Since it was about changing dynasties, Zhou Jun and Kong You decided on a step-by-step strategy.
Then the next thing is to formulate a plan to determine how to investigate and handle the arson case in the mourning hall.
First, Zhou Jun and Kong You analyzed the relationship between the palace and the court.
After Li Longji came to Liangcheng, he stopped taking care of the government affairs. Just like Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong were reused in Chang'an, he handed over the power to Zhou Jun.
From the perspective of the ministers in the Liangcheng court, this was a sign of the emperor's trust in his favored ministers.
This relationship lasted until the civil strife in Liangcheng, Kong You slaughtered all the nobles in Liangcheng, and placed Li Longji under house arrest in the palace, making the emperor live in seclusion.
Anyone with a discerning eye can notice that Zhou Jun, who held great power, began to eliminate dissidents, cultivate cronies, and gradually replace central and local officials with military and town officials in Liangcheng, Chang'an and other places.
At this time, Li Longji was ill in bed and had not been in court for a long time. His position as prince was still undecided. Naturally, the court officials began to speculate on the relationship between the emperor and the prime minister.
But at this time, most people were still skeptical about the statement that Zhou Jun had disloyal intentions.
After all, the two major purges in Liangcheng and Chang'an were one because of rebelling against the party and entering the palace, and the other because of colluding with the puppet government. Both the reasons and motives are tenable. Zhou Jun's behavior cannot be regarded as treason.
, can only be said to be slightly suspicious.
Before Li Longji died, he issued a posthumous edict in which he adopted Zhou Jun as his adopted son and succeeded him as emperor.
The ministers' doubts about Zhou Jun were completely eliminated because of this edict.
In the eyes of the ministers, Li Longji passed the throne to Zhou Jun before his death, which was not a sign of stupidity, but a sign of wisdom.
When Li Longji was in power, he appointed traitors and allowed the rebel party to grow in power. In the end, Datang lost half of its country.
The emperor is mediocre and incompetent, and the performance of each of the princes is extremely disappointing.
Li Heng established himself in the south of the Yangtze River and was originally in a good situation. However, because of his suspicion, he killed his son first, then his brother, and finally his virtuous ministers. He ended up being betrayed and separated from his relatives. The Southern Tang Dynasty was also in danger and was about to perish before his eyes.
As for the other princes, they rebelled and fled, and no one could take the lead.
Only Zhou Jun, the prime minister of the Northern Tang Dynasty, was ordered to pacify Hebei first, then regain Hedong, and finally Chang'an. It can be said that he single-handedly turned the tide.
Therefore, Li Longji passed the throne to Zhou Jun and asked the latter to reorganize the foundation of the Tang Dynasty. Not only did the ministers in the court not oppose it, but they had many supporters.
However, what these courtiers didn't know was that Li Longji had long hated Zhou Jun to the core. The succession to the throne was a lie, and they would both die together. It was true that he would pull the latter to die together.
What they didn't even know was that Zhou Jun had already had a desire to be independent when he was serving in Chang'an. From the beginning to the end, he only used the throne of Li and Tang as a tool to realize his vision, but he had no loyalty to the Tang Dynasty.
Therefore, when Li Longji's coffin was burned to the ground in the mourning hall arson case, and Zhou Jun was almost burned to death, few ministers knew the inside story, and most of them just regarded the case as a rebellion.
After analyzing these, Kong You said to Zhou Jun: "Since the Lord plans to succeed the Tang Dynasty, then the truth behind the arson case in the mourning hall...the late emperor and the prime minister were not on good terms, and the former wanted to kill the latter, so the truth cannot be made public.
In the world."
Zhou Jun: "What Bo Hong means is to blame the culprit of this case on other people?"
Kong You nodded and said: "After our Lord succeeds to the throne, we need to do several things. First, we must ensure the legality of the imperial edict. Second, we must win the support of the officials of the Tang Dynasty. Third, we must deal with those people as soon as possible.
There are unstable factors that may pose a threat."
Zhou Jun understood the first two points Kong You said.
Li Longji's last edict before his death was to accept him as his adopted son and then pass it on to him. This was actually a trap.
As soon as he dies, another hidden edict supporting other princes to succeed will definitely come out.
At that time, the legality of the imperial edict will become invalid.
As for the support of the officials of the Tang Dynasty, it is actually easy to understand.
The truth behind the arson case cannot be made public.
In other words, Zhou Jun and Li Longji had to pretend from beginning to end that there was harmony between the monarch and his ministers, and a deep love between father and son, making the ministers mistakenly believe that there was someone else behind the case.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jun suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said to Kong You: "Bo Hong said that the blame for the arson case would be placed on other people. I thought of who it was. Previously, in your letter, you asked the sergeant to pay close attention to the clan's affairs.
Every move I make is actually to use the arson case to attack the Liangcheng clan and completely eliminate any hidden dangers that may occur in the future."
Kong You nodded and said: "In order to lure the superiors into the game, Li Longji kept everything secret, and not many people would know about the arson plan. If calculated carefully, Gao Lishi, the emperor's personal attendant, can be regarded as one, and Yan, the minister of the Ministry of Industry,
Jun is one, and the prince who took the hidden edict and waited for the opportunity is another, and among the remaining insiders, there must be Li Tang's clan."
Zhou Jun: "After Li Longji's death, those responsible for arranging the mourning platform, presiding over the funeral, conducting funerals, and placing the coffin were all people from the clan, so someone among them must have known about this plan."
Kong You: "What the Lord said is true, but you must not underestimate the strength of the clan. There are not only princes and princesses in the clan, but also noble kings and nobles. These people are the core strength of the Li Tang clan, and they themselves are
The largest family in the world. After the Lord succeeds to the throne, if you want to implement administrative decrees and change the political principles, the clan will be the biggest obstacle."
Zhou Jun: "Because once I succeed to the throne, it means changing my surname and joining the clan. For me, the Li Tang clan is both an ancestral institution and a patriarch. I will be constrained in my future actions."
Kong You nodded and said: "That's why you want to use this arson case to wipe out all the clan members and completely eliminate the Lord's worries."
Zhou Jun: "Now that the goal has been set, the key question is how to do it?"
Kong You: "My lord succeeded to the throne as the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty and hoped to win the support of his ministers, so even if he had to deal with the clan, he could not use brute force and killing to solve the problem. The best way was to collect evidence and make up charges.
Convict the members of the clan with unforgivable crimes."
Zhou Jun thought carefully and said: "Yan Jun, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, is dead, and the craftsmen who built the inner hall may also have been silenced. Now when it comes to evidence, the only evidence at hand is the mourning hall that was burned by the fire, and a chamberlain under Gao Lishi who was too late to commit suicide.
There are also twelve Ministry of Industry officials involved in supervising the construction of the mourning hall..."
Kong You: "My lord, the members of the clan are not monolithic. There may be a breakthrough in these people."
Zhou Jun nodded lightly.
Kong You: "Your Majesty, there is one more thing. Many officials from the Yushitai, Dali Temple, and the Ministry of Punishment have long-standing connections with the clan, so they may not be able to participate in the trial."
Zhou Jun thought for a while and said: "Let's do this. In order to thoroughly investigate the rebels in the city and prevent similar things from happening in the future, I plan to build a separate department to monitor and interrogate officials in the DPRK and the Central Government without going through the Shangshu Province.
Report to the emperor alone."
Kong You: "Your Majesty, these words are very good. Can this department have a name?"
Zhou Jun: "Gongwei Division, the name is a bit hard to pronounce... It's better to use the Xiang Army of the Tang Dynasty as the system, with one banner as the guard, and call it Jinyiwei."