The emperor apparently believed that this would be more conducive to balancing the forces of the court and consolidating the imperial power, so he met the demands of the Zhang brothers from time to time and acquiesced in their actions, which played a role in strengthening the power of the Zhang brothers. The Zhang brothers, who are on the left and right, can be described as proud.

However, they were the same as the Zhuwu disciples, and they also underestimated the power of the courtiers, but after the Zhuwu disciples encountered a wall in front of the courtiers many times, they quickly woke up and restrained their behavior in a great way. But the current Zhang brothers are still obsessed, relying on the grace of Emperor Wu to them, and insist on going their own way.

The ultimate goal and task of the courtiers was to maintain and consolidate the imperial heir, and after the Zhang brothers were knighted, it was difficult for them to accept the spread and expansion of this third party, let alone tolerate the weakening of the imperial heir's power.

If it is said that the three Li brothers and sisters asked for the Zhang brothers to return their affection to them, and it is more conducive to them to obtain the support of Emperor Wu, then it is difficult for the children of the Wu family and the Zhang brothers to form a party to expand their power, and it is difficult to avoid the suspicion that they will fight against the emperor's heir.

Since the day the imperial heir was determined, the courtiers pinned all their hopes and fate on the imperial heir, and also pinned the extension of the Tang Dynasty on the imperial heir.

Now, although the identity of the Li family's imperial heir has been approved by Emperor Wu, and its legal status is beyond doubt, however, after many turmoil and several repetitions, the position of the imperial heir is still very fragile, and it needs to be protected at any time, and they need to stand up when necessary.

Therefore, just as the Zhang brothers were expanding their power, the conflicts between the courtiers and the Zhang brothers broke out one after another.

First, Prime Minister Wei Yuanzhong killed a wicked slave under Zhang Yizhi who was in a riotous city, which made the Zhang brothers very dissatisfied; Followed by. When Zhang Yizhi wanted to help his brother Zhang Changqi find a position as the governor of Yongzhou, it was Wei Yuanzhong who came forward to directly oppose it, resulting in the failure to fulfill his wishes.

Facing Wei Yuanzhong's pressing step by step. The Zhang brothers turned from dissatisfaction and anger to crazy revenge against Wei Yuanzhong! In September of the third year of Chang'an, Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong sued Wei Yuanzhong and Si Licheng Gao Jian, saying that they had privately discussed: "The lord is old, I should coerce the prince and order the world." ”

Once this matter is confirmed, it is undoubtedly to put Prime Minister Wei Yuanzhong to death. However, it turned out later that this time the handling of Wei Yuanzhong was not as smooth as before. It's not as simple as the Zhang brothers imagined.

Wei Yuanzhong was a late bloomer. In Yifengzhong, Tubo repeatedly committed border stoppers. Wei Yuanzhong went to Luoyang as a student of the ether, and said that he would use the work of the soldiers. He was nearly forty years old.

Inspired by Zuo Shi Jiangrong's "Dangerous Map of Kyushu", Wei Yuanzhong won the favor of the first emperor Gaozong with his unique military strategy and insights, and awarded the secretary the provincial orthography. Worship in the battle.

The first year of civilization. The history of serving the palace in the palace. In that year, Li Jingye rebelled in Yangzhou, Zuo Yuchao's general Li Xiaoyi supervised the army to crusade, and Empress Wu ordered Wei Yuanzhong to supervise his military. Wei Yuanzhong actively offered advice to Li Xiaoyi, and constantly strengthened Li Xiaoyi's confidence in crusade, prompting him to pacify Li Jingye.

Wei Yuanzhong was promoted to the chief of punishment for his merits, and was soon promoted to Luoyang Ling. Later, he was falsely imprisoned by the cool official Zhou Xing, and was about to be executed. Empress Wu made meritorious contributions to Li Jingye for his peace, and pardoned his death and sent him to Guizhou.

The first year of the Sacred Calendar. He was recalled by Emperor Wu, awarded the imperial history, and worshiped the imperial history. The good times did not last long, and they were trapped by Lai Junchen and Hou Sizhi, and then exiled to Lingbiao.

After the restoration, he was awarded the imperial history. In the second year of the holy calendar, he worshiped the Fengge Shilang, the Tongfeng Pavilion Luantai Ping Zhang, inspected the school and the governor's history.

Wei Yuanzhong was exiled twice, and was promoted twice, although he was burdened by the rights and wrongs of the imperial court, but it also proved that Emperor Wu valued Wei Yuanzhong.

Just when the power of the Zhang brothers was flourishing, Wei Yuanzhong said to Emperor Wu as the son of the prince of the school: "The ministers inherited the first emperor Gu Xuan, received the grace of His Majesty, and did not favor the martyrs, so that the villain could be on the side of the king, and the crime of the ministers was also." The spearhead was directed at the Zhang brothers, and they also vented their complaints against Emperor Wu. This was enough to arouse the anger of the Zhang brothers, and also made Emperor Wu very displeased.

When the Zhang brothers sued Wei Yuanzhong with Wei Yuanzhong's words, Emperor Wu was puzzled, thinking of Wei Yuanzhong's previous words, and had to believe it, so he first issued an edict to Wei Yuanzhong to be imprisoned; Later, he summoned the crown prince Li Xian and the prime minister Li Dan, and ordered Zhang Changzong and Wei Yuanzhong to confront the palace. Zhang Changzong also quoted Zhang Shuo, a member of the Fengge House, as a witness.

Prior to this, Zhang Changzong had promised Zhang that as long as he came forward to prove that he had indeed heard Wei Yuanzhong say something like that, he could give him a high-ranking official. Zhang said yes.

And Song Jing, a member of the Fengge House, and others had also advised Zhang before he came forward to testify. Therefore, when Emperor Wu inquired about this matter, Zhang Shuo determined on the spot that Wei Yuanzhong did not say anything about "coercing the prince and ordering the world". The loss of the last circumstantial evidence greatly annoyed Emperor Wu and made Zhang Changzong very isolated.

In order to knock on the mountain and shock the tiger, Emperor Wu once again used his imperial power and demoted Wei Yuanzhong to a high-ranking lieutenant in Duanzhou. Gao Jian and Zhang Shuo were also exiled to Lingnan.

twenty-four

Wei Yuanzhong was demoted, although he maintained the power of the Zhang brothers, but the courtiers were greatly disappointed by Emperor Wu's behavior, and they hated the Zhang brothers even more.

First of all, Zhu Jing, the doctor of Zhengkhmer, took the risk of going to Wei Yuanzhong when he was in prison and avenged Wei Yuanzhong's grievances, saying, "Wei Yuanzhong has always been loyal and upright, what is Zhang Shuo's crime?" If sentenced, it will lose the hearts of the world. ”

There is also a palace servant Wang Hui who avenged Wei Yuanzhong. There is also a Wuyi commoner, Su Anheng, who bluntly criticized Emperor Wu for trusting treachery and rejecting loyalty. And when Wei Yuanzhong was about to leave Chang'an, the prince's servant Cui Zhenshen and eight others set up a banquet for him.

Zhang Yizhi wrote a complaint under the pseudonym "Chai Ming" and urgently reported to Emperor Wu, accusing Cui Zhenshen and others of conspiring with Wei Yuanzhong to conspire and rebel.

Emperor Wu ordered the supervision of the imperial history Ma Huaisu to investigate. originally thought it was a mountain of ironclad facts, but once it was confirmed, Ma Huaisu would be able to report it immediately. However, Emperor Wu sent eunuchs several times to urge the case to be closed immediately, but Ma Huaisu was never able to report it.

Emperor Wu reproached Ma Huaisu and said: "The situation of rebellion is clearly in front of you, why has it been delayed for so long?" Ma Huaisu asked Emperor Wu to let the defendant confront the informant Chai Ming, and tried his best to defend Cui Zhenshen and others. Emperor Wu had no choice but to suppress his anger and take the initiative to give up the pursuit of Cui Zhenshen and others.

This is undoubtedly another reluctant compromise by Emperor Wu. Regardless of whether Wei Yuanzhong and others had rebellious intentions, only the attitude of the courtiers towards the Zhang brothers. It is not difficult to see their attitude towards Emperor Wu.

This was a collective confrontation that the courtiers had never had for many years, and their strong dissatisfaction with Emperor Wu was a-for-tat confrontation that put life and death in disregard. Emperor Wu had never been so worried. What she experienced was not only the body of the wind and candle in her old age, but also the lonely heart;

This heart has been beating for this dynasty for dozens of springs and autumns, and the divine power it exudes is intertwined with thunder and lightning, calling for wind and rain, which is enough to make the previous dynasties embarrassed. A dynasty built with her own will as a transfer, how many ambitions and pursuits have been pinned on her.

Now this heart is failing with the failure of the body, and this dynasty is still in her own hands on the surface, but she has made a qiē. Neither can they regain the past years, nor can they make up for the lost authority. She didn't know what the courtiers were going to do, but she was sensitive to it. He is being despised and isolated by the courtiers.

The Zhang brothers did not have such worries, and after they impeached Wei Yuanzhong by Emperor Wu, they took advantage of Emperor Wu's protection to obtain various benefits and benefits for their relatives. The glory in front of you. so that they do not see the consequences of resentment against the courtiers. I can't even perceive anything from the hostile eyes of the ministers, let alone understand the good intentions of the Martial Emperor and the price he paid for them.

So much so that it is whimsical to think that as long as you leave the land of right and wrong in Chang'an, Kyoto, you can return to the good old days. So, they bewitched their henchman Li Qiao to ask Emperor Wu to return to Luoyang.

The martial emperor, who was physically and mentally exhausted, also wanted to change places and adjust the anxiety and loneliness accumulated in his heart, so. She listened to their advice and returned to Luoyang with the civil and military officials.

The courtiers were obsessed with the power formed by the Zhang brothers. On tenterhooks; He was puzzled by Emperor Wu's accommodating and instigating the Zhang brothers.

Their greatest wish now is to ensure the smooth succession of the crown prince, and not to make extraneous branches; There are too many twists and turns, too many variables, so that they will be sincerely disgusted and even angry at any behavior that affects and interferes with the succession of the crown prince.

Although the Zhang brothers had made special contributions to suppressing martial arts and promoting Li, they could not clean themselves up, and their selfish desires were inflated, and they did not hesitate to frame Zhongliang; After returning to Luoyang, not only could they not restrain their behavior, on the contrary, they were arrogant with the benefits they obtained, and their selfish desires became more and more inflated. All these were enough to arouse the ministers' hatred for the Zhang brothers.

In July of the fourth year of Chang'an, the courtiers sued Zhang Tongxiu, the young secretary of the priest, Zhang Changqi, the assassin of Bianzhou, and Zhang Changyi, the young eunuch of Shangfang, for corruption and bribery.

Immediately afterwards, the Zhang brothers were also accused of being implicated. This was a collective action by the courtiers, and the case directly involved the inner palace, which shocked Emperor Wu.

In order to set the record straight, Emperor Wu ordered the left and right stations to interrogate together. The case lasted several days, and the verdict was that Zhang Changzong was fined 20 catties of copper for forcibly buying people's fields, Zhang Tongxiu was demoted to Qishan County, and Zhang Changyi was demoted to Bowang County.

Although this accident dealt a blow to the power of the Zhang brothers, under the direct intervention of Emperor Wu, the Zhang brothers were once again preserved.

At this point, Emperor Wu's intention has been very clear, and the strict handling of Zhang's relatives is to return justice to the government and avoid direct conflicts between monarchs and ministers; To protect the Zhang brothers is to let the courtiers understand that this is where the status of the royal family lies and where the authority of Emperor Wu lies.

Emperor Wu can't be without cronies around him, especially in this lonely old age, he needs to have his own personal cronies. And so it is.

The crown prince has become one with the courtiers, and is supported and protected by the courtiers, and the relationship between mother and son has long been replaced by strict court rules.

The children of the Wu clan only took into account their own interests, and in the face of the powerful imperial heirs, they could only cooperate with the courtiers and keep a distance from the Wu emperor; They need the protection of the Martial Emperor, but they only see the Martial Emperor as a talisman for them.

Under the condition that the emperor's heir cannot be changed, they are less and less dependent on Emperor Wu, so they will no longer care about Emperor Wu's current situation and feelings; The only one who can accompany him is the Zhang brothers, once the Zhang brothers fall off the horse, Emperor Wu will become a real loner!

It was already difficult for the courtiers to comprehend Emperor Wu's last feelings. The Martial Emperor in their minds has always been a strong empress with strong vitality, who can do incredible things to the ministers at any time.

They can't see that today's empress has lost her former majesty, and that her old body and relentless illness are slowly devouring her life and draining her energy, and that she needs to be understood and comforted by others.

Of course, the courtiers did not pay attention to this, and their concern was always to ensure that the position of the imperial heir was not violated, and the imperial heir was the result of their struggle and even risked death, and it was their common wish to realize the return of imperial power as soon as possible.

For this reason, the target of their attack is not Zhang's cronies, but to capture their cronies and eventually bring down the Zhang brothers.

The Zhang brothers saw that Emperor Wu's condition was getting worse, and in order to prevent accidents, they were stepping up their friendship with their henchmen and secretly preparing for contingencies. However, except for setting fire to the body, a single qiē will not help. Soon, some people posted leaflets everywhere in Luoyang City that "Zhang Yizhi's brothers rebelled".

The matter was reported to Emperor Wu by the minister, but Emperor Wu ignored it. Yang Yuanhei, a native of Xuzhou, told the secret that Zhang Changzong had summoned the magician Li Hongtai to show him his appearance, and Li Hongtai said that Zhang had an imperial appearance. Emperor Wu ordered Wei Chengqing, the squire of Fengge, Cui Shenqing, and Song Jing, the chief of the imperial history, to jointly investigate.

Zhang Changzong admitted that this was indeed the case, and was preparing to report to Emperor Wu. In Zhang Changzong's view, this is an act of voluntary surrender.

Wei Chengqing and Cui Shenqing said: "According to the law, surrender can be exempted, but Li Hongtai bewitches the public and should be arrested and prosecuted." ”

Song Jingshang said, "Zhang Changzong is so favored and glorified by His Majesty, and he also summons a magician to look at his appearance, what else is he pursuing?" Since Li Hongtai is a fallacy, why didn't Zhang Changzong immediately bundle up and hand over to the relevant units.

According to the decree, Zhang Changzong should be beheaded and the family property confiscated. He was asked to approve his arrest and detention and to investigate his crimes. "Emperor Wu did not give instructions. Song Jing went up again, "If you don't accept Zhang Changzong, I'm afraid it will shake the hearts of the people." "Zuo Shizhi Li Yong Shangshu asked Emperor Wu to approve Song Jing's request, but Emperor Wu did not accept it.

Soon, Emperor Wu ordered Song Jing to go to Yangzhou, Youzhou, Longshu and other places to investigate the case, but Song Jing gave reasons and refused to accept the mission. Heng Yan Fan Shangshu, the chief of punishment, asked Emperor Wu to kill Zhang Changzong.

The courtiers were completely intolerant of the influence of the Zhang brothers on Emperor Wu, and were even more worried that the Zhang brothers' actions would cause disaster to the court and endanger the succession of the crown prince. As long as the Zhang brothers are by the side of Emperor Wu for a day, there will be a threat of one day! The top priority was to slaughter the Zhang brothers and force Emperor Wu to return to power to the crown prince.

Emperor Wu remained silent. In the first spring of the first year of Shenlong, Emperor Wu's condition did not improve after the change, and a sense of sadness that had not come long arose spontaneously. She has paid for this dynasty, but her haggard heart has never been at peace. (To be continued......)