Deposed Empress

Inside a side hall of the Liangyi Palace, Wu Meiniang was bent over her desk reviewing memorials, her vermilion pen making neat annotations on the paper.

The charcoal brazier was burning brightly, casting a faint red glow on her cheeks, but her brows were furrowed with an unyielding chill.

(Inner monologue: Changsun Wuji is about to fall, but the Guanlong Group is deeply entrenched, and we must take this opportunity to completely dismantle their power. Empress Wang... should also step down.)

Late that night, Li Zhi braved the snow to come, his brows furrowed with a rare anger.

He slammed a secret report onto the table: "Meiniang, look at this."

Wu Meiniang unfolded the memorial, which was a secret report submitted by Xu Jingzong, stating that "Empress Wang and her mother, Lady Liu of Wei, practiced witchcraft."

The evidence is conclusive, with both witness testimonies and physical evidence.

(Inner monologue: The time has come. Cursing is a major taboo for emperors; this fire is enough to burn the royal family to the ground.)

She calmly closed the memorial: "What does Your Majesty intend to do?"

Li Zhi paced back and forth in the palace, the candlelight casting his shadow long and short. "The Empress has lost her virtue and should be deposed. However..." he paused, "there will surely be much opposition in the court."

Wu Meiniang rose and poured him a cup of hot tea: "Does Your Majesty remember when Emperor Xuan of Han deposed Empress Huo?" Her voice was soft, yet every word was piercing: "Huo Guang wielded immense power, and his daughter's ascension to the throne ultimately became a threat. Now, Empress Wang is in close contact with Changsun Wuji; if this is continued, it could lead to internal strife."

She produced a pre-prepared list: "This is a list of officials in the court who may be colluding with the royal family. Your Majesty might as well attend the morning court session tomorrow and see who is speaking up for the Empress."

Li Zhi gazed at her intently, his eyes deep: "Mei Niang, you always seem to anticipate my every thought."

The next morning at court, things went exactly as Wu Zetian had predicted.

When Li Zhi proposed to depose the empress, officials led by Han Yuan and Lai Ji knelt down to remonstrate.

"The Empress is the mother of the nation; how can she be so easily deposed based on superstitious beliefs!"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider! This must be a frame-up by a villain!"

Just as the argument was at its most intense, Wu Zetian entered the main hall carrying a thick stack of documents.

Today, she wore a solemn court dress, her jade pendants jingling, and every step she took touched the hearts of everyone present.

"You gentlemen speak of framing me?" Her voice was cold. "Then let's take a look at these."

She ordered the eunuchs to distribute the documents to the officials.

Inside were secret letters between Empress Wang and Changsun Wuji, receipts for Liu's purchase of witchcraft tools, and numerous pieces of evidence of the Wang family's crimes of seizing Yongye land and forcibly taking women.

"The Empress has lost her virtue, and her family has broken the law." Wu Zetian looked around at the assembled officials. "Do any of you still wish to speak up for such an Empress?"

Han Yuan's face turned ashen: "Consort Wu! You..."

"Lord Han," Wu Meiniang interrupted him, taking out another account book, "last year when you repaired your residence, you used craftsmen and materials from the Imperial Workshops. Shouldn't we settle this account in front of His Majesty?"

Before Lai Ji could argue further, Wu Meiniang turned to him: "Lord Lai, your son forcibly bought farmland in Luoyang, causing the deaths of three people. How should this be accounted for?"

She named them one by one, exposing all the illegal acts of those ministers who opposed her most vehemently.

With each recounting of a story, the atmosphere in the hall grew colder.

In the end, no one dared to utter a sound.

(Inner monologue: Workplace rule: To implement reforms, you must first eliminate the opposition. But which of these officials has a clean record?)

Seeing this, Li Zhi finally spoke: "Issue my decree: Empress Wang has committed immoral acts and is hereby demoted to commoner status; her mother, Lady Liu, is banished from Chang'an. Han Yuan, Lai Ji, and others have formed a clique for personal gain and are hereby dismissed from their official positions and stripped of their titles."

The imperial decree caused a stir throughout the court and the country.

——

On this day, she summoned Xu Jingzong, the newly promoted Minister of Rites.

"Lord Xu," she said, pointing to the location of the Western Regions on the map, "the Western Turks have been repeatedly invading our borders lately. What do you think we should do?"

Xu Jingzong cautiously replied, "I believe we should send an envoy to appease them..."

"Appease?" Wu Meiniang sneered. "General Su Dingfang has already captured three cities. To appease him now would be to waste all our previous efforts."

She took out a military report: "Order Su Dingfang to continue the advance. At the same time, reinforce the garrisons in the Four Garrisons of Anxi and implement the military-agricultural colonies. Let the kingdoms of the Western Regions know that not an inch of the Tang Dynasty's territory will be yielded."

After Xu Jingzong left to receive his orders, Wu Meiniang summoned the Minister of Revenue.

How is the reform of the Grand Canal transportation progressing?

"Your Majesty, a transport commissioner's office has been established in Bianzhou, and the loss of grain transported by the canal has been reduced by 20%."

"Not enough," Wu Meiniang shook her head. "I want a 50% reduction. Order the Ministry of Works to improve the grain transport boats within a specified timeframe. Also, order the prefectures and counties along the route to dredge the waterways; those who fail to meet the deadline will be dismissed."

She handled government affairs with astonishing speed, often reviewing dozens of memorials within an hour.

Li Zhi was initially a little worried and would often come to check on things.

Seeing that all political affairs were handled in an orderly manner, he gradually relinquished his authority.

(Inner monologue: The best way to get my boss to accept my abilities is to let results speak for themselves.)

That evening, Wu Meiniang accompanied Li Zhi for a stroll in the palace. The spring breeze rustled the willow branches, and the Taiye Pond shimmered with light.

"Meiniang," Li Zhi suddenly spoke, "I sometimes wonder what my father would think if he were alive and saw this scene today."

Wu Meiniang took his arm, her voice gentle: "Father Emperor established the prosperous reign of Zhenguan; Your Majesty and I should create an even more glorious era."

Li Zhi looked at her profile, flushed red by the sunset, and suddenly smiled: "I believe you."

(Inner monologue: Power transitioned smoothly, the boss has complete trust. It's time to move on to the next plan.)

She gazed at the Taiji Hall in the twilight, her eyes filled with a distant longing.

The power of the Guanlong Group has been disintegrated, and the imperial court has been reshuffled.

Next, it's time to implement the imperial examination reform and break the monopoly of powerful clans.

The hall was brightly lit by candles, and only the two of them remained.

Li Zhi did not immediately look at the memorial; his gaze remained fixed on Wu Meiniang's focused profile for a long time.

Wu Meiniang noticed his gaze, raised her head, and gave him a gentle, questioning look.

Li Zhi coughed lightly, a little awkwardly, his gaze shifting slightly, and a faint blush appeared on his ears.

He reached out his hand, his fingertips gently brushing over her neat and powerful red annotations on the memorial, and whispered, "Meiniang... you've had a hard time these past few days."

(Inner monologue: The boss's expression... something's not right. It's not like he's assigning tasks or discussing politics, the atmosphere is... a little off?)

"It is my duty to share Your Majesty's burdens," Wu Meiniang replied softly, while her mind was rapidly calculating various possibilities.

Li Zhi was silent for a moment, as if he had made up his mind. His voice was even lower, almost with a hint of youthful shyness: "I...I have been thinking lately that with this vast country and complicated government affairs, how wonderful it would be if there were a wise and filial prince...who could inherit our aspirations in the future."

He paused, then finally raised his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on her, filled with anticipation, yet mixed with a hint of embarrassment and shame at having to bring up this matter as an emperor. "Meiniang... would you... be willing to bear me a prince?"

(Inner monologue: So he wants to be a dad! It's really rare to see the boss so shy, like a big boy asking for candy. It seems that even the most enlightened monarchs, when faced with such a private matter as the continuation of their bloodline, inevitably reveal their ordinary human side.)

but……

Your Majesty! Have you got the wrong person?!