Chapter 942 Spider web!
Yonghui.
Hui means beautiful.
After Emperor Taizong created the Zhenguan Era of Prosperity, the Tang Dynasty would be forever beautiful. This was the common wish of the monarch and his subjects.
In a sense, this is not the Yonghui of Emperor Li Zhi, but the Yonghui of the old ministers of the Zhenguan period. The civil and military officials left behind by Li Shimin did not think that this was a new era, a new era belonging to Li Zhi.
In the hearts of countless people, this is still the Zhenguan era!
But Emperor Taizong is no longer here.
This is also true. Changsun Wuji, Luo Xuanling, Li Ji, Chu Suiliang, and many others did not need Li Zhi to do anything. Countless ministers continued to move forward along the road opened up by the Zhenguan policy. The Tang Dynasty remained prosperous and became more and more prosperous.
In the third year of Yonghui, the kings and dukes once again sent envoys to meet Li Zhi. This represented that the authority of the Tang emperor had not been lost. Li Zhi's worries about his brothers, especially the increasingly powerful Prince of Yan Li Ke, were slightly relieved.
In the court, the emperor and his ministers seemed to get along well with each other, and the court and the people seemed to be in harmony.
But in this beautiful scene, some people have already seen that a violent storm is brewing.
The center of an empire is politics. The primary task of a powerful monarch is to maintain the stability of the political center so that his ministers will not be eager to fight for power and profit. This is because human energy is limited. If energy is used in struggle, there will be problems in governance.
At this moment, the politics of the Tang Dynasty was in a state of extreme instability.
The inner court is unstable, and the outer court is also unstable.
The first unstable factor is that the empress has no children; the second unstable factor is that the emperor's favorite concubine wants to seize the throne; the third unstable factor is that the empress's virtue is not worthy of her position; the fourth unstable factor is that Wu Zetian is too capable.
If one wants to make the inner court stable, there are only two ways. First, depose the empress and enthrone Wu Zetian. Second, make him the empress's stepson, and let the emperor and the empress live in harmony in the future, eliminate all evil intentions, and then kill Wu Zetian and Concubine Xiao Shufei.
As for the instability in the outer court, it should be blamed on Zhangsun Wuji and the important ministers appointed by Li Shimin to take care of his son.
Luo Xuanling was a military general who had never served in any of the three provinces and six ministries, so naturally he had no right to express his opinions on political affairs.
Li Ji was good at fighting, especially big battles, but he could not become the leader of a faction and was simply unable to shoulder the responsibility of confronting and balancing Changsun Wuji.
The biggest problem lies with Changsun Wuji. He is naturally extremely capable. The fact that he ranks second in the Lingyan Pavilion is enough to prove it. During the Zhenguan period, he served in three provinces and six ministries and hardly made any major mistakes.
But this man had a big problem, and this big problem completely separated him from top prime ministers like Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui. That problem was that he was narrow-minded and held grudges.
A petty-minded and vengeful person cannot become the chief prime minister, because politics requires reconciliation and compromise, but Changsun Wuji is the kind of person who will punish anyone who has a grudge against him to death whenever he gets the chance.
That’s right, it’s not just a grudge, as long as the relationship is not good, he will beat the person to death.
There is no forgiveness in his dictionary, but rather, "Those who obey me will prosper, and those who do not will perish." Having followed Li Shimin for so many years, he has not learned any of Li Shimin's ability to pardon his enemies and maintain the unity of the court.
Besides being petty, he is also arrogant.
He is too arrogant. He looks down on everyone. He shows off his arrogance on his face and doesn't think there is anything wrong with him.
The Luo family sometimes held family banquets and talked about matters in the court. When it came to Changsun Wuji, almost everyone was deeply puzzled. That's right, they just didn't understand.
"Every time I see the Taiwei so arrogant, I wonder, he is well-read in history, how many powerful people in history ended up in a miserable way, hasn't he seen it?"
Arrogant.
This is a word that has never appeared in the Luo family tradition.
Even the ministers who served as regents at the peak of their power were all evaluated as humble in history. The Luo family never really treated the young monarch as a child, but treated him respectfully as a real king.
"What on earth is Chang Sun Wuji so arrogant about? Time is on the side of the royal family. He is so arrogant now, isn't it inevitable that he will be punished in the future?"
"Alas, people in this world are just like this. There is no such thing as a perfect person. When people are proud, they will become arrogant.
Everyone has something they are good at. Most people who are good at politics or military strategy are like this. The two prime ministers of my Jiangnan Luo family in Liang State were actually quite arrogant, but they were not arrogant in front of the emperor. In front of other noble families and officials, they really didn't give any face at all."
The Luo clan members present all knew who Luo Jungong was talking about. Of course, they were Luo Youzhi and Luo Xianzhi, the two Dukes of Gusu who assisted the State of Liang. These two Dukes left behind records in history books of madmen who said, "Aristocratic families are like dogs, and poor families are like horses. They are all my followers. If a dog barks at them madly, or a horse leaps at them angrily, they shall all be killed." They were so crazy as recorded in history books, so who knows how crazy they were in normal times.
Sometimes, if the prime minister in power is not strong and arrogant, he will indeed be unable to control the people below him. But if he is so arrogant that he is lawless and has no scruples, then he is really seeking death.
Luo Junzhuo often accompanies Li Zhi, and he even said a shocking fact, "The emperor is the child of the previous emperor, and he is obsessed with power."
All the Luo family members were in awe. A king who wanted to be in power and a powerful official who held great power were bound to clash.
Of course, the Luo family can talk like this because, in the current Tang Dynasty, no one would be so blind as to touch the Luo family.
There are many factions inside and outside the government, including central factions and local factions. The Luo family is an independent faction. The Luo family headed by Luo Xuanling is powerful, but stays out of the matter.
In these years, the descendants of the Luo family with the surname Jun have entered the political arena. Of course, the most crucial thing is their huge influence on the emperor.
The current emperor has several biological sisters. Princess Jinyang was raised together with the emperor by the previous emperor and is the wife of Luo Junzhuo. Princess Hengshan is the wife of Luo Junlie, the son of Luo Xuanling.
Because of this relationship, as long as the Luo family makes every effort, the emperor's power will be activated.
That's right.
The reason why Changsun Wuji never touches the Luo family is so simple and unpretentious.
He was not particularly afraid of the Luo family competing with him for power and profit. After all, the two real pillars of the Luo family, Prince Zhou Luo Xuanye and Luo Xuanchen, had both passed away, and the current pillar of the Luo family, Luo Xuanling, was of a similar status to himself.
But Luo holds the key to activate the emperor's power. Now he can have the upper hand in the contest with the emperor because Luo does not clearly support the emperor to rule the country personally.
This was the tacit understanding between Changsun Wuji and Luo Xuanling. Changsun Wuji used the smooth governance, the prosperous national strength, and the Zhenguan policy without decline to tell Luo Xuanling, Duke Yong, only I can continue the prosperity of the late emperor.
If the emperor were to rule the country himself, could this prosperous era really be preserved?
This trick was quite effective, because Changsun Wuji knew too well that Luo Xuanling was the same as him in this respect. They were both ministers of the previous emperor. Although they were loyal to the current emperor, deep down in their hearts, as long as the Zhenguan policy could be preserved, it didn't matter whether the current emperor could rule the country himself.
This actually reflects a reality, that is, Luo Xuanling does not trust Li Zhi's ability. His perception of Li Zhi is that he is the former King of Jin. In governing such a huge empire, Li Zhi must be inferior to Changsun Wuji, so it is better to let the emperor suffer some grievances.
Study more and then take charge of the government later.
Of course, Luo Xuanling would not say this directly. He was just low-key and humble, but he would also support Li Zhi and become a comparison reference for Changsun Wuji. The more the emperor hated Changsun Wuji, the more grateful he would be to Luo Xuanling.
No one would have thought that a military general like Luo Xuanling would be so cunning in this regard and use Changsun Wuji as a tool and a shield.
…
It was another satisfying fusion of body and soul. Li Zhi lay on his back beside Wu Zhao, staring blankly at the bed. Heavy breathing came from his nose, his chest kept rising and falling, and sweat flowed from his forehead and body.
Wu Zhao snuggled up to Li Zhi, her eyes full of confusion and obsession, yet there was a hint of clarity in her eyes, for she knew her identity too well.
Li Zhi liked to stay with Wu Zhao. One of the reasons was that he really loved Wu Zhao. Another very important reason was that Wu Zhao was of the same mind as him.
In this palace, those women who come from noble families have countless interests to calculate. The Queen's uncle is the Minister of the Central Secretariat, and Concubine Xiao Shufei comes from Xiao Yu's family. How could Li Zhi possibly tell them the truth?
There was only Wu Zhao, with nothing, and her only support was herself, the emperor. The feeling of having complete control over a person made Li Zhi obsessed, especially the woman he controlled, who was very smart, very smart. Not the cleverness of an ordinary woman, but the cleverness of a politician.
After Li Zhi gradually felt Wu Zhao's political talent, he was pleasantly surprised to find that he had a political ally who he could trust and would hardly betray him.
"Recently, I wanted to leave the palace, but was stopped by the Grand Marshal. My uncle really controls everything for me. Then Chu Suiliang also came back. After being punished, he came back so easily. My face..."
Wu Zhao's eyes lit up when she heard this. In the palace fighting in the early years of Yonghui, she was still using traditional palace fighting methods at first, but after Luo Junwei's reminder, she decisively stopped that useless method.
It didn't take too long for her to see an opportunity to kill with one blow, which was to tie the Queen and Changsun Wuji together. With her political talent, how could she not see that the relationship between the Emperor and Changsun Wuji would eventually break down? As long as she tied Changsun Wuji and the Queen together, then with the fall of Changsun Wuji, the Queen would have to stand aside.
Listening to Li Zhi's somewhat resentful voice, Wu Zhao gently stroked Li Zhi's heaving chest, "Your Majesty, don't be angry. I heard that when God wants a person to perish, he will first make him arrogant. Duke Zhao is so arrogant. The more arrogant he is, the more Your Majesty should treat him sincerely and respect him with etiquette, so that people's hearts will gradually come to Your Majesty."
Li Zhi was unhappy when he heard this and said, "I have become a yes-man now. I have no control over promoting or demoting officials. Even the imperial edicts are written by my uncle, and then I stamp the emperor's seal on them like a puppet. If I give in again, my position as emperor..."
Wu Zhao said solemnly: "Your Majesty, please don't say that. There are ministers in the court who are also loyal to you. Although the Grand Commandant is arrogant, he has no military power. What real threat does he pose to Your Majesty?
What does a temporary victory mean in this struggle?
Your Majesty, you are destined to have the final and most complete victory. The one who laughs last is the real winner. "
Wu Zetian's comfort helped Li Zhi recover a little. He said in distress, "I don't understand why the British Council has been wanting to resign. I also don't understand why Duke Yong is sometimes dissatisfied with his uncle, but does not oppose his uncle's policies. Sometimes I want to contact Duke Yong, but I dare not. I don't know what Duke Yong is thinking."
Wu Zhao was too smart. She could roughly guess it, but she would not tell the truth. Telling it would hurt the emperor's heart and also damage the relationship between the emperor and the Luo family. "Your Majesty, maybe you can ask Jun Zhuo. He and you grew up together, just like brothers. If there is anyone in the Luo family who would tell you something that is inconvenient to say, it would be Jun Zhuo."
Li Zhi sat up instantly, smiling happily, "Mei Niang is right, I should ask Jun Zhuo, only Jun Zhuo can tell me some things that are inconvenient to say.
Come on, Mei Niang, come with me to the Prince Zhou's mansion. No, let Jun Zhuo and Jin Yang enter the palace. Anyway, they often go to the palace, and no one will care. "
Li Zhi began to put on his clothes in a hurry, but Wu Zhao's eyes were shining with a sharp light flashing. It seemed that the emperor's patience with Zhangsun Wuji was almost reaching its limit.
No, I have to endure it. Now is not the time to overthrow Changsun Wuji. The relationship between the Queen and Changsun Wuji is not close enough. It is time to implicate Changsun Wuji, the Queen, and the future Crown Prince.
A fine and densely woven net slowly extended out from behind Wu Zhao. Her target was the bigwigs of the dynasty, bigwigs who had revealed countless flaws.
…
"Husband, I want beef for lunch!"
"Uncle Fu, wasn't there a cow that fell and got injured a few days ago? I think it's almost dead now. Ask the kitchen to prepare it and send it to Madam."
"Yes, sir."
In the courtyard, Jinyang was giggling and rolling around in Luo Junzhuo's arms, playing and joking with him. She was not particularly old, just in her twenties, and because she hadn't given birth yet, she was sometimes like a child. She liked to lie in Luo Junzhuo's arms on various occasions. It was really a habit. She had been like this since she was a child, liking to hang on to Luo Junzhuo, and she still did so now.
The Li family has been rich and powerful for more than a hundred years, and with improved genes from generation to generation, there are basically no ugly ones, especially the daughters of Empress Changsun. Starting from Princess Changle Li Lizhi, there has not been a single ugly one. The same is true for Princess Jinyang. She has been pretty and cute since she was a child, and is deeply loved by Li Shimin and all the ministers in the court. Now entering the Yonghui period, Li Zhi is also extremely fond of his sister and rewards her at every turn.
Uncle Fu returned quickly and bowed, saying, "Master, Madam, I have already told the kitchen staff, but now the palace messenger has arrived. Please invite Master and Madam to the palace for a banquet."
"Brother Tianzi?"
Jinyang jumped off Luo Junzhuo, straightened her messy dress, and smiled in her clear eyes, "Uncle Fu, you guys can eat the beef. Don't waste food. My husband and I are going to the palace, so we should have dinner in the palace today."
After saying that, she took Luo Junzhuo's hand and swung it around, "Husband, let's go to the palace quickly. I haven't seen Brother Tianzi for a long time, and I really miss him."
Luo Junzhuo stood up and tapped the flower ornament on her forehead, smiling gently, "You, it hasn't been a long time. You just went to the palace to see the emperor seven days ago. You even ate the cakes prepared for the fifth prince, which made His Majesty laugh and cry."
Jinyang was embarrassed and annoyed at first, but then he put his hands on his waist and said confidently: "Hong'er is sensible. He gave the delicious food to me, his aunt. I also gave Hong'er the candied fruit in the mansion. That was the candied fruit that my second brother brought from Jiangnan!"
Luo Junzhuo couldn't help but burst into laughter when he heard this. A twenty-year-old man and a child of a few years old were fighting for food. Seeing this, Jinyang jumped directly onto Luo Junzhuo's back and groaned, "My husband laughed at me, you are bad, I punish you to carry me into the palace!"
Listening to Jinyang's words, Luo Junzhuo seemed to have returned to his childhood, when he, Li Zhi and Jinyang lived a carefree life in the palace. He smiled, weighed Jinyang, and then walked out with her on his back in big strides.
Of course Jinyang would not let Luo Junzhuo really carry her into the palace. The two of them were just joking. If they really did that, Chang'an City would be bustling tomorrow. The Tang Dynasty was indeed open, but not to this extent.
After entering the palace, as soon as Luo Junzhuo saw Li Zhi giving him a look, he knew that Li Zhi had something important to discuss. There were only four people at the table. There should have been five people, after all, Luo Junwei was in the palace, but Luo Junwei herself did not come. She was a female historian, and it was her duty, so she was afraid that she would not be able to help but make a note of it. It was obvious that they were going to discuss something, so it would be better not to know.
Luo Junzhuo, Princess Jinyang and others actually had no likes or dislikes towards the concubines in the palace, but as for Queen Wang, they both knew that Li Zhi did not like her, so they had no contact with her.
As for Wu Zetian, Li Zhi only brought Wu Zetian to almost every small private banquet in the palace. Princess Jinyang was very smart since she was a child and was very good at gaining other people's likes and kindness. She understood Li Zhi's thoughts, so she did a very good job in making friends with Wu Zetian and maintaining the relationship.
Wu Zhao has a thick filter for the Luo family. Because she herself has a trace of the Phoenix destiny, she can slightly sense the vast existence of Ji Lingjun. This is almost equivalent to being half a daughter of the Luo family. So although she doesn't say it, she is a believer of Ji Lingjun, and she extremely believes in the existence of Su Wang. Although Su Wang has not appeared for many years, she still believes in it.
Then there were Luo Su, Luo Junwei and others, the direct descendants of the Luo family who occupied a huge part in her life. Finally, during the years when she was more inferior and sensitive, every son and daughter of the Luo family she met treated her equally. Although she knew that even if she met a beggar, the Luo family would do the same and they were not treating her specially, this made Wu Zhao even more obsessed with the Luo family.
More than ten years ago, she envied Luo Junwei's freedom to choose her own life, marriage, or not. What she envied was not Luo Junwei alone, but Luo's mental state. If she used a metaphor to describe it, it would be a bit like the barbarians' yearning for living in the Tang Dynasty.
After the four of them chatted for a while, Li Zhi got to the point. What he wanted to ask most was what Luo Xuanling's attitude was towards him as the emperor, and what his attitude was towards Zhangsun Wuji.
As soon as Luo Junzhuo heard this, he knew that Li Zhi was dissatisfied with Duke Zhao. He was probably suppressed too harshly by Duke Zhao, so he was dissatisfied and full of complaints, so he asked this question.
Luo Junzhuo was thinking about what to say. Telling the truth directly would definitely not work, and Wu Zhaoyi was also making eye contact. But deceiving the emperor would certainly not work either. He never lied to Li Zhi, which was one of the reasons why Li Zhi trusted him. The so-called serving the monarch with sincerity has always been one of the principles of Luo's close ministers.
"Your Majesty, my uncle may try to persuade you, but as long as you insist, he will always obey your will. He is the sharp sword left to you by the late emperor. As long as your Majesty gives the order, he will hold the sword and cut off everything for you, including the King of Qin, the King of Yan, the King of Qi, the Duke of Zhao, or the High Priest of the Holy See of the Western Regions."
Luo Junzhuo expressed Luo Xuanling's intention in another way, which is that Luo Xuanling will not take the initiative, but if you, the emperor, insist on doing so, after he has persuaded you, he will firmly stand on your side, so you don't need to worry, Duke Yong.
Li Zhi was relieved when he heard this. Just as a smile appeared on his face, he felt Wu Zhao pulling his sleeve. He tilted his ear slightly and heard Wu Zhao whispering, "Master Jun Zhuo hasn't finished speaking yet. Your Majesty, don't be anxious."
Li Zhi was startled, and as expected, he heard Luo Junzhuo continue to say: "But uncle has also accepted the heavy responsibility of the late emperor, and our Luo family will not harm loyal people. After all, Duke Zhao has made great contributions and made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty. He may be more tolerant of Duke Zhao in this regard. Even if Duke Zhao sometimes provokes him, uncle will pretend not to know."
Luo Junzhuo portrayed Luo Xuanling as a man who served the country and the people, just to tell Li Zhi that my uncle sometimes did not even bother with Zhangsun Wuji, so if your Majesty suffered a little grievance, my uncle might not care and think it was nothing. If you did not have a good reason, my uncle might think you were making a fuss out of nothing, and that Duke Zhao still had the merit.
At this moment, Li Zhi thought of what Wu Zetian had said when they were in bed before. He suddenly realized, "It's the people's hearts. The people's hearts have not yet shifted to his side. Many of the things that Zhangsun Wuji is doing now are considered correct in the minds of ministers and people all over the world. He has not done anything really wrong that would make people all over the world generally think he is wrong."
Although Changsun Wuji has been dealing with some political enemies and people who are at odds with him over the years, his biggest enemies, such as the former King of Wei Li Tai, the former King of Wu Li Ke, and those nobles who are at odds with him, have all been enfeoffed away and are no longer in the Central Plains.
Even if he wanted to use some cases to implicate others, he could not do so because the emperor was far away.
Especially Li Ke and Li Tai, he knew very well that if he really dared to implicate these two people without reason, Luo Xuanling and Li Ji would immediately join forces with the emperor to kill him.
These two people were important figures who absolutely could not be touched. After they left the town, Changsun Wuji gave up the idea of dealing with them. After all, he still put the Tang Dynasty first.
So although Changsun Wuji was a little domineering, he never did anything to touch the bottom line of the world, and people's hearts were still on Changsun Wuji's side.
Thinking of this, Li Zhi could not help but sigh. Seeing this, Luo Junzhuo pondered and whispered, "Your Majesty, most people in this world look down on young people and value the experience of the elderly. However, if young people can make achievements, they are more likely to be recognized than the elderly. Just like the late emperor, he was already famous at the age of just 15.
If Your Majesty can prove that you are right and Duke Zhao is wrong, then Your Majesty's prestige will increase, while Duke Zhao's prestige will decrease. As one increases, the other decreases, and the calls for Your Majesty to rule the country will become louder and louder. "
Li Zhi was a little hesitant when he heard this. He was indeed a weak person. He could stir up trouble and plot behind the scenes, but he really couldn't step forward to argue and fight against things.
Wu Zhao saw this and said loudly: "Master Junzhuo is right, Your Majesty, wait for the opportunity. I remember Your Majesty once said that some of the remarks made by the Duke of Zhao made Your Majesty very angry. For example, when talking about the private affairs in the officialdom, the Duke of Zhao made a joke without caring and said that such private affairs were correct.
I remember saying that Duke Zhao would never say these words to the late emperor. I think Your Majesty can start from this aspect. If there is anything that shows that Duke Zhao is inconsistent now and during the late emperor's time, Your Majesty can question him about it.
Why was there one set of rhetoric during the time of the previous emperor, and another set of rhetoric when it comes to Your Majesty? The previous emperor was undoubtedly a sage king, but is Your Majesty the same as Jie and Zhou?
If not, why was the late emperor loyal and prudent, while Your Majesty is indulgent? Isn't this a reflection of the fact that a sage king has wise ministers, while a foolish king has treacherous ministers?"
hiss.
Upon hearing this, Luo Junzhuo looked at Wu Zhaoyi in surprise. This Wu Zhaoyi really refreshed his understanding every time he saw her. Could His Majesty really outsmart his concubine?
Li Zhi was stunned at first, then burst into laughter. He hugged Wu Zhao into his arms and said, "Mei Niang, I really can't leave you for a moment. Just do as you say."
Li Zhi seemed to see the light.
————
A stable system will lose its power to expand outward, and then move toward involution and closure. The political structure of the Tang Dynasty has been an extremely outward-looking model since its establishment, which brought endless glory to the Tang Dynasty. However, this model also represents extreme instability, which is reflected in politics as fierce struggles. From the inside to the outside, there is never peace. The bloody heyday of the Tang Dynasty is not only a military fight, but also a foreshadowing of political struggles. ——"The Rise and Fall of the Tang Empire"
(End of this chapter)
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