On May 22nd of the third year of Yifeng, news of the success of the Western Expeditionary Army was rushed to Beijing. It was said that on April 27th, the Western Expeditionary Army defeated more than 154,000 people of the Great Shi Army in the Surhan Valley, beheading four At the level of 13,000, more than 111,000 enemies were captured, and the capture was futile. Recently, they have marched into the homeland of Persia and conquered more than ten cities. The recovery of the country is already in sight. When the emperor heard this, he was overjoyed and issued an edict to reward the three armies. , the commander-in-chief of the Western Expeditionary Army, Lin Chengbin, was granted the title of Marquis of Zhengyuan, the deputy commander, Li He, was appointed the Marquis of Polu, and the deputy commander, Xiao Sanlang, was granted the title of Marquis of Chengyuan. Prince Li Xian entered the palace, praised him warmly, rewarded him with jade and other gifts as he wished, and ordered a general amnesty for the whole country. When the news came out, the whole capital was full of joy, and the prince's reputation as a capable man rose again. The court gradually called on the prince to supervise the country. rise.
Are you excited? There are some, but not many. It’s not that he is dissatisfied with the big victory ahead, but that Li Xian had received a detailed battle report ten days ago and knew everything about this battle. After that, those who should be excited have already been excited. As for now, Li Xian is no longer thinking about it. The victory of the Western Expedition Army has been determined. After the defeat of the Dashi Empire, if he wants to regain his breath, It will take more than half a year at least. By then, the Western Expeditionary Army will already have the whole of Persia in its hands. Considering the powerful firepower of the Western Expeditionary Army, even if the whole country goes out to fight, there is no chance of winning. Li It seems that there is no need to worry too much, but now his mind has already turned to the court situation.
"Two gentlemen, there are many motions in the court now, all of which say that I should supervise the country. I am slightly hesitant. I don't know what you two gentlemen think. Let's talk about it. Can this shareholder's style be used?"
In the study room of the East Palace, Li Xian, who had just returned from an audience in the palace, rushed to the study room without even changing his court uniform. He summoned Zhang and Di, the two great counselors, and made it clear that he was seeking to supervise the country. came out, his words were full of confidence - this time the motion of the ministers was not the instruction of Li Xian, but the spontaneous action of the ministers. In addition, the promotion of overseas improved seeds led by Li Xian is now about to be completed, and all states The plants are growing well, and a good harvest is in sight. The people of the world are grateful, and the people's hearts have returned. Now that the Western Expedition has been a great victory, Li Xian's reputation has risen to its peak. He is qualified to compete with Empress Wu for the dominance of the court. This is such a great thing Under such circumstances, it was impossible for Li Xianzi to remain unmoved. However, he still hesitated slightly and did not take action immediately. Instead, he cautiously asked Zhang and Di to get a pulse on the move.
"If Your Highness wants to learn from Taizong, then you might as well add fuel to the flames. If not, you may need to be more cautious about this matter. According to my experience, this matter is by no means simple. We must guard against villains causing trouble!"
Li Xian was very proud of himself, but Zhang Jianzhi obviously had no intention of following Li Xian's wishes and poured a large basin of cold water on him without any hesitation.
"Hmm? Sir, what you mean is..."
After all, Li Xian was not an ordinary person. When Zhang Jianzhi said this, he immediately became alert, his mind was trembling, and he had already thought of the consequences of rash action.
"When the water is full, it will overflow. Although this matter started at the end of Qingping, I am afraid that someone with intentions will take the opportunity to cause trouble. Your Highness must be cautious."
Di Renjie also knew the strange things that Zhang Jianzhi could see, but he had a more tactful temperament and was not willing to be the "evil person" who poured cold water on him. However, when it was time to speak, he did not hesitate, so He added something from the side.
"Well, you two gentlemen taught me that it was my fault."
Li Xian realized that he seemed to be a little too impatient. When he calmed down and thought about it, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. This was not entirely because the matter would be exploited by Empress Wu, but more because he was reflecting on his attitude towards Gao.
Zong's attitude was a bit dismissive - yes, Gaozong didn't manage politics very much now, but he was still the emperor after all. If he acted too radically, Gaozong would become suspicious, and then Empress Wu and Li Zhen would come.
If he had taken advantage of the situation, even if Li Xian could escape the disaster, it would definitely put a thorn in Gaozong's heart. Needless to say, the consequences would be serious. Once the situation of emperor and minister, father and son being jealous of each other occurs, it will be extremely rare.
When it comes to making up for it, as the cracks get bigger and bigger, Li Xian is afraid that there is no other way to go except to imitate Taizong and carry out the "Xuanwu Gate Change", and this is not the way that Li Xian tried his best to avoid.
What?
"Your Highness is a wise man, anyone who can examine himself three times is a great sage, and the court will be blessed!"
Seeing that Li Xian was not completely dazzled by the series of victories and was still able to follow his advice, Zhang Jianzhi immediately felt relieved and praised him with appreciation.
"Haha, sir, you are joking. I was so proud that I almost lost my shape. That's all. Let's not talk about it anymore. Now that the motion has been launched in the court, the Queen Mother and the King of Yue will not just sit back and watch, adding fuel to the flames to kill me. I'm afraid it is inevitable. After all,
You have to be careful in dealing with it, I wonder if you two gentlemen have any advice on this?"
Although Li Xian is arrogant, he still has a reputation for self-awareness. He knows that the reason why he has achieved this is not only knowing people and being good at tasks, but also relying on the memory of three generations. As for the great sage, Li Xian
I really didn't dare to take responsibility for myself, so I didn't want to dwell on it. As soon as the conversation changed, it turned to the main topic.
"Well, the word 'kill' is used well. The purpose of holding him high is to throw His Highness down hard. If His Highness doesn't allow the praise, there will be no way to talk about the word 'kill', and let them make trouble."
As long as your highness remains true to your heart, what can others do to you? As for your majesty, as long as this is the case..., your majesty's concerns can definitely be relieved!"
Zhang Jianzhi smiled slightly, stretched out his hand to stroke the long beard on his chest, and unhurriedly expressed the countermeasures in his mind.
"Well, okay, that's it. I'd like you to explain it to the two gentlemen, so that all the people below don't get involved, so as not to be gossiped about."
Li Xian silently reviewed Zhang Jianzhi's suggestion several times, and when he saw that there was nothing wrong with it, he nodded and made a decision.
"promise!"
Since Li Xian had made up his mind, Zhang and Di naturally had no different opinions. They both bowed and agreed, and each resigned and left without mentioning the arrangements for related matters.
"Empress."
In the study room of the Xuanzheng Hall of the Daming Palace, Empress Wu, who was wearing a long purple dress, was immersed in official documents, writing quickly, but when she heard the sound of soft footsteps, Cheng Denggao, who looked cautious, had already left.
The head came out from behind the screen, holding a stack of memorials in his hand. He carefully approached the copy and called out in a low voice.
"Um."
Hearing the noise, Empress Wu raised her head slightly. Seeing that Cheng Denggao had sent so many memorials, a hint of fatigue flashed across her brows unconsciously, but she didn't say much, just silently speaking.
With a sound, he lowered his head again and started correcting the memorial.
"Empress."
Seeing that Empress Wu ignored him, Cheng Denggao's face froze involuntarily, but he swallowed hard and hurriedly called out softly.
"Huh? What's the matter? Tell me!"
Empress Wu has been in a bad mood for a while. First, Ming Chongyan was killed for no apparent reason, and then the Yue King Li Zhen showed his prowess. He solved the headless case in three days and gained not only a reputation but also his second son.
After acquiring the land of two states, he became an unstoppable force, and now he has won a great victory in the Western Expedition. The prince's reputation has greatly increased, and everything has not gone as planned. However, the situation is stronger than the others. Even though Empress Wu is full of resentment,
It was not easy to break out, so she could only focus on correcting the memorial, trying to suppress the annoyance in her heart. Obviously, this method of diverting attention did not work. Empress Wu was now in her own way
I was upset, and being disturbed by Cheng Denggao so indifferently made me even more annoyed, and my cold snort was inevitably filled with a chill of impatience.
"My Majesty is aware that these memorials are all transferred from the Government Affairs Hall. The other party said that the matter is of great importance and they dare not make any judgments. They want His Majesty to sanction it. When I saw that most of the memorials contained proposals for the prince to supervise the country, I was displeased.
If you dare to neglect me, I am here to ask you to make a clear decision."
Cheng Denggao was a die-hard loyalist of Empress Wu. Although he saw that Empress Wu looked wrong, he still had the courage to report the matter to the Empress in a trembling voice for fear of causing trouble.
"Hmph! Hand it over!"
As soon as she heard what was going on, Empress Wu's already gloomy face suddenly became a little gloomier, but she did not get angry, but snorted coldly.
"Promise, I obey my orders."
Cheng Denggao hurriedly handed the memorial in his hand to the copy, and then stepped aside in fear, lowering his head, not daring to look at Empress Wu's face.
"Go and call Ge Gong to me!"
Empress Wu flipped through the memorials one by one, and the more she looked at them, the darker her face became. However, she still didn't say much at the end. She just casually pushed the pile of memorials to the corner of the copywriting and glanced at the uneasy Cheng Denggao.
With a glance, he ordered with a cold tone.
"No, I'll go right now, old slave."
Empress Wu gave the order, so Cheng Denggao didn't dare to neglect it. He hurriedly responded and ran out of the imperial study room as if he was running away. After a while, he was already accompanied by Gar? who was dressed in military uniform and drew his bow from outside.
Come in.
"I will finally meet the Queen of Heaven!"
Although Gar Yingong is not old, he is very skillful. Before coming to the audience, he had cleverly extracted the reason for the summons from Cheng Denggao, but he was not in a hurry to speak randomly.
Instead, he walked unhurriedly to the copywriter and performed a military salute in a formal manner.
"Well, I'll excuse you if I love you."
Empress Wu waved her hand and signaled all the eunuchs and maidens who were accompanying her to leave. Then she stared at Gar with his bow and bowed calmly for a while, and then she shouted in a calm voice.
"Thank you for your grace."
Gal bowed his bow and thanked him respectfully. He didn't ask about the purpose of Empress Wu's summons. He just stood aside with his hands down, pretending to be at Empress Wu's command.
"I already know that Xuan'er came here with the intention of loving you. If you have any ideas, please tell me."
Empress Wu was obviously very satisfied with Gar Yin Gong's respectful attitude and nodded approvingly, but as soon as Fang opened his mouth, Gar Yin Gong's heart suddenly lifted...