Chapter 73

"Certain people bring their own downfall," Wang Ju thought to himself.

When Zhao Zhen passed away, the common people had their own scales in their hearts.

Perhaps he was not a great ruler, but he was a unique emperor, and this uniqueness could only make people respect him.

But retribution for certain people was about to come.

In fact, from this point on, the dividing line of the Song Dynasty had arrived.

Zhao Zhen died, and Han Qi soared to power. He was truly a meritorious minister who had followed the dragon from the beginning. He had arrived.

The first step was to immediately have Zhao Shu ascend the throne. However, Zhao Shu looked at the imperial robe and ran around the bedroom, shouting, "I cannot do it, I cannot do it."

Han Qi was stunned. When softness didn't work, they resorted to force. A few senior officials started wrestling, and although they were all old men, Zhao Shu was middle-aged. But the old men were determined, and they pinned down Zhao Shu, forcibly stripped him, and dressed him in the imperial robe.

The second step was to announce the will, which required a mourning ceremony. Moreover, the entire nation was in mourning. Could the son not cry? Zhao Shu managed to squeeze out a few tears, but there was no sound. Was this silent mourning, the ultimate sorrow?

Only a few top ministers knew the truth, while the other officials were unclear and began to discuss it. Han Qi sighed with relief; the second hurdle was passed.

The third step was that Zhao Shu started acting crazy in the palace, hitting people at the slightest provocation. The eunuchs and palace maids, who had been through the benevolence of Emperor Renzong, suddenly found themselves in hell. How could they bear it? They had to report to Lady Cao. Lady Cao intervened and tried to communicate with her son. However, she soon covered her face and fled. What exactly was said? Lady Cao was embarrassed and only said that Zhao Shu had been disrespectful. She was helpless; her son had turned the entire palace into a chaotic and violent place. She had to find Han Qi: "Prime Minister Han, how can the person you chose be so disrespectful, even to his mother?"

Han Qi was also at a loss.

But at this point, he could not back down. He said, "The Emperor is ill. Why should the Empress Dowager quarrel with a sick person? We can only see the Emperor from outside, while the Empress Dowager is responsible for his protection inside."

This was a reasonable statement, and at this moment, calm was essential. But he added, "If the Emperor is not well cared for, the Empress Dowager will not be at ease either."

Lady Cao was stunned. What did Han Qi mean? If the emperor changed, would she not be the Empress Dowager? Did he want to get rid of her?

Thinking about it, she finally understood. No, if her "son" had an accident, Han Qi would blame her and could indeed get rid of her. She then said sternly, "What are you saying, Prime Minister? You must be more careful."

"If the Empress Dowager takes care of him, everyone will naturally take care of him."

Having boarded this pirate ship, she could not get off, and neither could he.

The fourth step was that Zhao Shu claimed to be ill and refused to handle state affairs. It didn't matter if he didn't handle them; for the time being, Lady Cao was still ruling behind the curtain. So, they should treat his illness first. However, Zhao Shu refused to take medicine. Han Qi personally went to the palace to feed him, but Zhao Shu took a small sip and then stopped. Han Qi had no choice but to hold the medicine bowl, insisting that he drink. Suddenly, Zhao Shu changed his expression and knocked over the bowl, splashing Han Qi with the medicine. Lady Cao, who was watching, said, "Prime Minister, it's not easy for you."

Han Qi was on the verge of tears.

Zhao Shu's son, Zhao Xu, came and knelt by the bed, holding the medicine bowl, but Zhao Shu ignored him.

The fifth step was that Zhao Zhen needed to be buried. The son had to show up, but Zhao Shu said he was ill and could not go anywhere. The ministers were in an uproar. But what could they do at this point? Sima Guang stepped in and found the records of the imperial physicians, which stated, "His six pulses are harmonious, and there is no illness in his body." This forced Zhao Shu to come out. When he arrived at Zhao Zhen's memorial, even though each person had their own selfish motives, thinking of Zhao Zhen's benevolence, the day of the burial was filled with cries from the palace, and some ministers almost fainted from crying. Were their hearts really colder than iron? But Zhao Shu, who had previously managed to squeeze out a few crocodile tears, now had no tears at all.

Han Qi was at a loss and had to invent a term, "zhu ku" (ending the mourning period), which meant that from now on, whether one cried or not was up to them.

The sixth step was that Lady Cao became increasingly disappointed. This son was simply outrageous. Who knew what other things would happen? She collected some evidence and gave it to Han Qi, preparing to depose this unfilial son.

Han Qi read it and then did something that left the eunuchs speechless: he burned Lady Cao's edict in front of them.

Then Han Qi told the stunned eunuch to take a message back to the palace: "The Emperor is ill, so what he says and does cannot be taken seriously."

The eunuch left, and Han Qi immediately ran to find Ouyang Xiu.

At this moment, he was trembling with fear and cold sweat.

First, he had to consider whether the emperor could be deposed. He could, and Lady Cao's evidence was sufficient to depose Zhao Shu. Moreover, since Lady Cao was ruling behind the curtain, the turmoil caused by deposing Zhao Shu would not be too great. There was also the precedent of Huo Guang in the Western Han Dynasty. It was reasonable and feasible!

The problem was also with Fu Bi.

Originally, Fu and Han were both prime ministers, with Han Qi below Fu Bi.

However, Han Qi was a strong-willed person. In the past, he had even wanted to "overthrow" Fan Zhongyan, let alone Fu Bi. Therefore, he was decisive, and Fu Bi often disagreed with him. Han Qi, becoming impatient, said, "You are nagging."

"Nagging" was a term used to describe an old woman's chatter, and using it to describe a man, especially a prime minister, was insulting. Fu Bi felt, "What is nagging?"

Han Qi shrugged, indicating that the life of a strong-willed person was not something a nagging gentleman could understand.

When Fu Bi's mother died, he had to mourn for 27 months, which was very difficult. Therefore, the Song Dynasty invented a humane term, "duo qing," which meant that after 100 days, one could return to office. After 100 days, Fu Bi returned to his post. Han Qi then said, "This is not a grand ceremony of the court."

Fu Bi, a man who cared about his reputation, understood and said, "Fine, I will not cling to my position and will return home to mourn."

This was not a problem because, with Wang Ju's efforts, Zhao Zhen had died nearly half a year later, and Fu Bi had already returned to the court.

He did not participate in the selection of the crown prince but had enough prestige to ensure a smooth transition.

The problem was Zhao Yunrang's brother Zhao Yunning's son Zhao Zong'e, Zhao Shu's brother Zhao Zongyou, and Song Taizu's great-grandson Zhao Conggu. These people had all been examined and were on the same starting line as Zhao Shu a few years ago. They were all excellent members of the imperial family, and any one of them had the prestige and ability to be a new emperor. If the decision to depose Zhao Shu was made, the ministers, who were extremely disappointed with the new emperor, could easily choose one of them. With Lady Cao and Fu Bi working together, the country could successfully change its ruler.

But if that happened, he and Ouyang Xiu would be in deep trouble.

They might quickly fall from the peak of power.

Han Qi was the top figure, and Ouyang Xiu was the second. Ouyang Xiu was also anxious. To hell with face. The two quickly entered the palace, but Lady Cao faltered at the critical moment. Seeing the two, she said, "I am at a loss. I need you to take charge."

Han Qi and Ouyang Xiu felt relieved. Taking charge was easy. Han Qi, nonchalantly, as if he were scolding his concubine at home, said, "This is because he is ill. When he recovers, he will not be like this. Moreover, as a mother, can you not be more tolerant of your sick son?"

Ouyang Xiu also joined in the persuasion.

They succeeded. At the time when Zhao Zhen's body was still warm, the two talented men successfully bullied the most powerful woman in the world.

The seventh step was that Zhao Shu suddenly had a strange idea in the palace and summoned the imperial physicians who had treated Zhao Zhen, namely, Sun Zhao, the former Yanzhou observation officer and now the imperial physician, and Shan Xiang, the former Binzhou registrar and now the imperial physician. He said, "I heard you were recommended by the two councils?"

When Zhao Zhen was ill, the ministers naturally invited the best doctors to try to cure him. The two confirmed this.

"In that case, I will not interfere. You go to the two councils and decide for yourselves."

The two imperial physicians were terrified.

Han Qi's head ached again. Dealing with a few imperial physicians was not a problem, but the fact that he had agreed to their appointment, and the Empress Dowager had also agreed, why did he want to deal with them now? If this news got out, what would people think? It would clearly suggest that Zhao Zhen's death was suspicious. Considering Zhao Zhen's image in the hearts of the people, what impact would this have?

No, this matter had to be handled quickly and quietly.

But Zhao Shu did not stop there. One day, he suddenly said to Han Qi, "The Empress Dowager has no grace towards me."

Han Qi wanted to slap him. Without Lady Cao, could he have ascended the throne?

He could not be hasty. He had to have Lu Gongzhu, Liu Chang, and Sima Guang give Zhao Shu lessons, teaching him the "Analects" and the "Records of the Grand Historian." What did Wang Ju teach his younger siblings in Wangjiazhai? The "Analects"!

But it was still not enough. This unfilial son was pushing step by step. Although Lady Cao was foolish and naive, she would eventually get rid of the old lady. Therefore, they had to force the old lady to return power. Once she returned power, she would be at a loss, and Fu Bi had also returned to the capital. Thus, an even more despicable event occurred...

The higher the previous ruler, the more despicable the successor. So when that event happened, everyone's anger erupted.

Without discussing right or wrong, the events before and after revealed a terrifying truth to the officials: as long as the goal was achieved, any means could be used. So, it was a matter of who was more ruthless.