Chapter 959: The Final Step of the Integration of Li and Luo
The sun was rising, and its golden light shone into the backyard of Princess Taiping's mansion. There was an endless symphony of loud shouts. The royal consort Luo Qianqiu was dressed in tight clothes, with a burly figure and a lance in both hands. He was not riding a horse, but he had the power of a dragon as he walked. He danced with the bladeless lance so tightly that there was even air rising from his body, lingering around him, making people feel like the ancient King Xiang reborn.
"My dear, the princess is back."
Hearing this, Luo Qianqiu threw the lance in his hand to the side, and it landed steadily on the weapon rack. Generally speaking, Princess Taiping would stay in the palace and would come back after lunch. Today, she came back early. He hurried to the front hall and saw Taiping coming in a hurry. When Princess Taiping saw Luo Qianqiu, her eyes lit up and she went straight up to him and took his hand, "My husband, come to the room. I have something to tell you."
Seeing Taiping's serious expression and a little anxious, Luo Qianqiu did not delay in asking more questions. Instead, he held Taiping's plump and slender hand and went to their room. After entering the room, Taiping immediately dismissed everyone and only left a dozen maids transformed from spirit soldiers to guard outside. Seeing Princess Taiping being so cautious, Luo Qianqiu became even more curious.
Princess Taiping's face flushed inexplicably, her eyes were bloodshot from not sleeping all night, but there was a hint of excitement in her eyes. As a descendant of the Li family, she often only needed a little guidance. "My husband, my brother the emperor wants to abdicate, and my mother and I want to make me the crown princess."
Shocking!
Crown Princess!
When this rather unfamiliar word was laid bare before Luo Qianqiu, he felt his head suddenly buzz and went dark. His strong body could not help but sway slightly until Princess Taiping supported him and the fragrance came to him. He woke up and said slowly, "So that's how it is."
Countless scenes flashed before Luo Qianqiu's eyes, and countless elders' teachings flashed before him. At this moment, all the mysteries were explained.
Princess Taiping knew Luo Qianqiu well, and she knew that he shouldn't have this shocked yet enlightened expression, unless he knew something that she didn't know. When she thought of this, Taiping's face was suddenly full of tension, and she held his hand and asked, "Husband, is there anything wrong with this?"
Luo Qianqiu had already woken up from the shock of the initial discovery. Looking at the bright and eye-catching peonies in the garden outside the house, he said with emotion: "It just suddenly felt that there were already traces of it. At the beginning, our young marriage, the ancestor took the initiative to come and see it. Do you remember what he said?"
As soon as Luo Qianqiu mentioned this, Princess Taiping's memories immediately flew back to the day of her wedding. On that day, there was a ten-mile long red wedding, a grand ceremony, and many ministers came to congratulate her. The whole city of Shendu was echoing with the music of her marriage. But what was equally unforgettable on that day was that the national master came in person to see the newlyweds.
Even in the Luo family, this is special, because not every Luo family member’s marriage will be attended by the state master. Princess Taiping will never forget the day when the old ancestor looked at her and nodded in approval, saying, “The final step of the union of Li and Luo should be here.”
Princess Taiping knew that Li Luo was in harmony.
She knew that the Luo family was different from other noble families. In today's world, many families were not willing to marry into the royal family, but preferred to marry into those noble families who had been distinguished for generations. Wei Zheng and Fang Xuanling during the reign of Emperor Taizong were both representatives of such poor scholars, not to mention those aristocratic families.
But if you look into it more deeply, it is not that they really think those so-called high-class families are nobler than the royal family, but it is precisely that the princess is too noble politically. After marrying her, the whole family finds it difficult to put themselves in the right position. They can neither place themselves above the princess, because that is tantamount to placing themselves above the imperial power, nor are they willing to compromise under the princess. Because the princess's father or brother is the emperor, after an ordinary woman complains to her parents' family, in the end it is just a quarrel between them, but if the princess complains, the whole family may be doomed.
Moreover, noble ladies usually have better family education and meet the standard of marrying a virtuous wife. Unlike the suddenly rising royal family, how the princess looks like is really a matter of luck. In addition, noble families already have political privileges and advantages in books, family, etc., so they do not need to rely too much on the special care of the royal family in their official careers, so naturally they do not want to be involved with the princess.
But Princess Taiping knew that there had always been plans within the Luo family to intermarry with the royal family, so since the founding of the country, the Luo family had been consciously marrying princesses into the Luo family. If they wanted to avoid suspicion, the Luo family could have simply not married into the royal family.
But in fact, when faced with royal marriage arrangements, the Luo family had never refused, from the first Princess Pingyang, to the second generation Empress Zhangsun's legitimate daughter marrying into the Luo family, until now she is married to Luo Qianqiu.
Her elder sister, Princess Anding, after her health had recovered, traveled to the Western Regions to become a disciple of the Lord of Xuanmen and became the Saint of Xuanmen. In fact, she was getting married. Here I have to say that at the end of the Zhenguan period, the Saint of Xuanmen, Zhao Daier, came to the Central Plains to pay tribute, and finally brought the direct descendants of the Luo family with the character "Jun" back to the Western Regions. Zhao Daier took this opportunity to become the Lord of Xuanmen after Luo Xuanzang. Two years later, she gave birth to her current son, who was born with a holy mark. The Holy Mark lineage of the Western Regions began to be passed down from here.
As for accepting Princess Anding as a student, it was because in Xuanmen, the religious teacher-student relationship is no less important than that of family members, and there is even inheritance right. Therefore, choosing a teacher is very important for people in Xuanmen. At a certain period of time, some people even accepted their own children as students. Now, if the high-level officials of Xuanmen have illegitimate but particularly beloved children, they will choose a teacher for their illegitimate children.
The legal children here are called legitimate sons in the Central Plains, and the illegal children are called illegitimate sons. Xuanmen is a religion after all. Although marriage is not prohibited, having many wives and concubines does not conform to the style of Qing monks. Therefore, in Xuanmen, there is no system of wives and concubines. Illegitimate sons have no inheritance rights at all and should be called illegitimate children, which are considered bad seeds.
Princess Anding was born into the royal family of the Tang Dynasty. She was accepted as a disciple by the Lord of Xuanmen and married to the son of the commander of the temple army. In terms of her future, she had a bright future. Although everyone knew that she was a pawn used by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to maintain relations with the Western Regions, no one would disrespect her.
After all, the commander of the temple army can be considered a relative of hers. Although they are not related by blood, Luo Junwei is Princess Anding's cousin, and the commander of the temple army, her father-in-law, is Luo Junwei's younger brother. It is not excessive for Princess Anding to call him cousin.
By this calculation, all the legitimate daughters since the founding of the Tang Dynasty have married into the Luo family. After three generations, the relationship between the Li family and the Luo family has become extremely close. When people talk about the Luo family, they automatically regard them as royal relatives.
But does this mean that Li and Luo are united?
What the Luo family is pursuing is a relationship like the one they had with Ji Jiang back then. Ji Jiang supported them through generations and they walked side by side for countless years. But now, it is obviously far worse than the Ji Jiang back then.
You must know that the reason why the Ji-Jiang relationship was so stable was inseparable from blood ties. Every generation of Zhou emperors had countless Jiang blood flowing in their bodies, and countless Ji blood flowing in the bodies of Jiang princes. Just as when the last monarch of Qi was dying, he was proud and proud of the blood of Su Wang in his body. At that time, Su Wang was not just the ancestor god of the Luo family.
But it is not the case with the Luo and Li families now. Their relationship is indeed very close, but in fact, the blood of the Luo family does not flow in the body of every generation of emperors, because the Luo family did not marry outside the family, but only married princesses, who were ultimately collateral relatives and could not affect the true bloodline of the emperor. What is even more difficult is that it is not that the Luo family is unwilling to marry, but the men of the Li family are a little unsuitable for the Luo family women's choice of spouse. Even if they don't care about other things, they can't stand the fact that Li is amorous.
When this reality was placed before Luo Su, even he, who thought he was extremely familiar with the principles of heaven and earth, felt what it meant that there must be a divine will in the dark. It was he who proposed the integration of Li and Luo. It was the fastest way to get the Luo family back to the top and even surpass their former peak. Facts have proved that his method is very effective. Now, the Luo family has been at the center for three consecutive generations, profoundly influencing the world, and completely surpassing the Han Dynasty and was about to touch the Bang Zhou Dynasty.
When proposing this plan, Luo Su was thinking, what should be done if there was a generation of Li's princesses who were impeccable. Now that the plan is going smoothly, it is actually related to the high quality of these three generations of princesses. Not to mention Princess Pingyang, she would be a remarkable woman in any period of history. Each of the three legitimate daughters of Empress Zhangsun is very outstanding, not only beautiful, but also with good character. Princess Taiping is equally outstanding, no less than Princess Pingyang, and was even chosen as the crown princess by Wu Zetian and Luo Junwei, two experienced politicians, to inherit this huge empire.
If you don't think about the future, you will have immediate worries. If you don't consider what you may encounter in the future, you will surely be abandoned. At this time, the prophecy of the heroine ruling the world came into Luo Su's sight, and it became clearer and clearer. He couldn't help but sigh that this was the key that fate threw to him, asking him to solve the final problem. What should he do to solve the final step of the integration of Li and Luo?
That naturally means giving birth to an emperor with Luo's bloodline. From this point of view, isn't Princess Taiping a must-have candidate?
She was so similar to her mother, with abundant energy. Wu Zhao gave birth to children one after another, but was still able to manage the palace on one hand and help Li Zhi govern the country on the other. She gave birth to four sons and two daughters without encountering any fertility crisis. Even in an ordinary family, she would be praised for being a lucky charm for her husband.
She also has outstanding political talent, far surpassing her brother. She can take on important responsibilities and has the potential to become a leader.
When the heroine of the world and Li Luo were united, they all gathered on Princess Taiping. It was so ingenious that even Luo Su couldn't help but marvel at it. What was this?
Based on reality, Wu Zhao placed what she should have achieved on Princess Taiping, but Wu Zhao was still different. While Wu Zhao was taking action, Luo Su also placed the fate of the Luo family on Princess Taiping and Luo Qianqiu. The Luo family will reach a new peak with Princess Taiping and her son, and even surpass the Bang Zhou period.
Princess Taiping and Luo Qianqiu embraced each other in the room. A tranquil atmosphere enveloped everything. After countless thoughts diverged, the things that were brought back were like a net that enveloped both of them. This net would not hurt them, but it forced them to move forward and they could not stop.
Luo Qianqiu whispered after a long while: "Madam, if His Majesty really makes you the Crown Princess, I will stand firm for you, just like I said before we got married."
Princess Taiping knew what Luo Qianqiu was talking about and rubbed against his arms.
There will definitely be people who oppose a woman becoming an emperor. Even if the procedure is legal, there will be people who take the opportunity to cause trouble. There has never been a shortage of ambitious people and fools in this world. Speaking of this, we have to mention that King Yan Li Ke is indeed talented. He really was able to stay in Mobei for so many years and not enter the Central Plains. If he really went south, I'm afraid Li Zhi would only laugh, and finally have a chance to deal with him, but he really stayed in Mobei and asked the Central Plains for population, which put the Central Plains in a dilemma.
In the past, the grasslands would go south to forage for food and plunder the population, but now the grasslands directly ask for it, and the court has to give it to them. Once it does, it will be accused of hindering the sinicization of the grasslands. Moreover, allowing some uncivilized tribes on the border to invade the south is very uncomfortable.
Luo Qianqiu heard that Prince Yan Li Ke had been in poor health in recent years and might die in the next few years. Would his son still be able to make such a strategic decision by then?
It’s hard to say.
At that time, if Taiping really became the emperor, he would definitely go out to fight and redress the discontent for her, especially since it involved these clans, which would be very difficult to deal with.
But now Princess Taiping didn't want to think about these things. "My husband, if we can really become the Crown Princess, or even the Emperor, we can't be without an heir. We must give birth to a child as soon as possible."
After saying that, she pressed Luo Qianqiu on the bed, pretending to be domineering. Although she was tall among women, she was not good enough in front of a strong man like Luo Qianqiu. Luo Qianqiu turned Princess Taiping over with one hand and pressed her under him.
…
In Lingtian Pavilion, Luo Junwei reported to Luo Su about her showdown with Wu Zhao and Princess Taiping last night. Luo Su nodded gently and said, "Just follow the Queen's plan. She has been planning for many years, so there shouldn't be anything missing."
Luo Junwei asked excitedly, "Grandfather, this thing will definitely succeed. If it is done, will it be of great benefit to the family? You said that when you woke up, the family was already exhausted. After this is done, will it be completely restored?"
In the Luo family, the former Luo Xuanjing and the current Luo Junwei are among the disciples who know the Luo family best. Since the two of them had been with Luo Su for a long time, they are very clear about the situation that the Luo family faced at the time. Luo Junwei's active involvement in officialdom in recent years is not unrelated to this matter.
Luo Su chuckled when he heard this and touched Luo Junwei's head.
The two sat opposite each other, Luo Junwei gradually grew older, while Luo Su remained the same, but the relationship between the two was still so harmonious. Luo Su was like this, anyone in front of him would give people a childish feeling. He was really too old, not in his appearance, but in the breath of time.
"Don't worry, Weiwei. The family's deficit has been made up, and the income from these years is enough to consume it."
Luo Su said with a smile that the Tang Dynasty had been established for so many years, and it would be ridiculous if it still could not make up for the losses. The Luo family's status had grown, the status of the Divine Capital Luoyang had been established, and there were some other matters, all of which made the Luo family's current situation very good. "I am a little worried that this time the family will be too stretched. After Princess Taiping ascends the throne, should some of the family's power be reduced?
I am wondering when the Su Wang will summon me again, and whether I will have the opportunity to point the way forward for the family at the next critical fateful decision."
Luo Junwei could not understand what Luo Su said, including what he meant by whether it would put too much pressure on the family. But she understood the last sentence, that being summoned by the Su King meant death. Of course, for the ancestor, it was not a sad thing, but a good thing. After all, the ancestor was someone who could clearly ascend to heaven and see the Su King, unlike them, his descendants.
…
In the side hall next to the Tianshou Hall, the ministers who were waiting to attend the court were chatting in twos and threes. Then they received a piece of news from the etiquette officer. The ministers were shocked to learn that the emperor would actually attend the court today!
There must be something wrong when things are out of the ordinary. In just a moment, these old foxes knew that something big had happened. Almost everyone in the hall could not help but whisper to each other, asking others if they knew what had happened.
The answer is definitely, no one knows.
If there is no answer to a question in the court, then go ask the Heavenly Official Luo Junwei. As the executive deputy Queen Mother of Heaven of the Tang Dynasty and the chief prime minister who lives in the Queen Mother's bedroom for more than two hundred days a year, there is nothing she doesn't know.
Senior officials above the fourth rank surrounded Luo Junwei and asked in a low voice, "Prime Minister Luo, do you know what happened? Why did His Majesty come to court?"
As soon as this question came out, Luo Junwei couldn't hold back and pretended to scold loudly: "Isn't it normal for the emperor to attend court? Isn't the government just for the ministers to tell His Majesty?"
This was indeed true, and it made everyone feel very uncomfortable. Luo Xiang was really an expert at pretending to be confused. His words were flawless, as if the emperor's failure to attend court was caused by us.
But Luo Junwei was unwilling to speak, and everyone knew that this matter was indeed a big deal. Even Luo Junwei was unwilling to say it. As for whether there was a possibility that Luo Junwei said it, it was really impossible for something to happen. If it was a few years ago, they would still believe it, but after these years of lessons, anyone who believed it would be a fool.
In the Tang Dynasty, in the city of Chang'an, and in the imperial court, there was nothing that Luo Junwei didn't know.
Just as he was thinking about these years, the eunuch came to inform him, "My Lords, it's time to go to court!"
The court officials lined up in rows and went to the main hall of Tianshou Hall. After they sat down according to their seats, not long after, they saw the emperor supporting the empress dowager and walking out from the back. He then helped the empress dowager sit on the throne, while Emperor Li Dan sat on the throne next to it.
This sitting posture is also the current pattern of the Tang Dynasty. Li Dan, who does not have the throne of the emperor, is much lower in status than the Empress Wu Zetian. For example, when Xuanmen sent envoys to congratulate Li Dan on his succession to the throne, they treated Wu Zetian with the etiquette of a vassal, but treated Li Dan with the etiquette of a monarch of a friendly country.
Accompanied by the ringing of bells.
The court affairs officially began. There had not been any major events in the court recently, otherwise Wu Zetian would not have chosen this time to do this. All the prime ministers were silent, and the court affairs were declared over after a few low-level officials spoke. In fact, there were still some things to do, but most people realized that something was wrong, so they kept silent.
After ringing the bell again, seeing that no one spoke, Li Dan's chubby face showed some nervousness, he took a deep breath, and then said: "My lords.
Because I was born as the legitimate son of the previous emperor and was favored by the Empress, I was able to serve the ancestral temple despite my humble status. However, since I ascended the throne, I have made no achievements and my virtues have not moved the Emperor of Heaven. As a result, the previous emperor's mandate of heaven still rests on my mother's crown, and the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty has never had the mandate of heaven on his crown. This is my fault."
The emperor admitted his mistake right away, but he did not issue a self-criticism edict. It was shocking. There are different ways to admit mistakes. The essence of admitting mistakes is to seek forgiveness. For example, admitting mistakes to heaven is to hope that heaven can give another chance. However, the emperor's way of admitting mistakes is like stabbing himself with a knife. He directly said that he did not get recognition from heaven. What is the difference between this and an official saying that he is unfilial?
The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was indeed criticized by his subjects in private for not ascending the throne. But since he had the Empress there, there was no problem in following the Mandate of Heaven. As the political leader of the Tang Dynasty, it was enough for him to be the Emperor. Even if it was true that he was guilty because he did not have the throne, could he say so?
If the emperor didn't mention it, no one would be stupid enough to mention it.
And it's not that there are no excuses. Such things have happened in history. Emperor Guangwu of Han clearly recorded that he failed in his first attempt to inherit the throne as the Emperor of Han, but he later became the emperor. If someone used the fact that Li Dan did not have the throne, Li Dan could have said, "I have never been the emperor, so I must serve the Heaven more sincerely in the hope of receiving His blessing." Who could argue against this?
But now that the emperor has self-destructed, we have to deal with this matter. As for how to deal with it, there is no need to say more. Apart from abdicating, what else can we do? Is this emperor crazy?
Li Dan was still speaking, but many people could no longer listen. "I feel that I cannot bear the burden of the country, and I cannot shoulder the responsibility of the country, so I abdicate here. Please ask the Queen to choose another wise man from the clan to be the emperor to protect the country."
When Li Dan said that he would voluntarily abdicate, there was silence in the hall and everyone was so shocked that they were speechless.
The next moment, the ministers rushed out from their seats, knelt on the ground like a golden mountain overturned jade pillar, and cried bitterly: "Your Majesty, no, no, how can you abandon the country and leave?
I beg you to take back this ridiculous idea, I beg you to take it back!"
It would be a joke if an emperor wanted to abdicate and no one came out to stop him. Although Li Dan had not done any good deeds, he had not done anything wrong either. He was just a puppet, so what else did he want?
But for many people, this is as serious as the collapse of the sky and the earth. Any emperor represents a huge force. When Li Xian and Li Dan were fighting for the throne, many people instigated them behind the scenes just for the rewards after they became emperors. But Li Dan simply gave up, which meant that the interests of countless people would be lost.
The Queen Mother now calls the shots in the world, and this is something everyone knows. But the Queen Mother is old after all. There are too many such things in history. The Queen Mother is in power, but after the Queen Mother dies, the power will eventually fall into the hands of the Emperor. Li Dan is Wu Zhao's youngest son and can definitely handle it.
Why was he in such a hurry to abdicate? Once he abdicated, the result would be different. Now that Li Dan has abdicated, would the King of Wei take the throne?
When the ministers who had helped Li Dan come to power thought of this, they felt terrified. If Li Xian came to power, it would be better to destroy him directly. If Li Xian really came to power, would they be able to have a good ending?
It's just a dream!
They had too many reasons not to let Li Xian take the throne. Even calling back Prince Wei Li Xian would be better than Li Xian.
Along with this minister, many other ministers came out. The ministers who were once members of Li Xian's party at the table all had their eyes filled with surprise. They never expected that the emperor would give them such a big surprise.
They just wanted to ask, what does "Your Majesty, we are ready to fight to the death, why did you surrender first?" mean?
There was a sudden noise in the hall, and then a stern voice came from above, "Silence!"
It’s the voice of the queen!
The hall suddenly became quiet. Looking at this scene, Li Dan had some envy in his eyes. This was the self he imagined himself to be, the king he imagined, who could make all the ministers bow their heads with just one word, not like this now.
I am indeed not fit to be an emperor.
Li Dan thought so in his heart.
No one could see the expression on the Queen's face after the crown and tassels were removed. Everyone could only hear the Queen's voice without any change as she asked calmly, "Emperor, your words are not a joke. If you say this in front of all the ministers today, there will be no room for maneuver in the future."
Li Dan bowed to Wu Zhao and said, "Mother, I am serious. The burden of this country should be handed over to someone who can inherit the destiny of the emperor, not a mediocre person like my son."
"In that case, I will grant your request."
Right in front of everyone, they watched this mother and son complete such a conversation.
The emperor abdicated just like that?
No one could believe what they saw!
————
When he was young, he was kind and cowardly. The Queen Mother felt pity and disgust for him every time she saw him. But when he inherited the country and became the emperor, he was unable to do anything. The Queen Mother said, "Since you like splendor, are good at calligraphy and painting, and enjoy pleasure, you should be a rich and noble man. How can you occupy the throne and harm the world?"
Dan said: "Since the Three Dynasties, many people have fought and killed for the throne. I am willing to give up the throne and take the lead in the world."
The Empress praised him and said that he had the style of the Three Dynasties. She gave him the title of Prince of Xiang. When he died, Emperor Shizong was grateful for his abdication and posthumously named him "Rang Emperor" and enshrined him in the Imperial Temple. - "Book of Tang: Biographies of the Sons of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Tian"
Book title: Fairy, you are forcing me to eat soft rice, right?
Introduction: "Mr. Meng, as a well-known fairy killer and demon girl reaper in the cultivation world, do you have any experience to share with those who eat gigolos?"
"Rumors, absolute rumors!"
Meng Ji looked serious:
"I emphasize again, I was forced by them!"
…
When you wake up,
Meng Ji became a useless young man from a family of cultivators.
His mother died early, his physical condition was extremely poor, and his fiancée came to break off the engagement!
Just when Meng Ji thought he was going to go back to the old path of "Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west, don't look down on the young and poor".
However, he awakened an amazing physique that drove all the female cultivators in the world crazy.
then,
Meng Ji's life has changed a little bit...
(End of this chapter)
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