Chapter 52: A Fatal Blow (Bonus Chapter - Monthly Votes Appreciated)
Regarding the imminent enfeoffment of Rixin as the Prince of Qin, and his subsequent appointment as the Crown Prince, it would be fine if his Third Brother behaved himself.
Should his Third Brother step out of line... then he could not be blamed, as an older brother, for showing no mercy and disregarding ties of blood!
His decision to recall Zhao Pu at this juncture and waste no time in enfeoffing Rixin as the Prince of Qin was not solely driven by a desire to test his Third Brother.
In his view, testing his Third Brother was secondary.
The paramount consideration was that he had genuinely resolved to settle the succession upon Rixin once and for all.
Little Lad Li was entirely correct: winds and clouds are unpredictable in nature, just as human lives are subject to fortune or misfortune overnight.
Just think, among the emperors of the Later Liang, the Later Tang... how many of them enjoyed long reigns?
To say nothing else, one only needed to look at Guo Wei and Emperor Shizong of Zhou, Guo Rong, to draw a cautionary lesson from their examples.
Both of those men could rightfully be called grand and visionary sovereigns of exceptional talent.
Yet in the end, their lives were cut short.
Had those two each lived another decade, he could have been virtually certain that he would never have risen in rebellion nor ascended the imperial throne.
There was every likelihood that the realm would have been unified under the hands of Emperor Shizong of Zhou.
From his current perspective, his body remained robust and healthy; imperial physicians who examined him found no ailments whatsoever.
Yet, after all, he was on the verge of his fiftieth year. What if... some unexpected catastrophe were to strike?
If he were to pass away without establishing an imperial heir, and his Third Brother possessed a power base so formidable it vastly overshadowed Rixin's, what consequences would ensue?
It was a prospect too unpredictable to contemplate, and one he was loath to probe deeply.
He had always wished to employ relatively gentle methods to resolve this issue.
He wanted to minimize any adverse impacts on his family and upon the Great Song.
However, should he depart suddenly without managing to name a crown prince, it would be far better to establish the succession beforehand.
That would prevent greater chaos from erupting.
A lingering pain is worse than a short, sharp one; when it came to the matter of the imperial heir, he truly could no longer afford to hesitate!
Regardless of whether his Third Brother had actually committed such deeds as Little Lad Li had alleged,
he was compelled to take action!
Naturally, another factor catalyzed Zhao Kuangyin’s swift resolve to take this step.
That was the conduct of his Third Brother, which had grown thoroughly excessive from the day his sister-in-law passed away down to these recent days.
Had he not heeded what Little Lad Li had told him, he would have simply regarded his Third Brother as someone deeply devoted to emotional bonds, especially familial ties.
He would have been swayed by those various gestures, stirred by old memories, and once again fallen into hesitation regarding the succession.
Yet, armed with Little Lad Li's warnings, viewing the situation from this fresh perspective allowed him to savor a multitude of entirely different undertones.
No matter how he looked at it, every single move seemed deliberately aimed at his most vulnerable spots.
"Summon Rixin here."
Zhao Kuangyin called out, issuing his command to Wang Ji'en.
"I intend to enfeoff him as the Prince of Qin, and I need to sound him out beforehand."
Having received the order and poised to turn away, Wang Ji'en was struck with a violent tremor upon hearing Zhao Kuangyin’s words, as though he had been hit by a heavy mallet!
A ringing sound filled his ears!
The announcement was far too sudden!
It was utterly beyond expectation!
To... to enfeoff Zhao Dezhao as the Prince of Qin?
How could this be?
Then... what about the Prince of Jin?
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Rejoice, Your Majesty! Our Great Song has gained yet another pillar of state!"
Wang Ji'en wore an expression of overwhelming joy as he congratulated Zhao Kuangyin, dropping to his knees.
A smile touched Zhao Kuangyin’s face. "Haha, you always have a honeyed tongue. Rise now and bid Rixin come see me."
"Yes, yes! That a humble servant like me should be granted the privilege of delivering such earth-shattering good news is a blessing cultivated over three lifetimes!"
Wang Ji'en's exuberance bore no trace of pretense.
With that, he rose, hurried out of the Wansui Hall, and sped away toward his destination...
Watching Wang Ji'en's retreating figure, Zhao Kuangyin's gaze turned frigid.
Although Wang Ji'en's reflexes were sharp enough and he had mastered the art of concealing his emotions,
the sheer abruptness of his previous declaration had caused Wang Ji'en to betray involuntary reactions and subtle movements, revealing chinks in his armor.
He and his Third Brother were unquestionably in league with one another!
Furthermore, Wang Ji'en was heavily invested in seeing his Third Brother ascend the throne!
Otherwise, his reaction moments ago could not possibly have been of that sort!
A fine fellow, Wang Ji'en!
A fine fellow, Zhao Guangyi!
Truly remarkable!
Putting aside whether Zhao Guangyi had actually perpetrated those inhuman acts against him as Little Lad Li had claimed,
the mere fact of maintaining clandestine communications with Wang Ji'en—a trusted, intimate chief eunuch by his side—spoke volumes.
That in itself crossed a major taboo.
Over the years, he had indeed been far too lenient with him!
So lenient that the man had grown arrogant, ungrateful, and driven solely by a desire to hatch conspiracies against his own elder brother!
He had intentionally spoken those words to Wang Ji'en not only to test him, but specifically to dispatch him to summon Rixin.
He wanted to see whether this fellow would dare, just as Little Lad Li had predicted, to bring Zhao Guangyi instead of Dezhao when Yuniang asked him to fetch someone after his death,
thus acting in overt compliance while secretly defying orders.
This time, he would grant the man both the audacity and a prime opportunity to fully display his true colors!
Ideally, the man would commit further acts in the near future that would force his Third Brother to completely bare his fox's tail.
Only by confirming that his brother was truly a beast in human skin
could he draw in the net ahead of schedule!
He would dispose of him before the enfeoffment ceremony for Rixin!
Grasping his jade-headed scepter, Zhao Kuangyin rose and looked toward the window of the Wansui Hall.
Catching sight of a crow landing not far away, he laid down the scepter, picked up a slingshot, retrieved a pellet, and circled around from the side toward the window.
At the twang of the slingshot, the crow had no time to spread its wings before it fluttered and dropped to the ground, falling silent within moments.
Those pitch-black creatures were actually quite intelligent, far more difficult to hit than ordinary birds.
Yet... what of it?
Seizing the opportunity, a single pellet from his slingshot was enough to dispatch it.
Before his slingshot, it was no different from any other bird.
...
Emerging from the Wansui Hall and hurrying forward a few paces, Wang Ji'en slackened his pace somewhat.
The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a grim expression.
An endless tempest of panic, anxiety, and bewilderment churned within his heart.
His entire being remained shaken by the news he had just received from the Emperor.
Zhao Dezhao was actually to be invested as the Prince of Qin!
Why confer the title of Prince of Qin upon Zhao Dezhao?
Had not the Prince of Jin always been the designated heir to the throne?
How could the Emperor make such a move?!
His mind went completely blank.
He had staked far too much capital on the Prince of Jin and labored in secret for so long,
only to discover at this moment that he had placed his bets on the wrong horse.
Words could not describe the sensation.
More crucially, the slightest misstep in a matter of this magnitude meant facing death itself!
What was he to do?
What should he do?!
Why must this useless brain of his grow so sluggish at a critical juncture?
Despite the bitter cold, beads of sweat dotted Wang Ji'en's forehead...
As he led his retinue out of the palace precincts, the fluster within him gradually subsided.
He grit his teeth hard in secret and arrived at a resolute decision...
...
Within the Prince of Jin's mansion, Zhao Guangyi half-reclined on his bed, clad only in undergarments amidst a comfortably warm chamber.
At that moment, he was alone in the room, freeing him from the need for pretense.
Consequently, he radiated vigor—where was there any sign of overwhelming grief or bedridden illness?
His spirits were exceptionally high because he knew victory was already securely within his grasp!
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