Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty Six

Wu Zetian received the military report belatedly, and sent troops hastily in February.On the way to march, Li Zhaode and Xue Huaiyi continued to have frictions on the combat strategy, each holding their own views and refusing to give in to each other.Both were favorites of the emperor.On the other hand, Li Zhaode thinks too much of himself, and despises Xue Huaiyi's humble status, lack of talent and virtue, and nothing more than a "male concubine".By the time he woke up, his favor was completely different from Xue Huaiyi's, it was already too late. Xue Huaiyi's disrespect and disrespect towards him had reached an unforgivable level, and he had to be put to death.No one spoke for Li Zhaode.Xue Huaiyi also said that he is really not a great talent, can't be reused, and he is not compatible with all officials, so there will be endless troubles.

Wu Zetian was most afraid of bringing disaster to the country, so she decided to demote Li Zhaode to Nanbin, Qinzhou [a county captain in Lingshan County, Guangxi].Li Zhaode had just started on the road, "another edict was issued to kill him, and then the edict was issued to commute his sentence and exile. Since Li Zhaode left the court, Empress Wu Zetian always showed a look of loss. One day, she picked a branch from the imperial garden. Ask Wan'er to pass the pear blossoms to the prime ministers for viewing. "Everyone expresses their own opinions, what does this flower imply?"

The submissive prime ministers, pretending to be pleasantly surprised, congratulated you with one word after another: "Oh, the pear blossoms are so beautiful, white as snow, crystal clear as jade, elegant and fragrant, full of life and interest" "Your Majesty's holiness is so powerful that it moves the heavens and the earth, even King Wu of Zhou can't match it." "Yes, yes, our three lives were fortunate to be in a prosperous age. Autumn became spring, and the purple air came from the east, prompting the second pear blossom to bloom." Du Jingjian couldn't listen to it any longer. He tried his best to reject all opinions, and sighed: "As the saying goes, spring blossoms and autumn fruits. Now it's late autumn, but when you see flowers but don't see fruit, it's clear that yin and yang are out of season, and it's a warning from heaven. I can't help but feel deeply guilty and ashamed Not fulfilling the way of a courtier."

"Your words are very much in line with my wishes, and you can be called a minister who cares about the country." A rare sad look appeared on Wu Zetian's face.Zhou Yunyuan, the prime minister of Zuo Suzheng, was promoted to be the minister of Fengge, the inspector of the school, and Tongping Zhangshi, who was in the rank of prime minister.He was extremely annoyed by the current situation of the prime ministers, especially Su Weiwei, who never had a clear attitude or a clear answer to everything. The courtiers jokingly called him "Su Moleng".Zhou Yunyuan discussed with the sympathetic Si Xing Shaoqing Huangfu Wenbei, and at the same time issued an impeachment memorial: "The prime minister is like the emperor's right-hand man, who has the great responsibility of assisting the state affairs, but the current prime minister only complains about Li Zhaode's arbitrariness and pushes all bad things away." On him. I myself eat all day long, do nothing, play wisely to protect myself, but seek nothing wrong. Freezing three feet does not happen in a day, and this serious dereliction of duty cannot be completely reformed without taking resolute measures.”

Wu Zetian accepted their petition and completely reorganized the prime minister's team.Of the eight prime ministers, only three remained: Yao Qi, Yang Zaisi and Zhou Yunyuan himself.The remaining five were all relegated to local governors: Dou Lu Qinwang was relegated to Zhaozhou (Zhao County, Hebei), Su Weiwei was relegated to Jizhou (Nanjiang County, Sichuan), Lu Yuanfang was relegated to Suizhou (Suide County, Shaanxi), Wei Juyuan was relegated to Go to Luzhou [Shenmu County, Shaanxi] Jiu Du Jingjian was demoted to Qinzhou [Qijiang County, Sichuan]. Wu Zetian had this kind of ruthlessness, bold and merciless, and restricted them to set off for the post immediately after receiving the imperial edict.

On November 1st of the first year of Yanzai, that is, New Year's Day in the weekly calendar, the whole city of Luoyang was decorated with lanterns and festoons, and the atmosphere was particularly lively.From the Vientiane Shrine to the outside of Zetianmen, along the two sides of the imperial road, there are more than 1,500 pieces of the emperor's ceremonial guards on display in Luoyang Palace. Honor and greatness.There are thrones, thrones, and incense tables in the Vientiane Shrine, and bells and drums are rung. Empress Wu Zetian, dressed in a gown, is led by the driver to the Vientiane Shrine to ascend to the throne.After the congratulations of all the officials, Wu Chengsi, king of Wei, stepped out of the group, and asked Wu Zetian again to add the honorary title of "Ci Shi".Cishi is another name of Maitreya Buddha, this Buddha has compassion in mind, so he got this title.Wu Zetian, who is more than a few years old, can be described as "a martyr in his old age, full of ambition".However, I always felt that everything was not going my way, and I was anxious and tried to escape. I became more and more enamored of Buddhism, and once again accepted this honorary title.From this day onwards, the first year of Yanzai was changed to the first year of Zhengsheng, and ordinary criminals in the world were amnesty as usual.On the 16th day of the first month of the first year of Zhengsheng, Empress Wu Zetian held an Uncovered Dharma Assembly in the Mingtang Yiwanxiang Shrine.As early as the Mingtang was completed on December 7th in the fourth year of Chuigong, Wu Zetian ordered Xue Huaiyi to build a big Buddha statue and a five-story heaven to accommodate the big Buddha statue.Heaven is built in the north of Mingtang.It was blown down by the wind when it was first built, and it was rebuilt, which took six years to complete.It uses tens of thousands of people to work every day, and the total cost is trillions of dollars-what a waste of money!One by one, as long as Xue Huaiyi asked for money, Wu Zetian would approve without asking for details, and the treasury's money was almost exhausted.The big Buddha statue is stored in dry lacquer.Storage is linen.First make the inner tube with wood, then make a statue with clay on the fetal membrane, and then paste linen cloth with lacquer on the statue, wait until it is dry, remove the inner membrane and clay.

Wu Zetian has extraordinary courage, and strives to be vigorous, gorgeous and spectacular in all affairs.This gigantic Buddha statue is also far beyond people's imagination. Its height reaches the third floor of heaven, and its eyes are at a height of 294 feet, overlooking the Mingtang.It can stand dozens of people on one little finger.Miyagi held the Uncovered Puja for several days in succession.The so-called Uncovered Dharma Assembly is a large Dharma Assembly in which all living beings can donate wealth and cast spells equally, regardless of whether they are rich or poor, male, female, old or young.Because Wu Zetian has been in contact with the people since childhood and understands the psychological state of the people, she is willing to let the people participate in the festivals of the palace in some form, share fun, and gain people's hearts.At this point, it also just reflects that she is more open and wise than other emperors.For example, Li Shimin, who is known as the Mingjun, also frequently held large and small banquets, but usually only officials of the fifth rank and above participated, and he was almost completely isolated from lower-level officials and the common people.The common people are smiling, supporting the old and the young, and the tide flows into the palace like a tide.The officials and guards in charge of maintaining order guide them into the pure land of bliss as Buddhism says-heaven!Look up and worship by yourself.The incense candles and the purple smoke in the cauldron furnace floated indistinctly, each rising up.The background picture is the zenith of full emerald color.On the tall throne sat Xue Huaiyi in brocade cassock, pinching a pearl rosary from Beihai with his fingers, chanting words in his mouth, sacred and majestic, with all aspects of majesty.On both sides are Fa Ming and other ten eminent monks, each wearing purple brocade cassocks.Behind it are many monks dressed as five hundred arhats, reciting the "Great Cloud Sutra" together.The east and west walls are painted with large murals of Paradise.There are golden lotus ponds and lotus seats under the painting, and there are palace prostitutes dressed as heavenly maidens on the seats.Their upper bodies are bare, decorated with flower crowns, wreaths, earrings, bracelets, jingle bells, and chanting scriptures, and softly play musical instruments such as qin, flute, sheng, xiao, pipa, konghou, bell, drum, gong and square rings.There are also golden boys holding incense and jade girls scattering flowers, singing and dancing in circles, adding to the joyful atmosphere.The sounds of chanting scriptures, musical instruments, and singing and dancing come together, like a mountain wind passing through the valley, forming a solemn and harmonious sound.After midnight, the pomp of the Unveiled Puja reached its apogee.After praying for the completion of the law revision, ten carts of copper coins were brought in and thrown to the square in front of the palace. People scrambled to pick them up, resulting in bloodshed. Countless people were injured, and some people were trampled to death because of the scramble.Xue Huaiyi had a whim and performed a special magic Buddha ascending to heaven!A five-foot-deep pit was dug in the ground in advance, and all preparations were made. He straddled a white horse with a silver saddle, and at the command, the monks, big and small, would ring the wooden fish and recite scriptures. Thousands of candles and oil lamps were lit, and they were wrapped in colored silk. The completed palaces and giant Buddha statues were pulled up from deep pits, but they were claimed to have sprung from the ground.The onlookers were deeply surprised and burst into thunderous applause and cheers.Then, he asked the monks to show the audience a head of a big Buddha.The head portrait was originally painted on the linen with ox blood. The head is two hundred feet high, and the nose and mouth are equivalent to the size of a sea ship.But he said it was drawn with blood taken from under his knee.It is true that some devout Buddhists draw a small "Blood Buddha" with the blood under their knees to show their dedication.Xue Huaiyi is really a super cowhide king, he is not afraid of closing his mouth when he opens his mouth to brag.The next day, the head of the big Buddha painted in blood was hung at the southern end of the Tianjin Bridge, twenty miles west of Luoyang City, and an altar was set up below to hold a big ceremony.Xue Huaiyi used this to exaggerate his own magic power and cast a layer of mystery on himself. His intention was to establish prestige among the people, sensationalize the public, and maintain the emperor's favor in another form.From the beginning of the construction of the Heaven and the Buddha, Xue Huaiyi issued a statement to Wu Zetian: "Such a great achievement is extraordinary. I must fast and bathe, put an end to sexual intercourse, and concentrate on supervising the work."

With grandiose reasons, he moved back from the palace to the White Horse Temple.In the beginning, I entered the palace every once in a while.Later, there was no envoy from the inner palace to remind him, so he did not enter the palace.In recent years, even if Wu Zetian sent Gao Yanfu to call him into the palace, he was not willing to obey.Xue Huaiyi's natural wildness has always felt restrained in court life.He is outside, he can do whatever he wants and play freely.He knew that it would definitely cause Wu Zetian to be angry, so he recruited thousands of able-bodied vagrants and ordained them as monks to protect his safety.Shi Yushi Zhou Ju became suspicious of Xue Huaiyi's actions. He visited repeatedly and found that Xue Huaiyi spent the rest of the time fooling around in the White Horse Temple except for the on-site command of the construction of the heaven and the big Buddha statue, so he wrote a memorial to impeach him. .

Wu Zetian said: "You go back, and I will order him to go to Zuo Suzhengtai." Xue Huaiyi rode the white horse given to him by the emperor to the Zuo Suzheng Terrace, and did not rein in and dismount until the steps of the Yamen. He stared straight at Zhou Ju.Zhou Ju was stunned for a moment, calmed down instantly, and snapped, "Bold Xue Huaiyi, how dare you be so rude! Come, pull me down!" Hall officials and jailers rushed forward.Xue Huaiyi jumped up from the rope bed, jumped onto the horse, and ran away like flying with his whip.Zhou Ju gritted his teeth with hatred, and asked to use strong methods to arrest Xue Huaiyi and bring him to justice.

After Wu Zetian thought about it, he said lightly: "That crazy monk may have some mental problems." "Whether he is crazy or not," Zhou Ju said firmly, "The prince broke the law and committed the same crime as the common people." "Hey, there is no definite evidence yet, let's talk about it after a while." "Your Majesty, it's not too late." "Why are you in a hurry!" After a pause, Wu Zetian made it clear: "Xue Huaiyi is not worth pursuing. As for the monk he ordained, it's up to you to deal with it." She was afraid that the monk would have a wild attack, so she would reveal the secrets with her in the boudoir.But knowing that Zhou Ju is a straight guy who would rather bend than bend, stopping him is definitely not the best policy, so he came up with a compromise method and ordered Zhou Ju to deal with the thousand or so helper monks.Zhou Ju unceremoniously arrested the new monk of Baima Temple, sentenced him to exile, and escorted him to a remote county.

Wu Zetian was afraid of leaking the secrets, so he immediately promoted Zhou Ju, the official on that day, Wailang, and transferred away from Zuo Suzhengtai. As soon as Wu Zetian saw him, his anger dissipated, and he gave him many rewards, leaving him to spend the night in the palace and have a good night. "Monk Hua, you have to behave yourself outside and don't cause trouble for me." "I didn't cause trouble, but you were suspicious." Xue Huaiyi seemed very indifferent, ignoring "Wu Zetian's kind reprimand in a friendly tone. "Move into the palace and stop running around." "I am the abbot of the White Horse Temple. If I don't go back, there will be chaos there." "It's not your fault if it's messed up." She stared at him with fiery eyes, as if she was thirsty, wishing to swallow him up.He moved to sit beside her and she rested her head on his shoulder as she stroked his bare belly. "It seems to be thinner." "No." Xue Huaiyi replied, "My belly is no smaller than yours, your Maitreya belly, my Arhat belly, we are each other." "An uneducated wild monk." "A monk and a nun are a match made in heaven." Both of them laughed, Wu Zetian smiled flatteringly and angrily, and Xue Huaiyi laughed rough and presumptuously.Then we fell asleep together weakly, and slept until dawn, still hugging each other tightly without letting go.Days slipped by like this without knowing it.The regular court was changed from one court every three days to one court every five days, and the number of ministers and workers was reduced. Most of the memorials were handed over to Shangguan Wan'er for review and submitted to her for review.Xue Huaiyi stayed by Wu Zetian's side almost day and night, for her to enjoy at any time.She wanted to increase the level of stimulation and avoid external interference.And he seems to have entered an unknown world, and he has a purely coping attitude towards her favor. "He will leave me sooner or later, this smelly monk, maybe he is tired of playing with me and wants to change his taste." When she thought of this, she subconsciously shuddered, her lower body was hot and restless.He remained quite calm, still so charming, so free and nonchalant.One day Wu Zetian went to court, but he left without saying goodbye and slipped out of the inner palace.Gao Yanfu, Ding Dian'er and Brother Silly went to the White Horse Temple several times, but they didn't see him. Wu Zetian felt a cold feeling of loss in his heart, as if everything around him was indifferent, lifeless and gloomy.She is the supreme queen, with the right to rule the world. Brightness, luck, and doing whatever she wants belong to her, but he—this crazy wild monk—has the guts to play a rogue in front of her and betray her.She felt dizzy as if drunk, and staggered, and her mind was at a loss.His leaving brought her not only pain, but also contempt and insult to her, and her spirit was about to collapse.Only when she drank did she feel a vague sense of euphoria.She liked wine, and drank more and more until she fell into a drowsy state.At this time, she was in a daze, her heart was warm and harmonious, chaotic and chaotic, the shadows of the clouds were scorching, grotesque, and she seemed to be integrated into the boundless illusion.During the day, she devotes herself to dealing with the government affairs, but at night, she is lonely and unbearable.Thought races are like drizzle in the air, being blown to and fro by the wind, they are scattered in all directions. She wants to take revenge on him, beat him up, bite him a few times, and control him tightly, using terrifying means to deal with him. He applies pressure.However, what I think about the most is the unresolvable love affair.His body is awesome, his chest covers her like a fan, his movements are as powerful as a diamond, his abdomen is so elastic, and every movement is so ecstasy, it is simply unbearable.Her will, her soul has no idea where to fly, what is left is only a desire and pleasure to accept.Night after night, she hugged him tightly, allowing herself to enjoy his warm warmth, his passionate kisses, until the kisses spread all over her body, turning into passion spurting out like a spring.A feeling of drowsiness, a feeling of heaviness, and a kind of drowsiness hit her.After being dazed for a while, she became aware of the surrounding night. Behind the bedroom in Jiayu Palace, there was the sound of the ticking of the dripping glass and the rustling of the leaves blown by the wind.Xue Huaiyi came back like a rush, the ghost monk, wandering somewhere, with a smell of wine and meat, strode straight into the bedroom, knelt down under Wu Zetian's knees, and helped her beat leg. "Where have you been?" "Just for fun," Xue Huaiyi smiled naively, "The palace is so boring, let's take a walk outside to relax." "Why don't you say anything?" "Isn't this coming back? Why are you talking about it?" "This is not an example." "I know," Xue Huaiyi tightened his nose comically, "it's not good to stay by your side all the time, and you can't afford to be guilty of affecting the government." "A good mouthpiece." "You can't rely on your mouth alone, you have to wait on it comprehensively. Come, let me rub your bones for you." He took her off naked, twirled her in his arms a few times, and gently placed her on the dragon bed, then followed her naked into the dragon and phoenix brocade quilt.She went to court early in the morning, leaving him alone in the dormitory.Alone, he felt relaxed and happy, free.Pushing open the window lattice, you can see a faint ray of dawn in the distance, and the east is bright.In the empty eastern sky, where it connects with the Yellow River and Tianshui, there is a beautiful carmine color.There is no breeze, and the mist is like thousands of plain yarns to be dyed hanging in the air, floating slowly, twisting, looming.The chirping of birds came from outside the window, but their dexterous figures could not be seen.The white mist churned and drifted away in the morning, as if there was a rustling sound.The sky of Qingdai reveals the fresh and romantic attire unique to spring.The weather is intoxicatingly warm, and the plum trees in the imperial garden are covered with tender white flowers.He finished grooming quickly, and went for a walk under the plum tree in the garden before Wu Zetian went to court.The cherry blossoms are gone, and the peach blossoms are just about to bloom.The sidewalks in the garden are full of messy cherry blossoms, some of which are still hanging on the silky green grass, trembling like little pink butterflies falling on the grass leaves.The flying flowers are green, the butterflies are dancing and the beacon is noisy, and a faint fragrance floats into my heart.Standing under the plum tree and looking up, some of the flowers on the twigs are in full bloom, some are ready to vomit, and some are just blooming, gathered into bunches, rolled into clusters, clusters, layers, It suddenly became brilliant like a madman.Under the bright sun, it looks like snow and jade, rippling with white waves. "Where did you go again?" Xue Huaiyi stepped into the door with his left foot, Wu Zetian asked with his head wrapped around his head.He hesitated for a moment, then suppressed his smile, as if his joyful mood had been taken away by someone, his face became gloomy. "Walking in the garden, ho, the plum blossoms are really blooming." "Why do you want to see Li Hua? What's so good about Li Hua! I must cut it off." "Plum flowers are pure, and plums are delicious." "Are you hungry?" Wu Zetian sniffled, "Peach blossoms bloom, plum blossoms wither, three meals a day and it never gets dark." "What's the meaning?" "The days are long and the nights are short, and three meals a day don't seem to be enough." "I'm born hungry. It doesn't matter if I eat one or two meals less, and it doesn't matter if I eat more." "Naturally fluid." Wu Zetian made a gesture like a cat with a cleanliness, "Eating more or less is not good. If you suffer from diaphragmatic eating, it will be difficult to cure." "But I don't get sick, I'm as strong as a cow." "You are a cow, what am I?" "Don't keep using the tone of teaching. It's like taking advantage of loopholes. I'm using an analogy." As if he had been wronged, he pouted and walked away.After dinner, the sun set, the western sky slowly dimmed, and the twilight descended like a blanket.At dusk, the plum blossoms shone brightly like elves.She took his hand and paced back and forth under the shade of the tree, the shadows on the ground were mottled.The scenery is beautiful and quiet, and the sunset adds a bit of charm, the wind flowing in the forest carries a faint sweet smell, the imperial garden is quiet, and the nightingale's cry in the woods is clear and melodious, especially euphemistic.A tenderness like water surged into her heart, but he was in a daze like a wooden sculpture, his whole body was numb, and he lost the interest he had in the morning.She grabbed his arm and held him tightly, like a prisoner, as if she suddenly gained several times her strength, wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tighter, her lips moved together, and gave him A surging, firm kiss.He was shocked and understood what she wanted to do.He took her by the hand, and led her to walk under the plum tree, to the foot of a rockery. "It's humid outside, it's better to go back." she says.They returned to the bedroom.She pretended to be very tired and was about to go to bed.His lust was aroused, and Sai was as hot and cold as fire.She lay motionless, her eyes fixed on him.Without any prelude, the two were twisted together at once.She wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing him tightly against her body, her strength was so terrifying that it was heart-shattering!Both of their passions were very strong and violent, like lightning and thunder, turbulent, and continued for a long time, until she couldn't bear it, her whole body went limp, and she surrendered like a defeated soldier.He lay on her body like an eagle catching a rabbit, with half of his face buried in her hair.She fell asleep with her arms around him and held him in her arms all night long.He was neither fast asleep nor very awake.She possessed his body, greedily and continuously enjoying it as a possessor.He realized that her breasts were rising and falling strangely, as if a monster such as a vixen was absorbing the essence and vitality of others.The dim light reflected on the face of the dim man, and the water dripping from the sand pot dripped down drop by drop like blood.He shivered, and the hairs all over his body stood up, as if he had fallen into a pit, panicked and overwhelmed.She woke up, staring at him with burning eyes.He felt that she was going to destroy him.She tightly controlled him, and she had to suck all his essence and blood until she crushed him and smashed him into powder.He resented her spontaneously, his anger rose, and a strong sense of pathetic rebellion took possession of his soul. "I don't care about your titles and titles," he thought. "What do they mean to me? What I want is freedom, to live freely, to fly freely in the vast blue sky like a bird." "Are you afraid of death?" He asked himself instead of her. "You can do whatever you like, as you please." He imagined that she must be very angry, her phoenix eyes were wide open, and her face was bruised. "Why do you want me to serve you for a long time?" "Under the whole world, is it the king's land. On the shore of the land, is it the king's ministers. I am the country, and everything belongs to me, and I have to drive it." There was nothing he could do. A strong, strong man suddenly became like wormwood beaten down by frost, or like a bird with its wings broken off. The pessimism and fear on the verge of despair seized him, and he seemed to be left alone. The next pair of mutilated torso is dying, unable to move, as it should be!When he stayed with her, no matter when or what the situation was, the feeling of despair always enveloped his heart.Living in this state, his heart is as dead as ashes, all thoughts are extinguished, he turns a blind eye, hears but doesn't hear, loses feeling, consumes life numbly, and goes to the grave day by day.He hated her, hated her, hated her to the extreme.He cunningly thought of all kinds of ways to irritate her, arouse her resentment, deliberately avoid her, or move around on her body, or ride on her body and rub it wantonly, or wake her up from a deep sleep, causing her Insomnia.He deliberately pretended to be crazy, pretended to be crazy while drinking, hugged and kissed the palace maid, and deliberately flirted with the women in the palace, including Xianghe and Wan'er.The last trick finally annoyed her, she was jealous, her eyes widened and shot out like sharp swords. "He who is content is always happy, and you should also be content." "Your Majesty should be content," he said forcefully, "Why do you keep pestering me?" "I need you." "I have needs too, why not let me be happy too." "Shameless!" She shrugged her shoulders, turned her back, and pretended to be dismissive.He felt that she was murderous, and she almost wanted to kill him.When she saw the grief and depression in his eyes, her heart also became heavy, and she felt compassionate: "In any case, he has contributed a lot and made selfless dedication to meet my request. .Without him, I still don’t know what it is like now? Without him, I might not be able to survive today. As the saying goes, Qian Shixiu came to cross the same boat, and Wan Shixiu came to sleep together. It’s not that enemies don’t get together. We have been together for so many years , It’s hard enough for him. It seems that we have to relax a little bit, reduce some control, put less pressure on him, and let him relax.” In a flash, her thoughts jumped to Shen Nanqiu, the imperial doctor: "The little butter boy, using the diagnosis as an excuse, rubbed his fingers on my wrist, and stared at me with lustful eyes. I look around. Just give me a little hint, and he will climb on me, and his power is definitely not as powerful as the wild monk, but it is still possible in an emergency, and maybe he will use aphrodisiacs." He asked to go back to the White Horse Temple, and she let him leave the inner palace.Soon, Xue Huaiyi got a piece of news: Shen Nanqiu, one of the four imperial physicians, had replaced him to serve the emperor on the dragon bed.Humans are willful animals.He was tired of Wu Zetian, so he took an excuse to hide in the White Horse Temple to find another new love and spend time and wine. Wu Zetian was forced to find a partner, and he was jealous, furious, and determined to take revenge.On the last day of the Unsheltered Ceremony, there were thousands of people emptying the alleys and crowds of people. Lanterns and festoons were hung in front of the palace, and the flow of people was like weaving.He fully expected that Wu Zetian would come to watch this lively scene, and announced in public that the holy car was coming.But after waiting and waiting, the emperor never showed up. She was having fun with Shen Nanqiu in the dormitory and couldn't come out.Xue Huaiyi was ashamed and annoyed, his heart was filled with waves of madness.After the second watch, a strong wind suddenly blew up, flying sand and rocks, and tourists evaded one after another. He took advantage of the situation and set a fire, and the heaven suddenly billowed with smoke.The big Buddha in the hall was originally made of linen lacquer, which is flammable. It will catch fire and burn blazingly. The big Buddha statue has become a huge fire Bodhisattva.The heavens then burned up, the fire soared into the sky, sparks flew, the artillery rushed to the sky, and the sky shot across the sky like meteors.The flame became more and more violent and expanded, and within a moment, the spreading fire ignited the Vientiane Shrine.Heaven and Mingtang became two erupting volcanoes, and the flames soared, dyeing the dark sky red, and even the area around the Tianjin Bridge shone like day.The courtiers and soldiers who were on duty at night called urgently to put out the fire. The imperial guards, guards and eunuchs rushed to the scene to rescue them, but there was nothing they could do.They had no choice but to pour water on the adjacent palace gates and pavilions to control the spread of the fire.Heaven and Mingtang competed with each other, and the flames rose to a height of four or five hundred feet.The nine giant dragons on the roof of the Mingtang are all golden and red, spitting out tongues of fire, forming a posture of ascending to heaven.The wings of the phoenix were burned, and the gold powder fell like raindrops with ice and snow.The Buddha's head was torn into pieces of rags, burning and flying into the sky.People shouted in unison: "The Buddha's nose is on fire!" "Look, that ear flew away and turned into a Huoshaoyun!" The portrait quickly disappeared.The smell of burning wood mixed with blood, cloth, and burnt paint irritated the nose.The huge stream of fire swirls in the air, setting off the flames soaring into the sky, it looks extraordinarily tragic and magnificent.In the instant before the destruction, the two halls seemed like mirages, forming an unprecedented spectacle.All the people present were deeply attracted by this strange scene, dumbfounded and shocked.After receiving the fire report, Wu Zetian woke up with a start, pushed the exhausted Shen Nanqiu awake, and told him to leave as soon as possible.The maid helped her put on her clothes and got out of bed.Xiang He, Hong Xing, Wan'er, Gao Yanfu, Ding Dian'er, and Brother Silly all came, watching Wu Zetian circling in the bedroom.Turning, turning, a flash of inspiration flashed in her eyes, and she realized the answer: "That must be the work of the crazy monk, and he used this to warn me that I am not special to him." With a long sigh, Wu Zetian sat down limply.Xiang He and Hong Xing bent down to beat her legs.Gao Yanfu leaned closer and asked, "Do you want to investigate the cause of the fire?" "The matter is over," Wu Zeyao shook her hand, "There is no need." Before dawn, both the heaven and the bright hall had been burned out, and the fire was extinguished at the same time.At this time, Jin Wuwei, Zuo and You Suzhengtai and all civil and military officials arrived in advance.In the early court, without waiting for the opening performance, Wu Zetian explained explanatoryly: "All your lords are very concerned about this fire incident. I have ordered people to investigate. It was caused by the strong wind that the candle flame ignited the big Buddha statue, and then spread. .Since what the wind did, there is no need to forcibly hold people accountable. Moreover, it has become a fact, and the loss cannot be recovered." After retiring from the court, the near ministers did not leave immediately, and discussed the strange fire in twos and threes.Some people remembered that today there was going to be a banquet to open the eyes of the Buddha and the completion of the heaven. I wonder if it will be held as usual?Zuo Shiyi Liu Chengqing came to Tongming Hall to meet Wu Zetian, and said: "The Buddhist hall has been destroyed, and the banquet should be stopped to answer the condemnation of heaven." "Ok." Wu Zetian was ready to accept.Before Wu Zetian finished speaking, Nayan Yao Qi raised a hand and objected: "Once upon a time, the Xuanxie Palace in Luoyang, the capital of the Zhou Dynasty, was on fire. Zhang Palace, Shengde is even more ancient. The Vientiane Shrine is not a place for worshiping the ancestral temple, and has nothing to do with the country. The banquet is the emperor's feast for the courtiers to celebrate the Spring Festival. It is once a year and cannot be given up." "According to Qing's play, the banquet should naturally be held on time." The discouraged Wu Zetian immediately cheered up, smiled at Yao Qi, and restored her former appearance.She thought about it calmly, and made two changes based on the facts: 1. The venue of the banquet was changed to the Duanmen of the central south gate, because if the original plan was to be held at the Zetianmen Tower at the main gate of Miyagi, it would not be far from the Vientiane Shrine. Far.Last night when the fire was put out, the surrounding area was soaked by water, it was messy, the scene was ugly, and it was inevitable to touch the scene.2. The banquet to celebrate the completion of the heaven and the Great Buddha is changed to a celebration banquet to celebrate the new year. Wu Zetian, dressed in the emperor's gown, came to Duanmen gate tower, attended the Spring Festival wedding banquet with a dignified and quiet attitude, and raised his glass to congratulate the courtiers on the new year.At the end of the banquet, she stood up again and announced to the public: "Mingtang is the place where the state spreads government orders, and it should not be neglected. I specially ordered Xue Huaiyi, the Duke of E, to immediately start rebuilding Mingtang and Tiantang. The scale and system are basically the same, and appropriate improvements can be made in some places. .” Purely unexpected.Xue Huaiyi, who was always uncomfortable, was so surprised that he was stunned, and it took him a long time to recover.Unexpectedly, Wu Zetian was so lenient and managed to save him face.He hurriedly avoided the seat and knelt down on his knees to thank God for his grace.The courtiers didn't seem to understand what was going on, so Wu Zetian issued a second imperial decree, ordering Xue Huaiyi to be the supervisor and envoy to cast the bronze tripod of Kyushu and the statues of the twelve zodiac gods, all of which were ten feet high. Place them according to their respective positions.According to legend, Yu cast the nine tripods, so later generations use tripods to represent the throne and a symbol of national power. "Zuo Zhuan" records: "Jie had a faint virtue, the tripod was moved to Shang, and there were six hundred sacrifices to Shang Zhou's tyranny, and the tripod was moved to Zhou." King Wu defeated Zhou, captured Chaoge, returned to his master Haojing, established the Western Zhou Dynasty, and moved Jiuding to Zhou Dynasty from Shang Dynasty. "Moving Ding" means the so-called change of dynasty. Wu Zetian wanted to imitate the story of King Wu of Zhou moving Jiuding to the palace gate, and cast the "Jiuzhou Ding" in copper, representing the Kyushu in the world, and named them after the cities of Kyushu, such as the Henan Ding named Shendu Ding.The old nun in Linzhi Temple who claimed to be the descendant of the goddess Jingguang came to the inner palace to express his condolences when he learned that the Mingtang and the heaven were destroyed by fire. Wu Zetian was holding back the blood in his stomach for a long time, and now he broke out. "You boast of your ability to predict the future, why did you know about this disaster and not report it?" "Your Majesty," the old nun was trembling with fear, "you must not reveal the secrets of heaven." "Now that things are still going on, I want to cut off your tongue if you still want to coax people!" "Amitabha, Amitabha!" The old nun knelt on the ground and begged for mercy. Wu Zetian refused to spare her, and ordered her to be driven back to Hanoi, and her property was confiscated.Su Zhengtai saw that the emperor saw through the old nun's tricks, and further exposed her behaviors such as disobeying the rules and immorality, so he asked these monks and nuns to be arrested and punished severely. Wu Zetian frowned, and said, "There's no need to scare the snakes, let them take care of themselves." "If Your Majesty hesitates any longer, he will be beyond his reach." "They can't go." Empress Wu Zexia pardoned the old nun's crimes, summoned her back from the escort to Hanoi, and still let her go to Linshu Temple as the abbot.As the news spread, the nuns returned to the monastery one after another, and the barbarian who claimed to be 500 years old and the monks who had known him also came one after another.As always, they eat three meals during the day, and each meal is vegetarian. At night, they feast on fish and meat, spend time and wine, dance naked, have sex with each other casually, and make a mess.After checking the facts, Wu Zetian secretly sent envoys to lead the guards to surround Linzhi Temple. Only the old Hu escaped, and the rest were captured.The men were exiled to the army, while the old nuns and female nuns were brought into the palace as servants, handed over to the internal envoys to manage them, and they did the dirtiest and hardest work. If they didn't die of exhaustion or illness, they were forced to hang themselves.Wei Shifang, who was sent to Songshan Mountain, later asked the Queen to let him go to the South China Sea to collect medicinal materials such as ganoderma lucidum, and prepare the elixir of life. After the incident at Zhisi was exposed, he committed suicide at the post station. Wu Zetian offered sacrifices to the ancestral temple and reported the fire situation.The fire incident hit her hard. She was depressed, depressed, and she lost a lot of weight. Her big belly like Maitreya Buddha was not as attractive as before.She began to reflect on herself, changed from arrogance to humility, and asked her courtiers to put forward their own opinions on rebuilding the bright hall and heaven.The dull air gradually turned to liveliness.Most people talked about the necessity, reality, and far-reaching significance of the reconstruction following the emperor's wishes.通事舍人逢敏则大不以为然，严肃而诚恳地说：“天魔烧毁宫殿，七宝台倒塌，此乃上天示瞀，陛下应谨慎从事，停止大兴土木，以养民力。” “不，不，”左史张鼎等人的看法相左，“风风火火，本是一种吉兆，预示着大周的兴旺发达。” 刘承庆愤然而起，火爆爆地反驳道：“明明一场灾难，怎么能说是好事呢？真是岂有此理！既然火是从佛像身上烧起来的，那么，作为佛舍的天堂，还修它干什么？” 武则天是有心人，一听便知逢敏和刘承庆话中有话，实际上是针对她容忍包庇薛怀义来的。她内心接受了他们的忠告和批判，表面上却让众人去争去议，不表态，不作结论。薛怀义的思想愈来愈复杂，他明显看出大多数人都把矛头对准了他，虽然皇帝对火灾不予追究，但是本人决不能恢复以前那种特殊恩宠了。他灰心丧气，又自负自傲，估计武则天的爱心已经移到了沈南璆的身上，很不甘心，又不肯进宫讨好皇帝。自暴自弃之中，沉湎酒肉声色，肝火上升，乱发脾气，甚至骂皇帝，骂朝廷，体罚本寺的和尚，差不多达到了天怒人怨的地步。这一系列的表现传到了武则天的耳朵里，她对这个出身历史不详、来历不明的野和尚开始了反思，怀疑他是否当真疯了？为了防止不测，她吩咐担任宫门謇卫的户婢，不分昼夜加强后宫各门的戒备，又从太监中选出胆大强健者，由丁点儿和傻大哥领班实行外围的巡逻。她惴惴不安，提心吊胆，深恨自己不该跟这种流氓无赖似的粗野之人纠缠在一起，想尽快处置他。 “诉诸法律是不行的。倘若开堂审问，这个疯和尚说不定什么事都会闹出来，我的淫行丑事很快便会传遍全国，贻笑四方。何况薛怀义知道的比郝象贤多得多，又是自身的经历。” 太平公主对此事特别清楚，既精灵，又可靠而且她和母亲一样担心，唯恐弄出笑话。丑事一旦张扬出去，自己也会牵扯在内。 “那个秃子简直无法无天，闹得京都满城风雨，陛下不能再纵容他啦。” “朕正是要和你商量这件事哩。朕已无法忍受下去了，得赶紧结束才好。” “此事就交臣来办吧，让我来对付他。” 武则天默然允许，太平公主便告辞出去了。她派遣一名伶俐的侍女来到白马寺，煞有介事地对薛怀义说：“我家公主请大师明日到瑶光殿赴宴，还有歌舞作陪，大师，莫失良机呐。” “歌舞，我不稀罕。” 薛怀义神情淡漠。 “这是太平公主的好意，”侍女丢了一个溜活的媚眼，“你难道不领情？” 接着又做了一个挑逗性的动作，“她好想念你的，要和你好好聊聊。” "real?" 薛怀义想起了太平公主那高雅俏丽的模样，心中不觉痒痒的，眯缝着双眼，凑到侍女面前问道。 “谁骗你？你见面就会知道的。” “好吧，我一定按时赴宴。” 薛怀义辗转反侧几乎没有睡着，一会儿想着太平公主，一会儿想着武则天，一会儿又想到了千金公主。寮房背后的林子里，一只夜莺不住气地啼叫，又动听又烦人。天刚麻麻亮，他就起了床，用加了香草的温水洗了澡，换上崭新的袈裟，带着十几名贴心的和尚，乘着高头大白马，走进了皇宫的北门。天气晴和，空气新鲜，迷人的春天播散着美丝丝的芬芳气息。百灵藏身在杏树的枝叶里，那清脆、欢快和千啼万啭的鸣唱，叫人心花怒放。成群的喜雀好比迎亲队似的，在路旁扑翅跳跃。薛怀义下马走到九州池畔，擤了濞鼻子，举目四处探视了一下，只见太平公主带着几名侍女站在瑶光殿前的琉璃亭等候。她蛾眉横翠，粉面生春，樱桃小口半含着笑意。颜巍巍满头无数宝钗玉簪，花枝招展，衣裙缀满了珍珠宝玉，丰姿绰约，仪态万方，赛若广寒宫里的嫦娥仙子。薛怀义不觉骨酥筋麻，连口水都流出来了。太平公主黑艳艳的大眼睛秋波盈盈，勾人心魄，亲呢地向着薛怀义招手。薛怀义如醉如痴，抬腿向着曲桥上走去。接近桥头时，一只脚踏进了套索里。埋伏在桥下的人把套索一扯，薛怀义绊倒了。太平公主的奶妈张夫人打了个唿哨，突然从花丛下和树林里冒出二三十个宫婢，蜂拥而上，像张网捕鱼一样用绳网罩住了薛怀义。薛怀义拼命挣扎，想挣脱出来，但是无能为力。网愈收愈紧，薛怀义站起来又摔倒了，脸憋得通红，大汗淋漓，困兽似的咆哮、怒吼。太平公主的丈夫武攸暨的哥哥武攸宁带着数名卫士飞奔过来，刀枪并举，棍棒齐下，三下五除二，将薛怀义活活打死了。尸体秘密运回白马寺火化，烧成灰烬，和在泥里建造佛塔。花和尚薛怀义这段插曲就这么结束了。他无法适应如此优渥的巨变，跟他亲手烧毁的天堂、明堂和大佛一样，化作了灰烬，成了过眼烟云。事情做得干净利落，武则天对太平公主大大夸奖了一番，真是有其母必有其女。不久，武则天宣布删除“慈氏”与“越古”两个尊号。她如同从魔力下苏醒过来的人一样，觉得还是轻松一些好。 “越古”对于她来说，并没有多少实际意义。薛怀义曾经制造舆论，说她是大慈大悲的弥勒佛降世，将她推上了皇帝的宝座。如今薛怀义已进入了历史，她不想再由此想到他，而且也无需弥勒佛来撑腰了。 武则天巧妙地利用了佛教，得益于佛教处甚多。同时她又是一位大力推行佛教的君主，对佛教和佛教艺术的发展颇具功劳。如今，她已功成圆满，髙据九五之尊，且又稳于泰山。会不会放弃对于佛教的重视，改变其地位，把“佛先道后”还原于“道先佛后”呢？She didn't do that.佛教在她的执政期间，一直处于发展的趋势。当时佛教巳分成许多宗派，主要流行的有天台宗、华严宗、法相宗、禅宗等。天台宗是中国佛教史上最早建立的宗派，它所崇奉的经典是《法华经、故又称法华宗。智颜是其开山鼻祖。东渡日本的传法高僧唐大和尚鉴真，又称过海大师，就是属于天台宗的。华严宗以崇奉龙树立《华严经》而得名，以法藏为代表。法相宗为高僧、杰出的翻译家和旅行家玄奘所创，主张“唯识论”，认为“识”人们内心存在的真理种子是一切自然事物和心理现象的起源。他是一个主观唯心论者。经过他的宣传，法相宗在唐初成为最显赫的宗派，但其教义十分繁琐，不易为一般人所接受，不久即告衰落。唯在日本、朝鲜等国有所发展，日本的法相宗一直存在到今天。禅宗相传由南印度僧侣达摩在北魏时创立的。 武则天时期分为南北二宗，北宗的创立者是神秀，南宗的创立者为慧能。神秀主张渐悟说，认为应通过长期苦修，扫除一切杂念，然后才能渐悟成佛。他把自己的主张归纳为四句话：“身是菩提树，心如明镜台，时时勤拂拭，勿使惹尘埃。” 慧能立张顿悟说，认为佛在心内，不必外求，用不着苦心修行，也不须诵读大批经卷，只要静心省悟，便可以顿悟成佛。他把自己的主张也归纳为四句话：“菩提亦无树，明镜亦非台，本来无一物，何处惹尘埃。” 这种简便快捷的成佛法，便于大众接受，南宗因此得到广泛的传播，胜过了北宗。到唐朝后期，它几乎取代了佛教的所有宗派，垄断了佛坛。就在太平公主处死薛怀义的这一年，义净带着许多佛经返回故土，来到了洛阳。他是继法显、玄奘西天取经之后，于咸亨二年从广州乘船出发，顺海路前往天竺，历时二十四年，巡回三十一国，三十七岁出行，如今已是年逾花甲的老翁了。圣神皇帝特别驾临端门外，亲自迎接，慰问其辛劳，并诏命由他主持翻译于阒的佛僧实叉难陀带来的《华严经》。义净花了四年的时间才译完《华严经》八十卷。他还写了许多着作，最着名的有《大唐西域求法高僧传》《南海归寄内法传》，留下了研究天竺与南海的珍贵史料。擎天巨柱一天枢一落成，多少又给了武则天一些慰藉。她高兴得神来天外，银盘似的脸庞上漾开了笑纹，亲自带着朝臣们前往观赡。督作使姚琦边导驾边指指划划地陈述：天枢是一根髙一百零五尺、直径十二尺的大铜柱，柱身八面，每面宽五尺，底座用生铁铸成山丘，周边长约一百七十尺，又用铜铸成蟠龙和麒鳞盘旋环绕。柱顶装置一个腾云形的承露盘，直径三丈，由四个人面龙身的“龙人”站在盘上，高捧一颗“喷火明珠”，火珠高一丈。承露盘是工匠毛婆罗参照汉武帝在建章宫建造的大铜盘设计出来的。盘的周围刻着武三思所作的批判唐朝、歌颂大周与圣神皇帝功德的文章，以及文武百官和奉献百万钱的四夷酋长的姓名称谓。 武则天对这座纪念碑似的天枢很满意，御笔亲书“大周万国颂德天枢”八个大字，雕刻在铜柱的正面。重阳节，武则天在洛阳南郊祭祀天地二神，加尊号为“天册金轮大圣皇帝”。大赦天下。将证圣元年改元为天册万岁元年。庆典长达九天。她讲究大排场、大氛围、大肆张扬，相信文字的魔力，以及爱好华美壮丽的特性，再度恢复了。这一次她自加尊号，还首次出现了四个字的年号。四个字的年号，其后又出现两次，总共三次。突厥可汗阿史那默嗫派遣使节向唐朝请降，武则天大喜，召见使节，盛情款待，授予默啜左卫大将军的官职，封归国公。一直侵扰中原的突厥自动来降，武则天以为是天地神灵的保佑，敕命朝臣准备封禅嵩山。天册万岁二年腊月初一日，武则天从神都洛阳出发，前往嵩山封禅。嵩山离洛阳一百二十里，比起去泰山封禅的距离近多了。三十年前封禅泰山，仅路上就花了五十五天时间。当时武则天是以皇后的身份随李治而行，这一次却是堂堂正正的万乘之尊，摆驾嵩山封禅，心情、兴致与派头都大不一样。神都除留下留守的少数官员外，整个朝廷和后宫一并随驾启程。此外，各州的刺史、都督，部落酋长、外国使节和他们的随从，以及车、马、仪仗、禁苑驯服的豺、狼、虎、豹和狮、象、孔雀、猎鹰、鹦鹉等飞禽走兽，还有马、牛、羊、狗、骆驼等等皆随行。沿途旌旗蔽野，艳彩辉映，赛如一幅绚烂炫丽的七色锦锻，浩浩荡荡，似热浪翻腾。先行的队伍已经抵达了嵩山山麓的指定地点，行列中后面的部分却还刚从洛阳南郊出发。车马人流，喧阗拥挤，熙熙攘攘，闹沉了半边天，场面热烈而壮观。封禅要耗费大量资财，损伤国力，文武百官随行，仪仗陈列，还要动用军马、民夫，骚扰地方，坑害百姓，时间也拉得很长。泰山封禅，少则数月，甚至长达一两年。可是历代君主每逢“盛世”，便要利用封禅欺骗臣民，粉饰太平，夸示夷狄，或者禀告上天已经改朝换代，据说还可以求寿成仙。因此，尽管劳民伤财，他们还是非常向往，乐于举行。 武则天好大喜功，爱铺排大场面，大造声势，然而又比较冷静，尚有明智的一面，没有大张旗鼓去泰山，改成了嵩山封禅。嵩山属于伏牛山脉，其主体在登封河南登封县西北，由太室山和少室山组成，东西绵延约一百二十余里。远古称外方，夏禹时称嵩髙、崇山，商汤时亦称嵩髙，西周称岳山，东周始定嵩高为中岳，五代以后称中岳嵩山。它与泰山、华山、恒山、衡山共称五岳。太室山磅礴如卧，峻极于天，向有卧龙之称，主峰峻极峰海拔一千四百四十米。少室山森峭秀丽，摇曳云表，向称“九鼎莲花”，御寒峰海拔一千五百一十二米，是嵩山最髙峰。嵩山自汉武帝在山上建立登仙台后，便罩上了一层神秘的色彩，由名山变成了一座灵山。 武则天于垂拱四年七月命名其为神岳，封山神为中天王，以为神都的守护神，并禁止在山中放牧，进而又抬高了它的神圣地位。封禅先在嵩山南麓筑圆坛，三层，十二台阶，如圜丘之制，坛上漆成青色，四面各如其方之色，并造玉策三枚、玉匮一、金匮二、石检、石榻等。封禅礼开始之日，武则天穿戴衮冕大礼服，登坛亲祭昊天上帝。祭毕，亲封玉策，置石礴内，聚五色土封埋。然后乘步辇，率侍臣等登临太室山顶峰。次日拂晓，让侍臣停留下来，武则天照样穿戴衮冕大礼服，独自走向设在山顶的登封坛。登封坛高九尺，象征天有九重，广一丈二尺，四面有陛阶，坛上漆成青色，四面各如其方之色。 武则天登上祭坛，钟罄等金石之乐齐奏，在“燎”火中焚烧玉器，以猪牛羊三牲祭奠，最后用金线把刻有祭告天帝的祝文的玉册缠绕起来，封埋坛内。礼毕，武则天率侍臣在峻极峰游览了一番。她以七十三岁的高龄，挺立在一千四百多米的高寒处，能抵挡住严冬早晨刺骨的朔风，可见身体状况相当良好。而且她的精力仍然充沛，上观天象，俯视群山，边走边指指点点，饶有兴致地问左右侍臣道：“你们知道太室山和少室山的来历吗？” “臣等孤陋寡闻，”夏官尚书王孝杰恭谦地对答说，“请陛下费神告诉我们。” “带兵打仗，他人不如你。不过，作为军事统帅，学问愈多愈好。比如裴行俭，文韬武略，对答如流，他用兵往往以计取胜，很少失误。” "I would like to abide by the holy decree." “好了，话别扯散了。” 武则天略一凝神，滔滔不绝地说道：“传说唐尧时，天下洪水泛滥，舜命大禹治水。大禹路过涂山，老百姓见他没有妻室，遂挑选最贤良的姑娘涂山娇嫁给他为妻。涂山娇的妹妹涂山姚和姐姐相依为命长大，不肯分离。禹把涂山娇安排在崇山下居住，让涂山姚在季山下居住。他便全身心地投人到治水中去了，三过家门而不人。在开凿辗辕关时，涂山娇见禹变成大熊推动山石，羞恼难忍，化成了巨石，石裂生子。涂山姚继姐姐嫁给了禹，抚养孩子。众人便把崇山叫作太室山，季山叫作少室山。后来在太室山下建启母庙，在少室山下建少姨庙，以纪念涂山姐妹。” “大禹的故事流传很多很广，可惜臣等知之甚少。” “过几天朕去少室山禅地时，带你们到北麓五乳峰下的少林寺走走。” “陛下，”太平公主喊着说，“寺内有太宗文皇帝御书碑，是也不是？” “当真不假。唐太宗登基后，召少林寺救驾众僧赴长安受封。昙宗等十三僧在校场表演武功之后，太宗皇帝降旨：一封少林寺可养五百僧兵二封昙宗当大将军僧，善护当上座僧，志操当寺主僧，惠场当都征那僧，其余九人当立功僧三赐少林寺良田千亩，水碾一盘，袈裟百领。御宴上，众僧闭目不食。太宗忽觉菜肴犯了佛戒，解释说：葱能发汗解表，大蒜解百毒，酒可御寒理气，肉有大补养的功效，武僧适量酌用，强身报国，众僧叩头谢恩。碑上记述了十三和尚受封的情况，朕眼见为实。” “唐太宗倒是很讲感情的。” “他可算得一代明君，四夷尊他为天可汗，文治武功，都有开创性的成果。” “我们大周也盛况空前哩。” “事在人为。要开创辉煌盛世，首先得有人才。载初元年，我在洛成殿亲自主持贡士考试，有人说我疑心重，不相信主考官，其实我是想当面选拔一些考生，量才录用。” “陛下，天授三年你接见存抚使所荐举的学士，不问贤愚，悉加擢用，也遭受了不少非议。” “朕知道，无非那么回事。” 天授元年，武则天派史务滋等十人，分别前往十道巡查安抚。由存抚使所推荐的人土，不问有没有才干，也不问聪明或愚昧，武则天全部授予官职，才髙的试任正五品上凤阁舍人、给事中，其次的试任员外郎、侍御史、补阙、拾遗、校书郎。官员试用制度自此开始。新鲜事物的出现，反对者在所难免。当时有人编了一首打油诗：补阙连车载，拾遗平斗量权推侍御史，碗脱校书郎。一位叫沈全交的贡士，又补了两句：糊心存抚使，眯目圣神皇。御史纪先知查获逮捕了沈全交，弹劾他毁谤朝政，请求先行在朝堂施行杖刑，然后依法治罪。 武则天宽厚地笑了笑：“只要你们不像打油诗说的那么滥，何必在乎别人说什么？释放了事。” 纪先知悻悻地退下去了。 武则天虽然滥用禄位以笼络天下人心，但对不称职的人，也随即罢黜，有的甚至诛杀。掌握刑罚和赏赐的权抦，以驾驭天下人，恩威政令都由自己作主，明察事理，善于决断，所以当时的杰出人才，也竟相接受她的驱使。嵩山封禅，时间长达九天，封天之后，大赦天下，年号由天册万岁二年改成万岁登封元年，免除本年田赋税捐，任凭臣民会饮九天。李治泰山封禅，首开文武百官普遍加阶进级的先例。此次嵩山封禅，官员没有多少赏赐，恩泽普及天下百姓，武则天的作法，显然高明得多。在少室山开辟场地，由武则天祭祀地神后，然后登上朝觐坛接受朝贺。其间照例举行了盛大的宴会和舞乐技艺表演，令人目不暇接，忘情地鼓掌喝彩。欢歌笑语中，最乐的要数女皇本人，当她了见臣民们快活得手舞足蹈、跟随歌舞狂呼乱跳时，好比母亲望着子女玩得尽兴一样，一股暖流从她的心底升起，弥漫到全身，纯然的快意又转化成了兴奋的眩晕。 长寿元年秋，西州都督唐休璟上表，请求收复二十二年前，薛仁贵在大非川战败，被吐蕃夺去的西域四镇：龟兹新疆库车县、于闻新疆和田市、疏勒新疆疏勒县、碎叶俄罗斯托克马克城武则天收到奏折，很快想到了王孝杰。仪凤三年九月，唐朝与吐蕃在青海湖交战，洮河道副总管王孝杰与刘审礼同时被俘。吐蕃赞普芒松芒赞见到王孝杰，忍不住流下了眼泪：“你的相貌跟我的先父一模一样。” 王孝杰得免一死，并受到优厚的礼遇。王孝杰趁机了解了吐蕃的内部情况和用兵之道。后来他回归中原，升任右鹰扬卫将军。 武则天从红杏手里接过茶杯，喝了一口，下意识地咂了咂嘴巴，吩咐说：“宣王孝杰进殿。” 王孝杰躬身走进武成殿，双膝跪地，行了一拜三叩头的常朝礼，垂手侍立一旁，等候武则天发话。 “唐休璟上了一道折子，请求收回西域四镇，你以为如何？” "It's about time." 王孝杰拱手对答道，“早在今年五月，吐蕃酋长曷苏率部众请求归附，陛下派遣右玉钤卫将军张玄遇当安抚使，带领精卒二万前往迎接。张玄遇进抵大渡河西岸，曷苏的密谋泄漏，被擒拿回逻些。别部酋长昝捶率羌族部落八千多人，幸运地逃脱，张玄遇把他们安置在莱川州。” “卿家对此事有何看法？” “四镇从汉朝以来，一直是中国的领土，吐蕃强行占领，但是无法占领人心。中原和他们的经济文化交流，促进了西域的开发和发展，而吐蕃是以获利为目的，掠夺不得人心。西域人身在曹营心在汉，归心似箭，我们用兵，他们必然拥护。” “吐蕃国内的情况呢？” “吐蕃版图大，人口稀少，生活环境极其恶劣。松赞干布完成统一大业，又娶文成公主为妻，才开始走上发展的道路。永徽元年松赞干布死，新赞普年幼，大相禄东赞专掌国政。乾封二年禄东赞死，其子尊业多布继任大相，赞普要收回权力，二人心存芥蒂，同床异梦。因此，吐蕃在西域的驻军不多，只要用兵得法，收复四镇的可能性是很大的。” “不妨讲一讲用兵要略。”