Yang Fan recognized this person. He was the palace supervisor, Tian Guidao.
During the mutiny at the Black Tortoise Gate, Tian Guidao did not know what was good for him and blocked Zhang Jianzhi's path. If it were not for Yang Fan's timely appearance and diverting a thousand cavalry soldiers away, leaving Tian Guidao with no soldiers to use, it was hard to say what he would have done. Moreover, this person had once attached himself to Second Zhang, so after the coup d'état was successful, he was immediately removed from office by Zhang Jianzhi and the others.
More than a month had passed. Logically speaking, this person should have already packed up and returned home. Why would he still appear here? Yang Fan's heart was filled with bewilderment as he walked towards him. Tian Guidao was about to leave, but when he saw Yang Fan, he quickly stopped and cupped his fists, "Great General!"
In the past, Yang Fan was only a general. Calling him Great General was a compliment. But now, he was a well-deserved Great General, the champion Great General!
Yang Fan returned the greeting and said: "Brother Tian, I heard you have returned to your hometown. I didn't expect to see you here."
Tian Guidao smiled bitterly and said: "It's not good to leave in the first month, this lowly official was planning to leave at the start of spring. I am indebted to His Majesty's grace for pardoning this lowly official's crimes and allowing this lowly official to atone for his crimes with meritorious services. "
"Oh?"
Somewhat surprised, Yang Fan asked: "Then is Brother Tian still the Palace Eunuch and the Right Jin Wu General?"
Tian Guidao shook his head and said, "This lowly official has been appointed as an imperial servant by His Majesty. When I was working in the palace, I left some of my personal belongings here. Today, I specially asked His Majesty to enter the palace to retrieve them. This lowly official has to report to the Imperial Servant Temple. Great General, this lowly official has to take his leave. "
Yang Fan nodded. Suddenly, he thought of something and said, "Oh! I received the imperial edict to expand the cavalry by a thousand, and I still need to replenish a large number of warhorses. In the future, I will have to deal with Tian Shaoqing. On another day, I will invite Tian Shaoqing to a drink, and the two of us will get to know each other better. "
Tian Guidao hastily said, "Lowly official is willing to serve Great General, but I do not dare to trouble Great General to invite me. This lowly official is already overwhelmed by Grand General's courtesy. If Grand General doesn't mind, this lowly official will hold a banquet in my residence another day to invite Grand General. "
Yang Fan replied with a smile. Tian Guidao cupped his fists to him and left with the servant. Yang Fan looked at his back and frowned in thought for a while. Then he walked toward Wan 'er's residence.
"Langjun!"
As soon as Wan'er saw Yang Fan, she hastily placed her brush on the Jinwen Flower Stone and leaped into his arms.
Wan'er was now living outside the palace. She was on duty in the palace for one night every five days, the same as the Prime Ministers. This also proved that she was still the Minister of Internal Affairs.
Zhang Jianzhi and the others, as prime ministers, were third-ranked officials. They had other titles of nobility, conferred the title of founding duke. From this point of view, they were second-ranked officials. Wan'er was also a second-ranked official, the same as them. Compared to Yang Fan, who was a third-ranked general, she was one rank higher.
Even though Yang Fan was a founding marquis and had a thousand households, he was still a third-ranked marquis. No matter how you looked at it, he was still inferior to Wan'er. Wan'er often lived outside the palace, so she could stay with Yang Fan for a long time. Last night, the two of them slept together. First, they had just had a good time, and second, they had fulfilled their long-cherished wish. At this moment, Wan'er's face was glowing, and her face was as beautiful as a peach. She looked like a young woman who had just gotten married. When she saw Yang Fan, she was so happy that she looked like a little girl.
Yang Fan hugged her waist and kissed her on the lips. He smiled and said, "When you woke up this morning, you were complaining that your waist and legs hurt. Now you are full of energy."
Wan'er's face reddened. She lightly punched his chest and said, "You are making fun of me again."
She raised her eyes and carefully looked at Yang Fan's expression. In a quiet voice, she said, "Langjun, is there something on your mind?"
Yang Fan nodded and then shook his head. He said, "Today, the Empress will preside over the government."
Wan'er was not surprised. She nodded and said, "Yes! I heard. "
She pulled Yang Fan to sit beside the desk. She said, "This is the Emperor's counterattack. These meritorious officials are getting carried away and forgetting themselves. "
Yang Fan raised an eyebrow and said, "What? You don't like them?"
Wan'er smiled and said, "I don't care. Look at how relaxed I am …"
She pursed her lips and gestured to the desk. Yang Fan then realized that there were almost no memorials on the desk. There were only a few memorials, and they looked like there were only five or six of them. They were piled in the corner of the desk. There was a piece of paper on the desk. On the paper was a picture of a swallow flying through the forest. It was half drawn. It seemed that Wan'er had been writing here.
Wan'er said, "In their eyes, an Emperor who governs by hanging his head and doing nothing is a wise ruler. They want the Emperor to sit high up and be responsible for all the affairs of the world. They want to share the Emperor's burden and hunt for the Heavens. They want to be a famous official who will go down in history."
Yang Fan frowned and said, "The so-called wise ruler and good official. The wisdom of a wise ruler is in knowing people. The good official is in governing the world. Wei Xuancheng (Wei Zheng) also advised Taizong in 'Ten Thoughts Against Emperor Taizong' to 'raise the longevity of the pine tree, play the zither and hang the head, and do not speak. There is no need to think so hard, to take over the duties of the Emperor, to serve the eyes and ears of the wise. Is it a waste of the Great Way of Doing nothing? '"
Wan'er smiled and said, "Then, do you think Emperor Taizong ruled by hanging his head?"
Yang Fan shook his head and said, "In the eyes of the Emperor, the wise ruler has great achievements. If he wants to have great achievements, he must do it himself. The officials hope that the Emperor will govern the world. This kind of Emperor is a wise ruler in their eyes. But they control everything themselves. In their eyes, it is to share the Emperor's burden. In the eyes of the Emperor, it is overstepping his authority. Only you would want to have less work to do. "
Wan'er giggled and said, "I would rather spend time with my husband. I don't like the work of the desk."
Yang Fan smiled bitterly and said, "It is a pity that the Emperor doesn't think this way. Master Zhang and the others also don't think this way."
Wan'er said, "So, there is trouble. When the birds are gone, the good bow is hidden. When the enemy country is broken, the counselors die. They have completely forgotten this ancient teaching. They think they are loyal officials. Everything they do is for the Emperor, for the country. But do they really not have any personal morals? "
Wan'er disdainfully curled the corner of her mouth. Yang Fan remembered that his family's teacher, Mr. Zhan, had also become the 'great hero of the Dragon God's coup' and entered the Ministry of Appointments as the head. He couldn't help but sigh.
Wan'er softly said, "They are greedy for power and position, forming a clique for personal gain. Once the Emperor has such an impression of them, can he still trust them? 'Behind them, there is more than enough to forget to pull back'. That is why I said that they are a bit carried away. "
Yang Fan was silent for a moment and said, "The Emperor is indeed a bit dissatisfied with their taking over everything. Just now, I saw Tian Guidao on the road. Tian Guidao has been pardoned by the Emperor and has been promoted to Imperial Servant Shaoqing. The Imperial Servant Temple is in charge of the horse affairs of the country and has a high position. The Emperor is basically singing a different tune from Master Zhang and the others. "
Wan'er said, "I know about this. I was the one who wrote the imperial edict. Tian Guidao is a 'Mochi Oblique Official'. "
Hearing this, Yang Fan was startled again. The so-called 'Mochi Oblique Official' was an official appointed directly by the Emperor without going through the inspection of the Hall of Governmental Affairs and the Menxia Province and without going through the proper procedures. When Wu Zetian was young, she had searched the world and appointed a large number of officials without going through any tests. These officials were all Oblique Officials.
The dismissal of Tian Guidao was decided by Zhang Jianzhi and the others and went through the proper procedures. Now, the Emperor had pardoned him and transferred him to the Imperial Servant Temple. It was very likely that Zhang Jianzhi and the others had not discussed this beforehand. Thinking about the Empress' death today, Yang Fan found that the situation in the court had become more and more serious.
Wan'er's eyes turned and she said, "That's right. At the end of last month, Master Huan said that Li Tang had recovered and should build a 'Zhongxing' temple in each province. So, the court ordered to choose a temple in each province and change its name to 'Zhongxing'. But yesterday, Right Buque, Zhang Jingyuan, wrote a memorial saying that only a revival with a break in the middle can be called Zhongxing. His Majesty has taken over Wuzhou, Zhou, and Tang. There is no such thing as Zhongxing. It should be changed to 'Longxing'. "
Yang Fan asked, "What did the Emperor say?"
Wan'er had a good memory and a good memory. She immediately replied, "The Emperor has spoken. Zhang Buque's words are reasonable. From now on, the name of Zhongxing is not to be used. The 'Zhongxing' temples will be changed to 'Longxing' temples. I have just drafted an edict and am going to issue it. "
Yang Fan said, "Is Zhang Jingyuan an old official of the Eastern Palace?"
"Yes!"
Yang Fan said slowly, "Xiang Zhuang's sword dance is for Duke Pei!"
Wan'er said, "What is Langjun's plan?"
Yang Fan said, "Today, the Empress came to court. Prime Minister Zhang, Prime Minister Huan, and Prime Minister Jing all came out to stop her. But Prince Xiang, Prince Taiping, and Prince Liang's parties did not move. I watched coldly from the sidelines and felt that all sides were harboring their own schemes. The alliance that was put together to kill the two Zhangs is probably going to fall apart. "
Wan'er frowned and said hesitantly, "So soon …"
Yang Fan nodded his head solemnly, then said, "Jinghui was originally a subordinate of Taiping's …"
Wan'er let out a soft cry. It was clear that she did not know about this matter.
Yang Fan continued, "Yuan Shuji and Cui Xuanhui are old subordinates of the Prince of Xiang. The Prince of Xiang and Taiping have not moved. Only they have stood out. It's clear that the three of them have already broken away from Taiping and the Prince of Xiang. They have switched sides with Zhang Jianzhi and Huan Yanfan. Taiping and the Prince of Xiang will not sit by and watch as they betray them. It's hard to predict what will happen in the future. We can't act rashly. It's best to wait and see! "
Wan'er nodded and sighed. "The present situation is even more unpredictable than when the Empress was on the throne. I originally thought that the world was settled, but who could have imagined that Qin Fu would lose his deer and the entire world would pursue it?"
Yang Fan asked, "What is the Empress's current situation?"
Wan'er replied, "There are no problems with her clothing, food, and sleeping. After all, she is His Majesty's birth mother. Other than being deprived of freedom, how could she be treated unfairly …"
Wan'er paused, then continued somewhat sorrowfully, "However, this servant went to visit her. It seemed like she had aged ten years overnight, and her body … was very bad."
Yang Fan said, "Once the insufferably arrogant Empress was like the sun at noon, once she failed, she would end up like this, let alone you and I, mortals. Thus, for the sake of you, for the sake of our children, for the sake of our families, we must be extremely cautious."
Seeing the sorrowful expression on Wan'er's face, still feeling pity for Wu Zetian's situation, Yang Fan embraced her and gently comforted her. "In truth, as a failure, she is already very lucky. Think of Empress Wang and Consort Xiao Shu in the underworld, think of how their families still bear the surnames of Mang and Xiao, suffering in the south. What can she complain about? "
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