Wu Zetian's seemingly weak and compromising will allowed her to grasp the initiative before her death. As his birth mother, his mother voluntarily gave up the title of Emperor and was willing to be buried in Gaozong's Qian Tomb as Empress. This saved Li Xian a lot of awkwardness. As her son, how could he be harsher?
Li Xian ordered Wan 'er to draft the Mourning Memorial of the Great Sage Empress of Zetian and personally revised it word by word. He added in a sentence that praised his mother as "a hero with great foresight and great achievements. Her martial prowess is like thunder and her writings are like the sun and moon." He also held a grand funeral for Wu Zetian.
However, there were still discordant voices. As for the Empress' will requesting for her to be buried together with Gaozong, Yan Shansi immediately jumped out to oppose it.
Yan Shansi spoke passionately, "Your Majesty! The venerable should be buried first. This lowly one should not disturb the deceased after the tomb is completed. Although the Empress has a respectable status, she is still inferior to the previous Emperor. It is not a good omen to disturb the venerable.
Furthermore, the Qian Tomb Black Palace uses giant stones as the doors and iron liquid to seal the gaps. To open the tomb, one must use an axe and chisel. The path of the gods is mysterious. If we start construction, we might disgrace the spirit of the previous Emperor.
Furthermore, the Empress and Emperor being buried together is not an ancient tradition. In the ancient imperial tombs, the Empress and Emperor were not buried together. It was only since the Wei-Jin era that the Empress and Emperor were buried together. The Empress has always respected the ancient tradition. Why would she request to be buried together? This is probably not the Empress' original intention … "
When Li Xian heard this, his face fell. What did he mean by probably not the Empress' original intention? Was he going to change his mother's edict?
In fact, Li Xian knew very well what his mother's intentions were. Wu Zetian wanted to prevent Li Tang's descendants from attacking her one day. Even her remains would not be able to rest in peace. He also knew why Yan Shansi objected to the burial.
Yan Shansi had ulterior motives. The reason why he objected to his mother being buried with his father was so that one day, when he overthrew the Wu Clan, he could cleanse the Wu Clan's people without any misgivings. This was because Yan Shansi was one of the accomplices of the meritorious ministers.
Yan Shansi didn't notice that Li Xian's expression had already darkened. He continued to speak passionately, "This subject believes that Your Majesty should be buried in another auspicious place beside the Qian Mausoleum. If the Way of God is aware, the Netherworld Path will naturally be connected. If it is without consciousness and spirit, there is no benefit in being buried together! "
Li Xian interrupted him and sneered, "We, the Prince of Xiang, Prince Liang, Taiping, and all the other members of the imperial family heard and heard Imperial Mother's posthumous edict. Shangguan Zhaorong was also present, so how could it be fake? As a son, I will naturally follow my mother's last wish to be buried together! "
Ever since the Five Princes dethroned the government, Li Xian was in the limelight. In the Imperial Court, he had the momentum to make decisions with a single word. As a member of the accomplices of the meritorious ministers, Yan Shansi's power was currently at its weakest. It was difficult for him to find a few people to support him. Helpless, he could only hold his scepter and retreat to the side.
Li Xian swept his gaze over the officials and indifferently said, "There is no need to discuss this matter anymore. Everyone, let's discuss the inscription on Empress Zetian's mausoleum."
At the beginning, Li Xian wanted to entrust this matter to Wan'er. This was because Wan'er had assisted Wu Zetian at the age of fourteen and was the most familiar with her life. In the end, even with Wan'er's ability to weigh the world, she couldn't write a single word after one night.
Li Xian also knew that this matter was difficult, so he instructed Prime Minister Wei Yuanzhong to write. Wei Yuanzhong braced himself and agreed. In the end, after holding it in for two days, he still asked the Son of Heaven to choose someone else in shame.
In terms of writing, whether it was Wan'er or Wei Yuanzhong, there was no problem. The problem was, what could they write? The inscription on the mausoleum was a final evaluation of a person's life. The scholars of the world attached great importance to these words that had been left for thousands of years.
But how could people evaluate Wu Zetian's life? The current Emperor was her son. She was the former Emperor's Empress, but she was also a usurper and a traitor. They couldn't write derogatory words. If they only sang praises, which of her great achievements didn't have dirty and embarrassing things hidden behind them?
Li Xian had no choice but to bring this difficult problem to the Imperial Court for discussion. As a result, as soon as he said this, all the officials immediately shut their mouths. The Golden Hall was completely silent. Because of the matter of erecting the mausoleum, all the officials actually kept their mouths shut. Not a single person spoke.
Li Xian looked around and saw that all the officials had their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts. Not a single person dared to say anything. He couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself. His gaze slowly moved. "Hmm, Yang … husband, why don't you say something? How should we write the inscription on the mausoleum?"
Li Xian's "Yang" word dragged on for a bit too long. Everyone in the hall with the surname Yang jumped in fright. Even Yang Fan, a military general, was on tenterhooks even though he knew that the task of writing the inscription on the mausoleum wouldn't fall to him. Fortunately, Li Xian followed up with the word "husband."
All the officials let out a sigh of relief and looked at Yang Zaisi with gloating eyes. Hearing this, Yang Zaisi's face twisted into a steamed bun. He felt that he was about to become a jack of all trades. Anyone who had any trouble would pull him out. Even the Emperor was like this.
Yang Zaisi hummed and hawed for a while. In the end, he could only awkwardly reply, "In this subject's opinion, in this subject's opinion … the Empress Dowager's achievements in her life … are really … really hard to describe with words. There is no harm in erecting a mausoleum without words. Her merits and demerits, gains and losses, will be left for later generations to evaluate."
Yang Zaisi's suggestion was originally an act of helplessness, but when Li Xian heard it, his eyes brightened. When the other ministers and generals heard this, they all whispered to each other, feeling that this idea was a stroke of genius.
That's right. How would the previous Empress, the present emperor's mother, comment on her life? Could they say anything bad about her? But if they ignored their conscience and only picked out good things to say, whoever wrote the inscription would feel guilty. Erecting a wordless mausoleum would be the best. Since it was hard to describe, then they might as well not describe it.
The more Li Xian thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. This difficult problem that he couldn't avoid had been solved in an instant. He nodded and said, "Beloved subject's words are reasonable! Then … let's not write the inscription on the mausoleum. Prince of Xiang, Prince Liang! "
Li Dan and Wu Sansi stepped forward at the same time and cupped their hands. "Your subjects are here."
Li Xian said, "The Prince of Xiang and Prince Liang will be in charge of all matters related to the national mourning."
The two of them bowed and said, "Your subjects receive the decree!"
Li Xian believed that this was a very appropriate way of handling things. The son did not speak of his father's faults, and this was naturally the same for his birth mother. How could he criticize his mother on the mausoleum? That was not the way of a son. But if he spouted some nonsense, speaking nonsense with his eyes closed, then he would lose the meaning of the mausoleum and become a laughingstock for future generations. This was the most appropriate way of handling things.
But he had never expected that by setting a precedent like this, he would suffer the same treatment in the future. After he passed away, his successor didn't know how to evaluate his life. In the end, he also erected a wordless mausoleum for him.
Unfortunately, he was one of countless male emperors throughout the ages, while Wu Zetian was unique. Just by being unique, it was enough for some people to view her in a different light.
Wu Zetian's wordless mausoleum was said by those who flattered her feet to be an empress with a broad mind and extraordinary spirit. They said that she didn't want to evaluate her own life, and that her merits and demerits would be up to future generations to judge. They completely ignored the fact that this mausoleum had been carved for her by her descendants after her death.
As for Li Xian, the majority of people overlooked that he also had a wordless mausoleum. Occasionally, someone would think of it, but they attributed it to bystanders who were 'busy fighting for power and had no time to care about Li Xian's funeral.' When they said this, they completely ignored the fact that the Imperial Court had arranged for Li Xian's national funeral, so why didn't they have time to carve a mausoleum?
… …
After the Prince of Xiang and Prince Liang presided over the funeral, the funeral for Wu Zetian began to formally begin. The officials entered the palace in batches to pay their respects. Of these officials, the ones who drew the most attention were Zhang Jianzhi, Huan Yanfan, and the other two princes with different surnames.
They had all been subjects under Wu Zetian's rule, and they had all pulled down Wu Zetian. Now, standing before Wu Zetian's spiritual coffin, what were they thinking? Yang Fan didn't know, didn't want to know. Before the five princes entered, he had been in the mourning hall, paying his respects.
He had no personal grudge with Wu Zetian, so he did not feel any joy at Wu Zetian's death. Ever since he had rushed to Luoyang for revenge and entered the official career by chance, he had never approved of Wu Zetian's various actions. In his heart, he had never submitted to this empress, so he could not be said to feel sorrow.
But this empress who had just passed away was still someone who had borne the most legendary and colorful experiences of his youth. As he stood before her spiritual coffin, Yang Fan still felt a little nostalgic. He earnestly paid his respects, without any false sorrow or carelessness.
He had no idea what the five princes were thinking. He only silently retreated to the side and watched as the five princes stepped forward to pay their respects. The five princes were clearly somewhat absent-minded as they paid their respects. After a hasty bow, they walked out of the mourning hall.
Zhang Jianzhi was already an old man of eighty-two. After being made a prince and seized of power, the heavy mental blow seemed to have caused his body to collapse. Before he could even walk down the steps, he was already gasping for breath. Huan Yanfan and Cui Xuanhui went up to support him and said considerately, "The weather is cold, Husband Zhang, be careful."
The officials who entered the mourning hall to pay their respects lowered their heads as if they did not see them and walked around them like they were avoiding the plague. Zhang Jianzhi stood at the bottom of the steps and smiled faintly at the officials who were avoiding his gaze. Jing Hui worriedly said, "Husband Zhang doesn't seem to be in good health. You must take care of yourself."
Zhang Jianzhi shook his head and said, "I'm old! It's no use. This old man is of the same age as the Heavenly Empress. Now that the Heavenly Empress has passed, this old man's lifespan is probably coming to an end. "
Yuan Shuji furrowed his brows. Zhang Jianzhi glanced at Huan Yanfan and said meaningfully, "You and I have restored Li Tang and received the title of prince. From now on, our descendants will never be able to take our place, and our children and grandchildren will never be able to enjoy it. Speaking of which, the Emperor has not treated us unfairly. Haha, I have now rested my body and cultivated my character, and have devoted myself to the mountains and rivers. Have you gotten used to it? "
Huan Yanfan indifferently replied, "Husband Zhang, Yanfan has not gone sightseeing. Right now, I am studying in seclusion."
Zhang Jianzhi stroked his beard and said, "Oh? Reading is good, but I wonder what books are you reading? "
Huan Yanfan said, "Yanfan is reading Lord Mengchang's story. It's a very interesting little story. When Lord Mengchang was young, he saw his father's vast farmland and wealth. He asked his father, 'What's the name of your son's son?' Tian Ying said, 'Grandson.'
Tian Wen asked again, 'What's the name of your grandson's grandson?' Tian Ying replied, 'Great-Grandson.' Tian Wen asked again, 'What's the name of your great-great-grandson's great-great-grandson?' Tian Ying shook his head and said, 'I don't know.' Husband Zhang, do you think this story is interesting? "
Zhang Jianzhi's expression instantly turned ugly. The few people present were all well-read people, so they had naturally read this story before. They knew what Meng Chang Jun was going to say next, and they also knew why Meng Chang Jun said that. Hence, their expressions turned serious.
Huan Yanfan said with a smile, "I think what Tian Wen said is very reasonable. What's the use of accumulating a vast family fortune? To let those descendants who can't even be called enjoy it? What's the point of working so hard for others? A real man should make contributions and leave his name in history. That's the right thing to do! "
Huan Yanfan smiled and cupped his hands at them, saying, "Farewell."
Looking at Huan Yanfan's receding figure, Jing Hui uneasily said to Zhang Jianzhi, "Husband Zhang, what do you think he is …"
Zhang Jianzhi said with a gloomy expression, "If there's going to be trouble, it will definitely be because of me."
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