Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 422: The Day of Amnesty and the Turnaround
Zhenguan Palace!
Li Zhi put down the work in his hands and asked casually, "How is the queen doing recently?"

The eunuch didn't dare to breathe, and replied tremblingly: "Her Majesty the Queen is in the Buddhist temple chanting scriptures day and night, and never leaves the house."

Even though it was just a minor house arrest, Empress Wu was still the empress, the mother of the country.

When she was punished, even a small grounding was a big deal.

Li Zhi thought for a moment and said, "The Crown Prince has written a letter to plead for her. Considering the Crown Prince's filial piety, she will be exempted from further punishment..."

When Empress Wu heard that she was exempted from house arrest, her charming face was filled with gratitude. After receiving the decree, she immediately went to find Li Zhi to thank him and said many words of apology.

Li Zhi still needed Empress Wu to handle state affairs for him, so he just gave in.

The two adults in the political arena naturally restored harmony.

Empress Wu returned to the back garden and asked someone to invite her mother into the palace.

When Empress Wu was punished, the people who were most terrified were Yang Lao and Wu Shun.

The two of them relied on Empress Wu's influence to live a happy life, but they did not want to lose everything they had.

Empress Wu only summoned Yang Lao, but Wu Shun also came along.

"My girl, you've suffered."

Grandma Yang looked at her daughter with tears in her eyes and some heartache.

Li Zhi punished Empress Wu by confining her to her house, which also meant that she could not see outsiders, and Yang Lao and Wu Shun's rights to enter the palace were naturally deprived.

Grandma Yang and Wu Shun had no idea what was going on and could only stand outside and worry.

This time when she entered the palace again, Grandma Yang's eyes were filled with heartache.

Wu Shun said worriedly: "As a woman, you can't be too strong. You have to learn to serve men, otherwise you will be despised in the end."

She is cold-hearted by nature and only cares about her own power.

Empress Wu did not say much, but just said: "I have a letter here. Mother, please arrange for someone you trust to take it to Xizhou and hand it over to Li Yifu in person."

Although Empress Wu was severely punished during this confinement, it also gave her the space and opportunity to calm down and think.

Empress Wu sorted out the inexplicable setbacks she had encountered in recent years and had a guess in her mind that someone was secretly targeting her.

Who it was, she couldn't be sure.

But all the problems we are facing now are driven by an invisible force.

No one knew who Empress Wu was. She didn't have many enemies, but her political enemies were everywhere in the court and the country. There were many people who didn't want to see her in power as a woman.

Empress Wu lived deep in the palace. Although she was quite familiar with state affairs, she did not understand the private thoughts and mindsets of court officials.

She couldn't be sure who was targeting her secretly, but she knew that the other party was very important in the government in terms of both ability and status.

Such a person is not someone that her mother and foolish sister can deal with.

After this confinement, Empress Wu was even more eager to have a helper to rely on, and that person was undoubtedly Li Yifu.

Xizhou.

Li Yifu slept until noon, lay on the bed for a long time, sat up and thought for a while, then lay down again, turned over several times. Feeling hungry, he got up with a bit of numbness, too lazy to wash and comb his hair, and sat in the dining hall. Immediately, a maid brought him breakfast.

The food was corn porridge with steamed buns and a few side dishes.

Li Yifu ate numbly. After finishing, he was stunned for a moment and then lay down on the bed again.

After dozing off for a while, I felt my body aching, so I walked out of the house and came to the door.

There is no gorgeous courtyard here, just a small courtyard surrounded by a fence. There is a lounge chair on the right side of the courtyard, and Li Yifu is lying on the lounge chair basking in the sun. This is Li Yifu's life now.

Although Li Yifu was demoted, he was still the prime minister of a country after all. He was once an extremely powerful assistant in the temple. Even if he lost power one day, he still possessed considerable power and wealth.

Apart from anything else, at least in this remote Xizhou, neither the provincial governor nor the local county magistrate dared to offend.

Li Yifu was not bullied in Yizhou. Instead, he was a guest of honor of local officials and gentry.

However, Yizhou is located in the southwestern corner of the Tang Dynasty. It is surrounded by mountains, transportation is extremely inconvenient, and supplies are extremely scarce.

Even if you have money you can't buy good things here...

Moreover, this is the place where extremely evil people are exiled, and there are also tribes with fierce folk living in the mountains.

The law is not invalid in this place, but it is not that important either.

If you really offend someone, I'll stab you in public and then hide in the mountains, and you'll most likely never be caught.

If someone with connections goes deep into the south to seek refuge with the barbarians of the Six Zhaos and never comes back, then there is nothing we can do.

In such an environment, a person who fears death like Li Yifu only dared to walk around near the county government office at his doorstep and did not dare to go far away.

This also led to Li Yifu's extremely impoverished lifestyle. He ate and slept all day long. In just four years, he had five children.

Others would have lost all their skin in exile, but Li Yifu was different. He gained more than 20 kilograms.

This kind of life might be the dream of future generations, but in this era with extremely scarce entertainment, Li Yifu, who had already enjoyed a god-like life, could not adapt to it no matter what.

He lived like a domestic pig, eating and sleeping all day long, for four years.

The warm sun shining on the body gives people a drowsy feeling.

Just when Li Yifu was about to fall asleep, a voice called out from outside: "Excuse me, is this Mr. Li?"

Hearing this long-lost name, Li Yifu instinctively stood up from the recliner, straightened his clothes, and then looked outside the fence: the person who came was a middle-aged man with a dusty face and a weathered face.

"It's Li!" Li Yifu tried his best to maintain his demeanor, sticking out his big belly which he didn't have originally.

The man said, "I am Wu Yian, I came from Beijing. Here is a letter, please accept it, Mr. Li."

When he heard that the visitor's surname was Wu, Li Yifu immediately became excited.

Even today, Li Yifu still believes in the prophecy of "stop the war and prosper", and believes that Empress Wu is the noble person in his life.

"Quick, quick, please come in!"

Li Yifu wanted to invite the other party in.

Wu Yian simply handed the letter hidden on his body to Li Yifu and said, "I have an important mission and must return as soon as possible to report. I will not stay any longer."

His words sounded nice, but he felt disgusted in his heart.

Along the way, since leaving Chengdu, most of the places we have been to are desolate, especially Yizhou, which is a place where dogs don't shit and birds don't lay eggs.

Not only were there a lot of snakes and insects, but there was also no delicious food or wine. I really didn't want to stay there for even a moment longer.

Li Yifu did not force him. He took out a bag of Tongbao coins from his pocket and handed it over.

Wu Yian accepted it with a smile.

Li Yifu bid farewell to Wu Yian and returned home impatiently. He closed the doors and windows, and took out the letter with trembling hands and an excited heart.

Only halfway through, Li Yifu couldn't help laughing: "The day of Fengshan amnesty is the day for me, Li Yifu, to turn the tables. Chen Qingsi, you took away my luck and harmed me like this, I want you to pay me back a hundredfold."

(End of this chapter)