The prince is more stable

Chapter 783 A Storm is About to Begin
Life is fleeting, and when we say goodbye, there's always one less tight hug.

As the sound of death knells echoed throughout Bianjing, the court officials outside the palace gates realized what was happening and knelt down, wailing and crying towards the direction of the Funing Palace.

Zhao Xiaoqian knelt silently, his head bowed and tears streaming down his face.

When a person dies, the lamp goes out, and all love, hate, gratitude, and resentment vanish with the wind.

Looking back on all the moments he shared with Zhao Xu over the years, the gratitude ultimately outweighed the resentment.

In Zhao Xu's heart, he probably truly regarded him as his own younger brother. Over the years, Zhao Xu was both the king and the elder brother, and in this court that should have been full of intrigue, he gave Zhao Xiaoqian some rare warmth.

Do not say that the imperial court is heartless; people of all social classes, regardless of wealth or status, are actually compassionate.

At this moment, both inside and outside the palace gates, there was a chorus of wailing. Many old ministers kowtowed and wept bitterly, their foreheads bleeding from the kowtows.

Inside Bianjing city, as the funeral bell tolled, countless homes lit up with lights.

When the news of the emperor's death spread quickly throughout the city, every household hung up white lanterns and white banners, and the sound of weeping could be heard everywhere in the city.

At this moment, the palace gates opened, and a group of eunuchs came out carrying a pile of white silk, distributing the silk to the court officials who were kneeling and weeping outside the palace.

The court officials took the white silk and tied it to their official hats and waists, and the whole city was draped in white.

Before long, a group of monks and Taoists also lined up and hurriedly arrived outside the palace gate. Soon, eunuchs led these monks and Taoists into the palace.

Zhao Xiaoqian knelt there blankly, seemingly oblivious to the wailing and weeping of the court officials around him.

The scenes from that year still flashed through his mind.

Remembrance need not be too noisy.

Those who are silent are even more tragic.

After an unknown amount of time, the palace gates opened again, and a eunuch approached Zhao Xiaoqian and whispered, "Your Highness, the Empress Dowager and Minister Zhang request that you enter the Qingshou Hall."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded, silently rose, and followed the eunuch into the palace gate.

Zhao Xu died in Funing Palace, which was then used as a place for his coffin to be kept. If Empress Dowager Xiang and Zhang Dun wanted to discuss matters, they could only do so in the Empress Dowager's Qingshou Palace.

Upon arriving at the Qingshou Hall, Zhao Xiaoqian straightened his clothes and entered. The atmosphere inside was oppressive and somber, filled with a strong sense of grief.

White banners have been hung inside and outside the palace, and even the chairs have been wrapped in white cloth by eunuchs.

After bowing to the Empress Dowager and Zhang Dun, Zhao Xiaoqian sat down. He glanced at them and saw that they both looked angry, but they tried their best to suppress it.

Zhao Xiaoqian took a deep breath, trying to calm his grief and regain his composure and rationality.

Judging from the unpleasant expressions on the Empress Dowager's and Zhang Dun's faces, the two had probably argued about the selection of a new emperor.

Zhao Xiaoqian had previously been moving between the two sides, so he was naturally very clear about their positions.

Empress Dowager Xiang firmly supported Prince Duan, Zhao Ji, in ascending the throne.

Zhang Dun, however, strongly opposed Prince Duan's ascension to the throne. Of course, this did not mean that he supported Prince Jian. In fact, Zhang Dun disliked both of them. If he had to choose, he could only reluctantly choose to support Prince Jian.

The reason for their argument just now was probably this.

Zhao Xiaoqian sat down without changing his expression, first bowing to the Empress Dowager and saying, "Your Majesty has summoned me to the palace. May I ask what brings you here?"

The Empress Dowager wiped away her tears and said sorrowfully, "Zi'an, the Emperor... has passed away."

Zhao Xiaoqian lowered his head: "Your Majesty, I am aware of this. Please accept my condolences."

The Empress Dowager choked up and said, "Before his death, His Majesty left an oral edict, instructing me, Chancellor Zhang, and Zi'an to handle the funeral arrangements. His Majesty instructed that the funeral should be simple and not extravagant, and that the national treasury should not be used. Officials in the capital and other regions are not allowed to use the funeral to exploit the people or increase taxes."

Zhao Xiaoqian was startled.

Before his death, Zhao Xu included him in the funeral arrangements. This appointment seemed ordinary, but it was actually quite extraordinary.

Historically, officials who were in charge of the funeral arrangements for a deceased emperor were either highly accomplished or respected senior ministers. Zhao Xu's inclusion of him in the list of officials in charge of the funeral arrangements was his last attempt to elevate himself.

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Xiaoqian slowly said, "I am still young and not very familiar with funeral rites. If Your Majesty needs me to do anything, please feel free to instruct me."

The Empress Dowager said calmly, "The funeral arrangements are merely a formality. The specific matters will be handled by officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs. It is not appropriate for me to make too many appearances. I will have to trouble you two from now on."

Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhang Dun responded in unison, "Yes."

Empress Dowager Xiang paused, glanced at Zhang Dun intentionally or unintentionally, and said, "A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. During the mourning period in the palace, I also ask the two of you to summon the court officials to discuss the selection of a new ruler."

Unconsciously raising her voice, the Empress Dowager's target became even more obvious: "The candidates to be discussed must conform to the ancestral system. Since ancient times, the order of seniority, legitimate and illegitimate children, and the rules of etiquette and law have been strict. I hope that you two will abide by this and not violate the ancestral system."

Zhang Dun suddenly paused in stroking his beard with his eyes closed. After a moment, he continued stroking his beard, but his eyes remained closed.

Zhao Xiaoqian asked in bewilderment, "Your Majesty, I am but a lowly subject, how can I presume to speak on the selection of a new emperor?"

After remaining silent for a long time, Zhang Dun said sadly, "His Majesty left a will before his death, saying that Zian has made great contributions to the Song Dynasty. He is not only a descendant of the imperial family, but also a pillar of the state. Zian should participate in the discussion of the selection of the new emperor."

Zhao Xiaoqian said in a deep voice, "Did His Majesty leave no will before his death, designating a new emperor?"

The Empress Dowager and Zhang Dun both shook their heads sadly.

"I asked His Majesty, but he remained silent, I don't know if he was already out of his mind or if he didn't want to be named."

Zhao Xiaoqian fell silent again, a pang of sorrow gripping his heart. The matter of choosing a new emperor remained a source of inner conflict until the very end; he died without making a final decision, leaving the issue to posterity.

"The palace servants have already begun setting up the mourning hall and performing the rituals. Tonight, we will keep vigil for the late Emperor. We will change the officials from the Ministry of Rites after dawn," Empress Dowager Xiang said slowly.

After the three of them briefly discussed the funeral arrangements, Empress Dowager Xiang instructed the palace servants to move to the Funing Palace.

The Empress Dowager rode in a phoenix carriage, with Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhang Dun following closely behind.

Walking through the deep palace, Zhang Dun glanced at the Empress Dowager's carriage ahead and whispered, "Zi'an, what do you say about the choice of the new emperor?"

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and said, "Does Minister Zhang still firmly oppose Prince Duan's ascension to the throne?"

Zhang Dun nodded: "That's right. It concerns the fate of the Song Dynasty and whether the new policies can continue to be implemented. Prince Duan cannot ascend the throne, otherwise the new policies that the Song Dynasty has just begun to improve in recent years may be abandoned again."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, “But even if Prime Minister Zhang supports Prince Jian, he may not agree to continue implementing the new policies. Judging from Prince Jian’s temperament, he is extremely self-centered and acts only according to his own likes and dislikes. If he ascends the throne, the new policies will likely face many difficulties.”

Zhang Dun's expression showed a hint of resentment as he gritted his teeth and said, "As long as I remain in the court, even if it means enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens, I will carry out the new policies, and I will not regret it even if I die."

Zhao Xiaoqian stared intently at him.

Some people truly live by their ideals and beliefs; Zhang Dun's belief was the New Policies.

Regardless of whether the new policies were good or bad, right or wrong, Zhang Dun's tenacious spirit is at least worthy of Zhao Xiaoqian's admiration.

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian remain silent, Zhang Dun suddenly stopped, his expression turning complicated and strange.

"What's wrong with Prime Minister Zhang?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked, puzzled.

Zhang Dun glanced quickly at the Empress Dowager's carriage in front of him, his voice becoming even lower.

"Actually, the Emperor said one more thing before he died..." Zhang Dun said slowly.

What did the Emperor say?

The Emperor said, "It's a pity that Zian is a member of the imperial clan. If he were my own brother, I would have no regrets even if I died."

Zhao Xiaoqian was greatly shocked, and his steps slowed down.

Looking at his changing expressions, Zhang Dun sighed, "I wholeheartedly agree with what Your Majesty said... If Zian were Your Majesty's own brother, why would the Empress Dowager and I be arguing endlessly over the selection of the new emperor? Zian's talent makes him the natural choice for the new emperor."

Zhao Xiaoqian said coldly, "Is Minister Zhang testing me?"

Zhang Dun shook his head: "I'm speaking from the heart, it's a pity..."

Zhao Xiaoqian's heart skipped a beat, and he said with a half-smile, "If I also have the intention of vying for the throne, what do you think my chances of winning are, Prime Minister Zhang?"

Zhang Dun's expression froze for a moment, but he didn't say a word. He just patted his shoulder, chuckled twice, and then quickened his pace to catch up with the Empress Dowager's carriage.

…………

As dawn broke, Zhao Xiaoqian walked out of the palace gates, exhausted.

After keeping vigil for half the night, Zhao Xiaoqian's grief seemed to have become numb due to extreme physical exhaustion.

Inside the Funing Hall, he stared blankly at Zhao Xu's coffin, his mind racing with chaotic thoughts until it gradually went blank. He was like a walking corpse, kneeling and rising at the beck and call of the Ministry of Rites officials, devoid of joy, anger, or thought.

As dawn broke and I left the palace gates, countless court officials were still gathered outside, densely filling the square outside the palace gates.

The devastating news last night shocked the entire capital of Bianjing. Almost all the officials in the city arrived, and many ordinary people also rushed over upon hearing the news, kowtowing and weeping towards the palace gate from afar.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaoqian walked through the crowd with a numb expression and returned to the Chu King's Palace.

He was very tired and wanted to sleep, but Zhao Xiaoqian knew that the moment of decisive battle had arrived, and he could not sleep.

After dismissing the servants from the front courtyard of the Prince's Mansion and the Yin'an Hall, Zhao Xiaoqian summoned Chen Shou.

"Two things, you need to send someone to do them for me immediately," Zhao Xiaoqian said in a deep voice.

Chen Shou clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Your Highness, please give your orders."

"The first thing to do is to send a fast horse to the capital of Liao and summon Zhen Qing, the official in charge of the Imperial City Guard, back to the capital. This matter is extremely urgent."

"Yes!"

"The second thing is to send a fast horse to the main camp outside Youzhou City in Yanyun to secretly meet with Zhong Jianzhong and Zong Ze, and tell them to immediately take control of the commander-in-chief Chen Songling, regain control of the military, and be ready to lead the army back to the capital at any time to attend to the emperor's affairs."

The first thing was quite ordinary, and Chen Shoushang didn't react at all. But when he heard the second thing, Chen Shoushang was startled and looked up at Zhao Xiaoqian.

"Raising troops to serve the emperor" has always been a pretext for rebellion. Although Chen Shou had a pretty good idea of ​​Zhao Xiaoqian's intentions, he still didn't expect that this day would come so quickly and so suddenly.

Zhao Xiaoqian did not explain, but looked up at the rising sun on the horizon and said calmly, "The Emperor has passed away, and turmoil is about to begin. A new era has begun."

There was one more thing he didn't say.

Zhao Xu is dead, and the seal on Zhao Xiaoqian has been lifted.

With Zhao Xu present, Zhao Xiaoqian was unwilling to rebel.

With Zhao Xu dead, there is no one in the world worthy of his loyalty.

What are Prince Duan and Prince Jian? Do they even deserve my loyalty?
(End of this chapter)