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

Chapter 1702: The Imperial Guard General presides over the imperial examination
The Luo River is quiet, the Yellow River is boiling, and the Wei River is clear.

Chang'an, Chang'an.

Li Xuan stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the Chang'an City gradually appearing in his sight, and his expression finally relaxed.

Chang'an is finally back.

Compared to Luoyang, Chang'an makes Li Xuan feel more at ease.

Li Zhu was appointed as the General of the Imperial Guard, Zhou Qian was appointed as the General of the Left Thousand Oxen Guard, Li Mo was appointed as the General of the Right Thousand Oxen Guard, Cui Ding was appointed as the General of the Left Jinwu Guard, He Yiqiu was appointed as the Minister of the Dali Temple, and Yuan Jiazuo was appointed as the Chief Clerk of Yongzhou…

Thinking of this, a trace of gloom flashed across Li Xuan's eyes.

Before leaving Luoyang, Duan Baoxuan sent a letter from Yangzhou, in which he suspected that Li Chongzhao had gone out to sea by boat.

He wanted to mobilize the navy of Yangzhou, the navy of Hangzhou and the navy of Dengzhou to go out to sea for investigation. After discussion, the central government finally agreed.

Everyone knows that Li Xuan has a close relationship with the Hangzhou Navy.

Even if it is unintentional, it will make people think differently.

Even if nothing can be found, Li Xuan is still very sexy, not to mention...

It depends on whether Duan Baoxuan can find it out.

……

The big ship came to a sudden stop.

At the Luohe Wharf, Liu Rengui, Li Yiyan, the Grand Princess of Huainan, Prince Zheng, Prince Linzi, Prince Pingen, General Liang Xing of the Left Guard, Yuan Jiazuo, Chief Clerk of Yongzhou, and countless others, all dressed in white linen mourning clothes, bowed and said: "Your subjects respectfully welcome the spirit of Emperor Zhongzong, may he live long after death; your subjects respectfully welcome the spirit of Emperor Ruizong, may he live long after death."

Li Xuan stepped back slightly, and King Han Li Yuanjia stepped forward, nodded and said, "Everyone, please stand up. The coffins of Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong will enter the Daming Palace from the Wei River, and then from the Daming Palace to the Taiji Palace, and finally be placed in the Qianqiu Hall."

"We obey your command." All the ministers bowed together, and then followed the south bank of the Wei River and slowly walked towards the Daming Palace.

Outside Beiyuan, the ministers watched the coffins being unloaded from the boat, their breathing almost suppressed to the extreme.

Li Xian, Li Dan, Empress Wei, Empress Dou, Dugu, Fang, Li Chongfu, and Li Guangshun.

And that’s just the royal family.

The coffins of Prince Ji Li Shen, Prince Xu Li Sujie, Prince Yi Yang Li Cong, and many more will not pass through here, but will be buried in Qianling Mausoleum.

"Wow, wow, wow..." Someone couldn't help crying and suddenly everyone was howling.

This is why they did not pass through Chang'an City and return to Taiji Palace.

Because too many members of the royal family died.

……

The carriage swayed slowly towards the Daming Palace.

Liu Rengui leaned against the carriage and murmured, "Who could have thought that she would be so cruel and crazy? The late emperor... the late emperor made such a big mistake..."

"If we talk about making a mistake, I'm afraid this mistake started during the reign of Emperor Taizong." Li Xuan picked up the kettle and brought it to Liu Rengui's mouth.

After taking two sips, Liu Rengui felt better.

He was really sad just now.

Li Rengui raised his head and looked at Li Xuan, and said softly, "Don't say that again."

"Yes!" Li Xuan nodded slightly.

Liu Rengui's eyes softened, and he looked at Li Xuan and said, "Now that the turmoil has ended, the power of the world has returned to Chang'an. The late emperor left you the power to command all the armies, and you must hand it over."

"This is not difficult!" Li Xuan nodded calmly. He had already expected this.

In Li Zhi's will, he was dismissed from his posts as the Pacifier of Luoshui Road, the Chief Commander of the Luoshui Road Army, the Governor of Fanzhou, and the Governor of Fanzhou, and was granted the title of Taiwei, the title of Kaifu Yitong Sansi, the position of Jijiu of the Imperial Academy, and the position of Co-Prime Minister, commanding the military power of the world. But there were two last sentences: to quell the rebellion and stabilize the court.

Now that he has put down the rebellion and holds almost all military power, he is the object of vigilance by almost everyone in the court.

If we are not careful, Li Xuan may very likely become the next Empress Wu.

Therefore, in order to make everyone let down their guard and fight among themselves, it was inevitable for Li Xuan to hand over his military power.

But it's not that easy.

Li Xuan took out a memorial from his sleeve and handed it to Liu Rengui, then said, "This is the list of military awards approved by the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of War and the Taiwei Mansion. After the Political Affairs Hall reviews and promulgates it, my grandson-in-law will be able to give an explanation to the officers and soldiers in the army. In this way, my grandson-in-law will have nothing to worry about when he retires from military affairs."

Liu Rengui's expression became serious. He took the memorial from Li Xuan and read it carefully: "Tang Zhenxing was promoted to General of the Left Guard; Li Duozuo was promoted to General of the Right Guard; Qu Chongyu was appointed General of the Right Guard; Wang Fangyi was dismissed from General of the Right Guard and granted the title of Duke of Taiyuan; Li Gu was promoted to General of the Right Guard..."

Information about Li Gu flashed through Liu Rengui's mind. When Li Xuan, the defender of Delingha City in Eastern Tuyuhun, led his troops to attack Eastern Tuyuhun, it was precisely because Li Gu turned against them that Eastern and Western Tuyuhun were pacified in the shortest time.

It was only at this time that people knew his name was Li Gu.

The person who gave him the surname Li was Li Xuan.

He has always been Li Xuan's man.

He has been Li Xuan's man for a long time.

Li Xuan had wanted to destroy Eastern and Western Tuyuhun for a long time, so he deployed people early on, even before retaking Fushi City.

"It is not appropriate to appoint Qu Chongyu as the General of the Right Guard. After all, the General of the Left Guard is already in place. Let him be the General of the Right Guard. Li Gu, the General of the Right Guard, is not appropriate either. Let him be the General of the Left Guard." Liu Rengui sketched it with his own hands, and in a blink of an eye, he had cut off half of Li Xuan's selfishness.

All the people in the Right Guard are Li Xuan's confidants. The presence or absence of the Right Guard General has little impact on Li Xuan. On the contrary, he can use Qu Chongyu to control the Right Gate Guard, and at least half of the city gates of Chang'an will be in his hands.

Not to mention that Li Gu's appointment as the Right Guard General was Li Xuan's plan for the future, so he couldn't mess around.

Facing Liu Rengui, Li Xuan shook his head and said, "Mr. Yue, the general is not in charge of practical affairs, it is just a nominal position. There is not much difference between the Right Guard and the Right Guard. Moreover, after the Left Guard General returns to the court this time, he will retire. They will not affect each other. As for Li Gu's Right Guard General, my son-in-law is more concerned about Changzhou and Anxi."

"Anxi?" Liu Rengui frowned slightly.

"The Right Prime Minister is not young anymore, it's time for him to return to the court." Li Xuan looked towards Anxi and said softly, "Once the Right Prime Minister comes back, the Western Regions will have to change people. General Quan's grandson-in-law is not trustworthy, so when the time comes, transfer a civil official to be the Protector General of Anxi, and then transfer one of Su Baotong and Li Gu to be the Deputy Protector General in charge of the army, leaving only one to guard the Right Guard."

"If you say so, then Qu Chongyu can also be transferred out in the future, such as Anton." Liu Rengui stared straight at Li Xuan.

Li Xuan nodded slightly and said, "My son-in-law has read the news from the Ministry of War. Silla is a little uneasy, so we should send people over."

"That's all for now. I will go and convince the ministers." Liu Rengui put away the memorial and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He was really well prepared.

Liu Rengui had noticed Li Xuan's meticulous mind many years ago, and even suggested to Li Zhi more than once that Li Xuan be transferred back to Beijing to serve as Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. Unfortunately, Li Zhi never agreed. If Li Xuan had been in the court, things would not have fallen into the current situation.

"This will put my grandson-in-law at ease. From now on, I will focus more on the Imperial College and the Inner Academy." Li Xuan relaxed.

"The Inner Study Hall." Liu Rengui was somewhat stunned and said, "The one you mentioned to Emperor Zhongzong."

"Yes!"

……

The Taiji Palace was covered in mourning and filled with wailing. For the entire day, people kept coming to the palace to pay respects to Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong, but at this moment, they could not help quarreling in the government hall.

"…posthumously conferring the title of Empress Hesi on Zhao?" Cui Zhiwen could not help but stand up, looked at Li Xuan and asked, "What does Prince Peng mean by this?"

"This is the intention of the royal family, and I believe it is also the intention of Emperor Zhongzong." Li Xuan looked at Cui Zhiwen seriously, shook his head and said, "Prime Minister Cui may not know that Emperor Zhongzong and Empress Hesi were a young couple and had a deep love for each other, but inexplicably, Empress Hesi died in the palace, and afterwards, Aunt Changle and the prince consort were driven to Kuazhou..."

Li Xuan stopped talking here, and Cui Zhiwen frowned immediately.

Li Xuan looked at Cui Zhiwen calmly and said, "The royal family, the Tianshui Zhao family, the Jingzhao Zhao family, and the Qinghe Zhao family all have expectations for this. Even Emperor Zhongzong himself was unable to speak out due to filial piety. If he were here today, he would definitely agree with what Xuan said."

Cui Zhiwen couldn't help but stretch his palms completely and pressed them tightly on the table. Li Xuan's words were telling him that behind this matter, there were two forces: the royal family and the Qinghe Zhao family.

The royal family is fine, as they always have to intervene, but the Zhao family not only implicates Zhao Renben, but also the Minister of Revenue Yun Hongyin.

Especially Yun Hongyin, there is no way he can back down on this matter.

Using a posthumous title of empress to exchange for the gratitude of teacher Zhao Renben's family is simply too good a deal.

But Cui Zhiwen would never agree to such a thing easily.

What everyone is discussing today is the posthumous honoring of the deceased.

Empress Wei was posthumously named Empress Shunguang, and Empress Dou was posthumously named Empress Shunsheng.

For Li Chongjun, he already had a queen as his biological mother. If he had another queen as his biological mother, even if she was deceased, it would affect his legitimacy.

Especially with Zheng, Li Chongjun will definitely ascend the throne, and Zheng will definitely be named queen dowager, and posthumously named queen.

In other words, Li Xian had three queens.

There were three queens in just half a year of reign. It would be embarrassing to say it out loud.

But Cui Zhiwen couldn't say these words. After all, in name only, he was still the emperor under Li Chongzhao.

"If Zhao is posthumously named queen, then what about Wang?" Cui Zhiwen stared at Li Xuan.

"Then you have to ask Prime Minister Wang." Li Xuan turned and looked at Wang Dezheng.

Wang Dezhen was born into the Jingzhao Wang family. Although he had some ties with the Taiyuan Wang family because of Queen Wang's affairs, it is a general trend that the Wang family will return to the court, especially since Wang Dezhen is now the prime minister.

There is no need to talk about some things in the past.

Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Wang Dezhen calmly shook his head and said, "If I don't show the good in others, how can I show the evil in Wu family?"

Cui Zhiwen saw that no one in the entire government hall spoke for him. After a moment of hesitation, Cui Zhiwen looked at Li Xuan and said, "I want to transfer Lu Zhen, the director of the Imperial College, to the Ministry of Personnel. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

"The Director of the Imperial College will be transferred to the Ministry of Personnel and become the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel?" Li Xuan frowned immediately.

The Director of the Imperial College is an official position of the fourth rank. If he really wants to be transferred to the Ministry of Personnel, perhaps only the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel would be the most suitable person.

Li Xuan shook his head and said, "Xuan is in charge of the Imperial College, so we can't be short of people for the time being, especially since there will be the imperial examination next year. The Imperial College is the world..."

"Bang, bang, bang" a series of knocks on the door interrupted Li Xuan.

In the government hall, all the prime ministers could not help but frown. Is there anyone who dares to disturb them in this situation?
Liu Rengui raised his head, looked outside the door and said, "Come in."

"Here!" Li Zhu's voice sounded outside the door. Li Xuan felt a little surprised for a moment. Did something happen?
Li Zhu pushed the door open and walked in, looking at Liu Rengui, and bowed earnestly, saying, "Your Excellency, the Prince of Wei has been crying non-stop since returning to the palace. The Imperial Pharmacy and the Imperial Hospital have sent people to investigate again and again, but they still can't find a solution. The Concubine Dowager asks the Prince to go over now."

All the ministers' eyes fell on Li Xuan at the same time. Li Xuan quickly shook his head and said, "It should just be a case of not adapting to the local climate. It's not a big problem."

"Let's go and take a look together." Cui Zhiwen couldn't help but stand up.

"Okay!" Liu Rengui nodded directly.

……

In Anren Palace, Li Xuan was a little dazed as he looked at Li Chongjun who had finally calmed down in Zheng's arms.

The same goes for all other aspects. Isn’t it said that they keep crying?

Zheng, Princess Taiping, Princess Huainan, Princess Qianjin, and Princess Changle were also a little surprised.

The Grand Princess of Huainan was the first to react. She looked at Li Xuan and shouted, "Twenty-Seventh Brother, get out first."

"Yes!" Li Xuan looked confused and retreated from Anren Hall in full view of everyone.

Li Xuan had just left Anren Hall for a few breaths when Li Chongjun suddenly started crying loudly again.

The Grand Princess of Huainan finally couldn't help but frown and shouted to the outside: "Twenty-Seventh Brother, come in."

"Yes!" Li Xuan responded, then walked in with an ugly look on her face.

As soon as he entered the door, Li Chongjun stopped crying.

It's clear what's going on.

The Grand Princess of Huainan looked at Li Xuan and asked directly, "Twenty-Seventh Brother, what do you say?"

"Aunt, my nephew is an outsider and it is impossible for him to stay in the palace." Li Xuan shook his head.

It was impossible for him to focus too much energy on Li Chongjun, not to mention that he had his own family affairs.

"You come during the day, and leave at night after King Wei falls asleep." Princess Huainan looked at Princess Qianjin, Princess Changle, and Taiping and said, "While you are here, the four of us will also be here. You can also ask Princess Peng to come to the palace..."

"No, aunt, this matter will be criticized by the outside world..."

"Prince Peng can be appointed as the general of the imperial guard." Cui Zhiwen suddenly spoke, and the ministers' eyes immediately lit up.

Now, among the imperial guards, Imperial Guard General Li Lingwen, Imperial Guard General Li Xiaoyi, and Imperial Guard Lieutenant General Li Zhu are all Li Xuan's men. It doesn't matter much whether he is appointed as the Imperial Guard General or not, but doing so can tie his hands and feet.

After thinking for a moment, Li Xuan looked at Cui Zhiwen and said, "Xuan still disagrees with the matter of the Imperial College Director."

Cui Zhiwen shook his head and said, "Your Highness cannot take care of the affairs of the Imperial College, so you can ask Minister Ouyang for help. Minister Ouyang is a great writer, and next year's imperial examination may require Minister Ouyang to preside over it."

"That's it." Liu Rengui said, "The matter between Queen He Si and Queen Wang is also settled this way."

"Yes!" Liu Rengui spoke, and everyone bowed in response.

Li Xuan looked up and glanced at Cui Zhiwen.

Cui Zhiwen used a minister of the Ministry of Personnel to replace Li Xuan's general of the imperial guards and Ouyang Tong's presiding over the imperial examinations. This was not a wise move, unless...

……

It was snowing heavily and it was already mid-December.

A white-haired official in his sixties, wearing a green official robe, stood in front of the door of Prince Peng's mansion, handed over his name card, and said seriously: "Zhang Jianzhi, the assistant general of Prince Xu's Cang Cao, requests to see Prince Peng."

(End of this chapter)