Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and nobility are also subject to destiny. In this world, regardless of whether one is an emperor or a commoner, no one can escape the shackles of death.
However, as the ruler of a nation with vast territories and millions of subjects, how could one let go?
Thus, throughout history, many emperors have sought the path to immortality. Even someone like Li Shimin, a legendary emperor, could not avoid such absurd pursuits.
The Tang people were often superstitious; renowned founding ministers like Zhang Liang and Wei Chi Jing De believed in practitioners of alchemy, attempting to prolong their lives through elixirs and potions.
Li Shimin was aware that his health was gradually declining. The injuries and ailments from his past campaigns had resurfaced, and without proper medical care, he would have suffered greatly.
Li Zhi was known for his benevolence and filial piety. Since the Sovereign returned from the campaign against Goguryeo, he often accompanied the Holy Presence, wishing he could sacrifice himself to cure his father's illness. Regardless of the truth behind it, this filial heart had deeply touched Li Shimin.
Therefore, when Wang Xuance introduced the Indian Goddess Shiva Narayani to him, Li Zhi was overjoyed. Not only was Narayani beautiful beyond compare, but she also exuded an aura of sacredness that was both divine and untouchable. The mark on her forehead that resembled an opened third eye was particularly astonishing. Li Zhi immediately treated her as a distinguished guest and provided her with the best care.
Seeing Li Zhi treat Narayani so favorably, Wang Xuance knew he had hit the mark this time and happily returned to rest.
After settling down, Li Mingda quickly sought out Xu Zhen. Upon seeing Li Mingda for the first time in two years, Xu Zhen was taken aback.
The little girl had grown into a graceful young woman. While she might not be as stunning as a beauty who could topple kingdoms or make flowers blush, she was undeniably captivating. Accompanying Tang Emperor Li Shimin daily had imbued her with an air of royal elegance; she was tall and perfect in figure, truly breathtaking!
"Brother Xu!"
Li Mingda displayed a cute demeanor reminiscent of a little girl, as if she would never grow up in front of Xu Zhen. She hurried over, but Xu Zhen instinctively wanted to pat her head; her hand froze mid-air before she awkwardly withdrew it and solemnly bowed to Li Mingda: " Xu Zhen greets Your Grace..."
Although Xu Zhen had matured significantly and sported a bit of facial hair now, making her look somewhat unfamiliar at first glance, Li Mingda did not expect Xu Zhen to be so formal with her. Her heart twisted painfully at the sudden distance between them.
For the past two years, aside from accompanying Li Shimin, she has spent all her time missing the person before her. The small stone given to her by Xu Zhen during their adventures together has been polished to a warm sheen by her constant touching. After finally waiting for him to return, it felt as if there was an ocean separating them, making it all the more painful.
She was on the verge of tears, slightly raising her head in frustration, only to see Xu Zhen's lips twitching as he struggled to suppress a laugh.
"You mischievous brother Xu Zhen! You come back just to bully me!"
Li Mingda broke into a smile, pretending to strike back, but Xu Zhen grasped her delicate hand and pulled her into his embrace.
Xu Zhen's chest was broad, exuding the valiant aura of a man. Li Mingda pressed her ear against his chest and heard the strong beating of his heart, causing her own heart to race while her cheeks flushed.
This was the first time she had been held by Xu Zhen, and it stirred feelings of shyness between them. They both understood that she was no longer that little girl.
After all, they were in the Inner Palace, and Xu Zhen dared not be too reckless. After a brief and tender embrace, he let go of Li Mingda, and they took their seats. Li Mingda prepared tea for Xu Zhen while he recounted everything that had happened over the past two years.
Li Mingda also clarified important matters within the court as a reminder to Xu Zhen.
When Xu Zhen inquired about Murong Hanzhu, Li Mingda frowned.
Since Xu Zhen had left the Central Plains, Li Jue had been solely responsible for the campaign against Liao. Although many generals still possessed the ability to lead armies into battle, the newly formed Divine Fire Camp struggled to master the Zhenwu General. Despite achieving victory in war, the process had been quite arduous.
Leaders like Qibi Helix and Asena Sher from foreign lands had ventured into the western and northern inland regions, subjugating hundreds of tribes and gaining prominence. However, they faced criticism from civil officials who accused them of colluding with foreign enemies for their own gain.
In just twenty-one years of Zhenguan, there had been no fewer than a hundred campaigns against small tribes. Meanwhile, Murong Hanzhu had personally organized and trained a new Divine Fire Camp through Crown Prince Li Zhi, achieving remarkable success!
He originally thought he would develop further in the military camp, but unexpectedly, he was appointed to the position of Chancellor due to his merits.
By March of Gengzi, Empress Xiao passed away. The Sovereign issued an edict to restore her title as Empress, posthumously named Min, and ordered that those of third rank and above oversee her funeral arrangements, providing ceremonial guards and sending her to Jiangdu to be buried alongside Sui Yangdi.
The ministers praised the Sovereign's grace and tolerance, and the Sovereign also relieved a burden from his heart, experiencing some improvement in his health. However, Murong Hanzhu took this opportunity to advise the Sovereign to welcome Former Sui's Princess Guanghua back to Tang.
This sparked a flurry of discussions in the court, with many opposing the idea. Nevertheless, Murong Hanzhu persisted, and Crown Prince Li Zhi advocated for her, stating that if even a princess from the previous dynasty could be accommodated, then what was there to fear about the submission of various barbarian tribes?
The Sovereign was finally persuaded. Murong Hanzhu personally went to the Tuguhun and brought Princess Guanghua back to Tang. The Sovereign made an exception and conferred upon her the title of Korean Lady, gifting her a luxurious residence for her comfort.
This action indeed won over many barbarian tribes; soon, border clans came to pay tribute one after another, with daily visitors flooding into Chang'an. The Honglu Temple staff were overwhelmed with work!
As a result, the Sovereign promoted Murong Hanzhu to Vice Minister of the Central Secretariat, a position of Fourth Rank, which marked her rise on the path to success and made her a prominent figure in the Tang Dynasty Court, even becoming a new noble among the civil officials.
Everyone believed that the Sovereign promoted Murong Hanzhu because of accommodating Guanghua. However, Li Mingda informed Xu Zhen that the Sovereign had privately explained to him that Murong Hanzhu was backed by the Cui Clan. The Sovereign hoped to use Murong Hanzhu to pacify many powerful families and also pave the way for Crown Prince Li Zhi's smooth transition.
At this point, tears glimmered in Li Mingda's eyes; having often accompanied her father, she was well aware of his health condition.
Xu Zhen sighed lightly as she recalled Li Shimin's secret instructions to her. She felt worried; at this time, he could not and would not avoid it any longer. Even if court struggles were like ferocious beasts ready to devour him, he had to take a risk for this kindness!
Li Mingda stayed at Xu Zhen's residence. During this time, Caesar and Zhang Suling also arrived. The three women whispered and laughed continuously, clearly enjoying Zhang Suling's amusing stories from their journey.
In the afternoon, led by Li Mingda, they entered the Celestial Hall to attend a banquet hosted by Li Shimin. Officials from both civil and military sectors gathered, and Your Majesty appeared particularly radiant. During the banquet, he raised a toast to express gratitude for the hard work of his ministers during this time. Although the entire event did not mention the Xu Zhen or the war with India, anyone with eyes could see that the Xu Zhen was about to be elevated!
With Crown Prince Li Zhi and Li Mingda by his side, the elder statesmen like Changsun Wuji and Li Jue were seated next. To Li Jue's left was none other than the Xu Zhen!
The seating arrangement spoke volumes.
As expected, on the following day during the morning court session, Your Majesty rarely present, personally took his seat and conferred upon the Xu Zhen the title of Left Tunwei Grand General, commanding the Beitun Camp, while also overseeing the Five Hundred Riders. Her fief was elevated from 1,500 households as the Duke of Liucheng County to 2,000 households as the Duke of Qi!
Surprisingly, this time no civil or military officials raised any objections!
Anyone with a bit of insight could see that this move by Sovereign carried a sense of entrustment. Among many old ministers, there were indeed several who were capable and trustworthy. However, those like Li Jing and Fang Xuanling were nearing their end; only Changsun Wuji and Li Jue remained to assist Li Zhi—one civil and one military, one internal and one external.
Yet Sovereign was concerned that Li Zhi might be too weak and be manipulated by these two old fellows. Thus, he promoted the only twenty-nine-year-old Xu Zhen as a backup plan.
The Five Hundred Riders were elite troops selected from the Imperial Guards during Gaozu's reign. Apart from the current Sovereign, no one else could command them. Although nominally under the jurisdiction of the Left and Right Tunwei, no one dared to mobilize these troops without Sovereign's decree.
Now that Sovereign had entrusted all these forces to Xu Zhen, it spoke volumes.
In just a few years, Xu Zhen had risen from a lowly Wuhou to a second-rank official. If she had been born into nobility or royal lineage, it would be understandable; however, her origins were humble—she was an orphan without parents—not even from a distinguished family. This was truly astonishing.
Moreover, Xu Zhen faced constant exclusion and rivalry in court; even Crown Prince Li Zhi had conflicts with her. Changsun Wuji sought to eliminate her entirely. That such a person would be promoted by Sovereign seemed akin to giving a three-year-old child a sharp sword—dangerous and unpredictable!
Everyone was puzzled why Sovereign would take such risks. Although Li Zhi was weak, he was not easily manipulated. Furthermore, while Changsun Wuji might be somewhat autocratic, he was still an uncle by marriage; could it be that Sovereign truly did not trust Changsun Wuji? Or was it that he did not trust Li Jue?
Or rather, aside from these two, are there others who could threaten Li Zhi's position of power?
Before anyone could fully grasp the situation, the Sovereign issued another decree, appointing all of the Brothers under Xu Zhen as military officers. Although their ranks were not high, they were spread throughout the Sixteen Guard, firmly controlling the pulse of the grassroots Soldiers.
It seems that the Sovereign has made up his mind to place this immense trust in Xu Zhen!
It is said that when a person is about to die, their words become wise; however, no one dared to guarantee that Li Shimin would not engage in a bloody purge before his passing, eliminating anyone he believed posed a threat to Li Zhi!
Thus, Xu Zhen's recent elevation was more outrageous than any previous occasion and surpassed any prior advancement. Yet, the civil and military officials remained silent, with no one daring to obstruct or protest!
With Xu Zhen and Yin Zong along with their group of brothers being rewarded first, Wang Xuance's promotion from Chief of Staff of the Imperial Guard to Court Gentleman seemed extremely insignificant.
However, he had no complaints; after all, during their time in India, he and Jiang Shiren had contributed nothing. If not for Xu Zhen rescuing them both, he would not have returned to Chang'an.
Moreover, it appeared that what he wanted to achieve had already been accomplished.
Because after spending time with Naroni Sopava, she had revealed to him that in a couple of days, Crown Prince Li Zhi would take her into the palace to treat the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty!
Comment 0 Comment Count