In the Hall of Martial Achievement, Shanghai Wan 'er was holding a memorial in her hand, lost in thought. Suddenly, she felt someone beside her. She raised her head and saw Wu Zetian quietly standing next to her.
Wu Zetian looked even older. Although her hair was still as black as ink, no matter how she took care of it, the drooping eye bags and wrinkled skin could not be hidden. However, although the old Wu Zetian had lost some of the spirited spirit of her youth, her calm bearing was more dignified.
She quietly stood there, thinking about something. She seemed to be in a trance. Wan 'er softly exclaimed. She quickly put down her brush and left her seat. She saluted to Wu Zetian, "Wan' er greets everyone!"
After the greetings, Wan 'er glared at Little Hai, who was standing at the door. She lightly said, "Everyone is here. Why didn't you call me to greet you?"
Wu Zetian gently waved her hand and said, "Don't blame him. I didn't let him say it."
Wu Zetian walked to the back of the imperial desk and sat down. She leaned back on the thick and soft cushion, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. Wan 'er hurriedly signaled for Little Hai to bring a bowl of the Empress' favorite fermented rice. She walked behind the Empress and gently massaged her shoulders. She softly said, "Does anyone feel uncomfortable?"
Wu Zetian softly sighed and slowly shook her head.
Recently, there were too many things that were bothering her. The opportunity brought by the Southern Frontier's official purge was a fat piece of meat that couldn't be given up. Her two nephews, Wu Sansi and Wu Chengsi, would come to disturb her every few days. Li Zhaode and some other factions also constantly exerted their influence on her.
Originally, Li Chun Tai was her favorite place to go. However, Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi, those two beauties, were also interested in this matter. Every time they went to Li Chun Tai, they would beat around the bush and fight for opportunities for their families and allies. This caused Wu Zetian to lose interest in it.
She was not afraid of the officials forming factions. It would be unimaginably strange if there were no such factions in the court. What she cared about was the imbalance. The role of the Emperor was balance, and the value of the Emperor lay in balance. Only by balancing the various powers could the various powers rely on her and submit to her, and only then could she give orders.
Otherwise, if it was serious, it would affect her throne and rule. Even if it wasn't that serious, if the courtiers disobeyed her on the surface but disobeyed her in secret, her thunderous words in the court would become drizzling rain when it reached the people, and it would be difficult for her orders to be carried out. However, it was difficult to strike a balance in this matter.
That wasn't all, the barbarian officials and various leaders also learned from painful experiences. In the past two days, whenever they heard that there was a possibility of an official being appointed to their place, they would do everything they could to inquire about this person's identity, background, and character, and then they would run in front of her, weeping in front of her, obstructing her in places that weren't suitable or that weren't convenient.
The Empress was in a hurry to stabilize the rule of the court in the Western Regions and consolidate the results of the court's recapture of the four garrisons of Anxi. She urgently needed the stability of the southern borders, but she couldn't turn a deaf ear to their requests. This caused the Empress to feel like she was besieged both internally and externally.
Her energy was becoming less and less, and if she thought about things for too long, she would feel a headache. She was unable to think of a solution to these difficult situations. Moreover, the Zhang brothers' favor and interference in power had aroused the vigilance of the important officials of the court. The issue of the crown prince had also become a topic that they would frequently admonish the Empress about, causing Wu Zetian to feel even more exhausted.
Wu Zetian casually picked up a memorial, and with her presbyopic eyes, she casually skimmed through it. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she said, "The supervising imperial censor of the Guannei Road, Qiao Wenda, has accused Yang Fan of being lustful and staying in Chang 'an. This … what is going on?"
"Oh! It is said that when Yang Fan went to Chang 'an to bring Taiping back to the capital, he coincidentally met the only daughter of the Dugu family, Ning Ke, and fell in love with her at first sight. For her, Yang Fan even got into a dispute with Lu Binzhi, a direct descendant of the Lu family in Fan Yang. The two sides fought fiercely, and for this … he even used force and mobilized the Dragon Guards to intimidate them! "
As Wan 'er answered, a strange look flashed across her eyes. But her soft hands, which were rubbing Wu Zetian's shoulders, did not slow down in the slightest, and there was no change in the strength. She was still so gentle and steady.
"Humph!"
Wu Zetian was very displeased, and casually threw the memorial on the table. But then she thought again and said, "No! No … why did Yang Fan stay in Chang 'an? "
Wan 'er softly answered, "Everyone is wise! Xiao Man was pregnant for ten months and was about to give birth. She and Yang Fan were both orphans and had no relatives or elders at home. Xiao Man was adopted by Gongsun Bufan's wife, Aunt Pei, when she was a child and regarded her as a mother. So after she was pregnant, she moved to Chang 'an so that she could live closer to her elders and take care of her.
When Yang Fan finished his business in Nanjiang and rushed to Chang 'an, Xiao Man was already about to give birth. Yang Fan wanted to take care of his wife and wait for the birth of the child before returning to the capital. So he begged the princess to temporarily stay in Chang' an with the excuse of illness. After returning to the capital, the princess had already told Wan 'er the reason. Because everyone has been busy with the affairs of the state recently, Wan' er has not had time to report this matter to everyone. "
Wu Zetian suddenly understood and nodded, "I see!"
Wu Zetian had always believed in the relationship between Yang Fan and her daughter. So she did not believe that Yang Fan would dare to flirt with other women under her daughter's eyes. In her view, since Yang Fan had a relationship with her daughter, then the female must also be Yang Fan. After all, her daughter was a descendant of the emperor. If Yang Fan was a greedy cat, it might be possible for him to have an affair. But it was impossible for him to make such a big fuss over a woman. There must be a secret.
She could still accept this secret. Wu Zetian snorted and said, "This Yang Fan has always looked down on the way of the emperor and ministers. He lacks respect for the emperor of the dynasty! If he had been honest and asked for my permission, I would not have been so unreasonable. Why did I have to put on so many pretense? "
At this time, Wan 'er had changed from rubbing to hammering. She clenched her fists and gently hammered her shoulders. She sweetly said, "Yes, although this Yang Fan is a fifth-rank official, he is still a man of character. He has some of the habits of the marketplace and does not seem like someone from the bureaucracy. However, Wan 'er feels that this kind of person is more worry-free than those scheming and calculating officials. "
At this time, Little Hai came in with a bowl of fermented rice. He tiptoed and placed it in front of Wu Zetian. He then glanced at Shanghai Wan 'er and slightly lowered his eyelids. Wan' er understood and her small fists hammered even faster. Wu Zetian closed her eyes in satisfaction and let out a long sigh.
After a while, Fu Qingqing quietly appeared at the door. After Shanghai Wan 'er saw her, she went around to Wu Zetian's front and gently picked up the bowl of fermented rice. She softly said to Wu Zetian, "Everyone is working so hard for the state. Wan' er's heart aches seeing this. This fermented rice has been heated up. Everyone should drink a bowl. It will invigorate the blood, refresh the mind, and relax the muscles and arteries. "
Wu Zetian opened her eyes. She held Wan 'er's hand and took a sip of the fermented rice. She raised her eyes and saw Fu Qingqing holding something that looked like a book. She was standing respectfully at the door of the hall and seemed hesitant to enter. She asked, "What is it?"
Fu Qingqing quickly walked into the hall and bowed. "Sage, there is a secret memorial from Chang 'an!"
As soon as she came closer, Wu Zetian clearly saw that there were two yellow ribbons tied to the book in her hands. This was a secret book that only the Emperor himself could read. As soon as she heard that she came from Chang 'an, Wu Zetian immediately sat up straight. Shanghai Wan' er placed a paper knife and a pair of silver scissors in front of Wu Zetian and then took two steps back to avoid suspicion.
Wu Zetian checked the secret records on the book and confirmed that it had not been opened before. She then took the scissors and cut the yellow silk ribbon. She then used a small knife to cut open the wax seal and took out a secret book from within. She carefully read through it.
This was Liu Zitian's secret letter. The secret letter described in detail the recent events in Chang 'an, including Li Mubai's birthday, the unusual enthusiasm of all the aristocratic families, and the fact that all the heads of the aristocratic families went to congratulate him.
Wu Zetian's mouth twitched slightly. She knew that the aristocratic families would not give up this great opportunity to arrange a future for their descendants. However, she also knew that the royal family and the aristocratic families were both enemies and allies. They had things that they protected together and also things that they fought over. It was inevitable that the aristocratic families would benefit from it.
How much she wanted them to benefit, how much she wanted them to benefit without causing a strong backlash from the aristocratic families. This was what she, as the Emperor, needed to consider.
Wu Zetian continued to read and saw what the Supervising Imperial Censor had mentioned. Because Liu Zitian was the person involved, he spoke in more detail than the Supervising Imperial Censor who was making groundless accusations.
Because his memorial was a secret memorial, he did not need too many flowery words. He only needed to tell the Emperor everything in detail. Therefore, Liu Zitian described everything in detail. He even described the scene at Furong Restaurant, Lu Binzhi, Yang Fan, and the others' actions and expressions in detail. It was as if he was writing a novel. Wu Zetian could not help but laugh when she read.
Next was the matter that the Supervising Imperial Censor did not mention in the impeachment memorial.
In his report, Liu Biantian described in detail what he had seen and heard at the Li Residence's banquet, as well as the various actions of the aristocratic families. He mentioned Yang Fan once again. When he mentioned that Yang Fan had only brought a box of longevity cakes and two longevity candles as gifts, Wu Zetian couldn't help but laugh heartily. Then, she saw the conflict between Yang Fan and the four aristocratic families of Cui, Zheng, Wang, and Li. Wu Zetian slapped the memorial on the table and smiled at Shanghai Wan'er. "Yang Fan was born into a military family. What he hates the most is the babbling of scholars. They are too crude."
Although Shanghai Wan'er had not seen Liu Zitian's secret memorial, she knew everything about Yang Fan in Chang 'an. However, she naturally could not show it. Therefore, she only responded casually with a confused expression.
Wu Zetian did not explain. She only said, "Poetry conveys love, poetry expresses ambition, poetry reminisces about the past, and poetry makes friends. Confucius said, 'There are 300 poems. In a word, they say,' Thinking is innocent. ' How can he belittle poetry to be worthless? This Yang Fan, is he not afraid of offending all the scholars in the world? "
Although she was criticizing Yang Fan, Wu Zetian was beaming with joy. She loved to see aristocratic families suffer. Those aristocratic families were high up and looked down on everyone. Whether it was the royal family of Li Tang or her, Wu Zetian, they had never been taken seriously by those aristocratic families. What Yang Fan had done was exactly what she wanted.
Wan'er smiled and responded, still looking confused. Wu Zetian laughed and handed the secret letter to her. She said, "Take a look. See what kind of shameful things he has done in Chang 'an!"
Wu Zetian handed over the secret letter. Without waiting for Wan'er to finish reading, she said, "However, Yang Fan was born in a poor family. It is normal for him to dislike the actions of those aristocratic families who eat their fill all day long and only know how to talk big and act like they don't eat the food of the world." Looking at her appearance, she was happy from the bottom of her heart about the shameful things Yang Fan had done.
Wan'er pretended to look through the secret letter. She joked, "This is really his usual style. When everyone asked him to work in the Ministry of Justice, didn't he make a name for himself in a few days? I heard that people in the officialdom call Yang Fan a hothead. "
"A hothead is good, a hothead is good. If there are more hotheads in the world, it will be easier for me to govern!"
Wu Zetian said with a smile. She suddenly had an idea. She seemed to have found a way to untie and straighten out the mess that had been troubling her recently. In other words, she had found a sharp knife to cut through the mess!
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