Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 739: In the hot summer, lie on a cool mat; in the cold winter, please put on more clothes

The Lantern Festival has finally arrived. This is the most distinctive festival in the Tang Dynasty and also the most grand festival, without a doubt.

Along the canal outside Kaifeng City and inside the now well-established city of Bianliang, the night is lit up by millions of lights.

Kaifeng government servants responsible for maintaining order were everywhere, and the people of the city were all wearing flowers in their hair and brocades, and their sleeves were like clouds as they flocked to the lantern festival site centered on the Bianzhou Palace.

The streets and pavilions along the canal all have seven-treasure tassels hanging down, and hollow silver incense balls hanging from the eaves, with the smoke from the agarwood and candlelight swirling into mist.

Even the willow branches by the river were wrapped with scarlet gauze lanterns, dyeing the silver mirror-like ice surface into rouge color.

Nowadays, there are many rich people and many wealthy people in Bianzhou.

To them, these were nothing more than imitations of the celebrations of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. It was just a little sprinkling of water and nothing insignificant.

The government just said "just do it casually", so there is no need to worry too much. If the government said "do it big and extravagantly", then you have to do it regardless of the cost.

In front of the main gate of the imperial city in the center of Bianliang City, a ten-meter-high wheel lantern was erected. The frame was made of wood, a very ordinary material, but it was shaped like a nine-story pagoda.

There are countless paper lanterns hanging on each floor, and the flames are as clear as stars falling to the earth.

The lower layer of the lamp wheel is decorated with precious flowers made of green colored glaze. They are light and thin, and when the night wind blows through, they flutter like flowers scattered by fairies.

God knows how the craftsman made something so ordinary, usually used as a funeral object for the dead, so beautiful.

The merchants pooled their money to hire musicians to play Kucha music around the lanterns. Dancers wearing Kunlun slave masks spun to the beat of the drums, and the sounds of the copper bells and pipa hanging from their waists splashed like broken jade.

The only discordant thing was that the lantern wheel was surrounded by banners with the names of shops on them. It looked a bit like the small advertisements in Fang Zhongyong's previous life, full of the smell of money.

The scene was a bit like a group of fairies bathing in a pool. When their beauty was beyond words, a child urinated into the pool.

Very disgraceful.

There were also thousands of lanterns competing to be lit in the market in the city of Bianliang, and a three-meter-long green dragon lantern was coiled in front of a silk shop.

The dragon scales are inlaid with glass flakes, and the dragon eyes are inlaid with night-shining pearls donated by Persian merchants;

Twenty-four beauty lanterns were hung in the rouge shop. The plain gauze lamp surfaces were painted with pictures of unknown noble ladies going on a spring outing. When the candlelight flickered, the horses in the painting seemed to be slowly walking between the gauze curtains.

The most magical thing is the twelve-branched lamp tree in front of the Daxiangguo Temple. At the end of each copper branch hangs a palace lantern. The lamp screen is covered with translucent Wu silk, reflecting the flying goddess cut out of hollow gold foil. It slowly rotates with the rising heat, as if the flying goddess in the mural is breaking through the wall.

On the Suzaku Gate Tower of the Imperial City, Li Wei looked at everything below the city and couldn't help but shed tears. When he came to his senses, his face was already covered in tears.

The Lantern Festival in Chang'an back then was probably like this! Just now, his thoughts seemed to have traveled back to twenty years ago, when he was still young and had no idea what sorrow was.

Just like the city of Bianliang tonight, it is so beautiful, like a paradise on earth, and there is no need to worry about all the troubles and sorrows.

Pity.

As soon as midnight passes tonight, the killing will begin.

He prayed to God that he would win. As long as Fang Qing died, everything would be possible!
"Are you all ready?"

Li Wei turned around and asked Huo Xianming who was silent.

"Back to Your Majesty, everything is ready."

Huo Xianming secretly groaned in his heart and said it with gritted teeth.

The team was indeed still there, but all of its members had been replaced by retired veterans who were loyal to Fang Qing.

As expected, Li Wei asked in confusion, "I heard that Chen Yanzong was very skilled, how could he step on thin ice and drown?"

"Your Majesty, those who are good at swimming have always drowned in water. This has been the case since ancient times. Chen Yanzong was so confident of his skills that he went to the river alone to fetch water, which led to this disaster."

Huo Xianming's mind worked quickly and he immediately thought of a very suitable reason.

Li Wei nodded. Anyway, this team was only used to attract the attention of the Bianzhou defenders. He had someone else as his backup. Fang Qing's drastic reforms in Bianzhou had caused countless local tyrants who had suffered heavy losses to want to eat his flesh and drink his blood!

Those talents are a force to be reckoned with.

"Your Majesty is quite elegant."

Suddenly, a voice came from behind Li Wei that made him feel confused.

Prince Sheng Li Qi, no, now he is Prince Chenliu Li Qi. He entered the palace quietly without anyone notifying Li Qi.

Li Qi shouldn't be here now!
"Why is the emperor's uncle here?"

Li Wei asked in confusion, and soon realized that he had said something wrong. He coughed lightly to hide the embarrassment on his face, and then scolded Huo Xianming: "The emperor's uncle came to the palace, and you servants didn't even tell me. Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me?"

Li Wei was a little nervous because Li Qi's arrival was different from what he expected. Moreover... the robe he was wearing was out of regulation!
What Li Qi is wearing now is the dragon robe that only the emperor can wear!
Only then did Li Wei understand why he subconsciously thought something was wrong when he saw Li Qi.

Even if Fang Qing appeared in front of him wearing a dragon robe, Li Wei would not be surprised at all, but Li Qi...why was he so arrogant?
"The emperor has issued an edict of repentance. He feels guilty towards the people of the world, so he voluntarily abdicates the throne and hands it over to the Prince of Chenliu, that is, me.

From now on, you will be the Duke of Yang."

Li Qi looked at Li Wei expressionlessly, as if he was looking at a dead person. He didn't even want to play with face, and his words were quite direct.

"How dare you! I have not abdicated! I am still the emperor!"

Li Wei's face was ferocious. He pointed at Li Qi and roared. He subconsciously reached for his waist, but found nothing.

On the Lantern Festival, when the whole country is celebrating, carrying a sword with you would undermine the emperor's dignity.

When Li Wei left the palace, he had already handed his sword to a eunuch. Now he was unarmed and couldn't even kill a chicken.

"Come here, help me capture this traitor!"

Li Wei hurriedly called out to the imperial guards on the city wall. However, those people seemed not to have heard his shouting at all. They just stared at the lantern festival under the city wall, like one sculpture after another.

Can't hear, can't see, and can't move.

Seeing this scene, Li Qi blurted out three words: "Juye Lake."

The anger on Li Wei's face froze and his eyes were filled with fear.

"Someone, take Duke Rang to his new mansion to rest."

Li Qi waved his hand gently, and two imperial guards strode forward behind him, held Li Qi's arms, and dragged him away like a dead dog.

These people are not completely deaf, they just "can't hear" Li Wei's voice.

Li Qi's voice was not loud, but these people all followed his orders without any ambiguity.

Fang Chongyong had already given instructions, and everything was just to follow orders.

"The emperor has said that you will read out the emperor's abdication edict tomorrow. After that, you can go wherever you want."

Li Qi looked at Huo Xianming and said, To some extent, Huo Xianming's situation was not much different from Li Qi's.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will definitely get it done. I will definitely get it done!"

Huo Xianming hurriedly nodded and bowed to Li Qi, showing no temper at all, only gratitude for surviving the disaster.

He has survived so many things, it must be that his ancestors have accumulated great virtue!

The former emperor was dragged away like this, without causing any commotion, let alone the drama of loyal ministers banging their heads against the pillars. An emperor just disappeared quietly from everyone's sight.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Huo Xianming would never have believed that such a thing could happen.

Fang Chongyong learned from his sociological knowledge in his previous life that people are not just biological beings, but the sum of social relationships between people. "Killing" a person's social relationship means cutting off his connection with other people. Even if you don't kill this person with a knife, it is equivalent to killing this person on a social level. Especially for an emperor, the lack of interpersonal relationships is equivalent to direct death.

The power of an emperor comes from the people below him. He has the corresponding power because there are people willing to listen to him.

Now that Fang Qing has taken away the support of his subordinates for Li Wei, the emperor can't even walk down from the city wall!

The principle of power is rigid and terrible, without any element of fantasy.

At this moment, Li Qi also felt scared.

Just as he was daydreaming, He Changqi, dressed in military uniform, hurried up to the tower, clasped his fists and saluted Li Qi, saying, "Your Majesty, there is a rebellion in Bianzhou, and General Che is leading his troops to suppress it. To prevent any accidents, Your Majesty, please move to the Imperial Palace. I will lead the brothers with silver spears to defend the palace to the death."

Li Qi smiled bitterly. Fang Qing did everything perfectly. He Changqi and his elite troops protected him, but it was also a disguised form of house arrest.

With the divine weapon, one would be qualified to command dozens of states, and even Fang Qing was afraid of that.

"Please lead the way, General He. I have been to the imperial palace in Bianliang City only a few times."

Li Qi said with a smile, without any intention of refusing.

He Changqi breathed a sigh of relief, waved to his personal soldiers, and whispered a few words.

On the tower of the Suzaku Gate where they were, hundreds of people released Kongming lanterns at the same time, as if the sky was full of red stars rising up against the Milky Way. The bells and drums in the corner tower of the imperial city also suddenly sounded, which was particularly different from the noisy sounds below the city.

Li Qi's heart tightened, and he looked at He Changqi curiously and asked, "General He, was that a signal just now?"

Only after he asked did he realize that he had been talking nonsense.

That was obviously to inform some people who were "doing big things" elsewhere: the new emperor has come to power and is under the control of He Changqi! Everything is the same as before!
"Your Majesty, I just reported the good news to you and it was just for fun."

He Changqi rolled his eyes and said casually with a laugh.

Li Qi laughed and shook his head, feeling a little bitter inside, but unable to say it out loud.

We can't say that Li Qi did something wrong. Shouldn't the Li family resist when their power was usurped? Shouldn't they resist?
What's the point?
But the situation is stronger than people, and people must first be alive. The dead can do nothing.

Li Wei's cultivation is poor and his strength is weak, so he can't act rashly. If he fails in the showdown, he will be punished!

He could even imagine that after he was out of sight, Li Wei would soon die in an "accidental" accident. But by then, no one would pay attention to these things, and it wouldn't cause any waves.

Li Qi doesn't want to die, he wants to live, he even wants to live a better life.

He looked back at the big wheel of lanterns that was almost taller than the city wall. The beautiful scenery there was just like the Lantern Festival in Chang'an back then.

"Pity."

Li Qi whispered something quietly, but no one else heard it.

……

Li Qi is happy. He can still show off in front of Li Wei and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Lantern Festival on the city wall of Suzaku Gate.

However, Fang Chongyong stayed in the study room of Kaifeng government office that night. Kaifeng City, which usually has no curfew, not only did not have a lantern festival today, but also implemented a strict curfew.

If anyone dares to violate the curfew tonight, Fang Zhongyong will issue a single military order: kill!

The entire Kaifeng county was shrouded in darkness, forming a sharp contrast to the lantern festival in Bianliang City.

"Your Majesty, just now people in Bianliang City released Kongming lanterns and rang bells and drums. He Lao Hu sent someone to report that he has taken the new emperor to the bedroom and is guarding it strictly."

Yan Zhuang, who was sitting opposite Fang Zhongyong, reported in a low voice, not daring to make a sound.

Tonight is a coup without any emotion!

The next programs have all been arranged.

Li Wei will be absent from tomorrow's court meeting, and Huo Xianming will read out the edict of repentance and abdication "written" by Li Wei.

In short, Li Qi "voluntarily" gave up the throne and abdicated. Considering that his offspring were very young, he gave the throne to his uncle Li Qi.

Then Li Qi ascended the throne and became emperor legitimately, and issued a general amnesty.

Then there is no more.

After Li Qi, the rubber stamp, showed up, he had nothing to do anymore. He just had to stay quietly in the imperial palace in Bianliang City and be the emperor.

Everything else is unimportant to him and is just unnecessary.

As for whether the change of emperor would cause any waves, Fang Zhongyong didn't care, and he believed that other people didn't care either.

The most common question people would ask is: Did Fang Qing usurp the throne?

After receiving a negative answer, these people will go about their own business and not care at all about who the new emperor is.

Li Wei usually doesn't care about anything, so what does his stay or departure have to do with others? After all, isn't the emperor still a member of the Li family? What is there to care about?
If we really want to talk about it, we have to wait until Fang Qing usurps the throne and changes the dynasty.

It's not worth paying attention to any of this right now.

"Have you found all the people who assisted Li Wei?"

Fang Chongyong sat at the desk and asked seriously, with no sign of relief on his face.

"Sir, here is the list. General Che is leading his men to capture and kill them one by one."

Yan Zhuang whispered, took out a roll of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Fang Chongyong. It detailed the people and addresses who participated in Li Wei's "rebellion".

These people were local tyrants who had lost a large amount of land when Fang Chongyong was carrying out land reform.

There is nothing much to say. Blocking someone's financial path is like killing their parents. In the eyes of these people, what Fang Zhongyong did to them was equivalent to killing the entire family.

It would be surprising if he just endured it quietly without retaliating.

“Everyone on the list, as well as their immediate family members, will be killed without a single one left alive.

Even a three-year-old child will be sent on the journey together!"

Fang Zhongyong gave the order in a cold voice.

He could tolerate even people like Yan Gaoqing, and at most he would send them to labor reform in Shanyuan Mountain Villa. When the land reform was carried out before, killings were rare, and they were all sent to labor reform.

Many people have now been "released from prison".

However, once it came to imperial power and he was involved with the puppet emperor, Fang Zhongyong's past gentle methods disappeared without a trace.

There is no other way. Since he is related to imperial power, the only option is to kill him.

Fang Chongyong never believed in so-called magnanimity such as "I give you the chariot, horse and cannon when I play chess".

His principle has always been to eliminate threats directly. If there is no threat, even if there is a personal grudge or dislike, he will not always deal with it according to his temper.

Yan Zhuang also understood that Fang Zhongyong was serious this time, so he crossed his arms and saluted, saying, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will do it right away and I will make sure it is done well."

After he went out, Fang Chongyong sighed.

“I wonder how people in the future will record this year’s Lantern Festival.”

He laughed and shook his head, talking to himself.

(End of this chapter)