The prince is more stable

Chapter 825 The Final Madness

The principles of the world are nothing more than "good" and "evil," but good and evil are often defined by the victors.

The victors defining good and evil is itself an evil thing.

Unfortunately, this has become a truth throughout history.

Inside the Palace Guard Office, Zong Ze, clad in full armor, stared at Zeng Bu, who stood on the stone steps of the main hall. Both men's gazes were fearless and indifferent.

In each other's eyes, the other is a "rebel".

Just like the Xiangji Temple confrontation during the Tang Dynasty, where legitimacy versus rebellion, the victor had the final say.

Clearly, the victors now are Zong Ze and the Yan-Yun border army.

Standing on the stone steps in front of the main hall, Zeng Bu narrowed his eyes: "You are Zong Ze?"

Zong Ze nodded and said calmly, "Not bad."

“I remember you were granted the title of Jinshi in the sixth year of the Yuanyou era. You were once a river management official. Later, you were recruited into the Dragon Guard Camp by Zhao Xiaoqian and appointed as the commander.”

"You are also a scholar, can you not distinguish right from wrong and reason, and are you willing to join forces with the rebels?"

Zong Ze smiled and said, "I am very busy and have no time to debate right and wrong with Envoy Zeng. How about we leave everything until the court makes its decision?"

Zeng Bu was silent for a moment, then suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Indeed, it has always been a case of the victor being king and the loser being villain. The loser naturally has no right to argue with the victor. Zong Ze, what do you intend to do with me?"

“His Highness Prince Cheng will have his own reasons. My only responsibility is to deliver Minister Zeng to His Highness intact.”

Anger flashed in Zeng Bu's eyes as he said, "Does Zhao Xiaoqian intend to seize the throne?"

Zong Ze's attitude remained calm and indifferent: "As I said, everything is up to Your Highness to decide. I am acting on orders. It is pointless for the Prime Minister to argue with me."

Zeng Bu, however, seemed not to have heard Zong Ze's words and sneered, "Impossible! Tell Zhao Xiaoqian, it's impossible. He's a member of the imperial family; the throne is not his for the taking! The entire court will not agree to this!"

Zong Ze shook his head, his gaze towards Zeng Bu now tinged with pity.

This is probably what people are like: unwilling, resentful, and unwilling to admit defeat.

The outcome is already decided, so what's the point?
Zong Ze raised his hand and then waved it: "Guards, invite Minister Zeng to the backyard and have him kept a close watch on him until His Highness decides what to do."

Zong Ze bowed to Zeng Bu and said, "Minister Zeng, I have treated you with the utmost courtesy. I beg you to cooperate with me, do not struggle or resist, and do not put me in a difficult position or force me to do anything that would offend you."

"Minister, please come to the side room in the back courtyard."

Zeng Bu gave Zong Ze a deep look, sighed deeply, turned around with a desolate expression, and silently walked into the backyard.

After Zeng Bu left, Zong Ze strode into the main hall of the Palace Guard, sat behind the desk, and sternly ordered, "Bring me the seals of the Privy Council and the Palace Guard! I will write a troop mobilization order, commanding all troops of the Palace Guard in Bianjing to return to their camps and not to move without authorization!"

"Today's chaos began when Zhao Ji (Emperor Huizong) and Zeng Bu acted arbitrarily and recklessly. The Empress Dowager and the court decisively rectified the situation. No matter what the troops under the Palace Guard did, the court will not investigate. From now on, all troops within the capital region are under the control of His Highness Prince Cheng. No one else has the right to mobilize them!"

"This document must be delivered immediately to all military commanders and generals in Bianjing. Anyone who disobeys will be punished for treason, and their entire family will be executed!"

Moments later, a series of troop mobilization documents issued in the name of the Privy Council and the Palace Guard were quickly delivered by the soldiers of the Yan-Yun Border Army to the generals and officers of various armies inside and outside the city.

…………

Outside the gate of Yanfu Palace.

The entire palace was surrounded by the Yan-Yun border army. Zhao Xiaoqian personally led tens of thousands of troops, from Xuande Gate in the south to Gongchen Gate in the north, and the entire palace was surrounded by the Yan-Yun border army.

After a morning of chaos, the situation in Bianjing was brought under control by noon. The only thing out of control was the imperial palace.

In the morning, Zhao Ji led several thousand palace guards into the palace. The palace gates were then closed. No one knew what had happened inside. Countless palace servants tried to escape, but Zhao Ji ordered them to be killed.

The atmosphere of terror in the palace grew increasingly intense. Emperor Huizong went mad, and the imperial guards he led seemed to be infected as well, all of them going insane.

It's hard to say what Zhao Ji and the Imperial Guards were thinking, but it was probably like a final frenzy before the end of the world. The palace was filled with a frenzied atmosphere of destruction, a kind of reckless destruction and killing.

Zhao Xiaoqian stood outside the palace gate, watching the plumes of black smoke rising into the sky. For reasons unknown, Zhao Ji ordered the palace to be burned down. The fire had already destroyed countless houses.

With his brows furrowed and anger flashing in his eyes, Zhao Xiaoqian frowned deeply.

This is a sore loser. The Zhao family produced such a thing; it's probably because the late Emperor Shenzong was distracted during the creation process...

After standing there for a long time, Zhao Xiaoqian took a deep breath and said, "Order the entire army to prepare to break through the palace gates, storm into the palace, and capture Zhao Ji alive!"

The orders were relayed down the ranks by the generals.

Faced with the final obstacle, the soldiers of the Yan-Yun border army were extremely excited, each one eager to fight and awaiting the generals' order to attack.

"Bring a cannon from outside the city and blast it open!" Zhao Xiaoqian ordered again.

After saying that, Zhao Xiaoqian sighed again.

The palace gates were blasted open, but in the end, money still had to be allocated for repairs—and it was all my money…

Furthermore, several palaces in the palace were burned down, and it will cost money to rebuild them.

Zhao Ji, you've committed a terrible sin!
…………

Inside Yanfu Palace.

Half an hour earlier, when he heard that the Yan-Yun border army had broken through the Jin Yao Gate and entered the city, Zhao Ji had gone mad.

He knew that the situation was hopeless.

If he is captured this time, even being demoted to a commoner or exiled to Lingnan will become a pipe dream.

He would be labeled a "rebel" by Zhao Xiaoqian, and then the court and the Imperial Clan Court would use their judgments to condemn him to the deepest abyss. Given Zhao Xiaoqian's character, he would not give him any chance to turn the tables; the best way to eliminate any future trouble was to wipe him off the face of the earth.

The Yan Yun border army moved swiftly, and their combat skills far surpassed those of the Bianjing Imperial Guards. This was an army that had been tempered by war. After breaking through the Jin Yao Gate, they headed straight for the palace, and had already surrounded the Yan Fu Palace.

Zhao Ji was already trapped with no way to escape; he had lost completely.

When people are in dire straits, they either die silently or destroy themselves in a frenzy.

Emperor Huizong of Song (Zhao Ji) belonged to the latter category.

He no longer needs to care about the consequences. No matter how bad the consequences are, it's still just a knife to the neck. How much worse can it get?

Inside the Daqing Hall, Zhao Ji, dressed in imperial robes, sat regally on the dragon throne.

At his feet, a group of eunuchs and palace maids knelt tremblingly before him, addressing him as "Your Majesty".

Yes, this was Zhao Ji's last act of madness. He spent his limited time pursuing his dream, even if that dream was like fireworks, only to bloom briefly.

The emperor's ceremonial robes, which were originally majestic and solemn, looked somewhat out of place on Zhao Ji, like a monkey wearing human clothes, exuding an evil aura no matter how you looked at it.

The main problem was that Zhao Ji's expression was too ferocious at this moment. His facial features were twisted and deformed. The abnormal and eerie facial distortion made people feel cold from the bottom of their hearts.

Yet, despite his grotesque and distorted expression, he was still smiling, making his smile even more terrifying.

"Do any of you gentlemen have something to report today? Speak quickly." Zhao Ji chuckled strangely.

Inside the hall, a group of eunuchs and palace maids, forced to kneel, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Reporting a matter? What matter? They were just lowly eunuchs and palace maids, yet this madman mistook them for civil and military officials.

The seemingly ridiculous scene actually evokes feelings of pity and sorrow.

No one spoke for a long time; the kneeling eunuchs and palace maids dared not utter a sound.

Zhao Ji waited for a long time, but when no one answered him, his face turned cold: "Do you gentlemen have nothing to report? Is my Great Song Dynasty truly at peace throughout the land?"

"You have matters to report but refuse to do so; you clearly do not respect me. How can I forgive you!"

"Guards! Take this person, and him, and her! Drag them out and execute them!" Zhao Ji roared, slamming his fist on the armrest of the dragon throne.

The imperial guards outside the hall exchanged glances, then sighed silently, went inside, and dragged out the eunuchs and palace maids that Zhao Ji had pointed to.

Zheng Chunhe stood quietly under the pillars outside the Daqing Hall.

He had been standing here for a long time. Ever since Zhao Ji led his army into the palace, and the palace was filled with killing and chaos, Zheng Chunhe knew that Zhao Xiaoqian was about to succeed.

He didn't know what was happening outside, but he witnessed Zhao Ji's madness firsthand.

Having lived most of his life and spent it in the cutthroat world of the imperial palace, Zheng Chunhe's life experience was naturally incredibly rich.

He knew that the more insane a person was, the closer they were to death.

Looking up at the sky, he sighed inwardly. The Emperor's brothers were disappointing; they could never compare to His Highness Prince Cheng.

This empire deserves a change of masters. If it falls into the hands of someone like Zhao Ji, then Heaven will truly be against the Song Dynasty.

Standing under the pillars outside the Daqing Hall, I watched as several eunuchs and palace maids were dragged out by the imperial guards. These innocent people had been beheaded on Zhao Ji's orders and were being dragged out of the hall crying and begging for mercy.

Zheng Chunhe stepped forward, reached out to stop the Imperial Guards, and smiled politely.

The imperial guards did not recognize him, but seeing Zheng Chunhe dressed in a crimson official robe, with a fair complexion and no beard, exuding an air of nobility, the guards knew that this person was probably an important figure in the palace, so they stopped what they were doing out of courtesy.

"My apologies, gentlemen. I am Zheng Chunhe, and I was once the personal attendant of the late Emperor Zhezong, holding the official title of Duzhi," Zheng Chunhe said with a smile.

Upon hearing that Zheng Chunhe was a eunuch who had served the late emperor, the imperial guards immediately realized his importance and hesitated before bowing with clasped hands.

Zheng Chunhe pointed to the weeping eunuchs and palace maids prostrating themselves at his feet and said calmly, "My heroes, are you aware of the situation in Bianjing today?"

The Imperial Guards nodded hesitantly.

Zheng Chunhe pointed to the Daqing Hall again and said, "He has no way out, so he is acting like a madman. You are just being coerced and have no choice but to follow orders. But at this moment, do you still want to go crazy with him?"

"Tens of thousands of Yan-Yun border troops have surrounded the palace. You have no way to escape. Or are you willing to die with Zhao Ji?"

Several imperial guards hurriedly shook their heads.

What a joke! They had no connection with Zhao Ji before. Today, Zeng Bu issued a troop mobilization order, forcing them to obey Zhao Ji. Only someone with a screw loose would be willing to die with Zhao Ji. We don't know him at all!

Upon hearing the denials from several imperial guards, Zheng Chunhe's smile became even more amiable.

"Since you don't want to die with him, why are you going crazy with him? He has already reached a dead end and is determined to die. But you still have a long life ahead of you, and His Highness Prince Cheng outside will certainly not make things difficult for you."

“But if you listen to him now and really start killing indiscriminately in this palace, once the palace gates are breached, no one will be able to save you.”

Zheng Chunhe's words were reasonable and insightful, and he spoke entirely from the perspective of the Imperial Guards.

The imperial guards were not ungrateful; they naturally listened to the good advice and comfort they received.

Then a man who looked like a captain of the Imperial Guard clasped his hands and asked humbly, "May I ask Commander Zheng, what can we brothers do to save our lives?"

Zheng Chunhe smiled, a bright smile: "It's very simple. Surrendering on the battlefield requires sincerity. As long as you are sincere enough, you will not only be blameless, but you will also be credited."

"His Highness Prince Cheng and tens of thousands of Yan-Yun border troops are right outside the palace gates. You must open the palace gates immediately and surrender. I guarantee that His Highness Prince Cheng will remember your service. Whether you live a life of poverty or wealth depends on your decision at this moment."

(End of this chapter)