Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 900 If God doesn’t take what he wants, he will suffer the consequences.

The moment Wang Ji'en stepped into the Prince of Jin's residence, Prince Zhao Guangyi greeted him with the highest honors. Given the current complex political situation, Zhao Guangyi relied on and had high expectations of Wang Ji'en. After all, he needed Wang Ji'en's spies to gather information about the palace.

Without any hesitation, Wang Ji'en relayed the conversation between Zhao Pu and Zhao Kuangyin without reservation.

"This Zhao Pu is clearly trying to kill me!" Zhao Guangyi roared in fury, slamming his hand on the table, causing the cups and saucers to tremble slightly. His hatred for Zhao Pu had seeped into his very bones. If the emperor truly heeded Zhao Pu's advice, Zhao Guangyi's position would be instantly shaken. Although he wouldn't collapse immediately, the situation would deteriorate rapidly, plunging him into an extremely unfavorable predicament.

"Your Highness, the most urgent task is to make plans as soon as possible. His Majesty has invited you to a banquet at the palace tonight, which is clearly a test. The will of Heaven is unpredictable, and no one can foresee what methods His Majesty will use. Your Highness, you must prepare a countermeasure in advance!" Wang Ji'en reminded him solemnly.

"I understand, thank you for the reminder, Your Highness. After you return, please continue to keep a close eye on the situation in the palace and maintain contact with me at any time," Zhao Guangyi said in a deep voice. He then took out an imperial jade thumb ring from his sleeve and handed it to Wang Ji'en.

Wang Ji'en declined a few times, but seeing that the Prince of Jin was determined, he knew that if he didn't accept it, it would make the Prince of Jin uneasy. So he respectfully accepted the jade thumb ring.

After Wang Ji'en left the Prince of Jin's residence, Zhao Guangyi became solemn and uneasy, sensing that something big was about to happen. He immediately summoned his advisors and confidants, including Cheng Yu, Fan Min, Shi Xizai, Song Qi, Zhao Rui, Dou Cheng, Jia Yan, Yao Shu, Liu Ao, Cheng Dexuan, Wang Yande, Yang Shouyi, Zhao Rong, Wang Xian, Chen Congxin, Yin Xian, Zhang Xu, Pei Ji, Zhang Qixian, and Wang Mian.

Also in charge of intelligence were Chai Yuxi and Mi Dechao, as well as military officers Zhao Yanpu, Li Qi, Zhang Yugui, Yuan Da, and Li Chonggui.

Family retainers and warriors such as Fu Sirang, Gao Qiong, Wang Rong, Ge Ba, Wang Hanzhong, Wang Neng, Zhang Ning, Geng Quanbin, Yang Qiong, and Wang Gao were also summoned.

Because tonight's banquet is a trap, Zhao Guangyi needs to be prepared.

After hearing the news from the palace relayed by Zhao Guangyi, everyone became solemn, sensing the prelude to an impending storm.

"Tonight is a trap, Your Highness Prince Jin must not be careless!" Cheng Dexuan spoke first, defining the nature of tonight's banquet.

Everyone else felt the same way. Even if the emperor didn't take direct action, he would definitely give them a warning, and might even take back some of his power, which would be a way of showing his stance to the other officials.

"Your Highness, we are now in a precarious situation and must be prepared. When we enter the palace tonight, we must prepare for the worst!" Shi Xizai's idea was simple: mobilize manpower so that if the Prince of Jin is imprisoned or captured, they can seize him and launch a palace coup.

In the past, their strength would not have allowed it, but now that Emperor Zhao Kuangyin is seriously ill and his control has weakened, and many of the emperor's trusted generals have been sent to Yingtian Prefecture to block the Wu army, their opportunity has arrived.

"Indeed, we need to mobilize troops. With the Imperial Guards in the city vacant and many generals away on campaigns, this is my opportunity!"

"Your Highness, prepare well tonight, and great things may be accomplished!"

These strategists and trusted generals were all excited. They felt that their opportunity had arrived. In the past, Prince Zhao Guangyi of Jin had hesitated and dared not take that step, but now he was forced by the situation and was in a precarious position. If he did not want to passively accept his fate, he had no choice but to fight bravely and fight to the death! In this light, this was indeed a fuse. The assassination of the eldest prince was no longer important. The key was how to handle the aftermath, make a choice, and fight with all his might.

“Your Highness, even if we didn’t assassinate the Crown Prince, Zhao Pu’s petition to the throne has left us no room for argument. The situation forces us to abandon our current course of action.”

"Yes, Your Highness, the Song Dynasty is in dire straits, facing a massive invasion from the Wu army and internal strife within the court. If Your Highness Prince Jin can successfully ascend the throne, you might be able to turn the tide, reconcile with the Wu Kingdom, and preserve the Song Dynasty. You would be a restorer of the dynasty!"

Many advisors offered their advice, attempting to persuade Zhao Guangyi from different angles.

"Let me think about it some more!" Prince Zhao Guangyi of Jin was still somewhat worried. After all, he had many concerns about breaking ties with his elder brother.

"Your Highness Prince Jin, if Heaven grants an opportunity but you do not seize it, you will suffer the consequences; if the time comes but you do not act, you will suffer the calamity! When the opportunity comes, if you do not cherish it, you will surely lose Heaven's favor. Back then at the Feast at Hongmen, Heaven gave Xiang Yu the opportunity to decide the division of the world and become emperor, but he did not seize it, and in the end, Liu Bang took away his destiny. The current situation clearly shows that Heaven intends to pass the throne to Prince Jin. If Prince Jin hesitates and follows Xiang Yu's womanly compassion, I am afraid that the ending will also be tragic!" Cheng Yu's words clearly had a great influence on Prince Jin.

The Prince of Jin nodded, finally making his decision, and said, "Alright, then tonight, we'll proceed with our final plan: mobilize manpower, control the city gates, block the routes connecting to the Imperial Guards, and station three thousand men near the palace. If necessary, they can storm into the palace and await my command!"

Zhang Yugui cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, we have already purchased several residences near the palace. These residences have cellars underneath, where we have hidden a lot of weapons and manpower. We will quickly assemble them and bypass the city patrol guards to prepare for action!"

Zhao Guangyi nodded upon hearing this. He had been planning the scheme with everyone for a long time, so there was no need to go into detail about it now. He let everyone work on it separately.

After the conspiracy concluded, everyone dispersed, but Zhao Guangyi deliberately kept Cheng Dexuan behind. Cheng Dexuan was one of his trusted confidants, and he was also an expert in poison making.

"What are your orders, Your Highness?" Cheng Dexuan knew that he must have something extremely important to entrust to him when he was left alone.

"Is there a drug that, once taken, causes no obvious symptoms, yet can hasten the sudden death of a seriously ill person?" Zhao Guangyi's voice rang out in the silent room, cold and deep, like ice, carrying a chilling meaning.

In ancient China, those in actual power often chose poisoning as a covert method to eliminate someone. After all, forensic techniques at the time were extremely rudimentary, and many poisons, once ingested, were difficult to detect on the body even after death.

Cheng Dexuan's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly understood the Prince of Jin's intention. Although he was inevitably somewhat shocked, he was on Zhao Guangyi's side and naturally would not object; on the contrary, he would do his best to help him.

"If it's for someone seriously ill, especially someone of high status, it's not advisable to use highly toxic substances. Otherwise, the toxins and obvious symptoms of poisoning would be easily detected during the autopsy, such as with poison wine, arsenic, or ginseng, which cause extremely pronounced symptoms. Therefore, I plan to use a small amount of strychnine and forget-me-not, combined with ginseng for its potent tonic properties, to make a medicinal wine. Ordinary people can drink a small amount without any problems; however, if a seriously ill person drinks an excessive amount, they are prone to sudden cerebral hemorrhage and death, without showing any signs of poisoning," Cheng Dexuan explained cautiously, his voice tinged with caution.

Upon hearing this, Prince Zhao Guangyi of Jin's heart stirred slightly. He nodded and said in a deep voice, "Then that's it. Tonight, I will bring wine into the palace!"