In the history of the Song Dynasty, there is only one sentence about Zhao Kuangyin's death: "On the eve of the ugly night, the emperor collapsed in the Long Live Palace." On the night of October 20, 976, His Majesty the Emperor died in the palace of Long Live Hall. He was 50 years old.

It's so simple, there is only the result, there is no process, and there is no reason!

Of course, there are many other documents that record what happened on the night of October 20, 976. There are the personal notes of Sima Guang, a historian of the world, "The Chronicle of the Rivers", the "Continuation of the Records of the Mountains and Fields of Xiang" written by a monk named Wen Ying at that time, the "Records of the Remaining Embers" by Xu Dazhuo of the Southern Song Dynasty, and the "Long Compilation of the Continuation of the Governance of Tongjian" by the historian Li Tao of the Southern Song Dynasty. There is even "History of Liao", and even the Khitans have their own opinions on Zhao Kuangyin's death.

"History of the Song Dynasty" is one of the 24 official histories. Naturally, it is recognized as the most official, orthodox, and authoritative research material on Song history. But it is a great pity that this was written by the Mongols. With 319 years of history and countless historical scriptures, it took only two and a half years to complete a huge work of 496 volumes.

Sima Guang, this person's historiographical masterpiece "Zizhi Tongjian" is indeed high and rare in the world. But he only wrote that in the 6th year of Zhou Xiande, that is, in 959, he completely stopped, and did not mention a word about the history of the Song Dynasty and this dynasty. Moreover, his "Chronicles of Lianshui" has long been identified by the historiography circles as "the history book of the novel world, the novel of the history book world", and it is not accepted.

Li Tao's "Continuation of Capital and Governance Tongjian". The Song people crossed to the south, and the country was ruined. Countless contemporary histories have been scattered and disappeared under the fire of foreign races, but he was able to reorganize the entire historical materials of the Northern Song Dynasty as new with his own personal strength, and infinitely finer. A total of 1,062 volumes have been written in 168 years of history. The length is longer than the most detailed and detailed diary-style historical materials such as "Ming Shilu" and "Qing Shilu", which is infinitely admirable. But credibility...

"History of Liao" is very wonderful, Xu Sheng is not allowed to lose. We rarely see the Khitans defeat in the "History of Liao", they always win and win again... Until the complete destruction of the country and the extinction of the species, the smoke and the clouds. However, "History of Liao" also has an advantage, it can be called straightforward and to the point when talking about the rise and fall of other countries. Especially for its neighbor Great Song Dynasty...

Xu Dazhuo's "Records of the Aftermath" is purely a private note of the Song people. The events recorded in this book are very fragrant and classic - Zhao Kuangyin is ill, and his favorite concubine, Madame Hua Rui, is waiting in front of the bed in a coma. His dearest brother, Zhao Guangyi, came to visit the patient. The beauty is moving, and the light and righteousness are uncertain for a while, and they want to do wrong. And Hua Rui struggled and woke up Emperor Taizu at once. So he was furious, so Zhao Guangyi killed someone... Is there anything else that needs to be analyzed? Change Zhao Guangyi to Yang Guang and Taizu to Yang Jian, and everything will be seated in the right place.

Monk Wen Ying's "Continuation of Xiangshan Yelu" is the original source of the story of "Axe Sound and Candle Shadow": Zhao Kuangyin was still a cloth cloth and met a scholar in Guanhe. This Taoist priest had accurately predicted the date of Zhao Kuangyin's Chen Qiao mutiny and the addition of the yellow robe, so Zhao Kuangyin was very superstitious about him. However, after Zhao Kuangyin became the emperor, this person disappeared. It was not until 976 that it suddenly reappeared. Zhao Kuangyin was overjoyed and asked him directly, "I've been looking for you to ask one thing, how long can I live" The Taoist priest replied, "On the night of October 20 this year, if the weather is fine, you can live for another 12 years." If it is yin, then take measures as soon as possible" Zhao Kuangyin kept these words in mind. On this night, he ascended to the Taiqing Pavilion of the palace alone. I saw the moon and stars shining. He was a little happy just now, but suddenly there was a haze and the world changed sharply. In a matter of moments, heavy snow and hail fell from the sky... Zhao Kuangyin was shocked and urgently called his younger brother Zhao Guangyi. The two of them entered the palace, repelled all the eunuchs, palace maids and guards, and began to drink.

The people guarding outside could only see from a distance in the shadow of the candles in the window lattice, Zhao Guangyi stood up from the table from time to time, and retreated backwards, as if he was shirking and avoiding something. However, it is not clear to hear and even more difficult to see. By the time they had finished drinking, it was the third watch. The snow outside the temple was already several inches thick. The Zhao brothers walked out. Everyone saw Zhao Kuangyin poking the snow with a pillar axe, and said to Zhao Guangyi, "It's easy to do!" It's easy to do", and then the emperor returned to the palace alone to undress and sleep, snorting like thunder. At the fifth watch, the sky was almost bright, and the guards outside the hall could no longer hear any sound. Song Taizu had died in his sleep. And that night, Zhao Guangyi was in the palace all the time. Immediately enthroned in front of his brother's coffin and became the second emperor of the Great Song Dynasty.

Let's refer to Master Sima Guang's "Chronicles of the Flowing Water". But it's a pity that Mr. Sima's masterpiece begins with "Ugly, collapsed in the Hall of Long Live". only wrote what happened after Zhao Kuangyin's death, and never involved the slightest secrecy of Taizu's death.

There is a fundamental difference between the stories told by Mr. Sima and Monk Wen Ying. Wen Ying said that on the night of Song Taizu's death, Zhao Guangyi was in the palace and drank at the same table as his brother. And Sima Guang said that Zhao Guangyi was not in the palace at all that night, and had been honestly staying in his Jin Palace. Until... A eunuch named Wang Jien came to him.

After Zhao Kuangyin's death that night, his queen Song ordered the great eunuch Wang Jien to leave the palace and summon Zhao Defang to enter the palace for the defense of Guizhou. Obviously, this was a summoning of him to be enthroned before the Spirit. But it is said that the eunuch surnamed Wang thought about it and remembered that Zhao Kuangyin had been alive for so many years, and he advocated letting Zhao Guangyi take over. So he made his own opinion, put Zhao Defang aside, and went directly to the Jin Palace, summoning Zhao Guangyi.

According to Master Sima's intentions, all this is the self-made initiative of the great eunuch Wang Jien. Zhao Guangyi, like Zhao Kuangyin on the night of Chen Qiao, was deceived... Not responsible...

Wang Jien came to the Jin Palace, but suddenly found that there was someone in front of the mansion. At first glance, it was Cheng Dexuan. Wang Jien immediately asked what are you doing here? Cheng replied, "I was sleeping in Xinlingfang, and suddenly I heard someone calling me outside, saying that it was summoned by the King of Jin. I went out to see but there was no one. When I fell asleep, I shouted outside. If so, 3 times. So I was scared and wondered if King Jin was sick, so I rushed to see "Cheng Dexuan, this person is a good doctor, and he has a deep understanding of medicine." Wang Jien stopped being wordy, and directly slammed the door to ask for a meeting. It was late at night, and Zhao Guangyi immediately met him. I heard that my brother was dead, and asked him to enter the palace immediately and take the throne. He was "shocked and hesitated", at this time Wang Jien was anxious, and shouted, "If you delay any longer, you will have to give it to others in vain" Zhao Guangyi came out immediately. At that time, it was snowing heavily, and he and Wang Jien and Cheng Dexuan walked into the palace on foot. After entering, Wang Jien also wanted Zhao Guangyi to follow the previous rules, "Please wait a moment for King Jin." I, Wang Jien, went in to inform you" In the heavy snow, Zhao Guangyi was speechless. Cheng Dexuan said 8 words, "You should go straight forward, what to do", so the three people went directly into the Long Live Palace. Empress Song, who was guarding the emperor's body in the hall, heard that Wang Jien was back, "Defang Laiye", never expected Wang Jien's answer to be "King Jin Zhizhi", Empress Song's reaction was "stunned", and then she immediately said, "The lives of my mother and son are entrusted to the official family", and the official family is the special name of the Song people for the emperor. That is to say, after Empress Song saw Zhao Guangyi, she immediately changed her words and called this person the emperor, and begged for mercy very clearly, handing over the lives of all her and Zhao Kuangyin's descendants.

At this time, Zhao Guangyi's reaction was very compatible with his usual "benevolence". He cried and said, "Jointly protect wealth and wealth, don't worry", and then ascended the throne in front of his brother's coffin and became the second emperor of the Great Song Dynasty.

The above is the description of Sima Guang's version of "Zhao Guangyi's position". Under the master's pen, there is no trace of "axe sound and candle shadow". The reason why Zhao Guangyi was able to take over the throne before his nephew Zhao Defang was entirely due to the self-assertion of the eunuch Wang Jien and the active comity of Empress Song. Even walking into the Long Live Hall where his brother's body was parked was due to Cheng Dexuan's compulsion. From beginning to end, he didn't take the initiative, let alone talk about any bad intentions.

When the world analyzes the sound of the axe and the shadow of the candle, it will always think of why Zhao Guangyi would leave the table from time to time to hide under the candlelight? Like he was saying something, that is, what was his brother forcing him on? After contacting the wine bureau, Zhao Kuangyin sent him out of the palace, and publicly said to him in the heavy snow, "It's good to do!" "It's good to do" seems to only get one conclusion, that is, Zhao Kuangyin wants Zhao Guangyi to be the emperor, but he refused, but his brother forced him more than once. Even until the two separated, Zhao Kuangyin continued to insist "Do it well!" Do it well" is completely telling my younger brother to take over the responsibility of governing the empire.

Of course, "good doing" can also be interpreted as "the good things you do", and it is directly associated with Zhao Guangyi poisoning his brother on the wine table. After that, he avoided his brother again and again, because Zhao Kuangyin had realized that something was wrong and wanted to get rid of Zhao Guangyi himself. In the candlelight shaking, outsiders couldn't see clearly whether Zhao Guangyi was hiding, or Zhao Kuangyin was staggering forward? But what about what happened next? At least Zhao Kuangyin came to the outside of the hall after the wine party, poked the snow with an axe, and said the words "easy to do". At that time, everyone was watching, didn't he completely order Zhao Guangyi to be taken down immediately?

If it is assumed that Zhao Guangyi did kill his brother that night, then Zhao Guangyi will definitely ask: How did I kill him? Can you give me a trick first? There are two techniques: 1 axe and 2 poisonous wine.

Let's start with the axe. Of course, what Zhao Kuangyin often carries in his hand is not a tomahawk used to kill people on the battlefield, it is a kind of "jade pillar axe" that was very popular at that time, and when stationery was played with in his hand, some people said that it was a handicraft, a toy, and there was no way to kill people at all. But there are also doubts: 1 If you can't kill someone, then how can you just knock out someone's front teeth? Is Zhao Kuangyin born with martial arts and different techniques? Or are the ministers' front teeth particularly fragile? Something that can knock out someone's front teeth should be enough to kill a person. 2 The jade pillar axe is very small and can only be played with in the hand? So how did Zhao Kuangyin stand in the heavy snow and poke the snow with an axe? Could it be that Zhao Kuangyin also has his hands over his knees?

If it is assumed that Zhao Kuangyin was hacked to death by his younger brother with an axe, then the corpse must be blurred with flesh and blood, and the traces are obvious. This seems to be explained by the fact that Empress Song immediately begged for mercy when she saw Zhao Guangyi's face - she understood that if she didn't immediately express her support, she would die an ugly death worse than Zhao Kuangyin.

But this can only be a pure hypothesis. Thousands of years later, the bones of Zhao Kuangyin in the Yongchang Mausoleum have turned to ashes, can it be clear what murder weapon he was injured?

Look at the poisoned wine again. Combined with Zhao Guangyi's performance in his previous and future lives (Meng Chang, Li Yu, and Qian Yu's deaths), it would be strange if he didn't dispense medicine to his brother. What's more, in the stories of Wen Ying and Sima Guang, there are also countless clues to be found about this.

It is mentioned in "Continuation of Xiangshan Yelu" that after Zhao Kuangyin sent Zhao Guangyi away, he returned to the palace to untie and go to bed. After that, "snorting like thunder" and the color of the corpse after death is "jade like a soup mu", such a body color change and abnormal voice are not all manifestations of poisoning?

Even if Mr. Sima Guang is "secretive for the venerable and hidden for the sage", he also revealed an extremely important clue of "poison".

The key lies in Cheng Dexuan, who was guarding outside the Jin Palace. This surnamed Cheng slept well, and someone outside the door asked him to go to see King Jin, but no one got up, but he still called when he lay down. made him flustered, until he took the initiative to run outside the gate of the master's house in the heavy snow, and waited for King Jin to fall ill, so that he could go in and treat... Mr. Sima, you treat everyone like a pig's head, don't you? In fact, this little official of Kaifeng Mansion has a specialty that no one can match, he is well versed in medicine, and thus became Zhao Guangyi's confidant. Combined with his specific behavior that night, it is completely certain that this person's sudden appearance was not an accident - everything was premeditated.

Just imagine, how could a small official, if he had not prepared in advance, dare to say such tough or even fierce words in the palace - "You should go forward, what to do" This is completely the words of the conspirators, or even the principals.

"History of the Song Dynasty: The Biography of Ma Shao" also recorded such an incident: Ma Shao, who was familiar with astronomical divination, was friends with Cheng Dexuan, but at that time, the Song Dynasty strictly forbade "private astronomy", so Cheng Dexuan generally did not walk around with him, let alone let him get close to Kaifeng Mansion. But in the middle of the night on October 19, Ma Shao suddenly came to Cheng Dexuan, "Tomorrow is the auspicious day of the King of Jin, and I have come to inform" Cheng Dexuan's reaction was "terrified" and immediately hid Ma Shao in a secret room, and hurriedly entered Zhao Guangyi. Zhao Guangyi asked Cheng Dexuan to look at Ma Shao, saying that he would report to the emperor's brother tomorrow in order to relieve himself. But the next day, it was Zhao Guangyi who ascended the throne by Zhao Kuangyin's edict. It was really a "good day", so Ma Shao was released and worshiped as the chief secretary of Si Tianjian.

Isn't it related? Can this conclusion be inferred: Before the night of the incident, the Jin Wangfu had premeditated the death of Zhao Kuangyin. Like Cheng Dexuan, as soon as he heard Ma Shao's "prophecy", he immediately thought that the rebellion had been leaked, and what he could do was to lock up Ma Shao first, and then report to Zhao Guangyi immediately. And Zhao Guangyi was even more panicked, and even thought of the thief shouting to catch the thief and denounce Ma Shao to his brother in order to clear his innocence.

Next, we will investigate the motive of Zhao Guangyi's murder. Push back the clock. Zhao Kuangyin was completely suppressed by his younger brother in Luoyang, "not in danger in Germany", what did he do after returning to Kaifeng? According to historical records, in the month of July 976, Zhao Kuangyin "Sanxing Guangmei Mansion"

This is extremely abnormal. In ancient times, the emperor would not go to a minister's mansion casually. That represents the great honor of "the saints are rich, and the pets are high". Don't think that Zhao Kuangyin just went to Zhao Pu's house to eat meat and drink wine, and felt that this thing was very common. In fact, the number of times Zhao Kuangyin went to Zhao Guangyi's house can be counted on one finger - "Wang Xingren and filial piety, Yin Jing has been fifteen years, and he has been practicing general affairs." The emperor is fortunate to have a good house, and he is very generous"

In the past 15 years, Zhao Kuangyin has only been "lucky". But in 1 month, he went to the house of his fourth brother Zhao Guangmei 3 times. This is an extremely sensitive political symbol - the Great Song Emperor Zhao Kuangyin has actively and clearly courted his fourth brother.

Could it be that Zhao Kuangyin returned from sacrificing his father, and suddenly felt that his eldest brother was like a father, and he wanted to give his fourth brother, who had lacked fatherly love since childhood, a deep and fiery father's love without asking for anything in return? The joke was a little bigger. As long as people with a little political acumen will immediately understand that this is Zhao Kuangyin's intention to cultivate the fourth brother and let him enter the political arena. There is only one role, to contain Zhao Guangyi, the king of Jin.

Thinking about the dispute between Zhao Pu and Zhao Guangyi back then, I broke the political balance, drove Zhao Pu away, and let Zhao Guangyi dominate alone, until later he dared to argue with me and dismantle my platform. Then how about simply letting Guangmei become the second Guangyi? What the? Guangmei without merit? What is the merit of Guangyi? Bright beauty has no foundation? I am here to cultivate, and I am more attentive than when I cultivated Guangyi, how can things not succeed! Once successful, Guangyi was decentralized, and he was honest and at ease from now on. And after all, Guangmei's foundation is still shallow, and I will learn the lesson that made Mitsuyoshio big at the beginning, and grasp the proportion. How nice it would be if things could go the way we wanted... Dividing the authority of Guangyi is equivalent to taking away his ambition, and he and Guangmei have no thoughts of separation from now on, and they are still my good brothers. In addition, I sent Dezhao to greet Qian Yu and sent Defang to host the banquet, and my sons would also go to the front smoothly. And so the clouds of the day will disperse... What's more, I did another thing to make this plan go smoothly.

Going to the Northern Han Dynasty, I believe many people are thinking, why should Zhao Kuangyin be in such a hurry? According to the previous law, every time he destroyed a large country, he would spend 2-3 years digesting it, resolving all the local contradictions, and completely turning that land into a Great Song Dynasty. So why did Zhao Kuangyin decide to send troops to the Northern Han Dynasty after only half a year after the suppression of a superpower like the Southern Tang Dynasty?

Perhaps the following factor is the most important of his many considerations: he wants to use another big victory to continue to increase his prestige, reach the pinnacle of glory that no one else can achieve for a while, and then do whatever he does, he can suppress the entire officialdom. Such as deposing the king of Jin or simply killing Zhao Guangyi.

Even if it is not so violent, through this war, the entire officialdom can be mobilized to serve itself, and the officialdom that Zhao Guangyi has cultivated as Kaifeng Yin for many years will be reduced to the lowest point... Looking at everything, one conclusion can be drawn that Zhao Kuangyin is still taking care of the overall situation, thinking about how to make a smooth transition and achieve the goal of weakening Zhao Guangyi.

So from Zhao Guangyi's standpoint, if this Northern Expedition is successful and the world is unified, the emperor's brother's exploits will directly catch up with the heavenly khan Li Shimin. At that time, no matter how much he had shown favors and how many officialdom colleagues he had befriended, no one would accompany him in this muddy water anymore. What's more, the fourth brother Guangmei will soon emerge in the officialdom, and it will be deliberately cultivated by the emperor, which is too easy... The most terrible ones are Dezhao and Defang. One is 26 years old and 18 years old, and they are all adults, especially the dezhao who came out of the emperor, and even the emperor and grandson were born. Now that the Emperor had begun to push them to the forefront, there was no chance of a sudden cessation.

Then you can only take a risk! Otherwise, the only thing waiting for you is euthanasia! What is the so-called risky trick? History proves that Zhao Kuangyin died suddenly when his career was at the peak of its glory. Is this really a coincidence? Or as some modern scholars say, Zhao Kuangyin died suddenly because of a family genetic problem, coupled with his own good wine, which caused sudden diseases such as stroke and myocardial infarction? It's a joke. Let's ask below a thousand years, why do you say that there is a problem with Zhao Kuangyin's family gene? Can you find the Zhao family DNA again? Or is it because the children and grandchildren of the big sluts are crazy or stupid, some set fire to the palace after going crazy, and some suddenly become gods when they become emperors? Or the early death of Dezhao and Defang to make a judgment? Damn it! What does that have to do with Zhao Kuangyin?

Perhaps the only loophole in Zhao Kuangyin's plan is that he never thought that his "good brother who is kind and sincere, brother and brother" would suddenly kill him. Stop his plan by ending his life!

In fact, even if everything is exactly as Master Sima said, it can't be justified in the most critical place - the person Queen Song was going to call Zhao Defang at that time, and it was not Defang and his third uncle anyway!

Of course, Zhao Guangyi can say that I was forced, and it was forced by Wang Jien and Cheng Dexuan, the two rebellious ministers and thieves, just like his brother was involuntary when he mutined in Chenqiao, but do you want what others give you? Give you a coffin and you will lie in it? So slut, you better stop pretending! What is robbed is robbed, not to mention that there is no shame at all. Grabbing, after all, is also a very complex and difficult labor effort, and not anyone can do it if they want to. What's more, in this world, the only thing that can be stolen and robbed without having to feel a little guilty is - the throne! In front of me is a living example: Zhao Kuangyin. When he snatched the throne from 8-year-old Chai Zongxun, was everyone happy and convinced? Not necessarily, right? If he is not a great man and a great man who brings unity and stability to our nation, what will we think of him? Therefore, even if Zhao Guangyi killed his brother and seized the throne, he could not be condemned to shame. And his killing of his brother is still uncertain, compared to Li Shimin's public killing of the eldest brother and third brother in broad daylight, and Tian Khan can enjoy his fame forever, so why can't Zhao Guangyi be forgiven?

Because of the little difference in this. If Li Shimin does not kill the eldest brother and third brother, not only will he not get the throne, but he will not even be able to save his life. Zhao Guangyi did not have this crisis.

Zhao Guangyi's house is very high and has no water source. His brother sent craftsmen to make a big wheel "Exciting Gold Water Injection" and "Several Sights, Promoting His Battle" Zhao Guangyi was drunk in the palace and could not ride a horse. His brother personally helped him down the steps of the hall, and saw that the guards were "holding stirrups to come out" Zhao Guangyi was seriously ill and was in a coma that he didn't even know anyone. His brother hurried to treat him personally. At that time, Zhao Guangyi still felt pain in a coma, and his brother took the lit mugwort and burned it on the same part of his body to sense the degree of pain... In this way, he was treated from Chenshi to Youshi, until Zhao Guangyi woke up from sweating, and Zhao Kuangyin returned to the palace... There are many kinds of kindness and righteousness, and it is difficult to count. It can even be said that Zhao Kuangyin is not good to his son and younger brother. Until his death, Zhao Dezhao was not crowned king, and Zhao Defang was only the defense envoy of a state... And Zhao Guangyi is already the king of Kaifeng Yin and Jin above the prime minister. With such a gracious brother, you can bear to do it. This is not usurpation, it is disobedience! This is not a struggle for power, but a loss of conscience!

After that snowy night, Zhao Guangyi was no longer the same person he used to be. The mind, disillusioned with a rebellion that annihilates all conscience. After that night, after betraying his dearest brother, what else could he not do? So he forced Zhao Dezhao to death in 979, Zhao Defang in 981, Zhao Tingmei in 984, and his eldest son Zhao Yuanzuo in 985... And then suspect everyone in the world, is there any difficulty?

At this point in the analysis, it should be the only correct solution in history that has appeared in the "History of Liao"! The Khitans were not ambiguous at all, and said directly - "Zhao Jiong is self-reliant"

The "History of the Song Dynasty Taizu Benji" compiled by the Mongols concluded that Zhao Kuangyin covered the coffin: "The five seasons are extremely chaotic, and the Song Taizu is in the middle of the introduction, practicing the position of the Ninety-Five, and it is the original country that it has won, and the Jin, Han, and Zhou are also very different?" and his orders, the famous generals, bowed down to obey orders. The four countries are leveled in order. This is not easy to do. Since Jianlong, the military power of the feudal town has been released, and the corrupt officials have been re-enforced to plug the source of turbidity. The state and county pastor, down to the order record, the curtain office, bow to the right. Farming and learning, prudent punishment and thinness, rest with the world, until Piping. Governance is successful, and rituals are made for fun. He reigned for seventeen years, and the foundation of more than 300 years was passed down to his descendants. There are rules in the world. Then three generations descended, the rule of cultural relics, the wind of morality and righteousness, the Song Dynasty in the Han and Tang Dynasties, and there was no concession. Uhu! If the scale is the king, it can be said that it is far away."

But for the crimes of the founding emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, can it really be concluded on this? No! Because his life was suddenly ended, the fortunes of the Great Song Dynasty, the authority, and even the policy program suddenly turned around, which even drove the fate of our entire nation to slide into an unpredictable abyss.

And these all kicked off with the sudden death of Song Taizu. If he hadn't died, if he had lived a few more years, would it still be like this? This is a conjecture in despair. Doomed to have no answers...