Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 858 A Word Decides the Reign and the Subject

Empress Dowager Wu also agreed to the replacement.

Zhao Gou was too incompetent. This Wu woman had been with him since she was fourteen and accompanied him for her entire life, yet she had no children with him.

In her heart, Zhao Qu, whom she adopted, was like her own son.

The biological son was poisoned by his grandson, whom he wasn't even very close to...

If she hadn't remembered that she was the daughter-in-law of the Zhao family and that the Zhao family's empire was more important, she would have already killed Zhao Qi with a single blow.

Now that Qu'er has a chance of surviving, it seems... the emperor doesn't necessarily have to be Zhao Qi.

Wu's mindset naturally changed.

"Then, Yang Qing, who do you think is suitable to be emperor?"

Under normal circumstances, this matter should not depend on subordinates.

Especially now that the question is directed at Yang Yuan, who holds no real official position other than a prince.

However, what storms hasn't Wu weathered in his life?
She knew very well that even the most ardent loyalty of a subject was no match for the cold, hard handle of a sword.

Regardless of the state of the world, right now, in this Zongyang Palace, the reins of power are in Yang Yuan's hands.

"I believe that the Prince of Jin is fit to be the emperor."

A huge weight was lifted off Wu's shoulders.

However, she knows her son best.

Furthermore, the fact that the uncle usurped the nephew's position only made his reputation even worse.

She wasn't sure she could persuade her seemingly frivolous but actually quite stubborn son.

Therefore, after thinking for a moment, Lady Wu asked again, "Besides the Prince of Jin, who else can be emperor?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Yuan lowered his head.

If Zhao Qu becomes emperor, then he will be a subject.

If Zhao Ju did not become emperor, he could only be a powerful minister, a powerful minister who held absolute power.

Because, apart from an oddball like Zhao Qu, no emperor could tolerate having a minister who had done the work of purging corrupt officials around him.

Even if this emperor was put on the throne by this very minister.

After a long silence, Yang Yuan slowly raised his head: "Besides the Prince of Jin, I believe that the Prince of Gong is suitable to be the emperor."

Ms. Wu was somewhat surprised to hear this.

Zhao Qi had two younger brothers: the second brother was Prince Qing, Zhao Kai, and the third brother was Prince Gong, Zhao Dun.

The second and third sons are only one year apart in age and have not yet reached adulthood.

Logically, if Zhao Qi abdicated, his second brother, Prince Qing, should have succeeded him. Why was it his third brother, Prince Gong, who took the throne?

If it's said that they're younger and easier to control, the two brothers are only one year apart, so age is hardly a valid reason to consider.

However, in Wu's eyes, there was no difference between the three grandsons.

So she nodded in agreement.

Although she had experienced many great storms and her courage and insight were far beyond those of ordinary women, she had never experienced the power struggles of the imperial court.

Therefore, for a moment, she did not understand Yang Yuan's intention in choosing Prince Gong over Prince Qing.

After the two sides reached an agreement, Madam Wu said, "I wholeheartedly agree with what you have said. In times of national crisis, true loyalty is revealed. The fate of the Song Dynasty still depends on Minister Yang's support!"

Yang Yuan bowed deeply: "Your subject is determined to fulfill his duty to the utmost!"

After the two finished their discussion, they returned to the main hall.

Wu Youyao instructed two eunuchs to support Zhao Qu and used a combination of internal martial arts techniques and the "pushing the uterus to expel blood" method to help Zhao Qu expel the toxins from his body.

Although Zhao Qu was still unconscious, his sallow complexion had improved considerably, and his breathing was more stable than before.

Zhao Qi was alarmed to see that his uncle had been brought back to life.

He didn't know how he should face Zhao Qu after he woke up.

As for the matter of him poisoning his uncle, although he was nervous, he was not very afraid.

After all, he was the emperor, and that was the greatest immunity he could receive.

Yang Yuan also said that he wanted to "purge the court of corrupt officials."

Yang Yuan ultimately dared not do anything to himself.

Otherwise, Yang Yuan would be a traitor and a rebel.

Even today, the orthodox values ​​of the Song Dynasty remain deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people.

If Yang Yuan didn't want to be condemned by everyone and opposed by the people, what could they do to him?

Zhao Qi was unaware that the Empress Dowager and Yang Yuan had just held a secret meeting and decided that he would no longer be the future ruler of the empire.

Wu came out of the side hall, gave Zhao Qi a cold look, and ordered, "Help the emperor to the side hall to rest."

The eunuch in the hall was immediately taken aback.

Zhao Qi panicked: "Grandmother, why do you want me to go to the side hall?"

Wu ignored him and said in a deep voice, "Do as you command!"

Zhao Qi stepped forward in fear, his voice stern yet weak, and said, "I am the emperor, the greatest under heaven! Who dares to disobey my decree?"

Zhao Qi pointed at Yang Yuan and roared, "It was you! It must have been you who slandered him to the Empress Dowager! Guards, seize him!"

Yang Yuan waved his hand and repeated Wu's words: "Help the emperor to the side hall to rest."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Nai stepped forward and grabbed Zhao Qi's arm.

Xiao Nai's grip was very precise. With a slight pressure from her thumb and forefinger, the nerves were restrained, causing half of Zhao Qi's body to go numb, making him unable to break free.

Zhao Qi was greatly alarmed and shouted to Xiao Luo, "Protect the Emperor! Quickly, protect the Emperor!"

Empress Wu said sternly, "Let's see who dares! I am the Empress Dowager of the Great Song Dynasty, the Emperor's grandmother. I have ordered the Emperor to retreat to a side hall. Do you servants dare to disobey my orders?"

Zhao Qi shouted, "I am the emperor, and the Imperial Guards should obey me."

Yang Yuan looked at Xiao Luo and said gently, "Xiao Luo, I remember that the Baolong Palace only protects the emperor's life and does not concern itself with the affairs of the world."

Luo Tingxia remained silent for a long time, looked at the Empress Dowager, then at Yang Yuan, took a step back, and lowered her head.

"Your Majesty, I am only responsible for protecting Your Majesty's life."

You, the emperor, are to guard this empire yourself; we, the palace servants, will only protect your life.

Of course, if you're no longer the emperor, then you're no longer someone we need to protect.

Our Baolong Temple only protects the true dragon.

There is no solution to this problem. Zhao Qi was roughly dragged into the side hall by Xiao Nai.

Empress Dowager Xie stepped forward anxiously and asked, "Mother-in-law, what are you doing?"

Zhao Qi wasn't her biological son, and she didn't feel particularly close to him.

Zhao Ai's three sons were not born to her; she only had one daughter, Princess Zhao Ning'er of Jia Kingdom.

So she was just nervous about the current situation, not about Zhao Qi.

After thinking for a moment, Madam Wu realized that this matter could not be discussed without the Empress Dowager's permission, so she pulled her aside and explained a few words in a low voice.

Xie was indecisive by nature, and in the inner palace, no one was more powerful than the Empress Dowager Wu, so she only thought about it briefly before agreeing.

Immediately, Lady Wu instructed, "Prince Qing, Prince Gong, Prince Jia, and all the imperial physicians, please withdraw. Summon Wei Liangchen, Chen Junqing, Zhang Jun, and Chen Kangbo..."

Empress Dowager Wu named eight or nine ministers in one breath, all of whom were ministers during the reign of Zhao Yuan.

In particular, when Zhao Gou died suddenly and Zhao Yuan was being considered for the throne, or when Zhao Qu had become emperor, all the ministers who supported Zhao Qu and were still serving in the court were to be summoned without exception.

Zhao Ning'er glanced at Yang Yuan and then followed her two brothers out.

Yang Yuan gave Fan Qing a wink.

Fan Qing was still worried about his safety, so after a slight hesitation, she went to the side hall to accompany Xiao Nai in watching over Zhao Qi.

Outside the palace, all the civil and military officials stood there, wondering how the situation would develop next.

Chen Junqing frowned, moved closer to Wei Liangjiu, and whispered, "Prime Minister Wei, the feng shui of Zongyang Palace is bad. It must be because this place was originally Qin Hui's former residence. After this matter is settled, let's demolish it."

Yang Yuan wanted to purge the court of corrupt officials, but he couldn't get to him.

Therefore, Chen Junqing was not flustered and even had the leisure to chat nonsense here.

Wei Liangchen's face immediately darkened, and he glared fiercely at Chen Junqing.

"The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits; one must not speak recklessly."

Chen Junqing disagreed, but said nothing more.

Wei Liangchen thought for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Please, esteemed Taoist priest, perform a ritual to expel the evil spirits."

Upon hearing this, Chen Junqing immediately glanced at him, thinking, "What happened to the saying, 'The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits'?"

Just then, the Empress Dowager's imperial edict arrived.

……

The ministers were invited into the main hall of the Zongyang Palace city gate tower.

However, the ministers outside immediately noticed that the two Crown Prince's subordinates whom Emperor Zhao Qi had forcibly included in the chief ministers' ranks were not among those summoned.

This immediately panicked the officials of the Eastern Palace faction, although... they had already begun to panic.

Zhao Chen was particularly bad at it.

At this moment, Xin Qiji, Yang Ze, and Yang Shou, with their soldiers, had secured the area tightly. They could do nothing but await their fate.

As soon as Wei Liangchen and the others entered the hall, the door was closed.

After more than half an hour, many civil and military officials outside could hardly stand it anymore, and the gate tower finally opened with a bang.

Wei Liangchen is in the center, Zhang Jun is on the left, and Chen Junqing is on the right.

These three individuals represent veteran officials from three reigns, the military, and the faction of the late emperor, respectively.

Wei Liangchen stood on the steps and said in a deep voice, "It is an imperial edict!"

At this moment, there was nowhere to write an imperial edict, and although the matter was of great importance, only an oral decree could be issued.

As for the imperial edict, we can issue it later.

All the civil and military officials bowed their heads.

“There are treacherous officials in the court who have deceived the emperor and disrupted the order of the court. They shall be arrested and punished immediately.”

Wei Liangchen made the final decision and then began to "call out names".

Lou Wangchen, Zhao Chen, and other officials from the Eastern Palace faction—he would point to one, and someone would rush into the civil and military ranks to take it.

The officials from the Crown Prince's faction are all here today, making it easy to take them all out at once.

As for Xin Qiji and others directing the arrests, they might not recognize all these ministers, so there's no need to worry.

There will always be "traitors," not to mention that officials from the Crown Prince's faction have long been hated.

Yan Shen wanted to shout, even though he could no longer prove his identity. As long as he shouted it out, it would at least disgust people, wouldn't it?

However, Yang Shou had already received a secret order from Yang Yuan, and this obedient grand-nephew was the most reliable to carry out orders without question.

Yang Yuan had already told him that when arresting people, he was not allowed to have a man named Yan Shen say anything inappropriate in public. If necessary, it was fine to kill him on the spot.

Therefore, as soon as Wei Liangchen read out the name "Yan Shen", Yang Shou stared and looked over.

Just as Zhao Chen was about to loudly proclaim his identity, a "melon" arrived.

"puff!"

Zhao Chen's teeth were knocked out by the melon, causing his mouth to bleed profusely and making him incoherent.

Immediately afterwards, a rag was roughly stuffed into his mouth.

Yang Shou, wielding an iron hammer, shouted at the two guards who had stepped forward to restrain Zhao Chen, "Tie him up!"

While they were arresting people outside, Yang Yuan went into the side room.

Upon seeing Yang Yuan, Zhao Qi shouted angrily, "Yang Yuan, this is insubordination, a subject deceiving the emperor! You are the greatest traitor of our Great Song Dynasty!"

Yang Yuan smiled faintly: "Today, Your Majesty, please reflect on your actions and purge the treacherous officials from your inner circle."

Tomorrow, the Emperor will issue an edict of self-reproach and abdicate in favor of a more worthy successor.

"The Emperor will soon no longer be the ruler, so what kind of ruler are you, subject? How dare you deceive him?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qi was thunderstruck.

He only thought that Yang Yuan wanted to "purge the court of corrupt officials," and from then on he could only be a spineless emperor who depended on others and had to be mindful of their moods.

Does this mean he won't even be allowed to be a spineless emperor?
The young emperor Zhao Qi was furious: "Yang Yuan, you can't cover up everything!"

Yang Yuan slightly lifted her eyelids, glanced at Cheng Chen on the ceiling of the side room, and a contemptuous smile appeared on her lips.

"How big can the sky be in the area right above the emperor's head?"

Yang Yuan ignored him and turned to walk towards the main hall. When she reached the door, she glanced back at Zhao Qi and spoke coldly.

"The Prince of Jin is your lifeline. If he lives, you live. If he dies, you die."

Your Majesty, you should pray that His Highness Prince Jin lives a long and healthy life!

(End of this chapter)