Chapter 70: Ascension

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Speaking of Zhao Yu, the Empress Dowager said: "Prince Shen is naturally benevolent and filial, endowed with both talent and virtue, wise and courageous; both the late Emperor and Your Majesty have said so. Prince Shen has the physiognomy of longevity and fortune, fit to be the sovereign of all under heaven."

Emperor Shenzong and Zhao Xu are dead; now of course the Empress Dowager can say whatever she wishes. Don't you believe her? Can you still go to Emperor Shenzong and Zhao Xu to verify?

Zhang Dun led the others in agreement: "Your Majesty is wise."

The Empress Dowager, representing the imperial family, and Zhang Dun, representing the ministers, have reached consensus.

What more is there to say? Immediately draft the edict, appointing Zhao Yu as the new Emperor.

Because Cai Jing wrote the best calligraphy among all present, everyone nominated him to draft the edict for Zhao Yu's succession.

Due to the urgency, as Cai Jing drafted the edict, the chancellor-ministers stood by to assist: Zhang Dun held the brush, Ceng Bu held the inkstone, and Cai Bian ground the ink.

Seeing the New Party so eager for Zhao Yu's succession, Han Zhongyan's heart tightened; he thought: 'Will the new monarch side with the New Party and launch a sweeping purge against our Yuanyou faction?'

But at this moment, everyone was busy welcoming Zhao Yu's ascension—who had time to care what Han Zhongyan thought?

Cai Jing's brush danced, his words radiating solemnity and authority; soon, the edict was complete.

Cai Jing gently blew on the ink to dry it, then handed it to the Empress Dowager for review.

The Empress Dowager took it, read it carefully, nodded in satisfaction, and said: "Prince Shen Zhao Yu, by Heaven's mandate, inherits the past and opens the future. From this day forth, he shall ascend the throne as Emperor. May the Great Song enjoy peace, prosperity, and eternal flourishing."

The Empress Dowager's words echoed through the hall, each syllable striking like a drumbeat upon the hearts of the ministers, sending ripples through them all.

Soon, Zhao Yu came to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, weeping bitterly and refusing the mandate.

Zhang Dun and Han Zhongyan hurried forward to dress Zhao Yu in the imperial robe.

Zhao Yu firmly refused the dragon robe, declaring he could not become Emperor, then retreated into the inner chamber and sat upright in the central chair.

The chancellors and imperial relatives rushed in after him and knelt upon the floor.

Zhang Dun fell to the ground weeping uncontrollably, leading the others in another bow, and said:

"The late Emperor has passed; the realm is without a sovereign, and the hearts of all are in turmoil. Your Highness, if you do not act swiftly, you will later regret it. I beg Your Highness to consider the ancestral temples and the state, and swiftly assume the imperial throne—first establish your honored position, to stabilize the realm. The people stretch their necks in hope. I beg Your Highness to listen, and yield to the will of the multitude. Minister Zhang Dun, with all ministers, dares to speak even at the risk of death, and kneels again in supplication."

Zhao Yu, hearing this, rose from his seat and walked out of the hall, covering his face as tears streamed down, refusing to accept their plea.

Zhao Yu stepped outside the hall,

where the assembled civil and military ministers, already gathered outside, knelt upon his appearance and shouted "Ten thousand years! Ten thousand years!" in thunderous unison.

Zhao Yu, resolute in his will, again refused the imperial title, then returned to the hall and sent messengers out to instruct everyone to return home.

Soon after, the Empress Dowager herself came to urge Zhao Yu to accept the throne.

Zhao Yu declined again.

The Empress Dowager said: "If you refuse, you are unfilial."

The performance ended; Zhao Yu "reluctantly" agreed to inherit the throne.

Upon learning Zhao Yu had consented to ascend as Emperor, the civil and military officials rejoiced.

The Empress Dowager ordered that Zhao Yu be taken to Funing Palace to assume the throne, with the coronation ceremony to be prepared on a chosen day.

After Zhao Yu's ascension, he followed precedent and granted a general amnesty:

"Our Great Song established and preserved its rule, continuing the two-hundred-year mandate; dwelling at the center, we lay the foundation of a realm spanning ten thousand li. Now, in my humble person, I inherit the sacred vessel. Ever mindful of the weight of succession, I tremble like ice in spring; deeply aware of the hardship of rule, I fear as a fraying rope. Now, the borders remain unsettled, armies still mobilized; therefore, I extend a vast amnesty to soothe the hopes of near and far. A general pardon shall be granted throughout the realm…"

This edict was also drafted by Cai Jing; its release stirred considerable public reaction.

Because the amnesty did not state that Zhao Yu's ascension was by Zhao Xu's succession, many in the provinces voiced criticism.

But Zhao Xu had no sons, and died suddenly of illness; passing the throne to his younger brother was not unreasonable.

Yet conversely, it was also true that Zhao Yu possessed no succession edict from Zhao Xu; for contemporaries to seize on this point was not unreasonable either.

In short, all sectors of society closely watched the political developments, every new change, wondering whether Zhao Yu could truly hold onto the throne.

Zhao Yu responded with remarkable calm.

The moment he ascended, Zhao Yu led the civil and military ministers in petitioning the Empress Dowager to preside over governance from behind the curtain, affirming his legitimacy.

What is legitimacy?

Simply put: Li Shimin launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident, killing his two brothers, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji—why didn't he then kill Li Yuan outright? Wouldn't that have been easier?

He did not spare Li Yuan out of mercy, but because Li Shimin desired legitimacy to become Emperor.

And only Li Yuan could grant Li Shimin that legitimacy.

Thus, Li Shimin forced Li Yuan to write a decree of abdication, ceding the throne to him.

Only then did Li Shimin gain legitimacy.

The throne was not seized by me—it was bestowed upon me by my father.

Such things have happened many times in history.

Cao Pi, Wang Mang, Zhao Kuangyin, Zhu Di—all did this.

One could say: every feudal dynasty's founding, every emperor's ascension, requires legitimacy—even if it is only a superficial pretense.

"Heaven's Mandate," "the people's will"—some justification, some credible packaging, must exist.

But because Zhao Xu stubbornly refused to cooperate, Zhao Yu never obtained a succession edict from the previous emperor.

This left a flaw in Zhao Yu's legitimacy.

The matter was not huge, yet neither was it trivial.

To resolve this problem, Zhao Yu fully heeded the advice of Zhang Dun and other chancellors: he lavishly praised Zhao Xu's contributions to the Zhao Song dynasty, emphasized how unexpectedly Zhao Xu had died, declared he was inheriting his brother's throne, and then requested the Empress Dowager—the most legitimate and highest-ranking figure, the widow of Emperor Shenzong and his own stepmother—to preside over governance from behind the curtain, thereby strengthening his legitimacy.

The Empress Dowager readily agreed to preside over governance.

Yet, to everyone's astonishment, after only three days of curtain governance, the Empress Dowager voluntarily returned power to Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu pleaded with her repeatedly to stay, but she firmly insisted: placing the Zhao Song dynasty in Zhao Yu's hands, she felt at ease, and insisted on retreating behind the scenes.

Seeing this, Zhao Yu had no choice but to become the true Emperor of the Zhao Song dynasty, beginning his reign.

To the great relief of the court, Zhao Yu, upon becoming Emperor, barely moved any of Zhao Xu's appointees; he merely promoted Cai Jing to Vice Minister of the Menxia and elevated his future father-in-law, the famed Northern Song general Guo Cheng, to Grand Commandant and Commander of the Imperial Guards; he appointed Huang Jingchen as Director of the Imperial Household, sent Tong Guan and Wang Bin to the Commandery of the Imperial Guards, transferred Zong Ze to the Cavalry Command of the Imperial Bodyguard, appointed Zhang Shuye to the Infantry Command of the Imperial Bodyguard, and assigned Li Yan to take over the Imperial City Surveillance.

In short, at the outset of his reign, Zhao Yu made no major moves.

Notably, a minister suggested that, to uphold Zhao Yu's legitimacy and orthodoxy as ruler, Zhao Yu should strictly observe the mourning rites.

One of these stipulations was that a grand wedding should not be held within twenty-seven months…

……

(End of Chapter)