Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 91 Four Imperial Edicts
The next morning, Li Zhi issued several decrees in succession.

The first decree changed the regular court session to once every five days.

The ministers already knew that the emperor had a headache and needed treatment, so they were not surprised and no one raised any objections at this time.

The second decree transferred Gao Youdao, Lu Zhaolin and Du Yijian to the Hongwenguan to serve as proofreaders.

Although the proofreader was only of the upper ninth rank, he belonged to the ranks of honest officials. His duties were leisurely, he received generous remuneration, was promoted quickly, and had a bright future. He was regarded as "a good choice for scholars to start their careers."

The emperor personally selected three people, and combined with the first edict, all the ministers had vaguely guessed that the emperor was going to use these three people.

The third decree specifically ordered Gao Youdao, Lu Zhaolin, Du Yijian, as well as Yuan Wanqing and Guo Zhengyi, direct scholars of the Hongwen Academy, to participate in the regular court session every five days.

The fourth decree was to hand over the incident in the Forbidden Garden last night to the Dali Temple for handling. Li Zhi still appointed Di Renjie to be in charge of the case.

In addition, Li Zhi also gave Wang Jishan an order to go to the Duke of E's Mansion to let Yuchi Gong know that Cheng Zhijie might go to him to plead for mercy.

For most of the people in Chang'an City, waking up was no different from yesterday, and they continued to work hard for their livelihoods as usual.

Most officials were also kept in the dark. This was a conspiracy against the aristocratic families planned by Wu Meiniang.

Even Prime Minister Liu Rengui was unaware of what happened last night, let alone Di Renjie, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.

He only heard that the emperor had a headache, and he was quite worried. When he came to the Dali Temple early in the morning, his brows were tightly furrowed.

While walking on the corridor of the Dali Temple, he suddenly saw Yuan Sicheng walking quickly towards him from the second hall and greeting Di Renjie from a distance.

"Lord Di, you are finally here. Lord Xin wants to see you."

Di Renjie agreed and followed Yuan Sicheng to Xin Maojiang's office. After knocking on the door and entering, he bowed and said, "Your humble servant Di Renjie greets the Minister of the Temple."

General Xin Mao smiled and said, "No need to be so polite, Mr. Di. Please take a seat."

Di Renjie answered yes and found a chair to sit down.

Xin Mao took a tea cake from the antique shelf and, while brewing tea, smiled at Di Renjie and said, "Sir Di, did you sleep well last night?"

Di Renjie was slightly stunned and said, "I slept well."

Xin Maojiang carefully observed his expression and thought to himself, "It seems that he doesn't know what happened last night."

Xin Maojiang is a conservative faction among the aristocratic families. He firmly supports Zhangsun Wuji and has an average relationship with the Wei and Xiao families.

He did not receive any notification from Changsun Wuji last night.

So when Xiao Rui came to him and told him that the emperor was in a coma and wanted him to participate in the plan, he flatly refused.

Although he did not attend, he was one of the few officials who knew about it and did not sleep much that night.

In the early morning, the emperor sent someone to convey his order, saying that two low-ranking officers of the imperial guards had gathered in the Forbidden Garden without orders last night and had been captured.

The two officers were from the Jingzhao Du family and the Shiping Su family.

Xin Maojiang knew that something had changed about what happened last night.

Xin Maojiang smiled and said, "Young people just sleep well. I didn't sleep all night last night. I could only drink some hot tea to replenish my energy."

Di Renjie asked, "I wonder why Xin Siqing asked me to come here?"

General Xin Mao smiled and said, "We've been assigned a case from above. It seems two officers got drunk and wandered around the Forbidden Garden late at night. They were apprehended by the Jinwu Guards. The Sage has appointed Di Shaoqing to handle this case."

Di Renjie asked, "I wonder where those two officers are now, and what their names are?"

General Xin Mao laughed and said, "They have both been sent to the Dali Temple and are being held in the Dali Prison. One is Su Zhou and the other is Du Kai."

Di Renjie frowned and asked, "Du Kai? Could he be a descendant of the Jingzhao Du family?"

General Xin Mao laughed heartily and said, "What a coincidence! He is indeed a descendant of the Du family. Alas, things have been going badly for the Du family lately, so it's no wonder he's drinking to drown his sorrows."

Di Renjie said calmly, "I never believe that there are coincidences without reason in this world."

General Xin Mao narrowed his eyes and said, "Who can predict the future of the world? Ah, the tea is ready. Please try it, Mr. Di."

After Di Renjie left the Temple of the Minister of Justice and was about to go to the Dali Prison to see Du Kai, one of his clerks suddenly ran over.

"Mr. Di, someone asked me to give you this letter."

"who?"

The clerk said, "It seems he is a nobleman."

Di Renjie took the letter and took a deep breath after reading it.

This letter turned out to be a secret decree from the emperor, instructing him not to try Su and Du for the time being.

Di Renjie thought to himself, "What happened last night is indeed true. The sage's decree is puzzling. I wonder if his headache has improved."

In March, the daffodils beside the pavilion and waterside terraces have bloomed. The flowers are white and have a faint fragrance.

A burst of crisp laughter rang out.

"Sister, look, there's a big fish over there."

"Well, I see. Give me the bait and I'll feed it."

Li Zhi sat in the pavilion, looking at Princess Gao'an and Princess Yiyang feeding fish not far away, and his mood was indeed much better.

Sometimes people are easily overwhelmed by things. Although Li Zhi had always warned himself not to overwork himself, he had unknowingly become overworked and his headache had recurred.

This incident also made him determined to take care of his health in the future and not act like a mouse being pushed around.

"Oh, mother is here." Princess Gao An suddenly shouted.

Li Zhi looked up and saw Wu Meiniang walking towards him along the waterside, holding an exquisite food box in her hand.

She was wearing a low-cut red dress today, with a crescent-shaped flower ornament on her forehead and light makeup on her face, making her look even more radiant and charming than usual.

"Everyone is in good spirits today. Are you feeling better?" Wu Meiniang asked with a smile as she approached.

Li Zhi smiled and said, "My headache isn't serious. To be honest, after Dr. Sun treated me, I actually felt much more relaxed."

Wu Meiniang said softly, "If everyone can relax, I will be at ease too."

As he spoke, he took out several exquisite cakes from the food box and placed them on a high-footed uranium plate.

Princess Gao An exclaimed in surprise: "Oh, there are cherry biro!" She ran over quickly, grabbed one and stuffed it into her mouth, her cheeks puffed up like balloons.

Princess Yi Yang also came over, looking like she wanted to eat but was too embarrassed to ask.

Li Zhi smiled, picked up two high-footed plates, gave one to each of them, and said with a smile, "Take it and eat it."

The two of them held the plates, giggled, and ran to the pool to play again.

Li Zhi pulled Wu Meiniang to sit beside him and said with a smile, "The Queen, do you have something to ask me?"

Wu Meiniang said softly, "Everyone has just recovered from their illness, and I shouldn't have disturbed you. But Wang Wendu wrote again, and I dared not fail to report it."

Li Zhi said, "Show it to me."

Wu Meiniang handed the secret letter over. After reading it, Li Zhi couldn't help but be secretly surprised.

According to Wang Wendu, Su Dingfang could not stand Cheng Zhijie's drinking and merrymaking, so he went to Cheng Zhijie to persuade him.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Zhijie not only refused to listen, but also started fighting with Su Dingfang outside the camp.

Su Dingfang was tolerant everywhere, but Cheng Zhijie took advantage of the situation and refused to show mercy, and eventually injured Su Dingfang.

After reading it, Li Zhi felt it was a bit absurd.

However, considering that Cheng Zhijie is now only concerned with protecting himself and doing some strange things, it is not surprising.

At this time, Wang Fusheng came over and whispered, "Everyone, Gao Youdao and the others are already in Ganlu Palace awaiting orders."

There is a side hall on each side of Ganlu Hall. The left side hall is where ministers wait when they want to see the emperor.

The right side hall is more formal, with a hot spring pool inside, where the emperor granted bathing privileges.

When ministers from other prefectures and counties came to the palace to report on government affairs, if they were commended by the emperor, they would usually be granted a bath, or even the privilege of staying overnight in the palace.

Gao Youdao and others were standing in the right side hall at this moment.

The hall was decorated, with six tables placed on the left and right. The imperial desk on the north side was piled with imperial edicts and memorials.

Du Yijian felt a little uneasy and whispered, "Brother Gao, Brother Lu, what did His Majesty say he summoned us for?"

Lu Zhaolin smiled slightly, with a gleam in his eyes.

When he was appointed as the proofreader, Lu Chengqing specifically sought him out for a detailed talk.

According to Lu Chengqing's guess, the emperor would most likely let the three of them participate in confidential matters.

Lu Zhaolin found it hard to believe at the time. How could they, newly-appointed Jinshi with low rank and no experience in governing, be given such an important position?
Lu Chengqing said, "It is precisely because of your low rank that His Majesty chose you. His Majesty's headache has recurred, and he can't handle state affairs as before. Naturally, he needs help. Who do you think His Majesty can choose?"

Lu Zhaolin hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, can you choose officials from the Qingliu faction?"

Lu Chengqing shook his head and said, "Your Majesty has already supported the Qingliu faction to occupy two provinces. If the power to review memorials is also given to the Qingliu faction, their power will be difficult to control."

Lu Zhaolin suddenly realized, "Your Majesty chose us because we don't belong to any faction."

Lu Chengqing nodded and said, "Yes, it is also because of your low rank that His Majesty can rest assured by placing this power in your hands."

Lu Zhaolin recalled Lu Chengqing's words, and now looked at the memorials piled on the desk, and felt his whole body tremble slightly.

He glanced sideways at Gao Youdao and said, "Brother Gao, what do you think?"

Gao Youdao said calmly, "Why speculate? When His Majesty arrives, you'll know."

Yuan Wanqing glanced at Gao Youdao and said, "I thought this year's top scholar was quite knowledgeable, but it turns out he's just talking nonsense."

Lu Zhaolin snorted coldly, "I heard that Yuan Zhixue was ranked seventh in the second year of Yonghui. Well, that's certainly much more knowledgeable than the first place selected by His Majesty in the seventh year of Yonghui."

Yuan Wanqing heard his sarcasm and was about to retort when Guo Zheng said, "Brother Yuan, listen to more and doubt less. Be careful with what you say, and you will have fewer complaints."

Yuan Wanqing snorted and stopped talking.

Just then, the eunuch's singing of yes was heard outside.

"The saint has arrived!"

(End of this chapter)