Back to the prosperous Tang Dynasty to be the emperor

Chapter 297 The Unsolved Problem

The position of crown prince has always been a high-risk occupation. If you are lucky, if the old emperor dies and ascends the throne smoothly, then it is considered a high return. Of course, the opposite of high return is high risk. Since ancient times, enthronement It is impossible to know the number of princes who lost their lives, especially since the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, there have been five princes in three dynasties, and it can be counted. Only Gaozong became the throne, and the rest all became victims of power struggles. It can be said that it is not bloody and cruel. Although the officials of the Tang Dynasty did not say it, they have long been used to it in their hearts. Don't look at the courtiers today who seem to care about the death of the prince. In fact, they are not, they are just making appearances It's all about kung fu, and it's just a show of loyalty and filial piety. As for what the crown prince's posthumous title should be, there are very few people who really care about it. Most courtiers are just waiting for Gaozong to make a decision, and follow the trend Praising the last one is the end of the matter, but I didn't expect Gaozong to have such an absurd posthumous title. Everyone was dumbfounded, and no one knew that it should be praised at the time. Well, it's better to oppose it.

The so-called posthumous title has two meanings—the posthumous name is the trace of deeds;Only those with a high status can have a posthumous title, which means a final conclusion. For relatives and friends, it is of course extremely important, but for others, it is of no importance. Originally, Prince How to determine Li Hong's posthumous title, the courtiers are fighting for their return, but they are just showing their loyalty. However, once Gaozong set Li Hong's posthumous title as "filial piety to the emperor", troubles will come. First of all, since ancient times, There is no such precedent. Even if you have searched through the ancient rituals and the "Laws of the Tang Dynasty", you can't find any evidence. There is no doubt that Gaozong's decree has a strong suspicion of chaos. Secondly, since Li Hong's posthumous title is "filial piety to the emperor", so the funeral has to be held according to the emperor's etiquette. The number of civil servants employed cannot be handled by three or five prefectures and counties. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a waste of money, but these two are not the key to keeping the officials silent. What really worries the courtiers is Gao The intention of Zong's move is obviously that none of the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty wants to be the second in official appearance.

"Your Majesty is wise, I think that Hong'er has worked hard all his life, and everything he does is beneficial to the country and the people, so he really deserves this posthumous title."

The courtiers all saw something was wrong, Empress Wu, who had a delicate heart, naturally knew better that Gaozong's move was to express dissatisfaction with herself, but Empress Wu seemed not to notice, wiped away her tears, and took the lead in breaking the order In a suffocating dullness, he echoed with extreme consideration.

"Father, Emperor Shengming, sons and ministers have no objection."

As soon as Empress Wu's words fell, Li Xian, who wanted to express himself, flashed out from the side and praised loudly.

"Your Majesty is so wise, I am in admiration."

Now that Li Xian has made his debut, Lin Qi, who has just been transferred back to the imperial court to serve as the imperial censor, and other courtiers from the Lu Wang lineage, dare not neglect, and each of them came forward to second, but most of the courtiers still looked at each other in blank dismay. He stood on the spot blankly, neither agreeing nor objecting, just keeping silent blindly.

"Where is Li Jingxuan?"

Gaozong obviously made up his mind, he ignored the silence of the ministers, he ignored the praises of Empress Wu, Li Xian and others, and with a livid face, he named Li Jingxuan, Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

"The minister is here."

Li Jingxuan is also a veteran of the court. As early as Gaozong was still the crown prince, he had already served in the East Palace, but his official career can only be described as ordinary. After more than [-] years, he died last year due to the illness of the former Minister of Rites, Lu Chengqing. Fang was able to take over the Ministry of Rites. He was always cautious, and he had already seen the strangeness of Gaozong's preference. He planned to deal with it by pretending to be deaf and dumb, but he didn't expect Gaozong to be the first to click on it. As for his own name, although he was unwilling, he could only stand up in dismay.

"Aiqing is known for being good at the five rituals. Now that I am in charge of the Ministry of Rites, I will order you to preside over Hong'er's funeral. I hope you will do it yourself. Don't lose my hope." Gaozong sat back heavily on the dragon bed and took a deep breath. Afterwards, the decree was made.

"The minister obeys the order."

Hearing Gao Zong's words, Li Jingxuan felt dizzy immediately, but he didn't dare to refute, so he could only bite the bullet and accept the order.

"Your Majesty, when Honger is in Japan, he always takes love for the people as the most important thing. He is kind and merciful. Now the land reclamation is waiting, and the land affairs are busy. If he returns to Guanfu, he may be obsolete. I think it would be appropriate for me to set up my mausoleum in Jingshan. Please make a clear decision, Your Majesty." Li Jingxuan had just stepped back, and Empress Wu immediately stood up, admonishing Emperor Gaozong with a blessing and pleading for the people.

"That's it!"

Facing Empress Wu's various requests, Gaozong's face changed for a while, as if he had a different intention, but in the end, he still didn't have the courage to refute Empress Wu face to face, so he could only barely spit out two words.

"Your Majesty is wise, and my concubine thinks that this is a big deal, and it is better to have relatives and nobles sitting in the town. Xian'er has always been shrewd and capable, and with his mediation, it should be safe. I implore Your Majesty to order." Zong was dissatisfied with his impatience, he still blessed his body, and spoke again.

"This one……"

Empress Wu's suggestion was obviously beyond Gaozong's expectation, so he couldn't help but froze on the spot, looked at Empress Wu, then glanced at Li Xian who was standing silently beside the hall, for a moment he didn't know what to do. How to answer the party.

Damn old thief, she never forgets to trick me at any time, you have the guts!Li Xian's mind was very alert, and with just a frown, he had already seen through Empress Wu's intentions - letting Li Xian bear the crime of wasting people and money was just one of them, as for the second, it was to temporarily drive Li Xian out of the court Tang, to prevent Li Xian from doing anything in the matter of appointing the crown prince, the most important thing is to guard against the possibility of the officials supporting Li Xian. His intentions are not vicious, but Li Xian has no intention of competing for the crown prince. As a person, I don't mind temporarily leaving the court, which is destined to be full of disputes, but I don't want to bear the responsibility of harming the people. How to avoid this matter is a matter of concern.

"Father, what the mother said is very true. The elder brother of the prince is in Japan. Every time he treats the people with kindness, he remembers that in the first year of Zongzhang, our Tang Dynasty sent troops to conquer Goguryeo. The body is dead, and the family members have no official. The elder brother of the prince said in the book: "It is better to kill the innocent than to lose the classics. The minister asks for a different discipline, and no one will be reduced." The father and emperor thought it was good, so he stopped the law of entanglement, and the people heard about it In short, you can see the elder brother of the prince as a bodhisattva. My minister has always admired him, and deeply regards the elder brother of the prince as a model. Today, the elder brother of the prince unfortunately passed away early, and my minister is heartbroken. If I can do my best for the affairs of the elder brother, it will be my luck. However, my ministers dare not violate the Way of the Prince's brother because of this. It is the busy time of farming. If a large-scale conscript of peasants is used to repair the mausoleum of the Prince's brother, I am afraid that the prince's spirit in heaven will be very disturbed. Please think twice. "

In the face of big right and wrong, Li Xian was unambiguous at all, and before Gao Zong opened his mouth, he stood up from the side, bowed his body, and began to talk smoothly, without any evidence for what he said, and he did not forget Take Empress Wu's spear to attack his shield, and keep saying to be the master for the people, but don't mention how to be the master. It is clear that Gao Zong himself should make it clear.

"Well, Xianer's words are very serious. How can I bear to disturb the people? Do you have any good strategies for this?" Gaozong was not good at government affairs. Throw the question to the ministers.

This is a difficult problem with no solution to the Tao. Not to mention Gaozong, even Zhuge Liang will definitely not find a safe solution when he is reborn. The reason is very simple. In terms of the emperor's funeral, it is necessary to conscript civilian husbands for the purpose of repairing the mausoleum. The law has always been the same in all dynasties. Although it disturbs the people, there is no difference in terms of righteousness. Even if the people have resentment, they can understand it. The problem is that Li Hong is not the real emperor, but the posthumous title of emperor Naturally, you can't enjoy the treatment of recruiting civilian husbands to repair the mausoleum at will. It is obviously impossible to convince the people, and the ensuing public anger can be imagined. If you really want to talk about the solution, then As long as it is not buried according to the emperor's rites, then Gaozong has already made a decision, how dare the courtiers raise objections at this time, so, no matter how much Gao Zongwang looked forward to his eyes, all the officials The workers could only pretend that they didn't see it, and they all stood silently, and no one dared to meet Gao Zong's eyes.

"What? Are you all dumb? Huh?"

Gao Zong always loved Li Hong, although he knew that his death was quite strange, but because of Empress Wu, he didn't dare to pursue the root cause, he was extremely unhappy, so he proposed to give Li Hong a decent funeral Rather than saying that it is an expression of favor, it is better to say that Gaozong used it to heal the guilt deep in his heart. On this matter, there is no room for others to have the slightest objection, but it is Li Xian's opinion. He couldn't ignore it. After all, Gaozong himself didn't want to be charged with the crime of disturbing the people. Seeing that none of the courtiers gathered together was willing to speak out, Gaozong's face immediately turned extremely ugly.

It doesn't matter whether Gaozong's anger is serious or not, but the already panic-stricken officials have strengthened their determination to keep silent. No one wants to touch Gaozong's bad luck at this time. Wang Lixian and Empress Wu took it up in court. Before the situation became clear, no one dared to intervene easily. If one accidentally offended one of them, the consequences would not be so easy to bear. The big guys are not fools. The reason why silence is golden is still clear. As for Gaozong's anger, as long as it doesn't burn on his own head, then he has the right to ignore it.

"Trash, everything is trash, I'm so mad, I..."

Gaozong waited for a long time with his beard blowing his beard and staring at his eyes, but no one was willing to speak out. The anger in his heart could no longer be restrained, and when he shot the dragon case, he changed his face and cursed angrily. The ground trembled, and then limp and paralyzed.

(End of this chapter)