"When Taizong passed away, after a contest among the various factions, the current Jin Emperor eventually ascended the throne. But he was still young at the time, so the power of the court was jointly held by the three meritorious officials who had helped him take the throne," Wanyan Chongjie suddenly began, recalling those events in an especially sorrowful tone. "They were my grandfather, Wanyan Zongpan; Wanyan Zonggan, King of Hailing's father; and Prince Zhao, Wanyan Honglie."
"Wanyan Honglie? So in this world, he really was Yang Kang's biological father..." Song Qingshu did not interrupt Wanyan Chongjie and continued listening to her.
"At first, they got along peacefully and governed the court together. The Jin Dynasty's national strength soon flourished, making it one of the strongest powers under heaven. But all three were exceptional men—how could any of them truly be willing to share power with others? Before long, they began undermining one another and fighting for power and profit."
"At first, my grandfather held the advantage. After all, he was Taizong's eldest son, and in theory, he should have inherited the throne after Taizong's death. But due to the balance of power among the various factions, he had no choice but to return the throne to Taizu's descendants. Still, a starved camel was bigger than a horse. His faction was the strongest among the three regents. It so happened that Prince Zhao's heir apparent, Wanyan Kang, was killed in the Central Plains. Prince Zhao was devastated, and my grandfather took the opportunity to cut away his wings, driving him from the center of power. In the end, Prince Zhao died in depression."
Song Qingshu's expression turned strange. From the way she described it, her grandfather had clearly not been a good man. Yet she did not seem inclined to