Established a millennium family since King Wu defeated Zhou

Chapter 947 Heavenly Saint, the Second Saint!
The Jiaolan Palace was quite quiet. Li Zhi and Wu Zhao had been looking at each other for a long time. The couple had been arguing for so long, and now Li Zhi felt a little embarrassed. After a while, Li Zhi saw that Wu Zhao had not moved. Meaning, I could only move a few steps forward, "Mei Niang, it was all my husband's fault in the past, but it won't be anymore. I hope you can forgive me."

After saying that, Li Zhi coughed and became dizzy and turned pale. The words "Mini" and "Husband" made Wu Zhao recall the repressive years that the two of them had experienced, and his heart softened.

Wu Zhao, who was with Luo Junwei and had experienced less suffering and bullying, did not turn into a pure political machine after all. There was naturally softness in his heart, "Your Majesty, you and I are of the same mind, and we can cut through gold. From now on, Let’s stop being so jealous of each other.

Hong'er has always been in poor health and is surrounded by wolves. Will he be able to control those people in the future?

At the beginning, the late emperor divided all the power, not to mention the King of Yan and the King of Qin. They were both barbaric lands. We all know what Qi Wangtai wanted to do at the beginning. Why did he get such familiar land as Qi State.

Erlang, Sanlang, and Shilang, there will be no place to entrust in the future. I think about these issues every day, but Your Majesty regards me as an enemy and those wolves and tigers as relatives. This really makes me sad. "

Wu Zhao was half sincere and half false, which immediately made Li Zhi feel guilty, but he said with some worry: "Meiniang, all the kings are my brothers, uncles and nephews, not wolves and tigers, you Don't say that."

Wu Zhao was quite unbelievable when he heard this. You, the majestic emperor of the empire, actually said such childish words, "Your Majesty, from the day when the enfeoffment was launched, it was destined to reach the day when we met in war.

It is essential to be on guard against others.

Don’t you know that your brother, the Prince of Yan, is doing something in Mobei?

Let’s start with the change in the era name. Yuande can be abolished. Tiansheng, the two saints, is also used. This era name is used to tell everyone that the Tang Dynasty is now dominated by the two saints.

Then we have to improve your status through various etiquette and other aspects. Although you are a queen now, your status is more than half as good as the emperor.

At the same time, officials at the grassroots level have changed more than once. The problem you mentioned before about the excessive prosperity of the powerful has already appeared at the grassroots level, and various means have begun to be used to increase taxes. Within ten to twenty years, some people will not be able to bear it.

It has been forty years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty during the Wude period. This is already a long time, and the rate of encroachment on ordinary people by dignitaries, relatives, and officials has greatly accelerated.

The political crisis is even more obvious. I heard Weiwei say that you are very smart, and you can see at a glance the huge threat that enfeoffment poses to the central government of the Tang Dynasty. You are not the emperor, and you have no feelings for the Li clan, so you want to deal with them. Take action to purge the court's prestige.

What Luo Su said was all noble and righteous, which somewhat conflicted with Wu Zhao's path. Wu Zhao liked to take the wrong approach, but she listened very seriously. After all, she was now the real ruler alongside Li Zhi.

If we do not use thunderous means to purge these vassal kings and princes, the shocking fission will happen in the next generation.

Four years after Yonghui, every time the court summoned the kings, your brother Qi Wang happened to be at war. He couldn't wait to move the king's capital to an island far away from the Central Plains, and vigorously practiced naval forces. He had already landed. Now that Yingzhou is here, why are we still training the navy?
Your brother, the King of Qin, did not send even a letter back after three years of Yonghui. I got the news that in just five years of Yonghui, he and King Yan communicated with each other thirteen letters, and the letters were sent to Hara and Lin. , but can't it be sent to Chang'an?

Wu Zhao's eyes sparkled when she heard this. She and Li Zhi both had an artist's heart and liked to change the year names and the names of various official positions. But what Luo Su said now made her feel very advanced.

Wu Zhao believes that this is a typical internal and external collusion. If the identity of the clan is discarded, this is the collusion between the internal court officials and the vassal kings guarding the border. No matter which dynasty they are in, it is a way to die.

"National Master, now I am in charge of great political affairs, the world is prosperous, and the people can live and work in peace and contentment. However, I feel that there are dangers everywhere, internal and external difficulties, but there are so many clues, but I don't know where to start, so I ask the National Master for guidance. "

Since the emperor has no energy to deal with affairs now, and you have the talent in this area, and I think your face is the face of longevity, then you must completely establish your political authority.

Luo Junwei was just complaining casually, but it directly made Wu Zhao's eyes light up. She stared at Luo Junwei with shining eyes, "Weiwei, you are right, why didn't I think of it before?"

The last Protector of Anbei died in the rebellion. If you don't have the slightest doubt, why would you transfer the Protector of Anxi to him?

You have to be cautious about King Yan. You can think of King Yan as a northern nomadic empire established by the Li clan king. It has always been a big threat to the Central Plains. Be cautious when starting a war. And if there is a war between the Central Plains and King Yan, let those who have bad intentions The Turks and Tiele people, who dreamed of restoring their country, found a gap in this and would pose a greater threat to the Central Plains in the future. "

You treat them as brothers and relatives. When they lead their army into Chang'an and kill all our sons and daughters, see if they treat you as relatives! "

Upon hearing this, Luo Junwei immediately said: "Those people are the sons of your enemies, and you also know that they are all a bunch of ineffective people. It would be better to call back your niece and nephew's son-in-law than to call them back. At least the abilities of my Luo family children are still there." Yes, I can help you.”

If it weren’t for the fact that the government soldiers had not gone out to fight in recent years, and the enfeoffment system was implemented at the same time, which greatly saved military costs, then starting from the government soldiers, they should have entered the stage of bankruptcy and family destruction. Not only the government soldiers, but also ordinary people have begun to enter the stage of bankruptcy and family destruction. At this stage, in about twenty years, large numbers of refugees will begin to appear.

These words were a bit murderous. She had long been unhappy with those Li clan members, especially the Li clan members who relied on having people outside. For example, Li Tai had two concubines who did not serve as officials in Qi State, but When serving as officials in the Central Plains, there were many relatives of the Li family, who were the main force against her in the court.

Wu Zhao smiled happily and said, "Don't worry, Imperial Master. I know that at the beginning, the Imperial Master and the late emperor divided the princes among themselves. I wonder what the Imperial Master thinks of the future of these princes?"

Luo Su took a sip of tea, and then said slowly: "There are many problems, let's talk about them one by one.

Wu Zhao said nothing, quietly waiting for Luo Su's next suggestion, "There are only two ways to maintain political stability in an empire. If it is difficult to weaken the surroundings, that is to strengthen oneself. Now everyone is doing some small tricks, and The reason for still surrendering to the imperial court is very simple. Although they experienced a battle, it ended quickly. The power controlled by the imperial court did not change much. They only drove away the Changsun and his party.

At the beginning, the princes were enfeoffed and could only develop and develop locally. Moreover, there were life and death crises and they needed to unite to survive. It is said that all the summers are like a line, but now the kings have different intentions in their hearts. Everyone knows that, The enfeoffment is because the imperial court cannot control such a large territory. In this case, why should I obey the orders of your imperial court.

Last year, the imperial court's military expenditure was about 20% of the annual revenue. How low is this figure? You have been in power for so long, and you should know very well that the reason why military expenditures are so low is because most of the expenditures on the frontiers are financed by those border enfeoffments. The prince took it upon himself.

Wu Zhao's merciless words completely tore apart the peace that Li Zhi had always wanted to whitewash. There is one difference between the enfeoffment now and before, that is, the people's hearts are different.

We have been busy fighting among ourselves these years and have not had time to pay attention to our surroundings. Do you still think it was when the late emperor was here?

Seeing this, Luo Junwei said with a little worry: "Queen, some of the foreign prime ministers who supported you at the beginning have died of old age, some have been reviled, and the rest are in decline. Your right to speak in the outer court has been reduced. This is very It is dangerous. You must replenish your strength in the outer court as soon as possible. Only by coordinating the internal and external affairs can you stabilize your governance."

There was deep worry on Wu Zhao's face. Luo Junwei turned around and poured tea for the two of them. Luo Su listened to what Wu Zhao said, "You are not wrong to see that the current Tang Dynasty is indeed Shengshi Xuanhe, your sense of smell is also very good. The Tang Dynasty is indeed full of crises. Not everyone can see the crisis in the prosperous age. "

These are all problems that a dynasty is destined to have over time. Military and economic collapse are inevitable. It depends on your skill.

At first, the queen was matched with the emperor. She was originally half shorter than the emperor. Later, the emperor was half shorter than the emperor. As a result, the queen did not sound shocking enough. So she changed it to the queen of heaven. The word "tian" on the title can make people both inside and outside awe-inspiring, which will help strengthen you. political prestige. "

Let the subjects know that the emperor's health will not affect the future of the empire. It is very important to be honest and right. It is not enough for you to listen to politics behind the curtain. You have to go to the stage. Don't let people think that you are issuing orders with the authority of the emperor. Let it be known to all that this is your will.

When Luo Junwei mentioned this matter, Wu Zhao also felt a little headache. Her situation was quite special, and there were not many forces that could support her, especially the strength of her relatives. She had a very bad relationship with the Wu family, and her differences Her mother and brother were basically exiled to death by her for revenge. Helan Minzhi on her sister's side was also incompetent, and he was not of the same mind as her. Yang didn't like her at all. Thinking of this, she hesitated and said: "It seems I can only recall my nephews to Chang'an."

In the first year of Yuande, Tubo attacked Qinghai Road. As a result, Qinghai Road was captured by three states and thirteen counties. Among the six princes and princes on Qinghai Road, they were on the front line against Tibet, but four of them were almost unscathed. You don’t understand the reason for this.

When Wu Zhao heard this, he immediately became happy and said, "With the words of the Imperial Master, I will be able to do whatever I want without being timid anymore."

Wu Zhao was startled and said quickly: "Please ask the National Master for advice."

Li Zhi's face turned pale. He started to get sick again. Wu Zhao sighed slightly and quickly asked the palace maid to help Li Zhi to rest. She left the palace and went to Lingtian Pavilion. At this point, she was also a little confused. , don’t know what to do next.

I don't object to you doing this. Strengthening the branches and strengthening the branches is the right way. Maintaining the strength of the central court is essential, but I want to say some things. I hope you can take these into consideration when wielding the knife.

It's very good that you and the emperor can reconcile. Don't waste your time fighting among yourself.

"Although you are not a king, you are not much different from a king now. Then you must learn to use methods to enhance your sanctity to enhance your rule. I have given you examples. If you draw inferences from one example, you should know how to do it."

Luo Su knew that she was asking, if she used some cruel methods to deal with those princes who were enfeoffed, would Luo Su stop him? Luo Su simply shook his head, "Enfeoffment is not a talisman. Those who were enfeoffed in Qinghai Road In the country of princes, if it were me, he would have deposed his feudal state, deposed him as a commoner, and even brought him back to Chang'an to be beheaded. He is still alive now because the emperor and you are too gentle.

The tetrarchs asked them to do things. If they couldn't do things, or even bit back, let them die. "

Eh?
Luo Junwei was a little confused, "Your nephew and son-in-law haven't been crowned yet. Even if he is promoted exceptionally, it will be difficult to promote him to a high position."

But Wu Zhao was already excited. The more she thought about it, the more appropriate it seemed to her. She squinted her eyes and said with a smile: "Weiwei, just wait for the surprise I give you."

……

In the Taiji Hall, when the prime ministers walked into the hall, they were all shocked by the layout of the hall. In the past, the emperor sat on the throne and the queen listened to politics through a curtain, but today there was not even a curtain.

There was only a larger throne, and the queen sat on it grandly with the emperor. She was dressed in gorgeous queen clothes, showing great wealth and dignity.

Upon seeing this, Prime Minister Liu Rengui immediately said sternly: "How can the queen sit on the throne with the emperor? Isn't this a reversal of yin and yang, and chaos in the world?"

Wu Zhao didn't even blink, but Li Zhi comforted him: "The queen knows about political affairs, and I am not in good health. This way, you can tell me more quickly about your love for me. For the sake of national affairs, love me, don't worry about it." ”

Wu Zhao seemed to have not heard these words, his expression remained unchanged. Liu Rengui wanted to say something more, but was directly stopped by his friend, "Forget it, it wasn't a big deal in the first place. You forgot about the rumors a few days ago. ?" Liu Rengui was immediately agitated, gritted his teeth, and finally sat down angrily.

Seeing that the storm subsided, all the prime ministers breathed a sigh of relief. Although there are almost no prime ministers on Wu Zhao's side in the political hall now due to various reasons, the power of Wu Zhao who has been in power for many years still makes people feel a little bit. Out of breath.

At the beginning of the meeting, no one expected that Wu Zhao would directly throw out a big event, which shocked everyone, "The British Duke passed away, and among the three ministers of the late emperor who cared about life, only Duke Yong Guo was left. During the Hui period, the Great Protector of Annan came out. After a few years, he thought that Duke Yong should be summoned back to the capital to serve as Minister Zuopushe. What do you think? "

Recall Duke Yong back?
Everyone unanimously turned their attention to Li Zhi. After Changsun Wuji was exiled, Luo Xuanling, the Duke of Yong Kingdom, followed him out of town. Everyone knew that this was because Luo Xuanling interceded for Changsun Wuji.

Now the Queen wants to recall Duke Yong, what does the Emperor think?

Li Zhi smiled bitterly, what do I think? Is it still up to me to make the decision now?

He smiled slightly and said: "What the queen said is absolutely true. I haven't seen Duke Yong for many years and I miss him very much."

This matter was quickly passed unanimously. Anyone who dares to stop Luo Xuanling, Duke of Yong State, from coming back is really seeking death.

But everyone, including Li Zhi, was wondering, why did the queen call Duke Yong back?

Duke Yong Guo was a loyal minister of the late emperor, and it was impossible for him to turn to the queen. Even if he was recalled, he would not be able to help the queen. How could a scheming and ruthless woman like her do such a thankless thing?
Wu Zhaoyun Danfengqing spoke again: "Since Zhenguan, after the generals from outer towns have made meritorious service, they will enter the three provinces. The so-called generals will become prime ministers. Chen Guogong Luo Xuanyun has successively served as the governor of Anxi and moved to the governor of Anbei. The border areas of the Tang Dynasty have made a lot of achievements. Since Yonghui, no one has gone out of his right. He should be banned from entering and leaving the three provinces. What do you think?"

Chen Guogong?
A rather unfamiliar name, he has not been in Chang'an since the Zhenguan period. No one would have thought that one day he would enter the three provinces. Then the prime ministers remembered that it seemed that the queen's niece was married to Chen Guogong's son.

Fortunately, Li Zhi's dirty thoughts were only known to a few people at the beginning. Even so, Li Zhi was a little uneasy now, especially when Wu Zhao specifically asked him, "What do you think of the emperor? Why don't you tell the ministers about it?" Say it directly in front of you.”

After Li Zhi laughed twice, he waved his hands and said: "I don't have any opinion. Chen Guogong has meritorious service and it is appropriate to enter the three provinces. I think we can let Chen Guogong take charge of the palace, and then add three ranks under Tong Zhongshu to show his nobility."

The emperor's rather strange performance made all the prime ministers who originally wanted to object hesitate. There seemed to be a story in it. What was the emperor's guilty conscience about? Just such a hesitation, and what he originally wanted to object to could no longer be said. .

However, Luo Xuanyun has always been a military commander, and he is only a third-rank subordinate of Tong Zhongshu. He does not have specific control over the affairs of the three provinces and six ministries, so the prime ministers think it is not a big problem.

Wu Zhao sneered in her heart. I will insert a few nails for you first, and later I will let you know why the flowers are so red. She stood up from the throne and said with emotion: "The Tang Dynasty has been prosperous and prosperous since Zhenguan, but it has never been granted Zen status. I think that now that the Tang Dynasty has not used weapons for more than ten years, it is a prosperous time. It is time to go to the Zen to worship the emperor, the queen of the land, and the gods of the mountains and rivers, so that the king of the emperor and the emperor will know about my achievements in the Tang Dynasty. "

When she said these words, her voice was so loud that there was even an echo in the hall. Everyone was stunned in place, but Li Zhi stood up in a flash. Suddenly he felt that his body was no longer tired, and his spirit was no longer there. I'm tired. After all, I'm going to be granted Zen status, so my identity must be fine.

No one expected that Wu Zhao would bring up the issue of Feng Chan at this time. Didn't she always compete with the emperor for power?
Feng Chan will increase the emperor's prestige. This is not like Wu Zhao's style. Today, everything about Wu Zhao is unexpected. Even Li Zhi was surprised, "Queen, I am really Don’t know what to say.”

Wu Zhao said with a very serious expression: "The enfeoffment was launched at the end of Zhenguan. Since ancient times, the enfeoffment has always been the last one. Once the imperial court is weak, great chaos will occur. You should be aware that you are familiar with history books. However, all the princes are the late emperors and national teachers. The person being granted the title is also a noble relative of the clan, so there should be no doubt about it.

Yu is worried about this, so he wants to cheer up the center to stabilize the four directions, that's all. "

Wu Zhao's high demeanor and integrity are simply impressive. Li Zhi and even the prime ministers have to admit that Wu Zhao's ability to do these things is really impressive.

Wu Zhao saw everyone's expressions in his eyes and felt proud in his heart. Laugh now, there will be no place for you to cry later. "Feng Chan is of great importance. It has been too long since the last time the emperor sealed the Chan. The etiquette and so on are not complete. I have a superior." A good candidate can be the presiding officer for this ceremony.”

Li Zhi asked curiously: "Who is it?"

Wu Zhao smiled slightly and said: "Princess Anle Luo Junwei, she is the eldest daughter of Princess Pingyangzhao and Prince Wucheng of Zhou Dynasty. There is no one more noble in the clan than the princess. The princess has read poems and books since she was a child. She must have read many poems and books since she was a child. All the ministers are aware of the princess's literary talents, and Shangguan loves you as a scholar. The late emperor appointed the princess as the female historian of the palace. For more than ten years, there has been no mistake. The ministers and your majesty should rest assured that this matter is left to the princess. of."

A completely blameless candidate, Wu Zhao has never been so happy as he is today. This feeling of recommending a person with no problem from qualifications to ability is so satisfying. This is the feeling of having the general trend in hand.

"Since all the ministers have no objections, I will appoint Princess Anle as the Minister of Rites and the General Manager of Zen."

Minister of Rites?

The Minister of Rites immediately objected, but he may not have reacted, and he said directly: "How can Princess Anle, a female prostitute, enter the official office?"

When Wu Zhao heard this, he was angry and wanted to laugh. He was angry at this guy's rudeness to Luo Junwei, but also felt that this person was too stupid, "A prostitute?
Princess Anle's mother, Princess Pingyang Zhao, had been sitting in the position of servant and secretary for ten years, and all matters were handled in an orderly manner.

If you have the ability, go to the tomb of Princess Zhao in Pingyang and say the words "A prostitute" and see what the outcome will be?

Besides, I know both the princess and you. As far as your ability is concerned, you are not even as good as the princess's clothes. It is really shameful for a frog in the well to try to judge the moon in the sky. If I were you, I would submit your resignation right now. What else? He has the face to be able to sit in this palace majestically. "

Wu Zhao is not just empty talk. Her goal is naturally not to make Luo Junwei just serve as the Minister of Rites. Her real purpose is to make Luo Junwei the Minister of Rites first, and then through the merits of Feng Chan, be promoted to the Minister of Rites, and become the Minister of Rites. Tong Zhongshu's third rank, he officially became the prime minister.

After taking control of the Ministry of Rites, she can lead a series of etiquette reforms. Luo Junwei is her true one. She is not limited to making Luo Junwei the internal minister. She wants Luo Junwei to become the real prime minister. There are biographies in history books.

"Queen, how can you insult a minister of state in court like this?"

"Prime Minister, how can you insult the royal family members and despise a talented and famous noble woman in court like this?"

Wu Zhao's tit-for-tat confrontation was full of coldness, and the palace suddenly became quiet. Most people felt uneasy. The queen was a little different, and she was even more difficult to deal with than before.

Li Zhi saw the cold situation in the palace and hurriedly tried to smooth things over, but was pushed back by Wu Zhao's eyes. Seeing Wu Zhao's eyes flashing with murderous intent, the Minister of Rites did not dare to stand up anymore. He just said casually, "Wan Wan" I didn't expect that it would go so far as to almost lead to death. It's really embarrassing. "Your Majesty, Queen, I made a mistake, and since I am guilty, please allow Your Majesty to allow me to beg for my bones."

He took off the crown and placed it on the ground, and then said while lying on his knees, his words were quite bleak. Before Li Zhi could speak, Wu Zhao responded: "That's right, let's become an official from today."

Because he deposed a third-rank minister with just one sentence, this was the imperial power, the imperial power in Wu Zhao's hands. Seeing this scene, the other prime ministers all felt a sense of crisis. This is really a disaster coming from the mouth. This is what is really troublesome about this matter. The reason is that it was the Minister of Rites who resigned because he felt it was too embarrassing, rather than being forced by Queen Wu Zhao, which made them unable to open their mouths to plead for mercy.

The meeting ended in this atmosphere. Li Zhi recalled today's meeting and found that the result was not bad. This was the fundamental reason why he had not broken up with Wu Zhao.

Although Wu Zhao ignored him, except for this, everything she did was very good, and she handled the affairs of Datang in an orderly manner.

Wu Zhao likes power, but she cannot naturally and legally possess power like the emperor Li Zhi or the prince Li Hong, so she has to use various means to get the power.

If no one opposes her, Wu Zhao, who devotes all his energy to state affairs, has very terrifying abilities.

"Feng Chan."

Li Zhi's sickly body couldn't help but straighten up, and there was endless light in his eyes. His father would probably regret not being able to become a Zen, but he would never let himself have this regret.

……

"Feng Chan?"

Since that day at Lingtian Pavilion, Luo Junwei had been waiting for the surprise Wu Zhao said. When the surprise was actually placed in front of her, she was still a little shocked. It turned out that such a grand event of the imperial dynasty was completely left to she.

"And the Minister of Rites, no, that old guy, the Minister of Rites, is gone. Now Weiwei, you are the Minister of Rites.

You are the third woman to officially hold a high-ranking official position in the court, after Princess Pingyangzhao and Mrs. Xuanjing. "

Wu Zhao's face was full of pride and pride. Li Xiuning did not mention that Luo Xuanjing had experienced Jiangnan Road and Hongwen Hall, opened the Yitong Sansi Division, etc., and they were all serious and high-ranking officials.

Now Luo Junwei is the third-rank minister, and the next step is to become the prime minister. And now there is the matter of being granted Zen. Once this matter is over, he will be the prime minister. His father, mother, and daughter will all serve as prime ministers. If it is placed in the history books, this is enough to be passed down through the ages. good story.

Wu Zhao's face was full of "please praise me, isn't the surprise I gave you a great" expression? Luo Junwei couldn't help laughing, but also very touched. She stayed in the palace and actually helped Wu Zhao, but Wu Zhao But he tried his best to get her into the outer court, which was different.

"Thank you very much, Queen. The Queen is very kind to me."

Luo Junwei's gentle judo was like clouds drifting away in the sky. Wu Zhao was very pleased with it. He lay directly on Luo Junwei's lap, so comfortable.

(End of this chapter)