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

Chapter 1564: The Beginning of the Witchcraft Case

On May 14th, the rain stopped in the early morning.

The door of Zhuangjing Hall opened and Li Xian was the first to step out.

The clear air immediately blew in his face, and Li Xian was instantly refreshed.

Taking a deep breath, Li Xian turned sideways and looked at Wei behind him: "It rained quietly last night."

"The drizzle in midsummer is just the right amount to dispel the stuffiness." Wei, dressed in a black dress with a chest-length skirt and white silk binding her arms, walked forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with the emperor and said softly, "In three days we will set off to return to Chang'an. After a while, when autumn comes, Chang'an will be more comfortable."

Li Xian couldn't help but smile.

He knew that this was not what Wei was talking about.

In Chang'an, the Wei family could draw on more family power to help Li Xian stabilize the throne, instead of being restricted everywhere like in Luoyang.

Even in the palace, he felt aggrieved.

"Let's go." Li Xian patted Wei's hand, then took the lead and walked towards the Zhenguan Hall.

Zheng, Gao, and Yang also gathered at the same time, and Li Xian then led many concubines to the Huiyou Palace.

The door of Huiyou Hall opened, and Empress Wu walked out calmly in a black skirt.

Li Xian and many concubines bowed and saluted at the same time, saying, "Greetings, Queen Mother. May you be well and healthy."

Empress Wu smiled and looked at Li Xian deeply. Then she calmed down and nodded, saying, "Let's go."

"Yes!" Li Xian took a step back.

Empress Wu walked past him, and Li Xian hurried to follow. The other concubines, as well as Prince Ping'en Li Chongfu, all followed behind her.

In front of the Zhenguan Hall and the Daye Gate, Li Lingwen, the General of the Imperial Guard, stood solemnly and bowed respectfully.

Empress Wu walked out of Daye Gate with a calm expression. Opposite Daye Gate was Zhulong Gate, and between Daye Gate and Zhulong Gate was Yong Lane.

The Yongxiang in the Tang Dynasty was the dividing line between the former court and the harem.

Unlike the Han Dynasty, Yongxiang was the residence of palace maids and the place where concubines who committed mistakes were imprisoned.

Of course, in the Tang Dynasty, such a place was in the Ye Ting.

Empress Wu calmly passed through the Zhulong Gate. The imperial guard general Li Yi bowed his head, and countless soldiers also lowered their heads.

Empress Wu calmly walked past the side of Qianyang Hall and then went straight to Xuanzheng Hall.

……

Outside the Xuanzheng Hall, countless court officials stood in awe.

Empress Wu walked past the ministers and just as she reached the steps of the Xuanzheng Hall, she suddenly stopped and looked to her right, beyond the ministers, where the ladies of the court were.

Princess Taiping and Princess Xiang were both there.

Empress Wu frowned and asked in a low voice, "Why didn't Princess Dai and Prince Linzi come today?"

Li Xian was slightly stunned and looked to the side. Sure enough, there was no one at the place where Pei and Li Guangren were originally.

Qiu Huan ran over quickly, and soon, Chen Guang, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, followed with a solemn expression.

Seeing Empress Wu and the Emperor, Chen Guang immediately bowed and said, "Your Highness, I, the Minister of the Imperial Household, Chen Guang, pay my respects to the Empress and Your Majesty."

Empress Wu interrupted him directly and asked, "Do you know why Princess Dai didn't come today?"

"Yes!" Chen Guang hurriedly bowed, and then said: "Before the palace gate was opened today, someone from the Dai Wangfei's mansion came to report that the Linzi County Prince had a sudden serious illness, and the Dai Wangfei could not leave, so she sent someone to ask for leave. Regarding today's worship, I have sent someone to check on the Linzi County Prince's condition, and the details will be reported soon."

"The Prince of Linzi is ill?" Li Xian could not help but take a step forward and asked seriously, "What did the visitor say? Is the situation serious?"

"It seems to be serious." Chen Guang bowed and said, "According to the report from the visitor, the Prince of Linzi had a high fever this morning, and even the Princess Dai had boiled a dose of medicine in the morning, but it still didn't work.

Princess Dai quickly invited the imperial physician, and Princess Peng was also invited, so today only the Prince of Jinchang came to pay homage to the late emperor, and Princess Peng also took a leave of absence and did not come to the palace to pay homage. "

"I see." Li Xian nodded calmly.

Today is May 14th, and it’s not a particularly important day.

After Xue Rengui and Xue Yuanchao passed away, Li Xian had issued an order that anyone who was not feeling well or had something going on at home could take a leave of absence.

Today, Prince Linzi is seriously ill, which is naturally a big deal.

Li Xian hesitated for a moment and said, "Let the Shang Pharmacy send someone to take a look. Make sure nothing happens."

"Yes!" Chen Guang breathed a sigh of relief and bowed his hands earnestly, saying, "I accept your order."

Chen Guang was actually a little worried, because Prince of Linzi Li Guangren was the grandson of the late emperor after all.

Now the late emperor has not been buried yet. If anything happens to Prince Linzi again, all parties will be held accountable.

Li Xian waved his hand and said, "Go back to class."

"Yes!" Chen Guang bowed and then stepped back.

Li Xian turned around and looked at Empress Wu. He stepped forward and held her arm, saying softly, "Mother, summer is coming. You must take care of your health. When your father's affairs are settled, I will stay with you in Jiucheng Palace for a few days and return to Chang'an when the weather cools down."

Li Xian's voice was sincere, with a hint of worry in his eyes.

Empress Wu smiled and patted his hand, saying, "Don't worry, mother is in good health, let's go."

"Yes!" Li Xian took a step back and supported Empress Wu as they entered the Xuanzheng Hall.

…All the ministers knelt before the late emperor, then left the palace together and returned to their respective offices.

Today is just the most ordinary day among the countless days for worshiping the late emperor.

Empress Wu walked out of Xuanzheng Hall, looked to the side and said, "Come on, accompany me to Huiyou Hall for a while. The emperor will go to manage the affairs, Silang can also go and do his work. You should also pay attention to the affairs of Luozhou Prefecture. In the future, you will have to worry about many things."

"Your son obeys your order." Li Xian and Li Dan bowed at the same time, and then left one after another.

Walking on the palace road, Li Xian looked sideways at Li Dan who had fallen behind him, and whispered, "After the early summer of next year, I plan to transfer Si Lang to be the governor of Yongzhou. After you serve well for two years, I will let you go out to serve. Don't let me and my mother down."

"Thank you, my royal brother." Li Dan looked at Li Xian in surprise and bowed deeply.

He didn't expect that Li Xian actually wanted to make him the governor of Yongzhou.

The governor of Yongzhou is only one step away from the imperial city, and has always been the only way to become a crown prince.

Of course, Li Dan had no chance to become the crown prince, but the emperor said that he would be sent out to serve in a remote area after a few years.

At that time, he was at least the governor of a state, and a governor of a higher state.

Although it is not as good as the throne of emperor, it is the inevitable destination of princes of all generations.

Li Xian sighed and said, "Do your best, Silang. In a few years, maybe I will use you to replace Uncle Wang as the governor of Fanzhou, or even send you directly to the Western Regions, but the prerequisite is that you have to do a good job."

"Thank you, my royal brother." Li Dan bowed heavily, his eyes full of gratitude.

In this world, for the royal family, the best official position, apart from the throne, is Li Xuan's position as the Governor of Fanzhou and the Pacifier of Luoshui Road, in charge of tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, and even able to march to the Western Regions.

But the person who holds such a position must be the emperor's closest relative.

For example, Li Xuan.

Both the late emperor and Li Xian trusted him greatly.

If Li Dan sat in that position, he would be able to travel across the Western Regions and expand the territory, which might not be a bad thing for him.

All the people under him can be properly arranged.

"By the way, you should go to the Dai Palace and see how Prince Linzi is doing. I am a little worried." Li Xian looked up in the direction of the palace gate.

"Your Majesty, I accept your order." Li Dan bowed and looked up. Seeing Li Xian walking towards Qianyang Palace, he breathed a sigh of relief and bowed, "Your Majesty, I respectfully send you off."

Turning around and walking out of the palace, Li Dan couldn't help but smile with relief.

……

In front of the Zhulong Gate, Empress Wu stopped, turned sideways and looked at Qiu Huan and said, "Send someone to the Dai Palace to see what's going on."

"Yes!" Qiu Huan immediately turned and left.

Empress Wu's expression calmed down, she glanced at Princess Dou, the wife of Prince Xiang, and then walked forward calmly.

Li Yi from the Zhulong Sect and Li Lingwen from the Daye Sect all stood at the palace gate to respectfully see Empress Wu off back to the harem.

Empress Wu walked to the Zhenguan Hall and subconsciously looked behind her. There was silence behind her.

Empress Wu suddenly smiled. She had originally thought that Li Xian would have people watching her every move and reporting her at all times, but she didn't expect it to be just like this.

Empress Wu turned around and looked at everyone and said, "Let's go to my place. Jiannan Dao sent us a batch of newly ripe lychees. There aren't many. Everyone should try a few."

"Thank you, mother." The concubines bowed at the same time.

Empress Wu smiled and led everyone into Huiyou Hall. Then, Shangguan Wan'er brought her maids to place a small plate of lychees in front of each concubine.

Empress Wu was the first to peel and taste it, followed by the Queen, and then the others opened the fruit one after another. While tasting, they also started chatting and laughing.

No one noticed that Empress Wu looked outside the palace from time to time.

She was waiting, firstly for the weather to change, and secondly for news from the Dai Palace.

You know, in Empress Wu's original plan, Princess Dai played a very important role. If she was involved in the subsequent events, it would easily be linked to Pei Yan, and even the entire Wenxi Pei family.

Witchcraft cases have never been a trivial matter in every dynasty.

The change of emperors and the killing of tens of thousands of people were just minor scenes.

But now, without Princess Dai involved, Empress Wu will not be able to link it to Pei, and Pei Yan will be able to get away.

Even when dealing with Li Xian in the end, there is a high possibility of accidents.

But all this happened at the critical moment when Empress Wu was about to take action. She couldn't help but wonder if her plan had been leaked?
So no matter what, the matter of the Dai Wang Mansion must be investigated thoroughly.

If someone wanted to do something secretly using her hands, Empress Wu would definitely cut off the hands, or even implicate the owner of the hands in this witchcraft case.

While Empress Wu was chatting with the concubines, Qiu Huan hurried in from outside, came to Empress Wu's side, and whispered, "Empress Wu, the people who went to the Dai Palace have returned. They said it rained last night and the Linzi County Prince did not close the windows properly, so he got sick with a fever in the morning, and he was very sick. The imperial physician said he was born weak."

Empress Wu raised her head slightly. She remembered that Li Guangren was sent to the Prince of Dai's Palace not long after he was born.

Moreover, Li Guangren seemed to be born prematurely, so his body was a little weak.

So everything was just a coincidence. Empress Wu breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and said to the concubines, "Today's weather is good. Please accompany me to walk around outside. We will return to Chang'an in three days. There may not be such a good time in the future."

"Yes!" All the concubines stood up at the same time.

Empress Wu walked out with a calm expression, and Qiu Huan followed her.

Shangguan Wan'er was left alone in Huiyou Palace, looking extremely solemn.

(End of this chapter)