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

Chapter 1511 Your Majesty, what did you write?
"Tomorrow, the most important matter is the crown prince's accession to the throne!"

Empress Wu put the funeral memorial in her hand aside and looked at Pei Yan, Li Yuanjia, Wei Daijia and Lin Renji with a serious expression.

Pei Yan subconsciously glanced at the emperor's body on the imperial couch, then gently glanced at Li Xian, and finally bowed to Empress Wu and said, "Reporting to the Queen Mother, tomorrow all the ministers will enter the palace to read out the late emperor's will first, and the prince will ascend the throne in front of the coffin, and then deal with the funeral matters."

"Good." Empress Wu nodded gently, looked outside the palace, and said solemnly: "In a moment, Prime Minister Pei will summon the Duke of Guangping to the palace and bring people to guard the Zhenguan Palace."

"And there is the Prince of Beiping." Li Xian's steady voice came from the side, and everyone looked at Li Xian in surprise.

Li Xian bowed solemnly to the emperor, then looked at Empress Wu and said, "Mother, my father once left a will, asking me to consult the Prince of Beiping if I have any questions."

General of the Left Thousand Oxen Guard, Prince of Beiping Li Jingjia.

General of the Left Jinwu Guard, Duke of Guangping County Cheng Chubi.

Although there were guards in the palace, at critical moments, Empress Wu and Li Xian did not trust the guards because of their strangeness.

Li Xuan nodded slightly. Although this was a bit unfair to the Imperial Guard Generals Cheng Wuting and Zhang Qianxu, what could he do about it?

Over the years, it was always Li Jingjia and Cheng Chubi who accompanied the Emperor and Empress Wu to court.

Empress Wu took a deep breath, nodded calmly, and said, "Okay, with the two of them here, no matter what happens tomorrow, we can control it."

"Yes!" Pei Yan, Li Yuanjia, Wei Daijia and Lin Renji all bowed and accepted the order.

Li Xuan stood under the golden steps, his eyes slightly raised.

The emperor has passed away due to illness, and we still have the late emperor's will. What kind of accident could happen?

Could it be possible that Li Dan could lead a large army into the palace and ascend the throne by force?

Or is it that even with the late emperor's will, there are still people who question the legitimacy of the prince's accession to the throne?
In fact, when it comes down to it, it's just a struggle for power.

Li Xian, on the other hand, was surprising. He was originally a little timid, but now, at this moment, he actually dared to fight with Empress Wu.

Li Xuan then lowered his head slightly.

Indeed, it is different.

Now that the emperor was gone, Li Xian had to face direct pressure from Empress Wu.

However, he is no longer the prince as before. His identity is the emperor, the Son of Heaven.

The gap between him and Empress Wu was not that big.

Perhaps, if Li Xuan had given his full support, Li Xian might have been able to secure the throne.

Li Xuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart. It was a pity that the emperor asked him to leave Beijing in February. Even if he had all kinds of tricks, they would be of no use after he left Beijing.

Li Xian will no longer be as obedient as before.

But it is also good this way. Only if Li Xian is strong enough, then after he ascends the throne, he can distract Empress Wu's attention to the greatest extent. This is a good thing for Li Xuan.

……

Empress Wu glanced at Li Xian, then looked at the emperor on the imperial couch, and said softly, "Let's begin."

"Yes!" Pei Yan bowed earnestly, then looked around and shouted coldly: "Come here, help the late emperor bathe and change clothes."

Dozens of eunuchs in black entered from the palace doors on both sides, holding various clothes in their hands.

According to the etiquette of the Tang Dynasty, after the emperor's death, his body must be bathed and cleansed.

Of course, the dead emperor was not actually allowed to take a bath and change his clothes. Instead, the palace servants helped the emperor wash his hair, wipe his body, and tidy up his face, and then he was buried in the most solemn crown and robes.

Pei Yan, Li Yuanjia, Wei Daijia and Lin Renji took a look at the emperor's body and confirmed that he was fine before bowing and leaving.

Including Li Xuan, all the servants, the attendants, the left and right historians, all left the Zhenguan Hall at this time.

When the palace maids wiped the emperor, it was inevitable that they would touch upon the privacy of the late emperor.

With the Queen Mother around, it was enough for the Prince to kneel beside the imperial couch.

It would be better for the rest of them to leave the hall.

……

Cheng Chubi and Li Jingjia stood inside the Zhenguan Hall, and the guards they brought stood solemnly on both sides of the golden steps.

Pei Yan stood alone under the golden steps.

Wei Daijia and Lin Renji discussed some details of the funeral.

The last time an emperor died was during the Zhenguan period. Although many documents on the relevant rituals have been preserved, so many years have passed and many parts need to be revised.

These matters will even continue until the emperor is buried.

Li Xuan did not step forward to get involved in these matters.

On the one hand, it was because he really had no identity, and on the other hand, it was because he was not familiar with these things.

Even King Han Li Yuanjia was only 30 years old at that time and had no qualifications to come forward.

After all, Changsun Wuji was there at that time, so who could take the lead in such matters?

As Li Xuan lowered his head to think, a voice came from the front: "Twenty-Seventh Brother."

Li Xuan looked up in surprise, glanced around, and then bowed to Han Wang Li Yuanjia who was passing by and said, "Uncle Wang."

Li Yuanjia nodded calmly and said, "Your Majesty has passed away. In addition to the officials in the court and the country, all scholars and soldiers in the army must also change into mourning clothes. The Right Guard has 5,000 people in Luoyang and will lead the change of mourning clothes. There must be no mistakes."

"Yes!" Li Xuan bowed solemnly. "Also." Li Yuanjia paused for a moment and continued, "We just discussed that if there are nobles in the court who are not in Luoyang, as long as someone is at home, the others do not need to rush to Luoyang.

Your mother doesn't have to rush to Luoyang. When you write to her, tell her so that she can rest assured."

"Thank you, Uncle Wang." Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

When the emperor passed away, according to etiquette, the princesses and queen dowagers of the princes should come to mourn, and Ouyang was no exception.

Once she enters Luoyang, Li Xuan will have one more hostage in Luoyang.

Although the emperor had left a will ordering him to leave Beijing in February, it did not mean that his family could also leave Beijing in February.

Li Xuan was prepared for Liu Jinyu and Pei Shitong to stay in Luoyang, and even made a lot of arrangements in secret, but if Ouyang also went to Luoyang, then everything would be troublesome.

Even if Li Xuan had some means, Ouyang's age made it extremely inconvenient for her to move.

Li Yuanjia shook his head slightly and said, "This is the will of the Queen Mother. Not only the nobles in the court, but even the local governors who are not in Luoyang now do not need to come anymore."

Li Xuan was stunned and looked at Li Yuanjia in surprise.

Now in Luoyang, there are hundreds of provincial governors in the court. Li Xuan estimated that since he himself would leave the court in February, others would probably have to leave as well.

In this way, the governors of other places could use this time to come to Luoyang. As long as it was handled properly and in batches, then it would not be a problem for all of them to pay homage to the emperor and the new monarch.

The emperor shall be mourned for seven days and buried in seven months.

It is not yet the New Year and the emperor is buried in Qianling Mausoleum, which will take at least seven months. The Empress Dowager does not allow the governors to come to Luoyang. Although it is indeed for the purpose of stabilizing the world, it is somewhat wrong to not allow hundreds of governors to pay homage to the new emperor.

Li Xuan lowered his head slightly and said, "Since the Queen Mother has said so and Pei Yan has not objected, then the Crown Prince must also agree. From this point of view, the benefits should outweigh the disadvantages."

Li Yuanjia raised his eyebrows slightly, then held his breath and asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty passed away, it seems that he had the same disease as the previous emperor, is it safe?"

"It's safe." Li Xuan looked around and then whispered, "After my nephew enters the palace, he will work with the imperial doctors to wake up His Majesty. After His Majesty has given the will, he will talk to the Empress alone. There may be some things that others may not hear, but it will not affect the overall situation."

When the emperor was going crazy in the palace, people outside the palace could only occasionally hear some noises, but no one would really listen.

The matter of Wu Shi San was not a secret among these imperial doctors, it was just that it could not be disclosed to outsiders.

So, there is nothing wrong with the emperor's death.

Yes and no.

Li Yuanjia breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slightly. He looked towards the Zhenguan Hall and said softly, "If this is the case, Uncle Wang will be able to give an explanation to the late emperor and father."

Li Xuan was silent for a moment, nodded slightly, and looked towards the Zhenguan Hall.

Li Xuan also made some arrangements for the emperor.

Li Xuan had arranged the porcelain bottle containing Zhong Lu's life-extending elixir and the box that contained the porcelain bottle.

As long as the emperor opened the box and the porcelain bottle, the hidden medicine powder inside would fall into the emperor's mouth and nose, and would have a certain effect on the emperor's body.

But Li Xuan was not sure what would happen exactly.

But he believed that the emperor had ruled the country for decades and must have some tricks up his sleeve that even Empress Wu didn't know about.

Even if these things cannot fall into Li Xuan's hands in the end and help him in the future, they can still take up a lot of Empress Wu's energy.

……

"What are your plans for the future?" Li Yuanjia asked in a low voice.

"Don't worry, Uncle Wang. Twenty-Seventh Brother knows how to be cautious." Li Xuan nodded gently and said, "In the future, if the Crown Prince needs help, Twenty-Seventh Brother will help him with advice. If the Crown Prince does not need it, then Twenty-Seventh Brother will return to Fanzhou and stabilize the border."

Li Xian has not yet ascended the throne, so there is no problem in calling him the crown prince, but once Li Xian ascends the throne, the situation will be completely different.

As an emperor, once something happened, the first people he would consult were the prime ministers and the six ministers, as well as Yao Lingzhang and Su Liangsi.

When Li Xian was in the Eastern Palace, Li Xuan could even rank among the top three beside him. But once Li Xian became emperor, Li Xuan probably wouldn't even be able to rank among the top ten.

This is not an exaggeration, because Li Xian not only has Empress Wu above him, but even the Crown Princess will show up at this time.

The situation has changed.

The current situation in Luoyang is not of much benefit to Li Xuan.

Of course, there are not too many disadvantages. Once the emperor dies and the new emperor ascends the throne, countless forces will fight against each other and the situation will inevitably be chaotic. Li Xuan will naturally be one of those who can take advantage of the situation.

"It's good that you know the reason." Li Yuanjia breathed a sigh of relief, and then said softly: "The reason why Li Ke was killed was not only because he was almost made the crown prince after Cheng Qian and Li Tai, but also because of what he said to Your Majesty after Your Majesty ascended the throne."

Li Xuan's face suddenly darkened, and then he bowed and said seriously: "Thank you, Uncle Wang, for your reminder."

Li Yuanjia smiled, raised his eyes and looked directly into the hall.

I don’t know how much blood was shed to build this Zhenguan Hall.

……

"What do you mean? What do you mean someone touched the seal after you left?" Empress Wu raised her head and squinted at the right historian Han Chubin.

Han Chubin took out a piece of paper from his bosom with a solemn expression and presented it directly to Empress Wu. Then he whispered, "Empress, this is the ink mark left by someone after writing. I have touched it lightly. There is one piece of paper missing from the one I brought today."

Empress Wu's eyes suddenly became solemn. She turned around and stared at Li Xian, who was kneeling in the hall with a sad face.

There was infinite ferocity in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)