After broadcasting the ancient times live, I handed the system over to the state.

Zhao Kuangyin's face grew increasingly grim. His already dark and plump face became even darker. He was panting heavily, his chest heaving, and immediately grabbed a pillar axe and chased after Zhao Guangyi, hacking at him.

While chasing and slashing, he kept saying, "Good, good, good!"

Later on, it came down to, "I, I, the dog-footed I!"

While Zhao Kuangyin was watching what was being said above the sky, he did not forget to pursue and kill Zhao Guangyi.

Zhao Guangyi, on the other hand, was fleeing everywhere, in a sorry state.

Zhu Qinggu continued, "Let's look at Sima Guang's record of Zhao Guangyi's ascension to the throne."

Zhu Qinggu marked those sections with red lines: "The Empress sent the eunuch Wang Ji'en to find Zhao Defang. What did Wang Ji'en go to do? He went directly to the Prince of Jin's residence to find Zhao Guangyi. The record here says that Wang Ji'en knew that Zhao Kuangyin had always wanted to pass the throne to Zhao Guangyi. When he got there, he found that the doctor Cheng Dexuan was also there. Then he told Cheng Dexuan that the Emperor wanted to pass the throne to Zhao Guangyi?"

"Later, when the Empress saw that it was Zhao Guangyi, she was also very surprised, as if she had not expected it at all, and begged Zhao Guangyi to entrust both her and her son to him."

"Later, Zhao Guangyi only brought out the Golden Box Covenant a few years after he ascended the throne to prove the legitimacy of his accession. The Golden Box Covenant means that Zhao Kuangyin once said to Empress Dowager Du that the succession would be passed down from brother to brother. But why didn't he bring it out at the beginning of his accession, but only a few years later?"

"Many people suspect that Zhao Kuangyin's death was not normal, because Zhao Guangyi later reprimanded Zhao Dezhao, who then committed suicide. Zhao Defang also died under mysterious circumstances. According to the Golden Box Covenant, his third brother Zhao Tingmei should have succeeded him. However, Zhao Tingmei later rebelled, and Zhao Guangyi did not kill him but preserved his official position and the title of Prince of Wei. Later, Zhao Tingmei died in depression."

"Another reason is that it is said that Zhao Guangyi poisoned Li Yu, the last emperor of Nantang, and Qian Chu, the ruler of Wuyue. So some people speculated that Zhao Guangyi used Cheng Dexuan's poison to kill Zhao Kuangyin, but there is no real evidence to judge the specifics."

"Therefore, this matter has become an eternal mystery."

"Some speculate that it was because Zhao Kuangyin had long been aware of Zhao Guangyi's ambition for rapid expansion, but only gave him gentle warnings. For example, he had Zhao Guangyi accompany him on his tour of Luoyang, tentatively suggested moving the capital, weakened the power of Kaifeng Prefecture, pushed Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Defang to the forefront, and frequently contacted his younger brother Zhao Guangmei. These things made Zhao Guangyi feel uneasy, so Zhao Guangyi chose to take action."

"Some people say that during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, because the transition of the kingdoms was too short, many rulers did not have time to cultivate their sons. It was basically the custom of succession by brothers. So it is not impossible that Zhao Kuangyin had this idea. However, Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Defang had already grown up, so this is just speculation."

"No matter what, time is relentless and these things are far removed from us. We can only glimpse a corner of that dust through historical records."

[Got it, Breaking Bad!]

[With Emperor Song here, who dares to disobey? I'll poison them all to death!]

Upon hearing the words from the sky, Zhao Guangyi was filled with grief. Zhao Kuangyin had already changed to a guard's long sword, but when the blade was about to strike, Zhao Kuangyin did not cut down. Instead, he looked at Zhao Guangyi, who had his eyes closed.

"Zhao Guangyi, we've been brothers for decades, yet we have to fight to the death for this position. How tragic!"

“That year you were seriously ill and unconscious. I was afraid that the moxibustion would be too painful for you, and I was also afraid that it would be ineffective, so I tried the moxibustion on myself. Later, you did indeed recover,” Zhao Kuangyin said slowly. “Worried about the water supply of the Prince of Jin’s residence, I also had waterwheels built to pump water into the pool in your residence, and put you in charge of the capital for more than ten years…”

"Your two nephews and nieces also love and admire you greatly, how could you bear to do this to them?" Zhao Kuangyin questioned, word by word.

However, Zhao Kuangyin's words did not affect Zhao Guangyi, who had long since turned into a wolf. Zhao Guangyi opened his eyes, full of mockery, "Didn't Emperor Xiaowen personally bandage your wounds back then, trust you completely, and entrust his son to you? Didn't you still seize the throne from the Chai family?"

Emperor Xiaowen refers to Chai Rong.

Thinking of Chai Rong, Zhao Kuangyin also sighed deeply.

Zhao Kuangyin dropped his long sword and staggered back to the palace. His figure looked incredibly desolate. He stepped into the palace and left only one voice behind, "I will not kill Guangyi."

This statement of not killing did not mean that Zhao Guangyi's life was spared.

If Zhao Guangyi hadn't died, would the rest of the household have survived?

In fact, whatever Tianmu said about these things, whether or not he actually did them in history, they are true now.

This is royalty.

Zhao Guangyi kowtowed to the figure, his long sword plunged into his abdomen, and he staggered away in the opposite direction from Zhao Kuangyin. Gradually, his pace slowed, and blood dripped down his path.

Finally, he collapsed to the ground, and everything in the world seemed to lose its color, except for that patch of crimson and that fallen figure.

Zhao Kuangyin heard the sound, paused slightly, but did not turn around.

He knew that Zhao Guangyi understood his words and took action himself.

After relinquishing military power over a cup of wine, Zhao Kuangyin felt that the highest position of power in the world was also the loneliest.

This time it was Zhao Guangyi, what about next time?

His son? Or perhaps another younger brother?

……

The live broadcast was still going on above the sky, and no one knew that deep within this palace, only a sigh remained.

That concludes our story of "The Axe Sound and the Candle Shadow." If you enjoyed it, please like and comment!

"The next age-old mystery is—"

"He was an emperor who squandered a winning hand. He was the only emperor whose rebellion by a vassal king was successful. After the fire was extinguished, his whereabouts became a mystery. Centuries later, historians are still studying where he is, whether he is dead or alive!"

Zhu Qinggu's words were brief and to the point, but they piqued the curiosity of countless people.

Especially those from before the Ming Dynasty. As for those from after the Ming Dynasty, they could guess more or less. But before the host gave a definite answer, they were still wondering if it was the dynasty after them.

The Twelve Golden Men only touched upon the subject briefly, but the Axe and Candle Shadows hinted at fratricide, and the next one is...

The princes have rebelled!

That's not the point. The point is the emperors who succeeded in their rebellions by the vassal kings.

Su Shi put down his pen and couldn't help but clapp his hands and laugh. "The Lady Zhu in this sky is really tantalizing. It would be great if she could communicate with people from later generations, or even with people from the past."

Sima Guang, who was repeatedly mentioned, remained unmoved in the face of strange looks from others in the court. As for what he wanted to subtly mention or conceal this matter, that was a matter for later.

Anyway, Tianmu said everything that should and shouldn't have been said.