Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Some thoughts on Li Fuguo's palace coup

The palace coup that occurred before Emperor Daizong of Tang, Li Yu, ascended the throne has never had a proper name. This is probably because Emperor Suzong of Tang, Li Heng, abolished the reign title system, making it inconvenient to come up with a term. Considering that Li Fuguo was the mastermind behind this coup, we will temporarily use his name for it.

The Old and New Books of Tang record differ on the causes and course of the coup. The Annals of Emperor Daizong in the Old Book of Tang states: "Emperor Suzong was critically ill. Fortunately, Empress Zhang had no children. Fearing that the emperor's achievements were too great to control, she secretly brought Prince Yue to the palace, intending to depose him. On the day of Yichou, the empress forged an imperial edict to summon the crown prince. The eunuchs Li Fuguo and Cheng Yuanzhen, who were aware of this, gathered troops at Lingxiao Gate. When the crown prince arrived, they escorted him into the Feilong Stable to await the coup. That evening, they gathered troops at the three palaces, arrested Prince Yue and the eunuchs Zhu Huiguang and Ma Yingjun, and imprisoned them. The empress was imprisoned in a separate palace."

The biography of Empress Zhang states: "Emperor Suzong was critically ill. Empress Zhang, along with eunuchs Zhu Huiguang, Ma Yingjun, Dan Tingyao, Chen Xianfu, and others, conspired to establish the line of the Prince of Yue. They forged an imperial edict to summon the Crown Prince to attend to him. Eunuchs Cheng Yuanzhen and Li Fuguo knew of their plot. When the Crown Prince entered the palace, the two men claimed it was difficult to report and requested that the Crown Prince stay in the Feilong Stable. Yuanzhen led the imperial guards to arrest the Prince of Yue and capture Zhu Huiguang and others. Soon after, Emperor Suzong died, and the Crown Prince assumed regency. Empress Zhang was then moved to a separate palace and died in seclusion."

The Annals of Emperor Daizong in the New Book of Tang states: "Empress Zhang of Emperor Suzong disliked Li Fuguo and wanted to plot against him. She summoned the Crown Prince for questioning, but the Crown Prince refused. She then conspired with Prince Yue Xi. Emperor Suzong fell seriously ill. On the day of Dingmao in the fourth month, the Empress and Xi were about to summon the Crown Prince to the palace. Cheng Yuanzhen, the Deputy Envoy of the Flying Dragon, learned of their plot and informed Fuguo. Fuguo prevented the Crown Prince from entering, led his troops in, killed Xi and Prince Gun Xian, and imprisoned the Empress in a separate palace."

The biography of Empress Zhang states: "When the emperor was seriously ill, the empress conspired with the eunuch Zhu Huiguang and others to establish the line of the King of Yue."

Comparing the two accounts, the *Old Book of Tang* states that Empress Zhang intended to murder Li Yu, but this was discovered by Li Fuguo, Cheng Yuanzhen, and others, who then mobilized troops to help Li Yu eliminate Empress Zhang's faction. The *New Book of Tang*, however, claims that Empress Zhang's original target was Li Fuguo, but because Li Yu refused to kill him, she conspired with the Li faction to summon Li Yu to the palace…

Sima Guang, in compiling the Zizhi Tongjian, basically agreed with the statements in the Old Book of Tang, but I have some different opinions.

If Empress Zhang could eliminate Li Fuguo first, then Li Yu, who had long resided in the Eastern Palace and did not interact with outside officials, would not be a problem for her and would be easy to control. However, if she only murdered Li Yu, Li Heng would still have a large group of sons eyeing him covetously. Li Fuguo could choose one to support instead of following Empress Zhang's lead and supporting the Li faction or Empress Zhang's own son, Li Tong.

This is mainly because Empress Zhang had virtually no military power. Both the old and new historical records agree that the Imperial Guards were controlled by Li Fuguo, and his henchman Cheng Yuanzhen, whose old scribe titled "Inner Archery Officer" and new scribe titled "Inner Archery Officer and Deputy Commander of the Flying Dragon Stable," should have been the top two leaders of the Heroic Army (Palace Archery Officers). As for Empress Zhang? Only the Zizhi Tongjian mentions her briefly: "She ordered Duan Hengjun, the Director of the Inner Palace Attendants, to select more than two hundred brave and strong eunuchs and armor them behind the Changsheng Palace."

To send two hundred eunuchs against several thousand imperial guards from the Northern Palace is suicidal. It's like Cao Mao, the Duke of Gaogui Township, leading his palace guards and servants out in a clamor. Besides, neither Empress Zhang nor the Li faction has the emperor's crown on their heads yet.

Therefore, this author believes that Empress Zhang's primary target for elimination was Li Fuguo. She first ordered Li Yu to kill him, but Li Yu was not foolish and resolutely refused. Thus, Empress Zhang conspired with Li's faction to summon Li Yu to the palace and force him to comply. Upon learning of this, Li Fuguo led his troops to prevent Li Yu from entering the palace and abducted him to the Feilong Stable, where Cheng Yuanzhen served. Thereupon, he used his position as Crown Prince and Regent to launch a coup, eliminating Empress Zhang's faction.

The shortest route from the East Palace to the Daming Palace in the Eastern Inner Palace is through the Jianfu, Mingfeng, and Wangxian gates of the Outer Court; even if it's inconvenient to go through the Outer and Inner Courts, one could go through the Youyintai Gate or Jiuxian Gate on the west side of the Daming Palace. However, Li Yu deliberately took a long detour to the Lingxiao Gate on the north side of the Taiming Palace, which is highly illogical. The only explanation is that Li Yu was already abducted by Li Fuguo and Cheng Yuanzhen before reaching the Lingxiao Gate, and not merely "escorted" to the Feilong Stable by them from the Lingxiao Gate.

In conclusion, palace coups do not necessarily require the use of troops, or even large numbers of troops. The first to abuse force was not Empress Zhang, but Li Fuguo.

However, this would make the story quite uninteresting, essentially devoid of suspense. Empress Zhang would simply be waiting to die, Li Yu, with Li Fuguo by his side, would be winning by default, and the role of the protagonist, Li Ji, would be negligible. Therefore, the author has made some adjustments to the assessment of the situation within the palace at that time.

In any case, due to Li Ji's instigation, even if the overall situation remains unchanged, the details will inevitably be distorted. For example, Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun might not have died, Yaoluogedun Mohedagan might have become the Uyghur Khan twenty-one years earlier, and Tibet might not have been able to fully acquire Longyou, and so on. The impact could be both good and bad. Therefore, it is not impossible that the Shence Army might side with Empress Zhang due to the rift between Liu Xixian and Li Ji.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Breaking the Law and Violating Prohibitions

Li Ji had long ago secretly placed his pawns beside Liu Xixian.

This time, Liu Xixian, lured by Empress Zhang, assisted in launching a palace coup, killing Li Yu and Li Fuguo, and installing Prince Yue, Li Xi, as crown prince. He promised that after the success of the coup, he would be promoted to General of the Shence Army, effectively in charge of the Northern Army, or be sent to a military governorship. He knew that conflict with the Yingwu Army was inevitable—although he did not expect Ma Sui to make such a swift decision—so he dared not bring out those generals who often dined at Li Ji's banquets, and instead left them all to guard the government office.

However, there were a few generals who had once been on good terms with Li Ji, but who "repented" in time after Li Ji and Liu Xixian broke off relations and stopped attending the banquet. Liu Xixian was not so wary of them. To be honest, he couldn't be wary of them all. If he kept all the generals who had been "tainted," he would be almost a commander without troops, and it would be difficult for him to control thousands of soldiers.

These generals were initially hesitant. Although Li Ji had given them some advance warning that there might be unrest in the palace and that Liu Xixian was plotting a rebellion, the situation was still unclear, and Li Ji wasn't present... They had originally surrounded him to persuade Liu Xixian to end the conflict with the Yingwu Army and try to resolve the issue through negotiation.

This battle was fought inexplicably. Let's put aside the fact that we lost, but if we had won, we would have inflicted heavy casualties on the Yingwu Army. How would we explain that to Erlang in the future?

Unexpectedly, in his haste and anger, Liu Xixian blurted out, "Wait until the Empress and the Prince of Yue kill the Crown Prince and Li Fuguo." The generals exchanged glances, then simultaneously raised their swords and viciously slashed at Liu Xixian...

With Liu Xixian dead, the battle ended in less than a quarter of an hour. Ma Sui ordered the generals who had defected to restrain their troops, and captured more than ten of Liu Xixian's followers, bound them, and imprisoned Liu Xixian's body in the Yingwu Army headquarters. He then dispatched troops to control the outer and inner courts.

Ma Xunmei's plan was this: once I control the Yingwu Army, then take over the main force of the Shence Army, and occupy the Hanyuan and Xuanzheng Palaces, I can transform from a pawn into one of the players. Regardless of who wins or loses in the palace infighting, this formidable force cannot be ignored and must be appeased—in other words, even if the Empress wins, I can still be a hero. The Empress was thus forced to transfer the rewards originally intended for Liu Xixian to me.

What if the empress, being a narrow-minded woman, disregards the bigger picture and insists on opposing him?

Ma Sui had just gained control of the situation when he sent someone out of the palace to invite Li Shi and the prime ministers—he didn't invite Li Ji. If he had the prime ministers, he would have more leverage to negotiate with the palace. If he had Li Shi, he could simply raise an army under the banner of the eldest grandson of the emperor to avenge the crown prince!

However, Li Shi and the prime ministers had not yet been invited—and the former could not be invited at all—Ma Sui sent people into the palace to investigate. After roughly understanding the development of the situation, he accepted Li Fuguo's summons and personally led five hundred brave soldiers into the palace to welcome Li Yu in front of the Paoma Tower.

It was past midnight, and Venus was beginning to appear in the east. The situation in the palace was basically settled, and everyone surrounded Li Yu, seeking his instructions. Li Yu first asked Li Fuguo, "Is His Majesty well?"

Li Fuguo bowed and replied, "This old servant ordered men to guard the Hall of Longevity from a distance, not daring to disturb the Emperor... He is probably still asleep."

Li Yu nodded and then asked, "How is the Empress?"

"In the Penglai Palace, this old servant dispatched troops to surround and protect it, and it is safe and sound."

Li Yu sighed softly, "Why did it have to come to this..." He paused, then looked around and said, "Shouldn't we first report to the Emperor?"

Li Shi suggested: "We can send Li Ji to report to the Emperor."

Li Ji glanced at him and asked, "Do you need to wear armor?"

He understood Li Shi's meaning: he wanted him to be the modern-day Yuchi Gong.

Back in the "Xuanwu Gate Incident," Yuchi Gong led seventy horsemen to aid Prince Qin (Emperor Taizong Li Shimin), personally shooting and killing Prince Qi, Li Yuanji. He was then ordered to enter the palace to report the rebellion. At the time, Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan was boating on the lake, completely unaware that his sons were fighting amongst themselves. Suddenly, he saw Yuchi Gong, clad in armor and carrying a spear, striding towards him. Li Yuan was greatly alarmed and asked, "Who is causing this rebellion? What brings you here?" Yuchi Gong replied, "Prince Qin, because of the rebellion of the Crown Prince and Prince Qi, has raised an army to kill them. Fearing to alarm Your Majesty, he specially sent me to guard you."

Li Shimin was ruthless. Instead of reporting to his father first that he had killed his elder brothers, he sent his general Yuchi Gong, fully armored and armed, directly to Li Yuan. Li Yuan must have been internally screaming with rage, thinking, "Second brother, what are you trying to do? Are you trying to intimidate me? If I don't acknowledge the legitimacy of your coup, will this big, dark-skinned guy just jump up and stab me with a spear on the spot?!"

Therefore, Li Yu was somewhat timid and dared not face his father directly. Just as he hesitated, Li Shi suggested, "Let Li Ji report to the Emperor." His thinking was exactly the same as Li Shimin's back then. Li Ji immediately understood, thinking that Yuchi Gong had gone in armor, which forced Li Yuan to reluctantly agree to Li Shimin's actions without even stammering. So, shouldn't I also put on armor before meeting Li Heng?

Although he knew Li Shi was using him as a pawn, Li Ji had no intention of backing down. He was also quite curious to see what kind of expression that bastard emperor would have when he saw him. Would he be as "at ease" as Li Yuan in the historical records, or would he suddenly lose his mind and fly into a rage?

Before the question could even leave his mouth, Li Yu flew into a rage, glaring and shouting, "Li Ji, shut up!" Then, realizing this wasn't quite right, he turned to Li Shi and said, "Shi'er, shut up!"

Just then, someone reported, "The Empress has sent someone to see the Crown Prince."

Li Yu was taken aback upon hearing this: "Who is it?"

"He is from Shenshan."

Li Fuguo sent men to surround Penglai Palace and search for the "Five Traitors." Without his orders, no eunuch or palace maid could be released outside the palace. Only this "Shenshan Man" had a special status, and the soldiers dared not stop him.

Shen Taizhi, also known as Shen Shanren, was a renowned Taoist practitioner from the Hu and Heng regions. He was said to be skilled in Taoist arts, capable of summoning wind and rain and turning stones into gold. Emperor Li Heng, having heard of his fame, summoned him to the palace, where he gained the favor of the emperor and empress. Pang Chengding, the governor of Tanzhou, arrested and interrogated Shen Taizhi on charges of spreading heresy while he was traveling. However, Li Heng instead recalled Shen Taizhi and imprisoned Pang Chengding. Yan Ying, the Dali Sizhi (a judicial official), defended Pang Chengding, but was dismissed by Li Heng and ultimately executed, while Yan Ying was exiled to Jianzhou.

Therefore, even Li Yu dared not underestimate Shen Taizhi, and immediately beckoned him over. Shen Taizhi, adorned with a feathered crown and crane-feather cloak, arrived gracefully, bowed deeply before Li Yu, and said, "Your Highness, the Empress has instructed me to convey her message to you..."

Li Yu instinctively leaned forward: "Does the Empress have anything else to say?"

With a flick of his sleeve, Shin Tae-ji suddenly pulled out a dagger from his sleeve, its cold light flashing as he thrust it straight at Li Yu!

Caught completely off guard, Li Yu had no time to prepare, not even the luxury of closing his eyes and awaiting death. He could only watch helplessly as the dagger approached his chest...

In the blink of an eye, a kick suddenly flew out from the side, hitting Shen Taizhi squarely in the ribs. With a "thud," the sorcerer was kicked more than ten feet away, landing face down on the ground, where he immediately fainted.

The one who stepped forward was naturally Li Ji. Everyone else respected this "Shenshanren" (a Taoist priest), but Li Ji had always looked down on monks and Taoists who practiced feudal superstition—proper religious figures usually wouldn't claim to have any magic or supernatural powers; especially since my brother was also a Taoist priest and a hermit, so why would he know any sorcery?

Therefore, no one paid any attention to Shin Tae-ji. Lee Ji-ke kept glancing at him sideways. Before Shin Tae-ji could even pull out his dagger, Lee Ji-ke saw his eyes gleam. Instinctively, he took a step forward, raised his leg, and kicked Shin Tae-ji away, saving Lee Yu's life once again.

Li Yu was so frightened that he was out of his wits and couldn't recover for a long time. Li Fuguo, however, kept rubbing his hands together, saying, "This must have been sent by the Empress... This Empress really cannot be allowed to live!"

Li Yu took a few quick breaths, calming himself slightly. He first nodded slightly to Li Ji as a gesture of thanks, then turned to Li Fuguo: "Lord Li, no, I cannot bear the name of murdering my mother..." He then sighed deeply: "I can only go to the Emperor to plead for the Empress's removal..."

There's no other way, I'll have to go see my dad in person.

So, under the protection of the crowd, they headed straight for the Hall of Longevity. Upon reaching the hall's entrance, Li Yu waved his hand, and everyone stopped. He then stepped in hesitantly alone. Li Ji thought to himself, "What a pity! I won't be able to witness Li Heng's amusing expression upon hearing of the palace coup."

Not long after, Li Yu's crying suddenly came from inside the hall, followed by a loud shout: "His Majesty has passed away!"

Li Ji was startled, thinking, "No way, could he have been murdered by you?! I reckon Li Yu wouldn't have the guts... he was probably scared to death by you..."

Good riddance, wonderful death, a glorious death! Don't jump! It saves us the trouble of cleaning up the Taiji Palace again and imprisoning Li Heng as the emperor.

Upon hearing the devastating news, everyone outside the palace knelt and wept bitterly. Li Ji, not wanting to stand out, could only follow suit. Of course, he only let out a few empty cries before glancing at Li Shi. The little guy did seem to be genuinely crying… Indeed, although Li Heng was incompetent, and Li Shi often lamented the emperor's foolish decisions in private, Li Heng had always treated his eldest grandson well. In terms of kinship, Li Shi's feelings for his grandfather were definitely not as deep as his feelings for his father.

After weeping for a while, Li Fuguo stopped crying, stood up and bowed deeply to Li Shi, then stepped into the hall. Not long after, he helped Li Yu out and advised him, "The emperor has passed away, and the country is without a ruler. Your Highness must take charge of all matters and not grieve too much... In my opinion, Your Highness should temporarily take charge of the affairs of the palace. Your Highness should go out to meet with the prime minister to reassure the people and stabilize the country."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji quickly declared, "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the valiant army to protect Your Highness as you go to see the Prime Minister."

Li Fuguo said, "The affairs of the palace will be temporarily managed by Your Highness," implying that he wanted to take control of the Imperial Guards—the old eunuch had long coveted control of the Northern Army. Li Ji, understanding the implied meaning, immediately reminded Li Yu: "At least the Yingwu Army should be entrusted to me for protection; it cannot all fall into the old eunuch's hands."

It's just that it's unclear whether Li Yu, with his intelligence, can understand it; Li Shi, on the other hand, will definitely understand, but perhaps in his grief and distraction, he won't be able to react immediately...

Li Yu sobbed, "We are all relying on Lord Li..." He paused, then added, "Shence is unreliable. They can be transferred to the capital, and the outer court can be defended by the Weiyuan Army."

"Here."

Li Yu pointed at Li Ji: "Changwei, Yingwu Army will still be under your command; Shence Army will be temporarily under Ma Sui's command, and Weiyuan Army will be given to Li Sheng."

The three generals accepted the order in unison. Li Fuguo was stunned for a moment, wanting to smile bitterly, but he dared not—a bitter smile is still a smile, after all, the emperor had just died, how could he smile? He could only purse his lips and lower his head.

Li Yu was escorted out of the Zichen Gate to meet with the prime ministers and perform the rites of regency. Li Fuguo and Li Shi each gave a brief account of the previous events to the court officials. On the same day, an edict was issued to grant a general amnesty and restore the reign title system, with the first month of the year still designated as the beginning of the year, thus establishing the "Baoying" first year.

Like Li Heng, he first asked, "Who is my father?"

"He is from Shenshan."

Li Fuguo sent men to surround Penglai Palace and search for the "Five Traitors." Without his orders, no eunuch or palace maid could be released outside the palace. Only this "Shenshan Man" had a special status, and the soldiers dared not stop him.

Shen Taizhi, also known as Shen Shanren, was a renowned Taoist practitioner from the Hu and Heng regions. He was said to be skilled in Taoist arts, capable of summoning wind and rain and turning stones into gold. Emperor Li Heng, having heard of his fame, summoned him to the palace, where he gained the favor of the emperor and empress. Pang Chengding, the governor of Tanzhou, arrested and interrogated Shen Taizhi on charges of spreading heresy while he was traveling. However, Li Heng instead recalled Shen Taizhi and imprisoned Pang Chengding. Yan Ying, the Dali Sizhi (a judicial official), defended Pang Chengding, but was dismissed by Li Heng and ultimately executed, while Yan Ying was exiled to Jianzhou.

Therefore, even Li Yu dared not underestimate Shen Taizhi, and immediately beckoned him over. Shen Taizhi, adorned with a feathered crown and crane-feather cloak, arrived gracefully, bowed deeply before Li Yu, and said, "Your Highness, the Empress has instructed me to convey her message to you..."

Li Yu instinctively leaned forward: "Does the Empress have anything else to say?"

With a flick of his sleeve, Shin Tae-ji suddenly pulled out a dagger from his sleeve, its cold light flashing as he thrust it straight at Li Yu!

Caught completely off guard, Li Yu had no time to prepare, not even the luxury of closing his eyes and awaiting death. He could only watch helplessly as the dagger approached his chest...

In the blink of an eye, a kick suddenly flew out from the side, hitting Shen Taizhi squarely in the ribs. With a "thud," the sorcerer was kicked more than ten feet away, landing face down on the ground, where he immediately fainted.

The one who stepped forward was naturally Li Ji. Everyone else respected this "Shenshanren" (a Taoist priest), but Li Ji had always looked down on monks and Taoists who practiced feudal superstition—proper religious figures usually wouldn't claim to have any magic or supernatural powers; especially since my brother was also a Taoist priest and a hermit, so why would he know any sorcery?

Therefore, no one paid any attention to Shin Tae-ji. Lee Ji-ke kept glancing at him sideways. Before Shin Tae-ji could even pull out his dagger, Lee Ji-ke saw his eyes gleam. Instinctively, he took a step forward, raised his leg, and kicked Shin Tae-ji away, saving Lee Yu's life once again.

Li Yu was so frightened that he was out of his wits and couldn't recover for a long time. Li Fuguo, however, kept rubbing his hands together, saying, "This must have been sent by the Empress... This Empress really cannot be allowed to live!"

Li Yu took a few quick breaths, calming himself slightly. He first nodded slightly to Li Ji as a gesture of thanks, then turned to Li Fuguo: "Lord Li, no, I cannot bear the name of murdering my mother..." He then sighed deeply: "I can only go to the Emperor to plead for the Empress's removal..."

There's no other way, I'll have to go see my dad in person.

So, under the protection of the crowd, they headed straight for the Hall of Longevity. Upon reaching the hall's entrance, Li Yu waved his hand, and everyone stopped. He then stepped in hesitantly alone. Li Ji thought to himself, "What a pity! I won't be able to witness Li Heng's amusing expression upon hearing of the palace coup."

Not long after, Li Yu's crying suddenly came from inside the hall, followed by a loud shout: "His Majesty has passed away!"

Li Ji was startled, thinking, "No way, could he have been murdered by you?! I reckon Li Yu wouldn't have the guts... he was probably scared to death by you..."

Good riddance, wonderful death, a glorious death! Don't jump! It saves us the trouble of cleaning up the Taiji Palace again and imprisoning Li Heng as the emperor.

Upon hearing the devastating news, everyone outside the palace knelt and wept bitterly. Li Ji, not wanting to stand out, could only follow suit. Of course, he only let out a few empty cries before glancing at Li Shi. The little guy did seem to be genuinely crying… Indeed, although Li Heng was incompetent, and Li Shi often lamented the emperor's foolish decisions in private, Li Heng had always treated his eldest grandson well. In terms of kinship, Li Shi's feelings for his grandfather were definitely not as deep as his feelings for his father.

After weeping for a while, Li Fuguo stopped crying, stood up and bowed deeply to Li Shi, then stepped into the hall. Not long after, he helped Li Yu out and advised him, "The emperor has passed away, and the country is without a ruler. Your Highness must take charge of all matters and not grieve too much... In my opinion, Your Highness should temporarily take charge of the affairs of the palace. Your Highness should go out to meet with the prime minister to reassure the people and stabilize the country."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji quickly declared, "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the valiant army to protect Your Highness as you go to see the Prime Minister."

Li Fuguo said, "The affairs of the palace will be temporarily managed by Your Highness," implying that he wanted to take control of the Imperial Guards—the old eunuch had long coveted control of the Northern Army. Li Ji, understanding the implied meaning, immediately reminded Li Yu: "At least the Yingwu Army should be entrusted to me for protection; it cannot all fall into the old eunuch's hands."

It's just that it's unclear whether Li Yu, with his intelligence, can understand it; Li Shi, on the other hand, will definitely understand, but perhaps in his grief and distraction, he won't be able to react immediately...

Li Yu sobbed, "We are all relying on Lord Li..." He paused, then added, "Shence is unreliable. They can be transferred to the capital, and the outer court can be defended by the Weiyuan Army."

"Here."

Li Yu pointed at Li Ji: "Changwei, Yingwu Army will still be under your command; Shence Army will be temporarily under Ma Sui's command, and Weiyuan Army will be given to Li Sheng."

The three generals accepted the order in unison. Li Fuguo was stunned for a moment, wanting to smile bitterly, but he dared not—a bitter smile is still a smile, after all, the emperor had just died, how could he smile? He could only purse his lips and lower his head.

Li Yu was escorted out of the Zichen Gate to meet with the prime ministers and perform the rites of regency. Li Fuguo and Li Shi each gave a brief account of the previous events to the court officials. On the same day, an edict was issued to grant a general amnesty and restore the reign title system, with the first month of the year still designated as the beginning of the year, thus establishing the "Baoying" first year.