Just after the Lantern Festival, although the snow stopped and the weather showed signs of getting warmer, it was still very cold. This was too difficult for Gaozong, who was afraid of cold and heat. He had been sick since the beginning of winter.
Not only has it not gotten better now, but it has become a bit more serious. I can't get out of bed because I can't stop coughing and wheezing. I can only lie sickly on the hot bed every day, taking various decoctions for it.
My companion, my energy and energy were really low, my face was thin and as white as paper, and even the coughing and wheezing sounds from time to time seemed extremely weak. That haggard look was really unbearable to witness.
"Your Majesty, the Queen of Heaven is here."
Just when Gaozong had another bout of coughing and had just subsided, Liu Ruming, the deputy chief eunuch of Zichen Palace, hurriedly turned out from behind the screen and rushed to the couch. He glanced at Gaozong with a worried look and cautiously reported the report.
.
"Um."
Gaozong weakly raised his hand, waved it casually, and muttered something vaguely, as if he was not willing to meet Empress Wu at this time.
"Your Majesty is here!"
Regardless of whether Emperor Gaozong was happy or not, there really was no place in the harem that Empress Wu could not reach. No, before Liu Ruming went out to announce the summons, a shout rang out, and the grave-faced Empress Wu had already led a large group of eunuchs and maids.
poured into the palace.
"I come to see Your Majesty."
Although Empress Wu was furious, she did not lose her etiquette. She walked slowly to the couch and bowed politely, but her tone was obviously not as peaceful as before, with a strong sense of resentment.
"Meiniang is here, sit down, sit down."
Gaozong was seriously ill at this time and had a severe headache. He didn't notice that there was something wrong with Empress Wu's tone. He weakly raised his hand and said a dry greeting.
"Your Majesty, something big has happened in the Shanyu Protector's Mansion. The Turks have rebelled, and they have invaded twenty-four states. Xiao Siye has lost his troops and humiliated the country. The situation is almost ruined."
After Empress Wu got up, she did not take her seat, but with a gloomy look told the general's news.
"Ah, what? When did it happen? I, cough cough cough..."
When he heard about the Turkic rebellion, Emperor Gaozong was immediately frightened. He sat up straight and shouted questions over and over again. Soon after, he was stimulated by the disordered breath and coughed wildly.
"Your Majesty, please don't be anxious. Regarding what happened this morning, I wanted to discuss the countermeasures with the ministers and assistants of the Political Affairs Hall first, and then report to Your Majesty. But..., alas..."
Empress Wu stretched out her hand to pat Gaozong on the back and spoke in a plaintive tone. At the end, she let out a long sigh full of humiliation, as if she had really suffered a huge grievance.
"Um?"
Seeing Empress Wu's expression, Gaozong, who had stopped coughing, couldn't help but become suspicious, and he uttered a confused sound.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that I just wanted to share your worries for Your Majesty, but I didn't expect to show him off. Alas, he came in in a rage and accused me in front of all the ministers and assistants. I, I, I...
"
Empress Wu was a master of acting. Before she could speak, she burst into tears. As she spoke, she became choked up and became speechless.
"This this……"
Emperor Gaozong was originally afraid of his wife, but when he saw Empress Wu being so sad, he immediately became confused and didn't know what to say.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and all the ministers and ministers of the political affairs hall are outside the palace asking for an audience."
Just when Gaozong was in panic and didn't know what to do, he saw Liu Ruming turning back from outside again and reported loudly, thus relieving Gaozong.
"Xuan, cough, Xuan, stop!"
In the final analysis, the conflict between Empress Wu and the Crown Prince was deliberately brought about by Gaozong himself, in order to find a balance. This original intention was undoubtedly good, but it is a pity that when two strong-willed people got together, there was no compromise at all.
Perhaps, the struggle naturally became more and more fierce. Now, even if Gaozong wanted to suppress it, it was no longer possible. Seeing that Empress Wu didn't stop, Li Xian was already on the other side.
The foot and the ground followed and killed him. Gaozong couldn't help but feel a little more anxious, but he couldn't say no. After all, military and state affairs must not be ignored. No matter how upset he was, Gaozong could only declare it helplessly.
"promise!"
Since Gaozong had given his oral instructions, Liu Ruming did not dare to neglect him. He hurriedly responded and hurriedly exited the palace. After a while, he accompanied Li Xian and others and came back.
"My sons (ministers, etc.) bow to your majesty."
Everyone just turned around the screen and saw Empress Wu who was sitting on the edge of the couch weeping silently. However, no one dared to look at her. They all rushed forward and bowed their heads to pay homage.
"No need, cough cough..."
Emperor Gaozong's complexion was extremely poor. As soon as he screamed, he broke out into a long series of violent coughs, causing an unhealthy blush to appear on his pale face. All the busy eunuchs waiting on the side gathered around him.
, I was very happy for Gaozong.
"I thank your Majesty for your kindness. Long live, long live, long live my emperor."
Although the ministers were all surprised by Gaozong's illness, they did not dare to neglect the due etiquette. After thanking him in unison, they stepped aside and looked at the eunuchs who were being treated with worry.
Gaozong was surrounded by people.
"Yeah!" As soon as he stopped coughing, Gaozong waved his hand impatiently and drove away all the eunuchs surrounding him. He glanced at Li Xian with an extremely unhappy expression and spoke with a heavy breath.
He said: "Xian'er, do you think this is too noisy?"
Haha, damn old thief, it was indeed the villain who complained first!
Li Xian had long expected that Empress Wu would resort to the tricks of crying, making trouble and hanging herself, so he didn't care much about it. Facing Gaozong's anger, Li Xian bowed extremely calmly and replied calmly:
"I would like to inform my father that important military and state affairs cannot be carried out except by the emperor. If there is no imperial edict, no matter who, for whatever reason, privately gathers the ministers to discuss it, it is usurping power. I swear that I will not agree with it! If there are no rules, how can it be done?
Make it a square circle!”
"Your Highness's words are wrong. When the matter is urgent, you should act according to your authority. How can you generalize it?"
As soon as he heard that Li Xianming accused Empress Wu of usurping power, Jia Chaoyin couldn't hold himself back. He stepped out from the side and protested loudly.
"Jia Chaoyin, how dare you make such false statements? How can you follow the authority in matters of great importance to the country? You are so bold, do you want to plot rebellion?"
It's okay if Jia Chaoyin doesn't jump out, but if he jumps out, wouldn't it be a target for Li Xian? If he doesn't attack him, who will attack him? Li Xian will not save any face for Jia Chaoyin, so he gave a loud drink and threw it away unceremoniously.
It's a big hat that will be pushed over.
"you……"
Jia Chaoyin didn't expect that Li Xian would dare to be so arrogant in front of Gaozong. After being scolded like this, he was dumbfounded and stammered, not knowing how to deal with him.
"Your Highness has misunderstood, misunderstood. Mr. Jia is just worried about the rising border troubles. He has no other intentions. At this critical moment, I thought it would be better to discuss the military affairs first."
Although she looked down upon Jia Chaoyin deeply in her heart, as an ally, Li Zhen could not sit back and watch Jia Chaoyin being tricked by Li Xian. What if Jia Chaoyin was in a hurry and started talking nonsense again?
The consequences of being swept out of the political hall were not fun. Therefore, despite her reluctance, Li Zhen had to come forward again to give Jia Chaoyin a slap on the cheek.
"Where is the military report?"
Although Gaozong was not very smart, he was not stupid after all. At this time, he also saw something fishy. Although he was dissatisfied with Empress Wu for gathering ministers to discuss military affairs without asking for instructions, he could feel that
However, he didn't want to embarrass him in public, and he didn't want to see Li Xian taking advantage of the opportunity, so he took advantage of Li Zhen's interruption and hurriedly drank, thus vaguely handling the dispute.
"Xuan!"
Upon hearing that Gaozong wanted a military report, Cheng Denggao rushed forward and wanted to hand the military report to Gaozong. Unexpectedly, Gaozong didn't accept it at all. He waved his hand and shouted impatiently.
"promise."
Seeing that Gaozong's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, Cheng Denggao did not dare to be negligent and responded hurriedly. He took out the general's newspaper from the envelope, spread it out, and shouted at the top of his voice: "Your Majesty, Shan
Yu Dudu protector Xiao Siye urgently reports to His Majesty..."
"Trash! Tell me, let's talk about it. How should we deal with this matter?"
After listening to the military report, Gaozong cursed angrily, looked around at the ministers, and asked in a bad tone.
"Your Majesty, I believe that the Turks are a serious problem and should not be ignored lightly. Now that they are in rebellion, their foundation is still shallow and they must be wiped out with thunderous means. If not, they will become a disaster for the Tang Dynasty in the long run. I
Although I am not talented, I would like to ask for orders to send troops to defeat the thieves, and I sincerely ask for your majesty's permission."
When they saw Gaozong's furious look, the ministers did not dare to express their opinions casually, and the palace became quiet for a while. However, the silence did not last long, and the Yue King Li Zhen stood proudly from the side.
Come out and make an impassioned request to take command and go to war.
"Buzz..."
The ministers obviously did not expect that Li Zhen would jump out and make bold statements. They were shocked and couldn't help but burst into an uproar. Only Li Xian and Empress Wu were very calm. Obviously, they had already prepared for Li Zhen's actions.
Expect it in mind.
"I'm afraid it's not a good idea for Bage to have this intention. I really hope so. Do you have any other suggestions?"
Gaozong did not doubt Li Zhen's loyalty, but was worried that Li Zhen was not competent enough. After all, although Li Zhen was known as a wise king with both civil and military skills, he had never seen a battle. This idea of suddenly taking command and going on an expedition was obviously a little bit strange.
It was not appropriate, but Gaozong couldn't openly refuse Li Zhen's offer, so he could only comfort him with some kind words, and then threw the problem to the ministers.
Any other suggestions? Looking at what Gaozong said, it was indeed quite clever. He was just waiting for the ministers to come forward to oppose Li Zhen's initiative. Those present were all the most outstanding people in the Tang Dynasty, so how could he do it?
I can't understand the meaning of it. The problem is that when I can't figure out the intentions of Empress Wu and Li Xian, no one is willing to come forward to be the leader. If there is a slight mistake in my words, I will offend someone unintentionally.
The consequences for these two giants were not fun, so no matter how eagerly Gaozong looked around, all the ministers turned a blind eye and the atmosphere in the palace suddenly became weird...