Looking at the empty palace, Zhao Yun smiled bitterly... Haha, perhaps, he had never thought about becoming an emperor!
The reason he was able to sit in his current position was that he was forced to take the position because there was no one in the royal family.
Taking out a pen, Zhao Yun picked up an imperial edict from where the eunuch was, and wrote down the imperial edict of succession with flying dragons and phoenixes...
"By the will of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: Crown Prince Zhao Xie is young and intelligent, and shall succeed the throne..."
After finishing his writing, Zhao Yun threw down his brush and strode out of the bedroom. After instructing the eunuchs and palace maids to clean the palace the next day, he went to the bedroom, picked up his newborn son, secretly left the palace, and went to the residence of Lu Xiufu, the Minister of Agriculture.
At this moment, Lu Xiufu, one of the Three Great Men of the Late Song Dynasty, was only in his twenties. He was a fellow Jinshi with Wen Tianxiang and had been personally selected by Zhao Yun...
Although he was not selected as one of the top three, his strategic proposals were deeply appreciated by Zhao Yun. Knowing that he was a loyal and patriotic patriot, he did not rank him too high, also for the sake of protecting his safety.
After all, he was one of the three heroes of the late Song Dynasty. He was able to serve as the prime minister of the dynasty and delay the Mongolian army for nearly forty years. How could his knowledge be weak?
After secretly entering Lu Xiufu's residence, Zhao Yun was led to the study and met the person he wanted to see...
When he appeared on the first day of the lunar year, Lu Xiufu was so shocked that he knelt down on the spot...
"Your humble servant, Lu Xiufu, pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor!"
"Lord Lu, please stand up. There's no need to be so polite."
Zhao Yun gave Lu Xiufu a little support and asked him to sit down beside him. At the same time, he handed the young son in his arms to Lu Xiufu's wife, leaving him alone in the study to talk with him.
"I wonder what important matter has brought you here today?"
Lu Xiufu personally made tea for Zhao Yun before sitting down and asking questions.
"I want you to take me out of the city! To see the Wulin Alliance's base and new army!"
"ah?"
Lu Xiufu's eyes widened, and he looked at the emperor in great surprise! He... he had just received a letter from his classmate Wen Tianxiang, who also yearned for the Wulin Army and was preparing to resign his official position and join the Wulin Alliance...
With the emperor's words, he must have been exposed, right?
Lu Xiufu forced a smile. "Your Majesty, please don't joke with me. The Wulin Alliance is a rebel army. How dare I take you there..."
But it was his nervous demeanor and bewildered look that allowed Zhao Yun, who had been in the court for many years, to instantly see through his plan...
He sighed inwardly, thinking he was too young and lacked sophistication... Zhao Yun picked up the tea and took a sip...
"Mr. Lu, you... you're also planning to leave the Song Dynasty, right? Oh, by the way, Wen Tianxiang was your classmate, the most knowledgeable civil official in that department. He's already surrendered, so how could he not invite you?"
Lu Xiufu was silent. He had not yet grown to the level where he could become the prime minister... To put it simply, at this moment, he was more like a passionate young man.
He has already decided to join the Wulin Alliance, and has not spoken to the emperor so far, simply because he is worried about the safety of his family.
"Lu Qing, you really want to say that the Song Dynasty is beyond salvation, right?"
Without Lu Xiufu's reply, the emperor continued, "In fact, when I first ascended the throne, I wanted to be the same as you. I also wanted to be a good emperor, protect the people, and reform the government... However, the Song Dynasty has been plagued by deep-seated problems. Whether it is the military who control military power or the scholars who control the court, they will not allow the slightest change in this world! Even if it means the destruction of the country, their interests cannot be harmed!
At that moment, I knew I couldn't change this era. Only by creating a new world could I save the decadent Song Dynasty! So, after the reforms failed, I no longer had the energy to continue. I even handed over control of the government to Jia Sidao and others, hoping to force the peasants to revolt and overthrow the dynasty. This was also the greatest kindness that the Song Dynasty royal family, who had ruled the Central Plains for over three hundred years, had ever bestowed upon the people..."
"Official!"
Lu Xiufu had never expected that Zhao Yun now favored eunuchs, indulged in sensual pleasures, and did everything a king of a fallen country should do. He had completely lost the wisdom and bravery of his early years. Was it because of this?
"Why bother? If only you..."
"Stop!" Zhao Yun saw that Lu Xiufu was deeply moved and was about to kneel on the spot. He quickly reached out to stop him: "You don't need to persuade me with nonsense like you will definitely help me to reorganize the government! Sitting in that position, I know better than you, and I understand the current situation of the Song Dynasty! The accumulated problems are difficult to reverse! The local gentry are exploiting the people and annexing the land. The local garrisons and the royal guards have long lost their fighting power! The Song Dynasty is beyond salvation!
This is the inevitable development of the dynasty's history! There are no exceptions!
A hundred years ago, Lord Wang tried to reform the law, but failed. I also tried to reform the law, but failed! In the words of Wulin League Jiaowen, the interests of the Song Dynasty have formed a fixed hierarchy. It is impossible, and they will not allow any change! If you want to save the world, you have to change the world!
"Official, what exactly do you mean by saying this to me?"
Lu Xiufu also calmed down... Yes, the Song Dynasty is beyond salvation! Otherwise, with Wen Tianxiang's loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, why would he defect to the rebels? Or to the Wulin Alliance formed by warriors?
"I want you to take me to see the Wulin Alliance, to see if their uprising can succeed! To see if policies like free compulsory education, enlightenment, popular elections, the elimination of gentry and powerful individuals, leadership of the people by the people, and nationalization of land can succeed? Can they truly transform this land that has remained unchanged for thousands of years?
If it really can make the people live a happy life, I will personally join the rebels and wave the flag for them, what's wrong with that?"
The corners of Lu Xiufu's mouth twitched... "Sir, are you planning to rebel against yourself?!"
He wanted to refuse, but when he thought about how the emperor's joining would speed up the unification of the Wulin Alliance, reduce civilian casualties, and help him counterattack Mongolia and rebuild the country sooner... the words of refusal immediately got stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say them...
"Okay...I'll take you there!"
Gritting his teeth, Lu Xiufu nodded solemnly! That night, he packed his simple bag, took his wife and children, boarded a carriage, and left Lin'an...
As for why they were not discovered when leaving the city... Haha, do you think that the current Song Dynasty city defense army can't solve anything with money?
..................
As soon as Zhao Yun left, Jia Sidao, Dong Songchen and others were dumbfounded during the court meeting the next day!
They had originally hoped to ask the emperor to open the inner treasury, reward the army, and make a profit, and at the same time, squeeze out a little more from the cracks in their nails to motivate the army to fight against the Wulin Army... In the end, all they received was an abdication edict? And an imperial decree ordering Crown Prince Zhao Xie to succeed to the throne?
Although he was panicking, Jia Sidao was helpless! The emperor had already secretly escaped, what else could they do?
In desperation, they had no choice but to urgently support Crown Prince Zhao Xie to take the throne and preside over the government... After all, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day...
Thus, the farce of the wartime replacement of Emperors Hui and Qin was staged again...
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