On the twelfth day of the first month of the third year of Song Yuanfu

This day is a cloudy day, after more than ten days of heavy snowfall, finally rested, the temperature in Beijing has also risen, people began to come out of their homes one after another to visit relatives and friends, greet each other, worship ancestors, Kaifeng Mansion City because of heavy snow and relatively deserted streets have gradually become lively.

After the afternoon, the streets are full of people, and all kinds of stalls and vendors, whether they are in the area where the tiles are concentrated or in the alleys, everywhere.

Various shops in Tokyo are also open, and they are shouting along the streets to attract customers.

There is also a wide variety of goods in the store, with meat, fruits and vegetables, drinks and various snacks being the most. There are all kinds of glassware, overseas treasures, etc., in addition to the restaurants, tea shops, and goulans that stand on both sides of the street.

In general, restaurants are often accompanied by people who blow the flute, play ruan, sing, and play to help the fun, and the larger restaurants are the frolicking places of dignitaries and wealthy businessmen. They gathered on the main corridor more than 100 steps long, waiting for the call of the drinkers, and the idlers and small servants were also shuttling back and forth to earn a few errand money.

In addition, there are tiles composed of Jianghu grass stage classes, rapping, opera, acrobatics, magic, puppetry, treading ropes, and ventriloquist sounds are one after another, and it is very lively.

The city of Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo is not lively, but the temperature inside the palace has plummeted, and the air is also extremely condensed, which is suffocating.

This is especially true in the Funing Hall of the Tokyo Imperial Palace, where the doctors, maids, and chamberlains all stand against the wall, eager to shrink their bodies into the walls of the palace, and have since disappeared without a trace.

The ministers gathered outside the inner and outer regions all stretched their necks and looked in the direction of the Funing Palace, hoping to get a closer message from the Funing Palace.

As early as the fifth watch on the twelfth day, the ministers got news from the palace, saying that the pulse of Emperor Zhao Xu of the Song Dynasty was getting weaker and weaker, and he was sweating non-stop, and he couldn't eat at all.

Emperor Zhao Xu of the Song Dynasty was on the verge of his final death.

Inside the hall of Funing

"The official family... Official... O my child ... Concubine Song Zhu cried and pounced on Zhao Xu, who was lying on the dragon bed, and fell in front of the bed, stretching out her trembling hands, holding Zhao Xu's cold hands tightly.

Zhao Xu's breath was already weak at this time, and he couldn't speak, but his eyes were open, and he still seemed brighter and more energetic, so that people didn't dare to look directly at him.

"Maid... Maid... What do you want to say? Concubine Zhu saw Zhao Xu's lips squirm slightly, so she hurriedly put her ear to Zhao Xu's mouth and asked again and again.

The corners of her eyes were moist, and the Queen Mother Xiang, who was standing aside, frowned slightly when she saw this.

Everyone in the hall was also extremely nervous at this time, and the tension was breathless.

You must know that every word that comes out of Zhao Xu's mouth at this time will be a thousand words, which will determine the future pattern of the Great Song Dynasty and the fate of many people.

Zhao Xu's close attendant Hao Sui and Liu Youduan glanced at each other, and there was a hint of imperceptible surprise in their eyes.

At this time, there was silence in the Funing Palace, and there was no sound, and everyone wanted to hear what Zhao Xu wanted to say when he was dying.

But everyone stretched their necks, held their breath, and waited for a while, but they still didn't hear any other sound except for the sobbing sound of Concubine Zhu.

"Your Majesty wants to write... At this time, Hao Sui suddenly found that Zhao Xu's fingers were relaxed, as if he wanted to hold something, so he said.

What do you want to hold? It doesn't have to be a pen, and the fingers are relaxed, it doesn't have to be trying to hold something, what if it's the dying person's dying struggle?

However, Hao Sui had already spoken out at this time, although his voice was not loud, but it had been heard by everyone in the Funing Palace, so no one dared to refute it at all, and obstructing the emperor's promulgation of the decree was a capital crime of raiding the house and destroying the door.

Empress Dowager Xiang just frowned again and was silent, while Concubine Zhu glanced at Hao Sui gratefully.

When everyone heard this, they were hurriedly preparing pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, Hao Sui then knelt in front of the bed and stuffed the ink-stained imperial pen into Zhao Xu's hand, and Liu Youduan carried a jade plate, and a jade note was placed on the jade plate.

Hao Sui was not bad as expected, Zhao Xu really wanted to write.

After Zhao Xu held the imperial pen, he put it down, and before the imperial pen touched the jade note, the thick ink on the pen dripped on the jade paper drop by drop, making a series of tick-tock sounds.

Everyone in the hall was about to raise their throats, holding their breath, staring at the imperial pen in Zhao Xu's hand.

Zhao Xu's breathing was getting weaker and weaker at this time, almost only inlet air, no breath out, his right hand could barely hold the imperial pen, Hao Sui hurriedly held Zhao Xu's arm.

In the end, Zhao Xu worked hard and finally wrote the word "ten" on the jade paper.

Concubine Zhu breathed rapidly, feeling that her heart was about to jump out of her chest.

Thirteen, write thirteen, Concubine Zhu shouted frantically in her heart, her face flushed red.

It's a pity that Zhao Xu only wrote a crooked "ten" in the end, and as soon as he let go of his hands, the royal pen fell into the jade plate with a "snap". 187

At this time, Zhao Xu had already driven the crane west, only twenty-three years old, which can be said to be abandoning the world in his prime, which is embarrassing.

"The official family... Everyone in the palace immediately knelt on the ground, crying loudly, and the sorrow spread throughout the entire Funing Palace.

"Maid... Maid... I know you want to write ten ... Three... Maid. Concubine Zhu cried loudly, crying so much that people couldn't help but feel pity when they saw it.

Concubine Zhu was full of hope and disappointment, coupled with the pain of losing her child, she suddenly felt that the world was spinning, and people seemed to faint.

"Come on, help the concubine go down to rest." After crying for a while, the Empress Dowager quickly cheered up, wiped her tears and ordered.

When the chamberlains and palace maids heard this, they stepped forward in broken steps, intending to help Concubine Zhu enter the palace to rest.

"Don't move the mourning family, don't leave the mourning family." Concubine Zhu asked the Empress Dowager Xiang with tears in her eyes: "Niangniang... The maid means the thirteenth son of the first emperor... ”

"Shut up!" Hearing this, the Queen Mother raised her eyebrows and scolded: "Maid? Who is the maid? How dare you use honorifics? I think you're out of order. The official family has already told me who can inherit the unification. ”

"Mother, who is it?" Concubine Zhu asked in horror.

"Zhao Ji, the eleventh son of the first emperor." Xiang Queen Mother replied coldly.

"Mother, no... No... Concubine Zhu's face was pale, and her speech was already a little incoherent.

Where did Concubine Zhu believe in the words of the Queen Mother? Not to mention that Empress Dowager Xiang's political tendencies are the same as Empress Dowager Gao's, and the relationship with Zhao Xu is also plain and not close, let's just say that these days, Concubine Zhu or herself or let her confidants stay by Zhao Xu's side, where does Zhao Xu have a will? also designated the eleventh brother Zhao Ji to succeed him?

It's ridiculous, it's outrageous, it's infuriating...

Before Zhao Xu died, he wrote the word "ten", so eleven or thirteen, or even fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen are possible, who can be sure of eleven?

But the old Jiushen King Zhao Tong must be out of play...

"Shut up!" When Empress Dowager Xiang heard this, her face suddenly became ugly, and she said sharply: "Concubine Zhu, pay attention to your identity." ”

The Empress Dowager then ignored Concubine Zhu, who was on the ground, and instructed left and right: "The concubine has lost her son, and the square inch is in chaos, come and help the queen of the palace to rest." ”

Liang Shicheng and Liang Congzhong, the two brothers in the palace of the Queen Mother, heard the words and went to support Concubine Zhu.

"Don't touch me, I'm not leaving, I'm going to guard the maid." Concubine Zhu pushed Liang Shicheng away and struggled desperately.

"This..." Liang Shicheng didn't dare to use force, glanced at Liang Congzhong, and then looked at the Queen Mother, his face was embarrassed.

"Do you want to resist the decree?" Xiang Xiang glared at Liang Shicheng and the two brothers and shouted.

When Zhao Xu was in power, the Empress Dowager Xiang had always been indifferent and looked like she didn't care about the world, but at this time, she was suddenly very active, like a seasoned ruler, which made her surprised.

"Slaves obey!" The two brothers, Liang Shicheng and Liang Congzhong, responded and forcibly set up Concubine Zhu and walked out of the hall.

"Dog, stop, don't be rude to the concubine." Hao Sui was furious when he saw this, and scolded him sharply, and pushed Liang Shicheng into a fight as he spoke.

"Ouch, dog thief, how dare you beat your grandfather?" Liang Shicheng fell to the ground and shouted and cursed.

On weekdays, in order to compete for favor, the two brothers Liang Shicheng and Liang Congzhong have long been on the same page with Hao Sui and Liu Youduan, and they have long been eager to swallow each other.

At this time, Hao Sui and Liu Youduan had no way out, the two of them had already been tied to Concubine Zhu, one was prosperous and the other was lost, at this time, they had to make a desperate bet and support the thirteen sons of King Jian Zhao, so as to maintain their prominent position in the palace.

"Xiang Empress Dowager." Hao Sui ignored Liang Shicheng, turned his head to the Queen Mother and said, "Your Majesty's bones are not cold, how can you treat the concubine like this?" Mother, how can you bear it? ”

Hao Sui was already in tears when he spoke, and his voice was extremely choked, which made people sad and sad.

"Your Majesty's handwriting, the thirteenth son Zhao seems to succeed to the throne, do you want to resist the will?" Liu Youduan then waved his hand and shouted loudly.

Hao Sui and Liu Youduan's subordinates heard that they were all hulala, and Hao Sui and Liu Youduan were so powerful that they immediately surrounded the Empress Dowager, Liang Shicheng, Liang Congzhong and others, and at the same time pushed and shoved, screaming and scolding.

"You ... You guys... Dare... Do you dare to rebel? "Empress Dowager Xiang lives in the deep palace, she has always been pampered, even if there are some fights, they are also open and secret, where have you ever encountered such an open fire?

"The traitor is bold and takes it for a certain family." At this critical moment, Tong Guan, the official of the Inner Servant Province, led dozens of small yellow doors to rush into the hall, Tong Guan took the lead, punched and kicked, and instantly put down several strong Hao Sui and others' subordinates.

"Tong Offering." Empress Dowager Xiang looked at Tong Guan gratefully with tears in her eyes, and when reinforcements arrived, Empress Dowager Xiang immediately breathed a sigh of relief.