Chapter 60: The Battle for the Throne Begins

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The Crown Prince is dead, the Emperor is ill, and throughout the court and realm, hearts are filled with dread.

The Zhao Song dynasty seemed, in a single night, to have been swept clean by autumn winds, littering the ground with yellow leaves—gloomy and desolate.

At this moment, a difficult question haunted every mind.

Should the Emperor suddenly pass away, who would take charge of this trembling realm, and lead the Zhao Song dynasty—plagued by internal strife and external threats—forward?

Rumors also spread wildly among the common people, and hearts yearned for change.

At the end of October, two cranes suddenly arrived at the Wang Fu, regarded as auspicious omens.

Upon hearing the news, court ministers hurried to offer their congratulations.

Zhao Ji was overjoyed to see this.

Soon after, a lingzhi mushroom suddenly sprouted in the Wang Fu's sleeping quarters.

The ministers again rushed over to offer their congratulations.

Zhao Ji was even happier.

Some clever people in the Wang Fu, seeing this, shook their heads and whispered among themselves: "If Chief Steward Yang were still here, he would surely advise His Highness to keep a low profile, lest he provoke the Emperor's suspicion."

Unfortunately, not long ago, the Wang Fu's Chief Steward, Yang Zhen, drowned after falling into the water while walking the Empress Yelu.

The current Wang Fu is now managed by the new Chief Steward, Zhang Di, and Gao Qiu and other sycophants, who not only failed to handle the auspicious signs discreetly, but actively sought out fortune-tellers to divine Zhao Ji's fortune and misfortune.

Later, a fortune-teller named Chen Yan declared that Zhao Ji was destined by fate to become the Son of Heaven.

Zhao Ji was ecstatic and rewarded Chen Yan lavishly.

At the same time, a rumor suddenly spread through Dongjing Bianliang: each evening, from distant villages and hamlets, one could see the sky over the Shen Wang Fu glowing red, like a crimson bird soaring. The red light burned through the night and did not fade until dawn. Villagers who entered the city learned it was not fire; enlightened scholars believed the red glow was the sign of the Song dynasty's Fire Virtue, just as the auspicious crimson crow appeared when King Wu of Zhou ascended the throne.

Many officials therefore came to congratulate Zhao Yu.

Yet Huang Jingchen and Liang Shicheng appeared on Zhao Yu's behalf, declaring that the red glow illuminated the Imperial Palace, not their own Wang Fu, and begged the ministers to return home—refusing all gifts brought by the ministers, and Zhao Yu refused to meet a single one.

In truth, auspicious signs had not only appeared in Zhao Ji's and Zhao Yu's households, but also in Zhao Si's.

Often, whether or not one becomes Emperor is not a matter of desire—if an opportunity arises, even if you do not wish it, your subordinates will push you upward; who does not wish to earn the merit of supporting a new sovereign?

Within the Imperial Palace.

Zhao Xu was ill, but not so ill that he was near death.

Zhao Xu did not feel he was near death; he believed he could still be saved—perhaps by drinking herbal decoctions or undergoing acupuncture for a while, his condition might improve.

Yet fate is capricious, and Zhao Xu's condition showed no sign of improvement.

Finally, a minister could no longer hold back and urged Zhao Xu to adopt a son to stabilize the realm.

This was like a thousand blades piercing Zhao Xu's already fragile heart.

Zhao Xu was furious!

He was only twenty-four in nominal age, in the prime of his life!

Moreover, he had just fathered a son—he was not infertile.

Zhao Xu believed that if he recovered, he would surely father his own bloodline; why should he adopt another man's son?

"I have merely fallen ill—yet some cannot wait!!!"

Zhao Xu overturned all memorials urging him to adopt an heir, erupting in rage.

Empress Liu Qingjing was equally furious, for someone had hinted to her that she should either cultivate favor with a Prince or adopt a son, and prepare early, lest she sit idle and await doom.

But Liu Qingjing, having just endured the double trauma of losing her son and daughter, could not bear to hear such words.

As a result, all who had advised her were punished by Liu Qingjing, to vent her inner anguish.

Later, Liu Qingjing heard that auspicious signs had appeared in the Wang Fu, that Zhao Ji frequently hosted banquets, and that fortune-tellers claimed Zhao Ji was destined to be Emperor.

Crucially, before—when Zhao Mao was still alive—Zhao Ji had often visited her, but lately he had been daily visiting the Ci De Palace, and his relationship with the Empress Dowager seemed restored.

In contrast, Zhao Yu, who had once been very close to Empress Dowager Xiang, had recently become extremely discreet; some said auspicious signs had appeared in his household, but he firmly denied it.

Liu Qingjing relayed all these rumors to Zhao Xu.

Zhao Xu, upon hearing them, clenched his teeth and spat out two words: "Wang Fu!!!"

Zhao Xu's face darkened like still water, his eyes flickering with complex emotion.

He slowly rose, walked to the window, and gazed at the late autumn scenery outside, his heart filled with conflicting feelings.

Cold wind swept through the window lattice, lifting his wide sleeves, as if even the wind mourned his plight.

Liu Qingjing stoked the fire: "The situation is now complex; each Prince harbors his own intentions, especially the Wang Fu—he has been acting frequently lately and has reconciled with the Empress Dowager. He likely has ill intent. Should we not give him a lesson?"

Zhao Xu thought for a moment and said: "Bring me my scribes. Issue my decree: seal off Fan Lou, and punish Chen Yan for spreading false omens and inciting chaos."

Liu Qingjing was puzzled—how did punishing Zhao Ji relate to sealing Fan Lou and arresting Chen Yan?

Zhao Xu said coldly:

"Luring a Prince to visit brothels, bringing shame upon our Great Song Imperial House and inviting foreign envoys to mock us—such conduct, if unpunished, how can we correct our morals? How can we teach Princes to uphold their duties?"

"Chen Yan dares to bewitch a Prince, stoke imperial strife, and shake the very foundation of the state—his crime deserves death!"

In truth, Zhao Xu had already shown mercy out of fraternal sentiment; otherwise, he would not merely have made an example of one.

Of course, Zhao Xu refrained from harsh punishment also because Zhao Ji was not the only one stirring unrest.

Two days prior, Zhao Xu's birth mother, Consort Zhu, had visited him and subtly praised Zhao Si's virtue.

Though Consort Zhu had not spoken plainly, Zhao Xu understood her meaning: if he felt he was dying, he should immediately pass the throne to his full-blooded younger brother, and not let it fall into the hands of outsiders.

Such is the Imperial family—kinship crumbles before power.

"Since ascending the throne, I have labored tirelessly in governance, never slackening, hoping only to restore order and glorify our ancestors. Yet now, my illness has become an excuse for others to covet the throne—alas!"

Every word from Zhao Xu carried bitterness and indignation.

Hearing this, Liu Qingjing was even more enraged; she told Zhao Xu: "Your Majesty must recover! When you do, we shall have another son—no one else shall take Your Majesty's throne!!!"

Imperial succession follows two primary paths: father to son, or elder brother to younger brother.

The former is primary, the latter secondary.

Adopting a son conforms to the principle of father-to-son succession.

Zhao Yu has five younger brothers; under normal circumstances, Zhao Yu should adopt a son from among these five brothers.

But the problem is, all five of Zhao Yu's brothers have no sons—this path is closed.

If the younger brothers have no sons, then selection must turn to the descendants of cousins, similar to how Emperor Renzong chose Emperor Yingzong.

Yet Zhao Yu's cousins also have no male heirs—this path is also closed.

Thus, the only option left is to select a grandson from the cousins of Zhao Yu's father, Emperor Shenzong.

But this would greatly dilute the bloodline.

This is also a problem.

However, the key issue lies elsewhere.

The key is that the current ruling imperial family certainly does not wish to lose power and become diminished after having held such overwhelming authority.

Zhao Yu is fully aware of this.

Therefore, Zhao Yu exploits this psychological tendency of the imperial family and begins a delicate balancing act: he neither adopts an heir nor explicitly refuses, but delays under various pretexts, hoping for a medical miracle to occur in himself.

At the same time, Zhao Yu also hopes that, in his final moments, he may still retain absolute control over imperial power…

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(End of Chapter)