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

Chapter 1687: The Emperor of Wu Zhou had a strong character, and it was inevitable that both the good and the bad would be destroyed

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Li Xuan, dressed in a black python robe, slowly stood up.

People who were a little further away could still see the eaves of the pavilions and towers in the Ziwei Palace through the four-meter-high wooden board behind him.

Li Xuan bowed to everyone and said seriously, "If you don't care about casualties, I can capture Ziwei Palace in seven days at most. It just so happens that General Hua Dazhi has arrived with 10,000 elite soldiers and 20,000 soldiers from Guanzhong Prefecture. We can bear the casualties, but..."

"Just what?" Lu Yuanfang did not look at Li Xuan, but calmly looked at the prime ministers in front of him, the ministers on both sides, the kings, and the countless ministers on the entire long street.

"I'm just worried that in the end, the Emperor of Wu Zhou will be destroyed along with her." Li Xuan lowered his head slightly with a solemn expression.

Everyone on the entire long street fell silent, and Li Xuan finally revealed the truth.

Emperor Wu of Zhou.

What they now need to face is the emperor of a dynasty.

Then this dynasty existed for only six days. Even though she only occupied Luoyang and now only had the Ziwei Palace left, she was still the emperor of a new dynasty, and this was something that everyone needed to face up to.

Even though she was once their queen, the empress of Emperor Gaozong, the mother of Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong, and the grandmother of the current Emperor Li Chongzhao, she had cut off all ties with the Tang Dynasty from the moment she changed the name of Tang to Zhou.

Any favors and rewards that had ever been given were completely cut off at that moment.

If there is still someone who speaks for Empress Wu, then he is a remnant of the Wu Zhou Dynasty...

Li Xuan and all the soldiers on the long street didn't mind throwing him into the Luo River.

Li Xuan's cold gaze swept across the entire long street, and no one stood out on the entire street.

After all, the Queen Mother's true confidants have all entered the Ziwei Palace. After all, they are now rectifying the chaos, and the rumor of settling accounts for all crimes has been circulating for several days.

No one wants to be convicted now.

Li Xuan turned around, looked at Lu Yuanfang, and bowed, saying: "Before, King Zhou of Shang burned himself to death in the Lutai, and later, Sun En took hundreds of prostitutes and his followers and jumped into the sea to commit suicide.

The Emperor of Wu Zhou had a strong temper, so it was inevitable that he would do something crazy. In the Ziwei Palace, there were also the Imperial Court Assistant Liu Jingxian, the Minister of the Left Wei Xuantong, the Minister of Rites Wei Daijia, and even the Empress, the Prince of Ping'en, and the youngest son of Emperor Zhongzong, Zhongjun. Under the siege and attack, the Emperor of Wu Zhou was doomed to perish, so he asked the ministers of the Political Affairs Hall to come up with a safe plan. "

Lu Yuanfang nodded calmly. Wang Dezhen, Cui Zhiwen, and Yao Lingzhang were all silent.

The officials on the long street listened quietly.

At the Council of State meetings, only the prime ministers have the right to speak. Others have no right to speak unless asked, nor do they want to speak.

Because anyone who has read history knows that in history, there are very few emperors who actually committed suicide.

The last person who attempted suicide was Emperor Yang of Sui, but he failed in the end and was strangled to death by Linghu Xingda.

After saying so much, Li Xuan was actually telling the ministers that Empress Wu must die in the end, and must "hang herself".

However, when Empress Wu "died", she had to ensure the safety of others, such as Liu Jingxian, Wei Xuantong, Wei Daijia, Empress Wei, Li Chongfu, Li Chongjun and others.

Especially Li Chongfu and Li Chongjun.

"What is your highness' plan?" Lu Yuanfang still didn't look at Li Xuan, but looked at the countless officials on the long street in front of him.

"Persuade them to surrender." Li Xuan sighed and said, "Emperor Liu Jingxian and Minister of the Left Wei Xuantong may not have much power now, but they are in the palace, so our people will have a foothold once they enter.

Through them, we can communicate with other people, such as Fan Lubing, Guo Zhengyi, and Han Chubin. We can promise them that after they leave the palace, we will spare their lives, remove all their official positions, and let them return to their hometowns to teach..."

"Not enough." Lu Yuanfang interrupted Li Xuan directly and said, "Their power in the palace is not enough."

"The last are people like Yan Huaidan, Linghu Zhitong, Guo Daiju and Miao Chuke. If they rebel, they will be spared from death, dismissed from office, exiled, and not allowed to hold official positions within three generations. However, their three clans will not be implicated." Li Xuan's voice was calm, but absolutely cold.

"Can't you relax a little more?" Cui Zhiwen couldn't help but speak. If Li Xuan could relax a little with them, then things would be much easier.

Li Xuan cupped his hands and said seriously, "Prime Minister Cui may not know something. When the Qianniu Guards entered the Shendu Garden, they found the remains of more than 20 princes, dukes, and other close relatives, including Prince Ji, Prince Xu, and Prince Yiyang. I'm sorry that I can't agree to this."

"That's what I meant as well." King Han Li Yuanjia looked straight at Cui Zhiwen with endless resentment in his eyes.

The other kings, including King Huo, King Lu, and King Shu, had tears in their eyes and clenched their fists.

Prince Ji Li Shen was the last surviving son of Emperor Taizong, and Prince Xu was the last surviving son of Emperor Gaozong.

The two of them, and their two descendants, are the most orthodox royal bloodlines of the Tang Dynasty.

If it weren't for Li Chongzhao, Li Chongfu, Li Chongjun, Li Chengqi, Li Guangren and others, I'm afraid that the bloodline of Emperor Gaozong and even Emperor Taizong would have almost been killed.

The people who took action here are most likely Yan Huaidan and Linghu Zhitong.

It is a blessing from God that they are able to survive.

As for whether he will be on the road to exile...that's another matter.

This is what the royal family means.

"Okay, let's do this." Lu Yuanfang didn't mention Wu Sansi, Yang Xuanjian and others at all. No one wanted them to live.

Lu Yuanfang looked up at everyone and said, "Then who's going in?"

Everyone fell silent. They had no problem facing the ministers in Ziwei Palace, but they did not have the confidence to face Empress Wu.

"I am willing to go." Wang Bo came from a little later with a serious expression.

When everyone saw Wang Bo, they couldn't help but raise their eyes and think of the manifesto he wrote.

That would completely expose Empress Wu's past. If he went to jail, he would die without mercy.

So, he came out... to throw out some ideas?
"Let your humble servant go." A voice sounded from behind. When everyone looked, it turned out to be Zheng Xuankai, the Shaoqing of Sinong Temple.

Zheng Xuankai cupped his hands and said, "If I go in, at least I won't die easily."

Everyone suddenly realized that Zheng Xuankai was Li Chongjun's maternal grandfather, and that the throne of Empress Wu was ultimately passed on by Li Chongjun.

If Zheng Xuankai went in, he would not die even if he was discovered by Empress Wu.

"Let me go," Wei Xuanzhen said calmly, then he stood up amid the surprised eyes of the crowd and said with a folded hand, "Even if it's the Empress in person, I can still say a few words."

"My uncle can't go, so let me, your nephew, go." Wei Juyuan, a doctor in the Ministry of Rites, stepped forward and bowed to stop Wei Xuanzhen.

Why are they still arguing about this?
The ministers' eyes flashed, and they immediately understood the mystery.

Zheng Xuankai was Zheng's father, and Wei Xuanzhen was Empress Wei's father.

Although Empress Wei was the empress of Emperor Zhongzong, Zheng's son, Li Chongjun, had already ascended the throne as the son of Emperor Zhongzong.

Although Li Chongzhao has ascended the throne in Yangzhou, he has never returned to Chang'an and Luoyang, and his whereabouts are unknown because of Empress Wu's pursuit. If something really happened, who would succeed to the throne next, Li Chongfu or Li Chongjun?
Behind Li Chongfu is the entire Wei family, and behind Li Chongjun are the entire Cui, Lu and Zheng families.

This is a bit hard to explain.

"I'm not asking you to enter the palace to die, but to find Liu Jingxian and Wei Xuantong. With their help, convince Fan Lubing, Guo Zhengyi, Han Chubin and others. It would be best if Yan Huaidan, Linghu Zhitong, Guo Daiju and Miao Chuke could also do it. Those who don't have the ability should not speak up." Li Xuan glared at them unceremoniously, then looked at the ministers and said, "Whoever thinks he has the ability can stand up now."

The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. It was not difficult to enter the palace and find Liu Jingxian and Wei Xuantong, but it was not easy to convince Fan Lubing, Guo Zhengyi, and Han Chubin.

Not to mention people like Yan Huaidan, Linghu Zhitong, Guo Daiju and Miao Chuke. It would be good if most people didn't get chopped to death if they went in.

Just as everyone was hesitating, a figure stood out firmly, bowed and said, "Let me go in. I was born in Bingzhou, and I have some fellow countrymen friendship with Yan Huaidan, Guo Zhengyi, Guo Daiju and others. Given my character and what I say, they still believe it."

"Di Huaiying." Cui Zhiwen read out Di Renjie's name with a complicated expression, thinking in his heart.

I have to admit that Di Renjie is the most suitable candidate.

He was born in Bingzhou and was previously the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple. In his early years, he was also the future prime minister who was highly praised by both the emperor and the empress. In addition, he had a very close relationship with Li Xuan.

If he went in to speak, he could not only represent Li Xuan but also convince everyone that he could survive even if he met Empress Wu.

More importantly, Di Renjie has the ability to deal with it even if something unexpected happens.

"Okay." Yao Lingzhang nodded slightly. The time Di Renjie was imprisoned by Empress Wu was only slightly shorter than Yao Lingzhang's, so he was not worried that anything would happen to him.

"All right." Wang Dezhen looked at Di Renjie with a complicated expression.

Lu Yuanfang turned to look at Li Xuan and asked, "What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Everyone's eyes fell on Li Xuan at the same time. Li Xuan sighed and said, "If it succeeds, Brother Huaiying will be credited for his contribution."

"Yes!" Lu Yuanfang nodded directly and said, "That's it."

"Yes!" Di Renjie bowed seriously.

"As for when to go in, how to go in, and what to do after going in, Di Huaiying and King Peng should discuss it privately, so don't talk about it in public." Lu Yuanfang looked at Di Renjie and said, "But I have one last request, which is that this matter must be resolved thoroughly without leaving any hidden dangers."

Di Renjie was slightly stunned, then he bowed solemnly: "Yes!"

Everyone knew what Lu Yuanfang meant.

Empress Wu, the emperor of the Great Zhou, the empress, it would be best if she never appeared in front of the ministers again.

The history of the Tang Dynasty is about to start a new chapter.

Therefore, we can only ask the Queen of Heaven to come to heaven.

This is the opinion of the ministers in the Council of State, the kings, and all the officials in the court and the country.

……

Seeing Di Huaiying return to the train, Lu Yuanfang continued, "The third thing is the affairs of the court and the government. In the past year, there have been changes in the court and the government, and the east and the west have been divided. There have been two people in the same position, so we should sort them out clearly."

"Yes!" Countless ministers bowed in unison.

Lu Yuanfang took a deep breath and said solemnly: "When King Peng entered Chang'an, he had already reported to the emperor and appointed the ministers, secretaries and generals in Chang'an, so all officials should be based in Chang'an.

In addition, the ministers at that time had already considered the matter of Chang'an, so they also reserved some positions for the wise officials. As for those who have not been appointed, they can be appointed to ordinary positions, transferred to other places, or demoted to real positions. The Ministry of Personnel should handle it properly. "

"Yes!" Zhang Da'an stood up and bowed to accept the order.

"As for matters that the Ministry of Personnel cannot handle, they will be handed over to the Council of State for discussion. Matters that the Council of State State is unable to handle will be dealt with after the emperor returns, and everything will follow the old rules of the Gaozong period." Lu Yuanfang drew a clear line, and many things were done according to this rule.

Ouyang Tong, Duan Baoxuan and Wang Jishan are three examples.

Duan Baoxuan served as the Left Palace Attendant, a third-rank official, and the Pacifier of Jiangnan.

Ouyang Tong was appointed Right Palace Attendant, a third-rank official.

Wang Jishan was demoted one rank and appointed Minister of Weiwei Temple, a third-rank official.

Among them, all the left and right palace attendants were promoted one level to the third rank.

But don’t even think about being the prime minister. Even if he is the third rank official in the Secretariat, it is the emperor’s business.

"Yes!" The ministers bowed solemnly. With the rules in place, they knew what to do.

Even if there is something that cannot be solved, you know who to turn to.

"From now on, the Ministry of Personnel will be in charge of the administration of officials in the world. Chang'an, Luoyang, and all the provinces in the world are under the supervision of the Ministry of Personnel. No matter who it is, new or old, in Chang'an or Luoyang, those who are not doing their job will be dismissed." Lu Yuanfang looked cold.

"Yes!" Zhang Da'an stood up and bowed seriously.

"From now on, the Ministry of Revenue will be responsible for the management of the country's money and grain, and the Ministry of Justice will be responsible for the management of the country's criminal laws. People need to be sent to patrol the country, and autumn taxes and spring planting, criminal cases and laws will be strictly investigated according to the court regulations."

Yun Hongyin and Xiao Siye stood up at the same time to receive the order.

"Ministry of War." Lu Yuanfang looked at Wang Fangyi and said solemnly, "The Ministry of War needs to shift its focus away from Luoyang. Andong, the Turks, the Western Regions, and the Five Kingdoms must all be brought back into its sights. In addition, all the government troops in the world must be regained control."

"I obey your command." Wang Fangyi bowed solemnly.

"Finally, let's talk about next year's imperial examination." Lu Yuanfang turned to look at Li Xuan. Li Xuan nodded slightly. Lu Yuanfang then continued, "The Ministry of Personnel has issued a notice to all states. The imperial examination in Chang'an will be held as usual in February next year. As for the number of examinees, since this is the first imperial examination after the emperor returns to Chang'an and officially ascends the throne, I think there will be a lot of examinees."

"Yes!" Everyone on the entire long street responded with a roar.

……

On the bank of Luo River, Di Renjie followed Li Xuan and looked at Yan Huaidan and others who were extremely nervous at the Duanmen Gate.

"Three days, three days later, I will send you to the palace." After a brief pause, Li Xuan said, "Before that, I have to do something to make things easier for you. After entering the palace, in addition to finding Liu Jingxian and Wei Xuantong, it would be best to find Su Liangsi and Li Zhaode. The two of them should also be in the palace. With the help of the four of them, it should be no problem to persuade Ziwei Palace to surrender."

"So what about the Queen?" Di Renjie looked straight at Li Xuan.

"Please tell her." Li Xuan looked towards Chang'an calmly and said softly, "After she dies, I will not bury her in Qianling Mausoleum. Let her choose a burial place herself."

Di Renjie remained silent for a long time before he bowed and said, "Yes!"

Just as Di Renjie stood up, a thick black smoke suddenly rose from the northwest outside the Ziwei Palace, and rushed directly into the Ziwei Palace along with the northwest wind.

Di Renjie looked at Li Xuan in surprise.

(End of this chapter)