Chapter 27: Counterattack Reversal (Part 1)
If it were in a different setting, Wu Meiniang's heart would be filled with pride and ambition, for this was the goal she had been pursuing all along. However, at this moment, the focus of the officials made Wu Meiniang feel like her heart was burning with anxiety, unable to vent her emotions, making her extremely uncomfortable. The fire in her heart surged up involuntarily, her face still calm, but her eyes flashing with a fierce light, like lightning and thunder on the eve of a storm.
She was skilled at manipulating the situation through conversation, whether it was competing for favor in the harem or using Li Yifu and others to attack political enemies. Wu Zetian had never lost her hand from the beginning of the competition with Wang Huanghou and Xiao Shufei to the recent defeat of her political enemy Shangguan Yi. However, today's move not only failed to take effect but was also used by someone to gain an advantage, and that person was Li Xian, whom Wu Zetian had never taken seriously, which made her even more angry.
Li Xian, although the son of a legitimate wife, was rarely paid attention to by Wu Zetian. In her eyes, Li Xian was just an incompetent son, with no redeeming qualities in terms of character or talent, and could be described as mediocre without exaggeration. Even when he showed his ferocity during the previous imprisonment case, Wu Zetian didn't pay much attention to it, thinking that it was just a result of the instigation of Li Xian's younger brother, who had both ambition and ability. Therefore, all of Wu Zetian's arrangements were actually focused on Li Xian, but she never expected that the seemingly insignificant Li Xian would give her such a big "surprise".
The purpose of killing the chicken is not for the chicken itself, but to scare the monkey. In Wu Zetian's arrangement, the small eunuch Zhang Dekai was the "chicken", and Li Xian, Wu Zetian's useless son, was also a "chicken". The purpose of killing these two chickens was to scare Li Xian, this disobedient "monkey". This arrangement originally didn't have any major problems. If nothing unexpected happened, Li Xian, this unscrupulous "macaque", would inevitably have to calm down for a while, thus giving Wu Zetian the time she urgently needed to make up for the losses caused by the case of the imperial prison and eliminate the bad influence. However, plans always can't keep up with changes. It was thought that Li Xian should be the "chicken", but now he doesn't seem to have any awareness of being a "chicken" at all. On the contrary, he has stirred up trouble and turned what should have been a good situation into a mess. This makes Wu Zetian, this "chef", feel indignant!
"Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress, we your old ministers are ashamed."
In the midst of an eerie silence, Shi Zhong Xujingzong, who had been standing quietly by the side, suddenly stepped forward, bowed his body to Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu, and sighed.
"What makes you say such a thing?"
Wu Zetian was at a loss for how to answer Gaozong's question - whether to allow Li Xian to practice martial arts. Wu Zetian was unwilling, but if she did not permit it, she could not find a suitable reason to oppose it for the time being, and thus was in a dilemma. Just then, Xu Jingzong stepped forward, and Wu Zetian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Before Gaozong could speak, Xu Jingzong asked first.
"I, your old minister, believe that Your Majesty's words about 'our great Tang Dynasty being in turmoil and frequent wars' are indeed true. As officials, we cannot bring peace to the country, and instead, the imperial prince has to learn martial arts to defend the nation. This is a dereliction of duty, shameful, extremely shameful." Xue Rengong was not ashamed to be an old veteran of three dynasties, with thoughts sharper than others. He saw through Wu Zetian's intentions and opened his mouth to feign shame, but in reality, he cleverly cut off Li Xian's excuse for learning martial arts - the underlying message being that allowing Li Xian to learn martial arts would be equivalent to the imperial family expressing dissatisfaction with the officials' inability. In other words, permitting Li Xian to learn martial arts would be tantamount to denying the abilities of all officials. Such a big hat, not even Gaozong, an emperor who cannot be considered wise, could bear it, let alone if it were Taizong, who was known for his wisdom."
"Xu Xiang, for the country's sake, has exhausted his heart and labored with great merit. It is not right to blame himself like this." Wu Zetian's thoughts were extremely meticulous, far beyond ordinary people's comparison. As soon as she heard it, she already understood the truth in Xu Jingzong's words. After comforting Xu Jingzong with a sentence, without waiting for Emperor Gaozong to speak, she immediately threw out a killer move: "Your Majesty, I remember that when Taizong was alive, Crown Prince Li Chengqian asked about war, and Taizong replied: 'This is not something that can be interfered with by the younger generation.' This situation, this scene, I still remember as if it were yesterday. Does Your Majesty perhaps forget?"
"Ah, this, this..." Gaozong had actually agreed to Li Xian's request to practice martial arts without thinking too much about it, purely out of a father's love and not wanting to disappoint Li Xian. However, he never expected that Wei Zheng would stir up such deep meaning from it. Moreover, when Taizong was discussing battle strategies with the deposed Crown Prince Li Chengqian, Gaozong had been by his side and knew that Taizong had indeed said something like this before. As someone who always prided himself on being filial, Gaozong did not want to go against Taizong's will, but at the same time, he secretly felt that things might not be as sinister as Wei Zheng made them out to be. For a moment, he was left speechless and didn't know what to say.
What a vicious old dog, biting people is really ruthless! As for Xu Jingzong's entanglement, Li Xian naturally had a plan in mind, but he never expected that Xu Jingzong would be so entangled to the point where the good situation he had worked hard to create was suddenly shattered by Xu Jingzong's few words. Li Xian couldn't help but feel anxious, but his heart knew that he must not rush at this time. Only calmness could find a countermeasure. Taking advantage of Xu Jingzong and Wu Zetian's singing and harmonizing, Li Xian suppressed the itching anger in his chest, and his brain quickly turned around. When Gaozong was speechless, Li Xian had already thought of a plan.
"Your Majesty, I have something to say but I don't know if it's right to say it." Before Emperor Gaozong could respond, Li Xian had already stepped forward again and loudly reported.
"My son has something to say, it doesn't matter if he speaks out of turn. I'm listening." Gaozong had always been a man without much of his own opinion, and was at a loss for how to respond to the pincer attack from Xu Jingzong and Wu Zetian. Hearing Li Xian speak up, he was happy to go along with it.
"Your Majesty, the sage has said: 'Seventy years is a rare age for humans to reach.' This means that human lifespan has a fixed number and it's hard to exceed it. Now, our dynasty's great generals are numerous, but they are all old men. Li Ji and General Li are seventy years old; Su Dingfang and General Su are seventy-two; Liu Renyuan and General Liu are sixty-three; Xue Rengui and General Xue are a bit younger, but still over fifty. These are the current leaders of our dynasty's armies, where are their successors? Even if there are young talents like Cheng Wuting, they mostly lack experience and may not be able to take on important tasks. Is this a sign that our dynasty is at peace? No! To the west, the Tibetans are watching us with greedy eyes; to the north, the Turks are being ferocious; to the south, the Man tribes are occasionally rising up in rebellion; to the east, the Goguryeo people are being arrogant. Although they may not be major threats, they are like a thorn in our side that we can't get rid of. If we don't take military affairs seriously, how can we have peace and stability? I am not talented, and even if I practice martial arts, I may not achieve anything. However, as the son of the imperial family, I may be able to set an example for the court and the people by taking on this task. If I can alleviate Your Majesty's worries in any way, I will not decline. Please grant me your permission!" Li Xian bowed calmly and began to speak fluently, citing examples, expressing his attitude, and speaking sincerely and with dignity, which moved the listeners to be deeply stirred.
"Your Majesty, my seventh brother's heart is set on serving the imperial court, and I deeply agree with him. I humbly request that Your Majesty grant his wish to serve." As soon as Li Xian finished speaking, Li Xian stood up straight and clearly expressed his support.
"Your Majesty, I think the seventh brother's heart is very kind, and it can be tried." After Crown Prince Li Hong failed to win over Li Xian for the first time, his mind to win him over had already faded. Therefore, when Li Xian was attacked earlier, Li Hong did not intend to help him. However, when he saw that the two brothers had made it clear that they would collide with Wu Zetian, Li Hong's thoughts finally shifted. This was because compared to the competition between brothers, Li Hong had a stronger sense of vigilance against Wu Zetian's interference in government. He was happy to see Wu Zetian frustrated, and if Wu Zetian were to thoroughly unite with Li Xian and his brother from then on, it would be very much in line with Li Hong's wishes. So he unhesitatingly stood up to support Li Xian.
As Li Hong and Li Xian appeared, the current situation has evolved into a post-three-kings' struggle scenario without anyone noticing. All the chancellors were stunned, each with different thoughts in mind, but no one dared to speak recklessly at this sensitive moment. They all chose to remain silent and observe, even Xu Jingzong, an iron-clad supporter of the Empress, honestly kept his mouth shut and became a bystander.
"Alright, since Xian'er has this intention, how can I not fulfill it? This matter is approved!" Gaozong was originally a person easily swayed by emotions. Upon hearing Li Xian's generous words and seeing his other two sons also expressing their support one after another, he felt a surge of heroic passion in his heart and didn't hesitate any longer. With a slap on the table, he resolutely agreed to Li Xian's request to Wu.
"Your Majesty, Xian'er's loyalty is commendable. This matter should be clearly decreed and announced to the world, and it would not be in vain for Xian'er's filial piety." As soon as Gaozong agreed to Li Xian's request, a hint of gloom flashed across Wu Zetian's face, her red lips pursed, and she suddenly smiled and interjected.
"Good, very good. Wu Zetian's words are exactly what I wanted to hear. I will immediately order the drafting of an edict to proclaim it to the four seas and promote the spirit of our great Tang dynasty!" Gaozong had previously approved Li Xian's proposal out of a momentary impulse, completely forgetting to ask for Wu Zetian's opinion. He was worried that Wu Zetian would be displeased, but upon hearing her words, he was overjoyed and repeatedly expressed his agreement with a smile.
Proclaiming to the world? Hey, another trap has been set for us to drill into, interesting! Li Xian's thoughts are very sharp, and as soon as he heard Wu Mei's words, he already understood her intentions - Wu can only stabilize the country but cannot bring peace to the nation. By setting up Li Xian as a model for Wu, her intention is to squeeze him out of the line of succession. If Li Xian was just pretending with Wu, it would be exposed sooner or later. When that happens, without Wu taking action, the impeachment from the Imperial Censorate would be enough for Li Xian to drink a whole pot of bitterness.
"The child thanks the Emperor and Empress for their great kindness, I will definitely work hard to study and not disappoint the Emperor's and Empress's high expectations." Li Xian knew about Wu Zetian's sinister intentions, but he didn't mind at all, because this was just a cover-up strategy for his own self-interest, so he hastily thanked the imperial grace.
"All right, Xian'er can be commended for his efforts. I will reward him myself. Today's matters are settled, let us stop here." Seeing that everything had been discussed to everyone's great satisfaction, Gaozong did not want to make a fuss and said some polite words before preparing to return to the rear palace to rest.
"Your Majesty, please wait, I have a memorial to present!" Before Emperor Gaozong could rise from his seat, someone suddenly appeared from the side and knelt down in front of the hall, loudly reporting something. The crowd looked intently and saw that the person who had suddenly emerged was actually Yuan Wanqu, and they were all stunned...
