Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 903 The Shadow of Candles and the Sound of Axe: An Ancient Mystery

As night fell, the moon shone brightly, casting its silvery light upon the earth. A gentle breeze brought a touch of coolness, but it could not dispel the somber atmosphere within the Song Dynasty imperial palace.

The Song Dynasty imperial palace was still brightly lit, but unlike its former prosperity and bustle, a somber mood permeated the palace.

The empress, princes, and princesses in the palace were all filled with anxiety. They were not only worried about Emperor Zhao Kuangyin's deteriorating health, but also about the Wu Kingdom's army pressing in and potentially shattering the peace of Bianjing at any moment.

Zhao Guangyi rode into the palace by carriage and arrived outside the emperor's bedroom. Before entering the Wansui Hall, he saw Wang Ji'en outside and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Wang Ji'en nodded and said, "Your Highness, please come in. The banquet is ready, and the drinks... are also prepared."

Zhao Guangyi knew this was a code, because before entering the palace, he had already sent someone to deliver medicinal wine to Wang Ji'en, which was the wine to be used tonight.

Just in case, Zhao Guangyi took the antidote in advance, and as long as he didn't drink too much, there wouldn't be a big problem.

He is currently strong and healthy, without any injuries or illnesses, and has taken the antidote in advance. Even if he drinks with Zhao Kuangyin, nothing will happen to him.

The reason for not using the rotating Thousand Machine Pot was that it would be easy for Emperor Zhao Kuangyin to discover it, since these were things that others had already used, and he would have to risk his life.

Zhao Guangyi pushed open the door and entered. At this moment, Zhao Kuangyin was leaning against the bed, looking at the intelligence from the front line. After Wu's army captured Yingtian Prefecture, they were reorganizing their troops and would soon attack Kaifeng Prefecture. The situation was critical.

He felt a sense of helplessness. Faced with the fierce Wu army, which was advancing like a whirlwind, Zhao Kuangyin felt a strong sense of crisis. Was the Song Dynasty going to be lost like this?

At this moment, Zhao Guangyi came in to pay his respects and bowed to Zhao Kuangyin.

"Second brother, no need for formalities." Zhao Kuangyin looked at his brother with a calm expression, his eyes even carrying a hint of scrutiny.

"How is Your Majesty's health recovering?" Zhao Guangyi straightened up and immediately put on a concerned expression for his elder brother's health.

"Slightly better!" Zhao Kuangyin replied simply. In reality, his injuries had not only failed to improve but had worsened, mainly because he was unable to rest and recuperate properly.

When Zhao Guangyi saw Zhao Kuangyin's health and his painstaking efforts and concern for the country and its people, he felt a pang of sympathy. After all, this was the elder brother he had relied on and admired for many years!

If it weren't for Zhao Kuangyin's prestige in the army, his bravery and ability in leading troops, he wouldn't have been able to become the new emperor in the Chenqiao Mutiny, and the Zhao family wouldn't have been qualified to be a member of the imperial family.

It can be said that Zhao Guangyi admired and respected his elder brother from beginning to end. He never considered raising an army to rebel and seize his elder brother's throne unless absolutely necessary, at least not in the past. According to his previous ideas about vying for the throne, he only wanted to use his established prestige and broader and more profound influence on the court and the public to force his elder brother to carefully consider the matter of choosing a son or brother as heir apparent and to favor him.

But now everything has changed, all because the assassination attempt on the eldest prince became a trigger!

Zhao Guangyi was puzzled at this moment, wondering who had sent someone to assassinate the eldest prince. Was it the Wu Kingdom? The Liao Kingdom? A powerful clan in the Northwest? A ruse by Zhao Pushi? All of these were possible, but it couldn't be him!
Because Zhao Guangyi never considered using such a method of assassinating his nephew to gain power; he disdained it and dared not!
"I summoned you to the palace tonight because I wanted to have dinner with you. It's been a long time since we, brothers, have dined together."

After Zhao Kuangyin finished speaking, he was about to get out of bed when a palace maid came forward to help him. Zhao Kuangyin managed to stand up and then said to the palace maid, "I am fine, I don't need your help."

The palace maid nodded and stepped aside to serve.

Zhao Kuangyin had his own dignity and didn't want his brothers to see his weakness and terminal illness.

Therefore, Zhao Kuangyin mustered his spirits and used the internal energy of a martial artist to support his injured body, and walked to the wine table placed in the middle of the hall.

"Second brother, come and sit down!"

Zhao Kuangyin sat down first, invited Zhao Guangyi to take his seat, and instructed the palace maids to prepare for the banquet.

Soon, several palace maids and eunuchs brought the dishes to the table.

Wang Ji'en also walked in. Behind him, on a tray held by a eunuch, was a celadon wine bottle containing the medicinal wine provided by the Prince of Jin.

After the dishes were arranged, Wang Ji'en was in charge of pouring the wine.

"Your Majesty, this is a medicinal wine prepared by the Imperial Kitchen and the Imperial Physicians. It can promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and it has a regulating and restorative effect on Your Majesty's body."

Wang Ji'en wasn't entirely lying; the imperial kitchen and physicians did indeed prepare medicinal meals and wines, but not this particular bottle.

Zhao Kuangyin didn't think much of it upon hearing this, after all, this was his home turf. He merely glanced at the wine bottle, then nodded slightly and accepted the wine cup.

Zhao Guangyi took the wine cup from Wang Ji'en, but glanced at Wang Ji'en indifferently. Wang Ji'en was expressionless, neither happy nor sad. However, when Zhao Kuangyin coughed and his gaze was not in their direction, he nodded slightly to the Prince of Jin. Zhao Guangyi understood what was going on.

Since Zhao Kuangyin wanted to discuss some private matters with his brother, he asked Wang Ji'en to lead the eunuchs and palace maids to temporarily withdraw and wait outside the hall for the summons.

Wang Ji'en obeyed and led the others away, leaving only the Zhao brothers in the Wansui Hall.

"Come on, let's drink!"

Zhao Kuangyin raised his cup and invited Zhao Guangyi to drink. Zhao Guangyi had deliberately worn a dark-colored, round-necked, embroidered robe with wide sleeves, which would make it easy to conceal himself while drinking. Although he had taken the antidote, he was being cunning and refusing to drink, so it was best to hide. The long sleeves could cover him, and he secretly spilled the wine.

"Ah, please have a drink, elder brother." Zhao Guangyi reluctantly raised his cup, gave Zhao Kuangyin a slight nod, tilted his head back and drank it down, but secretly spilled the wine on himself. Because of the color of his robe and the intricate embroidery, even if the wine was spilled, it would not be noticeable.

After drinking two cups, Zhao Kuangyin brought up the invasion of the Wu army.

"Yingtian Prefecture has fallen, and Wu's 400,000 troops are already approaching Kaifeng Prefecture. In less than ten days, their army will reach Bianjing. To the north, the Liao army is watching us closely and could launch a surprise attack on the capital at any time. We are besieged on all sides. The various armies that came to our aid are moving slowly. We only have 20 Imperial Guards left. We don't know how long they can hold out. If we cannot defeat Wu's army, the Great Song Dynasty will be in danger!"

When the topic turned to state affairs, Zhao Kuangyin was in a bad mood and couldn't help but drink alone, drinking a few more cups.

Zhao Guangyi watched silently. If it were any other time, he would have urged his brother to drink, since his brother was unwell and should not drink too much. But at this moment, Zhao Guangyi secretly hoped that his brother would drink more, while he himself would refrain from drinking if he could avoid it.

Although they were still brothers, their relationship had cooled somewhat compared to the past. The dishes at the banquet were all Zhao Guangyi's favorites, personally ordered by Zhao Kuangyin, who actually wanted to ease the current political situation and the brothers' relationship. However, Zhao Guangyi found the food tasteless and unpleasant, and was restless, completely losing his appetite.

This indifference wasn't expressed on their faces, but existed within their hearts, like a layer of ice between them—ice that takes time to form and isn't easily melted.

"At present, I have no good strategy to repel the enemy. Second brother, you must take on more responsibilities and focus on resisting the enemy. Only after we defeat the Wu army and protect the Song Dynasty will our descendants of the Zhao family have the opportunity to enjoy honor and status."

Zhao Kuangyin's meaning was clear: he was instructing his brothers not to think about the throne and the heir apparent first, but that facing the Wu army was the most important thing.

Zhao Guangyi's eyes flickered slightly. Although he understood the meaning of the words, he deliberately avoided looking at him.

Seeing his evasive expression, Zhao Kuangyin's gaze sharpened, and he asked directly, "Second brother, what's wrong? You seem restless."

Zhao Guangyi lowered his head and said, "It's nothing. Perhaps... it's been a long time since I've shared a drink with you, elder brother. Sitting face to face with you today makes me feel a little awkward. However, I've remembered what you just said, brother, and I understand!"

Hearing Zhao Guangyi's words, Zhao Kuangyin felt much relieved. After drinking another cup together, he said with a sigh, "Second brother, you have fought alongside me in the south and north, and made many contributions. You have also governed Kaifeng for many years and your abilities are remarkable. However, the matter of the crown prince concerns the foundation of the Song Dynasty for over a hundred years. Since ancient times, there have been few cases of brothers succeeding brothers. Most successions have been from father to son, with distinctions between legitimate and illegitimate heirs, and seniority, rather than selection based on merit."

"The reason for this is that the succession from father to son, and the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate heirs and the order of seniority, are all predetermined by Heaven, not by external intervention. This can avoid factional politics and infighting for the throne. Some people are born into imperial families and become the eldest son of the legitimate wife or the eldest son of the emperor. That is their destiny, their great fortune and virtue. Only by passing the throne according to a fixed pattern can we ensure that there is no more fighting! Even though Emperor Taizong of Tang seized power, he still followed the old rules in choosing his heir. This is the most effective way to ensure the succession of the throne!"

After Zhao Kuangyin finished speaking, he poured a cup of wine for Zhao Guangyi and filled his own cup as well. Holding the cup, he said, "Second brother, today I have spoken from the bottom of my heart and been completely frank. I hope you can understand my good intentions. This is for the sake of our Zhao family's empire, not for my own selfish desires! I do not wish to investigate the Crown Prince's assassination attempt any further. That matter should end here. But at this critical juncture, I hope you can consider the future of the Song Dynasty. Let us work together to resist foreign enemies and ensure that our Zhao descendants can always safeguard this empire."

After listening, Zhao Guangyi fell silent. It was as if his elder brother was finally laying his cards on the table.

Sure enough, this was a trap. If he didn't accept, Zhao Guangyi wondered if he could even leave the palace, or if he would be placed under house arrest.

Zhao Guangyi clenched his hands tightly under the table. It seemed that the strategists' analysis was accurate. With each passing day, the throne was getting further and further away from him, because as Zhao Dezhao grew up, his elder brother no longer wanted to pass the throne to him.

Because of his physical injuries and the invasion of Wu's army, Zhao Kuangyin did not want to delay any longer. He wanted to suppress Zhao Guangyi as soon as possible to avoid internal strife. Only by working together could they preserve the Song Dynasty.

"If you understand my good intentions and accept this choice, then please drink this cup to the brim. We will still be good brothers, and I will guarantee that your offspring will be treated the same as ordinary princes and princesses."

Zhao Kuangyin tried to persuade Zhao Guangyi to give up his idea of ​​seizing the throne by promising him wealth, honor, and the treatment of princes and princesses. After all, his descendants would enjoy the same things. However, the throne would be passed to the eldest son of the legitimate wife or the eldest son of the emperor, according to historical conventions.

Zhao Guangyi hesitated for a moment, but thinking that his plan was underway and there was no need to tear things apart in person, he slowly stretched out his hands and picked up the cup.

Zhao Kuangyin's eyes showed a look of satisfaction. He raised his wine cup to him and said, "Good brother, bottoms up!" Then he tilted his head back and drank it down.

On the surface, the two had reconciled. Zhao Guangyi did not contradict his elder brother, nor did he directly express his resentment. Instead, he kept urging and toasting him. Zhao Kuangyin felt that he had once again "released military power with a cup of wine" and was happy. He thought that he had successfully resolved the issue of the successor to the throne, so he inevitably drank a lot of medicinal wine.

This pot of wine was about 70% complete; Zhao Kuangyin drank 70%, Zhao Guangyi only poured out 30%, and less than 10% actually went down his throat.

At this moment, Zhao Kuangyin was already somewhat drunk, his head was throbbing and aching, and when he stood up from his seat, he swayed as if he was about to fall.

Zhao Guangyi's eyes flickered, and he immediately stood up to help Zhao Kuangyin.

"Brother, you're drunk. Get some rest."

"I'm not drunk, I'm relieved..." Zhao Kuangyin stammered, already completely drunk.

Just as the two were helping him up, the jade axe ornament at Zhao Kuangyin's waist fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

The sound of the jade axe hitting the ground attracted the attention of the eunuchs, palace maids, and guards outside the door. They looked uncomfortably toward the Wansui Hall and saw the candlelight reflecting off the two brothers as they walked, supporting each other, on the window lattice.

A moment later, Zhao Guangyi helped Zhao Kuangyin to bed to rest. He didn't know if his brother would wake up again tonight after drinking the "medicinal wine." He really wanted to smother him with a pillow, but he was also a little timid, worried that he might overdo it. So, after a while, he left the Wansui Palace.

After leaving the palace, Zhao Guangyi said that the emperor was drunk and had fallen asleep. He instructed the palace maids to clean up the leftovers but not to disturb the emperor's sleep. Wang Ji'en ordered the palace maids to do so.

"I'm leaving the palace to return to my residence now, Your Majesty. I'm leaving this place in your care."

Zhao Guangyi's words had a double meaning. After speaking, he left the palace. Everything was ready; it was up to fate to decide how things would unfold that night.