Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 904 Zhao Guangyi Ascends the Throne

After returning to his residence from the palace, Zhao Guangyi was restless, feeling both lingering fear and unease. He longed for time to pass quickly so that dawn would break and reveal the outcome of the incident.

He was very worried that his elder brother had not died overnight and that he had found out that he had poisoned the wine. So he sent the imperial guards to surround the Prince of Jin's mansion and wipe him and his cronies out.

It wasn't until Wang Ji'en arrived with the news of the Emperor's passing that Zhao Guangyi finally felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Your Highness Prince Jin, the situation is extremely urgent. Empress Song is waiting for you to arrive at the Wansui Palace. Let’s hurry into the palace and take over the situation.”

"I need to discuss this with my advisors and retainers." Zhao Guangyi paced back and forth in the room, hesitant to move forward.

"It's too late, hurry up and leave, or things will get complicated!" Wang Ji'en immediately retorted, not wanting the Prince of Jin to waste any more time.

Cheng Dexuan, who had been accompanying Prince Jin in the study, immediately declared, "Your Highness, time is of the essence and there is no time for further discussion. I am willing to accompany Your Highness to the palace immediately."

Seeing that Cheng Dexuan also said the same thing, Zhao Guangyi nodded slightly, which was considered as making a decision: "Alright, let's go to the palace now!"

The three hurriedly left and entered the palace together in a carriage. There was no time to bring the troops from outside the palace with them. They just needed to take the initiative and intimidate the situation inside the palace.

Upon entering the palace, Wang Ji'en, who was in charge of the Martial Virtue Division, had already sent eunuchs to bring in manpower to take over the palace gates. Without an imperial edict or the emperor's golden token, no one was allowed to enter the palace before dawn. This was to prevent the eldest prince Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Pu from getting wind of the news and breaking into the palace at night.

Empress Song was sitting anxiously in the palace, pondering how to control the court in the future, when she suddenly saw Wang Ji'en walk in. She immediately stood up and asked, "Has Prince Defang arrived?"

Wang Ji'en said expressionlessly, "The Prince of Jin has arrived."

When Empress Song saw Prince Jin enter, she was terrified. She knew about the current situation in the court and that Prince Jin was very powerful. Seeing him unexpectedly appear in the palace, she knew that her chance was over.

"Greetings, Empress Sister-in-law!" Prince Jin bowed calmly.

Empress Song said with tears in her eyes, "From now on, I entrust the lives of the princes and princesses to His Highness Prince Jin."

The Prince of Jin was moved, knowing that the Empress had compromised, and assured her, "We will share wealth and honor, and have no worries!"

Zhao Guangyi wanted to ascend the throne as emperor, and given his illegitimate claim to the throne, he would certainly treat Empress Song, the princes, and the princesses with preferential treatment, thus avoiding any criticism.

Moreover, Zhao Guangyi had a deep relationship with Zhao Kuangyin and took good care of his nephews and nieces. He was also affectionate towards them, so he would naturally continue to take good care of them after he became emperor.

The Prince of Jin walked over and saw his elder brother's body. He was deeply moved and knelt down, weeping bitterly. His emotions were a complex mix that was hard to describe.

However, after Zhao Kuangyin's death, Prince Jin, Zhao Guangyi, arrived at the palace first and naturally took over the reins of power. Before the eldest prince Zhao Dezhao, prime minister Zhao Pu, and others knew the news, he wanted to act first.

He immediately ordered Wang Ji'en to take away the imperial seal, tiger tally, and golden token, and issued a series of decrees. He first took control of the imperial guards, then urged several trusted commanders and generals of the palace guards to come to the palace to meet him, as well as several trusted ministers, such as Chancellor Lu Duoxun, who was at odds with Zhao Pu.

Because tomorrow morning's court session will be used to announce the emperor's death and the enthronement of the Prince of Jin, thus finalizing the matter.

Tonight we must draft the emperor's will, keep the important ministers and imperial guards under control, and secure the outcome to avoid any unforeseen complications.

After everything was finished, the first light of dawn appeared in the east.

Zhao Guangyi took a deep breath. Although he hadn't slept all night and was somewhat tired, his spirits were higher than ever before. As long as he could get through the morning court session, solidify his ascension to the throne, and prevent the eldest prince Zhao Dezhao, Zhao Pu, and others from causing any trouble, then his accession to the throne would be a certainty.

As dawn breaks, it's time for the morning court session.

Civil and military officials filed into the palace gates as usual, but observant people noticed that there seemed to be twice as many imperial guards today, and the atmosphere seemed even more solemn.

But the ministers didn't think much of it, assuming it was because the Wu army was about to attack, so the palace had strengthened its defenses.

After all the civil and military officials had lined up, Emperor Zhao Kuangyin did not appear for a long time. Wang Ji'en and Prince Zhao Guangyi of Jin walked over with white silk ribbons on their wrists, their faces filled with grief, and announced to the public: His Majesty has passed away.

Everyone was stunned.

The news came too suddenly; no one expected it. Only a few people had been received by Zhao Guangyi in advance and already knew the inside story.

"Father, how could you have passed away so suddenly—" The eldest prince, Zhao Dezhao, suddenly broke down in tears.

Many ministers shed tears.

Just then, Wang Ji'en stepped forward and announced loudly, "His Majesty passed away last night due to a serious illness. Prince Jin and Empress Song have already arranged for His Majesty's coffin to be placed in the burial chamber. However, the country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Now, we announce the Emperor's will... that Prince Jin shall ascend the throne..."

Before high-ranking officials such as Zhao Pu, Zhao Dezhao, Xue Juzheng, and Shen Yilun could react, Lu Duoxun, Chu Zhaofu, and others had already knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

Led by these individuals, the assembled officials knelt and shouted, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

With everyone bowing in submission, the situation was settled. Even Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Pu knelt down reluctantly, for the news had come so suddenly that they were unprepared and could only follow suit for the time being. At this moment, Zhao Guangyi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

At this moment, he suddenly remembered the kindness his elder brother had shown him, and he couldn't help but burst into tears, crying as if his life depended on it: "My brother has worked diligently all his life, personally handling everything, conquering the south and the north, and pacifying the world. He was in the prime of his life, strong and vigorous, but unexpectedly he died young. It is a great loss to our Great Song Dynasty..." His voice was tinged with grief, but even more so with a sense of relief and relief.

The ministers also broke down in tears, some genuinely grieving the emperor's passing, others weeping for show!

On that day, Zhao Guangyi led civil and military officials to Zhao Kuangyin's coffin to kneel and pay their respects. Since Zhao Kuangyin died of a cerebral hemorrhage, there were no obvious signs of poisoning or visible injuries, which relieved many ministers.

Zhao Guangyi personally wrote the eulogy: "The late Emperor diligently established the nation, working tirelessly day and night, personally handling all affairs without weariness, bringing prosperity to the empire. He cared for the hardships of the farmers and knew the toil of the soldiers. With peace restored, the people were forever at ease. But then, due to illness, he fell seriously ill and was nearing his end. Just as the time for retiring was approaching, he suddenly passed away, leaving behind the sorrow of losing his bow. He sadly entrusted the great palace to an innocent person. It is fitting that his thoughts be gracious and that the benefits of reform be extended." His writing carried a touch of solemnity, as if he were seeking legitimacy for his ascension to the throne.

Furthermore, Zhao Guangyi bestowed upon Zhao Kuangyin the temple name "Taizu." Upon ascending the throne, the first thing Zhao Guangyi did was change his own name to Zhao Jiong, then changed Zhao Guangmei to Zhao Tingmei, Shen Yilun to Shen Lun, and Liu Guangyi to Liu Tingrang. He also issued his first imperial edict after ascending the throne, the "Imperial Amnesty Edict!"
Upon assuming the throne, Zhao Guangyi's first consideration was gaining public recognition and support. Therefore, immediately after ascending the throne, he issued a general amnesty edict, granting amnesty to the entire nation in an effort to win the hearts of the people.

The following day, Zhao Guangyi held court and bestowed numerous official titles: his younger brother Zhao Tingmei was promoted to Prefect of Kaifeng and granted the title of Prince of Qi; Zhao Kuangyin's son Zhao Dezhao was appointed Military Governor of Yongxing and granted the title of Prince of Wugong, placing him above the prime minister in court rank; Zhao Defang was appointed Military Governor of Shannan East Circuit and concurrently Chancellor. He also decreed that the children of Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Tingmei should be treated the same as his own children and be called princes and princesses.

Among the former officials from Zhao Kuangyin's time, Chancellor Xue Juzheng was promoted to Left Vice Minister, Shen Lun to Right Vice Minister, Cheng Dexuan was appointed Hanlin Academician, and Cao Bin, Privy Councilor and Military Governor of Zhongwu Army, was promoted to Chancellor, becoming one of the few "Chancellor-Chancellors" at the time. Wang Ji'en, Ma Shao, and other officials also received promotions and rewards.

Zhao Guangyi's move not only stabilized several important court officials but also gained the trust of a group of officials, fully demonstrating the remarkable skills of a political schemer.

Although Zhao Guangyi's ascension to the throne was illegitimate, there were very few people who could truly speak out for Zhao Kuangyin or dare to denounce Zhao Guangyi. After all, only a little over a decade had passed since the Five Dynasties period, and the mindset of the officials was still at the level of being dutiful but not loyal. It was not easy for them to pay the price of their precious lives for the fall of a country, let alone for such a trivial matter as seizing power and changing the throne.

Now that someone surnamed Zhao has replaced someone else surnamed Zhao, it's still the same surname Zhao. It's a succession from brother to brother, and everyone was already prepared for it. There's no need to make a big fuss about opposing it. So, when Zhao Guangyi became the new emperor, there weren't any major upheavals.