Inside Prince Wei's Residence, Wu Chengsi saw Zhou Xing arrive and immediately bellowed: "Zhou Xing! This time, you must avenge me no matter what. I want Li Zhaode dead! I want him dead! "
As Wu Chengsi spoke, he hammered the table heavily, causing the four treasures of the study to bounce around.
Zhou Xing hurriedly pacified him: "Your Highness, please calm down. I have already heard about what happened from your family. It is not difficult for Your Highness to punish Li Zhaode, but... is Your Highness just trying to vent your anger, or is Your Highness aiming for the Crown Prince position? "
When Wu Chengsi heard the words' Crown Prince position ', it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured into a pot of boiling water. He immediately calmed down and glanced at Zhou Xing: "What does Minister mean?"
Zhou Xing twirled his beard and leisurely said: "Your Highness wants the Crown Prince position. Not only do you have external enemies, you also have internal troubles. The external enemies are naturally the officials who have not given up on Li Tang. The internal troubles are those in the Wu Clan who are qualified to compete with Your Highness. This situation is similar to how the current Emperor rose from a talented person to Imperial Concubine, then Empress and finally the Son of Heaven.
At that time, the current Emperor was still an imperial concubine. In the palace, there were many concubines fighting for his favor, and in the court, there were many officials who opposed him. All they fought for was the support of Emperor Gaozong. In the end, it was the current Son of Heaven who won by a narrow margin. Since the first time Wang Qingzhi's petition was rejected, I have been thinking about this matter repeatedly.
I believe that all along, we have placed too much emphasis on His Majesty's thoughts. We thought that as long as there are people who can wave the flag for Your Highness, as long as His Majesty is in favor, the Crown Prince position will be at your fingertips. But after thinking about the various methods His Majesty used before ascending the throne, I feel that compared to His Majesty, we are still lacking something very important. "
Wu Chengsi leaned forward and asked: "What is it?"
Zhou Xing clenched his fists and said: "Deterrence! The deterrence of those who obey me will prosper and those who oppose me will die! This was what the current Empress was doing. For those who supported her, she promised high positions and generous salaries. For those who opposed her, she resolutely attacked them without mercy. When there were only those who supported and obeyed her in the imperial court, the current Empress would naturally become the Empress!
Your Highness, it is true that you have the support of some officials, but what has your Highness done to those who oppose your Highness? Why was Li Zhaode so arrogant? Why did Wei Fangzhi dare to be bedridden? Because they were not afraid of his highness! They know that even if they offend Your Highness, it's nothing! "
Wu Chengsi widened his eyes and said, "That's right! That's why this Prince can't bear it anymore and asked you to punish Li Zhaode. Why did you say that this Prince is inappropriate? "
Zhou Xing shook his head and said, "Of course not! It's too obvious! Why did His Majesty order Li Zhaode to supervise the execution? Even the Emperor knew that Li Zhaode was now the Wangye's enemy. With the Emperor's shrewdness, how could he not see the Wangye's intentions by making a move against Li Zhaode at this time?
As an emperor, regardless of the distance between them, the most important thing was balance. Only with balance could the emperor be stable. Although Your Highness is the Emperor's nephew, for the sake of the throne, even father and son have to be guarded against each other, much less aunt and nephew? Now, the Emperor is clearly using Li Zhaode to suppress Your Highness's power, in order to achieve a balance! "
Wu Chengsi said angrily, "Balance? This Prince has suffered such great humiliation. If this Prince were to swallow this insult, there would definitely be some opportunistic officials who would side with them. There would also be some petty people who would throw stones at me when I'm down. If this continues, what should I do? According to what you're saying, do I still have to endure it? "
Zhou Xing said slowly and methodically, "Of course there's no need to endure it, but we need to pay attention to our methods. Back then, Shangguan Yi firmly opposed the appointment of the current Emperor as Empress. What did the current Emperor do? The current Emperor continuously clipped his wings, but did not make a move against Shangguan Yi himself. He even praised and praised Shangguan Yi in front of Emperor Gaozong in order to show his selflessness.
It was only when Shangguan Yi's wings were all removed and the current Emperor held all the power that Shangguan Yi was sentenced to death. How ingenious was this method? As the saying goes, a lack of forbearance in small matters will spoil great plans. Right now, Your Highness still needs Li Zhaode, who has always disagreed with you, so he cannot be touched. But as for the others … hehe! "
"En?"
Wu Chengsi lowered his head and pondered for a long time. He suddenly raised his head and said, "Then the others you speak of, who do you mean?"
Zhou Xing laughed coldly and said, "Naturally, it's that ignorant Old Wei who doesn't know how to appreciate favors!"
Wu Chengsi said hatefully, "That Wei Fangzhi was arrogant and disrespectful to this Prince, so naturally, he needs to be punished. According to what you're saying, we should let Li Zhaode go for now and move against Wei Fangzhi first? "
Zhou Xing said, "Exactly! First topple Wei Fangzhi, then see which official doesn't know how to appreciate favors, then topple him! Before long, the officials will either join Your Highness's faction or put their own safety before anything else. At that time, Your Highness will have hundreds of subordinates at your beck and call, and people like Li Zhaode will be alone. Even if we don't fight … he will fall! "
Wu Chengsi laughed heartily, "Good! Good! Minister Zhou is really this Prince's Zhang Zifang. Then we'll do as you say. This Prince will first endure Li Zhaode's resentment and start with that ignorant Wei Fangzhi! "
… …
The next morning, after the morning court was over, Wu Zetian left behind her entourage and returned to Wucheng Hall. Once seated in the hall, she also bestowed seats to the Prime Ministers. With a smile, Wu Zetian said, "Tomorrow, Lou Shide will be returning to the capital. This time, Lou Shide was ingenious in his use of troops and annihilated more than twenty thousand elite Turkic soldiers at Juyan Sea. What does Your Highness think, how should We reward him? "
Of the Prime Ministers, Wu Chengsi had the highest status. He was both a Prime Minister and an Imperial Prince, so he was ranked first. However, he had always wanted to fight for the military authority of the Western Regions, but now, he had failed at Lou Shide's hands. When he heard that Lou Shide would be rewarded, how could he be willing? Thus, he rubbed his eyes and said nothing.
Ranked second among the Prime Ministers was Cen Zhangqian. Cen Zhangqian was the nephew of Prime Minister Cen Wenxuan of the early Tang Dynasty. Uncle and nephew had served as Prime Minister for two generations and had great prestige. After Wu Zetian ascended to the throne, she had bestowed upon all the officials and made him a duke, so his status was only below Wu Chengsi's.
Seeing that Wu Chengsi had no response, Cen Zhangqian bowed and said, "Sage, this subject believes that, given Lou Shide's advanced age and his great achievements, Sage sympathizes with this subject and should allow him to return to the capital. Lou Shide has spent many years in the Western Regions garrisoning crops and guarding the borders and cities. He has worked hard and rendered great service, and now that he has rendered such a great service, this subject believes that it is only right to worship him as Prime Minister. "
"Oh?"
Wu Zetian did not comment and smiled slightly at Li Zhaode. Among the Prime Ministers, ranked third was Su Liangsi. However, Su Liangsi was already an old man in his eighties and his health had not been very good since the beginning of the year. He had always been sick at home, so in reality, Li Zhaode was ranked third.
Li Zhaode listened to Cen Zhangqian's words and felt very disapproving. He was the son of the former Imperial Censor Li Qianyou and came from the Danyang branch of the Li family of Longxi. He was from the same branch as Li Jing. However, Lou Shide came from a humble family and was extremely poor when he was young. He had once been a cowherd, so how could Li Zhaode, who came from a noble family, look up to him? When he heard that he would be the Prime Minister of the same dynasty as him, he immediately felt disgusted and said, "Lou Shide has indeed rendered great service, but Lou Shide's achievements were mostly built at the borders. Is a general in the army who is good at garrisoning crops and guarding the borders really worthy of the responsibility of a Prime Minister? In my opinion, Lou Shide can be rewarded and promoted, but he must be careful in paying his respects to the Prime Minister. It is better for Lou Shide to stay in the Western Region and guard the borders for the country. In this way, the border wall will be fine and His Majesty will be able to manage the internal affairs with peace of mind. As for Lou Shide, he will not be called a Prime Minister and ruin his illustrious reputation! "
Wu Zetian's expression did not change. She looked at Di Renjie who was sitting below her. Di Renjie also did not like Lou Shide, but his reason was different from Li Zhaode's. Li Zhaode looked down on Lou Shide because he came from a humble family, but Di Renjie's personality was different from Lou Shide's. He abhorred evil and hated Lou Shide's self-righteous character. At the same time, he truly believed that Lou Shide was not worthy of being a Prime Minister.
Di Renjie said, "Lou Shi De is diligent and conscientious, he is indeed a famous general who guards the border for our country. However, the Prime Minister's responsibility is to assist the Son of Heaven, to pacify the four barbarians on the outside, to be close to the common people on the inside, so that the ministers and senior officials have their own positions. The most important thing is to know people well and appoint them well! Does Lou Shide have any achievements in this regard? Subject believes that the Western Region is the place where Lou Shide can display his talents. If Your Majesty wants to reward him, you can appoint Lou Shide as the Heyuan, Jishi, Huaiyuan armies, as well as the He, Lan, Bi and Kuo prefectures' Field Inspector as well as the Chief of the Army, giving him command over the troops and horses of the various prefectures in the Western Region. Lou Shide is familiar with the Turks and Tubo situation. With him guarding the Western Frontier, Your Majesty can rest easy! "
Wu Zetian turned her attention to Wei Fangzhi. Wei Fangzhi cupped his fists and said, "Subject believes that Prime Minister Li and Prime Minister Di's proposal is very appropriate."
Wu Zetian indifferently said, "Since all the ministers think that Lou Shide is suitable to guard the Western Region, then let us do as all the ministers say. However, the Western Region has been busy these past two years. Although Lou Shide does not have the title of a commander of the Western Region's army, he does have it. If I appoint him as the Western Region's Field Inspector as well as the Chief of the Army, it is no more than giving him a proper reputation. Zhen will reward him for his meritorious service. Hmm! Let Lou Shide be the Assistant Minister of War and Field Inspector as well as the Minister of War. In reality, he will be the Heyuan, Jishi, Huaiyuan, He, Lan and Kuo prefectures' Field Inspector as well as the Chief of the Army. What do all the ministers think? "
Wu Chengsi knew that no matter what, he would not be able to obtain the Western Region's military power. As long as the Imperial Court did not have another Prime Minister who disagreed with him, he had no objections. He nodded his head in agreement. The other Prime Ministers also nodded their heads. Cen Zhangqian saw that the other Prime Ministers' opinions were different from his and did not insist on his own opinion.
Only Wei Fangzhi thought for a moment and cautiously reminded her, "Sage, Lou Shide is the sole commander of the Western Region's army. Right now, his reputation is real and his authority is too great. According to our court's old system, shouldn't we appoint an Imperial Messenger as the Army Supervisor to divide his authority?"
Wu Zetian shook her head and said, "Since ancient times, when a ruler dispatches his generals, all external affairs are handled by the Army Supervisor. There is rarely the matter of the Army Supervisor. The situation on the battlefield is ever-changing. If the Great General cannot act on his own and make the Army Supervisor impede him, all matters in the army, no matter how big or small, must be reported to the Army Supervisor. This is indeed a drawback. When we dispatch troops, there is no Army Supervisor! "
Wei Fangzhi cupped his hands in obeisance and did not say anything. Wu Chengsi saw that he had been humiliated and gave him a cold stare, feeling slightly pleased in his heart.
Wu Zetian said, "Alright, I have summoned all of you here to discuss how to reward Lou Shide. Since this matter has come to a conclusion, all the Prime Ministers are dismissed. Elder Di, please stay. I still have something to ask you!"
Hearing this, all the Prime Ministers cupped their hands in obeisance and left, leaving only Di Renjie. When the hall was quiet, Wu Zetian asked with a smile, "Elder Di, just now you said that as a Prime Minister, the most important thing is to know people well, so Lou Shide is not suitable to be a Prime Minister. In that case, do you think that Lou Shide is not a discerning person who is good at unearthing talents? "
Di Renjie said with a hint of pride, "Lou Shide's ability is limited to farming and guarding the borders. Your subject has only heard that he is self-deprecating, that he is tolerant, and that his temper is very good. As for his ability to know people well, haha, your subject has never heard of it. "
Wu Zetian made an 'oh' sound and nonchalantly said, "Before consulting all the ministers today, We had already made a decision. No matter what official he becomes, Lou Shide will still guard the border. At the very least … he will be allowed to guard the border for two more years. Give us two more years of peace, and We will be able to make preparations to recover the Four Garrisons of Anxi …"
Hearing that the Emperor still had not given up on the Four Garrisons of Anxi, Di Renjie wanted to speak again, but Wu Zetian waved her hand and said, "We have already made up our mind, so there is no need for Your Excellency to say anything more. Given Lou Shide's merits, We are somewhat letting him down by doing this, but … once the Four Garrisons of Anxi are recovered, We will compensate him! "
Saying this, Wu Zetian lightly waved her hand, and Eunuch Little Hai immediately brought over a bamboo box. Wu Zetian faintly smiled and said, "We have kept you here to tell you that everyone has their own shortcomings. As the saying goes, discerning eyes are like torches. We cannot do it, you cannot do it, and no one in this world can do it. Thus, as Prime Minister, you cannot make arbitrary decisions. Take the contents of this box back and take a good look at them! "
Di Renjie was full of doubts, but it was not good for him to ask. He could only accept the bamboo box, bow, and withdraw. Before he had even returned to the Secretariat, Di Renjie could no longer hold back. He placed the bamboo box on a lampstand by the side of the road and opened it to take a look. Inside was a pile of memorials. Roughly flipping through it, there were more than ten of them, all of them signed 'Minister Lou Shide'.
Bewildered, Di Renjie hurriedly opened them to examine them. Upon closer inspection, his old face immediately began to burn. Di Renjie held these memorials for a long time before he finally said in shame, "Di Renjie has received Duke Lou's magnanimity and tolerance for so long. Only today did I realize his great virtue. I have truly let down Duke Lou!"
It turned out that these memorials had been written by Lou Shide to Wu Zetian after he had offended a powerful minister and been banished, strongly recommending him as a virtuous and talented person who could be of great use.
At this time, Yang Fan and Xiao Man were on their way to the southern city.
The sixteen shops had all been taken over. Now, the most prosperous street in the southern city was filled with the Yang family's shops. The money was rolling in, and they enjoyed it endlessly. Yang Fan originally did not care much about these worldly possessions, but now that he had a family, he could not help but care about these things. He was the owner, so he had to meet the shopkeepers.
Thus, after a while, when the southern city opened, Xiao Man accompanied him to the southern city. Yang Fan wore a long robe with a brocade belt around his waist and a black silk scarf on his head. He was immaculately dressed and extraordinarily handsome. Xiao Man was dressed as a young married woman. She wore a light yellow, narrow-sleeved blouse and a light green silk skirt. Her face was open and her eyebrows were trimmed. She was dignified and intelligent, tender and charming. They were truly a pair of lovers.
The two of them had come to the southern city to meet the shopkeepers of the various shops and soothe the nervousness of these people who had just changed owners. Who knew that this trip would cause another disaster …
…
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