Hu Yuanli listened to Yang Fan's words and nodded imperceptibly. He sat up straight again and said solemnly, "Forging an imperial edict! Wang Hongyi, you really have a lot of guts! "
Wang Hongyi smiled and raised his head, not bothering to pay him any attention.
Forging an imperial edict was very rare. In that era, there were no popular storytelling methods such as storytelling and opera. Wang Hongyi, who was blind to the law, did not know how big of a crime he had committed. In his mind, he only pretended to be the Emperor and said a few words. It was a crime on top of a crime. At worst, he would be sent to Jiaozhi.
Hu Yuanli said, "Deceiving the Emperor is a heinous crime! Wang Hongyi, now that you've committed such a big crime in my hands, I won't forgive you! "
When Wang Hongyi heard the words' heinous crime ', he realized that something was wrong. His expression changed slightly and he hurriedly said, "Censor Hu, you and I work in the same censorate. We are colleagues. Don't go too far!"
Hu Yuanli laughed loudly and said, "Wang Hongyi, when you were the censor, I was the Luoyang County Lieutenant! Now, I am the Supervising Censor and you are an exiled prisoner! What kind of colleagues are you and I? "
Hu Yuanli stopped smiling and shouted sternly, "Guards! Drag this audacious thief who forged an imperial edict away and flog him to death! "
Wang Hongyi cried out in shock, "Hu Yuanli, you dare to kill me!"
Hu Yuanli flicked his sleeve and said, "I have the right to deal with officials below the fifth rank. Moreover, you are a prisoner. So what if I kill you? Drag him away! "
A few soldiers did not allow him to speak and dragged the cursing Wang Hongyi out of Binyang Tower. They started to torture him on top of the city walls.
Not long after, there was a faint sound of wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves coming from outside. Only then did the resentful expressions of the officials in the building improve a little.
Wang Hongyi's falsification of the imperial edict had nothing to do with them. If they had only called Wang Hongyi brothers and drank with him, they would not have been so angry. From their reactions, it could be seen that they had helped this Censor Wang in his hour of need a few days ago …
…
The Yao Province's barbarian chiefs were led by Xun Qi, Zhe Zhu, Wen Hao, and Yun Xuan. They led a dozen or so chieftains, as well as a few cave masters and stream masters from the Barbarian Province's Xie Man, and five or six chiefs from the Lingnan's Li Liao. More and more people were rushing over, but Wu Zetian couldn't take it anymore.
When these leaders rushed to Luoyang to seek an audience with the Emperor, Wu Zetian was very happy to hear about it. She felt that the imperial court had subdued these areas and the chaos had been settled with a snap of the fingers. Now, the leaders of the various tribes had personally come to the capital to beg for forgiveness. This was a very honorable matter, so she ordered the Ministry of Rites to use three days to teach these barbarian chiefs the etiquette of meeting the Emperor. She immediately held a court conference and publicly received these barbarian chiefs.
The leaders of the various tribes went up to the Hall to greet the Emperor, paying their respects to him meticulously. Wu Zetian's royal countenance was delighted.
But once these leaders knelt down, they didn't get up. After they finished begging for forgiveness, their eyes were brimming with tears. With abnormal resentment, they began to accuse the various imperial censors of doing evil deeds that angered the heavens and the people. They were forced into a corner and were forced to rebel. Not only did they accuse the Imperial Censor, they also accused many of the officials that the imperial court had sent to these areas.
On one hand, the officials that the imperial court sent to these areas did indeed have a sense of arrogance in their bones. They did not treat the surrounding barbarians as equals. If they kept this arrogance in their bones, then it was fine. But once they put it into action, they would bully and humiliate them or indulge their subordinates to bully and humiliate them.
On the other hand, most of the officials that were sent to these areas were not very successful in the imperial court. They knew that their future was hopeless. After this term, it was very likely that they would have to 'retire and return home', which would end their official careers. There were many people who thought that they would benefit themselves, their families, and their friends. If they wanted to do this, it was inevitable that the local tribes would be exploited and extorted. These chieftains were indeed full of grievances.
They spoke one after another, speaking the truth, making Wu Zetian sitting on the Dragon Throne feel like she was sitting on pins and needles. All the civil and military officials in the court also lost face. When they spoke of their anger, these barbarian chieftains all took off their hairpins and draped their hair over their faces. They used the hairpins to cut their faces, making their faces stained with blood. This was a unique way to express their indignation and grievances.
This display of power was not something that Wu Zetian, who grew up in a rich and powerful family, entered the palace at the age of fourteen, stayed there for a lifetime. Even if she was vicious and merciless, her will was as strong as iron, she was still at a loss for what to do under the unyielding performance of these local barbarian leaders. She could only comfort them with gentle words.
The court meeting ended in a hurry amidst the complaints of the barbarian chieftains. Wu Zetian returned to the Hall of Martial Accomplishment, still angry. She had just summoned a group of prime ministers from the Political Affairs Hall and was about to discuss with them about the matters reported by the barbarian chieftains in detail when Hu Yuanli sent an urgent report from Jingzhou to the Emperor.
Attached to Hu Yuanli's memorial was a forged imperial edict. It had a yellow satin surface and was embroidered with gold and silver threads, with two dragons playing with a pearl. The imperial edict was actually made to perfection. Only by looking at the content, the format of the imperial edict and the large seal used could one see the flaws.
Fake imperial edict!
A criminal banished by the Emperor dared to forge an imperial edict and pardoned himself. Moreover, he did not flee after the deed was done. Instead, he actually made friends with the nobles in Jingzhou and acted unscrupulously. If Hu Yuanli had not found out in time, he would have gone to other places to cheat after cheating Jingzhou. It was unknown how long he would have been outside and how many officials he had deceived before he was exposed. It was really a disgrace to the imperial court.
"How dare you! This is preposterous! "
Wu Zetian was so angry that her face turned green. "Wan 'er, pass the imperial edict! No one is allowed to kill the survivors of the families that were killed by the Imperial Censors. Return them to me. "
Wan 'er bowed to accept the imperial edict. Wu Zetian angrily paced two steps and said, "Hu Yuanli has been meritorious in killing the traitor. Pass the imperial edict to reward him! The Jingzhou Provincial Governor, Fan Guang, was played by a criminal in the palm of his hand. He has lost the face of the imperial court. He will be removed from his position and returned to his hometown! "
Wu Zetian thought for a moment and said, "Transfer the Yao Provincial Governor, Zhang Jianzhi, to the Jingzhou Provincial Governor!"
Wan 'er's heart jumped. She thought to herself, "Finally! This person first used a letter to show his foresight. He also showed his ability in the rebellion of the barbarians in Yaozhou. Now the clouds have finally cleared. Although this is an ordinary transfer, the door to his return to the capital has been opened! "
Wan 'er thought to herself. She did not forget to remember all of Wu Zetian's orders.
Wu Zetian turned to Li Zhaode and the other prime ministers and said, "In today's court meeting, the Yidi chiefs accused the officials of illegal actions. You have all heard it. Previously, there were officials in the border provinces who presented a memorial to the imperial court. They accused the officials in the border provinces. Most of them did not have the heart to pacify the enemy, nor did they have the ability to govern the area. They only cared about their own territories. They were crafty and cunning. They made friends with each other and supported their children. This caused the people in the central plains to flee. They all saw the lawless border provinces as a paradise.
At that time, I did not think much of it. I thought it was an exaggeration. But now it seems that the situation in the border provinces is a hundred times worse than what was said. Today, the anger of the local chieftains could not be expressed in words. In order to gain my trust, they did not hesitate to stab their own faces. Their clothes were stained with blood. The depth of their anger could be seen.
Today, they had already filed a complaint before the Emperor. If their situation still did not improve, perhaps … the next time they would rebel, it would not just be one place or one time, but everywhere, all the time, and it would not be as easy to pacify as it was this time. Prime ministers, do you have any good ideas? "
Li Zhaode glanced at the prime ministers and coughed lightly. He cupped his hands and said, "The revolution of the Zhou Dynasty has changed everything. I believe that the atmosphere of the Four Barbarians and the Desolate Border should also change! "
All the prime ministers cupped their hands and said, "I agree!"
Everyone finished their discussion and left. At this time, Shanghai Wan 'er had also finished writing the four imperial edicts. Wu Zetian read them and used her seal to send them to the Hall of Governmental Affairs. Only then did she wave her sleeve and return to Lichun Tai.
On Lichun Tai, there were several bamboo couches covered with brocade mattresses. Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi, dressed in silk, were lazily lying on the couches. Next to them were two little palace maids, who used their slender hands to peel lychees and put them in their mouths. Another two little palace maids were holding silver trays, in charge of collecting the lychees they spat out.
The two of them were chatting and laughing when they suddenly saw Wu Zetian coming back. They quickly got up, one on the left and one on the right, and went forward to support Wu Zetian. When Wu Zetian saw these two cute young men, a trace of a smile appeared on her face.
Zhang Yizhi observed her expression and carefully asked, "Did the Holy One encounter something unpleasant in court today?"
Wu Zetian said, "Isn't it because of those bastards from the Imperial Censorate? Humph! A bunch of people who have no respect for their superiors, who have no regard for the law and natural morality. What daring thing can't they do? "
A trace of sternness flashed in Wu Zetian's eyes, and she ordered, "The Imperial Censorate's officials who left the capital for official business have failed the Holy One's expectations. All of them deserve to die! Wulang, we will leave this matter to you! "
A trace of joy flashed in the corner of Zhang Yizhi's eyes, and he quickly responded, "Yes! Whoever the Holy One says deserves to die, then that person will definitely die. Rest assured, the Holy One, leave this matter to me! "
The Zhang brothers were different from Xue Huaiyi. They were true sons of an aristocratic family, so naturally they had a lot of connections to use. In the past, they didn't have the opportunity, but now that they had the Holy One's favor, they quickly established their own power. Therefore, Wu Zetian could leave this matter to him, and in the process of handling this matter, he could also further expand his own power.
The two brothers were delighted, and they quickly helped Wu Zetian onto the bamboo couch, and took over the little palace maids' work. They personally peeled lychees and fed them to her. With sweet words from you and sweet words from me, the old lady gradually revealed a happy expression. However, there was a faint trace of doubt between Wu Zetian's brows, but she couldn't get rid of it.
Zhang Yizhi saw this and couldn't help but ask again. Wu Zetian smiled and pinched his cheek, and said, "Xiaodong Xi, I know you are filial, so you don't need to ask. You can't help with this matter."
After Wu Zetian finished speaking, she ate a lychee from Zhang Changzong's hand, and gently leaned on the bamboo couch. As she savored the sweet juice, she recalled the discussion in Wu Cheng Hall just now. Her white eyebrows slightly wrinkled, "Li Zhaode now has hundreds of promises, he is somewhat … powerful enough to shock the Lord …"
…
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