There is no shortage of conspiracies for power change in history, and the internal contradictions within the Song court reached a dangerous level at one time. The Song Dynasty, established by Zhao Kuangyin, has always been regarded as a rare era of cultural prosperity in Chinese history. However, behind this splendid culture, there is a thrilling secret. When Zhao Huan of Song Zhenzong was seriously ill and dying, Zhao Guangyi's eighth son, Zhao Yuanyan, actually tried to seize the throne! On the surface, Zhao Yuanyan was the most honorable prince of the Song Dynasty, second only to the emperor and the crown prince. But he has ill intentions and delusions that his brother will end up with his brother. At the moment of crisis, Song Renzong's biological mother Liu E took action to defuse the clouds of this palace coup. A basin of ink completely ended Zhao Yuanyan's ambitions. What clever means did she use to defuse this crisis? What is the inside story of the Eighth Emperor Uncle's scheme?
1. Zhao Guangyi's weapon valued the Eight Sages and Kings, triggering a struggle for imperial power
When Zhao Guangyi ruled the Song Dynasty, his favorite son was none other than Zhao Yuanyan. The prince, who is revered as the "Eight Sages King", has been brilliant since he was a child, and Tai has inherited Zhao Guangyi's military talents. It has been mentioned many times in the records that whenever Song Taizong gathers for a banquet, he always asks Zhao Yuan to serve him, and he also attaches great importance to him.
Zhao Guangyi originally wanted to support his eldest son Zhao Dechong to inherit the unification, but because of his previous madness, he finally deprived him of the inheritance. Although the second son Zhao Dechang was personally appointed by Zhao Kuangyin, Zhao Guangyi believed that his talent was limited and it was difficult for him to take on the important task of the emperor. So, he turned his gaze to Zhao Yuanyan. Although the Song Dynasty forbade the bequest, Zhao Guangyi still secretly revealed his intention to train Zhao Yuanyan to become a prince.
For this reason, Zhao Guangyi did not wait for Zhao Yuanyan to reach the age of 20, and successively ordered him to take charge of important positions such as the Taifu of the School Inspection and the Pingzhang Affairs of the Tongzhong Shumen, and his status was second only to the prince. The government and the opposition all know that Zhao Yuanyan is deeply appreciated, and he will definitely receive extremely high rewards and power in the future. In the face of the reaction of his sons, Zhao Guangyi did not hide it, and publicly admitted that his favorite son was Zhao Yuanyan, and bluntly said that he did not want him to leave the inner court too early.
Although Zhao Guangyi's way of employing people was out of consideration for cultivating the prince, it laid the foundation for Zhao Yuanyan to seek the throne in the future. Song Taizong, who created a prosperous dynasty, attached great importance to the order of the eldest and youngest, but seeing that the most favored Zhao Yuanyan would eventually take the heir, I am afraid that he would inevitably feel the guilt and guilt of his children's private affairs. Coincidentally, Zhao Yuanyan's eldest brother Zhao Dechong was worried about this. Under the cloud of a future palace coup, Zhao Yuanyan became the target of public criticism.
Second, the Eighth Emperor Uncle almost modified the imperial system of the Song Dynasty
At the beginning of Song Zhenzong's ascension to the throne, the position of successor seemed to have been decided. But no one expected that Zhao Yuanyan was waiting for an opportunity when Zhao Huan was dying, in a vain attempt to seize the throne by relying on the old and selling the old. The root of all this still starts with the resentment of Zhao Guangyi of Song Taizong.
Although Zhao Guangyi once expressed his intention to train Zhao Yuanyan as a prince during his lifetime, the throne was finally passed to Zhao Huan of Song Zhenzong. Zhao Yuanyan has always been arrogant, and his uneven experience of pampering and humiliation made him angry. When Song Zhenzong was seriously ill, his six sons died, and the only testament, Zhao Zhen, was only thirteen years old, and the storage position seemed to be vacant for a while. This moment is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and Zhao Yuan will not let it go easily.
In order to seize the throne, Zhao Yuanyan can be said to have exhausted all his resources this time. He did not hesitate to slander Liu E, and publicly declared that Liu E was not Zhao Zhen's biological mother at all, and Zhao Zhen was his own flesh and blood. In order to create the illusion that the prince was treated coldly, Zhao Yuanyan even made a gesture of pretending to be crazy and stupid, resenting Liu E for supporting Zhao Zhen as the prince, and denying the honorific title of the Empress Dowager Liu E.
At that time, the government and the opposition were in an uproar, and Zhao Yuanyan was not only a dignitary of the clan, but also held important positions such as the Taifu of the school and the Pingzhang of the Tongzhong Shumen. Even at the age of thirty-seven, he still has great ambition and enthusiasm. Now that he has been collecting personal grievances for a long time, and he threatens to refer to Zhao Zhen's own son, he must be plotting misdeeds and have other plans.
In the face of Zhao Yuanyan's discord, Liu E saw that her son's position was in jeopardy, so she had to plot to resolve the palace change. She secretly replaced the water that Zhao Yuanyan used to wash her face with heavy ink, which frightened Zhao Yuanyan and fled the palace overnight, temporarily avoiding this crisis. But after that, Zhao Yuanyan did not give up, but repeated the old trick and waited for the opportunity to plot again.
Zhao Yuanyan's series of actions have undoubtedly violated the red line of the palace. It stands to reason that Song Zhen should be a killer and severely punished. But after all, Song Zhen and Zhao Yuanyan have a family relationship that is thicker than water, coupled with their gentle nature, they actually treated this eighth emperor uncle who tried to usurp the throne leniently, but only removed his official title. Subsequently, Zhao Yuanyan was posthumously awarded the title of "Admiral Tiance", which became a rare honor in the history of the Song Dynasty.
3. Liu E wisely resolved the palace crisis
In the face of Zhao Yuanyan's words, Liu E has always been witty and calm, and took action to resolve this palace crisis. First of all, she sympathized with Song Zhen's young and lonely weakness, and took appropriate measures to guide and comfort him in time to prevent him from making impulsive decisions under stimulation.
At that time, there was already a rumor in the palace, and they were familiar with Zhao Yuanyan's rumor-mongering. Liu E understood that if Zhao Yuanyan was rashly punished, it would inevitably cause internal turmoil and harm the innocent. In order to calm things down, she chose a surprisingly winning move.
After secretly arranging it, Liu E invited Zhao Yuanyan to the imperial bathing place to bathe and change clothes. When Zhao Yuanyan finished bathing and was about to wash his face, the water in the basin that had already been replaced by Liu Eren was actually heavy ink. Zhao Yuanyan was stunned, and his entire face had been blackened, like a big man. In addition to being frightened, I can't help but feel afraid.
This unexpected scene really frightened Zhao Yuanyan, let alone continue to plot misdeeds. When he escaped from the palace in a panic, Liu E breathed a sigh of relief. A basin of muddy water easily resolved this palace change, and stabilized the throne of Song Zhen safely.
But Zhao Yuanyan, as the prince of the Song family, will inevitably have a stubborn illness after all. After that, he repeated his old tricks, feigning madness in order to regain power. Seeing that the situation was tense repeatedly, Liu E had to turn to Song Zhen for help, hoping to give a clear ruling.
In the face of this aunt, although Song Zhen was sincerely indignant at his unreasonable rebellion, he couldn't bear to kill him completely, so he could only withdraw his official title and never hire him. Zhao Yuanyan couldn't take the throne for a long time, and seeing that the overall situation had been decided, he had to give up. It wasn't until later that Song Zhen posthumously named him the "Admiral of Tiance", which completely quelled this Kuangshi Palace change.
These few tricks are the most important hand played by Liu E in the palace coup. She made a steady and to-the-point move, which not only avoided the rupture of the Song family, but also strengthened the legitimate status of Song Zhen's heir, which can be said to have won the greatest political benefit.
Fourth, Zhao Yuanyan's old tricks were rejected
The palace change temporarily subsided, but Zhao Yuanyan's long-held ambition did not give up. Although he was deprived of official power by Song Zhen, he still made up his mind to find another way out, intending to finally seize the throne. So, Zhao Yuanyan chose to repeat his old tricks, pretending to be crazy again, intending to regain his favor.
What Zhao Yuanyan didn't expect was that Song Zhen had already seen through the conspiracy of this Eighth Emperor Uncle. This time, he no longer had the gentle and elegant attitude of the past, and when facing Zhao Yuanyan, he also categorically refused and resolutely refused to accept it. In history, Zhao Yuanyan yelled frantically, but Song Zhen ignored it and turned a blind eye to his pretending to be crazy and stupid.
Zhao Yuanyan claims to be a noble and prominent member of the clan, even if he is cut off, it will not be a big problem. Who would have thought that once the power was withdrawn, no one dared to keep the old yamen, and the tree that used to set off its arrogance was deep-rooted, and no one was willing to accept and supply. Once upon a time, Zhao Yuanyan was so isolated and helpless, he could only wander the streets, acting as a beggar.
Although Song Zhen insisted on not accepting Zhao, he never killed him. According to historical records, Zhao Yuanyan had fallen to the point of being homeless, and Song Zhen ordered someone to build a simple thatched hut for him, so that he could have some shelter. What's even more amazing is that he posthumously awarded Zhao Yuanyan the title of "Admiral of Tiance", this honor is not easy to come by, I am afraid that only Emperor Taizu Gao Zhao Kuangyin deserves such glory.
Why did Song Zhen treat this uncle who tried to take the heir so leniently? There are other reasons for this. Judging from the history books, although Song Zhen is generous, he may also have other considerations for the princes. He knew very well that if Zhao Yuanyan was killed and killed, it would be tantamount to the clan cutting itself off from the foundation of the Song Dynasty. At that time, the parents and nephews of the sect may start anew, and the government and the opposition will definitely fall apart. The Song Dynasty has been a country for a long time, and the national strength is vibrant, and it is undoubtedly the most unwise act to suddenly dominate one person.
Looking at this treatment, Song Zhen still handled it properly. He punished Zhao Yuanyan leniently, neither completely broke with him, nor regained his power, at least avoiding bloodshed and safeguarding the fundamental interests of the Song Dynasty. It's just that Zhao Yuanyan, the noble and powerful Eighth Emperor Uncle, ended up like this, which is also a pity.
Fifth, the bleak life of power out of control
The bumpy fate that Zhao Yuanyan experienced actually reflects what a heavy price those in power will pay in the end if they inflate their psychology and lose their self-control.
During the Song Taizong period, although Zhao Yuanyan was not the eldest son, he was deeply loved and appreciated. The successor emperor Song Zhenzong regarded him as a member of the clan and rarely punished. Who would have thought that this powerful Eight Sages King would be greedy and vainly trying to seize the throne.
Once he embarked on this road of no return, Zhao Yuanyan's fate was doomed to the end of the decadent Tang Dynasty. Liu E used a basin of ink to save Song Zhen's foundation, so that he returned in vain. Since then, although he has dispatched troops and pretended to be crazy, he has been found to be ineffective. In the end, he was reduced to the point of homelessness, and could only wander the streets to beg for food.
As the saying goes, power makes people lose their minds, and Zhao Yuanyan is the best portrayal. Time flies, and the nobles of the clan who used to have infinite scenery are like a poor person, relying on Song Zhen's kindness to get through the day. If it weren't for Song Zhen's posthumous name, I'm afraid he wouldn't even be able to get a simple residence.
Zhao Yuanyan's encounter may be the epitome of the son of the family who is arrogant and sluggish. Even after this palace coup, he still lived for decades. It's just that since then, he has completely stayed away from the core of court power, and although he has not been exterminated, it is difficult for him to regain power, and he can only spend the rest of his life in a remote corner.
Zhao Yuanyan was bewitched by power and took risks several times, resulting in himself finally having nothing. If he hadn't been delusional and deliberately rebelled, maybe he could still live a life like a rich man's son. When he was honored and honored, he really shouldn't be insatiable, and in the end he fell into homelessness, which can really be said to be self-reaping.