Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 885 Entering the Palace to Explore the Truth

The next day, Zhao Guangyi met with many family generals and counselors in the meeting hall of the Prince of Jin's mansion. The atmosphere in the hall was solemn, and everyone looked serious, obviously realizing the seriousness of the matter.

Gao Qiong stood in front of Zhao Guangyi, lowered his head slightly, and his voice was steady: "Your Highness Prince of Jin, we sent people to track down the man in black, and someone escaped with injuries, but in the end, we found that he climbed over the wall into the backyard of the eldest prince Zhao Dezhao. Because of the other party's status as a prince, our people withdrew with the city guards." There was a hint of helplessness in his eyes, and he was obviously regretful about the outcome of this action.

"De Zhao?" When Zhao Guangyi heard the name, his eyebrows furrowed, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He was obviously a little bit unbelievable. However, when his eyes turned cold, he gradually accepted this fact. After all, the only one in Bianjing who had the ability, motivation, and interest to assassinate the King of Jin was the eldest prince Zhao Dezhao, his nephew, who was also related to him in the fight for the throne.

Zhao Guangyi shook his head slightly, thinking to himself: "Although Zhao Pu and I are not on good terms, he is only a civil servant, surrounded by counselors, and does not have so many warriors and family generals. The reason why he is not on good terms with me is because he wants to make sure that the throne of the Song Dynasty is passed down from father to son, and he has always wanted the eldest prince Zhao Dezhao to be the crown prince and heir to the throne in the future."

From this point of view, Zhao Pu's interests actually conflicted with Zhao Guangyi, but it was not a fundamental conflict. After all, the emperor in the end was the result of a conflict between the eldest prince Zhao Dezhao and the Prince of Jin Zhao Guangyi. Zhao Pu was at best a pawn or an adviser, but he was still the ultimate competitor and beneficiary.

Moreover, Zhao Pu was a civil servant, and he was surrounded by counselors. He did not have so many warriors and family generals. Therefore, after Zhao Guangyi eliminated Zhao Pu as his political enemy, only Zhao Dezhao had the ability and motive to arrange the assassination.

Zhao Guangyi was struggling with a complicated look in his eyes: "Is it really you, my good nephew?" He didn't want to see his nephew was so cruel, but the truth seemed clear, it was related to the eldest prince. He felt mixed emotions, both disappointed and helpless.

Cheng Dexuan bowed and said, "Prince Jin, now that the other party has made its intentions clear, we have to take necessary actions. Now is a critical moment and we cannot be careless!" There was a hint of urgency in his voice, and he obviously hoped that Zhao Guangyi could make a decision quickly.

"That's right. Now that the emperor is seriously ill, it's time to fight for the throne. Although what the eldest prince did is heartbreaking, it is in line with the current situation. Your Highness the Prince of Jin, you can't be soft-hearted!" There was a firmness in Zhao Yanpu's tone and a determination in his eyes.

"We must also take action to treat them the way they have treated us." Li Qi, Zhang Yugui, Yuan Da, Li Chonggui and others were all family generals and military officers. Some of them served as Du Yuhou in the Imperial Guard and as county lieutenants in the Southern Yamen. They were all impulsive, with a hint of eagerness in their eyes.

Zhao Guangyi was also hesitant when he heard these people's discussions. If he wanted to attack Zhao Dezhao, how would he face his brother? Once he attacked Zhao Dezhao, his brother would definitely know about it. At that time, in order to save his life and keep his position, he could only tear his face with his brother Zhao Kuangyin and fight to the death. The price was too high and the risk was too great. Zhao Guangyi was a little afraid to act rashly. After all, he had been under the protection of Zhao Kuangyin for these years. His brother's brilliance was too great. Zhao Guangyi didn't have the courage to directly become his enemy.

Unless he could act secretly and kill his brother without anyone noticing, thus settling the overall situation, Zhao Guangyi would never dare to easily express his dissatisfaction and take action against the eldest prince.

"We need to think about this matter carefully. Don't talk nonsense outside, understand?" Zhao Guangyi glanced at these military officers and family generals, asking them to keep their mouths shut. There was a hint of majesty in his voice, and it was obvious that he didn't want things to get out of control.

"Yes!" These people were Zhao Guangyi's confidants, so they would not go out and say anything nonsense. They nodded one after another, with a hint of awe in their eyes.

Zhao Guangyi nodded slightly and said, "The situation is complicated now and we can't be hasty. Although my royal brother is injured, the foundation of the Song Dynasty is still there. We must first ensure the stability of Bianliang and solve the problem of food shortages. As for the matter of the crown prince, we need to wait and see." Everyone nodded.

Zhao Guangyi stood up and said, "You can leave first. I will go to the palace to check on the emperor's condition. If I see Zhao Dezhao, I can also test whether his words and deeds are abnormal."

"Yes!" Everyone stood up and left the inner house one after another.

Zhao Guangyi left the Prince of Jin's Mansion and took a car to the Song Dynasty Imperial Palace.

Funing Palace was one of the sleeping halls of Emperor Taizu of Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin. At this time, Zhao Kuangyin, who was injured and sick, was in poor condition and was lying in bed in the Funing Palace.

"Brother, I'm here to visit you. Are you feeling better?" Zhao Guangyi came to the bedside, lowered his head slightly, and spoke with a hint of concern. His eyes revealed a hint of complexity, with both concern for his brother and worry about the future.

Zhao Kuangyin was lying down thinking about something and was not asleep. When he heard Zhao Guangyi's voice, he nodded slightly, asked the maid beside him to help him up, and sat up against the wall of the bed.

His face was a little pale, but there was still a firmness in his eyes: "Guangyi is here. I'm fine and recovering. However, I was too tired this time, and I returned from the failed expedition in person, so I was depressed, so I didn't get better immediately." There was a hint of fatigue in his voice, but his tone was still calm.

Zhao Guangyi smiled slightly, with a hint of comfort in his eyes: "Don't worry too much, my brother. After all, our Song Dynasty has been established for ten years and has inherited the foundation of the Later Zhou Dynasty. There are still many states and counties that have not mobilized their troops. As long as we speed up the mobilization of troops from all over the country to come to the king and block the Wu army, we still have a chance to repel them." There was a hint of encouragement in his voice, and he obviously wanted to cheer up Zhao Kuangyin.

Zhao Kuangyin shook his head slightly and sighed, "It's not easy. This Su Chen is really not simple. He has endless ideas and does not follow common sense when leading troops to fight. Sometimes I wonder if this young man is the son of destiny sent by God, who was born to bring more luck to our Song Dynasty. If God chooses this, we will not be able to compete after all." There was a hint of helplessness in his tone, and it was obvious that he felt difficult and pressured by Su Chen's military talents.

Although Zhao Guangyi knew that Su Chen was powerful, he still had to persuade him to boost the morale of his side: "Brother, you worry too much. You must not encourage others and destroy your own prestige. Although the Wu army is fierce now, it is advancing straight ahead, and its foundation is unstable. The battlefield is prolonged, and the rear supply is also a problem. It is estimated that they will stagnate after the fierce battle in Yingtian Prefecture."

"I hope so." Zhao Kuangyin didn't know how to evaluate Su Chen and Wu Jun for a moment, as his confidence was already insufficient.

At this time, brothers Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Defang came in to visit their father.

Zhao Guangyi glanced at the eldest prince Zhao Dezhao, hoping to see if there was anything wrong with Zhao Dezhao from his eyes and behavior. He was also wondering in his heart: Who was trying to assassinate him, Zhao Dezhao or his brother Zhao Kuangyin?