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

Chapter 1627 Who is a friend? Who is an enemy?
East Palace, Mingde Hall.

The guards in the hall came out in an orderly manner. Li Chengqi sat in the hall, biting his lip, feeling anxious.

The moment before he was the crown prince, and in the blink of an eye, he was the Prince of Yongping.

When the sound of calm footsteps was heard, Li Chengqi couldn't help but stand up.

Then Li Xuan, dressed in white linen mourning clothes, walked into the hall.

Li Xuan walked to one side and sat down familiarly, then looked up at Li Chengqi.

With a scrutinizing look in his eyes, Li Xuan looked at Li Chengqi and said, "Your Highness, you have worked hard."

"Uncle!" Li Chengqi quickly bowed and saluted.

Li Xuan nodded and said, "At the beginning of last year, when I was in Luoyang, I assigned you the homework. How is your Highness doing?"

Li Chengqi quickly said, "That's quite a progress."

"That's good." Li Xuan raised his head and looked at the entire Mingde Hall, then said: "Tonight, I will accompany Your Highness to rest in this Mingde Hall. Tomorrow, Your Highness needs to go back to Kaihuafang with me. I have prepared a Yongping County Prince's Mansion in Kaihuafang, and Your Highness can do whatever he wants in the mansion."

"Yes!" Li Chengqi breathed a sigh of relief. He was already six years old and knew some things about the world.

Li Xuan nodded and said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already ascended the throne in Yangzhou. When he returns to Chang'an, His Royal Highness the Prince of Xiang can return to the Prince of Xiang's mansion. After three to five years, the Prince of Xiang can take up a post in another place. At that time, whether His Royal Highness is willing to stay in Chang'an or go to another place, I will persuade the Emperor to agree."

"Thank you, uncle." Li Chengqi was completely relieved.

"In addition." After a short pause, Li Xuan said, "During the period before the emperor returns to Chang'an, I will use the Prince of Linzi to supervise the country together with Your Highness.

The Prince of Linzi lives in Zhaode Hall day and night. Your Highness and I come and go to Kaihuafang every day. At the same time, Your Highness and the Prince of Linzi attend classes together. I am the Imperial College Priest, and this is my responsibility. "

"Yes!" Li Chengqi asked curiously, "Didn't Prince Linzi go to Yangzhou?"

“No.” Li Xuan shook his head and said, “After leaving Luoyang, the Prince of Linzi went from Nanyang to Hanzhong, and then returned to Chang’an from Hanzhong. He just stayed outside the city, so the world didn’t know about it.”

"So that's how it is." Li Chengqi finally understood.

Li Xuan waved his hand, and Li Chengqi came to Li Xuan's side respectfully. Li Xuan touched his forehead and said, "It doesn't matter what happened to your father. He may not be able to protect himself now. If he can return to Chang'an, he still has a chance of survival. If Luoyang cannot be taken back, your father will be in danger, so you have to take care of yourself."

"Okay!" Li Chengqi was a little confused.

Li Xuan nodded and said, "Go ahead, write a letter. My uncle will have someone deliver it to Luoyang tomorrow. If nothing else, at least it will reassure your father and mother. Moreover, as long as you stay safely in Chang'an, your father and mother will be safe."

"Yes!" Although Li Chengqi didn't understand, he wrote down everything Li Xuan said.

"Go to sleep if you are tired. Uncle still has a lot of things to deal with." Li Xuan glanced at Li Chengqi, then raised his head and looked outside and said, "Ask the Anxi Protector General to come into the palace. I have something to ask him."

"Here!"

……

The fourth day of May, the second year of Sisheng.

The palace gate of Suzaku Gate was opened, and all officials above the ninth rank in Chang'an City went out one after another to attend the grand court in the palace.

On the long street, the left and right Jinwu guards stood solemnly on both sides of the road, holding long spears with stern expressions.

The long street was silent along the way, just as if Emperor Gaozong was still alive.

All officials entered the imperial city in order, and after a careful count, there were actually more than four hundred people.

In Chang'an City, most of the officials above the fifth rank followed Wu Zetian to Luoyang, and less than a quarter remained. However, the officials below the fifth rank accounted for as much as half.

Of course, many of them are officials in charge of various affairs in Chang'an City.

There are nine temples and five prisons, as well as Yongzhou Prefecture, Chang'an and Wannian counties, East Market and West Market, so there are naturally quite a few people.

But most people are of very low quality and can hardly be of much use.

However, if these people wanted to cause chaos, because they were too closely connected with the civilians in the city, it would be easy to cause a big chaos if something happened.

Cui Ding stood on the left side of Taiji Gate with a solemn expression, while Cheng Chubi stood on the right side of Taiji Gate, looking solemnly at the ministers.

Liu Rengui, Lu Yuanfang, Cui Zhiwen, Wang Fangyi, Wei Shishi, He Yiqiu and others all stood on the left side of the gate.

Tang Zhenxing, Li Duozuo, Qu Chongyu, Lun Gongren, Li Gu, Ren Enci, Liang Xing and others all stood on the right side of the gate.

At this moment, three tall and fine horses, escorted by countless Jinwu Guards, arrived at Taiji Gate.

Everyone could see clearly at a glance that the man in the lead was Li Xuan, and next to him were Prince of Yongping Li Chengqi and Prince of Linzi Li Guangren.

Many people looked surprised. It was true that Li Chengqi had always been in Chang'an, but when did Li Guangren arrive in Chang'an?

……

Li Xuan held Li Guangren's left hand and Li Chengqi's right hand, with Li Zhu and Zhou Qian following behind him.

He calmly walked to the Tai Chi Gate and said, "Open the door."

"Yes!" Su Baotong's voice came from the city wall, and the next moment, the Tai Chi gate opened with a bang.

The magnificent Tai Chi Hall appeared before everyone.

Li Xuan walked in calmly, followed closely by Liu Rengui, Lu Yuanfang, Cui Zhiwen and others.

Four hundred officials of the fifth rank and above in Chang'an City followed Li Xuan to the Taiji Palace.

When the emperor was away, the gates of Taiji Palace were wide open.

The imperial guards guarding the Taiji Palace had already been replaced by the right guards under Li Xuan.

No, to be precise, the right guards under Li Xuan have already taken over the Imperial Guards and have completely taken control of the entire Chang'an Imperial Guards.

It's not difficult.

After Empress Wu led most of the court officials to Luoyang, 14,000 of the 20,000 imperial guards in Chang'an City went there.

Now, there are less than six thousand guards left in Taiji Palace.

With Dou Ping's assistance, Li Xuan easily took control of the Imperial Guard.

Zhou Qian and Li Zhu stood on either side of the side door, bowing solemnly.

Li Xuan stood at the head of the ministers, holding Li Chengqi and Li Guangren's hands and walking to the golden steps, with the ministers standing behind him.

Li Xuan exerted a little force and sent Li Chengqi and Li Guangren to the golden steps, then turned around and looked at the ministers.

He took out the Emperor Gaozong's will from his sleeve and handed it to Cui Zhiwen, the Yellow Gate Minister on the left, and then knelt down in the hall. Cui Zhiwen walked to the upper left of the ministers, looked at them calmly and said, "Announce the Emperor Gaozong's will!"

Liu Rengui, Lu Yuanfang, Wang Fangyi, Tang Zhenxing, Li Duozuo, Qu Chongyu and others knelt down one by one.

In the hall, more court officials knelt down.

Some people hesitated for a moment, but immediately noticed the fierce gazes of Zhou Qian and Li Zhu, which scared them so much that they quickly knelt down.

He who knows the current affairs is a hero.

Li Xuan listened to the voice behind him. He knew that all the court officials who were truly loyal to Empress Wu had already gone to Luoyang.

Because there are not many such people, Empress Wu treasures them too late.

Not to mention, Empress Wu did not expect Li Xuan to reach Chang'an City so quickly.

One was Xue Guwu, the General of the Left Thousand Bull Guard who was in charge of the army; the other was Duguqi, the Minister of the Supreme Court who was in charge of government affairs; and the other was Dou Ping, the General of the Imperial Guard who was in charge of the palace.

It is enough for three people to assist and restrain each other.

The rest were mostly people who were not valued by Empress Wu and whom she was unwilling to deal with.

For example, Zhao Renben's son Zhao Chen was a Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel, but since Zhao Renben retired, the power of their faction declined rapidly, so there was no need to deal with them.

Most of the power left behind by the retired old ministers during the Yifeng Tiaolu period of Emperor Gaozong's reign was disliked by Empress Wu, but she had no one to replace them, so she could only leave them in Chang'an.

But people like Ouyang Tong, Duan Baoxuan, and Wang Jishan had already been brought to Luoyang and some had even been imprisoned.

After everyone knelt down, Cui Zhiwen opened the will and said loudly: "In the second year of Yonglong, on the 23rd day of the 2nd month of the 12th year of the Renwu year, the Emperor said:

Yu Xi!

When destiny is bestowed upon you, the fire of life will drift away.

The winter is cold and the suffering is severe.

Tossing and turning, unable to sleep at night.

Worries and delusions will eventually be resolved.

I have been in power for thirty-four years, with my weak moral character...

Therefore, from the time the will was promulgated, Peng Wang Xuan was relieved of his duties as General of the Right Guard, Pacifier of Luoshui Road, Commander-in-Chief of the Luoshui Road Army, Governor of Fanzhou, and Governor of Fanzhou.

He was granted the title of Grand Marshal, Kaifu Yitong Sansi, Imperial College Jijiu, and Vice-President of State Affairs, commanding the military power of the whole country.

Quell the rebellion and stabilize the political situation.

When the will is promulgated, if the world is stable and the government and the people are harmonious, then anyone who hears the will can use it to directly behead King Peng, confer the title of Duke, and appoint him as the General of the Sixteen Guards..."

The ministers listened to Li Zhi's will. Although there had been rumors and many people had different opinions about the authenticity of the will, when they heard the content of the will clearly, almost everyone chose to accept it.

After all, most people wouldn't say things like "behead King Peng, confer the title of Duke, and appoint him as the general of the Sixteen Guards."

"...I am old and have come and gone throughout my life. Although I have made great achievements, I feel ashamed of my failure to live up to the late emperor...My son Li Xian, although I have made many arrangements, you must be diligent and vigorous in governing the country and nurturing the people, and you must not slack off.

Consult all matters with your colleagues and do not act on your own.

When the world prospers and the people live in harmony one day, I will follow the spirits of my ancestors in heaven and have no regrets.

The sacrifices to the ancestral temples and the state should not be neglected for long, and the worship of all the gods should also not be discontinued.

I hereby give you a warning and everyone should follow it.

Admire this! "

……

"Your Majesty!" Some of the ministers could not hold back their tears.

As Cui Zhiwen spoke, it felt as if the late emperor was right in front of them. His warm face made people burst into tears.

Cui Zhiwen held up the imperial edict with a sad look on his face, and then said, "King Peng, please accept the order."

"Your servant, King Peng Xuan, accepts your order and thanks you. May the late emperor live long!" Li Xuan kowtowed heavily to the ground.

The ministers in the palace also kowtowed to the ground: "We accept your order, and may the late emperor live forever!"

Cui Zhiwen looked at the ministers with a stern gaze. None of the officials refused to accept the edict. In this way, the edict had been approved by all officials in the court and the country.

Cui Zhiwen handed the will to Li Xuan, and then shouted loudly: "The will has been read, stand up!"

"Yes!" The ministers slowly stood up.

Li Xuan stood up and stood in the hall. He faced the ministers and bowed, saying, "Everyone, last year, there was a great change in the court. Emperor Zhongzong passed away, and Prince Xiang ascended the throne in Luoyang. After Emperor Gaozong's funeral, the Empress took most of the court officials to Luoyang. Afterwards, Crown Prince Li Chongzhao ascended the throne in Yangzhou. He is the Son of Heaven and Saint."

The ministers listened to what Li Xuan said and bowed their heads slightly.

Most of the people present here were not involved in the Luoyang Palace Coup and don’t know much about the details.

"The emperor ascended the throne in Yangzhou and gave orders to all directions to raise armies to quell rebellions. This king returned from the Western Regions, passed through the four towns of Anxi, Changzhou, Lanzhou, Qizhou, and even returned to Chang'an. In accordance with the late emperor's will and the emperor's decree, I am appointed as the Grand Marshal of the world, in charge of all military power, to quell rebellions and punish rebels." Li Xuan raised his hand, took out an imperial edict from his sleeve and handed it to Cui Zhiwen.

Cui Zhiwen took the imperial edict with his hands, then looked at the ministers and said loudly: "Announce the edict, kneel!"

Li Xuan knelt down first, and the ministers knelt down as well.

Cui Zhiwen said loudly: "On the twelfth month of the first year of Sisheng..."

……

The ministers knelt on the ground, listening to the imperial edict from Li Chongzhao appointing Li Xuan as the Grand Marshal, the General of the Right Guard, and the commander of all the military power in the world, and they couldn't help but feel confused.

Emperor Gaozong wanted Prince Peng to be the Grand Marshal and the Chief Academician of the Imperial Academy.

The new emperor Li Chongzhao wanted Prince Peng to be the Grand Marshal and the General of the Right Guard. What should he do?
After Cui Zhiwen finished reading the imperial edict, the ministers kowtowed and said, "We accept the order."

Li Xuan stood up and bowed to the ministers, saying, "Everyone, the late emperor ordered that I be the Grand Commandant and the Imperial Academy's Chief Academician; the emperor appointed me as the Grand Commandant and the Right Guard General.

This prince has decided to act in accordance with the late emperor's will and serve as the Grand Commandant and the Imperial Academy's chief priest. As for the post of Right Guard General, this prince has decided to resign from the emperor and someone else will lead the Right Guard Army."

After Li Xuan finished speaking, many of the ministers breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly.

(End of this chapter)