Zhao Huan held a list in his hand, given to him by Wang Kui'an. All the people on the list had been to Lingxiao Palace that night, and their conversations had been extracted from them.
"I plan to hold court the next morning, unite all the ministers, and together with the retired emperor, force me to abdicate!" Zhao Huan sneered. His complexion was rather bad, and his brows were furrowed, giving him a murderous look. "The reason is that I have violated the laws of our ancestors and am not worthy to serve the imperial court. Moreover, I am determined to start a war and destroy this Song Dynasty."
Zhao Huan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "This is utterly absurd! These pedantic scholars are trying to interrogate me about the sharpness of my sword!"
Xie Dahai and Wang Kuian were so frightened by Zhao Huan's chilling tone that they knelt on the ground and dared not raise their heads.
Wang Kuian said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should."
"speak!"
"If the court officials commit treasonous acts at tomorrow's morning court session, Your Majesty will inevitably be in a passive position. It would be better to cancel the morning court session and I will go to arrest the people."
"No need. I will teach them how to be subjects and how the retired emperor should act in front of the entire court!"
Zhao Huan then said, "Go and summon He Ye!"
Not long after, He also entered the palace and went into Zhao Huan's study: "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Xie Dahai, give that list to Imperial Censor He and let him take a look."
"yes!"
As He Ye entered the palace, he was still thinking to himself that this new emperor was really making a fuss. In the middle of the night, with strong winds and heavy snow, he still woke him up to come to the palace. Couldn't he have said something tomorrow?
Despite her displeasure, she became as docile as a chick when she saw Zhao Huan.
When Zhao Huan mentioned a list, Xie Dahai looked completely bewildered. But after receiving the list from Xie Dahai and reading its contents, his expression changed drastically, and he immediately knelt on the ground, saying, "This is utterly treasonous! Your Majesty, I had no idea!"
Perhaps due to severe sleep deprivation, Zhao Huan seemed somewhat irritable: "Get up!"
He Ye trembled. He never expected the situation to change so suddenly. This was unprecedented since the founding of the dynasty. The important ministers of the court, together with the retired emperor, wanted to force the emperor to abdicate in front of all the ministers!
Now that the Jin army has marched south and the area north of the Yellow River is in dire straits, and internal strife has suddenly broken out in the palace, He Ye was at a loss for words and remained silent.
"These thirteen people include high-ranking officials in the two ministries, and those who hold positions in the six ministries. They are all former officials of the retired emperor, henchmen of Cai Jing, Li Bangyan, and others, remnants of the poison of the Song Dynasty, and even people from your Censorate!"
At this point, He Ye was so frightened that he knelt down again: "Your subject is guilty!"
Zhao Huan didn't say anything this time, but knelt down before He Ye. Of course, he knew that He Ye was unaware of the situation. He Ye had impeached Wang Fu and others, and was destined to be the emperor's man. Even if he wanted to side with Zhao Ji now, the people on that side would probably kill him.
Zhao Huan made him kneel to reprimand him for not disciplining his subordinates properly. Just because someone in his Censorate had a name on this piece of paper, he, as the Censor-in-Chief, would at best be demoted to Lingnan, and given the new emperor's temper, he could be beheaded along with his subordinates.
How could He not be afraid? He was so scared that his legs were trembling and his back was completely soaked.
"Minister He, the court is in a state of utter corruption, and my sword can no longer be held back!"
"Your Majesty is wise. Your subject is willing to go through fire and water for Your Majesty. Tomorrow morning at court, I will impeach all these traitors!"
"Please rise, Mr. He."
He Ye then trembled with fear, his head covered in sweat. He only knew that the emperor had spared him this time.
"You may all step back."
After seeing off Wang Kui'an, Xie Dahai, and He Ye, Zhao Huan lay on the imperial couch and slowly fell asleep, but his sleep was not deep.
The Song Dynasty he traveled back to is now beset by internal and external troubles, with too many problems to deal with. At present, there are almost no ministers in the court who can truly serve him.
Li Gang was known for his integrity and advocacy of war, but in reality, his military talent was quite average. He could be placed in the court to check and balance the civil officials, but he was not capable of undertaking the task of expanding the territory in the future.
The true pillars of the nation are Zhong Shidao, Zong Ze, and others, but both Zhong Shidao and Zong Ze are getting old. It seems I need to find Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, and others ahead of time.
Fortunately, Zhao Kuangyin left behind the Imperial City Guard at the beginning of the dynasty; otherwise, the road ahead would have been extremely difficult.
Before dawn, Zhao Huan hastily got up, changed his clothes, and went to the morning court.
The wind and snow outside have stopped, the lingering clouds drift across the sky, and the cold moon stands on the branch.
This morning at court, the retired Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) indeed arrived. He sat next to Zhao Huan, his face grim, as if someone owed him millions and hadn't paid it back.
Zhao Huan glanced around and noticed that Gao Qiu was not there. He immediately understood that Gao Qiu had probably heard the news but did not want to get involved, so he had taken sick leave.
He looked at the assembled officials. Apart from Li Gang, who appeared somewhat composed, everyone else, including the Censor-in-Chief He Ye, had subtle expressions of unease on their faces.
After a brief struggle, He Ye was the first to step forward, but Cai You also stepped forward with him.
"Your Majesty, I have something to report!"
He Ye and Cai You spoke almost simultaneously.
The atmosphere in the hall froze instantly. All the ministers lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound, because they knew that something big was about to happen.
Emperor Huizong of Tang (Zhao Ji) remained calm, as if nothing had happened.
Zhao Huan thought to himself: Who said Zhao Ji was a fool? This guy is an expert at infighting and controlling his ministers!
Cai You was the first pawn that Zhao Ji put forward. Then there was a second and a third, until all the ministers in the court were persuaded by these few people and the momentum swayed to one side. Could it be that Zhao Huan could kill all the ministers in one go?
At that time, he, the new emperor, will likely set a historical record, having a shorter reign than Liu He.
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