Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 435: Those who have gained the right will get many help, but those who have lost the right will have little help.

Upon hearing the news that Empress Wu was ill and unable to manage affairs, Xiao Miaochen frowned slightly.

The news that Empress Wu was unwell had spread a few days ago. It was said that it was because she was overworked in assisting His Majesty in handling state affairs, and she was also traveling back and forth on the way to Fengshan. The weather happened to turn cold, so she caught a cold and was drowsy and unable to manage affairs.

Empress Wu was very popular among the ladies of high rank.

A group of ladies of noble birth once gathered together to pay their respects to Empress Wu.

Influenced by Chen Qingsi, Xiao Miaochen had always been wary of Empress Wu and observed her carefully.

Empress Wu was indeed ill and looked listless, but she had caught a cold, which was not a serious illness, and her appearance did not reveal anything.

However, because Empress Wu was ill and unable to manage affairs, the circle of women of noble birth and royal relatives such as princesses and princesses became obviously indulgent, which caused considerable trouble to the Fengshan schedule.

But to put it bluntly, it is just a group of people who are used to enjoying themselves and have various problems.

In the Chang'an Prince's Mansion, everyone from top to bottom worked together to accommodate him.

But at this time, to put it bluntly, when it really rained and snowed, the road was muddy, and the carriages and horses were stuck in the pit, even the emperor had to get out of the carriage and walk, let alone other people...

If they really wanted to make a big deal out of it and disrupt the Fengshan ceremonies, they would never dare to do that.

But it is normal for him to vent his emotions on small issues that Li Zhi cannot take care of.

Xiao Miaochen saw her husband's subordinates dealing with various issues many times, and she felt very sorry for them. She even suspected that Empress Wu was pretending to be sick on purpose to cause trouble for her husband.

But when Wei Gui, the Concubine Dowager of Ji State, fell ill, such a serious incident occurred, but the Queen still did not come to deal with it. It seemed that she was really ill.

Xiao Miaochen's mind raced, and he said hurriedly, "Qingkong, hurry up and notify the Free Envoys, tell them the situation here, and then tell the Lord Lang to come here and take charge."

The Lingshi is Chen Qingsi's personally appointed assistant. Chen Qingsi divided the entire Fengshan army into twenty sections, and each section was assigned a Lingshi to be in charge. Two to three people were assigned to be in charge of places where problems were most likely to occur, and the remaining sixteen people supplemented them.

The circle of nobles and ladies of state, who are the most intolerant of hardship and most likely to have all kinds of problems, was originally very stable. However, since Empress Wu fell ill, various problems have arisen one after another, making it the area most prone to accidents, and there are two entrusting officers in charge.

Qingkong immediately found Guo Zhengyi who was in charge of this section.

Guo Zhengyi was born in Zhongshan Guo family. During the Zhenguan period of Emperor Taizong, he passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi. He was well-informed, had a strong memory, and was familiar with history. He was a rare talent. But because of Li Ji's words, his future was bleak.

Of course, this is also Guo Zhengyi's own fault...

Guo Zhengyi preferred literature to martial arts, but he did not take military affairs seriously. Later, he was ordered to follow Li Ji, the Duke of Ying, to attack Liaodong and served as the military commander. Relying on his talent as a scholar, he memorized all kinds of military books circulating on the market, memorized them in his mind, and made great jokes.

Li Ji could not help but sneer, "In this passage, I recorded some funny things about Guo Zhengyi. Even though it is full of ten volumes, it still cannot be exhausted."

That is to say, if we were to record all the ridiculous things Guo Zhengyi did during this expedition to Liao, it would take more than ten volumes to finish.

Guo Zhengyi's future is bleak because of this...

But in fact, Guo Zhengyi's level of political strategy is still very good, he was just assigned to a place where he was not good at and did not get to play his role.

Guo Zhengyi was very grateful that Chen Qingsi recruited and used him in advance. He regarded him as his mentor and cherished this opportunity very much.

Upon learning of the situation, Guo Zhengyi immediately asked someone to invite the imperial physician and rushed to the place where the incident happened to Ji State Concubine Wei Gui.

Chen Qingsi, who was in charge of the central government, learned about the situation of Ji State Concubine Wei Gui, and put down everything he was doing and rushed to the scene of the incident.

But his expression was a little solemn...

Perhaps he was too afraid of Empress Wu's methods and schemes. When he learned of such a big event, his first reaction was whether it was Empress Wu's doing.

After all, if something unexpected happened to Ji State Concubine Wei Gui, the biggest benefit would be Empress Wu.

In addition to offering sacrifices to heaven, there is also offering sacrifices to the earth.

Offering sacrifices to heaven is naturally the most important thing, while offering sacrifices to earth is a session where a group of concubines and ladies entertain themselves on a small hill at the foot of Mount Tai.

Empress Wu looked down on him at first and never thought of fighting for him.

Now that there is no hope of offering sacrifices to heaven, the next best thing is to preside over the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the earth.

Although it is not as good as offering sacrifices to heaven, it is better than nothing.

As for Ji State Concubine Wei Gui, she was a noble concubine and was equivalent to the empress in the Zhenguan Dynasty when there was no empress after Empress Changsun's death. She presided over the sacrifices and Empress Wu was not qualified to snatch her place.

But when Wei Gui had an accident, the situation was different.

With this doubt, Chen Qingsi met Guo Zhengyi.

"How's it going?"

Chen Qingsi rode forward quickly to ask, and while asking, he got off the horse and handed the reins to the servant behind him.

Guo Zhengyi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, we didn't waste any time. Fortunately, we were well prepared and have stabilized the situation."

Wei Gui suddenly fell ill without any warning.

She was old and her illness was very serious. Those around her were timid and in chaos. Those who were thoughtful were afraid of taking responsibility because of Wei Gui's high status and did not dare to help. In addition, Empress Wu was unable to take charge of the matter.

Wei Gui's condition is already very critical...

Fortunately, Guo Zhengyi arrived in time and made an accurate judgment.

He immediately ordered his men to squeeze out a safe passage, and then the carriage turned west.

The accompanying imperial physician was riding towards the east on horseback. The two met on the road and bought some time to forcibly pull Wei Gui, who had one foot on the verge of death, back.

Chen Qingsi also breathed a sigh of relief.

If Wei Gui really died of illness on the way, given the current situation, some rumors would inevitably spread.

It doesn't affect me much, but it's disgusting.

Seeing a group of people gathered around him, Chen Qingsi shouted, "Keep on going, don't join in the fun. If you waste time and have to sleep in the wilderness, don't complain to me!"

Chen Qingsi looked around with a stern attitude.

During this Fengshan ceremony, Chen Qingsi's reputation for being harsh will probably spread like wildfire.

Chen Qingsi is the last link in handling the matter.

When this happens, the envoy of Fengshan Order will say all kinds of good and bad things.

Chen Qingsi stopped trying to persuade them and just followed the rules. If he wanted to show off his power, he could do so in front of Li Zhi.

After his roar, the people around him did not dare to stay. They all walked around them and continued on their way.

As Empress Wu was the mother of the country, her ceremonial procession was naturally grand, with six carriages in total: the heavy Di carriage, the Yan Di carriage, the Di carriage, the An carriage, the Siwang carriage, and the gold and silver carriage, all lined up in distinct layers.

The imperial guards rode on tall horses, clearing the way in front, the Shangyi, Sibao and other female officials served in front, and the nobles and ladies followed behind...

Empress Wu was lying in three layers of bedding at the moment, feeling a little dizzy from the heat.

She was not sick, but in order to avoid the eyes of the imperial physician, she wrapped herself up like a dumpling and said that she was very cold.

As a result, she was "cold" inside, but her skin was hot because she was covered by three layers of bedding.

No matter how skilled a doctor is, it would be difficult for him to tell whether the pulse is real or not if he is unable to take the queen's pulse carefully for a long time.

only……

Although it was early winter, she still felt hot all over.

"Oh! I don't know if I am suffering in this life." Empress Wu sighed secretly and this thought came to her mind.

In fact, Empress Wu's move was somewhat insidious. When she learned that Chen Qingsi was responsible for the management of the Fengshan team along the way, Empress Wu realized the difficulty of this mission first.

Empress Wu knew that Chen Qingsi did not get along well with the Guandong gentry, and this grand Fengshan ceremony was a huge affirmation of Li Zhi's political authority.

This is also what the Kanto samurai don't want to see...

The Guandong samurai never confronted the Li Tang royal family head-on. They were not that stupid.

But at various times, they will use their connections and relationships to resist and sabotage, making it impossible for you to accomplish your goals.

As long as they are given the opportunity, the Kanto samurai will definitely take action.

Empress Wu's goal was to create some trouble for Chen Qingsi, distract him, and make him focus more on them, so as to create opportunities for the Guandong gentry.

If it succeeds, it has nothing to do with her. It's because Chen Qingsi is incompetent and was plotted against.

If it doesn't work, she won't lose anything and can instead relax.

Naturally, Empress Wu had no such thing as the Tang Dynasty or the so-called world in her mind.

She could not participate in the Fengshan ceremony, so whether it was successful or not was not important to her.

If something really happens, it won't be her turn to be embarrassed.

As a result, Chen Qingsi was too calm and had foresight. He selected more than 30 assistants from the court and handled all matters comprehensively.

She ignored those noble ladies and let the people arranged by Chen Qingsi take care of them, but it did not have the expected effect.

"Your Highness the Queen!"

Si Bin Fu Xiang's voice came from outside the car.

Empress Wu did not say anything, but asked someone to call Fu Xiang onto the carriage.

Fu Xiang was a palace maid who came from a family of mulberry silkworms. In order to please Li Zhi, Empress Wu personally took part in the annual silkworm ceremony.

Fu Xiang was the palace maid who taught her how to raise silkworms and she was gradually cultivated into a close confidant.

A small figure gradually became one of the six female officials, and Fu Xiang was naturally loyal to Empress Wu.

Fu Xiang walked closer and said respectfully, "Your Highness, the Queen, Concubine Ji is fine. She has regained consciousness under the acupuncture of the imperial physician."

"That's good, but unfortunately..."

Empress Wu spoke in two different tones.

Chen Qingsi thought too little of Empress Wu.

She would not use such drastic measures unless she was pushed to the extreme.

The Queen Mother of Ji State is already old, so it is normal for some accidents to happen to her, and no one can predict it.

When Empress Wu heard the news, she was also shocked, but she soon figured out a chance.

According to the original plan, the Queen Mother of Ji State was to offer the first sacrifice to the land and lead the Fengshan ritual.

Now that her old illness has relapsed, if there is any problem, wouldn't it be like the earth is missing its backbone?
It is common sense that the emperor offers sacrifices to heaven and the empress offers sacrifices to earth, so it is natural for me to take their places.

In fact, Empress Wu looked down upon the earth sacrifice at first, thinking it did not have much significance and could not be compared with the three offerings to heaven.

But now her situation was very dangerous. For some reason, her son Li Hong no longer discussed government affairs with her, her confidants were inexplicably eliminated one by one, and even the secret chess move of Li Yifu, which she had been planning for a long time, was destroyed by the unknown mysterious enemy.

Being controlled by others everywhere, Empress Wu no longer pursued any delicacies from land and sea. Having seaweed and shrimps to fill her teeth was better than getting nothing.

Faced with the sudden illness of Concubine Ji, Empress Wu deliberately did nothing and let her illness break out...

But he was still saved by Chen Qingsi's men.

"Well, there's really no rush!"

Empress Wu gritted her teeth and endured it.

"Mr. Chen, please accept my greeting!"

A man dressed in a bright yellow brocade robe, with a golden crown on his head and a white silk belt around his waist, his manner and speech revealing a noble character, bowed deeply to Chen Qingsi.

The man's name was Li Shen, the tenth son of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin, and the son of the current Prince Ji and Consort Ji Wei Gui.

Li Shen was a very filial person. Ever since Wei Gui left the palace and arrived at Li Shen's fiefdom, he had visited him every morning and evening without any slackness. Especially in his later years, when Wei Gui was unwell, he often served him by his bedside.

Li Shen and Li Zhi were the same age, both born in the second year of Zhenguan. Because they were the same age, they often played together in their childhood and had a close relationship.

The journey to Fengshan also accompanied Li Zhi.

Upon learning about his mother's condition, Li Shen was terrified and hurriedly dropped everything to visit her.

Hearing how dangerous the situation was, Li Shen did not care about his status as a prince and bowed to express his gratitude.

Chen Qingsi hurriedly helped him up, and said without seeking credit, "Prince Ji, you are thanking the wrong person. It is Envoy Guo who deserves the credit. He was the first to arrive and made the most accurate decision at the first moment."

Upon hearing this, Li Shen did not despise Guo Zhengyi's low official position and saluted him.

Guo Zhengyi was even more afraid to take responsibility, and he didn't dare to bow. He said, "I should thank Mr. Chen. I am just following your orders."

Li Shen was not angry at being pushed around, but said: "It's okay, they are all benefactors, it's okay for me to thank you a few more times!"

As he spoke, he bowed to Chen Qingsi and Guo Zhengyi.

This attitude and behavior made Chen Qingsi feel very favorable towards him.

No normal person would hate a filial son.

Chen Qingsi said: "His Majesty has issued an order to have the imperial physician accompany the concubine's carriage and take care of her at all times. Prince Ji does not need to worry too much..."

After dealing with the accident, Chen Qingsi returned to his post.

Regarding the previous speculation, after understanding everything, Chen Qingsi rejected what Queen Wu did.

Empress Wu would not easily use such extreme measures. Such extreme and reckless measures were not her style.

Unless she is pushed to the extreme...

For example, blaming Queen Wang for Princess Anding's death, or poisoning Wei's wife Helan...

Only when she was pushed to the extreme would Empress Wu boldly and decisively use such extreme means.

Now Empress Wu would not go so far as to murder Concubine Dowager Ji for the sake of a sacrifice.

So... after integrating the issues before and after, Chen Qingsi judged that the onset of Ji Guo Fei's illness was really unexpected.

Then, a few days later, a piece of news came out of nowhere and pointed the finger at Empress Wu...

The rumor was vivid and vague, indicating that in order to gain the qualification to make the first offering in the Fengshan sacrifice, Empress Wu arranged for Concubine Yan to give Concubine Ji drugs to induce illness and deliberately delay the time for treatment.

When Chen Qingsi heard the news, he was puzzled at first, but he quickly reacted.

Those who are righteous will have many supporters, while those who are unrighteous will have few supporters!
Empress Wu had many more enemies than he did.

(End of this chapter)