Han Chang'an, General's Residence.
Pang Tong frowned slightly, worry flashing across his face.
"I don't know what time Zhao Da is in right now."
"If it's early, that's fine. But if it's late…"
He didn't need to finish. If it was already too late, then the situation might be beyond saving.
From what the historical records revealed so far, only part of the methods had surfaced. In reality, the number of secretly planted loyalists would only be greater.
Liu Bei, however, looked far more optimistic.
"From the moment Zhao Da began watching the Heavenly Screen, his fate has already diverged from later history."
On this point, Liu Bei felt a certain resonance with Zhao Kuangyin.
He himself had risen during the decline of the Han, in an age of chaos where Cao's forces were dominant and the fate of the realm was murky and uncertain.
Zhao Da had lived through the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, where warlords slaughtered each other and survival itself was never guaranteed. The end of that chaos had been anything but certain.
Then the Heavenly Screen suddenly appeared, telling him that the Han legacy had not truly perished, that the Han people had not vanished, reigniting hope and resolve.
Zhao Da had now been watching the Screen for over a year. Even if later generations had not spoken much about Song in detail, at the very least, he now knew that the Zhao Song dynasty had indeed ended the warlord chaos after the Tang.
That single piece of information alone was priceless to Zhao Da.
As for the issue of "brother succeeds brother," Liu Bei did not fully grasp its intricacies. But for a stable dynasty, whether fraternal succession or hereditary succession by sons was superior was quite clear.
Zhao Da should understand this logic just as well.
Zhuge Liang summarized calmly,
"A tiny error can lead to a thousand-mile deviation. History is often exactly like this."
He agreed with his lord. Though Zhao Da's method of seizing power from orphans and widows had not been honorable, anyone who could fight their way out of chaos and establish civil governance could not be an ordinary man.
For example, the idea of building a Residence for Worthies had made Zhuge Liang slap his thigh in regret.
He really should have discussed funding in Chang'an with Xiahou Miaocai earlier.
[Lightscreen]
[At this point, whether it was Ma Shao's sudden prophetic outburst, or Cheng Dexuan sitting sleeplessly in the Jin Prince's residence until Wang Jien arrived, both could be considered highly suspicious.
The actions of these two close followers of Zhao Er together point to one thing:
Zhao Er had made preparations for Zhao Da's death.
Even if Zhao Da had truly died by accident, Wang Jien's appearance all but confirmed that Zhao Er had been secretly cultivating his own faction, even inserting agents right beside Zhao Da's pillow.
The actions existed. What was still lacking was motive.
One theory holds that while Zhao Da was alive, he actually favored Zhao Er as successor, that the brothers were extremely close. Evidence cited includes the fall from power of Chancellor Zhao Pu.
Beyond Zhao Pu opposing Zhao Er's father-in-law holding military power, suppressing Zhao Er's aides, and forcibly killing Zhao Er's subordinate Yao Shu, the Biography of Tingmei in the History of Song records that after Zhao Er ascended the throne, he once asked Zhao Pu about the matter of succession.
Zhao Pu replied:
"The Taizu has already erred. Would Your Majesty allow another error?"
Ming and Qing scholars believed that this meant Zhao Pu had secretly remonstrated with Zhao Da about succession while Zhao Da was alive, but Zhao Da refused to listen.
Judging from the hostile relationship between Zhao Pu and Zhao Er, Zhao Pu's removal from office in 973 indeed appears to have been part of Zhao Kuangyin paving the way for Zhao Guangyi.
However, Zhao Pu's fall was not the only event in 973.
That year, Zhao Dezhao was promoted to Acting Grand Preceptor, ranking above Zhao Guangmei for the first time.
Since the founding of Song, Zhao Guangmei, Zhao Dezhao, and Zhao Defang had always been promoted strictly by age order.
But in the year Zhao Pu left the capital, this order was quietly broken.
Zhao Guangmei and Zhao Dezhao both held acting ranks, but Zhao Dezhao became Grand Preceptor, outranking Zhao Guangmei's Grand Protector.
Additionally, in the very year of Zhao Kuangyin's death, Qian Chu came to court.
Traditionally, surrendered kings were received by Zhao Guangyi, but this time Zhao Kuangyin specifically ordered Zhao Dezhao to handle the matter.
Taken together, Zhao Kuangyin's intention during the Kaibao era to cultivate an heir among his sons was fairly clear.
This may have been Zhao Er's true motive for rallying allies.
From this perspective, Zhao Pu's dismissal was likely more the result of his own actions, and probably had little to do with succession itself.
Because of these early conflicts, after Zhao Pu later returned to the capital, he remained frustrated and suppressed by Lu Duosun.
First, his brother-in-law Hou Renbao was unjustly executed.
Then, just after Zhao Pu's son Zhao Chengzong married, he was immediately expelled from the capital.
Under such circumstances, Zhao Pu eventually adjusted his stance and presented Zhao Guangyi with the so-called "Golden Casket Alliance" in hopes of regaining favor.
But that is a later matter.
All of this also shows how sudden Zhao Kuangyin's death truly was.
The legitimate eldest Zhao Dezhao was completely caught unaware.
The Empress of Song, being closest, wanted to support Zhao Defang.
In the end, Zhao Guangyi, who had prepared in advance, calmly entered the palace and picked the peach.
By dawn, everything was settled.
Restricted by the limits of historical records, even with all the suspicions and motives, one can only say that Zhao Guangyi was highly suspected of fratricide.
No matter how much controversy surrounds him, he ultimately succeeded in sitting on the throne.
And next comes what we are all familiar with:
The charge of the Chariot God at Gaoliang River!]
Zhao Pu never imagined that he would still have such a prominent role in this story.
Hearing the words "The Taizu has already erred," Zhao Pu cupped his hands toward Zhao Kuangyin.
Seeing the emperor wave it off casually, Zhao Pu could not suppress a trace of joy.
Then, while staring intently at the Heavenly Screen, he also spared some attention to Zhao Kuangyin's expression.
When it spoke of his frustration, he looked carefree.
When it spoke of his brother-in-law's unjust death, he appeared righteous.
When it spoke of his son being expelled, his eyes nearly filled with tears.
…The Golden Casket Alliance…
Zhao Pu froze.
"Ah?"
"Your Majesty, this must be—"
But seeing the cold expression on Zhao Kuangyin's face, Zhao Pu could not continue.
With Zhao Guangyi as precedent, Zhao Pu was also quite decisive. He knelt and said,
"This minister is ashamed and dares not speak further."
Though they did not yet know what the Golden Casket Alliance truly was, everyone present could vaguely guess its nature.
Zhao Guangyi, forgetting his own predicament, let out two mocking laughs.
If it involved Zhao Pu, what else could it be?
No wonder earlier it mentioned banning private spirit rituals among the people. The real master was right here.
Back in Later Zhou, wasn't the rumor "The Inspector will become Emperor" something Zhao Pu had orchestrated?
Then the contents of this Golden Casket Alliance were easy to imagine.
However, Zhao Pu had been personally recalled by Zhao Kuangyin, and over the past year he truly had helped weaken Zhao Guangyi's faction.
Moreover, the hardships mentioned were indeed real.
Thus, Zhao Kuangyin impatiently tapped the armrest with his jade axe and said,
"What face does a donkey-cart emperor have to show?"
Zhao Guangyi, now quite relaxed, did not even stand. He dragged over a chair and half-reclined against it on the floor.
Hearing his brother's scolding, he showed little fear and retorted,
"If elder brother had established Dezhao earlier, this younger brother would not have become the Gaoliang River Emperor."
Not knowing the later historical meaning, he simply mashed the words together.
Zhao Kuangyin saw the blood staining his brother's chest and no longer felt like striking him again. He barked like a commander berating a soldier,
"You filthy turtle spawn, without even a whole spine. Fit to be a ruler?!"
"Why not?" Zhao Guangyi argued, face flushed.
Zhao Kuangyin sneered.
"Failed in war, mocked by later generations as a foolish ruler. Go be a servant with the servants!"
He turned away, no longer looking at his brother.
Zhao Pu once again felt utterly out of place.
Any thought of complaining or seeking credit before the emperor vanished completely.
All he could do was sigh inwardly:
How bitter this is.
Li Shimin pinched the bridge of his nose.
"So complicated?"
He wanted to say something, but remembering that Song inherited the chaos after Tang, he ultimately held his tongue.
Zhangsun Wuji, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
"If later generations can determine causes of death from bones, then they should exhume Zhao Da and examine his remains. Even if it does not fully solve the mystery, it should reveal more."
These days, Zhangsun Wuji spent his time reading ancient legal codes. What he admired most was later generations' ability to determine Cao Cao's cause of death through remains.
In his experience, cases stalled due to lack of physical evidence were all too common.
Wei Zheng nodded.
Fang Xuanling shook his head.
Du Ruhui spoke bluntly.
"We do not know where Zhao Da is buried, but it should not be far from Bianliang."
"After Northern Song fell and the capital was lost, the imperial tombs…"
Zhangsun Wuji could only sigh.
If possible, he truly wished to see such methods himself.
Then he suddenly thought of his own fate. Exiled to Lingnan, later ordered to be strangled by his nephew.
His own remains likely would never be found either.
Hearing that Zhao Da's tomb may have been disturbed, Li Shimin almost stepped forward toward the Screen, only to be quickly pulled back by Empress Zhangsun, half-laughing and half-exasperated.
"Li Er-Ge, you must not do such nonsense."
Even his childhood name was used.
Li Shimin could only give up, explaining,
"I am a benevolent and righteous ruler. I only wished Zhao Da to know his enemy clearly and never forget."
No one in Ganlu Hall believed that explanation.
[Lightscreen]
[Speaking of Emperor Taizong of Song, one must first acknowledge that he did set a good precedent in civil governance.
He was diligent in reading. When others advised him to read less to avoid strain, Zhao Er replied that opening a book and reading even a little was always better than not reading at all.
Thus came the saying: "Opening a book brings benefit."
In 993, the Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun uprising broke out in the Sichuan region, opening a long series of peasant rebellions under the Northern Song.
This rebellion struck the Song court, already weakened by repeated military defeats.
Zhao Er responded by issuing acts of benevolence to win hearts.
That winter, he granted silk to elderly residents of Bianliang, and those over a hundred years old even received golden sashes.
He also issued edicts granting money, rice, and charcoal to poor and elderly people, giving rise to the idiom "sending charcoal in snowy weather."
Though undeniably a good deed, the root of this mess was not unrelated to Zhao Er himself.
In some sense, Song resembled Tang in several ways.
For example, Zhao Kuangyin was frugal and disliked extravagance, much like Li Shimin, saving up reserves.
Then his successor—no need to say much—was extremely skilled at spending money, and also fond of using religion to legitimize himself.
In his first year, Zhao Er tonsured 170,000 monks and nuns.
During his reign, he funded the construction of Buddhist temples across famous mountains.
Many temples at Wutai, Emei, and Tiantai trace their origins to Zhao Er's time.
Thus, the anti-Buddhist trend begun under Chai Rong came to an end.
The clergy returned in force, placing yet another burden on peasants already exploited by officials and elites.
By the Chunhua era, Zhao Er had nearly spent all of Zhao Da's savings.
He ordered discussions on tea monopoly, which became the precursor to the Tea Certificate system.
Tea merchants like Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun lost their livelihoods.
This ignited already irreconcilable resentment, leading directly to rebellion in Sichuan.
Compared to Huang Chao at the end of Tang, their uprising was small and lasted only two years before being suppressed.
But it is worth noting because they were the first to raise the slogan:
"Equalize the rich and the poor."
They touched on a fundamental contradiction that Huang Chao had not.
Huang Chao destroyed the physical bodies of the aristocracy.
Wang Xiaobo took up the banner and, for the first time, aimed directly at the root of inequality:
The feudal system itself.]