Zhao Song: My father was Emperor Taizu of Song

Chapter 115 Marquis of Taiyuan, please yield.

Chapter 115 Marquis of Taiyuan, please yield.

Inside the Ministry of Rites' Southern Branch Office of the Ministry of Rites.

Zhao Guangyi, seated in the main seat, was discussing the details of the imperial examination regulations with Tao Gu in hushed tones. Lu Duoxun, sitting behind the official desk, seemed distracted, his eyes frequently glancing towards the outside of the government office, his expression revealing a barely concealed urgency.

Before long, when he saw Zhao Dezhao's figure appear outside the government office, Lu Duoxun breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got up to greet him: "Greetings, Prince Wugong."

Zhao Dezhao casually waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over Zhao Guangyi in the main seat, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes. He immediately stepped forward with a smile, lightly tapping the gong table in front of Zhao Guangyi with his fingertips, interrupting their conversation.

Zhao Guangyi and Tao Gu raised their heads and looked indifferently at Zhao Dezhao.

Zhao Dezhao smiled and said in a calm but undeniably confident tone, "Marquis of Taiyuan, please make way for me."

As he spoke, Zhao Dezhao pointed to the first desk on the left: "That is where the Marquis of Taiyuan is to be seated."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Guangyi frowned and his expression immediately turned ugly.

Previously, Zhao Kuangyin had ordered the two of them to jointly oversee the imperial examinations, without clearly defining their primary and secondary responsibilities.

Therefore, as soon as the court session ended, he rushed to the Ministry of Rites and took the seat of honor, intending to use this seat to establish the hierarchy between the two of them.

He originally thought that, given his status as an elder, Zhao Dezhao would have no choice but to swallow his bitterness and bear the grievances silently.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Dezhao acted out of the ordinary, showing him no respect whatsoever, and publicly reprimanded him for not distinguishing between primary and secondary matters.

"Your Highness————"

Tao Gu, standing to the side, darted around in a flash, quickly rising to offer a few words of sarcasm. But before he could finish speaking, Lu Duoxun abruptly straightened his back and shouted sternly, "Minister Tao! His Highness should be addressed as the Prince of Wugong!"

Tao Gu was speechless for a moment, swallowing back the words that were on the tip of his tongue, his face turning red and white in turns.

In the officialdom, judging solely by official position, Zhao Dezhao was the only prince in the Song Dynasty and also the military governor of Chengde Army. In terms of both status and position, he was far superior to Zhao Guangyi, who was merely a county marquis and the prefect of Kaifeng.

Once he is addressed as a prince, any attempt to advocate for Zhao Guangyi's succession would be illegitimate and improper.

Seeing this, Zhao Guangyi could no longer sit still. He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze sharp and piercing, but he suppressed his anger and pretended to be calm: "Zhao'er, you are still young, and the imperial examinations involve many complicated matters. Why don't you listen in for a while, and after I have discussed it with Minister Tao, I will then speak with you—"

Zhao Dezhao shook his head slightly, without uttering a word. He then unfastened the Emperor's Sword hanging at his waist and slammed it onto the desk with a "smack." Leaning down, he looked at Zhao Guangyi with a half-smile: "Marquis of Taiyuan, please step aside; you're occupying my seat!"

Zhao Guangyi froze, his previously composed expression instantly changing, a hint of shock, anger, and disbelief flashing in his eyes.

Emperor's Sword?

Why would my elder brother bestow this thing upon Zhao Dezhao?

For a moment, Zhao Guangyi was filled with countless questions, but looking at the gleaming Emperor's Sword on the desk, he couldn't utter a single word. He was so angry that his cheeks turned red, and he abruptly stood up.

"Thank you for relinquishing your position, Marquis of Taiyuan."

Zhao Dezhao, his smile unchanged, casually took the main seat, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall. Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the table, his voice turning stern as he pointed at Tao Gu and shouted, "Guards, seize this traitor!"

Before he finished speaking, two armored guards who had been waiting outside the door entered and, without saying a word, pinned the bewildered Tao Gu to the ground and put shackles on him.

"Transfer this person to the Court of Judicial Review for questioning on charges of obstructing the imperial examinations and accepting bribes. Dou Yi is to be punished according to the law, without showing favoritism!"

Dou Yi was one of the few upright officials in the Five Dynasties period. He passed the imperial examination in the Later Jin Dynasty and served four dynasties without losing his reputation. He was highly respected for his virtue and morality.

After the establishment of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin personally appointed him as Minister of Works and concurrently as Judge of the Court of Judicial Review, and ordered him to preside over the compilation of the Song Code.

This case should be handed over to him for trial; no one else can interfere.

"Here you go!"

The two guards were about to drag Tao Gu out.

Only then did Tao Gu fully realize what was happening. Cold sweat instantly soaked his official robes, and he struggled violently. Turning to Zhao Guangyi, he pleaded hysterically, "My lord! I am innocent! I am wronged! My lord, please don't abandon me!"

"Zhao Dezhao, how dare you! What are you doing!" Zhao Guangyi's face darkened completely as he sternly questioned, "Are you truly determined to push things to the extreme, leaving no room for compromise?"

With Zhao Kuangyin not around, Zhao Guangyi no longer even bothered to pretend.

Since their last discussion about military strategy at the teahouse, the two have completely broken off all pretense of civility.

"Why should the Marquis of Taiyuan be angry?"

Zhao Dezhao slowly poured himself a cup of tea and said, "Tao Gu, as the chief examiner of the imperial examination, did not think about selecting candidates impartially, but instead accepted bribes and abused his power for personal gain. I have already reported this matter to my father, the emperor."

"My father bestowed upon me the Emperor's Sword, declaring that the imperial examinations concern the future of all the poor scholars in the land, and that anyone who obstructs justice shall be dealt with according to the law, and no one shall be allowed to hinder them!"

At this point, Zhao Dezhao changed the subject, staring at Zhao Guangyi with a half-smile, and said, "The Marquis of Taiyuan is so agitated, could it be that Tao Gu's private acceptance of lavish gifts under the guise of 'public recommendation' is also related to the Marquis of Taiyuan?"

"You—don't talk nonsense!"

Zhao Guangyi's expression changed at first, then he understood Zhao Dezhao's intention. He was stunned for a moment, then looked at Zhao Dezhao with suspicion and uncertainty: "Do you know what you are doing right now?"

"Of course I know." Zhao Dezhao said coldly, waving his hand as if shooing away a fly, and said to his guards, "Why haven't you taken him away yet?"

"Here you go!"

Wei dared not delay. Ignoring Tao Gu's cries and struggles, he dragged him out of the government office.

Tao Gu was completely panicked at this moment, his head was buzzing. He didn't understand why this was a routine matter, but today the rules had suddenly changed. In great shock, he could only desperately look to Zhao Guangyi for help.

He also knew that there were some things he couldn't say at this moment, otherwise, if he implicated Zhao Guangyi, he would truly be doomed.

Zhao Guangyi's expression grew increasingly surprised and suspicious, but after a moment, he suddenly laughed, a hint of pity in his eyes: "I really underestimated you, but Zhao Dezhao, you must know that throughout history, some things are off-limits, and some rules are unbreakable. You—have crossed the line!"

"The consequences of crossing the line are something you can't afford to bear!"

The system of public recommendation and examination was far-reaching and involved many people, far beyond just important officials in the court.

Those powerful families that survived the chaos of war and remained intact, like centipedes that never die, and even more than 90% of the powerful and wealthy in the world, which family did not have a son who entered officialdom through the system of public recommendation?

Zhao Dezhao's audacity in publicly taking down Tao Gu today clearly indicates his intention to completely abolish the public recommendation system. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this has caused a major upheaval!

Self-inflicted sin, do not live!

Zhao Guangyi could almost foresee that once this matter was made public, Zhao Dezhao would be surrounded by enemies and find himself in a precarious situation without him even having to lift a finger.

"Whether I can afford it or not is none of your concern, Your Excellency."

Zhao Dezhao, however, acted as if nothing had happened. He raised his teacup to Zhao Guangyi and said with a smile, "If the Marquis still wishes to discuss the imperial examinations, please return to your desk and sit down."

As he spoke, he gestured with his lip toward the gong'an (a type of ancient Chinese desk) on the left.

"No need!"

Zhao Guangyi sneered, "I have other matters to attend to, so I won't keep you company any longer!"

Having said that, he angrily flicked his sleeve and turned to leave the government office.

No matter what, Tao Gu was still his man, and he couldn't just stand by and watch him get into trouble.

We need to find a way to get them out.

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