Zhao Xu fell ill.

In fact, he has always been sick, but he has not collapsed. But the series of tosses and too cold weather that began on Chinese New Year's Eve in the third year of Yuan Fu became the last straw that overwhelmed Zhao Xu's fragile body.

It's really a regrettable thing to say, it's rare that there is a big Song Dynasty with many mediocre monarchs who dare to delegate power and can also let go of the officials who can use the ministers - don't underestimate these two advantages, the emperors of the Song Dynasty like to stir too much, and the emperor's mental skills are all superior, but they can't do things well. But Zhezong Zhao Xu is an outlier, he dares to delegate power to the prime minister, and he also chooses the most capable and principled traitor Zhang Duan from a bunch of old and cunning uncles to be the prime minister.

In the increasingly tense political atmosphere in the late Northern Song Dynasty, if it wasn't a traitor, he couldn't do anything at all, and could only be deceived and set aside, just like Han Zhongyan, the grandfather of Wu Haowen. Even if it is the upright ministers of the Renzong Dynasty, although they are all admired by later generations, what great things have they done?

In the Zhao Xu era, which reused Zhang Dun, a traitorous minister, in just six or seven years (from the eighth year of Yuan You's pro-government to the present), he defeated the Western Xia, and won the first line of Hengshan-Tiandu Mountain, forcing the Western Xia to sue for peace and become a vassal, and recovering the land of the Qingtang Dynasty for the second time, and at the same time withstanding the pressure of the Liao State.

In the original history, a series of diplomatic exchanges between Song and Liao also prompted the Liao State to force the Empress Dowager Xiaoliang of the Western Xia to death, and in this time and space, the Empress Dowager Xiaoliang was allowed to enter Kaifeng as a hostage, which basically solved the border trouble of the Western Xia.

Such a military victory may not be a big deal in the Han and Tang dynasties, but it is definitely remarkable in the Song Dynasty.

And the reason why such a victory can be achieved is actually very simple, that is, Zhao Xu chose the right prime minister and gave full trust and support. He also supported Zhang's use of harsh means to suppress the forces of the old party, forming a certain dictatorship.

Although such behavior was rated in the history books of later generations: the party is in trouble, the gentleman is reprimanded, and the Song government is beneficial.

However, the "wartime dictatorship" is actually understandable, and if the old party is not suppressed, but the traditional Song-style political means of "mixing different opinions" are adopted, the great victory on the Western Front will not be won in any way.

Just the old and new parties pulling each other back is enough to turn a big victory into a big defeat! Even if he reluctantly wins, he will compromise because of "fear of Liao" and lose his previous achievements - in order to suppress the Liao-phobia that broke out after the "Pingxia City Victory" because of the pressure of the Liao State, Zhang Dian adopted the means of "blocking the way of speech" and "encouraging whistleblowers", and even killed a drunken nonsense (saying that the Liao State was calling).

It is conceivable that if Zhang Xuan did not get Zhao Xu's full trust and full power, Liaophobia would definitely explode in the second year of Yuanfu, even if he didn't spit out all the Hengshan-Tiandu Mountain, most of them would have to give the Liao people two or three hundred thousand more coins for no reason......

In short, as a king, he chose the right prime minister, and he fully trusted and gave him great power, and finally achieved the desired result, basically solving the Western Front War that had plagued the Great Song Dynasty for decades - now the initiative of the Song-Xia War is in the Song Dynasty, as long as the Song Dynasty itself does not choose to go to war, the Western Xia is powerless to provoke a new war.

Such a king is considered by history to be a faint monarch who corrupted the politics of the Great Song Dynasty and laid hidden dangers for the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty, which is really unreasonable and quite ignorant.

Because the Great Song Dynasty was an "enlightened and dedicated", not a hypocritical republic. And the essence of enlightened Z is still Z, Z, there can be no faint king! It is best to meet the Holy Lord of the Ming Monarch, if not, it is okay to meet the Yongjun, but there can be no faint monarch.

Since the founding of the Great Song Dynasty, there have been a lot of Yongjun, but the real faint monarch has not yet appeared, which is the reason why the "enlightened Z" of the Northern Song Dynasty has not been messed up.

On the seventh day of the first month of the third year of Yuanfu, Zhao Xu, an official who had worked hard for days and had a bit of a cold, finally couldn't support it and launched a bottom burn. I thought it was just an occasional cold, but after resting for a few days, it didn't get better at all, and in the early morning of the thirteenth day of the first month, around the ugly hour, Zhao Xu's condition suddenly worsened, and the low fever turned into a high fever, and the whole person was also groggy, which seemed to be something wrong.

It seems that there is no way to realize the ideal of living for another thirty years!

In the Funing Palace. Zhao Xu, who was lying on the bed, only felt a little noisy in his ears, probably because the imperial doctors and internal officials were walking back and forth, and they were all panicked.

"Chapter! Chapter! Kuai Xuan Zhangdun, Zeng Bu, Cai Bian, Cai Jing and others came to ......"

He tried to shout the names of the prime minister, Zhang Dan, and a group of important ministers.

Zhao Xu, who had a premonition that he might not be able to survive, now what he wanted to see most was his own minister.

He only needs to say in front of the deacons on the bed: "Pass on the throne to King Jian, respect the concubine of Shengduan Palace as the queen mother, and listen to the government of the queen mother of the two palaces." ”

Then there will be at least one mediocre monarch in the future of the Great Song Dynasty, and King Zhao of Jian seems to be a mediocre man with no sense of existence.

If the world is handed over to him, it will be impossible to restore Yan Pingliao. But the people can be recuperated, the country can be peaceful, even if there are barbarians rising in the future, the Great Song Dynasty can still have the vitality to resist, if Ji Yi, Wu Haogu, these young courtiers can grow up by then, and they can always fight another alliance of the Yuanyuan......

It seems that this is the only way to go!

……

"No, how can the palace gate be opened at night? And it's not too late to summon it at dawn! ”

Xiang Xiang, who hurried from Kunning Palace, passed a decree to the Empress Dowager, preventing several Zhao Xu's henchmen and eunuchs who were about to go out of the palace to summon Prime Minister Zhang Duan and others.

"Niangniang, the official family is seriously ill and I am afraid that there will be accidents, and it is customary to summon auxiliary ministers and Hanlin scholars." Empress Liu, who was guarding Zhao Xu's side, had the courage to remind the Empress Dowager.

Xiang Empress Dowager was not angry at all, but said with a pleasant face: "The old body is following the old routine of the Empress Dowager!" Now that the official family suddenly got sick, I don't know what happened, and what needs to be careful is not to be taken by traitors, so the palace door should not be opened at night. ”

Empress Dowager Guangxian is Renzong's queen Cao, and when Renzong died of critical illness, she refused to open the palace door at night.

"But, but ......"

In the dormitory, Queen Liu suddenly had no idea, and the official family said that if she fell, she would fall, and she didn't even wait for the child in Princess Duan's belly - if Princess Duan could give birth to a son to succeed herself, and let herself be a queen mother who listened to the government, then she would have to find Zhang Duan after fighting with the Queen Mother Xiang at this time.

But now, neither King Duan nor King Jian can take their turn to listen to the government. If you fight with the Queen Mother for the question of who will not be established, there will be no benefits after that, and there will be no certainty in the rectification.

"Then, the concubine will listen to the mother."

Hearing Empress Liu's words, Empress Dowager Xiang also breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

Zhao Xu has been in power for seven years! And she, the Queen Mother, has never been in the court, even when Zhao Xu was young, it was the Empress Dowager Gao who listened to the government.

Therefore, she does not have absolute authority in the palace, especially after Zhao Xu abolished Empress Meng and established Empress Liu despite her opposition, Empress Dowager Xiang's authority was greatly damaged.

If Empress Liu and Concubine Zhu of Shengduan Palace make trouble together, maybe they can summon Zhang Dian and others into the palace. At that time, it is difficult to say who the emperor will do......

"Queen, don't worry, the official family is just infected with the cold, maybe there is no big problem, you can take care of it, and you will come when you go to the old body."

After comforting Empress Liu, who was a little anxious, Empress Dowager Xiang went to the residence of Concubine Zhu of Duansheng Palace, surrounded by a group of henchmen, eunuchs and palace maids. She had long expected Zhao Xu's intentions that she would definitely pass on the throne to King Jian, and maybe she would leave an edict.

Looking at Empress Liu, it is estimated that the edict will not be in her hands, and most of it will be collected in Concubine Zhu. Now as long as Concubine Zhu is controlled, the overall situation should be decided.

And at this moment, the inner east gate, which should be closed, opened a crack, and Wu Haogu's brother-in-law, Pan Xiao'an, was standing in the inner east gate with some six gods and no masters.

A fat eunuch wearing a scarlet robe and a mink on his head was saying to Pan Xiao'an in a famous language: "Pan Feng, you have to listen to the Queen Mother, don't you know the Queen Mother's intentions?" That's towards King Duan, what is the relationship between King Duan, you, and your brother-in-law? If he becomes an official, you will go up, and it will only be a matter of a few years for the three government to manage the army. ”

"Queen Mother, Queen Mother, she ......"

Pan Xiao'an was taken out of the warm quilt by someone, and now he is still in a daze!

In fact, he was just a mixed seniority in the Gate Division, and he didn't expect to encounter such a big event!

The official family is no longer good, and the Queen Mother sent her most confidant Da Mink Jue to win over her...... Something is wrong! Is this going to change? The official family will not be "fake death", and will come back to life later, right?

"What's wrong?"

The fat eunuch, that is, Pang Kuan, who was in charge of the Inner East Gate Division, had already lowered his voice: "You don't listen to the Queen Mother's words anymore?" ”

How dare you?

Pan Xiao'an complained bitterly in his heart, why was it his turn to be on duty at the East Gate tonight? On the one hand, there is an official family whose life and death are uncertain, and on the other hand, there is the Empress Dowager Xiang, who does not know when she will be in power.

Take one wrong step, and it will be an abyss!

"Then, then ask the grand official to give orders." Pan Xiao'an gritted his teeth and arched his hand to Pang Kuan.

In fact, he had no choice, because now he was looking for Pang Kuan, who represented the Empress Dowager Xiang, and no one was looking for him on the other side. What else can he do if he doesn't follow the Queen Mother?

"Good!" Pang Kuan nodded, "You go out of the palace immediately, go and gather some people to bring His Royal Highness King Duan into the palace." This is the edict of the Queen Mother, you take it.

In addition, except for King Duan, no one can be allowed to know that the official family is not allowed. ”

This is to be kept secret!

Pan Xiao'an already understands what is wrong! This is the palace has changed...... The official family must have left an edict to pass on the throne to other princes, most of whom were his mother's compatriot King Jian.

And the Empress Dowager Xiang was unwilling to let Concubine Zhu become the Empress Dowager Zhu, and because she liked King Duan very much, she launched a palace change to support King Duan!

I really didn't expect this woman to be at a critical moment!