Above Chang'an, the Xuan and Buddhist factions faced off, with celestial and Buddhist radiance spreading between heaven and earth, illuminating the vast land.
Inside the city, inside the imperial palace.
Emperor Zhao Ji and Crown Prince Zhao Qin finally met outside the inner palace.
"Father!"
Outside the palace, the father and son stood on the steps, one on the steps and the other below, their eyes meeting across the distance.
After so many years of scheming and infighting, the father-son affection between them has long since disappeared, leaving only endless indifference.
At this moment, Zhao Ji appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, he was somewhat flustered. The loyal eunuchs standing in front of him did not give him any sense of security.
"My son! What do you want to do? Are you planning to force me to abdicate?" Zhao Ji shouted, his voice stern but his voice weak.
Zhao Qin, of course, saw the weakness behind Zhao Ji's sternness, and his years of resentment and pent-up emotions finally erupted.
Even if history's pen is as sharp as a knife, he has no intention of pretending anymore.
He had originally planned to take a more lenient approach to force Zhao Ji to abdicate.
For example, something like, "Please, Father, live out your remaining years in the inner palace, and leave the affairs of state to your son..."
But now he no longer pretends.
What abdication?!
Let him go to hell.
To avoid any unforeseen complications, let's send this old fellow to his grave today.
"Father, please forgive my rudeness, but I will see you off today."
As Zhao Qin spoke, he gave a wink to the head of the guards beside him.
The head guard understood and immediately led several of his men forward, wielding their swords to cut down all the eunuchs blocking their way.
In just a few breaths, the jade steps in front of Zhao Ji were splattered with blood, leaving only a lonely figure on the steps.
"You...you unfilial son! You really want to kill the emperor!"
Emperor Huizong had never seen anything like this before. He was so frightened that he staggered back a few steps.
Zhao Qin walked up the steps one by one, constantly approaching Zhao Ji.
"My son, I am your father, you...you cannot be disrespectful to me, you..."
Before Zhao Ji could finish speaking, Zhao Qin stepped forward. Under the gaze of those cold eyes, Zhao Ji saw an undisguised, intense killing intent.
For a moment, his heart skipped a beat, and he forgot what he wanted to say.
Zhao Qin admired his father's terrified and distorted face for a while, then withdrew his gaze with satisfaction and clapped his hands lightly.
Two guards approached.
"Come! Take him to the side hall and send him on his way."
Upon hearing this, the guards grinned menacingly, stepped forward, and forcibly restrained Zhao Ji. Amid his resistance and angry curses, they dragged him toward the side hall.
A short while later.
The two guards returned to report.
Emperor Huizong of Song (Zhao Ji) had already died by hanging in the palace.
The head of the guards stood to the side, looking at the two idiots.
They were both beaming with excitement, genuinely believing they had accomplished something truly remarkable.
Little did they know that this matter would be more of a curse than a blessing for them.
It'll probably be dealt with soon.
No matter how outrageous Zhao Ji was, he was still the emperor, and the father of Crown Prince Zhao Qin...
The instant Zhao Ji died, the purple cloud pillar above the palace suddenly collapsed, and a shooting star streaked across the night sky before disappearing into the distant horizon...
The immortals and Buddhas who were originally confronting each other in the sky above Chang'an City also saw this scene.
Most of them were highly accomplished individuals of their time, and upon seeing such a celestial phenomenon, how could they not know what had happened in the imperial city?
This is clearly the death of the Song Emperor!
At this moment, Lü Dongbin glared angrily at Guanyin Bodhisattva opposite him, "Cihang! You Buddhists are truly despicable! How could you support such a patricide? You always preach about the compassion of monks, how utterly hypocritical and laughable!"
Guanyin Bodhisattva shook her head inwardly, also feeling that Zhao Qin was too careless in his work.
But he couldn't understand Zhao Qin's feelings.
Zhao Qin could certainly force Zhao Ji to abdicate and imprison him in the inner palace, making it look better on the surface.
But he was scared!
In the primordial world, there were countless immortals and Buddhas, and all sorts of secret techniques emerged one after another.
What if he only imprisons Zhao Ji, and then someone rescues him later?
After all, this old fellow had been emperor for so many years, had many confidants, and a group of princes were stationed outside. If Zhao Ji really escaped, he could order the world to punish him in the name of the emperor.
Even if he had three heads and six arms, he couldn't stop it!
So, to eliminate any future trouble, he simply killed the old man...
Guanyin Bodhisattva's mind raced, and she quickly came up with her words.
“Fellow Daoist Lü, how can you make false accusations? The life and death of a king is a matter of fate, determined by heaven and earth. Zhao Ji’s death at this time is simply the end of his lifespan. It is the will of heaven, so how can you blame the Crown Prince and my Buddhist sect?”
"Hmph! The truth is known to you, to me, and to all of you fellow Daoists. You can keep making excuses all you want," Lü Dongbin sneered.
After saying this, he didn't bid farewell to Guanyin Bodhisattva and the others, but instead led Han Zhongli and the others away from this place.
After all, Emperor Huizong of Song was already dead, so there was no point in them continuing to fight.
Given the large number of Bodhisattvas and Arhats on the other side, they were clearly at a disadvantage. Even if a fight broke out, they would probably not gain any advantage.
Since that's the case, he can only temporarily avoid confrontation.
After all, Zhao Ji was not the only one; the Renjiao and Chanjiao had already placed their bets on someone else.
Even if Zhao Ji were alive, he would be of little value to their two religions.
It's not worth fighting to the death with Buddhism right now...
Seeing that Lü Dongbin had left, Guanyin Bodhisattva also led a group of Buddhist disciples back to Mount Ling to report to the Buddha.
As a result, only the Bodhisattva of Sunlight remained to continue to assist Zhao Qin.
Even if we can't help Zhao Qin stabilize the court, we must at least prevent him from being assassinated by evil magic...
With the death of Emperor Huizong of Song, the news of Crown Prince Zhao Qin ascending the throne spread far and wide, immediately causing an uproar.
The new emperor, Zhao Qin, issued an edict stating that Zhao Ji had died of natural causes and that his ascension to the throne was entirely legitimate.
The key problem is that many people don't believe it!
Even if all of this is true, those with ulterior motives will not admit it.
Moreover, this is a complete lie.
In a short time, ambitious princes and nobles across the land began to rise up in rebellion, using Zhao Qin's plot to murder the late emperor as a pretext...
The King of Qin in Chang'an was one of the princes who rose up in rebellion against the central government.
He stopped pretending and directly pulled the secretly trained troops out of the mountains. He first took over Chang'an City, and later sent troops to take over the strategic passes around the city with lightning speed, completely turning the fertile Guanzhong Plain into his independent kingdom.
After doing all this, he established his own government and military headquarters in Chang'an. Although he did not ascend the throne, he became a regional hegemon of the Song Dynasty.
Perhaps it was because Xu Shilin was recommended by the Taoist sect, or perhaps Zhao Xi truly appreciated his talent.
After establishing his own government, he directly promoted Xu Shilin to the position of prime minister.
In an instant, Xu Shilin transformed from a down-on-his-luck top scholar, frustrated and unsuccessful in officialdom, into a powerful minister who commanded vast lands and millions of soldiers.
In the Qin King's court, he had already risen to a position second only to the king.
...
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