Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 49 Was Taizu not a loyal minister of Zhou Shizong?
The Maha Pond is immersed in the sweltering heat in summer, but a layer of cool mist floats on the surface of the water.

The branches of the weeping willows hang very low, and the tips of the leaves occasionally break the surface of the water, causing a circle of very fine ripples.

At this time, the lotus flowers were in full bloom, stretching across the sky and the earth to the end of the field of vision, making the lake water look even greener. Occasionally, a fish jumped out, its scales flashing, and then it quickly dived back into the water, leaving only a few strings of tiny bubbles floating up.

Zhang Fangping and Zhao Yan were sitting on a rock by the lake fishing.

The rocks were hot from the sun, and it was a little uncomfortable to sit on them at first, but after a while I found it quite comfortable.

The fishing rod was made of purple bamboo, with the tip slightly bent. The line hung low in the water, and even the float didn't move at all.

Zhang Fangping, feeling a little drowsy, squinted his eyes and looked into the distance. There were a few egrets standing on the remaining Taihu stones. The stones were covered with algae, like a layer of dirty green felt.

"The fish have all hidden under the lotus leaves." He muttered.

Zhao Yan, who was sitting next to him, had sweat on his forehead and the back of his robe was wet, but he still sat upright.

At this moment, a whirlpool suddenly appeared on the water surface and the float sank suddenly. Zhang Fangping hurriedly lifted the rod, but nothing was hooked.

"You, you, how can you catch a big fish if you are impatient?"

Zhao Yan smiled and took out a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his face.

His fishing line was still hanging quietly, reflected in the water, tangled with the willow shadows. A dragonfly flew over the fishing line and playfully touched the water, its wings shattering tiny water droplets.

"How can I not be anxious?"

Zhang Fangping stood up and hid in the shade: "Forget it, I won't fish anymore. I'll watch you fish."

"How can I catch it myself?" Zhao Yan said helplessly, "Mr. Zhang! I still have to rely on you. How long can I hide in the shade?"

"Hey"

Zhang Fangping let out a long sigh.

Anyway, not only was there no one around, but there was no one on the entire island in the middle of the lake, so he just squatted on the ground without caring about his image.

"I really want to hide in Chengdu and never go back. The emperor has been bedridden since he suddenly fell ill in the first month of the year. Wen Yanbo and Fu Bi have been temporarily taking over the reins, but they can't keep the power stable. The court is still in chaos."

"The chaos isn't because the emperor is bedridden," Zhao Yan said bluntly. "Even if the emperor's old illness keeps him bedridden, what's the real problem? It's been like that for years. Now it looks like a storm is brewing. It's because the country has been unstable for so long without a crown prince."

Seeing that Zhang Fangping was upset and silent, Zhao Yan asked again, "What do those two people in the government hall think?"

"What else can I think? Of course, it's to make Zhao Zongshi, the Prince of Pu."

Zhao Zongshi was the son of Zhao Yunrang, the Prince of Pu. Because Emperor Renzong had no son, he was adopted by Emperor Renzong of Song as his heir in his childhood and raised in the palace. He later became Emperor Yingzong.

However, an adopted son is not his biological son after all.

Although Renzong is now old and often ill, he has not yet made up his mind to make his adopted son the crown prince. He still has the idea of ​​having a biological son in his heart. This is also human nature. Even ordinary families would not want to let their adopted sons inherit the family business if they have hope. What's more, what Renzong wants to pass on is the vast territory of the Song Dynasty.

In fact, Renzong's worries were quite reasonable. After all, when he really ascended to the throne, whether he could become the "Emperor Father" would depend on other people's feelings. Han Qi turned around and suggested to Yingzong that he should make his biological father, Prince Pu, the "Emperor Father".

This is the famous "Pu Discussion" in Song history, which lasted for a full year and a half.

Of course, there was a reason for Yingzong's move. After Renzong's biological son, Prince Yu Zhao Xin, was born in the second year of Baoyuan, Zhao Zongshi, who had been raised as a son by Renzong since childhood, was driven out of the palace and returned to his biological father Zhao Yunrang.

Then, in the third year of the Qingli reign, Prince Yu Zhao Xin died young, a full four years had passed. After this incident, how could Zhao Zongshi and Renzong be as close as father and son? Naturally, a gap had grown in Renzong's heart.

Renzong had no son, which indeed caused a lot of trouble over the years.

For example, in the "Fake Prince Case" that happened a few years ago, a young man named Leng Qing openly shouted in Kaifeng City, claiming that he was the prince of Renzong who had been exiled to the common people, and he took out a dragon and phoenix bellyband as evidence.

This incident caused a sensation in the capital. After Song Renzong learned about it, he ordered Kaifeng Prefecture Governor Qian Mingyi to try the case. Qian Mingyi did not dare to investigate it at all. In the end, Bao Zheng took the blame and investigated the case.

The result was that Bao Zheng, through repeated investigations into Leng Qing's background and physical evidence, proved that there was a contradiction between the time when Leng Qing's mother left the palace and the time of her pregnancy, and that Leng Qing could not be the prince.

However, although the case was closed, it still caused rumors to spread among the people.

In addition, Renzong himself experienced the "狸猫换太子" case, and his later years were like this, which is really sad.

But back to the present, the literati don't care about this.

For the literati, it did not matter whether the crown prince was Renzong's biological son or not. What was important was to appoint one quickly, so that if Renzong really fell ill one day, the Chenqiao story would not be repeated.

When talking about the story of Chenqiao, the scholars and officials could not help but think of the now famous war god of the Song Dynasty, Di Shumishi, who was already ranked as the top military man.

"What about the Privy Councillor?"

"If I don't have an attitude, what kind of attitude can I have? What kind of attitude can I dare to have?"

Zhang Fangping smiled. "Di Qing is no fool. He's already at the center of a storm. How many years has the Song Dynasty seen such a prominent warrior? If he dares to suggest establishing a crown prince at this time, what will the emperor, who single-handedly promoted him to this position, think?"

"Too."

Zhao Yan nodded. Wen Yanbo and Fu Bi's suggestion to establish a crown prince, whether it was done secretly or publicly, was a mature and wise talk for statecraft. Even if the emperor was not happy about it, he would understand. Or rather, he had to show his understanding, because it was not their personal opinion, but the consensus of the literati.

Even if we take a step back, Wen Yanbo and Fu Bi are already prime ministers. Even if a new emperor ascends the throne, how can their positions change? The Song Dynasty will never fall into their hands.

Therefore, if the two of them are willing to give some hints at this time, the court and the public will only think that the ministers are truly loyal to the country without any selfish motives.

But Di Qing was different. In the eyes of the people of the world, if anything happened to Renzong, the Song Dynasty might really fall into his hands.

After all, Wen Yanbo had already made a heart-piercing comment: "If we talk about loyal ministers, isn't Taizu a loyal minister of Zhou Shizong?"

As for Renzong, who was on his deathbed, his health had not been good from the beginning, and his view of Di Qing, who was deeply loved by the soldiers, became complicated. On the one hand, he did not want his beloved general to leave, but on the other hand, for the sake of the Song Dynasty, he had to consider the potential threat posed by Di Qing.

"What do you think?" Zhao Yan asked.

"I don't dare to think about it."

Zhang Fangping laughed at himself, "Why, haven't I suffered enough from the incident with Concubine Zhang?"

Zhao Yan was a little solemn.

Before the "Fake Prince Case", another major case occurred in Kaifeng in the eighth year of the Qingli period, which was the famous "Qingli Palace Coup Case".

In fact, Zhang Fangping lost his position as the Minister of the Three Departments because of this incident.

(End of this chapter)