gnovel Chapter 68 Ah~, the Crown Prince has arrived!
Chapter 68 Ah~, the Crown Prince has arrived!
Now that Li Shoujie had voluntarily revealed his identity, it was only natural that he should inform Zhao Kuangyin immediately.
Before long, news came back from the palace that the Emperor had specially prepared a banquet for Marshal Li that evening, and had specifically requested that Zhao Guangmei bring Wang Lu to the banquet as well.
Li Shoujie himself wasn't particularly interested in attending the banquet at the palace. Instead, he kept pulling Wang Lu aside to look at the wooden tracks, examining each section endlessly.
Zhao Guangmei and Wang Lu had been discussing how the Zhaoyi Army should engage in military business, and how to conduct the coal and alum business. They particularly hoped that Zhao Guangmei would prioritize the Zhaoyi Army when carrying out pilot reforms.
Wang Lu discussed everything with him, and although he wasn't perfunctory, he couldn't help but be somewhat absent-minded, and even a little wistful.
Because he knew that Li Shoujie had no real power over the Zhaoyi Army, and that Li Jun would most likely rebel. If nothing unexpected happened, he would be able to witness a famous scene from the early Song Dynasty when he attended the banquet.
Sigh, it's quite a pity. I felt that Li Shoujie was a pretty good person these past few days, but unfortunately, he and his father were destined to be stepping stones for Zhao Kuangyin to create the prosperous Song Dynasty.
As night fell, a few bronze lamps hung above the palace walls, their dim light casting a yellowish glow on the gray brick walls, making the palace appear quite dilapidated.
Led by Zhao Guangmei, Li Shoujie and Wang Lu entered the palace and walked further in. The stone path under their feet was uneven and pitted, and the palace walls on both sides were mottled and crumbling, revealing the rammed earth inside.
There were no carved beams and painted rafters, no magnificent gold and jade decorations; only a layer of red paint on the pillars of the palace indicated that this was the imperial palace.
Zhao Guangmei led them all the way to Chongzheng Hall, where they heard Zhao Kuangyin's hearty laughter. Inside the hall, several burly men were wrestling shirtless. At first glance, they looked like wrestlers for entertainment, but upon closer inspection, they realized that the shirtless men were all Grand Commandants of the court.
Zhao Guangmei: "The one who's getting the upper hand is my brother-in-law, Gao Huaide. The one he's pinning to the ground and beating is Zhang Lingduo, the future father-in-law my elder brother found for me. Please excuse me, Brother Li. My elder brother didn't join them in the beating today; he's already being quite dignified."
After saying that, Zhao Guangmei clapped her hands vigorously and cheered loudly for her brother-in-law to beat up her father-in-law.
Inside the hall, only four large bronze lamps were lit. On the central imperial desk was a large bronze basin filled with tenderly cooked lamb legs and ribs. Next to it were several plates of flatbread and steamed buns, a large jar of wine, and a vegetarian dish without a single green leaf.
Zhao Kuangyin was dressed in a plain-colored round-necked casual robe. To his left sat Zhao Guangyi, dressed in a blue official robe, sitting upright and eating small bites with chopsticks in his hand.
Wang Jun was even sitting to the left of Zhao Guangyi, chatting quietly with him while eating, which was quite unruly.
It's astonishing that a mere minor official like him could appear at such an event; at first glance, he seems to hold a higher rank than many Grand Commandants and Generals.
Although Wang Lu knew that this was a special occasion and that the military men in the early Song court were really not very disciplined, it was enough to show that he, as an official in the Palace Guard, was doing a good job.
"Your subject Li Shoujie pays his respects to Your Majesty!" Li Shoujie lifted his robe and respectfully performed the three kneelings and nine kowtows.
Upon seeing the arrival of the main figure, the group of Grand Marshals who were wrestling sumo got up, put their robes back on, and scrutinized him with appraising eyes.
Zhao Kuangyin smiled and nodded at him: "Ah~, the Crown Prince has arrived."
The mention of "Crown Prince" startled Li Shoujie, and it took him a while to realize its meaning. He immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, my father had absolutely no intention of raising an army against the Song Dynasty. He sent me here because he sincerely wanted to submit to the court!"
Seeing this, Zhao Guangmei and Wang Lu did not stand with Li Shoujie. Instead, they found a seat a little further back on Zhao Kuangyin's right. Wang Lu also sat next to Zhao Guangmei, focusing on watching the show.
Seeing this, Zhao Kuangyin sighed and said, "I really hope I'm overthinking it, but we have received definite news that your father, Li Jun, has indeed colluded with Liu Jun of the Northern Han. He is not satisfied with occupying Tianjing Pass, and even wants to send troops to attack Zezhou and cut off my Kaifeng canal transport."
Li Shoujie's legs went weak, and he felt as if a thunderbolt had struck his head, leaving him charred and raw.
"Where did the Emperor get this information? Could it be a misunderstanding, or the work of a villain?"
Zhao Kuangyin sighed: "Whether it's a misunderstanding or the interference of villains, your father has only occupied Tianjing Pass for now, and I can tolerate him for the time being. I will not touch him until he clearly rebels."
"I've heard from the third brother that you still approve of the Song Dynasty. In that case, you shouldn't stay in the capital. Go back and persuade your father. I know I lack the qualifications."
Back when he was a military governor, I was just a nobody. If I weren't the emperor yet, I would have to bow and greet him respectfully, and even as a junior, I would have to step aside to avoid him.
"But now that I'm the emperor, aren't I? Before I became emperor, I always yielded to him. Now that I'm the emperor, can't you yield to me too?"
Li Shoujie kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, my father has absolutely no intention of raising an army. If he did, I will definitely persuade him when I return, and persuade him to give up such a treasonous thought."
"Hmm, what if you can't persuade him then?"
"And what should I do? This... I..."
Zhao Kuangyin did not press the matter further; instead, his voice softened, and he said:
"Young man, I know you're sensible, but I can only offer you this advice: when a man faces important matters, he must learn to make decisive choices."
"Whether you choose to fulfill your filial duty by slaughtering your entire family along with your father, thus dragging the people of Luzhou and even the entire Jin-Dong region into the flames of war, or do what you can to help, is up to you."
Old Zhao was a kind man; when he tried to sow discord between the father and son, he only touched on the subject briefly and didn't say anything more.
Historically, both Li Jun and Li Chongjin rebelled, but Li Chongjin killed his entire family and wiped out his entire clan, while Li Jun only executed the ringleaders. Li Shoujie surrendered with Luzhou and was spared his life. Later, he served as a military commissioner in the Northern Song Dynasty.
Of course, it would be even better if Li Jun could really be persuaded not to rebel.
Li Shoujie understood Zhao Kuangyin's meaning, but he couldn't say anything at the moment, so he could only kowtow repeatedly to show that he could persuade Li Jun to stay.
Zhao Kuangyin didn't press him. He laughed and picked up the large leg of lamb on the table, taking a big, happy bite. His mouth was full of oil as he chewed, and he said, "That's all for the important business. Now that we've finished, let's eat and drink, hahaha."