Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 391 Undercurrent in Luoyang
There is no other reason than the rise of Queen Wu, Shangguan Yi was the most affected.

"Father, Empress Wu refuted father's memorial. What should we do?"

Shangguan Tingzhi looked aggrieved. No one knew better than him how much effort his father had put into this memorial.

As a result, the Demon Queen rejected it directly.

Shangguan Yi's face was tense. As a gentleman, "Chicken Si Chen" was already a vicious idiom that he had come up with. If he really wanted to scold him like King Luo Bin, he really couldn't do it.

With strong hostility in his eyes, he said: "If the Demon Queen is not eliminated, the Tang Dynasty will be in chaos."

Shangguan Tingzhi suddenly turned pale and didn't know how to answer the question.

He knew that his father and Empress Wu had always been at odds, but he didn't want it to get to this point.

Speaking in detail, the grievances between Shangguan Yi and Empress Wu are indeed not small.

Shangguan Yi was Li Zhi's sharp weapon against the Guandong aristocratic family. After becoming prime minister, he was highly regarded and was in the limelight until Empress Wu gradually became involved in politics.

This is how grievances accumulate...

The most common situation in the Li Zhi Dynasty is the change of phases. Youdao is the iron-clad Xu Jingzong, and the flowing water phases.

When new people succeed to the throne, there will be people talking behind their backs, and they can worship the prime minister for a long time.

Now that I have reached the peak of being a courtier, I naturally want to work more for a while, calmly use what I have learned in my life, and be famous throughout the ages.

Especially Chang'an City...

Shangguan Yi has been planning something since he became prime minister.

Such people are destined to be unable to cope with trends...

After Empress Wu ate, Shangguan Yi was naturally hungry.

It is well known that the prime ministership of Li Zhi Dynasty was an absolutely high-risk profession.

Both sides win or lose each other.

Of these eighteen prime ministers, only Changsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang, and Xu Jingzong will serve for a long time.

The memorial of today's withdrawal completely angered Shangguan Yi.

Shangguan Yi wants to do something big, which is to solve the food crisis in Chang'an.

As we all know, what the first two did was that Li Zhi was in a powerless stage in the early days of his accession to the throne. Once you have the power, the results are the same.

In more than ten years, the prime minister rose and fell as many as twenty times.

Whenever there were floods, droughts, or famines, prices in Chang'an skyrocketed, and it was difficult for the people to survive. Even the emperor had to lead hundreds of officials to leave Chang'an and live in Luoyang.

What's more, who among the prime ministers is not an amazingly talented person?

With exceptions like Xu Jingzong, everyone felt that they might become another accident.

But Shangguan Yi is different. Shangguan Yi's personality is destined not to be the same as Empress Wu.

If the monarch's power is strong, it means that the minister's power is weak; once the minister's power is strong, the monarch's power will be weak.

Shangguan Yi was a noble person, and most of the people he interacted with were like this.

Li Zhizheng's co-governance by the emperor and the empress, with both husband and wife working together, made the imperial power more powerful and consolidated, and further reduced the power of the prime minister.

However, because the position of prime minister is the highest pursuit of officials in the world, all officials, regardless of ministers or military generals, flock to it, and a convention has been formed.

What's more, it is a big taboo in the political arena for the harem to interfere in politics.

If a prime minister has no one to mobilize, what is the difference between him and a mere commander?
Empress Wu also cultivated her own power at this time, and there was only so much meat in the temple.

This is just one of them...

All this is at the interest level as well as the political level.

Empress Wu originally lacked the qualifications to be a mother to the world, so even her appointment as queen caused quite a stir.

It has been more than ten years since Li Zhi succeeded to the throne, starting with Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang, Yu Zhining, Zhang Xingcheng, Gao Jifu, Li Shiji, Liu Shi, Yuwenjie, Han Yuan, Lai Ji, Cui Dunli, Li Yifu, Xu Jingzong, Du Zhenglun, Xin Maojiang , Ren Yaxiang, Xu Yushi, Shangguan Yi, there are already eighteen prime ministers in detail. Among them, there are also people like Yu Zhining and Du Zhenglun who were dismissed and then re-appointed.

As prime minister, Shangguan Yi needs to cultivate the strength of his confidants. Only in this way can he handle government affairs with ease.

As the most prosperous and great city in the world, it is often operating at overload.

In both public and private matters, Shangguan Yi could not walk the same path as Empress Wu.

Xu Jingzong was deeply ingrained and was not affected. Shangguan Yi, the prime minister who was still sitting on his ass, was naturally affected.

After 800 years of development during the Han and Tang dynasties, Guanzhong has lost its reputation as a land of abundance over the 800-mile Qinchuan River, and has suffered from serious soil erosion.

Xu Jingzong can treat him indifferently. Everyone knows his virtue and will not demand too much from him.

This is his style and persona. Once the persona collapses, the future will be doomed.

The power of the monarch and the power of the prime minister are inherently constraining each other, and they exist in a state of ebb and flow.

In just half a year, Shangguan Yi and Empress Wu had fought openly and secretly many times.

Shangguan Yi is extremely talented, so it is.

Therefore, it is even jokingly known as the "Emperor Chasing Grain", which is also the subject of common people's after-dinner talk, and even the butt of laughter.

Shangguan Yi's meteoric rise was also interrupted by the appearance of Queen Wu.

As long as this is done, Shangguan Yi believes that she can gain the true respect and trust of Li Zhi instead of Chen Qingsi's replacement.

Chen Qingsi is indeed outstanding, a rare talent in the world, but Shangguan Yi is not inferior to him.

Shangguan Yi is from Shaanxian County, Shaanxi Province. He lives near Sanmenxia and knows the surrounding terrain very well. The danger of the Yellow River lies in Sanmenxia.

Sanmenxia is also the key reason why food cannot be transported to Chang'an by water.

As long as the problem of Sanmenxia is overcome, the problem of grain transportation can be solved.

Ever since he learned that the imperial court had been worried about not having enough food from the east to go west, Shangguan Yi had some thoughts and ideas. As long as he solved the matter for the imperial court, wouldn't it be a great achievement?
After a long period of investigation and research, Shangguan Yi relied on his knowledge of the local area to think of a feasible method. As long as it is successfully implemented, it can alleviate the food crisis in Chang'an and prevent the emperor from chasing food from happening again.

This is the big move that Shangguan Yi has been holding back, just waiting to prove himself at this moment.

As a result, Empress Wu vetoed it...

The anger that Shangguan Yi had been holding in completely exploded.

Shangguan Yi is very confident about his solution to Chang'an's food crisis.

There are only two possibilities for Empress Wu's resolute refutation: one is really stupid and cannot understand what is written in the memorial, and the other is a deliberate refutation because the two are not on good terms...

No matter which one it is, in Shangguan Yi's eyes at this moment, it is unforgivable.

It turns out that it is against ethics for Sichen, a hen, to interfere in politics in the harem.

Now we can't sit back and wait for death, we must directly fight back to completely eliminate this harm to the Tang Dynasty.

Seeing that his father had made up his mind, Shangguan Tingzhi gritted his teeth and said, "What are your plans, father?" Shangguan Yi looked at his son and said with a smile, "You can't interfere in this matter. Do your job well and educate Kun'er. That's what you should do now." It's better to add more people to my Shangguan family. After the changes in Jiangdu in the past, the father's family has a single line. The father is obsessed with fame and the important task of continuing his descendants depends on you."

The Kun'er he talked about was his grandson Shangguan Kun'er. He was very clever and loved by him, but he only had one son who was not beautiful.

Shangguan Tingzhi knew that his ability was limited and could not help, so he could only sigh and retreat.

Shangguan Yi smiled as he watched his son leave, his eyes solemn and full of murderous intent.

The Chen family's residence in Chang'an.

Zhang Jianzhi and Wei Yuanzhong made an appointment to visit their master's wife and take a look at their junior brother.

The ancients respected teachers and Taoism.

Zhang Jianzhi and Wei Yuanzhong both recognized Chen Qingsi as their master, and Xiao Miaochen was their master's wife.

Chen Qingsi was not in Beijing, so the two of them often visited him with gifts to see if they could be of any help and tried their best.

The housekeeper Jiang Liang looked at Zhang Jianzhi and Wei Yuanzhong and greeted him familiarly, "Two gentlemen, it is an unfortunate day. At the invitation of the eldest princess of Xincheng, my mistress and Mrs. Yan Guo worshiped Buddha at Daci'en Temple. I haven’t been at home these days.”

Zhang Jianzhi said: "In that case, I'd like to trouble the manager to accept my wishes. I'll come visit you again after my wife comes back!"

The two left gifts.

Wei Yuanzhong said: "General Meng, come to my house for a few drinks? Just in time, I have something to discuss with you."

Zhang Jianzhi nodded slightly and stretched out his hand to say "please".

The two rode together, and many people came up to say hello along the way.

Zhang Jianzhi and Wei Yuanzhong developed rapidly because of their relationship with Chen Qingsi. Surpassed all candidates in the same session.

Zhang Jianzhi was arranged by Chen Qingsi to enter Dali Temple. With his calm, resourceful and strong character, he quickly laid the foundation in Dali Temple.

In a place like Dali Temple, if you want to get ahead, the best way is to be bold and dare to take action. You must also have a solid foundation and not be afraid of revenge.

Zhang Jianzhi has Chen Qingsi and Qingliu as his backers, so he is fearless and unafraid of power. He has handled several beautiful cases in succession and gained a lot of fame. He is now a doctor of law in Dali Temple.

However, Wei Yuanzhong was righteous and enthusiastic, and was good at making friends with colleagues. He was also referred to as She Niu.

Both of them are promising political stars, and many people are interested in forming a good relationship before the two soar into the sky.

Zhang Jianzhi and Wei Yuanzhong had long been accustomed to it and dealt with it calmly until they reached Wei Yuanzhong's residence.

The two of them were sitting on the ground in the backyard. While admiring the spring breeze in the courtyard, sip the fine wine in your glass.

"Brother General Meng... my mentor, this time when he went to Baekje, he escaped a dispute. It is really auspicious and heavenly..."

Zhang Jianzhi said: "You can't hide! But my mentor is so powerful in Dongyi. Even if he gets involved in it in the future, he will have a lot more bargaining chips. He won't be like Shangguan Xianggong..."

The two of them were naturally talking about Empress Wu's involvement in politics and the emperor and empress being in the same court.

In this era, it was a major sin for the queen to get involved in politics.

Otherwise, why would Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty leave his mother with his son?
The harm done to the country by the relatives of the previous dynasty is vividly visible.

Most of the Qingliu faction opposed Empress Wu's involvement in politics.

It's just that Li Zhi has too much control over the temple, and Xu Jingzong, the only person qualified to object, is two-faced.

North Korean and Chinese officials have no choice but that does not mean they agree.

Especially the Qing school, their attitudes on such major issues of right and wrong are surprisingly consistent.

Although Chen Qingsi is far away in Baekje and cannot express his position, he is the leader of Qingliu.

In the eyes of people like Zhang Jianzhi and Wei Yuanzhong, that is the existence of role models, and they naturally believe that their role models will not let them down.

Wei Yuanzhong also understood this and said in a low voice: "I am in the Ministry of Civil Affairs and I have a wide range of sources of information, and I discovered something weird."

Zhang Jianzhi said: "One person is short-term, two people are long-term, and you and I are together."

Wei Yuanzhong said: "I suspect that the queen is inviting names."

Zhang Jianzhi said: "How to say?"

"Has General Meng ever heard of Empress Wu's advice to Your Majesty to ban women in the world from acting as actresses?"

Zhang Jianzhi nodded and said, "Of course I heard about it."

Yiyouzhixi refers to entertainers who perform funny plays. Empress Wu did this for the benefit of women all over the world and gained a lot of reputation.

Wei Yuanzhong said: "After this incident, Empress Wu's virtuous character was widely spread, and the persecution of the eldest grandson's family was covered up. At first, I didn't think much about it. To be fair, leaving aside political involvement, Wu Yuanzhong said Except for the incident with the eldest grandson's family, the queen's behavior at other times is still like a mother's respect for the world. But her two family members really don't know where to start, and the reputation of Mrs. Rongguo and Mrs. Korea is also unknown. There has been a reversal.”

"I secretly noticed that their family has a reputation as a great philanthropist."

"Even though this is Luoyang, not Chang'an, the nature of a country is easy to change. The two of them were already domineering and lawless when Empress Wu was not as powerful as she is today. Now that Empress Wu is in power, she has the support of His Majesty inside and Xu Jingzong outside. , Fang Renyu, they are no longer arrogant? Brother Meng, don’t you think it’s strange?”

Zhang Jianzhi nodded and said, "That's true!"

He served in Dali Temple, and with his official resume he was unable to handle major cases. However, when he was in Chang'an, he heard complaints from his colleagues many times that the Wu family's cases were the most difficult to handle.

But when I arrived in Luoyang, I really had never heard of anything like this.

Wei Yuanzhong filled a glass of wine for himself, drank it down, and said: "She is already the queen, and she still wants to be invited to a wedding. Why is this? Is she trying to prove herself?"

"That's not right!" Zhang Jianzhi said, "The people she invites are not us, but the people. If she wants to be recognized by officials, she shouldn't be like this."

Wei Yuanzhong frowned and said: "My brother thinks so too, but I just can't figure it out. It's the officials who don't like to object now. If she wants to prove herself, she should be kind to civil and military officials, not the people. The more he behaves like this, the more annoying he is. Not fast."

Zhang Jianzhi closed his eyes and meditated, running through his mind, picking out the recent key events from his mind bit by bit.

a long time……

Suddenly, he looked panicked and slightly shocked.

Wei Yuanzhong hurriedly asked: "Brother General Meng, what did you think of?"

Zhang Jianzhi shook his head and wanted to pour himself a glass of wine, but the hand holding the wine bottle trembled slightly and the wine spilled on his hand.

Zhang Jianzhi drank only half of the glass of wine in one gulp, with a sullen face and said nothing.

Wei Yuanzhong's eyes were solemn, and Zhang Jian was young and mature, rarely making any mistakes, which showed that he had thought of very serious things.

"If it's not convenient to say it, Brother Meng doesn't have to say it."

Zhang Jianzhi said in a low voice: "Have you ever heard that Your Majesty intends to become a Zen monk?"

Wei Yuanzhong said without hesitation: "Your Majesty did not express his position, but everyone knows what His Majesty meant in this matter. With His Majesty's merits, it is not impossible for him to be granted Zen status, but it is just a little too hasty."

Zhang Jianzhi said word for word: "There are three offerings for Feng Chan, the first offering, the second offering, and the final offering."

Wei Yuanzhong woke up and was so frightened that he choked on his saliva and kept coughing.

(End of this chapter)