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

Chapter 1590: I am the Imperial Censor and I request to impeach

Sitting behind the pearl curtain, Empress Wu's eyes grew slightly solemn.

She had not expected that Liu Rengui would lead all the ministers to retire.

She looked up at Liu Rengui and said, "The emperor has just ascended the throne. The reason why I am here to listen to the government affairs is because he has no experience in government affairs and needs to learn. The left prime minister has been an old minister for many years and should assist and teach him. Nothing else."

Seeing Liu Rengui bowing and about to speak, Empress Wu waved her hand and said, "Three years later, the emperor will rule the country. If the emperor can rule the country properly, then I will allow the left prime minister to retire. How do you think that is?"

Liu Rengui was silent, and after thinking for a while, he stood up and bowed, saying, "The Queen Mother has trusted me with great trust, and I am deeply grateful. However, I am really old, and I am afraid that all the affairs of the Secretariat will have to be handed over to the Minister of the Left, Wei Xuantong, in the future."

"Yes, Wei Qing is a third-rank official in the Secretariat and can handle the affairs of the Secretariat on behalf of the Left Prime Minister." Empress Wu nodded and looked at Wei Xuantong.

Wei Xuantong bowed solemnly and said, "I accept your order."

Liu Rengui continued to bow and said, "Your Majesty is in another hall to hear government affairs. Will I, the Minister of the Central Secretariat Dou Lu Qinwang, the Minister of Rites Dou Xuande, and the Minister of the Central Secretariat Fan Lubing give you more guidance on government affairs?"

After Liu Rengui said this, Dou Lu Qinwang, Dou Xuande, and Fan Lubing actually looked up expectantly at the same time.

Although Li Dan is now the emperor, he is essentially a puppet and has no decision-making power.

But Empress Wu just said that Li Dan had no experience in government and needed to learn, so she asked Liu Rengui to assist in teaching.

Liu Rengui immediately caught the point.

If three years later, Li Dan is taught by everyone and has some ability to govern, then Empress Wu will have no reason to rule the country now.

Of course, as to whether Li Dan would be deposed for other reasons a few years later, that was not something Liu Rengui could control.

He even had a feeling that he might not live to see that time.

Empress Wu looked at Liu Rengui deeply and said, "Okay."

All the ministers in the hall breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, and there was a little more spirit in their eyes.

"Thank you, Queen." Liu Rengui finally bowed and then returned to the train.

Empress Wu raised her head and looked at Duan Baoxuan, who had a serious expression. Then her cold eyes swept over him and finally fell on Cui Zhiwen.

"My Lords, do you have anything else to say? Otherwise, I will dismiss the court. I have come all the way from Chang'an and must be very tired." Empress Wu smiled slightly.

"Queen!" Cui Zhiwen was about to stand up, but he saw that someone at the head of the ministers had stood up before him.

That person was Pei Yan.

The ministers' breathing suddenly became heavy.

Pei Yan bowed solemnly and said, "Queen of Heaven."

Empress Wu looked at Cui Zhiwen in confusion, and Cui Zhiwen shook his head slightly.

Empress Wu frowned and asked, "What's the matter, Mr. Pei?"

Pei Yan continued to bow and said: "Your Majesty, it has been nearly seven months since the death of the late emperor. The late emperor will be buried soon, and the matter of Emperor Zhongzong has now come to an end.

"I have reflected on all the things that happened before and after. I have made many mistakes and was extremely incompetent. The late emperor entrusted me with the responsibility of guarding the emperor's will, but I caused Emperor Zhongzong to be killed by witchcraft. I am guilty of the greatest crime."

Pei Yan's voice was sincere and heavy, and the entire hall fell completely silent.

Pei Yan continued, "Therefore, I beg you to resign all my official positions, return to the fields, seek the truth and Buddha, atone for my sins, and pray for the Emperor Zhongzong. Please grant me the approval of the Empress Dowager."

As soon as Pei Yan finished speaking, all the ministers in the hall couldn't help but let their clothes shake and their faces looked surprised.

Pei Yan, the Minister of the Central Secretariat and the Regent, requested to retire.

Empress Wu had just resolved Liu Rengui's request to retire, and now it was Pei Yan's turn to request retirement.

The ministers in the palace were looking forward to how Empress Wu would deal with the matter.

……

The beaded curtain swayed gently, and Empress Wu fell silent.

She had just asked Cui Zhiwen, but Cui Zhiwen knew nothing about Pei Yan.

In fact, if Pei Yan had not stood up just now, Cui Zhiwen would have stood up and directly impeached Pei Yan and Zhang Qianxu for their connection.

Empress Wu would immediately take Pei Yan away.

He will be beheaded on a chosen day.

In this way, with the heads of Pei Yan and Zhang Qianxu as a sacrifice to Li Xian, Li Xian's affairs would gradually subside.

The court officials will gradually accept Li Dan becoming the emperor.

Under the complicated government affairs, the officials will gradually forget about it, and finally get used to it.

But Empress Wu did not expect that Pei Yan would take the initiative to come forward and apologize and retire.

This was something she had not expected.

Could it be that he sensed the danger and took the lead over Cui Zhiwen?

Empress Wu raised her hand slightly, but put it down in an instant.

She really wanted to agree to Pei Yan's retirement. As long as Pei Yan left the court, Li Xian's affairs would be completely resolved.

But just when she was about to agree, she suddenly stopped.

Pei Yan requested to retire on the grounds that he, as a regent, had failed to take good care of Li Xian.

If you really agree to it directly, there will inevitably be hidden dangers.

Empress Wu finally spoke up: "What do you think of this matter?"

"I don't think so." Almost at the moment when Empress Wu's voice fell, Dou Xuande stood up.

Empress Wu looked at Dou Xuande in surprise. Dou Xuande was second only to Liu Rengui in age among everyone present. He had even retired as the Minister of Personnel and was then reappointed as the Minister of Personnel, a third-rank official in the Secretariat.

But now, he directly prevented Pei Yan from retiring.

Dou Xuande bowed and said, "Emperor Zhongzong passed away. Although Prime Minister Pei was responsible for not taking good care of him, it was more because of the Crown Prince's concubine Yang's witchcraft and the Imperial Guard General Zhang Qianxu's reckless and greedy behavior. It had nothing to do with Prime Minister Pei. Therefore, I ask Prime Minister Pei to continue to take on the important responsibility and assist in governing the country without hesitation."

Behind the pearl curtain, Empress Wu's expression had become completely serious.

She had already somewhat understood what Dou Xuande meant.

Pei Yan couldn't leave, at least not for this reason.

If he left like this, it would still mean that Li Xian's death was in doubt. If Li Xian's death was in doubt, then Li Dan, who was now sitting on the throne, was not in a legitimate position.

Thinking of this, Empress Wu immediately calmed down. She looked at Pei Yan and said with a smile, "Mr. Pei, I think what Mr. Dou said makes sense. The affairs of the court still require you to work harder. You need to serve as the Minister of the Central Secretariat for a few more years. I also hope that after the Left Prime Minister retires in the future, you will take over as the Minister of the Left."

Pei Yan's face twitched slightly, and he immediately understood that Empress Wu would not let him go.

What about being the Shangshu Zuo Pushe, what about assisting the country, in the final analysis, it is just to wait for time, find out his mistakes, and finally convict him.

That’s right, when it comes down to it, the death of Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian was not something that Zhang Qianxu could even afford to sacrifice with his own head.

So another head is needed, Pei Yan's head.

Using the heads of two people as an excuse, naturally the government became clear and orderly from then on.

This was of great benefit to Empress Wu in governing the country.

This was also Empress Wu's original plan.

Pei Yan's voluntary resignation may allow him to take some responsibility, but it is far from enough.

Pei Yan's eyes instantly turned cold, and he immediately staggered and bowed, saying, "Since the Queen Mother trusts me so much, I will obey your orders."

"Very good." Empress Wu smiled, then she looked at the ministers and asked, "What else do you want?"

"Queen of Heaven!" King Han Li Yuanjia unexpectedly stood up at this time.

Empress Wu was slightly stunned. She looked at Li Yuanjia and asked, "What's the matter? Is there something wrong with the King of Han? Oh, why didn't you see the King of Teng today?"

Li Yuanjia subconsciously looked back at Li Yuanying's position, but then he turned around and said, "Your Majesty, when I passed by Prince Teng's mansion today, Prince Teng sent someone to tell me that he was ill and could not welcome the Queen back to the court, so he asked me to apologize to the Queen on his behalf."

Empress Wu smiled coldly, and then said, "It's okay. What's the matter, King Han?"

Li Yuanjia's expression suddenly became solemn, and he cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, what I am asking is about the Crown Prince's affairs."

"Oh!" Empress Wu raised her head slightly and said, "King Han, please speak."

"Yes!" Li Yuanjia bowed, and then said: "The prince is already quite old. When Prince Peng was alive, the prince had already started to study. At that time, Prince Peng had the idea of ​​establishing an inner school, so that the sons of meritorious officials, noble families, and important officials could accompany the prince to study. Now that the prince is here and Prince Ping'en is also here, I suggest that an inner school be established for the future."

Empress Wu looked at Li Yuanjia deeply.

Li Yuanjia's intention was very clear. He used the prince to win over meritorious officials, aristocratic families and important officials in order to accumulate power for Li Dan.

Empress Wu was somewhat unwilling to see this.

"I think it is feasible." Dou Xuande immediately stood up.

"I also think it is feasible." Liu Rengui followed and bowed.

"I think it's okay." Pei Yan also bowed.

"Your Majesty, I think this is feasible." As soon as Fan Lubing stepped forward, all the ministers immediately turned their attention.

When Empress Wu saw Fan Lubing also standing up, she couldn't help but frown slightly.

Empress Wu looked thoughtful and said, "That's it. The emperor can go and have a look sometimes."

"Thank you, mother." Li Dan breathed a sigh of relief, nodded slightly to Empress Wu, turned around and gave King of Han Li Yuanjia a very obscure look.

Their eyes flickered at the same time, but in an instant, they both lowered their eyes at the same time.

Empress Wu breathed a sigh of relief, and then said, "In that case, today's court meeting..."

Just when Empress Wu was about to announce the adjournment of court, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded in front of the palace gate, and Empress Wu immediately frowned.

An eunuch walked into the hall with a solemn expression, stood at the door, and bowed to Empress Wu and said, "Reporting to the Queen Mother, the Imperial Censor has returned to the capital and is now outside the palace gate. I request an audience with Your Majesty."

Empress Wu was stunned. Su Liangsi came back.

She raised her head and looked at the ministers in the hall, most of whom had already lowered their heads.

Empress Wu frowned immediately. She understood that she and all the ministers wanted to let the matter of Li Xian go. It had even reached the point where no one mentioned Li Chongzhao anymore.

But now, Su Liangsi is back.

Su Liangsi, Pei Xingjian, Li Xuan.

Now, Empress Wu must solve the three biggest problems left over from the Li Xian era in the entire world one by one.

But fortunately, she now has a plan in mind.

Empress Wu nodded calmly and said, "Announce!"

Immediately, an eunuch stood by the door and said loudly, "Call the Imperial Censor Su Liangsi to see you."

……

"I, the Imperial Censor Su Liangsi, pay my respects to Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live a long life. I pay my respects to the Empress Dowager, may the Empress Dowager be blessed with longevity and good health."

Su Liangsi, dressed in a black robe and covered in dust, kowtowed solemnly to Li Dan and Empress Wu.

For a moment, Li Dan, who was sitting on the throne, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Empress Wu behind the pearl curtain was not so relaxed. She looked at Su Liangsi and asked softly, "Su Qing, did you rush back?"

Su Liangsi bowed and said, "Yes, I received an urgent order from the Queen Mother, so I left the team in a hurry."

Empress Wu raised her head and asked, "What about Duke Jiang?"

"Duke Jiang should have passed Xuzhou and entered Henan by now, but I'm afraid he won't be able to reach Chang'an before the late emperor's burial." Su Liangsi saluted seriously.

Empress Wu nodded in satisfaction and said, "It's alright. I know that things happen suddenly and you are in a hurry. It's good that you can come back. Qianling Mausoleum is there anyway, you can go to pay homage anytime."

"Yes!" Su Liangsi bowed again, then raised his head, looked at Empress Wu and Li Dan with a stern face and said, "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, as the Imperial Censor, I want to impeach someone today."

Empress Wu was slightly stunned, her eyes became serious, and then she saw Su Liangsi turn his head and look at Pei Yan.

Empress Wu took a deep breath and said, "You are the Imperial Censor. It is your job. Why are you asking me about this?"

"Thank you, Queen." Su Liangsi stood up and stared at Pei Yan, whose back was already a little cold, and said, "Our Tang Dynasty has been established for 65 years. The national strength is at its peak and it dominates the world. Until today, the imperial power is shaky, the world is in turmoil, and there is a worry of national destruction. It is all the fault of one person."

Su Liangsi suddenly raised his head and stared at what was behind the bead curtain.

Empress Wu behind the pearl curtain.

(End of this chapter)