Chapter 8 Section VIII

The new emperor Li Zhe ascended the throne seven days after Gaozong's death.If the late Prince Hong and the exiled Prince Xian were in the imperial palace, they would still have dismissed their stupid and shallow brother Zhou Wang Zhe, but now the crown of Emperor Gaozong is finally worn on Zhe's empty mind. House game rules.However, this rule was changed in just two months, and it became the eternal swan song of the empress dowager who abolished the emperor, which the common people had never heard of. Part of Zong Lizhe's tragedy lies in his frivolity and ignorance, and more importantly, Wu Zhao, who became the empress dowager in Luoyang Palace, is already on top of the golden crown, while Zhongshuling Pei Yan, Zuo Pushe Liu Rengui, and servant Liu Jingguang These prime ministers actually take Empress Dowager Wu Zhao as their heaven.Some sensitive courtiers predicted the source of the disaster that had plagued Zhongzong Li Zhe for many years. They believed that Zhongzong's Queen Webster was a terrible disaster.The disaster of Zhongzong began with Empress Wei's vanity and ambition.Empress Wei's father, Wei Xuanzhen, became the governor of Yuzhou from a small official in Shu.Zhongzong, who had just ascended the throne, was sympathetic to the queen.Zhongzong asked, do you want your father to take any official position in the court?The queen said, of course it should be the post of prime minister, how about being a servant?Zhongzong said, let me be the servant, let me tell Pei Yan and the others.This is a joke of Zhongzong later made up by court officials who are fond of humor. It may be exaggerated, but the contempt of court officials for the puppet emperor Zhongzong can be seen from this.

The Emperor and Empress's edict to promote Wei Xuanzhen to be a servant was the first to hit a snag with Zhongshuling Pei Yan. The waiter was fearless, Zhongzong looked at the left and right courtiers with a little anger. Am I the emperor?Zhongzong smiled embarrassingly, looked closely at Pei Yan and asked.Your Majesty is the Emperor of Heaven.Pei Yan knelt down and answered. That being the case, why did you and other ministers defy the emperor's will?As long as I do what I want, even the whole world can give Wei Xuanzhen as a gift, but now he is only appointed as a mere servant, why are you making such a fuss?

Zhongzong's frivolous words shocked all the officials in the palace. They looked at each other and found a ridiculous reality. The emperor they are serving now is a complete fool.Zhongshu ordered Pei Yan to retreat from the court hall silently, with infinite emotion in his heart, the Li family's family has passed all the splendor to Zhongzong Li Zhe, and it is already stretched everywhere.Pei Yan rushed to the empress dowager's palace that day to meet the empress dowager who was in charge behind the curtain. Unexpectedly, the empress dowager in the deep palace knew all the news about the palace.

He said that he would give the Great Tang Dynasty to Wei Xuanzhen, how do you think Pei Qing should handle this matter?With the Empress Dowager's prestige and special power to turn the tide, the Empress Dowager can start drafting an imperial decree to abolish the emperor. Although this move is not found in the records of palace rituals, it is the only good way to eliminate hidden dangers.What Pei Qing said was exactly what I was thinking.Empress Dowager Wu Zhao first looked at Pei Yan with admiration. The red sandalwood ball in her hand was now tightly held by her five slender fingers. Empress Dowager Wu Zhao showed a sad look on her face, she said, Pei Qing, can you tell me why these children of mine are either violent or rebellious officials, or rebellious officials or faint emperors, and now only Xiang Wangdan can We have inherited the throne, but what should we do if there is a mishap after proclaiming the title of emperor?

The empress dowager’s deafening question made it difficult for Pei Yan to answer in Zhongshu. Naturally, Pei Yan’s heart was as clear as a mirror. He understood the subtext of the empress dowager, but Pei Yan believed that there must be a way for the car to reach the mountain. It was only a matter of time before that window paper was punctured.The Empress Dowager relocated the early court on February 6 in the Qianyuan Hall, the main hall of Luoyang Palace. Zhongzong felt that the relocation of the pilgrimage was a bit strange at the beginning. What kind of medicine do you sell?How to get to the Qianyuan Hall to go to the early dynasty?Empress Wei scolded, Chang'an Luoyang eighty-one halls are all His Majesty's, so it's not the same which hall you go to?Your Majesty does not need to look at the Queen Mother's wink.On the morning of February 6, the sun was shining all over the pavilions and pavilions of Luoyang Palace. The early spring wind had already blown out some green buds from the weeping willows by the pool. On the shelf, there were court ladies playing in the wind. The weather made the young Zhongzong happy. On the way to the Qianyuan Hall, Zhongzong broke off a few plum blossoms and put them on the dragon chariot. Zhongzong didn't know that Qianyuan The early court of the palace was a Hongmen banquet specially arranged for him.

Zhongzong later saw the chariots and horses of the Empress Dowager, and saw the soldiers of the Yulin Army on the left and right lined up around the Qianyuan Hall under the command of Cheng Wuting and Zhang Qianxu. The Empress Dowager sat behind the bead curtain with the support of Shanggong Waner , he couldn't see the Queen Mother's face clearly, he only heard the familiar rustling sound of twirling red sandalwood balls, Zhongzong found that the atmosphere in the Qianyuan Hall was strange, Zhongzong asked under Dan Chi in a loud voice, what's the matter today, Why do you need the Habayashi Army to escort you in an early morning?The civil and military officials were silent, they guessed by intuition that there would be an extraordinary palace change in Qianyuan Palace.Zhongshu ordered Pei Yan to take Zhongshu's servant Liu Dai with him to read out the empress dowager's edict with a clear and decisive voice: from today onwards, the emperor Li Zhe was abolished as the king of Luling.Liu Da  Rake Ba Chuo 洌  Xing  gadolinium-like slender carpenter Mi pouring blood stasis Qiao Ao  fierce 诖 * pulled down from the dragon couch, this sudden move made all the officials in the hall exclaim in surprise, but The imperial guards guarding the emperor remained indifferent, and the court officials clearly realized that the palace change had been carefully prepared. They were dumbfounded at this unprecedented scene. Pull Zhongzong down from the throne of the emperor.

People saw Zhongzong standing under the dragon couch, staring blankly behind him. Half of his face was angry and the other half was still dull and confused. What is my fault?When Zhongzong questioned the mother behind the bead curtain, his body began to shake. I am the emperor and son of heaven. Zhongzong said, this is really funny, what is the fault of the emperor?The position of the Son of Heaven was actually abolished by the women in the harem.You said that you would give Wei Xuanzhen the country and land of the Tang Dynasty, how can such a foolish and ignorant monarch sit on the throne?The voice of the Empress Dowager Wu Zhao behind the curtain is calm but full of rational brilliance. The voice of the Empress Dowager passed through the huge space of Qianyuan Hall in such a soft and majestic way, and reached the ears of every court official present. To assist the government, this bad policy is entirely to prevent the danger of the country changing hands. I believe you will agree with my edict.What changed hands?That was just my joke.Zhongzong suddenly yelled, and he cast a last look at the Son of Heaven's couch, but his body collapsed like loose grass in the arms of two royal guards.The two soldiers of the Yulin Army lifted Zhongzong out of the Qianyuan Hall with solemn expressions.The civil and military ministers present were silent, and heard the empress dowager behind the beaded gauze tent say, the emperor is not joking, do you know what a joke is?Do you know what the emperor's joke is?

Zhongzong reigned for only forty-four days. Later, when he and Webster embraced each other and wept in the Forbidden Palace, thinking of his short career as an emperor seemed to be Nanke's dream.Later, Zhongzong often regretted that frivolous remark. He thought it was the origin of all disasters, but the wise Webster told him with a sneer, don't think that way, it was just an excuse made by your mother.The world of Tang Dynasty will not have the surname Wei, but sooner or later it will be named Wu.On the second day after Zhongzong was abolished, Prime Minister Wang Dan took over his brother's crown as a matter of course, and the world called him Ruizong.That was the youngest son of the late Gaozong and Empress Dowager Wu Zhao, and he was also known as the gentle and indifferent Shadow Emperor.Since then, Empress Wu's glorious and legendary life has entered a colorful stage. Later generations of scholars who revised historical records found that the Yuan Dynasty was changed three times in 684 AD. The state of mind of the woman behind the curtain strategizing and playing chess.On the night when Ruizong ascended the throne, a frightening news broke out in Chang'an City. A dozen flying cavalry were drinking and having fun in a brothel. .Those who complained said that the emperor of the Tang Dynasty changed things like a revolving door, and the prosperity and wealth always belonged to the Li family. We worked hard all year round to guard the royal family. Who got the benefit?If we had known earlier that the rewards for flying cavalry of the forbidden army were only a few pennies for wine, it would be better to support the restoration of the King of Luling, maybe a few more coins would be rewarded.The flying cavalry, who were emboldened by drinking, echoed, no one noticed that the flying cavalry surnamed Zhao did not return for a long time after going to the toilet, no one expected that his companion had already galloped to Xuanwu Gate, and reported the brothel to the palace officials inside the secret.A hundred soldiers of the Habayashi Army surrounded the brothel as if they were facing an enemy. At that time, Chang'an's downtown city under the night lights was full of Shengxiao and String Music, and there was an endless stream of cars and horses. Witnessed the lively scene where the Habayashi Army arrested 13 flying cavalrymen.How did the Habayashi Army capture the flying cavalry?Those who didn't know were watching in amazement.The insider said that those flying riders rebelled after drinking, and they were reported.The spectators have been following the horse team of the Habayashi Army. They saw that the three flying cavalry had been beheaded on the spot, and the Habayashi Army was carrying the three bloody heads. In the blink of an eye, the flying cavalry has become a ghost under the knife. The common people want to see the remaining few flying cavalry tied up in a string with ropes, what kind of punishment they will suffer, and go to the execution ground in Beishi The cavalry came to a halt. At this time, the onlookers already knew the result. The remaining flying cavalry were pushed to the front of the wrench one by one. , shall be punished by hanging.

Some of the onlookers fainted on the spot. People were terrified by the killing on the day Ruizong ascended the throne, and deeply felt that the court wanted to kill chickens and monkeys.A few days later, there was news that a flying cavalry soldier surnamed Zhao was appointed as a fifth-rank military officer because of his meritorious deeds in informants. People talked about the strange reality that thirteen people were tortured in a brothel that day, and one was promoted to a rank. Some people say that the trend of whistleblowers that prevailed among the people in the imperial palace later started from this.

The rooster wakes up the morning, the only way to get home.The words and sentences in the book have been regarded as golden rules and jade rules by people of insight in the past dynasties, but they have lost their meaning to the reality of Wu Housi in the early morning of the Tang Dynasty.In fact, Wuzhao, the daughter of the late samurai governor of Jingzhou, ruled the Tang Palace for twenty-five years. Trafficking goods, reciting poems and painting, or looting houses.In July of the first year of civilization, an ominous comet hung high in the northwest sky, and continued to shine dazzlingly fiercely for 23 days. Temples and Taoist temples were full of fireworks, and people everywhere pointed to the tail light of the comet. But many pessimistic worries proved to be unfounded worries of ignorant people. Empress Wu in Luoyang Palace was in power above the universe, sober and decisive, gorgeous and elegant. This year, Empress Wu seemed to have a god-given arrow to shoot down the ominous star. It fully demonstrated her extraordinary power to mend the sky.In the summer of this year, the Turkic army aggressively invaded the northern border. When the elite soldiers of Zuowuwei General Cheng Wuting fought bloody battles in the northern battlefield, Gaozong's coffin was also moved from the funeral palace in Luoyang to Chang'an. The scorching sun guarded the heavy coffin, walking on the loess road from Luoyang to Chang'an.In the summer of this year, the Shadow Emperor Ruizong still drove to pay respects to his mother in the morning, while the fifty-seven-year-old Empress Dowager Wu Zhao was holding a red sandalwood ball in Luoyang Palace, watching all directions and listening to all directions. She knew that Cheng Wuting's army would defeat the Turkic invasion. Gaozong's coffin will also be safely buried in the Xuan Palace of Qianling Mausoleum. Empress Wu closed her eyes and meditated under the fragrant wind blown by the fans of the court ladies. A beautiful and wonderful golden color appeared in her mind, which was the emperor in her imagination. The color of the flags and flags is also the color of the changed world in her imagination.The Empress Dowager Wu Zhao in Luoyang Palace is always dissatisfied with the existing things, even including their colors, names, and appellations. The things she wants to change are always difficult to count and classify. It is of course a side story that he was able to stretch his poetic talent and literary thinking, and was well-known both inside and outside the court.On September 6, Empress Wu ordered to change the name of Wenming to Guangzhai, all the imperial flags were changed to golden yellow, Luoyang, the eastern capital, was renamed Shendu, and Luoyang Palace was renamed Taichu Palace. The names were all replaced by Empress Wu, and the changed names turned out to be beautiful and poetic, and people thought they were fresh and elegant. What's more, the literati who had a good thing went to the imperial city and copied the edict: Zhongshu Shengfeng Pavilion Menxia Shengluan Ministry of Officials in Wenchang, Taiwan Ministry of Officials, Department of Officials, Department of Local Officials, Department of Rites, Department of Spring Officials, Military Department, Department of Summer Officials, Department of Punishment, Department of Autumn Officials, Ministry of Industry, Department of Winter Officials, Zhongshu Ling

You Pushe Wenchang Youxiang Empress Dowager Wu Zhao repeatedly explained to Zhongshu Ling Pei Yan the reasons for her decision to change her flag. I don’t like the ocher red color, and I also hate the rigid and boring names of the Ministry of Housing and Criminal Affairs. Empress Wu said, Change them to my favorite color, my favorite name, you don't think I'm showing off my literary skills, do you? No, the Empress Dowager has read poems and books and has a brilliant literary talent, so why should she show off with the color of the imperial flag?You don't think I'm a whim, do you? Even if it is the Queen Mother's whim, it does not harm the overall situation of the government and the society, it is just a trivial matter.So do you think that I am a drunkard who does not want to drink, and wants to use the color of the imperial flag to pursue other ambitions?No, Pei Yan said carefully, I dare not make such a guess, the Queen Mother has made great achievements in assisting the government, and has a great reputation inside and outside the palace. If anyone has any criticism of the Queen Mother's ambition, it may just mean that the Queen Mother's monopoly on political affairs is not conducive to the future. Let's pass on the monument in the future.Today?Empress Wu smiled, and she said, Xu Lun is just a gentle and weak child, if I give up the right to assist the government, I will just fulfill the wish of the rebellious officials and thieves.Pei Yan saw Empress Wu's narrow and bright eyes shining with a strange golden yellow, which was the color that this woman loved all her life, and it was also a dazzling and dizzying color. Pei Yan felt even more strange at that time, he seemed to see Two beautiful imperial flags grew out of Empress Wu's eyes. They were her flags, and they were also flags that can be seen everywhere in the Tang Palace. This woman has changed countless people, such as himself. Zhong Zhizhi suddenly became the powerful Zhongshu Ling, and now she changed his official title to Nei Shi, I am now Pei Yan, the Nei Shi, Pei Yan said to the guards when he left the palace, what do you know? Is it internal history?The internal history is the minister of the empress dowager, but God knows if the internal history will become an external history again, and will the external history change and become a prisoner? Pei Yan has worries about his smooth official career, and his loyalty to Empress Wu and his conscience derived from righteousness are like a pair of enemy elves fighting in his heart. Pei Yan often sleeps at night, and he is as thin as an old tree in the wind.One day Pei Yan was drunk and cried at home, he slapped himself with the sole of his shoe and said, Pei Yan, you are a dog, you can't be someone's dog, why do you have to be an old woman's dog?Pei Yan's wife, Mrs. Zhu, hurried forward and covered his mouth. Pei Yan said, don't cover my mouth.The ups and downs of an official career depend on a three-inch tongue, but the disaster of killing one's life comes from the mouth. Doesn't it mean that I, Pei Yan, don't understand the secret?Pei Yan suddenly felt sad, but isn't it an ending whether to say it or not?Pei Yan whimpered and said, I know that my internal history is about to suffer disaster, I know that woman is going to leave me on the road and find another person to beat the gong to clear the way. In July of this year, Shi Peiyan watched Wu Chengsi, the nephew of Empress Wu, promoted from Minister of Rites to Taichangqing, and squeezed into the ranks of prime ministers. The dude who used to be disdained by Pei Yan is now sitting on an equal footing with him, above the palace. Discuss state affairs.Pei Yan felt like a bone stuck in his throat.Two months later, Wu Chengsi asked for the establishment of seven temples of the Wu family to honor the ancestors of the Wu family. Pei Yan couldn't help but sneered on the spot. Yan heard the voice of Empress Wu's generous consent, blood rushed to the top of his head, and his footsteps approached Empress Wu recklessly.Pei Yan said that the Empress Dowager, as the mother of the Tang Dynasty, should be responsible for the world. Now that the national treasury is empty, it seems that there are all kinds of inappropriate disadvantages in using human, financial and material resources to build the Wu's Ancestral Temple. Please learn from the empress Lu of the Han Dynasty. Think twice.