HLnovel Chapter 321 Emperor Huizong Returns to Court
Chapter 321 Emperor Huizong Returns to Court
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: He doesn't do any real work, but he gets into a ton of messy stuff! Anyway, he's going to be captured and taken to the north!
An official from the Sui Dynasty: I guess they think that if something can be solved with money, it's not a problem!
A Han Dynasty official: Serves these two right for being captured by the Jurchens! With such terrible abilities, they've brought disaster to so many people!
A Qing Dynasty official: These two weren't really that badly punished after being arrested, were they?! The problem is that it was ordinary people, concubines, and princesses who were harmed... This is truly outrageous!!!
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Upon hearing this, the people in the capital realized that Emperor Huizong of Song, who had fled, was likely to return!
With two groups of people working together, whose side should we listen to?! The problem is, neither of these two is very capable, so we'll have to deal with the officials again!
No wonder the Northern Song Dynasty, after more than 150 years, fell into a crisis, and its two emperors were even captured!
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The live broadcast continues.
Lin Ke continued, "Speaking of Emperor Huizong of Song, he fled because he thought the Jurchens had attacked and the Northern Song Dynasty could not hold on. But he did not expect the Jurchens to retreat and Kaifeng to stabilize again."
"But he ran away, and then he returned to Kaifeng. Neither of them were easy to deal with; they even started fighting for power. How come they didn't have the same awareness when facing the Jurchens?!"
"However, judging from the way Emperor Huizong fled, he did not appear flustered at all. According to historical records, not only him, but also princes and princesses, along with the six traitors, officials, and attendants, fled."
"With guards clearing the way and people bringing him money, he has no worries about food and drink. He has organized a sightseeing tour group. It's clear that he has moved the capital. What he took with him was not only money, but also a team of seasoned officials who followed him in controlling the government."
"Perhaps at the time, he didn't care whether Kaifeng would fall into the hands of the Jurchens, because he had an army, money, and manpower; why should he worry about not being able to rebuild a dynasty?"
"So after he arrived here, he continued to squander money as usual, and even stopped the army that was returning to defend the emperor. To be honest, his prestige was a little higher than that of Emperor Qinzong."
"After all, he chose to cooperate with Empress Dowager Xiang among the princes when he was young to seize the throne, so he still has some political acumen."
"But how can a country accommodate two emperors?! So Zhao Huan had no choice but to resolve this matter, otherwise how could he govern the country in the future?!"
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: These two are hopeless...
A spoiled young man from the Tang Dynasty: If he doesn't come back, will he not be arrested? After all, the Southern Song Dynasty is based in Lin'an anyway!?
Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu: ...
An official from the Sui Dynasty: Not necessarily, but if these two continue like this, the Jingkang Incident will still happen!
A Qing Dynasty official: In less than six months, everything will be over!
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"At that time, Zhao Huan originally intended to send an imperial envoy like Nie Shan to dismiss Tong Guan and others from their official positions."
"His thinking was very simple, without considering the kind of people in Emperor Huizong's team at the time. If he were just a simpleton, how could he have caused trouble for so many years?"
"So when he proposed it, Li Gang rejected it, saying that it was not a good idea, and cited the examples of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and Emperor Suzong of Tang, who were also retired emperors."
Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty (retired): ...
"So Zhao Huan understood! He followed Li Gang's advice, first preventing Nie Shan from taking action, then issuing an edict to demote Tong Guan and others, and also sending a message to Emperor Huizong of Song, hoping that he could return to the capital!"
"At the same time, they told Emperor Huizong's soldiers that if they could safely escort Emperor Huizong back, they would be rewarded with fine wine and meat!"
"Emperor Huizong also understood that he had no choice but to return, even if he didn't want to. But halfway there, he sent several letters to Zhao Huan, discussing the reforms!"
"However, this reform was nothing more than a matter of fear that after returning to Kaifeng, Emperor Huizong would be in the same miserable state as Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, with little power. Therefore, he wanted to propose that the Empress Dowager serve as regent, just as before, to weaken the power of Emperor Zhao Huan."
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: Although Emperor Xuanzong of Tang caused the An Lushan Rebellion, he did a pretty good job before that!
Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty: ??? ...
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: I always feel that the Song Dynasty was only good at political intrigue... factional strife is harmful!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty: ...Wait a minute!? Don't they feel any sense of urgency??
A minor official in the Qin Dynasty: Those who are anxious are all bystanders; those who aren't anxious are all insiders!
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In another timeline, Emperor Huizong of Song was furious. This rebellious son dared to challenge him?!
It seems Kaifeng is no longer a viable option. It's too far from the capital; he'll settle here. Why would he go back?
He got arrested after only six months! He might as well have stayed here!
……
"Emperor Qinzong of Song was also in a dilemma after receiving Emperor Huizong's letter. In that era, the Song Dynasty's rule based on filial piety was not just empty talk."
"From a generational perspective, Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, was still his father, so it's understandable that he made such a suggestion."
"As the son, Emperor Qinzong of Song could only accept it. Although deep down he did not want an empress dowager to take away his power, and he disliked his father even more."
"Just when Zhao Huan was in a dilemma, Li Gang stepped forward and said that he was willing to go to the retired emperor to persuade him to come back."
"Zhao Huan thought it was a viable solution anyway, so he agreed. Thus, Li Gang set off to see the retired emperor, taking with him a considerable sum of money to bribe the servants."
"Actually, as far as the retired emperor is concerned, Emperor Huizong of Song actually lived quite happily before, after all, the flames of war in Kaifeng did not reach here!"
"However, Li Gang was also eloquent and quickly persuaded Emperor Huizong to return to Kaifeng. Little did he know that the struggle between father and son would become even more intense after Zhao Ji returned to the capital."
A bystander from the Song Dynasty: They're fighting amongst themselves...
Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu: -_-…
Shangguan Wan'er of the Tang Dynasty: This father and son have perfectly avoided all the right decisions; there is no one else like them!
A farming expert in the Ming Dynasty: Actually, Li Gang overestimated Emperor Qinzong's abilities... This father and son deserved to be arrested...
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During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han
Huo Qubing and Wei Qing were furious when they heard this. They had never seen an emperor like this before, who ignored the impending collapse of the Northern Song Dynasty and insisted on fighting for supremacy!
Did they really think that just because the Jurchens retreated, everything was safe? By then, the Northern Song Dynasty would be gone, and they wouldn't be able to remain emperors there!
……
Lin Ke sighed. She couldn't understand why, at a time when the country was on the verge of collapse, there wasn't a sense of urgency to rise to the challenge!
"After Emperors Huizong and Qinzong officially met, they each had their own thoughts. First of all, the new emperor Zhao Huan was unwilling to share even a little bit of power with Zhao Ji."
"Therefore, he now has no idea how dangerous the Song Dynasty is after losing the three towns, which only made the political situation during the Jingkang era even worse!"
"Therefore, as soon as Zhao Ji returned to the palace, Zhao Huan ordered all his attendants to be expelled, dismissed, and forbidden from entering the palace; anyone who dared to remain would be executed."
"Shortly afterward, Zhao Huan appointed Tan Shiji and Li Xijing as men of high moral character and loyalty, and had them meet with the retired emperor on separate days. His purpose was to have these two take turns guarding Zhao Ji, or to put it bluntly, to monitor him."
"Not only that, Zhao Huan also required palace servants to provide Zhao Ji with his daily living quarters and restricted his contact with officials outside the capital. In general, Zhao Huan went to such lengths that it was indeed a bit strict. It was probably no different for Zhao Ji than to be in prison."
"Even when Zhao Ji was restricted from leaving his home, and he finally had the chance to meet with his ministers, he would only give them a few gifts. Soon, Emperor Qinzong of Song found out about this and became very angry. He immediately ordered the inner treasury of Longde Palace to be opened and a register made."
"If anyone receives a reward from the Emperor Emeritus, they will be confiscated and taken into the palace as soon as they leave the Longde Palace. Even palace servants who have been rewarded in the past must hand over the rewards. This practice also demonstrates Zhao Huan's dislike for his father, Zhao Ji."
"Emperor Huizong was also very dissatisfied with this, but the situation was beyond his control. After all, he was now under house arrest in Longde Palace, and it was not easy for Zhao Huan to even let him out once, let alone him wanting freedom!"
A farming whiz from the Ming Dynasty: This is outrageous! This son is too domineering!!!
Shangguan Wan'er of the Tang Dynasty: To be honest, not everyone can do this...
Wang Anshi of the Northern Song Dynasty: The relationship between this father and son is quite outrageous...
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: No matter how bad their relationship is, these two might even end up in the same prison van after being arrested. It'll be quite a show, hahaha!
The fat Zhu Zhanji: ...You might even run into Guo Yaoshi, who has surrendered to the Jin people, on the way!
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