Chapter 42 2. Frozen Three Feet of Cold: The Growth of King Kaifeng

The Alliance of the Golden Chamber has been questioned by many people as a historical doubt, but no matter whether it is true or not, the reason for the demise of the Hou Zhou that Empress Dowager Du said is also on point.Whether the courtiers have ambitions is an uncontrollable thing. In a thriving environment, everyone will become a loyal subordinate, and under the right conditions, the loyalty will slowly breed different delusions , If the conditions are ripe, this delusion will become an action, and then become a fact.Chai Rong passed on his throne to a seven-year-old child, which lowered the prestige of the dragon chair, which would certainly encourage the ambitions of others and cause undercurrents in the current situation, so that the emperor's throne was finally taken away by those who were prepared , from then on the world changed surnames.

Realizing this, Zhao Kuangyin determined to put an end to all the ills that existed in the Five Dynasties and the Later Zhou Dynasty. Not only did he want to get rid of the status quo such as the monopoly of generals and the separatism of feudal towns, but he also naturally avoided the appearance of doubts about the ruler and the country.Zhao Kuangyin, who was in his thirties at the time, was an upright man in his prime, but the issue of the crown prince had always been the core concern of the officials.His younger brother Zhao Guangyi was in his twenties, while his son Zhao Dezhao was only in his teens. What Zhao Kuangyin chose at this time was to put more burdens on his younger brother.

Although Zhao Guangyi has no military merits and is not very prestige in the court, he has received extraordinary attention because of his status.When Zhao Dezhao, Zhao Defang and others did not receive any edicts, he was named King of Jin.Now, Zhao Kuangyin is considering making him the governor of Kaifeng again.When he made this decision, he was immediately opposed by everyone. The prime minister, Zhao Pu, was the first to speak. He said to Zhao Kuangyin: "The office of the governor of Kaifeng is related to the safety of the capital, and he controls almost all the power in Kaifeng. Moreover, there is an unwritten rule in the previous generation, that is, if you want to To succeed to the throne, one must first be the governor of Kaifeng. When Zhou Taizu Guo Wei was alive, he appointed Shizong Chai Rong as the governor of Kaifeng, and later Chai Rong succeeded him as the emperor. Your Majesty wants Guangyi to be the governor of Kaifeng now, is it true? Do you also have this intention?"

Zhao Kuangyin said: "In order to establish a crown prince, the ministers in the court are arguing a lot, guessing who will become the first crown prince of the Song Dynasty. Recalling that Chai Rong passed the throne to a seven-year-old son and caused the country to be in turmoil. Anwen. The appointment of Guangyi as Governor of Kaifeng is just to stabilize the people's hearts." Zhao Pu said: "Prince Dezhao is more than ten years old, and His Majesty is young and powerful. If it is justified to make Dezhao the crown prince, he will grow up in a few years, and Chai Rong's tragedy will not repeat itself. "

Zhao Kuangyin was noncommittal about this, but said stubbornly: "Dezhao is still young, and he doesn't do anything new. Making him a prince will only bring him more disasters. Besides, I don't want to make a prince now. I just hope that by appointing the governor of Kaifeng Give the ministers a reassurance, who said that being the prefect of Kaifeng must be the crown prince and inherit the throne? I just let them think so, and stop guessing in the future." Zhao Pu saw that he couldn't persuade him, so he could only retreat.But the turmoil did not settle because of this. Zhao Dezhao's mother, Empress Song, came to find Zhao Kuangyin soon. She cried and said to him: "Although Dezhao and Defang are still young, they are both born princes. They should be crowned kings, even if Your Majesty does not If you are willing to make any one of them the crown prince, you will not hand over the crown prince to Guangyi. Does your majesty really want to listen to the queen mother and let Guangyi be your successor?"

Zhao Kuangyin frowned and said: "Who can understand my painstaking efforts on this matter? The prince has always been a position that attracts wind and rain. Dezhao was young, so he rashly took this position and became the focus of everyone's attention. It is bound to let people with bad intentions approach him. But Guangyi is different. He has followed me for many years, and he has long been prepared for these things. He also knows that his judgment is right and wrong. No one can mislead him. Besides, I just let him be the governor , did not become a prince!" Empress Song obviously couldn't accept this explanation. She still cried and said, "Your Majesty has always favored this younger brother over his own son, and Guangyi will always please His Majesty and make you trust him. The Zhao family is of the same line, In addition to Guangyi and Guangmei, the two younger brothers have grown up now, if they want to harm Dezhao, wouldn't it be easy?"

Zhao Kuangyin was furious when he heard the words: "The Zhao family has always been brothers and sisters, and there has never been any disobedience. How could you come up with such an idea that Guangyi and Guangmei will be detrimental to Dezhao and Defang?" ? What can they do against their nephew?" Seeing that Zhao Kuangyin was angry, Empress Song dared not continue to persuade her, so she could only swallow her anger and return to the harem.Explain this matter to his father, General Song Xie one by one.Song Xie said solemnly: "Since Your Majesty has already made a decision, it is impossible for him to revise it immediately. Now we can only wait and see the changes. After a few years, Dezhao will grow up and His Majesty will also be older. Who will he make the crown prince!"

Although this appointment caused huge fluctuations in the court, under Zhao Kuangyin's insistence, Zhao Guangyi quickly took office and became the number one official in Kaifeng City, commanding all affairs of the capital.After becoming the prefect of Kaifeng, Zhao Guangyi also keenly realized that he seemed to be one step closer to the throne.According to the past tradition, the governor of Kaifeng will be established as the prince next time, and then the emperor's throne will be only one step away from him. For the trust given to him by the emperor, Zhao Guangyi was full of gratitude on the surface, but he was still very apprehensive in his heart.Because at the beginning of the founding of the country, many generals had military merits, and the civil servants who could win the trust were also founding fathers, who assisted Zhao Kuangyin in many important events.But the young Zhao Guangyi has nothing, so he will inevitably feel embarrassed among the officials.This situation made Zhao Guangyi very uneasy. He knew that if he wanted everyone to obey him and keep his current position, he had to have a huge foundation.After discussing with his father-in-law, Fu Yanqing, he decided to win over the court extensively and develop his own influence in the Kaifeng mansion.

Zhao Guangyi at this stage is not enough to describe him as thirsty for talents. He frantically searched for talents of all kinds, such as An Zhong from Luoyang, Wang Chao from Zhaozhou, Dai Xing from Kaifeng and Xuzhou who are famous for their bravery. Wang Hanzhong was recruited by Zhao Guangyi to serve Zhao Guangyi in Kaifeng Mansion.In addition to these generals, counselors and scholars are even more indispensable. Shi Xizai from Luoyang was originally a Jinshi in the Later Zhou Dynasty, handsome and talented, so Zhao Guangyi appointed him as an official in Kaifeng Mansion to work for him; Jia Yan, the son of Zhao Guangyi, also served as Zhao Guangyi's shogunate for five years; and Wei Zhen, Zhang Ping, Chen Congxin and others gradually attached themselves to the Kaifeng mansion and became Zhao Guangyi's effective assistants.

In the process of attracting talents and developing his own power, Zhao Guangyi paid special attention to the people in the harem. He not only treated the eunuchs and maids very kindly, but also attracted some of Zhao Kuangyin's close servants. Among them, Wang Jien, the servant, became his biggest goal. Wang Jien is Zhao Kuangyin's most trusted servant, serving Zhao Kuangyin's diet and daily life.Zhao Guangyi generously gifted him a lot of money, but Wang Jien was afraid to accept it at first.Zhao Guangyi invited his parents, built a luxurious mansion in Kaifeng and gave it to him, saying to him: "You serve the king every day, and you are doing important things for the country and the people. As long as you can Letting the emperor live happily every day is equivalent to benefiting the people of the world. I brought your parents to Kaifeng so that you can be more filial, which is also a thank you to you."

After receiving such a generous gift, Wang Jien bowed to the ground in fear and trepidation and said: "King Jin's great kindness and virtue are unforgettable for a villain. It's just that I am just a servant eunuch, but you gave my parents such a high honor." Pet, the villain really can't bear it." Zhao Guangyi took Wang Jien's hand kindly and said: "Don't be nervous, this mansion is only a small part. If I can gain power one day, I won't treat you badly." Following Zhao Kuangyin for a long time, Wang Jien knew very well what these royal relatives were thinking, but they were only aiming at the emperor's throne.Now that Zhao Guangyi was appointed as the governor of Kaifeng, for the ministers, it was a signal that he was about to become the crown prince, so he also knew that Zhao Guangyi might be the next emperor.If he insisted on refusing, Zhao Guangyi would definitely not let him go when he ascended the throne. It would be better to flatter him, and there might be infinite benefits in the future. Thinking of this, Wang Jien hurriedly thanked Zhao Guangyi for his kindness, and said to him: "Now all the officials in the court call Jin Wang Rende. The villain only knows this is true now. If the Song Dynasty can have a monarch like you, it must be the best in the world." Good luck to the people!" Zhao Guangyi hurriedly stopped him: "Don't speak nonsense! As long as I can assist Your Majesty well and make the world peaceful and peaceful, I am already content. How dare I have any plans to become emperor?" Wang Jien said: "Your Majesty granted you the title of Governor of Kaifeng. Everyone knows that you have to be Governor of Kaifeng before becoming a prince. This indicates that you will become a prince in the future. This is what everyone expects!" Zhao Guangyi smiled and said: "This is also a reward from His Majesty and the help of all the ministers, but it is not an easy task to be the crown prince." Wang Jien said courteously: "The villain is grateful, and I will definitely speak well for King Jin in front of His Majesty in the future." With the continuous assistance of these forces, Zhao Guangyi's eyeliner gradually spread all over the city of Kaifeng, and nothing that happened in every corner could escape his eyes.Not only these courtiers became a part of Kaifeng King's power, but even some people from various religions, witch doctors, etc. also attached themselves to Kaifeng Mansion, and Cheng Dexuan, Wang Huaiyin and others gathered around him. Zhao Kuangyin had also heard about Zhao Guangyi's actions. He was not surprised that Fan Min, the son of Prime Minister Fan Zhi, and Kong Wei, the descendant of Kong Sheng, joined the Kaifeng Mansion. Surprised.Zhao Guangyi's power had grown unknowingly, and at this moment Zhao Kuangyin felt a threat approaching him.