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

Chapter 1562: Seizing the Army, Seizing the Gate, Seizing the Zhongshumen

Empress Wu calmly walked out of the side porch, and all the officials in the palace immediately bowed and said, "Empress."

Li Xian hesitated for a moment, but still stood up from the throne, reached out to support Empress Wu, and helped her behind the pearl curtain, then asked carefully, "Why is my mother here?"

Empress Wu sat behind the pearl curtain and looked at Li Xian and said, "I heard that someone wanted to do something bad to your father on his way back to Chang'an, so I came to take a look."

Li Xian slightly turned sideways and glanced at Pei Yan from the corner of his eye. Pei Yan's face had completely darkened.

Everything was going fine, but then the Sanmenxia incident in Shanzhou suddenly came up.

Sanmenxia is located at the junction of the Yellow River and the Wei River. The river is turbulent and it is close to Hangu Pass. It is the only way to return to Chang'an from Luoyang.

May 17th was the day when the late emperor's coffin returned to Chang'an from Luoyang.

According to the original plan, the emperor's coffin would set off from Luoyang, pass through Shanzhou, cross Sanmenxia, ​​Hangu Pass, return to Huazhou, and enter Chang'an.

The late emperor's coffin was carried upstream on the Yellow River by boat. Li Xian, Empress Wu, and a number of important officials in the court all traveled on the boat.

The remaining civil and military officials, soldiers of the Sixteen Guards, and officials' families all traveled on horseback or in carriages between the two banks.

It may stretch for more than ten miles.

Finally arrived in Chang'an on May 22nd.

The sudden threat now not only puts the late emperor's coffin at risk of falling into the Yellow River, but even Li Xian, his queen, several concubines, and son are at risk of being suddenly attacked.

The sudden appearance of Empress Wu has now vaguely revealed the source of the risk.

No one could easily bypass the heavy military guards and attack the emperor.

Pei Yan's heart was filled with rage, but he calmed down in an instant, and said to Empress Wu, "Your Majesty, I have agreed with your Majesty that Pei Judao, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, Di Renjie, the military commander of Luozhou, and Yao Chong, the imperial censor, will go to investigate."

Empress Wu looked at Pei Yan in surprise, then she nodded unexpectedly and said, "Di Qing's ability to investigate cases is known to all. I think it is appropriate."

"Yes!" Pei Yan looked up in surprise, but then bowed and stepped back.

Li Xian stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, when my father's coffin returns to Chang'an, I, Prime Minister Pei, and other ministers have already agreed that Li Jingjia, the Prince of Beiping and General of the Left Thousand Bull Guards, will be in charge of all the guards inside and outside the palace. All sixteen guards in Luoyang and Chang'an will be stationed there."

Returning to Chang'an. For Li Xian, the most important thing now is to return to Chang'an.

As long as we return to Chang'an, with Liu Rengui in charge, there will be no unusual movements inside or outside the army.

Even in the palace, with Liu Rengui around, Empress Wu still found it difficult to stir up much trouble.

At least, it can't be done from the central government's perspective.

With Pei Yan's support, Li Xian's throne was as stable as a rock.

Empress Wu nodded slightly and said, "Originally, according to what you said, there was nothing to worry about at the time, but there are always more things to consider, such as the rebellion of Prince Ze.

If someone joins forces with Prince Ze at Hangu Pass, Li Jingjia, Di Renjie and Pei Judao alone will not be able to control it."

After a brief pause, Empress Wu looked at Pei Yan and said, "Prime Minister Pei is the regent. How about entrusting Prime Minister Pei with the responsibility of returning the late emperor's coffin to the capital and making him responsible for all matters both inside and outside the capital?"

Li Xian and Pei Yan breathed heavily at the same time.

What Empress Wu has been doing recently is to find ways to strip away the trusted power around the emperor, and now she has set her sights directly on Pei Yan.

If there was no Pei Yan, Li Xian's power in the court alone would not be able to stop Empress Wu.

This time, without waiting for Pei Yan to speak, Li Xian said directly: "There are many complicated matters in the court, and I still need Prime Minister Pei. How about this? Let Wang Qing of the Dali Temple be responsible for returning my father's coffin to the capital, and at the same time let him inspect the General of the Left Thousand Bull Guard and command all the troops inside and outside Luoyang."

"Does the internal and external armies also include the imperial guards?" Empress Wu looked at Li Xian with a smile.

Li Xian turned his head and glanced at Wang Jishan, smiled softly, then nodded and said, "It also includes the Imperial Guards."

"Okay!" Empress Wu nodded calmly, looked at Wang Jishan and said, "I'll leave the matter of my palace and the late emperor returning to Chang'an to you, but you also need to pay more attention to the affairs of Shanzhou."

"I obey your order." Wang Jishan stood up and bowed to receive the order.

Empress Wu breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Li Xian and Pei Yan and said, "I see that the court is overwhelmed with affairs and your majesty is toiling every day. So, how about letting the Minister of the Left Guo Daiju be promoted to the third rank of the Secretariat? This is not without precedent."

Li Xian raised his eyebrows and without any hesitation, he cupped his hands and said, "Since the retirement of the Secretary of the Central Secretariat Li Yiyan, there has been a vacancy for the Secretary of the Central Secretariat. In my opinion, how about letting the Secretary of the Central Secretariat Yao Lingzhang and the third rank of the Central Secretariat?"

Empress Wu looked at Li Xian in surprise. She had just proposed to make Guo Daiju the third-rank official in the Secretariat, and Li Xian immediately proposed to make Yao Lingzhang the third-rank official in the Secretariat.

In a word, if Guo Daiju wants to be prime minister, then Yao Lingzhang must also be prime minister.

The two of them advance and retreat together, and must check and balance each other.

Empress Wu never thought that Li Xian could have such a mind.

After a brief thought, Empress Wu nodded and said, "Let's do this. Pei Qing can draft the decree."

"Yes!" Pei Yan bowed seriously, and at the moment of attack, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly.

Now, not only did the emperor have someone in the Council of State, but even Empress Wu had someone in the Council of State as well.

"In that case, the remaining matters will be handled by you. I will return to the harem first." Empress Wu said as she was about to stand up.

At this moment, Li Xian stepped forward and bowed, "Mother!"

Empress Wu was slightly stunned and asked, "What else?"

Li Xian bowed his hands solemnly and said, "It's rare for your Majesty to come to Qianyang Palace. I just happen to have something else to report to you."

Empress Wu's eyes slightly widened. It seemed that her son had come up with some tricks. Empress Wu sat down on the throne again, then looked at Li Xian and said, "You say."

"Yes!" Li Xian bowed and said, "Left Golden Guard, since General Cheng Chubi of the Left Golden Guard went to Daizhou to welcome the coffin of Duke Pingyang, and General Zhao Gong of the Left Golden Guard went to Suzhou, the Left Golden Guard is now unattended. I want to transfer General Qin Shandao of the Left Golden Guard to Luoyang and station him at Chengtian Gate at the same time."

As soon as Li Xian finished speaking, Pei Yan below instantly looked up in surprise.

He didn't know about this.

He didn't know whether the emperor had made this decision on impulse or had planned it long ago, but the emperor had not told him about this matter.
The two generals of the Left Jinwu Guard, Cheng Chubi was the son of Cheng Yaojin, and Qin Shandao was the son of Qin Qiong.

Both of them are sons of veteran generals who made great contributions during the Zhenguan period.

They may not be loyal to Li Xian, but they are absolutely loyal to the Tang Dynasty and the entire court.

Empress Wu looked at Li Xian deeply, and she could see the expression on Pei Yan's face clearly.

Pei Yan didn't know about this.

Empress Wu did not expect that in the palace, when almost every move of Li Xian was under her surveillance, Li Xian could actually come up with such a method. It was really incredible.

Looking at Li Xian's serious expression, Empress Wu suddenly smiled. She nodded and said, "Okay, let's do this."

"Thank you, mother." Li Xian bowed, and then said, "In addition, I also want to transfer the left guard general Qin Ming back to Luoyang to serve as the right guard general. However, after he comes back, he does not need to go back to Chang'an with me, and can stay in Luoyang to guard."

Empress Wu instantly felt as if a sharp dagger was stabbing her throat.

Qin Shandao, Qin Ming.

This pair of father and son, one serving as General of the Left Jinwu Guard and the other as General of the Right Guard, will greatly consolidate Li Xian's position.

Empress Wu smiled gently. She sat dignifiedly behind the pearl curtain and looked at Li Xian and asked, "You transferred Qin Ming back to Luoyang. Was it because he grew up with you?"

All the ministers in the hall looked at Li Xian in an instant.

Li Xian bowed his hands solemnly and said, "Qin Ming was promoted from the left Jinwu Guard to the left Jinwu Guard Lieutenant General. It was a decision made by my father several years ago. Later, he was transferred to the northwest to serve as the left guard Lieutenant General. It was all a few years ago. He was transferred from the left guard Lieutenant General to the right guard Lieutenant General. I feel that I have done him a disservice."

All the ministers relaxed at the same time. Qin Ming was promoted to General of the Left Jinwu Guard in the first year of Tiaolu, and four years have passed now.

Although Qin Ming was not suitable for promotion to the rank of General of the Sixteen Guards due to insufficient military merit, there was no problem of being unsuitable for being transferred to the rank of General of the Right Guard.

"Okay, now that you have thought it through, it's up to you to decide." Empress Wu nodded calmly.

Anyway, there is still some time from the time the imperial edict is issued until Qin Shandao and Qin Ming rush to Chang'an, and this time is enough for Empress Wu to do something.

Li Xian smiled, turned around and looked at Pei Yan and said, "Mr. Pei, draft the decree. The two Generals Qin are still waiting to take office."

"Yes!" Pei Yan subconsciously bowed, but halfway through the action, he couldn't help but look up: "Waiting... to take office?"

Li Xian smiled, looked outside the palace, and said solemnly: "Tell Qin Shandao and Qin Ming to come to the palace for an audience."

"Tell Qin Shandao that Qin Ming is coming to the palace to meet the emperor..."

Endless waves of sound echoed throughout the Ziwei Palace.

Soon, two generals dressed in red and golden armor, with tall stature and similar faces, stepped into the hall.

"Your Majesty, and the Queen Mother." Qin Ming and Qin Shandao both knelt on one knee at the same time.

The ministers were extremely surprised when they saw this scene. They had never thought that Li Xian, who seemed to be lacking in skills in their eyes, could actually come up with such an amazing trick.

Qin Shandao and Qin Ming were quietly transferred back to Luoyang.
Li Xian turned around, looked at Empress Wu, and said with a smile: "My son was originally going to wait for Duke Jiang to return to the court, and then take charge of the whole department and be responsible for moving my father back to Chang'an. But now something happened in Suzhou, and Duke Jiang cannot return to the court, so he transferred Qin Shandao and Qin Ming back to Luoyang."

After a short pause, Li Xian continued, "From today until the departure of my father's coffin, General Qin Shandao of the Left Jinwu Guard will guard Chengtian Gate, General Li Yi of the Imperial Guard will guard Zhulong Gate, General Li Lingwen of the Imperial Guard will guard Daye Gate, and General Zhang Qianxu of the Imperial Guard will guard Xuanwu Gate."

Chengtian Gate, Zhulong Gate, Daye Gate, and Xuanwu Gate.

The Four Gates are the core of the palace, and now they are all to be taken by the emperor.

Li Xian turned slightly to the side, looked at the ministers in the hall and said, "I think you have no objection."

"Your Majesty is wise." All the ministers in the hall breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

No one wants to see a fierce conflict between the emperor and Empress Wu. Now that the emperor has decisively transferred Qin Shandao and his son back to guard the palace, Empress Wu will not act rashly, and the emperor will feel much more at ease.

Empress Wu made a move and Li Xian responded.

Empress Wu did not expect Li Xian to learn so quickly.

The situation is like this, there is no point in talking about what to do.

Empress Wu still nodded with a smile and said, "Very good, let's do this. Pei Qing will write an edict and use the seal."

Empress Wu turned around and looked at Pei Yan with deep intent.

Li Xian nodded calmly and said, "Mr. Pei, please draft the edict and use the seal. As the regent, you will still handle the affairs of the court in the future. Let's end today's affairs here. Tomorrow, you will continue to discuss matters in Qianyang Palace."

"I will accept the order." All the ministers raised their hands at the same time.

Empress Wu's eyes fell on Pei Yan. She had not forgotten that it was Pei Yan who proposed to use Qianyang Palace instead of the Political Affairs Hall for meetings. Now all the punishment fell on Pei Yan himself.

Pei Yan bowed along with the other ministers, his expression eerily calm.

(End of this chapter)