Anren Hall was next to Ganlu Hall. It was the place where the Emperor met with the officials to discuss secret matters after the court conference. Although Li Dan, the Son of Heaven who did not do anything, had become the Emperor, he had always left government affairs to Taiping. Now that there was the Crown Prince, and Li Dan had used the excuse of the Crown Prince to ask his son to share a portion of the work, he, the Emperor, was even more idle.
Other than attending the morning court every other day to meet with Jing 'er, Li Dan basically did not summon any ministers. But today, for the first time ever, he sent someone to summon Wei Anshi to the Anren Hall to see the Emperor. When he saw Wei Anshi, he hesitated again and again, looking as if he found it difficult to speak. Wei Anshi could not help feeling puzzled.
Wei Anshi stroked his beard and waited patiently. After a moment, Li Dan seemed to have made a decision. He cleared his throat and said to Wei Anshi, "Official Wei has always been loyal to the court. When the Second Zhang was in power, Official Wei was not afraid of power. When Empress Wei was in power, Official Wei was clean and honest. Of all the ministers in the Political Affairs Hall, in terms of age, Official Wei is the oldest. I can only discuss this matter with you."
Hearing these words, Wei Anshi's heart tightened. He quickly stood and said, "I don't know what Your Majesty is worried about, but please speak. This old official should share Your Majesty's worries."
Li Dan sighed and said with a worried expression, "You also know that it was my San Lang who killed Empress Wei and protected me as the Son of Heaven. The generals in the army all admire San Lang's bravery. Now, I also heard … "
"Hmm?"
Wei Anshi raised a pair of white eyebrows and looked in surprise at the hesitating Son of Heaven.
Li Dan hesitated and said, "I heard that the officials in court are all on the Crown Prince's side. The Crown Prince is trying to win over the officials. Do you think he will …"
Wei Anshi had been in and out of officialdom for decades and understood everything. Hearing the Emperor's words, he immediately understood. He knew that the Emperor would not tell him who had spoken to the Emperor like this. He thought for a moment and asked in response, "Did the person who spoke to Your Majesty also say that Your Majesty is in middle age and that the Crown Prince cannot wait for so many years and will harm Your Majesty?"
Li Dan's eyes suddenly rose, and his gaze on Wei Anshi showed some surprise. Seeing this, Wei Anshi knew he had guessed correctly and said, "How can Your Majesty believe such sensational words? Everyone in the world knows that the Crown Prince is kind and filial. When he rejected the position of Crown Prince, he was sincere. Now that he is the Crown Prince, no one can compete with him. Your Majesty has also left the affairs of the country to him and will not interfere. Will the Crown Prince risk the world and want to harm Your Majesty? "
Li Dan leaned forward slightly and asked with concern, "Does Master Wei believe that the Crown Prince would not do this?"
Li Dan was not passionate about power, but he was not tired of life. So when he heard that the Crown Prince could not wait to become Emperor, he was concerned about his own safety. Hearing the old Prime Minister's words, he could not help but sigh in relief.
Wei Anshi said resolutely, "Absolutely not! Your Majesty, this old subject does not dare to ask for the name of the person who made the remonstrance to Your Majesty. I only ask Your Majesty to think, who is the closest to the person who made the remonstrance? "
Li Dan was startled and thought anxiously, Dou Huaizhen married Empress Wei's wet nurse, Lady Wang, to curry favor with Empress Wei. When Empress Wei was executed, he killed his wife with his own hands and came to my manor to beg for mercy, so he did not die. Afterwards, he was demoted to be a major in Haozhou. It was Taiping's recommendation that allowed him to be reinstated as Prime Minister. Could it be …
Thinking of how Li Chengqi, Li Chengye and his other sons had complained to him, saying that Taiping Gugu did not get along with San Lang and often used her power to bully him, Li Dan suddenly understood something.
Wei Anshi observed Li Dan's expression and saw that he already had an idea. He said, "Your Majesty, there must be someone who is dissatisfied with the Crown Prince and is trying to drive a wedge between Your Majesty and your father, hoping that Your Majesty will take down the Crown Prince because of your suspicions. If Your Majesty believes him, then you will have fallen into his trap. "
Li Dan was silent. He did not believe that San Lang would do anything to harm him. Otherwise, after hearing such a shocking matter, his suspicions would rise and he would have taken down the Crown Prince's power long ago. There was no need to discuss this with Wei Anshi. It was just that this was a matter of life and death and he did not dare to treat it lightly.
Now that Wei Anshi had hit the nail on the head and exposed the identity of the mastermind behind the scenes, Li Dan was immediately somewhat perplexed. These past few months, he was not completely ignorant of the discord between his sister and San Lang. He just did not expect the relationship between the two to have deteriorated to such an extent.
Li Dan quietly said, "Fortunately, my beloved subject reminded me. I understand!"
Li Dan ordered Wei Anshi to withdraw. Dispiritedly, he stood up and sadly said, "Back then, when my Li family was in such a perilous situation, our family was still able to help each other and support each other. Now that my Li family has regained control of the world, it should be time for us to enjoy peace. How can our own flesh and blood harm each other …"
…
Princess Taiping naturally had eyes and ears in the palace. When she learned that Wei Anshi had ruined her plans, she immediately flew into a rage. Sir Mo's words were still ringing in her ears. She also felt that the longer Li Longji was the Crown Prince, the more his position would be consolidated. She had to act quickly and fight with all her might.
Now, Wei Anshi had first refused her attempts to rope him in, and now he had ruined her plans. He was the perfect chicken to serve as a warning to others. The sense of crisis caused Princess Taiping to act decisively two days later. She first removed Wei Anshi from his position as the head of the secretariat and made him the Left Minister of the Secretariat. Although this position had the title of Prime Minister, it did not have the actual power to preside over the Political Affairs Hall.
Following that, she removed Wei Anshi from his administrative duties and sent him to the Eastern Capital to be the Left Guard. She transferred Liu Qiaotian, who had made great contributions in the case of Prince Qiao Li Zhongfu's rebellion, to the capital. Soon after, someone reported that Wei Anshi's wife had killed a servant girl. Using this reason, Wei Anshi was demoted to the Qingzhou Provincial Governor.
Attacking Wei Anshi was to frighten the officials and warn them not to interfere with her and the Crown Prince's struggle for power. But to remove Li Longji as the Crown Prince, she still needed Li Dan's consent. So Princess Taiping played another trick. She had the warlock Hui Fan tell Li Dan that there would be a mutiny in the palace within five days.
In this era, there were very few people who didn't believe in the words of the warlock. Moreover, such a big matter had to be believed. Li Dan was shocked and immediately summoned Prime Minister Zhang Shuo and Yao Chong to discuss the matter. These two Prime Ministers were in charge of the Ministry of War and the Southern Office. Such a big matter naturally had to be discussed with them.
Li Dan's expression changed as he told them the warning. Zhang Shuo immediately burst into laughter.
Li Dan was stunned. "Why is Mr. Zhang laughing?"
Zhang Shuo said, "Your Majesty, if there is a mutiny in the palace, which army does Your Majesty plan to deploy to protect you?"
Yao Chong also understood at this time. He smiled and said, "Since Your Majesty has summoned me and Prime Minister Zhang, you must be planning to deploy the Southern Office Imperial Army?"
Li Dan frowned doubtfully and said, "That's right. I have the same intention. Is there something wrong with it?"
Zhang Shuo said, "Your Majesty, the ones guarding the palace now are the winged cavalry and the ten thousand cavalry. The winged cavalry and the ten thousand cavalry are led by the Fourth and Fifth Imperial Sons respectively. Above them is the Crown Prince. Your Majesty is worried that there will be a mutiny in the palace. Is it because Your Majesty is suspicious of the Crown Prince, the Fourth and Fifth Imperial Sons? "
Li Dan said, "My beloved subject's words are incorrect. I am only doing this as a precaution. When the Yulin Guard was under Wu Youyi's control, weren't they also instigated by Zhang Pianzhi, Yang Fan, and the others? When Empress Wei was in power, the winged cavalry and ten thousand cavalry were under the Wei family's control. Didn't San Lang still contact the heroes in the army to seize the military power? I am worried that the Northern Gate Imperial Army will be used again. Let's not talk about others. Just the Wu family alone has many former subordinates in the army … "
Yao Chong said, "Your Majesty, if that's the case, Your Majesty should just tell the Crown Prince, the Fourth and Fifth Imperial Sons to be careful. Why do you need to expel the Yulin Guard and transfer troops from the Southern Yamen? If your subject's guess is correct, this must be a plot by a scoundrel. As long as Your Majesty falls for it, they can drive a wedge between Your Majesty and the Crown Prince! "
Li Dan was puzzled and said, "If there are no mutiny in the next five days, there will be nothing to worry about. Even if someone is plotting a rebellion, as long as it has nothing to do with San Lang, how can they drive a wedge between me and San Lang? "
Zhang said, "Your Majesty, when Zhongzong was still alive, he wanted to make Your Majesty the Emperor's younger brother. After Your Majesty refused, what did you do?"
Li Dan said, "In order to prove my innocence, I handed over the military power of the Southern Yamen and stayed in seclusion."
Zhang said, "Exactly. Since Your Majesty believes that there will be a mutiny in the palace, but you don't want the Crown Prince, the Fourth and Fifth Imperial Sons to command the army. In order to prove their innocence, do they have any other choice but to hand over the military power to the Emperor? At that time, who should Your Majesty hand over the military power to? "
Li Dan's expression suddenly changed.
Yao Chong said leisurely, "This is a wonderful plan. It easily seized the Crown Prince and the Princes' military power and turned it into her own hands. If the Crown Prince did not hand over the military power, she could continue to slander him and say that the Crown Prince was disloyal. But what if the Crown Prince handed over the military power? Hey! She could still say that the Crown Prince had ulterior motives and was anxious to cover it up. Presumably, when Your Majesty handed over the military power of the Southern Yamen, someone also said the same thing in Zhongzong's ear. "
Hu Senghui Fan had been recruited by Princess Taiping as early as Wu Zetian's time. Taiping had even invited him to the Dragon Gate Hot Spring. Because of this, there were many scandals. His close relationship with Princess Taiping naturally could not be hidden from Li Dan. Li Dan had seen him when he was a guest at Princess Taiping's mansion. Now that Zhang Shuo and Yao Chong were echoing each other, Li Dan's heart immediately became clear.
Li Dan suddenly stood up and said excitedly, "I was muddle-headed and almost fell into a trap. I harmed my son!"
Li Dan raised his voice and said, "Stand down!" The warriors, servants and palace maids in the hall all retreated out of the hall. Li Dan walked around the imperial desk and faced Yao Chong and Zhang Shuo. He solemnly bowed. Yao Chong and Zhang Shuo were so flustered that they hastily stepped aside and returned the salute. Moved, they said, "Your Majesty, why are you like this?"
Li Dan had not wanted to tell the officials about the conflict between his younger sister and son. After all, one's dirty linen should not be aired in public. But he had almost fallen into a trap twice in a row and harmed his son. Right now his heart was trembling and he did not dare to conceal anything.
Li Dan said sincerely, "I will not hide it from the two Xianggong. Previously, there were people who said that the Crown Prince wanted to harm me. Fortunately Wei Xianggong was straightforward and remonstrated, otherwise I would have fallen into someone else's trap. This time, if not for the two Xianggong speaking bluntly, I would have been muddled and … "
Li Dan said, "Taiping's personality is unyielding and San Lang is also a man of his own mind. The two of them help me manage the court. As time passes, it is hard to avoid disagreements. They each have people by their side who are either protecting their master or flattering them. It is unavoidable that they will try to guess their superior's intention and slander each other. If this continues, it will definitely lead to a great disaster. What do the two Xianggong advise me?"
Zhang Shuo and Yao Chong were moved by the Emperor's sincerity. Zhang Shuo thought carefully for a while and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, subject has three ways to resolve Your Majesty's worries. I don't know if I should say them or not."
Li Dan's eyes brightened and he hurriedly said, "Beloved minister, quickly say it!"
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
