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

Chapter 1522: No Empress Wu on the Throne

"Bang bang bang..." The sound of night watchmen rang out in the palace: "The midnight has passed, the hour of Chou has arrived, it is late at night and everyone is quiet, there are no taboos."

Empress Wu, wearing a thick black cloak, stood in front of the Zhenguan Palace gate, looked up at the endless night sky, and murmured, "Your Majesty, it's the second year of Hongdao."

The first day of the first lunar month in the second year of Hongdao.

On the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month in the second year of the Yonglong reign, the emperor had just changed the reign title to the first year of the Hongdao reign. Just seven days later, it became the second year of the Hongdao reign.

That is to say, today, the Tang Dynasty will change its era name again.

Because the emperor is dead.

Empress Wu leaned slightly to one side and asked in a low voice, "Wan'er, what is the name of the new year proposed by the Secretariat?"

"My Queen." Shangguan Wan'er, dressed in white linen mourning clothes, stepped forward and said softly, "It's the heir."

"Sisheng, successor to the saint." Empress Wu pursed her lips slightly and said with a hint of sneer: "It's indeed a good reign title!"

Shangguan Wan'er lowered her head and remained silent.

Empress Wu turned around and looked into the hall. In front of the emperor's coffin, Xue Shao was nodding and dozing off.

The next year, when the new emperor ascended the throne and was enthroned, Li Xian was sent back early by Empress Wu to rest, and Li Dan also went back.

All the female family members also went back, leaving Xue Shao alone.

Tomorrow, Li Dan will enter the palace first, and Li Xian will follow later.

Empress Wu raised her eyes to the coffin of the late emperor and looked at it solemnly.

After a long while, Empress Wu spoke softly, "What did King Peng say yesterday?"

"I don't know." Shangguan Wan'er shook her head solemnly and said, "As the Queen said, Wei Hongmin didn't dare to tell the Crown Princess, and then he sent Prince Peng away, but it seems that he told Prince Peng, and Prince Peng seemed to say something. After that, Wei Hongmin went back to see the Crown Princess, and the Crown Princess was furious. After Your Majesty went back, it seemed that there was also an argument."

Empress Wu pursed her lips slightly with a hint of pride, and then said softly: "One Minister of Rites, one Minister of Imperial Clan Affairs, and one Secretary General. The Wei family has too many people in the court. It's time to suppress them."

Shangguan Wan'er looked at Empress Wu carefully and said softly, "I heard that it was Prince Peng's suggestion to appoint the Crown Princess's father, Wei Xuanzhen, as the Secretary General. Could it be..."

"You don't understand." Empress Wu calmly shook her head and said, "This is a method of suppressing before promoting. Wei Xuanzhen has been appointed as the Secretary General, and he will not be promoted again within a few years. Even after a few years, it would be enough for him to be sent to a state as a governor or a governor."

Shangguan Wan'er opened her mouth slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but finally closed her mouth.

Empress Wu looked at her and smiled, saying, "Prince Peng is the smartest man. He knows best what to do and what not to do... He is also one of the most vigilant people in the court regarding the Wei family. With such a huge family supporting them, everyone would be wary of them."

Li Xuan's fear of the Wei family was revealed very early on.

Even back then, he had tried to use Wu Chengsi to balance the Wei family.

Unfortunately, Wu Chengsi died.

Li Xuan only needed to make another move, but unfortunately he had to do it himself.

The smile on Empress Wu's face turned slightly cold, and no one knew what she was thinking about.

After a moment of distraction, Empress Wu came to her senses.

She looked towards the East Palace and said softly, "Everything will ultimately depend on Xian'er."

Li Xian is the emperor now. Even though Li Zhi lets Pei Yan assist in governing the country and Empress Wu is in charge of the government, Li Xian is still the one who has the greatest power in the world.

But unfortunately, Li Xiang had just become emperor and was not clear about the real power the emperor possessed, so this gave Empress Wu the opportunity to take action.

Empress Wu turned sideways and looked at Shangguan Wan'er: "Wan'er, do you think there is something wrong with the way I handled the Crown Princess's matter?"

Shangguan Wan'er was silent for a moment, then she said, "Queen, this matter cannot be dragged on indefinitely."

Empress Wu nodded gently and said, "You are right. If it goes on for too long, the government will become unstable. It will be enough to delay it until the mourning period for Your Majesty is over."

This period of time was enough for Empress Wu to complete the initial layout and basically control the court.

……

Empress Wu turned sideways to look at the corner of the hall and asked, "How is the investigation going?"

In the darkness, Qiu Huan walked out with his hands clasped, bowed and said, "Reporting to the Queen Mother, it was just confirmed two hours ago that the man rented a boat and went to Yangzhou along the canal."

The secret guards were on high alert in Jizhou, Mangshan, Chang'an, and Anzhou, but they never expected that the man would turn east.

"At this time?" Empress Wu raised her eyebrows slightly.

"The northwest wind is strong in winter, and it is going down the river at a very fast speed. After reaching Yangzhou, it will turn around and go up the Yangtze River to Bashu." Qiu Huan said with a sigh, "No matter who this boy is, his methods and vision are extraordinary."

Empress Wu nodded slightly and said, "Anzhou, Jiangzhou, Chizhou, Xuanzhou, all have people set up checkpoints for strict inspection. As for Yangzhou, Yangzhou?"

Empress Wu suddenly raised her head, looked at Qiu Huan and said, "Did Tian Youyan return to Mount Mao?"

"He left five days ago." Qiu Huan lowered his head and said carefully, "That person was still running around in Shanzhou at that time. It couldn't be Tian Youyan."

Empress Wu actually suspected that the person who appeared in the Zhenguan Hall that night was Tian Youyan.

"He can't be the only one in the Dao Sect." Empress Wu shook her head slightly, and then said, "Send someone to Mount Mao to see what Tian Youyan is doing?"

"Yes!" Qiu Huan immediately bowed.

"We have to keep a close eye on Yangzhou. Duke Jiang is in Luoyang now, so it will be more convenient for us to move there." Empress Wu took a deep breath and said, "No matter what, we have to keep a close eye on Duke Jiang."

"Yes!" Qiu Huan bowed again.

"Fortunately, the King of Yue and the King of Cao are dead."

Empress Wu raised her eyes, looked at the night sky ahead, and said softly: "Otherwise there will be big trouble."

A figure suddenly jumped into Empress Wu's heart. This person was Li Jingye who had been dead for a long time.

Empress Wu shook her head, looked at Shangguan Wan'er who was frowning, and asked, "Wan'er, what's wrong?"

"Empress." Shangguan Wan'er bowed and said, "Empress, if that person really had a relationship with the farmer, and the farmer had met King Peng in Songshan, then, could it be that he had already handed the things over to King Peng, and the rest was just a trick?" Empress Wu looked at Shangguan Wan'er with admiration, nodded, and said, "Wan'er is really smart, but this possibility is not high. Looking at King Peng's actions these days, we know that he didn't get anything, otherwise he would have thought of a way..."

Empress Wu stopped talking, shook her head, and said, "If Prince Peng really got something, he would avoid suspicion and stay away from Tian Youyan and Songshan, instead of going to Songshan every day, as if he was afraid that others would find out about Songshan. In addition, he has other thoughts these days, so this matter has nothing to do with him for the time being."

When she had doubts, Empress Wu would doubt everyone, but when it came to a specific person, she would analyze the situation carefully and make a decisive decision.

"The Queen Mother is wise." Shangguan Wan'er looked up and wrote it down carefully.

Looking at Shangguan Wan'er's appearance, Empress Wu nodded, her face calmed down, and she said softly: "Okay, go and rest, there are still important things to do tomorrow."

"Yes!" Shangguan Wan'er and Qiu Huan stepped aside quietly, and followed Empress Wu to the east wing hall.

……

Under the night sky, Yulong Garden.

In the study, the window was open and the cold wind blew in.

Li Xuan stood in front of the window with a calm expression, looking at the night sky above his head.

The second year of Hongdao, the first year of Sisheng.

The first day of the first lunar month, the hour of Chou...

Suddenly, a slight sound appeared in the dark corner of the study.

Li Xuan didn't look back, but just whispered: "Here I come!"

"Your Majesty!" A soft female voice sounded in the corner.

Hearing the voice, it turned out to be Zhang Wanyu from the Tianyin Sect who had not been seen for a long time.

But she was dressed in black and had a black scarf covering her face, so her appearance could not be seen clearly, but her figure was still slim and graceful.

"How's the situation in Yangzhou?" Li Xuan asked calmly.

"Yangzhou has made all preparations. The ships going upstream of the Yangtze River will stop these days. Only the ships from Yangzhou to Guangzhou will travel by sea. If that person arrives in Yangzhou and wants to leave again, he can only take a boat to Guangzhou." Zhang Wanyu looked solemn.

Li Xuan nodded gently and said, "As long as I arrive in Guangzhou, I will inevitably go to Zhenzhou."

Li Xian's Prince's Groom Liu Neyan and Prince's Household Manager Murong Jiabin were all exiled to Zhenzhou a few years ago.

Sometimes, there is no need to contact Li Xian directly, contacting Liu Neyan and Murong Jiabin is enough.

Not to mention that there is Wang Bo in Jiaozhi not far away.

"Yes!" Zhang Wanyu bowed, then raised her head and asked carefully, "What about the people chasing us? Should we kill them all?"

The people chasing after that person were naturally the secret guards.

The people who tracked that man, when they arrived in Yangzhou, were ultimately a threat.

Li Xuan thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Forget it. There's no need to alert the enemy now. Besides, it's not a bad thing for these people to come to Yangzhou. They may even attract some people. When these people leave in the future, our people can replace them, making it easier to act."

They, the secret guards, Li Xuan's men took over the secret guards' actions.

"Yes!" Zhang Wanyu immediately understood the benefits of it.

Li Xuan took a deep breath and said, "Just because Yangzhou doesn't take action doesn't mean other places won't take action. Pass the order down and have the people of the Demon Cult eliminate all the secret guards of Tianshui within a month."

"Tianshui?"

"That's right, Tianshui." Li Xuan turned around and walked in front of Zhang Wanyu. He reached out and lifted the black scarf on her face. She had bright eyes, white teeth, and a clear gaze.

Li Xuan reached out and gently stroked her cheek, saying softly, "Tianshui is located in a key area. It is connected to Ganliang in the west, Chang'an in the east, the grassland in the north, and the Qinling Mountains in the south. If there is a break there, the transmission of secret information in the entire northwest will be a big problem. It is inevitable that people will suspect that someone is going to take action in the Western Regions."

"Yes!" Zhang Wanyu nodded seriously.

Li Xuan looked at her with pity and said, "Go ahead. After you finish dealing with the matter in Tianshui, go to Xituyuhun and wait for news."

"Yes!" Zhang Wanyu bowed, then turned around without any hesitation, opened some mechanism, and quietly left the study.

Li Xuan turned around and his eyes became serious.

The fun has just begun.

……

On the first day of the first lunar month, the sky was bright.

In front of the Zhenguan Hall, Wang Fulai stood on the golden steps, looking at the ministers above and below, and said loudly: "The late emperor has moved his coffin, and the ministers are crying and bowing."

Li Xuan stood in the hall, behind Zheng Wang Li Jing.

Seeing Li Zhi's coffin being lifted by sixteen mourners and carried out of the Zhenguan Hall and toward the Xuanzheng Hall, Li Xuan and the other officials knelt down together and cried out in pain, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, why are you gone, Your Majesty..."

Empress Wu, Li Xian, Li Dan, Princess Taiping and a group of female relatives stood up and followed the coffin out of the Zhenguan Hall. Only then did Li Xuan and others stand up and follow them out of the Zhenguan Hall.

Under the watchful eyes of countless ministers, ladies of honor, foreign envoys, retired elders and scholars from the Imperial Academy, the coffin of the late emperor was carried into the Xuan Zheng Hall.

Immediately, all the ministers rushed to Qianyang Palace.

Just as the ministers stood up, Li Xian, wearing a nine-dragon nine-chapter robe with black edges and a twelve-tassel white jade crown on his head, walked among the ministers with a calm expression and finally stood under the throne.

Pei Yan, Li Yuanjia and Wei Daijia stood on the golden steps, looking at Li Xian approaching with solemn expressions.

Li Xuan raised his head slightly and his eyes fell on the throne above. Empress Wu was not there.

At this moment, she was in the East Side Hall, waiting for the edict from Li Xian to confer the title of Empress Dowager on her.

But from now on, except for the court meetings on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, when no major matters were to be decided, Empress Wu would no longer have the right to participate in any state affairs.

At least in name only, no more.

(End of this chapter)