Chapter 28: Counterattack Reversal (Part 2)

  According to the system of the Tang Dynasty, except for the Supervising Censor, only officials above the fifth rank had the honor of attending court and meeting with the emperor. Officials below the seventh rank did not have the privilege of meeting with the emperor unless they were about to take up a new post and could bid farewell at the palace gate. Of course, if the emperor summoned them, that was a different matter. However, even if they were summoned to offer advice, if the emperor did not ask them to speak, these low-ranking officials had no right to open their mouths. Even if they had a memorial to present, it had to be approved by their superior and submitted through proper channels; it could not be presented directly to the throne. From this perspective, Yuan Wanzhang's ability to meet with the emperor was already an extraordinary privilege. If he were to present a memorial, that would be going too far, regardless of whether the content was reasonable or not. It would be a major offense. The people in attendance were all high-ranking officials who were familiar with court protocol and could not understand why Yuan Wanzhang dared to present a memorial in open court. They all changed color and were bewildered by this guy's audacity.

  "How dare you be so presumptuous in front of His Majesty!"

  Yuan Wanhe was against the rules, but all the prime ministers knew that he was a member of Wu Zetian's party. Although they were surprised and suspicious, they all kept silent. However, Li Xian had no such scruples and bluntly shouted loudly.

  "Sixth brother, calm down and don't be impatient, Father Emperor has his own plan."

  Li Hong had previously supported Li Xian and his brother, but the idea was to provoke a fierce struggle between the two brothers and Wu Zetian, not to genuinely help Li Xian. At this time, seeing Li Xian jump out to accuse Yuan Wanqing of being rude, how could Li Hong miss such a great opportunity to add fuel to the fire? So he pretended to advise Li Xian with one sentence.

  "Sixth Brother, Prince Taizi is right, our wise Emperor will surely have a just decision."

  Li Xian had always been hot-tempered, and with Li Hong's provocation, his face suddenly turned bright red with anger. He was about to argue with Li Hong on the spot when Li Xian intervened in time, stepping forward to stand between the two brothers, and said something to mediate. Li Xian saw this and restrained himself from further outbursts, clenched his fist secretly, and shut his mouth tight.

  Li Hong saw Li Xian stop Li Xian's outburst in time, and he secretly sighed with regret, but didn't stir up more trouble. He just smiled and nodded at Li Xian, then shifted his gaze to Emperor Gaozong and Wu Zetian.

  Gaozong himself was not a man who talked about rules, but he didn't want to see anyone being disrespectful to him. As soon as he saw Yuan Wanju kneeling in front of the hall without following the court rules, his face turned ugly immediately. However, considering that this person was favored by Wu Zetian, he couldn't lose his temper with him. After being disturbed by Li Hong and several others, his face had already become so cold that it seemed to be able to drip water.

  "Your Majesty, Yuan Zhi is straightforward and dares to speak his mind. Although this time he has slightly overstepped the bounds of propriety, his courage is commendable. Let us hear him out for now, and if there's anything improper, we can always take further action later." Wu Mei Niang obviously hadn't expected Yuan Wan Quan to jump out at this moment, but she couldn't just sit back and watch as he was dealt with in the Emperor's anger, so she hastily spoke up from the side.

  Gaozong had always been susceptible to Wu Zetian's words, and although he was very resentful of Yuan Wanqing's rudeness in his heart, since Wu Zetian had already spoken up, Gaozong could no longer scold him, so he just hummed a light tune and said: "Yuan Ai Que, what else do you want to say? I'm listening."

  "I, a humble official, dare not forget the imperial court and the people. Even if I were to die a hundred times, I would have no regrets. Now, I have discovered a case of wrongdoing and do not dare to conceal it. I specially report to Your Majesty to seek your wise judgment."

  Yuan Wan was originally a bold and uninhibited person. He did not become timid due to Emperor Gaozong's displeasure, nor did he shrink back because of his unauthorized memorial. With one stride forward, he reported in a heroic and stirring manner: "Although the case of Shangguan Yi's rebellion cannot be investigated clearly for some reason, Your Majesty has already ordered her exile to Aizhou, which means she is already guilty. According to the law, her entire family should go with her, not a single person can stay behind. However, I have learned that someone in the court has secretly taken in Shangguan Yi's granddaughter, which is a serious crime. They should be arrested and handed over to the authorities for interrogation. I specially report this to Your Majesty to make it known!"

  "Hmm? If there is such a thing, who dares to go against it and speak out?"

  Whether Gaozong's heart had a plan to rebel, this matter was too big and could not be pursued. Exiling Shangguan Yi was inevitable, but it was already a fact. Gaozong couldn't tolerate anyone interfering in the matter. At that moment, he listened to Yuan Wanqing's words, which were sharp and incisive, and suddenly became angry. He stood up abruptly, slapped the dragon case, and loudly rebuked him.

  A good old dog, actually started writing here, hey, I knew this would cause a stir, it's better to come out early!! As soon as Yuan Wanjun opened his mouth, Li Xian had already guessed what he was going to say. Although he was angry in his heart, he was not afraid, because when he accepted the surrender of Shangguan Wan'er, Li Xian had already anticipated that someone would make a move like this.

  "Your Majesty, I am clear about this matter. Let me explain it." Before Yuan Wan could point out the evidence, Li Xian had already stood up calmly and reported loudly.

  "Hmm? Where did you come up with this, my son?" Gaozong was clearly not expecting Li Xian to jump out at this time and couldn't help but feel suspicious, furrowing his brow as he scanned Li Xian with a displeased glance.

  "In response to the Emperor's words, Yuan Zhi said that the person he wanted to testify against was probably just a child. If the child didn't come forward and clarify things, Yuan Zhi would likely continue to speak nonsense." Li Xian smiled nonchalantly and replied in a relaxed tone.

  "How dare you recklessly intervene in this matter of great impiety and unrighteousness?"

  Although Wu Zetian was in the deep palace, she had a very good understanding of the situation and had long known that Li Xian secretly took in Shangguan Wan'er. She had been waiting for an opportunity to strike, but did not expect Yuan Wanqing to expose the matter at this time. Although she was furious with Yuan Wanqing, when it was time to take action, she would not show mercy, especially since Li Xian had just won a round against her. Wu Zetian wanted to turn the tables and give Li Xian a severe lesson. Seeing Li Xian come forward, she seized the opportunity to attack without waiting for Emperor Gaozong to speak, and a "great rebellion" hat was already waving in the air, ready to be placed on Li Xian's head at any moment.

  "The Empress Dowager's teachings have been effective, and I dare not act recklessly. There is another side to this matter, and I will explain it in detail." Li Xian had confidence in his heart and was not afraid of the big hat that was about to be pressed down on him. He calmly bowed his head towards Wu Zetian and replied in a calm tone.

  "Oh? Is that so? Well, let's just say it's settled then. But I'm very curious." Wu Mei Niang's ability to observe and analyze facial expressions was quite strong, and upon seeing Li Xian's confident demeanor, her heart involuntarily sank slightly, already sensing that the matter of Shangguan Wan'er might be difficult for Li Xian to concede on. However, she didn't want to let Li Xian off the hook just yet, so she furrowed her brow and asked indifferently:

  "I report to Your Imperial Majesties, the origin of this matter is also related to Li Taishi. When Shangguan Yi first obtained his granddaughter, he asked Li Taishi to divine her fate. It was said that Li Taishi had spoken, saying that this girl's eight characters were in conflict with those of the Shangguan family, and if she were not sent away for fostering, there would be great harm. However, Shangguan Yi did not believe it, thinking it was just a joke. Later, when the matter came to pass, he himself fell into prison, which was due to the treachery of the wicked slave. It is not necessarily unrelated to the conflict with this girl. Shangguan Yi regretted it too late, and thought he would surely die. Unexpectedly, there was a turn of events one day, and he again asked Li Taishi to divine her fate. He obtained a reliable response, saying that if this girl were adopted as the daughter of Zhang Chao, the master of the Ministry of Revenue, she could be guaranteed a peaceful life. Zhang Chao was originally a cautious person, and when he heard about this matter, he did not dare to act on his own initiative. He came to ask me, and I thought that according to the Tang Code, there was nothing improper about it. So I agreed. Later, I also went to Li Taishi's residence to verify the matter, and there were no discrepancies. This is the origin of the matter, and every word I have spoken is true. Please, Your Imperial Majesties, make a wise decision."

  "Who would have thought it was so complicated? I didn't know, go ahead and speak, you've always been strict with the law, tell me whether Xuan's actions were against the rules." Upon hearing Li Xian's words, Emperor Gaozong's anger had dissipated by half, but he still didn't dare to make a judgment on whether Li Xian's actions were in violation of the law. He then called upon Dai Zhide to make a ruling.

  "In response to Your Majesty, I think that if what the King of Zhou said is true, it does not violate the rules. However, the truth and falsehood need to be verified before a conclusion can be drawn." Dai Zhide was by nature strict and cautious, although he sympathized with Shangguan Yi's situation in his heart, his words were very tight, without any bias or partiality.

  "Hmm, what do you think, Minister Xu?" After hearing Dai Zhide's answer, Emperor Gaozong still didn't rush to a conclusion, but instead turned his head to look at Xu Jingzong, who was stroking his beard in silence, and asked tentatively.

  "Your Majesty, this case may seem insignificant, but it involves the reputation of the Crown Prince. I think it's better to investigate further."

  Xu Jingzong is the most cunning and treacherous person in the court, who has been watching from the sidelines with a cold eye. He had already figured out that Emperor Gaozong wanted to downplay the matter, while Empress Wu had a deeper meaning behind her words. As for Li Xian's words, Xu Jingzong didn't believe half of them, but he knew that Li Xian must have made some preparations beforehand. If they didn't investigate thoroughly, it was unlikely that they would find out anything conclusive. The key to the matter lay in how much effort they put into the investigation. In his opinion, openly interrogating Li Xian seemed unrealistic, as the imperial family's dignity had to be maintained. Moreover, this case was not a treasonous crime, and it was impossible to use severe torture to interrogate Li Xian, who was a prince after all. Simply relying on the Ministry of Justice to investigate would not yield any results, and the final outcome would likely be that nothing came of it. However, as long as they were investigating, they could still find some things to make Li Xian uncomfortable, which seemed to align with Empress Wu's intentions.

  "Hmm, then let's investigate, Wu Zetian, what do you think?" Gaozong saw that both chancellors wanted to investigate, so he also went along with it, but still felt uneasy, and thus asked Wu Zetian a question.

  "Your Majesty is wise, I dare not have a different opinion." Wu Zetian actually wanted to make a big deal out of this matter, but her rationality told her that it was not advisable. If she were to make a big fuss and end up with nothing, it would only damage the prestige she had already lost in the case of the imperial prison. Therefore, although reluctantly, she had no choice but to express agreement with Gaozong's opinion.

  What a narrow escape! Li Xian felt that the big stone in his heart had finally fallen to the ground as Wu Meiniang opened her mouth. After secretly congratulating himself, he also secretly warned himself that the struggle had just begun and it was not time to relax yet. The road ahead was still difficult to travel, and whether he could laugh last was still uncertain...