Zhao Song: My father was Emperor Taizu of Song

Chapter 7 The Son Is Not Like His Father

Looking at the several knife tips in front of him, Zhao Dezhao blinked, his face showing just the right amount of fear and apprehension.

Then, he lowered his head and secretly glanced at Zhao Pu. As if he had received some encouragement, his expression changed slightly, and his youthful face was full of solemnity and helplessness.

"This...this is what you forced me to do..."

"I'll go tell my father right away!"

After saying this, before anyone could react, he fled into the tent, leaving the generals outside looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Isn't this a bit too frivolous..." Wang Yansheng frowned and looked at Li Chuyun.

They had drawn their swords earlier because Li Chuyun had drawn his sword first, setting the stage for the confrontation, leaving them no choice but to comply.

After calming down, some of the generals still sensed something was amiss.

They all turned their inquisitive gazes toward Li Chuyun.

Anyone with eyes to see could see that Li Chuyun's move to force Zhao Dezhao to abdicate was definitely intentional.

Zhao Pu also looked thoughtful.

These events are highly unusual, especially Zhao Dezhao's appearance, which seemed premeditated, suggesting that someone was behind him devising a plan.

He never doubted Li Chuyun.

Based on his understanding of Li Chuyun, he could almost conclude that Li Chuyun did not have the wisdom to make Zhao'er join the drama so naturally, and even steal the credit that Zhao Kuangyi originally deserved.

Li Chuyun was, after all, just a military man, a rough fellow. He was good at leading troops in battle, but his wisdom and strategy were far from sufficient.

Who could this person be?

Could it be...?

As if he had figured something out, Zhao Pu's eyes lit up slightly, and he gave the central command tent a meaningful look.

Seeing this, Zhao Kuangyi, whose gaze had been fixed on Zhao Pu, couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

"Trying to confuse the issue? Do you really think I don't know who's behind this?"

"Zhao Pu, you still overestimated that child. How could a mere nine-year-old not leave any trace of his true nature?"

Recalling the frequent glances Zhao Dezhao cast at Zhao Pu earlier, Zhao Kuangyi became even more certain of his suspicions.

After all, he had a good relationship with most of Zhao Kuangyin's many advisors, except for Zhao Pu, with whom he had not gotten along from the beginning.

The people outside the tent had different thoughts.

Only Li Chuyun remained indifferent and unperturbed.

"What am I afraid of?"

"After all, someone else is taking the blame for me..."

……

When Zhao Dezhao entered the tent, he found that the tent, which should have been pitch black, had a few faint candlelight flickering.

The candlelight flickered before the bed, illuminating a tall and imposing figure.

The historical record states that Zhao Kuangyin was "sleeping soundly in his drunken stupor, snoring loudly," but he was already dressed in armor and sitting upright on his couch. Even when he saw that the person who entered the tent was Zhao Dezhao instead of Zhao Kuangyi, his expression remained calm.

"Zhao'er, come here."

Even though the plan had changed, Zhao Kuangyin's tone remained calm.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhao nervously walked up to Zhao Kuangyin and bowed to him, saying, "Father..."

Before Zhao Dezhao could finish speaking, Zhao Kuangyin interrupted him, saying, "I am already aware of the situation outside."

Such commotion outside could not possibly be kept from Zhao Kuangyin, who had not slept all night inside his tent.

After saying this, Zhao Kuangyin got up from the couch, walked to Zhao Dezhao, and looked down at him.

"I'll only ask you one question: who taught you these things?"

As one of the most powerful emperors in history, Zhao Kuangyin was quite tall and strong. With his armor on, he stood silently in front of Zhao Dezhao like a mountain.

As he uttered these words, his imposing aura, born from countless battles, subtly emanated from him towards Zhao Dezhao.

For a moment, Zhao Dezhao felt immense pressure, and cold sweat almost uncontrollably seeped from his back!

He knew that what he had done had crossed Zhao Kuangyin's bottom line!

It's not about taking credit.

What Zhao Kuangyin could not tolerate was that someone had taken advantage of his son!

The key issue is that he cannot reveal himself at this time, because he has no way of explaining everything.

Unlike Li Chuyun, Zhao Kuangyin knew his son very well.

Of course he knew exactly what Zhao Dezhao was capable of.

So even if he admitted that he was the one who did it, Zhao Kuangyin would not believe him at all, and would only guess that the person behind it made him say it.

As a result, Zhao Kuangyin would inevitably become more suspicious, leading to even more trouble.

"Father... Yes, it was Third Uncle who taught Zhao'er..."

After much deliberation, Zhao Dezhao still felt that invoking Zhao Kuangyi's name would be the most effective solution.

It's inappropriate to criticize anyone, even Zhao Pu, because Zhao Kuangyin would not tolerate this matter!

But Zhao Kuangyi was different.

When Zhao Dezhao invoked Zhao Kuangyi's name, the matter became a family affair of the Zhao family.

Zhao Kuangyin valued family ties, and given Zhao Kuangyi's good image in his mind, he didn't pursue the matter further.

Given Zhao Kuangyi's refined and gentle demeanor in front of him, it was only natural that his younger brother would give the credit for the first advancement to his son.

"Zhao'er overheard her father and Uncle Zeping talking outside the study that day and learned about this matter."

Thinking of this, Zhao Dezhao raised his head, putting on a pitiful look, his eyes even reddening slightly, making him appear quite endearing, and said:

"Although Zhao'er is young... she also wanted to share her father's burdens, so she went to her uncle and asked him to send her to the camp."

"At first, my uncle disagreed, but Zhao'er threatened to kill herself, so he finally..."

He paused deliberately, his small mouth trembled, and large tears streamed down his cheeks uncontrollably.

"Father, don't blame Uncle. If anyone is to blame, blame Zhao'er!"

"Zhao'er only wants to stay by Father's side to share Father's burdens. If Father fails, Zhao'er, Zhao'er can go with Father..."

Sincerity is always the ultimate weapon!

A father knows best whether his son is lying.

So when nine-year-old Zhao Dezhao uttered these words with tears streaming down his face, Zhao Kuangyin had no doubt whatsoever. His heart softened instantly, and he sighed heavily.

"Do you know that in this chaotic world, the title of the eldest son of the emperor brings you more than just honor?"

"Do you know that after tonight, my Zhao clan will have no way out? We will either pacify the world and establish a peaceful imperial family, or our entire clan will die under a hail of blades, and our lineage will be extinguished!"

"Exposing yourself to the public eye so early is more of a curse than a blessing for your growth!"

As he finished speaking, Zhao Kuangyin's tone gradually became solemn.

Having fought his way through the chaos of the world, he knew that what he said was not an exaggeration, but after he finished speaking, he still felt a little regretful.

His original intention was to let his son know the cruelty of the chaotic world, and even more so, to let his son understand what the title of "eldest son of the emperor" truly meant.

Having spent so many years in the military, he clearly had little experience in raising children.

For a nine-year-old child who has been protected by his elders since childhood, his words just now may have brought a lot of negative emotions to Zhao Dezhao.

Sure enough, upon hearing his words, Zhao Dezhao lowered his head, looking flustered and somewhat at a loss.

Realizing this, Zhao Kuangyin could only sigh inwardly.

"The son will never be like his father..."

"We must find someone to properly train him in the future, otherwise he will be incapable of handling important responsibilities!"