Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

"But my father clearly——"

"Your father just doesn't support it, but he doesn't say he opposes it!" Li Dingyue said: "After all, I am his daughter-in-law, so he will not speak out against his own family!"

Hearing this, Hu Liang finally understood his wife's intention, and could only sigh: "Well, since you have made up your mind, I won't stop you. But I will say something ugly first. If my father doesn't agree, don't complain. !”

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Political Hall.

"General!" Zhang Wenguan said suddenly. He picked up a memorial from the desk and handed it to Wang Wenzuo: "You should read this first, about your family members!"

Wang Wenzuo took it and looked at it, with a look of surprise on his face. Zhang Wenguan saw it and asked, "Did you not know about this at all in advance? I thought I had already gotten along with you!"

"The ventilation has passed!" Wang Wenzuo flipped through the memorial: "Hu Liang came to my place two days ago and mentioned that the eldest princess wanted to open a mansion and set up a library. I said at the time that this matter was not that simple. After all, the eldest princess is my daughter-in-law. If she opens a mansion, people will think that I am greedy for power. I thought that this matter would be over, but I didn’t expect that she still insists on doing it! "

"After all, she is the emperor's sister, so she is different from others!" Zhang Wenguan smiled: "What do you think, General? King Han and I both take your lead!"

"That's what Prime Minister Zhang said!" Wang Wenzuo laughed bitterly: "You are pushing me into the fire! I am in a place of suspicion about this matter, what else can I say?"

"I'm different!" King Han waved his hand: "Although I am also a member of the clan, after all, I have been separated by several generations. I am already far away and cannot be compared with her."

"A good thing?" Wang Wenzuo said with a wry smile: "How can it be said that a woman opens a mansion and opens a library? This is a good thing?"

"There is a precedent for this in this dynasty! Didn't the late empress recruit talented people to compile books such as "Xuan Lan", "Ancient and Modern Nei Fan", "Qing Palace Minutes", "Biography of Filial Sons", and "Biography of Lienu" etc. , although they did not open a government office, these scholars also participated in the court discussion and were awarded the title of Beimen Bachelor. This is no different from opening a government office and establishing a library, right? The first empress is the mother of the eldest princess, and can be regarded as the successor It’s a legacy!”

"Does Prime Minister Zhang mean to allow the eldest princess to open a palace and open a pavilion?" Wang Wenzuo asked slowly, turning his eyes to King Han aside: "What do you think, His Highness King Han?"

"I have little knowledge, but Prime Minister Zhang is right. A woman has to walk in front of the Palace of Hell to give birth to a child. If everything goes well and the queen gives birth to a boy, it will be the best. If she gives birth to a girl, even the queen What should we do if we fail to survive this test? The three of us have important responsibilities in the world, so we have to prepare a backup plan!"

"The emperor's health is now even worse than that of the late emperor!" Zhang Wenguan said with a smile: "Sanlang, I know you will say that the eldest princess is not a queen after all, but the problem is that the current queen is simply incapable of handling government affairs? In my opinion, the eldest princess is not a queen after all. Opening a house and setting up a library is actually a good move. No matter how much we say we have the power, we are not the head of the family after all, we are just helping others to take care of the family business. There is no real boss in the family, so we always do things in the name of others. To be honest, although the eldest princess is a woman, her surname is Li." At this point, he suddenly said to King Han: "I almost forgot, King Han, you are also surnamed Li!"

Although Wang Wenzuo knew that he was the strongest among the "three heads", he knew in his heart that King Han and Zhang Wenguan also had their own advantages. The former was one of the few surviving disciples of Emperor Gaozu, and he was highly respected among the clan's nobles. , had a high prestige; and Zhang Wenguan was not only an outstanding administrative bureaucrat, but also had many connections in the administrative bureaucracy of the Tang Dynasty, and he knew people well. Unless he wanted to overturn the table directly, he would not be able to control the central power of the Tang Dynasty without the assistance of these two people.

Therefore, it is necessary for the eldest princess to come forward to open a palace and establish a museum to increase her reputation and serve as a political backup for possible accidents. As for why King Pei, King Ying, and King Xiang are not used as political backup, the reason is simple: these three are not too young. If the three of them take the throne within two years, they will be able to take charge of the government. As the emperor's courtiers, Wang Wenzuo and the three of them have to leave to make room for themselves. Wang Wenzuo doesn't matter, the most he can do is return to Hebei Haidong as his general. Han Wang can continue to be his rich prince. What should Zhang Wenguan do? Of course it would be better to have a woman in the palace!

"General, now the throne is empty and there is no heir. The Tang Dynasty is in a critical stage of survival. The eldest princess is kind and virtuous. She is the closest relative of the emperor and your daughter-in-law. If the queen has something that she cannot bear to say, she will The three of us are the best candidates to assist the throne. We have to put the world first, so how can we care about our own reputation?" said King Han.

Wang Wenzuo glanced at King Han: "What His Royal Highness King Han said makes sense, but the eldest princess is my daughter-in-law. If I allow her to open a palace and set up a museum, what will the people in the world think? How will this put my reputation?"

"Why don't you avoid relatives in the imperial examination?" Zhang Wenguan said with a smile. He waved his hand, called King Han over, and handed over the memorial: "Come and take a look. Do you think we should ask Sanlang more?"

After hearing this, Wang Wenzuo already understood what Zhang Wenguan meant. The Tang Dynasty belongs to the Li family. Even if the three of them are capable, they are just ministers. There must be someone named Li in the palace who can authorize them to be legitimate. Now that Li Hong has fallen ill, the queen will be replaced. But the problem is that the queen is pregnant and about to give birth. If things go wrong at this juncture, the middle palace will be empty, and Wang Wenzuo and the other three will have no source of legitimacy for their rule. , another person must be replaced.

"This -" Wang Wenzuo said with a bitter smile: "Then it can't be compared like this, right? The reason why the late empress did this was because the emperor was suffering from a wind disease and could not see things, so the late empress had no choice but to act as regent!"

"Oh? She is the emperor's sister after all!" King Han looked at the memorial: "I think this is a good thing!"

"The Queen is pregnant now and can't do anything!" Zhang Wengui shook his head: "Even if the birth goes well, it will take at least half a year before she can see things normally. General, a woman has to walk in front of the Palace of Hell to give birth. Damn it, for the sake of the country, we still need to prepare an extra way out!”

"Then even if she has to be in charge, it should be the queen, right?" Wang Wenzuo asked.

The intentions of King Han and Zhang Wenguan just now are very clear. They hope to make the temporary division of power during the short transition period of the "three-headed politics" long-term and formalized. This is in conflict with the original political organizational structure of the Tang Empire. of. Therefore, King Han and Zhang Wenguan intentionally or unintentionally excluded the three brothers of Li Hong, King Pei, King Ying, and King Xiang, from the ranks of successors to the throne, because as long as any of the three of them ascended the throne, they would find a way to end it This temporary power distribution system. The huge power in the hands of the two of them disappeared. This feeling of falling from the peak of power was something that few people could accept.

So how can we maintain the "three heads" system? The only way is to always maintain this "abnormal" temporary state, that is, to ensure that the person on the throne has no ability to exercise supreme power, and can only rely on the three of them to restrain each other to exercise power on behalf of the person on the throne. So the two of them were actually very happy to see the queen's current state, but they also had to consider another situation, that is, if the queen died suddenly during the next childbirth, it would mean that the future emperor would Produced among the three brothers of King Poyang and the Son of Heaven. Even if the King of Poyang is chosen in the end, since the Queen and Xu Cairen are already dead, it means another major reshuffle of the top politics of the Tang Dynasty, which they absolutely cannot allow.

In this case, it is not difficult to understand that Zhang Wenguan and King Han supported the eldest princess in opening a mansion and setting up a museum. First of all, as the aunt of King Poyang, after the queen's death, she was actually King Poyang's closest female relative. If King Poyang ascended the throne, she could participate in high-level politics as the guardian of the future emperor. And she is Wang Wenzuo's daughter-in-law at the same time, which is equivalent to selling a good deal to Wang Wenzuo and deepening the bond between the three of them, so these two people actually actively promoted this matter even when Wang Wenzuo showed hesitation. "Since this is the case, let's first allow the eldest princess to open a palace and recruit staff! Setting up a library is too appalling!" Wang Wenzuo said with a bitter smile.

"Okay, then let's make her the Princess of the Town first! She is allowed to open the palace, recruit her own staff, and participate in the political hall to listen to the discussions of the prime ministers. How about that?" Zhang Wenguan said with a smile.

"Is it okay to participate in the political hall and listen to the discussions of the ministers?" Wang Wenzuo asked.

"At this time, both the emperor and the queen are unable to pay attention to the affairs. There is nothing wrong with it, right?"

"Okay!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "Let us report this matter to Her Majesty the Queen first, and then announce it after the Queen gives her permission!"

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Taiji Palace, Ganlu Palace.

"What? Confess Dingyue as the Princess of the Zhenguo, and be allowed to open a palace, recruit staff on her own, and participate in the political hall to listen to the discussions of the prime ministers?" The queen dropped the document in her hand and looked directly at Wang Wenzuo: "General, what are you doing? what the hell?"

"It's the request made by Her Royal Highness the Princess, we just allow it!" Wang Wenzuo smiled a little reluctantly. He could feel the muscles in his cheeks twitching. Damn it, it's not easy to tell lies with your eyes open! It seems that I am still too honest and not suitable for politics.

"Of course I know this is what she proposed, but why did you agree?" The queen covered her eyes, tired and annoyed: "The Holy Emperor entrusted the government to the three of you. Ding Yue is still a child, and you actually accompany her. It really disappoints me to mess around with her!”

"Your Majesty the Queen!" It was Zhang Wenguan who spoke this time: "I think the eldest princess is not fooling around this time, but is doing a rare act of wisdom!"

"Xiang Zhang, what do you mean?" The queen turned to Zhang Wenguan.

"It's very simple, just prepare for the worst case scenario!" Zhang Wenguan asked: "Her Royal Highness the eldest princess is a woman. If there is an emergency here, it is better for her to serve as regent than King Pei and the other three, right?"

When the queen heard this, her face suddenly turned pale. Apparently she also heard the meaning of Zhang Wenguan's "You have something in case". She thought for a moment: "What Zhang said is, okay, I agree to this matter." ! If it really comes to that, please take good care of me and your Majesty’s three daughters!”

"I hereby obey Her Majesty the Queen's will!" Wang Wenzuo, Zhang Wenguan, and Li Yuanjia responded in unison.

"Use the seal, I agree!" The queen sighed and closed her eyes, her face already full of tiredness.

Prince Pei's Mansion.

"Brother, brother!"

Li Xian raised his head from the book and saw his brother. King Li Xian of England came over in a hurry. He was only seven or eight steps away when he shouted: "Did you know? The queen and her three dogs have sealed our little sister. As the princess of the town, she is allowed to open a palace, recruit staff on her own, and participate in the political hall to listen to the discussions of the ministers! "

"What a mess!" Li Xian put down the book in his hand and frowned: "Are you kidding me? Dingyue is a daughter's family, how can she run a government, let alone participate in the political hall and listen to the discussions of the prime ministers?"

"You can see for yourself whether it's true or not!" Li Xian took out a piece of silk paper from his sleeve: "Look carefully, don't say I'm lying to you!"

Li Xian took the paper and read it once before wondering: "It's true. What are you doing?"

"Brother, you haven't seen it yet?" Li Xian sneered: "This is not simple, it is used to deal with the three of us. Think about it, the eldest brother is seriously ill and cannot see things. The queen and her dogs I would rather let the younger sister get promoted to a higher position and go to the Political Affairs Hall to learn how to deal with political affairs, than let the three of us go. Isn't this clear? If the younger sister hadn't married Wang Wenzuo's son, I’m afraid even my little sister won’t be able to get her turn!”

Li Xian didn't speak for a long time. After a long time, he sighed: "This is also my fault. If I hadn't been involved in the Pei Judao incident, the queen might not have done this."

"Brother, you are really too honest!" Li Xian said anxiously: "You were implicated in Pei Judao's matter, what about me and my younger brother? We didn't do anything! But up to now, our brothers have completely Being marginalized, it's like the emperor has no brothers. Do you think this situation is because of what happened back then? In the final analysis, they just want to drive out our Li family bit by bit and quietly make this world their own. of!"

Li Xian didn't speak. He paced back and forth in the room and suddenly stopped after a while: "Then what do you think we should do?"

"What to do?" Li Xian's eyes flashed: "In my opinion, just follow Emperor Taizong's example and carry out the Xuanwumen Revolution. Kill all three old dogs, Wang Wenzuo, Zhang Wenguan, and Li Yuanjia, and then rush into the palace and snatch the emperor brother out. , I call you the crown prince. After all, Emperor Taizong conquered this world through many battles. When did a group of outsiders turn to make irresponsible remarks and exclude us, the Li family?" (End of Chapter)