Li Xian returned to the inner palace after the court meeting. Empress Wei happened to be going to the court pavilion to watch polo. Li Xian was very happy and changed into a set of arrow sleeves to go with the Empress. Although his health was not good, he especially liked to watch polo and polo. Occasionally going down the court to practice was a very satisfying thing.
Li Xian had just finished changing when the chamberlain Xiao Hai hurriedly ran in. Panting slightly, he reported: "Sage, Zhang Jianzhi, Huan Yanfan, Cui Xuanhui, Jing Hui, Yuan Shuji, the five Prime Ministers have come with many ministers to request an audience."
Li Xian was taken aback. These Prime Ministers were all very domineering in front of him. If any one of them came alone, he wouldn't dare to refuse to see them, much less all five of them. From the tone of their words, it seemed that not only were there five Prime Ministers, there were also ministers accompanying them. Li Xian didn't know what they wanted to make things difficult for him, and he immediately felt apprehensive.
Empress Wei glanced at him and said: "All the Prime Ministers have come. Husband should go see them."
Li Xian said: "En, then … zhen will go see them."
Empress Wei heard his tone and said with a smile: "The Prime Ministers are all Husband's officials and are famous for their loyalty. They will not make things difficult for Husband. If there is something difficult to decide, there is no harm in Husband vaguely agreeing and discussing it later. If Husband is really worried, qie will go with Husband and listen from behind the tent. "
Li Xian's expression brightened: "Of course zhen knows that Master Zhang and the others are loyal to the affairs of the state. However, they are too eager and often make zhen feel overbearing. Ha, ha, zhen does not want to chill the hearts of the loyal officials and cannot speak harshly. It is best if wife is willing to go with me. After seeing the officials, you and I will go to the court pavilion together. "
The Imperial Palace was the most mysterious and sacred place in the world, but it was also because of this that the officials liked to buy eyes and ears inside the Palace. They made the Imperial Palace like a sieve. Every big or small matter, there would always be someone who would know in the shortest time possible.
Li Xian and his wife did not trust the maids and chamberlains that much, so their words were unavoidably a bit hypocritical.
Li Xian changed his clothes and went to the front hall. Empress Wei took two personal maids and quietly snuck behind the screen. The two maids brought over a brocade stool and invited the Empress to sit. Inside the front hall, upon seeing Li Xian, all the officials bowed in greeting. Li Xian politely said, "Everyone, please rise. Men, prepare a seat for my husband."
The eunuchs brought out the brocade stools and gave the five prime ministers seats, while the other officials stood below. Li Xian sat down behind the imperial desk. With a smile, he asked, "My beloved subjects, the court meeting has just ended. Why have you all come to see Zhen?"
Zhang Jianzhi cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the reason why we are here today is because of the Wu Clan."
Li Xian was startled, his expression changing slightly as he said, "The Wu Clan? Now, with the support of the officials, the imperial court's laws are strict, and the world is peaceful. What matter does the Wu Clan have to trouble all of you to come see me? "
Zhang Jianzhi said, "Does Your Majesty feel that the world is already at peace? But this old subject feels that the world is not stable, and it could collapse at any time. "
Li Xian's expression changed slightly. "Why does my beloved subject say such a thing?"
Zhang Jianzhi said, "Your Majesty, at the beginning of the Empress Dowager's revolution, members of the imperial family were executed to the last. Today, we are relying on the spirit of the heavens and the loyal subjects to use their lives to protect Your Majesty and restore Li Tang. Now, the Empress Dowager is still here, and the old officials of Zhou are still in the imperial court. The Wu Clan still proclaims themselves as the King and Prime Minister. Does Your Majesty not feel that there is a great hidden danger in this? "
Every time they spoke, they would mention the Divine Dragon Coup d 'état. They would never forget to state that the Emperor was supported and protected by them. Li Xian felt sick when he heard this. Thus, his eyelids drooped, and he said listlessly, "Master Zhang's words are incorrect!"
Zhang Jianzhi rarely heard Li Xian say that he was wrong to his face, especially at this moment, in front of so many officials who had performed meritorious deeds. Zhang Jianzhi's old eyes immediately widened, and he said without anger, "Dare this old subject ask Your Majesty, where did this old subject go wrong?"
Li Xian's eyelids were still drooping, and his tone was weak. However, his words were very sharp. "When the Divine Dragon Coup d 'état killed the two Zhangs, the Wu Clan controlled half of the imperial army. Think about it, if the Wu Clan did not support us, would we be able to restore Li Tang without bloodshed?
Moreover, King Liang oversaw the Golden Guards, detained Wu Youyi, and forced the Featherwood Guards to not dare to act rashly. These are all great contributions that cannot be erased. Not rewarding meritorious deeds and not punishing crimes is a great taboo for a ruler. This is what Master Zhang advised us to do, and we have always remembered it.
Thinking about the Wu Clan's contributions to the country, how can we not express our gratitude? Five of my beloved subjects were conferred the title of Duke and promoted to the position of Prime Minister because of their contributions to the Divine Dragon Coup. Should we not reward King Liang, and instead punish him by demoting his rank? King Liang has long held the title of King, and we have nothing more to reward him with, so we can only make him the position of Prime Minister. Although King Liang is the Prime Minister, we have already entrusted the affairs of the country to our beloved subjects, so why must we be unwilling to accommodate him? "
The Supervising Imperial Censor Cui Jiao cupped his hands and said, "The Great Emperor Zetian of the previous Wu Zhou Dynasty is still alive, and the old Zhou ministers are all in the imperial court. Your Majesty has just reinstated Li Tang, so even if you are rewarding meritorious deeds, you should still keep your distance from the Wu Clan, and suppress their power to prevent any mishaps. Yet, you have been secretly courting the Wu Clan, and have greatly increased their arrogance. What does this have to do with rewarding meritorious deeds?"
Li Xian felt even more vexed, and thought resentfully, "Where were all of you when Emperor Zetian was still on the throne? Who built a hut and lived in seclusion, and became a great loyal subject who did not eat Zhou's salary? You keep talking about the old Zhou ministers, but who are the old Zhou ministers? Aren't they all your political enemies? "
But he only dared to keep these words to himself, and so he said perfunctorily, "Beloved Subject Cui, King Liang is my relative by marriage, and my beloved daughter is King Liang's daughter-in-law. I have been secretly courting the Liang Household, and this is just a visit between relatives. Beloved Subject Cui, why do you have to be so alarmist?"
Huan Yanfan stepped out and said, "The Son of Heaven has no private affairs! The Son of Heaven's family affairs are also national affairs, so how can I not pay attention to them? Your Majesty has returned, but the Wu family has abused their position and continued to act as before. Won't the world be disappointed? "
Li Xian's heart was burning with anger. You keep talking about the world, but is this world your world or my world? He suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "The Wu family is not guilty, but has performed meritorious deeds. I cannot not punish them for teaching!"
Zhang Jianzhi suddenly stood up and said, "We are loyal and devoted, and all our thoughts and concerns are for Your Majesty! Although my honest words are unpleasant to the ear, I hope that Your Majesty will accept them! "
Huan Yanfan, Jing Hui, and the others all stood up and cupped their fists together, saying, "We hope that Your Majesty will accept our honest words."
Seeing this, Li Xian couldn't help but panic. At this time, a few light knocks came from the screen behind him, and Li Xian calmed down a little when he heard it. He quickly comforted them, saying, "I know all of your loyalty, but as the Son of Heaven, I cannot send troops without a good reason! My beloved subjects, let me think about it carefully before making a decision! "
Seeing that the Emperor's tone had softened, Jing Hui immediately took a step forward and continued, saying, "Indecisiveness will only lead to chaos! Since Your Majesty has the heart to eliminate the traitor, you should act immediately. This subject asks Your Majesty to issue an edict. This subject is willing to raise a three-foot sword and act as Your Majesty's vanguard to behead this traitor! "
Li Xian was sweating profusely, but he could only say, "My beloved subjects, let me think about it carefully before making a decision."
Seeing this, Yang Yuanyan also wanted to step forward to admonish the Emperor. No matter what, as long as he obtained the imperial edict today, it would be worth it even if he angered the Emperor. However, Zhang Jianzhi had already stepped forward before him. Zhang Jianzhi was the leader of the party of meritorious officials. Since he had stepped forward, Yang Yuanyan stopped in his tracks.
Zhang Jianzhi did not step forward to continue forcing the Emperor. He knew that the main reason the Emperor had drifted further and further away from the party of meritorious officials was that, after they had taken control of the court, they had not shown the respect a subject should have for the Emperor.
Strictly speaking, their admonition was already an attempt to force the Emperor to abdicate. Let alone powerful Emperors like Taizong and Zetian, any self-respecting Emperor would feel this to be a form of humiliation. If they were overbearing and thoroughly infuriated the Son of Heaven, then even if they could force the Son of Heaven to kill the Wu clan this time, there was no guarantee that the Son of Heaven would not borrow the Prince of Xiang and Taiping's influence in the future. At that time, would they be able to force the Son of Heaven to kill the entire imperial clan?
Thus, Zhang Jianzhi wanted to first confirm the Emperor's promise. As long as the Emperor agreed, it would just allow the Wu clan to be arrogant for a few more days. It would have no effect on the overall situation. The party of meritorious officials was like the sun at noon, so the Wu clan would not dare to take the risk out of desperation.
Thus, Zhang Jianzhi bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty has accepted my sincere advice and agreed to kill the Wu clan. Your Majesty is truly a wise sovereign. This old subject remembers that Your Majesty was once conferred the title of King of Valor by Emperor Xian. I hope that Your Majesty will live up to your heroic reputation and personally kill the Wu clan. With the might of the Son of Heaven, these subjects are willing to follow the Son of Heaven's lead! "
Li Xian breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly agreed, "Good! Once We have finished our preparations, We will definitely execute the treacherous officials. At that time, We will need to borrow the strength of all the subjects. "
Behind the screen, Empress Wei whispered a few words to a maid. The maid repeatedly nodded her head and flew off.
… …
When the maid left the palace and hurried to the Liang Household, Wu Sansi was receiving an official.
There were no walls in the world that could keep the wind out. The news that the Emperor was frequently visiting the Liang Household had recently spread. A few ministers who had seen the wind and had been pushed aside and marginalized by the party of meritorious officials had begun to draw closer to Wu Sansi.
In order to quickly expand his influence in the court, Wu Sansi did not discriminate between good and bad, accepting all who came. For example, the official who had come to visit him today was a corrupt official who had fled his post due to corruption. This person was the Zheng Qiang that Lu Binzhi had mentioned.
Zheng Qiang originally had the Fanyang Lu clan as his backing. However, the Fanyang Lu clan had not appeared for three years and Zheng Qiang had lost his backer. He had turned to Second Zhang. In the end, he had just entered Second Zhang's tutelage and hadn't received any tangible benefits before Second Zhang was killed.
It was also fortunate that he hadn't received any benefits from Second Zhang. Zhang Jianzhi and the others believed that his relationship with Second Zhang was not close. Moreover, he had become a scholar at the age of seventeen and was a famous talent in the north. As a result, they gave him a way out, demoting him from the central government and sending him to Xuzhou to serve as an official in the army.
Lu Binzhi sent people to Xuzhou to befriend him, luring him into the red-light alleys, drinking and gambling. Zheng Qiang felt that he had no future and was dispirited. With just a bit of seduction, he took the bait. In a few days, he had lost all of his family's wealth. Then, under the instigation of his "bad friend", he took bribes and embezzled public funds, falling into Lu Binzhi's trap.
Then, his "bad friend" sent people to report him. When the provincial governor of Xuzhou heard the news, he was furious and ordered people to interrogate Zheng Qiang. At this time, his "bad friend" appeared again to warn him, saying that he had some relationship with the Liang Household and urging him to flee Xuzhou to seek refuge with King Liang, who was recruiting talents.
Zheng Qiang had nowhere to go, so he fled back to Chang 'an with this "bad friend". Using Cui Shi's connections, he brought him to see King Liang. If a worker wants to do a good job, he must first sharpen his tools. If Lu Binzhi wanted to defeat Yang Fan, who had Xian Zong in his hands, he must first have a suitable weapon. King Liang's Wu San Si was the weapon he chose.
The situation in this world just happened to be like a surging great river, and the various powers were the bright and dark currents, tributaries and undercurrents, cold and warm currents. Once they collided with each other, it would form a devouring vortex. With the arrival of Zheng Qiang, a man-eating vortex quietly formed.
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