Through Yang Fan's consolation, the knot in Taiping's heart was somewhat eased, but she had not expected that the Emperor, out of suspicion, would so quickly take action.
Li Xian had first consulted Wu Sansi about his plans, and Wu Sansi had consulted Cui Ben and Zheng Qiang. Ever since he had obtained these two great advisors, Wu Sansi's ability to scheme had advanced by leaps and bounds, and he had long since become a completely different person.
This plan against the Prince of Xiang could be described as a stroke of genius. At the start, it had not even aroused the vigilance of the Duke of Xiang or the Duke of Taiping.
The entire affair had begun with the election of the heir apparent.
The Emperor had already ascended to the throne and the Empress had already been crowned, but of the three sets of carriages in the imperial household, one had yet to be established: the position of Crown Prince. Thus, Wu Sansi had Cui Ben instruct an imperial censor, who was just about to join the Wu clan, to submit a memorial urging the Son of Heaven to appoint a crown prince.
Originally, Li Xian had four sons, of which only Li Zhongrun was the son of the first wife, so he was the natural candidate for the crown prince position. Alas, Li Zhongrun had been caned to death by his grandmother, Wu Zetian, just because he had spoken a few words behind Zhang Erzhang's back.
After Li Zhongrun's death, Li Xian still had three sons: Li Zhongfu, Li Zhongjun, and Li Zhongmao. These three sons were all born of imperial concubines, not the flesh and blood of the Empress, the Wei clan. The future heir apparent of the country would be one of these three princes.
None of these three princes were Empress Wei's own sons, so Empress Wei didn't really care who she chose. But of these three princes, she disliked Li Zhongfu the most. Li Zhongfu was older than Li Zhongrun by a year and was the eldest son of a concubine. When Li Xian was forced off the throne and placed under house arrest in Fangzhou, Li Zhongfu was already a naughty child and had memories of his birth mother. For this reason, he had never been very close to Empress Wei.
Now that the heir apparent was about to be appointed, Empress Wei was naturally unwilling to have Li Zhongfu be the Crown Prince. But these three princes were all concubine sons, so there was no distinction between the first and the third. Logically speaking, the Crown Prince should be chosen according to seniority. If this was the case, then the Crown Prince would assuredly be Li Zhongfu, so Empress Wei intervened.
Empress Wei now had her own faction. Although her faction had only just been established and was not as powerful as the Liang Faction, the Xiang Faction, or the Peace Faction, she still had a group of people she could use.
Empress Wei instructed one of them to impeach Li Zhongfu, saying that the reason the crown heir Li Zhongrun had been killed was because Li Zhongfu coveted the position of crown heir and purposely revealed what Li Zhongrun had said to Emperor Zetian, causing Li Zhongrun to be beaten to death.
The only people involved in this matter were Li Zhongrun, Li Xianhui, Wu Yanji, and Zhang Changzong. These people were all dead, so there was no way to testify. How could Li Zhongfu defend himself? He kowtowed to the imperial court to defend himself, but no matter how he argued, he could not come up with a clear explanation.
At this time, another minister submitted a memorial, arguing that if Li Zhongfu became the Crown Prince, once he ascended to the throne, he would very likely reverse the verdict of the Second Zhang and bring disaster to the country. This was because Li Zhongfu's princess was Zhang Yizhi's niece.
When Li Zhongfu heard this, his lungs almost exploded with rage. How could he have the right to choose his own concubine? Back then, it had been Empress Wei's idea to have him take Zhang Yizhi's niece as his wife. Empress Wei had wanted to use this to draw closer to the Second Zhang and solidify her husband's power and position. Now, this had become a crime that prevented Li Zhongfu from becoming the Crown Prince.
Li Zhongfu knew that all of this was Empress Wei's doing, but he did not dare to say anything. In the Imperial Court, the hundreds of officials argued over this matter several times. In the end, Li Xianqian acted on his own and judged Li Zhongfu to be greatly responsible for Li Zhongrun's death. As a result, he was demoted to Junzhou (in modern Hubei, near Fangzhou) to be the Provincial Governor, causing him to completely lose his right to the throne.
Li Zhongfu hatefully resigned from the palace and dejectedly went to Junzhou to take up his post. His right to the throne had been stripped away, leaving only Li Zhongjun and Li Zhongmao, the two princes. According to the order of seniority, Li Zhongjun should have been made the Crown Prince. Li Zhongjun was courageous and had a rough personality. He was a man of few schemes and shortsighted. Empress Wei believed that he was easy to control, so she did not try to obstruct him.
But the already stirred officials of the court had different opinions. Some people believed that Li Zhongjun was too brave and too tactless and would not be a competent emperor. They suggested that the Fourth Prince, Li Zhongmao, should be made heir apparent. Li Zhongmao was young and intelligent, had a gentle personality, and treated his teachers with modesty and courtesy. In the eyes of the ministers, he was a suitable candidate for the throne.
Thus, one faction insisted on establishing the eldest while the other insisted on establishing the virtuous, and the two factions argued in the Imperial Court. But they had no idea that the situation had developed to this stage because Emperor Li Xian had intentionally guided it. The Emperor's goal had never been to establish the heir apparent, but to deal with the Prince of Xiang. Now, the time had come for the dagger to be revealed.
Just as the ministers of the two sides were arguing and the attention of the court was completely focused on the matter of the heir apparent, Li Xian suddenly came up with a strange theory. He believed that neither of his two sons had the talent to be the ruler of a country, so he wanted to make the Prince of Xiang his imperial younger brother!
Li Dan had been the Crown Prince and also the Emperor. After the Divine Dragon Coup, he had taken control of the Sixteen Imperial Guards of the Southern Government and possessed enormous influence and prestige in the army and the Imperial Court. Li Xian's sudden declaration that he wanted to make the Prince of Xiang his imperial younger brother instantly garnered the support of many ministers.
Li Dan was like the saying, "Sitting in seclusion at home, disaster descends from the heavens." When a minister had suggested making the heir apparent, the Empress had opposed making Zhongfu heir apparent, and when the officials had argued to make Zhongjun and Zhongmao heir apparent, he had not realized the Emperor's true intentions. But now, how could he not understand the Emperor's hidden killing intent?
If he dared to agree to become the Emperor's younger brother today, hand over his military power, and move to the Eastern Palace in accordance with the rule of 'the Crown Prince does not meddle in politics', he might die a sudden death. Rather than this, it was better to hand over his military power as soon as possible so that the Emperor could rest assured.
Thus, Li Dan did not even bother to change into his court robes before rushing to the throne room like a wisp of smoke. No matter what, he was unwilling to become the Emperor's younger brother. The two brothers pushed back and forth, and some of the ministers who had not yet seen through the Emperor's intentions were moved.
In the end, the Prince of Xiang was forced into a corner by his older brother the Emperor and simply handed over the commander's seal that he used to control the Sixteen Imperial Guards of the Southern Government. "Didn't you want to force me to become the Emperor's younger brother? Fine, I don't even want my current position. I'll go back and be a free and unfettered prince. That should be fine, right? "
Li Dan handed over the commander's seal and returned to the Prince of Xiang's estate, shutting himself in to show his resolve. Li Xian had also put on a show until the end, issuing three decrees in a row to summon the Prince of Xiang to court to discuss choosing the heir apparent, but the Prince of Xiang refused. Only then did Li Xian give in and make Li Zhongjun the Crown Prince.
It was only now that many of the ministers who had been fighting in the throne room for the sake of the position of Crown Prince, their faces flushed with anger, realized the truth. It turned out that they had all been 'played' by the Emperor. The Emperor was advancing in order to retreat.
Li Xian could also see that the expressions of the officials were not quite right. He was embarrassed to the point where he could not keep his face. In order to cover up his embarrassment, he and Wu Sansi held a secret discussion. After obtaining Wu Sansi's approval, he began to issue an edict to demote the titles of nobility. The Prince of Liang, Wu Sansi, was demoted to Prince of Dejing, Wu Youji, was demoted to Prince of Leshou. The Prince of Hanoi, Wu Yizong, and the other twelve Princes surnamed Wu were all demoted to dukes. This was to conceal his intent to deliberately target the Prince of Xiang.
Princess Taiping coldly watched from the sidelines, taking in everything that was happening in the Imperial Court. Seeing how the Emperor was scheming against his own brother, Taiping's heart felt like it had been plunged into an icehouse, chilled to the bone.
Great Teacher Mo lost no time in speaking again. "Princess, on the day of the coup d'état, if His Highness the Prince of Xiang had not taken control of the Southern Government's Imperial Guards and used them to intimidate the Northern Government, would the Emperor's restoration have been so easy? His Highness the Prince of Xiang had performed a heroic deed!
Just how great of a risk did the Prince of Xiang take in doing this? If he failed, his entire clan would be destroyed, but the Prince of Xiang led his five sons and charged into the Vermilion Bird Gate without the slightest hesitation! Let me ask you, if the Prince of Xiang did not participate, what would have happened?
If the coup d'état succeeded, he would be the Prince of Xiang! If the coup d'état failed, he would still be the Prince of Xiang. No! This old man was wrong. If His Majesty's coup d'état had failed, then the Prince of Xiang would have been the Crown Prince. Why did His Highness the Prince of Xiang take such a risk? And for whom did he do it? "
"Enough! Say no more! "
Princess Taiping could not restrain her anger and fiercely slammed her palm on the table.
Great Teacher Mo's face was as calm as an ancient well. He continued, "But even so, the Emperor still suspects the Prince of Xiang. Your Highness, the Emperor has already moved against the Prince of Xiang. Who do you think he will move against next? This old man truly cannot understand. What's wrong with the Emperor?
Who was it that risked the destruction of his entire clan to raise him onto the throne of Emperor? Why is the Emperor so wary of his relatives who risked their lives to support his ascension to the throne, but so trusting of the Wei clan that has no merit at all and the Wu clan that was once his mortal enemy? Princess, do you think that everything you've done was worth it? "
"Get out!"
Princess Taiping's eyes spat out flames of fury as she roared at Great Teacher Mo. Great Teacher Mo calmly and unhurriedly stood up and clasped his hands to Princess Taiping. He took three steps back, parted his sleeves, and swaggered off.
Princess Taiping dejectedly retreated to the back of the table. After feeling disappointed and frustrated for some time, she stupidly asked herself, "Was it worth it?" Before she could finish speaking, tears began to trickle down her cheeks.
… …
"Hahaha, come, come, my esteemed guests, please drink this cup to the brim."
Li Zhongjun held up a large bronze jue with a simple and unadorned design, urging the Left Concubine, the Right Concubine, the Crown Prince's guests, and a group of subordinates of the Eastern Palace to drink. Li Zhongjun had broad shoulders and a broad body, arms like an ape's and a waist like a bee's, exuding a heroic air. His square face was proud and arrogant, and he was born with a good appearance.
Above him was the eldest son of the legitimate wife and the eldest son of the concubines. He had never imagined that there would be a day when the throne of Crown Prince would be delivered to his buttocks. But in a moment of carelessness, he had become the Crown Prince above all but one. Even now, he still felt like he was dreaming.
"Crown Prince, please!"
All the subordinates raised their cups in response. Li Zhongjun raised his neck and drained the cup of fine wine in one gulp. Li Zhongjun loved wine and disliked that cup for being too refined, so he purposely changed it to a large bronze cup so that he could drink to his heart's content.
A young man dressed in martial attire came forward and said to Li Zhongjun with a smile, "Chengkuang, another toast to congratulate the Crown Prince!"
As soon as Li Zhongjun saw him, he immediately moved to the side and patted the mat, saying to the man, "Come, come, come, Chengkuang, sit with me. Us brothers will drink a few more cups."
The man smiled and did not decline, saying, "Thank you, Crown Prince!" He walked around the wine table and sat with Li Zhongjun at the same table.
This man was called Li Chengkuang, also a descendant of Li Tang. His great-grandfather was the fifth son of Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan, Li Zhiyun. When Wu Zetian was in power, his branch was already a distant branch, so he was not persecuted, but his title was demoted from Wang to Duke. Now Li Chengkuang was the Right General of the Imperial Guards.
Don't look at how close Li Zhongjun and Li Chengkuang seemed to be, as if they had been good friends for many years. In reality, the two had only known each other for a little more than a month.
Li Zhongjun was a martial artist and fond of hunting. In the early spring he went hunting in the suburbs and happened to meet Li Chengkuang, who was out hunting. Both of them appreciated each other's horsemanship and archery skills. After they introduced each other, it turned out they were still family, and soon they became close friends.
Li Chengkuang sat down next to Li Zhongjun. Li Zhongjun intimately put his arm around Li Chengkuang's shoulder and said to his subordinates with a smile, "Chengkuang is my lucky general! Ever since I became acquainted with Chengkuang, my luck has been exceptionally good. Not long ago, I was just bestowed the title of Wang, and in the blink of an eye, I have become the Crown Prince. Haha, come, come, Chengkuang, let's drink to the brim. "
Li Chengkuang smiled and raised his cup, whispering in Li Zhongjun's ear, "Crown Prince, don't drink too much."
"Ai!"
Li Zhongjun glared at him reproachfully and said, "A man can't be as sentimental as a woman. Today, if we don't get drunk, we won't go home."
Li Chengkuang helplessly leaned his body toward him and said in a small voice, "Crown Prince, you can't get drunk. You forgot, Chengkuang has invited a few military generals for you to get to know. There are many of them and it is not convenient for them to come to the Eastern Palace. Crown Prince, please come out of the Palace to attend the banquet.
Li Zhongjun suddenly understood and nodded his head seriously.
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