Chapter 17 Daizong ascended the throne

Li Fuguo and Queen Zhang used to be a perfect political partner. As early as the Lingwu period, in order for Li Fuguo to control the power of the palace and Zhang Liangdi to become the lord of the harem, the two sides worked together to eliminate Jianning King Li Tan and some other political enemies, and exchanged a lot of benefits with each other.After returning to Chang'an, Li Fuguo not only took sole control of the imperial confinement power, but also gradually emptied Suzong and stole the court handle, and Zhang Liangdi also became the queen of the mother world as she wished.The ancients said: "Those who make friends with each other with benefits will never make friends with each other." When the two parties climbed to the pinnacle of power, the previous connection of interests naturally ceased to exist, and what remained was only increasingly sharp conflicts of interests.

Now, Suzong was dying, and the future of the empire was uncertain. Of course, Li Fuguo and Queen Zhang wanted to seize the opportunity to seize the highest authority of the empire.A peak duel broke out inevitably. Queen Zhang decided to take the lead. She summoned Prince Li Yu under the guise of Emperor Suzong's order, and said: "Li Fuguo has banned soldiers for a long time, and the edicts of the four directions are all out of his mouth. He pretended to be forced to relocate the emperor without pardon. The only people he still has scruples about are you and me. Now the emperor is gone. As he was dying, Li Fuguo and his confidant Cheng Yuanzhen (then the "insider envoy" and in charge of the Imperial Army's Arrow Battalion) were secretly preparing to cause chaos, if they were not punished, disaster would be imminent!"

Empress Zhang did not expect that as soon as she finished speaking, Prince Li Yu burst into tears in front of her, saying: "Your Majesty's life is in danger, and these two are old heroes of His Majesty, so they were suddenly killed without warning. It will shock His Majesty, fearing that he will become sick! In my opinion, this matter should be discussed in the long term." Empress Zhang sighed in her heart.In her opinion, the tears on this big man's face did not represent filial piety at all, but cowardice. It's a pity that one of her two sons died young and the other was still young... Empress Zhang thought sadly, otherwise, why would I beg you, Li Yu!

Li Yu was still wiping away tears.It would be a lie to say that the tears on his face were purely out of filial piety, but it would not be comprehensive enough to say that they only represented cowardice.Strictly speaking, it should be one point of filial piety, four points of timidity, and five points of pretentiousness. Li Yu thought, that old servant Li Fuguo is certainly not a vegetarian, but how can you, Empress Zhang, be a fuel-efficient lamp?How many times have you deliberately planned to let your young son replace my crown prince, and you think I don't even know?Right now you are encouraging me to fight Li Fuguo, whether I kill Li Fuguo or Li Fuguo kills me, in the end, it will be cheaper for you, Queen Zhang?Your plan to kill with a knife is so poisonous!If you want to kill yourself, I, Li Yu, will never be sold by you and count the money for you.

Thinking of this, Li Yu put on an extremely sad look and cried even harder. "Okay," Queen Zhang said helplessly, "The prince will go back for now, let me think about it." Of course, it is impossible for Queen Zhang to think about it at this time.Because she knew that Li Fuguo would not give her time.The current situation is already tense, either you die or I die, she will never allow the slightest hesitation and delay.But the problem is, she is a woman after all, and she doesn't have a single soldier in her hands, so why should she fight Li Fuguo?Originally, he wanted to use the prince to deal with Li Fuguo, but the prince took the position of sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight.In this situation of being alone and alone, Queen Zhang had no choice but to find another ally.

At the critical moment, Queen Zhang thought of someone. He is the second son of Li Heng, who was then the Marshal of the Army and Horses of the Yue King Li Xi.Empress Zhang decided to make a deal with Li Xi—since the Crown Prince Li Yu and her have never been of the same mind, it is better to abolish Li Yu and establish another Yue King Li Xi, on the condition that Li Xi help her get rid of Li Fuguo. As soon as the prince left, Empress Zhang summoned Li Xi, the king of Yue, and said to him: "Li Fuguo is plotting against the law, but the prince is weak and not enough to put down the chaos, can you?"

To Empress Zhang's great satisfaction, Li Xi's answer was just one word: "Yes!" Afterwards, Empress Zhang immediately arranged for her eunuch Duan Hengjun to join hands with Li Xi, selected more than two hundred brave eunuchs, distributed them weapons and armor, and ordered them to lie in ambush behind the Hall of Eternal Life. The Hall of Eternal Life is Suzong Li Heng's sleeping hall, Empress Zhang and Li Xi ambushed here, what do you want to do? On April 16, Empress Zhang once again summoned Prince Li Yu in the name of Emperor Suzong and ordered him to have an audience at the Hall of Eternal Life.

The answer was revealed—Empress Zhang and Li Xi planned to get rid of the prince first, then Li Xi would succeed him as the crown prince, and then concentrate on dealing with Li Fuguo. However, there is no impenetrable wall in the world.Cheng Yuanzhen learned of the conspiracy between Queen Zhang and King Yue through eyeliner, and quickly reported to Li Fuguo.Li Fuguo immediately ordered him to lead his troops to ambush outside Lingxiaomen, telling him to intercept the prince no matter what. When Prince Li Yu received the edict, he thought that his father might be dying soon, and he must be called into the palace to explain his funeral, so he rushed to the Palace of Longevity without thinking too much.When they arrived at Lingxiao Gate, Cheng Yuanzhen and others suddenly rushed out, surrounded the prince, and told him about Queen Zhang's ambush in the Palace of Longevity.

Li Yu was dubious, and said: "There must be no such thing. The emperor was seriously ill and ordered me to enter the palace. How can I be afraid that I will not die?" Cheng Yuanzhen said: "The society is a big matter, the prince must not enter!" Before Prince Li Yu could react, Cheng Yuanzhen ordered the soldiers to set him up, took him to the Flying Dragon Stable outside the Xuanwu Gate without any explanation, and sent heavy soldiers to guard him.This move is to protect the prince in name, but in fact it is tantamount to house arrest. That night, Li Fuguo and Cheng Yuanzhen led troops into the Linde Hall and arrested more than 100 people including Yue King Li Xi, eunuch Duan Hengjun, and Minister of Internal Affairs Zhu Guanghui.Later, Li Fuguo and others reined in the Palace of Eternal Life, declaring that they had moved the queen to another hall at the order of the prince, and then arrested Empress Zhang, dragged her and dozens of eunuchs and maids to the palace, and imprisoned them all in the harem.

In this peak duel concerning the future of the empire, whoever controls the prince first will seize the initiative in the struggle.After exhausting all her tricks, Queen Zhang finally fell behind and suffered a complete defeat in this ultimate duel. Sudden by this change, the eunuchs and maids serving the emperor in the Hall of Eternal Life panicked and scattered, leaving the dying Li Heng alone in the empty bedroom. At the last moment of his life, Tang Suzong Li Heng was abandoned by his subjects. In addition to the boundless loneliness and fear, he must have deep regret. Because it was he himself who created today's situation - this situation where the Tai Ah is holding back and the imperial power is falling aside!

Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty for more than a hundred years, no eunuch has had such great power as Li Fuguo, no eunuch has been able to play with the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, and finally emptied the emperor! But Li Fuguo did it. It was under the favor and connivance of Emperor Suzong Li Heng that Li Fuguo became the first eunuch in the history of the Tang Dynasty who had power and chaos and covered the sky with one hand.If Anlu Mountain is a malignant tumor cultivated by Tang Xuanzong Li Longji himself, then Li Fuguo is a bad fruit planted by Tang Suzong Li Heng himself. An Lushan started the "Rebellion of Fanzhen". Li Fuguo started the "Eunuch Rebellion". Two of the three major chaos and the three major culprits that pushed the Great Tang Empire to decline step by step have surfaced in history.In the following 150 years, these two chaotic phenomena will dance crazily on the political stage of the empire, raging desperately, causing endless disasters to the empire, and they will last forever with the Tang dynasty. In the next 150 years, there will be more and more feudal towns following in the footsteps of Anlu Mountain, embracing the separatist regime, resisting orders and self-defeating, named feudal towns, and in fact the same as enemy countries; there will also be more and more feudal towns. Following in the footsteps of Li Fuguo, the eunuch manipulated the government, abolished establishments without authorization, surpassed the emperor, and played tricks on all officials... In this sense, An Lushan and Li Fuguo are certainly the sinners of history, but why not Li Longji and Li Heng? On April 18th of the first year of Baoying, Tang Suzong Li Heng closed his eyes sadly in the lonely Hall of Longevity with endless sorrow and regret, at the age of fifty-two. As soon as Li Heng died, Li Fuguo sacrificed the butcher's knife and beheaded Queen Zhang, King Li Xi of Yue, and King Li Lai (Li Heng's sixth son).On the same day, Li Fuguo led the plain prince Li Yu to meet the prime ministers at the Nine Immortals Gate and announced the emperor's death.The prime ministers knelt down and wept. On April 19, the imperial court announced the national mourning and read out the imperial edict of Emperor Suzong. On April 20th, Prince Li Yu came to the throne, known as Tang Daizong in history. He was the first emperor supported by eunuchs in the history of the Tang Dynasty, but he was not the last. Li Fuguo, who had finished his work, said to him in a tone of pointing the country: "Everyone (the emperor) is in the confinement, and foreign affairs are handled by the old slave!" (Volume 222) When Daizong Li Yu heard these words, he felt as if someone had stabbed him hard in the heart. Of course, he couldn't cry out in pain, nor could he frown. He could only stare blankly at Li Fuguo, and finally showed him a stiff and helpless smile. A few days later, under the coercion of Li Fuguo, Emperor Daizong Li Yu began to call Li Fuguo "Shangfu"; after that, no matter how big or small the government affairs were, he would first ask Shangfu's opinion; when the officials entered and left the court, they must first meet the emperor Shangfu, and then meet with him emperor. Soon, Cheng Yuanzhen, Li Fuguo's confidant, was promoted to the general of the Zuojian Gate Guard, while more than 20 eunuchs including Zhu Guanghui, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, were all exiled in central Guizhou. On the fourth day of May, Li Fuguo was promoted to Sikong and Zhongshuling. It is worth mentioning that Gao Lishi, who was exiled in Wuzhou, was able to return to Chang'an because Suzong gave amnesty to the world before his death.However, as soon as Gao Lishi came to Langzhou (now Changde City, Hunan Province), he heard the news that the Supreme Emperor was driving.Gao Lishi faced the north, wept loudly, and finally vomited blood and died at the age of seventy-nine. In the summer of the first year of Baoying, Emperor Daizong Li Yu sat depressedly in the Daming Palace in Chang'an City, chewing deeply on the meaning of the idiom "Tai Ah Dao Chi".Shangfu Li Fuguo looked at the emperor leisurely and contentedly, and he was also savoring the meaning of the idiom "covering the sky with one hand".At the same time, another person was looking at Li Fuguo coldly from a certain corner. Of course he wasn't idle either. He is playing with a saying, this saying is - the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead, and the waves before die on the beach. This person is Cheng Yuanzhen.Cheng Yuanzhen is not a person who can only play with common sayings, he is also an actor who is good at practice. Li Fuguo had just experienced more than a month of "Shangfu" career, Cheng Yuanzhen and Daizong Li Yu quietly came together. As the saying goes, one emperor and one courtier.Cheng Yuanzhen knew very well that the new emperor Li Yu hated this old slave Li Fuguo who had been domineering for many years, and the reason why he didn't dare to touch him was simply because the imperial army was in his hands. But things are different now.Over the past few years, Cheng Yuanzhen had already taken advantage of Li Fuguo's trust in him, and secretly mingled with the generals of the Forbidden Army.Therefore, at present, rather than saying that Li Fuguo is in charge of the Forbidden Army, it is better to say that Li Fuguo is in charge of Cheng Yuanzhen, and Cheng Yuanzhen is in charge of the Forbidden Army. That being the case, why do you, Li Fuguo, continue to play?You have no trust from the emperor above, no support from the forbidden army below, the only thing left is my little loyalty to you, Cheng Yuanzhen? But these days, what is loyalty?Isn't it the small wooden bridge across the river?Now that I have crossed the river, do I still have to stay on this small wooden bridge? No.Cheng Yuanzhen firmly said to himself: No! So he started to tear down the bridge. On this side, Daizong Li Yu was naturally very pleasantly surprised. With the support of a new generation of eunuchs, of course he is not afraid of that frenzied Li Fuguo. On June 11 of this year, Daizong Li Yu confidently dismissed Li Fuguo Marshal Marching Sima and Minister of War, moved him outside the palace, and replaced Marshal Marching Sima with Cheng Yuanzhen. Until this moment, Li Fuguo suddenly woke up from the dream of covering the sky with one hand. He suddenly discovered: In the past few years, his position in the imperial army has been virtually emptied by Cheng Yuanzhen, just like he had emptied Suzong Li Heng invisibly back then! In order to avoid the disaster of killing himself, Li Fuguo offered to resign from the post of Zhongshuling.On the thirteenth, Daizong approved his resignation, and at the same time promoted him to the title of Bolu King to show his comfort.Li Fuguo went up to Xie En, choked up and said angrily: "This old slave is not qualified to serve the emperor, so let this old slave go underground to serve the late emperor." Daizong couldn't avoid some good words of consolation, and then ordered someone to send him out of the palace. Don't worry, I'll let you go down right away. On September 19, Emperor Daizong also awarded Cheng Yuanzhen the title of Hussar General and Internal Attendant.So far, Cheng Yuanzhen completely replaced Li Fuguo and became the chief eunuch in the court. The back wave of the Yangtze River pushes the front wave, and the front wave dies on the beach! Mid October.A dark and stormy night.A black shadow sneaked into Li Fuguo's mansion silently. In the early morning of the next day, the servants of Li's mansion were frightened out of their wits by the tragic scene - Li Fuguo was lying upright in a pool of black blood, his head and an arm had disappeared from his neck. Daizong immediately ordered the relevant departments to track down the murderer. But the murderer was not found after all. Some people speculated that Cheng Yuanzhen was the mastermind behind this headless case, and some even speculated that the mastermind was the emperor himself. Others said that it made no difference whether it was Cheng Yuanzhen or the emperor's chief envoy, because the eunuch Cheng Yuanzhen and the emperor Li Yu had stood side by side for a long time. Yes, the eunuch Cheng Yuanzhen has already stood with the emperor Li Yu, just like the eunuch Li Fuguo once stood with the emperor Li Heng. The sun and the moon rotate, shining on Chang'an City in turn, and then shining on Daming Palace in turn. The emperor Li Yu, who was once depressed and unbearable in the situation where Tai Ah was holding back, found that everything was finally over.But he didn't know that everything that made him depressed would come again... Because Cheng Yuanzhen's desire for power is no less than that of Li Fuguo.