When Zhu Lian mentioned the gambling in Yizhou, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, and her face was pale and bloodless.
Not to mention the Xiaoyuan Poetry Club, even if all Zhao Huan's past achievements were added together, they would not be as significant as this bet.
Just because this bet is a game between the prince and his majesty.
Once Zhao Huan fails to fulfill his promise, he will lose all the chips in his hand and become a puppet from then on.
Zhao Huan was able to reach this stage all because of his identity as the eldest son of the emperor. The loss of power of the eldest son meant that Zhao Huan would never have a chance to make a comeback.
Since His Majesty visited Gen Mountain in person, the entire Gen Mountain has been completely blocked.
Everyone knew nothing about the news from the outside world.
But everyone knew very well that Zhao Huan might not be able to survive this disaster. After all, traveling to and from Yizhou in just ten days to pick off 200 rebel heads was as difficult as climbing to the sky.
Besides...
Tong Guan and his like would never sit still and wait for death. Even if Zhao Huan could do it, Tong Guan would send a killer to intercept him halfway.
If a large group of people were escorted, they would not be able to rush back to Bianjing in time. On the contrary, if they traveled lightly, safety would become the biggest problem.
Yizhou made a huge gamble, and Zhao Huan was certain to lose.
Tong Guan stepped forward, seemingly righteous, but in fact, his murderous intent was revealed: "Your Majesty, the time limit has expired. If King Ding cannot fulfill his promise, he should be convicted of bullying the king!"
At this time, Zhao Ji's mentality had changed.
The son who used to be a good-for-nothing made a splash at the Xiaoyuan Poetry Festival. He competed with Yan Le and Pin Poems, and won three consecutive levels, winning the first place.
This great talent alone was enough to make Zhao Ji admire him with admiration, but it was a pity that you had no words for it.
"Prince Ding, I will give you one more time to burn incense."
"After one stick of incense, if you still can't fulfill your promise, I will expel you from the royal title!"
Remove the prince...
Not to mention the people in Prince Ding's palace, even the disciples who were watching the excitement were extremely shocked. This punishment was too severe.
Once the king loses his title, Zhao Huan, the eldest son of the emperor, will be worthless.
This is not only about Zhao Huan's own honor and disgrace, but also about the future of the Song Dynasty.
Tong Guan couldn't stop laughing. He had known Zhao Huan for so long and finally got the chance to get rid of this bastard.
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
As Tong Guan shouted loudly, all Tong Guan's gang members at the scene showed their ferocious side.
They couldn't wait to trample this crazy prince under their feet.
Although Zhao Kai was not a member of Tong Guan's party, he had a highly unified goal in getting rid of Zhao Huan.
"Brother Wang, congratulations on winning the first prize in the Xiaoyuan Poetry Competition!"
This belated congratulation is simply murderous and heartbreaking. He won the Xiaoyuan Poetry Club but lost everything. This stupid thing will definitely become the laughing stock of the entire Song Dynasty.
If it had been anyone else, I'm afraid his face would have been ashen.
However, everyone discovered that instead of being nervous at all, Zhao Huan sat down on the chair, crossed his legs, and put on a posture of "I love so and so."
"Changfu, look at the stinky handwriting you wrote."
"I also planned to sell the calligraphy treasures and discount them for cash, but it's better now that they are all destroyed!"
Facing Zhao Huan's rebuke, Chang Fu looked aggrieved.
"My lord, if you can't find anyone to copy, you have to ask me, the younger one... You can grab any scholar from the street and his handwriting is more beautiful than the younger one."
Zhao Huan casually crumpled the rice paper, threw it on the table, and then winked at Chang Fu.
Chang Fu, that brat, has already turned into a roundworm in Zhao Huan's belly.
With one look, he knew what Zhao Huan was going to do, so he immediately brought an incense burner and put a stick of incense in it.
Tong Guan was stunned, what does this mean? Demonstration?!
He knew that Zhao Huan was crazy, but he didn't expect that this guy was so crazy that he even dared to show off like this.
Considering that Zhao Huan was already a grasshopper after autumn and could not jump around for a few days, Tong Guan no longer had any worries and stepped forward directly, pointing at Zhao Huan condescendingly and scolding him.
"Bold! Rude!"
"Even if Yizhou's big bet is bound to lose, it won't break the pot. To sit in such a posture in front of His Majesty is clearly an act of ignorance!"
All the losers naturally agreed one after another.
"Hmph, for a person like you, even if he comes first in the Xiaoyuan Poetry Competition, what's the use?"
"That is, as a prince, if you want to convince the public, it is not enough to recite a few acid poems."
"Look at King Yun, and you will know what kind of person is worthy of being called a prince."
"It's shameful that the majestic eldest son, King Ding of the Song Dynasty, doesn't even have a statue!"
Just a moment ago, Zhao Huan had won applause from the crowd, but in the blink of an eye, he was the target of thousands of people.
This is not just a simple disparagement, but represents another sudden change in the structure of the court.
Zhao Huan is about to lose power, and anyone can boss him around.
Seeing that something was wrong, a group of Hanlin Academy scholars were about to sever ties with Zhao Huan, but were stopped by Zhang Mao.
"Don't worry yet!"
"King Ding has always been able to turn decay into magic, but he can't make a conclusion until the last moment."
"Let's wait and see for a while before talking."
The silence of the warring faction in the Hanlin Academy is tantamount to condoning Tong Guan and his ilk.
For a time, the accusations from the entire Gen Yue grew louder and louder, and even the literati who were watching joined the camp of criticism.
"Your Majesty's literary attainments are unparalleled throughout history, but it's a pity that he is such a bad person!"
"Hehehe, as a prince, he doesn't even understand the most basic etiquette. Is it because he lost the bet that he has to act like a fool?"
"Stand up!"
"How dare you act so arrogantly in front of His Majesty!"
The atmosphere at the scene became increasingly tense. At this juncture, Zhao Huan finally removed his right leg from his left leg.
Just when everyone thought Zhao Huan had given up, this guy actually... changed his legs and put his left leg on his right leg.
He rested his elbows on the table and dragged his cheeks with his palms. He was so lazy that he didn't even pay attention to the traitors and bastards around him.
"Your Majesty gave me one time to burn the incense. In other words, the bet will not end until the incense is burned out."
"Shut your mouths, my king, or you will bear the consequences."
As soon as these words came out, the scholar-gentleman immediately became silent, and the scoundrel did not dare to be presumptuous again.
On the other hand, Tong Guan raised his head and laughed: "Hahaha, Prince Ding, you can only show off your power with a stick of incense."
"Since others dare not say anything, I, the Prince of Guangyang County, will naturally risk my life to speak out!"
As he spoke, Tong Guan turned around and knelt down in front of Zhao Ji.
"Your Majesty, this matter has nothing to do with the bet, but rather to deceive the king and ignore him. Simply expelling the king is not enough, he should be demoted two levels in a row to a marquis!"
Not to mention the Song Dynasty, throughout history, we can't find a few princes who were named marquises, let alone the eldest son of the emperor?
Tong Guan's move was extremely insidious. He just wanted to use Yizhou's bet to trample Zhao Huan to the end.
The eldest son of the emperor who is crowned a marquis? The most ridiculous thing in the world!