Chapter 957: Honor the Emperor of Heaven and Destroy All Sacrifices (End of Volume)
According to legend, every word and every movement of a person's hands and feet touches the thread of fate.
Li Zhi gradually sank into depravity due to illness.
Wu Zhao reviewed memorials in the palace.
The two suns above the sky of the Tang Dynasty, in different life experiences, headed for their own different destinies.
The relationship between Li Zhi and Wu Zhao was so complicated that even Luo Junwei couldn't explain it clearly.
For Li Zhi, Wu Zhao was his lover in his time of frustration, who was considerate and gentle; she was his lover who shared his joys and sorrows and gave birth to his children; she was his substitute for maternal love, who held him in her arms; she was his ally and companion who worked shoulder to shoulder with him and accompanied him through all difficulties; she was his most capable subordinate, who overcame all difficulties; and she was his best student, who created something from nothing.
Wu Zhao was a person who could solve Li Zhi's problems in all aspects, from physical to spiritual. She was also the person who could touch his heart the most, making him happy and sad, delighted and angry, so he eventually indulged Wu Zhao.
Li Zhi had made his own choice. He placed half of his future on Wu Zhao and half on Luo's political morality. Then he faced everything calmly.
At this time, he finally had the demeanor of his father, Li Shimin.
Li Zhi had done everything, but Wu Zhao had not. She was deeply aware that she was facing another major decision-making stage in her life.
When fate came to a crossroads, Wu Zhao was also a little confused. She looked at Luo Junwei, but Luo Junwei only pointed to Lingtian Pavilion.
Some people haven't spoken for many years, but that doesn't mean they can't speak.
An unknown amount of time had passed before Wu Zhao finally walked into Lingtian Pavilion again. The Imperial Master Luo Su was still the same as she had seen every time before, wearing plain clothes and slowly spreading his hands in meditation in the hall. A faint chanting sound came from the hall, which could not be cut off but the source could not be found, as if it was right next to one's ear, yet also as if it was far away in the horizon.
"The Imperial Master is so elegant. I wonder when I can be as elegant as the Imperial Master."
Luo Su slowly opened his eyes. There was no gleam in his eyes, just ordinary eyes. However, Wu Zhao felt that the light was about to penetrate Luo Su's body. There was a feeling of mist floating in the air, as if the person in front of her would slowly disperse in the next moment, just like flowing clouds.
"The Queen is from the secular world, and I am from the secular world, so it is natural."
Although Luo Su did a lot of things after he came to the world, he never considered himself as a local. He was very alienated and did not integrate into this world. He pushed everything forward step by step, and then waited for the power of time to take him away from this time. It didn't matter whether he continued to sink into the darkness or stayed awake in Valhalla.
To him, achievements, accomplishments, and history are nothing.
Wu Zhao naturally felt what Luo Su meant. She said solemnly, "Master, I came here this time because I have some questions to ask. Master, you know what I want to do, but you also know the resistance I will face. I want to know how much help the Luo family will give me."
Luo Su said calmly: "That depends on what you have accomplished and what your purpose is. When Li Shimin was alive, I once told him that with his merits, the Tang Dynasty would have many years of national fortune, but other than that, I never said anything."
In the early days, Wu Zhao naturally didn't know Luo Su's purpose, but later she had come to this point, how could she not know that the prophecy of the heroine ruling the world was the reason why Luo Su helped him. However, just this one sentence was not enough to reassure Wu Zhao, after all, this sentence was too untrue.
Wu Zhao said in a deep voice: "Master, many people will oppose this. In order to suppress these opponents, many people will die. Many people will die."
Wu Zhao was not afraid of killing. If Luo Junwei had not stopped her over the years, the number of people who died at her hands would have been countless. It would be a dream for Zhangsun Wuji, Queen Wang, Concubine Xiao and others to still be alive. Wu Zhao was the person who believed most in eradicating the roots of the evil.
The reason Wu Zhao asked this now was nothing more than she was worried about Luo's attitude. As one of the pillars of Wu Zhao's status, Luo's attitude was very important. If even Luo opposed her, she would have to lift up those useless people of the Wu family. As a monarch, sometimes one has to do unreasonable things for the sake of power.
Luo Su's voice was still light, like the clouds floating in the sky, but the words he said were icy cold, "Since ancient times, there has been no reform without killing, and there has been no reform without bloodshed. I don't mind you killing people, but since you dare to appear in politics, you must be prepared to bet your entire fortune.
Anyone who blocks the flow of history will be crushed to pieces. Luo probably thinks so, at least Weiwei thinks so. "
Wu Zhao was very excited when she heard this. With Luo Su's words, she felt relieved. She did not stay any longer and left Lingtian Pavilion after saying goodbye.
Luo Su stared at her departing back in a daze. It seemed that Wu Zhao had decided to let go completely when she came to see him this time.
The Luo family and the Li family had a close relationship, so Wu Zhao was always very worried that the Luo family would lean towards the Li family at a critical moment, but Luo Su clearly told her that as long as the Tang Dynasty was still the Li family's Tang Dynasty, she could do whatever she wanted.
At the beginning, Luo Su personally sent Prince of Yan Li Ke and others away, but in fact, Luo Su did not care about the lives of Li Ke and others. All he needed was someone to go out, and this person could be Li Ke or someone else.
As for the domestic situation, there is no need to say more. Luosu has always followed the upright path, but the upright path also means bloodshed. When Luosu was dividing the country and reforming the system, a decree caused a prince to be demoted to a commoner. You have to know that that was more than a thousand years ago in the Bang Zhou era, and there were even direct executions.
The reason why Luo Su's reform was the most successful was actually because he killed so many people. He used his own abilities to kill until he reached the bottom line before stopping.
And now Wu Zhao also wants to take this path to achieve her political goals. Luo Su can only wish her good luck. As for whether she can succeed, that is naturally inevitable. The only difference is the degree of completion.
Since it is said that women rule the world, there must be no problem. If it were not for the Luo family, with Wu Zhao's ability, she would have no problem becoming the emperor herself. After all, Wu Zhao has already figured out the support base of imperial power. She can always remove those who hinder her and bring in those who can support her.
"When will I return to heaven?"
Luo Su looked at the clear blue sky.
According to legend, ancient saints could change the situation in the world with just a word. Luo Su didn’t know what realm that was. He was also considered a saint in ancient times, but he thought he couldn’t do it.
…
Luo Su thinks he can't do it, but Wu Zhao doesn't think so. No one in this world can be sure that what they do is right, and making mistakes on top of mistakes is always common. But the national teacher Luo Su can do it. If the national teacher approves of something, then there will be absolutely no problem.
Wu Zhao had extremely strong executive abilities, and the position that suited her best was actually prime minister, but as a monarch she was not bad either.
After she returned to the palace, she immediately summoned Luo Junwei and told her everything about her conversation with Luo Su. "Since the Imperial Master agrees with my idea, we can start preparing. The first thing is to change the era name and show the world my supreme existence."
It is impossible to become emperor. Whether it is Luo Su, Luo Junwei, or others, they have hinted to Wu Zhao openly or secretly that this is the Li family's world. With Li Shimin's merits, even if a dictator appears in the Li family, the Luo family will fight to the death to protect the mandate of the Tang Dynasty once, but they can do whatever they want with the rest.
Wu Zhao wanted to tie the Luo family tightly to her chariot, so she made a very heavy promise to the Luo family. This was supported by Luo Su and also made the opposition voices in the Luo family basically disappear. Luo Junwei became the head of the Luo family, coordinating the entire Luo family and supporting Wu Zhao.
What exactly did Wu Zhao want to do?
First of all, she was going to reach the true peak of her life. In the past years, there had been many empress dowagers who held great power, and even empress dowagers like Lu Zhi who directly entered the history books like emperors, but Wu Zhao was not limited to these. She was like a queen of heaven. She liked this feeling that made people know at first glance that she was different from everyone else.
She, Wu Zhao, will definitely have an entry in the history books in the future, but there will be gaps between the two. She wants to be that unique person, and this uniqueness naturally requires many unprecedented achievements. She wants to be the one who breaks traditions and takes the lead in innovation.
If it weren't for the Luo family, Wu Zhao might have wondered whether these innovations could be preserved, but now she was not worried. The Luo family had a strong inertia and would preserve those changes that were beneficial to the world. This was Wu Zhao's understanding of the Luo family.
She dared to say that no one in the world today could understand the Luo family better than she did. After all, she and Luo Junwei could talk about anything.
As for what Wu Zhao will bring to the Luo family, that requires careful tasting. In short, it is not an indiscriminate reward. The Luo family's titles are basically based on merit and political rules. Those indiscriminate rewards are nothing more than feathers for the Luo family.
…
The first thing the Queen Mother did after she took power was both reasonable and unexpected, and that was to change the reign title!
Li Zhi and Wu Zhao regarded the reign title as a signal, a signal of the court's new policy. The purpose of changing the reign title was to let people all over the world understand from the reign title what the court was going to do, or who had the final say in the court now. The reign title of Ersheng is the most representative one.
When Wu Zetian proposed to change the reign title in the court, the ministers were not surprised. They just proposed a few reign titles according to convention, and then Wu Zetian rejected them according to convention. After all, when Li Zhi and Wu Zetian wanted to change the reign title, they had already thought about it in advance. It was not a discussion at all, but a notification.
Wu Zhao announced her new reign title in the court - Tianfeng!
This is naturally a very auspicious and grand reign title, but what did Empress Wu Zhao want to express by using this reign title?
Although people were puzzled, Wu Zhao did not keep them waiting for long and quickly explained the reason for this reign title.
"In my dream, I saw a phoenix flying out of the Luo River and then landing in the capital of the gods. This is a good omen, so I named the reign Tianfeng."
This reason is very reasonable. Although there is no theory of the correspondence between heaven and man, the auspicious omen and the dynasty are not so closely linked, but auspicious omen is auspicious omen after all. It is normal for Wu Zetian to do something based on this.
People who are well versed in politics know that this was just a cover-up by Wu Zetian. There must be deeper reasons behind changing the reign title.
In politics, any small matter may eventually lead to a big event. Most of the kings who have made achievements like to start from small things, make a big difference with a small effort, and then accomplish big things.
Before there could be any major discussion in the court and the public about Wu Zhao's change of the reign title, a whole set of administrative team restructuring had been implemented. Li Zhi and Wu Zhao's restructuring of the three provinces and six ministries was quite large. The biggest of these was to weaken the status of the Chancellery and strengthen the status of the Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel. After so many years of hard work by Li Zhi, the Secretariat Minister, who now presides over the meetings of the Council of State, has become the de facto first prime minister.
Li Zhi also did one thing, which was to gradually withdraw the heads of the three provinces and make them permanent. The heads of the three provinces, the Shangshu Zuo Pushe, two Zhongshu Ling, and two Menxia Shizhong, a total of six people. At the most exaggerated time, there was only one Zhongshu Ling and one Shizhong. The rest of the prime ministers were given the same third-rank title as their original positions. Now Wu Zetian decided to completely change this official system.
Wu Zetian sat on the throne and issued her own orders to the subjects of the world, "Imperial edict: The three provinces and six ministries are the foundation of the country. The Shangshu Ling is the second rank, and the Shangshu Pushe is the second rank. It is inappropriate. Change the Zhongshu Ling and Shizhong to the second rank."
As soon as Wu Zhao said this, the prime minister and others below immediately understood what she was going to do. With this change, the Minister of the Central Secretariat and the Palace Attendant would be of the same rank as the Shangshu Zuo Pushe and Zuo Pushe. It also meant that these six official prime ministers would probably not be permanent in the future.
Then he will be the third rank official under the Secretariat and will be the official prime minister in the future!
No, the Zhongshu Ling and Shizhong were both second-rank officials, which meant that the third-rank official position of Zhongshu Menxia no longer existed. The second-level prime minister and the Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi were the official prime ministers.
Of course, whoever can get the position of governor of three provinces, needless to say, will naturally become the official prime minister, or even the chief prime minister.
No one expected that Wu Zhao would not only change this, she then said: "The Zhongshu Province was changed to Fengge, the Menxia Province was changed to Luantai, and the six ministries were restored to the system of Bang Zhou. This is my respect for the Su Wang Zhou clan."
Changing the names of administrative agencies is a common thing in history, but it usually happens when the form of governance changes, and then the system is reformed to adapt to the new situation. Some temporary agencies are used for a long time. The county system was changed to the prefecture-county system. This is the case. The three provinces and six ministries also came into being in this way.
But it is rare for someone to change her name directly without changing the organization's functions like Wu Zhao did. But her expression was very serious, so the prime ministers did not say anything. For Wu Zhao, this was not just a change of name, it also represented a new world. This was by no means superficial. From the reign title to the official position, the changes in all aspects would make everyone realize the changes of the times.
Wu Zhao's personality is different from Lu Zhi's. She thinks that since I have made changes, everyone should know.
No one among the prime ministers and ministers objected to Wu Zetian's reforms, because they really did not involve conflicts of interest and were just changing a few names. Only a conspirator would think that Wu Zetian had a plan by changing a few names.
But in fact, Wu Zetian did have a plan, and the court officials would not object. This was something Wu Zetian had expected a long time ago. This is the essence of the salami-slicing tactic, which is to influence people subtly bit by bit.
After the year name and official positions were changed, at Wu Zhao's call, there was a trend of learning Bang Zhou culture from top to bottom in the Tang Dynasty. In fact, it was learning Su Wang's culture. This time many people realized that something was wrong. The Queen had ulterior motives.
What exactly is this intended to do?
In fact, it is very simple. Wu Zhao was changing the political atmosphere and political practices, using another culture to hedge against the current Tang Dynasty. That is, she muddied the water first and then took action to reduce the voice of the opposition.
After many changes in the reign title, official system, color, etc., Wu Zhao finally released her ultimate killer move.
…
"Respect the Emperor of Heaven, and destroy all the sacrifices!"
When Wu Zhao uttered these six words in a sonorous and powerful voice on the throne, the hall fell into silence.
"Your Majesty, I don't understand what you mean."
"Your Majesty, please explain to me."
After one person spoke, voices rose one after another in the hall. This was really shocking. You know, since ancient times, the land of Zhuxia has been famous for its tolerance. In the current Tang Dynasty, various religions also exist, including minor gods in many places.
And now what does the Queen want to do?
Destroy all sacrifices!
Is this what they imagined it to mean?
Several members of the Luo family in the palace were a little excited. Among the ministers, Wu Zhao had only discussed this matter with Luo Junwei.
"The Minister of Personnel will answer this for you gentlemen."
Luo Junwei is now the chief prime minister, with the title of Minister of Personnel and Tongfengge Luantai Pingzhangshi.
After receiving the order, she stepped out and said loudly: "Since ancient times, there have been many beliefs. There are countless interpretations of the word 'heaven' alone. Your Majesty believes that this is not conducive to the worship of the subjects of the world, so we must worship the Su Wang Shang Huang Tian. Since the time of the previous emperor, our Tang Dynasty has respected Huang Tian as the most respected. Now, Your Majesty is saying that we must completely respect Huang Tian as the most respected. In the future, no other person or god will be allowed to be above Huang Tian, or be mentioned on the same level as Huang Tian, at any official or folk level.
This is the Supreme Heaven.
As for the extermination of all the gods, those lewd gods that are incompatible with the imperial system must be exterminated, and no one will be allowed to offer sacrifices to them in the future."
Exaggeration, too exaggerated!
The ministers in the palace were simply dumbfounded when they heard this. The Queen Mother was going to launch an unprecedented persecution. Compared with this persecution, the actions against Buddhism and Taoism during the Southern and Northern Dynasties were nothing.
After Luo Junwei finished speaking, Wu Zhao also spoke: "I have always known that the Western Region Xuanmen uses the Su Wang as its title. It is said that there are thousands of temples and monasteries, and each of them has a Su Wang statue. Therefore, they have always been competing with my Tang Dynasty. I am very moved.
Are there so many statues of gods in my Central Plains?
For countless years, the Central Plains has never paid attention to this aspect. I think this is inappropriate. From today on, I will build a Suwang Temple in each of the six capitals of the Tang Dynasty.
In my Great Tang Dynasty, there are Ten Holy Kings in Luoyang. Luoyang Temples worship the Ten Holy Kings as companions. Not only that, in states and counties, there must be a second-class Suwang Temple. Each of them is based on different levels and regions. Gods, ancient sages, famous generals, etc. are honored. The names of the honored people must be reviewed by the court.
Officials from all regions must go to worship on time and on festival days. If there is any delay, I will punish them severely."
I see!
The Queen Mother is not doing things casually. She wants to use the King of Su to plan the ideology of the world and integrate the thoughts once again. Now the beliefs in the Western Regions are very unified. It is said that the beliefs in India and Central Asia have also been unified.
However, in the Central Plains, the three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are in chaos and influence each other, and it is unclear which one is superior. This is obviously not conducive to the integration of the Central Plains. Now Wu Zhao takes direct action. Since you can't tell the winner, and I don't have time to wait for you to integrate, then just merge into one, absorb what can be absorbed, and let those who cannot be absorbed just die.
Worshipping the Su Wang along with the Ten Holy Kings is the true way to honor the Emperor of Heaven. Nothing can surpass this, not to mention building Su Wang temples in every state and county and selecting their own candidates for worship.
The court holds this power, which will greatly enhance its influence on the grassroots. Some saints, such as the two saints Luo and Kong, and Laozi, must be worshipped in the capital city, and even in every Suwang Temple.
Looking at the shocked eyes of all the ministers in the hall, Wu Zhao couldn't help but feel proud. When she first proposed this idea, even Luo Junwei was quite shocked, but this was something Luo could never refuse.
Even Luo Su could not refuse. Ever since Wu Zhao started the reform, a steady stream of luck points began to flow to the Luo family. The biggest beneficiary of this reform was the Luo family. Both the renovation of the Zhou clan and the involvement with the Phoenix had benefited the Luo family a lot.
Not to mention the benefits brought about by Ji Zhao's greatly improved status.
It can be said to be a true win-win, win-win-win situation. In this matter, it is not even clear who is the loser.
There is another reason that Luo Su will not refuse, that is, with Wu Zhao's actions, the reputation of the Luo family, which has been stagnant for a long time, has begun to rise again, and it has taken a solid step towards all-round dominance over the people of China. To achieve all-round dominance over the people of China is no small achievement for the Luo family.
The current reputation of the Luo family is roughly like this. In Liaodong and the Western Regions, it has reached the top. As for being unrivaled in the world, according to Luo Su's understanding, it is quite different. He always has a feeling that it is not a good thing if the Luo family really reaches the level of being unrivaled in the world. He has a vague feeling of having a sharp knife over his head.
[Family Reputation: (Unparalleled in the world; Awe-inspiring; Pillar of the nation; The wisest of the states and counties; A wise family in the countryside)
Central Plains: The Pillar of the National Dynasty
Liaodong: The Power of the Middle Kingdom
Grassland: Tianzhu of Guochao
Western Regions: Terrifying the Other Worlds
Gaoyuan: The wise man of the state and county]
After the political slogan of "respecting the Emperor of Heaven and eliminating all sacrifices" was put forward, no one paid attention to the previous reign titles and other things. The influence of Empress Wu Zhao on the world was so great that it exceeded many people's imagination. The massive political action that affected the world began with the imperial edicts sent to various states and counties.
This is a typical political task. There is room for maneuver in other things, but there is never any room for maneuver in political tasks. If you do it well, you can be promoted quickly, but if you do it poorly, you may lose your head on the spot.
Wu Zhao was like a ruler holding a whip, and all the officials of the empire were driven by her to achieve the goal, but only a few people knew the real goal. The reform to this point was not the ultimate goal.
Li Zhi is not Li Yuan.
He was still the one who truly held power, and Wu Zetian would not really ignore him. When Wu Zetian and Li Zhi slept in the same bed, she would tell Li Zhi what she had done.
Li Zhi was moved when he heard what Wu Zhao had done. He knew Wu Zhao very well. "Mei Niang, you are really amazing. There are not many women in ancient times who can compare to you."
Hearing Li Zhi's praise and the name Mei Niang, Wu Zhao smiled and said, "What does it matter? Once I accomplish that task, the whole history will truly remember my name."
That thing.
Li Zhi was silent for a long time, and he sighed, "You are really brave, daring to go against the world, but when I think it's you, I think it's very normal. It seems that you have always been such a person who doesn't play by the rules.
I don't know if I can wait until that day. It is highly likely that I won't be able to wait until then. It is not easy to destroy all the sacrifices.
But after this is done, can we have another clash with the Western Region Xuanmen?"
Li Zhi still couldn't let it go, Wu Zhao laughed and said: "Your Majesty, forget it, Tubo is the biggest enemy, it is more important to dismember Tubo first, and the rest of the things can be put aside for later.
The Xuanmen in the Western Region is not easy to deal with for the time being. We have to wait until a dispute arises within the Western Region itself. Among the rulers of the Western Region in this generation, there are many heroes, but according to news, there are many useless people in the next generation.
Our Great Tang is glorious and powerful. One day, the leader of the Xuanmen will completely submit to the throne of the Great Tang Emperor. Your Majesty, don't worry, time is on our side."
Li Zhi nodded helplessly. The problems that could not be solved in the past were not so easy to solve now.
"What do you think of Taiping's marriage?"
After they stopped talking about the Western Regions, Li Zhi asked about this matter. Wu Zhao put away her smile and said, "Recently, I am preparing to summon the sons of the Luo family who are of the right age to come to Beijing. There is no problem with the character of these sons, but I want to examine their talents. Whoever marries Taiping will be the most prominent person in the Luo family in the Tang Dynasty in the future. I have to make a careful selection."
Li Zhi said after a long while: "When you have chosen, bring it to me for a look."
————
Under Li Zhi's initiative to give up power, after a series of reforms in the first year of Tianfeng, Wu Zhao completely established her authority in the central government of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty went from the era of two emperors ruling the country to the era of female rulers. Wu Zhao used her wisdom to complete the mission given to her by the times. Under her throne, a woman she called "similar to me" was slowly walking, and a new chapter in history was opened. ——"The Rise and Fall of the Tang Empire"
(End of this chapter)
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