The prince is more stable

Chapter 857: Never suffer from future troubles
Exile is not a trip you can just take on a whim; it's not that romantic.

In fact, the punishment of exile in ancient times was a matter of life and death, a gamble with one's fate, a gamble on whether God would approve of you or want to take you away.

The Lingnan and Qiongnan regions were not tourist destinations in later generations, and they didn't have much poetic and picturesque scenery. Today, most of Lingnan and Qiongnan are wild, miasma-ridden, and swampy places.

Moreover, the road conditions in ancient times were poor. There were no straight and flat highways, and people could only wade through muddy waters. If they were unlucky, they had to cross mountains and valleys, and one wrong step could send them tumbling off a cliff.

The only commendable thing is that the ecological environment in ancient times was particularly good. You could walk on the road and suddenly a tiger would jump out from somewhere and snatch you up for lunch.

Not to mention food safety on the road, the chance of getting sick, etc. Any one of these could be fatal. And the journey of exile is almost full of buffs, it all depends on how lucky you are.

Of course, some prisoners were lucky. Not only did they not encounter any danger during their exile, they were also able to eat, drink, and have fun all the way, living a very comfortable life. They even discovered local delicacies and specialties in various places and would write letters back to the capital to brag to their younger brothers from time to time.

The prisoner who was lucky was named Su Shi.

But who dares to compare with Su Shi?

Even if he's down on his luck, he's still a literary leader. Wherever he goes, fans will rush to support him. Besides, his younger brother is the Vice Prime Minister of the court, a famous example of a brother who is overly protective of his brother.

When Su Shi was exiled, which of the officials escorting him dared to treat him badly? Which of them dared to disrespect him?

Today, Zhao Ji has been stripped of his royal title and demoted to a commoner. He is now helpless and alone in the capital, with no one daring to associate with him. Could he be as fortunate as Su Shi during his exile?

Emperor Huizong of Song could only save himself; buying his life with money was the simplest and most effective method.

The officials were indeed tempted. Nobody turns down money. If there really was a hundred taels of gold, they would be willing to treat him kindly on the way.

Make money, not shabby.

Once the person is sent to Lingnan, their business is over, but they get a windfall that will last them a lifetime. Why not?
With the money promised by Zhao Ji, the officials indeed became much gentler, their eyes filled with tender affection as they looked at him.

Emperor Huizong rested for a long time without anyone urging him. Instead, they brought him dry food and water.

Emperor Huizong's depressed mood, which had lasted for many days, finally improved considerably. It seemed that his safety was assured as he traveled to Lingnan.

The manor twenty miles outside Bianjing city was indeed once under the name of Zhao Ji.

When Zhao Ji was at the height of his power, he owned countless estates like these, all managed by officials from the Prince Duan's residence. Later, when he became a prisoner, the court naturally couldn't leave the estates to him and confiscated them all.

A prisoner wearing a wooden cangue and several officials arrived at the village. The sharp-eyed farmers and village servants were surprised to find that the prisoner was actually their former employer, which immediately attracted a crowd of onlookers.

The farmers had no reaction to this employer. Emperor Huizong rarely came and would never show any favor to these poor farmers. The grain tax he collected each year was no less than that of other families. He had no kindness to speak of, so the farmers naturally had no sympathy or pity for his current situation.

They merely watched from a distance out of curiosity, wondering what their former owner was doing at the estate today.

Emperor Huizong did not explain. Although he was demoted to a commoner, he was still the proud Prince Duan at heart. Even if he was crushed into the mud, he was still more noble than them.

Led by his officials, Zhao Ji walked to the old locust tree where the gold leaves had once been buried. Several officials subtly blocked everyone's view, while Zhao Ji dug and dug and dug in the small patch of soil...

He quickly took out a bundle full of gold leaves and presented it to the officials with both hands.

Seeing that Zhao Ji had indeed not lied to them, the officials' expressions softened considerably.

After accepting the gold leaf, Zhao Ji and his officials continued their journey.

From this point on, Zhao Ji's situation improved considerably. At least he no longer had to be scolded or beaten, and even his meals were delivered to him by the officials.

An official subtly told him that once he left the capital region, they could consider removing his wooden shackles and fetters. Zhao Ji was extremely grateful and thanked him profusely.

On the first day of his exile, Zhao Ji and his officials did not walk very fast, covering a maximum distance of only thirty li.

At dusk, they came to a stream. There was no village or shop in sight, so the officials decided to camp by the stream. Fortunately, the weather was hot and the nights were not too cold. Apart from a lot of mosquitoes, they were not uncomfortable.

Emperor Huizong had grown accustomed to his current status and circumstances, and dared not be too particular. After eating some dry rations, he curled up and fell asleep by the stream.

At midnight, a series of chaotic footsteps approached from afar.

The officials took turns on night duty. Hearing something amiss, they immediately woke everyone up. Zhao Ji sat up with a yawn, about to complain, when he saw an unfamiliar figure slowly approaching him not far ahead.

There were no more birdsong or insect chirps all around, and even the flowing stream seemed to have stopped.

An unfamiliar figure slowly approached, and only he appeared. However, Zhao Ji and his officials could clearly hear rustling sounds from the bushes all around them, indicating that people were lying in ambush all around, blocking all their escape routes.

The officers felt a chill run down their spines. From this alone, they knew that this group was definitely experts in ambush, and their prey could not possibly escape.

One of the constables gritted his teeth, suddenly drew his sword, pointed it at the only person who had shown himself, and shouted angrily, "Who goes there? We are constables from the Court of Judicial Review. Do you know how serious the crime of raiding our officers at night is?"

The person approaching from the opposite side did not answer, but simply threw something over. The officer caught it instinctively and glanced at it in the dim light of the torch, and was immediately horrified.

"The Imperial... Imperial City Guard?!"

At this moment, the person who had appeared had almost reached Zhao Ji and the others. In the dim light, the person's appearance was revealed to everyone.

The man grinned at Zhao Ji and the officials, saying, "Yes, the Imperial City Guard only obeys the current emperor, and no one is allowed to interfere in the affairs of the Imperial City Guard."

"I am Zhen Qing, and I am handling official business at the Imperial City Guard."

The officials were terrified. The Imperial City Guard was an entity they couldn't afford to offend, and tonight, Zhen Qing, who was handling official business for them, had actually come in person. They were just government officials who occasionally did odd jobs; what terrible crime had they committed that warranted Zhen Qing personally coming to ambush them?

Despite their self-deprecation, the officials couldn't help but think, "Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?" They were unworthy, not worth the officials' personal attention...

The officials suddenly froze.

wrong!

The Imperial City Guard couldn't possibly be after these few officials; they don't have that kind of influence.

Then the only possibility is...

The officials slowly turned their heads and focused their gaze on Zhao Ji.

At this moment, Zhao Ji's face was deathly pale. From the moment Zhen Qing revealed his identity, Zhao Ji knew that the Imperial City Guard was after him.

As for the purpose, what other purpose could there be besides sending him to his death?
At this moment, Zhao Ji finally despaired, and he suddenly felt like laughing.

When he left Beijing, he still harbored a glimmer of hope, thinking that the matter would be over.

The victor is king, the loser is villain. Zhao Xiaoqian became emperor, and he was exiled to Lingnan to become a commoner. As a loser, as long as he could survive, he accepted being a commoner.

However, he realized that he had been too naive; how could Zhao Xiaoqian possibly let him go?

The moment he left the Imperial Clan Court today, the Imperial City Guard must have already been watching him, following him until midnight before quietly setting up an ambush.

As expected of the Imperial City Guard, they act with experience, thoroughness, ruthlessness, and efficiency.

Zhao Ji stared at Zhen Qing with a face full of despair and said, "I've already fallen to this state, why won't Zhao Xiaoqian let me go? I'm no longer a threat to him!"

As he spoke, Zhao Ji knelt down on both knees, bowed his head, and burst into tears.

Zhen Qing stared at him expressionlessly and said coldly, "Only the dead are truly harmless. Zhao Ji, you were once glorious, don't you understand the principle of 'cutting the weeds and eliminating the roots'?"

"Not only you, but your wives and concubines are the same. Fortunately, you have no children, otherwise the ending would be the same."

With tears streaming down his face, Zhao Ji began to kowtow to Zhen Qing repeatedly, one kowtow after another, with great effort.

"Please, please... spare my life, I'll give you anything. I've buried a lot of money in other villages, I'll give it all to you."

Zhen Qing curled his lips into a smile, his eyes devoid of any emotion, and said indifferently, "No amount of money can buy my loyalty to the Emperor, much less your life."

"Zhao Ji, I'm sorry, rest in peace. In your next life, don't try to compete with the Emperor. You can't afford to play that game."

As he spoke, Zhen Qing suddenly drew his sword, and a bright flash of light swept across Zhao Ji's neck.

Zhao Ji's crying suddenly stopped, and he opened his eyes wide in shock. Blood gushed from his neck. He tried to raise his hand to cover the wound, but he had no strength left in his body and could not even lift his hand.

A moment later, Zhao Ji, with his eyes wide open in resentment, collapsed heavily to the ground, already dead.

Zhen Qing stared at him quietly until Zhao Ji fell to the ground. Still worried, he squatted down to check his breathing and pulse. Only after confirming that the man was completely dead did he nod in satisfaction.

The officers were so frightened that they fell to their knees before Zhen Qing, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

They were innocent, but they saw things they shouldn't have seen, and that made them guilty.

Zhen Qing's eyes finally showed a hint of sympathy, and he shook his head and sighed, "The job you all took on is really..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhen Qing turned around.

Suddenly, dozens of Imperial City Guards appeared from all around, wielding broadswords and slashing at the officials.

The officers screamed and struggled, but after a while they finally fell silent.

Zhen Qing then turned around and said calmly, "Touch their bodies up to look like they've been attacked by wild beasts, throw them into a nearby ravine, and then report it to the local government."

"On the way to exile in Lingnan, Zhao Ji unfortunately encountered a wild beast. Zhao Ji and his officials were both devoured by the beast, and their corpses can serve as evidence. The government should report the facts to the Dali Temple in Bianjing."

The subordinates of the Imperial City Guard bowed and accepted the order, then squatted down and began to work on the corpses of Zhao Ji and the others.

The Imperial City Guard is an expert in this regard.

Emperor Huizong of Song still died with his eyes wide open, staring blankly at the dark sky. His body and clothes were covered with wounds inflicted by the Imperial City Guard.

His eyes were still fixed on the night sky, and the resentment and bitterness in his eyes before his death still lingered there.

An impatient subordinate closed his eyelids and casually scratched several marks on his face, as if they were the claws of a wild beast.

Thus ended the reign of one of history's most incompetent rulers, and his life was forever erased.

In the long river of history, it didn't even cause a ripple.

(End of this chapter)