Three days after the coup, the crown prince Li Xian officially ascended the throne as the new emperor, and restored the Li Tang state title, court clothes and flag.

From the day of the coup d'état until the new emperor ascended the throne, Li Chen has not been able to visit her mother, and when everything settles, she can finally enter the palace to ask her mother for peace.

But Li Chen didn't expect that his mother would grow old for more than ten years overnight.

Wu Zetian turned out to be very old, but she was good at grooming her face, although she was an old man, she was full of energy, and she looked like she was about sixty. And now, probably because of the coup d'état launched by Zhang Cambodia and others, it was too hard for her, Wu Zetian seems to have lost all her spiritual energy in one day, and her hair is not as meticulously pulled up as before, describing her witheredness, she was already sick, and now she looks like a thorough old man, without half of the former lofty look.

Li Chen respectfully greeted his mother: "Yongchang has seen A-Niang. ”

Wu Zetian, who was crooked on the couch, glanced at her ignorantly, and said in a sarcastic tone: "My good daughter." ”

Li Chen raised his eyes, and his gaze calmly met his mother's sharp gaze.

came with Li Chen, as well as Shangguan Wan'er.

On the day of the coup, Shangguan Wan'er responded in the Palace of Eternal Life, and Wu Zetian's edicts were all drafted by her, and after Li Xian ascended the throne, Shangguan Wan'er was released from the harem. Shangguan Wan'er is still Zhaorong, but she became the first harem female official who could have a residence outside the palace.

Although Li Chen secretly planned and commanded the coup, she did not come forward on the day of the coup, so there was no reward. Li Xian felt sorry for his sister who was deeply hidden in her merit and fame, and wanted to change her name to give her some rewards, but she also declined.

The princess said that she lacked nothing now, and her brother didn't have to reward her like this. If Brother really loves Yongchang, it is better to wait for when she wants to go out for a walk to relieve her boredom, and Brother Ah should not tie her up in Luoyang or Chang'an.

When the new emperor heard this, he couldn't cry or laugh. This sister has liked to run out since she was a child, and likes to try all kinds of novel things, which he also deeply understands, so he has to accept the princess's conditions with a smile.

Li Chen thought that if it was in the past, her mother's sharp gaze, she would have felt anxious when she saw it, but now it turned out to be painless.

It can be seen that the tiger has fallen in Pingyang, and her mother is no longer majestic, and she herself is aware of this, so she doesn't care about her image, just like an eighty-year-old woman, with gray hair and wrinkles on her face, even if she still has residual power, she can only scare the palace maid who serves.

Li Chen stood in place, she didn't really want to explain anything, what was there to explain, this was the case. Mother should have been used to this kind of thing for a long time.

Compared with Li Chen's calmness, Shangguan Wan'er was a little uneasy, she was still kneeling on the ground beside Li Chen, Wu Zetian didn't call her to get up, she didn't dare to move.

Li Chen glanced at Shangguan Wan'er, who was kneeling on the ground, and then looked at her mother again.

Wu Zetian's eyes were still cold, and his tone was cold: "Over the years, has your mother treated you badly?" ”

Li Chen was silent and shook his head, "No." ”

But there are some things, how can she be clear whether her mother has treated her badly over the years?

Li Chen pondered for a moment and said to his mother: "But over the years, A-Niang has never treated too many people badly. An old minister like Zhang Ge Lao, Ah Niang has never been treated badly, and Ah Niang, a member of the martial family, has never treated them badly, and the Zhang brothers have never been treated badly. ”

Speaking of the Zhang brothers, Wu Zetian's expression was stunned, and then he showed a little sadness.

On the day of the coup, the brothers were stabbed to death by soldiers who broke into the harem, and their bodies were hung outside the city gates for three days. As for the Zhang brothers' home in Luoyang, the people who hated them for a long time broke in, demolished the walls and tiles, and swept away things.

Li Chen doesn't know if her mother will regret it when she thinks of those things in the past. But she knows that falling from the clouds to the mud is always unacceptable.

The new emperor ascended the throne, and the empress dowager moved to Shangyang Palace.

Today's Wu Zetian can't meet anyone, including the people of the martial family, she lives in the harem alone, and all the material treatment is still exactly the same as when she was the empress, no matter whether the new emperor has hatred for his mother or not, he will not be willing to bear a charge of unfilial piety.

Of course, now the empress dowager is no longer the empress, her current identity is the mother of the new emperor, the wife of the first emperor, and the handsome little gentlemen raised by the former empress were all exiled to the Lingnan area by the new emperor.

Li Chen looked at the maid standing beside his mother on the left and right, and her face was very angry.

Ten years in the east of the river, ten years in the west of the river.

At that time, Li Xian was abolished as a concubine and was moved to Bazhou under house arrest by his mother, and now his mother abdicated and was moved to house arrest here by Li Xian.

When Wu Zetian saw Li Chen, he didn't have too many emotional ups and downs. All her emotions had flare up on the day of the coup, and I heard that on the day of the coup, Zhang Cambodia and others forced the palace to live in the palace, and the empress on the couch looked down at the ministers who were kneeling on the ground, and angrily asked these ministers who were in high positions, had she ever treated them badly?

The ministers were ashamed, the empress had not treated them badly, and who could say that it was not the empress's gift that they could have the status they have today?

Zhang Cambodia, who was the leader, was also in tears, kneeling on the ground and said to the empress: "The saint has never treated his ministers badly, but now the saint is seriously ill and difficult to manage state affairs, and he is deceived by Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong's brothers. The crown prince Li Xian, quick thinking, and virtuous, when the first emperor was alive, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was very praised, and the saint handed over the burden to His Royal Highness the Prince, and the country could be safe. ”

Li Chen doesn't think that she is a good person, her mother blindly favors the Zhang brothers and the people of the martial family, if something goes wrong, it will not only be her brothers who are unlucky.

If my mother is not the empress, she will not have to worry about her life. The new emperor ascended the throne, at most, she was under house arrest, didn't she also put her brothers under house arrest back then? Compared with her brothers, her mother's material treatment and mental pressure can be described as very favorable. If a coup d'état is not launched, once there are variables and the Wu family or the Zhang brothers are in power, the surname Li will only be uprooted, including her.

She's not alone now, she has people she wants to protect.

For mothers, whether it is a son or a daughter, they can be ruthless for the sake of power. But she is not a mother, she does not have such iron and blood, nor does she have the ambition to rule the world.

What she asked for was simple, as long as she could protect the people she wanted to protect, it was enough. Her child is so young, and she still wants to watch him grow up peacefully and joyfully, and then become a person who stands up to the sky like his father.

Wu Zetian looked at the little daughter in front of him, this little daughter is usually willful and coquettish in front of her, looking very respectful of her mother and very aware of current affairs. Now it seems that those inconspicuous mountains and rivers are all cover-ups.

Wu Zetian looked at Li Chen, "I remember that when your father died, Chang'an received the news that your second brother had hysteria. ”

As soon as Wu Zetian's words came out, Shangguan Wan'er, who was originally kneeling on the ground, couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

Wu Zetian: "After your father died, your third brother discussed with me to take your second brother back to Chang'an to recuperate, so as to comfort your father's spirit in the sky." That was the first time you talked back to your mother, saying that you were going to take a madman back to Chang'an, did you want your father to see what the son he valued before his death had become a madman. Mother thinks that you are complaining that I disregarded your father's feelings when I disposed of your second brother that day, so after your father died, I wanted to take your second brother back to Chang'an, but you didn't want me to get my wish, and I wanted to feel bad in my heart, so that I could vent my grievances for my father. “

Li Chen's expression did not move: "It has been a long time since the incident, and Yongchang has forgotten it." “

Wu Zetian's tone couldn't hear joy and anger, as if he was telling the story: "Mother had forgotten about it, but when I arrived at Shangyang Palace these days, I was bored, so I remembered it again." Yongchang, is your second brother really suffering from hysteria? ”

Li Chen raised his eyes and looked at his mother.

Wu Zetian: "You tell the truth, I will never be angry." ”

Li Chen showed a very complicated smile towards his mother, "A-Niang, why do you think of these things now?" Didn't you already send someone to Bazhou to investigate the truth? ”

Wu Zetian sneered, "Because my mother found that many things in the past, looking back now, I feel that it was really an amazing coincidence, and it was an amazing absurdity." ”

Li Chen did not answer his mother's question directly, "My mother can become an unprecedented empress, which is also amazing and absurd in the eyes of many people, but it is a fact. ”

Wu Zetian glanced at Li Chen deeply, and waved his hand very tiredly, "You all step down, don't come to Shangyang Palace to ask for peace if you don't have a message from me in the future." ”

Li Chen saluted his mother, said goodbye to his mother, and then left Shangyang Palace.

Wu Zetian looked at her youngest daughter, she was wearing a dark purple wide-sleeved long dress, and the long shawl hung down from her arms and fell to the ground, dragging her back very slender. And Shangguan Wan'er followed by her side, looking very respectful and saying something to her, and she would occasionally tilt her head to look at Shangguan Wan'er.

If you don't make a sound, it's a blockbuster.

The Empress Dowager coldly withdrew her gaze, she really had Li Zhi's blood on her body, and she had never disappointed her father.

In November of the first year of Shenlong, ten months after the coup, the Empress Dowager Wu Zetian died of illness in the Xianju Hall of Shangyang Palace at the age of eighty-two.

The new emperor Li Xian complied with his mother's last wish and helped his mother's coffin to return to Chang'an to be buried with Emperor Gaozong. At the same time, Li Xian restored Chang'an's former political status and moved back to Chang'an.

And Princess Li Chen of Yongchang was unable to afford to fall ill after her mother Wu Zetian was buried in her father's mausoleum.

The princess's illness is menacing, and the imperial doctors and others are helpless. The sage Li Xian sent more than a dozen people in and out of Princess Yongchang's mansion a day to ask if her condition had improved, but for half a month, the princess was in a state of groginess.

At this time, Song Jing, who was already the chief prime minister, since the princess fell ill, he didn't care about the saint before returning to Chang'an, everything needed to be rectified, and he directly took leave to guard the princess at home.

The emperor's favorite sister lingered on the sickbed, and the heavy Chinese book made Song Jing take a leave of absence, and the emperor was very haggard physically and mentally. couldn't hold it back, so I went to the princess's mansion to visit Ah Mei, but Ah Mei's condition still did not improve.

Li Xian summoned the imperial doctor to inquire about the princess's condition, but the imperial doctor was hesitant and couldn't say why, and later came to the conclusion that the princess was probably a heart disease. was so angry that the emperor angrily scolded the imperial doctor for being a rice bucket, and almost kicked the imperial doctors.

Fortunately, the concubine Song Jing appeared in time to prevent such a tragedy.

The colt probably was worried about the princess in his heart, and he didn't say a few words to the saint, and he looked absent-minded when he said it. In the end, he simply had a bitter smile on his face and said to the emperor: "Maybe the imperial doctor is not wrong, Yongchang is a heart disease." ”

Li Xian: "......"

The emperor was very worried that the princess was not well yet, and the colt was also sick.

Song Jing looked at the emperor's face, and finally didn't say anything, only said to the emperor: "It's not too early, Your Majesty will go back to the palace first." If Yongchang wakes up, the minister will definitely send someone into the palace to inform His Majesty as soon as possible. ”

Li Xian had no choice but to go back to the palace first.

Song Jing's gaze was glued to the princess's face, and she didn't say a word. After a while, he reached out and touched the princess's hair, she still didn't wake up, but the fingers placed outside the thin quilt moved slightly, and Song Jing held her hand and rubbed it carefully.

He wondered how his princess looked like she was seriously ill, and she looked like she had fallen asleep after being so tired.

He was thinking about it, but he heard Song Yu ask in a low voice, "Aya, will A-Niang wake up?" ”

Xiao Song Yu didn't know when he came in, and no one reported it.

Song Jing held the princess's cold hand and bowed silently.

"Why did A-Niang sleep for so long?" Song Yu walked to the couch, his dark eyes fell on his mother's face, and he looked very worried.

Song Jing didn't care about his son, and reached out to touch the princess's thick eyelashes, "Probably, I'm tired." It's okay, I'll wake up soon. ”

The imperial doctor said that she had a heart disease, and he was probably right. Since the death of the first emperor, although she looks heartless, she is actually heartbroken, and she is tense all the time, without the slightest relaxation.

Whenever he thought of the life she had lived over the years, he would rather she be just a willful princess than so exhausted, and he didn't have a day of stability in his heart.

It doesn't matter, what she should have done has already been done, and she wants to do what she hasn't started yet, and there is him behind her.

Song Jing thought: I've been asleep for more than half a month, wake up quickly. After waking up, when she was the wayward eldest princess, it was his business to implement the new policy. As long as she wakes up, she will be fine, and when his new policy is first completed, she will retire and accompany her to travel all over the famous mountains and rivers, lakes and seas.

He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the forehead, and then he also got on the couch and took her into his arms, and only then did he move, and heard the person in his arms snort very uncomfortably.

Song Jing was stunned, looking at the person in her arms in disbelief, only to see her eyelids move, her thick eyelashes trembled slightly, and then slowly opened. Her blank gaze fell on his face for a long time, and then she furrowed her good-looking eyebrows, "It's dark, it's thin, and it's not as good-looking as it used to be." ”

Song Jing: "......"

slept for more than half a month, and the first thing she said when she woke up was that she thought he was ugly, and she really could do it.