People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1513: Li Xuan and Empress Wu's First Face-to-Face Confrontation

Empress Wu stood in front of the imperial couch, frowned, shook her head and said, "Xuan, Heng, Jing, Zhao, none of them can show the virtue of the late emperor. In my opinion, I will choose the character 'Da'.

Zetian was named after Emperor Yao, and was called "Great". Her posthumous title was "Tianhuang Dadi" and her temple name was "Gaozong". She was called "Tianhuang Dadi" by the Tang Dynasty.

The ministers were shocked.

Great, Zetian follows the example of Yao and is called great.

That means to be with the ancient wise kings Yao and Shun.

This is an extremely noble posthumous title.

Undoubtedly, the late emperor was indeed a wise ruler, but his posthumous title of "Da" is somewhat exaggerated.

Empress Wu narrowed her eyes and looked at the ministers, with a flash of murderous intent in her eyes.

"I obey your order!" Minister of Rites Wei Daijia bowed first.

All the ministers immediately bowed their heads and said, "We obey your orders."

Li Xuan raised his eyes slightly and fell on Li Xian.

Li Xian also nodded.

As for the posthumous title of the late emperor, the new emperor was just being filial, and Empress Wu was the late emperor's wife. If they just opened their mouths to object, they would be offending both the new emperor and Empress Wu at the same time.

Once the posthumous title was decided, the next step was to build the mausoleum.

When the emperor died, he was entertained for seven days and buried in the seventh month.

The reason why it took so long, apart from the etiquette, was more because the task of building the mausoleum was too serious.

Pei Yan held the will in his hand, looked up at the ministers and said, "The Minister of Works, Huang Rensu."

"I'm here." Huang Rensu stepped forward solemnly and bowed.

"What's the current situation with the late emperor's mausoleum?" Pei Yan looked at Huang Rensu solemnly.

For a moment, Empress Wu, Li Xian, and all the officials in the court all looked at Huang Rensu.

Especially for Empress Wu, the emperor's mausoleum was also where she lived a hundred years later.

Huang Rensu bowed his hands and looked at Empress Wu and said, "Your Majesty, when the late emperor first ascended the throne, he sent the historian Li Chunfeng to search for a good feng shui site in Yongzhou. He finally chose Liangshan, north of Shangyi County, as the site for his mausoleum. He named the mausoleum Qianling and began construction. Over the years, nearly 70% of the work has been done."

Empress Wu nodded slightly. The site selection and construction of the late emperor's mausoleum had begun since the late emperor ascended the throne.

However, the amount of funds allocated to Qianling Mausoleum each year is not much, and in some difficult years, this money would even be withdrawn.

The late emperor was not the kind of person who paid much attention to building the mausoleum, so even after more than 30 years, the construction work was only 70% completed.

"How long will it take to complete?" Empress Wu looked at Huang Rensu calmly.

Huang Rensu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, from today on, we will mobilize the craftsmen, soldiers, and civilians to prepare materials. We will start the work after the spring comes. If everything goes well, it should be completed by the end of March or early April next year."

Empress Wu nodded, looked at Huang Rensu with satisfaction, and said, "Huang Qing is good at talking. Everything went well. If there was an accident, what was it?"

Huang Rensu bowed his head and clasped his hands, saying, "It's like an earthquake, a solar eclipse, floods, etc., which may last for one or two months."

"That will be June of next year." Empress Wu nodded slightly and looked at Lin Renji, the Minister of the Imperial Household, and said, "Minister Lin, the Imperial Household will select an auspicious day in June of next year for your mausoleum. In addition, the selection of the late emperor's funeral attendants will also begin from now on. There must be no mistakes."

"Yes!" Lin Renji immediately stood up and bowed.

Empress Wu looked at Huang Rensu and said, "Since the death of the previous emperor, there are still many improvements that need to be made in the construction of Qianling Mausoleum. The Ministry of Works will be responsible for the implementation, and the Ministry of Revenue will be responsible for the supply of money and grain."

"Mr. Lu." Empress Wu looked at Lu Yuanfang.

Lu Yuanfang, who had just taken office as the Minister of Revenue, immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I am here."

"You will be the envoy of the mountain and mausoleum, in charge of coordinating the construction of Qianling Mausoleum, calculating the engineering costs, and managing the financial expenditures. Huang Qing will be the deputy envoy of the mountain and mausoleum, and he will personally go to Qianling Mausoleum to supervise the construction." Empress Wu looked at the two of them solemnly.

"We obey your order!" Huang Rensu and Lu Yuanfang bowed at the same time.

Li Xuan lowered his head slightly. Although Huang Rensu and Lu Yuanfang didn't have much contact with him, they had a very good relationship with him.

Although Empress Wu now had the legitimate reason to transfer the two men away, Li Xuan always felt that Empress Wu was targeting him.

"Mr. Liu." Empress Wu looked at the Imperial Court Assistant Minister, Liu Jingxian, and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Liu, you are allowed to know about the mausoleum affairs. If Prime Minister Pei, when this palace and the Emperor are not available, you can make your own decisions."

"Yes!" Liu Jingxian stepped forward and bowed seriously.

The emperor's mausoleum is a major event and it cannot be done without the participation of the prime minister.

Empress Wu thought for a moment and looked at Prince Huo Li Yuangui: "Prince Huo, Prince Han has other matters to deal with. You are here to supervise the affairs of the mountain mausoleum. If there is anything wrong, you can come to me, the emperor and Prime Minister Pei immediately."

"I obey your order." Prince Huo Li Yuangui followed and stood up.

Empress Wu took a deep breath, then looked at Pei Yan and said, "Pei Qing, go on."

"Yes!" Pei Yan turned to look at the ministers, then turned to look at Li Xian and said, "According to the rules, Your Majesty should mourn for the late emperor for thirty-six months. According to the late emperor's will, days should be used instead of months. Your Majesty only needs to mourn for thirty-six days, and the rest of the time you can follow the rules for minor mourning."

"Good!" Li Xian nodded slightly.

Pei Yan continued to bow and said seriously: "According to the late emperor's will, Your Majesty will ascend the throne in front of the coffin. The late emperor will be buried for seven days, and then the coffin will be moved to Xuanzheng Hall. Your Majesty will be enthroned on the first day of the first lunar month. The late emperor will be buried in Qianling Mausoleum in June. Your Majesty will return to Chang'an in July to hold the enthronement ceremony and offer sacrifices to heaven and earth and the ancestors in the Taimiao."

"Good!" Li Xian nodded again.

……

Li Xuan raised her head slightly and glanced at Li Xian.

According to orthodox etiquette, the emperor's enthronement procedure was terribly complicated, but not entirely unnecessary.

For example, at this moment, although Li Xian ascended the throne in front of the emperor's spirit, in fact, the procedures have not been completed at all.

After the death of the previous emperor, all of his matters such as the Six Seals of the Son of Heaven, the Jade Book of the Son of Heaven, the Jade Talisman of the Son of Heaven and so on had to be invalidated, but Li Xian's Six Seals of the Son of Heaven, the Jade Book of the Son of Heaven, the Jade Talisman of the Son of Heaven and so on had not been completed.

Even many things in the palace need to be changed, which takes time.

The former emperor's funeral lasted for seven days, and then the coffin was moved to Xuanzheng Hall, which was equivalent to giving this time.

As for the coronation ceremony, the late emperor had not yet been buried, and such a festive event was not suitable for Li Xian's filial piety.

In addition, there is the issue of reign titles, which all need to be abolished and new ones prepared.

Pei Yan arranged all matters one by one in an orderly manner. The ministers, Empress Wu, and the Emperor all nodded in satisfaction.

"Everything is ready. Your Majesty, please ask the world for instructions." Pei Yan held the imperial edict in his hand and looked solemnly at Empress Wu and Li Xian.

Li Xian turned around and looked at Empress Wu and said, "Please give me your instructions, mother." Empress Wu nodded and said, "I think everything is in order. Pei Qing, you will also be in charge of His Majesty's enthronement and enthronement."

"Yes!" Pei Yan bowed and accepted the order.

Empress Wu looked up at the ministers and asked, "My dear ministers, what else do you want?"

Li Xuan was slightly stunned. Is there any place for the ministers to have a say in this matter?

At this moment, Guo Daiju, the Minister of the Left, stepped forward, clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Queen, I have something to ask the regent."

"Yes!" Empress Wu nodded calmly amid the surprised gazes of her ministers.

"Thank you, Queen!" Guo Daiju bowed and looked at Pei Yan and said, "Prime Minister Pei, the seal of the previous emperor has been abolished, and your majesty has not cast a new seal yet. If there is an important event in the court, what should we do?"

The ministers were slightly in uproar.

What Guo Daiju said is indeed a problem.

The previous emperor passed away, so his seal is naturally invalid. Your Majesty's new seal has not been cast, so it is naturally of no use.

What should we do if an imperial decree is to be issued during these few days?

You can't use the emperor's seal on the imperial edict.

Among the ministers, Li Xuan's brows immediately frowned.

This matter seems to be a big deal, but in fact it is not a big deal.

When Emperor Taizong passed away, it was also seven days later that Emperor Gaozong was officially enthroned.

However, during these seven days, there were countless affairs in the court, but there was no delay at all.

It was the same back then, and the situation was not handled properly.

Changsun Wuji simply postponed all matters that required the emperor's seal and waited until the emperor's new seal was cast.

What does Guo Daiju mean by raising this matter now?
……

Pei Yan raised his eyes slightly and gently passed by the golden steps under Empress Wu's feet. He knew that today was different from the past.

The reason for this is that since the emperor's biological mother was not around at the time, Changsun Wuji could postpone his actions.

But now, Empress Wu is alive, and the new emperor’s biological mother is alive.

The Queen Mother is here.

Under the current circumstances, it is appropriate to use the Empress Dowager's seal to handle state affairs.

At least according to history books, this is what was done during the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties.

In this way, during these seven days, Empress Wu, who holds the highest seal of the entire empire, will become the most powerful person in the world.

What choice should Pei Yan make?

If this happened, it would be equivalent to Empress Wu directly taking away a considerable amount of power from Pei Yan.

What kind of orders require an imperial edict and what kind of orders require the queen's seal will not be something Pei Yan can decide at that time.

But if he were asked to think of any other way besides using Empress Wu's seal, he couldn't think of any. He wanted to delay...

Pei Yan bowed and looked at Empress Wu. Just as he was about to speak, his eyes lightly swept over Guo Daiju. Why did Guo Daiju want to talk about this matter in court at this time?

If he didn't use Empress Wu's seal, then he had to use Pei Yan's regent seal? He couldn't use the emperor's prince's seal, right?

If Pei Yan's seal of regent was used, then the strange looks of the ministers would probably fall on him immediately.

Turning around and standing still, Pei Yan cupped his hands and said, "Empress Dowager, the late emperor passed away, and Your Majesty has not yet received the throne. Within these seven days, I request to use the seal of the Empress Dowager to handle urgent state affairs."

"Yes!" Empress Wu narrowed her eyes and nodded with an indifferent expression.

It seemed as if she didn't care that Pei Yan so easily handed over the highest power of the entire empire to her within these seven days.

The officials in the court also felt relieved at this time. With the Queen Mother in charge, they didn't have to worry about Pei Yan.

As for the Queen Mother, she had handled state affairs for decades on behalf of the previous emperor, so a mere seven days would not make a difference to her.

……

"Do you have anything else to say?" Empress Wu calmly raised her head and looked at the ministers, her expression still indifferent as she said, "If not..."

"Queen." A voice came from among the ministers, and then Li Xuan stood up solemnly in the surprised gazes of the ministers.

He bowed solemnly to Empress Wu and said, "Empress, Your Majesty, I have something to ask the regent."

Empress Wu looked at Li Xuan with cold eyes.

Li Xuan's words were almost exactly the same as Guo Daiju's. It didn't make sense that only Guo Daiju was allowed to ask questions, but not Li Xuan.

Finally, Empress Wu nodded gently and said, "Yes!"

"Thank you, Queen Mother." Li Xuan stood up and looked at Pei Yan and said, "May I ask Prime Minister Pei, if an imperial edict is issued, will it be drafted by the Secretariat, approved by Your Majesty, and sealed by the Queen Mother?"

With just a few words, the entire hall suddenly became solemn.

The ministers then realized that they had overlooked one point, which was the emperor's power.

If Li Xuan did not mention it, then it is very likely that the Secretariat drafted the edict and the Empress Dowager stamped it, and the emperor could have been completely avoided in the middle.

This way, accidents can easily happen.

Pei Yan was shocked at the same time, and then he quickly nodded and said, "That's right."

"That's right." Li Xian's voice came from the golden steps, very calmly, but there was a hint of admiration in his eyes when he looked at Li Xuan.

"That's it." Empress Wu nodded indifferently, then looked at Li Xuan and asked, "What else does Prince Peng want?"

"Reporting to the Queen Mother, there is actually one more matter. I should have asked your Majesty after you received the enthronement. If the Queen Mother asked me today, I would have asked the regent minister again." Li Xuan looked at Pei Yan calmly with a solemn expression.

"You ask." Empress Wu nodded indifferently.

"Thank you, Queen!" Li Xuan looked up at Pei Yan with a cold gaze.

　In history, Empress Wu used these seven days to completely uproot Li Xian's foundation. She used the seven days when she controlled the seal to lavishly reward her ministers. By the time Li Xian was enthroned, he had no more rewards left.

　　Now that Li Xuan has helped him seize the right to draw a line, at least Empress Wu will reward him, and all the officials should be grateful to Li Xian, but Empress Wu will also have her own response measures.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)