Traveling back to the Northern Song Dynasty: Picking up a princess as my wife

Knowing that his scheme had been exposed, Wang Cheng kept kowtowing to Zhao Ji, begging for mercy: "Your Majesty, please forgive this old servant this time. I was only thinking of you. I will never dare to do it again."

Looking at Wang Cheng kneeling on the ground, Zhao Ji felt as if he were back in the cold city of Wuguo. It was this old eunuch who had braved the freezing weather to find food for him. It was also this old eunuch who had knelt and begged for medicinal herbs to cure him several times when he was seriously ill. If it weren't for him, he might have died there long ago.

Thinking of this, Zhao Ji's anger instantly subsided. He looked at Li Zhen with a pleading expression in his eyes.

Seeing his father-in-law's expression, Li Zhen knew that Zhao Ji's old habit of being easily swayed had resurfaced. He knew that Wang Cheng had saved Zhao Ji's life in Wuguo City, but Wang Cheng probably never imagined that his unintentional act would bring such great trouble to Zhao Ji and Li Zhen, even potentially leading to the annihilation of Li Family Village. Now that the entire Song Dynasty probably knew that Zhao Ji was still alive, would his brother-in-law let him live? Would Wanyan Liang, the emperor of the Jin Dynasty in the north, spare him?

Li Zhen said to Wang Cheng, "I will spare your life today because you saved my father-in-law's life. But you can't stay here any longer. You've already contacted your old men, so you should leave on your own."

Upon hearing this, Wang Cheng trembled, then collapsed to the ground like a withered leaf, tightly embracing Zhao Ji's leg, his eyes brimming with tears, sobbing uncontrollably: "Your Majesty, this old servant swears to follow you to the death, how could I ever leave you even for a moment! You are this old servant's heaven, this old servant's lifeline!"

Wang Cheng knew that the Song Dynasty had long since changed. Although his former subordinates were obsequious to him, it was only because of the old emperor. Once he left Zhao Ji, not only would Zhao Gou not let him go, but his former enemies would also try to kill him.

Seeing this, Li Zhen's face turned cold as he slowly said, "General Yue Peng is about to return. At that time, I'm afraid you won't be able to leave again."

After speaking, Wang Cheng's expression changed drastically. He knew that if he didn't leave today, he would probably lose his life. After making his decision, he suddenly stood up and kowtowed repeatedly to Zhao Ji, his eyes flashing with determination and reluctance.

Two clear tears silently slid down Zhao Ji's face, like a light rain brushing against spring petals, carrying a hint of unspoken tenderness and sorrow. Ripples spread through his heart; his reluctance to part was like autumn leaves, knowing their destination yet still clinging to the branch. However, reason told him he had to do this, otherwise he might face even greater disaster. Having lived his entire life in the palace, he knew that for the sake of imperial power, humanity and kinship were nothing.

In fact, Li Zhen had long wanted to get rid of Fang Bucun and his group. He originally thought of taking them in and assimilating them, but who knew that these people had not shown any gratitude after so long, and instead encouraged the old eunuch Wang Cheng to do something underhanded.

Thinking about it, it's understandable. Those who followed Fang Bucun were originally leaders of various halls, which made them give up their luxurious lives and be subject to the control of others in the mountain stronghold. Over time, their true nature would be revealed.

As Li Zhen had predicted, a small-scale skirmish had just taken place at the gates of Tangyin City. A group of masked men attempted to storm the checkpoint and enter the town, but the unscrupulous Mr. Lu, who had been hidden on the city wall, gave the order, and countless composite arrows killed the attacking masked men on the spot. Seeing the situation was bad, the leader of the masked men immediately led the rest to retreat into the woods outside the city and disappeared.

Night fell, the moonlight thin, and the thug entered the dimly lit interrogation room, where a heavy and oppressive atmosphere permeated the air. His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, fell upon the masked men, scarred yet still stubbornly defiant, their eyes gleaming with resentment and secrets.

After a thorough and meticulous interrogation, the identities of these masked men were finally revealed. It turned out that these seemingly ordinary assassins were actually elites from the Song Dynasty's Imperial City Guard, dispatched here with a secret mission—to work with spies lurking in the city to silently dismantle the defenses of Tangyin City.

As the truth gradually comes to light, a far grander scheme unfolds before everyone's eyes. Just three miles east of Tangyin City, an elite force of two thousand men lies in ambush deep in the dense forest, like a lurking beast, waiting for its chance. Once a signal of success arrives from within the city, they will surge forth like a tidal wave, seizing the city with lightning speed.

As night deepened, the flickering candlelight in the interrogation room illuminated the resolute face of the unruly man. He had already made up his mind, quickly took out a piece of paper, briefly explained the situation, and then sent someone back to Li Family Village by carrier pigeon.

Although the Imperial City Guards did not cause much damage to Tangyin City, they severely damaged the road construction site outside the city. Countless bags of cement were looted by the Imperial City Guards, and several disaster victims were injured. Fortunately, Mr. Bu Liang sent doctors to treat them.

After leaving Li Family Village, Wang Cheng quickly made contact with the Imperial City Guard. Upon learning that Li Zhen had discovered their plan, the group, along with the elderly Wang Cheng, swiftly disappeared into the night.

Wang Cheng, still basking in his self-satisfaction, was unaware that his former subordinates had long since betrayed them. It was because Emperor Zhao Gou of the Song Dynasty harbored suspicions about the death of his adoptive father that he ordered his men to dig up the grave and open the coffin overnight. Sure enough, there was nothing inside, leading him to conclude that his father had been rescued.

Li Zhen and his men's whereabouts were easy to track, so these lowly Imperial City Guards, like flies, arrived in Tangyin County and happened to run into Wang Cheng, who was strolling around. The two sides met, leading to the scene described at the beginning.

Li Zhen said to Yue Peng, "Use this time to quickly train another fifty elite soldiers. We need to strengthen our ranks in the shortest possible time. I estimate that news of my father-in-law has already reached Lin'an City. Given the character of my brother-in-law, the emperor, he certainly won't let his father live. At that time, we will probably face countless assassinations and attacks."

Imagine the subtle turning point in that historical scroll. If Zhao Gou truly harbored a trace of nostalgia and longed to bring his father, Emperor Huizong of Song, who was far away in the northern winds and frost, back to his homeland of Lin'an, he might very well have used the entire national treasury to engage in a power exchange with the Jin Dynasty, all for the sake of that blood-related reunion.

Even though he was stingy with money, he could still wield his brush and ink, bestowing upon Yue Fei elite troops and strong generals, with golden spears and iron horses, vowing to break through the iron hooves, rescue the emperor from danger, and let his father return to the side of the dragon throne.

However, the complexity of human nature, like the ever-burning lamp in the deep palace, reflects the loneliness and indifference at the pinnacle of power. Zhao Gou, this emperor who had already tasted the sweetness of supreme power, harbored a desire and unwavering grip on imperial authority that transcended any familial ties. For him, relinquishing the empire he had already secured would be tantamount to burying the imperial dream he had forged with blood and wisdom.

Therefore, the fate of the old emperor Zhao Ji seemed to have been silently written on that distant land of the Jin dynasty. His remaining years were perhaps spent silently counting the passing years in the cold winds of a foreign land, never setting foot on that long-cherished homeland again until his last breath. This is the scheming and helplessness of an emperor in the torrent of history, and also the unspeakable sorrow and destiny of a father.