will be owned by others." When they arrived at the palace, they went in directly without notifying him. This time, it was Cheng Dexuan who said, "Go in directly, why wait?"

Empress Song thought it was Zhao Defang who came, but it turned out to be Zhao Guangyi. She was shocked and immediately changed her words to call the emperor, saying: "We, mother and son, have entrusted our lives to the emperor." Zhao Guangyi replied while crying: "We will protect our wealth together, don't be afraid, don't be afraid." Song Dynasty.

Zhao Kuangyin's face turned pale. Zhao Guangyi had already been beaten by him, but the anger in his heart not only did not die out, but instead became even more intense amid the "candle shadow and axe sound".

He looked Zhao Guangyi up and down, and his eyes were like those of an enemy rather than a brother.

"Come here," he called the palace guards, "tie up Zhao Guangyi for me! Tie him up tightly!"

Seeing that Zhao Guangyi was being beaten and no one in the hall spoke up to dissuade him, the guards did not dare to relax. They tried their best to tie Zhao Guangyi up tightly and did not give him any chance to loosen up.

After temporarily dealing with Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Kuangyin began to deal with the other two people named.

"Wang Jie'en!" He sneered, "I have always trusted him and named him Jie'en, but he doesn't remember my kindness at all! He is just a servant, but he is so brave to participate in the change of the emperor."

"Go find Wang Jie'en and Cheng Dexuan, the left yamen guarding the Prince of Jin. Kill them on the spot when you find them!" He ordered Yang Xin, the chief of the imperial guards in front of the palace. Yang Xin nodded and accepted the order, then left. (Yang Xin was pretending to be mute at this time)
After giving the order, Zhao Kuangyin looked back into the hall and saw that Zhao Guangyi had been tied up, with a bruised face and pale complexion.

Zhao Defang's expression was almost the same as Zhao Guangyi's. After all, he had already guessed what would happen to him after his second uncle ascended the throne. Zhao Dezhao's expression was not much different. If Zhao Defang didn't have a good ending, would he?

Although Zhao Guangmei was not as anxious as the two brothers, she was also worried.

Zhao Kuangyin sighed and said, "Let's take a good look and see what else Zhao Guangyi can do!"

Previously, people not only said he was a good brother, but also said he was the founder of a trend and the driving god of Gaoliang River!

Tang Dynasty, the ninth year of Wude.

"Haha, good brother." Li Jiancheng said gloomily, his tone full of sarcasm. Everyone knew who he was talking to.

The ministers quietly looked at Qin Wang Li Shimin on the side, but found to their regret that Li Shimin's expression did not change at all, without any sign of hesitation, as if Li Jiancheng's words had nothing to do with him.

Cheng Zhijie rolled his eyes secretly: "It was our Highness who got into trouble because of drinking, and it was obviously the Crown Prince and the King of Qi who did it. Are you okay? If this were said in the Tang Dynasty, he should be a good brother!"

[These records come from "Xu Xiang Shan Ye Lu" and Sima Guang's "Shu Shui Ji Wen", as well as Li Tao's "Xu Zi Zhi Tong Jian Chang Bian". Among them, there is also an information provider, Qian Gongfu, who served as the Zhi Zhi Gao during the reigns of Song Renzong and Shenzong.

Although the "History of Song" did not record the complete process, it also clearly stated that Wang Jie'en told Zhao Guangyi that Taizu had passed away and invited him to the palace, and that Cheng Dexuan ran to Zhao Guangyi's door in the middle of the night. In addition, there is one more person in the "History of Song": Ma Shao.

On the evening of October 19, Ma Shao suddenly went to Cheng Dexuan's house and said to him, "Tomorrow is a good day for the King of Jin. I came here specially to tell you."

Han Dynasty, the first year of Yuanshuo.

Liu Che sneered: "It seems that this matter was premeditated." Even if all the parts not in "History of Song Dynasty" are deemed false, the content in "History of Song Dynasty" alone is enough to make people doubt the role played by Zhao Guangyi in the death of Zhao Kuangyin.

Apart from anything else, the behavior of Ma Shao and Cheng Dexuan was very suspicious, and the eunuch Wang Jie'en was obviously his man.

The Left Internal Secretary Gongsun Hong also believed that Zhao Guangyi was not innocent: "If the Prince of Jin is really ill, how could Cheng Dexuan, who is his confidant, sit quietly outside the palace? Judging from his behavior, I am afraid that he is waiting for news and observing the development of the situation." As for Ma Shao, it goes without saying, how did he know that tomorrow would be a good day?
Zhenguan three years.

His Majesty Taizong took this opportunity to test his son: "Gao Ming, what do you think is wrong here?"

Li Chengqian thought: "The History of Song Dynasty says that Cheng Dexuan knew what Ma Shao said, and also said that he went to the outside of Zhao Guangyi's house in the middle of the night, which means that Ma Shao and Cheng Dexuan both knew some news, and this may be related to the death of Emperor Taizu of Song. Otherwise, regardless of how Ma Shao knew it, why did Cheng Dexuan go out in the middle of the night?"

"And if the other three records mentioned by Tianmu are taken into account, then Wang Jie'en's words, 'after a long time, it will belong to others', further indicate that he has surrendered to Zhao Guangyi. And Zhao Guangyi's later words 'share the wealth and honor' should not only be for Queen Song, but also for his confidants."

After Li Chengqian finished his analysis, he looked up at Li Shimin eagerly, wanting to receive praise from Ye Ye.

Li Shimin lived up to his expectations and said proudly and satisfiedly: "My son is smart and has said very well in every aspect! Yeye was not as thoughtful as you back then!"

Ming Dynasty, Yongle period.

Zhu Di also asked the prince: "What do you think of Emperor Taizong of Song's candlelight and axe sound?"

Zhu Gaochi said seriously, "I think that Emperor Taizong of Song is highly suspicious. Apart from the details revealed in the historical records, as far as I know, Taizu did not have any major health problems at the time. In the ninth year of Kaibao, Taizu of Song was on a tour everywhere, even as far as Luoyang, the Western Capital." He added, "And no matter which history book, it is not written that Taizu of Song was unwell."

Zhu Zhanji also shared his views on this issue with his father: "Moreover, the claim of excessive drinking is not true. Emperor Taizu of Song himself said, 'If one indulges in alcohol, how can one be a human being?' There is no record in history books that he had a habit of excessive drinking."

[Of course, to say that a crime was committed, we have to see whether there is motive and ability to commit the crime.

Did Zhao Guangyi have the ability to commit the crime? Obviously he did.

On the one hand, the three people mentioned above have fully demonstrated the breadth of his influence; on the other hand, his own power should not be underestimated.

Since the second year of Jianlong, he has served as the Yin of Kaifeng, the highest official in the capital, and it has been fifteen years by the ninth year of Kaibao. These fifteen years were enough for him to completely control the capital and accumulate a large amount of his own power. In the first month of the ninth year of Kaibao, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly wanted to move the capital to Luoyang. In addition to considering national affairs, he may also want to get away from Zhao Guangyi's sphere of influence. 】

Ming Dynasty, Hongwu Years.

Zhu Yuanzhang agreed with this analysis and said, "Indeed. Although Emperor Taizu of Song was a hero, he was overly fond of Prince Jin and allowed his power to grow. This eventually gave Prince Jin the opportunity to murder Emperor Taizu and ascend the throne." His thoughts diverged: "If this were not the case, how could Zhao Pu have let Emperor Taizu down?"

[Did Zhao Guangyi have a motive for committing the crime? Yes.

From the beginning, Zhao Guangyi was determined to win the throne. In order to inherit the throne, in addition to cultivating power as mentioned above, he also confronted anyone who did not support him, among whom the representative figure was Prime Minister Zhao Pu.

At first, Emperor Taizu Zhao Kuangyin actually wanted to pass the throne to his younger brother. This was because of the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and he was worried that if he died early, his son would be too young to bear the responsibility of being the ruler of a country. However, Zhao Pu always insisted that Zhao Kuangyin's son should succeed to the throne and did not support Zhao Guangyi.

For this reason, Zhao Guangyi and Zhao Pu began to fight openly and secretly, until August of the sixth year of Kaibao, when Zhao Pu was dismissed from his post and Zhao Guangyi won.

But did he succeed at this point? No, because at this time, Zhao Kuangyin began to want to pass the throne to his son.

In the sixth year of Kaibao, Zhao Guangmei and Zhao Dezhao were both appointed as Jianxiu officials. According to the tradition of the Song Dynasty, the older one should have a higher position. But the fact is that Zhao Guangmei's Jianxiu Taibao is lower than Zhao Dezhao's Jianxiu Taifu.

In the ninth year of Kaibao, King Qian Chu of Wuyue came to the court. In the past, the task of receiving princes or surrendered kings was undertaken by Zhao Guangyi, but this time, Zhao Kuangyin gave the opportunity to Zhao Dezhao.

Obviously, Zhao Kuangyin was cultivating Zhao Dezhao's ability and prestige, which shows that his preferred heir gradually changed from his younger brother to his son.

(End of this chapter)