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

Chapter 1517: Luoyang is nice, but it is not my hometown

The roof has double eaves and yellow glazed tiles.

Rafters with flying brackets, beams and rafters, ceiling.

In Zhongyue Temple, three large characters "Junji Hall" are hung in the middle of the main hall, looking eerie and cold.

Standing in front of the hall, Li Xuan turned sideways and looked at Li Zhu beside him, and said, "Stand here. Except for the chief secretary, no one else is allowed to enter the hall."

"Yes!" Li Zhu bowed solemnly.

Li Xuan turned around and walked towards the main hall.

Climbing up the steps and entering the hall, under the magnificent statue of Zhongyue Mountain, a figure in Taoist robes is sitting cross-legged, chanting Taoist scriptures in a low voice.

Li Xuan calmly walked behind the man, then made the Ziwu Jue with his hands, bowed and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Tian."

Tian Youyan let out a long breath, turned sideways calmly, pointed to the futon opposite, and said to Li Xuan: "Your Majesty, please take a seat."

Li Xuan nodded slightly, sat down opposite Tian Youyan, looked at him solemnly and said, "I heard that Master Pan has entered the palace. Is it Brother who is in charge of the Songyang Temple today?"

"Yes!" Tian Youyan smiled calmly and said, "The previous emperor passed away, and my master and all the Taoist masters came to the palace to chant scriptures and pray for blessings. Naturally, I am in charge here."

"So, senior brother, you are planning to resign and retire?" Li Xuan's voice was very soft, but his expression was extremely solemn.

……

Tian Youyan smiled calmly and said, "When the late emperor came to Songshan to invite Tian to come out of the mountain, Your Majesty was beside the late emperor at that time. Naturally, you should know that the late emperor asked Tian to enter the East Palace just to imitate the story of the four old men in Shangshan. Now that the prince has ascended the throne, Tian's duties have been fulfilled, and naturally I should return to the Taoist sect."

The Four Elders of Shangshan were four of the seventy-two doctors of Qin Shihuang.

After the Qin Dynasty was destroyed, the Four Elders of Shangshan lived in seclusion in the mountains.

After Emperor Gaozu established the Han Dynasty, he invited the Four Elders from Shangshan to the court to assist in government administration many times, but they all refused.

Later, Emperor Gaozu intended to depose Crown Prince Liu Ying and enthrone Prince of Zhao Liu Ruyi.

Empress Lü personally sent someone to invite the Four Elders from Shangshan to the palace to serve as the prince's teachers. After Emperor Gaozu met the four men, he no longer had the idea of ​​changing the crown prince.

These four people represent the support of scholars all over the world for Liu Ying and for orthodoxy.

But the story of the Four Elders of Shangshan ends here. After Liu Ying, Emperor Hui of Han, ascended the throne, the names of these four people no longer appeared in history books.

It is not difficult to guess that these four people retired again after Liu Ying ascended the throne.

Tian Youyan has the same attitude now.

He entered the Eastern Palace that year because the late emperor wanted to stabilize the position of the Eastern Palace.

After all, Tian Youyan is a disciple of Taoist Pan Shizheng, and Tian Youyan's entry into the East Palace represents the attitude of the entire Taoist sect.

It is even possible that Tian Youyan was chosen unanimously as the candidate recommended by the Taoist sect.

Over the years, Tian Youyan did not do much in the Eastern Palace. Apart from the affairs of the Jiangnan textile machinery industry, he rarely participated in other matters.

Now that the prince has ascended the throne, everything naturally has nothing to do with him anymore.

The smartest choice is to withdraw from the Eastern Palace and not get involved in more court affairs.

Li Xuan nodded slightly and sighed: "I originally hoped to serve in the imperial court with my senior brother and continue to serve the court. Now it seems that this is just a luxury."

Tian Youyan shook his head slightly and said, "Your Highness is very intelligent and has a sharp vision. No one can see the current situation in the court more clearly than you, and no one can see it more accurately than you. With your Highness in the court, the people of the world can rest assured."

"But Xuan can only stay in Luoyang for another month at most." Li Xuan sighed and said, "As for the rest, it depends on how the wise ministers in the court assist Your Majesty!"

Tian Youyan smiled, lowered his head and said nothing.

Li Xuan took a deep breath and continued, "Brother, do you plan to officially become a monk, or do you want to wait for two years?"

"Give it two years." Tian Youyan looked towards Mount Mao and said softly, "My mother is still alive. I have to serve her for a few more years."

"Good." Li Xuan nodded, and then said: "I don't know when you plan to tell His Majesty about this matter."

"I have left a letter of resignation in the East Palace. If anyone sees it, I will give it to Your Majesty." Tian Youyan sighed and said softly, "The late emperor passed away. According to my letter, I should wait until the late emperor's coffin is moved before resigning. But by then, Your Majesty will be enthroned immediately. I am afraid I can't leave even if I want to."

"Brother, are you worried about the rewards that His Majesty will receive after he ascends the throne?" Li Xuan saw through Tian Youyan's worries at a glance.

Tian Youyan raised his head, smiled bitterly and said, "It's still the prince who brought the matter to this point."

When the emperor ascended the throne, he rewarded his ministers. This was what Tian Youyan was worried about.

Li Xuan lowered his eyebrows and spoke softly: "Among the officials in the Eastern Palace now, the most important ones to be rewarded are Yao Zhanshi, Xuan, Su Sima, Wei Jialing, the prince's servant Jiang Yan, and my senior brother."

Tian Youyan nodded calmly.

"The late emperor left a will that Xuan will serve as the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian. Sima Su has already been transferred to the position of Imperial Censor. Wei Jialing is a relative of the Crown Princess, so naturally he will have a job. Jiang Yan was a student of the former Prime Minister Liu Xiangdao, and now his son Liu Jingxian is the Prime Minister. I think Jiang Yan's future will not be a problem."

Li Xuan sighed softly, raised his head and looked at Tian Youyan and said, "Apart from my senior brother, the most difficult person to deal with right now is Yao Zhanshi."

Tian Youyan looked at Li Xuan calmly and still didn't say a word.

"Zhanshi Yao is now the Prince's Secretary of the third rank. He was transferred from the Eastern Palace to the imperial court. He will either be the Minister of Six Ministries or the Prime Minister of Three Departments. Now the three departments have vacancies for one Shizhong and one Shangshu Zuo Pushe. Shangshu Zuo Pushe naturally does not want to be the Shangshu, but the Queen Mother may not be willing for Zhanshi Yao to be the Shizhong." Li Xuan's eyes became solemn.

Although there are now two prime ministers of the Eastern Palace, Xue Yuanchao and Liu Rengui, in fact, they each have their own positions.

Only if Yao Lingzhang enters the cabinet as prime minister can he gain greater benefits for Li Xian.

But too many people have seen this matter, and perhaps others will not do anything, because anyone with a discerning eye can see that the position of Shizhong was reserved for Yao Lingzhang by the late emperor.

It was just right for Li Xian's ascension to the throne and his reward.

However, the person least likely to agree was Empress Wu. …

"Your Highness, the smartest people in the world can always see things that others cannot see." Tian Youyan finally spoke, looking at Li Xuan and said, "If Tian's guess is correct, the Queen Mother should let Yao Zhanshi continue to serve as the Prince's Zhanshi, and then transfer him to Chang'an to assist the Prince in supervising the country."

Li Xuan's face suddenly looked a little ugly.

When Li Xian ascended the throne, he naturally had to appoint a crown prince. Li Xuan, the Crown Prince's Guardian, should have been the Crown Prince's Guardian after the Crown Prince was appointed Crown Prince.

Yao Lingzhang, the Prince's Secretary, will not be moved. At that time, he will only be given a minor official title or a noble title, and finally transferred to Chang'an to assist the Prince in governing the country.

Empress Wu said that the late emperor's body would not be transported to Chang'an until May of next year.

As the emperor, Li Xian would also return to Chang'an in May.

However, Chang'an is the capital of the Tang Dynasty and the hub of the country. It cannot be left unguarded. At that time, the best strategy would be to make the crown prince the crown prince, transfer one or two prime ministers, and have Yao Lingzhang assist the crown prince in governing the country.

But if this happens, Yao Lingzhang will have no chance of being promoted to the position of Shizhong.

Empress Wu would not even choose to transfer one of the current six ministers to the position of Shizhong, leaving the position for Yao Lingzhang.

Because among the current six ministers, regardless of merits and seniority, the one who has the greatest chance of becoming prime minister is actually Ouyang Tong.

Just look at Li Xuan and you will know that Empress Wu would never make this choice, so neither option is feasible.

Tian Youyan continued, "Your Highness, you are talking to me about this today. I'm afraid that Your Highness can't think of a proper way to deal with this, right?"

Li Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly, and then he nodded slightly.

A heavy sigh.

Li Xian has already successfully ascended the throne. Li Xuan has also eliminated the crisis within seven days from today to the first day of the first lunar month when he will be officially enthroned. But what about after that?

If Li Xian wanted to govern successfully, he must have someone in the Council of State who would consider Li Xian's interests completely as prime minister.

There was only one such person in the entire court, and that was Yao Lingzhang, the Prince's Secretary.

If Yao Lingzhang fails to become prime minister at this time, then one step slow leads to another, and it will be even more difficult for Li Xian to maintain stability.

……

Tian Youyan raised his head and glanced at the Zhongyue Mountain statue, then looked at Li Xuan and said, "The prince wanted to make Prime Minister Pei the Shangshu Zuo Pushe before, is it possible to make Prime Minister Pei agree?"

Li Xuan shook his head and said, "The current court situation, after all, is actually a check and balance between Prime Minister Pei, the Queen Mother and Your Majesty. The Queen Mother does not want Yao Zhanshi to be the Minister of the Court, and Prime Minister Pei also does not want another person to come out and share power with him."

"Then Your Majesty, have you ever thought that perhaps the position of the Minister of the Interior that the late emperor reserved from the beginning was not for Yao Zhanshi." Tian Youyan's words made Li Xuan open his eyes in surprise, and he looked at him with disbelief.

The late emperor, Li Zhi, never thought of letting Yao Lingzhang be the prime minister?

Is that right?

This is it.

A figure suddenly popped up in Li Xuan’s mind.

Lu Yuanfang.

The fact that Lu Yuanfang was transferred from the Chief Clerk of Yongzhou to the Minister of Personnel was itself a bit extraordinary.

But if Lu Yuanfang was not moved and Yao Lingzhang was transferred to be the Minister of Personnel, then Yao Lingzhang would be able to easily become the third-rank official in the Secretariat after Li Xian ascended the throne.

However, if this were the case, Empress Wu would not agree.

"So, Your Majesty abandoned Yao Zhanshi and chose Lu Shangshu?" Although Li Xuan was asking, he had already given the answer himself.

Tian Youyan nodded calmly and said, "Your Highness is confused by the situation. Think about it, if it weren't for Yao Zhanshi attracting the Queen's attention, other things would not be so easy to arrange."

Even the emperor was afraid of Empress Wu's power in the court.

Just like Guo Daiju, who took the initiative to propose the use of the seal today, who would have thought that he was actually Wu Zetian's man.

Li Xuan's expression quickly calmed down, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he said softly: "In this case, it will be even more necessary to fight for Yao Zhanshi's appointment as prime minister."

"Your Highness is smart." Tian Youyan nodded with a smile.

Li Xuan let out a sigh of relief, then looked at Tian Youyan and said, "It's a pity that Senior Brother is not in the court."

"Although Luoyang is nice, it is not my hometown." Tian Youyan nodded slightly, then turned around, faced the Zhongyue Mountain God, and recited Taoist scriptures in a low voice.

Li Xuan also turned around and closed his eyes in thought.

After figuring out Yao Lingzhang's affairs, Li Xuan also had ideas about many other things.

Li Xuan already had a complete plan in his mind on how to help Li Xian consolidate his throne before he left.

……

It was dark at night, and the carriage slowly stopped in Yulong Garden.

Li Xuan took Liu Jinyu, Pei Shitong, Xia'er, Zhao'er and Chang'er off the carriage, and then said: "In the next few days, your husband will sleep in the study. Sanniang and Tong'er will take good care of Xia'er, Zhao'er and Chang'er. You need to be careful these days."

"Yes!" Liu Jinyu and Pei Shitong nodded at the same time. They both knew that during these seemingly peaceful days, Li Xuan had done many things in secret.

The emperor ascended the throne and bestowed titles on his ministers.

Naturally, someone will be unlucky.

(End of this chapter)