In the first year of the vertical arch, the military queen reformed the official system, and Liu Renliang was reappointed as the left minister of Wenchang and the three products of Luantai of Tongfeng Pavilion.

However, at this time, the change of office, including the reappointment, was meaningless to Liu Renliang. On the 22nd day of the first month of this year, Liu Renliang died of illness at the age of 85.

Liu Renliang died of illness, although it was expected by the Empress Wu, after that meeting, the Empress Wu had already seen the clues, and did not expect him to do anything more, but for the sudden death of an old minister who could treat him well, the Empress Wu was still sad. Liu Renliang has done everything he should have done in his life, and he did it vigorously, with a beginning and an end.

His grievances and prejudices against Empress Wu have all turned into clouds of smoke here after Wuhou, and they have become irrelevant.

What Empress Wu values is his loyalty to the Tang Dynasty, his affection for the people of Limin, and his outstanding exploits and wise life.

In order to commemorate the veteran of the Three Dynasties who was famous for his martial arts and made extraordinary contributions to the Tang Dynasty, the Emperor stopped for three days, and let the officials at all levels in the capital go to mourn in turn, and posthumously presented the Kaifu Yi with the three divisions and the governor of the prefecture, accompanied the burial of the Qianling, and gave his family 300 households.

Eight

At the end of the second year of Tianzhu, Wu Chenghei sued Prime Minister Di Renjie on suspicion of rebellion, and those who conspired to rebel were also Feng Pavilion Shilang Ren Zhigu, Dongguan Shangshu Pei Xingben, as well as Si Nongqing Cui Xuanli, former Wenchang Zuo Cheng Lu Xian, Yu Shi Zhongcheng Wei Yuanzhong, Luzhou Assassin Li Sizhen and other seven people.

Emperor Wu was puzzled when he received the report. Regardless of the others, how could Di Renjie, who was only promoted from Luozhou Sima to a local official in September this year, and a minister who served as the prime minister for less than three months, rebelled?

In the eyes of Emperor Wu. Di Renjie is a resourceful and righteous person, after becoming the prime minister. It is also cautious and reserved, and strict self-discipline. Didn't do anything out of the ordinary.

I remember that on the first day after his appointment, Di Renjie faced the monarch, and Emperor Wu praised him in person for his contributions to Runan when he served as the assassin of Yuzhou. Di Renjie knew in his heart that it was after the defeat of Li Zhen, the king of Yue, in the rebellion in Runan.

At that time, there were six or seven hundred people involved in this case, and more than 5,000 people wanted to be slaves.

Di Renjie believes that these coercion are misguided and should not be punished severely. So the secret table played Emperor Wu, hoping that Emperor Wu lamented that he had gone astray. Leniency.

Emperor Wu clearly observed and granted amnesty, and the people of Runan were grateful. This matter, as the person concerned, Di Renjie, was a major event that presided over justice and asked for the people's lives, but for the Empress Wu at that time, it was just a favor to win the hearts of the people.

Speaking of this past, Emperor Wu also specially asked Di Renjie: "Someone falsely accused you in front of me for the Runan incident, do you want to know who he is?" Di Renjie replied: "Your Majesty thinks that the minister is at fault. The minister should be redressed; His Majesty has no fault with the minister, and the minister should be glad that it is.

The minister didn't know who was slandering, so he regarded him as a friend, so he asked His Majesty not to tell him who he was. ”

Emperor Wu was moved by Di Renjie's character and generosity. In fact. It's not that Di Renjie doesn't know the people who falsely accused him, but time has passed, and he doesn't want to dwell on the things that have passed. There is no need to distinguish between right and wrong in front of the Martial Emperor.

What's more, it was precisely the Empress Wu who was punished for this matter.

back then. Zhang Guangbi, the prime minister of Li Zhen, the king of Yue, believed that he had meritorious service in pacifying. Appeasement of the soldiers and their extortion. Di Renjie resolutely resisted, and angrily reprimanded Zhang Guangbi for killing and surrendering soldiers in order to invite war exploits. "Those who mess with Henan, a Yue Wang Zhen'er.

Now one chastity dies and ten thousand chastity lives. "Ming Gong Dong Rong 300,000, a chaotic minister, no soldiers, arson, tyrannical, innocent people, liver and brain." It can be described as righteous words, Zhang Guangbi has nothing to say, but he holds a grudge, and he also plays Di Ren's outstanding words backwards.

Di Renjie was demoted to Fuzhou Assassin and entered Luozhou Sima. Emperor Wu's demotion of Di Renjie was out of appeasement to Zhang Guangbi, who had contributed to the imperial court.

She would rather sacrifice a civil servant than accommodate a military general; In the future, Di Renjie was reused, because Emperor Wu never forgot Di Renjie's character and deeds, and returned Di Renjie to justice.

For Emperor Wu, this is already a special importance to Di Renjie. According to common sense, Di Renjie would not be ungrateful and betray her.

In order to find out the truth, Emperor Wu ordered Wu Chenghei and Junchen to investigate the case in depth, in order to get to the bottom of it.

As the initiator of this incident, Wu Chenghei and they naturally will not find out the good results. Soon, a copy of Di Renjie's confession of rebellion and Di Renjie's death sheet were sent to Emperor Wu, which shocked Emperor Wu.

However, at the same time, Emperor Wu received Di Renjie's appeal. The same Di Renjie, on the one hand, admits to rebellion, on the other hand, he completely denies it, and wants to redress his grievances, what is going on?

So, Emperor Wu directly summoned Junchen and asked sharply: "I learned that Di Renjie did not rebel, why did you sue him for rebellion?" Lai Junchen was unusually calm and asked rhetorically:

"Your Majesty, if there are no facts, how can Di Renjie be willing to admit to rebellion?" Emperor Wu was speechless, so he could only turn around and confront Di Renjie face to face: "Di Renjie, you admit that you rebelled, how can you go back on your word and say that you are wronged?" ”

Di Renjie replied: "Your Majesty doesn't know, come to Junchen and they torture the ministers to extract confessions, and they can't wait to put the ministers to death, if the ministers don't admit it against their will, I'm afraid they won't be able to see Your Majesty a long time ago." ”

"And what about the death watch?" "The minister didn't make a thank you for his death!" Emperor Wu asked someone to take a look, only to know that it was ghostwritten by someone else, not Di Renjie.

It turned out that after Di Renjie was framed by Wu Chenghe, in order to obtain a confession of rebellion, Wu Chengsi and Lai Junchen fabricated facts and lies, tortured Di Renjie, and coerced him to confess to the party.

Di Renjie knew best the cruelty of the Junchen ministers, in order to suffer less flesh and skin, he used a plan to delay the army, and admitted: "The Great Zhou Revolution, Vientiane is renewed, I am an old minister of the Tang Dynasty, I am willing to be killed, and the rebellion is real." ”

Wu Chenghei and the others saw that the confession of the conspiracy had been released, and the next thing was to wait for Di Renjie to be executed, so they relaxed their vigilance against him.

When the guards were lax, Di Renjie asked for a pen inkstone, dismantled the silk of the quilt, wrote a letter of redress, hid it in a cotton coat, and sent it out of prison on the grounds that he did not need cotton clothes in summer, and then his son sent the letter of redress to the palace and transferred it to the hands of Emperor Wu, which revealed the truth.

This is clearly an unjust case. An unjust case planned by Wu Chenghe. The source of this unjust case is not that Di Renjie first offended Wu Chengsi, but that Wu Chengsi took a direct action to exclude dissidents and eradicate future troubles.

Di Renjie is the prime minister of the official residence. When he participated in the government affairs, it was Wu Chenghei who regarded himself as a meritorious supporter. A day of authoritarian exclusivity and ambition.

is also the prime minister, in and out of the imperial court, Wu Chengji regards Di Renjie as a dissident, and Di Renjie is not allowed to share power with him.

At the same time, as an old minister of the Tang Dynasty, Di Renjie's prestige and talent were generally recognized by the court, and gradually won the appreciation and trust of Emperor Wu. Compared with Di Renjie, he pales in comparison. This is what Wu Chengsi is most jealous of and the most unwilling to see.

What worries Wu Chengsi even more is that Di Renjie is in the position of prime minister, and once he is full-fledged, his consistent attitude of despising the children of the Wu clan will definitely be the biggest obstacle to their ambitions. The best way to remove the obstacle is to eradicate it while he is still on a firm footing.

So, Wu Chengsi unscrupulously struck first. attempted to put Di Renjie to death for the crime of treason.

Emperor Wu obviously saw Wu Chenghe's intentions clearly. Needless to say, this is a set of clumsy tricks carefully designed by Wu Chengsi, and it is by no means as simple as chasing after the wind. She knows Wu Chengji too well, and she knows Di Renjie too well.

Things are already clear at a glance. Since Di Renjie is wronged, it is not Di Renjie who wants to be punished, but Wu Chenghei, who created the unjust case! However, at this time, Emperor Wu would not attack Wu Chenghe. It's about trying to find a way to protect Wu Chenghe!

Wu Chengsi is the nephew of Emperor Wu, and has an irreplaceable blood relationship with the Wu family. It was determined that Wu Chengsi was the prime minister of the current dynasty. It is not only the result of Emperor Wu's careful cultivation and strong support, but also her choice after careful investigation and repeated weighing of the pros and cons.

As your own right-hand man. Many of Emperor Wu's strategies were vigorously implemented by Wu Chenghei and other cronies, especially in the process of clearing out fierce opponents for Emperor Wu, connecting the people, creating public opinion, and making her justifiably ascend to the throne.

This is not because of how much wisdom and ability Wu Chenghei had, but mainly because of their relationship with the Wu family, so that they effectively relied on and relied on the authority and power of the Wu Emperor, so that they would unswervingly stand on the side of the Wu Emperor in the struggle against the Li royal family and those ministers who followed the royal family.

This is a tacit fact in Emperor Wu and the children of the Wu family, and Di Renjie and other ministers know it well. Before taking the throne, Emperor Wu had no more supporters and fellow travelers, and those who temporarily joined hands eventually parted ways with her.

Still alive in the first emperor, as the queen, in the face of the cruel reality of the court, without too much choice, she used the most taboo way in the court to reuse her relatives, and finally selected a few members of the Wu family as her cronies.

Therefore, these cronies who can be trusted and relied on also make Emperor Wu cherish them.

Now, after years of bloody governance and repeated battles, although there are no forces that dare to openly confront her, as a deterrent force to govern and stabilize the country, they still need to play the role of Wu Chenghei.

Although some of Wu Chenghe's fearless actions made Emperor Wu dissatisfied and even worried, their current role is irreplaceable for other ministers.

Di Renjie is a minister with superb wisdom and a rare pillar of the country. He is diligent in serving the people, assisting the country and securing the country, and has made outstanding political achievements, and his role in governing the country will be irreplaceable by any minister.

However, Emperor Wu clearly saw with his keen insight that although he had a high degree of trust in Di Renjie and entrusted him with important tasks, his position of loyalty to the orthodoxy of the Li royal family had not changed, and his attitude towards accepting Emperor Wu was still unclear, which Emperor Wu was always worried about and wary of, and she did not know what superb wisdom Di Renjie would use to treat her, the female emperor who was born out of nowhere, in the future.

Therefore, even ministers whom she can trust and reuse, she is to be wary of them, using them in observation and testing. In the special environment, the law of not using suspicious people and employing people without suspicion does not play much role in her.

Since the situation has already been provoked, it is not possible to settle the matter with fifty boards, which will be talked about.

On the issue of rebellion, should you deal with Wu Chengsi or Di Renjie? Emperor Wu did not hesitate to choose the latter.

She could only make mistakes and deal with Di Renjie with no evidence, so she immediately issued an edict to demote Di Renjie to Peng Zeling.

This not only protected Wu Chenghei and maintained his due prestige in the imperial court, but also issued a warning to Di Renjie. Give it a test.

In fact, Emperor Wu has always maintained his clear orientation in employing people. Wu Chengji did not achieve the intended purpose. Very unwilling, and not dead. repeatedly asked Emperor Wu to kill Di Renjie, but Emperor Wu refused.

Where does Wu Chengsi know Emperor Wu's good intentions, and the only person who can really understand Emperor Wu's approach is Di Renjie, on the issue of governing the country and securing the country.

Di Renjie has the same wisdom as Emperor Wu, but the difference is their status, the purpose, way and means of dealing with problems, as well as their courage and momentum.

Wang Qingzhi, a commoner in Luoyang, took the trouble to ask to see Emperor Wu, after the meeting. and looking for death and life are entangled, making it difficult for Emperor Wu to get out.

An emperor who had been on the throne for less than two years was entangled by a rogue minor, and Emperor Wu suddenly felt that he had lost his royal dignity, so he summoned Li Zhaode, the squire of Fengge, to reprimand Wang Qingzhi.

Wang Qingzhi was killed. One of the most sensitive but unavoidable practical issues, I didn't expect it to be placed in front of Emperor Wu so early, and it was up to her to make a choice.

After Emperor Wu ascended the throne, the children of the Wu family thought that they had merit in supporting the monarch, so they wanted to strike while the iron was hot. persuaded Emperor Wu to re-establish the prince.

In the second year of the Heavenly Grant, Wu Chenghei, who was awarded the King of Wei and the prime minister, was rewarded with meritorious deeds, and as the descendant of the Wu family, he tried to become the crown prince of the Wu Zhou Dynasty in the name of righteousness.

Wu Chengsi found Zhang Jiafu, a member of the Fengge House. Ask him to persuade him to go forward. The establishment of the crown prince of the royal family is the great weapon of the country, and the prince Li Dan is still the heir of the emperor, Zhang Jiafu does not dare to act rashly. I know that if I come forward directly, there will be no other good results except for setting yourself on fire.

In order not to offend Wu Chenghei. and did not make himself the target of the public, Zhang Jiafu weighed left and right. Wang Qingzhi, a commoner in Luoyang, was selected, and he contacted hundreds of people to write to Li Wu Chenghei as the crown prince.

In this way, he can not only get rid of his involvement, but also be able to achieve Wu Chenghe's goal by falsely calling the people. As for the result, it depends on Wu Chenghe's creation.

Emperor Wu has always attached great importance to the demands of the common people, not to mention such a major event as the establishment of the prince, and it cannot be taken lightly. Under the traction of Zhang Qingfu, Emperor Wu gladly met with Wang Qingzhi.

Originally, it was a gesture, and Emperor Wu didn't want to get any answer from a commoner Wang Qingzhi, and Emperor Wu knew about Wu Chenghe's tricks. Seeing Wang Qingzhi, Emperor Wu didn't think about it, and went straight to the point: "The imperial heir is my own son, why is it abandoned?" ”

What Emperor Wu didn't expect was that Wang Qingzhi did not have a submissive humility in front of her, but replied cleanly: "Whose world is it today?" It is the world of the martial family, but the heir of the emperor is a member of the Li family, which is very unreasonable. ”

After a pause, he continued, "Once His Majesty drives the crane west, won't the country belong to the Li family again?" "The language is tough and aggressive.

These words are clearly Wu Chengsi borrowed Wang Qingzhi's mouth, and said what he wanted to say but was inconvenient to say, so simple and clear, so reasonable, but the purpose and intention were very clear, it seems that this guy who was carefully selected by Wu Chengsi and them has some understanding of the mentality of Emperor Wu.

However, for Emperor Wu, these words were undoubtedly eaten in a mouthful of raw rice, so that she couldn't swallow or spit it out, wasn't what Wang Qingzhi said also what she was most worried about?

It's just that she doesn't want to bring up this heavy topic too soon, to solve an immature problem that is very difficult for her. She has no shortage of ways to deal with thorny problems, and it can be said that she has always been quick to deal with the thorny problems she encounters, and she has never hesitated at all.

But the problem in front of her made her dilemma, she could not make the right judgment, she wanted to put this issue on hold for the time being, and let time and the development of the world help her make judgments and choices.

Now, since Wu Chenghe's words were said by Wang Qingzhi, it means that this thorny issue has been put on the table, and there is no room for evasion.

To solve this problem, she has to face a dilemma that is difficult to give up! Of course, Emperor Wu hopes that Wu Zhou will continue forever, after all, this is her life's work.

So who will inherit her unification? A simplest question made her hesitate and confused: as the king of a country, is she a member of the Wu family or the Li family?

The original intention of Emperor Wu was to make the royal family inherit the blood and maintain the royal bloodline of the Li family in the change of dynasty system.

This is a special emotion of Emperor Wu's gratitude to the Li Dynasty, and it is also the bottom line that the Li clan and the government and the opposition can most accept, and this practice is also very beneficial to stabilizing the current situation.

And so it comes. It is a little unfair to the children of the martial arts family who made special contributions to Emperor Wu's accession to the throne and played an irreplaceable role. Therefore, after Emperor Wu ascended the throne. They are justified in being eligible to make their claims. Obviously, they don't want and don't want to see a member of the Li family's royal family become the crown prince again.

Emperor Wu knew very well. This sensitive issue, even if Wu Chengji does not raise it now, will always raise it sooner or later, because they are already fledgling, and they think that their achievements and abilities have matched the qualifications to inherit the royal inheritance. Therefore, Emperor Wu should fulfill their wishes and return them justice.

However, this kind of justice means putting the interests of the Lee royal family at risk. A complete separation from the Li dynasty would inevitably be resisted and opposed by the Li royal family and courtiers. In this way, in front of Emperor Wu, on one side are relatives, on the other hand, there are relatives, they and the weight they occupy have a decisive impact on her and the entire country.

She understood that the balance was built on her mother, who was the emperor, and her aunt. This dual identity determines that she is what they and the forces they represent are fighting for. This reminded Emperor Wu of that extraordinary autumn day two years ago.

On that day, the sky over Luoyang City was covered with five-colored auspicious clouds, and a palace maid witnessed a phoenix flying over the Queen Mother's Palace. Immediately afterwards, someone told each other that a group of vermilion birds swept over Luoyang City.

Thereupon. The city of Luoyang was boiling; These auspicious endings appeared one after another, shaking the hearts of the people. The excitement of the populace soon turned into a petition asking Empress Wu to ascend the throne as emperor.

This is the scene that Empress Wu wants to see the most. Whether there is a phoenix or a red bird, this huge scene alone is enough to make her proud. It is enough to prove that so many years of struggle and hard work have not been in vain.

Hundreds of civil and military officials joined the petition team, and Emperor Li Dan also joined the petition team, respectfully asking the Queen Mother to ascend the throne as emperor. It was another mother-son concession, and finally, Shun lì completed the Zen concession ceremony. Two years have passed, and the petitioners have long forgotten what happened at that time. And there was no calm within the imperial court.

Those officials with different mentalities are sticking to their respective camps and holding their own chips, which can be tangible or intangible.

They all know very well that the emperor's bargaining chip has a decisive weight, and even determines their life and death. They can't compromise and they all know what compromise means.

If things are not provoked, they can be safe and sound, and maintain the status quo of tacit and co-mastery; And once provoked, it is an inevitable fight.

Emperor Wu himself knows best that her chip is nothing more than an attitude. She can't show her attitude, at least not now, and the wisest thing to do is to maintain the status quo. Doing so is beneficial to the court and to both parties. Besides, she needs to see and hear.

So, in order to spy on the minister's mentality, Emperor Wu found Cen Changqian and Ge Fuyuan, two prime ministers. Cen Changqian and Ge Fuyuan did not ignore Wu Chenghe's gathering of the crowd and stood on the wall.

On the contrary, they have made their own thinking and judgment, and they also have their own positions and attitudes. Cen Changqian and Ge Fuyuan were both confidants of Emperor Wu and played an active role in the process of changing the dynasty system.

Cen Changqian once changed the emperor's heir to the surname Wu on the table, and petitioned to persuade Emperor Wu to ascend the throne, so he won the trust of Emperor Wu, and was given the surname Wu by Emperor Wu and promoted to prime minister.

Cen Changqian's intention is actually very clear, that is, not to let the imperial power fall. Therefore, Cen Yuanqian and Ge Fuyuan did not integrate with Wu Chenghe, but always kept a certain distance from them, and had their own opinions on some important issues.

When Emperor Wu asked them, Cen Changqian replied very clearly: "The emperor's heir now lives in the East Palace, and is the beloved son of His Majesty, who has always been humble and filial, and there is no fault. ”

It is intended to depose the current imperial heir for no reason. Without waiting for Emperor Wu to react, Cen Changqian further accused: "What's more, the establishment of a prince is the foundation of the country, how can the subjects discuss it in vain!" Forming a party to petition at every turn is not a blessing for the country. He also asked Emperor Wu to "thoroughly investigate the matter and thoroughly rebuke the person who wrote the book, so as to set an example." ”

The attitude is clear and the tone is firm. The implication is that Wu Zhou Jiangshan can only be the royal concubine of the Li family and cannot be replaced by anyone else. Ge Fuyuan chimed in.

In their opinion, the royal family can change the surname Wu, but the blood of the royal family cannot change. Moreover, this practice of changing surnames without changing people has long been recognized by Emperor Wu, and it cannot be extraneous. Emperor Wu didn't expect Cen Yuanqian to have such a firm stance and such a tough attitude. I thought that they might support Wu Chenghe, and even if they didn't, they wouldn't be so resolute in opposing it.

Now it seems that although they are also their own henchmen, Cen Changqian still has the Li royal family in their hearts, Emperor Wu can be called the emperor, and the prince can change his surname, but the bloodline of the royal family must not be changed.

Moreover, they look down on Wu Chenghei from the bottom of their bones! This also clearly shows that they can be good courtiers of Emperor Wu and are not willing to betray the Li dynasty.

Although they really couldn't figure out who the crown prince in Emperor Wu's mind was, what they identified was the imperial heir Li Dan. Emperor Wu vaguely felt that around the abolition of the crown prince, two camps had been formed invisibly.

Since the attitudes of the two sides are so opposed, there is no room for reconciliation, and Emperor Wu has no better way now, so it is inconvenient to say anything more, so he can only stop there. (To be continued......)