Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 911 No choice
When Zhao Kai walked out of the palace where the deposed emperor was imprisoned, his face was as pale as paper, and his legs were trembling uncontrollably.

He was overcome with immense fear as Zhao Qi breathed his last.

Zhao Dun discussed with him the idea of ​​sending Zhao Qi to his death with a cup of poisoned wine during a visit.

As a result... they couldn't get their hands on the poison.

An emperor and a prince couldn't even get their hands on a single dose of poison!
It's truly pathetic.

This incident clearly demonstrates that they have neither anyone nor the authority to use.

This realization, on the contrary, made Zhao Dun even more determined.

Zhao Qi must die!
If you don't die, you'll implicate me!
So Zhao Dun, with his hands empty, led his second brother Zhao Kai to Zongyang Palace.

Zhao Qi was very happy to see his two brothers.

Even in the face of disaster, they are still family and know to think of him.

He was trapped alone in this empty palace, and when he wanted to talk to someone, he could only talk to himself. He was going crazy.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Dun seized an opportunity and went around to his back.

Zhao Kai, who was talking to Zhao Qi, froze when he saw Zhao Dun loosening his belt.

However, Zhao Qi, who was sitting opposite him, was talking non-stop and didn't notice at all.

Until the belt tightened around his neck.

Zhao Kai was terrified, watching his eldest brother struggle desperately and his third brother grit his teeth and tighten his belt, both brothers' faces turning red.

Only Zhao Kai's face was as pale as paper.

When Zhao Dun hissed and begged him for help, Zhao Kai, still dazed, went over.

Only after helping Zhao Dun tighten his belt and waiting until his elder brother stopped moving did he collapse to the ground.

Among the eunuchs and palace maids who attended him, there were Yang Yuan's spies.

However, Zhao Dun said he wanted to chat with his elder brother and asked them to wait outside the palace, so they could not disobey.

This was probably the last bit of dignity this official had left.

Freedom is confined to a tiny space.

When Zhao Kai finally caught his breath, Zhao Dun was staring blankly at his elder brother's purple, ferocious face.

Suddenly, Zhao Dun let out a strange cry and ran out.

As he ran, he kept yelling, "Someone is trying to harm me! Help me! Help me!"

The palace maids and eunuchs waiting outside the hall were already used to it.

They skillfully held Zhao Dun down and forced him to drink the calming medicine they carried with them. Once he calmed down a bit, they were going to take him back to the palace.

Zhao Kai followed the young emperor like a lost soul.

It was precisely because of his strange behavior that the palace maids and eunuchs became suspicious.

After all, the Emperor has a brain disorder, but the Second Prince does not.

Two of the eunuchs then remembered to go inside to check on the deposed emperor, but within moments they had scrambled out of the room.

Subsequently, the Emperor and the Second Prince were detained, and the news spread like wildfire.

When Yang Yuan heard the news, he was startled and got up to run to Zongyang Palace, but he quickly came to his senses after only a few steps.

Yang Yuan immediately sent someone to the inner palace to inform the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager.

He then sent someone to the Prince of Jin's residence to inform Prince Zhao Qu, and invited several scholars from the Hall of State Affairs who assisted him in handling affairs, as well as the three officials in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Justice, and the Privy Council.

Yang Yuan cannot go alone.

Even so, he could not escape suspicion.

However, if he goes first, then there will be even less chance to wash.

When inviting these people, Yang Yuan did not have the messenger tell them what it was about.

However, now that Prime Minister Yang says there is an extremely urgent matter and that everyone must come, no one can refuse.

Even within the Song Dynasty imperial family, the most prestigious Empress Dowager Wu is currently the most respected.

“A major event has occurred, and I dare not say more now. I request that the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, His Highness Prince Jin, and all the ministers come to Zongyang Palace together. Once there, you will all understand everything.”

Upon hearing this, the others felt a chill in their hearts.

Zongyang Palace?
In Zongyang Palace, if there is anyone who is the most important now, it is only one person: the deposed Emperor Zhao Qi.

Could something have happened to him?

Zhao Qu's gaze shifted, and he suddenly asked, "Why are the Emperor and Prince Qing nowhere to be seen?"

Yang Yuan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "The Emperor and Prince Qing are already at Zongyang Palace."

Everyone was even more surprised to hear this: the Emperor and Prince Qing went to Zongyang Palace?
What were they doing at Zongyang Palace?
The Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and Prince Jin felt slightly relieved upon hearing this.

It seems that nothing bad has happened to the Emperor and Prince Qing.

Then... could it be that the deposed emperor is up to some strange escapade again?
The Empress Dowager was secretly annoyed. Could it be that he was still not satisfied with being under house arrest, and was plotting something that had caught him red-handed?

With their own thoughts, the group hurriedly rode in sedan chairs to Zongyang Palace.

When they arrived at Zongyang Palace, they learned that the deposed emperor had died suddenly.

Chaos erupted once again in Zongyang Palace.

The Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and Prince Zhao Qu of Jin led Prince Zhao Kai of Qing into a side hall and questioned him personally.

Because Emperor Zhao Dun has taken a calming soup, he is now fast asleep.

Prince Qing, Zhao Kai, finally came to his senses and stammered out the story. The Empress Dowager Wu, the Empress Dowager Xie, and Prince Jin, Zhao Qu, were all stunned.

The current emperor, Zhao Dun, conspired with Prince Qing, Zhao Kai, to murder the deposed emperor, Zhao Qi.

Zhao Qu looked up at the sky and let out a bitter laugh, remaining silent.

Empress Dowager Wu asked sternly, "Was this matter coerced by Yang Yuan?"

The distraught Prince Zhao Kai shook his head, then, as if remembering something, slowly said, "Previously, the Western Xia ruler Li Renxiao intended to flee back to his homeland."

When Minister Yang was furious and discussed countermeasures with the Emperor, he said something that made a great deal of noise.

After Minister Yang left, the Emperor's expression changed drastically. He said, "...This was Minister Yang warning me; if I don't put Minister Yang at ease, I could face death."

Wu asked urgently, "What did Yang Yuan say?"

Prince Qing, Zhao Kai, attended the imperial conference on how to deal with Li Renxiao and recounted the whole story.

Empress Dowager Wu, Empress Dowager Xie, and Prince Zhao Qu of Jin were all speechless upon hearing this.

Yang Yuan's words were clearly spoken with feeling, not only setting the tone for Li Renxiao's crimes, but also explaining the reasons for his execution.

There is absolutely no hint or suggestion in Zhao Kai's retelling of these words.

How did the Emperor make the connection to the deposed Emperor Zhao Qi, who had been forgotten in Zongyang Palace?
Oh, right, the Emperor... his head is a bit...

The thought of Zhao Dun's illness immediately silenced the hall.

After a long while, the Empress Dowager slowly raised her head and looked at the people in the hall.

"Xie, Qu-ge'er, Kai'er, there is no one else in this hall except the three of you. You are all members of our Zhao family."

Madam Wu said slowly, "There is something I have wanted to say for a long time. Now that you are all here, I can say it to you."

She took a deep breath and said in a sorrowful voice, "The Great Song Dynasty's fate is sealed; it is time to perish!"

The hall was silent. Despite hearing her utter such shocking words, not a single person showed any astonishment or objected on the spot.

Clearly, the same thought had crossed their minds before.

Wu said sadly, "Given the situation, what else is there to think about? If we had made up our minds sooner, Kai'er and Dun'er wouldn't have had to commit fratricide."

Zhao Kai was filled with shame and remorse. He knelt on the ground with a thud and sobbed uncontrollably:

"At that time, the Emperor had already taken action. He summoned Kai'er, and Kai'er dared not disobey. In a daze, he..."

Zhao Kai kowtowed to the ground and said in a sorrowful voice, "I agree with what the Empress Dowager said."

Kai'er thought, "It's better for us to bring it up than for the Prime Minister to run out of patience and say it himself...it's much better..."

Wu looked at Xie, who remained silent, and said, "Our Zhao family seized the Chai family's empire."

The current situation is just like that of Chenqiao back then; the cycle of retribution is indeed true.

Furthermore, although our Zhao family seized the Chai family's empire, we have treated the Chai family's descendants with great kindness and have never mistreated them.

What Wu said is true. Chai Rong had seven sons, the first three of whom were killed by Liu Chengyou, the Emperor Yin of the Later Han Dynasty.

The fourth son, Chai Zongxun, was the Later Zhou emperor who was forced to abdicate. He was later demoted to the Prince of Zheng and granted a "red-inked iron certificate." He had five sons.

The fifth son changed his surname to avoid trouble, but the Song court was not unaware of his whereabouts and let him go.

His sixth son died young, and his seventh son was adopted. His descendants multiplied and even held high-ranking positions in the Song Dynasty.

Ms. Wu seemed to have really aged; she had lost her energy and her voice had become much hoarse.

"As for the Wuyue Kingdom, they surrendered voluntarily, and our Zhao family treated them with great courtesy."

After Qian Chu relinquished the throne, he was also granted the title of king.

Moreover, his descendants enjoyed wealth and honor comparable to kings and nobles.

Qian Duanli, the current Pacification Commissioner of Sichuan and soon to be Yang Yuan's father-in-law, is a sixth-generation descendant of Qian Chu.

"In terms of treating our subjects, compared to previous dynasties, the Zhao family can be considered the most lenient."

Wu raised her head, looked at Xie, and then at Zhao Qu.

"Yang Yuan is a man of reliable character. If we voluntarily relinquish the country, we can receive the same treatment as the Qian family, which will be enough."

Upon hearing Wu's words, Xie's expression softened.

Seeing that they were all looking at him, Zhao Qu smiled indifferently and said, "I have no objection."

He pointed to Zhao Kai kneeling on the ground: "From the moment these two brothers strangled their elder brother with their own hands, I felt that the Song dynasty had no reason to exist."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kai felt both ashamed and guilty, and couldn't help but prostrate himself on the ground and burst into tears again.

Zhao Qu sighed and leaned back in his chair: "However, let's not talk about this for now."

"The deposed emperor has just died under mysterious circumstances, and we are now demanding the abdication of the throne. Yang Yuan will absolutely not agree to this, and may even resent my Zhao family for deliberately embarrassing him."

Zhao Qu chuckled bitterly as he said this, seemingly finding it absurd and laughable that his desire to voluntarily relinquish the country would only lead to worrying about angering others.

Zhao Qu sighed softly, "Let's put this matter aside for now and think about how to handle the aftermath of the deposed emperor's death."

Ms. Wu nodded; she knew that now was not the right time to bring this up.

She thought for a moment and said, "Qi'er died of illness, and he could only have died of illness."

Empress Dowager Xie and Zhao Qu exchanged a glance and slowly nodded.

Lady Xie glanced at Zhao Kai, who was filled with shame. Of the late emperor's lineage, he was the only one who was still a normal child. How could she possibly punish him?
The continuation of Zhao Yuan's bloodline depends on him.

Xie sighed softly and said to Zhao Kai, "Get up and tell the Prime Minister and the ministers the common intentions of the Empress Dowager, myself, and the Prince of Jin."

(End of this chapter)