Chapter 83 Axe Sound and Candle Shadow
Song.

Zhao Guangyi suddenly seemed to be in high spirits, and in contrast to his previous lifeless appearance, he shouted loudly: "Brother! My good brother! Since you wanted me to be the crown prince before, why did you want to change it? I have worked diligently for the Song Dynasty for more than ten years, and I have been indispensable to you in internal affairs and military affairs. As a result, your son has grown up, and you want to change him again? What am I? Do I deserve to be a shield and sacrifice myself?"

He roared: "If the candle shadow axe sound really happened, it was all your own fault, big brother!"

Zhao Kuangyin sneered several times and said directly: "I will never consider you again. In the future, when I pass the throne to Dezhao, Defang, and Guangmei, it will have nothing to do with you."

Zhao Dezhao's face turned ugly when he heard Tianmu say that his father intended to train him. He originally thought that Zhao Defang being summoned by Queen Song would be more annoying to Zhao Guangyi, but now it seems that the heir chosen by his father is also annoying.

He and Zhao Defang looked at each other with the same bitterness. It was still unclear which of the two brothers would die first! In this case, they couldn't let their second uncle have an easy time!

The two brothers made their decision and began to add fuel to the fire in Zhao Kuangyin's ears.

[Of course, if it is suspected that Zhao Guangyi played a key role in the death of Emperor Taizu of Song, then how did he do it?
Some people say that it is the "axe" in "zhuying axesheng", but this possibility is extremely low.

The pillar axe in the story is used by warriors, or as a writing tool, or one of the emperor's ceremonial weapons. The second type of pillar axe is also called a jade axe, made of crystal or copper and iron. The pillar axe in "Candle Shadow and Axe Sound" can only be a stationery, a ceremonial weapon displayed in the emperor's bedroom, and it is impossible to be a murder weapon.

Moreover, using an axe to chop directly would be too rough and explicit, and it would be difficult to cover up afterwards, which is really an unwise move.

The most likely possibility is that the wine that Taizu drank was faulty. If we speculate from this perspective, then the "easy to do" that Taizu said in the candlelight and axe sound can also be understood as "the good thing you did". At the same time, Zhao Guangyi's confidant Cheng Dexuan knew medical skills, so it was not surprising that he could make poison. 】

tomorrow.

"Ah, it turns out to be the pillar axe used in the ceremonial guard." Prince Jin Zhu clapped his hands. He was the one who was recalled to the capital in the past ten days. Like him, the second son, Prince Qin Zhu Chong, was also recalled from his fiefdom in the past two days.

“I thought it was some axe before. This pillar axe is quite common in the palace. No wonder Emperor Taizong of Song could pick one up at will.” Apart from anything else, in his Ming Dynasty, as part of the ceremonial guards, the empress dowager, the queen, the crown prince, and the princes and dukes all had pillar axes in their ceremonial guards. The only difference was the number and the material.

Qin Wang Zhu Chong rolled his eyes and took the opportunity to speak earnestly: "Dad, big brother, if you reduce the power of the vassal states in the future, you must not let your sons receive too little salary, otherwise we won't even be able to afford this ceremonial guard!"

The younger brothers were a little shocked when they saw Zhu Chong. They didn't expect you to be such a big brother! You are older than us, and now you can take advantage of every opportunity. The older you are, the wiser you are!

A group of brothers hurriedly followed their brother's footsteps and surrounded Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao.

Song.

Zhao Kuangyin just felt that he was not so safe anymore. No, he had to do something.

So he summoned the guards again: "Keep all the officials of the King of Jin under strict supervision, and don't let any of their families go!"

[From the various situations after Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne, it seems to further prove the authenticity of "the candle shadow and the axe sound".

As the founding empress and the wife of Emperor Taizu of Song, Empress Song was first moved to the West Palace and then to the East Palace for more than ten years after Emperor Taizu's death. After her death, Zhao Guangyi did not mourn for this sister-in-law, and did not allow the ministers to attend the funeral.

Afterwards, her coffin was kept in the Puji Buddhist Temple and was buried on the north side of Taizu Yongchang Mausoleum two years later. Her tablet was not placed in the Taimiao until the reign of Zhao Guangyi's great-great-grandson Song Shenzong.

With such an attitude towards the legitimate Empress Taizu and his own sister-in-law, it is hard not to suspect whether Zhao Guangyi had something to do with Taizu's death.

In addition to Queen Song, there are three other things that seem to indicate that there is something wrong with Zhao Guangyi's succession to the throne.

The first one is Zhao Dezhao. In the fourth year of Zhao Guangyi's reign, which was the fourth year of Taipingxingguo, Zhao Dezhao committed suicide as Zhao Guangyi became the chariot god of Gaoliang River.

Next is Zhao Defang. In the sixth year of Taipingxingguo, Zhao Defang "died of illness" and died because of his illness and ineffective treatment.

The last one is Zhao Guangmei, who changed his name to Zhao Tingmei after Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne. In the first year of Yongxi, which was the eighth year of Zhao Guangyi's reign, Zhao Tingmei died of "illness caused by worry."

There is no need to elaborate on the chaos in the first year of Kaibao in the Song Dynasty. Zhao Guangyi was about to be beaten again by Zhao Kuangyin, and his younger brother and two nephews would also be involved.

Song Dynasty, the third year of Taipingxingguo.

At this time, Zhao Guangyi was preparing to launch a northern expedition, on the one hand to eliminate the Northern Han for the Song Dynasty, and on the other hand to establish his own achievements and prestige.

When the sky curtain appeared this time, he called a few of his close associates to watch it together, but unexpectedly they talked about the mystery of how Emperor Taizong of Song ascended the throne.

Zhao Guangyi's face was blue and white, then blue and purple, looking very ugly.

Although all the ministers lowered their heads, not daring to look at him or the sky, he could feel their vague scrutiny and their vague suspicion. He knew that from now on, his reputation would be ruined! Especially since he did let Queen Song move to the West Palace...

The only way to clear his name and restore his image is to make sure his brother and two nephews don't make any mistakes. In addition, he must make achievements, destroy the Northern Han, and unify the Central Plains - at least he must take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. Only with such achievements can he be fearless of rumors!

To put it bluntly, if he could recover Yanyun and destroy the Liao Kingdom, then it wouldn't be a problem even if everyone thought that Zhao Kuangyin was killed by him.

Thinking of this, his heartstrings tightened. Glancing at the silent ministers, he kicked Wang Jie'en - after he ascended the throne, Wang Jie'en was highly valued by him and served as the Palace Garden Envoy, "Why don't you hurry up and serve tea to me and the nobles?"

Wang Jie'en was also worried, but when he heard his words, he felt as if he had been pardoned and hurried to check on the tea himself.

Zhao Guangyi looked at Wang Jie'en's back and thought to himself: No, I can't deal with him now, otherwise it would be like trying to cover up one's own faults, which would be counterproductive.

He smiled and began to guide the atmosphere in the hall, trying to make the ministers forget what had just happened.

Ming Dynasty, Yongle Year. Zhu Zhanji also knew a lot about this story: "My grandson remembers that when Queen Song died, a minister wrote a memorial to Emperor Taizong of Song, asking him to follow the regular funeral system, but he was demoted as a result."

Zhu Di snorted and laughed, full of disdain for Zhao Guangyi.

He used sinister schemes to come to the throne, and he was afraid of being exposed to the light. He was also guilty and timid, which led to so many flaws in the subsequent events. If the cause of death of his two nephews was so strange that it was for the stability of the throne, then why did Queen Song die in such a miserable state?
It would have been fine if Zhao Guangyi had been honest and admitted that he had come to the throne illegitimately, but he still insisted on promoting his own legitimacy. Your legitimacy comes from Taizu, but how can you convince others when you consider what happened to Taizu's empress?

Tang Dynasty, the third year of Zhenguan.

Everyone disagreed with Zhao Guangyi's behavior. If you want to save face, then do it well. What's the point of not relying on both sides? As for exchanging achievements for reputation...

Li Shimin asked his trusted ministers: "Are the titles mentioned by Tianmu good or bad?" In addition to the good younger brother, there is also a Gaoliang River Chariot God, a leader of the Song Dynasty's customs, and this Gaoliang River Chariot God has appeared twice.

Yuchi Jingde couldn't hold back his laughter and said, "I feel that both of them seem to have some derogatory meanings."

[Of course, did Zhao Guangyi know that others had objections to his succession to the throne?

Of course he knew it, and later he found a way to deal with it - the Golden Casket Alliance.

The Golden Casket Alliance was proposed by Zhao Pu in the sixth year of Taipingxingguo. No one in the court knew about it before.

"Zhao Pu?!" Zhao Kuangyin was both surprised and angry. "He actually sought legitimacy for this beast to succeed to the throne?"

Zhao Dezhao said tactfully: "Maybe the prime minister is just trying to protect himself."

How did the Golden Casket Alliance confirm Zhao Guangyi's legitimacy? It was related to the brothers' mother, Empress Dowager Du.

In the second year of Jianlong, Empress Dowager Du was seriously ill, so she summoned Prime Minister Zhao Pu to the palace. In front of Zhao Pu, Empress Dowager Du solemnly warned Taizu that "the country depends on the eldest prince" and asked Zhao Kuangyin to pass the throne to his younger brother Zhao Guangyi. Taizu cried and agreed. Empress Dowager Du asked Zhao Pu to write this down and not to violate it. Zhao Pu wrote an oath in front of the bed, wrote "This is Pu's letter" at the end of the paper, and hid it in the golden box.

This incident was recorded in the official history and was called the "Exclusive Succession Agreement" - that is, the throne was only passed between Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi.

But since this statement appeared, there has been another version, which is the three-pass agreement - after Zhao Kuangyin passed the throne to Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Guangyi should pass the throne to his younger brother Zhao Tingmei, and then Zhao Tingmei passed it to Zhao Dezhao, the son of Taizu. 】

Song.

Zhao Guangmei suddenly realized: "No wonder I died two years later, and died of anxiety. It turns out that I was always afraid that one day you, my second brother, would ask me if I wanted to be the emperor."

Zhao Dezhao was concerned about the Golden Casket Alliance: "Dad, is this Golden Casket Alliance true or false? Moreover, it would have been fine if Zhao Pu didn't bring it out until six years later, but why did my second uncle announce it to the world at that time?" Regardless of whether it's true or false, you've been on the throne for six years. What's the point of suddenly coming out and announcing the Golden Casket Alliance?
The third year of Taipingxingguo.

Zhao Guangyi felt that his face had become stiff and his teeth were about to break.

He left the main hall in a hurry and came to the back hall under the pretext of letting the ministers take a rest. At this moment, he was no longer suppressed in his anger and released it instantly: "Why didn't I know that so many people like to study history books? Song is just a woman in the deep palace, why do so many people care about her affairs? And that old man Zhao Pu..."

Wang Jie'en followed him and knelt down quickly: "Your Majesty, please calm down. Please take care of yourself!"

Seeing Zhao Guangyi looking at him suspiciously, he smiled and said, "Your Majesty, no matter what those villains say, you are the legitimate heir of Taizu! When Taizu passed away, you were the highest-ranking official in the clan, and you were also the mayor of Beijing!"

Zhao Guangyi's anger subsided a little, and after careful consideration, he could not help but smile. Yes, no matter what, he was the legitimate heir to his elder brother at that time, and according to the tradition of the Five Dynasties, he was also the legitimate crown prince!
He nodded approvingly to Wang Jie'en: "Wang Daban is thoughtful."

Having resolved some of his worries, Zhao Guangyi felt that he could face the court officials again, so he walked towards the main hall. After all, he had to come up with an explanation to stop the rumors.

Qin Dynasty.

The First Emperor expressed disdain for all that Zhao Guangyi had done so far. If he couldn't even conduct a coup properly, what was the point?

He was in a later dynasty and there were examples of coups d'etat to learn from - not to mention the later dynasties, even during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when rituals and music were in decline, coups d'etat were not uncommon in various countries - but he ended up with such a result. What else could he do but be incompetent?
Later Zhou, the fifth year of Xian De.

Zhao Kuangyin, who was still a general of the Later Zhou Dynasty at that time, knelt in the hall trembling with fear as Chai Rong looked at him with a half-smile, feeling as if a thorn in his back.

Although the sky curtain only mentioned Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, and did not mention how this "Song" was established, the fact is so clear that no one can fail to see it? In addition, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, there were countless dynasties that started in this way, so it is not surprising that Zhao Kuangyin usurped the Later Zhou Dynasty.

Zhao Kuangyin knelt down in fear, God can see! Now he really has no intention of usurping the throne! He feels that the current situation is good. The emperor trusts him and lets him follow him to fight in the south and the north, and repeatedly make meritorious deeds. The emperor himself is also a great leader, with great power and strategy, who can both command troops and work hard to govern.

He is really satisfied now, and all he wants is to become a famous official and go down in history!

Chai Rong looked at Zhao Kuangyin and said nothing, just: "You get up first." He still had confidence in himself. The current Zhao Kuangyin would never betray him. In the future, he might have encountered some unexpected events... However, it seemed that the Song Dynasty still had quite a few legacy of the Five Dynasties. For example, the one inherited by Emperor Taizong of Song was very good.

Hearing Chai Rong's sneer, Zhao Kuangyin's face darkened. He knew what the emperor was laughing at, his good brother!
[Of course, no matter what, Zhao Guangyi already had enough political power, so after he ascended the throne, although there were rumors circulating, no one openly questioned it.

Although Zhao Guangyi successfully consolidated his rule, he still lacked confidence. He needed to improve his personal prestige as soon as possible to divert the attention of the government and the public. The best way to do this was to establish achievements - to complete unification. Of course, this was also due to the inheritance of Taizu's will.

So who were the obstacles to the Song Dynasty's unification of the Central Plains? To the south, there were Chen Hongjin, who was hiding in a corner of Fujian, and Qian Chu of the Wuyue Kingdom; to the north, there was the Northern Han Dynasty, which had the support of the Khitan and occupied Hedong.

It happened that in the second year of Taipingxingguo, Chen Hongjin personally came to the court to mourn Taizu, and Zhao Guangyi took the opportunity to keep him in the capital, and did not let him go back after more than half a year. Seeing this, Chen Hongjin could only take the initiative to offer Zhao Guangyi the two states of Zhangzhou and Quanzhou and fourteen counties. This was March of the third year of Taipingxingguo.

In the third year, Qian Chu of Wuyue also came to the court in person and saw Chen Hongjin offering land. He was not allowed to return, so he could only offer Wuyue's 13 states, 1 army and 86 counties. The separatist situation in the south ended, and the Song Dynasty officially unified Zhejiang, Fujian and southern Fujian.

(End of this chapter)