I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 516: Great changes in the Liao Kingdom! The Liao Emperor is ill, and the prince becomes the emperor

May 21st.

late at night.

Liao territory, the emperor's palace.

Yelu Hongji, the Grand Marshal of the Liao army and the eldest prince, walked quickly into the bedroom of the Liao emperor Yelu Zongzhen.

now.

Yelu Zongzhen was half lying on a soft couch, his face pale.

He has been feeling unwell since the end of last year and has been taking medicine every day, but his condition has not only not improved but has become worse.

Basically, he relied on bowls of rare medicinal soup to survive so that he had the strength to review memorials and attend court.

His hair was gray and he looked very healthy. From a distance he looked like a sixty-year-old man.

In fact, he is only forty years old this year.

"Father, you...please don't scare me. What's wrong with you?" Yelu Hongji asked nervously.

Three days ago, Yelu Zongzhen was discussing matters in the court and his mental state was still good.

But this pale state tonight really scared Yelu Hongji.

Yelu Zongzhen waved to Yelu Hongji.

"My son, come and sit beside me."

Yelu Hongji hurriedly sat next to Yelu Zongzhen and held his hand, feeling very nervous.

"Son, your father's death is coming to an end. I'm afraid he won't survive this autumn."

"Father, you..."

"Listen to me!"

Yelu Zongzhen glared and interrupted Yelu Hongji's words.

"After I die, what I am most worried about is the fight between you and Yelu Chongyuan for the throne. I am naturally willing to pass the throne to you, but the Queen Mother is more inclined to Yelu Chongyuan."

"If I die, I'm afraid you and Yelu Chongyuan will fight to the death. Now, there are the Jurchens in the north and the Song people in the south. If there is a civil war, the Liao Dynasty may be in danger. We can't afford such a turmoil. I want to help you and solve the hidden dangers in advance."

"Five days later, I want to hold a family banquet. The Queen Mother, Yelu Chongyuan and his son, and their families will all participate."

"When that happens, I want you to purge the court of the emperor. Imprison the Queen Mother and kill Yelu Chongyuan and his son on the pretext that the Queen Mother and Yelu Chongyuan are plotting rebellion. Do you dare to do it?"

"Father...I...I..."

Hearing this, Yelu Hongji knelt down on the ground.

"Father, I really... I really can't bring myself to do such an act of parricide!" Yelu Hongji lowered his head.

Imprisoned the Queen Mother and killed the Emperor's uncle.

That will be criticized and insulted by future generations.

Yelu Zongzhen's face darkened, and he stretched out his hand to signal Yelu Hongji to come closer to him.

Yelu Hongji quickly stood up and half-knelt in front of Yelu Zongzhen. The moment he raised his head, Yelu Zongzhen slapped him.

"Snapped!"

The sound is crisp and clear.

Although Yelu Zongzhen was ill, the slap was quite powerful.

A red mark quickly appeared on Yelu Hongji's face.

"Useless! You don't even dare to do this. How can I trust you to hand over the throne? I have scheduled a family banquet in five days. If you don't want to send someone to do it, I will do it. Go back and think about it carefully!"

Yelu Zongzhen has a hot temper.

"I'm leaving now." Yelu Zongzhen quickly retreated.

……

Half an hour later.

Yelu Hongji returned to his room with a gloomy face.

At this time.

A tall woman in a red dress walked out from the inner room.

This woman has a fair complexion and is very pretty, with a look similar to that of a Song Dynasty woman.

The steps are elegant and full of nobility.

She looked at Yelu Hongji's slightly red and swollen face and asked softly, "Husband, what's wrong?"

This woman is none other than this.

It was Yelu Hongji's wife, Xiao Guanyin, a talented woman recognized by the Khitan people.

Yelu Hongji and Xiao Guanyin had been married for two years and could talk about anything.

Yelu Hongji looked up at Xiao Guanyin, about to say something, then suddenly walked up to Xiao Guanyin, picked her up savagely, and walked into the inner room.

Soon, the sound of sex came from the inner room.

Leaning slightly, on the soft bed.

Xiao Guanyin leaned on Yelu Hongji's chest and said, "My husband, your majesty's plan is not a bad idea. This is for the stability of the Liao Dynasty. I think it is feasible."

"But...but..."

"But what?" Yelu Hongji asked.

"Please forgive me, my husband, for my innocence!"

Yelu Hongji was a little anxious. He tightly grasped Xiao Guanyin's fair arm and said, "We talked on the bedside of husband and wife. Not guilty! Not guilty!"

Xiao Guanyin tidied up the messy hair on her shoulders and spoke slowly.

"In fact, your Majesty has selfish motives in doing this. He will not live long, but he does not want the Queen Mother and the Crown Prince to steal the throne. Your Majesty has long been displeased by the Queen Mother and the Crown Prince, but he does not want to be charged with imprisoning his own mother and killing his own brother."

"And if you kill the Crown Prince in order to clear the emperor's entourage, and then put the Queen Mother under house arrest, then this crime will be yours."

"Your Majesty has always been selfish. He is willing to pass the throne to my husband, but he does not want to bear the blame, so he came up with this idea. Otherwise, with his current ability, he can trick the Queen Mother and the Crown Prince to come to him, have them killed, and then frame them for treason. It would be easy, and my husband would not have to do anything at all."

……

Yelu Hongji nodded in approval. Xiao Guanyin knew Yelu Zongzhen better than he did.

"Then...then what should I do? Should I just bear the crime of being kinsmanlike?"

Xiao Guanyin shook her head slightly.

"I know that my husband wishes to become a benevolent and wise ruler like the officials of Song Dynasty, so he should not do such a thing."

"I suggest that you first follow your majesty's orders to kill the emperor's uncle and his son, imprison the queen mother, and then seize your majesty's power. You can tell the public that this was your majesty's order and that it was done by his personal soldiers, and that you have nothing to do with it."

"My husband, you must understand that history is told by living people. As long as my husband can seize the power of His Majesty and put him under house arrest, His Majesty will not live long. You don't need to obey his orders and throw dirty water on yourself."

"After that, you will bury the uncle with honor, and then preside over the government as the crown prince. This move will not only take away your majesty's imperial power, but also eliminate the hidden dangers of the queen mother and the uncle. Our Liao Dynasty will quickly stabilize, and the Jurchens and Song people will not add fuel to the fire and cause trouble. I will also let the Xiao family help them."

……

Yelu Hongji nodded in approval.

"Yes. Now I am in charge of all the Pishi troops surrounding the palace. As long as I can convince the Dragon and Tiger commanders of the Pishi troops guarding the palace tent, I can do it."

Xiao Guanyin was overjoyed and said excitedly: "Then congratulations to my husband for taking charge of the Liao Dynasty as soon as possible!"

Xiao Guanyin has a charming and lovely face.

Yelu Hongji hugged Xiao Guanyin with a confident smile on his face.

Yelu Zongzhen was a drunkard, lustful, tyrannical, and self-willed person. He had long wanted to replace him.

……

Five days later, around noon, at the emperor's palace.

Empress Dowager Xiao Noujin, Yelu Chongyuan and his son, Yelu Hongji, and a series of Liao royal family members gathered together.

Such family dinners are held frequently and everyone has long taken them for granted.

Yelu Zongzhen drank two bowls of nourishing soup in the morning. Although he still looked a little sick, his face was rosy and he looked healthy.

Xiao Noujin and Yelu Chongyuan had no idea that Yelu Zongzhen only had a few months left to live.

After all, he was only forty years old.

After a while, the family dinner began.

Yelu Zongzhen first said some polite words.

Yelu Chongyuan and Yelu Hongji must work together to keep the Liao Dynasty stable.

Then, after Empress Dowager Xiao Noujin said a few words, Yelu Chongyuan and Yelu Hongji expressed their willingness to work harder to contribute their strength to the Liao Kingdom.

Then, everyone started eating and drinking.

Just when Yelu Zongzhen was about to call Empress Dowager Xiao Noujin, Yelu Chongyuan and his son, and Yelu Hongji to the inner room.

Yelu Chongyuan's son Yelu Nerug suddenly picked up the wine bowl and came to Yelu Hongji.

"Royal brother, you have been working really hard recently, but why are there more and more Jurchens? If you can't do it, why don't you let His Majesty send me!"

Yelu Nerugu was a young man who was brave but not wise. But he was even more arrogant than Yelu Chongyuan.

If his father becomes emperor, he will have the opportunity to become the crown prince.

Therefore, he was most concerned about his father Yelu Chongyuan becoming the next emperor, and would criticize Yelu Hongji whenever he had the chance.

Because Empress Dowager Xiao Noujin doted on him very much, Yelu Hongji would always avoid talking to her.

But at this moment, Yelu Zongzhen was unwilling to endure it.

He looked at Yelu Nerug, who was two years younger than him, and said, "Yelu Nerug, if I had sent you, I'm afraid you would have been buried in the imperial mausoleum two years ago!"

"you……"

Yelu Nerugu did not expect that Yelu Hongji, who was unsuccessful in his encirclement and suppression of the Jurchens, would still dare to be so arrogant.

He clenched his fists and wanted to fight with Yelu Hongji.

In his eyes, Yelu Hongji was like a weak Song person and was totally unsuitable to be the future monarch of Liao.

"Stop it! You always bicker every time we meet. Is it endless?" Yelu Zongzhen glared.

Then, Yelu Zongzhen looked at Empress Dowager Xiao Noujin and Yelu Chongyuan.

"Mother, Ninth Brother, let's go to the inner room to chat and burn incense for the late emperor!" Yelu Zongzhen said, then looked at Yelu Hongji and Yelu Nerugu and said, "You follow me."

Immediately, the five people entered the inner room.

There is the spirit tablet of the previous emperor in the inner room.

This was also the rule of the Liao royal family. Generally, whenever there was a family banquet, incense was burned to the previous emperor.

At this moment, there were already archers lying in ambush inside.

Queen Mother Xiao Noujin took the lead in holding the incense, and while muttering something, she inserted the incense into the incense burner.

immediately.

Yelu Hongji followed Yelu Zongzhen to burn incense, and Yelu Nerugu followed Yelu Chongyuan to burn incense.

At the moment when Yelu Chongyuan and his son were offering incense, Yelu Zongzhen gave Yelu Hongji a look, hoping that Yelu Hongji would kill Yelu Chongyuan personally.

Yelu Hongji immediately understood.

He first nodded slightly to the personal soldiers hiding behind the door, then held the dagger hidden in his sleeve with his right hand and walked towards Yelu Chongyuan.

Swish!
At the moment when Yelu Hongji drew out the dagger, a flash of white light appeared, which was just caught by Yelu Nerugu's peripheral vision.

He couldn't help but be surprised.

"Father, be careful!" He rushed towards Yelu Hongji.

Seeing this unexpected thing, Yelu Hongji immediately pointed the dagger at Yelu Nerugu, and then stabbed it into Yelu Nerugu's stomach.

puff!puff!puff!

Yelu Hongji grabbed Yelu Nerugu's arm and stabbed him hard.

He stabbed her more than ten times, leaving the ground covered in blood. He stopped only when Yelu Nerugu was out of breath.

He hated Yelu Nerugu, who loved to show off and had foul language, very much.

Yelu Chongyuan never expected that Yelu Hongji would dare to kill him in front of the late emperor's spirit tablet and in front of the empress dowager.

The first thought is to escape.

It's a pity it's too late.

The moment he turned around, an arrow pierced his thigh.

at the same time.

With bloodshot eyes, Yelu Hongji aimed at Yelu Chongyuan's stomach again.

puff!puff!puff!

Another ten or so times.

On the side, Queen Mother Xiao Noujin was dumbfounded.

She didn't expect that his grandson would treat his uncle like this.

And not far away.

A smile appeared on Yelu Zongzhen's face. Yelu Hongji did what he had always wanted to do but had never done.

Then, Yelu Hongji threw the dagger on the ground and shouted, "Someone, come! The Queen Mother and Yelu Chongyuan and his son were plotting a rebellion and trying to assassinate Your Majesty. Now they have been killed by Your Majesty's personal soldiers. Arrest all their relatives outside!"

"Order!"

Suddenly.

A group of soldiers surrounded them and arrested the royal relatives who were confused.

The Queen Mother Xiao Noujin was also carried away by two soldiers, and what awaited her was house arrest until death.

Yelu Zongzhen stroked his beard lightly.

"My son is brave and did a great job, but wasn't I wrong just now? It was you who killed Yelu Chongyuan and his son, not my personal soldiers."

Yelu Zongzhen cared about this very much, and he wanted Yelu Hongji to bear this bad reputation.

Yelu Hongji turned around.

"Father, you must have seen it wrong! I didn't do anything! It was clearly you who ordered your personal soldiers to do it. I was standing by and had no involvement at all!" Yelu Hongji said with a smile on his face, stretching out his bloody hands.

He lied with his eyes open, which was completely different from his usual self.

Yelu Zongzhen was stunned.

"You...you dare to rebel against me? Where are my personal soldiers? Come and protect me quickly!" Yelu Zongzhen shouted.

Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to him.

Yelu Hongji smiled and said, "Father, you will draft a memorial to appoint me as the crown prince. You can stay here and recuperate. I will give you a lavish burial. Don't worry about the Liao Dynasty's political affairs. You have no political achievements in your life, so it doesn't matter if you have a reputation of imprisoning your mother and killing your brother!"

“Rebellious son…rebellious son…” Yelu Zongzhen clenched his fists.

"Where is my Pi Shi army? Where is my Pi Shi army..."

Yelu Zongzhen shouted until his throat became hoarse, his face became paler and paler, and it seemed that he could no longer breathe, but still no one paid any attention to him.

this moment.

He realized that the master of Liao had changed.

……

Although Yelu Hongji looks weak, he is actually very ruthless.

In addition to imprisoning all the relatives and subordinates of Yelu Chongyuan and his son, he immediately took control of all the civil and military officials living outside the palace, and sent the Pi Shi Army to arrest Xiao Hudu, the Chief of the Northern Courtyard, who was in the same faction as Yelu Chongyuan and held great military power.

Some officials who stood on Yelu Chongyuan's side, upon learning of the death of Yelu Chongyuan and his son, all became disciples of Yelu Hongji.

Just five days.

The Liao crown prince, Yelu Hongji, completely controlled the entire Liao court and began to take charge of state affairs on the pretext that Yelu Zongzhen was ill.

……

The third day of June, afternoon.

Prime Minister Wen Yanbo, Vice Prime Minister Fu Bi, Deputy Privy Councilor Zeng Gongliang and Chief Censor Su Liang were summoned into the Chuigong Hall by Zhao Zhen.

The Liao spy sent a secret report on military intelligence:

The Liao emperor is ill (an illness of the emperor is called "illness") and he probably won't survive this autumn.

Queen Mother Xiao Noujin and Yelu Chongyuan and his son conspired to rebel and assassinate the emperor, but were killed by the Pi Shi army. Yelu Hongji was named crown prince and took charge of the state affairs of the Liao Kingdom.

Wen Yanbo sighed, "This Yelu Zong is really cruel. He killed his brother and imprisoned his mother. He is so cruel and decisive!"

"This is not a bad thing for the Liao Kingdom. If Yelu Zongzhen dies and Yelu Chongyuan and Yelu Hongji fight with each other, the Liao Kingdom will be in complete chaos!" Fu Bi said, stroking his beard.

At this time, Zeng Gongliang smiled and said: "When Yelu Zongzhen dies, it may be the best day for us to attack Liao."

Zhao Zhen's eyes lit up.

"I summoned you four here to ask you whether the death of Yelu Zongzhen would be the best day to attack Liao?"

Wen Yanbo, Fu Bi and Zeng Gongliang looked at Su Liang at the same time. They all thought that Su Liang knew the Liao Kingdom best.

Su Liang thought about it and shook his head slightly.

"It's hard to say! Yelu Hongji might be more difficult to deal with than Yelu Zongzhen."

"This man seems gentle and refined, unlike his father who is stubborn and rude, but he is very ruthless and is good at learning from our Song Dynasty. I think we should be cautious and wait and see what the Jurchens do before considering whether to take action."

"Also, I don't recommend taking action against Liao before destroying Xia."

Zhao Zhen nodded in approval.

Yelu Hongji was indeed good at learning from the Song Dynasty. If Su Liang had not led him astray, the Liao Dynasty might have been a completely different place after the reform.

Zhao Zhen thought for a moment, and then said, "Even if we attack Liao later, it will probably be at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. I think the preparations for the attack on Liao can be put on the agenda, and the four of you should pay attention to it!"

When Su Liang and the other three heard this, they smiled and bowed at the same time.

They all knew that Zhao Zhen could not wait to lead the army in person.

(End of this chapter)