Chapter 111 Empress Wu's approach to the court (1)
Chapter 111 Empress Wu comes to court (Part 1)
On May 22nd of the first year of Qianfeng's reign, the Penglai Palace issued an imperial edict, praising Xu Jingzong's impeachment of Liu Xiangdao as a serious matter. It was difficult to make a final decision without court discussion. Probably because Emperor Gaozong was ill, the queen was appointed to act on his behalf.
To discuss matters, it was planned to gather all ministers in Taiji Hall on May 24th to discuss the state affairs. As soon as this edict came out, the government and the public in the capital were shocked. Empress Wu was definitely happy, while the other ministers were
Surprised and worried, there were many people who privately said that this matter was inappropriate, but no one dared to openly object to it. Especially after the prince went to Penglai Palace to ask for an audience with Emperor Gaozong and was rejected, all the ministers and ministers fell silent, and the atmosphere in the capital was full.
Strange and difficult to understand, with the undercurrent surging, a storm in the court is inevitable.
On May 24th of the first year of Qianfeng, at three o'clock in the morning, it was overcast, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and the clouds were extremely low. From time to time, lightning flashed and flashed in the sky, and faint thunder rolled past. Heavy rain was coming, and the air pressure was low.
It made people feel out of breath. Even though he had rolled up the car curtain halfway, Li Xian still felt suffocated. The folding fan in his hand unknowingly started to swing rapidly, blowing out the
The wind was strong, but the heat in my heart didn't subside at all. Instead, it got a little bit hotter.
There are really too many uncontrollable factors. Even though Li Xian has done his homework as much as possible, he still feels a little unsure about the direction of the court situation. Besides, even if everything goes according to Li Xian's plan,
Even if he acted out the best script he had planned, the result would not be much better. Just because the precedent of Empress Wu's coming to court was set, future troubles would no longer be avoided. At least Li Xian himself couldn't see who else could.
The cowardly Gaozong couldn't stop Empress Wu's ambition to openly intervene in politics. The cowardly Gaozong couldn't, the resentful prince couldn't, the fledgling Li Xian couldn't, and the officials were also powerless. As for Li Xian himself, he was also too weak to do so.
As a result, Li Xian's mood inevitably became heavier.
Strength, everything boils down to strength! Li Xian knows very well that if he wants to make a difference, everything depends on strength. Unfortunately, strength cannot be acquired overnight, especially now that Li Xian is in a period of dormancy. If he wants to sit still
Possessing huge strength is almost a fantasy. Apart from other things, after the name of abandoning literature and practicing martial arts spreads all over the world, it is very difficult to attract talents, let alone win over important ministers.
This can be clearly seen from Sinong Wei Xiji and King Luo Bin. This group of capable ministers who are aspiring to the court obviously do not want to have too much contact with Li Xian, who has made it clear that he has no intention of becoming a high official.
Although Li Xian was mentally prepared for the dispute, he could do nothing about it because he knew very well how vicious Empress Wu was. The woman killed her son as quickly as she killed a chicken, especially the more interested she was in the throne.
The sooner his son died, Li Xian had to pretend that he didn't want to fight for power, so that he wouldn't be in danger of his life. Even if he was doing something wrong in the court, with the hat of "not wanting to be in power", how much could he do?
The role of a shield may prevent immediate murderous intent, but this is only a temporary solution, not the root cause. Obviously, it cannot achieve Li Xian's big plan. If you want to make a difference, some plans may have to be implemented!
"Your Highness, Your Highness."
Just when Li Xian's heart was ups and downs, Gao Miao's cautious call suddenly sounded in his ears, which instantly woke Li Xian up from his meditation. He turned his head sharply and looked out from the rolled up car curtain.
Only then did I realize that the carriage had stopped at the small square in front of Chengtian Gate.
"Well." Li Xian didn't say much nonsense, he just said softly and waved his hand. The servants who were accompanying him hurriedly rolled up the car curtain. Li Xian bent down and, under Gao Miao's service,
After getting off the carriage, I saw that the square was already filled with courtiers, but the relaxed and comfortable laughter and chatter before the usual court meetings were completely missing. Instead, there was only a strange sense of depression lingering in the square.
"Your Highness, morning."
"Your Highness, you are here."
…
Li Xian came all the way to see Li Xian, who had arrived early, exchanging opinions with Dai Zhide and other old prime ministers in a serious manner. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself, but without much hesitation, he walked slowly towards Li Xian, walking all the way.
As he walked, all the officials saluted and greeted him, and Li Xian himself smiled and bowed in return.
"Seventh brother, morning."
Hearing the noise, Li Xian turned around and saw that Li Xian had arrived. He smiled and waved, motioning for Li Xian to stand next to him.
"Sixth brother, gentlemen, the little king is late, Haihan, Haihan."
Li Xian bowed to Li Xian, Dai Zhide and other old prime ministers with a bright smile, and said hello humbly. Then he stood next to Li Xian, kept silent, and just listened with a smile.
As Li Xian exchanged opinions with a group of prime ministers on the imperial examination matters, of course, in Li Xian's view, those so-called opinions were all insignificant nonsense. Li Xian was just showing off, but he was too lazy to pay attention.
Hearing this, he rolled his eyes, looked around at the surrounding situation, and suddenly met the eyes of Yan Liben who was looking over.
Haha, it seems that Comrade Lao Yan can't stand it any longer! As soon as Li Xian came into contact with Yan Liben's eyes, he immediately understood the hint of request contained in them. He laughed secretly in his heart, but there was no other expression on his face.
, he just nodded his head slightly to show that he knew it. Yan Liben seemed to be relieved when he saw this, smiled, nodded his head slightly, and then turned away his eyes calmly.
"Go to court, go to court..."
Li Xian arrived late. He had just exchanged glances with Yan Liben when the eunuchs' shouts came from the palace gate. The courtiers did not dare to neglect and lined up according to their rank.
Led by the Li Xian brothers, they walked quickly into the slowly opening Chengtian Gate and headed straight to the Taiji Hall along the palace avenue. After a while, they entered the main hall and saw the impressive dragon bed in the center of the main hall.
There was a carved phoenix bed that was only slightly smaller in size. The courtiers were astonished and started to make a commotion. When the courtiers received the order, they all thought that Empress Wu's so-called presiding over the court proceedings was just to listen to politics behind the curtain, but
I never expected that Empress Wu would listen to the government in public. Not only that, but she would also place the chair next to the dragon bed. To say that this was over the limit would be an understatement. It was simply a blatant rebellion.
"Humph, seventh brother, look at this..."
Li Xian obviously did not expect that Empress Wu would act so boldly. After being shocked, the fire in his heart immediately arose. He snorted coldly and showed signs of going crazy in court.
What's so strange? That thief woman is an ambitious person, so there's nothing she wouldn't dare to do! Li Xian has experienced all kinds of hardships in his previous life, and has long been used to it. In Li Xian's opinion,
Come on, don't look at how the ministers seem to be in a rage right now. When Empress Wu arrives, they will all turn into cowards. Those who deserve to be worshiped must still be worshiped, and they won't even say a word of nonsense.
In such a reality, can we do it without bowing our heads? Obviously it can't be done. After all, Empress Wu is holding Gao Zhi's hand at this moment. Anyone who dares to step forward will surely end badly.
"Brother Six, it's okay. Just wait. Brother Prince is coming soon."
Li Xian didn't want Li Xian to be here, but when he saw that Li Xian wanted to be dissatisfied, he quickly interrupted with a smile, which meant that the prince was not in a hurry, but you were always in a hurry.
"snort!"
Although Li Xian was very individual, he was not a fool after all. He understood the subtext of Li Xian's words, but he still felt unwilling to do so, so he snorted coldly and remained silent with a dark face.
"The Queen is here!"
Just as the courtiers were buzzing and discussing incessantly, the sharp and high-pitched shouts of Gao Hesheng, the eunuch in charge of ceremony, suddenly sounded in the back hall. Soon, Empress Wu in full court uniform was seen among a group of eunuchs.
Surrounded by the palace maids, he walked out of the back hall with his head held high, and the prince, who looked unhappy, lowered his head and followed behind. The courtiers who were having a chaotic discussion immediately stopped talking, and some of them looked at Empress Wu in stunned silence.
He walked up to the front porch and sat down on the couch next to the dragon bed.
"I will bow to the Queen!"
Before the ministers and workers could react, the rear party members headed by Xu Jingzong knelt down on the ground and showed the great ceremony. Seeing this, the other ministers did not dare to neglect, and they all knelt down in confusion, just to see the courtesy.
However, the sound was extremely messy. The people in front had already finished their greetings, and the officials behind had just exhaled. The sound was extremely noisy, and the solemn scene that should have been lost in the morning was completely missing. It was comparable to that of a vegetable market.
Silence, still silence, all the courtiers finished the ceremony one after another, but they never heard the voice of Empress Wu shouting, which made the courtiers beat drums in their hearts. No one dared to look directly at Empress Wu on the front porch.
They all bowed their heads and knelt, not even daring to move a little. The atmosphere in the hall seemed to have frozen, making people breathless.
Awesome, what a psychological warfare. Once such a show of force is made, no one will dare to question the authority of this woman. Hey, the next court meeting will probably be over! Li Xian certainly knows the intention of Empress Wu's move.
However, knowing is knowing. In this situation, Li Xian was unable to solve it. He could only kneel silently, but his mind was running at high speed, thinking about how to deal with the next court meeting.
Empress Wu just sat quietly, with a solemn look on her face, without any expression at all. Her pair of phoenix eyes were as sharp as knives as she scanned the courtiers below. A huge aura arose spontaneously, causing oppression.
The heartbeats of all the ministers and workers were all accelerated.
"Pingsheng!"
An unknown amount of time passed, and the courtiers were kneeling until their legs and feet were numb. Finally, Empress Wu's emotionless voice came from above.
"I would like to thank the Queen for your kindness."
As soon as they heard the shouting voice, all the courtiers couldn't help but feel a sense of relief in their hearts. They all kowtowed and thanked each other. Compared with the previous greetings, the voices were obviously more tidy, both young and old. It was obvious that the courtiers
In this silent contest, the momentum of the imperial court was basically defeated, and the initiative of the imperial court was silently transferred to the hands of Empress Wu...