After Zhao Yuanzuo, the king of Nanliang, left, Zhao Hongrun sat in Wenzhao Pavilion for a long time, thought for a long time, and after several hesitations, he finally decided to go to Ganlu Hall and ask his father for clarification.
When he arrived at the back of Ganlu Hall, he was surprised to see a woman sitting next to Emperor Wei's couch, feeding the latter soup spoonful by spoonful.
"Who is that?"
Zhao Hongrun muttered to himself.
At this time, Tong Xian, who was lying next to the couch, had seen Zhao Hongrun and reminded him in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is here."
Emperor Wei nodded and turned to look at Zhao Hongrun. However, the woman sitting next to the couch stood up with a panicked expression. When Zhao Hongrun approached, she actually greeted him: "Prince..."
Only then did Zhao Hongrun suddenly realize that it was Chen Shuai from Youzhi Palace.
Compared with nine years ago, Chen Shuai, who is now in her thirties, has the charm of a mature woman. However, a few faint wrinkles have gradually appeared in the corners of her eyes, which makes people sigh. No matter how beautiful a woman is, she is also more attractive.
It cannot withstand the ravages of time.
"Chen Shuai."
Zhao Hongrun returned the gift with a smile, as if he had long forgotten the conflict between him and the woman in front of him.
At this time, Emperor Wei stretched out his hand and patted the back of Chen Shuai's hand, and said: "You go to the side hall to rest for a while. The prince and I have important matters to discuss in detail."
"Yes, I will retire for the time being."
Chen Shuai nodded obediently, and after sneaking a glance at Zhao Hongrun, she led the two accompanying maids and hurriedly walked out of the inner hall.
Looking at her, it seemed as if something was chasing her behind her.
"You scared her so much, Hongrun..."
After Chen Shuai left the inner hall, Emperor Wei said with a chuckle.
Zhao Hongrun rolled his eyes when he heard this.
Since he led a group of clan guards to smash up Chen Shuai's Youzhi Palace nine years ago, he has not done anything to retaliate against the latter. Especially when he learned that Chen Shuai was just Xiao Shuai's substitute, in fact, he felt dissatisfied in his heart.
I feel sorry for this woman.
Therefore, the dissatisfaction I had with Chen Shuai back then has long since disappeared.
But it was obvious that even though Zhao Hongrun had forgotten about this incident, Chen Shuai still seemed to be afraid of him, especially now that Zhao Hongrun was the crown prince of the country.
"Why are you interested in summoning her to Ganlu Palace today? Could it be that you have decided to give me a younger brother?" Zhao Hongrun said jokingly.
"No big, no small." Emperor Wei cursed with a smile, and then with the help of the eunuch Tong Xian, he sat up on the couch and said casually: "I just miss it a little..."
Zhao Hongrun heard this and asked with a smile: "Do you miss her, or do you miss... that person?"
Next to him, the great eunuch Tong Xian's eyelids twitched, he was quite impressed, and glanced at Zhao Hongrun sadly. In his opinion, only the Crown Prince dared to make fun of His Majesty's taboos without any scruples.
At the same time, Emperor Wei rolled his eyes and said angrily: "Do you think it's hard for me to punish you now that you are the prince?"
Zhao Hongrun shrugged and made a strange expression, intending to say: Hey, I really think so.
Seeing such a scoundrel son, Emperor Wei was angry and amused, so he had to change the subject: "I heard that you just summoned the King of Nanliang?"
Zhao Hongrun pulled the stool where Chen Shuai had just sat and sat down. He was not surprised at all by his father's words.
You know, even during the period when the old prince Hongyu controlled the entire palace and put Emperor Wei under house arrest in disguise, Emperor Wei Zhao Yuansi actually saw many things inside and outside the palace, not to mention today.
, Zhao Hongrun has no idea of restricting the number of servants.
"Do you plan to use him?" Emperor Wei asked.
Zhao Hongrun nodded and said truthfully: "Although I still feel unhappy with him, I cannot deny that the King of Nanliang is indeed a talent... It would be a pity to kill him."
"Yes." Emperor Wei took a long breath, then looked at Zhao Hongrun and nodded in approval: "Hongrun, you have the power of a king."
After hearing this, Zhao Hongrun said with a strange expression: "Father, in fact, you want to praise yourself, right?"
Emperor Wei was stunned when he heard this, and then he couldn't help laughing.
Indeed, in fact, Emperor Wei also hated Zhao Yuanzuo, the king of Nanliang, to the core. After all, Xiao Qing, the daughter of the Xiao family, was initially planning to marry him, but it was because Zhao Yuanzuo, who was still the king of Jing at the time, interfered with it.
Because of the slander, Xiao Qing and Zhao Yuanxi missed each other and became the concubine of the former prince Zhao Yuanqi.
Therefore, from a certain perspective, the hatred that Emperor Wei Zhao Yuansi had for Zhao Yuanzuo, the King of Southern Liang, need not be as small as the hatred he had for the previous crown prince Zhao Yuanqi.
However, in this case, after Wei Emperor Zhao Yuanxi seized the throne, he did not cut the hated Zhao Yuanzuo into pieces. Instead, he exiled Zhao Yuanzuo for the sake of his talent and waited for him seventeen years later.
Then Zhao Yuanzuo, the king of Nanliang, was recalled to Daliang.
I have to say that this is also the measure of Emperor Wei as a king.
"Are you sure you can surrender him?" Emperor Wei asked solemnly.
Of course he knew that Zhao Yuanzuo, the king of Nanliang, was a double-edged sword. If used well, it would certainly bring huge benefits to Wei, but if used improperly, it would be as much a disaster as Xiao Luan.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Zhao Hongrun rolled his eyes, snorted and said: "Father, do you think I am you? I am not afraid of him. If he dares to rebel in the future, I will kill him myself.
Head!"
"..." Emperor Wei closed his mouth rather depressed.
It has to be said that when it comes to playing tricks in the temple, even if ten Zhao Hongruns are tied up, they may not be his opponent. But when it comes to leading troops in battle, Emperor Wei, who is his father, really has no confidence in front of his son Zhao Hongrun.
In addition to having the meritorious service of "destroying the Song Dynasty" as a fig leaf, he has actually been outdone by this son for a long time.
Pretending not to see his son's contented look, Emperor Wei rubbed his forehead and reminded: "With you in charge of Daliang, the King of Nanliang will naturally not dare to rebel in the future, but there is no guarantee that he will not use other means... The Wei family
Wei Feng, this person is not simple, so don’t underestimate him."
Regarding the Wei family in Longxi, like most of the descendants of the Ji and Zhao families in Wei, although Emperor Wei accepted it on the surface, he was still quite wary in private. After all, things like magpie nests and doves occupying them had not never happened in various countries in the Central Plains. If Ji
If the descendants of the Zhao family fail to live up to expectations, Wei may have power stolen by the Wei family in the future.
Of course, this generation is impossible. With such a powerful prince as Prince Zhao Run, even a figure like Wei Feng in the Longxi Wei family has no choice but to stay quietly.
After a few words of warning, Emperor Wei finally remembered the purpose of his son's visit, so after a moment of silence, he asked: "Hongrun, you came here this time, but you want to ask if Hong Yin is the same person he was back then."
A baby boy?”
"..."
Zhao Hongrun raised his eyebrows when he heard this.
Indeed, during the chat with his father just now, he had been thinking about how to speak, but he did not expect that his father would take the initiative to mention it.
When he heard this topic, Tong Xian's face changed slightly. He glanced at Gao Li, Gao and the two young eunuchs who were standing behind the prince Zhao Run, and thought about whether to ask these two people to retreat temporarily - but he didn't want to.
It's easy to talk. After all, he has made it clear two days ago that Gao Li and Gao He will not have to take orders from him in the future, but only need to assist the prince Zhao Run with all their heart. Therefore, if he opens his mouth to send Gao Li, Gao He away at this moment
, it is inevitable that there is a suspicion of overstepping one's expectations.
Fortunately, the two brothers Gao Li and Gao He had been following the eunuch Tong Xian for many years. When they saw that the latter looked strange, they realized that this was not a topic they could listen to, so they took the initiative to ask Zhao Hongrun for instructions.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Wei waved his hand and said, "That's all, you two can stay here. There are some things you know well, so you can better assist the prince in the future..."
Having said that, under the flattered gazes of Gao Li and Gao He, he turned to look at Zhao Hongrun. After a slight hesitation, he nodded and said, "Yes, Hongyin, that baby boy was Yulong's."
Brothers..." After that, he lay down on the quilt behind him and recalled: "Back then, Sima An and Wei Mu pacified Nan Yan. Afterwards, Sima An quietly sent the baby boy to
The beam was handed over to me... I also thought about killing a hundred people, but after thinking about Concubine Xiao's pleading for this son, I... really couldn't do it, so I entrusted the son to Concubine Xiao who once served me.
The palace maid "Xu Zhen"...oh, that is the "Xu family" of Yaohua Palace now..."
The "Xu Zhen" and "Xu family" in his mouth are the mother-in-law of the seventh prince Yi Wang Zhao Hongyin.
"Concubine Xu, adopted Lao Qi?" Zhao Hongrun asked in surprise, but he was not too surprised, probably because he had experienced the incident between Queen Wang and Concubine Shi.
"Well." Emperor Wei nodded and said seriously: "Ms. Xu is Concubine Xiao's personal maid. Concubine Xiao was once kind to her, so I entrusted Hong Yin to her... For many years after that, I secretly ordered the chamberlain to
The supervisor paid close attention to Yaohua Palace and learned that Mrs. Xu did not disappoint me. Over the years, she has treated Hongyin as her own son and taught her well, but it was me... I was the one who owed something."
"..." Zhao Hongrun remained silent.
The seventh child, Zhao Hongyin, was one year older than him and the same age as Princess Yulong. In Zhao Hongrun's impression, he was a docile and polite prince. Like Zhao Hongxuan at that time, he had a relatively introverted personality.
However, because Zhao Hongyin rarely communicated with his brothers at that time, Zhao Hongrun did not know him too well.
But it is certain that Emperor Wei was partial.
At that time, Emperor Wei's favorite was Zhao Hongzhao, the sixth person in Daliang, whom the Wei people praised as "Qilin's son". Following him, Zhao Hongyin, the seventh person, Zhao Hongrun, the eighth person, and Zhao Hongxuan, the ninth person, were almost no one in the palace.
So much so that some people in Daliang mistakenly believed that Zhao Hongzhao, whom Emperor Wei favored, was the latter's youngest son?
In comparison, Zhao Hongrun gradually became more valued by Emperor Wei, and Zhao Hongxuan, the ninth child, gradually became known. However, Zhao Hongyin, the seventh child, was still in the same situation where his grandma did not care for his uncle and he did not love him. In Zhao Hongrun's view, this was probably his father.
It was caused by the thorn in the emperor's heart - just like he was quite indifferent to Yulong, his daughter.
In fact, the solution to this problem is very simple, but unfortunately, this era does not have the conditions to accurately identify the father and son. Even the "blood identification" is just a scam spread by false rumors. Zhao Hongrun does not know what to say.
Suddenly, he thought of a question: Why did his father take the initiative to mention Lao Qi to him?
"Could it be..."
Glancing at Emperor Wei, Zhao Hongrun felt a little unbelievable, so he asked tentatively: "When did your father...well, realize that Lao Qi and Xiao Luan were mixed together?"
Emperor Wei glanced at his son and did not hide anything. He exhaled and said truthfully: "After the "Jinxiang Massacre"..."
"No way?"
Zhao Hongrun was a little shocked at his father's keen sense of conspiracy.
I don’t know if he saw through Zhao Hongrun’s thoughts, but Emperor Wei said in a deep voice: “Whether it was Xiao Ni who sent someone to send the secret letter to Hongli, or whether the queen sent someone to kill Sima Song, I know it.
…”
"Father, do you know that Queen Wang sent imperial guards to kill Quliang Hou Sima Songman's family?" Zhao Hongrun was even more surprised.
Emperor Wei glanced at Zhao Hongrun after hearing this. Although he never spoke, his expression seemed to say: Is there anything in this palace that I don't know?
"...Then Father never thought of intervening?" Zhao Hongrun asked with a strange expression.
Emperor Wei was silent for a moment and said in a low voice: "Since he is Xiao Ni's remnant, he deserves to die. But I didn't expect that the people sent by the queen would actually conflict with your little crow..."
Zhao Hongrun couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed when he heard this. After all, it was precisely because the black crows under his command killed all the guards sent by Queen Wang that Queen Wang and her people had no time to cover up the matter. This led to "Queen Wang secretly protecting King Yong"
” was further confirmed by Xiang Wang Zhao Hongjing, so that the latter had doubts about the relationship between Queen Wang and Yong Wang Hongyu.
Looking at Zhao Hongrun with a stern expression, Emperor Wei continued: "...I was quite surprised at the time. Xiao Luan wanted to overthrow both King Qing and King Yong. What on earth did he want to do? In view of this situation,
I then stood still and waited to see what happened..."
When saying this, Emperor Wei glanced at Zhao Hongrun, his eyes flashing slightly.
In fact, he stood still at that time, not because the situation was unclear, but because Xiao Luan's behavior coincided with an idea deep in his heart.
Of course, he would not reveal this to the son in front of him.
"...I know Xiao Luan, he is also a very utilitarian person, and he will never target without aim. Since Xiao Luan has changed the method of conspiracy, there must be a reason. At that time, I was guessing that there must be someone among you brothers.
Tong Xiaoluan..." After a pause, Emperor Wei took a long breath and said in a deep voice: "At first I thought it was Hong Jing, but then I thought about it carefully, Hong Jing is not enough to make Xiao Luan change the way of revenge against me, then, or
It could be Hong Yin..."
"..." Zhao Hongrun's eyes were a little erratic, because he didn't expect that his father could see so clearly.
"...Hong Yin, this city is not inferior to Hong Jing. In terms of you, you are far inferior to him." Looking at Zhao Hongrun, Emperor Wei said seriously: "I think back then, I treated you three.
People owe something, I believe in the hearts of the three of you
There must be resentment, you are fearless, no matter in front of or behind the scenes, you have a lot of complaints about me..." At this point, he glanced at Zhao Hongrun again and said jokingly: "You always felt that I was not close to you back then.
But you haven’t thought about your own words and deeds, have you?”
"..." Zhao Hongrun blinked, and after thinking for a while, he said: "Father, don't interrupt, let's talk about Lao Qi first."
After hearing this, Emperor Wei put away the ridicule on his face, frowned slightly and continued: "But Hong Yin is different from you. No matter whether he is in front of him or behind, he never says anything wrong about me, which once made me very suspicious.
Did Concubine Xu tell him the truth...Later I asked Concubine Xu privately, and Concubine Xu swore she had never mentioned it. Thinking about it this way, it was probably Hong Yin who noticed something himself..."
This is not surprising, for example, for the eldest prince Zhao Hongli, even though Queen Wang has fulfilled her duties as a mother, the former has noticed the slightest connection between Queen Wang and him from the subtle expressions and movements when Queen Wang treats him since he was sensible.
There was so much alienation, not to mention Emperor Wei, the father who failed to fulfill his father's responsibilities in front of the seventh Zhao Hongyin.
Suddenly, Emperor Wei said very abruptly: "Okay, I'm tired and want to rest for a while. Hongrun, please go back."
"..." Zhao Hongrun was stunned for a moment, and then he understood.
Indeed, this topic should be stopped at this point. If we continue talking about it, it will involve the treatment of Yi Wang Zhao Hongyin.
More importantly, it will expose Emperor Wei's attitude towards Zhao Hongyin as one of the "schemers" of this civil strife - it is obvious that he actively waited for Zhao Hongyin to jump out on his own, and then killed him on the charge of "treason".
, would you still seriously hand over the country and the country to this son who has an unclear relationship with Xiao Luan?
Thinking of this, Zhao Hongrun nodded, cupped his hands and said, "In that case, I will leave first."
Emperor Wei nodded, and then he suddenly said: "Hongrun, you are too impatient. You should sharpen your mind in the future... Do you like fishing?"
"Fishing?" Zhao Hongrun shook his head: "I don't like it."
"Hehehe." Emperor Wei smiled and said: "In that case, I will teach you the essence of fishing... If you want to catch big fish, you must first have bait, and secondly, you must ensure that the bait is always
On your fishing line..."
"……I see."
Zhao Hongrun understood immediately and said pointedly: "I will give it a try, but compared to fishing, I prefer... hunting!"
Emperor Wei was stunned for a moment, then a somewhat understanding smile appeared on his face: "Hunting... ha, it suits your temperament. You go ahead."
"My son, please retire."
Two days later, the imperial court announced the final verdict of Chui Gong Hall regarding the "Three Kings Rebellion".
In this edict, Xiao Luan for the first time assumed his true identity as "the former Crown Prince of Nan Yanhou", and as the biggest mastermind and mastermind behind this civil strife. Chui Gong Palace offered an unprecedented reward, and the whole country wanted Xiao Luan, regardless of his life or death.
During this period, the imperial court also released the attitude of Prince Zhao Run: Anyone who hides Xiao Luan will be regarded as an enemy by this palace!
This sentence soon spread throughout the Central Plains by merchants from various countries doing business in Bolangsha River Port.
Qing Wang Zhao Hongxin, who was originally the "chief conspirator", became the first criminal under Xiao Luan. He was demoted to a commoner and ordered to be imprisoned by the clan for twenty years as a warning to others.
In addition, King Zhao Jiang of Yan was demoted to "Yanhou" and ordered to lead the Shanyang army to return to Shanyang immediately and guard Hedong for ten years to make up for his mistakes; King Huan Zhao Xuan was also demoted to "Huanhou" and was also ordered to lead the army
The First Army of the North returned to Anyi to make up for their mistakes later.
The most shocking thing is Prince Zhao Run's treatment of Nanliang King Zhao Yuanzuo.
Many people thought that Prince Zhao Run would never let go of the Southern Liang King Zhao Yuanzuo, who had a long-standing grudge with him, and would definitely take the opportunity to kill and exile him.
Unexpectedly, Prince Zhao Run only demoted the Nanliang King Zhao Yuanzuo to "Nanliang Marquis". Although he also reduced the military power of the Nanliang King Zhao Yuanzuo, he promoted "Pang Huan" as the chief general of the anti-rebellion army.
"...What is the difference between this and the Southern Liang King Zhao Yuanzuo personally taking charge of suppressing the rebel army?"
The ruling and opposition parties found this inconceivable.
As for the rest of the nobles, such as Sun Mou, the Marquis of Huzhou, Feng Shu, the Marquis of Yuanling, Zhao Jian, the Marquis of Wanlong, Jiang Dan, the Marquis of Gaoyang, Li Yang, the Marquis of Pingcheng, Ji Yan, the Marquis of Kuangcheng, etc., the imperial court stated that since these local marquises died in civil strife, they would no longer be held accountable.
After that, the eldest sons of these local princes were allowed to inherit the throne.
As for Yi Wang Zhao Hongyin, the court did not mention it, but the Zongfu punished him with a three-month grounding.
After the edict was announced, there was a lot of discussion between the government and the public.
It's not that Prince Zhao Run's punishment was too severe, but he felt that such a punishment was too light - even for Prince Qing Zhao Hongxin.
For a time, court officials felt that although Prince Zhao Run was said to have a bad temper, facts proved that he was a very tolerant prince.
The sons of Huyou Hou Sun Mou, Yuanling Hou Feng Shu, Wanlong Hou Zhao Jian, Gaoyang Hou Jiang Dan, Pingcheng Hou Li Yang, and Kuangcheng Hou Ji Yan are also grateful for this - after all, they know that their father is
They did participate in the rebellion, and in compliance with the patriarchal and national laws, even if the prince Zhao Run deprived their family of their titles or even killed them, it would not be an exaggeration. However, the prince Zhao Run pardoned them.
It has to be said that this move has greatly improved Zhao Hongrun's reputation among the nobility in the Kingdom of Wei. It feels that the Crown Prince has finally realized his "royal" status, instead of siding with the common people as he once did.
Be enemies with them (nobles).
Afterwards, Zhao Hongrun sent Zongwei Gao Kuo to issue an edict to King Qing Zhao Hongxin.
To Gao Kuo's surprise, Qing Wang Zhao Hongxin was not as hysterical as he imagined, nor did he resist. He accepted the edict very calmly - but this calm letter made Gao Kuo feel more like he was deeply saddened.
die.
"Baby, is he taking pity on me?"
After receiving the edict, King Qing Zhao Hongxin, no, it should be said that Zhao Hongxin, who is now a commoner, asked Gao Kuodao this way.
However, before Gao Kuo could say anything, Zhao Hongxin waved his hand and said indifferently: "Forget it, none of this is important anymore."
At this moment, he could finally understand for himself why the eldest prince, Zhao Hongli, was so free and easy to leave everything to his ninth son, Zhao Hongxuan, and then left Daliang and faded out of the government.
However, compared to Prince Chang, there is still an evil spirit in Zhao Hong's confidence that has not been eliminated.
"Yes." Gao Kuo nodded.
At this time, Zhao Hongxuan read the edict carefully, frowned and asked: "Wait a minute, why didn't I see the treatment of Lao Qi in this edict?"
"This is the reason why Gao came here in person." As he spoke, Gao Kuo whispered a few words in Zhao Hongxin's ear, which made the anger on Zhao Hongxin's face fade away a little.
He asked curiously: "Are you sure about this?"
Having said that, before Gao Kuo could speak, he changed his attitude: "Wait, that's fine, no matter whether Xiao Ni takes the bait or not, that bastard will have to live in fear and uneasiness for the rest of his life! ... I only have one
Ask him to stay in Daliang!"
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince thinks so too," Gao Kuo said.
After hearing this, Zhao Hongxin smiled with revenge and nodded with satisfaction.
"Very good, very good..."
Seeing this, Gao Kuo said sternly: "The place of confinement was selected in Xiaohuang County after discussions between Chui Gong Palace and the Zongfu. There are troops of His Highness Prince there, which can guarantee His Highness's safety and not be harmed by Xiao Ni...
Is there anyone else Your Highness Xin wants to see before going to be punished?"
The faces of Nanliang King Zhao Yuanzuo and his mother Sun flashed in Zhao Hongxin's mind. After a long sigh, he shook his head and said, "No, I don't want to see anyone at this moment." After that, he looked at Gao Kuo and said, "You
Let's go. Tell Lao Ba when I go back that I will remember his friendship..."
Gao Kuo nodded, clasped his fists and retreated.
The next day, Zhao Hongxin went to Xiaohuang County to be tortured under the custody of Zongwei Yulinlang without disturbing anyone.
Zhao Yuanzuo, the Marquis of Nanliang, who only learned of the incident a few days later, rarely broke his drinking habit at his residence that day and got very drunk.