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

Chapter 1572 The Queen of Heaven said
Everything in Qianyang Palace was cleaned up quickly.

The body of Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian was also carried to the side hall.

The Crown Prince's concubine Yang was dragged away and beheaded immediately.

Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian died suddenly due to dementia, and all of it was caused by the witchcraft curse cast by Crown Prince's concubine Yang.

This was the cause of Li Xian's death that was made public.

Therefore, not only the Crown Prince's concubine Yang would die, but all three members of the Yang family would also die, and no one would survive.

Empress Wu needed them to be buried with Li Xian.

Empress Wu sat behind the pearl curtain with great indifference. Li Xian was already dead. No matter what he did or said, everything was irreversible. The most important thing at the moment was for Li Dan to ascend the throne.

As long as Li Dan ascends the throne, those who support Li Dan in the court, the Dou family, the Dugu family, and those who follow Li Dan, will turn to support Li Dan's ascension to the throne.

This is tantamount to supporting Empress Wu in disguise.

They will naturally stand in opposition to those who support Li Xian, confront them and suppress them.

In addition, Wu Zetian's supporters would occupy various key positions in the court and become the core of government.

As for the other neutral parties, they would surrender simply by being given more rewards.

It doesn't matter which emperor they serve. As long as Empress Wu didn't show any signs of liquidating them, these people wouldn't say much.

As for the remaining group of people, those who are willing to surrender will surrender, and those who are unwilling will be killed or demoted, that's all.

Empress Wu had been in charge of government for many years, and she was confident enough to quell all unrest in the shortest possible time.

Even the Li Tang royal family is the same.

At this moment, at the gate of Qianyang Palace opposite, the voice of the eunuch in charge of ceremonies rang out: "Your Majesty has arrived."

Li Dan, dressed in a bright yellow robe with nine dragons and nine chapters, and a twelve-tassel white jade headband, walked among the ranks of ministers with a stiff expression.

The ministers on both sides bowed their heads.

Li Dan walked among the ministers, and he could clearly feel their panic.

Especially Qin Shandao, the general of the Left Jinwu Guard, who was standing on the right, had a look of confusion on his face.

Poor Qin Shandao had no idea what was going on. During the grand court session, he was guarding Chengtian Gate. By the time he heard the commotion in Qianyang Palace and rushed over, the place had been surrounded by the Imperial Guards.

Soon, Qin Shandao was summoned to the Qianyang Palace, but at this time, the emperor was no longer in the palace.

Only a pool of blood remained on the ground, but it was quickly cleaned up.

Next, the new emperor inexplicably ascended the throne.

It was only at this time that Qin Shandao learned that Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian had died suddenly and Prince Xiang Li Dan had ascended the throne.

He vaguely heard that it was the Crown Prince's concubine Yang who cursed Emperor Zhongzong, which led to his sudden death, but he didn't know more.

However, Qin Shandao is not stupid.

Zhang Qianxu, the imperial guard general who was originally guarding Xuanwu Gate, suddenly led his troops to surround Qianyang Palace, and then Emperor Zhongzong passed away.

Soon, even the posthumous title of Emperor Zhongzong was decided.

And his posthumous title was Li.

What kind of emperor would be posthumously named Li?

The emperor died under unclear circumstances, and even the new emperor looked confused.

Only Empress Wu sat high behind the pearl curtain, ruling from behind the scenes.

……

Li Dan walked slowly to the golden steps, looked up, and saw a green pearl curtain appearing before his eyes.

Li Dan's face was expressionless. He didn't know whether he should go forward.

Go see his mother, and then sit on the throne.

Li Dan's gaze slowly fell on the throne, where his imperial brother had been sitting not long ago.

Li Dan's memory of Li Xian suddenly became blurred for some unknown reason.

All he could think about was his brother before he ascended the throne.

Although Li Xian was not talented enough, he was diligent and hardworking, which was completely different from his absurd behavior when he was the King of England in his youth.

He was kind enough to Li Dan and caring enough to Taiping.

He is a qualified brother.

But why is it different after he ascended the throne?
He is shrewd, intelligent, strategic, and capable of governing a country. Although he is not the best in the world, he is definitely not bad.

This shows that my father made the right choice and my brother is a suitable emperor.

But why did he die? Why did he die?

Li Dan raised his head again and looked at Empress Wu. The pair of eyes behind the pearl curtain were cold and oppressive.

Li Dan immediately realized that he had been standing under the golden steps for too long and his mother began to suspect him.

Empress Wu suspected him today, so tomorrow, would her mother depose him just like she did to his brother? Would he also die a violent death like his brother tomorrow?
With strange thoughts in mind, Li Dan finally took a step forward.

With this step, countless people in the entire Qianyang Palace subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

Step by step, Li Dan finally arrived in front of the throne.

Li Dan's gaze involuntarily turned to Fan Yunxian and Qiu Huan on the side.

Qiu Huan was the direct murderer who killed his royal brother, and Fan Yunxian, the eunuch beside his royal brother, betrayed him at the critical moment.

If it weren't for him, the guards of the entire Qianyang Palace would not have stood still when Zhang Qianxu led his men into the palace.

It's like seeing nothing.

Such a person can betray his brother today, so will he betray himself tomorrow?

He looked behind the bead curtain with worry in his eyes, but the pair of eyes behind the bead curtain remained cold and just nodded slightly.

The next moment, Li Dan had involuntarily sat on the throne.

It was at this time that the eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs spoke loudly: "The emperor has ascended the throne, and all the officials kneel down to pay homage."

After this command, many people in the hall knelt down.

But at the same time, there are still many people standing.

Particularly eye-catching were the Minister of the Central Secretariat Pei Yan, the Vice Minister of the Central Secretariat and the third-rank official of the Secretariat Yao Lingzhang, the Minister of the Supreme Court and the General of the Left Thousand Oxen Guard Wang Jishan, the General of the Left Thousand Oxen Guard Qin Shandao, as well as several other prime ministers, ministers, vice ministers, ministers of the temple, junior ministers, generals, generals of the Central Army, and so on.

But others, including Guo Daiju, Doulu Qinwang, Duguqi, Guo Zhengyi, Cui Zhiwen, Cui Mi and others had already knelt down.

The lower the rank, the more people kneel.

Li Dan glanced at Pei Yan from the corner of his eye, but his expression remained indifferent.

Among these court officials, it was not him who knelt, and it was not him who did not kneel.

The bead curtain behind him swayed, and his cold gaze fell on Pei Yan.

Pei Yan's face was full of bitterness. As a regent, he had actually allowed the situation to evolve to this point. Especially since the emperor was dead and he was still alive, he felt even more ashamed of the late emperor.

but……

Pei Yan turned sideways and looked into the hall. Yao Lingzhang was standing, Wang Dezhen was standing, Liu Jingxian was standing, Yao Lingzhang was standing, and among the prime ministers, all of them were standing except Guo Daiju.

Among the six ministers, Lu Yuanfang was standing, Ouyang Tong was also standing, only Dou Lu Qinwang was kneeling.

Among the other ministers, Wei Xuanzhen, Wei Ji, Jiang Yan, Du Shenyan, Yang Jiong, Song Zhiwen and other old ministers of the Eastern Palace were also standing.

There are also many people who have been promoted by the emperor recently, and many of them are Pei Yan’s confidants.

Looking at so many people, Pei Yan looked worried. He turned his head and looked behind the bead curtain. Empress Wu's cold eyes were still looking at him.

Behind the side doors on both sides, a whole team of guards armed with swords and axes were waiting carefully for orders.

Pei Yan could even imagine that now in the entire Luoyang, the residences of all the important officials in the court and even the royal family had been besieged and blocked.

Everyone was under Empress Wu's butcher knife. As long as she gave the order, everyone would be killed.

Pei Yan's gaze fell on Li Dan. Looking at the expressionless Li Dan, Pei Yan's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

Then, Pei Yan looked deeply at Li Dan, then bowed solemnly and said, "Your Highness and I pay our respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty."

The ministers standing in the hall were slightly stunned, and those who were smart immediately understood what Pei Yan meant.

Zhongzong has passed away, and the one sitting in the hall now is the only surviving legitimate son of Emperor Gaozong.

Although Li Dan is a puppet now, he is still the emperor of the Tang Dynasty and they can still rely on him.

Just like when the Emperor Shao of the Later Han Dynasty was forced to death by Dong Zhuo, Emperor Xian of Han could still be relied upon.

As they were well-versed in history books, they naturally knew that Emperor Xian of Han was not incompetent, he was just unlucky to meet Cao Cao.

In today's world, they still have a lot of opportunities.

Especially now that the Emperor Li Dan sitting on the throne is the Empress's legitimate son, the last legitimate son.

This is their last and only chance, and it is also an inevitable chance.

After figuring this out, Wang Dezhen knelt down and said, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty."

Liu Jingxian and Lu Yuanfang stood, while Ouyang Tong, Qin Shandao, Wei Ji, Jiang Yan, Song Zhiwen and others all knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, is here to pay your respects to us."

In a moment, there were only five or six people standing in the hall.

Yao Lingzhang, Wei Xuanzhen, Du Shenyan, Yang Jiong, and several other ministers who had received great favors from the emperor.

Several people held their heads high and looked at Empress Wu coldly.

Although he said nothing, his dissatisfaction and anger were visible.

Empress Wu looked at Yao Lingzhang indifferently, then at Du Shenyan and Yang Jiong, but she couldn't help but frowned.

Yao Lingzhang and Wei Xuanzhen are not important, the key is Du Shenyan and Yang Jiong.

They are not only the direct descendants of the Jingzhao Du family and the Hongnong Yang family, but also the role models for literati all over the world.

As soon as Li Xian died, Empress Wu of Jingzhao Wei had already offended her to death.

No matter how pretentiously the Jingzhao Wei family tries to please her, they will not be polite to her if they get the chance in the future.

If the Jingzhao Du family and the Hongnong Yang family were dissatisfied with Empress Wu, then her rule over the world would be in big trouble.

After all, she couldn't just be in charge of Luoyang, she also had to take charge of the entire world.

Empress Wu raised her head, looked to the side and said a few words. Qiu Huan immediately waved his hand to the side, and soon a dozen guards dragged Yao Lingzhang, Wei Xuanzhen, Du Shenyan, Yang Jiong and others away.

Empress Wu's gaze fell on Pei Yan again. Although her expression was indifferent, she couldn't help but feel relieved in her heart.

Pei Yan, Minister of the Central Secretariat, Regent Minister.

Pei Yan had a great influence among middle and lower-level officials.

If Pei Yan did not recognize Li Dan's throne, Wu Zetian could certainly kill all of Pei Yan's confidants, but without these people, Wu Zetian would lose control of the entire world.

This was not what she wanted to see.

What she wants is for the whole world to fall into her hands stably.

So, she still has a lot to do.

……

Fan Yunxian walked forward gently, with an imperial edict on the tray in her hand, then calmly walked down the golden steps and stood in front of Pei Yan who was kneeling on the ground.

Empress Wu sat behind the pearl curtain and said softly, "Mr. Pei, announce the decree."

Pei Yan's expression changed slightly. If he summoned the emperor on behalf of Empress Wu, it would mean that he completely acknowledged Li Dan's throne.

But he didn't have any other choice.

With a sigh in his heart, Pei Yan slowly stood up, took the imperial edict from Fan Yunxian, turned around and looked at the ministers, and said loudly: "In the first year of Guangzhai, on the 15th day of the fifth month, on the 15th day of the fifth month, the Queen Mother said:

Yu Xi!

I have heard that emperors since ancient times, when they were in danger of being angry, they would respect their elders and be close to their relatives. This was recorded in the classics and is believed to be due to their utmost fairness, and it was not because of their choice.

Our Tang Dynasty took advantage of the good fortune and restored the glory of the saints. When the joy of the four seas was pushed forward, we were blessed by the three spirits.

Emperor Zhongzong suddenly abandoned the county and made bitter enemies.

This queen asks me to eliminate the great rebellion and protect the successor.

Today the Emperor is in grief and guilt, and entrusts his care to this Empress.

After much deliberation, I finally came to this conclusion.

Prime Minister Wang Dan was an example of a god at an early age, and had the qualities to be an emperor.

You can ascend the throne as emperor and inherit the throne.

Thinking of the inheritance of our ancestors, this is the only way to make it new; emulating the kindness of Huan Khan, we should start anew with him.

A general amnesty can be granted.

Admire this! "

……

The emperor was enthroned in the name of the Empress Dowager Tiansheng of the Tang Dynasty.

Pei Yan held the imperial edict in his hand, turned around and looked at Li Dan on the throne, looked at him deeply, then knelt down solemnly, holding the imperial edict high, and said: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty live a long life."

All the ministers in the hall knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty live a long and healthy life."

A hint of excitement flashed across Li Dan's eyes.

Behind the pearl curtain, Empress Wu was unusually calm.

She can establish an emperor today and a second one tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)