In the palace of the British Prince, Webster bowed down in obeisance, his beautiful face full of pleading.
Li Xian looked at his beloved wife with an embarrassed expression: "My beloved, it's not that I don't want to save your father, but the crime he committed this time is really too big. Not only did he participate in the coup, but he also concealed the disaster in Guanzhong, and committed several crimes.
Only then will Wen be beheaded..."
Wei Shi lamented: "I also know that it is difficult for my husband to deal with it, but there is always a way to deal with it. My husband has been in the palace one after another recently. When I see your majesty, I am always moved by my brotherly love!"
Li Xian frowned: "There are so many criminals. If His Majesty pardons your father, then other nobles will certainly be pleading for you. How can we do this?"
Webster ignored it and just continued to plead: "I don't ask for my father's pardon. I just want to be sent to Lingnan. It's better than being executed in the city!"
Li Xian pulled her a few times, but Webster was lying on the ground unable to get up. His tone became even more helpless and a little annoyed: "My dear concubine, I can understand your pain, but there is really nothing you can do. What are you doing?"
What to do?"
Weishi was silent for a moment, and suddenly said sharply: "I know that my father is guilty, but the Queen Mother is the culprit. Why are we confused by the Queen Mother's edict? Now I am asking for beheading, and I am giving out orders, but she is safe and sound, and can still be here?"
Enjoy the blessings in the palace?"
Li Xian was stunned at first, but when he came to his senses, he suddenly became furious and pushed Wei Shi away: "Here comes someone! Drag her down to me!"
Wei's temper got worse, his head became hot, and he shouted: "Our noble clan has suffered such a disaster, and there will be no good retribution for the witch! There will be no good retribution!!"
Li Xian was so angry that all his former love turned into disgust, and he said coldly: "She is a shrew. Jingzhao Weishi has such a tutor, no wonder it has declined!"
Historically, there is a reason why Li Xian and Empress Wei had such a good relationship as husband and wife, even to the point of obeying their every word.
Empress Wei was not Li Xian's first wife. His first wife was locked up in a small dark room and starved to death because she spoke ill of Wu Zetian. Wei was his second wife. Later, when Li Xian was deposed as King of Luling, she and
They were in trouble together and went through the most difficult period. It is said that at that time, Li Xian swore in private that if he could see the light of day again, he would "do whatever you want without restraint."
However, the specific oath in that paragraph only appeared in "Zi Zhi Tong Jian". It was not described in the previous history books. It clearly meant something, corresponding to the actions of Empress Wei, and it was semi-prophetic, so its credibility is not good.
high.
But because of their shared experiences of adversity, Li Xian and Empress Wei have a good relationship as a couple. This should be true.
But now the two of them have not had this experience. Even though Li Xian likes Webster's beauty, he still can't obey what he says, let alone pointing his nose at her and scolding her. He has already decided to divorce his wife.
Not only was he divorcing his wife, but thinking of Empress Wu's current situation, Li Xian sighed, his mood became depressed, and his heart was faintly throbbing: "Prepare your horses! This king is going to enter the palace!"
When I arrived outside Ziwei Palace, I happened to see Li Xian riding on a horse. He received a notice from the palace and came to visit.
The two brothers were somewhat estranged in the past, but recently they have become much closer and came to the Hebi Palace side by side.
Most of the Changshengyuan was burned down, and now Empress Wu moved to Hebi Palace.
There is some kind of providence in the world. Historically, Li Hong died here.
Now when Li Xian and Li Xian walked into the palace, they saw their elder brother standing tall at the first sight.
Heroic and majestic.
Even during this period of time, they had met more than once, but they also looked at her several times, and then looked at the couch, landing on the mother who also had a huge contrast.
As he ages, his edge is gone.
The former Empress Wu had a beautiful face and a sharp edge, and she did not look like a fifty-year-old woman at all.
But at this time, she was already a dying person on the hospital bed. Not only did she no longer have her former mental outlook, she also had no hair.
The two brothers felt a huge sense of discord.
I always felt that it would be normal if Li Hong was lying there with Empress Wu and several of her children surrounding him.
Now it's completely reversed, Li Dan and the eldest princess have arrived, and the whole family is surrounding the mother, with sad expressions on their brows.
In comparison, when looking at the children surrounding the couch, Empress Wu's expression was very indifferent. She first looked at Li Xian: "How is your concubine Wei Shi?"
Li Xian was stunned and did not dare to hide it: "She has disrespectful words towards the empress, and the child is ready to divorce his wife."
Empress Wu nodded: "It's good to get divorced. That woman is not a housekeeper. Now that her mother's family is in trouble, she will feel resentful and stay with her to cause trouble."
Listening to her indifferent tone, Li Xian felt that his former mother was back, and subconsciously said: "I will obey your Majesty's words!"
Empress Wu looked at Li Xian and Li Dan again, but she didn't care much about these two sons. When she turned to the eldest princess, she showed a look of love and affection from the bottom of her heart: "My child, I couldn't forgive you before. After I leave, I will
, your royal brother will choose a good family for you."
The eldest princess burst into tears when she heard this: "My queen, please don't leave me! Your Majesty, please don't leave me!"
Empress Wu gently stroked her daughter's hair without saying anything. She waited until she stopped crying and then said, "Please step aside. Your Majesty and I have something to say."
Li Xian, Li Xian and Li Dan, with red eyes, supported the eldest princess and took her down. Empress Wu, mother and son Li Hong were the only ones left in the palace.
Tears welled up in Li Hong's eyes. He often came to accompany Empress Wu these days. Seeing her deteriorating health, he knew that day was really coming. He was about to listen to his mother's last words when he heard Empress Wu ask: "Now the government and the public are
Is the situation stable?"
Li Hong was startled, his face changed, and he couldn't help but said: "My Lady, now that things have happened, do you still care about political affairs?"
Empress Wu smiled and looked at the eldest son: "What? Your Majesty thinks I am unreasonable?"
Li Hong was silent.
Silence is actually the answer.
Empress Wu said leisurely: "My child, you have been the prince since you were young and sensible. It is easy to gain power, so naturally it does not matter how difficult it is to let go. But I am different!"
She showed a look of recollection: "Since I can remember, I have tasted the ups and downs of the world. In order to embezzle my father's family property, my two brothers kicked out my mother and our sisters. Later, they went to the Yang family, living under the fence of others and looking at their faces...
"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Later, when I entered the palace, my mother was in tears. I was really looking forward to it, hoping to change my situation by gaining status in the harem..."
"It turned out to be the opposite. Taizong basically lost interest in the harem due to the death of Queen Wende. Women competed with each other, but none of them could attract Taizong's attention."
"Seeing that Taizong's health was deteriorating, I wanted to give him a son and a half daughters, so that I wouldn't have to become a monk and could live with my children, but I couldn't do it..."
"In the year when Emperor Taizong died, I went to Ganye Temple and was forced to become a nun."
Listening to the past events of his mother and grandfather, Li Hong would have been very embarrassed in the past. Now he couldn't help but listen and feel the unwillingness and despair in those few words.
Empress Wu's face was calm, as if she was telling someone else's past events, but judging from the emphasis of her words, it was obvious that those years were unforgettable and she would never forget them even after she died:
"The villain is snobbish, and every moment in Ganye Temple is very difficult. I am looked down upon by others all day long, and even the elderly nuns are harsh."
"The most frightening thing is that their lives can be seen at a glance. Their time is wasted, their blessings are unenjoyed, and the ancient Buddha of Qingdeng ends this life!"
"Fortunately, I have not been knocked down. I still dress up every day, use everything around me to keep my appearance unchanged, and wait for the opportunity."
"When your father comes to the temple, I can renew our past relationship with him and return to the temple."
"If I give in, I would have accepted my fate back then at Ganye Temple, and there would be an old woman chanting sutras in front of the Buddha. She would live, old, sick, and die without a sound. Who would know?"
"Only by refusing to admit defeat, I became who I am now, and who I am now!"
Li Hong held his breath slightly.
Empress Wu looked at her son: "With my background, I must understand a truth since I was a child. The only thing a person can rely on is self-improvement. And when there is no outside world to rely on, self-improvement often means unscrupulous means, because there is no other choice...
...You don’t understand my cruelty, that’s normal, because you were born a prince and don’t need to be like me.”
"And even if I seize the opportunity, after three years of Yonghui, when I first returned to the palace, I was still like a palace maid, trembling and carefully serving the queen. I was jealous and insulted by Concubine Xiao, and worried every day whether I could survive until tomorrow.
.”
"What I'm more afraid of is that I was nearly thirty years old at that time. I couldn't avoid losing my love and beauty. As your father is a saint, there must be no shortage of beauties in the palace. He loved me at that time, but how many days can he stay in love with me? What if?
If you send me back to Ganye Temple, I won't be able to hold on anymore..."
"In the midst of my hesitation, I discovered power. It is truly the most fascinating thing in the world!"
Having said this, Empress Wu straightened her back slightly. Even in her aging appearance, she still had a majestic look: "Taizong was a great hero who stabilized the country internally, rested with the people, and expanded the territory externally.
My father has left a large inheritance for your father, which is not easy to hold on to."
"Since your father ascended the throne, Chinese and foreign subjects have compared their father and son. If he did not do well, he would immediately be known as a prodigal. Your father was originally weak and meticulous, and the foundation of the prince's business was weak, so he was particularly concerned about these things.
, but the eldest son, Sun Wuji, was so powerful that it put tremendous pressure on him..."
"I could tell at that time that he, like me at Ganye Temple, was afraid of becoming a puppet in the hands of powerful ministers all his life, only being a mere slave and being called a saint in vain."
"I also understand that beauty cannot last forever, and only with power can you have everything... Then start by fighting for the back seat!"
"Although Queen Wang is lazy, she is not stupid. The reason why she chose me is because I am Taizong's woman and my status is awkward, and because I have no maternal clan to rely on, so I cannot threaten her status no matter what."
"It turns out she misjudged me, and she misjudged your father even more. I fought with the concubine and the palace, and he fought with the important officials of the former dynasty. On the surface, they were really harmonious, but secretly they wanted to fight with their hands and teeth until death."
"We defeated Queen Wang, defeated Changsun Wuji, suppressed the Guanlong clan, and we are one body and one mind, and we share the imperial power..."
When Li Hong heard this, his eyes turned red.
His status is indeed due to this mother. Others are more valuable to their mother than their son, and they are more valuable to their son than their mother.
It was Empress Wu who came to the top, and she always held the power, so that they never had to worry about being seized by other royal children. Others could question Empress Wu's struggle for power, except for the four sons and one daughter. Without Empress Wu, they would not be where they are today.
.
Empress Wu saw what her son was thinking and comforted her in a rare way: "You don't have to think nonsense. You have been weak and sick since you were a child, and you have never experienced anything sinister, so you have developed your current temperament."
"I always thought that you would not be a qualified saint. You could be a benevolent king but not a wise king. But now that your body has recovered, it is completely different."
"Don't be the late emperor, and don't be like me. You are not us. You should have your own ideas and usher in the prosperous Tang Dynasty that you created!"
"In my life, I have fought all the battles I can. I have ended my career as Queen Mother, and I don't have much regret..."
Li Hong burst into tears: "Mother!"
Empress Wu's voice became solemn: "It's just that you have to remember that the power in your hands started from Emperor Gaozu's struggle for throne in troubled times, Taizong's rule of Zhenguan, and the late Emperor's consolidation of imperial power. You must protect it firmly and not give it to those aristocratic families again.
The wealthy family took it away, and the ministers can never be fully trusted, and this is true for anyone!"
Li Hong wiped his tears and felt that her words had something to say. After thinking about it, he said: "Is the empress still biased against Yuan Fang? He saved you twice..."
Empress Wu stared at him: "Li Yuanfang didn't save me, he saved the Queen and the Queen Mother. I can understand what he did, but I find it quite contradictory. This person has achieved great success and shakes up the master. Do you want to stay with him forever?"
Does the monarch and his ministers get along well with each other?"
Li Hong nodded: "Of course, if the child is willing to swear, Yuanfang will definitely be willing as well."
Empress Wu shook her head: "What you think now does not mean that you will think the same in the future. People will always change and have to change! Oaths are the most unreliable in the world. If you can keep your promise, you don't need to make an oath at all.
, when you emphasize it repeatedly, you are actually covering up your inner shake..."
Li Hong frowned: "What does Yi Empress mean?"
Empress Wu said: "You should talk to Li Yuanfang as soon as possible. If you regard him as a friend, then ask him as a friend what his plans are next. It is better to talk now than to turn against him later..."
Li Hong nodded thoughtfully, but saw Empress Wu returning to the original topic: "What is the situation in the court now?"
Li Hong spoke: "The key now is how to deal with the previous chaos..."
Empress Wu immediately gave advice: "Not only the rebellious party, but also how to adjust the labor service after the Tubo was eliminated... The income below the seventh rank is meager and insufficient to support the family... There are bound to be more and more children in the world who want to take the imperial examination and become officials, but
There is a serious shortage of schools in each state..."
She spoke wherever she thought, no longer as coherent as before, and her speech was even a little unclear, but she was still full of interest, as if she had returned to the past when she and Li Zhi were one mind and shared the imperial power.
Seeing his mother's eyes getting brighter and brighter, Li Hong resisted his grief and discussed the situation with her until the end.
…
At the beginning of the fourth year of Emperor Sisheng's reign, Empress Wu died.
The saint was in great mourning and led hundreds of officials to personally deliver the coffin and bury him in the Qianling Mausoleum.