On the third day of October in the second year of Linde, Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu led a crowd from Luoyang to Mount Tai. They paved roads with loess in prefectures and counties along the way and sprinkled water on them. On the fourth day of October, various aristocratic families in Guanzhong set off from the capital and rushed to Tai'an to wait for the emperor. The only prince was ordered to stay in Beijing for guarding. On the ninth day of the eleventh month, the emperor arrived in Tai'an on leave and stayed in the palace. All the officials accompanying him settled in and settled outside the palace. As a result, there was a lot of traffic, the streets were full of dignitaries, and Tai'an only had firewood and rice for it. It's expensive and seems to disturb the people.
On the third day of the first lunar month, Emperor Gaozong led his ministers to enshrine Mount Tai, with the Queen as the sub-offender and the Grand Sikong Li Ji as the final offer. He issued an edict of amnesty to the world and changed the year to the first year of Qianfeng. At the ceremony, Empress Wu personally bestowed hundreds of civil and military officials with official ranks. , honors and titles are not equal, and an edict is issued: those who are over eighty years old in the Republic of China will be awarded the governor of Xiazhou, Sima, county magistrate, woman county, and county king; those who are over seventy to eighty will be awarded the first level of ancient titles and will be exempted from this year's age. This year's taxation in all the prefectures and counties has been in the limelight. Just after the Feng Chan ceremony, Empress Wu officially compiled the "Biography of Lienu" and "Chen Gui", which were immediately published in various prefectures and counties. In addition, many scholars from the North Gate wrote articles to praise Empress Wu. Then his virtuous reputation arose.
A ceremony to enshrine Emperor Wu actually became a stage for the performance of one person. What he did was extremely beautiful. It was an absolute "home run". It not only paid off the ministers with great rewards, but also took advantage of the situation to promote the so-called Beimen. Not only that, the official position of a bachelor is beneficial, but the exemption of local money and food can also win over the people's hearts. In addition, with the praise of a bunch of shameless literati, it has also occupied the commanding heights in public opinion. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is comprehensive. Even an experienced person like Li Xian could not help but be amazed by how smoothly he played.
There is no solution, really no solution. Even if Li Xian is observing with a "microscope", he still cannot find the flaw in Empress Wu's series of actions. Of course, even if he can find it, Li Xian cannot Perhaps at this juncture, he would come forward to collide with Empress Wu. In this way, during the entire period of his enshrinement, there was only one thing Li Xian could do, and that was to watch with cold eyes. Otherwise, he would just wait, waiting for a big drama. Open the gong.
The Zen Ceremony was very lively, but after that, it was over. Gaozong himself had no intention of returning to the capital so early, but all the ministers had official duties, so they couldn't waste the court because of it. Official business, no, just after the Lantern Festival, first the local officials from all over the country resigned and left. Then, the ministers of the DPRK also returned to Beijing one after another according to the imperial edict. The city of Tai'an, which had been noisy for more than a month, gradually gradually The land returned to peace. Of course, whether Tai'an City is lively or not has nothing to do with Li Xian. As a prince, he does not need to live in a camp like the ministers. The palace has its own relationship with Li Xian. Where we live, the two brothers have been very honest these days. They neither participate in meeting the ministers nor interact with them privately. They just get together to chat and play chess every day, which is quite leisurely. No, early in the morning, the two brothers set up the chessboard and started fighting again.
Li Xian's chess skills are pretty good, and he has studied this a lot in his three generations. Especially when he was a student in later generations, he attended an amateur chess academy for several years. Duo is just one step ahead of the stinky chess basket. The reason why he and Li Xian can fight back and forth, it seems that they are evenly matched, is actually because Li Xian is giving way to him, but Li Xian's chess skills are really stinky, and you can't tell. That’s all.
"I would like to report to your two highnesses that Wu Youning, who is the official of Shizhou and has joined the army, has come to pay his respects. I would like to ask your two highnesses to express their opinions."
Just as the two brothers Li Xian were immersed in the chessboard, the young eunuch Zhang Che hurried in from outside, bowed to the two brothers, and hurriedly reported the report.
"not see!"
Li Xian's chess game was currently in a difficult situation, and he was very upset. The name of the person he heard was very unfamiliar, so he snorted coldly without raising his head.
"Wait a minute."
Li Xian didn't know who Wu Youning was, but Li Xian knew it very well, and even knew his purpose. To be honest, what Li Xian had been waiting for these days was the appearance of this person, and there was no way he could let him go.
After leaving, he raised his hand and shouted, stopping Zhang Che who was about to make a move.
"Um?"
In the past few days, many local officials have come to visit, including high-ranking officials such as governors. However, every time Li Xian followed Li Xian's advice, he did not see them at all. At this time, he heard that Li Xian actually wanted to receive guests.
Meaning, Li Xian could no longer think about the chess game. He raised his head in surprise, looked at Li Xian suspiciously, and uttered a soft sound from his nose.
"Sixth brother, this man is the eldest son of Wu Weiliang, the governor of Shizhou, so he is your cousin and my brother's cousin." Facing Li Xian's doubts, Li Xian smiled calmly and explained casually.
"So what?" Li Xian was extremely disgusted with Empress Wu, and he didn't even treat the people of the Wu family very well. He didn't care whether he was a cousin or not. He tilted his head and said disapprovingly.
"Sixth brother, this man has come all the way from afar. He must have something important to do. Why don't you meet him?"
Li Xian didn't want to reveal Wu Youning's intention immediately, so he smiled and said something persuasive.
"Forget it, let him come in."
Li Xian frowned and thought for a while. Although he still thought it was okay to disappear, he couldn't refute Li Xian's face, so he nodded and agreed.
"Yes, slave, I obey."
Hearing Li Xian speak, Zhang Che didn't dare to neglect. He hurriedly answered and turned around to go out. Unexpectedly, before he could even lift his feet, Li Xian stood up and moved the chess piece he was playing with.
He threw it away in the chess box and said with a smile: "Sixth brother, please sit down while I go and have a look together. Don't let others say that you and I are unkind."
"Yeah." Li Xian said noncommittally, without saying anything more. He lowered his head and reviewed the chess game again. It was obvious that in his mind, the chess game in front of him was more important than that unknown cousin.
hundred times.
In front of the main hall, a young man dressed in the uniform of a sixth-rank official was pacing back and forth uneasily, his eyes looking into the gloomy depths of the main hall from time to time, as if he had something to look forward to. This man was none other than Empress Wu's cousin Wu Wei.
Liang's eldest son Wu Youning came here on the order of his father, in order to invite the two princes to a banquet in the garden where his family was temporarily staying. According to his original intention, he thought that this was just an easy task.
It could be done easily, but he didn't expect that he had been waiting in front of the palace for a long time, and he didn't see any reaction from inside. This made Wu Youning feel a little uneasy in his heart.
"Eunuch Zhang..." When Wu Youning was anxious, he suddenly caught sight of Zhang Che who was slowly walking out of the hall. He quickly straightened his clothes and hurried forward to meet him. He just called out.
, suddenly found Li Xian following behind, and couldn't help but froze, and for a moment he forgot to say hello.
Hey, it turned out to be this bastard! Wu Youning didn't know Li Xian, but Li Xian recognized Wu Youning at a glance, just because Wu Youning was a vicious dog in front of Empress Wu in his previous life. He relied on Empress Wu's favor and trust.
Li Xianzi was often bullied by him when he did those stupid things. This person's character can be said to be extremely disgusting. However, at this time and that time, it was impossible for Li Xianzi to treat him as soon as they met.
Looking at Wu Youning's expression, Li Xian saw that Wu Youning was stunned on the spot. Li Xian did not say a word to remind him. He just stood with his hands behind his back with a smile and looked at Wu Youning with great interest.
"His Royal Highness the King of Zhou is here, how dare Wu Shenjun not bow to you!"
Li Xian was quite angry, but Zhang Che, who was standing aside, couldn't stand it anymore. He glanced at the stupid Wu Youning and scolded him angrily.
"Ah, my official Wu Youning has met His Highness the King of Zhou. I was rude for a moment, so I asked His Highness Haihan to forgive me."
Although Wu Youning was a relative of the emperor and had an official position, he was actually just a rookie who had not seen much of the world. After being scolded by Zhang Che, he immediately became confused, did not salute well, and spoke in a vague and confused manner. Why?
He looks like a country bumpkin.
"Excuse me. Speaking of which, Wu Canjun is Xiao Wang's cousin. They are all brothers, so there is no need to perform these false rituals." Li Xian's city has long been practiced to the point where he can't express his emotions and anger, and he will not be able to express his emotions.
The disgust for Wu Youning in his heart was brought to his face, and he didn't care about Wu Youning's lack of etiquette. He just raised his hand with a smile and said in a friendly manner.
"Ah, yes, oh, no, thank you so much, Your Highness, for your kindness, Sir..." The more kind Li Xian was, the more nervous Wu Youning became, responding randomly in his mouth, extremely nervous and embarrassed, with a white face that was suppressed all his life.
It's purple.
"Is there something important for my cousin to find Xiao Wang? Haha, this entrance to the hall is really not a place for conversation. If my cousin has something to do, just talk about it inside, please!" Li Xian seemed not to notice Wu Youning's embarrassment and smiled.
He turned his body sideways, made a "please" gesture in a gentle manner, and greeted politely.
"No, no, it's not that big of a deal. My father and my uncle have prepared some banquets for your majesty and the queen to come. I am here on my father's orders. I sincerely ask your highness to come with your highness, King Lu.
Go, here is the invitation, and I would also like to ask your two highnesses to honor us." Wu Youning himself felt that he was rude in front of Li Xian, and some of them had fallen into disgrace. He really didn't want to stay any longer, let alone enter the palace again.
He quickly took out two invitations plated with gold foil from his sleeves, bowed, held them over his head with both hands, and handed them to Li Xian.
"Oh? That's it." Li Xian smiled and nodded, reaching out to take the two invitations. He didn't rush to open them and read them. He stuffed them into his sleeves and continued with a smile: "Two cousins.
Xiao Wang is very grateful for your kindness. If it's convenient, I'll go there now. It's rare for my cousin to come here, so please come in and have a chat. You and I can just be affectionate and affectionate."
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. I have some secular affairs to attend to, so I won't bother you too much. I will come back to see your Highnesses another day. I'll take my leave." Wu Youning couldn't let go in front of Li Xian for some unknown reason.
Feeling extremely uncomfortable to hold back, when I heard that Li Xian agreed to go to the banquet, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but I didn't want to stay for a moment longer, so I hurriedly said goodbye.
"That's alright. In that case, Xiao Wang won't force his cousin to stay. You can go on your way."
Li Xian did not force Wu Youning to stay, he just smiled and nodded, accepted his courtesy calmly, watched him turn around a screen wall outside the hall, then curled his lips and showed a cold smile,
He flicked his sleeves and strode back to the hall.