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

Chapter 1737: Peng Wangxuan is made emperor, inherits the throne, and worships the ancestral temple
In the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Li Chengqi kowtowed solemnly in front of the tablets of Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Taizong, and Emperor Zhongzong: "...Chengqi does not wish to be adopted by the Emperor's uncle. Please ask the Empress Dowager, Great Uncle, and the ministers to select another wise man from the royal family and establish a new emperor."

"Choose another wise man and establish a new king." The crisp voice echoed throughout the Taimiao Square.

All the officials and generals in the Taimiao were stunned and looked at Li Chengqi in great surprise.

The throne, the throne.

That's the throne!
Before the throne, Li Chengqi rejected it so easily.

He gently pushed away the throne that was almost within his grasp.

Everyone was stunned.

Then he couldn't help but shudder.

Li Chengqi is crazy, Li Chengqi is absolutely crazy. That is the throne, and he just doesn't want it.

If you say no, then don’t want it.

Li Yuangui, who was standing beside Li Chengqi, reacted immediately. He looked at Li Chengqi seriously and asked, "Successor Wang Chengqi, are you unwilling to accept the throne from the emperor?"

"No!" Li Chengqi kowtowed solemnly to the ancestral tablet in the Imperial Ancestral Temple in front of him, saying, "Chengqi is a mediocre person, with no achievements in learning and no ability to succeed the imperial throne. I am even less willing to be adopted by my uncle and worry about my father's incense being cut off. Therefore, I ask the Queen Mother and the ministers to select another wise man from the royal family and establish a new king."

This time, Li Chengqi made it clear that he did not want to inherit the throne, but at the same time he did not want the worry of Li Dan's family line being cut off, so he asked the empress dowager and the ministers to choose a wise man from among the royal family and establish a new emperor.

"Everyone, what do you think?" Li Yuangui turned and looked at Lu Yuanfang, Wang Dezheng and other prime ministers.

The faces of the prime ministers were still solemn. They heard very clearly, "Choose another wise man from among the royal family." They knew exactly who the words "choose another wise man" were referring to.

"Someone, please ask the Queen Mother to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to discuss the selection of the new emperor." Li Yuangui turned and looked to the side.

Li Xiaoyi stepped forward and bowed: "Yes!"

The next moment, Li Xiaoyi turned around and strode towards Tai Chi Gate.

A team of royal guards quickly gathered behind Li Xiaoyi and followed him towards Taiji Gate.

……

Zheng, dressed in a black robe with a small phoenix in gold thread and a golden phoenix crown, walked hurriedly into the Taimiao.

At this moment, Li Yuangui suddenly said, "Please ask the Empress Dowager to pay respect to the former emperors of the Tang Dynasty."

Zheng's eyes were always on Li Chengqi who was kneeling on the side. When she heard what Li Yuangui said, she was stunned and then her face changed slightly.

Taking a deep breath, Zheng stepped forward solemnly, bowed solemnly to the tablets of Gaozu, Taizong, Gaozong, and Li Xian, and then offered three incense sticks.

Zheng's gaze fell on Li Xian's tablet, and there was a barely perceptible ugliness in her eyes.

Seeing Zheng stepping back, Li Yuangui bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Xiang is unwilling to inherit the throne. Please choose another wise man from the royal family to establish a new king."

Zheng fell silent, looked at Li Chengqi deeply, and asked, "Prince Xiang, I want to hear it from your own mouth."

"Yes." Li Chengqi bowed solemnly and said, "Chengqi is a mediocre person, with no achievements in learning and no skills. He is unwilling to inherit the imperial throne, and even more unwilling to be adopted by the emperor's uncle, which would cause the worry that his father's incense would be cut off. Therefore, I ask the queen mother and the ministers to select another wise man from the royal family and establish a new king."

"In this case, there is no need to choose another candidate from the royal family. The only two living direct descendants of Emperor Gaozong are the emperor and the prince of Xiang. If the prince of Xiang is unwilling, then the emperor will continue to sit on the throne reluctantly." Zheng waved her long sleeves and said directly, "Let's do it this way."

The ministers were stunned for a moment, but they reacted in an instant.

Zheng, Empress Dowager Zheng actually played a trick of retreating to advance in full view of everyone.

She had known for a long time that Li Chengqi would not be willing to become Li Dan's adopted son, nor would he be willing to become her son, so he would not be able to become emperor.

In the end, the throne will return to Li Chongjun.

Looking at Zheng's endless complacency, the ministers felt extremely disgusted for a moment.

They were truly disgusted.

……

"Empress Dowager." Minister of Rites Wei Xuantong stepped out from among the ministers and said, "Empress Dowager, according to the etiquette, when the emperor abdicates, the succession right naturally belongs to Prince Xiang. Prince Xiang is unwilling to succeed to the throne and says that a close bloodline can be chosen from among the princes of the royal family. A wise man from the royal family can inherit the throne, so naturally one person from the close bloodline of the royal family will be chosen to be adopted by the Empress Dowager."

Zhu Xiang's eyes lit up and he nodded in agreement.

Wang Dezhen first looked at Li Yuangui and asked, "Prince Huo, among the close relatives of the royal family, who is the closest in blood and most suitable to be adopted by the Queen Mother and Emperor Zhongzong?"

Li Yuangui raised his eyes slightly, and then said calmly: "The Queen Mother just said that the Emperor Gaozong's legitimate descendants are only the Emperor and the Prince of Xiang. If they don't want to do that, they can only choose from among the sons and grandsons of Emperor Taizong.

"Hengshan County Duke Chengqian had two sons, Xun State Duke Li Xiang and Ezhou Deputy Governor Li Jue, each of whom had several descendants; Wei Wang Li Tai had several descendants, but all of them died or disappeared during the Wu family's chaotic rule and were never found again."

"Prince Huo, what are you talking about? What descendants of Emperor Taizong? The emperor is still alive, and the bloodline of Emperor Gaozong and Emperor Zhongzong is still there. Why choose descendants of Emperor Taizong? I don't agree. I don't recognize them as heirs. The throne will still be sat by the emperor." Zheng looked at Li Yuangui with anger in her eyes, wishing she could pounce on him and strangle him to death immediately.

"Empress Dowager, this is the Imperial Ancestral Temple, not the harem. I, the prince, have selected the successor to the throne with the Emperor's decree and the order. It is not your turn to say no now. Empress Dowager, you just need to decide who can do it now." Li Yuangui glanced at Zheng coldly, then looked at Lu Yuanfang and asked, "Prime Minister Lu, is that so?"

"That's right. This is the Imperial Temple. What the Grand Master said is absolutely right." Lu Yuanfang sighed lightly, bowed and nodded.

This is the Taimiao, not the government hall, nor the harem. As the Minister of Zongzheng, Li Yuangui has a lot of say here.

The only ones who can suppress him here are the Minister of Rites and the Emperor.

Even Lu Yuanfang could only look at Li Yuangui at eye level here.

Of course, leaving the Taimiao is another matter. But after what happened tonight, can they still leave the Taimiao?
When Li Chengqi refused to inherit the throne and Li Yuangui was unwilling to return the throne to Li Chongjun, people with discerning eyes knew that this long-standing issue would finally have an answer today.

Hearing Lu Yuanfang say this, Zheng was filled with disbelief, and then she slowly looked at the other prime ministers.

No one said a word to help her, and Zheng's mind went blank in an instant.

"Okay, then let's continue." Li Yuangui nodded, then looked at Zheng and said, "Is it okay for the Queen Mother to let the descendants of Li Chengqian, the Prince of Hengshan, inherit the throne?"

"No!" Zheng came to her senses and looked at Li Yuangui with gritted teeth.

"Yes!" Li Yuangui nodded calmly and said, "The royal family also thinks it is not possible. After all, the Prince of Hengshan once plotted treason and tried to assassinate Emperor Taizong. If his descendants inherit the throne, Emperor Gaozong would also be uneasy if he knew about it."

Zheng frowned and looked at Li Yuangui. She could not see Li Yuangui's true face clearly.

"Except for Emperor Taizong's legitimate sons, his other illegitimate sons, including Prince of Wu Li Ke, plotted rebellion, and his throne was succeeded by Li Rong, Marquis of Yulin County." Li Yuangui looked at Li Rong outside the hall, and Li Rong immediately took a step back.

"Prince Li You of Qi plotted treason and his country was destroyed." Li Yuangui looked up at everyone with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes.

The ministers couldn't help but frown, they had already heard something wrong here.

"King Li Yin of Shu and Li Ke conspired to rebel, and the kingdom was destroyed. His descendants disappeared in Bazhou during the reign of Wu's turmoil." Li Yuangui's eyebrows dropped. In Bazhou, the officials could not help but think of Prince Zhanghuai Li Xian. If Li Xuan had not sent people to Bazhou, they would not even know that Li Xian was dead.

I’m afraid Li Yin’s descendants are not much better.

"Prince Jiang Li Yun and his successor Prince Jiang Li Wei were exiled for treason and disappeared." Li Yuangui's voice was still calm, but at this moment, all the ministers had understood what he meant. Except for those who died early, all the descendants of Emperor Taizong plotted treason.

Even Li Tai died of despair because he failed to become the heir.

"Li Zhen, the King of Yue, and Li Chong, the King of Langya, plotted treason, their kingdoms were destroyed, and they died of illness." Every time Li Yuangui said this, all the ministers felt a chill.

"Prince Ji Li Shen, due to the Wu family's chaotic politics, was accused of treason, his country was destroyed, and all his children were killed." Li Yuangui's voice became lighter. Li Shen's death was really a pity.

"Li Fu, the Prince of Zhao, died of illness in the first year of Xianheng. His son, Li Mu, the Prince of Jianping, died of illness in Junzhou during the reign of Wu's chaotic regime. He had no offspring and the country was destroyed." Li Yuangui's face became more and more regretful. Among all the descendants of Taizong, there was finally one who had nothing to do with treason, but in the end his offspring died of illness, and the country was destroyed without an offspring.

"Prince Cao Li Ming plotted treason and was forced to death by Qianzhou Governor Xie You. His sons Prince Lingling Li Jun and Duke Li Jie were demoted to commoners for assassinating Xie You. Li Jie has a son Li Yin who is two years and seven months old. Will the Queen Mother choose Prince Cao Ming's only legitimate grandson Li Yin to succeed to the throne?" Li Yuangui looked up at Zheng.

After hearing so many stories about rebellion, Zheng had already grown extremely disgusted with Taizong's descendants. She simply waved her hand and said, "I won't choose."

"Then they are the princes of the close relatives." Li Yuangui looked up at the ministers and said, "This king, the King of Lu, and the King of Han are old and dying, and have no part in matters, so we will select the heirs from the next generation. The heir to the King of Han is Li Ne, the heir to the King of Zheng is Li Jing, the heir to the King of Peng is Li Xuan, the heir to the King of Huo is Li Xu..."

"Choose from the branch of King Peng." Zheng said this subconsciously, but as soon as she said it, her face turned pale.

Li Yuangui immediately caught his words, nodded with satisfaction, and said: "King Peng is a wise prince of the royal family, and all the royal family members recognize him. However, among King Peng's sons, Li Zhizhao, the Prince of Jinchang, is only seven years old, and he is the brother of Emperor Zhongzong, but it is difficult for him to be the heir of Emperor Zhongzong. Therefore, in my opinion, it is better to make King Peng the emperor and Li Zhizhao, the Prince of Jinchang, the crown prince. What do you think?"

Zheng's face suddenly turned completely pale. She finally understood that Li Yuangui did not give her any choice at all.

Her only choice was Li Xuan.

What Li Yuangui said was right. The oldest people of Li Chongjun's generation were Li Chongzhao and Li Chengqi, while the others were younger than them.

"If Prince Peng is made emperor, how will his status be determined?" Yao Lingzhang could not help but stand up and stare at Li Yuangui.

"After Emperor Gaozu of Han died, his son Emperor Hui Liu Ying became emperor, followed by Emperor Shao Liu Gong and Emperor Shao Liu Hong. When the rebellion of the Lü family was quelled, the ministers finally welcomed Emperor Wen Liu Heng as emperor. Emperor Wen was the son of Bo Ji, a concubine's son."

Li Yuangui paused for a moment and continued, "After Emperor Wu of Han died of illness, his son Emperor Zhao Fuling became emperor. Fuling had no son, so Huo Guang made Emperor Zhao the successor of his deposed crown prince. Emperor Fuling was deposed by Huo Guang, so Huo Guang made Emperor Xuan, the grandson of Crown Prince Liu Ju, who was ill, the successor of Emperor Zhao. Emperor Xuan posthumously named his father Liu Jin as Emperor Father, and his grandfather Liu Ju as Crown Prince Liu Ju..."

"Emperor Zhao is the great-grandson of Emperor Wu, and Emperor Wen Liu Heng is the son of Emperor Gaozu. They can all inherit the throne. Why does King Peng have the right?" Yao Lingzhang said this subconsciously.

"Prince Peng is also the grandson of Emperor Gaozu." Li Yuangui looked at Yao Lingzhang coldly and said in a cold voice: "Prince Peng is the blood of Emperor Gaozu, the heir to the throne of the dynasty, and was nominated by the royal family. If we follow Emperor Wen's theory, then this prince can also inherit the throne."

"But...but..." Yao Lingzhang was speechless for a moment. Li Yuangui was right. He was the son of Emperor Gaozu. He could ascend the throne by following Liu Heng's example.

Not only him, but also the King of Han and the King of Lu were like this, and they abided by the rites and laws.

Moreover, there was Empress Lü in the Han Dynasty and Empress Wu in the Tang Dynasty. It was justifiable in terms of etiquette and law that Empress Wu's descendants did not become emperors.

“Prince Peng was recommended by the royal family and was a wise king of the time. When Emperor Gaozong was alive, he was quite fond of him. Even Concubine Wu once said that Emperor Gaozong and the emperor were brothers in name but father and son in reality. Some of you were present at the time. Why can't Prince Peng inherit the throne?” Li Yuangui waved his sleeves and spoke directly.

Lu Yuanfang walked out calmly, bowed to Li Yuangui and said, "Grand Zongzheng, let King Peng be the emperor. Do King Han and King Lu also agree? And all the royal family members in the world?"

"Here are letters written by the King of Han and the King of Lu." Li Yuangui took out two letters from his sleeves and handed them to Lu Yuanfang. At the same time, he looked outside and asked, "Let the King of Peng be the emperor. Li Xiaoyi, Li Rong, Li Ne, what do you say?"

"Good!" Li Xiaoyi, dressed in red and golden armor, holding a long spear, stood out and bowed.

Li Rong and Li Ne were the same, the blades of their spears were cold.

Lu Yuanfang looked at Li Yuangui, but he was thinking of Li Xuan in his mind. He had no idea how Li Xuan had convinced the royal family kings to make him emperor.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Yuanfang looked at the ministers, officials and the Queen Mother and said, "Taishigong once said that whoever rules the world and governs the people is like the heaven...Now the emperor has been ill for a long time, and he is confused and in disarray. He cannot inherit the throne and perform sacrifices in the ancestral temple. He cannot rule the world. Let's discuss replacing him.

The royal family is debating that Prince Peng should inherit the throne. What does the Queen Mother say?"

Zheng was silent for a long time. Finally, Li Chongjun's timid and frightened look flashed through her mind. She also thought of Emperor Taizong's sons' conspiracy to rebel. Finally, she sighed and nodded, "Yes!"

"What do the ministers and officials think about Prince Peng inheriting the throne?" Lu Yuanfang looked at the six ministers.

Wang Fangyi was the first to stand up and bow: "Good!"

Huang Rensu followed and bowed: "Good!"

Pei Judao then stood up and bowed: "Good!"

Xiao Siye took a step back and bowed: "Good!"

Yun Hongyin sighed softly and cupped his hands: "Good!"

Wei Xuantong looked at everyone and smiled bitterly: "Good!"

He Yiqiu, Chen Guang, Lin Renji, Yuan Ming, Wei Hongji and other nine temple officials all stood up and bowed, saying, "Good!"

Seeing this scene, how could the ministers not understand that all the ministers in the world and the generals in the court were all waiting for Li Xuan to ascend the throne.

"Right Prime Minister." Lu Yuanfang looked at Wang Dezhen, who smiled bitterly and said, "Yes!"

"Prime Minister Liu?" Lu Yuanfang looked at Liu Jingxian, who stepped forward and bowed, "Yes!"

"Prime Minister Li?" Lu Yuanfang looked at Li Yiyan, who stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Yes!"

Lu Yuanfang's eyes swept from Yao Lingzhang to Zhang Daan and asked, "Prime Minister Zhang?"

Zhang Daan stepped forward and bowed, "Yes!"

Lu Yuanfang's eyes swept over Cen Wenben and Yao Lingzhang, and he said, "So, in the Taimiao, before all the emperors, the empress dowager, the royal family, the left and right ministers of the Shangshu, the two Zhongshu Lings of the Zhongshu Province, the one Shizhong of the Menxia Province, the six ministers of the six ministries, the nine temple ministers, the sixteen generals and the generals, the son of Pengsi Wang Yuanze, Peng Wang Xuan, will be the emperor, inherit the throne, and offer sacrifices to the ancestral temple."

"Your servants obey your order. May the Queen Mother live a thousand years and a thousand years." With these words, all the civil and military officials outside the Imperial Ancestral Temple knelt down.

It was so dense that it extended all the way to the city wall. All the imperial guards, Qianniu guards, and Jinwu guards all knelt down, and the entire palace was in a state of solemnity.

……

Yao Lingzhang was completely stunned when he saw this scene.

He turned around and looked at the ministers, and one after another, they knelt down, including Lu Yuanfang, Li Yuangui, and even Lu.

He was the only one left.

Finally, Yao Lingzhang smiled bitterly and slowly knelt down.

(End of this chapter)