Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 912 One Person's Departure Shakes the World
The deposed Emperor Zhao Qi died suddenly from illness before he was twenty years old.

This has sparked much discussion both within and outside the government.

In fact, in this era, it was not uncommon for people to die young from an illness, even among the wealthy and powerful.

However, Zhao Qi's identity was too sensitive.

Therefore, it's no wonder that people hold conspiracy theories.

However, while this "conspiracy theory" is indeed true, the person who committed this heinous act is undoubtedly Yang Yuan.

No one would have guessed that it was Zhao Dun, that mentally ill man, who was responsible.

Yang Yuan was helpless, and perhaps centuries later, people would still believe that Zhao Qi died at his hands.

Even if he had the ability to write down the truth and ask the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Prince of Jin to affix their fingerprints.

He truly understood the feeling that "to receive the crown, one must bear its weight."

However, this incident not only excited and encouraged those loyal to Yang Yuan, but also strengthened the resolve of a large number of people to join him.

The news that Yang Yuan had stayed at the imperial palace in Jiankang had already quietly spread.

Now, with the death of Zhao Qi, people can't help but suspect that Yang Yuan's ambition to seize the throne is accelerating.

All the officials of the Song Dynasty began to face choices.

Upon learning of the news, some local officials immediately sent people to the capital to investigate further.

They are far away in the local areas, not in the central government. If they want to advance further, they sometimes have to seize the right opportunity.

Having accurate information makes it easier to see the wind direction.

Then they can create auspicious omens and build momentum for the prime minister, and then persuade him to take the throne.

There's a fine line to be drawn when urging someone to ascend the throne; doing it too early can lead to a disastrous outcome, like the Yangzhou prefect who petitioned for Qin Hui to be granted the Nine Bestowments.

If you're late, you'll just be following in others' footsteps, getting nothing in return.

Therefore, they needed to seize the right opportunity.

……

Yang Yuanming did nothing wrong, yet he became the prime suspect.

But there's no denying it; the more you try to explain, the worse it gets, so he has no choice but to accept it.

He was busy making arrangements for the emperor's sudden death.

First, the emperor issued an edict to inform the world that the deposed emperor had died from a sudden and fatal illness.

At the same time, surveillance of Lin'an and even the surrounding areas was strengthened.

Although Zhao Qi's reign as emperor was short and he didn't have many followers, it was still hard to guarantee that no one would use Zhao Qi's name to cause trouble.

In addition, there are funeral rites and historical significance.

The status of an abdicated emperor is somewhere between "retired emperor" and "deposed emperor," so the scale of his funeral needs to be carefully considered.

Yang Yuan made the decision immediately, ordering him to be buried with imperial rites and to be given a posthumous title and temple name.

As a result, the Ministry of Rites also became very busy.

Minister of Rites Chen Weiqing, who was negotiating with the new Jin delegation, had to temporarily end the negotiations and return to preside over a series of funeral rites.

The Xin Jin delegation did some research and decided that there was no need for the Song Dynasty to send an "envoy to announce the death of a loved one" to Xin Jin.

They transformed themselves into "funeral envoys" sent by the New Jin Empire, participating in a series of funeral activities.

Shangguan Luo and Li Donglou went to attend the funeral, while Zhuzhu, Wanyan Qingfeng, and Li Yuanzhi were able to let loose and have some fun.

Not only did he travel all over Lin'an to see its sights, but he also gradually developed a relationship with the Yang family by buying jewelry at the "Sanyuan Jewelry Shop".

Wugu Lunyingge could tell from the three little hooves that they had ill intentions.

However, they were from the same hometown and were relatives, and his father and brothers were still important officials in the new Jin Dynasty.

Therefore, Yingge took the initiative to contact them and invite them to visit the Yang residence.

The three of them flattered Lu Xi and quickly became close to the Yang family.

……

"Little sister, does that mean that after a hundred days, I can leave Zongyang Palace?"

Upon seeing Qian Xingruo who had come to visit her, Qian Qingyuan asked happily.

Although these thirty-six beauties had long since ceased contact with Zhao Qi, this was something the outside world was unaware of.

Therefore, the rule of allowing concubines to remain in the palace for 100 days before being sent back should still be followed.

Qian Xingruo nodded: "Yes, my uncle said that after a hundred days, the deposed emperor's concubines will be sent back, and then we can bring you back."

Qian Duanli is currently serving as an official in Sichuan, so the head of the Qian family will temporarily be Qian Ce, the Vice Minister of Revenue.

Qian Xingruo said, "Although the concubines of our Great Song Dynasty can be sent back to the common people after the emperor's death, no one who has ever been one of the Four Concubines has ever been sent back."

Qian Qingyuan's face turned pale upon hearing this.

There wasn't one before because to become a concubine of the rank of Fourth Consort or higher, one had to have been in the palace for more than ten years.

When the emperor dies, they will either already have children and cannot be sent back, or they will be too old to be sent back. It would be better to retain the title of imperial concubine and enjoy the corresponding treatment.

But would the Qian family care about such a trivial thing?

Besides, how old is she now? She's only just reached the age of marriageable age.

When Qian Xingruo saw that her sister was on the verge of tears, she quickly said, "Sister, don't worry, let me finish."

My uncle meant that if she were to return to the mansion to await her marriage, the royal family would lose face, and neither would our Qian family.

So... Uncle's idea is to build a Taoist temple for my sister on Wu Mountain so that she can practice Taoism while still keeping her hair.

Let it drag on for a year or two, until nobody cares about this anymore, then we can think about my sister's future.

Qian Qingyuan was relieved to hear this.

In a year or two, she will be in her prime.

Qian Qingyuan couldn't help but burst into laughter through her tears, and hugged Xingruo, saying, "Little sister, I'm going to cultivate the Tao, so you must come and visit me often."

"Don't worry, sister. The Taoist temple I chose for you is right next to Wushan Academy."

Next year, my younger sister will be marrying into the Yang family. She can visit you by going up the mountain path from the back."

Qian Xingruo was relieved to see that her older sister had agreed to the family's arrangements, and hugged her.

...The sudden death of the deposed Emperor Zhao Qi stirred up a series of silent waves and turbulent undercurrents throughout the Song Dynasty.

The civil officials each had their own plans, and the military generals were no exception.

The Song generals fighting against the Jin were even more valiant and warlike than before.

This was the moment that would leave a deep impression on the Prime Minister.

Amidst a series of major victories, the prime minister was promoted to a position of great prestige, and the entire Jin state was even presented as a gift to him upon his ascension. This was undoubtedly a meritorious act of supporting the emperor.

General Li Dao of Jinghu North Road was not in a hurry.

He was originally going to the capital to attend the ceremony of his daughter being taken as a concubine by the Prince of Yan.

Before the wedding could take place, the deposed Emperor Zhao Qi died.

The imperial court then set the scale of his funeral to that of an emperor, meaning his daughter would not be able to hold a wedding for a short period of time.

But he couldn't stay in Lin'an for too long, so he decided to go back.

Since the person already belongs to Yang Ziyue, Brother Li Dao isn't in a hurry.

Li Daoshun attended the memorial service for the deposed Emperor Zhao Qi and was received privately by Yang Yuan before returning to Jinghu.

From this moment on, he is fighting for his daughter and son-in-law, and his fighting spirit is different from before.

In the directions of Lizhou, Shaanxi, and Western Xia, various units of the Western Army began to eagerly request permission to fight.

Whether it's ordering us to fight the Western Xia rebellion or attack Shaanxi, they have to give us something to do.

The war in the Central Plains is in full swing, and opportunities to make meritorious contributions are everywhere.

But what about their Western Army?

If we keep waiting like this, we'll be missing out on even the best food.

The entire Song Dynasty was in turmoil, and the Hetao Plain was no exception.

They not only received news that Li Renxiao had been poisoned, but also a strongly worded ultimatum from Yang Yuan.

Then they discovered that Wu Gong in the direction of Lixi and Li Xianzong at the foot of Qilian Mountain both showed signs of troop deployment.

They also learned of the Xin Jin delegation's trip to Lin'an.

"The situation will become even more difficult going forward..."

Ren Degong said with a heavy expression, "The Song Dynasty's full-scale counterattack has penetrated deep into the heart of the Jin Kingdom."

Tuoba Houdao said, "Xin Jin has sent an envoy to Lin'an, so they obviously can't sit still."

They want a piece of the pie too. If the new Jin dynasty joins the war, the Jin state will be attacked from both sides.

Wang Zongheng, commander of the Heishan Weifu Military Command, said in a deep voice: "Yang Yuan's authority is growing stronger every day, and his ambition to covet the throne is already very clear."

If we provoke him again at this point, we might very well become his target for establishing his authority.

Tuoba Heiyi said, "There's no need to say so much. I just want to ask everyone three questions."

Everyone looked at Tuoba Heiyi.

Tuoba Heiyi asked, "What is the purpose of everyone's uprising?"

"If we surrender now, will we be able to achieve our goal?"

"If we continue to resist, what are our chances of winning in this major upheaval?"

The general's mansion fell silent for a moment.

After much deliberation, and considering what Ren Muyan had said in her letter, Ren Degong slowly said, "I believe that we... can accept Prime Minister Yang's conditions!"

Wang Zongheng, the military commander of Heishan Weifu, nodded: "The Tatars did not gain much benefit from their previous military assistance to the Jin Dynasty."

Afterwards, the Jurchens were preoccupied with their own problems and failed to deliver on some of the benefits they had promised the Tatars.

It is now impossible for the Tatars to send troops to the Jin Dynasty.

Moreover, even if they send troops, it would likely only prolong Wanyan Liang's precarious existence for a while longer, having little impact on the overall situation. Therefore…”

He glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice, "I also believe that we should accept Prime Minister Yang's conditions."

He also received a letter from his sister, Wang Yunmei.

He didn't know as early as Ren Degong.

Only recently did Wang Yunmei shyly write a letter to her elder brother, explaining the truth that she was now Prime Minister Yang's woman.

General Zong was initially hesitant, worried that Yang Yuan's word was not enough and that after they accepted the surrender, the Song court would send a large number of officials to seize their power and take away their troops.

Now that Yang Yuan's promise has been confirmed again by his own sister, its credibility is much higher, since it's his own sister who said it.

Besides, he's about to become the emperor's brother-in-law.

He'll be guarding the northern frontier for his brother-in-law in the future, so how could his brother-in-law mistreat him?

Therefore, General Heishan also "defected".

When the other leaders of the Western Xia tribal armies saw that the Ren family, the Wang family, and the Tuoba family's Tuoba Hou and Tuoba Heiyi seemed to be giving up, what were they still persisting for?
"I agree!"

"I agree!"

People began to express their opinions.

It was only at this point that they discovered that the two tribal leaders Yang Yuan had mentioned who were secretly helping Li Renxiao escape from Lin'an had to send their heads to Lin'an.

The two tribes also sent people to today's meeting, but the people who came were not the two original leaders, which gave them a jolt.

Those who hadn't initially expressed their opinions also rushed to do so.

"it is good!"

Ren Degong smiled slightly: "As everyone knows, it was Zhao Qi who sent a large number of officials to abolish Prime Minister Yang's good policies."

And this deposed emperor has already died suddenly. This is divine retribution, haha..."

Wang Zongheng said, "Let us stop here, submit to the Prime Minister, and respond to the Prime Minister's call to send troops from Western Xia to fight in Shaanxi."

In the future, we will all share in the credit for supporting the emperor.

Upon hearing this, everyone smiled.

The two leaders, who were strong rivals for the tribal chiefship in their own tribe, exchanged glances and expressed their opinions in unison after being suddenly invited to the meeting.

"we agree!"

(End of this chapter)