It was the twelfth lunar month, the weather was cold and the ground was freezing, and there was a strong charcoal fire burning in the Funing Hall, making it feel like warm spring.

Zhao Xu was lying alone on the dragon couch, his whole body covered under the brocade quilt, and he was sleeping soundly.

Suddenly, a soft call sounded in my ears.

"His Majesty."

Zhao Xu woke up leisurely, opened his hazy sleepy eyes, and looked at the bedside, but it was empty, not a single servant or maid.

Looking further, I saw that the chamberlain and the maids were all lying on the ground. I don't know whether they were dead or alive. There was only a man in a blue shirt, smiling, sitting in front of the table.

Fang Muye said: "They just fell asleep after I tapped their acupoints."

Zhao Xu was shocked. He was completely awake, but his face was still calm. After he got up and got out of bed, he asked Fang Muye: "Who are you?"

Fang Muye smiled and said, "Han people."

Zhao Xu asked again: "Did the Empress Dowager send you here? Is she not satisfied with listening to politics behind the curtain after all, and wants to be 'Wu Zetian'?"

Although this sentence was still calm, there was a hint of resentment in his tone.

The palace was heavily guarded and it was difficult for birds to enter. If it weren't for someone inside the palace, who could have come in so quietly and entered the Funing Palace where the emperor rested.

Zhao Xu knew clearly that the commander of the Royal Forest Army was the Empress Dowager's confidant, and the head of the eunuchs was also the Empress Dowager's confidant. It couldn't be easier for the Empress Dowager to let someone in quietly.

Zhao Xu has been the emperor for nearly seven years, but the real decision-maker in the court has always been the Empress Dowager. The civil and military ministers of the court are appointed by the Empress Dowager, and the imperial edicts are issued by the Empress Dowager. She has no control over everything.

You must obey the orders of the Empress Dowager and do not dare to do anything casually. If you say a casual word, you will be extremely angry with the Empress Dowager.

Now, the man in green shirt who suddenly appeared in his palace was probably sent by the Empress Dowager to murder him. How could Zhao Xu not be resentful?

Fang Muye seemed to know what Zhao Xu was thinking, and said: "Your grandma can't control me yet. Although the palace is heavily guarded, to me, it's like a deserted place. I come and go as I please, and

No one is needed to make internal arrangements.”

Zhao Xu frowned and asked again: "Who are you?"

Fang Muye smiled and said: "I have said before that I am a Han, a Han who can't bear to see China's mountains and rivers torn apart, so I came to see you, the emperor of the Song Dynasty."

Zhao Xu's eyes suddenly brightened, then dimmed again, and he said in a low voice: "I don't want the Han family to be broken, and I also want to rebuild it, but I am just a puppet emperor in name only, and the one in power now is the Tai Huang.

Queen Mother, what's the use of coming to see me? You should go find her."

Fang Muye said: "As the Empress Dowager, Mrs. Gao listened behind the curtain. People thought she was the daughter of Yao and Shun, but she was nothing more than a short-sighted woman who was greedy for power. In the early years, she united with conservatives to completely abolish new laws that were beneficial to the people and the country.

, which caused the Song Dynasty to completely lose an opportunity to reverse the financial crisis and ease the contradiction between the government and the opposition, and also caused the economy of the Song Dynasty to begin to collapse. Nowadays, the party disputes in the court are becoming more and more intense, and the chaotic political situation is also caused by her. Court officials

He was only thinking about how to fight among himself, and he didn't care about how to govern the country. The Song Dynasty was a good country, but in the hands of the Gao family, it was increasingly declining and decadent."

Having said this, Fang Muye paused for a moment, looked at Zhao Xu and continued: "On the contrary, in my opinion, you have the potential to be a hero, and can sweep away the current decline of the Song Dynasty."

Zhao Xu couldn't help but express a kind of joy at meeting a close friend, but then it turned into a feeling of helpless loss, and said: "Now all the ministers in the court ignore me, and they all think that the Empress Dowager is following me, and the Empress Dowager also thinks that I am still young.

If you use excuses and refuse to return the power to me, how can I have the chance to use my skills and do something big?"

Faced with Zhao Xu's complaint, Fang Muye smiled and refused and asked, "What will you do if you take power?"

Zhao Xu's young face suddenly showed a proud look, and he said proudly: "It is natural to inherit the legacy of the late emperor, restart the reform, enrich the country and strengthen the army, and restore the country's power. When the time is right, it will be the time when the glory of our Han family will be restored."

Zhao Xu walked to the window, opened it, and suddenly a cold wind hit him. Zhao Xu felt the coldness and could not help coughing twice, but ignored it.

At this time, the Big Dipper was shining in the night sky. He followed the direction of the handle of the dipper, looked towards the north, and said in a deep voice: "Our sixteen states of Yanyun have been occupied by the Liao people, and we have to pay them tribute of gold and silk every year. It's like

A vassal, but also a vassal state. As the emperor of the Song Dynasty, how can I swallow this breath? Are we always going to be oppressed by the Liao people? The Song Dynasty has rich land, sufficient soldiers and food, and a large population, so why should we be afraid?

Khitan? I will select generals to train troops, feed horses and store grain, and then go north to fight them to the death on the battlefield, so as to avenge the shame of our ancestors and promote the prestige of our Song Dynasty."

His voice became louder and louder as he spoke, and all he could think about was how to break through the formation and kill the enemy and regain the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. He imagined that he would ride on a big horse, command millions of soldiers, attack Shangjing, and the Lord of Liao would surrender.

Fang Muye looked at the hot-blooded young man standing in front of the bed, nodded secretly, and then raised his hand and made a gentle move. The window that Zhao Xu had pushed open was like an arm, and he closed it gently. Zhao Xu was immediately attracted by this miraculous method.

He was shocked, with a look of surprise in his eyes.

Fang Muye smiled and said: "You are weak, don't catch cold." Fu asked again: "How will you deal with this minister now?"

Zhao Xu said angrily: "They claim to be gentlemen, they claim to be loyal ministers of the imperial court, and they talk all about 'benevolence, justice, morality, and the common people and the country'. In fact, they are just selfish villains who are greedy for life and afraid of death. All important national affairs are ignored here."

If they are in the hands of corrupt Confucians, if I come to power, I will have to punish them severely."

Fang Muye smiled slightly and said, "I have some humble opinions. I wonder if you are willing to listen to them?"

Zhao Xu said seriously: "Sir, please speak."

Fang Muye said: "If you want to introduce the late emperor and reinstate the new law, it is certainly feasible. But governing the country is not child's play. I know that your hatred of the Gao family and the conservatives has been growing day by day in recent years, but the Gao family has bowed its head.

Since then, the people you have used are also talented people who are the pillars of the country, and the policies they have implemented are also commendable. You should not retaliate because you have resentment in your heart, just to eliminate the bad breath in your chest, and remove and veto them all. As a king.

"You should put the country first and then yourself, put the country first in everything, use it if it is beneficial, and get rid of it if it is harmful. You should not be angry and rob your mind, and you should not be angry and lead to chaos. You should be self-disciplined and never forget your original intention."

According to the original development, Zhao Xu really let go of his hands and feet after taking office and "let out his anger and retaliated".

He dismissed and vetoed all officials appointed and policies formulated during Gao Taotao's regency, and did the opposite. He recalled Zhang Dun, Cai Bian and other core reformists to the court, and demoted almost all conservative officials to remote wilderness areas.

Even the talented and learned Su Shi and Su Che were not spared.

Zhao Xu frowned. Although he was unhappy, he listened. After thinking about it for a while, he said to Fang Muye: "Thank you, sir, for your advice."

Fang Muye smiled and nodded, and said, "As for the Gao family's refusal to return power to you, you don't have to worry about that. I will help you get what you want."
Chapter completed!