Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Li Zhi, entrusted by Changsun Wuji, returned to the palace under the escort of Cheng Zhijie's Flying Cavalry. Immediately, in the name of Li Shimin, he demoted Li Jue from the Same Rank as the Third Division of the Secretariat to Governor of Lizhou, ordering him to take up his post without delay.
Although Li Jue was unaware that Li Shimin had passed away, he was astute enough to sense something amiss with his sudden demotion. Remembering Li Shimin's usual style, he felt a chill run down his spine and went directly to Diezhou without returning home.
Cheng Zhijie led the Flying Cavalry to guard outside Zuo Yanming Gate, fearing any sudden changes. Meanwhile, Changsun Wuji and Zhu Suiliang escorted the emperor's carriage as usual, transporting the crown prince's body back to the capital and settling it in Liangyi Hall.
Regarding the unfinished will, Zhu Suiliang and Changsun Wuji had significant disagreements and ultimately had to adopt a compromise, temporarily relinquishing their power to govern.
Thus, Yuzhining was appointed as Imperial Attendant alongside Junior Minister Zhang Xingcheng, who also served as Imperial Attendant. Gao Jifu was appointed Chancellor while holding positions as Minister of Justice, Right Minister, and Minister of Personnel.
Li Zhi ordered Right Marshal General Wei Chi Jing De to replace Qibi Helix and Asena Sher, taking over Beitun Camp from the guards at Xuanwu Gate and reclaiming Five Hundred Riders.
On the twenty-ninth day, after all arrangements were made, they finally held a mourning ceremony at Tai Chi Hall, proclaiming Li Shimin's will. Crown Prince Li Zhi officially ascended to the throne and granted a general amnesty.
Upon hearing the tragic news, tribes across the land were plunged into grief. Officials in court or those who came to pay tribute numbered in the hundreds or thousands; all cut their hair, slashed their faces with knives, and mutilated their ears in a display of mourning for the Heavenly Khan of the Tang Dynasty.
After ascending to the throne, Li Zhi began to swiftly implement a series of decisions. Since he had already started handling state affairs when Li Shimin fell gravely ill, he demonstrated his capability once he calmed down.
Military matters could not be neglected; routine administrative tasks were delegated to various offices. Governors and regional officials were allowed to come to the capital for mourning, but Prince Li Tai was notably excluded from this list!
Moreover, Li Zhi abolished Li Shimin's preparations for military campaigns in Liaodong and various civil engineering projects, ultimately stabilizing domestic conditions.
His concerns were somewhat unnecessary since Li Shimin had paved the way for him; no significant upheaval was likely. However, with a new ruler on the throne, it was natural for Li Zhi to feel anxious.
On June 10th, Li Zhi appointed Changsun Wuji as Grand Commandant while also serving as Chancellor, overseeing matters related to ministers and both provinces under the Ministry of Rites. This granted him considerable power in both court and government. Zhu Suiliang and others expressed grievances but dared not cause a disturbance out of fear of political turmoil.
Changsun Wuji worried about facing collective censure from officials and could only resign from his position at the Ministry of Rites. Li Zhi then appointed him as Grand Commandant with Same Rank as the Third Division of the Secretariat, effectively consolidating power within his hands.
In July, Xu Zhen returned from her campaign against Chabi Khan. As expected, upon her return, everything had changed: Li Zhi became the reigning emperor while Changsun Wuji held immense power in governance. Even Murong Hanzhu rose to become a Fourth Rank Central Secretariat Vice Minister, leading to a resurgence of the Cui Clan!
The concerns that were feared ultimately came to pass. In the current situation, if Li Zhi does not heavily rely on Xu Zhen, with Changsun Wuji's power, it would be all too easy for him to deal with Xu Zhen.
Li Shimin worked hard to nurture Xu Zhen, preventing Changsun Wuji from taking control of Li Zhi and acting arbitrarily. However, it was unexpected that Li Zhi ultimately regarded Xu Zhen as an enemy and handed over power to Changsun Wuji, which is quite laughable.
Colonel Gao Kan was originally a subordinate of Changsun Wuji. Upon returning to court, he took all the credit for himself and even impeached Xu Zhen as Chief of Military Operations, claiming she was ineffective, incompetent, and cowardly, nearly leading the army to ruin at the hands of the enemy. He requested the Sovereign to deal harshly with Xu Zhen.
Feeling disheartened, Xu Zhen was too weary to pay attention to such slander from petty individuals. Upon returning to Xu Manor, she heard her servants recount everything that had happened during this time.
Hearing that Li Jue had been dismissed from Diezhou made her sigh. Taking advantage of the fact that she still held the title of Left Tunwei Grand General, she hurried into the palace to see Li Mingda.
Since they had a marital relationship, and with Li Mingda being overly sorrowful in his chamber, Xu Zhen couldn't help but embrace him tightly to comfort him.
Unexpectedly, Changsun Wuji knew that Xu Zhen would definitely seek out Li Mingda. The Female Knights had long been removed and replaced with Changsun Wuji's confidants. At this moment, Xu Zhen's reckless behavior was reported confidentially, causing Li Zhi to frown deeply.
He was well aware of the bond between Xu Zhen and Li Mingda and understood Li Mingda's position in Li Shimin's heart. He also cared for this younger sister very much. Moreover, given his own issues with Wu Mei, which were in Li Mingda's hands, he truly could not bring himself to act against Xu Zhen.
Especially during Li Shimin's final moments when genuine feelings were expressed, he felt a fatherly love like a mountain. Although he did not heavily rely on Xu Zhen, he no longer harbored resentment towards her.
When he found himself in Li Shimin's position, his perspective broadened and his understanding deepened. Given past conflicts with Xu Zhen, he realized that she was not at fault; it was merely due to pressure from Murong Hanzhu and Changsun Wuji that she had no choice but to retaliate.
However, now that Changsun Wuji had united with various officials to stabilize the domestic situation, only then could he sit securely on the throne. If he went against Changsun Wuji's wishes during this transitional period in court and government, even the slightest turmoil could be disastrous.
He preferred to believe that Changsun Wuji was a kind-hearted and benevolent uncle. Yet throughout this journey, Changsun Wuji's actions revealed his ambitions to Li Zhi completely—especially regarding the alteration of the imperial edict—which left him filled with regret.
Ultimately, Li Zhi was someone who valued old friendships and feared tarnishing Li Mingda's reputation; thus he decided to suppress this matter.
However, Changsun Wuji was furious. Xu Zhen repeatedly thwarted his major plans; he had long viewed her as a thorn in his side. Such an opportunity to strike down a drowning dog would not be missed—especially with Murong Hanzhu inciting him from the sidelines.
Thus, Li Mingda's identity as part of the Xuanwu Gate Incident was exposed, becoming widely known and placing the blame on the deceased Crown Prince Li Chengqian. In an effort to cover up the scandal of the princess being misburied, the Predecessor Emperor Li Shimin even claimed that Li Mingda was the sister of Xu Zhen, Xu Sier. This news spread throughout the capital in just a few days.
As a result, Xu Zhen and Li Mingda became the focus of public discussion. At this time, an Inner Palace Eunuch revealed shocking information, stating that before the late emperor was even buried, Li Mingda had already been with Xu Zhen in the palace. Consequently, memorials accusing Xu Zhen began to flood in like snowflakes!
Li Zhi was furious, but not because of Xu Zhenzhi's matter; rather, it was because he had clearly stated his intention to protect Li Mingda's reputation and let this matter pass. Yet, some were making a big deal out of it, and it was easy to see that such actions could only be taken by someone with great power like Changsun Wuji.
Currently, Li Zhi felt more apprehension than respect towards Changsun Wuji. Remembering Li Shimin's last words to him, he began to consider promoting Xu Zhen.
Murong Hanzhu and a group of civil officials in the court urged that Xu Zhen be dismissed from her position, stripped of her titles, and exiled to Jiaozhou. Their momentum grew stronger!
On this day in court, Xu Zhen finally made an appearance. However, everyone who saw her avoided her as if she were a plague.
Li Jue had been sent to Diezhou, Li Jing had passed away, Wei Chi Jing De continued to feign madness, and Cheng Zhijie remained stationed at Zuo Yanming Gate. Despite Xu Zhen holding the title of Left Tunwei Grand General and Duke of Qi, her seating position was notably forward, which further incensed those in attendance.
After Li Zhi ascended to the throne, Changsun Wuji's faction of civil officials finally found their moment to shine with many promotions. They had long wanted to repay Changsun Wuji by accomplishing something that would demonstrate their value to him. During this time, they had made things difficult for military leaders like Qibi Helix and Asena Sher. Some even suggested that Qibi Helix and Asena Sher should be buried alongside Li Shimin!
Thus, when Xu Zhen attended court, as soon as Li Zhi sat down, a Chancellor stepped forward to present a petition stating that Xu Zhen had disregarded the Predecessor Emperor and caused chaos in the inner palace during mourning; she must be dismissed and investigated to uphold justice!
Li Zhi raised an eyebrow upon realizing it was Chancellor Cui Mao who had risen through the ranks thanks to Murong Hanzhu's influence; he felt some dissatisfaction brewing inside.
Changsun Wuji seized the opportunity to support this motion along with many civil officials who requested an investigation into Xu Zhen. Even though Li Zhi wanted to protect her, he could not withstand the pressure from his ministers. At that moment, he deeply understood that sitting in this position did not mean he could do whatever he wanted.
" Mr. Xu, what do you have to say about this?" he reluctantly posed the question to Xu Zhen.
Xu Zhen let out a cold laugh and scanned the civil and military officials before locking eyes with Changsun Wuji's smug expression, feeling an indescribable disgust inside.
She had not intended to concern herself with court matters any longer due to Li Zhi's disdain for her and Changsun Wuji's collusion with Murong Hanzhu. However, she could not tolerate others tarnishing Li Mingda's reputation. More importantly, after Li Mingda's true identity was revealed, it posed a significant threat to her ultimate plan!
Since Changsun Wuji can act freely in the court, Xu Zhen no longer needs to worry about instability in the court. She stood up proudly, took a couple of steps forward, and bowed to Li Zhi.
"Sovereign, Xu Zhen has something to present for your consideration. After you have seen this item, you may make your decision."
Li Zhi and the officials were puzzled, but Xu Zhen had already taken out a handwritten letter and a blood Iron Thumb Ring from her bosom, placing them onto the silver tray presented by the attending eunuch before Li Zhi.
This was the Secret Edict that Li Shimin had given him. Even before heading to Junjou, Li Shimin seemed to have anticipated the immense pressure that Xu Zhen would face, thus this Secret Edict served as a protective charm for her.
Xu Zhen initially intended to keep it for the most critical moment when it would be most effective. However, given the current situation, Changsun Wuji was eager to trample her underfoot, and as time passed, the deterrent effect of Predecessor Emperor Li Shimin would only diminish, thus reducing the power of this Secret Edict.
But now that the Predecessor Emperor had not yet been buried, if Li Zhi dared to disregard the Secret Edict, it would only bring further disgrace.
As Li Zhi read through the document, he deeply realized how much his Sage valued and cared for Xu Zhen. He also understood how far-sighted Li Shimin was; such vision was something he, Li Zhi, could never possess in his lifetime!
With a light sigh, Li Zhi set down the Secret Edict and the blood Iron Thumb Ring, allowing the eunuch to display these two items around before taking a deep breath and announcing loudly.
"By the decree of Predecessor Emperor's Secret Edict, I appoint Xu Zhen as Grand General of the State and promote her to Grand Minister to participate in state affairs!"
Comment 0 Comment Count