Chapter 257 Joining forces to force the palace (2)
"Seventh brother, it's been so long, do you think..."
The sign had already been delivered to the palace, but everyone had been waiting outside Zetian Gate for more than half an hour, but Gaozong's order had never come out. Li Hong, who was known for his calmness, couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. Unable to hold back his anger, he turned his head to look at Li Xian, who had a calm face, and asked half a question in a low voice.
"It's hard to say, just wait."
It’s really hard to say what was going on in the palace. Even though Li Xianzhi was very good at it, he didn’t dare to make a conclusion easily. Of course, you can still guess something. It was most likely Empress Wu who was stirring up trouble. That's all - nearly half of the courtiers gathered at the palace gate now. In addition to the two princes, the prince and Li Xian, there are also four prime ministers, Yan, Le, and Hao Chujun and Pei Xingjian who came after hearing the news. Gaozong is the only one. With his cowardly temper, it would be strange not to be alarmed and suspicious. This gave Empress Wu the opportunity to speak from the sidelines. As for whether Gaozong would be moved by Empress Wu's rhetoric, Li Xian really didn't have much confidence. At this time, facing Li Hong Li Xian was so anxious that he really didn't know how to explain it, so he could only answer calmly.
"Well, that's fine, just wait a little longer."
After finally seizing such a good opportunity to wipe out Empress Wu and his party, Li Hong didn't want to miss it. The urgency in his heart was overwhelming. However, the urgency turned into urgency. Li Hong was still clear-headed and did not dare to act blindly. He deliberately encouraged Li Xian to come forward and make a fuss, but seeing Li Xian's demeanor, he really couldn't pull off such a small calculation. He had no choice but to sigh and said casually. After that, he frowned and went down to wait.
"coming."
"Look, it's coming, it's coming."
…
It was almost noon, and all the courtiers were sweating profusely from the scorching sun. They were all in agony and anxious. Suddenly, Gao Hesheng, the eunuch in charge of ceremony, led two young eunuchs out of the Zetian Gate. , everyone's spirits were lifted, even the prince and Li Xian, who were unusually calm, secretly relaxed.
"Your Majesty has an oral message, and King Xuanying Li Xian has an audience at the Qianyuan Palace."
Gao Hesheng, contrary to his usual smiling image, walked quickly in front of everyone with a straight face, without greeting everyone, and declared Gaozong's decree straightforwardly.
"My son, I obey!"
As soon as he heard this decree, Li Xian had already guessed the meaning behind it. It was Empress Wu who persuaded Gaozong. This was to compete with himself, the chief judge, in order to suppress the impact of the case to a minimum. That's all, but it's clear that when he said it, Li Xian couldn't resist and disobey the order. He could only accept the order respectfully and walk towards the palace gate.
"Wait a minute!"
Seeing that Li Xian was about to leave, the prince became anxious. He stood up without hesitation, shouted, and stopped in front of Li Xian. He glared at Gao Hesheng with eyes filled with anger and a destructive look. Evil shape.
"Your Highness, what are you doing..."
Gao Hesheng originally planned to leave as soon as he finished announcing the decree, without giving the ministers a chance to protest, but when he saw the prince's anger, his heart immediately became weak. He hesitated for a moment, but still forced himself to smile. He asked pretending to be confused.
"Eunuch Gao has invited me. I and all my ministers are here for He Lanmin's case. It's almost noon, and the sun is shining brightly. I'm afraid my vitality will be damaged if I wait for a long time. My father is a wise man, so I can't I don't want to see this happen, and I also ask Eunuch Gao to report the truth to Emperor Ming, and ask Emperor Ming to show his sympathy for the hard work of all ministers." After all, Li Hong is not an ordinary person, and his anger is just to frighten Gao Hesheng. He had already opened his mouth, but Li Hong didn't care about himself. He quickly changed his smile and gave a kind order. Although his tone was calm, there was no doubt about his determination.
"This, this... okay, please wait a moment, His Majesty the Crown Prince, I will go back and report to Your Majesty right now."
Upon hearing what Li Hong said, Gao Hesheng groaned secretly, stammered a few times, and winked at Li Xian desperately, hoping that Li Xian could consciously follow him into the palace. Unfortunately, Li Xian lowered his eyes and showed no reaction at all.
, seeing that nothing could be done, Gao Hesheng had no choice but to smile and say nothing, and hurriedly led several young eunuchs back to the palace.
"Seventh brother, thank you very much."
Li Hong glared at Gao Hesheng's back hatefully, let out a sigh of relief, glanced sideways at Li Xian, and seemed to thank him without any end.
"It doesn't matter."
Others didn't know the meaning of Li Hong's words, but Li Xian knew it well, but he didn't be polite to Li Hong. After all, Li Xian had no choice but to be embarrassed when something like this happened but he didn't obey the order.
At this time of intense public sentiment, it was hard for Emperor Gaozong to punish Li Xian, but he could guarantee that it would be Li Xian's major fault in the future. Li Xian could handle such things, and he certainly deserved a thank you from Li Hong.
Yes, of course, this is also because Li Xian's original intention is to take this opportunity to defeat Empress Wu's party, and he has a common goal with Li Hong. Otherwise, Li Xian would not be so interested in hurting Li Hong.
"How's it going? Where's the Xian'er man, eh?"
In the Qianyuan Hall's bedroom, a well-dressed Wu Hou was sitting on the couch, while Gaozong was pacing back and forth in front of the couch with deep thoughts. When he heard the sound of footsteps, Gaozong immediately looked around reflexively.
In the past, when Gao Zong saw that only Gao Hesheng had arrived, Gaozong's expression immediately dropped and he snorted coldly.
"Replying to Your Majesty, the old slave has already issued an oral message, but, just..."
Seeing Gao Zong's unkind expression, Gao Hesheng not only did not panic, but felt a little secretly happy in his heart, but he did not dare to bring it to his face. He quickly exchanged a look with Empress Wu and quickly rushed forward, looking embarrassed.
, stammered half of the words.
"It's just a matter of fact. Please explain it clearly to me. Tell me quickly!"
Emperor Gaozong took a nap today and was in a good mood. He had had breakfast and planned to go to the imperial garden to cool off. However, before he left, he heard that the prince and Li Xian were having a big party.
Helping the courtiers to block the door, I didn't pay much attention at first, but unexpectedly Empress Wu arrived soon after. When he mentioned that the prince and the ministers were here to force the palace, his mood suddenly became extremely bad. After hearing what Empress Wu said, this
Only then did she realize that the party struggle in the court had become so intense. She was so angry and annoyed that she almost flew into a rage. It was only after Empress Wu gently persuaded her for a long time that the anger subsided. She did not want to see the court split.
Gao Zongsui accepted Empress Wu's proposal and planned to call Li Xian alone in order to reduce the impact of the matter to an acceptable level. However, he never expected that Li Xian would dare to disobey the order, and his anger burst out.
, almost yelling and asking.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Your Majesty, please calm down. It's not because I'm careless, but it's His Royal Highness. Ah, Your Majesty said that all the ministers and ministers came here for Wu Min's case. They should meet together to distinguish right from wrong. I don't dare to force you."
Please advise, Your Majesty, please make a clear decision." Gao Hesheng was Empress Wu's confidant, so naturally he would not cover up for Li Hong, so he pretended to be panicked and replied. Although there was no reason to add jealousy, it was obvious.
It's taken out of context.
"Huh? Humph! Waste, all waste!"
Although Li Hong's words were extremely unpleasant, they were true. Emperor Gaozong was not a mediocre person. He knew this truth and had nowhere to vent his anger. He could only brush down his sleeves in great annoyance. , cursed bitterly, and paced back and forth in front of the couch anxiously.
"Your Majesty, it's almost noon and the sun is very bright. It's inappropriate to keep the courtiers waiting. I think it's best to invite the prince and Xian'er to come together. As for the rest of the ministers, you might as well go ahead. We're done. We'll have an early court meeting the day after tomorrow. If you have anything to do, we can discuss it in the early morning court." Seeing that Gaozong was obviously confused, Empress Wu frowned slightly at first, but soon relaxed and stood up gracefully. , walked to Gaozong's side and persuaded in a gentle voice.
"Well, that's fine, that's it." Gao Zong was originally a man with no opinions. Hearing what Empress Wu said seemed reasonable, he immediately agreed. He glanced sideways at Gao Hesheng, waved his sleeves, He shouted angrily: "What are you doing standing there in a daze? Why don't you hurry up and announce the decree? You really don't have the eyesight!"
"I obey the order, I will go and do it now."
Upon hearing what Gaozong said, Gao Hesheng did not dare to be negligent. He hurriedly responded, turned around and ran quickly outside the palace gate.
"Your Majesty has an edict: His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness the King of England, has an audience at the Qianyuan Palace. The rest of the ministers will return to their duties for now. If anything happens, we will discuss it with the court in the morning. I appreciate this!" Gao Hesheng trotted out of Zetian Gate. Without even having time to take a breath, he hurriedly announced Gaozong's oral edict.
"I accept the order and thank you."
Seeing Gao Hesheng's formal tone in conveying the order, all the ministers and ministers felt extremely dissatisfied, but they could only accept the order first.
"Eunuch Gao, I have something important to report to Your Majesty. Please report it on your behalf."
After everyone thanked them, Yan Liben stood up first, took on the airs of the right minister, and spoke in a tone that left no room for doubt.
"Eunuch Gao, I also have important things to report, and there is no need to delay!"
"We have something important to report, so I would like to ask Eunuch Gao to report it on my behalf!"
…
Yan Liben's words were a signal, and Le Yanwei and other courtiers all followed suit. The scene became chaotic for a while. Gao Hesheng's face turned green with fright in the excitement of the crowd.
"Seventh brother, what do you think of this matter?"
Li Hong did not join in the booing, but looked sideways at Li Xian and inquired in a low voice.
What should we do? Li Xian kept asking himself this question in his mind. To be honest, before Gao Hesheng announced the decree, Li Xian had already calculated that such a scene might happen, and he also deduced it over and over in his mind. There are various possible results, but they still dare not draw a conclusion - grouping together to force the palace will undoubtedly maximize the benefits, but in this way, it will inevitably arouse Gaozong's suspicion. It can be said that there will be a lot of gain, but also a lot of troubles in the future; If you go to see the driver alone, it is difficult to complete the palace in one battle. If you can't kill the tiger, you may be injured by the tiger. The consequences are also endless. It is obviously not an easy thing to strike a balance. It is difficult for Li Xian to have a solid conclusion for a while. decision...