On the night of October 20, 976 A.D., the air of Taiqing loomed over Kaifeng Mansion, and suddenly a haze rose, snow and hail fell sharply, and after a while, the entire palace was covered with snow. From a distance, there seemed to be two golden dragons fighting and hovering in the night sky. It is said that the high places are not cold, and hail and heavy snow continue to fall as the two dragons bite and fly outside the nine heavens, as if they want to freeze the whole world.

"Guangyi, you're here."

I saw that outside the Funing Palace, a person was wearing a crown of heaven, a dark red brocade cloud dragon robe, a light yellow robe inside, a gold and jade belt around his waist, and black soap boots added a bit of coldness against the background of the snow.

"Brother is urgently summoned late at night, I don't know what it is?"

The man pushed the door and entered, and immediately knelt down in front of the dragon couch and saluted.

"Brother, don't you really know what I called you here for?"

Outside, the snow was getting heavier and the wind was getting tighter.

"Foolish brother doesn't know."

"Brother, my own brother, this is the last time I will call you that. I really didn't expect that when we rebelled together in Chenqiao, we have been fighting horses so far, and this throne was about to be handed over to you, why do you have to be so anxious? Guangyi! We are brothers! Before the words fell, a contemptuous mockery was heard.

"Hmph, Zhao Kuangyin, now you know that we are brothers? Since we are doing things together and fighting on the battlefield together, why is the throne yours alone? I asked myself, you don't have a lot of credit, why am I just a prince, but you have become an emperor? Hmph, what's even more ridiculous is that just because you became the emperor, I even have to change my name, I'm not called Zhao Guangyi, my name is Zhao Kuangyi! ”

"Alas, this is the end of the matter. The outside of the hall is full of my personal guards, as long as I give an order, this snow will be buried with you tonight. I said that this throne will be yours sooner or later, and now you really want it urgently, so take it. ”

Sure enough, the swords, bows and axes outside the hall whispered in the wind and snow.

……

"Phew, Zhao Kuangyin, do you think I'm here unprepared? You have a personal guard, don't I have one? Back then, you dismissed all those old guys with a glass of wine, but do you know that I still have a million male soldiers in my hands? Now you are just a loner, and the archers and axes outside the temple have long been mine. When death is on the verge of death, and you still want to bluff? ”

"Kuang Yi, we grew up together, what do you think, don't I know? At this point, there is no need to make any discernment. I said that this throne would have been handed over to you, and now you want it, just give it to you. But before I do that, I'll tell you a story. I'm afraid tonight will be the last time you and my brothers will see each other in our lives. ”

After saying that, Zhao Kuangyin stood up and looked up to the sky and sighed.

……

"Twenty years ago, I once met a Taoist priest in Guanhe named Chaos Zhenren. At that time, we drank and had fun every day, and whenever the money ran out, the Taoist priest only had to blow a breath into his pocket, and there would be an inexhaustible amount of gold. One day, in a drunken dream, I heard a voice in the air, saying that the golden monkey and tiger are the four, and the real dragon is in the real position. When I woke up, the priest was gone. I didn't understand it at the time, and it wasn't until I ascended the throne that I became white, and the fourth day of the first month of Gengshen was the day I ascended the throne. So, I felt that this Taoist priest was absolutely extraordinary, so I searched everywhere, but I couldn't find anything.

Just this year, he suddenly appeared out of thin air, and I asked him how much I still have to live. He only replied that if the night of October 20 this year was clear, he would be able to prolong his life for another 12 years, otherwise he would have to arrange for the future.

Tonight is October 20th, and the stars are gloomy, but I didn't expect that suddenly there will be haze, drastic changes in the heavens and the earth, and then ice and snow. I know that my longevity is over, and I just want to meet you again and hand over Da Song to you, so I urgently call you! ”

After that, Zhao Kuangyin was already in tears. At this moment, no matter what the position of the emperor, glory and wealth, it is meaningless.

Zhao Kuangyin stroked Zhao Kuangyi's shoulder, and couldn't cry for a while.

……

Zhao Kuangyi listened, didn't speak, just turned his back and secretly wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. is the most ruthless emperor's family, and now they are fratricidal, what is the point of those deliberate conspiracies and conspiracy in the face of life and death?

Zhao Kuangyi was a little remorseful, thinking that the late-night emergency call was because of the East Window incident, so he had to make enough preparations to force the palace in advance, but he didn't expect that his brothers wanted to get together again before they died.

"Tonight, you and my brothers, you might as well raise a glass and drink, Da Song has always been the world of our Zhao family."

Zhao Kuangyin poured two glasses of wine and handed one over.

"Stand down!"

The two brothers shouted in unison to the outside of the hall.

As a result, the eunuchs' palace concubines, swords and axes were all evacuated.

I saw that under the shadow of the candle, the two brothers drank wine and drank each other, sometimes raising their glasses, sometimes wandering away from the table, and faintly heard the sound of laughter and long sighs.

Missing the third watch, the heavy snow outside the hall was already a few inches, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly lifted the jade axe and walked into the snow, shouting while chopping.

"Hahaha, easy to do! It's easy to do! ”

After that, he went back to the house and undressed and went to bed.

Zhao Kuangyi looked at his brother from the side, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

At about four o'clock, Zhao Kuangyin convulsed twice and lost his breath.

"The first son of heaven in the Great Song Dynasty, he is gone."

When the sky was cloudy, Zhao Kuangyi picked up the edict and came to the meeting hall, read it out, and cried loudly.

"Since the beginning of the incident, the south and the north have been conquered to create a great Song foundation. The eldest brother Kuang Ji, posthumously crowned King Yong; Friends and brothers Kuang Zan, Kuang Mei, Feng Kui Wang, Qi Wang. ”

……

"My son is young, I am afraid that it will be difficult to entrust the country's major affairs, and now I will pass on the Great Song Dynasty to my brother Kuangyi, and I hope that all the sages will do their best to assist and seek a great cause for thousands of years."

……

The ministers surrounded the crystal ice coffin, admired the holy body of Taizu, and wept in mourning.

Taizu's face was pale, as if he had just come out of the bath, and he did not look like he had died violently.

……

On November 20, 976, the thirty-eight-year-old Zhao Kuangyi succeeded to the throne and changed his name to Zhao Jiong, which was for Song Taizong, and Zhao Kuangyin was the emperor of Qiyun and established the extremely heroic Wu Ruiwen Shende Shenggong to Yin Daxiao Emperor, the temple name Taizu, and was buried in Yongchang Mausoleum.

The following year, a fire broke out in the palace, and Zhao Kuangyin's eldest son Zhao Dexiu, second son Zhao Dezhao, third son Zhao Delin, and fourth son Zhao Defang were all killed in the fire. Zhao Dexiu was posthumously named King Teng, and the rest were posthumously named King Qi, King of Chu, and King of Qin.

In the fire, the crowd was chaotic, and an old man in a Taoist robe waved the dust from time to time, looking at the fireworks in front of him, his eyes were full of regret and sigh.

"The ups and downs are all evil, and the Jiong Hou Huan is dead. In the past, the yellow robe was added, what will happen in the future? ”

……

"Martial arts are indispensable. It's a pity, it's a pity. Although I had expected all this for a long time, I couldn't help but sigh when I really saw this fire. ”

The old man was none other than the Chaos Daoist back then.

"The golden monkey and tiger head four, the real dragon has the real position. This is destiny. Zhao Kuangyin, Zhao Kuangyin, do you know what kind of secrets are hidden in that dragon stick and dragon sword! Maybe you and I have met once, and now, Poor Dao also wants to know whether heaven will win over people or people will win over heaven. ”

With that, the Taoist turned into a wisp of wind and disappeared into the night and firelight.