Chapter 4 Chapter Four

Wu Zetian shaved. "A man has no ugly image, so I'm not ashamed. Hey, it seems that you asked me about the allusions of the princes in the beacon fire opera, and you separated before you finished. The weather is fine today. Let's climb to the top of the mountain together to see the remains of the beacon tower. How about a live explanation?" "Okay, okay," Wu Zetian said happily, "let's go." "Your belly is so big, can you walk? Do you want to prepare a chariot?" "I can walk. Pregnancy is a woman's duty, and it's not an extra burden. Besides, my health is good, and pregnancy reactions are not serious."

They walked along the winding mountain road to the top of the mountain, and Li Zhi told the story of the princes playing with the beacon fire. "Baosi is melancholy by nature, and she rarely smiles. She likes to hear the sound of tearing silk, so King You ordered the maids to tear silk all day long to win her favor. But she still didn't laugh. Father Guo Shi, the minister, presented the method of playing with the princes in the beacon fire. King You A banquet was held in Guangong, and all the beacon fires on more than 20 beacon towers in Huashan area were ordered to be lit, and the big drums were beaten. Minister Zheng Boyou advised against it, but King You refused to listen. All the princes saw the beacon fire, and led their troops to Mount Lishan overnight King Qin. King Zhou You waved his hand, and said lightly in a joking tone: There are no foreign enemies invading, you go back."

"Did Bao Si laugh?" Wu Zetian asked intentionally, but she actually knew the story.Asking questions is nothing more than catering to Li Zhi's interest and complimenting his extensive knowledge.Li Zhi's mood was even higher, and a smug smile appeared on his face: "Laughing. Bao looked down at the princes from the palace tower and came back in a hurry, and couldn't help smiling. King You was overjoyed and rewarded Father Guoshi Qianjin. In the eleventh year of King You of Zhou, the dog army invaded on a large scale and surrounded the capital of the Western Zhou Dynasty, Haojing. King You immediately ordered Father Guoshi to light the beacon fire. The princes thought they were teasing them again, so they did not send troops. The enemy general hacked to death. Quan Rong chased the monarchs and ministers of the Western Zhou Dynasty to Lishan Mountain, and surrounded the cheating palace with three floors inside and three floors outside. During the breakout, Zheng Boyou was shot to death by random arrows, King You was hacked to death in the car, and Bofu was killed at the same time. Bao Si also became a prisoner. The Western Zhou Dynasty perished."

"Where is Baosi later?" Wu Zetian seemed very interested, and asked Li Zhi while walking. "The chief general of Quanrong took her back to the barracks in a car for the soldiers to enjoy." "Then how can she bear it?" "The beggar didn't move the rice, he asked for it." Li Zhi shrugged his shoulders, "Later, soldiers from Qin, Zheng, Jin and other vassal states arrived and defeated Quan Rong. The seductress perished, and Bao Si himself hanged himself to death." "The demise of the Western Zhou Dynasty should be mainly borne by the fatuous and ruthless King You. It seems unfair to call Bao Si a disaster and blame her for all the crimes."

"You always like to speak for women." "I'm a woman myself." Wu Zetian euphemistically explained, "Of course, women are good and bad just like men. For bad women, there is no need to tolerate them." "Hey, you interrupted the story, where did I just say?" Suddenly, a rush of horseshoes broke the tranquility of the mountains, and an urgent report came that the horse was traveling six hundred miles a day. News of the rebellion in Chun'an County, Zhejiang Province.Gao Yansi didn't dare to neglect, and immediately asked the emperor and Wu Zhaoyi to go down the mountain and return to the palace.Li Zhi changed into court clothes, and summoned Cui Dunli, Minister of the Ministry of War who had come up to the mountain, in the palace.Cui Dunli played: "The demon girl Chen Shuozhen, who claimed to be Emperor Wenjia, ordered her brother-in-law Zhang Shuyin to shoot as a servant, preaching that she was entrusted by the destiny, and bewitched the people with magic words, and the people joined the ranks of the Queen's magic soldiers. On the night of Jiazi Day in October, Zhang Shuyin He led the army to capture Tonglu. Chen Shuozhen rang the bell and burned incense, led two thousand people to take Muzhou and Yuqian County, and continued to attack Shezhou."

"Does uncle know?" Li Zhi frowned. "Know." "What did he say?" "My lord, grandson, please drive the emperor back to the palace." Li Zhi hurried back to the Taiji Palace with Wu Zetian and his accompanying attendants, and ordered Fang Renyu, the governor of Yangzhou, to crusade against the "thief army".Chen Shuozhen sent General Tong Wenbao to lead 4,000 troops to attack Wuzhou [Jinhua City, Zhejiang].There is a popular folklore: "Heaven sends divine soldiers, swords and guns are invincible, brave and invincible, and invincible."

He also said: "They are protected by the gods, whoever dares to offend, the whole family will be punished." The state army dodged and dodged, just trying to save their lives.Seeing this, Cui Xuanji, who joined Sigong's army, was furious and scolded: "You are clearly a mob, but you are scared out of your wits by the evil words. Raise soldiers for thousands of days, and use them in one dynasty. Now when it is time to use their lives, the three armies are shrinking back! Cui Yixuan, the governor, knew that his brother Cui Xuanji was brave and resourceful, so he ordered him to be the vanguard to meet the enemy and lead the Chinese army to lead the battle.The two armies met fifty miles east of Tonglu County, Huaixu, and the left and right followers hurriedly raised their shields to cover Cui Yixuan.

"Get out of the way!" He pushed the shield away vigorously, "If the assassin is afraid of the enemy's arrows, who would dare to go forward and kill the enemy?" Then he rushed to the front, took the lead, and charged.The morale of the officers and soldiers was greatly boosted, and they bravely concealed and killed the past. The "magic soldier" fell apart and was beheaded thousands of times, and the rest all surrendered.In November, Fang Renyu led an army to arrive, joined forces with Cui Yixuan, and was unstoppable. He captured Chen Shuozhen, Zhang Shuyin and other leaders alive, beheaded them in public, and wiped out all the remaining troops.Cui Yixuan relied on the strength of a state to defeat the strong with the weak. Because of his meritorious service, he was promoted to the doctor of imperial history, from the third rank.Cui Xuanji, Fang Renyu, etc. also had different degrees of promotion and rewards.Cui Dunli was promoted to servant.Wu Zetian was so excited that she shed tears when she got the news of the quelling chaos from Li Zhi.She used her hands to add credit, thankful that this "Queen" uprising incident helped her completely dispel the rumors that "Queen Wu's family destroyed Tang".At that time, Li Shimin executed Li Junxian, the Zuowuwei general named "Wu Niang" with an excuse, which saved her life and turned her from danger to safety, but it did not fundamentally eliminate her doubts.

"Wu Niang" sounds like a woman's name, but Li Junxian is really a man, he can't be a queen.Wuniang's "Five" is only the same as Wu's "Wu", and the two cannot be said to be the same.Therefore, Wu Zetian always had lingering fears, for fear that others would mention words such as "the heroine Chang".Chen Shuozhen called herself "Emperor Wenjia". The fiasco of this "queen" finally erased the shadow in people's minds, made her feel reassured, and washed away the fear in her heart. Just after the Spring Festival, Wu Zetian gave birth to her second child.Li Zhi got the report from Gao Yansi, and immediately went to the Palace of Jiri by chariot.Wu Yan smiled at Li Zhi: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, you have added another little princess."

"Call." Li Zhi responded, raised his heels and asked, "How is Zhaoyi?" The wife of Ying Guo, Mrs. Yang, took the little princess from the nurse's hand and brought it to Li Zhi: "Thanks to the blessing of the Holy One, Zhaoyi is in good health, and the little princess is growing up too." Be good, you look like the emperor." Li Zhi sized up the baby girl in the swaddle: "It really looks like Zhen, hehe, um, she also looks like Zhaoyi, she must have a beautiful appearance when she grows up." "Your Majesty, don't favor girls over boys," Wu Yan said jokingly, then suddenly turned around and shouted: "Hong'er, come here quickly, the emperor is here."

Two-year-old Li Hong stumbled and ran over, shouting childishly as he ran, "Father, Father!" and fell down.Li Zhi stepped forward and bent down to hug Hong Er: "Does it hurt from the fall?" Hong Er shook his head.Li Zhi pointed at the little princess with one hand: "My sister." Hong'er kept calling: "Sister, sister." "Good son," Li Zhile beamed, "You're really obedient." She said while kissing him on the face.From the dormitory came Wu Zetian's greeting: "Hong'er, don't keep pestering your father, come down quickly and go out to play." Li Zhi put Hong'er down and walked into the bedroom: "Zhaoyi, I haven't greeted you yet." "I can't afford it, I can't afford it." Wu Zetian said affectionately and modestly, "Our mother and daughter are fine, the emperor can rest assured. During this period of time, it is inconvenient for my concubines to pick me up. The emperor will go to the empress's palace more often, lest she complain about me again." After all, I almost shed tears.Wu Zetian's words persuading Li Zhi to go to the queen's palace quickly reached the ears of the queen.Empress Wang was shocked and moved, she felt that Wu Zhaoyi was more reasonable than Concubine Xiao Shu, at least she hadn't forgotten her kindness for taking her in.And Concubine Xiao Shu has always had a grudge against her, and from time to time she showed a kind of guarded mentality.Their union appeared tenuous, and their intercourse diminished accordingly.Queen Wang concluded that it was impossible for Concubine Xiao Shu to regain the emperor's favor from Wu Zhaoyi, so she decided to give her up, get close to Wu Zhaoyi again, and get back together.However, with a sullen face, Mrs. Liu resolutely objected in a stern tone: "She is more capable of confusing the emperor than Concubine Xiao Shu, and her ambitions are much greater. You are far less scheming than her. If you approach her, you may suffer a big loss at some point. Da Dang." "I can't go on like this," Queen Wang stammered, "In fact, I'm already isolated." "Isn't she just as isolated?" "No. She is favored by the emperor, so there will naturally be people who agree with her." "You are the queen, the lord of the six palaces, who are you afraid of? No one can do anything to you." Liu Xi came into the palace, sat down and listened for a while, frowned, and thought about it: "Yes, the empress is the lord of the six palaces, if the palace people make mistakes, the empress can use family law to find trouble, and she is afraid Undead?" Queen Wang gasped, "How does this happen?" "We have the support of our eldest grandson behind us, so feel free to be more courageous." "Queen, don't hesitate any longer," Liu urged, "We've reached this stage, either the fish will die or the net will be broken, we have to fight it out." "I'm afraid that the emperor will be furious," Queen Wang said with great concern, "feel guilty to me." "The emperor is a man without his own opinion," Liu Shi said, "you have to listen to the elder grandson for everything. When he excuses you, how dare the emperor do anything to you?" "Wu Zhaoyi is very alert, and it is not easy to find mistakes." "Hey, you can make trouble for nothing," Liu stomped her feet angrily, "Why can't I find the fault?" "Mother, it's not good to frame someone for no reason. There are many pairs of eyes in the harem." "As the saying goes, the winner is the king and the loser is the enemy. Empress, please think carefully, the old minister is leaving." After Liu Xun stood up and saluted, he withdrew.The queen has a close eunuch who is short in stature and named Ding Dianer.Wu Zetian took a fancy to him when she was a maid beside the queen.When his mother died, she gave him jewels worth more than one hundred taels of silver and two large diamonds, and he became Wu Zetian's eyes and ears from then on.As soon as Liu Shi and Liu Shi left, he secretly told Wu Zetian the content of their conversation with Queen Wang.When retreating, he almost ran into Li Zhi's body by the door, and kowtowed in fright: "Your Majesty forgive me, but this little servant has no eyes. If you are not careful, you should die!" "What are you doing here?" Li Zhi tensed his face, his lips were trembling and he couldn't answer.Wu Zetian came out to meet Li Zhi, excused Ding Dian'er, "He came to see the little princess specially, and gave her a longevity lock." "oh oh." Li Zhi's expression softened, "I blamed him wrongly." Wu Zetian pouted slightly: "The emperor does not blame you, thank you quickly." Ding Dianer quickly kowtowed and retreated.Wu Zetian sat down with Li Zhi, and turned his face to Gao Yansi: "Eunuch Gao, why didn't you inform me?" Woolen cloth?" "They went home and prepared to make a full moon for the little princess." "a few more days?" "Four days." "I'm coming too, let's celebrate together." "The emperor really likes the little princess?" "Hey, that goes without saying." Li Zhi smiled, "The little guy is better than the winter jasmine, which is as beautiful as the moon, like me and you, of course I love her the most." He sat in the main hall for a while, went into the room to look at the little princess lying in the cradle, and returned to the Manna Hall.Queen Wang has been thinking about Liu Shi's words.She was a little undecided, and didn't want to do things all at once.After much deliberation, reconciliation was the best policy, so I lent the little princess to make a full moon as an excuse, and went to the Temple of Sun to test it out first, to see Wu Zhaoyi's color, and then make a decision.After dinner, the queen brought two servants to Wu Zhaoyi's residence.But unfortunately, the nurse just finished feeding and went out.Wu Zhaoyi has the habit of taking a walk in the evening and is not at home.Zhaoyi's maid didn't know how to deal with it, she knelt aside and dared not raise her head.Queen Wang sized them up and asked casually, "Where is Zhaoyi?" "I probably went to the Imperial Garden," the maid replied, "She didn't say anything when she went out. Madam, do you want to call her?" "Forget it. I will officially come to drink the little princess's full moon wine in two days, and I will only see her today." The queen said as she walked towards the little princess' room.She didn't give orders, and the maids couldn't move around, they all stayed outside.She walked into the room alone, bent over to the cradle, and a scent of frankincense rushed towards her face. She sniffled and thought it smelled so good. Curiously, she lifted the quilt, hugged the baby and kissed it.The newly added charcoal in the large copper stove in the room was burning with blue flames.The queen felt hot all over, and she was a little dizzy. She put the baby under the quilt again, rubbed her temple with one hand, and left the room. "Your Majesty, sit down for a while, let's make tea." The maid said respectfully. "No. I'm a little dizzy...You guys greet Wu Zhaoyi for me and tell her that I will make the little princess a full moon." The queen's valet guarded her and staggered away.Wu Zetian did not go far when she went out.When she saw the Queen coming, she thought she was looking for trouble, so she didn't dare to pick her up, so she took an evasive strategy, turned into the palace through the back door, hid in the dark room, and eavesdropped on what she asked and said.When I heard the queen said that she would come to give the little princess a full moon, I couldn't help but feel happy, and I was ready to come out to pick her up.At this time, the queen walked into the little princess' room alone, and she was startled again, fearing that the queen would kill the little princess, she broke out in a cold sweat.Not long after, the queen went out.She eagerly walked into the little princess' room and saw that the little princess was sleeping in the cradle without moving, and fell asleep again.She glanced at the little princess's tender red face, and suddenly came up with an evil idea: trade the life of the little princess for my personal safety.Her heart tightened: I am her mother!How difficult it is to conceive in October and give birth to her!When the little princess was still wriggling in her belly, she was weaving a wreath of a beautiful future for her. Although she didn't know whether it was a man or a woman at that time, she was happy to dream like this, as if she and her thoughts were the same.Now I want to strangle her to death with my own hands, my God!Wu Zetian's chest thumped and her eyes turned black, but if the queen and queen don't fall down, I can't live long, let alone have a bright future.If I die, the little princess and Hong'er will die too.The little princess can exchange two lives for one life.Seeing that Queen Wang is about to attack me.If you lose this opportunity, it will be too late.She gritted her teeth and stretched out her hands to the little princess.Trembling all over, the trembling hands couldn't be controlled, she couldn't bear it, and subconsciously put down her hands. "Instead of me dying, let her die in my place." Her face was livid, panting heavily, she raised her hands again, and then put them down again.Lift it up, put it down, lift it up again.After repeating this three or four times, her nerves became numb and she lost her mind. She bowed deeply to the little princess with only a subconscious feeling, her heart swayed, and her hands grabbed the little princess's immature neck.Before the little princess had time to cry or cry, she fell asleep forever.Wu Zetian loosened his hands and fell down.Her legs spasmed like cotton and she couldn't stand up.Stand up, go down limp again.After struggling for a long time, blood was bitten from both the upper lip and the lower lip, before regaining consciousness, finally stood up, and staggered out of the room.At dusk, when the emperor came to the Sun Palace, Wu Zetian hurried out to meet him.The maid and the nanny looked at each other, feeling a little strange, wondering when she would come back.Li Zhi and Wu Zetian sat down, and the maid brought refreshments.The two were chatting and laughing, when suddenly a scream came from the little princess' room: "Oh! It's terrible, come here!" Li Zhi and Wu Zetian were startled suddenly, stood up abruptly, rushed into the room, I saw the nurse hugging the little princess, kneeling on the ground and crying loudly.Wu Zetian stared at the phoenix eyes and asked, "What happened? Why are you crying?" "Small, the little princess is dead, dead!" the nanny replied sobbing.Li Zhi stepped forward to take a closer look, the little princess closed her eyes, her face was dark, and she pinched her "renzhong" with her fingers, but there was no reaction at all.Nervous Li Zhi felt as if he had been hit on the head, his body tilted to one side, and he almost fell.Wu Zetian quickly supported him and sat down slowly.Hearing the crying, the eunuch and maid rushed to the door together.The bright and clean Temple of Sun was overcast and cloudy, and instantly turned into a sad, mournful and wailing world.Li Zhi stretched out a finger, and shouted hoarsely: "Come on, hurry up, send the imperial doctor!" "Your Majesty, there is no need." Wu Zetian stopped and said, "How can a person be resurrected after death, why bother mobilizing people." Li Zhi tilted his head in pain, pointed at the nanny and asked, "What's going on? Don't cry, just talk about it." "She, she doesn't seem to be sick. When I was breastfeeding, she also ate, ate very well, and put it in the cradle, also, also..." The nurse couldn't make a sound, shaking like malaria.The maid who was kneeling at the side took over and said tremblingly: "The little princess has been sleeping, sleeping very peacefully. The empress entered the room to tease her, and picked her up, but she didn't hear any crying." "What is she here for?" Li Zhi asked sharply. "She said to come and see the little princess first, and then come back to give her a full moon in two days. Also, she said she wanted us to greet Wu Zhaoyi on her behalf." " "Call one by one" Wu Zetian let out a long sigh, as if everything was clear, and Li Zhi also became suspicious: "That goblin, who didn't have a child, was jealous of Concubine Shu at first, and then Zhaoyi, who specially picked up conflicts and troubles, saying People's bad words...she comes to the Sun Temple, like a weasel giving a chicken New Year greetings, she must be uneasy and kind!" Everyone was silent, and they dared not speak.Li Zhi had a hallucination, and the deduction seemed to be a fact. He was so angry that he yelled furiously: "It was her, it was her, she killed my daughter!" Wu Zetian seemed to have burst into a fountain of tears Weeping, exchanging tears.The nurse and the maids began to cry again.Infected by this kind of emotion, Li Zhi seemed to add fuel to the fire, adding fuel to his anger, his eyes shone red, his hair stood on end, he wished he could bite Queen Wang's throat and bite her hard a few times.He didn't like the queen in the first place, but she did such a cruel and vicious thing again.He turned from disgust to anger, and from anger to hatred: "This woman with a human face and a beast's heart is as poisonous as a snake and a scorpion. How can she be a mother to the world?" "The emperor calm down." Wu Zetian was secretly delighted, but verbally persuaded, "Don't tell lies. Find out first, let her bow her head in front of the facts, and everyone will be convinced." The monarchs who have made achievements in history are often domineering and talented at the same time, patient and decisive, courageous and persistent, strong-willed, strong in emotion, magnificent and meticulous in bearing, thorough in seeing things, and impartial in handling .Li Zhi, the so-called Shoucheng emperor who governs by doing nothing, is sentimental, melancholy and timid, and lacks the courage and courage to make a decisive decision.Although he believed that the queen had killed the little princess by hand, he couldn't bear it and gritted his teeth, but he hesitated for a while and became worried: the queen didn't bow her head and confessed, maybe there would be a scene like when the crown prince was established, and Uncle Wuji and the courtiers protected him. She, but I can't produce convincing evidence, the tough Wuji might make him look bad in public, so it's not easy to step down.After hesitating for a moment, he pondered over and over again before accepting Wu Zetian's persuasion, to check first and then deal with it.According to the emperor's will, Gao Yansi led several eunuchs to Xiangfeng Palace.There was a chill on his expressionless face, and he said in a smooth and sharp way: "The emperor has an order, please explain the whole process in the little princess's room clearly." Those who come are not good, and those who are kind do not come.The queen's love is important, she has a clear conscience, she has no bad motives, and she has no misdemeanors. She doesn't know where to start, and she is unwilling to defend herself.She is a dignified woman who never forgets her status. She has always been indifferent, doesn't understand the palace people, and doesn't bother to condescend to them.Answering the eunuch's question, she felt that it was inappropriate and undignified. Yi Kongli hummed and raised her chin and said proudly: "Walking in the inner palace is the right and freedom of the family. It is not subject to anyone's interference. There is no need to explain." The queen refused to inquire, and the eunuchs wiped their noses with ashes and left in a hurry.However, they are not easy to mess with, these half-lazi people like castrated male dogs are eccentric and vicious, they can think of anything, and they can do it.Whoever is rude to them must be called bad luck.In their minds, they only know that there is the master and the emperor, but they don't know anyone else, and the queen is not under their eyes.But the queen is the hostess after all, in charge of the harem, she must not be unreasonable in front of her, she must not behave against etiquette, and she must not use her power to coerce confessions.Li Zhi has firmly believed that the Queen's intentions are sinister and her methods are vicious.Although he has not proposed to depose the queen, since then, he has no contact with her.The queen became the murderer who killed the little princess for no reason. There is no place to appeal for grievances. No one listens to the explanation, and it is useless to say more.She was full of anger, not reconciled to being dirty, shook her head and sighed all day long, frowned, and couldn't lift her head anymore.Since then, she rarely showed her face in public, as if she was under house arrest, and gradually lost contact with the outside world.His mother, Liu Shi, also rarely entered the palace once, and she fell into loneliness and bewilderment on all sides.Handmaidens were guilty of neglect and were punished with flogging, and nurses were even put to death, depending on the severity of the crime.They panicked to the extreme, their hair stood on end, and their hearts were broken.In grief, Wu Zetian not only did not blame the servants, but also interceded for them in front of the emperor, exempting them from punishment.The palace people all burst into tears of gratitude, and praised in unison: "Wu Zhaoyi himself has suffered, and it is rare to be so magnanimous in forgiving the servant." "Even if you are a cow and a horse, it is difficult to repay her great kindness." "My life belongs to Zhaoyi Ling, and if I die for her, I will die without complaint." The nanny regards Wu Zetian as the reborn parents, and her gratitude is even deeper.The little princess died suddenly, Wu Zetian was severely stimulated, and was in a trance. She often had nightmares and woke up crying several times.Li Zhi was afraid that she would become ill from worry, so he took her to the Wannian Palace for recuperation, and evacuated her to eliminate the depression in her heart.Wannian Palace is located five miles west of Linyou County. It was originally the Renshou Palace built in the Sui Dynasty. It was expanded in the fifth year of Zhenguan and renamed Jiucheng Palace.The season is in the late spring and March, when all kinds of flowers spit out stamens, bees fly and butterflies dance, Nanshan flowers bloom and Beishan red.The fragrant fragrance generously spread by nature embellishes the spring very well.The birds flying around were chirping and contending.The turbulent stream, the hanging spring and the waterfall are noisy and jumping, rushing down from the mouth of the valley.On the hillside, the cows are lowing and the horses neighing, the sheep are bleating, and the vitality and joy of life are everywhere.In the four seasons of the year, Wu Zetian likes spring the most.At this time, the sky is so blue, the sun is so bright, the grass is shining in spring, the flowers are clustered, and the trees are covered with new green clothes.In order to add excitement to Wu Zetian, Li Zhi ordered Gao Yansi to pick up Ying Guo's wife Yang and Wu Yan from Chang'an.The emperor's favor, the company of relatives, and the beautiful scenery made Wu Zetian happy to forget her worries, and quickly healed the wounds in her heart.She was pregnant with her third child, which added a kind of spiritual comfort.However, at this turning point, she discovered the ambiguous relationship between her sister and Li Zhi, which shocked her. With the pregnancy reaction, she fell into pain and contemplation again.It was the thunderstorm season in May, and the wind and rain had been raging for a whole day, and the rolling hills looked green, black and damp, as if they were covered with a layer of black veil.Shen Lei roared on the roof, and the ground seemed to be shaking. The nearby trees swayed like drunk in the wind and rain for a while, and screamed and howled like crazy for a while.After midnight, a thunderstorm broke out, and a bolt of lightning slanted across the sky full of dark clouds, and a loud explosion seemed to blow up the entire universe.The floodgates of the kingdom of heaven were opened, the torrent of the Tianhe River poured down, the torrential rain poured down, and the loess was continuously lost under the violent washing of the rain.The hillside to the west suddenly collapsed, and the muddy muddy water broke through the retaining dam and rushed towards Li Palace.Seeing the ferocious mountain torrent, the guards on duty at Xuanwu Gate at the north gate of Li Palace panicked and fled in all directions.Seeing this panic, Xue Rengui, the leader of the army on the right, climbed up to the crossbeam of Xuanwu Gate, waved his arms and shouted loudly: "No running around! The emperor is in danger, can you still take care of your own safety? Anyone who disobeys orders will be dealt with by military law!" Wu Zetian in pajamas suddenly appeared at the gate of the palace, put his hands on his waist, and ordered solemnly: "Everything must be obeyed by General Xue! Those who have meritorious service will be rewarded! Those who escape will be killed without pardon!" Xue Rengui He drew out his saber, raised his sword and dropped it, beheading two soldiers running around, and the chaotic crowd suddenly fell silent.He quickly divided the guards into three teams, one team rescued the driver, the other team protected the palace people to transfer, and the other team rescued and drained the flood.Li Zhi, Wu Zetian, Ying Guo's wife Yang Shi, Wu Yan, as well as palace maids and eunuchs, were rescued by the imperial guards and moved to the high mountain bag.The mountain torrent quickly overflowed the doors and windows, submerging the lower palaces and pavilions.The courtiers, officials and common people who had no time to escape drowned about 3,000 people.After the thunderstorm, the sky is getting brighter, but the bedroom is still soaked in the flood, or buried by mudslides.Li Zhi and Wu Zetian lived temporarily in the attic high above.Wu Zetian, who was pregnant, withstood most of the night to fall asleep under the care of the maid.When I woke up, the sun had risen to the east.She got up, walked to the window, stretched herself, and suddenly saw Li Zhi walking into Wu Yan's temporary residence, and the door was closed.Wu Zetian rushed downstairs, walked around to the back eaves of the sister group's house, put her ear on the door panel and listened carefully, and heard her sister's delicate and delicate voice: "...the daughter of the people knows that the emperor will come...where is my sister?" "She fell asleep," Li Zhi said with a slightly hoarse voice, "hehe... I just slipped downstairs." "My sister is very smart, be careful, I feel embarrassed when I find out." "She is very tired, she will definitely not be able to get up in the morning... She stayed up all night last night, organizing disaster relief... Both Xue Rengui and her have made great contributions... Without their rescue, I am afraid I would have been rushed to the Dragon King..." "The emperor will reward meritorious ministers, right?" "Of course, of course, including you?" "I?" "That's right, you have merit in serving me... I want to make you Mrs. Korea, so that it will be convenient for you to enter the palace." "Your Majesty is very kind..." The voice became smaller and smaller, and could not be heard.The dress rustled, whispering quietly.It seemed that they hugged each other and made out there.Standing outside the door, Wu Zetian's lungs exploded, and anger rose from his heart.She was ready to break in and grab them.But experience and experience forced her to calm down, reason finally defeated emotion, she clenched her fists, suppressed her anger, and returned to her dormitory.Dark clouds weighed on her heart, rolling like a raging tide, she turned back and forth like a wild animal in a cage, the veins on her forehead swelled with the rough breathing: "Sister, you shouldn't have done too much It's so unreasonable! I entered the palace in the eleventh year of Zhenguan, and I have suffered a lot in the past seventeen years. With my tenacious will and perseverance, I fought alone and finally struggled from the death line. You Don't you understand?" Tears rolled down in strings, "Although I have received some compensation now, I have not completely escaped from the predicament and escaped danger. The harem is a place where people eat people! If you don't eat her, she will eat her." Eat you up. As a real sister, knowing that I, Queen Wang, and Concubine Xiao Shu are jealous in the fight for favor, you stepped in again and competed with me." She breathed a sigh of relief, and then thought about it for her: the elder sister stayed alone in the empty boudoir at a young age. After a long time, she naturally couldn't bear it. Sharing a little happiness with the younger sister is not completely incomprehensible and unforgivable.There are examples in both history and reality of direct sisters sharing the same husband.This is the case with Zhao Feiyan and her younger sister Zhao Hede.Due to the decline of their family, the two sisters were exiled in Chang'an City and became dancers in Princess Yang'a's mansion.When Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty saw her dancing gracefully in the princess mansion, like a flying swallow in the sky, he loved and pitied her, and took her back to the palace in a car, and named her Jieyu.Later, Zhao Hede, who had plump skin, was welcomed into the palace, and he was also favored.Emperor Cheng abolished Empress Xu, established Feiyan as queen, and promoted Hede to Zhaoyi.The Zhao sisters competed for favor and almost fell out.After the death of Emperor Cheng, the sisters committed suicide one after another, but they all failed to die well. "The lessons learned from the past and the harsh reality show that it is not advisable for sisters to serve one husband, and the consequences are often not good. Why do you have to do this, sister? The moths rush to the flames, and you perish. You made the first—don't blame me for making the first Two!" Wu Zetian gritted her teeth, and her facial features shifted in anger. "A small leak will sink a great ship." She warned herself: Now is not the time to be jealous with her sister.For the time being, he could only swallow his anger, keep silent, and treat her with the attitude of sisters enjoying together, use her to entangle the emperor, further gain his favor, and realize his ideal of replacing the king and queen.The flood subsided, and the Wannian Palace returned to normal life.Wu Zetian also passed the vomiting period and recovered physically.She no longer let her elder sister pester Li Zhi, and invited him back to her side, firmly controlling him.A charming smile appeared on her face again, her big and black eyes were full of water, sparkling and very moving, as lively and romantic as a girl, making Li Zhi happy.Every night, she would clean up the imperial couch with her maids by herself, put on pink curtains, take off the sachets on the hook, sprinkle fresh flower petals on the pillows, and place flowers on the window sills and on the imperial table. The vase of flower branches fills the bedroom with natural fragrance.Li Zhi held the beautiful Zhaoyi in his arms, smelling her body fragrance and natural flower fragrance, as if lying in the flowers, his heart was full of joy, and his face was full of smiles: "Ai Qing, I always feel very happy when I am with you, but May we raise our eyebrows together and grow old together." "This matter," Wu Zetian combed Li Zhi's hair slowly with her fingers, "to be honest, the courtiers think more than the emperor. With the king and queen in power, there will be no talk of it for a long time." "I'll destroy her." "Don't be too hasty, take it step by step. Now let's tear down her background first. Bangxi is the dog-headed military adviser who shakes the goose feather fan, and is also the link between her and Wuji. We must be cruel and pull him down." "What I'm worried about is not the Queen's uncle, but my own uncle." "Hey, he's different for an old man. Minister Tuogu has a lot of power in his hands. It's easy to shake mountains, but it's hard to shake them. We can only use soft methods to persuade him and influence him." "You and I can think of coming together." "It depends on you. Alas, it's a pity that the concubine can't help." "I will ask you to help me." Li Zhi touched her lower body a few times, "Oh, it's so hot, tell me, if you don't cooperate, how can I do it alone?" He said while stroking her The soft carcass climbs up.From then on, when Li Zhi went to the court or summoned his ministers, he always made Liu Xi look bad, deliberately snubbed him, taunted him, and even found fault with him, humming his nostrils, and never looked at him with his eyes.Liu Shi originally lacked the skills and demeanor of a statesman, coupled with Li Healing's increasingly obvious hostile attitude, his hairs were trembling, his heart was trembling, and he was in a constant state of panic.In June, floods hit Hengzhou, and the Hutuo River burst, flooding and washing away 5,300 households. The loss was heavy, and the people were in dire straits.Li Zhi took advantage of the problem and complained loudly, scolding Liu Shi for being inaccurate in grasping the disaster situation and failing in disaster relief.Liu Xun had nowhere to appeal his grievances, and he dared not refute them.Liu Xi, who once flaunted his power as the queen's uncle, now looks unlucky and more and more embarrassed.The courtiers were afraid of being involved, so they tried their best to avoid him.Knowing that the general situation was over and irreversible, he was worried and fearful, so he took the initiative to ask Zhongshuling to be relieved of his post.Li Zhi approved his request and was demoted to be Minister of the Ministry of Officials.Liu Xun appreciates himself with self-knowledge and prudence to protect himself, but things are counterproductive. This move is just his first step on the skateboard, and he is sliding into the abyss step by step.In late July, Li Zhi returned from the Wannian Palace to Chang'an, the capital.The king and queen in a state of confinement are like being trapped in a tight siege, and the days are getting sadder every day.Her backstage was shaken, showing signs of breakdown.Wu Zetian's state of mind is in sharp contrast to hers, with relaxed brows and eyes, and a constant smile.The first move was successful, Liu Shi's arrogance was suppressed, and she and Li Zhi started to plan the second move.The grandson Taiwei ranks first among the three lords, and is also the emperor's uncle. He has power in the court and the public, and he must obtain his approval in advance to abolish the empress.In desperation, they had to go to Chongrenfang to visit Wuji's private house, trying to impress this stubborn old man.Although Wuji is an elder, he is a subject after all.When the emperor came, and rewarded ten carts of gold, silver, jewelry and silk, it was extremely honorable and should be flattered.Wuji saw Wu Zhaoyi coming with him, and he already understood a lot in his heart.With a smile on her face, Wu Zetian called out cordially: "Uncle, uncle, there is no need to be formal, it's a family." "Uh, uh..." Changsun Wuji replied vaguely.这是探亲，名义上是晚辈看望长辈，无忌的宠妾也得跟着出来迎接客人。李治说说笑笑，和舅舅谈天说地。武则天虚心下气，极力奉承舅舅，无话找话，和舅母拉家常。彼此心照不宣地闲聊，只不言及正事。无忌设宴款待时，武则天顺水推舟，说这是自家的私宴，要求无忌的宠妾和公子一同入席。酒过数巡，李治问起四位老表的情况，无忌一一作了介绍。他的长子冲，在贞观六年和李世民的第五个女儿，即长孙皇后的长女、长乐公主结婚，现任秘书监，从三品。另外三个为宠妾所生，才十几岁，尚无官爵。武则天眨动了一下长长的眼睫毛，正经其事地向李治进言道：“舅勇躬身三朝，安邦定国，功盖寰宇，应该推恩加赐，遍及全穷” "It makes sense." 李治会意，当即赐给无忌的三个儿子朝散大夫从五品的职位。这本是一种荣誉官职，有官名而无实职的散官，一般应赐给有德望的文官。 “无功受禄，老臣于心不安，望皇上收回圣意。” 无忌托辞不受，不肯谢恩。活跃气氛一变，接着是一阵难堪的沉默。武则天一口干了手中的半杯酒，笑了笑，语气亲切态度热情地说：“舅舅过谦呶，你老人家劳苦功高，朝廷若无一点表示，臣民会说皇上赏罚不明，舅舅你也有推脱不掉的一份责任呐。” “呵呵，”无忌矜持地一笑，“我问心无愧，怪有何妨。” 武则天并不生气，又转了一个弯，笑盈盈地说：“舅舅一身正气，两袖清风，公私分明，谁个不知，哪个不晓？正因为如此，舅舅理当接受。” 司马昭之心，路人皆知。老谋深算的无忌当然明白他们在用这种手段换取武氏的皇后宝座。虽然不好再辞，但心里并不舒服：当年不过太宗皇帝的一个贱妾而已，如今居然称我舅父来舅父去的。小人得志，真不知天高地厚！他吐出了胸中的恶气，又轻蔑地瞟了武昭仪两眼，才命三个儿子离席下跪，向皇上磕头谢恩。无忌违背李世民的意愿，坚持立晋王治当太子，他的如意算盘是要让他成为傀儡皇帝。而今如愿已偿，朝政实际由他左右，一切都以他的意志为转移。只有后宫之事，无忌不好插手，让李治自行处理。可是野心勃勃的武昭仪不安本分，诱惑皇帝俨然夫妻一般，双双私访自己，还给予优厚的赏赐，企图笼络他放弃原则。awesome!这个居心叵测的女人，对她不得掉以轻心。他自己提醒自己，必须站稳脚跟。大家频频举杯，酒宴气氛又升温了。趁着酒兴，李治鼓起勇气说道：“皇后自己不能生育，老是嫉妒别人，阴险毒辣，闹得后宫乌烟瘅气，朕也心中不安。不废掉她，后宫永无宁曰。” “皇上气头上的话，老臣只能听听而已。你们是正配夫妻，有什么事，床边教子，枕边教妻，多规劝一下，不要互相怄气。” “我见了她就头痛，无法跟她和好了。” “皇上，”长孙无忌进一步开导说，“如今江山稳固，四海升平，来之不易呀！我们君臣都要好好珍惜，切不可意气用事。外乱有老臣在，皇上可以高枕无忧。内乱可就不好收拾喽。” 无忌一边轻咳，一边支吾，像老练的外交使节那样，把话题扯开，既不作正面回答，又处处以社稷安危相威胁。说他态度明朗，卖质上模棱两可；说他模棱吧，又似乎隐含着深层次的意思。李治当然不是无忌的对手，被无忌一席外交辞令似的话语说得哑口无言。而在一旁注视的武则天心中火烧火燎，却只能干着急，不能插话。再坐下去已觉无趣，他俩乘兴而来，败兴而归，带着不满和失望的情绪起驾回宫。临上轿时，武则天露出讨人喜欢的微笑，双手握着无忌宠妾的手，意味深长而话中带话地说：“天气冷热不和，舅舅和舅母要注意气候的变化，多多保重。” 御驾离开后，无忌宠妾将武昭仪的暗示性的言语转告了无忌。无忌向来倔强固执，刚正不阿。他嗤鼻一笑，根本没有把她的话放在心里，仅仅象征性地留下几件物品，略表拜领恩赐之意，其余的如数退回了宫中。好心没有好报，对无忌的怀柔举措事实上等于失败。坚无不摧的女强人武则天岂肯服输，她不达目的是不会罢休的。 过了一段时间，她又安排母亲杨氏以应国夫人的身份去无忌家中行走，一次又一次地送礼，讨好无忌的宠妾，请她在丈夫面前美言几句，疏通疏通。铁板一块的无忌根本不吃她那一套，不予理睬，不改初衷。出师不利，续战有始无终，无忌比想像的还要硬头，简直岿然不动。从冷遇和险境中走过来的武则天，她的应变能力可以说达到了炉火纯青、无可挑剔的地步，能屈能伸，能攻善守。眼下瘅碍如山，前途千难万险，已成骑虎难下之势，但她并不气馁，又重新议定了对策，由软取转变成强攻，以硬对硬，强行突玻，攻开这座坚固的堡垒。钉子碰上了铁，双方都不让步，无法达成妥协。一场新的火并即将爆发，同时可以闻到火药味了。八攻里与反击永徽六年正月初一日，李治前往昭陵祭祀先帝李世民。祭陵与登基、纳后、祭祀天地神灵、封山、大朝会等，都是国家的大典，非常隆重。昭陵位于关中盆地西北方的九崚山，在醴泉县东北五十里处。它始建于贞观十年十一月，文德长孙皇后先葬于此，贞观十一年后继续施工，于二十三年八月安葬太宗李世民之前峻工。陵墓修在主峰的绝崖上。工程进行时，在西南面架设栈道或筑飞阁高楼，凿开山腰的岩石，开造玄宫。先后葬下长孙皇后和李世民后，桟道拆除，上山便无路可通了。 祭典在陵墓前的献般举行，从陵园南门外的神道至献殿，有十几里长，中间备有斋室等，陵寝的西南面设文武百官的幄舍帐篷。祭陵时，五品以上的朝廷官员、地方都督和刺史、外国酋长或使节、皇亲国戚、皇后和后宫的妃嫔等等，按例都得参加。这一次，王皇后和萧淑妃被取消了资格。即将临盆的武昭仪本来可以不去，但是她想显示一下自己健壮的体魄，坚持要去。李治只得吩咐高延嗣带着御医和喜娘专门侍候，又命其母杨氏和姐姐武艳陪伴左右，一路同行。出发的时候，天气尚好，山峦、河流和树林都静卧在坦荡的苍穹下，驿道两旁堆累着有如层层白玉般的积雪。御马啸啸长鸣，卤薄仪仗映着雪光，车马人流浩浩荡荡，好似一条长长的巨蟒蜿蜓蠕动。雪凌和泥沙混在一起被践踏成了粥一样的胶结物，粘在靴底和车轮上，走得相当费力。天一黑一亮，玉屑也似的雪末儿纷纷扬扬，悄然无声地落了下来。时不时地揭开车幔欣赏雪景的武艳伤了风，发起高烧，颤抖着，呻吟着，身上盖着又大又厚的棉被，脑袋再也不敢伸出车窗了。车马转上山路，车轮经常打滑，又颠簸得厉害，风雪也加大了。由于强烈的震动，武则天的阵痛提前了。幸亏事前准备周全，有备无患，在车内顺利地产下了一名男婴。李治得到喜讯，即命女眷随昭仪母子返回长安。武则天姊妹一病一生育，都被严严实实地关在车内。此次偁然事件，却造成了往后的大悲剧一前往昭陵途中产下的这位皇子，误传为武艳所生。祭陵回宫，李治见新生的第六个儿子团团大脸，白白胖胖的，很可爱，赐名贤。正月十九日，授封武则天所生的两个儿子一三岁的弘当代王，贤当潞王。产后坐月的武则天，仍在搜肠刮肚地思谋如何坐上皇后的宝座。长孙皇后的女则三十卷在宫中广泛流传，获得好评。武则天自信教养与学识可跟长孙皇后媲美，决计撰写一本女训，展示自己拥有做一个皇后的贤德和才华。二月，女训写出来了，俨然以后宫实质上的女主人的身份，训示内宫女性应遵守哪些道德及礼仪。她熟悉经史，善于叙述和讲解故事，文笔优美，李治大加赞赏，宦官学士和宫人也很佩服她的才气，反馈回来的信息使她兴奋不已。王皇后更加焦急起来，坐卧不安，唉声叹气，莫测的命运总让她担心，生怕一纸诏书夺去她的凤冠。柳氏心疼女儿，想方设法宽解安慰，但是没有效果。王皇后愈来愈消沉，萎蘼不振。柳氏无计可施，只得祈求神灵的护佑。她秘密请了几个女巫，为女儿跳神驱邪，又想咒死武昭仪。不顾六月炎天，暑气逼人，紧闭翔凤殿后殿，设神坛作法。巫婆戴着假面具，手持令旗令牌，满口咒语喃喃，扮做厉鬼的巫女把针扎进小桐木人的头部和胸背。柳氏和王皇后跪在地上焚香化纸，纸灰乱飞，与香烛的浓烟混在一起，加上热浪的冲击，弄得后殿内乌烟瘴气。丁点儿发觉后，立刻报告了武则天。武则天重赏了丁点儿，吩咐说：“你回去注意动向，做点手脚，搜查时暗中指点一下。” 李治和武艳纵欲过度，好几天没有上朝了。武则天妒火中烧，醋性大发，来到甘露殿，只见李治面容僬悴，连眼睛都凹陷下去了，斜倚在御榻上，一副衰弱无力的病样子。她目光一闪，转变了念头，决计摆开嫉妒心，巧妙地利用李治的虚症，嫁祸于王皇后。她急步走上前，装着心痛的模样把李治搂在怀里，边抚摸边温和地问：“皇上，你怎么啦？” “朕不舒服。” 李治无精打采地说，“心中迷迷糊糊，脑袋昏昏沉沉，脚酸手软。你来得正好，多陪朕一会儿。” “这些天来，我也经常心口痛。” “你也病啦，”李治睁了睁眼睛，“朕和你真是同病相怜。” “皇上，你知道吗？我们中了魇魔术。” 巫蛊、鬼道、邪道、厌魅等，统称魇魔术或厌胜术。它是人们乞求鬼神保佑或达到某种目的的诅咒法，可用于善或恶：善的方面主要是祈祷消灾灭难。恶则用纸或桐木塑成人形，在上面写上对方的姓名和生辰八字，贴上符咒，洒上禽畜血或人血，在头、胸等要害处扎进针或钉子，使其病魔缠身，重则置人于死地。中国唐代，是当时世界上最先进最文明的国家之一。政治、经济、文化都采取比较开明的政策和措施。思想学术上，不像汉代那样把儒家定为一尊，而封本家老子李聃为“太上玄元皇帝”，把道德经和庄子等定为士子必读之书，使道教和道家思想得以盛行。对于佛教也加以提倡。从西域传来的景教、袄教、魔尼教和伊斯兰教等，也听任它们在国内传播。不过，知识阶层一般仍然尊崇儒学。皇宫大内严厉禁止厌胜术，施用巫术害人者，一经发现，从严处罚，甚至判处死刑。胆小的李治听说中了魇魔术，惊慌得打起寒颤，紧紧抓住武则天的手：“你怎么知道的？” “臣妾昨夜做了一个梦，梦中我父亲对我说：巫婆设坛作法，要害皇上和你的性命。我拖住他苦苦哀求：功髙莫过救驾，爹爹，快救皇上啊。他说出翔凤殿三个字，我就惊醒了。” 李治十分震怒，即命巳升任内侍省总监的高延嗣带领太监和禁军去翔凤殿搜査。髙延嗣等闯进殿内，王皇后吓了一跳，口舌打结地问：“你，你们要干什么？”高延嗣拂尘一摆，皮笑肉不笑地说：“禁宫施行巫术，嘿嘿，又要恭请娘娘说一说。” “祈祷神灵保佑哀家，消灾祛病，有何不可？” “木头人呢？” "What did you say?" “请娘娘交出小木人儿，我们好向皇上交差。” “哀家不知道。” 髙延嗣心里笑了笑：用不着装傻耍威风，哼，你称不了几天哀家了！他脸色一变：“娘娘不给面子，休怪无礼。” “敢？” “搜！”髙延嗣一声令下，禁军便散开围住了寝殿。鹰犬般的太监们跟随髙延嗣四处搜索起来。王皇后的近侍太监丁点儿等和一些宫婢、侍女也混在其中凑热闹。皇后只觉得天旋地转，一股冷气从脚心往上冲，眼睛一黑，栽倒在地上。太监们在陈放杂物的室内发现了一张供案，在植木箱内翻出了若干祭祀器皿、香烛、纸钱和一些甲骨，还有登坛作法的令旗令牌，以及装满香灰的青铜香炉。高延嗣如获至宝，放大了胆子，命令太监们继续搜。丁点儿拉了拉他的衣袖，他便领着太监跨进了皇后的寝房，翻箱倒柜大抄起来。一名小太监从床底下摸出来两个小桐木人，背上分别写着李治和武昭仪的姓名及生辰八字，身上都扎了好几枚钢针。皇后目瞪口呆，犹如被人抓住了粘满鲜血的双手一般，浑身痉挛，上牙磕打着下牙，结结巴巴说她没有看见过这样的东西，也不知道是谁干的。柳氏帮着女儿声明，供案、香炉等物是祭拜自家祖先用的，也祈祷过神灵保佑皇后的身体早日康复。可是，没有人听她的，只围住皇后紧逼，叫她讲出真相和事情的经过。柳氏气得发疯，声嘶力竭地怒骂武则天：“别有用心栽赃，美女蛇，你，不得好死！”皇后寻死觅活地哭闹，蓦地又蓬头跣足跑到殿外，要去见皇上，禁军毫不客气地把她挡了回去。李治御驾来到了当场。皇后和柳氏跪倒在地，辩驳桐木人纯属诬陷，她们娘女摸头不知尾。然而赃证俱在，千担河水也洗不清了。李治指着皇后叱斥道：“你这狡诈的毒妇，朕亲眼所见，还想耍赖？告诉你，这回可赖不掉了。” “皇上，此事与皇后无关，要怪就怪我好啦。” 柳氏伏地叩头请罪，愿意承担全部罪责，但求不要连累皇后。李治素闻老媪讨嫌，今天见了她这副模样，就像见了一只遍身疙瘩的癞蛤蟆，唾了一口痰，即命逐出宫外。柳氏曾经带人皇后宫中的几个女巫都找到了。高延嗣想从她们嘴里问出点端倪。然而女巫看出了对方的用意，明知不管真假，反正难免一死，因此不管如何严刑拷问，也不开口说话，一个个都惨死在刑具上。后宫充满了恐惧不安的紧张气氛，宛若铜锅里的开水一般，激荡沸滚，弥雾腾腾。有的人笑，有的人哭，有的人躲，有的人忙得团团转，有的人袖手旁观看热闹。太监“傻大，”告发了萧淑妃整天诅咒皇上和昭仪。李治又命高延嗣抄查了淑妃的寝殿。傻大哥身高臂长，四肢发达而思想简单。他可能阉割不尽，常有性欲冲动，被萧淑妃扫了两个耳光，还罚他吃了一嘴猫屎，从此怀恨在心。丁点儿和他相好，劝说他投靠了武昭仪。萧淑妃见高延嗣领着太监和禁军来了，心中无冷病，脸不变色心不跳，用冷嗖嗖的眼光扫视了一下在场的人，说：“髙公公，就动手呢，还是先歇一会儿？”周围的人差点被她镇住了，殿内立刻静了下来。高延嗣上前打了一躬，一字一顿地问道：“淑妃娘娘，请问你为何要骂皇上？” “这事用不着你管，”萧淑妃眉尖一挑，“要问，皇上可以亲自来问清楚。” “老奴奉旨询问。” “既然自知是奴，在主子面前就得放规矩点儿。” “连皇后都问得，怎么问不得你？” “皇后是皇后，我是我。” 萧淑妃的嘴角边掠过一丝冷笑：“你在我的眼里不过是一条病态的老阉狗，狗眼朝寝房里瞧瞧，床上的那只波斯猫比你还管用，它能逮耗子，可不像你一样混嘶乱咬。” “娘娘不要骂人。” “骂了你又怎么样？”寝殿又是一阵难堪的静默。高延嗣气极败坏，脑袋一偏，太监们扎脚勒手行动起来。他带着火气冲进寝房，拂尘朝波斯猫猛抽过去。波斯猫咪地叫了一声，狂跳起来，像一团雪白的棉球从窗口弹了出去。 “打狗欺主哟。” 背靠着门框的萧淑妃，脸上仍然是一副轻蔑的神色。 “我打的是猫，嗨嗨。” 高延嗣觉得这句话回敬得好，扬起眉毛，显得很得意。 “你打猫，我就打狗！”萧淑妃顺手抓起一只花瓶，向着高延嗣砸过去。髙延嗣一闪身，啪哒一响，琉璃花瓶摔成了碎片。傻大哥乘乱窜进窜出，拎着一个酒坛走到高延嗣的跟前：“毒酒！”高延嗣心头一喜，转守为攻：“私藏鸩酒，你想毒死皇上？” “皇上不会到我这儿来啦，”萧淑妃平静地说，“我是为自己预备的。” 、“你嘴硬，哼，不怕你不认罪。” 高延嗣边说边往外面走，傻大哥抱着酒坛跟在背后，太监和禁军一齐撤退了。李治降旨幽禁王皇后和萧淑妃之后，又敕令禁止皇后的母亲柳氏进入内宫。不久，贬吏部尚书柳奭出任遂州〔四川遂宁市〕剌史。柳奭离开京城长安，路过岐州〔陕西凤翔县〕的扶凤州治所在地，岐州长史于承素接人驿亭，设宴盛情款待，一醉方休。次日柳奭上路后，于承素抓住他的话柄，加以渲染，即刻参了一本，揭发柳奭泄露宫禁秘密，败坏朝廷的声誉。李治不问青红皂白，又以柳奭“泄密”为由，再贬到更遥远的荣州〔四川荣县〕当刺史。稀里糊涂的柳奭，犯了法还不知道怎么犯的。接旨后，改道由剑南南行，翻山越岭去了靠近云南边境的任职所在地。死后也没有运回长安，就地埋葬在那里。攻坚战进行得异常顺利，节节获胜，精于策划的武则天却没有被胜利打乱思路，宜急则急，宜缓则缓，该放弃的放弃，该进攻的猛攻，一切都在有步骤地进行着。李治和武艳在甘露殿偷情，她视而不见，听而不闻，一个人留在寝房内，手捧孙子兵法，挑灯夜读。兵书上说：“战势不可奇正，奇正之变，不可胜穷也。奇正还相生，如环之无端，孰能穷之哉？”她边学边思索：假设把直取皇后的宝座当作正术，还不如运用奇术，逐步进行，步步为营，出奇制胜。接着她又仔细研究了宫廷的后妃制度：皇后之下，有贵妃、淑妃、德妃、贤妃各一人，为四夫人，地位如同三公，正一品；昭仪、昭容、昭嫒、修仪、修容、修媛、充仪、充容、充媛各一人，为九嫔，正二品；婕妤九人，正三品；美人九人，正四品；才人九人，正五品宝林二十九人，正六品；御女二十七人，正七品；采女二十七人，正八品。我国自古就有“男主外，女主内”的传统，把“帝”称做天子，“后”则称做“母仪”，皇后为一国之母，地位如同天子。夫人以下均有职掌：夫人佐皇后“坐而论妇礼者也，其于内则无所不统”；九嫔、婕妤掌教九御四德，赞导皇后的礼仪；美人掌率女官修祭祀宾客之事；才人掌序宴寝。武则天反复揣摩着：从正二品的昭仪到皇后，中间要跳过正一品的四妃，跨得太远，不如走一步算一步稳妥。然而四妃没有空缺，“怎么办？”她自己问自己。惟一的办法是增设一名宸妃。 “宸”字在古代是用来表达天子的事，“宸妃”自然要排列在四妃的前面。这样，她实际上就成为了不是皇后的皇后。当李治来到就日殿，武则天绕了个弯儿，煞有介事地问道：“皇上在忙些什么，好多天都没有看见你？” “朕一直在说服朝臣们，想早日立你当皇后。”