A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1187: Star in Taiwei

The New Year of the 15th year of Zhenguan passed in a flash.

The most heatedly discussed issue in the court was the Fengshan Ceremony at Mount Tai.

This was something the emperor had already agreed on before. After many ministers asked the emperor to perform the Fengshan ceremony for many years, the emperor finally agreed.

Midnight,

Yongzhou Liquan Zhaoling Jiuye Mountain, Zifu Temple Yiqing Terrace,
Xue Yi, the Taizhong Taifu and the master of Zifu Temple, watched the stars at night.
Suddenly a comet streaked across the night sky.

"The star Betelgeux is in Taiwei, which is an ominous sign and a warning from heaven."

Xue Yi looked at the unusual constellations in surprise.

A young student of Taishi was on duty nearby and also saw the scene.

Xue Yi asked the student, "Did you just see that?"

"I saw a comet. It appeared in the Kui constellation, passed by the Wenchang star, passed by the Daling, Wuche, Beihe stars, entered the Taiwei star, and passed by the Dizuo star."

The comet was as big as a bucket and its light illuminated the earth.

Taiweiyuan represents the emperor's palace, and the impact of a comet indicates that a disaster will occur.

The comet also passed over the imperial constellation, which indicated an offense against the emperor.

Comets are unlucky stars.

When the Betelgeux appears, disaster will occur.

When the Comna invades Taiwei, it often even foreshadows national mourning.

Xue Yi was stunned for a long time, and his student's face turned pale. "Teacher, the comet appeared in Kui. Does it mean that the disaster will come from the west?"

This student of Taishi was Xue Yi's direct disciple and most talented student, and he also received a lot of true teachings in astronomy.

He said, "The sixteen stars of Kui in the west are the arsenal of heaven, and they are responsible for using military force to suppress violence.

Kui is the first of the seven western white tiger constellations, representing the tiger's tail. Its seven stars are wood, and its totem is the wolf, so it is also called Kui Wood Wolf.

"The Dipper is the chariot of the Emperor of Heaven, running in the center of the sky, ruling over the four seas. Just now the comet passed by Wenchang Palace. The six stars above the Dipper look like a figure wearing a basket on its head. That is Wenchang Palace. One star is called the General, two stars are called the Second General, three stars are called the Noble Minister, four stars are called the God of Life, five stars are called the God of Wealth, and six stars are called the God of Disasters.

A comet passing through Wenchang Palace indicates that a noble person will be imprisoned..."

The student of the Imperial History analyzed the astrological phenomena and came to several conclusions. The comet appeared in Kui, which might indicate that there would be a war in the west. The comet passed by Wenchang Palace, which might indicate that a noble person would be imprisoned. Finally, the comet hit Taiwei and passed by the Emperor's seat.
It is more likely to foreshadow unrest in the court or even national destruction.

Whose death is qualified as a national mourning? Generally, only the emperor, empress, retired emperor and empress dowager. The death of the crown prince is generally not called a national mourning.

In the current Tang Dynasty, the Empress Dowager, the Retired Emperor, and the Empress have all passed away.

The only one who can bear the national mourning is the saint of today.

When the historian talked about the national mourning, he couldn't help but tremble.

Xue Yi said to his disciple, "Don't tell anyone what you just said, and don't interpret the celestial phenomena recklessly anymore. Go back and rest first."

After the disciple left, Xue Yi meditated at the observatory until dawn before returning.

That day, he wrote a memorial to the emperor in Chang'an, which consisted of only one line.

"There is a star in Taiwei, so it is not possible to seal the east."

The Zifu Temple was garrisoned by the Northern Yamen Imperial Guards, who rode at full speed to Chang'an after receiving the letter.

Emperor Li Shimin also saw the comet last night. The comet was really big and bright, and Li Shimin also felt vaguely that it was a bad omen.

Early in the morning, he summoned the Grand Historian Li Chunfeng for questioning.

The explanation given by Li Chunfeng was that the star Betelgeux and Taihui violated the star of the Emperor's constellation, which was a warning of disaster, while the star appearing in Kui indicated war in the west.

After Li Chunfeng left,
Xue Yi's memorial arrived.

Li Shimin quickly took the letter.
Although Xue Yi is now a Taoist priest, he is Li Chunfeng's predecessor. After Fu Yi, the Grand Historian, retired at the beginning of the Zhenguan period, Xue Yi has been the Grand Historian for more than ten years. Last year, he resigned to become a Taoist priest.
He was originally a very famous Taoist priest. He was already well-known throughout the world during the Sui Dynasty. He understood astronomy, calendar, and was especially good at divination. He was introduced into the inner Taoist temple by Yang Guang. In the early Tang Dynasty, he joined the court of Qin Wang Li Shimin.

He was the first person to say that Li Shimin would become emperor. "The star of virtue guards Qin's share. The king should rule the world. May the king take care of himself."

When it came to astrology, Li Shimin had always had great trust in him. When he resigned from his official position due to old age, Li Shimin allowed him to resign from the position of Grand Historian. Li Shimin specially built the Zifu Temple for him on the Jiuyi Mountain in his own Zhaoling Mausoleum, and made him the abbot of the temple. He also built an observatory for him to continue observing the stars, and appointed him as Taizhong Daifu.

Li Chunfeng's analysis of the astrology just now made Li Shimin feel very upset. He now wanted to see what Xue Yi would say.

When I opened it, there was only that one line of words inside.

Very few words,

But it is consistent with what Li Chunfeng said.

The two Grand Historians actually had the same opinion on last night's astrology; Li Chunfeng just explained it more clearly when he answered it in person.

The west was in turmoil, nobles were imprisoned, the throne was plundered,

Although no one mentioned it as a national mourning, Li Shimin also knew a little about astrology and astronomy, and was aware that there had been several national mournings in history due to this kind of astrological signs.

It is not yet time to march east.

These four words left Li Shimin silent for a long time.

Emperors also have fears.

Li Shimin sat alone in the hall, pondering for a long time.

On this day, the emperor met no one and went nowhere. He locked himself in the palace for the whole day.

The next day,

The Emperor got up early, as usual.
Change clothes and attend court early.

In the south of the mountains in the Western Regions, the three countries of Shule, Zhujubo and Kepantuo sent envoys to the capital to submit their apologies, pay tribute and submit.

This is something to be happy about.

Zhang Liang, the Imperial Censor and Minister of State Affairs, congratulated the emperor and said, "The territory of our Great Tang Dynasty extends to the East China Sea, to Yanqi in the west, to Linyi in the south, and to the Great Desert in the north. All the prefectures, counties, and prefectures are included, not counting the vassal states. The total length from east to west is 9,510 li, and from north to south is 19,180 li."

"This is the prosperous scene of the Zhenguan era, and it is also the result of your Majesty's great military achievements!"

Zhang Liang’s flattery was very loud, but the emperor seemed to be in a bad mood today and remained expressionless.

Many ministers should have known about the unusual star signs last night, but no one took the initiative to mention it because it was not a good sign.

Wei Ting, the Minister of Rites and the Envoy of Fengshan, reported the preparations for the Fengshan ceremony.

After he spoke,

The emperor still did not respond.

Chu Suiliang stood up and finally mentioned the strange phenomenon last night, "Your Majesty, the sky is a warning, and the Fengshan ceremony should be postponed!"

As soon as he spoke, the attendant Wei Zheng also came out to support him.

When everyone finally started discussing this matter,

Things gradually moved in another direction.

Wei Ting, the Minister of Rites, saw that he was about to lose his job as the envoy to Fengshan, so he began to attack Wu Huaiyu, "Your Majesty, a comet appeared in Kui. I think this is a reminder from heaven that Wu Huaiyu has been doing evil in the Western Regions and has abused his power and wealth.

He acted on his own initiative in the Western Regions and was extremely bold. After capturing Yugu and destroying Gaochang, he became the Protector General of the Western Regions, whose duty was to maintain stability in the Western Regions.

However, Wu Huaiyu provoked wars everywhere in the Western Regions. Without consulting the emperor or the court, he beheaded the young Khan Ashina Buzhen, provoked border conflicts, and attacked the two powerful tribes of Nushipi and Asijie.
They attacked Poye, plundered and pillaged tribes everywhere.

He also sent troops directly to attack the Shi Kingdom, broke into the capital of the Shi Kingdom without any investigation, occupied the Suduo City, and captured the King of the Shi Kingdom, Tutun, and a group of ministers and nobles, and looted the palace and treasury of the Shi Kingdom.

What's even more outrageous is that Wu Huaiyu even planned to attack Shannan, Shule and other three kingdoms after the spring, and boasted that he would destroy the three kingdoms. "

"Your Majesty, it is true that Wu Huaiyu is the Grand Protector of Anxi, but he should be in charge of the three states of Yixiting and the states of Hexi.

But he relied on the emperor's favor to do such a mess in the Western Regions.

This is to provoke the entire Western Region Turkic tribes and countries to confront the Tang Dynasty.
Wu Huaiyu treated the Western Regions as his own private territory. He not only appointed Yuwen Chengdu, An Lushan, Li Keyong and others as garrison commanders, each commanding a large army, but he also wanted his adopted son Shi Shouxin to be the king of Shi and the governor of Dayuan. This was ridiculous.
Please, Your Majesty, immediately send someone to the Western Regions to remove Wu Huaiyu from his post and recall him to Chang'an to be questioned."

"Your Majesty, even the heavens are giving warnings through the stars. The comet is now in Kui, reminding Your Majesty of Wu Huaiyu's various illegal activities in the Western Regions. Please deal with them as soon as possible and don't hesitate."

Wei Ting and Wu Huaiyu are old rivals.

This hidden Prince Jiancheng was once a close confidant of the Wei family and a prominent figure among the six surnames in Guanlong. He had several opportunities to become a prime minister during the Zhenguan period, but was successively blocked by Wu Huaiyu, the warriors Hu, Ma Zhou, and Li Jing.

The two sides fought in the court more than once.

Now, Wei Ting did not hesitate to take advantage of last night's strange phenomenon to severely criticize Wu Huaiyu.

(End of this chapter)