Chapter 47 Bloodless Coup: Dethroning Zhongzong

The edict left by Emperor Gaozong is intriguing. In addition to some common political rhetoric, the last sentence in the imperial edict is the most worthy of people's attention-"If there are undecided military and state affairs, take the Queen of Heaven to advance and stop."If the emperor is unable to make a ruling on major military affairs, he should listen to the opinion of the Queen of Heaven. On the one hand, this is an authorization, but at the same time it also forms a double restriction on Empress Wu: first, ordinary administrative power is still in the hands of Li Zhe and the prime minister, and only special military and state affairs, Empress Wu has the right to speak; When it comes to military affairs that are difficult to decide, Empress Wu has the final decision.

Faced with this edict that coexisted with authorization and restrictions, Empress Wu's mood was naturally mixed. However, Prime Minister Pei Yan quickly broke this restriction after taking the place of Wu.On the seventh day of December, that is, three days after Gaozong's death, Pei Yan said: "Because the prince has not yet ascended the throne, he is not qualified to issue an imperial edict. Implemented in two provinces." Empress Wu smiled. In this way, she has greatly broken through the restrictions of the will, and has the power to handle government affairs alone. On December 11, the 28-year-old Prince Li Zhe officially ascended the throne as Emperor Zhongzong of Tang;Although Li Zhe became emperor in name, he was still in mourning, so the power of government was naturally still in the hands of Empress Wu.

However, according to the provisions of the posthumous edict "change the day with the day", Li Zhe only needs to mourn for one day when the folks mourn for one month. Therefore, at the latest when the new year comes, Empress Wu must return to the emperor. Unless Empress Wu really has the intention of "returning the government to the emperor", she must use the short-term transitional power in her hands to fully control the situation in the short twenty days, so that after the new emperor Li Zhe takes off his mourning clothes, Still able to firmly hold the supreme authority of the empire in his own hands!

The time was extremely tight, but Empress Wu still acted calmly with a confident attitude and a calm attitude. In just twenty days, Empress Wu completed four significant political initiatives: First, appease Li Tang's clan.On December 17, Empress Wu ordered that a group of "respected and respected" princes in Li Tang's clan be crowned as first-rank officials: Li Yuanjia, the son of Gaozu's Han Wang, was Taiwei, Li Yuangui, King Huo, was Situ, and Li Yuanming, King Shu He was Sikong, Teng Wang Li Yuanying was Kaifu Yitong Sansi, Lu Wang Li Lingkui was the prince Taishi; another son of Taizong, Yue Wang Li Zhen, was the prince Taifu, and Ji Wang Li Shen was the prince Taibao.This move effectively appeased and won over most of the important members of the Li Tang royal family, making them sharers of the benefits of Empress Wu's court, which completely paralyzed their minds and made them not only turn a blind eye to the subsequent dethroning of Zhongzong, but also They are also unaware of the disaster that is about to befall them.

Second, adjust the prime minister's team.First of all, Liu Rengui, a senior and respected veteran, was promoted to Zuo Pushe from the second rank, so as to win over his heart; while showing respect, he was appointed as Xijing stay-at-home, which was actually to leave him idle in Chang'an, let him Unable to intervene in the government affairs of the Eastern Capital.Secondly, several new prime ministers who were promoted not long ago were turned into regulars, and the title of "Tongzhongshumenxia Pingzhangshi" was changed to "Tongzhongshumenxia Sanpin".Finally, agreeing to Pei Yan's request, he was transferred from the servant of Menxia Province to Zhongshu Ling of Zhongshu Province. At the same time, a supporting reform was carried out on the prime minister system, and the Zhengshitang was moved from Menxia Province to Zhongshu Province.

This reform seemed casual, but it was actually a major change in the history of the political system of the Tang Dynasty.As we all know, since the Zhenguan era, the prime minister system of the Tang Dynasty has implemented the collegiate system of three provinces, that is, the Zhongshu Province drafted government orders, the Menxia Province reviewed and rejected them, and the Shangshu Province promulgated and implemented them.In other words, what the Tang Dynasty implemented was a collective prime minister system.However, after this reform, the right of refutation of Menxia Province has been greatly weakened, and Zhongshu Province, which has the power to issue decrees, has obtained a kind of exclusive status. It became the "Yiyantang" dominated by Zhongshu Ling, and Pei Yan became the chief prime minister who was the only one respected. Not only did he preside over every meeting, but also officials from Taiwan and provinces had to get his approval to enter the Zhengshitang.Since then, the collective prime minister system of the three provinces in the Tang Dynasty has survived in name only.

Pei Yan monopolized the power of prime minister through this reform, which is undoubtedly the reward for breaking the power limit after he came forward to replace Wu not long ago.To put it bluntly, this is a political transaction between Pei Yan and Empress Wu.And this political transaction is obviously very cost-effective for Empress Wu, because the prime minister system of the three provinces is not only to divide and check the power of the prime minister, but also to supervise and restrict the monarchy. The right to refute, which naturally opened the door for her to exercise the supreme power unimpeded in the future.

Third, control the forbidden army.Before Gaozong's death, the army had been a weak link in the web of power that Empress Wu had painstakingly managed.Empress Wu certainly knew that without the support of the army, the status of any ruler would be unstable.So this time, Empress Wu specially promoted two generals to be in charge of the left and right Habayashi armies respectively.These two people are Cheng Wuting and Zhang Qianxu.At the beginning, in order to exclude Pei Xingjian, Pei Yan gave them the credit for pacifying the Eastern Turks.But this time, Empress Wu let them take charge of the Forbidden Army. Generals Cheng and Zhang were all grateful for this, and they have since become diehard supporters of Empress Wu.As the so-called political power grows out of the barrel of a gun, Cheng Wuting and Zhang Qianxu's forbidden army played a vital role in Empress Wu's next move to depose Zhongzong.

Fourth, appease the localities.On December 29th of the first year of Hongdao, which was the last day when Zhongzong Li Zhe was about to go to funeral, Empress Wu sent four confidant generals: Wang Guo, Linghu Zhitong, Yang Xuanjian and Guo Qizong to Bingzhou (now Taiyuan, Shanxi) City), Yizhou (now Chengdu, Sichuan), Jingzhou (now Jiangling County, Hubei), and Yangzhou (now Yangzhou, Jiangsu), guarding together with the local prefectures.These four capitals were important military and economic centers in the Tang Dynasty. Among them, Bingzhou was the place where Li and Tang flourished and the bridgehead for defending the East Turks. It goes without saying that Yizhou is known as the land of abundance. Enjoying the reputation of "a thousand miles of fertile fields" and "the wealth of the people and the country", it was one of the main sources of central finance in the Tang Dynasty; Jingzhou is an important hub of water and land transportation in the central and southern regions, extending in all directions, and has a very prominent strategic position. It has been a must-have for military strategists since ancient times; Yangzhou It was the largest economic city in the Tang Dynasty and the most important source of taxation in the Tang Dynasty. It rivaled Yizhou and was called "Yang Yi Yi Er" by people at the time.

During the sensitive period of power transition, Empress Wu used her confidants to lead out of these important places, which shows her political foresight.This move has a double effect: in a positive sense, it is to prevent local rebellions; in a negative sense, even if Empress Wu loses power in the court power struggle, she still has many ways to retreat.Therefore, this last move of Empress Wu can be said to be a perfect strategy for advancing and attacking, and retreating and defending. AD 684 was destined to be an eventful year for the Li and Tang Dynasties. This year, the imperial court successively changed three reign titles: Sisheng, Wenming, and Guangzhai.Behind this lies a turbulent and unpredictable history.During this year, various forces of the government and the opposition competed to appear on the stage, unfolding scenes of games and fights with or without sound.But Empress Wu stood alone at the top of the pyramid of power, seeing all directions with her eyes, listening to all directions, turning her palms into clouds, covering her hands with rain, driving all kinds of opponents into a place of eternal doom, or directly into death the abyss.

The first opponent she sent from heaven to hell was her third son: Zhongzong Li Zhe. On the first day of the first lunar month of the new year, Li Zhe, the new king who had just taken off his mourning clothes, couldn't wait to change his son to be the heir of the Yuan Dynasty, amnesty the world, and at the same time made the princess Wei Wei the queen. However, at this moment, Li Zhe was quite depressed to find out that even though he had already become the emperor, Empress Wu had no intention of returning the power to the emperor at all. What made him feel even more sad was that all the civil and military officials in the court, both inside and outside the court, were almost all his mother's henchmen.As far as he could see, there was no one he could trust. Li Zhe was angry. Since you let me be the emperor, you have to give me the power of the emperor! Li Zhe began to exercise his emperor's power angrily.On the same day when empress Wei was enshrined, Li Zhe promoted empress Wei's father, Wei Xuanzhen, from joining the army in Puzhou (under the ninth rank) to the governor of Yuzhou (from the third rank).On the 10th day of the first lunar month, Li Zhe appointed Wei Hongmin, a distant relative of Empress Wei who was Zuo Sanqi's regular attendant at the time, as Taifu Qing and the third rank of Tongzhong Shumen, making him step into the ranks of prime ministers. Obviously, Zhongzong Li Zhe, who is full of blood, does not want to be a puppet emperor, nor a polished commander, so he must cultivate his own political power.Now that there is no civil or military person in the Manchu Dynasty who is worthy of his trust, of course he can only rely on his relatives. A few days later, Li Zhe once again made a jaw-dropping move—announcing that his father-in-law Wei Xuanzhen would be promoted to a servant again from the position of governor who had not yet sat in the heat, and he also wanted to promote the nurse's son to the fifth rank official. Faced with the willful and reckless astonishing act of the new emperor, Minister Gu Ming and Chief Prime Minister Pei Yan suddenly felt a sense of ridicule.Even though he understood Li Zhe's mood at the moment, it was impossible for him to have the slightest sympathy for Li Zhe's behavior. That's right, Wei Xuanzhen is the head of the country, and the emperor wants to appoint him and promote him, which is really human, and there is nothing wrong with it.But the problem is-the country has the laws of the country, and the court has the rules of the court.If you want to be promoted, you can, but you also need to talk about conditions and qualifications. How can you promote a small ninth-rank army to a dignified third-rank prime minister in just half a month?Although you, Li Zhe, are the Son of Heaven, you still have to follow the rules. I'm sorry, but I, Pei Yan, will never do anything like this illegal thing!Furthermore, Menxia Province holds the right to deny and refute, if Wei Xuanzhen is made a servant, wouldn't that just restrict me, the Zhongshuling?I, Pei Yan, managed to monopolize the power of prime minister, how can I let him, Wei Xuanzhen, share my cake? Therefore, Pei Yan resolutely rejected the will of the emperor.No matter what Li Zhe said, Pei Yan was just two words - no. In the end, Li Zhe finally became furious, and couldn't help pointing at Pei Yan's nose and growling: "Why not even if I give the whole world to Wei Xuanzhen? Let alone a small servant?" Li Zhe's first career as an emperor came to an end quietly in this thoughtless and angry remark. Pei Yan looked at the furious emperor, didn't say anything, turned around and went to meet the queen mother, and reported the emperor's words to the queen mother. A sneer flashed across Empress Wu's mouth. She knows her son better than anyone else.She knew that with his ability, it was impossible to sit on the emperor's seat for too long. Sooner or later, he would show his feet and obediently roll off the stage.It's just that what Empress Wu didn't expect was that Li Zhe was so impatient, and made such a low-level mistake after only a few days as emperor. It's really unprogressive stuff! On the same day, a plan to abolish the emperor was finalized in the secret talks between Empress Wu and Pei Yan. On February 6th of the first year of Sisheng, Empress Wu summoned all civil and military officials to the Qianyuan Hall, the main hall of Luoyang Palace, to prepare for a special court meeting.By convention, starting from the second year of Gaozong Xianqing (AD 657), court meetings were held at intervals of one day, that is, they went to court every single day, and did not go to court every double.But this day is two days, Empress Wu suddenly summoned all the officials to go to court, what exactly does she want to do?Zhongzong Li Zhe was puzzled by this, and at the same time, he smelled a faint ominous atmosphere. When civil and military officials filed into the hall, everyone felt that the atmosphere of today's court meeting was a bit strange.The emperor sat on the imperial couch with a slightly flustered expression; the empress dowager was still hidden behind the transparent curtain, and people couldn't see her face clearly, but they could clearly feel a sense of majesty and murder in the entire palace Diffuse. After all the officials stood in order according to the position of the class, they suddenly found that there were two people missing from the position of the head of the class. Zhongshuling Pei Yan and Zhongshu's servant Liu Weizhi. Just when all the officials were full of suspicion, there was a rush of hurried and chaotic footsteps at the entrance of the hall. People saw Pei Yan and Liu Weizhi walking into the hall with serious expressions on their faces, followed by the general of the forbidden army Cheng Wuting and Zhang Qianxu, followed by a large group of armored and murderous Habayashi soldiers. All the officials unanimously let out an exclamation in their hearts—— It's going to change! Zhongzong Li Zhe's face also turned pale at this moment.Pei Yan went straight to Dan Chi, glanced at the emperor with a slightly contemptuous look, then turned around, and loudly read the Queen Mother's decree to all the officials: From now on, the abolished emperor Li Zhe will be the king of Luling. .As soon as the words fell, two heavily armed soldiers of the Habayashi Army rushed to Danchi quickly, and put the emperor down without saying a word.While struggling, Li Zhe turned his head and shouted, "What's my crime?" Empress Wu's unquestionable voice came from behind the curtain: "If you want to use the world with Wei Xuanzhen, how can you be innocent?" (Volume 203) Hearing these words suddenly, Li Zhe, who was still struggling desperately just now, suddenly collapsed like a deflated ball, allowing the soldiers to carry him out of the hall. Witnessing this sudden and shocking scene, all the officials looked at each other in blank dismay, and the entire Qianyuan Hall was silent. A successor appointed by Gaozong himself, an emperor who had been in power for less than two months and had only been in power for thirty-six days, was abolished as soon as he said it.Empress Wu didn't seem to have even moved a little finger, and a bloodless coup was declared completed in an instant! The next day, Empress Wu's fourth son Li Dan, Prince of Yu, was directly canonized as emperor by Empress Wu as an ordinary prince. He was Emperor Ruizong of Tang Dynasty; Li Chengqi is the crown prince.However, although Li Dan has the title of emperor, he is just a political vase, and all government affairs are handled by the queen mother.Li Dan was placed in another hall and was not allowed to participate in political affairs, which was actually like house arrest. On February 8, Empress Wu deposed Emperor Gaozong's grandson Li Chongzhao as a commoner, and exiled Li Zhe's father-in-law Wei Xuanzhen to Qinzhou (now Qinzhou City, Guangxi). On February 9, Empress Wu sent General Zuo Jinwu Qiu Shenji to Bazhou (now Bazhong City, Sichuan Province), where the deposed prince Xian was exiled. On the surface, he asked him to monitor Li Xian, but in fact he implied that he forced Li Xian to commit suicide. On February 12th, Empress Wu visited Wucheng Hall in person, and Emperor Li Dan led the princes and ministers to reinstate the title of Empress Dowager to Empress Wu, formally establishing the legitimacy of Empress Wu's title system in the court.From then on, a lavender veil suddenly rose above the Zichen Hall in Luoyang Palace. Behind the veil as thin as cicada's wings, sat a woman who looked down on the world and fiddled with the world—the Empress Dowager Wu Mei. This is the beginning of Empress Wu's arbitrary ruling. This year, Empress Wu was sixty years old. If it is an ordinary woman, the greatest happiness at this time is to spend her old age peacefully in family happiness.But for the future Empress Wu Zhao, the real cadenza in her legendary life has just started, and an unprecedented and brilliant historical drama starring her has just begun! The good show is yet to come.