pjbooks Chapter 387 Zhao Gou's Abdication
Chapter 387 Zhao Gou's Abdication
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"The situation became increasingly dire. Under these circumstances, Zhao Gou sent Chancellor Zhu Shengfei and Miao Fu to negotiate."
"Miao Fu and others proposed that Zhao Gou abdicate and reinstate the then three-year-old Crown Prince Zhao Fu as emperor."
"The crown prince is young, and this kind of thing is not unprecedented in history. Even Emperor Huizong was the first to abdicate. So the ministers are not unable to accept it, but their opinions are not quite unified."
"Even Empress Dowager Meng did not think that deposing Zhao Gou and establishing a crown prince was a good thing. Besides, there have been cases in history of people using the emperor to command the princes. It's just that Miao Fu was stubborn and refused to listen to any advice."
"Thinking about it, it makes sense. Miao Fu and the others have already pulled off a major coup. If they stop here, they might face some kind of reckoning. It would be better to go all the way and depose the emperor!"
"So no matter how much Zhu Shengfei and Empress Dowager Meng pleaded, Miao Fu and the others did not budge. They even threatened that things would change if they delayed, and the situation would become unpleasant. They demanded that Zhu Shengfei and the others make a decision as soon as possible!"
"It must be said that even when faced with such a tough rebel army, Empress Dowager Meng was still unwilling to issue an edict, because Zhao Gou already knew that things were beyond repair, so he agreed to Miao Fu's request."
"Thus, Zhao Gou became the retired emperor, and the government was in the hands of Miao and Liu. The two even considered moving the capital to Jinling, but the idea was politely declined."
"But soon after they came to power, they were eager to seek peace with the Jin people. We know the true nature of their peace offer: surrender. How can they still claim to be acting in the best interests of the people?"
"Zhu Shengfei also knew that Miao and Liu were short-sighted, so he maneuvered between the judges of the case files and Empress Dowager Meng, using this to mislead Miao Fu."
"On the other hand, Zhang Jun, Liu Guangshi, Han Shizhong and others who received the news jointly issued a proclamation to the world to support the emperor. These people set off from Pingjiang to denounce Miao and Liu."
"But in fact, the fact that Miao and Liu sought peace with the Jin people meant that this group of people were traitors and rebels, who were ostensibly killing officials, but in reality causing chaos."
"Therefore, the Miao-Liu rebellion did not last long. With the help of Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun and others, Zhao Gou successfully restored his throne and became Emperor Gaozong of Song."
Huo Qubing, the Crown Prince of the Great Han Dynasty: I knew he was very lucky. How could he become the retired emperor so easily!
A bystander in the Ming Dynasty commented: "Someone will always come to his rescue. There are so many generals in front of him, and Xin Qiji behind him. The key is that even if they are there, they don't know how to use them!"
A spoiled young master from the Song Dynasty: Oops, that hurts, bro!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: But if Miao and Liu really got their hands on, the Southern Song Dynasty might have perished even earlier!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: They didn't have a choice either. Who told the Zhao family to have only this one son living outside? If they had a choice, he probably wouldn't have gotten a turn!
Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu: Oh dear! _? That makes things even worse…
……
Southern Song Dynasty
Upon hearing this, Zhao Gou couldn't help but think smugly, "It has to be him! Heaven blesses Zhao Gou!"
It just so happens that he became emperor by chance, and he lived to be over eighty years old, with so many people still following him!
He must have been captivated by his charm. At this moment, Zhao Gou was immersed in a fantasy, forgetting all the words that had been used to criticize him!
……
Meanwhile, people in other timelines continued listening to Lin Ke's story, exclaiming, "It's so unfair! Why is he so lucky?!"
"After Zhao Gou's restoration, he naturally sought revenge, and after reinstating Zhao Fu as crown prince..."
"It was entirely unintentional (or intentional) that Miao Fu was appointed as the Military Commissioner of Huaixi, and Liu Zhengyan as the Deputy Military Commissioner of Huaixi, thus drawing these two out of the imperial court."
"After the failed coup, Miao and Liu were particularly afraid of Zhao Gou's subsequent retribution and even asked for a pardon to exempt them from the death penalty."
"But, you know, whoever gets a 'get out of jail free' card is guaranteed to die. There are countless examples! These are all hard-earned lessons from both predecessors and successors!"
Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: ...
"It's just that Miao and Liu are both officials, but their academic knowledge is rather lacking."
"There are some loopholes in the text, and even educated people cannot guarantee that they will not be fooled, let alone these two men who are not very knowledgeable. This gave Zhao Gou an opportunity."
"Therefore, Miao and Liu received iron certificates with the words: '[Except for high treason, all others are disregarded.' The key point here should be the word 'high treason'!"
"Anyone who has been to school should know that Miao and Liu both staged a coup, which is treason! It's just a pity that these two didn't realize that Zhao Gou still held a grudge!"
"So they didn't see anything wrong with it at all, thinking they were finally safe and no longer afraid of being held accountable."
"On that very day, Miao and Liu led two thousand elite troops, still holding the imperial pardon, and escaped Hangzhou. At the same time, they ordered their men to set fire to the city, but their bad luck was truly unfortunate."
"Not only did it rain heavily, but the troops of Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, and others also arrived. They then pursued Miao and Liu. As for the others who were involved, Zhao Gou only investigated the main responsible persons."
"Ultimately, Miao and Liu were caught up by Han Shizhong's troops and were executed in Jiankang."
"It is said that when Liu Guangyan was being executed, he cursed loudly, believing that his capture was all Miao Fu's fault for not using his strategy, but now it was no use saying anything more." (From Baidu Encyclopedia)
Optimistic Su Dongpo: It's obvious that Liu Zhengyan is really going to be driven crazy by Miao Fu!
Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu: It didn't last long before it was pacified. Can Zhao Gou learn from this lesson?
A romantic scholar from the Tang Dynasty: It will probably last for a while, and then he'll probably have to retire again! In the end, when he gets old, he'll abdicate. Who could be more comfortable than him!
The emperor was so outrageous:………
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty: Indeed, some of them work themselves to the bone, getting up early and going to bed late...
……
At this moment, the other diligent emperors who had just finished reading this pile of comments were speechless.
It seemed that no language could express their silence.
With the way he governed the country, who could be more comfortable than him? He had good generals and loyal ministers, and became emperor without any competitors, even if he was only half an emperor!
However, the Song Dynasty was beset by internal and external troubles, and it wasn't an easy dynasty to rule; all it lacked was a good emperor!
……
Lin Ke continued, "Zhao Gou knew that if he continued to indulge in pleasure, this coup would be disastrous."
"Whether he can secure his throne is still uncertain, so its impact will be both good and bad!"
"On the positive side, this prompted the Southern Song regime to address the problems left over from the Northern Song."
"For example, revising the standards for rewarding and punishing repairs, resolving internal conflicts, and alleviating the economic burden on the people, etc."