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

Chapter 1558 Empress Wu: Let’s Begin
The sixth day of the fifth month, Ziwei Palace, west side of Huiyou Hall.

Empress Wu was wearing a lavender waist-length skirt and lying on the sunny terrace, looking at the Ningbi Lake in front of her with comfort.

The breeze is blowing gently and the cicadas are chirping.

The lake is clear and green, and there is constant cheer.

Although Princess Taiping still had a circle of white silk cloth tied around her forehead and left arm, she was just as happy as ever as she ran by the lake.

The two children, Prince Ping'en Li Chongfu and Prince Yongping Li Chengqi, followed Princess Taiping and ran around laughing.

In Li Ri Tai, Empress Wei and Princess Dou were both staring at their children intently.

But compared to Dou, Empress Wei's pregnant belly was already very obvious.

Zheng, who was sitting next to Empress Wei, was quiet and virtuous, and her belly was much smaller than Empress Wei's.

After all, when she got married, Empress Wei was already pregnant for a month.

If you count, it has been six months now.

As for Zheng, she lived only four months and thirteen days.

Opposite the two of them was Gaopin, who was wearing a green long skirt and had a straight figure; and another was Gaopin, who was wearing a dark purple long skirt, was not tall, with a forced smile on her pretty face.

Shangguan Wan'er stood beside Empress Wu and bowed slightly.

Today, the Queen Mother is in a good mood, so she summoned all the concubines and princes in the palace to come to Ningbi Lake to relax.

It was fine at the beginning and the concubines were harmonious, but after a long time, Empress Wu stopped speaking and the others didn't know what to say.

Suddenly, the sound of light footsteps interrupted the tranquility of Ningbi Lake.

Qiu Huan appeared not far away, holding a memorial in his hand, and quickly came towards Li Ritai.

Empress Wu straightened up slightly, her expression unconsciously becoming serious.

"Queen, a secret report!" Qiu Huan lowered his head slightly and did not reveal the source of the secret report in front of other concubines.

Empress Wu took the secret letter and opened it with a calm expression.

King Peng has led his army to the Great Snow Mountain in the west of Kunlun. I will stay in Shigatse to protect the grain route and hold the throat until King Peng succeeds.

Empress Wu smiled gently.

What Wang Yinke said was not that obscure.

Li Xuan led his army to the Great Snow Mountain. As long as he broke out of the Great Snow Mountain, he would be able to enter the Western Regions.

To put it bluntly, as long as Wang Yinke cut off Li Xuan's food supply and tens of thousands of soldiers, it would be difficult for him to even return to Luosi.

From today on, King Peng will no longer pose any threat.

Empress Wu turned to the back of the memorial and saw Wang Yinke clearly recording the "The Memorial to the Emperor on Leaving the Capital" written by Li Xuan: The rebellion of the Western Turks has actually cut off the precious Silk Road, and the late emperor was deeply concerned about it.

The king's cause is all over the world, so he entrusted me with the task of fighting against the enemy. The former emperor was wise and judged my ability, so he knew that my ability would be stronger than the enemy's...

Empress Wu smiled. She was confident. King Peng was really confident.

Looking down at the detailed marching strategy below, Empress Wu's expression calmed down.

She looked up at Shangguan Wan'er and whispered, "Wan'er, am I overthinking this?"

Shangguan Wan'er lowered her head slightly. She knew that Empress Wu was asking whether she was being too wary of Li Xuan.

Shangguan Wan'er thought about it, but finally remained silent.

Empress Wu smiled and said, "Prince Peng has gone to the Western Regions. The palace needs to take good care of Prince Peng's mansion. There are some seasonal fruits. The palace can send some over."

"Yes!" Shangguan Wan'er nodded slightly, then bowed and left.

Empress Wu looked down at the memorial, in which Li Xuan's "The Memorial to the Emperor on Leaving the Capital" mentioned the late emperor more than once.

Empress Wu knew in her heart what was happening deep in Li Xuan's heart.

What really matters is the late emperor.

Although Li Xuan was worried about Li Xian's situation, he was just worried.

Considering the overall situation and various constraints, he finally chose to conquer the Western Regions.

After all, for the entire Tang Dynasty, stability in the Western Regions is the most important.

Empress Wu even saw through various signs that Li Xuan was avoiding her.

Yes, there was avoidance. If we look at the details from all aspects, although Li Xuan did a lot of things, everything he did was public.

Regardless of whether it was an open conspiracy or a cautious approach, the things Li Xuan said did not target Empress Wu personally.

His purpose was always to enhance Li Xian's strength so as to avoid a direct fight with Empress Wu.

Maybe he didn't want to see this scene.

It is precisely because of this that no matter whether in Luoyang, Chang'an, or even Luosi, even if he had the opportunity to stay, he eventually chose to leave.

Empress Wu turned and looked at Qiu Huan.

Qiu Huan bowed heavily, and Empress Wu nodded slightly.

Qiu Huan bowed, then turned around and left quickly.

It all began.

Empress Wu raised her head, looked at Empress Wei, and said, "Empress."

"Mother!" Empress Wei came to her senses immediately, turned around and was about to stand up.

Empress Wu waved her hand and said, "Sit down. Your health is more important."

"Yes!" Empress Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

Empress Wu glanced at Zheng, Gao, and Yang, then said gently to Wei, "Is your father doing well lately?"

"Not bad." Wei bowed and said, "The Secretary General is free. My father has been away from home for many years and is a little tired. Now he is recuperating in Luoyang."

Empress Wu nodded and said, "Your brother's age..."

"Eleven years old." Wei bowed and said, "Da Lang Wei Xun is still studying and will take part in the imperial examination in a few years."

"Why take the imperial examination? With his status, it's better for him to enter the government directly." Empress Wu couldn't help laughing and waved her hand, saying, "How about this, appoint him as an official to accompany the crown prince to study."

The Crown Prince's Assistant was of the ninth rank. To be directly appointed as a ninth rank Crown Prince's Assistant at the age of eleven was an extraordinary achievement even for the Queen's brother. Empress Wei finally stood up and bowed to Empress Wu gratefully, saying, "Thank you, mother."

"Sit down." Empress Wu waved her hand, then looked at Zheng and asked, "Is your father the Shaoqing of the Sinong Temple?"

"Yes!" Zheng stood up and bowed, saying, "My father has already asked for leave a few days ago and went to Daizhou to welcome the coffin of Duke Pingyang."

"Oh, by the way, he was previously the Sima of Daizhou." Empress Wu sighed, looked at Zheng in surprise and said, "It can be seen that your father has a close relationship with the Duke of Pingyang. It is not easy for him to be willing to take leave to go to Daizhou at this time."

"My father is deeply grateful for the care given to him by Duke Pingyang over the years." Zheng bowed slightly.

Empress Wu nodded slightly and said, "I will not give you anything as a reward. The palace has some seasonal fruits sent up from below, and I will have someone send some to your home when the time comes."

"Thank you, mother." Zheng's face was full of joy.

Empress Wu looked at Zheng with pity, and finally she looked at Gao and said, "How is your grandfather doing recently?"

Gao stood up quickly, her tall figure was particularly eye-catching, she bowed and said: "Since returning to Liaoxi, Grandfather's health has not been very good. Liaoxi is cold, and my second uncle and father have been transferred away from Liaoxi, and only my third uncle is there to take care of them.

My father said that after one or two years, when His Majesty has found someone to replace Aye, Aye will ask to retire."

Empress Wu nodded slightly.

Gao Kan, the Duke of Pingyuan, was the General of the Left Guard. He had fought on the battlefields of Andong all the way to Youzhou. Although he had great prestige in the army after many years of fighting, his health had gradually deteriorated.

Maybe I can hold on for the next one or two years, but I can’t say for sure after a year or two.

Especially after the death of the previous emperor, there were too many old ministers who could not hold on.

Gao Kan is not the first, nor the last.

"Your father is the governor of Qinzhou, which is not far from Chang'an and Luoyang. Let him come back every year for the homage." Empress Wu smiled and said, "He who serves the royal family should be treated well after all."

Gao immediately looked at Empress Wu with great joy and bowed, saying, "Thank you, mother."

"You all sit down." Empress Wu waved her hand and looked at Yang.

Yang stood up immediately: "Mother."

Empress Wu shook her head with a mixture of anger and laughter, then looked around and said, "You all go back first. I want to talk to Concubine Yang."

"Yes!" Wei, Zheng and Gao bowed at the same time and then, with the help of their maids, they walked down the Li Ri Terrace.

This time, Empress Wu looked at Yang and shook her head helplessly, "You, I really spoiled you at home."

"Auntie!" Yang's face was full of grievances. She moved step by step to Empress Wu's side and almost cried: "Since I entered the palace, Your Majesty has never come to visit me. How are you?"

"Okay, okay, I'll pass on the message and ask the emperor to come to your place tonight. However, he still has to go back to the queen at night. After all, the current situation is special, so you just have to be patient." Empress Wu persuaded and finally made a promise.

"Thank you, mother." Yang immediately smiled.

Empress Wu waved her hand and said, "Okay, go ahead. I'll be alone for a while."

"Yes!" Yang bowed, then turned around and left with a jump.

Empress Wu looked at Yang's slender body and couldn't help but shook her head and said, "It's really a child."

Yang is indeed not very old, only seventeen.

She was very much loved by her parents at home. After she entered the palace, Empress Wu became both her mother-in-law and her aunt.

Even when she first entered the Eastern Palace, Empress Wu deliberately called her over and gave her some attentive teachings.

It was this vague support that made Yang even more arrogant in the palace.

As time went on, Li Xian became less and less fond of her.

What Li Xian really liked was a gentle, quiet and virtuous woman like Zheng.

The more trouble Yang made, the less Li Xian liked her.

Therefore, Yang never realized that she had been tricked by Empress Wu.

As she was jumping and leaving happily, she naturally did not notice the bone-chilling coldness deep in Empress Wu's eyes.

……

In the Qianyang Palace, Yao Lingzhang stood below Pei Yan, holding the memorial from Li Xuan that had just been delivered, and read aloud: "...But on the day I received the order, I could not sleep well and could not enjoy my food.

Weapons are dangerous tools, and war is a dangerous matter. Therefore, we should regard the big as small and the strong as weak, just in case.

Thinking that it would be advisable to march westwards and reach Bolü first, he crossed the snow-capped mountains in May and went deep into the barren land, eating only once a day.

Now the enemy is tired in Anxi and is busy dealing with the Arabs. The strategy of war is to take advantage of their tiredness. Now is the time to advance.

Compare the front and the back, and look left and right.

The troops came out from the south and attacked from the north, defeated the enemy at the western foot of Tianshan Mountain, and destroyed the army at the source of Yi River, so that finally there was a great victory. "

Li Xian sat on the throne and finally nodded, looking down and asked, "Lord Ouyang, how is King Peng's military strategy?"

Ouyang Tong stood behind Lu Yuanfang and Dou Lu Qinwang, and in front of him were Pei Yan and Yao Lingzhang.

Standing opposite them were Wang Dezhen and Liu Jingxian, as well as Su Liangsi, Duan Baoxuan, Li Jingjia and others.

There were more than a dozen servants in the hall, and the Imperial Censor and the Imperial Censor were standing on both sides.

Ouyang Tong hesitated for a moment, then said: "This strategy is too rough. The situation in the Western Regions may not be as King Peng wishes. There will inevitably be twists and turns."

Li Xian nodded, then looked at Wang Dezhen and asked, "Wang Qing, what do you think?"

Wang Dezhen bowed and said, "I have fought with King Peng before. Judging from King Peng's temperament, he must have studied the terrain of the Western Regions as early as last year. Before he set out this year, he probably already had a good grasp of the eastward direction of the Western Turks. We may not necessarily win a great victory, but we will definitely not suffer a great defeat."

Li Xian nodded, looked at Pei Yan and asked, "What did Pei Qing say?"

Pei Yan bowed solemnly and said, "Your Majesty, this time King Peng's expedition to the west will surely be a great victory."

"We will definitely win." Li Xian was slightly stunned, then laughed and said, "That's right, this battle will definitely be a great victory. Come on, announce to the whole city that King Peng has entered the Western Regions."

"Yes!" All the ministers in the hall raised their eyebrows at the same time, with different expressions.

……

Under the cover of night, Li Xian arrived at the Jixian Palace.

Yangpin's Jixian Palace.

(End of this chapter)