Daming Super Dimension Company, President Zhu Yuanzhang!

Chapter 94 Desperate Zhao Kuangyin!

I remember that the Zhao Kuangyin brothers were still very poor back then, but the monk at that time could just reach into his bag and come up with gold.

This could be regarded as a clever trick for the time being, but later, when the chaotic monk accurately predicted the date of Zhao Kuangyin and Chen Qiao's mutiny, and even the date of the yellow robe, Zhao Kuangyin had no choice but to believe that this monk was really capable. .

It's a pity that from the day Zhao Kuangyin became emperor, this master of chaos disappeared. Even though Zhao Kuangyin sent many people to look for him, he seemed to have disappeared from the world.

Until this year…

Zhao Kuangyin stood on the attic, looking at the sky filled with dark clouds, his heart heavy. Could it be that his destiny really only ends here?
"Master Chaos, why, why!"

"Since you saved me, why didn't you tell me where to live?"

"On the night of October 20th, if the sky is clear, you can live for twelve years, if the sky is cloudy, you will definitely die..."

Zhao Kuangyin kept murmuring the prophecy that Master Chaos had approved for him when he suddenly saw a fluorescent light flashing in front of him, and a rectangular jade stone appeared in front of him with writing on it.

"Super Dimension Company, fulfill all your wishes!"

"Please leave your wishes and rewards and issue the mission."

Boom! ! !

At this time, thunder exploded in the sky, and Zhao Kuangyin could no longer think about the origin of this thing. He only regarded it as a miracle and asked for a way out at the price of three thousand taels of gold.

"As long as it can help me live a few more years, not to mention three thousand taels of gold, even thirty thousand taels will do!"

The rain had begun to drip on Zhao Kuangyin's face, and he looked up to the sky and screamed in despair.

In just one sentence, the snowflakes started to fall gradually in this October weather, and it all happened in the blink of an eye.

"Wocao, it's started to rain." As soon as Xiao Ran came over, he was confused by the appearance of rain and snow. "Isn't it October? Why did it start to snow so early?"

"No, why are there still ice particles?"

Xiao Ran quickly closed the door and window, and then had time to see Zhao Kuangyin wearing a dragon robe?

"Are you Zhao Kuangyin? I took the order. Let me introduce myself, I am Xiao Ran, the chairman of Super Dimension Company."

Before Xiao Ran could finish speaking, Zhao Kuangyin stepped forward excitedly. He wanted to hold Xiao Ran's hand, but was afraid of offending him and stopped.

"Are you a god? Are you here to save me?"

Zhao Kuangyin looked at Xiao Ran with hope: "Am I really going to die today? Is it still possible?"

"I'm not a god. I'm an official. You can call me by my name, Xiao Ran or Xiao Xiao. I come from more than a thousand years later, so I can help you solve some things."

"But if you can appear here out of thin air, what are you if you are not a god?" Zhao Kuangyin gradually calmed down at this time. This Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty, even if he was afraid of death, was definitely not a brainless idiot.

"If you insist on thinking this way, then there's nothing I can do about it."

As soon as this sentence came out, Xiao Ran paused for a moment. He seemed to have said some great scumbag quotation just now.

"However, according to historical records, you did die tonight."

Zhao Kuangyin's face turned pale suddenly, and after a while he asked: "Then how did I die?"

Listening to Li Shimin coming and going "I" every day, and now hearing Zhao Kuangyin using such a simple "I", Xiao Ran felt a little uncomfortable. However, this was indeed the way the emperor of the Song Dynasty spoke.

This is usually how it is played in TV dramas. The emperor calls himself "I", which is of course correct. However, in the Song Dynasty, if the emperor kept saying "I, I, I" all day long, people would think that the emperor was very dignified and pretentious.

Because in the Song Dynasty, the emperor often called himself "I" in informal situations, such as in the harem and at banquets. The way of speaking in daily life is also like "I tell you" and "I tell you", which is no different from the ordinary speech among the people. Only in formal occasions such as court meetings, the emperor calls himself "I".

However, Zhao Kuangyin's question is really difficult to talk about.

"This is how your death was recorded in history, but I cannot guarantee whether it is true. There are also many speculations in unofficial histories about the truth about your death."

"Mr. Xiao, it doesn't matter if you say so."

Now, Zhao Kuangyin used the honorific title when he addressed Xiao Ran.

"It is recorded in the "History of Song Dynasty: The Benji of Taizu": The emperor died in Long Live Hall at the age of fifty. He was appointed by Empress Dowager Du and passed on to Emperor Taizong. As for what happened specifically, there are several theories, but they are all Pretty much the same thing."

"One of the theories is that in the Song Dynasty, an old mountain monk named Wenying recorded in "Xiangshan Wild Records": On a snowy night, Song Taizu, who was already seriously ill in bed, summoned his younger brother Zhao Guangyi to the palace. During this period, all the maids and the eunuchs were all dismissed, leaving only the two brothers drinking together."

"But looking from a distance, the shadows cast on the doors and windows under the candlelight showed that Zhao Guangyi sometimes avoided the table, as if he was unbearable. After the third watch drum sounded, the two of them stopped drinking. At this time, the palace The snow falling in front has already fallen several inches deep."

"And Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin poked the snow with a pillar axe, stared at Zhao Guangyi and said: Easy to do! Easy to do! Then he went back to the palace to undress and fell asleep, snoring like thunder. That night, Zhao Guangyi also stayed in the ban. Before the fifth watch, Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin was silent and the servants saw that he had passed away."

"The records above only stop here, there are not too many records."

"Then what does my official history book of the Song Dynasty say?" Zhao Kuangyin looked at Xiao Ran expectantly, but this result was destined to disappoint him.

Xiao Ran spread his hands helplessly and said: "About your death, the official history books of the Song Dynasty are not clear about it. This is something you can imagine. After that, all the descendants of Zhao Guangyi will inherit the throne, so they will naturally avoid this matter. After all, some people just want to take advantage of the imperial court." People who come to work with a mouthful of food don’t come here to die.”

"It's just my personal opinion that there is something fishy about Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi's accession to the throne."

"Also Sima Guang also recorded in "Shu Shui Ji Wen": It was already four o'clock when Taizu died. The Queen of the Song Dynasty sent her servant Wang Jilong to summon Taizu's son Qin Wang Defang, but Wang Jilong went directly to Kaifeng Mansion to find Jin Wang Zhao Guangyi. Not long after, Queen Song heard Wang Jilong's voice and hurriedly asked: Is Defang coming? But Wang Jilong's reply was: King Jin is here."

When he heard this, Zhao Kuangyin's face was already filled with anger, and he stretched out his hand to punch the railing by the window: "What does this Wang Jilong want to do? If he is really not a good person, I will kill him soon!"

"You can do this like this."

"Sima Guang's records state that the Empress of the Song Dynasty was so frightened that she cried to Zhao Guangyi and said: The lives of my mother and son have been handed over to the official family." You know, in the Song Dynasty, the emperor was commonly known as the official family.

Zhao Kuangyin's fists were already clenched. It was simply unbearable!
"What did Zhao Guangyi say at that time?"

"Let's protect our wealth together, don't worry." After saying this, Xiao Ran looked at Zhao Kuangyin with a profound look.

There are two explanations for this.

It can be said that the queen had to choose to bow her head temporarily and protect herself wisely at that time.

But Zhao Guangyi's words can also be understood to mean that Queen Song had secretly plotted with him before.

In any case, Zhao Kuangyin's death and Zhao Guangyi's succession seemed to be conspiracy.

"About Zhao Guangyi's succession to the throne of Song Taizong, there is another theory called the Golden Chamber Alliance, which means that before Zhao Kuangyin's mother, Empress Dowager Du, died, she made a will in front of Zhao Kuangyin, Zhao Guangyi, and Zhao Pu that after Zhao Kuangyin's death, Zhao Guangyi would ascend the throne. .Whether this is true or not, the person who knows the most clearly should be you, the official."

When Xiao Ran said this, he looked at Zhao Kuangyin, but looking at Zhao Kuangyin's face, he knew that this so-called "Golden Chamber Alliance" should have a lot of water.

But everyone is smart. From Xiao Ran's own point of view, from the part recorded by Sima Guang, where Empress Song hurriedly summoned King Defang of Qin, we knew that the "Golden Chamber Alliance" was probably a fabrication.

"Then what did Zhao Guangyi do after he succeeded to the throne, and what about me, the Song Dynasty?" Zhao Kuangyin asked Xiao Ran.

As an emperor, he is naturally worried about the Song family's power.

"The order you placed only said that you wanted to save your life, and you didn't say that you wanted to ask this. The answer to your question just now is considered to be given to you for free."

Zhao Kuangyin frowned slightly: "You mean, you can't answer this?"

"No, I mean, more money."

Hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin's brows suddenly relaxed.

"It's easy to tell, how much do you want?"

"One hundred taels of gold. I will tell you all the major events that happened after Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi came to the throne." Xiao Ran stretched out a finger. Originally he only wanted ten taels of gold. After all, Zhu Yuanzhang had always had a problem with one tael of gold before. , but thinking of Zhao Kuangyin's generous spending, he thought, who else would think this money is too much?

"Deal! I agree." The price was not expensive in Zhao Kuangyin's mind, so he agreed immediately.

With the gold in place, everything was easy to discuss. Xiao Ran was not afraid of Zhao Kuangyin defaulting on his debt, so he sat in Taiqing Pavilion and started talking.

"Taizong Zhao Guangyi hurriedly changed the Yuan Dynasty this year, but this kind of change to the Yuan Dynasty before the end of the year was unique in the history of the Song Dynasty. In addition, within a few years, his younger brother Tingmei was demoted to Fangzhou and Taizu Dezhao was forced to commit suicide. , Defang died inexplicably."

"He is so cruel!" Zhao Kuangyin is now fifty years old. Hearing the news, he clutched his chest and was a little out of breath.

"Do you want to continue listening to the rest?" Xiao Ran looked at Zhao Kuangyin.

"Go on, I'm not that stingy. What Zhao Guangyi did has nothing to do with you, and I won't implicate you."

"After Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi succeeded to the throne, the first thing he did was to change the title of the reign to 'Taiping Xingguo', expressing his intention to achieve a new cause."

"The next thing is to naturally support his own power group. The first thing is to appoint Zhao Tingmei as Kaifeng Prefect and Zhongshu Ling, and to make him the King of Qi."

Zhao Kuangyin had nothing to say about this. After all, Zhao Tingmei was also his biological brother.

But just now Xiao Ran mentioned that Zhao Tingmei was eventually demoted to death in Fangzhou, and his two sons also died. Zhao Kuangyin felt a little uncomfortable in his heart.

Xiao Ran took a look at the sky outside and saw that the original goose-feather snow was even mixed with small ice particles, and the snowflakes gradually became smaller and smaller, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

He said slowly: "At the beginning, Zhao Dezhao was named the Jiedushi and the County Prince, and Zhao Defang was also named the Jiedushi. Your and Zhao Tingmei's children are also called princes and princesses."

"And your three daughters are also princesses. In the old tribe, Xue Juzheng, Shen Lun, Lu Duoxun, Cao Bin and Chu Zhaofu were all promoted to noble positions, and their children and grandchildren also obtained official positions. Even you Zhao Guangyi pardoned all those he had punished or wanted to punish."

Hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin saw clearly in his heart.

Zhao Guangyi was obviously kind to his brother, nephews and niece, and he gave his confidants temporary promotions, but he just couldn't let people gossip at that moment.

But he pardoned the person he once wanted to punish. It was clear what he wanted to do.

"However, Zhao Guangyi is also cultivating and promoting his cronies, such as Cheng Yu, Jia Yan, Chen Congxin, and Zhang Ping. After he ascended the throne as emperor, he gradually began to enter the court and hold important positions. And the ministers of Song Taizu Dynasty also really Being replaced is equivalent to him giving the court a lot of blood."

"In addition, in order to better control some elders, such as Zhao Pu, Xiang Gong, Gao Huaide, Feng Jiye and Zhang Mei, he simply transferred them to be officials near the capital and placed them under his nose Keep an eye on it.”

"Then he can do something that will make a difference for me? What you just said was an internal political struggle."

When Zhao Kuangyin asked this question, Xiao Ran looked at him in surprise.

Many emperors care about their own throne and descendants, but now it seems that Zhao Kuangyin has a bigger picture and is concerned about the entire Song Dynasty.

"In terms of policy, he did a lot of good things. For example, Zhao Guangyi expanded the number of candidates for the imperial examination. During his reign, the number of candidates for the first imperial examination increased by more than twice your record. For the Chaotang A lot of new blood has been added.”

"In the third year of the Taiping and Xingguo era, that is, 978 AD, under the political pressure of the Song Dynasty, Chen Hongjin was forced to surrender the two mansions of Zhangquan and Zhangzhou in Fujian. The Qian family of Wuyue and Zhejiang Province also surrendered to the Song Dynasty."

"In the first month of the fourth year of Taiping and Xingguo, Zhao Guangyi first sent general Pan Mei and others to the north to besiege Taiyuan, the capital of the Northern Han Dynasty. In February, he led an army to march in person, repulsed the Liao reinforcements, and destroyed the Northern Han Dynasty, ending the Huangchao Rebellion in the late Tang Dynasty. In the past ninety years, the feudal vassals and towns had been divided and fought, and the whole country was once again formally unified."

"But in May of the same year, Zhao Guangyi ignored the opposition of all ministers and took advantage of the Northern Han Dynasty to launch the Northern Expedition from Taiyuan."

"But has it come time to make the Northern Expedition? This matter is not that easy to handle. Without complete preparations, I'm afraid it will be difficult to accomplish."

Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi have been brothers for so many years. Naturally, they know their younger brother well and can estimate the strength of the Song Dynasty four years later.

(End of this chapter)