The prince is more stable

Chapter 716 The Dark Purple Star
Throughout history, whether in the imperial court or in the martial arts world, there have always been people who seem like fools to others.

Universal values ​​are mostly based on interests, but in the eyes of these fools, personal interests are never the top priority; the interests of the nation and the country are.

As long as it benefits the country and the nation, I don't care about suffering losses or even sacrifices.

Such fools are few in number, but undeniably, they have existed throughout history.

Those who are considered "fools" by others today often make their mark on history. Many people say that "time will tell," and this saying is very fitting for fools.

The fools aren't fools; it's just that in the eyes of those blinded by greed, they seem out of touch with reality.

An Tao is such a fool.

Old An is over sixty years old, just the age when he is about to retire. He has spent most of his life navigating the ups and downs of the court, and is naturally very familiar with the ways of officialdom. He rarely says anything ignorant.

To others, he was just a seasoned veteran who had served two dynasties, standing his last post in a daze, waiting to retire and collect his pension.

Therefore, Zhao Xu and Zhang Dun were quite surprised to see him in the Funing Palace at that moment.

They never expected that this old man, nearing retirement, would suddenly become so assertive in his old age, daring to openly contradict the officials.

The emperor and his minister simply couldn't understand it. Although An Tao was the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, Zhao Xu's decision to replace the general of the Yan Yun garrison was not entirely unrelated to An Tao's personal interests. It was completely unrelated. What was wrong with this old man today that he insisted on taking this so seriously?
They certainly couldn't understand it, because Zhao Xu and Zhang Dun's thinking was completely on a different wavelength from An Tao's.

When they think about problems, their first thought is about their own interests or those of others.

An Tao's visit to the palace to overturn the table was purely for the sake of the Song Dynasty, without any selfish motives.

If we must say it's for personal gain, then An Tao is acting in the national interest at this moment.

"Your Majesty, the Great Song Dynasty has now recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. Your Majesty has fulfilled the long-cherished wish of all previous emperors. It is no exaggeration to say that among all the monarchs of the Great Song Dynasty, Your Majesty should be hailed in history as a great restorer of the dynasty, and your reputation is in no way inferior to that of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Taizong of Tang..."

An Tao's cloudy old eyes were now incredibly clear as he stared intently at Zhao Xu. He said in a deep voice, "The situation is clearly very favorable. This old minister does not understand why Your Majesty has suddenly made such a foolish move. Isn't this self-destructive act that will make you a laughingstock for future generations?"

Although Zhao Xu was young, he was already a mature emperor. Mature emperors have a common flaw: they are arrogant and conceited and cannot tolerate dissenting opinions.

Zhao Xu's face darkened, and he said coldly, "It's just a change of generals. How can you say it's 'destroying the Great Wall'? Isn't that going too far?"

“How could it be excessive?” An Tao also sneered: “Although the Liao Kingdom was defeated, it still holds a strong position in the north. They still have the strength to fight back. Abandoning Yan and Yun was something they had no choice but to do. Once they learn that our Great Song has changed generals and there are signs of internal division and infighting in the army, does Your Majesty think that the Liao Kingdom will not take advantage of the situation?”

"And then there's Li Ganshun, the ruler of Western Xia. Although he's young, I've heard he's quite ambitious. Right now, he's only temporarily suppressed by Zhang Jie's Northwest Army. Once he learns that our Great Song army is no longer as powerful as it used to be, how can Li Ganshun just stand by and do nothing?"

"Your Majesty, this is a critical moment for our Great Song Dynasty, which is like sailing against the current. Only when the emperor and his ministers trust each other and the people are of one mind can Your Majesty realize your ambition of unifying the world. At such an important moment, changing generals on the eve of battle, distrusting meritorious officials, and undermining the commander-in-chief, I, your old minister, say that Your Majesty is 'destroying your own Great Wall.' Am I wrong?"

These words instantly escalated the conflict between the emperor and his ministers.

Zhao Xu's face gradually turned ashen. He tried his best to control his temper, and looking at the veteran official of two dynasties in front of him, he finally managed to hold back.

"Master Houqing, I have my reasons for changing the generals. Our royal army's firearms are invincible in the world. Changing a few generals will not weaken our army's combat power, and the Liao Kingdom will still not dare to make a move."

An Tao sneered: "Your Majesty, do not forget who invented the firearms of our Great Song Dynasty. Now that the Khitan have not been destroyed, we have already entered a situation of 'the rabbit is killed and the dog is cooked.' When people of the world hear about this and see it, how can they not feel chilled? How can the morale of the soldiers not be shaken?"

"Even if Your Majesty intends to strip Zhao Xiaoqian of his military power, there is no need to be in such a hurry. What harm is there in waiting a few more years? At this critical juncture, to sideline Zhao Xiaoqian and weaken the Yan-Yun garrison is a truly foolish and muddle-headed move that will only cause pain to those close to you and joy to your enemies!"

Zhao Xu lowered his eyelids, his body trembling slightly, whether from anger or sorrow, it was hard to tell.

He was not a foolish ruler; how could he not know that An Tao's words were all reasonable?

Some things could have been handled more gently and naturally, but now they're rushing to issue an edict to replace generals. To be honest, the way they're distrusting meritorious officials is quite ugly.

But Zhao Xu had no time left.

For the past six months, Zhao Xu felt his health deteriorating day by day. After taking his pulse, the imperial physicians would only offer words of comfort and reassurance, making it seem as if the condition was not serious.

But Zhao Xu knew his own physical condition; his time was running out.

The death of the young prince had a profound impact on him, especially the fact that the royal family had no heir, which caused him great anxiety.

So during that period, he was obsessed with issuing edicts to select concubines, favoring them, and even taking potent drugs from sorcerers, all in an effort to buy time for his concubines to conceive his children so that he could eventually pass the throne to him.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Despite favoring so many concubines, not only did none of them conceive, but it also worsened his already poor health.

The root of his illness was likely planted during that period. In the past two months, Zhao Xu had inexplicably vomited blood multiple times. Despite the repeated gentle words of comfort from the imperial physicians, Zhao Xu could tell from their hesitant expressions that he was perhaps nearing the end of his life. With his death approaching, Zhao Xu grew increasingly fearful of death and anxious about the future of the Song Dynasty, which made him more and more irritable and suspicious.

In his original plan, after the Song Dynasty recovered Yan and Yun, Zhao Xiaoqian's army should launch another northern expedition next year.

This battle required the full strength of the nation to completely destroy the Liao Dynasty, then continue to equip the country with firearms, and next destroy the Western Xia and the Tibetan tribes to the west, thus truly completing the unification of the Song Dynasty.

But man proposes, God disposes. Who could have imagined that Zhao Xu, in his early twenties, would come to the end of his life?

With the emperor's death approaching, many plans must be changed. The first is the hidden danger of ministers holding military power, which must be resolved while he is still alive. Even if this minister is Zhao Xiaoqian, and even if he has not shown any signs of disloyalty, he is still a hidden danger. Only by removing his military power can we feel at ease.

Because of the urgent situation, Zhao Xu had no choice but to make such a hasty move, replacing the general of the Yan Yun garrison without any prior preparation.

This action was naturally interpreted by the court officials as suspicion of meritorious officials, an ugly act of greed, and self-destruction due to personal gain—in short, a series of negative evaluations.

This is how An Tao sees Zhao Xu right now.

However, Zhao Xu had no way to express his suffering, and he could not possibly release the news that his time was coming to an end, as that would definitely cause turmoil in the court and among the people.

Inside the palace, the emperor and his ministers argued fiercely. Zhao Xu's face turned pale and then red, with an unhealthy bluish-purple tinge. He tried to take deep breaths, but his breathing gradually became heavier.

Zhang Dun, who had remained silent throughout the hall, felt a sinking feeling in his heart.

Zhang Dun was the prime minister, and his information channels were much better than An Tao's. Recently, some rumors have been circulating in the palace, most of which are related to the emperor's health.

When the news reached Zhang Dun's ears, he already had some bad guesses about Zhao Xu's health. Seeing Zhao Xu's complexion now, Zhang Dun gradually became certain that the rumors were true.

Seeing that An Tao was still about to argue with Zhao Xu, Zhang Dun hurriedly stopped him: "Master Houqing, let's not discuss this matter in a hurry. How about we talk about it at the court meeting in a few days?"

An Tao snorted angrily. He and Zhang Dun were both Jinshi (successful candidates in the imperial examination) in the same year, but they never had any friendship as fellow candidates, and their relationship was actually very bad.

Just as he was about to retort to Zhang Dun, he saw that Zhang Dun's face was pale and he kept giving him meaningful glances. An Tao was taken aback, and when he looked at Zhao Xu's abnormal expression, he was shocked.

"Your Majesty, please forgive my indiscretion. I spoke inappropriately today and did not mean to anger Your Majesty..." An Tao hurriedly apologized.

The old fox lived up to his reputation; he immediately backed down when the wind was blowing against him. He couldn't bear the blame if he provoked the officials into something bad.

Zhang Dun addressed the people outside the hall in a deep voice: "Eunuch Zheng, His Majesty is unwell. Summon the imperial physician immediately!"

Zhao Xu caught his breath for a moment, gradually calming down, and weakly waved his hand at the two men: "You may leave, allow me some peace and quiet..."

The two dared not linger and hurriedly took their leave.

Zhao Xu sat alone in the hall, looking dazed for a moment, when Zheng Chunhe hurriedly entered the hall.

"What's wrong with His Majesty? This servant has already urgently summoned the imperial physician..."

Zhao Xu waved his hand: "I am beyond medical help, there is no need."

After catching his breath, Zhao Xu said weakly, "Issue an order to the Privy Council: half of the grain supplies for the Yan-Yun garrison should be withheld. The garrison only needs to stockpile enough grain for half a month. The remaining half should be transferred from the official granaries of various prefectures in Jiangnan, transported south via the Xiang River, and sent to Dali and Jiaozhi..."

Zheng Chunhe carefully noted it down and bowed to receive the order.

After giving his instructions, Zhao Xu took a small red velvet box from his desk, opened it, and inside was a red pill the size of a thumbnail. The pill was translucent and radiant, yet it emitted an eerie glow, clearly indicating that it was a pill refined by a sorcerer.

Zhao Xu lowered his head and stared at the pill in his palm. After thinking for a long time, he put it in his mouth and swallowed it.

Amazingly, as soon as the pill entered his stomach, Zhao Xu's complexion gradually turned into a healthy rosy glow, and his listless spirit improved considerably. At first glance, he seemed like a normal, healthy young man.

Zheng Chunhe, who was in the know, looked at Zhao Xu with a worried expression. Only he knew that taking this pill was almost like drinking poison to quench thirst. The emperor had been taking it for half a year, and the effect of the pill could only maintain his health temporarily, but the emperor's health was getting worse and worse.

The brief period of good health made Zhao Xu feel much better. After letting out a long breath, Zhao Xu even showed a long-lost smile. He turned his head to look at Zheng Chunhe. Just as Zhao Xu was about to say something, he suddenly saw Zheng Chunhe's face change. His originally rosy complexion instantly turned pale and purple.

Before Zheng Chunhe could react, Zhao Xu suddenly opened his mouth and vomited a mouthful of thick, dark blood. He sat slumped in his chair, swayed a few times, and finally collapsed heavily onto the desk, losing consciousness.

Zheng Chunhe was shocked and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Quickly! Summon the imperial physician! The Emperor has fainted!"

(End of this chapter)