Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty

King Luo Bin pointed with his fingers, "Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty excavated the canal, adopted Yu Shiji's proposal, planted weeping willows along both sides of the bank, and planted one with his own hands. He gave the weeping willow the surname Yang, and later generations called it willow." "He went to Yangzhou on a dragon boat to see Qionghua, stretching with beautiful women and goats, and he can be regarded as having fun." After Tang Zhiqi said this, Du Qiuren, Li Jingyou, and Wei Siwen all proposed to go to Fanli Temple in the east of the city. "There is a viburnum in the temple. It is said that it was planted by Taoist Fanli, and it is unparalleled in the world."

"To be more specific," Tang Zhiqi squeezed into them, "it's like this. When the Taoist preached, he claimed that the flowers and trees of the immortal family were so beautiful, and the world didn't believe them. He took a piece of white jade and buried it in the ground, and it grew into a tree in no time. , the flowering is similar to that of Qiongyao. It is also called Qionghua because of the cultivation of jade." "There's no need to go," Li Jingye said, "There are no Qionghua there." "How do you say that?" Everyone opened their eyes and opened their mouths.

"During the Sui Dynasty, Qionghua grew to a height of ten feet. The flowers bloomed like snow and jade, and they were extremely luxuriant. Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty took his concubine to see him. The tree has been swept away by its roots." Wei Siwen was inspired, his eyes flashed, and he advocated: "The Empress Dowager Wu stole the imperial power, acted like a domineering, shameless licentiousness, we can also rebel against her." "She has monopolized the government for more than 30 years. It is not easy to overthrow her." "People are united, and Mount Tai is moved. We call on the world to support the restoration of Luling King Li Xian, and no one will not respond."

"Well, this is a good idea. However, we have to come up with an overall strategy and then consider how to implement it." "I think," Wei Siwen twirled a wispy beard on his chin, "it's best to invite Xue Zhongzhang here. He is the inspector censor and Pei Neishi's nephew. When the time comes, we can play by ear." King Luo Bin got excited, poured a full glass of wine into his mouth, and felt a fever all over his body: "Let me sneak back to Chang'an, and use a little trick to drag Pei Yan into the water." "Okay," Li Jingye clapped his hands together, "Combining internally and externally, success is more assured."

A few days later, a nursery rhyme quickly spread in Chang'an, and the city was full of uproar: One fire, two fires, and the little boy in Feiyi sat in the hall.Pei Yan felt that something was wrong, it seemed to be related to him, so he ordered his personal attendants to go and make an open and unannounced visit, and make sure to find out the ins and outs of it.After some investigation and visits, the person who made up the nursery rhymes took the initiative to come to the door.Pei Yan saw that the visitor was dressed in black with a yellow crown, his eyebrows were sparse, and his soap boots were still covered with dust. He thought it was a Taoist priest who had come down from the fairy mountain, and treated him like a guest of honour. One or two."

"Hey, hey," the visitor smiled subtly, "Master, I'm not a Taoist priest. Take a closer look, who am I?" "Forgive me for being old and dim-sighted, I'm afraid that some things may not be clear." "Below is King Luo Bin." "Oh, I've heard the name for a long time. Well, you haven't taken office yet?" "Go to his mother's job!" King Luo Bin grinned, "Everywhere it is said that the old lady knows people well, but she just refuses to use me." "Mr. has a world-renowned literary name and unparalleled talent and learning. He has recommended himself many times, but he has not been reused. It is really puzzling."

Pei Yan's words were not all flattery or evasion.He himself is quite talented and famous, and he is a master of "Zuo Zhuan" and "Han Shu".He passed the examination of Ming Jing Ke and joined the army in Puzhou Sicang. He served successively as censor, living roomer, and minister of the Ministry of war.In the second year of Tiaolu, he was promoted to the third rank of Huangmen Shilang Tongzhongshumen, and the next year, he was worshiped as Shizhong.After Li Zhi died, he was assisted by the imperial edict to assist Zhongzong Li Xian.In the first year of Hongdao, he moved to Zhongshuling, and after Li Yifu and Xu Jingzong, he became the number one celebrity in front of Wu Zetian.

Wu Zetian loves and cherishes talents, which shows that he is not an incompetent person.He himself is full of economics, and of course he also pays attention to literary talent.The Four Heroes of the early Tang Dynasty are well-known all over the world.King Luo Bin was recently serving as an official in the capital, so he naturally knew something about it.King Luo Bin was talented and intelligent, and he was known as a "child prodigy" when he was young.The poem "Ode to the Goose" written when he was seven years old: "Goose, goose, goose, singing to the sky. The white hair floats on the green water, and the anthurium touches the clear waves."

It vividly depicts the expressions and expressions of geese playing in the water, which has been handed down.King Luo Bin is good at singing in seven characters, and he is also good at parallel prose.The strength of character is condensed, and the imagery is old.However, because of his low official position, Pei Yan may still be influenced by Pei Xingjian's "writing like a man", and he regards the "crazy" of literati as his fatal weakness, and does not pay much attention to people like King Luo Bin. The best attitude is to let him go In my spare time, I read the poems and essays of the "Four Heroes" as a kind of pastime.

"The imperial court has treated you badly, and this old man is also responsible. However," Pei Yan's tone changed, and his tone sank: "Wu Chengsi asked to establish the Seven Temples of Wu's family and honor his father and ancestors. This old man thinks it's impossible. , offended the queen mother, life is not easy." "The minister's morality is high and prestige, comparable to Zhou Gong's rebirth, and Yi Yin's rebirth. Without you, she will never be able to survive the imperial court." Luo Binwang stimulated Pei Yan with the anti-excitement method.Pei Yan was stunned: "The boy is amazing! He made up Tong Yao to urge me to seek usurpation, and then encouraged me to be a good minister like Zhou Yi. There are contradictions, and I want to test his real intentions."

He turned around and took out a "Picture of Loyalty" from the bookshelf, spread it out on the desk, and asked Luo Binwang to comment.King Luo Bin acted as if he was up for sale, he would not hawk if he did not see a rabbit, and he would not open his mouth if he looked closely.Pei Yan speculated that he was playing tricks, offered a high reward and said: "Sir, but it's okay to say. I'm wrong, I don't blame you. By the way, I will reward you with a thousand taels of gold, a luxurious house, ten beauties, and two horses." .” "A true hero, a great man, none other than this man." King Luo Bin pointed his index finger at Cao Cao on the "Picture of Loyalty", shook his lips and drummed his tongue, and used the topic to expand: "Cao Mengde used the emperor to command the princes, save the peril, save the country, good at poetry and prose, know the art of war, and rule with martial arts, laying a foundation for a generation. After his son Cao Pi proclaimed himself emperor on behalf of the Han Dynasty, he was honored as Emperor Wu of Wei. He is a hero, who can compare with him.” "Where's Zhuge Liang?" Pei Yan raised his forehead. "Everyone thinks that he is wise, but he is actually a rotten Confucian. He is blindly loyal, knowing and never retreating. He only cares about leaving a good reputation for himself, but forgets about his descendants." "Is there anyone who dares to compare with Cao Mengde?" "Far in the sky, close in sight." "Although I am the chief prime minister, I have no military power, so I can't talk about martial arts." "Master Xiang, if you want to achieve great things, you have to assist the young master and steal your name, so that you can take over the military power. But you have taken refuge in the queen mother, I am afraid that the mistake is on this move." "The empress dowager is extremely wise, and has actually been in charge of the government for more than thirty years. If you don't attach to her, Pei Yan might not be where he is today." "Wu's employment of people is like a monkey breaking a bag of grain, picking one and throwing another. She will not use a person for a long time, let alone delegate power. Think about it, can you keep up with her? What's the point of following her? " "Who are you with now?" "Bring out Zhongzong and push her down." "Easier said than done!" "Let's attack her." The veins on King Luo Bin's neck burst out, "It's human nature to berate and resent. Now that the Wu family has lost the hearts of the people, as long as they raise their arms and call out, people who respond will naturally gather." "As the saying goes, a thousand soldiers are easy to get, but a general is hard to find." "There are plenty of people who are worthy of great positions." "Who?" "Li Jingye." King Luo Bin strengthened his tone, and said word by word, "After the founding father, I am an all-rounder in civil and military affairs, and I hate the Wu family to the bone. With these three things, is it enough?" "If you want to do it, you do it." Pei Yan seemed a little distracted, "I will neither stop nor follow." "With Mr. Xiang's words, we have confidence in our hearts." King Luo Bin bowed his hands, turned around and walked out of the Prime Minister's mansion, hurried on his horse, and returned to Yangzhou at a flying speed.At this time, Wei Siwen also invited his good friend Xue Zhongzhang from Luoyang, the capital of God, to Yangzhou and became a member of their rebellion.Xue Zhongzhang served as the supervisory censor, and the duty of the supervisory censor was to visit everywhere, evaluate or impeach local officials.When Xue Yushi came to Jiangdu, Wei Siwen arranged for Wei Chao to falsely accuse Yang Governor Shi Chen Jingzhi of conspiracy.Xue Zhongzhang ordered Chen Jingzhi to be arrested and put in prison.A few days later, Li Jingye arrived in Yangzhou swaggeringly in the carriage of the post station, falsely claiming that he was the Sima of Yangzhou, and came to take up his post.He pretended to be mysterious and said: "Feng Ziyou, the chief of Gaozhou in the south of Lingnan, conspired to rebel, and under the secret order of the empress dowager, he sent troops to hunt down the thieves." Xue Zhongzhang and others opened the treasury of Yangzhou, ordered Li Zongchen, a soldier Cao Canjun, to go to the coin-making factory, drove prisoners and craftsmen to join the army, gave them armor, and then asked Chen Jingzhi from prison to behead him.Li Jingye armed craftsmen, prisoners, and people who joined the army to form a crusade army.Sun Chuxing, who joined the army as a recorder, refused to send troops on the grounds that there was no imperial decree, and was beheaded on the spot to show the public.The other officials dared not resist any more.After Li Jingye took control of the soldiers and horses in Quanzhou, he set up three government offices: first, Kuangfu Mansion to assist Zhongzong's restoration, second, Yinggong Mansion, and third, Yangzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion.At the same time, the reign title when Zhongzong abdicated - the first year of Sisheng was restored.Li Jingye claimed to be the general of Kuangfu Mansion and led the governor of Yangzhou.Appoint Tang Zhiqi and Du Qiuren as chief historians, Li Zongchen and Xue Zhongzhang as left and right Sima, King Luo Bin as secretary, and Wei Siwen as military adviser.Among the above-mentioned personnel, regardless of background and official rank, Luo Binwang is the one with the greatest social fame and influence.King Luo Bin was born in Yiwu County, Yiwu, Zhejiang Province.He is good at writing poems and prose, especially good at seven character songs.The famous work "Emperor Capital Chapter", with five or seven characters changing, describes the prosperity of cultural relics in Kyoto, the richness of the residences of the emperor's relatives and relatives, and the lewdness of advocating family sex and banquets in a fluid and neat style. Those wealthy and dignitaries who relied on the "iceberg" rang the bell: "Once Mo Jin was good at luxury, he said to himself that he would be arrogant and extravagant for a thousand years. Suddenly he supported the wind and gave birth to wings, and even lost the waves and mud." Unrecognized for his talent, he often went to the gambling place of Pupu, and stepped into the world of rogues.Later, he was dismissed for accepting bribes and was imprisoned for this.At the end of Emperor Gaozong's period, King Luo Bin served as the chief bookkeeper of Chang'an, and was a subordinate official of Chang'an County.He was very upset, abandoned his official position, wandered to Yangzhou, participated in Li Jingye's righteous deeds, and with his life's talents, wrote "A Call to the Wu Family" which was passed down from generation to generation.Xi is a document used by the ancient government to inform, recruit or denounce.Li Jingye and others swore an oath of righteousness, and sent envoys to the prefectures and counties under their jurisdiction to distribute a large number of them. The wind was surging and the enthusiasm was in full swing, and more than 100,000 people were recruited in just ten days.Li Jingye's uncle, Li Siwen, the governor of Runzhou, learned of Jingye's rebellion, and immediately sent someone to take a shortcut and fly to Luoyang to report the incident, and presented King Luo Bin's call to Empress Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian drove the Wucheng Palace, and was congratulated by all the officials.With a leisurely attitude, she held the "Discussion of the Wu Clan" and read it in cadence: "Pseudo Linchao Wu Clan's nature is not meek, and the ground is cold. In the past, Emperor Taizong came to Chen, and he used to serve as a changer. It's almost late. , filthy and chaotic erotic palace..." When she read "Kill the King and the Poison Mother", Wu Zetian suddenly burst out laughing.Because he couldn't stop laughing, he covered his belly that hurt from laughing with one hand, and handed the call to action to Wan'er who was standing beside him, asking her to read it for her.The article is majestic, the language is bold, elegant and vigorous, and the tone is sonorous and powerful.Narrating Wu's crimes of "common anger between God and man", he spoke harshly, eloquently, cursing profusely, shocking the world.The damage to its reputation is far worse than a hundred thousand troops.The meticulous Wu Zetian has a unique insight from the extreme abuse in the essay, not only seeing the author's brilliance, but also discovering that he lacks political opinions, and only fabricated some examples of personal attacks.Especially the fabricated "king killing" and "poison mother" out of thin air are pure blood.She caught the weakness in it and laughed it off.This smile far outweighed the weight of the proclamation. In terms of demeanor, temperament, magnanimity and momentum, it overwhelmed the other party in all directions, offsetting his wanton slander, insult and slander.No wonder people commented on her not to panic in the face of major events, this incomparable woman is indeed superior in every way, maybe it is a blessing from heaven!The courtiers and close servants hurled curses at the beginning of the article when they first heard it, and tried their best to slander it, dazed as if they couldn't believe their ears.Later, I caught a glimpse of the queen mother twisting her body like a young woman, laughing forward and backward, and then I understood what was going on, and I couldn't help but be impressed by her magnanimity and strength. "Wan'er, read on, why not share the novels together." Seeing that Wu Zetian stopped laughing, Wan'er wiped away her tears with a silk handkerchief, and then continued to read: "Whoa! If Huo Zimengzhi doesn't do anything, Zhu Xuhouzhi is dead. Yan pecks at the emperor's grandson, knowing that Han Zuozhi is about to die." After Emperor Wei, he knew the decline of Xia Ting." "Slow down, slow down." Wu Zetian seemed very serene, even interested, "Do you hear clearly? King Luo Bin is not only good at scolding, but also good at using allusions. Huo Zimeng, Mingguang, the half-brother of Huo Qubing, the famous general of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he successively assisted the young master Zhaodi, Yingli Emperor Xuan preserved the Han Dynasty. Zhu Xuhou was the title of Liu Zhang in the early Western Han Dynasty. He, Taiwei Zhou Bo, and Prime Minister Chen Ping conspired to kill Empress Lu and Zhu Lu's nephews, welcomed Emperor Wen, and stabilized the country. Yan pecked The emperor's grandson refers to the nursery rhyme that Zhao Feiyan, the empress of Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty, killed the son born to the concubine. At that time, there was a nursery rhyme that Yan Fei came and pecked at the emperor's grandson and the emperor died, and Yan pecked at the arrow." She breathed a sigh of relief, and then said: "Longmi, the saliva of the dragon, the empress of the dragon, comes from "Historical Records Zhou Benji", which tells the biography of Baosi's life. The general idea is that she was reborn from the dragon's saliva, and later got King You of Zhou's favor, played with the feudal lords, and suffered the disaster of destroying the country and losing his life. Do you know? He compared me with Bao Si, saying that my ruling would be disadvantageous to Tang." "It's just nonsense!" Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi waved the wat board angrily. "Don't shout," Wu Zetian stopped, "Listen to Wan'er." "Dedicated emperor and old minister of the Tang Dynasty," Wan'er cleared her throat, "Gonghou Zhongzi, I honor the success of the late emperor, and the kindness of the Heben Dynasty... The sound of the class is moving and the north wind is blowing, the sword is strong and the south is flat and silent If you cry out, the mountains will collapse, but if you win, the situation will change. If you use this to control the enemy, no enemy will be invincible, and if you use this to make merit, no merit will be defeated!" The two ranks of civil and military officials who were neatly arranged were a little uneasy. Wu Zetian opened her phoenix eyes fiercely, and her eyes flicked over the officials' faces one by one. Her expression was solemn and her movements were steady, showing a distinctive majesty. "The long passage I just read explained the gist of their uprising and analyzed the favorable situation." She said, "This article can be divided into three sections. The first section is self-evident. It exposes my various crimes of seeking power and usurping the throne. The last section is extraordinary. room." Wan'er took a look at the Empress Dowager, and finally read in a long voice: "Look at who owns the world in today's domain!" Wan'er finished reading, bowed, and handed the proclamation back to Wu Zetian with both hands. Wu Zetian raised a hand and exclaimed: "Good writing! Good writing! Cough, isn't it the prime minister's fault for letting such a talented person be abandoned in the wild, living on the street, frustrated and depressed?" Pei Yan and other ministers and other ministers were dumbfounded. They knelt down and lowered their heads. Wu Zetian didn't say anything.The stubborn Pei Yan remained indifferent, as if he didn't take the urgent military situation to heart.His performance has aroused many people's speculation, and there are different opinions.Some said it was because his nephew Xue Zhongzhang also participated in the rebellion, and others said that he planned to take the queen mother to travel to Longmen, arrest her, and return power to Zhongzong Li Xian.Fortunately, Jiu Yu, the Queen Mother did not go out, and the plan fell through.There are still some strange talks circulating in the ruling and opposition parties, saying that when Pei Yan was in the middle of the book order, Li Jingye wanted to use King Luo Bin to instigate Pei Yan to rebel in Luoyang at the same time.King Luo Bin made a nursery rhyme "one piece of fire, two pieces of fire" to lure him into taking the bait. After Wu Chengsi and his cousin, the right guard general Wu Sansi heard the nursery rhyme, they immediately sued Wu Zetian. "Auntie, do nursery rhymes have anything to do with Pei Yan?" "The relationship is obvious." Wu Zetian said earnestly, "You need to read more books and learn to use your mind. Isn't the sum of the two characters of fire one character of Yan? Fei is Fei, and if it is added to the upper and lower parts of the clothes, it is the character Pei. Pei Yandang sits in the hall, predicting that he will ascend to the rank of Ninth Five-Year and become emperor." "What about the word child?" "Pei Yan, the word Zilong, Xiaoer implies Zilong." Later, Wu Sansi intercepted Pei Yan's letter back to Li Jingye and submitted it to Wu Zetian. "This reply is really weird. It's just two words: Qingge, it's hard to understand." "It's easy to understand." Wu Zetian pursed her lips habitually, "Take apart the green characters and it will be December. The goose, I will take it myself. It means that December will come to Beijing, and I will take care of it myself." Wu Sansi worshiped the ground: "The Empress Dowager is so wise that no one can match her." Wu Zetian grasped Pei Yan's dynamics and planned to further find out the truth.She pretended to be anxious, and asked Pei Yan: "The matter is urgent, why don't you send troops to attack?" "The Queen Mother doesn't need to be in a hurry, and she doesn't need to blame me." Pei Yan had a calm demeanor and talked eloquently, "The rebellion stems from the fact that the emperor is old and not in charge, so the boys use it as an excuse. As long as the queen mother returns to the emperor, the rebels will lose their status as an uprising, and the rebellion will happen on its own." calm." "You are so powerful, Pei Yan," Wu Zetian shouted in her heart, "Just wait and see!" She didn't say a word, she didn't know how to answer, it's better not to answer.Pei Yan was really powerful, and he hit Wu Zetian's vitals in one hit.She was very annoyed, and she couldn't find a reason to refute. She shrugged her shoulders and walked away. Wu Zetian summoned Zuo Yuqian Wei General Li Xiaoyi, appointed him as the general manager of Yangzhou Dao Dao, and appointed Right Guard General Li Zhishi and Ma Jingchen as deputies, and sent 300,000 troops to fight against the rebels.Li Xiaoyi is the youngest son of Li Shentong, king of Huai'an, Tang clan.He is humble and peaceful, obedient to orders, studious and able to write articles.He is close to Wu Zetian, but he is not handsome. Wu Zetian did not reuse him, but used this "golden signboard" just right to suppress the anti-military rebellion in the name of the Tang clan.Beside Li Xiaoyi, she placed the resourceful Wei Yuanzhong as the supervisor.After dispatching troops and generals, Wu Zetian took this opportunity to completely eliminate the root cause of the internal disaster.Pei Yan once fiercely opposed Wu Zetian's pursuit of respecting the Wu family's seven masters and suppressing the rising power of Wu's relatives, and now he forced her to step down on the grounds of rebellion.It is tolerable, what is unbearable!Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi saw that Li Yuanjia, king of Han, and Li Lingkui, king of Lu, had the highest seniority and status in the royal family. They repeatedly urged Wu Zetian to kill them with excuses. Pei Yan firmly opposed it. Wu Zetian had long been angry with Pei Yan.Cui Ji, the supervisory censor, made a lot of research, weighed the pros and cons, and presented a memorial: "As the chief prime minister, Pei Yan is also a minister of Tuo Gu, but he has never loyally assisted the Queen Mother to control the system, and he is always holding back and setting up obstacles every step of the way. , and used the rebellion to coerce the Empress Dowager to return the government to the Emperor, which shows that her intentions are sinister and her crime cannot be punished." Wu Zetian immediately approved the memorial, and ordered Zuo Suzheng's official censor Qian Weiwei and servant censor Yu Chengye to review Pei Yan.Pei Yan adhered to the Confucian orthodox concept and disregarded honor, disgrace, and misfortune. After being imprisoned, he still did not bow his head.Someone kindly advised him: "How dare a person not bow his head when he is under the low eaves. Mr. Xiang, why not admit your mistake to the Queen Mother, ask for forgiveness, follow the herd, and protect yourself wisely." "Since the Queen Mother insists on going her own way, what else can I say?" Pei Yan refused to compromise. When Wu Zetian was in a dilemma, she was also eager to employ people.She wanted to further understand the details of people's hearts, so she convened an imperial meeting in the inner hall.Li Jingchen from Fenggesheren Zhongshushe stood up and said in a rough voice: "Sima Zhao's heart is well known to passers-by. Pei Yan has always opposed the court and opposed the empress dowager's appointment to the court. His rebellion has been exposed. Nothing left." "Everyone in the world knows that," Liu Jingxian, the servant, and Hu Yuanfan, the servant of Fengge Zhongshu, retorted: "Pei Yan is the chief minister of the imperial court. He has made contributions to the country and serves the emperor wholeheartedly. He will not have any intention of rebellion." There was an uproar in the hall, and there was endless debate. Wu Zetian pressed down with both hands: "Know people, know face, but not heart. The ministers don't know something, and Pei Yan's rebellion can no longer be concealed!" "If Pei Yan intends to rebel, wouldn't the ministers also agree with the rebels?" "Open the skylight and speak frankly," Wu Zetian opened his phoenix eyes and scanned the hall, "I know that Pei Yan must rebel, and I also know that the ministers will not." The people in the hall were speechless. Wu Zetian ordered the arrest of Liu Jingxian and Hu Yuanfan with lightning speed.The edict ordered Qian Weiwei to replace Pei Yan as the internal history of the school and the third rank of Luantai in Tongfeng Pavilion.Li Jingchen stayed in his current position, and was awarded Tongfengge Luantai Pingzhang Shi, and was in the same class as Qian Weiwei.Li Jingye played the banner of "returning the government to Luling Wang Xian", and distributed a large number of "discussing the Wu family". Feeling that it was not enough, he found another person who looked similar to the late prince Xian, and made a big public opinion: "Prince Xian Not dead, hiding in Yangzhou, he ordered us to raise our troops." The rebellion grew louder.Li Chongfu, the Sima of Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province, Chuzhou, led the soldiers and horses from the three counties of Shanyang, Yancheng, and Anyi under the prefecture to defect to Li Jingye.Only Liu Xingju led his troops to defend Xuyi County against the rebels.Li Jingye immediately ordered Yu Chizhao, a general under his command, to attack Xuyi. Wu Zetian appointed Liu Xingju as the guerrilla general and his younger brother Liu Xingshi as the governor of Chuzhou, so as to recruit talents.Unfortunately, the leaders of the rebel army were full of bookishness, lacked assertiveness, lacked strategic vision, had no actual combat experience in front of the battle, and did not grasp the fire that had become a prairie fire.Regarding the overall planning and offensive route, there are roughly two schools of thought.Wei Siwen, a military adviser, once read military books. Although he is not good at strategy, he is quite scheming.After much deliberation, he proposed a bold strategy: "Our act of righteousness inspired the world by supporting the restoration of the emperor. If we want to win the trust of the people, we must direct the spearhead at the Empress Wu in the Yingxianyuan of Luoyang Palace. The army will attack along the canal. Drive straight in, and you can reach the overall situation in one fell swoop." "It's too risky an approach." Right Sima Xue Zhongzhang's opinion is completely opposite, "The law of war, knowing yourself and the enemy, can win a hundred battles. We must not underestimate the Wu family, underestimate the opponent, and advance blindly. Jinling tigers occupy the dragon's plate, with the emperor's atmosphere, and the Yangtze River natural moat. Advance can be attacked, retreat It can be defended. If Jinling is occupied, and Changzhou and Runzhou are acquired to lay the foundation for hegemony, the charity will be half successful.” "This statement is wrong!" Wei Siwen argued, "The imperial court was unprepared for the righteous deed, and the soldiers and horses were caught off guard. The local army was naturally loyal to the Tang Dynasty and supported the emperor. People with lofty ideals to the east of Xiaoshan Mountain were filled with righteous indignation at the Wu family's autocracy, and they would all Automatically steam the wheat and rice, prepare it as army rations, pick up the hoe as a weapon, and meet the volunteers. Don’t stop, miss the opportunity, and wait until the court has all the soldiers and horses, then it will be passive.” "Please be careful when speaking, so that you can plan without decision." "I have repeatedly stated that if you don't take advantage of the momentum to fight a big offensive, but retreat and build your own lair first, people near and far know it, and no one will be discouraged!" "There's no need to quarrel, why should the peace be hurt by this between brothers, the governor has his own opinion." Li Jingye is particularly interested in "Jinling has a kingly spirit", and is determined to adopt Xue Zhongzhang's strategy, proceed cautiously, do not take the offensive, but take the defensive, use Nanjing City of Jinling as a base, gradually conquer the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and prepare to build a force strong enough to resist the imperial army , and then go north.He ordered Tang Zhiqi to guard Yangzhou, and he led the army to cross the Yangtze River south to attack Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province, Runzhou.Wei Siwen stomped his feet anxiously, and sighed deeply.He said to Du Qiuren: "Jingye didn't take advantage of the situation to cross the Huai River, take Shandong, and take Luoyang directly. But retreating to Jinling to fight the king's abacus is tantamount to shutting himself in the nest. He will definitely be disappointed and the morale of the army will collapse. Defeat has already been seen." "May your foresight fail." Du Qiurenkuan explained. "Combined forces are strong, scattered are weak, and it's strange to be undefeated." Runzhou and Yangzhou face each other across the Yangtze River.Forty-eight miles from Yangzhou to the riverside, one side is surrounded by mountains, and there are mountain roads to reach the riverbank.Li Jingye led the rebel army across the Yangtze River, rushed to Runzhou with overwhelming momentum, and surrounded it.The drums and horns of the three armies sounded together, and immediately attacked the city from all sides.Inspector Li Siwen guarded the city very tightly and attacked for several days without any openings.Li Jingye also ordered the soldiers to yell and curse in every possible way under the city to lure him into battle.Li Siwen seemed to be deaf, pretending not to hear, and refused to fight in the city even if he died.Li Jingye divided the soldiers into two squads, and they took turns attacking day and night. Li Siwen was so busy that he couldn't sleep day and night, and patrolled the city back and forth.Several times the battlements fell, and while supervising the soldiers to resist with all their might, he repaired them as needed.Li Jingye jumped into a rage, his fingers cracked.Li Siwen was also exhausted and heartbroken, his blood dried up.The Runzhou army was isolated and helpless, starving to the death.When the logs and stones ran out, they hurled bricks and tiles.Boiled water, boiled sulfur lime paste, sent a load of loads to the tower, and poured it down.Li Jingji braved arrows and stones to go to the city to supervise the battle, and ordered to collect all the door panels of the houses in the suburbs, and the soldiers without shields climbed up the ladder with the door panels.Bricks and tiles, sulfur lime plaster, and boiling water hit the door panel like a torrential rain, making a chaotic sound.After several back and forth attacks in a row, the west gate was opened.The rebel army rushed in and captured Li Siwen.Li Jingye appointed Li Zongchen as the new governor.Then he brought Li Siwen into the lobby, and said sarcastically, "Uncle, who is attached to the Wu family, is willing to be a gang of dogs in the Wu family class. I think you should stop being Li and change your surname to Wu!" Wei Siwen insisted on killing Li Siwen.Li Jingye refused, but wanted to execute Liu Yansi, the Sima of Runzhou who had vowed not to surrender.Wei Siwen fought against the injustice, and said decisively: "If you want to kill, both of them must be killed and you must stay, and let's talk about both." "Come here, take Li Siwen and Liu Yansi to prison!" Li Jingye ordered Yin Yuanzhen to be brought up again.Yin Yuanzhen, the county magistrate of Danyang City, Qu'a, Jiangsu Province, led troops to rescue Runzhou, but was outnumbered and captured. He would rather die than surrender, and was sentenced to beheaded.Li Jingye won the first battle and has great hopes for "Jinling Dream".He ordered Li Jingyou to lead troops to take Huaiyin, Huaiyin City, Jiangsu, and ordered Wei Chao and Yu Chizhao to build a position in Xuyi County, Jiangsu, Liangshan.The mountains in this area are stretching, and the county seat is backed by mountains and facing the river. It is a fortress that is easy to defend but difficult to attack.The 300,000 imperial army led by Li Xiaoyi began to go south along the canal.Tan Ma reported to Li Jingye, and Li Jingye moved the General's Mansion to Xia'axi in Gaoyou County, Jiangsu Province to form an army to resist the imperial army.Li Xiaoyi's army marched into Linhuai, and when he got the news that Lei Renzhi had been defeated in the encounter, he became afraid of the enemy and planned to stop the march.Wei Yuanzhong jumped up, and tried his best to object: "Lei Renzhi's defeat will not harm the overall situation. If the army stops advancing because of choking, and the court blames it, can you bear it?" "The Empress Dowager trusts me, so she won't blame me, not to mention that I drew up the strategy based on the actual situation." Li Xiaoyi defended. "Wrong." Wei Yuanzhong refuted and warned: "The safety of the world is at stake. The people have lived in peace for too long, and suddenly they heard that someone went crazy, and they all listened to the news of calming the chaos. If the army does not stop for a long time, they will be disappointed far and near. The imperial court appointed him to replace him as a general, so what reason do you have to escape the guilt of lingering on the sidelines?" Under the pressure of persuasion and persuasion, Li Xiaoyi followed Wei Yuanzhong's advice and led the army to attack Duliangshan.When the two armies faced each other, Ma Jingchen attacked, captured Yu Chizhao alive, and beheaded him for public display.Wei Chao relied on natural dangers and insisted on not fighting.Li Xiaoyi couldn't attack by force, he had nothing to do.Li Zhishi and Ma Jingchen summed it up and said: "Wei Chao is guarding the dangerous position and only wants to protect himself. My pawns can't show their strength, and the knights can't show their galloping horses. But the desperate rebels are desperate to fight. If we attack, the soldiers will be killed or killed. Big. It is better to leave only part of the troops here to wait for the opportunity, and the main force turns to Yangzhou to break through the enemy's lair." "Wei Chao relies on natural dangers, and there are not many defenders. We are in an overwhelming advantage. If we can design and capture Duliangshan, it will be easy to take Huaiyin and Gaoyou." Zhidu made Xue Kegou insist on taking the capital of Liangshan first. "No," Wei Yuanzhong raised a hand, "We don't need to keep fighting here. It will only increase casualties. We should avoid reality and move to Huaiyin, where the rebel army is weak." "Beat Li Jingyou first, it is better to fight Li Jingye first." The generals had the opposite opinion, "Catch the thief first, and the king will be captured first, and the monkeys will scatter when the tree falls." Wei Yuanzhong resisted all opinions and said decisively: "Li Jingye directly grasped the elite of the enemy army and deployed them along the Xia'a River. They occupy the superiority of the terrain. It is not the best policy for us to rush to a decisive battle regardless of subjective and objective conditions. Sun Tzu said: No A soldier who defeats others in battle is a good man. Li Jingyou is a gambler, has few soldiers, and does not know how to use soldiers. Our army is approaching the city, and it is easy to shake his morale. If he does not fight, he will collapse. The way to defeat them is to finally focus on Li Jingye, and then we can achieve the goal of total annihilation." Li Xiaoyi adopted Wei Yuanzhong's decision to attack Huaiyin first.Seeing the ferocious approach of the army, Li Jingyou's face was pale with fright, and he broke through the encirclement and fled without fighting.The officers and soldiers turned around and took the capital of Liangshan again.Wei Chao was afraid of being trapped to death in the mountain, so he ran away overnight.After all, Li Jingye is a descendant of a military family. He is not afraid of danger, stabilizes the morale of the army, and sticks to the south bank of the tributary of Gaoyou Lake in Axi, ready for battle.Li Xiaoyi forcibly crossed Axi and approached the rebel army.Su Xiaoxiang, the general manager of the rear army, took 5,000 men and horses, took a small boat at night, crossed the stream, attacked the rebel army, and was ambushed.Unfortunately, Su Xiaoxiang died in battle. The soldiers were forced down the stream, and more than half of them drowned.Cheng Sanlang, captain of Zuo Baotao and Wei Guoyi, was captured, and the imperial army was defeated, retreating 30 miles and setting up camp.Tang Zhiqi thought that Cheng Sanlang was Li Xiaoyi, and at the same time wanted to boost morale.He danced and shouted excitedly: "We have won! Li Xiaoyi has been captured alive!" "What are you bluffing?" Cheng Sanlang also stretched his neck and shouted. "You're wrong, I'm not Li Xiaoyi, I'm Cheng Sanlang. Cheng Sanlang is Cheng Sanlang, if you want to kill or cut, it's up to you!" "Don't even think about getting away with it, you're dead to the point of your eyebrows." "When I die, my wife, family and children enjoy the glory and wealth. If you die, your wife, family and children will be exterminated as slaves. Rebels, you will never be as good as me." "Bastard, the thief who betrayed your mother!" Tang Zhiqi raised his knife and chopped off Cheng Sanlang's head.Not long after Pei Yan was imprisoned, Wu Zetian ordered Jiang Sizong to go to Chang'an to inform Liu Rengui.After Li Dan came to the throne, Liu Rengui took over as Chang'an and stayed behind.At the reception banquet, Jiang Sizong drank too much, got carried away with excitement, and said that he had long been aware of Pei Yan's rebellious intentions. "Hua, you really have the foresight!" Liu Rengui praised in a vague way. "The Empress Dowager just took a fancy to my example." Jiang Sizong was lifelike, "Old Yuan Rong, as a professional soldier, it is impossible to be without the ability to predict." "Mmm, um," Liu Rengui said solemnly after thinking about it, "Mr. Liu has a general, and I have a secret note, please bring it back and present it to the Queen Mother." "Okay, I will definitely look like the queen mother." After Jiang Sizong returned from Chang'an to Luoyang, the capital of the gods, he submitted Liu Rengui's memorial to Wu Zetian without delay. Wu Zetian opened the booklet and looked, his face changed suddenly, and he ordered Jiang Sizong to be captured and hanged in Duting.It turned out that Liu Rengui's secret memorial said that Jiang Sizong had known Pei Yan's rebellion for a long time, but he didn't report it in time.Knowing the traitor and not reporting it is the same crime as treason. Wu Zetian summoned Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi, and after secretly analyzing the internal and external situation, he ordered Pei Yan to be executed.After Pei Yan was escorted to Duting, he looked around at his brothers who had been sentenced because of him, and said regretfully: "Brothers, I obtained the official positions by myself. I didn't make any effort, but now I want to implicate you, and I will be exiled to the border. You don't need to cry, and you don't need to complain, just blame me." When Pei Yan's property was searched and confiscated, it was found that the chief prime minister's family was impoverished, not even a stone of rice stored.Those present further saw Pei Yan's incorruptibility, uprightness and self-denial from the facts.As for the trumped-up charge of rebellion, only a ghost would agree that Pei Yan's nephew, Pei Dianxian, the chancellor of the imperial servant temple, who was only seventeen years old, submitted a "Secret Memorial" to request an audience with the Queen Mother. Seeing his unconvinced look, Wu Zetian asked in a long and dignified voice, "What's the matter with you? Is it because of your uncle? Tell me!" "Thousands of merits and crimes have their own commentary by future generations." Pei Bo first raised his eyebrows, "Whoever is loyal to the Tang Dynasty, who wants to seek power and usurp the throne, is a traitor, and history will draw a fair conclusion. The minister's visit to the Queen Mother is purely to ask the Queen Mother not to make decisions on her son, and to return the power to the Emperor." In this way, the world will be blessed, the people will be blessed, the Li family will be at ease, and the Queen Mother can spend her old age happily. Otherwise, once the world changes, it will be impossible to save." "Nonsense!" Wu Zetian was furious, "How dare a child say such words." "It's not too late to listen to my opinion today." "Pull him out!" Pei Gexian turned around and shouted three times when he was dragged out by the forbidden army: "It's not too late to hear my opinion today." The imperial army took Pei Dian to the court first, beat him with a hundred sticks, and exiled him to Xiangzhou (Sinan County, Guangxi) forever.Liu Jingxian was demoted to Puzhou (Anyue County, Sichuan Province) as the governor.Hu Yuanfan was exiled to Qiongzhou [Qiongshan County, Hainan], where he died of illness. Wu Zetian ordered Li Jingye's late grandfather Li Jin and father Li Zhen to be deprived of their official titles, his original surname Xu was restored, his grave was dug up, and the decayed bones were destroyed together with the coffin.People can't help but think of Li Jin's last words entrusted to his younger brother Li Bi when he was dying fifteen years ago: "If there are unworthy descendants, kill them in advance!" His last wish in life is to hope for the safety of his descendants.Ten years ago, Li Bi died at a palace banquet.如今长孙徐敬业兴兵造反，不仅家族遭殃，李勤连自己的腐尸也没有保住，其下场似乎比大唐功臣房玄龄、杜如晦还要悲惨！ 突然被提拔当凤阁鸾台平章事的李景湛，在短时间内，又突然被免除了宰相职务，降任司宾少卿。司宾寺原称鸿胪寺。右史沈君谅与监察御史崔詧，升任正谏大夫、同凤阁鸾台平章事，二人同列二级实质宰相。 武则天任命左鹰扬卫大将军黑齿常之当江南道大总管，驰援扬州。黑齿常之是龙朔年间投降唐朝的百济勇将，对吐蕃作战屡建大功，升上了大将军的高位。 武则天治事必求万全，不肯冒险。她派出黑齿常之统率江南之兵，既监视了李孝逸，遏制了李孝逸倒戈加人徐敬业叛军的可能性，又加强了平叛的力量，对义军形成了围歼优势。李孝逸在黑齿常之到来之前，会齐各路兵马，对李敬业发起了总攻。但是连攻不下，伤亡惨重。李孝逸满脸愁云，一筹莫展，甚而至于想撤退。魏元忠拦住了他，扣马嚷着说：“现在江岸芦苇枯黄，天气干燥，等到顺风，我军即可采取火攻。” “不可造次，”李孝逸仍有些犹豫，“徐敬业乃将门后代，他不会不提防。” “徐敬业志大才疏，并不会用兵。” “切莫小看人家，打仗非同儿戏，谨慎为好。” “机不可失，时不再来。将军切切不可坐失良机，我们必须抢在黑齿常之的前头，尽快消灭叛匪。” 魏元忠又一次说服了李孝逸。李孝逸下令暗中准备柴草和硫磺等引火之物，挑选士卒进行放火的训练。徐敬业的军马在防御中取得了一些局部性的胜利，沾沾自喜，骄傲情绪滋生，放松了警惕。日子拖久了，将士们体力不继，身心疲软，军容凌乱。李孝逸作好了准备，等到风向一转，趁着晴天，顺风放火。下阿溪两岸丛生的芦华触火即燃，很快蔓延开来。风助火势，火仗风威，烈火熊熊，烟焰腾空而起，烧红了半边天。下阿溪和高邮湖在火光的映照下，也像着了火一样，水被染得通红透亮。义军大乱，阵地崩溃，兵马被火烧得无处藏身，哭天喊地四处逃窜。朝廷军乘势追堵剿杀。义军七千余人阵亡，为躲避猛火或逃避追杀，而跳下溪水淹死者不计其数。败军退到南岸，徐敬业等力谋重振旗鼓。然而兵败如山倒，风声鹤唳，草木皆兵，溃不成军。三军将士惊魂未定，全身像风吹柳线那样颤抖个不停，抱头鼠窜，四散逃命去了。徐敬业等冷汗涔涔，情绪一落千丈，急急如惊弓之鸟，忙忙似漏网之鱼，鞭马逃回江都，包括亲随和侍从，身边只剩下几百人了。 “天亡我也！”一气之下，徐敬业抽出随身的佩剑，就要往脖子上抹。骆宾王和唐之奇从两边抱住他。徐敬猷夺了他手中的剑：“大哥，何必轻生？常言道，留得青山在，不怕没柴烧。胜败乃兵家之常事，还可以东山再起嘛。” “嗨，大势已去，一切都完啰。” 魏思温见徐敬业垂头丧气，变得像被霜打蔫了的芦苇一样，知事巳无可挽回，提议道：“天无绝人之路。兵法说：降则全败，和则半败，走则未败。未败者，胜利之转机也，三十六计一走为上计。我们不如暂避镝锋，往安全的地方转移。” “当初假如能用你的谋略就好了。” 徐敬业坦诚地说，“义师直指洛阳，一往无前，以拥护皇帝复位为目标，即令军败身死，仍留忠义于人世。悔不该愚妄地希图金陵的帝王气象，变成了真正的叛逆，怎么能不失败。” “长江天险，也是屁话。” 骆宾王也气得忿然不能自抑，“事情才开头，就想找一个战败后的安乐窝。要知道，任何天险顶多只能维护一个国家生存一时，如东吴、晋国、南朝，史迹斑斑，却不能引为鉴戒。高袓、太宗当年义举兴师，若不攻下长安，退回太原，岂不也是死路一条！” “好啦，好啦，全都怪我好啦。” 薛仲璋羞愧得满面紫涨，恨没地缝儿钻进去。天黑下来，李敬业等携带妻儿老小，拖着残兵败将，南下投奔到润州。李孝逸进驻江都，派军分头追捕。徐敬业等杯弓蛇影，畏畏缩缩向东潜入海陵界〔江苏泰县〕，打算从海路远走高丽。从扬州至海陵界九十八里，从海陵界至海港一百零七里。不巧，遇上了顶头风，无法出海，人马均被阻在港口。士卒疲于奔命，纪律松弛，人心惶惶，如同一团乱麻。部将王那相乘夜色昏暗，星月无光，蹑手蹑脚摸进中军帐，提走了徐敬业、徐敬猷、骆宾王、唐之奇等人的首级，投降了朝廷军。魏思温、薛仲璋、杜求仁、李宗臣等，也先后被官军捕获，处以斩刑。二十五名造反头目的首级，用驿站六百里快马，传递到了洛阳，高悬在洛阳宫的则天门上示众。至于二十五颗人头的真假，即李敬业等人的生死下落，正史、野史和民间传说出人很大，各有各的说法。《新唐书》记载：“骆宾王亡命，不知所之。” 《太平广记》说：“徐敬业和骆宾王一起亡命出家，骆宾王遍游湖海名山之后，隐居杭州灵隐寺终老。” 《西湖佳话·灵隐诗迹》，记述了稍后的宫廷诗人宋之问年轻时去灵隐寺游览，遇见了一位老和尚，为其超然卓绝的诗文所惊倒。当他悟出老和尚即是骆宾王，再度造访时，老和尚已不知去向。朝廷敉平叛乱，仅仅四十多天，扬州、润州、楚州便宣告平定，叛军已无踪影。徐敬业之乱，波及面并不很广，也没有导致严重的后果。然而，它对于武则天的心理，却产生了强烈的冲击和影响，引发了后来的人事大变动，典章制度大改革，以及兴起的告密风，酷吏的出现，肃清李唐皇族，直到改朝换代，由武周取代李唐。三十二铜风与告密风裴炎廉洁耿直，沉着稳重，颇为练达，又有才学，然而一味执着于传统形式，处处掣肘改革措施，最后成了非搬掉不可的绊脚石。 武则天看透了他的用意，无非是想抬出像父亲李治一样文弱的李旦，作为傀儡皇帝，以便自己掌管朝廷实权。裴炎的支持者大有人在。这些贵族官僚，不管表现形式如何，实质上都代表着保守的门一势力。他们不问政绩如何，只要维护并扩张自身的既得利益，否则，便激烈反对。 武则天本来打算放宽一些时间，用事实启发和教育他们，以和平的方式进行解决。可是情势发展到了这步田地，为了不再出现第二个第三个徐敬业，迫使她不得不痛下决心，断然展开反击。平定徐敬业的叛乱后，再次将被贬为普州刺史的刘景先贬到吉州江西吉安市当员外长史，又把郭待举贬到岳州湖南岳阳市当刺史。当初，逮捕裴炎下狱时，单于道安抚大使、左武卫大将军程务挺，曾秘密上表为裴炎申冤叫屈，因此严重冒犯了武则天。程务挺又跟唐之奇、杜求仁友善。有人诬告说：“程务挺与裴炎、徐敬业串通谋反。” 武则天当即派遣左鹰扬卫将军裴绍业携带圣旨，在军中斩了程务挺，没收了他的家产。程务挺是继裴行俭之后，威震边关的一代名将。突厥得悉程务挺被杀，高兴得手舞足蹈，纷纷设宴相互庆贺。令人不可思议的是，他们竟兴建祠庙供奉程务挺的神主，出军征战前，每每要对这位敌军将领祭祀一番，祈求保佑，居然演变成了化外民族一种奇特的习俗。夏州陕西靖边县都督王方翼，既与程务挺交厚，又是已故废后王氏的堂兄。他早已是武则天的眼中钉，将他征召到洛阳，投人监狱，流放到了崖州海南琼山县，不久即染疫身亡。李孝逸和黑齿常之平叛凯旋归来，朝廷在洛阳宫举行了盛大的庆功宴。宫廷内外张灯结彩，陈设卤簿仪仗，展现出一派欢腾气象。 武则天服衮冕，登乾元殿，升御座。宰相与大将以下就拜位，舞蹈，山呼万岁。立于班前的李孝逸稍向前，跪致贺词，然后百官再行四拜礼。 武则天俯视着整个大殿，目光从百官的身上一一掠过去，然后慢条斯理却是字字威严地训谕道：“朕自执掌朝政以来，无负于众卿，无负于天下。众卿不妨扪心自问，照直说说看。” “太后功高德厚，天下臣民，有目共睹。” 朝臣们哄哄然回复说。 武则天扭动了一下腰身，把两只手伸到御案上：“三十多年来，我一直心忧天下，勤勉于政，不敢有丝毫的怠慢，深恐有负于上天的好生之德。众卿的富贵，是朕赐予的天下人的安乐，是朕养育的结果。自先帝驾崩，把社稷托付于朕，朕日夜操劳，殚精竭虑，爱护万民，对众卿恩宠有加。可是，有的人食朝廷俸禄，竟然背叛朕，真是天理难容！”殿内顿时沉静下来一给人的心灵以极大压力的沉静，充满了窒息般的威胁。 武则天如同受了委屈似的，喉咙哽了一下。停了片刻，蓦地站立起来，扬起下巴，疾言厉色地说：“众卿中间，受遗诏的老臣，有奸诈与强硬能超过裴炎的吗？将门之后，有能纠合亡命之徒胜过徐敬业的吗？有手握兵符，屡建功勋，强过程务挺的吗？他们自以为不可一世，敢与朕作对，落了个身首异处的下场，株连九族。要是还有人图谋不轨，想步他们的后尘，朕毫不在乎。不然，就得冼心革面，老老实实辅朕，免得身败名裂，贻笑天下。” “陛下神武圣威，臣等愿效犬马之劳。” 百官汗毛凛凛，哆哆嗦嗦跪下磕头。 “平身！”武则天神色一变，脸上绽出了一丝笑纹，“识时务者为俊杰，众卿只要勤劳国事，忠贞不贰，朕不会亏待你们。” “愿陛下江山一统，开创空前盛世。” 过了年，改元为垂拱元年。大赦天下。 武则天的心意，不言而喻，是想永远告别多事而慌乱的光宅元年，企求社会安宁，民心稳定，执政轻松一些，顺利实现她的最高理想。《尚书》上说：“垂拱而天下治。” 意思是垂衣拱手就能将天下治理好。简而言之，垂拱者，无为而治也。从死中得救的李思文，武则天不但没有因他和敬业的叔侄关系连坐问罪，反而提升他当司仆少卿，嘉奖其忠贞。她在召见他时，脸上露着笑纹，蔼然问道：“据说徐敬业要你改姓武，有这回事么？” “他那是挖苦我。” 李思文诚实地对答。 “朕特准你改姓，可以姓武。” 李思文受宠若惊，拜倒丹墀，磕头如捣蒜。正月二十二日，刘仁轨病故，死时任职文昌左相尚书左仆射、同凤阁鸾台三品，封乐城文献公。 武则天诏命以国礼厚葬，陪葬乾陵。他活了八十五岁，寿终正寝，非常荣幸，非常风光，在武则天时代极其稀罕，堪称奇迹。刘仁轨出身贫寒，博涉文史，精通韬略，屡建殊功，因此深得武则天的赏识。他为人处世也有一套防身与迸取的手段。 武氏临朝，他上疏以吕后祸败事规劝，又能把姜嗣宗陷害到一个申诉无门的惨境。可见其气宇轩昂，道貌岸然，到老还在捞取声誉和政治资本，同时不惜使用诈术，以牺牲他人为代价。 武则天下诏，说：“朝堂设置的登闻鼓和肺石，不必派人防守，有人击鼓站到石上，御史应接受他的诉状，代为转奏。” 接着，又颁布《垂拱格》，规定了有关法令及官吏的执掌职责。其目的是鼓励官吏为她效命，忠于职守。员外郎房先敏遭到贬职的处分，他认为不妥，向内史中书令骞味道提出申诉，骞味道做出无能为力的样子，推推脱脱地说：“你找我等于白费力气，太后决定了的事，谁也更改不了的。” “求你帮我转告一下太后，行不行？” 房先敏纠缠着不放。同中书门下三品刘祎之踱了过来，直截了当地说：“你受别人牵连，应由有关官员奏报。” 武则天知道这件事后，觉得非煞一煞官僚作风不可，立刻召见了房先敏，据理撤销了对他的处分。次日早朝，武则天于武成殿御宝座，特别就这一事实发表了看法：“君王和臣属像一个人的身体一样，臣属怎么可以把坏事推给君王，好事归于自己。” 骞味道被贬到青州山东青州市当刺史。加授刘祎之大中大夫。空缺的内史一职，授予了裴居道。裴居道是故太子弘，即孝敬皇帝义宗的妃子裴氏的父亲。死了九年的裴妃，终于被追封为哀皇后，并与义宗合葬于恭陵。垂拱二年正月，武则天意外地下达诏书，中止称制，政权归还皇帝李旦。胆小怕事的李旦推测这是母后对他的试探和考验，连忙上表固辞。太后接了幺儿的表文，闪动凤目看了一遍，随手递给立在身旁的婉儿。 “嗨，这孩子，怎么老不肯坐朝理政呀？” “皇上是真心实意，太后不必再为难他啦。” 婉儿的话正中武则天的下怀，她扬起眉毛环顾了一下周围的动静，没有再说什么。二月，有轮休的几名官吏在坊曲妓院玩耍。欢娱嬉戏中，有人酒后狂言道：“嘿，太后主动提出退回后宫，那简直是自欺欺人。就算李旦不肯出来执政，还有李显嘛。”