People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1502: Regent
"Let's talk about Princess Fuchang's marriage."

On the imperial couch, the emperor's voice became relaxed: "I know my own health very well. If I am lucky enough to survive until the end of next summer, I will never see you come back."

What I am most concerned about now is the marriage of Princess Fuchang. Now there is a plan, so that she won’t be randomly assigned a marriage in the future.”

Who was it who randomly granted marriage? Li Xian?

Li Xuan's expression was stern, and he bowed his hands seriously and said, "Regarding my daughter's marriage, I have thought a lot, but in the end, it's nothing more than the word 'transparency'."

The emperor was stunned for a moment, then nodded in understanding and said, "You are right. Life is nothing more than understanding."

Li Xuan bowed slightly and said, "I think my daughter is still young. Even if she gets married, it will be a few years later. By then, I should have returned to the court. Then, I will ask for permission to be the chief examiner for a term, take a look at the quality of the scholars in the world, and finally decide on the candidates."

The emperor leaned back on the imperial couch and said with a smile, "It turns out that Twenty-Seventh Prince wants to choose the number one scholar as his son-in-law."

Li Xuan smiled, but calmly shook his head and said, "I actually want to choose the runner-up."

"Oh." The emperor immediately became interested and asked, "Why choose the second place instead of the first place?"

"The top scholar has long-term ambitions, the second place is romantic and unrestrained, and only the second place is as gentle as jade, practical and talented, with a solid foundation, and is the most suitable character for me." Li Xuan bowed slightly.

"Yes, just like you." Li Zhi sighed lightly. He completely understood what Li Xuan meant.

Find someone who is not too ambitious, who is not overambitious, who can do things in a down-to-earth manner, who has a clear view of his position, and who will eventually be successful, but who can also protect himself and not get involved in any kind of trouble.

Ultimately, it's just him.

Li Xuan bowed again, looking ashamed.

Li Zhi smiled, and suddenly an idea flashed through his mind. He asked, "If I give you a chance to recommend someone, who would you recommend?"

"Now?" Li Xuan was slightly stunned.

"Now, right now, right now, you only have one chance." Li Zhi's expression became serious.

Li Xuan took a deep breath, thought for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "I hope Your Majesty can transfer Yuzhou Governor Wei Xuanzhen back to the court and appoint him as the Secretary General."

Li Zhi was slightly stunned, then narrowed his eyes and said: "The current Secretary General is Dou Xiaochen, Silang's father-in-law."

"I know." Li Xuan bowed solemnly, and then said: "The reason why I said this is that I hope to tell the Crown Prince that the Secretary General is the father of the Crown Princess. This is the highest position he can hold in the court in his lifetime."

Li Zhi's eyes flashed, and he now understood that what Li Xuan really wanted was to suppress the Wei family.

Wei was one of the noble families in Longxi and the father of the Crown Princess.

Li Zhi has gained some understanding of the Crown Princess's character over the years.

Li Xian is not like him who can stabilize the harem.

Once Li Zhi passes away, the Wei family will inevitably expand, and at that time, conflicts are inevitable.

If Wei Xuanzhen's position is blocked in this way, even if Wei has any ideas, he will be controlled.

"Yes, this method is appropriate." Li Zhi turned around and looked at the secretary on the side and said, "Issue an imperial decree to transfer the Secretary Supervisor Dou Xiaochen to the post of Yuzhou Governor, and transfer Yuzhou Governor Wei Xuanzhen to the Secretary Supervisor. The imperial decree will be issued immediately."

"Yes!" A secretary stood up immediately.

The emperor nodded, looked at Li Xuan and said, "It's rare that you put so much effort into it."

"Everything is what I should do." Li Xuan bowed again with a cautious look. In fact, deep down in his heart, he wanted to kill someone from the beginning.

Li Zhi sighed, raised his head and said, "Okay, go ahead. You will have to worry about Sanlang in the future."

Li Xuan's body paused and was a little stiff for a moment.

Then, he bowed his head solemnly again and said, "I will take my leave. I wish Your Majesty a long life and eternal happiness."

"Yes!" Li Zhi nodded gently, his expression calm.

Li Xuan stood up, then bowed again, and this time he slowly retreated.

"Wait!" The emperor suddenly spoke again. Li Xuan quickly stopped and bowed, then heard the emperor calmly say: "Tonight, after the palace gates are closed, you and the Duke of Pingyang will report to the guard and go home."

Li Xuan was stunned for a moment, then he bowed and said, "Yes!"

The emperor waved his hand, and Li Xuan slowly retreated again.

He did not look up again, but he could clearly hear the Sheren, Jieshizhong, Mishucheng, and Zuoshi on both sides taking notes quickly.

His eyes moved from the rosewood box in his hand. The emperor's will inside had been recorded by the left and right historians, but were the things inside really useful?
If the emperor gave this thing to him alone in private, Li Xuan might really have some hope in his heart.

But now that the emperor has handed it to them so openly in front of countless people, it is hard to say how much real practical effect the contents inside will have.

Moreover, Li Xuan was not the only one who had such a thing. He had clearly seen Su Liangsi also have such a box in his hand before.

He had already guessed a little about the emperor's thoughts.

……

Turning and leaving the hall, Li Xuan's expression was still sad. Holding the rosewood box in his hand, he walked towards Chengtian Gate.

At this moment, a figure came from the opposite side.

He was dressed in a purple robe, had a sturdy figure and a solemn face. It was none other than the Minister of the Central Secretariat Pei Yan.

With a look of pain on his face, Li Xuan nodded slightly to Pei Yan, and then walked towards Chengtian Gate. Pei Yan couldn't help but pause, looking at the rosewood box in Li Xuan's hand, and frowned slightly.

Raising his head, Pei Yan continued walking towards Zhenguan Hall.

At this time, Li Xuan had returned to Chengtian Gate. He nodded slightly to Xue Rengui, then looked forward and continued to look at the entire Luoyang City.

But the trace of sadness in his eyes just now had completely disappeared.

A hint of amusement flashed through my mind.

In the eyes of the emperor, the real biggest enemy is the aristocratic family, and second only to the aristocratic family is Pei Yan, and finally Empress Wu.

He was worried that after four or five years, even Empress Wu would not be able to suppress Pei Yan.

Of course, this idea is not without basis.

There are too many cases in history where powerful ministers suppressed emperors. Not to mention others, even Li Zhi himself went through the same thing.

The most fundamental reason why Changsun Wuji was able to completely suppress the emperor back then was that he had the support of the Longxi family.

Pei Yan was born into the Wenxi Pei family, one of the most wealthy families in Longxi.

Pei Yan was only one step away from becoming a top powerful official, and that was to suppress and win over the Jingzhao Wei family.

As long as he can do this, he will be able to imitate the path of Changsun Wuji.

Facts have also proved that in the original history, Pei Yan was indeed successful.

But what Pei Yan didn't expect was that he would be killed by Empress Wu as soon as he turned around.

The emperor also did not expect that Empress Wu's methods were more brutal than he had imagined.

Li Xuan's gaze slightly looked towards the East Palace.

The emperor died and the prince ascended the throne.

The people from the Eastern Palace will move into the Imperial Palace immediately. Perhaps one or two people will stay behind, but this definitely does not include the concubines.

Now, there are many things that Li Xuan can do in this deep palace.

There was a hint of murderous intent in Li Xuan's cold eyes.

In his eyes, there is not only the entire Luoyang city in front of him, but also the whole world.

……

In the Zhenguan Hall, the curtains swayed gently.

Pei Yan kowtowed solemnly: "Your Majesty, I am the Minister of the Central Secretariat Pei Yan. I kowtow to your Majesty. May your Majesty live forever."

Li Zhi sat back on the imperial couch, looked at Pei Yan and said, "My dear, please stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Pei Yan then stood up with a solemn expression.

"Mr. Pei, I remember that you started out as a censor, right?" Li Zhi turned slightly sideways.

Pei Yan immediately cupped his hands and said, "I was a military officer in Puzhou Sicang, and later became a Palace Censor. Later, I served as a Langzhong in the Ministry of Warehouses, a Sheren in the Ministry of Civil Servants, and then as a Vice Minister in the Ministry of Justice, and then as a Minister of the Ministry of Justice. Until today, I have been trusted by Your Majesty and have become the Minister of the Central Secretariat."

"Well, no wonder, you have always been tough and decisive." Li Zhi looked at Pei Yan and said, "This is a good thing, but also a bad thing. The good thing is that you are brave enough to take on responsibilities, and you can act decisively when facing local nobles who oppress the people. The bad thing is that you don't know how to be tactful, which is not conducive to your relationship with your colleagues."

Pei Yan bowed his hands solemnly and said, "Your Majesty, I am a minister and I am here to govern the country. I don't need too much personal friendship."

"Haha!" Li Zhi laughed, nodded, and said softly: "Indeed, this is your personality. But there is another point."

"Please teach me, Your Majesty." Pei Yan lowered his head slightly, his expression softened.

"The prince is a generous person, and he often does things that a wise ruler should not do." The emperor sighed and said, "I hope you can be more patient and explain the pros and cons to him, so that he can learn to handle state affairs little by little and eventually grow into a suitable emperor."

"This is the foundation of being a minister. I will definitely support the prince and take Your Majesty as an example to govern the world." Pei Yan bowed solemnly. The rosewood box that Li Xuan was holding in his hand when he walked into the palace before flashed in his mind, and his expression became more serious.

"That's good." The emperor breathed a long sigh of relief, and he seemed to have lost all his strength in an instant.

"Your Majesty, take care." Pei Yan's face was full of concern. He wanted to take a step forward, but in the end he couldn't help but stop.

The emperor smiled, looked up at Pei Yan, and said, "Mr. Pei, did you know that King Peng once recommended you to the crown prince? Given your youth and strength, he hopes you can be the Minister of the Left and handle government affairs properly?"

Pei Yan opened his mouth slightly, but then closed it gently. He then sighed in his heart and said, "I have heard of this matter, but the fact is that King Peng has placed too much trust in me. Although I have been in the court for many years, I have not made enough contributions and am far from being promoted to the position of Shangshu Zuo Pushe."

"Special times call for special actions. I understand this principle." Li Zhi sighed softly. Looking at Pei Yan who stood solemnly, the emperor said softly, "I originally thought about following Prince Peng's advice, but after thinking about it, I decided not to. This is too unfair to you."

Pei Yan subconsciously looked up, his face full of confusion.

There is nothing unfair in promoting him to the position of Shangshu Zuo Pushe and making him the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty.

"As Shangshu Zuo Pushe, you can only stay in the court for another ten years." Li Zhi shook his head slightly and said with emotion: "I hope you can stay in the court for a few more years, serve as Zhongshu Ling for ten years, and then serve as Shangshu Zuo Pushe for another ten years."

Pei Yan's mouth twitched slightly, he lowered his head, gritted his teeth, but still bowed and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your trust."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Now in the court, the person I trust the most is you, so I have decided to entrust the crown prince to you. If I have any misfortune and the crown prince ascends the throne, you will be the regent to assist the crown prince in governing the country. All other ministers will be under you. How do you think?"

Pei Yan looked up in disbelief, but he couldn't help but bowed: "Your Majesty, thank you for your grace."

(End of this chapter)