On the 12th day of the first lunar month of the third year of the Yuanfu in Song Dynasty

It was a cloudy day. After more than ten days of heavy snow, it finally stopped temporarily. The temperature in the capital also rebounded. People began to come out from home to visit relatives and friends, greet each other and worship their ancestors. The deserted streets in Kaifeng Prefecture City became gradually becoming lively due to heavy snow.

After the afternoon, there were crowds of people on the street, and there were various stalls and vendors, whether it was a concentrated area or a small street or alley.

Various shops in Tokyo are also open for business, shouting along the streets to attract merchants.

There are many kinds of goods in the shop, including meat, fruits and vegetables, drinks and snacks of all kinds. Glassware, overseas treasures, etc. There are also restaurants, tea shops, tramps, etc. along the street.

Generally, restaurants are often accompanied by people who play flutes, play Ruan, sing, and playful people to entertain themselves. Larger restaurants are playful places for high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants and tycoons. In order to attract guests and win over guests, these restaurants often arrange cultural and entertainment activities that are appreciated by both the elite and the masses, they also hire some fair women to entertain the restaurant. They gather in the main corridor that is more than a hundred steps long, waiting for the call of the drinkers. The idle men and servants also shuttle back and forth to earn a few errands.

In addition, there are also wazi, rap, folk art, acrobatics, magic, puppets, tracing and oral skills composed of the Jianghu Grass Terrace Team, which are very lively.

It is very lively inside and outside the Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo, but the temperature inside the palace dropped sharply and the air was extremely condensed, which was suffocating.

This is even more true in the Funing Hall of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. Medical officials, palace maids, and eunuchs all stood against the wall, wishing they could shrink their bodies into the wall, and since then they disappeared without a trace.

The ministers gathered inside, east and outside all stretched their necks and looked towards Funing Hall, hoping to get news of Funing Hall closer.

As early as the 5th of the 12th, the ministers received news from the palace that Emperor Zhao Xu of Song Dynasty was getting weaker and weaker, and he was sweating continuously, so he could not eat at all.

Emperor Zhao Xu of Song has reached his last dying moment.

Inside the Funing Hall

"Official family...Official family...my child..." Concubine Song Zhu rushed to Zhao Xu who was lying on the dragon bed, and fell to the bed, stretched out her trembling hands, holding Zhao Xu's cold hands tightly.

Zhao Xu's breath was weak and he could not speak, but his eyes were open, and he seemed clearer and more spiritual, making people dare not look directly at him.

"Master...Master...What do you want to say?" Seeing that Zhao Xu's lips squirmed slightly, Concubine Zhu quickly put her ears to Zhao Xu's mouth and asked repeatedly.

The corners of his eyes were wet, and the Empress Dowager Xiang, who was standing aside, frowned slightly when she saw this.

The people in the hall were also extremely nervous at this time, so nervous that they couldn't breathe.

You should know that every word that comes from Zhao Xu's mouth at this time will be a thousand gold coins, which will determine the future pattern of the Song Dynasty court and the fate of many people.

Zhao Xu's close servant Hao Sui and Liu Youduan looked at each other, with a hint of undetectable surprise in their eyes.

At this time, there was no sound in the Funing Hall. Everyone wanted to hear what Zhao Xu wanted to say when he was dying.

But everyone stretched their necks, held their breath, and waited for a while, except for hearing the sobs of Concubine Zhu, they still didn't hear any other sounds.

"Your Majesty wants to write..." At this time, Hao Sui suddenly found that Zhao Xu's fingers were stretching and loose, as if he wanted to hold something, so he said.

What do you want to hold? It doesn’t have to be a pen, and your fingers are stretched and loose, it doesn’t have to be a thing you want to hold. What if it’s the dying struggle of a dying person before his death?

However, Hao Sui had already spoken it at this time. Although the voice was not loud, it had been heard by everyone in the Funing Palace, so no one dared to refute it. It was to stop the emperor from issuing the imperial edict, which was the death penalty of raiding the family.

Empress Dowager Xiang just frowned again and remained silent, but Concubine Zhu looked at Hao Sui with gratitude.

When everyone heard this, they were busy preparing pen, ink, paper and inkstone. Hao Sui then knelt in front of the bed and stuffed the ink-filled pen into Zhao Xu's hand. Liu Youduan was carrying a jade plate, and there was a piece of jade paper on it.

Hao Sui was exactly what he expected, and Zhao Xu really wanted to write.

After Zhao Xu held the imperial pen, he put it down. Before the imperial pen could touch the jade paper, the thick ink on the pen dripped on the jade paper, making a series of ticking sounds.

Everyone in the hall was almost in their throats. Holding their breath, they stared at the imperial pen in Zhao Xu's hand.

Zhao Xu's breathing was getting weaker and weaker at this time, almost only inhaling and not venting. He could hardly hold the imperial pen in his right hand. Hao Sui quickly held Zhao Xu's arm.

Finally, Zhao Xu worked hard and finally wrote the word "cross" on the jade note.

Concubine Zhu breathed rapidly, feeling her heart almost jumping out of her chest.

Thirteen, write Thirteen quickly, Concubine Zhu shouted wildly in her heart, her face turned red.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xu only wrote a crooked word "Ten" at the end, and loosened his hands and fell into the jade plate with a "pop".

At this time, Zhao Xu had already passed away, at the age of twenty-three, and it was a pity that he had abandoned the world in his prime.

"Official family..." The people in the palace immediately knelt on the ground, cried loudly, and their sad voices spread throughout the interior and outside of Funing Hall.

"Master...Master...I know you want to write ten...three...Master." Concubine Zhu burst into tears, crying heartbroken, which made people feel pity when they see it.

Concubine Zhu was full of hope and disappointment. In addition, the pain of losing her son, she suddenly felt dizzy and seemed to be about to faint.

"Come on, help the concubine to rest." After crying for a while, Empress Dowager Xiang quickly cheered up, wiped her tears and ordered.

The eunuchs and the palace maids stepped forward after hearing this, intending to help Concubine Zhu into the bedroom to rest.

"Don't move Ai's family, Ai's family will not leave." Concubine Zhu asked Empress Dowager Xiang in tears: "Empress...the maid means to establish the thirteenth son of the late emperor..."

"Stop!" Empress Dowager Xiang raised her eyebrows when she heard this and scolded, "Master? Who is Master? How dare you not speak respectfully? I see you are in a mess. The official has already told me, who can inherit the Grand Principality."

"Empress, who is?" Concubine Zhu asked in fear.

"The eleventh son of the late emperor, Zhao Ji." Empress Dowager Xiang replied coldly.

"Empress, no...no..." Concubine Zhu lost her expression and was already incoherent in her speech.

How could Concubine Zhu believe in Empress Dowager Xiang’s words? Not to mention that Empress Dowager Xiang’s tendency to be consistent with Empress Dowager Gao, his relationship with Zhao Xu is also calm.

It’s plain and not close. Just say that Concubine Zhu or her own confidant or her confidant stayed by Zhao Xu these days. Where did Zhao Xu leave the will? He also appointed the eleventh brother Zhao Ji to succeed the throne?

It's so ridiculous, so incredible, so outrageous...

Before Zhao Xu died, he wrote the word "ten". Then eleven or thirteen, or even fifty, sixty and seventy-eighth are possible. Who can be sure that it is eleven?

However, the old Jiushen King Zhao Qi must be out of the way...

"Stop!" Empress Dowager Xiang's face suddenly looked ugly when she heard this, and she said sternly: "Concubine Zhu, pay attention to her identity."

Empress Dowager Xiang then ignored Concubine Zhu, who was on the ground, and ordered her to leave and say, "The Concubine lost her son, and she is already in chaos. Come and help her to the palace to rest."

When the Empress Dowager was approaching Liang Shicheng, the two brothers Liang Congzhong responded when they heard this and went to support Zhu.

"Don't touch me, I won't leave, I'll guard the servant." Concubine Zhu pushed Liang Shicheng away and struggled desperately.

"This..." Liang Shicheng didn't dare to use Qiang, so he looked at Liang Congzhong, then looked at Empress Dowager Xiang, with a disgraceful look on his face.

"Do you want to resist the order?" Empress Dowager Xiang stared at Liang Shicheng and shouted.

When Zhao Xu was in power, Empress Dowager Xiang was always indifferent and looked like she was not concerned about the world, but at this moment she was suddenly very active, as if she was a sophisticated ruling man, which surprised her.

"I obey the order!" Liang Shicheng, the two brothers of Liang Congzhong responded, and forcibly raised Concubine Zhu and walked out of the hall.

"Dog, stop, don't be rude to the concubine." Hao Sui was furious when he saw this and scolded him sharply, while saying that he pushed Liang Shicheng into a fight.

"Oh, dog thief, how dare you hit your grandpa?" Liang Shicheng fell to the ground and shouted and cursed.

On weekdays, in order to compete for favor, the two brothers of Liang Shicheng and Liang Congzhong have already been with Hao Sui, and Liu Youduan is in the same power as the fire, and they have long wanted to swallow each other in one bite.

At this time, Hao Sui and Liu Youduan had no way out. They had long been tied to Concubine Zhu, prospering and losing. At this time, they could only make a desperate bet and support the thirteenth son, King Jian Zhao Si, so that they could maintain their prominent position in the palace.

"Empress Dowager Xiang." Hao Sui ignored Liang Shicheng and turned to Empress Dowager Xiang and said, "Your Majesty's body is not cold. How can you treat the Empress Dowager like this? How can you bear it, Empress?"

Hao Sui was crying like rain as he spoke, and his voice was extremely choked, which made people sad.

"Your Majesty's handwriting, the thirteenth son Zhao Si succeeded to the throne. Are you going to resist the order?" Liu Youduan then waved his hand and shouted loudly.

Hao Sui and Liu Youduan's subordinates all surrounded him when they heard this. Hao Sui and Liu Youduan had many people and immediately surrounded the Empress Dowager Xiang, Liang Shicheng, Liang Congzhong and others, and at the same time pushed and shook, screaming and scolding.

"You...you...you...you dare...rebellion?" Empress Dowager Xiang lives in the deep palace and has always been a pampered person. Even if there are some struggles, they are still open and secretly. How could she encounter such a stubborn and persistent person?

"The thief is bold and take it to a certain family." At this critical moment, Tong Guan, the entourage official of the provincial eunuch, led dozens of small yellow gates to rush into the hall. Tong Guan took the lead, punched and kicked, and instantly knocked down several powerful subordinates of Hao Sui and others.

"Children's Prayer." Empress Dowager Xiang looked at Tong Guan with tears in her eyes and felt relieved.
Chapter completed!