I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 61: More and more like an emperor
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In order to prove to the world that he could still be saved, Zhao Xu insisted on holding the suburban ceremony himself.

The so-called suburban rituals are the grand ceremony in which the emperor worships heaven and earth. They are a symbol of the emperor's status and a sign of the legitimacy of the regime.

Offering sacrifices to heaven on the Winter Solstice is an activity that has been highly valued by rulers of all dynasties and is a national ceremony.

The main form of the Zhao Song Dynasty's ritual of offering sacrifices to heaven was the "three-year system", that is, once every three years, on the winter solstice in November, the emperor would personally preside over the sacrifice to heaven at the Circular Mound in the southern suburbs of Bianliang City.

The ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven was grand and complicated, but the emperor only had to follow the guidance of the etiquette officials and complete the prescribed movements that he was already familiar with.

For a normal emperor, this is not a difficult task.

But for Zhao Xu, who was seriously ill, this was a particularly difficult challenge. Every step he took was like walking on the edge of a knife, and every breath was accompanied by the violent rise and fall of his chest.

However, Zhao Xu persisted stubbornly.

In Zhao Xu's view, this is a persistence in the ancestral foundation, a way to show his strength to the world, and a fight against the unfair fate.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhao Xu, dressed in elaborate sacrificial garments and a crown with twelve tassels, took each step with a heavy yet resolute air. Although his face was slightly pale from illness, his eyes shone with an unyielding light.

The ceremonial officials held long poles and led the flags symbolizing the gods of heaven and earth as they slowly walked towards the altar.

Zhao Xu climbed to the top of the altar with great difficulty. According to ancient rituals, he first presented jade disks and silks to the Lord of Heaven. Then the ritual officials read the sacrificial text, praying for peace and prosperity in the country and a good harvest.

Although Zhao Xu's body had reached its limit when he climbed onto the altar, he still insisted on completing the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven in the biting cold wind.

Zhao Xu thought his performance was perfect.

Yes.

For an emperor who was seriously ill, Zhao Xu's performance was already outstanding.

But anyone who is not blind can see that Zhao Xu is just holding on, and his body has reached its end.

The purpose of Zhao Xu personally holding the suburban ceremony was to prove to the world that he was just suffering from a minor illness. If given some time, he would definitely get better, and everyone should not rush to choose a new emperor.

However, it backfired.

Zhao Xu's efforts did not satisfy his wish to appease the concerns of the people in the court and the country.

On the contrary, after the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, although Zhao Xu forced himself to walk down the altar slowly despite his illness, trying to show the majestic and majestic demeanor of an emperor, his weakness and fatigue, which could not be concealed, were like the last sunset in winter, which was gorgeous but could not hide the sadness of its impending demise.

What made the officials even more uneasy was that before dawn, when all the officials gathered and were congratulating each other, an owl on the palace roof above Zhao Xu's head let out a creepy "laugh".

Seeing this scene, both the royal family members and the court officials looked at each other in confusion. They secretly wondered in their hearts what this ominous bird was foreshadowing.
The censors began to exchange worried glances.

Although Zhang Dun and other ministers feared that a new emperor would appoint new ministers and were unwilling to lose Zhao Xu, they had to prepare for the worst.

It can be said that, except for Zhao Xu, everyone felt that the matter of appointing a crown prince was imminent.

But how to get Emperor Zhao Xu, who lacks self-awareness, to compromise and appoint a crown prince is a difficult problem that lingers in everyone's mind...

……

In this era, the Winter Solstice was a very important festival. On this day, people would change into new clothes, prepare food and drink, and worship their ancestors. Government officials would also give holidays to celebrate, much like the Lunar New Year.

After the suburban ceremony, all members of the royal family came to Cide Palace to pay homage to Empress Dowager Xiang and celebrate the festival with her.

Even the emperor and empress would come in person to pay their respects to Empress Dowager Xiang in previous years. Zhao Ya, who had not been to Cide Palace for some time, was no exception.

While walking towards Cide Palace, Zhao Ya felt sorry for Zhao Xu!
In Zhao Ya's opinion, Zhao Xu was a pretty good emperor among all the emperors of the Song Dynasty. He was not timid and was very enterprising.

But Zhao Xu's performance in this last stage of his life was not satisfactory.

Although he was clearly terminally ill, he did not consider his affairs after death and arranged everything properly. However, he seemed to be blinded by fog and turned a blind eye to crises such as the decline of the Zhao Song Dynasty's national strength, the turmoil in the court, and the unrest on the border. He was immersed in personal sorrow and despair that no medicine could cure him.

Zhao Ya pondered, "If this emperor continues to rule for too long, perhaps he will be burdened by the loneliness and weight of power, forgetting his original aspirations and losing his edge. Zhao Xu once vowed to revive the Song Dynasty, to eradicate its poverty and weakness, to ensure the people live and work in peace and contentment, and to ensure the safety of the borders. But now, on his deathbed, instead of laying out plans to ensure the continuation of his reforms, he has allowed conservative forces to resurge, and the government's governance has deteriorated. This is truly a great misfortune for the country."

Zhao Ya had originally expected that Zhao Xu during this period would be wiser than in history, and that he would make arrangements for his affairs after his death while he still had autonomy, such as appointing a prince who could best inherit his reform ambitions and most likely lead the Zhao Song Dynasty to revival as the prefect of Kaifeng.

The positions of Kaifeng Mu and Yin were not always held during the Song Dynasty, as Emperor Taizong and Emperor Zhenzong of Song both held these posts before becoming emperors.

For this reason, Zhao Ya really performed well in front of Zhao Xu for a while.

But the results proved that Zhao Xu was not much better than many ordinary people when facing death.

When he arrived in front of Cide Palace, Zhao Ya was still thinking about these things and did not notice that Zhao Qi, Zhao Si and Zhao Si were waiting at the door for the eunuchs to go in and report. As usual, he went straight in.

When the gatekeeper saw that it was Zhao Ya walking in, he not only did not stop him, but also led Zhao Ya in with a smile on his face. The eunuchs, eunuchs and palace maids around him also gathered around.

Just as Zhao Ya instinctively wanted to chat about family matters with the people who gathered around him, Liang Shicheng behind Zhao Ya whispered to him, "Your Majesty, the King of Shen, the King of Jian, and the King of Mu are here."

After hearing this, Zhao Ya looked to the side and saw Zhao Qi, Zhao Si and Zhao Si all looking at him eagerly.

Zhao Ya slapped his forehead and said, "Look at me. I was so busy thinking that I forgot to teach them how to report."

As he spoke, Zhao Ya winked at the eunuchs, eunuchs and palace maids who were surrounding him, asking them to stay away, and then walked to the middle of Zhao Qi and the other three to wait for notification.

It is better to be able to see than to be able to speak.

How could Zhao Qi and the other two not see that when Zhao Ya came to Cide Palace, it was like returning to his own home. The key point was that the people in Cide Palace were used to it and were all very close to Zhao Ya.

This is enough to show that Zhao Ya was much closer to Empress Dowager Xiang than they were to her. It was not at all what the outside world said. Zhao Ya and Empress Dowager Xiang had a falling out, so he did not come to Cide Palace during this period.

Now, Zhao Xu is seriously ill and has no children. It is impossible for the royal family to let Zhao Xu be adopted by a remote clan. They will definitely find a way to keep the imperial lineage within the royal family.

The key point is that Zhao Xu had no intention of adopting a son.

Therefore, if Zhao Xu's condition does not improve, the new emperor will probably be born among these princes.

At present, Zhao Xu definitely has the most say in who will be the new emperor, followed by Empress Dowager Xiang.

Zhao Xu is still stubbornly hoping for a medical miracle and is gradually losing his voice.

If this drags on for a while longer, the decision on who will be the new emperor may become a one-man show by Empress Dowager Xiang.

So who will become the new emperor?

Zhao Qi and the other two all looked at Zhao Ya, who was becoming more and more like an emperor...

……

(End of this chapter)