The hour is approaching, and the main hall of Xuanzheng Palace is already full of courtiers, but there is no whispering buzz like usual in the early morning. There is only quiet solemnity, but in this solemnity, there is a hint of aura.
The tense atmosphere is probably because most of the well-informed ministers have already known the extraordinary aspects of today's morning court. It may be a bellwether for the direction of the Tang Dynasty in the next few years. No one dares to take it lightly.
"The Queen of Heaven has arrived!"
In the dead silence, a high-pitched shout suddenly sounded from the corner of the back hall. Soon, Empress Wu walked into the main hall with her head held high, surrounded by a group of eunuchs and maidens, while Prince Li Xian was a few steps away.
Zhiju also slowly walked out from the corner.
"I will bow to the Queen of Heaven!"
As soon as they saw that Empress Wu had arrived, all the ministers and workers did not dare to be negligent and rushed to greet her with great gifts.
"Everyone loves you!"
Empress Wu walked up to the front hall unhurriedly, and sat down on the dragon bed with a group of eunuchs waiting on her. She looked around at the courtiers with a solemn expression and shouted in a calm tone.
"Thank you, Queen Mother, for your kindness."
Now that Empress Wu had spoken, the courtiers did not dare to be rude and hurriedly thanked them according to the court rules. They took their seats on the left and right, and the morning court officially began.
"Let's start the memorial for the empress, and I will give it to you from the beginning."
Just when the ministers had just settled into their seats, a minister wearing a light purple official robe suddenly flashed out from the queue of civil servants and shouted loudly. It was none other than Yuan Wanqing, Qing of Honglu Temple.
"Buzz..."
Although the ministers had long expected that the rear party would launch an attack in the morning, they did not expect that they would be so impatient. Even before Cheng Denggao, the eunuch in charge of etiquette, could declare in accordance with the court regulations, Yuan Wanqing had already
It came out, and for a while the private discussion couldn't help but get louder.
"Well, if you have any questions about this chapter, please tell me directly. I'm here to listen."
Empress Wu did not stop the private discussions among the ministers. She sat leisurely on the dragon bed until the private discussions subsided, and then she spoke slowly.
"We sincerely obey your Majesty's decree." Yuan Wanqing thanked him respectfully, then took out the yellow silk-covered fold from his wide sleeves, slowly unfolded it, and declared in a measured tone: "
I have been a humble minister for thousands of hectares, and my Majesty the Emperor and the Empress of Heaven have not given up. I have been able to take up the post of Honglu Temple. I have guarded it conscientiously and dare not make any mistakes. Now, there is a big man who can eat the country. He has sent an envoy to our Tang Dynasty. The credentials have been handed over.
It is full of absurd remarks. He actually said that the Tang Dynasty invaded its borders. This is actually a confusion of right and wrong. His actions are despicable and his words are absurd. His heart deserves to be punished. Therefore, the minister thought that he should reject the country's request for peace and send him to the country.
Only by destroying them with heavy troops can we show that the power of our country, the Tang Dynasty, is unparalleled! As above, please listen to it!"
"Oh? Is this happening? Where is the certificate of credence?"
As soon as Yuan Wanqing finished speaking, the courtiers began to discuss in confusion again. However, this time Empress Wu did not wait much and pressed her hand with great majesty to stop the chaos of the ministers. She glanced at Yuan with evil eyes.
Wan Qing glanced at him and asked with a cold voice.
"If you want to return to your Majesty, the certificate of credence is here. The minister has ordered the translator to translate it, and it can be made available for your Majesty's inquiry at any time."
Yuan Wanqing bowed respectfully, then took out two albums from his wide sleeves, put them together, held them in both hands, and raised them high above his head.
"Um!"
Empress Wu raised her hand and squeezed out a word from between her teeth, with a solemn expression on her face.
"promise!"
Cheng Denggao, who was waiting at the side, saw that Empress Wu looked wrong, so he didn't dare to neglect him. He hurriedly responded, trotted down the front wall, took the two books from Yuan Wanqing's hand, and pooped on them again.
Returning to the front porch, he held it in both hands and handed it to Empress Wu.
"Xuan!"
Empress Wu ignored Cheng Denggao's attentiveness and just waved her hand with an indifferent expression.
"promise!"
Now that Empress Wu had spoken, Cheng Denggao did not dare to delay at all. He quickly stood up straight, spread out the translation, and said in a reserved voice: "In the name of God, I am the Caliph of the Great Eating Kingdom, Awiye?
Ibn Abi Sufyan pays tribute to His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Your two countries have no old grudges and have always had trade relations. Why do you raise troops to invade our borders, disturb our subjects, and go to war without declaring it? It is rude...
"
"Arrogant, this big food country should really be destroyed, how dare you say such nonsense!"
"It is ridiculous for such a small and barbaric country to be able to stand side by side with my powerful Tang Dynasty. It is ridiculous and should be punished! I sincerely ask the empress to issue an order to send out all the troops to quell this beast!"
"Yes, what Prime Minister Jia said is true. These barbarians have no shame, and even a defeated country dares to claim dignity. I sincerely ask the empress to issue an edict and send out troops to suppress them!"
…
I don’t know whether the original text in Dashi’s credential is like this, or whether there is something wrong with the translated sentences. In short, this credential is full of arrogance and is really hateful. Before Cheng Denggao finished announcing it, Jia Chaoyin was already jumping up and down.
He came out and fired the first shot. Immediately, the rear party members also came out to support him. Everyone shouted for beating and killing. For a time, the hall was filled with clouds of war, and the momentum was really scary.
"Your Majesty is aware of this, and I think that what Prime Minister Jia said is very inappropriate. The Sage of Soldiers has said: Soldiers are a major issue for the country and the path of life and death. We must observe them. Today, the great food is thousands of miles away, and our soldiers are at their best.
, what should be done with the baggage? What is the intention of fighting on the basis of words and disregarding the survival of the country?"
Although the Hou Party members were powerful, they could not really intimidate those who dared to speak out. No, before Empress Wu could express her position, Censor Zhongcheng Xiao Ming had already grabbed him from the side and unceremoniously accused Jia Chaoyin of making false statements that would harm the country.
"Why did Xiao Zhongcheng say this? Last time, my army of 20,000 people was able to annihilate the 150,000 people of the Great Rebellion. Our reputation was so great that the thieves and Kou Kong were forced to gather their troops and not dare to move. Now if we mobilize tens of thousands of soldiers to go immediately,
Why not worry about the food supply? As for the grain and fodder, there is a big harvest this summer, and there is a risk that the rice is cheap and hurting the farmers. Why not take this opportunity to raise troops to fight against the thieves. Firstly, we can enhance the power of the Tang Dynasty, and secondly, we can also secure food.
The price is stable and you get the best of both worlds, so why not?”
If the rear party members dared to openly call for war in the main hall, they had naturally made relevant preparations for a long time. As soon as Xiao Ming finished speaking, Yuan Wanqing refuted it without any sign of weakness.
, as if he were truly a master of the art of war.
"Yuan Hongxu's words are wrong. We, the Tang Dynasty, are the great kingdom of Huanghuang. How can we use weapons rashly because of our words? Isn't that no different from the country of the barbarian country? Now, the envoys of the great food country have come from thousands of miles away, and they have
The sincerity in seeking peace, even if the words in the credential are slightly lacking, is probably not a reason to start a war without permission? What is Yuan Honglu's intention to force himself to fight regardless of the life and death of his soldiers?"
As soon as Yuan Wanqing finished speaking, Lin Mingdu, the Minister of Rites, stood up from the side and refuted Yuan Wanqing unceremoniously.
"What Lin Shangshu said is very wrong. If the other party really wants to seek peace, then it is only right to be humble. Now that he has made such a big statement in the letter of credence, is it not the way to seek peace?"
"Yes, this is what Lin Shangshu said that hurt the country. How could the great Tang Dynasty allow a small country in the wild to offend like this!"
"What Jia Xiangsi said is extremely inappropriate. The sage has a way of forgiveness. Now Dashi has sent envoys to negotiate peace. If we, the Tang Dynasty, ignore it and insist on war, are we afraid of going against the sage's words?"
"Yes, what Liu Shilang said is true. Those who call for war only care about gaining their own reputation, but do not pay attention to the life and death of the army. This is a fallacy that harms the country!"
…
With the emergence of Xiao Ming and Lin Mingdu, the officials of the prince's family refused to lag behind and started to speak out one after another. For a while, the war-calling faction and the peace-calling faction became quarrelsome, accusing each other endlessly, and the whole hall was full of people.
It was as noisy as a vegetable market.
"That's enough. Have you forgotten that you must not be rude before the emperor, huh?"
Seeing that the quarrel continued like this and that the meeting was probably unable to come up with a solution, Empress Wu looked a little unhappy. She slapped the copywriter and scolded her unceremoniously.
"Your Majesty, please calm down and I will understand your guilt."
When Empress Wu lost her temper like this, officials from the Hou Dang and the Prince's family did not dare to say anything more. They could only bow to apologize.
"snort!"
Empress Wu glanced at the ministers coldly, her eyes wandering down to Li Xian who was sitting firmly under the front desk, and said with displeasure: "Xian'er, tell me, how should this matter be done?
"
Haha, this old thief is digging a hole for us to jump into again!
As soon as Empress Wu called her name, Li Xian couldn't help but cursed secretly in his heart. With his ability, how could he not know what Empress Wu was planning? He was just asking Li Xian to express his position in public, and then use the opportunity to criticize him.
That's all, of course, you know it, but when faced with Empress Wu's roll call, Li Xian had to make this move.
"The mother has learned clearly that the child thinks that this matter must be discussed in the long term. Since the country of Dashi has come all the way to discuss peace, it would be disrespectful for our great Tang Dynasty to ignore it. This is not what our great great Tang Dynasty should do. As for whether we can talk about it or not.
It’s done, but it requires two things.”
As soon as Empress Wu finished speaking, Li Xian stood up from the Jin Dunzi, turned around half-turn, faced Empress Wu, bowed, and replied unhurriedly.
"My Majesty, I know that I believe that what His Highness the Crown Prince said is correct. Whether it is war or peace, we must discuss it before making a decision!"
Before Empress Wu could comment on Li Xian's words, Liu Rengui stood up from the side and echoed loudly.
"Your Majesty, I have learned from you. I second my opinion!"
"My dear, the sage has said: First be polite and then attack, then the division will be famous. Don't be careless!"
"What Prime Minister Liu said is true, and I agree with you!"
…
Liu Rengui was a veteran minister of the Prime Minister and Fu. Although he was not at the forefront of the political affairs hall, his qualifications were undoubtedly the first among the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty. As soon as he came forward, many mature and serious ministers also stepped forward.
At the end of the day, even Pei Xingjian, Pei Yan and other prime ministers who generally did not easily participate in the struggle between the rear party and the prince also spoke out and agreed. With the strength of the crowd, the momentum was far greater than that of less than forty people.
The party is going to be big, old and young.
"Well, what I love you to say makes sense to me, so let's discuss it first. But who should be in charge of this peace negotiation? Do you have any candidates?"
Wu Houyuan also knew that if he wanted to fight without negotiation, it would be difficult to pass the court meeting. When he saw the situation, as expected, he immediately changed his attitude, raised a difficult question, and immediately issued an order
All civil and military officials in the court lost their voices, and the hall became eerily quiet...