Chapter 008: Surprisingly, no one wants to be an official in the Song Dynasty!

Inside the Chongzheng Hall, while the official Zhao Ji was forcefully handing the throne to Zhao Kai, his crown prince Zhao Huan was excitedly entering the Donghua Gate alongside He Guanzhi's son, He Ji.

What? ... Do not abdicate ... . ... Upon hearing this, Zhao Huan was immediately struck by a flurry of golden stars, his mind went blank. His teacher, Geng Nanzhong, immediately shouted: "He Guan, a mere martial man, how dare he collude with the prince to obstruct the abdication? Does he wish to rebel?"

Zhao Huan's shout echoed into the open doors of the Chongzheng Hall. At this moment, within the hall, another filial son of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kai, was earnestly persuading Zhao Ji to retract his decree—because just moments ago, Zhao Ji had announced his intention to pass the throne to him

Thus, Zhao Huan, He Guan, along with several young attendants around the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince's teacher, Geng Nanzhong, entered the Donghua Gate with great joy, and then hurriedly made their way to the Chongzheng Hall

However, this strange atmosphere did not last long, as it was broken by He Guans' eldest son, He Ji. He noticed his brother and Zhao Kai's trusted aide, Guan Gou of the Imperial City Affairs, Wang Xiaode, together, appearing quite intimate. Thus, he loudly inquired: "He Erlang, how did you bring troops into the Imperial City? Where is the master?"

He Guan's second son, He Xian, is also quite talkative. Upon hearing his brother's question, he answered truthfully: "Eldest brother, the nobleman and His Royal Highness the Prince of Yun are currently in the Chongzheng Hall, persuading the Emperor to retract his decree and not to abdicate, so that he can continue to serve as the Emperor properly"

These individuals also noticed that Zhao Huan and his companions had arrived, all staring wide-eyed and dumbfounded at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, momentarily at a loss for what to do

In the face of such a good opportunity, Zhao Kai, this dutiful son, of course, resolutely declined

Although his mind was still a bit hazy, he understood that Zhao Ji, this cowardly old father, would not unconditionally relinquish the throne

Zhao Huan's teacher, Geng Nanzhong, although over sixty years old with a head of snow-white hair, possesses better physical strength than Zhao Huan. Moreover, due to the joyous occasion, he is full of energy, walking briskly while simultaneously advising his good student.

Once Zhao Kai takes the throne, he will be trapped within the Dongjing Kaifeng Prefecture, surrounded by a group of cowardly civil officials, with very few capable troops at his disposal. He will not be able to emulate Li Shimin and may end up merely as a tragic emperor like Chongzhen, who perished along with his state.

Your Highness, when you receive the decree later, be sure to decline three times; this is known as the three bows and three refusals, which demonstrates your humility and virtue

If Zhao Kai wants to take over, he must make Zhao Ji flee to the southeast... Once Zhao Ji is reminded by Zhao Kai, he will definitely hold onto the throne until the very end, only handing it over to Zhao Kai when he is about to leave the capital of Tokyo! At that time, it will be impossible for Zhao Kai to stop Zhao Ji from leaving!

Zhao Huan was somewhat annoyed and was about to scold someone, but when he looked up, he was stunned by the scene before him. It turned out that he had already walked into the courtyard outside the Chongzheng Hall, and inside the courtyard, surrounding the Chongzheng Hall, was filled with fully armed attendants (the soldiers under the command of the attendants are referred to as attendants) and soldiers from the three yamen.

What he said is not wrong anywhere! ... Forcing the emperor to abdicate, persuading the emperor to abdicate, deceiving the emperor to abdicate ...! ... Those who use any other means to pull the emperor down from his position are certainly treacherous ministers and rebellious subjects!

"Your Highness," Geng Nanzhong certainly understood Zhao Huan's thoughts and also knew that he was a coward. Therefore, he lowered his voice and said, "This matter cannot be rushed. We must allow Emperor Daojun to leave first before we can make arrangements. Otherwise, with Emperor Daojun's lingering power, it may..."

Additionally, Zhao Kai has his own strategies for resisting the Jin dynasty, namely "forcing his father to resist the Jin," "marching north to resist the Jin," and "sustained resistance against the Jin," rather than remaining in the capital city of Dongjing (Kaifeng) as a palace emperor who finds it difficult to escape.

At this moment in the Chongzheng Hall, a scene unfolded that left the entire court of the Song Dynasty both amused and bewildered—the imperial throne was being pushed back and forth by a father and son, resembling a hot potato!

The two teacher and student were discussing while hurrying along, not looking ahead, merely following the two leading attendants in yellow. Suddenly, for some unknown reason, the two leading attendants stopped in their tracks, and Zhao Huan, who was following behind, could not stop in time and nearly collided with the back of one of the attendants in yellow

Zhao Huan is only one year older than Zhao Kai, yet he appears much older, seeming to be around thirty years of age. Moreover, he looks somewhat frail, and when he walks quickly, he seems to be a bit out of breath

Thus, the two groups of people stared at each other, remaining completely motionless, creating a rather eerie atmosphere

Zhao Huan made a great effort to suppress his laughter, repeatedly nodding and saying: "I understand, I understand, I know the rules. I will pretend to faint later, cry and lose consciousness, and I will trouble you, sir, to find someone to carry me to the throne."

Moreover, Zhao Kai is not Zhao Huan; the latter is the legitimate crown prince, while Zhao Kai is merely a prince who covets the position of heir. If Zhao Kai were to suddenly oust Zhao Huan and accept the abdication of Zhao Zhi, becoming the new ruler of the Song Dynasty, he would most likely be regarded as a usurper and a traitor. At that point, it would be uncertain whether there would be loyal troops to come to his rescue.

At this moment, Wang Xiaode also realized the situation and exclaimed: "Scholar Geng, do not speak recklessly. Since ancient times, those who have forced the emperor to abdicate have been rebels, while those who ensure the emperor remains securely on the throne are undoubtedly loyal subjects"

The "East Huamen Incident" occurred in haste, without any careful planning beforehand. Even the mastermind Zhao Kai was not fully alert due to the effects of "time travel syndrome." Therefore, Zhao Kai did not consider capturing or executing the Crown Prince Zhao Huan. If Zhao Huan had not willingly walked into the trap, it is truly uncertain what would have happened next

Upon hearing the words "guard Tokyo," the joy on Zhao Huan's face faded significantly, and his brows gradually furrowed. He murmured, "How about letting him be the guardian of Tokyo?"

The several officials from the Imperial City Guard stationed at the East Huamen were indeed clever individuals. Upon seeing the Crown Prince arrive with He Ji, they neither prevented their entry nor captured them, but instead welcomed them into the palace with the same enthusiasm as usual—if Zhao Kai succeeded, these seasoned individuals would claim they had deceived the Crown Prince into entering the palace! ... If Zhao Kai failed, then they would profess to know nothing at all ...

At this time, there were no longer any guards blocking the East Huamen Gate, but He Ji and Zhao Huan did not think much of it, believing that the situation was already settled. Therefore, the officials from both courts ordered the guards to withdraw, as it was not appropriate to have so many soldiers stationed outside the East Huamen Gate, which could easily evoke thoughts of a palace coup

Zhao Huan whispered, "I understand, I have understood..."

Let Li Gang take charge of the Tokyo garrison, which naturally means that Zhao Huan, the next emperor of the Song Dynasty, is also preparing to flee

While the two fathers and sons were busy staging a grand drama of paternal kindness and filial piety for the throne, Crown Prince Zhao Huan burst into the Chongzheng Hall, crying out, and surprisingly, his stance was the same as Zhao Kai's—he too resolutely refused to become the ruler of the vast populace of the Song Dynasty

At this moment, Zhao Huan, in a moment of urgency, opened his throat and shouted towards the Chongzheng Hall: "I too have come to advise Father Emperor to secure his position... I am a filial son, and I wish to meet Father Emperor! Father Emperor, your son Zhao Huan requests an audience! I humbly implore Father Emperor to retract the decree; I am still young and cannot serve as the official heir..."

Geng Nanzhong laughed and said: "Li Boji is merely a literati, what does he understand about military strategy? He is just strong-willed and can control the generals below him. If we truly need to defend Tokyo, we could let him command the troops, but do not expect too much from him"

Six or seven hundred soldiers are surrounding the Chongzheng Hall ...! ... This situation looks a bit like a coup!

At this moment, outside the Chongzheng Hall, leading the troops were Wang Xiaode from the Imperial City Division and He Xian, the second son of He Guan. Like others, they had long forgotten about Crown Prince Zhao Huan. Now, suddenly seeing Zhao Huan appear, they were momentarily at a loss as to what to do

It should be so! Geng Nanzhong continued, "Your Highness, this time your ascension to the throne relies entirely on Wu Min and Li Gang. Once you ascend, you must show your appreciation. Wu Min is already a Deputy Minister of the Interior; promoting him further would make him a Junior Chancellor (Right Prime Minister). Li Gang is currently the Junior Minister of Rites; you could reward him with a position as a Deputy Prime Minister."

It is truly concerning that no one is willing to serve in the government of the Great Song Dynasty, what shall we do about this situation

Even with such extensive knowledge, Geng Nanzhong seems at a loss for an explanation; he appears to be a traitor and a rebel as well

"Just as you say, sir." Zhao Huan nodded and then asked, "I have heard that Li Gang is well-versed in military strategy; with him in Dongjing, will we be safe?"