My father Zhao Kuangyin

Before the imperial desk, Emperor Zhao sat cross-legged, while behind the desk, the three Zhaos, from oldest to youngest, stood in a row.

"Such a disturbance has occurred on the Imperial Street outside the palace. I ask you, where is the Emperor's dignity?"

At this moment, Zhao Pu and Zhao Guangyi, restrained by the emperor's might, remained silent. On the contrary, Zhao Dezhao, young and fearless, dared to ask a question in return.

"I know nothing of the emperor's face; I only know that a minister of the Secretariat was shot dead in the street by thieves, and his body is still warm."

After speaking, Zhao Kuangyin looked at the head with an arrow piercing its arm, pondered for a moment, and then said.

"Isn't this exactly what you, the Chief Justice, wanted? I asked Minister Su, and it was you who insisted on bringing Ma Shi out of prison, saying that he wanted to come to the palace to report to me in person."

"Yes, son wants Ma Shi to go to his father's side to report the matter in person and present the truth."

"What do you mean by 'truth'?" Zhao Kuangyin asked, displeased. "In your eyes, you insist on exonerating Zeping, even leading his entire family to prison to intimidate Ma Shi. Now you come before me to spread these rumors. How can I believe you?"

Previously unaware of the full story, Zhao Kuangyin only intended to intimidate the two elder Zhaos. Now, questioning the younger Zhao, it's clear he's heard Su Xiao explain the whole situation.

This wasn't Su Xiao exaggerating; it was the absolute truth.

As for whether the thief was orchestrated by Zhao Dezhao himself, it's hard to say.

It should be noted that Zhao Dezhao at this time was no longer a powerless person who merely held the title of Guizhou Defense Commissioner, but Zhao Rixin, who concurrently held the positions of Deputy Commissioner and Director of the Court of Judicial Review.

Power and position are secondary; the main thing is mindset. Zhao Dezhao has changed so quickly that even his father almost didn't recognize him.

While Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Pu, young and old, might not be able to raise a large number of assassins, it was entirely possible for the current Emperor Zhao, who did not pay much attention to or strictly enforce the "supervisory" agency, the Censorate, to raise one or two such men, or simply bribe them with large sums of money. This was not just a rumor.

First, let's talk about corruption. In the past, Zhao Pu sold timber, and now Li Shouxin's case, both were exposed by internal whistleblowers, not by Zhao Kuangyin deliberately making things difficult for him.

Don't underestimate the difference between being proactive and being passive; it's actually a huge difference.

In truth, Emperor Zhao knew that his civil and military officials had many bad deeds in private, but he didn't care about these things. As long as they could get things done, they were all good and loyal ministers.

There's a saying that goes, "It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat."

This is the logic in the eyes of the officials.

As for moral failings, whether it's major or minor corruption, at most the person will be dismissed from office, but their wealth and status will remain.

Of course, this refers to the many meritorious officials who followed the emperor into power; they cannot be compared to figures like Ma Shi, who became an official after the founding of the Song Dynasty by passing the imperial examination.

The former refers to initial public offering (IPO) shares, which represent capital injection; the latter refers to employees who "work" for the government. It's important to understand this distinction.

In short, none of the three Zhaos were clean in Zhao Kuangyin's eyes.

The emperor who was on horseback was not unskilled in political maneuvering, but rather rather discreet, making it difficult to discern his true abilities on the surface.

For example, in historical records, Emperor Taizong of Tang was "forced into a corner" and then led eight hundred men to kill his brothers. Who would believe that this was done without any preparation?

Now, regarding the Chenqiao Mutiny, the yellow robe was already prepared, and Zhao Pu, Zhao Guangyi, and others recommended him. How could it be a mere temporary upheaval?

Take the Liao army's border incursions as another example; even the Liao emperor and his officials were unaware that they had "incurded border honors."

Before the "Shadow of the Candle and the Sound of the Axe" incident, Emperor Taizu of Song had not issued an edict to establish Zhao Guangyi as the Crown Prince.

Zhao Guangyi's ascension to the throne was actually something he had secured by first entering the palace.

Even though he was just one step away from success, there were many suspicious points that night, which made his actions seem illegitimate and unconvincing.

If you want to know the reason why he did not leave a will or appoint a younger brother as crown prince.

Zhao Kuangyin did have his own selfish motives, otherwise he wouldn't have left behind hidden dangers out of thin air.

Whether he was truly unable to function at that time, or simply felt that he was not, is hard to say...

On the surface, Zhao Guangyi appeared honest and law-abiding, but in private, he frequently overstepped his bounds.

Just like Zhao Pu's abuse of power and greed for money, this is a well-known fact and difficult to deny.

No one is omniscient; only Heaven ultimately knows who did this.

What worries Zhao Kuangyin most now is that he can't bear to part with any of these three Zhaos.

Zhao Pu was the most meritorious official of the Song Dynasty. His third brother joined the army and studied literature from a young age, following in his father's footsteps and rising in rank until the present day.

Zhao Dezhao was his eldest son, born to his first wife, Lady He. Lady He had not only given birth to one son for him, but also several daughters.

Moreover, it was a marriage he formed when he was a military officer, which is incomparable to the marriages of his later wives, the Wang and Song families.

Palms, backs of hands, fingers—all are flesh.

The red line was crossed, but only touched, not overturned.

If the matter is downplayed, it will simply involve finding out the truth and dismissing one person; execution is out of the question.

If the situation were to escalate further, as Zhao Dezhao had done, parading his head through the streets and into the palace in public, expulsion and exile would not be out of the question.

This brat is trying to force the emperor to abdicate!

"Father, Ma Shiyi is innocent. I want to prove his innocence to the world. The traitors, provoked, sent assassins to ambush him at the red tower. They fired two arrows and killed him with a strong bow. Father, please send the best archers in the army first..."

"Within a hundred paces, there are countless skilled archers. Not to mention other armies, just the Crane Control Army alone has no fewer than a thousand people with such archery skills. Are you going to find them one by one?"

The scope is far too large; with the current methods of household registration and military roster statistics, it would take an unknown amount of time to screen them one by one.

If we're talking about the mastermind behind it all, it must be one of the three Zhaos, who could be traced directly back to the source. Zhao Kuangyin naturally had no patience to wait.

"Then how should we, Grandpa, find that traitor?"

After saying this, Zhao Kuangyin looked at Zhao Pu, who trembled slightly and bowed.

"As you know, I have been prime minister for ten years. Although outsiders say that I am the only prime minister, and that I may have some moral failings, I would never dare to commit such a heinous crime."

Judging from the tone of the two men, the pressure naturally fell on Zhao Guangyi. Since he had been summoned to the Chuigong Palace, he was well aware of the situation and knew that his elder brother had suspicions about him. He had prepared a response in advance.

"Brother, I will not rely on personal relationships. Now that I am before the Emperor, I will discuss the matter at hand."

Zhao Guangyi said solemnly, "As for Li Shouxin, it is unclear whether he committed suicide or was assassinated by thieves. But in my opinion, it was clearly the work of the thieves who shot and killed Ma Shi this time."

It is also said that Ma Shi, in his confession at the Dali Temple, said that when Li Shouxin was alive, because he had nowhere to hide the timber and was worried that it would be discovered, he secretly wrote to Li Shouxin, saying that he had made a raft from the good timber and hidden it in the suburbs. All of this has been confirmed...

"Then Rixin led his elderly mother, wife and daughters to the Dali Temple prison, where he said something about how Ma Shi had accomplices who had not been identified and wanted to reduce their punishment by asking the officials to be lenient. He then personally went out to identify them. If it was just to identify or even reveal the mastermind, wouldn't it have been enough to write a list of names? Why did he have to make such a fuss?"

Zhao Kuangyin nodded, but remained noncommittal.

Upon hearing this, both the young and old were filled with worry and anxiety.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Kuangyin was suspicious. Could it be that Zhao Pu and his eldest son had put on a show for him?

Zhao Pu, unable to bear it any longer, spoke frankly: "Your Majesty, I wish to impeach the Prefect of Kaifeng for deceiving the Emperor!"

"How can you deceive the king?"

"While I have indeed condoned the embezzlement of timber by my close subordinates, what does that have to do with Li Shouxin's actions? The matter of the raft was reported by Ma Shi after Li Shouxin's death. Ma Shi is not my henchman; he is an official of the Emperor and, along with Jia Huangzhong, the Left Advisor, has always been known for his impartiality and integrity. If the Emperor considers him to be Li Shouxin's son-in-law and thus views him as a corrupt official, that would be a mistake."

"How did I make a mistake?"

"Your Majesty is wrong," Zhao Dezhao immediately echoed. "Does Your Majesty know that Li Shimin and Li Yuanji were born of the same mother and father? Leaving aside their merits and demerits, just looking at their appearances, even people of the same blood and kin can be worlds apart in character. Besides, Ma Shi is merely a son-in-law... If Your Majesty so hastily convicts and creates such a miscarriage of justice, how many more years will our Great Song Dynasty last when the people's hearts turn against us?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Pu and Zhao Guangyi turned their heads to look at him, momentarily speechless.

The phrase "朝音同昭" (the pronunciation of "朝音" is the same as "昭"), but when Zhao Dezhao uttered it, it carried a different meaning.

Just as everything seemed reasonable and Zhao Kuangyin remained silent, a hurried sound came from the hall door.

"Your Majesty! The assassin has been captured!"

Upon hearing this, all four Zhao brothers looked towards the outside of the hall and fell silent.

They caught them? It hasn't been that long.

The plan was meticulously crafted to place assassins near the imperial palace on the main street and then escape unscathed after the incident.

It was so meticulous that they managed to capture the person when they were elusive.

"Who is it? Bring them in so I can have a good look at them."

"only."

Li Shenyou rushed outside and let the meritorious general Mi Xin escort a burly man inside.

At first glance, apart from being robust and tall, he appears to have no other unusual features.

"He was an old hunter named Li Zheng. He was skilled in archery from a young age and was known for his bravery in the surrounding villages. His parents had passed away, and he had no wife or children. He said he was hired for a large sum of money and after entering Kaifeng, he took up a bow and practiced archery..."

Not a royal archer?

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhao's expression changed.

Is this an attempt to muddy the waters and drag a suicide soldier out to take the blame?

Although Mi Xin had made meritorious contributions, he remained obedient after entering the palace, recounting to the emperor his glorious deeds of bravely capturing the criminals.

"I tortured the shopkeeper in every way possible, and searched high and low for the guest who had booked that room. Finally, I found the thief in a room in the inner city."

As he spoke, Mi Xin brought out the yellow birch bow that was stained with black lacquer.

"Still a birchwood bow?"

Zhao Pu, slightly out of breath, strode forward, took the birchwood bow, and said.

"The craftsmanship of this bow is no less than that of an armory," Zhao Pu asked Li Zheng. "Where did you obtain it?"

"My lord gave me gold and silver, and incidentally bestowed these upon me as well!"

Perhaps knowing he was doomed, Li Zheng showed no fear and responded loudly.

"Your Majesty, it can't be him!" Zhao Pu said with absolute certainty.

Li Zheng retorted immediately.

"Of course it is! Let the sir and the emperor know that Li Shouxin is a corrupt official! Corrupt officials deserve a terrible death! I just felt bad seeing Ma Shi being pardoned! And since there's a guest demanding his life, I'm determined to kill him!"

When it came to the word "greed," Li Zheng displayed a strong sense of righteousness, clearly having suffered greatly at the hands of corrupt officials, and his expression was one of extreme satisfaction.

Zhao Pu's momentum actually declined after this remark.

Seeing this, Zhao Dezhao asked with a troubled expression.

"You have no family or relatives, what use is money to you?"

"Money or not, I don't care! If I can escape capture, I'll consider it my destiny and live a carefree life! If I can't escape, then it's just death!! My life is here! Take it or leave it, officials!!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhao had nothing to say.

It wasn't that he was moved by the man's sincere words, but rather that he knew the man was a genuinely honest and simple person who wouldn't mind dying for someone else.

His third uncle was a master of schemes, each one intricately linked to the next…

Zhao Kuangyin said calmly, "Take him to the Dali Temple and have Su Qing interrogate him."

"only!"

Once the hall was quiet again, Zhao Kuangyin looked at the three people, one adult and one child, and felt a bit dizzy and lightheaded.

Exterminate Li Zheng's entire clan? Nine clans? Or ten clans?

This is an orphan warrior, an invincible man. What use is the intimidation of barbarian tribes?

According to Song Dynasty law and judicial interpretation, the crime was nothing more than murdering a court official, and the perpetrator would be executed in the marketplace.

Of course, an investigation is inevitable, but whether or not it will be successful is another matter.

Zhao Kuangyin couldn't bear to execute any of these three men; at worst, he would punish each of them.

But the question is, does hitting someone with a board really work?

Ultimately, the key lies in this, and Zhao Kuangyin knew it but did not stop there.

The only problem is that they didn't establish an heir apparent, leaving the eldest son and younger brother in a dilemma.

Zhao Pu was already at odds with Zhao Guangyi, and if the latter were to succeed him, he would obviously be targeted and retaliated against. Therefore, he was more willing to support Zhao Dezhao.

The stance is clear.

At this moment, he was not thinking about making a decision on whether to establish a crown prince or a younger brother; he was thinking of having the three of them sit down and gently persuade them, just like the story of "releasing military power over a cup of wine".

Judging from Zhao Dezhao's current thoughts, this "farce" has at least three layers of problems.

The first layer, which is the most obvious and what most people think, is that Zhao Pu was afraid that Li Shouxin and Ma Shi, his son-in-law and son-in-law, would not be able to withstand the torture and, in order to avoid being identified, would cut off their tails like a gecko to survive.

The second layer is to question the cause of Li and Ma's deaths, confuse the public, create a mystery, and, given Zhao Pu's past experience of smuggling timber, deliberately frame them.

It's not hard to guess who framed him, since it was the newly appointed Treasury Commissioner Chen Congxin who made the accusation on his own initiative. This man was also a former official of Kaifeng Prefecture and had connections with Zhao Guangyi.

Furthermore, Zhao Kuangyin had long harbored the idea of ​​thoroughly eradicating corruption, and he wore two layers of gloves: the outermost layer was Chen Congxin, and the innermost layer was his third brother, Guangyi.

In other words, Zhao Guangyi was aware of the situation and may have been able to foresee the future and orchestrate the events.

If it was indeed his doing, then the cause of death of Li and Ma is obvious, and it was also his doing, after which he framed Zhao Pu.

The third layer is Zhao Dezhao, who, disregarding his father's advice, secretly joined forces with Zhao Pu to try to overthrow Zhao Guangyi in order to seize the position of Crown Prince. He orchestrated a scheme.

Why?

This was because Zhao Dezhao had unnecessarily taken Ma Shi's family to prison, and after leaving the Dali Temple, he happened to be driving on the right side of the Imperial Street, and had Ma Shi close to the corridor instead of the inner side of the palace.

This clever trick might fool the person involved and outsiders, but it couldn't fool the officials and Prefect Zhao; it looked strangely familiar...

Of course, it could have been unintentional, but it just happened by chance, as if it were a natural progression.

This shows that Zhao Pu deliberately crafted the story of his murder of Li and Ma in a way that seemed incredibly unwise, then pointed the finger at the "beneficiary," Zhao Guangyi, and went before the emperor to plead his case...

Only by considering the third layer could Zhao Dezhao explain his father's temporary decision not to punish him, or even his ambiguous and equivocal attitude of assigning blame to both sides.

Perhaps there are more than just these three floors...

Things in the world are not simply black and white, but also mixed with gray, and it is not certain whether this gray is composed of silver, blue, and other different colors.

Moreover, it is clear to anyone with discerning eyes that the primary suspect behind the scenes is Zhao Pu, rather than the Prefect of Kaifeng, who is known for his virtue, talent, and good reputation.

Indeed, if Zhao Guangyi were to be granted the title of king at this time, he would undoubtedly be a wise and virtuous king.

During his years as Prefect of Kaifeng, he never made any mistakes. Furthermore, he governed the capital with strict discipline and treated his subordinates with kindness.

As a ruler or official, he was magnanimous and had no faults whatsoever, whether in public or private matters.

Clearly, setting aside his personal morality and military achievements, Zhao Guangyi was absolutely capable of bearing the title of Emperor Taizong Wen.

In contrast, Zhao Pu had a long history of misdeeds, had been wielding power for many years, and was disliked by many officials. He was already showing signs of being overthrown.

Let's not even talk about Liu Xigu, who is about to retire. Xue Juzheng is not power-hungry, but Shen Yilun's position as envoy has not been changed for many years. In addition, Lu Duoxun, who recently made great contributions on his mission to Jiangnan, is a popular and upright official by the emperor's side. He has been suffering under Zhao Pu for a long time and is eager to advance.

The ministers may not have conspired with Zhao Guangyi, but they were still subjected to verbal and written attacks, which provided an opportunity to remove Zhao Pu from his position as prime minister and then take his place.

In situations like these, it's often not about right or wrong, but about one's stance.

Even the best of us make mistakes. Party strife is just that—party strife. The winner takes all, and the loser is condemned. Don't drag it into any grander themes.

But why did Zhao Dezhao insist on targeting Zhao Guangyi?

The only consequence was suicide.

Does this mean that if the Prince of Wugong committed suicide, then Li Shouxin also committed suicide?

Whether it was suicide or assassination, how could Zhao Dezhao not know?

If even the cause of death of the predecessor is questionable, then what about Li Shouxin?

When did Prime Minister Zhao ever truly extend his reach to the Three Departments?

After a long while, Zhao Kuangyin seemed to realize that the case was complicated and he could not make a decision for the time being, so he pretended to be angry and laughed.

"Since we cannot find the mastermind behind this, then I will dismiss the three of you and send you all home as commoners. What do you say?"

"Your Majesty!"

Seeing that there was still room for maneuver, Zhao Pu lost his temper and, disregarding whether Zhao Guangyi was behind it, declared, "The thief has been captured. As for the mastermind, we can investigate that later. Why must Your Majesty go to such lengths?!"

The implication is that the swiftness of the investigation and arrests is a way to give the public an explanation and solidify the government's authority; a thorough investigation later is not too late.

Of course, Zhao Pu's main motivation was the position of prime minister. Once the position became unstable, the thought of losing the power he had held for the past ten years made it difficult for him to remain calm.

"Why must Your Majesty..."

"It should be me asking you why you're doing this?!"

Just as Zhao Pu was about to offer further advice, Zhao Kuangyin immediately stood up and slammed his fist on the table in anger.

*Smack!*

The imperial desk trembled, as if the legs and mind of the three Zhao brothers were trembling.

"The verdict was already decided! What if Ma Shi was wronged?! You insist on going to such lengths!" Zhao Kuangyin first looked at Zhao Dezhao and angrily said, "Your Majesty is heartless! You know you're wrong but won't admit it! You have such womanly compassion! You disregard my feelings and still want to drag Ma Shi out to show off!"

"And you!" Zhao Kuangyin angrily pointed at Zhao Pu: "I have truly tolerated you for far too long! Even if you are to tarnish your own reputation, you must have some restraint! If you want to be prime minister, then don't make things difficult for me at every turn! Don't make things difficult for all the officials in the court! Everyone hates corruption! People don't worry about scarcity, but about inequality! You are already the most corrupt among my ministers! A little corruption is one thing! But how many years has it been? And you still haven't learned your lesson?!"

At this point, Zhao Kuangyin was even more furious at his son's lack of ambition.

"With a wise prime minister like you at the helm, what official in the Song Dynasty wouldn't be corrupt? What official wouldn't accept bribes?"

Zhao Pu was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly offered his explanation.

"Your Majesty! Li Shouxin is truly not one of my subjects!"

"It's not just what I think! It's what everyone in the world thinks!!"

These words are undoubtedly a reference to the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." At this point, who would believe that you, Lord Zhao, are innocent?

Whether Li and Ma were corrupt or not, the evidence against the fallen officials in the Secretariat and Chancellery is irrefutable.

The number uncovered is not just one person; many more were protected or even colluded with Zhao Pu.

Just as Zhao Pu was speechless, and Zhao Guangyi was secretly pleased with himself, his finger suddenly swung across.

"And you! Don't think I know nothing!"

Zhao Guangyi trembled and lowered his head even further.

Zhao Kuangyin snorted coldly, sat down, and began to recount the events as if they were his own treasures:

"The position of Prefect of Kaifeng is a hidden one. Guo Rong was the Prefect of Kaifeng in the past, and later succeeded to the throne. From the time I was born until Dezhao came of age, I have never promoted or nurtured him as the crown prince. I am hoping for you. Do you know that?"

"Brother... Tomoya."

"Then tell me, does my intention to restore order to the empire mean correcting the succession of brothers to brothers among the barbarians, or correcting the succession of fathers to sons among the Han people?!"

This question made Zhao Guangyi very uneasy.

"Why aren't you saying anything?! Have you lost your voice?!"

Given the circumstances, Zhao Guangyi had no choice but to speak falsely.

"Naturally... it's a matter of the son inheriting the father's business."

"This empire was won by me, on horseback and off, and I have painstakingly managed it for thirteen years. You have made contributions, but are your contributions greater than mine? Let alone mine, are your contributions greater than Ze Ping's? At that time, the regional military governors were corrupt and the military men were arrogant. If it weren't for Ze Ping, how could the Song Dynasty have suppressed the military? Besides, have I ever mistreated you? Which meritorious official have I mistreated?"

Zhao Pu and Zhao Guangyi immediately said in unison.

"The Emperor (elder brother) has never..."

"I have already stated today that the realm is not yet at peace! I will not tolerate the three of you fighting amongst yourselves in the court! Although it is said that things should not be done more than three times, in my eyes, there are only two instances. I will not investigate this matter further, but if there is a next time, I will not care who did it! You will all be dismissed!"

"My Song Dynasty is not lacking in prime ministers, nor in sons or brothers."

Having said that, Zhao Kuangyin placed his hands behind his back, his hair standing on end in anger, and said:

"I have painstakingly governed the realm for thirteen years! Even though Defang and Wenhua were incompetent and ultimately followed in Guo Zhou's footsteps, allowing outsiders to usurp the throne and causing the fall of the Song Dynasty... it was fate! I accept it!"

"Your Majesty... I know my crime!"

Zhao Pu could no longer bear it, tears streaming down his face, and he prostrated himself on the ground.

Zhao Guangyi was no better off; his eyes were red-rimmed, and he lowered his head and wept softly.

In contrast, Zhao Dezhao remained silent and stood still, showing no sign of faltering even in the face of a collapsing mountain.

But it was this unyielding stubbornness that made Zhao Kuangyin glance at him alone.

After a short while, Zhao Kuangyin did not reprimand him again, but left in a huff, leaving the three Zhaos in the hall in a state of disarray.