Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 233 Li Zhi: Who put the dragon couch here? I didn't dare sit on it for even a minute.
The long night is finally over.

Chang'an, it's dawn.

Officials of all ranks in the capital city stayed up all night.

Anyone with ears could have heard clearly what was happening on the street last night.

An armed coup took place in Chang'an.

As people in Chang'an have seen all kinds of storms, no one reacted excessively.

That is, pretend you know nothing and start a new day as usual.

Just like a child curled up in bed when his parents quarrel.

While pretending to sleep with a strong desire to survive, I listened to the crisp sound of horse hooves stepping heavily on my heart.

When the long and unbearable night finally ended and the gong sounded on time to lift the curfew.

Some middle and lower-level bureaucrats have already packed up their belongings and are ready to run away.

Then, all the officials in the capital collectively received a notice from the eunuchs in the palace:

Meeting!
Looking at the calendar, today is not the day for the grand court meeting.

Clearly something big had happened.

An event that is big enough to shake the foundation of the country.

The old ministers couldn't help but think of what happened sixteen years ago.

That time, a grand court meeting was also held without any warning, and the King of Qin suddenly became the Crown Prince, and then became His Majesty today.

The ministers with less experience, on the other hand, regard going to work as going to a grave.

He was afraid that he would be ambushed by the five hundred swordsmen and axemen as soon as he entered the hall.

However, they were also very curious about what happened last night and who won the game in the end.

Everyone had their own thoughts and went to the imperial city anxiously.

As soon as I arrived at Suzaku Gate, I saw a circle of guards surrounding the main entrance.

Guarding the inner layer is a circle of eunuchs who are busy cleaning the floor (physical).

Through the gaps in the crowd, the officials attending the court could vaguely glimpse that the ground surrounded by the crowd was stained blood red.

Those were the traces left behind by General Li Junxian, the garrison commander, after he was confused.

"Hiss...Is that blood?" Wei Ting took a breath of cold air.

"No, don't guess." Liu Li said dryly.

Wei Ting stopped talking immediately.

The ministers followed suit and pretended not to see anything. They walked through the palace gate without looking around, and their vigilance and curiosity grew stronger.

As soon as they entered the Tai Chi Palace, they felt a strange atmosphere.

These imperial guards...seem a little different.

Although they also wore standard Tang armor, their spirit was obviously different from that of the previous imperial guards.

"These imperial guards look a little unfamiliar. Have they been replaced overnight?"

Wei Ting muttered to himself.

But this time he didn't need Liu Li's reminder, so he kept the words back in his stomach.

The gleaming gun tips of the "Imperial Guards" kept him calm.

Between the palaces, the palace servants were all silent, walking quickly with their heads down, not talking much, listening much, or looking much.

The ministers were also very tactful and no one asked them for news.

This scene was within the expectations of the old ministers.

Palace coup In a palace coup, the palace is definitely the main battlefield.

However, along the way, the ministers never saw the eunuchs cleaning the floor again, nor did they see the sudden appearance of "red floor tiles".

This made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

It seems that there was not much bloodshed and it was a relatively peaceful coup.

Amidst all the speculation, everyone arrived at the square outside the Tai Chi Hall on time.

Wei Ting met his old acquaintance Tang Jian.

"What's wrong with your eyes?!" Wei Ting was shocked.

I saw that the eyes of the Minister of Civil Affairs, Lao Tang, were swollen like a panda's, with a circle of black.

"Yawn...I didn't sleep last night." Tang Jian explained casually, looking at Wei Ting meaningfully:
"Wei Yushi, you too."

"Yeah." Wei Ting also rubbed his eyes which were swollen like buns.

Almost all the ministers in the square had swollen eyes.

Obviously stayed up late last night.

But their bloodshot eyes were sparkling with excitement.

The winner of last night's coup is now sitting in the hall.

Who on earth is it?
So curious!

The twists and turns of the four sons' battle for the throne were thought to have come to an end.

I didn’t expect there to be experts.

This ups and downs process is so exciting.

To have the good fortune to witness this entire event and have it become a footnote in later history books is worth it even if I die!

"Everyone, please."

The eunuch did not keep the ministers waiting for long.

As per custom, the ministers lined up in two rows according to the order of civil and military officials, bowed their heads respectfully, and walked into the familiar yet unfamiliar hall as if nothing had happened.

There, there was already a person waiting in front of the dragon bed.

He is an unexpected but reasonable person.

Grand Marshal, Zhangsun Wuji.

This former powerful official, who had recently been pushed to the margins, returned to the center of power overnight.

This nostalgic experience stunned all the officials and made the identity of the winner confusing again.

But no one dared to look up to the peak.

The previous regent Li Ming, although the work intensity was very high, did not pay much attention to etiquette. The atmosphere for discussing work was very harmonious and easy-going.

However, after the new leadership came in, no one dared to act so recklessly.

Before you understand your new leader's temperament, don't do anything unnecessary.

Just as everyone stared at the ground with their necks stiff, a young man's voice as gentle as jade came from the right side of the dragon couch:
"Please stand up quickly."

What is this sound...?!

For a moment, the ministers were confused and looked up.

The emperor's dragon couch and the regent's small dragon couch were both empty at this time.

Standing in front of the little dragon couch was a new face.

Prince of Jin, Li Zhi.

"It is a troubled time, and the country has experienced a series of changes. In order to appease the people of the world, I have no choice but to temporarily serve as regent. I hope you will give me your full support."

As he spoke, he bowed deeply to the courtiers in front of His Highness.

Listening to the Lord's words is like listening to the words.

Li Zhi simply mentioned last night's coup in a few words without explaining anything at all.

However, his attitude was humble enough, giving his ministers enough room to maneuver.

Moreover, as the ministers came in, they could also find that the entire imperial guards had undergone a major replacement.

In addition, the iron-blooded Fourteen Traitors had been invited to Liaodong by the Fourteenth Prince himself in advance, and were protected away from the political vortex of the capital.

With a combination of soft and hard tactics, none of the ministers who remained in Chang'an expressed any different opinions, and they accepted a new regent in a daze.

Anyway, this has been done before, and with the example of Xuanwu Gate, people don't have any psychological burden about changing the leadership.

Huh... Li Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and glanced at the large and small dragon couches beside him. After all, he couldn't muster up the courage to sit on it. He just stood face to face with the ministers with his body slightly bent.

The court meeting began like this.

The first shot was naturally fired by Grand Marshal Changsun Wuji.

"Your Majesty's whereabouts on the Xueyantuo front are unknown. Li Shiji's troops are restricted by the severe cold weather and supplies and are unable to conduct a thorough search. Please let your Majesty know."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the court.

Except for a very small number of Beijing officials with connections, not taking into account the outrageous rumors from other provinces and counties, this was the first time that the majority of court officials received "official" confirmation.

The disappearance of the emperor in the heart of the enemy country was like the collapse of heaven and earth.

"What? Your Majesty actually really...!"

"Why is Li Shiji leading the troops? It would be better if I could do it!"

"You are so old that you can't even ride a horse. Let me go!" After digesting this explosive news, the ministers immediately expressed their opinions excitedly, and many even rolled up their sleeves and wanted to go to the front line personally to rescue His Majesty.

This is not a performance art.

The Tang Dynasty was full of martial virtues, and there was no clear distinction between civil officials and military generals. If a Confucian scholar was given an army, he would dare to go for a wandering trip north of the Great Wall.

But the ministers only needed to show their loyalty, while Li Zhi, as regent, had to consider many things, which suppressed everyone's bold ideas.

With everyone united and sharing the same hatred for the enemy, Li Zhi's first court meeting concluded successfully.

After the meeting, Changsun Wuji naturally stayed.

Li Zhi had completely lost his composure in the court, and spoke with an anxious tone:
"Uncle, please distribute the contents of today's meeting as quickly as possible. The sooner the better!"

"I will follow your command." Changsun Wuji no longer had the calmness he had just shown in the court, and obeyed his nephew's orders meekly.

As the saying goes: Small matters make for big ones.

At this grand court meeting, apart from formally conveying the news of His Majesty's disappearance and the ministers expressing their active opinions, no resolution was reached.

In other words, "this conference is chaired by Prince of Jin Li Zhi" itself is the biggest resolution.

This matter must be reported to government offices at all levels across the country to create the fait accompli of "Li Zhi's regent".

It has to be fast.

Because Li Zhi is not without competitors——

Li Tai.

Last night, the Turkic troops under Li Tai's command were weakened by Li Jing. Knowing that they could not defeat the more powerful Bingzhou army, they were forced back to Luoyang.

Of course, no one would think that this was the end of the matter and that Li Tai would just give up and quit.

Although Li Zhi took the initiative to occupy Chang'an, the Western Capital, Luoyang, the Eastern Capital, was also in the hands of Li Tai.

In fact, a situation of confrontation between the Eastern and Western Capitals was formed.

"On the eve of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, my father also thought about retreating to Luoyang and confronting Li Jiancheng's Chang'an.

"I didn't expect that the 'great cause' that my father failed to complete was accomplished by me and Li Tai..."

Li Zhi sighed in self-mockery.

Changsun Wuji didn't dare to respond.

In fact, Li Zhi was still optimistic.

The current Tang Dynasty is more than just a problem of conflict between the Eastern and Western Capitals.

Outside Yanshan there was Li Ming, and inside the pass was a loose alliance of vassal kings mobilized by Li Zhi and Li Tai respectively.

The princes only jointly nominated two legitimate sons as leaders of the alliance. According to historical experience since the Spring and Autumn Period, they could turn against them at any time.

Plus, my father is missing in Xueyantuo in the north...

The political situation in the Tang Dynasty was truly a mess.

"Your Highness Prince Jin..." Zhang Sun Wuji tried to change the subject back to a safe track:
"Regarding Li Ming... Your Highness, how should we deal with it next?"

The person has already run away, the problem is the reputation.

What Changsun Wuji meant was whether to put the blame for the emperor's disappearance on Li Ming.

Li Zhi pondered over it and shook his head slightly:

"Ignore him for now."

Now his biggest enemy is not Li Ming who has fled far away, but Li Tai.

Therefore, there is a more suitable person to take the blame for my father's crime.

"There are still Wei...Li Tai's followers in the court. How should we deal with them?" Changsun Wuji asked again.

Li Tai could run away, but his men couldn't.

Not only was there no way to escape, but there was also someone who had just returned to Chang'an from other places and walked into the trap.

For example, Cen Wenben, the leader of the Wei Wang Party and the Secretary of the Central Secretariat.

He had just returned from a diplomatic mission to the Great Xianbei Mountains, and before he had time to get the news of the split between the kings of Wei and Jin, he rushed into the den of thieves in Chang'an.

"Let them be." Li Zhi still maintained a laissez-faire attitude.

But... Changsun Wuji was nervous.

Regardless of this or that, he suspected that his little nephew was a little too weak and gentle.

However, he had witnessed Li Zhi's ruthlessness last night and knew that the other party was by no means a simple character.

He swallowed his doubts and asked the key question:
"Regarding how to deal with Li Tai..."

"I have my own way, uncle, don't worry." Li Zhi replied politely but coldly.

Changsun Wuji heard the hidden meaning - he was only fit to do odd jobs like delivering messages, and should leave military matters alone.

"Yes... yes, sir." Realizing that he had been excluded from the core decision-making level once again, Old Zhang Sun retreated in despair.

Li Zhi was not idle for a moment, and immediately asked the eunuch to bring his true confidant -

An outstanding representative of Wagangzhai, Cheng Zhijie.

Li Zhi got straight to the point:
"What are Li Tai's movements like?"

Cheng Zhijie answered succinctly:

"In addition to his own Turkic private soldiers, the troops of the Weizhou Military Governor's Office also entered Luoyang."

Li Zhi smacked his lips:

"What about the other seven princes he gathered?"

Cheng Zhijie: "The King of Qi is leading the army and is gathering towards Luoyang."

During the days when Li Zhi was forced out of Chang'an by Li Ming and temporarily lived in the Bingzhou Military Governor's Office, he had been paying attention to the military movements of the Eight Kings, and the intelligence channels had always been very smooth.

Now, the thing he was most worried about was happening.

"Can we capture Luoyang before the eight kings' armies gather?" Li Zhi asked tentatively.

This question made Cheng Zhijie feel dazed.

He seemed to have returned to the Battle of Hulao Pass 20 years ago, where, under the leadership of His Majesty Li Shimin, they swept away Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande and captured Luoyang City at lightning speed...

"No."

Back to reality, he firmly dispelled the young master's bold idea.

"Luoyang City is strong and close to the river, so Qi Wang Li You, Ji Wang Li Shen and others can easily provide support for soldiers and supplies.

"Compared to Luoyang, which was only an isolated city 20 years ago, it is much more difficult to defeat it now."

After being vetoed by professionals, Li Zhi had to give up this bold idea and settle for the next best option.

"Have my uncles who are also governors shown any signs of raising an army to respond?"

"They are still waiting and watching. They are more cautious than the other princes in the use of military power," Cheng Zhijie explained.

"Your Highness, in the name of regent, will you send a formal letter to the kings, asking them to stand on the side of the court?"

Li Zhi pondered for a moment, then shook his head decisively:

"Ignore them for now."

"..." Cheng Zhijie had the same question as Changsun Wuji.

However, as a soldier who climbed up from the bottom of the mountain bandits, he is well aware of the survival wisdom of silence is golden.

I didn't understand but I respected it, so I took the order and left.

Li Zhi looked at General Cheng's retreating back and whispered to himself:

"The rest of the work will be done by Li Tai for me."

He realized earlier than Li Tai that another huge minefield buried by Li Ming was...

That is, Li Ming himself.

Given Li Ming's huge popularity among the people, how to characterize the fact that "he ran away" is bound to be very, very difficult.

If the situation is not handled properly, it could lead to civil unrest.

Li Zhi decided to trust his fifth brother's wisdom and let him take the risk first.

"Oh, my legs are so sore..."

Li Zhi patted his sore muscles tiredly.

He stood all morning.

Who put this dragon couch here? He didn't dare to sit on it for even a minute.

"Let's go back to the house and rest first..."

Before leaving, Li Zhi couldn't help but look back again and again.

The empty dragon bed is just there, neither sad nor happy.

His eyes sparkled and his throat moved.

But in the end, he took a deep breath, forced himself to close his eyes, raised his reluctant legs with difficulty, and left the Tai Chi Hall step by step.

(End of this chapter)