Chapter 9: Planning Before Action (4)

  It was not easy to make a decision, even if Li Xian said it with great fanfare, as if the overall situation had already been settled. However, Li Xian himself was still hesitant and dared not express his opinion lightly, even though he also wanted to thoroughly eliminate the treacherous and evil people of Wu Zetian's party at once. After all, this move was indeed a bit too significant, and once it started, it would be like walking on thin ice. If one was not careful, there was a great possibility that they would end up being bitten by the snake instead of defeating it, and immediately suffer an unbearable outcome. How could Li Xian dare to act rashly?

  Give up? It seems possible, just say a word "no", all the uncertain factors seem to be put aside. However, Li Xian was not reconciled, because he wanted to wait for an opportunity like today again, it's really unknown when he would have to wait until the monkey year and horse month. During this period, Li Xian couldn't guarantee that he could rise smoothly in the court. Moreover, yesterday he had a quarrel with Xu Jingzong about the imperial amnesty edict, who knows what kind of situation it would be if this matter reached Wu Zetian's ears? When thinking of Wu Zetian's iron and blood and coldness, Li Xian couldn't help but feel a chill, his slightly scattered pupils also shrank at this moment.

  "Seventh brother, what you said about the case of Official Shang's good fortune being fabricated to frame Old Master Shang, do you have any solid evidence?" Li Xian fell silent for a long time before suddenly clenching his fists and asking in a rough tone.

  "Ah, this kid has finally made up his mind! As soon as Li Xian asked such a question, Li Xian's hanging heart was immediately put down by more than half. However, he didn't rush to answer, but instead poured himself a cup of cold tea that had been left for a long time, took a small sip, and then nodded slightly before speaking in an extremely affirmative tone: "Sixth brother, such a big matter, how could I dare to deceive you with empty words? If sixth brother doesn't believe me, he can capture that wicked slave and interrogate him thoroughly. He will definitely know the truth."

  "Seventh brother, you want to joke around, it's easy to catch people, but what if we end up with nothing? How will that be?" Upon hearing Li Xian speak so casually, Li Xian furrowed his brow in displeasure, glared at Li Xian sideways, and asked back somewhat anxiously.

  Nothing was gained? There is a possibility, but the probability is very small, at least in Li Xian's view - after Li Xian's second ascension to the throne, in order to settle accounts with Wu Zetian's party, he specially reopened the case of Shangguan Yi for re-trial. This case was the first and only one personally supervised by Li Xian himself. Although Li Xian had forgotten most of the details, there was one point that left a deep impression on him - the evil slave who reported Shangguan Yi, Shangguan Fu, was originally from a collateral branch of the Shangguan family and had been working in the Shangguan household since childhood. He was in charge of the accounting department and lived to be 83 years old when he was arrested during the great purge. This longevity added some trouble to the trial - according to the Tang Dynasty law, the government could not use corporal punishment on people over 70 years old. The evil slave took advantage of this and pretended to be senile in court, making it difficult for the case to proceed. Later, his son was punished and confessed that his father had a habit of recording events in account books every day, which were hidden in a secret compartment under the wooden bed in his bedroom. At this time, the chief judge was surprised and sent people to search his house again, and indeed found dozens of thick account books, including key descriptions of the Shangguan Yi case. Based on this evidence, the unjust case from 40 years ago was finally brought to light.

  "Sixth brother, how dare I joke about such a big matter? However, this thing is indeed like a play. Originally, if it weren't for my suspicions about the case of treason against Lord Shang, I wouldn't have bothered with a mere treacherous slave. It's precisely because I didn't believe that Lord Shang would be a traitor that I spent some thought on understanding the case. Coincidentally, one of my servants is an acquaintance of that evil slave, and we've had some dealings in the past. The matter of the account book was revealed when that evil slave got drunk and spilled the beans to my servant. Sixth brother, rest assured that I've already ordered someone to keep a close eye on him. As soon as you give the order, we can catch him red-handed!"

  "Oh? Such a thing has happened, that's indeed strange. Perhaps there is a true meaning in the darkness, but for now, it's hard to make a decision. I'll think about it some more." Li Xian looked at Li Xian with piercing eyes for a while, seeing that he didn't change his expression and didn't seem to be lying, his heart was moved, but considering the possible consequences, he still didn't dare to make a hasty decision. He nodded thoughtfully and responded casually, already pacing back and forth in the hall.

  "Sixth brother, please go ahead and do what you need to do, I'll just wait here."

  Li Xian had indeed seen Li Xian's heart move, but he didn't make any further efforts to persuade him. This was because Li Xian was very clear that the timing was not yet ripe, and if he forced himself to persuade him again, it would only have the opposite effect. It was better to let things take their natural course. Besides, Li Xian had other plans in store, and he wasn't worried that Li Xian wouldn't take the bait. He was happy to relax a bit and recharge his spirits to deal with the complex situation that lay ahead.

  "Get out of the way! Move it!"

  "Halt! Stop running around recklessly!"

  "Scram, don't interfere with my lord's important matters!"

  ……

  Time for deep thought always flies by quickly, and before he knew it, the sky was already near noon. However, Li Xian still couldn't come up with a definite plan, and continued to pace back and forth in the hall, despite the cold weather, his forehead was already covered in sweat, which showed how intense the battle in his heart was. Just as he was hesitating, a sudden loud noise erupted outside the hall, instantly shattering the thoughts that Li Xian had just barely gathered into fragments.

  "What a mess!"

  Li Xianzhi was normally strict and never tolerated people being presumptuous in front of him, but this time his mind was muddled, he was extremely angry, scolded loudly, took a few big steps to the screen, lifted one foot and kicked it heavily on the screen. Suddenly, there was a loud noise, and the carved flower and mountain screen fell down with a crash. The noise was so great that all the servants who were crowded in the hall were frightened and immediately knelt down on the ground, no longer daring to argue.

  "Your Highness, something's gone wrong, a big thing has happened!"

  The people of the Lu Wang Fu knelt down, and Gao Miao, who was entangled with others, took this opportunity to slip away. He didn't care about the ugly expression on Lu Wang Li Xian's face, and he quickly ran to Li Xian, who was sitting alone at the table, and started calling out loudly.

  "Huh? What's wrong? Speak, speak quickly!" Upon hearing Gao Xiao say this, Li Xian immediately jumped up in a highly cooperative manner and anxiously asked.

  "Your Highness, this...this..." Gao Miao deliberately turned his head to glance at the crowd of people kneeling on the floor below, then looked back at Li Xian's dark face, and hesitated, unwilling to speak the truth.

  "You dare to be so presumptuous! Sixth Brother is one of our own, what can't you say? Speak up, speak quickly!" As soon as Gao Miao's performance was over, Li Xian secretly praised him in his heart, but his mouth seemed to scold him with extreme impatience.

  "Ah, yes, yes, yes." Gao Miao responded with a series of affirmative nods, but refused to provide any explanation. His expression made Li Xian so angry that he was about to explode, but he restrained himself out of consideration for Li Xian's dignity as the master. In frustration, Gao Miao let out a heavy sigh and turned to face the crowd of servants kneeling in the hall, sweeping his sleeve aside and shouting: "All of you, get out!"

  "I have come to inform Your Highnesses that I have discovered that the Supervising Secretary, Cui Xuanche, has entered the imperial prison without authorization and is colluding with the Chief Justice, Hou Shanye. They plan to secretly execute the entire family of the Upper Official in prison. When I returned, all those involved in the case had been brought before the judicial authorities, and they are scheduled to be executed at noon today. The situation is urgent, so please instruct us on what to do."

  "What?"

  "Huh?"

  As soon as Gao Miao's voice fell, the two brothers almost exclaimed at the same time, with a tone full of surprise and doubt. The difference was that Li Xian's exclamation was fake, while Li Xian was truly surprised, not only because of the news itself, but also because he was shocked by Li Xian's foresight and felt apprehensive about it.

  Ever since, Li Xian has been exploring opportunities to intervene in the court in a dignified and upright manner. However, the cost was not small, but the effect was not good, and he was even forced to go to Qizhou to take refuge. Regarding this, Li Xian was naturally unwilling. Now, an opportunity to intervene in politics has appeared, and Li Xian cannot help but be moved - Xu Jingzong and others are all part of Wu Zetian's party, and they have always been at odds with the mainstream Guanlong system on the court, constantly attacking each other. However, due to Wu Zetian's iron fist, although the Later Party was small in number, they always had the upper hand in every battle. Therefore, from a certain perspective, striking the Later Party is the best opportunity to win over the mainstream of the court. Furthermore, if things go as Li Xian said, the chances of winning this battle are extremely high. If everything goes smoothly, Li Xian can take advantage of the situation and rise to power, and it's not impossible for him to replace Li Hong in the future. However, if he fails, the consequences will be dire.

  In Li Xian's view, Crown Prince Li Hong was not worth worrying about, and Emperor Gaozong didn't occupy much space in his mind either. On the other hand, Empress Wu, who had always been ruthless, made Li Xian deeply apprehensive. If things went according to Li Xian's plan, they would undoubtedly have a head-on collision with Empress Wu. Winning was one thing, but if there were any slight mistakes, the cost might be too great to bear. What puzzled Li Xian even more was that his timid and reserved younger brother Li Xian had grown to such an extent that he couldn't help but worry that all his efforts would end up being in vain, and for a moment, he became somewhat dazed.

  It's time to add fuel to the fire! Li Xian watched with cold eyes for a while, seeing Li Xian's expression changing constantly, and naturally guessed the unwillingness and hesitation in Li Xian's heart. He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly stood up, bowed to Li Xian and said: "Sixth brother, it's almost noon, I absolutely cannot sit back and watch Master Shang be wrongly killed. If sixth brother is having trouble, I will go myself, even if it means death!" As soon as he finished speaking, he lifted his foot and was about to head towards the hall.

  "Seventh brother, slow down!" Li Xian was already feeling anxious and flustered in his heart. Seeing Li Xian say he wanted to leave, he couldn't help but feel a bit urgent. He flashed to the side, blocking Li Xian's path, gritted his teeth, and squeezed out a sentence from between them with a fierce expression: "Since seventh brother is determined to go, I absolutely won't let seventh brother take risks alone. This matter will be handled by me!"

  "Sixth brother, younger brother will follow your orders, even if it means death!" Upon hearing this, Li Xian finally made up his mind. Li Xian was overjoyed in his heart, but his face was full of solemnity. He bowed deeply and expressed his attitude with great enthusiasm...