The prince is more stable

Chapter 820 Responding to the Emperor's Arrival
When Zeng Bu secretly slipped away from the coronation ceremony, Zhao Xiaoqian had a premonition that this person might be a variable.

At this moment, the premonition of misfortune came true; Zeng Bu was indeed a variable.

To achieve great things, one cannot necessarily consider every aspect. Zhao Xiaoqian admitted that he had indeed overlooked Zeng Bu beforehand.

Even when Zhao Xu was still alive, Zeng Bu already had a clear preference regarding the selection of the new emperor.

Zeng Bu's thinking was rather conservative and stubborn; he only believed in rigid principles.

"Fixed principles" refers to ancestral rules and established laws.

As early as a hundred years ago, when Emperor Taizu passed away and his younger brother Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne, the Song Dynasty set a precedent of "succession by brother after brother's death," and successive emperors and ministers regarded it as an ancestral system.

So, if we consider the present day, with Zhao Xu dead and without an heir, Zeng Bu believes that the throne must be inherited by the eldest brother, Zhao Ji, without question, because this is stipulated by ancestral rules.

Because of this incident, Zeng Bu and Zhang Dun had more than one argument. One was a bigwig in the Council of State Affairs, and the other was a bigwig in the Privy Council. The two bigwigs in the military and political circles had a very unpleasant falling out and almost became political enemies.

No matter how hard you try to reason with such a stubborn person, you will never get through to him.

Therefore, at today's coronation ceremony, Zhao Ji was overthrown by the Empress Dowager and the court officials. To Zeng Bu, all the civil and military officials were traitors and rebels, so killing them all would not be a pity.

It would be unsurprising that a conservative, stubborn person who is loyal to the Song Dynasty royal family would do anything under such circumstances.

Zeng Bu's relationship with Zhao Ji may not have been very deep, perhaps just superficial, but Zeng Bu had a deep affection for the ancestral system of the Song Dynasty.

This is why, tonight, at this very moment, he is willing to risk a reputation for treason to seize control of the Palace Guard.

Things had come to this point, and Zeng Bu was determined to use force to uphold the legitimacy of the imperial family and the dignity of the ancestral system of the Song Dynasty.

As for the irrefutable evidence of Zhao Ji poisoning the young prince at today's enthronement ceremony, Zeng Bu was not present at the time, and he did not believe a single word of it.

This was obviously a frame-up by treacherous officials to overthrow Zhao Ji; otherwise, what else could it be?

Zeng Bu is now going all out.

When Emperor Huizong fell from power, Zeng Bu would never allow it. He was not defending Emperor Huizong, but rather the ancestral system and the rules.

The throne of the Song Dynasty belonged to no one but Zhao Ji; anyone who ascended it would be a usurper.

Inside the courtyard of the Palace Guard's office, at Zeng Bu's command, a hundred imperial guards rushed toward Han Song in the main hall.

Han Song was shocked; he never expected Zeng Bu to choose such an extreme way to seize military power.

This guy is clearly a scholar, so why is he more irritable than a military general?

Seeing the hundred imperial guards rushing towards him, Han Song turned and ran towards the backyard, screaming shrilly as he ran.

"Help! Help! Zeng Bu has gone mad! He's plotting a rebellion!"

Although the Palace Guard Office was a military agency, most of its staff were actually civil officials. After all, the practice of using civil officials to control the military had been a glorious tradition of the Song Dynasty for over a century. There were not many true military officers in the office, or rather, the crude military officers were not qualified to be in the Palace Guard Office.

Han Song shouted for his life, and many officials in the government office peeked out curiously. When they saw that someone was indeed chasing Han Song, the officials were shocked and quickly turned their heads back. Some clever ones quietly slipped out the back door to get help.

Han Song cried for help and ran to the backyard, where someone finally came to his rescue.

Four men in black appeared out of nowhere, drawing their swords and pointing them at the approaching hundred Imperial Guards.

The men in black were naturally Zhao Hao's subordinates. They were originally there to keep a close watch on Han Song. After all, Han Song had just surrendered, and neither Zhao Hao nor his son Zhao Xiaoqian could trust him. At this critical moment, it was necessary to send someone to keep a close watch on him. If they found any suspicious behavior from Han Song, the men in black could kill him on the spot.

Unexpectedly, the person monitoring Han Song ended up having to step forward to save his life.

Despite being pursued by a hundred imperial guards, the four men in black showed no fear. They kicked Han Song to the back and charged forward with their swords.

In the backyard of the Palace Guard office, swords flashed, screams and groans filled the air, and the fighting was extremely fierce.

The men in black were handpicked by Zhao Hao. In terms of individual martial arts skills, if there were a ranking of masters in the martial arts world, these four would at least be in the top twenty.

Unfortunately, no matter how skilled an individual is in martial arts, they are ultimately too insignificant in the face of a well-organized army's combined attack formation.

The hundred imperial guards skillfully formed a combined attack formation, cooperating with each other in different ways, and the four men in black gradually became overwhelmed by the attack of the hundred men.

Before long, the four men in black were killed on the spot by a hundred imperial guards without any suspense. From the moment they drew their swords to their deaths, the four men did not utter a single word, not even making a sound in their dying moments, thus hastily ending their lives.

Han Song was in despair. When the man in black rescued him, he had thought about escaping from the government office, but his escape route had been blocked by the Imperial Guards.

Zeng Bu is determined to seize the power of the Palace Guard tonight, and then rescue the emperor. Moreover, Zeng Bu is convinced that Han Song has betrayed Zhao Ji and joined the enemy camp, and this man must die tonight.

After the four men in black died in battle, Zeng Bu, who had been watching from a distance, raised his hand and pointed at Han Song, shouting in a deep voice, "Kill him!" The hundred imperial guards had already begun their killing spree, and at this point they no longer cared about retreating. They would follow Zeng Bu to the bitter end, so they rushed forward and hacked at Han Song with their swords.

In desperation, Han Song raised his arm to block the blades, but the outcome was predictable. Within a few breaths, Han Song was hacked to death and lay in a pool of blood.

Zeng Bu stared expressionlessly at the horrific scene in the backyard, showing no pity for the corpses on the ground. He suddenly turned around, looked at the officials who were hiding in various corners in the distance, watching the spectacle with expressions of fear, and shouted: "The traitors have plotted to usurp the throne, and the Emperor has been disgraced. I, Zeng, have been favored by the Emperor for generations, how dare I not think of repaying the country and being loyal to the Emperor!"

"From this moment forward, the military power of the Palace Guard in Bianjing shall be handed over to me, Zeng. I am both the Privy Councilor and the Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guard, and I have the authority to mobilize the Imperial Guards of Bianjing. All civil and military officials and soldiers of the three armies in Bianjing shall be under my command. Anyone who disobeys my orders shall be executed on the spot!"

After a pause, Zeng Bu said firmly, "As for whether what I did tonight was loyal or treacherous, history and future generations will judge for themselves. I have no regrets and have done right by the emperors of the Song Dynasty!"

With a sharp, lightning-like gaze sweeping over the officials watching from various corners in the distance, Zeng Bu raised his voice and shouted, "You all receive the salary of the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty. Now that the Emperor is in trouble, are there any loyal ministers who will join my ranks and save the Emperor from this turbulent situation?"

After hesitating for a long time, the officials of the Palace Guard finally stood in the middle of the courtyard from all corners, facing Zeng Bu's murderous gaze, and bowed to him in unison.

"I am willing to obey your orders, sir!"

Zeng Bu's sharp gaze softened slightly as he stared at the crowd and slowly said, word by word, "Now, bring me the official seal of the Commander of the Palace Guard. I am going to mobilize troops to kill the enemy and serve the country!"

…………

How heavy are the wheels of history?

Mortals will eventually be crushed.

Heaven looks down upon the world, and the clouds on the horizon transform into a meaningful mockery, ridiculing the world's overestimation of its own abilities.

In the spring after Zhao Xu's death, farmers outside Bianjing were busy plowing and sowing. No one knew that a tremendous change was taking place in the capital of the Song Dynasty, and a new era was about to begin.

The lives of ordinary people were not disturbed. They merely heard some gossip about the imperial family and the court, which they then used as exciting topics of conversation during their leisure time. They talked animatedly, claiming to be insiders, and described every detail that happened inside and outside the Bianjing Imperial Palace as if they were there themselves.

Early the next morning, countless ordinary people, merchants, and ships laden with goods gathered at the seventeen city gates of Bianjing, including the water gate, waiting for the gates to open.

Strangely, the time for opening the city gates had long passed, yet the seventeen city gates remained closed. Some impatient civilians shouted and cursed, but the imperial guards on the city walls ignored them, standing ramrod straight without showing any intention of opening the gates.

It's a very strange phenomenon. During the days of Emperor Zhezong's grand funeral, the city gates were open as usual, without affecting the lives of the people. But today, for some reason, no matter how much the people shouted and cursed, the imperial guards just wouldn't open them.

The hour of Mao (5-7 AM) had passed, the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) had passed, and by the hour of Si (9-11 AM), the people and merchants gathered under the city gate were becoming increasingly impatient, and hundreds and thousands of them began to point at the city gate and curse.

However, the imperial guards at the city gate remained motionless, as if they were clay or stone sculptures.

Soon after, the people below the city gate suddenly fell silent.

They heard the sound of orderly footsteps coming from inside the city, wave after wave, like a thousand troops marching past. The rapid rhythm of the armor plates striking each other made the surrounding air deathly silent.

The people's expressions finally changed. They looked at each other, exchanging glances that conveyed the same message.

Something terrible has happened in the city!

It is clear that the Palace Guard within the city is already mobilizing troops, for reasons unknown.

Intelligent people immediately recalled the farce of yesterday's coronation ceremony, in which Zhao Ji, who had not yet firmly established himself on the throne, was deposed in the palace. The Empress Dowager and the court officials joined forces to overthrow an emperor who had not even completed his enthronement ceremony.

The sudden mobilization of Palace Guard troops within the city today is clearly related to yesterday's enthronement ceremony.

Regardless of who these troops are targeting, the common people and merchants would absolutely not dare to get involved. They have already felt the murderous aura within the city. Do not doubt it, these imperial guards are truly capable of killing.

The terrified civilians and merchants immediately retreated, moving further and further away from the city gate.

No matter how big the matter, no one is in a hurry to go to the city. Even if it's a wife cheating on her husband in the city, let her have her fun today first. No one dares to joke with their own life.

Almost simultaneously, the crowds gathered at all the city gates of Bianjing dispersed and retreated. People began to flee to the outskirts, spreading rumors of panic and trying every means to send messages of refuge to their relatives, wives, and children in the city.

The world has inevitably descended into chaos.

The so-called "disaster of war" is so direct and brutal. Once the machine of war is turned on, everything in sight and touch will be crushed into dust, and ordinary people have no choice but to flee for their lives.

Privy Councilor Zeng Bu took over all the imperial guards in Bianjing and sent troop mobilization orders to the three major military camps outside the city, demanding that more than 100,000 soldiers of the three major military camps in Bianjing complete their assembly within one day to encircle the Yan Yun army outside the city.

At this time, Zeng Bu was leading several thousand soldiers from the Palace Guard to surround the Prince Duan's residence.

Outside the main gate of the Prince's Mansion, Zeng Bu, dressed in a purple official robe, stood with a somber expression. Behind him, the Imperial Guards raised a huge banner with four powerful characters written on it.

"Welcome the King with your presence."

(End of this chapter)