Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 534: The Emperor, His Ministers, and His Sons Are All Suspicious

Yang Yi Zhong returned to the palace, changed his clothes at the corner gate, put on armor, and then strode into the harem.

Originally, outsiders were not allowed to enter or leave the harem, not even the generals of the Palace Front Department were allowed, but Yang Yi Zhong was an exception. He didn't even need to notify anyone and could come and go freely.

The title of Hu Zi Ya Ban was not given for nothing.

After walking through two palaces, Yang Yi Zhong arrived at the warm room in the back room, where Zhao Gou was painting and writing inscriptions on rice paper with a brush.

Although these people in the Zhao family did not have good political abilities, their artistic skills were quite good. Zhao Gou also inherited his father's artistic genes and had a very high level of literary skills.

"Zhengfu is here." Zhao Gou heard Yang Yizhong's footsteps from a distance and said directly without looking up, "Come and take a look at my painting of a thousand miles of rivers and mountains."

Yang Yizhong first bowed respectfully, then walked forward to the ink-and-wash landscape painting, looked at it for a long time, and only said one word: "good."

Zhao Gou smiled and shook his head: "I was really confused. I knew Zhengfu was not good at this, but I still asked you. It's like asking a blind man for advice."

As he spoke, Zhao Gou spread his hands and let several palace maids help him clean the ink stains on his hands. He finally remembered the important matter: "Zhengfu, what did the Jin people say?"

Yang Yizhong quickly stated Gao Zhongjian's conditions.

"The Jin thieves are truly going too far." Finally, Yang Yizhong concluded: "In my opinion, the Jin thieves have no intention of negotiating peace! They are just stalling for time."

Hearing this, Zhao Gou seemed to be lost in thought, muttering, "If the Huai River is still used as the boundary, that's not bad either. Besides, without the annual tribute, wouldn't my treasury be a little richer?"

Yang Yizhong pretended not to hear anything.

However, Zhao Gou did not let him go: "Zhengfu, what do you say if I issue an edict today, saying that we should negotiate peace with the Great Jin according to these conditions?"

Yang Yizhong thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Not to mention that the ministers would refute it, even the Zhongshu Sheren would not dare to write such an imperial edict at this time."

Zhao Gou was somewhat disappointed, but he still agreed with Yang Yizhong's statement: "You have some truth in what you said, but Zhengfu, the Great Jin and the Great Song still have to negotiate peace after all, so don't make things too awkward."

"Since Jin Lord Wanyan Yong doesn't want Wanyan Liang to return, then don't let him go. After such a devastating defeat, Wanyan Liang will die if he returns, and I'm doing this to save him," Zhao Gou mused. "And Wanyan Yong will owe me a favor, which will make peace negotiations much easier. Isn't that the best of both worlds?"

Yang Yizhong bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise and intelligent, a genius born of genius. You are a blessing to the Song Dynasty."

Zhao Gou had long been immune to this level of flattery. Upon hearing this, he simply waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about this. How is the Crown Prince? Is he satisfied with my family's wealth?"

Although these words were veiled in sarcasm, Yang Yizhong maintained a businesslike attitude: "Going back to the emperor, the prince knows that this trip is to demonstrate the emperor's kindness. He should be careful with his words and actions and not overstep the boundaries. With Zhao Mi watching over him, there will be absolutely no mistakes."

Zhao Gou had been nodding his head, but when he heard Zhao Mi's name, he couldn't help but frown and said, "Zhengfu, please don't bother Zhao Mi anymore. He's an old man now, and he's been with me through thick and thin for many years. He's truly loyal. I intend to mediate between them. Please stop arguing. What do you think?"

Zhao Gou knew a few days ago that Zhao Mi had attended Zhang Xiaoxiang's banquet, and that generals from the Jingnan Army were also present at the banquet.

Although this was a very taboo thing, Zhao Gou did not take it to heart after he knew about it.

As mentioned before, Zhao Mi has been an old man for many years. Could it be that Zhao Gou is still worried that he will sell him out for a little profit?

Only this matter was definitely assigned by Yang Yizhong, which made Zhao Gou, who was being used as a gun, speechless.

Although Zhao Gou would not offend his confidant Yang Yi Zhong over such a small matter, he was still a little annoyed.

Yang Yizhong said sternly, "Your Majesty, this isn't just revenge; it's a violation of military law. The Palace Guards are the emperor's imperial guards, and unlike ordinary military regulations, officers have direct access to the emperor. This power is for them to supervise each other, not to falsely accuse their superiors."

Zhao Mi is so selfish that he disregards the safety of Your Majesty and the Song Dynasty.

If everyone follows suit, how can the Palace Guards protect the emperor?"

At this point, Yang Yizhong paused before saying, "Besides, military affairs are straightforward. If I let it go lightly, Zhao Mi might still be uneasy. I'll give him a moderate punishment and the matter will be over."

Zhao Gou chuckled twice. "That's Zhengfu's point. Anyway, after we return to Lin'an, let's send Zhao Mi away for a while."

"Here!"

"A-choo!" Outside the city of Jiankang, in the camp of the Palace Guards, Zhao Mi sneezed violently and then rubbed his nose.

In March, the crabapple blossoms are in full bloom, which is a beautiful scenery of the year. However, Zhao Mi just felt uncomfortable. After sneezing a few times, his nose and tears started to flow together.

After wiping it vigorously several times with the handkerchief he carried with him, Zhao Mi reached out and called Tian Zhuo over: "Where is the prince?" Tian Zhuo wanted to scratch his head, but scratched his helmet instead. He could only spread his hands and said: "He should be resting in the rear camp. I was busy preparing the troops and didn't notice the prince, and..."

As he spoke, Tian Zhuo lowered his voice, as if to advise: "Besides, this is not the duty of a minister."

Although Zhao Gou and Zhao Shen were stepfathers, and had a rather awkward relationship like that of an emperor and a crown prince, and were not emotionally close, weren't you, Zhao Mi, a bit too arrogant to get involved?

When the time comes, I won’t even know how I died.

Zhao Mi shook his head: "You don't understand. The emperor has been very kind to me. I am here to help him share his worries."

As he said that, Zhao Mi asked his lieutenant to continue to reorganize the troops, and then took Tian Zhuo to the rear camp.

After arriving at the commander's tent in the rear camp, Zhao Mi suddenly discovered that there were only a few guards left in the Eastern Palace. His heart tightened involuntarily, and he quickly walked towards the commander's tent in the rear camp.

At the entrance to the general's tent, two guards from the Eastern Palace were on guard. When they saw Zhao Mi, they didn't hesitate and stopped him with their spears held horizontally. "Your Highness is resting. Please don't disturb him unless necessary."

Before Zhao Mi could say anything, Tian Zhuo shouted, "You're blind! Commander Zhao is here, and this is among the imperial guards. How dare you stop us?"

The Eastern Palace guard said with a stern face, "I only know there are officials and the Crown Prince, but I don't know what the commander is."

Tian Zhuo was furious and was about to draw his sword to break in, but Zhao Mi stopped him by patting his shoulder.

"Brothers, I have come to inform Your Highness that the army has been assembled. Since Your Highness is here to entertain the troops on behalf of the Emperor, you should be on the platform by now."

The Eastern Palace guard nodded and said, "I will inform His Highness of this matter. Commander Zhao, please return quickly. His Highness will be here shortly."

Zhao Mi nodded, then bowed to the general's tent. When he turned around, his face was as gloomy as water.

"General..." Tian Zhuo was about to say something, but Zhao Mi said coldly, "Let's go."

The two of them strode out of the general's tent. Zhao Mi stopped, looked back, and narrowed his eyes: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is not in the general's tent, where else could he go? And..."

After a moment's silence, Zhao Mi finally said thoughtfully, "Who else in the Palace Guards has hooked up with the Crown Prince?"

Tian Zhuo's heart tightened, and then he whispered: "General, it's no secret that the emperor wants to abdicate. Everyone wants to pursue a career, and these things can be carefully investigated.

The key is where is the prince now? If the prince comes to reward the army but gets lost in the army, it will become a big joke."

Zhao Mi nodded and said, "Azhuo is still the most cautious. So, let's keep quiet and just patrol the camp with a few personal guards. We can use this as an excuse to go around."

After all, the army will be gathering in two minutes, so the prince can't go far. Even if we find him, don't make a sound, or even pretend we didn't see him. If the prince really wants to relax and we catch him, his life will be difficult from now on."

Tian Zhuo nodded repeatedly, and then he and Zhao Mi pretended not to care and began to patrol the camp with several soldiers.

The fact was just as Zhao Mi had thought. Zhao Shen was a prince in the deep palace, and he could not go far even if he walked. Soon they saw Prince Zhao Shen and several close guards at a tea stall outside the camp.

A military camp can sometimes be seen as a small city. In addition to the merchants and prostitutes who accompany the army, there are often local people who come to do business near the camp.

Bachelors with money have amazing spending power and often spend lavishly once their paychecks are paid. If the army's discipline were better and local officials were more powerful, then local merchants of all sizes would flock to them.

After the Palace Guards stationed around Jiankang, they were faced with such enthusiastic people that a small market even appeared around the military camp.

At this time, Zhao Shen was eating something at the tea stall, and occasionally said something to the shop owner.

The shopkeeper seemed to know that this was an important person, and he kept nodding and bowing for the sake of money.

After seeing Zhao Shen, Zhao Mi breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the prince was really feeling suffocated in the palace, and he left the camp this time just to relax.

However, Zhao Mi and Tian Zhuo looked at each other and were about to turn around and leave when they saw several figures coming to the tea stall. Three of them sat directly around Zhao Shen's square table. Zhao Mi couldn't help but stare at them.

He knew the man in charge.

It was Liu Huai.

(End of this chapter)