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

Chapter 1586 Dead End
With a "bang", a wine glass hit the door fiercely, and then Zhang Qianxu shouted angrily: "Put down your things and get out!"

"Yes!" The two servants in cloth immediately put down the four wine jars they were holding, bowed, and left quickly.

Zhang Qianxu stumbled out of the martial arts hall, grabbed two wine jars with one hand, then stumbled back to the martial arts hall and lay down on the couch at the innermost side.

He raised his head and saw that a jar of wine had already been poured into his throat.

The wine kept flowing from the corners of his mouth.

Zhang Qianxu casually put down the wine jar with his right hand, said a few words in a daze, then lay there and gently closed his eyes.

As if falling into a deep sleep.

After a long time, Zhang Qianxu opened his eyes again.

After pricking up his ears and listening carefully for a long time, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking upwards calmly, Zhang Qianxu's expression had become completely solemn.

The Grand General of the Imperial Guard, please reflect on your mistakes behind closed doors. All matters concerning the Imperial Guard will be handled by General Li Lingwen of the Imperial Guard.

Zhang Qianxu couldn't help but sneer.

What happened in Taiji Hall today has been clearly told to him.

He had been completely abandoned by Empress Wu.

Li Lingwen, who was once captured by him and was loyal to Emperor Zhongzong, now has complete control over the imperial guards. There is no doubt that Zhang Qianxu's cronies in the imperial guards will be massacred.

Today, Pei Yan was in the court, and he kept saying that he, Zhang Qianxu, was responsible for the death of Emperor Zhongzong and the bloodbath in the Eastern Palace.

Now that Empress Wu had abandoned him, he had no choice but to die.

Empress Wu wanted to kill him and use his head to appease the officials. After all, Emperor Zhongzong died indirectly at his hands.

The current emperor Li Dan will not help him either.

Li Dan also wished that he would die quickly.

The same is true for most members of the royal family, court officials, and the military.

Especially since he had just searched Weiqu not long ago, and completely offended the Jingzhao Wei family, as well as the Longxi clans behind them.

He is dead!
He is dead!
Zhang Qianxu, with a dazed look in his eyes, grabbed another jar of wine and poured it directly into his throat.

A moment later, he threw the wine jar into a pile of more than a dozen wine jars nearby.

In an instant, Zhang Qianxu's eyes became sharp.

He doesn't want to die, he doesn't want to die, he can't die.

No one wants to die, he must save himself.

But how to save yourself?
He has offended too many people, unless the dynasty changes...

A flash of inspiration came to him, and Zhang Qianxu grabbed it tightly.

He offended Li Dan, Empress Wu, and the Longxi clan, but he was not doomed.

If Empress Wu could change the emperor, he could do the same.

Just need to choose the right person.

A figure appeared in Zhang Qianxu's mind.

The deposed prince Li Xian.

Although Li Xian was deposed, he still had a certain amount of power in the court.

Especially those people, who survived after Li Xian was deposed that year, but their future was ruined.

Now, as long as Li Xian is welcomed back and made emperor, not only will it be legitimate, but Zhang Qianxu will also be able to take the opportunity to take a step forward.

Li Xian was deposed. Although he played an important role, Li Xian eventually committed suicide.

Although he offended the Jingzhao Wei family, Li Xian's roots were in the Qinghe Fang family.

As for other court officials, we will just give them a promotion when the time comes.

Anyway, a lot of people will be killed by then, so a lot of positions will definitely be left vacant.

As my mind calmed down, more sparks started to appear in my mind.

Indeed, he had a good chance. As long as he killed Empress Wu and reinstated Li Xian, he would be second only to the emperor.

The positions of Zhongshu Ling and Shangshu Zuo Pushe were both his...

No, it's not enough, he is just a general and he needs help.

We need help from the court and people who have a say in the court.

The last one is a person who has also lost power and is now in adversity.

Who?
Pei Yan.

Zhang Qianxu's eyes suddenly lit up.

If Pei Yan is contacted, and he works in the name of Pei Yan as the regent of Emperor Gaozong, then it will be more legitimate.

Zhang Qianxu's hand couldn't help but rest on the jar of wine under the bed.

……

Under the night, Chunming Gate.

Yuchi Xunyu walked to the city wall and stood still, his eyes falling on his left hand.

"I'll give you a fortune."

Yuchi Xunyu then crushed the note in his hand into powder, and then sprinkled it outside the city of Chang'an while patrolling.

After a night of patrolling, Yuchi Xunyu calmly walked down the city gate and took over.

After leaving the city gate, Yuchi Xunyu casually dismissed his men and quietly slipped into a small alley.

Deep in the alley, there is a remote house.

A figure in a black Taoist robe was sitting there. When he saw Yuchi Xunyu, he looked up calmly and said, "I am Xuanmiao."

Yuchi Xunyu was stunned.

……

Time flies, and one month has passed. …

The night is dark and the moon is hanging high in the sky.

At Chunming Gate in Chang'an, Yuchi Xunyu stood in the shadow of the city tower, looking towards the rolling mountains in the east.

It seemed as if there was a giant beast crouching there.

"The Queen Mother will arrive in Chang'an tomorrow. Are you sure she will come today?" Yuchi Xunyu turned sideways and looked behind him.

A figure in a black Taoist robe stood in the dark shadows and spoke calmly, "Although he has been ordered to reflect on himself behind closed doors for the past month, his actions in secret have never stopped. After all, he has been a general of the imperial guard for many years and has many trusted subordinates."

Although Li Lingwen became the general of the imperial guards and wanted to take action against Zhang Qianxu's former subordinates, he could insult and punish them. However, if he really killed people at will, Empress Wu would probably be the first one who would not let him go.

Therefore, they checked accounts, changed patrols, treated them harshly, and used various means to force these people to make mistakes, and finally punished them with caning and dismissal.

When beating, it should be heavier, and it is best to force them to be unable to move for a long time.

Then they sent people to cause trouble, oppress, threaten and force them to leave Chang'an.

Once you leave Chang'an, no one will care about your life or death.

After all, Li Lingwen is the grandson of Li Keshi and the great-nephew of Li Jing, so he still has to have some dignity.

Unless some people committed extremely serious crimes, they were beaten to death directly during the caning, and the others were released from the palace.

Some of them are still in the palace because of their cautiousness.

In this way, Zhang Qianxu had people behind the scenes and people above him in the palace, so it was somewhat convenient for him to do things.

"Although these people have kept a low profile over the past month and have been extremely careful in their internal and external actions, in the eyes of people who know his situation, everything is as simple as reading the lines on the palm of your hand. There is no secret at all." The Taoist stood in the shadows, and his words revealed great confidence.

Yuchi Xunyu nodded subconsciously.

Yes, a month has passed since the emperor carried Emperor Gaozong’s coffin back to Chang’an.

Over the past month, Zhang Qianxu's situation has become increasingly difficult.

In the palace, Li Lingwen kept investigating his illegal activities and stripping away his confidants.

Outside the palace, from the impeachment of only three or five censors at the beginning, to the impeachment of the entire Censorate, they were ready to put him to death.

Behind the Censorate, there are forces from all walks of life intervening, including the upright officials, aristocratic families, royal family members, meritorious officials, the emperor, and Empress Wu.

Everyone wanted to use him to calm the fear of Emperor Zhongzong's death, but no one thought of saving him.

"If it were an ordinary person, in this situation, he would just sit back and be killed, which might bring some blessings to his descendants, but he..." The Taoist sneered lightly, and then said hatefully: "He even killed Emperor Zhongzong, how could he be willing to die."

Yuchi Xunyu nodded and then sighed.

He also grew up with Li Xian. He, Li Xuan, Qin Ming, and Li Xian all grew up together.

In other words, royal upbringing has always been like this, with children of the noble families, aristocratic families, royal clans, and meritorious officials growing up with the princes.

If the situation changes in the future, someone will be able to take over immediately.

Li Hong, Li Xian, Li Xian, and Li Dan are all like this.

Yuchi Xunyu turned sideways and glanced at the Taoist in the darkness. This Taoist Xuanmiao, who found him and said he would give him wealth and honor, was holding Li Xuan's token in his hand.

He was Li Xuan's man. Seven days after Li Xian's death, he rushed from Chengdu Prefecture and found him.

In the blink of an eye, a month has passed.

During this month, the resentment of the people in the court and the country was gradually directed towards Zhang Qianxu.

Now that Emperor Gaozong is about to be buried, and Empress Wu will soon arrive from Luoyang, Zhang Qianxu's final fate will be determined.

No one thought there would be any accidents, nor did anyone think there would be any accidents.

Because any smart person could see that it was Empress Wu who directed the resentment of the people in the court and the country toward Zhang Qianxu from the very beginning.

Especially in Yuchi Xunyu's view, as long as he made a move today and tried to take action when Empress Wu returned to Beijing tomorrow, he would be dead.

"Tomorrow, the Queen will rush back from Chang'an, enter Chunming Gate, and go to the Imperial Palace." After a brief pause, Yuchi Xunyu said, "According to the rules, the court will inspect Chunming Gate in advance, and even use the imperial guards to form a barrier in the middle to prevent outsiders from approaching. In this case, even if he succeeds tonight, can he resist the inspection tomorrow?"

"You want to ask, will he choose some other place?" Taoist Xuanmiao looked at Yuchi Xunyu calmly.

Yuchi Xunyu nodded slightly. This was what he meant.

"On the way back to Chang'an from Luoyang, there were countless soldiers surrounding the Queen Mother, and General Wang Xiaojie of the Left Guard was in charge of the defense. He had no chance at all." After a brief pause, Taoist Xuanmiao said, "There are only two places where he could have a chance. One is the Imperial Palace, and the other is Chunming Gate. Only in these two places would the space be narrow for a moment, allowing him to do what he did in Bolangsha."

"Bolangsha?" Yuchi Xunyu immediately understood and whispered, "He wants to set up a trap at Chunming Gate."

Taoist Xuanmiao nodded and said that there was an absolutely secret place here, which was on the top of the city gate inside the city gate.

Yuchi Xunyu's eyes widened immediately. Few people would look up from inside the city gate.

If there were assassins hiding there, or if they had set up a trap and smashed it down with an iron hammer, there would be a good chance that Empress Wu would be killed.

Or to be more precise, it is easier to take action here than in the imperial palace.

Because the people who came and went in the imperial palace every day were officials who had been strictly investigated, while the people who came and went in Chunming Gate every day were ordinary people, and the soldiers had no time to look up.

"So, before someone from the palace arrives tomorrow, I will control you, take over this place, set up traps, and then hide. After I succeed, I will escape silently. In this way, in the end, even if someone holds you accountable, you will be the one who failed in your duty. Not to mention that by then, you will be dead and will not be able to defend yourself. Then he can proceed to the next step calmly."

"I'm already dead?" Yuchi Xunyu immediately grasped the most crucial point.

Taoist Xuanmiao smiled calmly and said, "You don't think he will let you live."

Yuchi Xunyu fell silent. He knew very well that the dead would be the ultimate scapegoats.

After a long time, Yuchi Xunyu finally spoke: "Why do you choose to get rid of him now instead of waiting? After all, he still has a good chance of success?"

What opportunity? Of course, it was the opportunity to kill Empress Wu.

"You don't have to test me." Taoist Xuanmiao shook his head, looking into the deep darkness in the distance, and said softly, "Only he would think that he has a chance. In fact, he has been targeted by someone for a long time. Now someone is waiting for him to make a move, so that they can kill him with a legitimate reason and explain it to everyone inside and outside."

"You mean to say that the Queen Mother already knows about tomorrow's assassination." Yuchi Xunyu suddenly felt a chill all over his body.

"Zhang Qianxu's current situation was manipulated step by step. Naturally, this most dangerous possibility was also considered at the beginning." Taoist Xuanmiao shook his head calmly and said, "Our move today is just to intercept other people's achievements in advance and send you to the next step."

"I have no choice, right?" Yuchi Xunyu suddenly understood everything.

Taoist Xuanmiao nodded, looked towards the Wei River to the east, and said softly, "Yes, you are also among those being eliminated. It's not just you. I don't know how many people are involved in this conspiracy."

Yuchi Xunyu was silent. At this moment, in the distance, a team of imperial guards appeared in the darkness.

(End of this chapter)