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After sending off Fang Yi'ai, Xu Zhen began to contemplate countermeasures. The Tang Dynasty was never short of various rebellions; it was like a hot-blooded youth on the verge of adulthood, running around and raising its fists to showcase its might, hoping to intimidate others. However, its foundation was ultimately too weak, and even a small internal conflict could leave it deeply troubled. Yet, it never lacked such internal conflicts.
Xu Zhen needed to secretly devise a plan for this matter, leaving her no time to attend to wedding affairs. Reluctantly, she could only turn to Li Mingda and reveal the hidden truths.
Upon hearing this, Li Mingda felt a wave of sadness wash over her. The struggles among her three brothers—Tubo, Li Chengqian, and Li Zhi—had already robbed her of the warmth of family. Now, Princess Gaoyang and her uncle Li Yuanjing had also joined the ranks of the rebellion. Was there truly no familial affection left in the imperial household?
She worried for Xu Zhen's safety, but she knew that since Xu Zhen had promised Fang Yi'ai, she would not stand idly by. Furthermore, if Princess Gaoyang and Li Yuanjing, along with Xue Wanche and others, succeeded, it would only lead to disaster for the Tang Dynasty.
As a mature young woman who had already formed a marital bond with Xu Zhen, she comforted her well and took over all wedding arrangements. After all, with the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple handling the logistics, her role was merely to select and nod in agreement.
With Li Mingda's support, Xu Zhen finally found some time to think about strategies. However, just as she returned home and played with Li Wushuang and her son Sitang for a while, she was informed that visitors had arrived.
The news of Xu Zhen soon becoming a consort had spread widely, prompting military leaders to come visit and establish connections. Many among them were former students or acquaintances nurtured by Li Jing and Li Jue; there were also friends like Qibi Helix and Asena Sher. Even Zhi Shili, who had fought alongside them in the Battle of Songzhou, had come by.
At that time, Xu Zhen was unaware that Zhi Shili had close ties with Xue Wanche and had already become part of the rebellion team; otherwise, she would not have agreed to meet him.
While contemplating the schemes of Princess Gaoyang and others, Xu Zhen had already decided to refuse visitors. However, this particular visitor was someone she felt compelled to meet.
This person was none other than Xie Anting, who had accompanied Zhao Xiaozu to the southwest to quell the rebellion! Moreover, his close friend Xue Rengui was also present!
Xu Zhen was struggling with how to propose to Li Zhi that she should once again lead the Imperial Guards. If she brought it up herself, it would surely raise suspicions in Li Zhi. Now that Xie Anting and Xue Rengui were together here, it was truly a timely assistance!
That summer, Xie Anting served as a deputy general alongside Zhao Xiaozu in suppressing the rebellion of the barbarian tribes in the southwest. These male-dominated tribes gathered troops for self-defense; larger tribes boasted tens of thousands of soldiers while smaller ones had thousands. However, thanks to Xie Anting's valor, Zhao Xiaozu advanced triumphantly, subduing all tribes along the way. The southwestern barbarians were thus pacified.
Not only that, he killed the leader of the smaller Bolong tribe and captured Yang Chengdian, the leader of the larger Bolong tribe. Xie Anting's strategic prowess was unmatched; he had now been summoned into the Imperial Guards and became colleagues with Xue Rengui.
Xue Rengui was a young colonel appointed by Emperor Taizong himself. He had served as Colonel in the right army for several years and earned deep trust from the royal family. Now he was perfectly positioned to support Xie Anting; both shared similar temperaments and were close friends. In the future, control over the strength of the Imperial Guards would undoubtedly rest in their hands.
If they could gain assistance from these two men, even if Xue Wanche and Zhi Shili instigated a palace coup, Xu Zhen would not need to worry about defense issues.
Xue Rengui had been guarding within the palace for a long time, yet he remained attentive to the affairs both inside and outside the court. Due to the unique nature of his position, he was able to stay detached from the struggles and see the situation clearly, while also experiencing the dangers firsthand, which allowed him to understand the circumstances exceptionally well.
However, this identity also limited him to a neutral stance, remaining loyal only to the Emperor. This put him in a similar predicament as Xu Zhen and Qibi Helix.
When he came to visit his old master with Xie Anting, it was a joyful occasion. He chatted happily with Xu Zhen over drinks, sitting from noon until evening, ultimately staying overnight at Xu Manor.
During their candlelit conversation that night, Xu Zhen did not hold back. Both Xue Rengui and Xie Anting, who were about to become key figures in the inner court as Colonels, felt a surge of emotions.
The fact that Xu Zhen dared to share such significant news with them demonstrated her complete trust in them. Without her support, they would have no chance of rising in status. Xu Zhenzhi had not only respected their authority but had also acted with great integrity, prompting them to take significant risks in agreeing.
Two days later, the Chamberlain suddenly announced that Xu Zhen was to attend a grand court meeting. Xu Zhenxin was puzzled but offered some benefits; however, the Chamberlain was not blind to the situation. Xu Zhen was about to be appointed as the Duke of the Right Guard and was favored by the current Sovereign—if he did not curry favor now, when would he?
After receiving a few hints, Xu Zhenxin quickly understood.
The next day, under the service of Caesar, Xu Zhen donned a brand new court robe. Given her current rank and title, she could have worn purple; however, lacking real power and not wanting to appear too ostentatious, she chose a crimson outfit instead.
After being prompted by the Chamberlain yesterday, Xu Zhen did not remain idle at home but made a trip to Li Jue's residence. Whether today's efforts would bear fruit depended on whether Li Jue was willing to take action.
The sound of drums continued to echo as Xu Zhen walked leisurely toward the Tai Chi Hall. Despite her insistence on having Caesar stay home for her health due to her pregnancy, he insisted on accompanying her.
As they approached the palace gates, a carriage rumbled by, nearly brushing against Xu Zhen's shoulder. She frowned in displeasure when suddenly the carriage stopped ahead. The curtain lifted, and Minister of War Cui Dunli quickly stepped down, apologizing from a distance: "The driver was ignorant and reckless; he almost collided with General Xu. I hope you can forgive him!"
In truth, Cui Dunli had seen Xu Zhen from afar. Aware that she had few allies in court and under the instruction of Murong Hanzhu, he kept a close watch on Yan Lide and Li Chunfeng. Seizing an opportunity to gather evidence against Yan Lide, how could he not feel triumphant?
He knew well that Xu Zhen valued her subordinates and friends highly. If he could involve her in the copper mine smuggling case concerning Yan Lide, with Murong Hanzhu stirring things up, even if he couldn't bring her down completely, at least it would make things difficult for her.
However, Murong Hanzhu had already warned him that Xu Zhen had a tendency for revenge; thus, she might consider him her first target for elimination. Therefore, Cui Dunli wanted to use this encounter as a way to gauge her intentions.
He did not expect that the Xu Zhen was not angry, but instead greeted him with a smile. When Cui Dunli invited the Xu Zhen to ride together, she surprisingly agreed and stepped onto Cui Dunli's carriage. The two of them chatted and laughed like old friends who had not seen each other for years as they entered the imperial city, leaving the coachman utterly dumbfounded.
Many court officials had already been waiting outside the palace. Seeing Cui Dunli and the Xu Zhen coming together left them puzzled, but observing their genuine laughter and conversation was indeed strange.
After waiting for a while, Li Jue, who had not attended court for a long time, actually arrived. Even Minister Zhang Xingcheng, who had been bedridden recently, appeared here, as did the ailing Imperial Attendant Gao Jifu.
Zhu Suiliang and others had been waiting nearby. Upon seeing these two arrive, they stepped forward to exchange low-key greetings. It was only when Changsun Wuji and Murong Hanzhu arrived one after another that everyone fell silent. The interpreter announced, and the civil and military officials entered in an orderly manner.
Changsun Wuji and Murong Hanzhu entered one after the other, causing Zhu Suiliang and Li Jue to fall half a step behind. The order of entry clearly indicated some underlying issues.
Li Zhi was greatly pleased to see all the civil and military officials gathered. He first commended the Xu Zhen for her contributions before officially issuing a marriage decree. The Xu Zhen naturally expressed her gratitude.
The contents of the court meeting continued to unfold, but they were quite shocking. First, Zhang Xingcheng and Gao Jifu both resigned from their respective positions. Despite Li Zhi's earnest attempts to persuade them to stay due to their serious illnesses, they ultimately stepped down. The civil and military officials could not help but feel suspicious; it was indeed intriguing that both veterans chose to retire at the same time.
What was even more astonishing followed: after the two veterans left the court, Zhu Suiliang successfully filled the vacancies and was appointed as Minister Right Vice Chancellor, maintaining his rank equivalent to that of the Third Division of the Secretariat while overseeing elections for officials!
Changsun Wuji was also greatly alarmed. Zhang Xingcheng and Gao Jifu had always been on his side; now that these two old men were gone, Zhu Suiliang filled their positions, significantly weakening his influence in the court!
He glared at Murong Hanzhu in frustration, feeling regretful. If he had not foolishly promoted Murong Hanzhu and placed him beside Li Zhi back then, would Murong Hanzhu dare to challenge him today?
Just as he was about to voice his opposition, another edict suddenly shocked everyone. The usually self-preserving and low-profile Li Jue unexpectedly changed his title from Chief of the Three Departments to Situ and was conferred with the title of San Gong, achieving an unprecedented height among ministers!
Li Zhi's series of moves left Changsun Wuji completely stunned; this was clearly an attempt to undermine his authority as the leader of civil officials!
The court was in an uproar for a moment; however, Li Jue appeared rather calm. After expressing his gratitude, he quickly suggested promoting Minister of War Cui Dunli into the ranks of prime ministers.
His reasoning was simple: Cui Dunli had consistently performed well in his role as Minister of War and had personally led ten thousand cavalrymen from Fen Prefecture to Maozhou to relocate the remaining populace of Xue Yantuo across the Yellow River and establish Qilian Prefecture for their settlement.
Some time ago, Li Zhi asked Minister of Revenue Gao Lvxing, "How many households were registered last year?"
Gao Lvxing replied, "In the middle of the Sui Kaihuang year, there were eight hundred seventy thousand registered households, and now there are three hundred eighty thousand. Last year, over one hundred fifteen thousand households were added."
This was due to the implementation of Emperor Taizong's policy of controlling and incorporating many minority ethnic tribes over the past two years, which led to a significant increase in the population. However, Cui Dunli's resettlement of Qilian Prefecture was not considered a major achievement. If we are to speak of true military merit, it would be the defeat of Ashina Helu's Qibi Helix and Liang Jianfang, along with Xu Zhen.
Li Jue rarely spoke in court, and now that he had just been appointed as Minister of State, promoting Cui Dunli to Chancellor was indeed not in line with his usual style!
Cui Dunli felt extremely pleased; he had thought that Xu Zhen was a disciple of Li Jue and that Li Jue would seize the opportunity to undermine him. He never expected that Li Jue would instead give him a push!
Being granted a title and appointed as Chancellor is the most glorious achievement for a minister; who could possibly regard it as worthless?
Thinking of this, Cui Dunli could not help but suppress his joy and cast a grateful glance at Murong Hanzhu.
He did not believe that Li Jue would suddenly change his style; the only explanation was that Murong Hanzhu had secretly orchestrated all of this!
However, Murong Hanzhu himself was also perplexed. Although he was already a trusted confidant of Li Zhi, and it seemed that Li Jue supported Li Zhi as well, given his own past conflicts with Xu Zhen, it made no sense for Li Jue to elevate a member of the Cui Clan to the position of Chancellor!
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