Chapter 14 Section Thirteen

Di Renjie saw a bitter and gratified smile on the queen's face. The queen's smile meant that she had finally made the decision that everyone expected on the issue of the emperor's heir, and that Wu Chengsi or Wu Sansi's covetousness for the throne had finally come true. Bubble, Di Renjie looked at the Queen and smiled because of this, but then he heard a deep sigh from the Queen, alas, Wu Zhao is the only generation in the Great Zhou Empire.Di Renjie was deeply moved by a sigh: This woman is getting old, but her extraordinary understanding, wisdom and foresight are still unmatched, she is really a generation of pride.One evening in March of the second year of Shengong, a group of dusty chariots and horses quietly passed the gate of Luoyang City. All the windows of the cars were closed and the curtains were drooping. Zhao returned to Beijing.It is said that Wang Zhe of Luling was pale when he received the edict to return to Beijing. He suspected that the way back to Beijing was the way to death arranged by his mother. Later, when he saw his mother who had been away for many years, her white hair, her smile and voice told For him, going back to the palace is not a dead end. His mother is very old, and she is in a dilemma about choosing the heir. Her story of killing relatives and children may just be a story of the past.

Half a year later, the queen canonized Wang Zhe of Luling as the crown prince, and the original prince Dan was restored to the title of prime minister.At the grand ceremony for the establishment of the crown prince, the civil and military officials saw the Emperor Zhongzong who was short-lived in the Tang Dynasty. He was no longer the frivolous and stupid young emperor they remembered. Now he is a sluggish and fat 43-year-old. Prince, when the forty-three-year-old prince accepted the prince's crown amidst the sound of bells, people saw twenty years of blood and rain passing by.If anyone thinks that the seventy-year-old empress is old and dim-sighted, and if anyone wants to flirt with the beautiful man Zhang Changzong in front of the empress, then he is very wrong. Shangguan Waner has been favored by the empress for many years, and she never thought that she would provoke Zhang Changzong After seeing the empress, the maids in the palace saw Shangguan Wan'er running away from the banquet suddenly screaming, and they didn't know what happened at the banquet.

In fact, nothing happened, but Zhang Changzong and Shangguan Wan'er's eyes were entangled for a little longer. The queen didn't say anything, but she stretched her hand decisively into her bosom, and in an instant a cold light shot at Wan'er's face, A small dagger inlaid with seven treasures, the blade of the dagger touched Wan'er's Yingluo headdress, but still cut her face, Wan'er covered the blood dripping from her forehead with her hand, her beautiful eyes were frightened And he stared round, begging for mercy subconsciously, His Majesty appeases his anger, His Majesty forgives the sin.

The empress exposed her old age because of her fury, her head shook from side to side, she wanted to stand up but couldn't push the heavy couch, Zhang Changzong stepped forward to support her, but the empress waved her away, the empress walked away with a gloomy face, There was no explanation or criticism left.It is rare for people to see the empress get angry, and it is because of such an unspeakable affair, the seventy-year-old empress still has a jealous woman's heart, which is unexpected by the courtiers and maidservants. Wan'er, who was crying endlessly, was sent to the cell of Ye Ting Palace. She regretted the show of love at the banquet. She knew the queen's disposition of being unwilling to be old and domineering, but regretting it was useless. The sad Shangguan Wan'er He could only curl up in the darkness of the cell, praying that the queen would regain her composure as soon as possible to save her from death.

As expected, the queen regained her composure, but she seemed to be destroying Shangguan Wan'er's natural beauty. The queen wanted to tattoo Wan'er's beautiful and smooth forehead, so that she would always bear an ugly and shameful mark, and could no longer be seen by men. flirt in front of you.When Shangguan Wan'er saw the tattoo artist from Xiguan Bureau enter the cell with a wooden tray, she was filled with grief and joy. She escaped from the tiger's mouth and made Wan'er ecstatic, but her fear of silver needles and tattoos made her cry loudly. Wan'er cried while begging the tattoo artist to tattoo her with cinnabar color, and later she begged to tattoo her in the shape of a plum blossom. The tears of the beauty moved the tattoo artist's heart. A red plum blossom is stabbed in the center of the forehead.When Shangguan Waner returned to Shangyang Palace later, the maidservants noticed the red plum on her forehead. The tattoo as a punishment turned into a unique decoration for Shangguan Waner. The maidservants did not think it was ugly. Thinking it was beautiful, some people secretly imitated it with rouge on the forehead. Gradually, this kind of red plum makeup appeared in the palace, just like the wine halo makeup, peach blossom makeup and Feixia makeup that were popular before.

This is, of course, another side issue. Zhang Gong drinks and Li Gong gets drunk.This is a nursery rhyme that was circulated in the market when the Zhang brothers became popular in Luoyang. The children who sang and kicked the shuttlecock naturally did not understand the meaning of the lyrics, but the unknown creator broke the strange inside story of the court at that time.The name of the beautiful man Zhang Changzong has been known to the world, and the world has heard the story that Zhang Changzong is comparable to the lotus. An official flattered Zhang Changzong and said that Liu Lang looks like a lotus in the pond, but another official retorted, no, the lotus looks like Liu Lang.Everyone knows that the queen in Shangyang Palace regards the Zhang brothers as precious flowers, and her love for them has surpassed all her children and grandchildren, so it is not surprising that the Zhang brothers are above the royal family surnamed Li .

People from the Li and Wu clans complained a lot about the favor of the Zhang brothers. They thought that all the capital of the Zhang brothers was just a good man and a huge penis, so some people insulted Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi in private. It is inevitable to refer to the queen as an old whore.Many princes and nobles scolded them, but the unlucky ones were Prince Zhe's sons and daughters, Shao Wang Chongrun, Yongtai princess Xianhui, and Yongtai princess's husband Wei Wang Wuyanji.Somehow, the impromptu topic in Wei Wang's mansion reached Zhang Yizhi's ears, and Zhang Yizhi sneered at that time, he was so bold, it didn't count if he scolded our brothers, even the emperor dared to scold him.Zhang Yizhi revealed the matter in front of the queen that morning, and the queen was furious, and immediately summoned Prince Zhe to the front of the palace. The queen's stern, torture-like eyes made Prince Zhe's fat body full of sweat and fear. Jumping wildly again, the queen thought it was the fault of the adopted son for not teaching his father. The queen said to Prince Zhe, I, as a grandmother, would not teach my grandchildren a lesson. Yanji's father, Chengsi, is gone, but Zhongrun and Xianhui are your children. I will hand over the three of them to you for disposal.Prince Zhe felt that his mother was testing his loyalty to her. When Prince Zhe returned to the East Palace, his eyes were blank and his steps were shaky. He said to Princess Wei, this time Chongrun and Xianhui are doomed. They and Wu Yanji prepared to give white silk to death.The princess cried and asked the prince to save his son's life. Prince Zhe said, I can't save Chongrun, and no one can save me. If they don't die, I won't be able to survive.Prince Zhe put Chongrun and the other three to death for slandering the queen. Li Chongrun and Wu Yanji died easily and simply, but Princess Yongtai was about to give birth at that time. She begged her father to delay the time of death by one day. Zhe agreed with tears, so Princess Yongtai cried desperately in the cell, trying to force the baby out of the mother's womb before going to death, and the female officers outside the cell were crying secretly when they heard the screams that lasted for a day Later, the voice inside became weaker, and there was no more. The female officers rushed into the cell, and saw that Princess Yongtai had died, and the grass on the ground was covered with blood, but the baby still hadn't escaped from the mother's womb, and the baby followed the mother before it was born. The fairy passed away.A famous prime minister Di Renjie died of illness at the age of seventy-one while he was serving as the prime minister. The empress was so full of tears that she ordered the abolition of the dynasty for three days. With Zhuoran's achievements, he couldn't help sighing to the officials in front of the palace. Once Di Qing left, the court was empty.The prime ministers with mediocre intelligence couldn't help feeling sour in their hearts. They remembered that the long sigh was the queen's highest evaluation of the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty.People later said that it was fortunate that the empress trusted Di Renjie in her later years, and that Di Renjie pushed another strongman Zhang Jianzhi onto the stage of power before his death.It was Zhang Jian who later launched the famous Dragon Revolution and forced the Queen to the Palace of Golden Luan.People think that this is a cycle full of mystery, and this is history.

Rain and snow raged in Luoyang in November. The road outside the city was covered with white snow and black mud. Under the gray blue sky, there were only a few old trees covered with snow. There were no car marks and no pedestrians. With the traffic in the capital, thousands of horses and chariots transporting grain waited for the weather to clear in the Bianzhou area.The number of people starving to death and freezing to death in Luoyang City was increasing day by day, and crowds of people beat bowls and shouted at the gate of the official granary. It was in November's bad mood that the Empress fell ill.Bedridden in his twilight years, this is an ominous sign for any king.The empress could not face the court, and the court became a rudderless ship for the prime ministers. The rudderless ship often deviated from the direction set by the owner. For example, in November of the fourth year of Chang'an, the prime ministers were inspired by a common wish Aroused a secret revolutionary passion, some people wanted to kill Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yi's brothers, while others took advantage of the opportunity of the queen's illness to secretly plan the grand cause of restoring the Tang Dynasty. Whether it was killing Zhang or changing the dynasty, they thought that the opportunity had finally come.The queen lived in seclusion in Jixian Temple and concentrated on recuperating. Perhaps she hoped to recover as soon as possible and return to the palace, but the queen found that she was unable to do what she wanted. Once the queen asked Zhang Changzong to bring a mirror to the dragon bed, and the queen's eyes opened from time to time. Staring at the face of the old woman in the bronze mirror, a line of old tears quietly hit the back of Zhang Changzong's pink and delicate hands. I am really old and I can't go back.The queen's voice was full of loneliness and sorrow. The queen's hand gently pushed away the bronze mirror, and finally grabbed Zhang Changzong's sleeve. Zhang Changzong knew that the old woman wanted to touch his fingers, which was her favorite thing to do on the sick bed. So Zhang Changzong put the hand that was as thin as a withered leaf on the back of his hand. The tactile sensation was really like the passing of a dead leaf and old branch, but Zhang Changzong did not dare to move his hand. He smelled the dead breath on the old woman's body. The sour smell became stronger day by day, but he dared not leave.Someone warned Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi not to leave the Holy Majesty, as your brother's death day will be when you leave.

My days are numbered, I have died without regret, but you brothers are so young and so beautiful.The queen pressed Zhang Changzong's hand to her chest with great nostalgia. She said, Liulang, my only regret is that my return date is approaching. Who will protect you brothers when I go?Zhang Changzong was sad, and Zhang Changzong lay down on the queen's dragon bed and cried bitterly for his destination.The undercurrent of Kuangfu Tang Dynasty has been surging up and down in the court.The seventy-year-old minister Zhang Jianzhi secretly and effectively organized a strong revolutionary faction in the winter of this year. In addition to the two prime ministers Zhang Jianzhi and Cui Xuan, Zhongtai Youcheng Jingyun, Sixing Shaoqing Huan Yanfan, and Youtai Zhongcheng Yuan Shuji and others were also included in the merit book of re-establishing the Tang Dynasty.What is intriguing is Li Zhe, the prince of the Eastern Palace, who, as the banner of the revolution in winter, has always withered and hesitated.The faction of Zhang and Cambodia just couldn't ignore the banner of Prince Zhe. It is said that when Jing Yun and Yan Yanfan secretly went to the East Palace to meet Prince Zhe, Prince Zhe was a snipe weapon mother. The two ministers knew that the forty-five-year-old prince was scared out of his wits by his mother, so they respectfully said, His Royal Highness does not need to worry too much, just nod or shake his head.In the secret room of the East Palace, they saw a blurred light flashing on Prince Zhe's face, and Prince Zhe finally nodded his head with difficulty.The uprising took place on the 22nd of the first lunar month. According to the plan drawn up by Zhang Jianzhi, the troops were divided into two groups. Waiting for the second passerby.The second group of people will go to the East Palace to meet Prince Zhe, the banner of the uprising.

The second group of troops was led by Li Zhan, Li Duozuo, and the prince's son-in-law Du Wei Wang Tongjiao to the temporary east palace at the north gate. Zhe denied his promise a few days ago with some principles of loyalty and filial piety. Prince Zhe Wang talked about him from left to right, but Li Zhan and the others saw only fear and doubt from the fat man's face, which was frozen by Prince Zhe for many years. expression.The problem is that the arrow has been wound and has to be fired. No one can accept this kind of weakness that put hundreds of soldiers outside the door to death. No one in this place can bear this kind of weakness.It was Prince Consort Wang Tongjiao who forcibly dragged his father-in-law Prince Zhe onto the horse.Zhang Changzong heard the chaotic and sharp shouts of boot stabs outside Jixian Temple, Zhang Changzong said to his brother, what's going on outside, I'll go out and have a look.Zhang Changzong put on his clothes and rushed to the door. He ran into a bloody Lieutenant Habayashi and a saber with a curled blade. The lieutenant smiled and said, "It really is a lotus-looking male prostitute. You must be Zhang Liulang." .Zhang Changzong turned around and wanted to escape, but Captain Yubayashi's rolling blade chased him and slashed at him, which was not less sharp, and Zhang Changzong's severed body fell on the stone steps.The Yulin Army rushed into Jixian Hall silently, at this time they still didn't want to surprise the queen.They just wanted to kill the Zhang brothers first.Zhang Yizhi was found behind a pile of musical instruments. Zhang Yizhi called out, Your Majesty, save me.But a group of soldiers rushed forward with their knives in their hands, and Zhang Yizhi's bloody corpse still held a harp in the end.The empress did not hear her beloved Zhang brothers' cries for help, and it would be useless even if they did.The queen woke up from a dream in a trance, and saw people standing in front of the dragon bed, a bloody smell permeated from their bodies, covering up the scent of Anxi and blue musk.Is it rebellion?Who did it?

The Empress' voice sounded calm and tired. The people in front of the dragon bed were silent. They felt that the Queen's eyes were slowly passing over everyone's faces. Afterwards, when they recalled that gaze, they even had lingering fears of chills.The Queen's gaze finally stayed on Prince Zhe's face. It turned out to be you. I underestimated you. The Queen's voice now added a kind of contempt and contempt. The Queen said to her son, since the Zhang brothers have been killed, You have nothing to do, go back to your East Palace, go back.Prince Zheguo then took a step back. If it wasn't for Zhang Jianzhi and Yan Yanfan who stood behind his back and blocked his way, Prince Zhe would most likely escape, and the empress' abdication would most likely fall by the wayside. Those people in front of the dragon bed later recalled the last scene of the Shenlong Revolution, and their palms were still soaked in cold sweat.On January 25th of the first year of Shenlong, Prince Zhe once again ascended the throne of emperor in Tongtian Palace, which was Zhongzong's second ascension to the throne.Empress Wu Zhao has been revered as the emperor, and the imperial edict said that the emperor is recuperating in the Shangyang Palace.On February 4th, the imperial court issued an edict to the world to officially restore the name of the Tang Dynasty, and the government of all states and counties removed the red flag of the Great Zhou Empire and replanted the yellow flag of the Tang Dynasty.The common people looked at Chang'an from the mountains and plains to guide Luoyang, but they only felt that the world was difficult and changeable. The calendar and words of the 15-year week were all lost with a woman's old age. end It was the bad rain in November again, the sky in Luoyang was cloudy and rainy, and the imprisoned empress was listening to the rain by the window in Shangyang Palace.The queen's hair was as white as snow, and her haggard face appeared calm and solemn. She had been silent for several months, only her eyes remained sharp and majestic before she abdicated.In the courtyard of Shangyang Palace, the sound of rain splashed, the flowers of daisies were washed away from the branches by the water from the verandah, and the canaries in the cage flapped their wings restlessly in the humid air.The queen stared out the window, and the ladies of the court stared at the queen, they waited for someone to bring the newly refined elixir, but the eunuch's yellow umbrella was still missing in the rain and fog. The court ladies whispered, they suspected that the eunuch who delivered the elixir would not come, Shangyang Palace and the abdicated empress were being ignored or forgotten, and the revived Tang royal family was looking forward to the empress' death.This is a well-known fact.The eyes of the old empress were slightly closed, her mind was dripping like rain from the eaves, and her face was full of memories.The maids stood with their hands down, observing every change in the Queen's expression. Against the backdrop of paper lanterns and candlelight, the maids saw the Queen's lips suddenly parted, a bright smile shocked everyone, and a warm monologue made everyone The court ladies suddenly didn't know what to do, and some sentimental court ladies burst into tears afterwards.It's raining again, it was raining like this the day I entered the palace at fourteen, said the Empress.The empress thought of her legendary life. In fact, it was a well-known story in the Tang Dynasty. The ladies in the court could not bear to hear it, and the empress could not bear to recall it either. When she entered the palace at the age of fourteen, it rained. What happened afterwards?The queen did not say.On the night of November 26th, the first year of Shenlong, the rain stopped, and the seventy-eight-year-old queen died suddenly in Shangyang Palace. The panicked palace people found a red sandalwood ball in the queen's mouth. Not knowing whether to take it out, they guessed the meaning of the last act of the queen in her life in front of the dragon bed. What is the effect of the red sandalwood ball in the mouth of the dead?Is it to keep the beauty of the remains or to keep silent in heaven?No one can easily guess the last mystery, just as no one can guess the Queen's life.The story of Empress Wuzhao is unique for more than a thousand years. Who will forget Empress Wuzhao?Who can imitate the Empress Wu Zhao?