Do you know the long song of laughter?

Chapter 476 Method
"What a good negotiation!"

The Queen Mother glanced at Zhao Zongquan coldly and walked away.

If Zhao Zongquan didn't mean that, he would have directly denied it.

But he said it was just a discussion, and it was obvious that he agreed with this matter in his heart.

If it was said that Zhao Zongquan did not abide by the system left by the previous emperor, it would be difficult for the empress dowager to tolerate it.

Then Zhao Zongquan's decision to posthumously confer the title of Imperial Father on his biological father was something she absolutely could not tolerate.

Therefore, the empress dowager did not give Zhao Zongquan any face and just walked away in front of all the officials.

"Farewell, mother!" Zhao Zongquan watched the empress dowager leave with a gloomy face. When he turned around, his face had returned to normal.

"The Grand Chancellor and the Ministry of Rites should discuss the matter of posthumous honors carefully and bring me a set of rules."

"I will obey your orders!"

"Retreat!"

…………

After the morning court session ended, the news that the emperor wanted to posthumously confer the title of Emperor Father on his biological father spread throughout Bianliang in an instant.

Countless people were discussing this matter, and public opinion was very unfavorable to Zhao Zongquan.

The adoption system was a very important and strict system in ancient times.

An adopted son must sever ties with his biological parents, and his adoptive parents are his parents in the legal sense, unless he is "returned to the clan" and confirmed by law.

Zhao Zongquan was adopted by the late emperor, and according to etiquette and law, he was the son of the late emperor and the empress dowager.

He could only worship the late emperor and the empress dowager; he didn't even have the right to worship his biological father and mother.

Only Zhao Zongquan called his biological father "Huang Kao" and did not posthumously confer the title of emperor on him, otherwise the legitimacy of his throne would have been shaken.

Even so, it still had an impact on the legitimacy of Zhao Zongquan's throne.

"How could the emperor be like this..." Minglan stopped here.

At this time, everyone in Bianjing, from high-ranking officials to ordinary people, was discussing this matter, and the Li family was no exception.

Minglan wanted to ask why the emperor was so confused, but she stopped herself because she thought it was a bit treasonous.

"This incident is essentially a signal that the emperor wants to compete for power with the empress dowager. When you interact with those officials' families in the future, remember not to interrupt." Li An warned.

"Sir, do you mean that the emperor is doing this to force the ministers in the court to take sides?" Minglan was very smart and understood what he meant as soon as she heard it.

"Well, the emperor can't really call his biological father the Imperial Father, otherwise it will undermine the legitimacy of his throne." Li An said.

Similar methods have been used many times by emperors in history.

Like Li Zhi of the Tang Dynasty deposed Wang and established Wu, the method used was essentially the same as the one used by Zhao Zongquan.

Many people think that Li Zhi did this because Queen Wang did not give birth to children, while others think that it was because of his love for Wu Zetian.

Although these possibilities cannot be ruled out, the most fundamental purpose is to use this incident to force officials to take sides in order to seize power.

When Li Zhi ascended the throne, Zhangsun Wuji held all the power.

Deposing Wang Liwu was his signal to seize power, and support and opposition were actually a matter of taking sides.

The way Zhao Zongquan addressed his biological father was based on the same principle as Li Zhi's decision to depose Wang and establish Wu as his successor.

As long as the empress dowager returns to power, the matter of posthumous title will naturally come to nothing.

"Isn't the emperor a little too impatient?" Minglan asked in surprise.

"That's not something we should worry about." Li An shook his head and said, "In short, be careful during this period. If you can stay at home, don't go out. Even if you go out, be careful about what you say and do."

Li An could understand Zhao Zongquan's approach. Even if they were mother and son, no one would want to be a puppet emperor, not to mention that they were not biological relatives.

"I can't go out like this." Minglan said, touching her belly.

She has been pregnant for five or six months and basically doesn't go out. Ruichu is the one who does the necessary walking.

"Don't worry, sir. I know the severity of the situation." Ruichu said quickly.

"Well, don't be nervous, it's enough for you to know it." Li An comforted.

He is not worried about Minglan, and even less worried about Ruichu.

Even though she was just a palace maid, in a place like the palace, those who like to talk nonsense won't live long.

…………

Ever since the morning court session that day, the court seemed harmonious on the surface, but undercurrents were surging secretly.

The officials in the court were more shrewd than each other, and they soon figured out the trick.

Although they did not take sides openly, they all secretly expressed their positions in various ways.

Most people stood on Zhao Zongquan's side because the empress dowager was not keen on power. Even though she was ruling the country from behind the scenes, she did not place her confidants in charge of the military power.

Even the imperial guards in the palace were all controlled by Zhao Zongquan's confidants.

Everyone can see that if the two fight to the end, Zhao Zongquan will definitely be the winner.

There were people who supported the Queen Mother, but they were mostly loyal ministers.

These people don't care about these things. In their eyes, there is only right and wrong, black and white.

Rather than saying that they supported the Queen Mother, it would be better to say that they stood on the side that was reasonable.

These people even impeached Prime Minister Han Zhang for disrupting the government.

In their opinion, Han Zhang was the one who started this matter.

But in Li Ang's opinion, Han Zhang did nothing wrong.

The secret struggle between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor is detrimental to the country.

Even if the Queen Mother wins, she still has to return power.

But it would be different if the emperor lost. If the empress dowager wins, in order to guard against the emperor, she would definitely reuse her maternal relatives and might even think of deposing the emperor.

Whatever the possibility, the Queen Mother's victory would be fraught with drawbacks.

Only if the government wins can the war be quickly quelled.

However, Han Zhang's behavior violates etiquette and he will be met with a lot of abuse.

It may even lead to eternal infamy.

It can be said that Han Zhang does not care about his own honor or disgrace at all and is devoted to the country.

But the Queen Mother didn't think so.

Although the Queen Mother's political vision is not very good, she has a high position.

I didn’t react at first, but then I slowly began to appreciate its flavor.

Not to mention that she had never trusted Zhao Zongquan, she was also very dissatisfied with the way Zhao Zongquan seized power.

In order to seize power, Zhao Zongquan called his biological father the Emperor Father. But after he really took control of the power, what would he do if he wanted to posthumously confer the titles of emperor and empress on his biological father and mother?
The Queen Mother knew that the current situation was not in her favor. If most people supported the Emperor, it would be difficult for her to change it.

After much deliberation, the Queen Mother did two things. First, she called Qi Heng and asked him to propose a thorough investigation of the remnants of the Yan Wang rebel party.

After Qi Heng passed the imperial examination, he was selected as an official and entered the Censorate. It was best for such matters to be proposed by the censors.

Moreover, the Queen Mother also helped Qi Heng in selecting officials.

Considering the relationship between Princess Pingning and her, Qi Heng couldn't possibly refuse.

The second thing was to bring the surviving youngest son of Prince Yong into the palace and take care of him personally.

The Queen Mother's combination of punches was very effective.

Originally, the Shangguan family did not want to track down the so-called remnants of the rebel party. When he first came to Beijing, in order to quickly stabilize the situation, they did not involve too many people and did not investigate further.

If we really investigate, we will definitely find a lot of people.

He would not have cared in the past, but now many officials have just taken sides, and the investigation of the remnants of the rebel party will inevitably cause unrest among the people.

However, Zhao Zongquan was the stepson of the late emperor, and the investigation of the rebels could be regarded as revenge for the late emperor. Because of the posthumous title, there were some negative comments about him.

What Qi Heng said made sense. If he refused, how would people in the world view him?

After inheriting the family business, he not only refused to acknowledge his stepfather, but also refused to avenge him.

The most amazing move was that the Queen Mother brought Prince Yong's son into the palace.

Prince Yong was originally the designated crown prince. Although he was killed by Prince Yan, Prince Yong's bloodline still exists.

If you count carefully, Prince Yong's son has more inheritance rights.

Now that the Queen Mother has brought Prince Yong's son into the palace, it is obvious that she is threatening him.

If he insisted on his own way and wanted to call his biological father "the Emperor's Father", the Empress Dowager might consider deposing the emperor.

Even though the possibility was very small, Zhao Zongquan didn't dare to gamble.

So the issue of posthumous titles and names was temporarily shelved and no one mentioned it again.

However, the rift between the emperor and the empress dowager already existed, and many ministers in the court knew that the so-called posthumous title was just an excuse.

The fundamental purpose is still a struggle for rights.

As long as this matter has no result, there will be a secret fight later.

The task of tracking down the remnants of the rebel party was handed over by Zhao Zongquan to Qi Heng.

Zhao Zongquan is not stupid. You are trying to make things difficult for me. It is no secret that the Qi family is close to the Queen Mother. Don't think of letting me take the blame alone.

Qi Heng was a serious person, and after taking the assignment, he really investigated it carefully.

Whenever he found anyone who was involved with the rebels, he would show no mercy and arrest them directly.

For a time, the people of Bian Jing were in a panic, which overshadowed the previous news about the posthumous title.

This made Zhao Zongquan happy for a while. After all, these officials and their families had long formed circles through marriage.

When you pull out a radish, some mud will come out.

Qi Heng's move offended many people.

Many people petitioned not to be implicated too deeply, but Zhao Zongquan ignored them and even publicly praised Qi Heng for doing a good job.

The purpose of Zhao Zongquan doing this was to make the matter bigger and let the queen mother take the blame.

Qi Heng did not understand the deeper meaning of it. After being praised by Zhao Zongquan, he investigated more seriously.

Qi Heng was more like a gentleman. The Queen Mother asked her to give advice and investigate the remnants of the rebel party, but did not explain it directly.

Qi Heng heard the Queen Mother's hint, but did not see the deeper meaning behind her action.

It was the same when facing Zhao Zongquan’s praise. I felt more happy and wanted to get things done.

Qi Heng was very motivated and soon found out that King Yan had purchased women from Jiangnan to win over people.

Those who participated in the purchase included two brothers from the fourth and fifth branches of the Gu family, as well as Gu Tingwei from the eldest branch.

After finding out this, Qi Heng found it a little bit unbelievable.

The Qi and Gu families are relatives, and the Gu family's involvement makes it very difficult for him.

…………

"Zi Qian!"

"Greetings to King Huan, and greetings to the King's uncle." Li An bowed.

"No need to be so polite." King Huan waved his hand.

Li An invited the two to the main hall and had tea served to them.

"Ziqian, I have something to say to you." Zhao Ceying said.

Li An understood and sent the maid serving in the hall away.

"Ziqian, you know everything that happened recently, right?" Zhao Ceying asked.

"I know something." Li An nodded.

"Last time you said that the dictionary compilation matter could be brought up before the reform. Later, there was no follow-up. You should be able to understand your father's intention next year." Zhao Ceying said.

Li An did not say anything when he heard this. He understood what Zhao Ceying meant, which was simply that Zhao Zongquan intended to reform the law.

"My father wanted to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, but the court had too many problems and was unable to realize it, so reform was imperative. However, the Empress Dowager was reluctant to return power and did not support some of the policies proposed by my father. Therefore, my father had to resort to this bad idea and wanted the Empress Dowager to pull back the curtain and return power." Zhao Ceying said.

Li An didn't say anything after hearing this, but he was thinking about the purpose of Zhao Ceying's coming.

Could it be that he wants me to persuade the Queen Mother?
To be honest, he didn't want to get involved in this matter, nor did he have the ability to do so.

"The quarrel between my father and the Empress Dowager is not good for the country. My uncle said that Ziqian has quick wit and may have a solution. I came here this time just to ask Ziqian if he has any solution." Zhao Ceying said.

Hearing this, Li An looked at Shen Congxing. Shen Congxing smiled slightly when he saw Li An looking at him.

This smile seems to say you're welcome.

Ang Lee had the urge to curse. Why did he repay kindness with enmity?
Even if you have a way to deal with this kind of thing, you will get into trouble.

"Your Highness, even the Grand Master can't do anything about this matter, so what can I do? I'm sorry to disappoint Your Highness." Li An said.

"Ugh."

Zhao Ceying was not surprised to hear this. He was just upset about the fight between his father and the Queen Mother. After hearing what Shen Congxing said, he asked with the idea of ​​trying everything possible.

Zhao Ceying sighed and said, "If we continue to fight like this, I don't know when we can change the law."

"Your Highness." Li An gritted his teeth and said, "I have a solution that is not a solution. Maybe you can give it a try."

"What method?" Zhao Ceying asked.

"Your Highness, it is not realistic to ask the Queen Mother to withdraw and return power now. But if the emperor wants to keep power, the most important thing is actually the imperial seal." Li An said.

"Hmm?" Zhao Ceying was stunned and asked, "Is there any difference?"

"There is definitely a difference." Li An said, "Now that the emperor has the imperial seal, he can issue orders directly without the approval of the Empress Dowager. Although the Empress Dowager is still in charge of government affairs, her influence on the emperor is not that great."

Getting the imperial seal does not mean that the empress dowager can return power.

The Empress Dowager did not rely solely on the imperial seal to rule the country.

According to regulations, the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs, and ruling from behind the curtain must be agreed upon by ministers and the emperor, and it is not considered a violation of ancestral rules.

It is said that it is easier to invite a god than to send him away. The current Empress Dowager is ruling the country from behind the curtain not because the Emperor is young. It is not so easy to ask her to return to power.

As long as the empress dowager does not return power, she can still interfere in government affairs even without the imperial seal.

But now that the emperor has the imperial seal, he can get rid of the current puppet situation even if the empress dowager does not return power.

Zhao Ceying thought about it carefully and asked, "But how do we get the imperial seal? We can't just rob it, right?"

"It's impossible to rob, we can only cheat. This matter needs the intervention of the eldest husband." Li An said.

"My Lord, is this possible?" Zhao Ceying frowned.

It was Han Zhang who proposed to honor the late Prince Pu as the Emperor's father. The Queen Mother must hate Han Zhang to death now, so it is almost impossible for him to steal the imperial seal.

"Your Highness, whether this matter can be accomplished or not, the Grand Prime Minister has his own considerations." Li An said.

Although the Queen Mother was angry with Han Zhang, Han Zhang was deeply trusted by the late Emperor, and the Queen Mother also respected him very much.

With Han Zhang's wisdom, it was not difficult to steal the imperial seal.

"Let's give it a try." Although Zhao Ceying didn't have much hope, there was no other way now so he could only give it a try.

After chatting for a while, Zhao Ceying left first, but Shen Congxing stayed.

"Uncle, you have really screwed me over." Li An said with a wry smile.

"How could I be cheating you? I'm helping you. If the great minister really manages to trick the imperial seal into your hands, the emperor will definitely reward you handsomely." Shen Congxing said.

(End of this chapter)