Chapter 510 Drinking Poisoned Wine on Birthday

Both Zhao Pu and Zhao Guangyi are people who are good at personnel matters.

For Zhao Guangyi, after knowing that he had actually ascended the throne, he was only momentarily ecstatic, followed by overwhelming panic and confusion.

Because whether it is the criticism of later generations or the bizarre records, it all shows one thing: the death of the emperor's brother must be kept secret.

Of course he also had various conjectures about this, and killing was the one he was least willing to face among all the conjectures.

In the palace, accompanied by the royal brother inside and surrounded by forbidden troops outside, who will kill whom?

Zhao Guangyi, who had a bright back, gave a wry smile, tried his best to calm down and said:

"Since I have been serving my elder brother for thirty years, I know very well what his temperament is. How can I become such a person that is worse than a pig or a dog?"

"Brother, if you want to get rid of the trouble, you can take action now. I will never resist!"

Zhao Pu raised his head with an expressionless expression, but his ears were raised as hard as possible, trying to miss every word in the hall.

When I heard what Zhao Guangyi said, I immediately shook my head in my heart. What a move to turn retreat into advance!

The most taboo thing for a king is to be punished for not teaching, and the King of Jin also expressed his brotherly love.

In this way, the officials will hesitate, and the King of Jin will be temporarily safe.

Sure enough, Zhao Kuangyin, who had stood up quietly at some point, weighed the new jade ax in his hand, but finally shook his head and sat down again.

Zhao Guangyi in the front had no idea what was going on, and he still looked like he was going to kill him with an awe-inspiring expression.

But no one dared to remind him at this time. The chamberlain beside him had long been silent and only dared to immerse himself in copying and did not dare to say a word.

Even so, Zhao Kuangyin was still alert in his heart. This religion, which was mentioned several times in later generations, may also need to be supervised by a department, and should not be left unchecked and allowed to have a hand in everything.

But... if Monk Wen Ying hadn't brought up this great fairy, I'm afraid he wouldn't be so interested in his afterlife. In a sense, it would have helped him? Zhao Kuangyin was immediately conflicted.

Furthermore...according to what later generations said, he only has two years left to live?

This news also made Zhao Kuangyin a little breathless...

Two years, two years will not be enough for what he wants to accomplish!

Therefore, Zhao Kuangyin was equally anxious when facing the light curtain at this time, because he wanted to know how he died? Is there any way to avoid danger?

…

In the palace of General Chang'an of the Han Dynasty, the clear "killing" light curtain made the scene completely quiet.

The son kills the father, the minister kills the king, and the one who kills the superior is called regicide.

Not to mention that it now seems that Song Taizu Zhao Er is the emperor's minister and younger brother. How dare he really act like this?

Liu Bei, Kong Ming and others all had different expressions and were deep in thought. Some wanted to restore the appearance of the Song Dynasty based on current knowledge, or they were thinking about how to avoid this emperor changing history.

For a while, the hall seemed quiet, which made Zhang Fei feel very uncomfortable. He twisted his neck and saw that Ma Chao was also bored, so he simply chose to chat with the nearby Ma Chao:

"Meng Qi, do you think this person who was named Taizong in the later Tang Dynasty had to kill something?"

A question mark slowly appeared on Ma Chao's head: "?"

Zhang Fei said enthusiastically:

"You see, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty killed his brothers, and Taizong of the Song Dynasty also killed his brothers. I'm afraid the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties will not be able to avoid this."

What kind of truth is this? Ma Chao laughed:

"The words of the three generals are quite nonsense. If what later generations say is true..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Fei approached his head and covered his face like lightning and asked:

"Then please ask Meng Qi to respect me as the vanguard when we leave Tongguan."

Ma Chao was caught off guard and said angrily almost subconsciously:

"That being the case, am I still afraid of you?"

When he saw Zhang Fei sitting back with a smile, Ma Chao patted his thigh:

Damn it, I forgot to mention what to do if what I said was not true, and I fell into this dark guy’s trick!

But soon Ma Chao felt that he was worrying too much:

When future generations are full and full, will they tell all the Taizongs of the past dynasties again?

[First of all, let’s make it clear that Zhao Kuangyin really died in October 976, and it was an unnatural death.

According to official historical records, Zhao Da's schedule in 976 was quite intensive. He either went to order the Imperial Guards at the school, inspected the courtyards, or summoned envoys or relatives.

Even in March, Zhao Da had a leisurely trip to Luoyang for a whole month, and there was no sign of a terminal patient at all.

Until September, the official history still recorded that Zhao Da first inspected the state-owned textile printing and dyeing factory of Ayajinyuan, then ran to Chengnan Pond to see the scenery, and then went for a tour of Lixian's house.

This Lixian Mansion is an interesting work of Zhao Da. He initially approved a piece of land in Bianjing and built several finely decorated mansions with the intention of selling them to his defeated opponents who surrendered to him.

In order to obtain the right to live here, Qianchu, the king of Qiantang, the leader of the South Vietnam Kingdom mentioned earlier, not only helped Zhao Da destroy the Southern Tang Dynasty, but also gave away more than 20 ships of gold, silver and jewelry. It can be said that it was the most successful real estate transaction in the Song Dynasty. Business.

It's a pity that Zhao Da died too early, so these Lixian Houses made a huge profit from Zhao Chu. Otherwise, maybe this Lixian House could become the Song Dynasty version of Gongdelin.

This is a long way to go. In short, Zhao Da was still alive and kicking in September. Even until October 6th, half a month before his death, the official history still recorded:

"Xingxi teaching field, watching Feishan Sergeant's engine stone"

Although some people speculate that Zhao Da drank to death, according to the excavations, distilled liquor, a high-alcohol liquor, did not appear until the Southern Song Dynasty. In the early Northern Song Dynasty, it was still a low-alcohol liquor, making it difficult to get drunk to death.

Zhao Da himself also said, "If you indulge in wine, how can you be a human being?" Introspection, the possibility of death from drinking is quite low.

As for the speculation about the cause of Zhao Da's death, there was a deduction in the Ming and Qing Dynasties: he may have died from Zhao Er's poisoned wine.

After all, there were too many people who died in the early Northern Song Dynasty. Meng Chang, the ruler of Hou Shu, died seven days later, and Qian Chu, the ruler of Wuyue, died suddenly due to a meteor falling. Ming Dynasty writers recorded in "Yin Shuwu Shuying" that both of them died suddenly on their birthdays, and the cause of death was mostly "the emperor's fear had not disappeared, and he died in secret by drinking wine on his birthday."

However, Meng Chang died quite early, and Hou Shu was destroyed by Zhao Kuangyin, so he had nothing to do with Zhao Guangyi. But if Meng Chang really died on his birthday, then we can only sigh that the family learning of Zhao and Song is profound.

In the same year when Qian Chu died suddenly, Li Yu, who was imprisoned in Bianjing, also died suddenly on his birthday at the age of 42. In the "Silent Notes" written by Wang Zhi, a righteous official in the late Northern Song Dynasty, it was bluntly stated that Li Yu died from the drug that Zhao Yan put in the wine he gave.

Perhaps it was because of these three unlucky people who died on their birthdays inexplicably that Li Tao was very hesitant when he wrote "Long Bian". He did not directly refute the candlelight and axe sound as a false rumor, but added a note "wait for further investigation" after the correction.

There is no way, it is not that Li Tao does not believe you, Emperor Taizong of Song, but it is really that Zhao Er is a little too suspicious.

However, if you want to investigate the truth of this matter, there is another angle to see what the people around Zhao Er were doing when Zhao Da died. 】

Zhao Kuangyin watched the later generations trying to unravel the cause of his death, and it felt very strange for a while.

However, when he heard that it involved poisoned wine, he hesitated for a moment and simply said:

"In the Jin Wang Mansion, Cheng Dexuan knows about poisons?"

Zhao Guangyi's standing body shook for a moment, and he tried to say:

"Cheng Dexuan is a retainer who came to him, saying that he is a good doctor who can cure all diseases. I used to worry that my brother drank too much, and I was afraid that he would be unwell, so I stayed in the mansion..."

Speaking of this, perhaps it felt like the more he explained, the worse it was, so Zhao Guangyi simply stopped talking.

Zhao Kuangyin had already lost his patience, and simply turned his head and ordered the eunuch:

"Send someone to the Jin Wang Mansion to ask the doctor Cheng Dexuan if he knows the drug for the machine."

The eunuchs looked at each other, and finally the eunuch standing in the front asked carefully:

"Your Majesty, if he knows the drug for the machine?"

Zhao Kuangyin said impatiently:

"Let the imperial guards handle this matter. If he knows the drug for the machine, just temporarily detain him in the prison. Do you still need my advice?"

The eunuch responded with grievance, and was about to go out to give the order even if he rolled and crawled.

But Zhao Kuangyin thought about it and added:

"If he doesn't know the medicine, we need to take him outside the Prince of Jin's mansion."

So the eunuch hurriedly came back and bowed, then went out of the side door of the palace to order the imperial guards.

For a moment, Zhao Guangyi's heart was like a icy cave, and he almost laughed at his brother's order:

Since both sides are going to be detained, what else is there to ask?

But he didn't dare to argue, after all, at this time he could hardly protect himself, and it was difficult to pay attention to other people.

He is just a doctor, and he should not dare to shirk responsibility and accuse himself at will.

After sighing, Zhao Kuangyin sighed for this Lixian House.

It can be seen that no matter when, he has always wanted to reunite the world, and he did not hesitate to use such means to raise money for the country, but what can he do...

Staring at his brother's back, Zhao Kuangyin also made up his mind in his heart.

No matter whether the candlelight and axe sound are true or false, the Prince of Jin needs to take a good rest.

...

"Poisoned wine... Hey."

Li Shimin shook his head, with undisguised disappointment on his face.

Sun Simiao was very interested in the drug. Now he also knew that if he understood the theory of poison, he had to understand the theory of medicine first. If there was really a recipe for this poison, he might be able to deduce two prescriptions for curing diseases and saving lives.

Seeing Li Shimin's bored face, he smiled and said:

"What does your majesty want to do with the candlelight and axe sound?"

Li Shimin said without thinking:

"Of course, it is to chop off the head with a sharp axe..."

As soon as he said it, he felt it was inappropriate, so Li Shimin coughed and said:

"However, its authenticity is still unknown. Of course, I still hope that Zhao Da and Zhao Er are truly brothers and brothers."

Then Li Shimin sighed in his heart: Since when did you need to add the word "true" to say brotherly love? This is really harmful to people in the future!

Du Ruhui shook his head and commented:

"If these poisoned wines are all true, then the Song Dynasty has lost its integrity since its inception."

The king and his ministers in Ganlu Hall almost all nodded in agreement.

After all, these kings are all prisoners, so what are you afraid of? If they can repeat themselves, you have defeated them the first time, so why can't you defeat them the second time?

"If you poisoned the wine because of suspicion, it would be the work of a mediocre man, not like a monarch!"

Wei Zheng frowned and cursed.

Li Shimin smiled and shook his head:

"Wait and see whether it is true or not."

[On the night of Zhao Kuangyin's sudden death, the official history of the Northern Song Dynasty recorded the movements of three more intriguing people.

First, there are two confidants of Zhao Er in the Jin Wang Mansion: Cheng Dexuan, who is good at medicine, and Ma Shao, who is good at dancing. 】

Zhao Guangyi felt that his heart would never beat again.

In a daze, he heard his brother behind him giving orderly instructions:

"Go and give our oral instructions to the imperial guards just now. There is no need to ask Cheng Dexuan about the medicine, just arrest him directly."

"And this Ma Shao, search the Jin Palace and make sure to find him, and keep him under strict supervision!"

"Also, order the imperial guards to temporarily surround the Jin Palace and prohibit people from entering or leaving."

Zhao Pu looked at Zhao Guangyi with a little worry, and then looked at the emperor who seemed to be completely unwilling to listen to the advice.

Then he sighed:

He had explained the matter of cutting off the wings of the King of Jin several times, but he didn't expect to encounter such a thing today and act in a hurry.

I just hope that the matter can go smoothly.

[Generally speaking, there are three major mysteries in the early Northern Song Dynasty, namely the Chenqiao Mutiny, the Candle Shadow Axe Sound, and the Golden Casket Alliance.

The Golden Casket Alliance will be mentioned later. The Chenqiao Mutiny is in the history textbook and will not be repeated. In short, Zhao Da's throne was not glorious, so after he succeeded to the throne, he directly ordered to ban private dancing among the people.

This is easy to understand. After all, Taoism has set a guiding principle since its establishment: insist on rebellion and never waver!

In the early Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin was very afraid that this group of people would jump out and explain the destiny and cause chaos, so he simply banned it.

Under such circumstances, the fact that Ma Shao could become Zhao Guangyi's confidant can itself explain Zhao Er's attitude towards the throne and his thoughts on his elder brother.

On the night of October 19, just one day after Zhao Kuangyin's sudden death, Ma Shao suddenly visited Cheng Dexuan.

Cheng Dexuan was very surprised by the sudden visit of this great immortal, and directly asked why he came.

Ma Shao went straight to the point: Tomorrow is the day when the King of Jin will see you, so I came to tell you.

This was definitely a heart-piercing statement at the time. Cheng Dexuan's first reaction was to be shocked, and then he locked Ma Shao up and got up to find Zhao Guangyi.

In the history books, Zhao Guangyi was also shocked. He first praised Cheng Dexuan for doing the right thing and must continue to keep Ma Shao in custody.

Then he said that it was late today, and I would report this to my brother tomorrow, so Cheng Dexuan went back to sleep with peace of mind.

On the night of the 20th, things became even stranger. First, someone knocked on Cheng Dexuan's door at night and asked him to enter the palace. Then, at about two or three in the morning, Cheng Dexuan packed up and went to Zhao Guangyi instead of entering the palace. He also did not enter the Prince of Jin's mansion, but waited quietly in front of the Prince of Jin's mansion at three or four in the morning.

Soon, Wang Jie'en, a palace eunuch, came out of the palace to go to the Prince of Jin's mansion. Cheng Dexuan, who was waiting there, stopped him and asked what happened in the palace. Wang Jie'en said that the emperor had passed away and asked the Prince of Jin to come to the palace to take care of his life.

It was a bit confusing, but there are two points:

The sudden prediction of Ma Shao, who was dancing the shaman, and Cheng Dexuan's strange behavior in the early Northern Song Dynasty when there was no nightlife, all indicate that the two Jin Wang's confidants had anticipated or known what was going to happen.

The appearance of the eunuch Wang Jie'en to ask Zhao Guangyi to succeed to the throne was even stranger, contrary to the system.

As for Wang Jie'en, Sima Guang said in "Shushui Jiwen" that after knowing the death of Zhao Kuangyin, Queen Song wanted to welcome Zhao Defang. The eunuch Wang Jie'en boldly inserted into the debate about the queen's succession, and pretended to welcome Zhao Defang, but actually secretly left the palace to bring Zhao Guangyi in so that Zhao Er could successfully ascend the throne.

"Shushui Jiwen" is a collection of materials prepared by Sima Guang for writing "Zizhi Tongjian Houji", and this record is from Sima Guang's interview with Qian Gongfu.

Qian Gongfu once served as Zhizhigao, which was considered a half-step prime minister, so this information is also quite authentic. 】