However, as the parties to strengthen and consolidate the power of the Empress Wu, after resisting and weakening the forces of others and thus gaining a place in the imperial court, they did not really understand the true purpose and intention of the Empress Wu's trust and use of them. They came from a weak background, and they did not have a special background and an inseparable relationship in the government and the opposition, so they could only gather under the command of the Empress Wu with all their hearts.

Due to the special status of the Empress Wu, they are all pleased to be favored and reused by the Empress Wu, and are proud of their achievements and honors; In their minds, the wisdom of the Empress Wu has sublimated their wisdom and talents, and heroes are of great use. They originally did not believe that the Empress Wu Regent would replace the emperor, thinking that it was a matter of course and time to return to the emperor.

Now, when Empress Wu pushed them to the cusp of changing the imperial system, and an irresistible whirlwind enveloped them in, they were collectively at a loss, and the crisis of trust that had never existed before plunged them into misery and could not get rid of it, they did not know what Empress Wu was going to do if he did not return to power to the emperor, but they already knew what they could not do in such a situation. When they can't make more choices, either survive with the wind or die against the wind, they can only make a choice that they have no choice but to make a final break with the Empress Wu.

Empress Wu did not want to see this kind of ending, saying that she had lost too many ministers on the way to the system. In fact, Empress Wu has been waiting, waiting for them to break through secular prejudices and be in the same boat with her; I also hope that one day they will be able to wake up and see the general trend of the world. She had no good reason to convince them, and she could not convince them with words and reasons. From the day of the administration of the dynasty, there was no justice or reason at all. Instead, we can only inspire, educate and influence them with our own actions; Motivate them with the shared achievements they have achieved. There has been a great accumulation of strength in itself. When the position was consolidated accordingly, Empress Wu was confident in the prospect and somewhat conceited in her actions.

She has time to wait for them, and there are many more facts to be able to educate them. Empress Wu and Liu Yizhi walked hand in hand all the way, naturally understood their thoughts, and Pei Yan was different from them, Liu Yizhi's preference for Emperor Li Dan was not only out of the complex of Sima in the palace in the past, but also out of the trust and trust of the former emperor Gaozong. Adolescence. Liu Yi's filial piety at home is very much known as the scholars, and every time he gets a fortune, he is scattered among his relatives, and Gaozong attaches great importance to it.

During the Yifeng period, Tubo invaded the border, Gaozong asked the courtiers whether to settle or crusade against them, everyone had different strategies, Liu Yizhi analyzed and saw the situation at that time. Alone persuaded the emperor to deal with it normally, "Yidi is like a beast, although it is abused, it is not worth caring about." I hope to put away the majesty of His Majesty and relieve the people of their urgent needs. ”

Gojong accepted his advice and discovered his talent in it. Yifeng two years. Transferred to the court doctor, the Chinese scholar. He also served as Sima of Yuwangfu, and soon. He was awarded the title of Doctor of the Middle School. Gaozong had high hopes for Liu Yizhi, and once faced Liu Yizhi's way: "The beloved son of Xiang Wang Zhen, the door of loyalty and filial piety, the teacher of Qing, and the hope of Pengsheng Hemp, do not support himself." ”

The trust and praise of the first emperor made Liu Yizhi unforgettable. Later, Liu Yizhi, as the head of the North Gate Bachelor, as the minister of Gaozong and Empress Wu, trusted him even more. In the process of abolishing Zhongzong and establishing Ruizong, Liu Yizhi participated in his conspiracy, worshiped Zhongshu Shilang, and Tongzhongshu Menxia Sanpin, and gave him the title of Linhuai County male. Empress Wu reused Liu Yizhi and always participated in military affairs. At that time, there were many edicts, and Liu Yizhi's talent was quick, and he dictated and dictated, which could be completed in an instant.

In fact, when Liu Yizhi accepted the trust of the first emperor, in addition to fulfilling the duties of the ministers of the court, he was more of a moral and ethical duty. Like Pei Yan and even all the scholars in the world, he justifiably pursued fame in order to realize his ambitions in life, and it was the first emperor and even the queen of martial arts who provided a platform for him to display his talents and achieve fame, so that he could get his wish in years of struggle. However, as time passed, as Empress Wu's trust in him grew, he felt that the morality and ethics under his fame were increasingly disintegrating in him, and his ideals and reality were becoming more and more at odds, and his dissatisfaction and rebellion increased day by day. Empress Wu did not stop there, she wanted to make the final rescue for him morally, including saving the former loyal followers of the North Gate Scholar.

These people are people who she has cultivated and placed high hopes on, and their achievements today are also the result of years of hard work. However, Liu Yizhi did not give Empress Wu any chance and room to save him, and showed rare stubbornness at the moment of life and death.

Liu Yizhi vented his dissatisfaction with Empress Wu's delay in returning to power to the emperor, and the incident happened to his subordinates. Maybe it's because the words that have been held in my heart for a long time can't be held back, and I always want to vomit as soon as possible. Finally one day, Liu Yizhi sighed in front of his subordinate Jia Dayin: "Since the Queen Mother can abolish the faint and establish the Ming, why use the dynasty to weigh the system?"

It is better to return to politics and reassure the world. As Li Dan's minister, Liu Yizhi has been getting along day and night for many years, and Liu Yizhi has poured too much affection into this former prince, and also gives more hope to this emperor who has been influenced by himself.

If it is said that assisting Empress Wu to abolish Zhongzong Li Xian is out of public intentions, then the love for Ruizong Li Dan is somewhat selfish. It was God who gave Li Dan a gift, he really couldn't bear or was unwilling to let the imperial power go aside, this was not only out of the inseparable complex of the ministers, but the loyalty to the entire Tang royal family, as well as his own glory, and this is the glory that a talented scholar has left his name for eternity and dreams.

Jia Dayin did not keep it secret for him, but directly played the Queen Mother. When Empress Wu pursued the truth, he was unabashed and faced it calmly. This reminds Empress Wu that many years ago, the doorman Wailang Fang Xianmin was implicated and demoted to Weizhou Sima, he appealed to the Prime Minister's Mansion, and Zhongshu Lingqian immediately pushed the responsibility to the Queen Mother, and Liu Yizhi on the side came forward to defend the Empress Wu: "Yuan sat down to change the official, and the example was from the minister's request." ”

At that time, the Empress Wu was so pleased with Liu Yizhi's calmness that the Empress Wu had to look down on his behavior of pushing the good gentleman and leading him to himself, and depreciated the taste of Qingzhou Thorn History, and awarded Liu Yizhi the Taizhong doctor, gave him a hundred paragraphs, and a fine horse. Therefore, the Empress Wu called the courtiers and said: "The husband is the body of the minister." In the virtue of Yangjun, Junde is carried forward. Isn't it a good thing for your subordinates? And the monarch is the head of state, and the minister is the humerus. Affection is the same, righteousness is one, and it is not heard of those who move to the abdomen and back with the disease of the hands and feet, and get one peace. …… Yi Zhi is dedicated and loyal, and the situation is very good. "Empress Wu despises a minister who is so wise to protect himself and push the king, and needs a courtier like Liu Yizhi who understands righteousness, which is also an important factor for Liu Yizhi to be reused in the future.

And this time, Liu Yizhi's calmness was an indescribable bitterness for Empress Wu. Empress Wu sighed and said: "What I quote is a betrayal of me. Do you look back at my kindness! Obviously, Empress Wu said these words not to vent her dissatisfaction with Liu Yizhi, she knew that Liu Yizhi was not the kind of ungrateful person, and she also knew that worshipping and following the strong and the wise, and deterring the strong and the wise, this is an extremely common phenomenon inside and outside the court.

Liu Yizhi parted ways with her at a critical juncture. It is completely out of the orthodox Datang complex. Putting aside the rights and wrongs of the martial arts queen, as far as Liu Yizhi himself is concerned, there is no fault. Empress Wu tried to return justice to him, and made an exception to use a local assassin as a judge to try the case. to make the final salvation of Liu Yi. Liu Yizhi did not appreciate it, on the contrary, he protested on the grounds that it did not conform to the imperial system. Empress Wu knows. Liu Yizhi is despising her authority, and it is clear that he wants to keep the moral bottom line of Gangchang ethics and fight to the death.

Empress Wu had no choice. The only way to make a final break with this former follower is to mercilessly. Here in the Empress Wu, there is no longer the slightest sympathy and pity. In the past, the Qiē paid by the Beimen Bachelor was also written off. In fact, from the day she competed for the throne of the queen, she had lost any compassion and sympathy, and some were just outright hard-hearted.

If it is said that before the Pei Yan incident, Liu Yizhi's confrontational behavior can still be forgiven; Then, after experiencing the Pei Yan incident, Empress Wu's intention to never compromise has been very clear, and this kind of confrontation is obviously out of place and therefore unforgivable. Moreover, if it can be used, it will be used, and if it cannot be used, it will be wasted, without reluctance, which is the consistent practice of employing people after the martial arts. After Li Jingye's rebellion and the victory of quelling the rebellion, Empress Wu strengthened her confidence in being the master of her own country, and any action that hindered her behavior would be severely punished.

The bottom line of Empress Wu is that Liu Yizhi must give up the orthodoxy of the Tang Dynasty and continue to support Empress Wu to move forward; Once they can't get their wish, then their mission to the Empress Wu will also end. In terms of moral judgment standards, we must hold our own autonomy and not be controlled by others and make any compromises. There is no turning back from the bow, and once the prelude to changing the dynasty system is opened, it means that the situation of forcing is formed, and for the Empress Wu, he can only move forward without hesitation. She must remove the obstacles in her way, that is, she must break with the normative ethics and make a break with the worldly conventions.

Since Liu Yizhi can't give up, his final destination is to come to an end. The general trend has gone, and if you can't save Liu Yizhi, you can't save the group of like-minded bachelors from the North Gate, and the Empress Wu can only say her final goodbye to them. It's like a storybook after reading it, with a hint of pathos, Empress Wu gently closes the book.

Four years after the vertical arch, the magnificent Vientiane Shrine has been built. In the spring of this year, a white stone engraved with "Our Lady is coming, Yongchang Emperor's industry" came out of Luoshui. Empress Wu doesn't want to investigate its authenticity, as long as she can obey the will of heaven and satisfy the heart of the world's gods, she can gladly accept it.

She decided to visit Luoshui in person in December to hold a ceremony to receive the map, and ordered the governors of all prefectures to assassinate Shi and Li Tangzong's relatives to gather in Shendu immediately. The Empress Wu is to express her intention to the world to come to the court through the guò celebration and show her self-confidence in controlling the world. Although she has already won the battle, she still wants to test the world with this. In the eyes of others, some things are simply whimsical, but she feels that what she is doing is whimsical, only more practical and effective.

The Li Tang clan couldn't sit still, they didn't want to give up the Tang Dynasty to the world. The bloodline of the clan makes them closely connected and heart-to-heart, and the reality of one glory and one loss makes them take risks regardless of the consequences. They were indignant by the behavior of the Empress Wu step by step, they wanted to resist, they wanted to fight, they were confident that justice was in their hands, and heaven and humanity were all in their favor. The fact is that as early as when Empress Wu was in power, Li Zhen, the king of Yue, Li Yuanjia, the king of Han, Li Lingkui, the king of Lu, Li Yuanliang, the king of Huo, and Li Wei, the son of Yuan Jiazi, Huang Guogong Li Wei, the son of Lingkui, the king of Fanyang, Li Ai, the king of Jiangdu, Li Xu, the king of Yuanliangzi, and Li Zhen, the eldest son of Bozhou Thorn Shi, and Li Chong, the evil king of Lang, had the ambition to restore the royal family.

In July of the fourth year of the arch, Li Zhen, the prince of Huang Guo, sent a metaphorical message to Li Zhenyun, the king of Shuyue: "The inner people are getting sicker, and they may need early treatment." If it is winter, I am afraid that it will become a chronic disease. It is advisable to start early and report quickly. "Implying that Li Zhen Kuang's restoration of the royal family is like curing a disease. It can't be delayed any longer. When the Ming Hall was completed and the Empress Wu wanted to chase the emperor to the gathering, Han Wang Yuanjia was afraid of the Empress Wu's actions, so he reminded and incited the kings to say: "On the occasion of great enjoyment, the God Emperor will condemn people to tell the kings secrets, because of the large-scale killing, the royal children have nothing left." ”

Li Chong, the evil king of Lang, immediately forged a letter from the emperor and contacted the five kings of Han, Lu, Huo, Yue, and Ji to respond to the army. They only have one simple belief, that is, the incense of the Li Tang royal family cannot be interrupted. They want to turn the royal order upside down again. As a result of the facts, they overestimated the appeal of the imperial family and underestimated the power of the Empress Wu.

No one in the world responded, not even the kings of Li and Tang, although they were strongly dissatisfied with the fall of imperial power, but they were facing a strong and resolute opponent, and they were not sure whether the army would succeed, so they hesitated and wandered. Don't dare to respond rashly. King Ji Li Shen seemed to see the shape clearly and simply refused to raise troops, only the seventh daughter of Gaozu, Princess Changle, was resolute, but Princess Changle was not a martial queen, even though she spoke generously. How much of a difference can it make if you do your best? Just when they were undecided, the plot of rebellion was fully reported to Empress Wu by his own family.

The Empress Wu who got the secret face it calmly. There was no sign of panic on her part, she had expected this day to come sooner or later. Thereupon. Empress Wu preemptively dispatched troops to attack. Only Li Zhen's father and son rushed to raise troops. Li Zhen's son, Li Chong, the evil king of Lang, temporarily raised 5,000 soldiers and horses from Bozhou. If you want to cross the river to attack Jeju, take Mushui County first.

However, due to the hasty battle, the arson siege failed, the county town failed to capture, and he was defeated by Bozhou City and was killed by the gatekeepers. Empress Wu ordered Zuo Jinwu general Qiu Shenxun to be the general manager of the Qingping Road march to defeat Li Chong, but before the soldiers arrived, Li Chong was dead. In desperation, Li Zhen, the king of Yue, who responded to his son's army, only had more than 7,000 people before and after the incident in Yuzhou.

Empress Wu ordered Zuobao Taowei General Ju Chong to be the general of the Chinese army, Xia Guanshang Shucen Changqian to be the general manager of the rear army, and Zhang Guangfu, the squire of the Fengge, to be the commander of the army, and led 100,000 troops to ask for it. Without the assistance of the kings, although Li Zhen made the last resistance, he was finally outnumbered, and after the defeat of the army, his family committed suicide. After the incident, those who participated in the rebellion or attempted to participate in the rebellion were severely punished by the armed forces.

Killing, exile, direct and indirect, implicated and implicated, Li Zhen, the king of Yue, conspired against the case, poured out the princes and nobles of several generations of Li and Tang dynasties, and tried to make a tragic struggle to recover the lost imperial power. The defeat broke the deadlock for Empress Wu to finally seize the throne, cleared the obstacles, and won the initiative, thus strengthening the confidence of Empress Wu to change the dynasty system.

Here in Empress Wu, what can be given to them is the courtesy of princes and nobles, and they are not allowed to interfere in the affairs of the court, let alone tolerate their rebellion. Empress Wu was well aware of the weight of several generations of princes of the Li family in the imperial court, their special identity and status, which was a reality that Empress Wu could not be despised and avoided, and she also knew that her actions could not bypass them lightly, so Empress Wu tried to gain the support of the Li clan for her by adding titles and officials.

Just when the crown prince Li Xian succeeded to the throne and the Empress Wu was in the dynasty to weigh the system, he was awarded Zezhou Thorn History, Han Wang Yuanjia as the Tai Lieutenant, Yuzhou Thorn History, Teng Wang Yuanying as the Kaifeng Mansion Yitong Three Divisions, Jizhou Thorn History, Lu Wang Lingkui as the prince and teacher, Anzhou Governor, Ji Wang Li Shen as the crown prince Taibao. Especially when he treats Li Zhen, the king of Yue, he is even more tolerant.

Li Zhen is quite involved in literature and history, and has officials and cadres, but where he is in office, he is biased and slandered, and most of the upright bureaucrats are demoted, and he connives, and connives, and the child servants invade the people. Although Empress Wu had sealed the throne on the kings, her desire to form an alliance with the kings of the Li clan and her goodwill not to be their enemies had been clearly demonstrated.

In the Li kings, the cornerstone of imperial power is unshakable, and the interests of the clan are far greater than those who are feudal. Once the banner of the Empress Wu dominating the world is raised, the retreat has been blocked, and there is also no room for maneuver, when she does not get the support of the Li clan and is resisted by them, she can only make a final break with these princes and nobles, and resolutely fight back in the face of the force of the kings.

Empress Wu is full of self-confidence, not only because she saw the shape of the time clearly, but also because she had firmly grasped the power of the court and the central government, or as early as the Gaozong period, accumulated rich experience in controlling the world and dealing with military affairs, completed a series of personnel changes led by her, and formed a series of operating mechanisms conducive to maintaining the Wu regime from the selection and appointment of people, a group of ministers who took obedience to the Empress Wu as their duty stood out, and all kinds of cronies with the Wu family as the main force also began to play a role.

Empress Wu's whole purpose is to dominate the world according to her intention and will, and for this, she must break and subvert the order of the Tang Dynasty; Although she did not deprive or even maintain the rights and interests of the princes and nobles, she harmed the overall interests of the Li dynasty; She used bloody methods to deal with the already defeated princes and nobles, just to clear the obstacles, leave no trouble, and not give them any respite.

This kind of means, in terms of the grand cause to be achieved by the Empress Wu, is still the most thorough, the simplest and the most effective means, and this kind of means, the first emperor Taizong Xuanwumen change has been used, although the scope involved is very different, the target of the attack is also very different, but they all show the same horror and cruelty.

Different from the Xuanwumen Change, here, the Empress Wu did not cover up her actions in the slightest, nor did she make any explanations and justifications for her actions, and the best way to explain it is to give the most fatal blow to those who dare to oppose her, and at the same time highlight her own strength and confidence while defeating them, so as to conquer hundreds of officials and deter the world. A struggle to preserve the imperial family and take the throne ended with the victory of the Empress Wu.

Unlike Li Jingye's rebellion, this time the prince rebelled without resorting to written condemnation, nor did he have any careful planning. Empress Wu saw their weakness and weakness, and despised the ridiculous behavior of these princes and nobles from the bottom of her heart. This was the last contest between Empress Wu and her old enemy before she ascended the throne, and the significance of her success was to win the reputation and victory chips for Empress Wu again, and it also meant that Empress Wu had great courage to challenge the traditional ethics and the extraordinary results she had achieved.

Now, the only one who is really full of ambition is Empress Wu herself and no one else, she has fundamentally got rid of the constraints of the Li royal family, and is confident that the era of princes and nobles interfering in court politics is gone, and she is the only one who can give it a go on the road in the future! She has the strength and ability to despise the princes and nobles, and she can also disdain and sneer at those who have despised her. A woman with big ambitions, she has to face a world dominated by her. (To be continued......)