I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

...

Soon, Zhao Di and his entourage boarded a train and headed to Yunzhong Prefecture.

At the same time, with the cooperation of Zhao Di and others, the Song Dynasty expeditionary force successfully took over all the defenses of Beijing.

During this process, no one tried to stop us, or even uttered a word of complaint.

As for Zhao Shou, the former regent, he didn't even show his face once.

That evening, Zhao Di and his party arrived at Yunzhong Prefecture.

However, it was already midnight.

Zhao Di and the others did not dare to disturb Zhao Yu's rest, and planned to meet with him after dawn.

So Zhao Di and his party stayed at the post station.

Just as Zhao Di had fallen asleep fully clothed, he heard someone knocking on the door and saying, "Prince Yan, His Majesty summons you."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Di immediately got out of bed and went to see the emperor at the first opportunity.

When Zhao Di arrived at Zhao Yu's temporary palace, he discovered that he was not the only one summoned. There were also more than thirty princes, including Zhao Cun, Zhao Qing, Zhao Wei, Zhao Shou, Zhao Cheng, and Zhao Gou, who had come to Yunzhong Prefecture to meet the emperor, as well as the imperial grandson Zhao Ziwen.

Zhao Yu only had one eunuch by his side, Huang Jingchen.

When Zhao Di and the others saw Zhao Yu's current appearance, they were all shocked!
Zhao Yu, who is almost sixty years old, looks about twenty, with a face full of collagen. He looks about the same age as Zhao Ziwen and much younger than his sons.

Although they didn't say anything, Zhao Di and the others, including Zhao Ziwen, were all shocked!

They never imagined that Zhao Yu could remain so young. Judging from his appearance, no one would doubt that he would live to be a hundred years old.

At the same time, Zhao Di and others also confirmed that Zhao Yu really did not want to be emperor anymore; otherwise, given his health condition, he might have been able to remain emperor for another forty or fifty years.

Of course, Zhao Di and others could understand Zhao Yu's choice.

As for the job of emperor, Zhao Yu had truly reached the end of his career. Continuing to do so would not have led to any improvement; there was only the possibility of problems or mistakes.

Therefore, the wisest course of action is to retire gracefully.

In this way, Zhao Yu's achievements can be definitively established, and he will forever be regarded as the greatest emperor of the world.

Therefore, Zhao Di and others truly believed that Zhao Yu was preparing to abdicate in favor of Zhao Shou and then enjoy his own life.

As Zhao Yu often said in recent years: "I have been emperor for so many years, can't I take a good rest? Besides, many of my children and grandchildren have grown up and become capable. It is time for them to take on the responsibilities of the Song Dynasty. If a dynasty wants to last, it must trust young people and give them the opportunity to take power."

It is not difficult to see Zhao Yu's attitude from this.

The key point is that, given Zhao Yu's current status and position, he has no reason to lie.

The key point is that even if what a person says is unbelievable, what they do is definitely true.

Over the years, Zhao Yu had transferred all power in the Song Dynasty to Zhao Shou, retaining only supervisory and military power. Moreover, he never interfered in court affairs, even when Zhao Shou handled matters improperly or made mistakes.

In addition, Zhao Yu supported hundreds of his sons to become feudal lords, and thousands of his descendants held important positions in various key places around the world, controlling their respective regions.

Even Zhao Yu's incompetent sons and grandsons could obtain a certain amount of shares from the endless wealth controlled by Zhao Yu, and receive considerable dividends every year, or even every month.

It is no exaggeration to say that Zhao Yu single-handedly supported his tens of thousands of descendants.

And that doesn't even include the generous dowry that Zhao Yu prepared for each of his daughters.

It can be said that none of Zhao Yu's children ever doubted that he was a good father, despite having thousands of children.

This is one of the reasons why Zhao Yu's children, including his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, all held him in extremely high esteem.

At this moment, seeing that Zhao Yu had summoned them late at night, all the princes bowed their heads and even subconsciously slowed their breathing, filling the room with an atmosphere of respect and solemnity.

Zhao Di, who usually looked down on everyone, stood with his hands at his sides, his back straight but slightly leaning forward, his eyes fixed on the blue brick floor in front of him, not daring to look up at all, his hands respectfully hanging down in front of him, his posture so respectful as to be almost devout.

The majestic Zhao Qing, the cunning Zhao Cun, and the unsmiling Zhao Gou all clasped their hands in front of their abdomens, bowed their heads deeply, and let their hair fall down their temples. They didn't even dare to breathe loudly. Their faces no longer showed any of the majesty they usually had when they held power. All that remained was the utmost reverence of juniors for their elders and subjects for their rulers.

The other princes did the same; they all suppressed all their thoughts, lowered their eyes, and stood respectfully in the ranks, not daring to sway in the slightest.

Some princes who held their father in high esteem, such as Zhao Wei, Zhao Shou, and Zhao Cheng, held their breath and stared straight ahead at the ground. They could only hear the sound of the night wind blowing through the corridor outside the palace, and they did not dare to even glance at Zhao Yu on the throne.

Everyone stood with their heads bowed, their robes motionless. The vast main hall of the palace was silent, filled only with the respect and awe people held for Zhao Yu.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Ziwen realized just how powerful his imperial grandfather was.

At this moment, Zhao Ziwen felt even more regretful for making excuses for Chen Liang, that arrogant guy, during the day.

I only hope that my grandfather is unaware of this matter, or at least won't hold it against me.

But Zhao Ziwen thought again that his imperial grandfather had three major intelligence agencies under his control: the Eastern Depot, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Military Intelligence Bureau. Not to mention what happened at the welcoming ceremony for his imperial grandfather, even what happened in the homes of ministers or in secret rooms might not be able to be kept from his imperial grandfather.

It should be noted that as Zhao Shou's groomed successor, Zhao Ziwen had already come into contact with some of the functions of the Imperial City Guard and knew just how powerful these secret service agencies under the emperor were.

It is no exaggeration to say that all high-ranking officials, senior generals, key officials, and key departments in the Song Dynasty and even the world were under their surveillance.

Otherwise, why would those civil officials and intellectuals keep criticizing these four major secret service agencies and hoping to abolish them?
Under such circumstances, what could possibly escape the notice of his imperial grandfather?
I hope my grandfather can understand my difficulties.

Zhao Yu glanced at his sons and grandsons who held the highest power in Beijing, then asked bluntly, "Which of you knows anything about the Crown Prince?"

Upon hearing Zhao Yu's words, many princes looked puzzled, while others seemed to think, "Something has really happened to the Crown Prince." Only Zhao Di and Zhao Ziwen stepped forward almost simultaneously and said:

"Your subject knows a little about it."

"My grandson has a secret letter from his father."

Seeing that the others seemed to know nothing about it, Zhao Yu waved his hand and said, "Prince Yan and Wen'er, stay. Everyone else, leave." — He showed no intention of catching up with his sons whom he hadn't seen for over ten years. Apart from Zhao Di and Zhao Ziwen's princes, no one dared to ask a question. They bowed respectfully to Zhao Yu and then left in an orderly fashion.

Once only Zhao Yu, Huang Jingchen, Zhao Di, and Zhao Ziwen remained in the room, before Zhao Yu could even ask any questions, Zhao Di took the initiative to tell Zhao Yu in detail about how Zhao Shou had encountered a strange snake and fallen off his horse while inspecting the Shenji Army.

Finally, Zhao Di added that Zhao Shou had only shown up once since then, and through careful observation, he noticed that Zhao Shou's complexion did not seem very good, and he might be suffering from a serious illness...

Zhao Ziwen was shocked when he heard from Zhao Di that his father might be seriously ill!

He never expected that his grandfather's sudden return was not to abdicate in favor of his father, but to prevent his father from dying suddenly and causing chaos in the Song Dynasty and the world.

How could this be?

'Is Father seriously ill?'

'In the Divine Machine Army? The Divine Machine Army is led by the Prince of Yan, who is known for his ambition. Today, the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Jin even tried to persuade me to give Chen Liang a lighter punishment, so that I would lose my grandfather's favor... Could it be that the Prince of Yan is plotting to murder my father and seize his throne?'

'...'

After telling his father everything he knew about Zhao Shou and his speculations, Zhao Di took the initiative to apologize: "Your son failed to protect the Crown Prince well, resulting in the Crown Prince's fall and injury. I hope Your Majesty will punish me."

Zhao Yu ignored Zhao Di and instead looked at Zhao Ziwen, who was still guessing: "Where is the secret letter?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ziwen snapped out of his daze and hurriedly took a wax ball from his hair, presenting it to Zhao Yu with both hands.

Huang Jingchen helped Zhao Yu take the wax pill, twisted it open, and revealed the secret message inside.

Huang Jingchen handed the secret letter to Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu unfolded it and found that it was yet another blank secret letter.

Zhao Yu had Huang Jingchen bring developing water and then put the secret letter into the water.

Only then did Zhao Yu see the secret letter Zhao Shou had sent him, which stated that although he was now terminally ill, the imperial physicians were using thousand-year-old ginseng to prolong his life, and he should have no problem living for another month or so, so Zhao Yu did not need to rush back...

Zhao Yu did not allow Zhao Di and Zhao Ziwen to read Zhao Shou's secret letter with him, nor did he allow his most trusted eunuch Huang Jingchen to read it. Instead, he read it himself and then destroyed the secret letter by hand.

By this time, Zhao Ziwen had recovered from his initial shock.

Seeing that his grandfather had read his father's secret letter, Zhao Ziwen felt that he couldn't avoid being accused of defending Chen Liang, so he stepped forward and, steeling himself, said to Zhao Yu:

"Your Majesty, yesterday we welcomed Your Majesty at Beijing Railway Station. One of my advisors, Chen Liang, is exceptionally talented, but unfortunately, he is arrogant and spoke disrespectfully to Your Majesty. Considering our ancestral rules, I sentenced him to thirty slaps. Afterwards, I reflected on this. Your Majesty has implemented new policies domestically, expanded our territory internationally, developed maritime trade to enrich the nation, promoted engineering to strengthen the army, and improved agricultural administration to bring peace to the people. The world is unified, and the people are free from hunger and poverty. Your achievements surpass those of the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors. Your magnificent achievements illuminate the past and present. How can such a brash young man be allowed to speak so recklessly?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Di nearly burst out laughing. "That little rascal! He's using all my lines!"

At this point, following his advisor's instructions, Zhao Ziwen apologized to Zhao Yu: "Your grandson was not thoughtful enough, misinterpreted the ancestral laws, and indulged the likes of Chen Liang. I beg Your Majesty to punish me severely!"

Zhao Yu smiled slightly upon hearing this: "Wen'er, you are still young, how can you not make mistakes? Don't be afraid of making mistakes, just correct them."

After a pause, Zhao Yu continued, "As for Chen Liang, since he has already been punished, let's let it go. Otherwise, if we keep changing our orders, people will think that our royal family is untrustworthy."

After exchanging a few more words with Zhao Ziwen, Zhao Yu dismissed Zhao Di and Zhao Ziwen.

Throughout the entire process, apart from what Zhao Di had mentioned earlier about Zhao Shou and his speculations, Zhao Yu did not say another word to Zhao Di.

As for Zhao Ziwen, Zhao Yu talked to him for quite a while and comforted him, telling him not to take Chen Liang's matter to heart.

Zhao Ziwen was overjoyed, feeling that his imperial grandfather still favored their direct descendants. If his father really met with an accident, the throne would most likely fall to him, and if his father did not meet with an accident, he would most likely become the crown prince of the Song Dynasty.

As for Zhao Di, he remained silent throughout the entire process, and there was no change in his expression, as if he had not noticed that Zhao Yu and Zhao Ziwen, the imperial grandson, were particularly close.

Finally, Zhao Yu waved his hand, signaling Zhao Di and Zhao Ziwen to leave together.

Finally, Zhao Yu also instructed Zhao Ziwen to summon Li Gang and Chen Gou.

What Zhao Yu said to Li Gang and Chen Gou remains unknown to anyone except Zhao Yu, Li Gang, Chen Gou, and Huang Jingchen.

All people know is that after their private conversation, Li Gang and Chen Gou returned to Beijing overnight.

After meeting with Li Gang and Chen Gou, Zhao Yu then summoned Li Yan.

Although Zhao Yu gave the Imperial City Guard to Zhao Shou, Li Yan was a retainer of Zhao Yu when he was a prince, and all the salaries of the Imperial City Guard (including their travel expenses, subsidies, and benefits) were paid by Zhao Yu.

Therefore, there is absolutely no problem in saying that the Imperial City Guard still belonged to Zhao Yu.

Li Yan is also a clever person.

Moreover, as the head of the only intelligence agency that still focuses on the Song Dynasty, Li Yan likely already knows some information, or at least has sensed some rumors.

In short, upon meeting Zhao Yu, Li Yan, on behalf of the entire Imperial City Guard, declared that the Imperial City Guard would always be loyal to Zhao Yu.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Yu bluntly asked whether Li Yan knew about Zhao Shou's affairs.

Li Yan told Zhao Yu everything he had learned and guessed without hesitation.

In short, Li Yan has discovered that Zhao Shou had an accident while inspecting the Shenji Army, but he did not find out the specifics of what happened to Zhao Shou. However, based on the information he had gathered, he speculated that Zhao Shou was probably injured or seriously ill, and that he might not have much time left.

Zhao Yu did not tell Li Yan what had happened to Zhao Shou before sending him away.

Afterwards, Zhao Yu met with the military commander in Beijing.

These men were all shrewd and capable. Upon meeting Zhao Yu, without him even asking, they eagerly expressed their loyalty, declaring that they and their troops would always be at his command.

Furthermore, they stated that no matter what task Zhao Yu assigned them, they would resolutely obey his orders, even at the cost of going through fire and water.

After everything was settled, Zhao Yu issued an imperial edict: All troops, continue the march, destination: Beijing…

...(End of this chapter)