Back then, Wu Zetian had waited until her husband had passed away, until her son had become emperor. Only then did she begin to build up her power and move to eradicate her dissidents. Only after preparing for eight whole years was she able to force the puppet emperor's son to abdicate the throne.
But Empress Wei was not like Wu Zetian, the more important the matter was, the more she planned before taking action. Only when the willow had just sprouted did she have the ambition to become emperor. Before the willow catkins had filled the air, she had already accomplished half of what Wu Zetian had needed eight years to accomplish.
Countering soldiers with arms was built on a foundation of equal strength. If there was a large disparity in strength between the two sides, then what was the use of countering soldiers with arms? By the time the opponent was fully prepared, there would be no way to stop them. All they could do was close their eyes and accept death.
Yang Fan and Li Longji were both people with the keen senses of wild beasts. They sensed danger, but they could not be sure when Empress Wei would begin her purge of the imperial clan and loyal ministers, so they had to race against time.
Yang Fan sternly asked, "Has San Lang ever tried to probe your esteemed father's intentions? What does the Prince of Xiang think? "
Li Longji lightly shook his head and dejectedly said, "I once carefully probed my father's intentions. When my father sensed something, he immediately sternly reprimanded me. His esteemed self will not … Alas!"
Yang Fan thought for a moment, then said, "Since this is the case, there is no need for you to probe your esteemed father's intentions. If this matter succeeds, it will naturally be best for your esteemed father to ascend to the throne. At that time, your esteemed father will be the emperor emeritus, and I believe that your esteemed father will be able to accept this result.
If your esteemed father insists on not replacing his brother, then we will settle for the next best thing and have your esteemed father become regent. In short, we must seize power. No matter what, we cannot allow the present emperor to grasp it, or else we will inevitably end up like Zhang Jianzhi and the others. "
Li Longji solemnly nodded. "I understand! After the grand ceremony, I will hurry back to Lu Province to prepare. "
Yang Fan said, "Good. I will also try to get in touch with a squad of my ten thousand cavalry as soon as possible. If we can make it in time, we will act first. If we can't, we will begin our preparations early so that we won't be unable to fight back when the butcher's knife is upon us. "
Li Longji said, "Well, after I return to Luzhou, I'll leave my father to you …"
Yang Fan understood and said, "Be at ease. If Empress Wei suddenly strikes a vicious blow, Xue Chongjian and I will do our utmost to escort the Prince of Xiang and Princess Taiping out of Chang'an and defend the northern lands. We might be able to fight back."
Li Longji cupped his fists towards Yang Fan and bowed solemnly.
Yang Fan returned the greeting solemnly.
This bow was a promise of life and death!
…
The Southern Suburbs Grand Ceremony was held as scheduled. For Li Xian, such a solemn and dignified Great Ceremony of Heaven and Earth was just a game he used to make his wife and daughter happy. But for Wei Hou, it was of great significance.
Wu Zetian had only obtained the right to preside behind the curtain five years after she was conferred the title of Empress, and this was because Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi's rheumatism had made him dizzy and unable to attend to politics, so he had no choice but to entrust the Empress with the task. Empress Wei had smoothly obtained the right to preside behind the curtain when Li Xian had just become Emperor.
Wu Zetian had only obtained the right to preside behind the curtain eleven years after she was conferred the title of Empress. Empress Wei had still walked ahead of Wu Zetian. As for the ballad of offering auspicious signs and accepting the mandate of the heavens, while Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi was alive, Wu Zetian would never have dared to do such a thing, but Empress Wei had done the same.
Empress Wei was filled with pride. She felt that she was even more outstanding than her mother-in-law, Wu Zetian. It was even easier for her to become Empress than it was for Wu Zetian. Once ambition sprouted, in this environment extremely suitable for growth, it almost instantly grew into a towering tree.
In the fourth year of Jing Long, the grand ceremony in the southern outskirts. The Son of Heaven offered his first offering, the Empress offered her second offering, and the noblewomen and daughters accompanied them. After the grand ceremony, the Emperor declared a general amnesty, pardoning the exiles. After the ceremony, the Son of Heaven returned to court. The Prince of Xiang, Taiping, and the other important ministers accompanied him, while everyone else dispersed in a hubbub.
When those noblewomen and daughters first heard that they were going to accompany the Empress in the grand ceremony, they thought it was a very interesting matter. But after this grand ceremony, their faces were covered in grease and sweat, their makeup was ruined, and their feet were sore. They truly complained incessantly.
Once the grand ceremony was over, they all climbed into their carriages and returned to their manors. Li Chengqi and his brothers first went into their carriages to change out of their heavy and old-fashioned ceremonial robes and put on casual robes before riding off again. After riding along the official road for a while, Li Longji suddenly pulled on the reins and gazed into the distance.
Li Longfan asked in surprise, "San Lang, why aren't you going?"
Li Longji replied, "You guys go back first. I want to walk by myself!"
After saying this, Li Longji kicked his stirrups and whipped his horse. He charged out of the official road and galloped into the wilderness.
Li Longfan anxiously called out, "Third brother!" He turned his horse around and wanted to chase after him, but Li Chengqi anxiously called out, "Lao Wu, stop!"
Li Chengqi gazed in the direction Li Longji had gone and gently shook his head. He sighed and said, "Don't worry about him. Let him go by himself and relax."
Among these brothers, only Li Chengqi had a rough idea of what San Lang was doing. He knew that this brother of his, who had yet to reach adulthood, bore a heavy burden on his shoulders. But he knew that his talent was not as good as his third brother's. There were some things that he, as the eldest brother, could not shoulder. He could only silently pray in his heart that his third brother could succeed.
Li Longji whipped his horse in a hurry. His steed was extremely handsome, but under its master's urging, it shot off like an arrow from a bow. In just a few moments, it had disappeared without a trace. Li Longfan looked in bewilderment in the direction his third brother had gone, then turned his horse around and returned to the ranks.
"Hyah! Hyah! Hyah! "
Li Longji, one man and one horse, galloped as if they were flying. The horse arrived at Kunming Lake and was greeted by the boundless blue waves. His chest felt free, and the heavy pressure that had been pressing down on his chest suddenly turned into a mass of turbid air. He forcefully exhaled it, and only then did he feel much better.
Li Longji dismounted and led his horse forward, pacing back and forth on Kunming. Everywhere he looked, there were blue waves and green trees, as if they were from a painting. Li Longji's depressed mood gradually relaxed in this picturesque scenery.
A grassy slope appeared in front of him. On the side was a large tree with a canopy like the clouds. The leaves were all fresh green, reflecting the sunlight and giving off a light yellow color. A shallow ditch had been dug in the grass to divert the lake water. A dozen or so finely dressed youths were sitting on both sides of the shallow ditch, surrounded by pretty maids. Obviously, they were all children of either rich or noble families.
Li Longji stopped in front of that grassy slope. Less than a foot in front of him was the small ditch that diverted the lake water. The lake water flowed leisurely, and a wine cup was floating on the surface of the water. The cup was filled with fine wine.
A young man who was about six or seven parts drunk saw Li Longji. He saw that although he was only one man and one horse, his appearance was handsome, and he looked like a talented person. He couldn't help but have a good impression of Li Longji. He raised his cup to Li Longji with a smile, and in a clear voice said, "Meeting is fate. Why don't you drink a cup?"
Li Longji saw their leisurely and carefree appearance, and his nervous heart was even more relaxed. He smiled slightly and let go of the reins, letting the horse go to the side to nibble on the grass. He stooped down and picked up the cup of wine from the water. He raised it to the hospitable young man and drank it in one gulp.
The young man saw that he was straightforward, clapped his hands and laughed, "What a wonderful man. Since you are alone, why don't you sit with us and drink a few cups?"
Li Longji was very pleased with this person's frankness, so he walked over and sat next to him. The young man giggled and said, "Huanyun, why aren't you pouring wine for this Langjun?"
The pretty maids standing next to him immediately knelt down and poured wine for Li Longji. Li Longji sat cross-legged, his expression calm, and there wasn't the slightest bit of uneasiness.
Looking at all the young men present, only Li Longji was as handsome as jade. The pretty maids around him couldn't help but steal glances at him, rather envious that the young girl pouring wine could be so close to him.
The young man who invited Li Longji to sit with him turned his head and said to his companions, "Therefore, I believe that the Confucian school of thought is good for cultivating the body, but not enough to govern a country. I'm not saying that human nature is inherently evil, but as a human being, there are countless temptations in the world. Human nature, which has no distinction between good and evil, will naturally lean towards the evil side. Just relying on moral education is absolutely not enough, and must be restrained by law. "
Li Longji glanced at him in surprise and thought, "So these young officials are debating here. It seems that this young man who shares the same surname as me advocates Legalism."
The young man surnamed Li continued, "The dogma of the Confucian school, the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, are too unrealistic. Governing by law, one must be smooth on the outside, but square on the inside. Only then can the imperial court and the country have rules to follow, and only then can one not do or not do, and only then can one have a limit to everything …"
A young man with a few pimples on his face saw Li Longji's handsome face and graceful bearing, and couldn't help but feel jealous. Then he saw that he was sitting with them without restraint, and he became even more displeased. However, he was not in the mood to listen to the young man surnamed Li's argument.
He put down his wine cup and interrupted the young man surnamed Li, saying, "Ge Nu, today is a rare day of leisure, so why are you peddling your Han Fei theory again? We are all disciples of the Confucian school, so we won't listen to your unorthodox methods. Hehe, why don't we play a game and drink a few more cups? "
The young man surnamed Li laughed helplessly and said, "What game? Tell me."
That person looked left and right and said with a smile, "You and I are both officials of high status. Why don't we introduce ourselves here and list the heroes of our families from the previous three generations, and then arrange the drinking order based on that?"
When everyone heard this, they all felt that it was very interesting. If it was only based on the position of the father's generation, then there was no need to arrange the ranking. But when it came to the grandfather and great-grandfather, then it was not certain who was higher and who was lower. The youths were competitive, and so they all cheered.
One of them said excitedly, "I'll go first! My great-grandfather is the Right Servant of the Minister of Finance, a disciple of the Hall of Governmental Affairs, and was conferred the title of Duke of Xu. Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Ancestral Appointments. My father is the Provincial Governor of Xuzhou. I am Su Zhen, conferred the title of Colonel Qianniu! "
Those who dared to be the first to introduce themselves naturally had a more illustrious family background, but the others might not necessarily be weaker than him. Some great-grandfather's generation was not as illustrious as their family, but their father's generation would surpass them.
Thus, the youth who initiated this game said, "My great-grandfather is the Provincial Governor of Dingzhou. My ancestor is the head of the Hall of Governmental Affairs and the son of the Crown Prince. My father is the Crown Prince's Junior Protector and the Minister of Rites. I am Xue Qitong, currently the Palace Grandee. "
After Xue Qitong finished speaking, he arrogantly glanced at Li Longji. The youth surnamed Li, who was sitting next to Li Longji, said, "My great-grandfather is the Prince of Changping. My ancestor is the Chief Historian of Yuanzhou. My father is in the army at Yangzhou. I am Li Linfu, currently the Colonel Qianniu. "
As Li Linfu spoke, his tone was somewhat gloomy. Compared to those two people, his clan was really getting worse with each generation.
Li Longji looked at him with some surprise. He didn't think that the person in front of him would be his cousin in the same generation as his great-grandfather. Although their bloodline was already very distant, they were still part of the Li clan. Li Tang's imperial clan was now in decline, so seeing someone from the same clan inevitably made them feel closer.
At this time, another person was about to introduce himself, but Xue Qitong interrupted him and said to Li Longji with a smile, "Since you came uninvited, you must be from a noble clan. I wonder what kind of illustrious figures are in your clan? Why don't you tell us and broaden our horizons?"
There was a hint of mockery in his tone. When the other youths heard his words, they all revealed a playful smile and looked at Li Longji in unison. Although Li Longji's family background is not bad, for him to travel around the Kunming Lake without a servant and on his own horse, even if there is someone in his family who is an official, his position must be very low.
Li Linfu was a little drunk. Only now did he realize that Xue Qitong's game was meant to humiliate the guest he invited. He was a little displeased, and just as he was about to defend Li Longji, Li Longji grabbed his arm.
Sweeping his gaze across the crowd, Li Longji indifferently declared, "My great-grandfather is the Son of Heaven. My father is the Prince of Xiang. I am Li Longji, the current Prince of Lin Zi." As soon as his words were spoken, everyone exchanged glances and were speechless.
Li Longji smiled and asked, "Can I drink the first cup of wine?"
Xue Qitong's face turned red and he embarrassedly replied, "Of course... of course it should be me... Eh, no, no, no. It should be Prince who drinks first."
Li Longji laughed heartily. He picked up the wine cup and drained it in one gulp. Then, he tossed the cup aside and stood up. He bowed deeply to Li Linfu and said, "Thank you for inviting me to drink. I'm deeply moved by your hospitality. I shall take my leave now."
Li Longji led his horse and rode away under the shocked and embarrassed gazes of the crowd. In a short while, he disappeared into the lush green forest.
Beside the Kunming Lake, Li Longji mounted the three feet long Han Dynasty stone whale. Standing on the whale's back, he could see the vast expanse of blue water before him. A gust of wind blew from the lake, causing his robes to flutter. Holding the Three-Foot Sword, Li Longji sadly sighed, "A real man must not be powerless for a day!"
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