Chapter 9: The Day of National Founding, Facing the King

  Stepping into the imperial palace under the radiant light of the first dawn of the Great Song Dynasty, Zhao Zhuang entered the royal court.

  At that time, the grand ceremony of ascending the throne had already ended, and the mountains and rivers had already changed hands and surnames.

  The imperial guards led by Shi Siming entered the city, and the rule of the House of Sui had effectively come to an end. When all the officials were summoned to the imperial palace, the imperial scholar Tao Can, took out a draft of an abdication edict, which Empress Dowager Yu and Emperor Gong were forced to read aloud before the crowd, after which the Zhou Dynasty was officially at an end.

  The military was inspected in front of the Forbidden Temple, and Zhao Kuangyin ascended to the throne. Since he previously served as the Military Governor of Weide, his residence was located in Songzhou, so he used "Song" as the new national title, and changed the era name to Jianlong.

  The Great Song Dynasty began from this, and history turned over a new leaf.

  It's an honor to meet Zhao Kuangyin on the first day of the founding of the country! Zhao Guangyi was also very curious about the legendary Song Taizu.

  Entering the imperial palace, he basically didn't see anyone along the way and was taken directly to a palace chamber. Chu Zhao let him wait, then disappeared without a trace.

  This wait was already over half a watch, and although Zhao Zhen was somewhat impatient, he also tried his best to remain calm. After all, the other party was the Emperor, who handled countless matters every day, so it was reasonable that time was tight.

  Finally, footsteps sounded, without the eunuchs' voices shouting "The Emperor has arrived", only to see a few generals accompanying a middle-aged man walking out.

  The man's stature was not particularly tall and large, but very majestic and powerful, walking with a dragon-like gait. His imperial robes revealed his identity - Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Great Song Dynasty.

  "The young monk greets Your Majesty!" Kowtowing was not a mainstream practice in the Song Dynasty, let alone for Zhao Zhuang who is still an outsider, so he only bowed slightly.

  "Qīngsè Fǎshī? Zhao Wǔláng, Bàzhōu rén, sān nián qián chūjiā Dìnglì Yuàn?"

  Translation: "Qingshe Master? Zhao Wulang, a man from Bazhou, who became a monk at Dingli Temple three years ago?"

  Zhao Cong was shocked and couldn't believe that Zhao Kuangyin's first words to him would be like this!

  Did Song Taizu personally conduct a census?

  These are just some basic information, which can be easily obtained by asking the monks of Dingli Temple. What does Zhao Kuangyin want to express? Is it a show of power? A question? Or something else...

  "Yes!" Zhao Zhuang nodded in response, saying only one word, but his back was already sweating.

  Can't help but acknowledge the majesty of an emperor, yet today's Zhao Kuangyin is only thirty-four years old, not much older than his predecessors. But just asking a simple question made him feel emotional and suddenly lost his composure.

  Is he too powerful or am I too incompetent? After some thought, Zhao Zhen would rather admit that it was the difference in status and the pressure brought by the emperor's dignity.

  Zhao Kuangyin smiled and said: "I must thank you, thank you for saving my family!"

  "Your Majesty, you are too kind. As the Son of Heaven, your family's good fortune is naturally profound and has the protection of heaven. My humble efforts are not worth mentioning!" Zhao Kuangyin did not dare to take credit in front of Emperor Taizu again, intentionally emphasizing his merits. Anyway, the fact already exists, and the merits and virtues will not run away, so it's always right to be humble.

  Zhao Kuangyin smiled and said, "My family's blessings are indeed profound, but you, little master, have great accomplishments. If not for your inverted golden hook, my beloved son would be in danger."

  At this point, Zhao Kuangyin's face showed a clear look of fear, apparently he was very fond of Zhao Defang. This sentence of thanks also had more real emotions.

  Zhao Cong smiled and said: "No, it's just that the young prince has a deep blessing!"

  "Have you been to the Han family's fire scene? Did you find anything?"

  Zhao Kuangyin was racking his brains to think of an excuse, preparing to deal with more in-depth and sensitive questions. But unexpectedly, he suddenly changed the subject and brought up the fire at the Han family's place.

  The mind of a king is immeasurable, is that so? Zhao Kuangyin understood this way on the first day he ascended to the throne.

  "Yes!" Zhao Zhuang said: "The monk found that the hunchbacked corpse in the fire scene was not Han Wei, and it's possible that Jin Chan escaped with a substitute shell!"

  Zhao Kuangyin nodded in approval: "Not very old but with a keen eye for detail, not bad!"

  "It was just a coincidence that I saw him earlier today and felt quite familiar with him, which is why I noticed something unusual."

  "It really is as you said!" Zhao Kuangyin sighed: "That was a servant in the mansion, also a hunchback. He has escaped by using the golden cicada shell tactic."

  "Isn't General Chu already being pursued?"

  "The expansion of Bianliang City was handled by him and his father, no one knew the city better than them, he could easily hide or escape." Zhao Kuangyin was quite annoyed about this, the son of his greatest opponent had escaped, definitely not a good thing, especially since it was a cunning guy, making him even more uneasy.

  So! Zhao Zhuang suddenly had a black line on his head, and the camel escaped, which was of no benefit to himself either.

  Zhao Kuangyin seemed to think he had said too much and smiled: "However, you saw through his scheme, that's already good enough, I should still thank you!"

  "Your Majesty is too kind, I dare not accept!"

  "Master is being polite, we should thank you properly, thank you for saving our family!"

  Zhao Kuangyin turned around and saw a man and a woman approaching together. The woman was Zhao Yanran, and the man was very young, in his early twenties, with a similar face and big ears, looking quite like Zhao Kuangyin himself, smiling at him.

  Zhao Kuangyi, it must be him.

  Behind the siblings was a middle-aged man in official attire, with an expression of indifference, sizing him up.

  "Long live Your Majesty!"

  "Second Brother, Yanran, you've arrived!" On the first day of his ascension to the throne, Zhao Kuangyin did not put on an emperor's airs in front of his siblings.

  Zhao Kuangyin said: "I heard that the little master who saved his mother and nephew has arrived, my younger brother specially came to thank him in person!"

  "Du Yu Hou is being polite!" When he saw Zhao Kuangyi, Zhao Zhuang always felt a little strange in his heart. What's more troublesome was how to address him? After thinking about it, it was still more suitable to address each other by their official positions.

  "Ah, it's only right!" Zhao Kuangyi had a sincere smile on his face, but Zhao Zhuo keenly sensed that there was a hint of something strange in his eyes, which couldn't be quite put into words.

  "Your Majesty, I, your younger brother, dare to request a reward for the young master's bravery in saving the imperial family. It is a great merit and kindness, and should be rewarded." Zhao Kuangyi was very polite, his words and actions exuding a refined elegance that gave off a warm and gentle feeling, like a spring breeze. If not for knowing what he would do in the future, Zhao Zhuang almost got blown away by this spring breeze.

  Zhao Kuangyin said: "That's natural, but how should we repay him?"

  "Your Majesty, why not issue a decree to establish the Temple of Great Strength as the Sacred Temple of the Song Dynasty, and appoint the young monk with the surname of Jing as the abbot. In the future, he can inherit the robe and bowl of Master Jingkong and become the temple's master. Wouldn't that be great?" Zhao Yanran suddenly stepped forward and proposed an idea. After finishing speaking, she turned her head to glance at Zhao Zhen, a hint of malice in her smile.

  "The kind intentions of the princess, I appreciate them, but... it's really not necessary!"

  "How can you still be dissatisfied?" Zhao Yanran smiled and said: "If you study Buddhism for a few more years, when you're older, I'll ask the Emperor to appoint you as the Great Master of Song Dynasty, how about that?"

  "Stop joking, Princess!" Zhao Zhuang was covered in black lines. Did the sharp-tongued sister still have a habit of teasing people?

  "What do you want?" Zhao Kuangyi said: "If it's feasible, I'll ask the emperor to satisfy you!"

  Zhao Zhuo hesitated for a moment and said with embarrassment: "To report to Your Majesty, I actually... want to return to secular life!"

  As soon as this was said, everyone in the hall burst out laughing, including the middle-aged man standing behind Zhao Kuangyi, who also smiled slightly.

  Zhao Yanran smiled and said: "I saw it early on. Not fearing the Buddha's ancestor, not keeping the clear rules and precepts, what does a monk look like?"

  "The princess's words were serious, and the little monk was extremely respectful of Buddha in his heart, it's just that the rules and regulations..." Zhao Zhuang could only smile wryly.

  "Master, since you have the intention to return to secular life, why not discuss it with your respected teacher first?" Zhao Kuangyi turned around and said: "Imperial brother, if that's the case, wouldn't it be better to wait until Master returns to secular life before bestowing rewards and gratitude again?"

  Zhao Kuangyin nodded and said: "Alright, I still have something to attend to today. Kuangyi, you see the young master back home!"

  "Yes, we will withdraw!" Zhao Kuangyi immediately led Zhao Zhuo to retreat and leave. The middle-aged civil official still followed behind, never speaking a word.

  It was Zhao Yanran who smiled and said: "Since you want to return to secular life, you can't be called Little Master anymore. What's your secular name? Is it Zhao Wulang?"

  "Replying to Princess Hualong, I am a commoner surnamed Zhao named Zheng, with the nickname Wulang!"

  "What character?"

  "Clang of iron bones!"

  Zhao Kuangyi always wore a smile, smiling but not speaking, and it was unknown what he was thinking. The middle-aged official behind him moved his eyes, especially when he saw the two ministers and generals walking over from the opposite side, and he stared tightly at Zhao Zhuo.

  Every move, every frown and smile, even a glance!