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

Chapter 1584 I won’t serve you anymore
On the throne, Li Dan's face became extremely ugly.

In the main hall, Liu Rengui, Duan Baoxuan, Wei Daijia, Huang Rensu, Chen Guang, Lin Renji, Li Zhaode and others all knelt on the ground and requested to retire.

A number of important officials including Shangshu Zuo Pushe, Shangshu of War, Shangshu of Personnel, Shangshu of Works, Qing of Guanglu Temple, Qing of Taichang Temple, and Shilang of Xingbu all requested to retire.

I'm afraid such a thing has never happened even after the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

If Li Dan really allowed them to retire today, then no matter how much Pei Yan boasted about his succession,

Later historical books would only record that he came to power illegitimately.

Li Dan looked at Pei Yan anxiously. Pei Yan hesitated slightly, smiled bitterly, and was about to bow. It seemed that even Pei Yan was planning to retire. Li Dan's face changed instantly.

"I would like to retire, please grant my permission, Your Majesty." A deep voice sounded from behind. Li Dan looked up blankly, and suddenly saw Cheng Chubi also kneeling down at this time.

Several Zhonglang generals behind Cheng Chubi also knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, we are here to see you. We are incompetent and we beg to retire. Please grant us your grace."

In an instant, everyone in the hall knelt down.

All those who had not acknowledged Li Dan before also knelt down.

Of course, not everyone requests to retire. Only officials above the fourth rank would request to retire.

Pei Yan used all kinds of words to cover up the truth of Li Xian's death, and Empress Wu then threw Zhang Qianxu out, which left the ministers with little reason to revolt.

Of course, it’s not impossible for them to continue to make trouble.

At the side doors on both sides, Ma Sizong and Xu Zhou had already led their men, holding long swords, with murderous intent in their eyes.

If they continue to question Li Dan's illegitimate rise to power, they will soon face the bloody knife.

Fortunately, Liu Rengui's resignation gave them a new way to go.

No matter how you mess around, I won't serve you anymore.

……

Li Dan took a deep breath and looked at Fan Lubing, who nodded seriously.

Li Dan needs to solve this matter himself.

Li Dan's mind quickly changed. Suddenly, he smiled bitterly, looked up at the ministers and said, "My dear ministers, my father has not yet been buried. Please write down your request to retire. I will submit it to my mother for her approval. Today's matter is basically over..."

Things were delayed for a while, and when the ministers were confused, Li Dan immediately spoke up and said, "After I ascended the throne, the court has rewarded all officials, but not much for the people. Therefore, from today on, the people in Yongluo area will be exempted from rent and labor service for one year."

"Your Majesty, I obey your order. May your Majesty live long and healthy." Fan Lubing spoke first.

The kneeling ministers immediately reacted and said at the same time, "Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty."

So many people asked to retire, and Li Dan couldn't handle it, so he handed it over to Empress Wu and delayed it.

However, Li Dan's words afterwards made the ministers feel confused.

The matter of rewarding officials was mentioned last time Zhang Qianxu imprisoned all the officials in the palace.

Rather than being a reward from the emperor, it would be more accurate to say that it was a reward from Empress Wu.

Now, Li Dan’s policy is to exempt all the people in Yongzhou and Luozhou areas from rent and labor service for one year.

However, the rent, labor service and tax in Yongluo area were actually not that much and could only benefit ordinary people in Yongluo area.

Of course, there are also the powerful.

However, many powerful people are exempt from rent and taxes.

The ministers suddenly became acutely aware of a problem: it was not that Li Dan did not want to give the people more rewards, but what he had now was already the limit of what he could get.

In Chang'an and Luoyang, the taxes and levies were actually not that much.

The real taxation direction here comes from city taxes, the city taxes of the east and west cities.

The final sales point of the entire Silk Road was Chang'an and Luoyang, which resulted in an enormous tax.

It can even be compared with the grain tax from Jiangnan.

So this money is inevitable.

Li Dan has done his best to show kindness to the world.

Although the results were not great, he had already made up his mind.

The truly attentive courtiers had already keenly grasped something.

At this moment, Fan Yunxian swung the whisk in her hand and said, "Dismiss the court!"

The ministers knelt again and said, "Your Majesty, we respectfully send you off."

Li Dan stood up, breathed a sigh of relief, and waved to Fan Lubing.

Fan Lubing, Dou Lu Qinwang, Dou Xuande and others immediately stood up and followed Li Dan towards the Liangyi Hall.

Only then did all the ministers in the hall stand up.

However, almost in an instant, a circle and a half had spread out around Pei Yan, who was standing in the center of the hall.

No one wanted to get close to Pei Yan again.

As the regent appointed by Emperor Gaozong, he actually caused the heir chosen by Emperor Gaozong to lose the throne in just half a year.

As the regent, he is truly incompetent to the extreme.

Especially today, he did his best to endorse Li Dan's ascension to the throne.

The officials in the court had a very bad impression of Pei Yan.

……

Just as the ministers were about to leave the Taiji Hall, a voice suddenly rang out: "Prime Minister Pei!" Pei Yan looked up, and the ministers dispersed. Liu Rengui walked out from among the ministers, walked in front of Pei Yan, and bowed directly, saying: "Prime Minister Pei, I have a question for you?"

"Please speak, Left Prime Minister!" Pei Yan's expression became serious.

All the officials in the palace became solemn at the same time.

Liu Rengui bowed and said, "When Emperor Gaozong was alive, the Secretariat drafted the document, the Ministry of Personnel reviewed it, the Shangshu executed it, and the Empress Dowager handled most of the court affairs, but the final decision was in the hands of Emperor Gaozong."

"Yes!" Pei Yan nodded slightly. When Li Zhi was alive, although Empress Wu held great power, the ultimate power of the world was still in the hands of the emperor.

Liu Rengui took a deep breath and continued, "When Emperor Zhongzong was alive, the Secretariat drafted the documents, the Ministry of Personnel reviewed them, and the Shangshu executed them. The emperor handled most of the court affairs, but the Empress Dowager was in charge of major matters."

"Yes!" Pei Yan continued to nod. After Li Xian succeeded to the throne, he and the Council of State handled most of the state affairs, but the major issues were in the hands of Empress Wu.

Even so, as long as the Council of Ministers and Li Xian reached an agreement, more matters would not have to be sent to Empress Wu.

Li Xuan did a lot of things when he was in the court, and his real purpose was just this.

Liu Rengui's face became serious, and he asked, "So what about now? How is the government going to be decided?"

Pei Yan immediately looked at Liu Rengui in great shock. Liu Rengui's words touched upon the true core of the entire Tang Dynasty.

How is power distributed in the court today?
Pei Yan could not retreat. Although Li Dan had replaced Li Xian, Pei Yan was still the regent appointed by Empress Wu.

Although this regent was somewhat in name only, he was ultimately the means by which Empress Wu succeeded Emperor Gaozong.

"The Left Prime Minister is indeed the pillar of the court." Pei Yan smiled bitterly.

The ministers looked indifferent. Compared with Pei Yan, who easily surrendered to Empress Wu in Luoyang, and Liu Rengui, who would rather retire than serve Li Dan in Chang'an, they were more worthy of the respect of the court officials.

Taking a deep breath, Pei Yan said, "The emperor is in mourning now and will be in charge of government affairs for three years. Naturally, he does not have the power to levy taxes. Therefore, the Secretariat will still draft the decrees, the Ministry of Personnel will review them, and the Minister of State will execute them. However, all decisions will be handled by the Empress Dowager, no matter how big or small the matter is. As long as the Empress Dowager is willing, she can handle all matters."

"In other words, the buffer that once existed in the palace is gone." Liu Rengui hit the nail on the head.

When Li Zhi was alive, he actually served as a buffer between Empress Wu and the court officials.

When Li Xian was in power, Li Xian and Pei Yan served as a buffer between court officials and Empress Wu.

Now that Li Dan is in power, this buffer is gone.

There were many things that I couldn't say to Empress Wu before, but could say to Li Zhi and Li Dan, but now I couldn't say them anymore.

In the future, court officials would have to face Empress Wu directly. If they said something slightly inappropriate, she would order them to be beheaded, and no one could persuade her.

Things have changed.

After that, they could no longer do some of the things that Emperor Gaozong and Emperor Zhongzong could do when they were alive.

Pei Yan turned around and looked at the ministers, and said directly: "Everyone, if you want to do anything, wait three years. Three years later, the emperor will be in charge and the empress will be in charge, and everything will be ready."

With just one word from Pei Yan, a new order was re-established in the entire Tang Dynasty court.

From now on, no matter what good suggestions the court officials may have, they must be withdrawn, and the court must spend the next three years cautiously and fearfully.

Three years later, when the situation changes again, it will be time for them to take power.

With the new order established, the ministers breathed a sigh of relief. They rarely bowed to Pei Yan, then turned and left the Liangyi Hall.

Liu Rengui bowed slightly to Pei Yan. With Pei Yan's words, it was unknown how many officials in the court would be able to survive.

He watched Liu Rengui leave, and watched all the court officials leave. Only when Pei Yan was the only one left in the hall did he smile bitterly.

Standing at the gate of Liangyi Palace, Pei Yan shook his head with a bitter look on his face.

No one asked him why he suddenly ran to Chang'an when he should have been in Luoyang.

No one asked him why he defended Li Dan so desperately. Was he really the kind of person who was afraid of death?
Pei Yan raised his head and looked at the countless undulating mountains to the east of Chang'an City, as if there was a ferocious beast lurking there.

……

"Do they think everyone is a fool?" Prince Teng Li Yuanying stepped into the study and said to Prince Huo Li Yuangui and Prince Shu Li Yuanming who were already seated, gritting his teeth in anger: "They killed the emperor, slaughtered the East Palace, hunted down the crown prince, and finally conferred titles and made wishes, and everyone bowed their heads. Brother, is this the end of it?"

In the antique study, Li Yuangui and Li Yuanming looked at Li Yuanying with gloomy expressions.

Among the entire court, only the royal family members saw the most clear picture of what happened today.

Empress Wu seized power, killed Li Xian, and then made her son Li Dan the emperor. The reason she did not make Li Chongzhao the emperor was because she was afraid that Li Chongzhao would take revenge in the future after he took the throne.

As for the ministers in the court, Liu Rengui was okay, at least he made a gesture of asking for retirement, but Pei Yan was a joke.

The biggest mistake Emperor Gaozong made was to choose Pei Yan as regent.

Li Yuanjia stood in front of the table with his back to the three people, seemingly looking down at something.

When he heard the silence behind him, he turned around and looked at Li Yuanying: "Prime Minister Pei made it very clear today about the death of Emperor Zhongzong... The reason why Emperor Zhongzong died was that he wanted the Empress to retreat to the harem, and the Empress wanted to prevent Emperor Zhongzong from becoming more powerful. Otherwise, why would she take action when the coffin of the late emperor was about to be sent back to Chang'an?"

"What about us? Are we going to do nothing?" Li Yuanying looked at Li Yuanjia and said angrily, "Look at those court officials. After the emperor died, they just pretended to ask for retirement. Just wait and see. As long as the evil queen gives them some rewards, these people will surrender immediately. Doesn't this mean that anyone can kill the emperor and then..."

With a "splash", a cup of cold tea was poured directly onto Li Yuanying's face.

Li Yuanying was stunned, looking at Li Yuanjia holding the empty teacup in his hand.

Li Yuanjia looked at Li Yuanying coldly, and then said unceremoniously: "Put away your thoughts. You were not born when the Xuanwu Gate Incident happened. I don't blame you, but you also witnessed Fang Yiai's rebellion. All of Emperor Taizong's sons lived in fear during those days. Isn't that enough to wake you up?"

Li Yuanying opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but Li Yuanjia waved his hand and said, "Now, go back to your house. If you still don't want to be at peace, go and see how many eyes are staring at you outside your house, and how many secret guards are inside your house. Find out these things before you talk nonsense again."

"Brother Wang!" Li Yuanying calmed down completely.

Li Yuanjia waved his hand and said, "If you listen to me, from today on, except for paying respects to the late emperor, don't go out at any other time. Otherwise, you will be plotted against by others and you won't even know it until you die."

Li Yuanying's face turned ugly, the corners of his mouth twitched, and he could only walk away.

(End of this chapter)