Do you know: I am the crown prince

Chapter 406 Reason
"The imperial seal?"

When Zhao Xing heard Yin Hanzhang's report that it was possible to find the whereabouts of the imperial seal, his breathing quickened.

The imperial seal of the Song Dynasty today is not the imperial seal, but a replica of the imperial seal using a piece of top-quality jade.

Yes, it is a replica.

Because when the Later Tang Dynasty fell, it was rumored that the real imperial seal was taken with it and thrown into the sea of ​​fire by the last emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty.

Although this was just a rumor, many people saw it at the time, and the imperial seal disappeared completely since then, so everyone believed that the imperial seal had been burned in the fire.

However, this statement is controversial, because although jade is afraid of fire, ordinary fire cannot completely burn jade.

However, Shi Jingtang, who destroyed the Later Tang Dynasty, did not find the remains of the imperial seal after putting out the fire.

As a result, various rumors emerged, some saying that Shi Jingtang took the imperial seal and presented it to the Liao Kingdom.

The Liao Dynasty also publicized this, saying that the Liao Dynasty obtained the imperial seal in compliance with the will of heaven, but the Liao Dynasty never actually took out the imperial seal.

There are also rumors that the Emperor of Later Tang sent someone to hide the seal.

In short, there are many different opinions, but the whereabouts of the imperial seal has never been determined.

The Song Dynasty has been established for a hundred years now. Is the imperial seal still useful to the Song Dynasty?

Zhao Xing can clearly say that there is, and it plays a very important role.

The Song Dynasty was a very special dynasty. The emperor did not call himself the Son of Heaven like in other dynasties, but called himself the Official.

The word "guanjia" existed before the Song Dynasty and meant public property.

Even the dragon robes and thrones were not as fancy as those of other dynasties. Apart from the crown and robes, there was not much difference between them and the court officials. The only differences were in the look and patterns.

Various speculations have been circulated in later generations based on this reason, but in Zhao Xing's opinion, Taizu did this partly because he came to the position in an illegitimate way.

After all, the empire was seized from the hands of an orphan and a widow, which is not very glorious.

The most important point is that there is no imperial seal.

Although the imperial seal of the Song Dynasty was a counterfeit and it was announced to the outside world that the imperial seal was in the Song Dynasty, Taizu and his ministers knew what was going on.

The imperial seal reads: Mandate from Heaven, may you live long and prosper.

Regardless of whether it is true or not, the imperial seal has been passed down for many years and has become a symbol of imperial power throughout the dynasties. The idea that only those who possess the imperial seal are orthodox has been deeply rooted in people's minds.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Sun Jian's first thought after obtaining the jade seal was to hide it, while Yuan Shu directly proclaimed himself emperor after obtaining the jade seal. This shows the importance of the jade seal in people's hearts.

After Cao Cao got it, he was dismissive of it. After all, if the jade seal really represented the will of heaven, then Yuan Shu would not have been destroyed.

But the situations of the Song Dynasty and the Eastern Han Dynasty were completely different. The Eastern Han Dynasty had the jade seal, but it was later lost.

The Song Dynasty did not get the imperial seal at all, and the majority of the people in the world were ordinary people.

Once the Song Dynasty obtains the imperial seal and announces it to the world, it will be a great help in rallying people's hearts.

On the contrary, if the jade seal fell into the hands of others, it would be a fatal blow to the Song Dynasty.

The country will not be destroyed, but the impact will definitely be significant.

However, Zhao Xing quickly calmed down and said, "Can you confirm that what he said is true?"

If Zuo Qi claimed to be a descendant of the Later Tang Dynasty, Zhao Xing would think it was somewhat credible.

But Zuo Qi claimed to be a descendant of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Although both countries used Tang as their country name, in fact, the two countries had no relationship with the Tang Dynasty, nor did they have any relationship with each other. How could the imperial seal go to the Southern Tang Dynasty?

"This person swore that after the fall of the Later Tang, the descendants of the Later Tang fled to Jiangnan with the imperial seal and hid their identities. Later, they were accidentally discovered by the Southern Tang, and the imperial seal also fell into the hands of the Southern Tang. The Southern Tang was afraid of being coveted and did not dare to make it public. Before the fall of the Southern Tang, the Southern Tang emperor ordered General Zuo Qizu to hide the imperial seal and some treasures for the purpose of restoring the country.

However, this person asked to see Your Majesty before he would tell you the exact whereabouts of the jade seal, so I have no way of confirming its authenticity for the time being." Yin Hanzhang said.

Zhao Xing was silent for a while after hearing this, and then said, "Bring him to see me!"

Regardless of whether it is true or not, he naturally wants to see the whereabouts of the imperial seal!
"Yes!"

Yin Hanzhang responded, bowed and left.

Zhao Xing wanted to continue processing the twigs, but he felt upset and had difficulty concentrating.

After all, the imperial seal is very important to the Song Dynasty.

He simply didn't deal with the teacup. He took a few sips of the tea and waited for Yin Hanzhang to bring Zuo Qi over.

After waiting for about an incense stick, the eunuch in the palace reported that Yin Hanzhang wanted to see him, and Zhao Xing quickly let him in.

After a while, Yin Hanzhang walked in, followed by Zuo Qi, who was escorted by the imperial guards and wearing torture instruments.

Zhao Xing sent everyone away, leaving only Yin Hanzhang and Zuo Qi behind. He looked at Zuo Qi and said, "Tell me, what conditions do you need to reveal the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal?"

"Your Majesty!" Zuo Qi said, "I have only one condition. If your Majesty issues an imperial decree to pardon Ruyu, I will be willing to tell you the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal!"

"Aren't you afraid that I will go back on my word and get rich?" Zhao Xing said with a smile.

Zuo Qi smiled bitterly upon hearing this: "I am now a prisoner, and I can only bet that Your Majesty will keep his word."

The imperial seal was his bargaining chip for negotiation with Zhao Xing, but once Zhao Xing knew that he knew the whereabouts of the imperial seal, Zhao Xing would never let him go.

Therefore, no matter how he guarded himself, it was very easy for Zhao Xing to deceive him while he was in prison.

Therefore, he did not put forward any harsh conditions and could only bet that Zhao Xing would keep his word.

"Ruyu is a woman who knows only limited things about the Wizard Cult. Given the current situation, even if she is released, she will not pose any threat. But do you think the Wizard Cult will let her go if I release her? You can't save her, but will hurt her instead!" Zhao Xing said calmly.

"I understand, but in this way Ruyu at least has a chance to survive. I will let her leave Song Dynasty." Zuo Qi said.

Zhao Xing pondered for a while after hearing this, and said, "Can you tell me about your relationship?"

After hearing this, Zuo Qi was silent for a while, and then slowly recounted the relationship between him and Ruyu.

The Zuo family was ordered to hide the treasure and the imperial seal, and they were responsible for guarding them. They have been living in hiding and relying on hunting for a living over the years.

By his generation, only he and his cousin Zuo Qiang were left.

About five or six years ago, Zuo Qiang fell seriously ill. He took Zuo Qiang into the city to seek medical treatment, but no doctor could treat him.

He met the leader of the Wizard Cult and Ruyu. Ruyu felt sorry for him and begged the leader of the Wizard Cult to treat Zuo Qiang.

From that moment on, he was extremely grateful to Ruyu.

The leader of the Wizard Cult later discovered that Zuo Qi not only had good martial arts skills, but also understood military tactics and training, so he accepted him into the Wizard Cult.

Zuo Qi didn't think there was anything wrong with the Wizard Cult at first, but later he found out that the Wizard Cult was inciting the people to rebel. He wanted to leave the Wizard Cult, but because of Ruyu's existence, he finally stayed.

The leader of the wizard cult also realized that Zuo Qi was uncontrollable, so in order to win his heart, he agreed to marry Ruyu to him.

(End of this chapter)