Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 278: Zhangsun Wuji's Rebellion

"Your Highness, the Regent, the eminent monk Xuanzang has recently returned from India and is staying at the Guiyuan Temple outside Chang'an.

"Your Highness, could you please take the time to invite him to your palace to give a lecture?"

Chang'an, in the Lizheng Palace.

Changsun Wuji reported trivial matters to Li Zhi.

The Grand Marshal is now increasingly marginalized by his nephew, and even such trivial matters as "a lama coming from the West" have to be personally handled by him.

Li Zhi raised his head from behind the desk, an expression of impatience flashed across his face, but he quickly returned to his solemn and slightly smiling appearance:

"Monks have pure minds, so we'd better not disturb them."

In one word: no time!
Changsun Wuji had nothing to do, so naturally he could get involved with a bald donkey.

But as the Regent of the Tang Dynasty, he is very busy with all kinds of affairs and has no time to deal with such trivial matters.

"Cough cough."

Having once again been rejected by his nephew, Changsun Wuji had become numb and no longer felt the grievance he had at the beginning. He just coughed awkwardly and added:
"Xuanzang traveled through the Western Regions on his pilgrimage and made many inquiries into the topography, landforms, customs and people along the way."

Whether attacking or managing the Western Regions in the future, these will be extremely valuable first-hand information.

You may not learn Buddhist philosophy from great monks, but you must learn geography, right?

Li Zhi frowned, tapped his fingers on the table unconsciously, and shook his head:
"Let's talk about it later."

Seeing that the young master was so uninterested, Changsun Wuji could not force him any further and could only retreat in disappointment.

Li Zhi's attention returned to the piles of battle reports on the table.

“The countries in the Western Regions… that’s not something I can consider right now.

"I'll be blessed by the Buddha if I can keep my ancestors' kingdom intact..."

His expression became more and more bitter.

To the northeast, Li Ming had already broken out of the cage, completely absorbed Hebei, and extended his tentacles to the south of the Yellow River, conquering the line from Qizhou to Yanzhou without bloodshed.

This cut off the connection between the Shandong Peninsula and the imperial court from south to north, and taking Shandong would be as easy as taking candy from a sack.

It could threaten Xuzhou to the south and the eastern capital Luoyang to the west, like a sharp knife stabbing Li Zhi's heart.

Li Zhi was not without the intention of resisting. He also understood that this was a race of speed with Li Ming. He had to fill the gap left by Li Tai and conquer Henan and the Central Plains as soon as possible.

The problem is that I can’t do it.

He had already exhausted all his strength just to get the vast majority of the southerners to listen to him and not rebel.

As a result, just as the South had calmed down a bit, new developments emerged in the Guanzhong stronghold.

Last winter, Changsun Wuji once mentioned that because there was little snowfall in Guanzhong, the insect eggs could not be frozen to death, which might lead to a surge in insect pests next year.

At the time, he thought that his uncle was unhappy with his marginalization and was using some kind of metaphysical theory like "the connection between heaven and man" to flatter him, so he did not take the warning seriously and did not make any preparations.

As a result, within a few months, the boomerang was on the way.

The Guanzhong Plain suffered an unprecedented insect plague, and the newly planted seedlings were almost eaten up. It seemed that a famine was brewing.

If Guanzhong is not stable, the imperial court will not be stable. Now that the internal troubles cannot be resolved, how can Li Zhi have the spare energy to compete with Li Ming for the Central Plains?
What’s worse is that for Li Zhi, the foreign threats in the northeast were just minor problems.

The new situation in the northwest was a fatal blow to Li Zhi.

Li Shiji followed the suspected trace of his father and searched all the way to the northwest. He ran into several hostile nomadic tribes who called themselves "New Turks". He did not gain any advantage, which led to the interruption of clues and the termination of the search.

The emerging "New Turkic" not only attacked Li Shiji, but also directly encroached on the Tang Dynasty. Like Li Ming, it also took over a large area of ​​territory spanning more than 2,000 miles from Xizhou at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains to Ganzhou at the foot of the Qilian Mountains without bloodshed.

Those places are vast and sparsely populated, so the direct losses are not too great.

What really worried Li Zhi was a letter from Guo Xiaoke, the governor of Xizhou and the protector of Anxi.

In the letter, he directly explained why he would not resist and open the city to welcome the enemy:

Welcome Your Majesty and the Crown Prince!
In the letter, he insisted that he was not a defector but a returnee, and that Li Zhi, who had proclaimed himself regent, was a traitor. He advised Li Zhi that it was not too late to turn back from his wrong path.

Li Zhi put down the letter, which could be regarded as a manifesto, with half belief and half doubt.

"My father has been missing for so long. Did he become the Khan of the Turks?"

It’s incredible!
"Tian Khan" is just a respectful title given by others, like the honorary titles of "Three Dukes and Nine Ministers", and it is not a real position!

Did the Emperor take it seriously?

Is the grassland so good that even I don’t want to be an emperor?

"It's fake. It must be fake. Guo Xiaoke is just trying to whitewash his defection."

Li Zhi felt that this was the truth, stood up angrily, threw the letter into the incense burner and burned it.

But he changed his mind, sat back down, and began to write the letter.

It was written to Li Shiji, asking him to gather the troops immediately and not lose elite troops in a meaningless battle with the Turks.

One of the purposes of this order was to preserve strength so that he could return to the country in the future to fight against the powerful enemy in the Northeast, that is, Li Ming.

The way the current situation develops, they will have a fight sooner or later.

There is another purpose, which is to give up the search for the father.

Because what Guo Xiaoke said might be true.

That would be a very bad situation for Li Zhi.

Before returning to China, my father traveled around the northwest and gathered a group of soldiers. What does this behavior look like?
Does it sound like looking around the yard for a feather duster before beating up your unfilial son?
It's obvious that the emperor is very dissatisfied with the naughty boy's behavior of taking over the world, and he plans to come back and give him a big blow!

If Li Shiji, who was still unaware of the situation, really found his angry father on the grassland...

Whether Li Shiji joined the group of people beating their kids or was beaten by his angry father, the result would be a disaster for Li Zhi.

Therefore, Li Shiji and his father had to be separated in advance.

"My God..."

Li Zhi hugged his head.

He had no confidence in winning against Li Ming.

He didn't even have the courage to fight Li Shimin. Even if he did, the soldiers on the front line would not be able to fight against His Majesty. As long as His Majesty stood up and shouted, they would definitely turn against him.

Whether from the northeast or northwest, the threats from both directions were beyond his capabilities.

He is still a child after all. Although he has shown a certain sophistication, he is still a little immature compared to the two old turtles.

He was able to sit firmly in Chang'an, firstly, because Li Tai forced Li Ming to leave and he only stabbed Li Tai in the back at the last moment; secondly, because of the careful assistance of his brothers in Wagangzhai.

Now that Li Tai is dead, there is no one to help him with his "conspiracy".

And he did not dare to discuss with the "Wadi Party" how to deal with the northwest issue. What if the new Turks were really a cover for his father, it would be hard to say who the Wa Party would help.

After all, they are loyal to His Majesty, and Li Zhi is just a substitute.

This matter was destined to be something he could only figure out on his own.

“What should I do…Should I just confess my crime to my father and welcome him back to the court?

"No, maybe Guo Xiaoke spread false news, and it might not be from my father...

"Even if it's true, Li Chengqian is still with my father. Even if my father is willing to forgive me, Li Chengqian may not.

"But if we keep dragging it out like this, there's still Li Ming over there..."

Faced with internal and external troubles, Li Zhi pulled his hair in despair.

He felt as if there was a stick of incense on his head. When the incense burned out, his political life and biological life would also be over.

I was too careless at the beginning. Li Ming's tactic of retreating to advance and giving up the regent position aroused unnecessary greed in me, which brought disaster upon myself.

The weight of the Nine Cauldrons is far beyond what he can bear now...

"Pheasant...Royal brother?"

Li Mingda personally brought a bowl of peach gum and white fungus soup, but was shocked to see brother Li Zhi pulling out his hair.

When Li Zhi heard his sister's voice, he immediately raised his head with a normal expression.

"Ah Sizi? What's wrong?"

Li Mingda looked at Brother Zhinu's obviously haggard face and couldn't help but muttered in a low voice:
"Is power so good..." "Huh? Did you say anything?" Li Zhi asked gently.

"It's just my nonsense."

Li Mingda remembered that she had to maintain her image as a cold and aloof princess. She bowed slightly and walked away in a huff.

Li Zhi looked at her twisting back and sighed softly.

Power... ok?
…………

At the regular court meeting the next day, Li Zhi was severely criticized by the ministers.

Huangmen Shilang Liu Ji was the first to fire:
"Yongzhou is plagued by insects. Your Highness, please make up for the loss and transport food from the south as soon as possible to provide relief to the victims."

The phrase "mend the fold after the sheep have been lost" is used very cleverly, the only thing missing is pointing at Li Zhi's nose and scolding him for a short while.

"I second the proposal."

"Seconded."

Amidst the chorus of seconding voices, Li Zhi frowned.

He had just quelled the opposition in the South, but now he wanted to transfer grain from there again. He was afraid that the South would explode.

But if we don’t suck blood from the south, Guanzhong will explode again.

This is an arrow that is blocked at both ends.

"... Wait a minute." Li Zhi could only resort to the tactic of procrastination.

As a result, Tang Jian, the big critic, started to criticize:

“The insect plague is so serious now because His Majesty the Regent did not listen to the advice of the Grand Marshal and did not take precautions.

"The transport capacity of the grain transport is already tight. If Your Highness does not deal with it soon, I am afraid that the same mistakes will happen again. Guanzhong will be full of starving people and the people will rise up in rebellion!"

Compared with Liu Li's indirect criticism, this guy was much more direct in expressing his true feelings, and his criticism made Li Zhi's temple throb.

But when he looked around, he found that the majority of ministers in the court agreed with them.

Liu Li originally belonged to Li Tai's camp, and Tang Jian had always been neutral, so it would be easy to understand if the two of them attacked him.

Then Gao Shilian, Xu Jingzong and other die-hard Jin Wang party members were also standing on the opposite side, which made Li Zhi very uncomfortable.

He suddenly felt a sense of loneliness and desolation.

In fact, he thought too much.

The ministers of the Zhenguan period were all very simple people, and they were all born to be loyal to the country.

At the beginning of the dynasty, everyone still had an idealistic sentiment of serving the country and the people, so when they saw their masters doing something wrong, they dared to speak out and give advice.

Objectively speaking, Li Zhi, the young regent, did a pretty good job by being able to maintain his position at the imperial court and suppress the distant south.

Compared with the other little monster, Li Zhi's skills are still far superior to those of other young emperors. Compared with the kindergarten students of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he is even like a god in the world.

Therefore, the ministers would inevitably raise their requirements for the young regent and treat the young Li with the same frank advice they gave to the old Li.

However, to Li Zhi, who was like a frightened bird, it seemed that the ministers were deliberately making things difficult for him.

He felt that the court officials must be colluding with each other to sideline him, usurp the government, and surrender to Li Ming or become a vassal of the new Turks.

And the one who planned all this behind the scenes...

Li Zhi looked at the head of the civil servants, Changsun Wuji, who remained silent.

It must be him!
He was the first one to bring up the issue of insect plague. Now court officials are using this excuse to launch a collective attack. There must be a connection between the two!
Moreover, Changsun Wuji was neglected by himself, which gave him sufficient motives to commit a crime!
Li Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly and endured silently until the end of the court meeting.

When the ministers began to leave, Li Zhi stopped Changsun Wuji.

"Uncle, you said yesterday that a great monk returned to Chang'an from the Western Regions?"

Changsun Wuji had no doubts.

"Yes, Your Highness. The eminent monk Xuanzang set out from Chang'an in the third year of Zhenguan, traveled thousands of miles, and sought Buddhist scriptures in India. It took him thirteen years. He is now settled in Guiyuan Temple outside Chang'an."

"Outside the city? After hearing what my uncle said, if I don't let him into the city, it would seem that I am neglecting the monk." Li Zhi raised his voice so that the ministers who were leaving the table could hear him.

Zhang Sun Wuji remained silent, thinking that his nephew was just finding an excuse to pick a fight with him.

However, Li Zhi suddenly changed the subject.

“But my uncle reminded me that respecting Buddhism and Taoism is the ancestral rule of the Tang Dynasty, and it is not easy for the monks to travel all the way through mountains and rivers.

"How about this, please ask my uncle to invite the monk into the city and temporarily rest at Hongfu Temple. Tomorrow you can invite him to the palace to preach Buddhism."

Regarding Li Zhi's abrupt change of attitude, Changsun Wuji had no idea what he was up to.

But the regent has already given a clear order to summon him. How big of a mistake could there be if he introduces a monk?
Changsun Wuji replied "Yes, sir" and left the hall.

Li Zhi's tense expression relaxed a little, and a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

…………

The next day, in Liangyi Palace.

"I, Xuanzang, pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Regent."

Xuanzang respectfully bowed to the young prince.

All the way from the Western Regions, he had heard some of the Li family's affairs.

For example, the missing Majesty, the dead King of Wei, the Regent whose life or death is unknown, and so on.

This drama has already been performed at Xuanwu Gate sixteen years ago, so it is not surprising.

If he guessed correctly, the handsome young man in front of him should be directly related to the various unfortunate experiences of his father and brother...

Xuanzang put aside all distracting thoughts in his mind and stopped thinking about worldly affairs. He only wanted to spread the "Dharma" that he had realized in India.

"The monk has had a hard time along the way."

Li Zhi opened his mouth, exchanged a few pleasantries with Xuanzang, and then went straight to the point:

"India is the source of Buddhism. I wonder what kind of true scriptures the monk obtained in India?"

Xuanzang took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind:

"I have not obtained any scriptures."

Li Zhi: “???”

…………

The fake monk was immediately kicked out of the palace.

Li Zhi did not make Changsun Wuji wait long for his reckoning. On the same day, he immediately summoned his uncle into the palace and scolded him.

"If even a monk can deceive you, how can I trust you to hand over the affairs of state to you? The country is in a mess, and you are also responsible!

"Investigate! Investigate all the policies you have implemented in the past. If there are any mistakes, correct them immediately!"

After kicking out his pale-faced uncle Changsun from the palace, Li Zhi finally smiled with relief.

It feels so good! I finally found a reason to give this treacherous official who had been working against me secretly a good beating!
And the "monk" was also very cooperative.

Originally, Li Zhi planned to take the monk's words out of context and accuse Changsun Wuji of a false crime.

Unexpectedly, Xuanzang came clean and admitted that he had not retrieved any Buddhist scriptures and was just a liar. This saved Li Zhi the effort of fabricating charges against him!

This gave Li Zhi the opportunity to scold Changsun Wuji.

"After such a beating, my uncle must have realized that my nephew is not just a brat who can be manipulated by him, but also has political skills.

"He should behave himself in the future and stop trying to collude with other officials and secretly usurp my power."

Li Zhi looked forward to the future with a cheerful mood.

Soon, the news of the regent's angry rebuke of the emperor's uncle spread like wildfire, and a political storm of thorough investigation and liquidation of Changsun Wuji began to sweep across the country.

Just a few days passed.

When Li Zhi just got up for breakfast, he received an explosive progress report:

After investigation, Zhangsun Wuji was suspected of treason!
(End of this chapter)