Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 158: Changsun Wuji's Final Dance Ceremony

Above the court hall, there was silence.

Who could have imagined that the late emperor would leave behind such a will.

What was even more unexpected was that Han Ai, Lai Ji and others took this decree and wanted to persuade the emperor to depose the empress.

Yuchi Gong strode out and said, "Duke Zhao, I've only read a few books, but I know all those theories about immortality are absurd. The late emperor was suffering from illness and pain, and he couldn't understand the truth, so he left this edict. You should keep it at home. How can you show it to Your Majesty?"

Changsun Wuji lowered his head and said nothing.

Xu Jingzong sighed, "I remember when Wang Xuance brought back the Indian alchemists, Lord Changsun also strongly opposed it. Later, he repeatedly demoted Wang Xuance. Why has he changed his attitude now?"

The ministers exchanged glances with each other and communicated secretly.

Things like the previous emperor's will depend entirely on the emperor's authority.

The emperor's authority was at its peak, and he could easily get away with it by finding some excuses.

Now that Changsun Wuji can no longer compete with the imperial power, even if Li Zhi does not question the authenticity of the will, he can still ignore it.

Therefore, Changsun Wuji was very clear that he was no longer able to fight back and the only way out was to apologize.

Core members of Guanlong, such as Xin Maojiang, should have spoken up for him in this situation.

However, just now outside Chengtian Gate, Changsun Wuji had instructed everyone not to plead for him in the court, so these people could only remain silent.

Many people were even glad that Changsun Wuji left such a message.

As for the officials of the Shandong and Jiangnan aristocratic families, they rarely interacted with Zhangsun Wuji after he retired, and would not offend the emperor on his behalf at this time.

Led by Yuchi Gong and Xu Jingzong, many officials who had been suppressed by the Guanlong Group began to come forward and mock Zhangsun Wuji.

"Duke Zhao, you are the one who compiled the Yonghui Code. How can you believe that?"

"Now that you've retired, why are you still interfering in the affairs of the court? Humph, isn't this usurping power?"

"Empress Wu has been empress for over a year. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to bring it up now?"

Changsun Wuji lowered his head, said nothing, and silently endured the cold words of the crowd.

As Yu Zhining watched Changsun Wuji suffer such humiliation, he felt a sense of desolation in his heart.

Among the clear stream, Liu Rengui said nothing, Shangguan Yi looked solemn, and Xu Xiaode was unwilling to do anything to add insult to injury.

Therefore, a group of upright officials did not join the team attacking Changsun Wuji.

Li Zhi suddenly looked at Li Zhen.

Li Zhen understood, strode out, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

Li Zhi said, "Speak."

Li Zhen said, "I wish to impeach Zhangsun Wuji for using public power to settle personal grudges when handling Fang Yiai's rebellion case, and even implicated Wu Wang Li Ke, who had nothing to do with the matter!"

After hearing this, all the ministers were shocked, thinking that a big incident had happened in the court today.

Unexpectedly, when Zhangsun Wuji was being interrogated, King Li Zhen of Yue brought up the case of King Li Ke of Wu, hoping to overturn Li Ke's case.

The ministers returned to their seats, remained silent, and secretly observed the emperor's expression and the changes in the situation.

Everyone knows that Li Ke died unjustly, but the emperor agreed to this matter after all, and no one knows what the emperor's attitude would be.

Li Zhi said slowly, "King of Yue, you said Li Ke was wrongly accused. Do you have any evidence?"

When the ministers saw Li Zhi asking this question, they knew that he had discussed this matter with Li Zhen in advance, otherwise he would not be so calm.

In this case, the emperor also allowed the reversal of the verdict, and those who originally wanted to dissuade him suppressed their thoughts.

This included Prime Minister Cui Dunli.

When Zhangsun Wuji dealt with Li Ke, the emperor tried to save Li Ke's life.

At that time, Zhangsun Wuji was extremely powerful, so Cui Dunli could only side with Zhangsun Wuji and dissuade the emperor, which eventually led to Li Ke's unjust death.

Li Zhen said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, when Fang Yiai was plotting a rebellion, he was imprisoned in Dali Prison, where Changsun Wuji presided over the trial. Changsun Wuji ordered his guard, Sun Rong, to find two men from Luoyang and imprison them in Dali Prison next to Fang Yiai."

"Those two Luoyang men deliberately mentioned to Fang Yiai that Hegan Chengji had saved his life by informing on Crown Prince Li Chengqian, hinting at him."

"Fang Yiai was indeed tempted and asked the two men who he should denounce to save his life. They ignored him and continued their conversation, focusing entirely on Wu Wang Li Ke."

"Fang Yiai naturally understood what they meant. He also guessed that they were under the orders of Zhangsun Wuji, otherwise they would not have been able to enter the cell. Therefore, when he met with Your Majesty, he falsely accused Prince Wu Li Ke."

After listening to this, Li Zhi asked, "Is there any witness?"

Li Zhen said, "Sun Rong is dead. Of the two Luoyang men, one has disappeared. The other went to Kangguo in the Western Regions. Last August, I finally found him. He is now outside the Suzaku Gate and can identify Changsun Wuji."

Li Zhi turned his gaze to Zhangsun Wuji.

"Uncle Yuan, what do you say?"

Changsun Wuji was the drafter of the Yonghui Code.

He originally chose the indirect method of inducing a confession, causing Fang Yiai to make a false accusation on his own, which was actually exploiting a loophole in Tang law.

The Yonghui Code does not contain specific punishment provisions for inducing crimes.

Logically speaking, as long as he wants to defend himself, others will be unable to do anything to him.

However, Changsun Wuji had already told the emperor about this matter.

It doesn’t matter whether you argue or not at this point.

Zhang Sun Wuji said in a deep voice: "This old minister pleads guilty."

Seeing the situation clear, Li Yifu slowly stepped out of the group and said, "Your Majesty, since Zhangsun Wuji has admitted to framing the King of Wu, I propose that the King of Wu be reinstated as a member of the royal family and reburied with the rites of a prince."

Li Zhi said: "Approved."

Xu Jingzong said, "This old minister proposes that all of the King of Wu's exiled children be pardoned and one of them be chosen to inherit the title of King of Wu."

Li Zhi glanced at Li Zhen and said, "Approved. Li Ke's eldest son, Li Ren, may be enthroned as the King of Wu."

Li Ren is Xiaoji.

He was originally replaced by a substitute by King Li Zhen of Yue and hidden in the palace to prevent Zhangsun Wuji from killing all the descendants of Li Ke.

Now that Zhangsun Wuji had confessed, the next step was to discuss his punishment. Xu Jingzong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Duke Zhao has made great contributions and holds a special position. I propose that the Censorate, the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of Justice jointly conduct the trial."

This sentence appears to be speaking in favor of Zhangsun Wuji, but the joint trial by the three courts is currently the most authoritative form of review in the Tang Dynasty.

After the interrogation results come out, they must be handled impartially, and even the emperor cannot overturn them easily.

Changsun Wuji has done many acts of usurpation over the years. If all of them were dug up, he would not only be sentenced to death, but his entire clan would also be implicated.

Changsun Wuji finally raised his head and looked at Li Zhi.

Li Zhi said, "Since Duke Zhao has already confessed his guilt, there's no need for a joint trial by the three courts. A direct court decision can be made. I wonder, my dear ministers, what do you think should be done with Duke Zhao?"

Yu Zhining slowly stood up and said in a hoarse voice, "Your Majesty, although Duke Zhao has committed a grave offense, considering that he has served three dynasties and made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty, he will be demoted to a commoner and will never be employed again."

These words were spoken by both Changsun Wuji and himself.

He was worried that one day he would follow in Changsun Wuji's footsteps, so he wanted to keep Changsun Wuji alive and leave himself a way out.

Li Zhen angrily said, "Although the Duke of Zhao has made contributions, the King of Wu is completely innocent. He is the descendant of the late emperor, a prince of the Tang Dynasty, and he served the country on the border for many years. Was his death unjustly suffered? Was it in vain?"

Cui Dunli followed out and knelt on the ground tremblingly.

"I, your Majesty, am also responsible for my negligence in the matter of the King of Wu. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

This sentence also included Li Zhi.

When Li Ke was executed, Li Zhi finally agreed and was also guilty of negligence.

After hearing his words, those who originally wanted to step out and agree with Li Zhen fell silent.

Li Zhen was also in a dilemma at this time.

Although he wanted to help Li Ke get justice, he was unwilling to slap the emperor in the face. He stood there, frowning and saying nothing.

Li Zhi suddenly glanced at Li Ji.

Li Ji immediately understood what he meant and quickly stepped out.

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Zhao is the emperor's uncle and has made great contributions. If you are not careful in handling the matter, it may lead to public criticism. I believe it would be better to leave the Duke of Zhao to the late emperor's disposal."

After hearing this, the ministers were all stunned and thought to themselves, "The late emperor is dead. How can we hand him over to the late emperor for disposal? Should we execute him or send him to see the late emperor?"

Li Zhi knew that Li Ji did not mean that, so he asked, "How should we hand it over to the late emperor for disposal?"

Li Ji said, "We can follow Prime Minister Yu's suggestion and demote Duke Zhao to a commoner. Then punish him by having him guard the Zhaoling Mausoleum and keep vigil for the late emperor. Then the late emperor can make the final decision."

Li Zhi took a deep breath and said, "Alright, to avoid criticism from the world, let's handle it according to Li Qing's advice."

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji bowed his head.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

After the court meeting, Zhangsun Wuji was about to go to the Ministry of Personnel to hand in the fish token, but Wang Fusheng stopped him and said, "Mr. Zhangsun, His Majesty wishes to see you. Please follow me."

Changsun Wuji turned to Changsun Chong, Han Ai and others and said, "You go first, no need to wait for me." Then he left with Wang Fusheng.

Changsun Wuji followed Wang Fusheng all the way east and soon arrived at the East Palace, Lizheng Hall.

"Mr. Changsun, please go in. His Majesty is waiting for you in the hall." Wang Fusheng said softly.

Changsun Wuji took a deep breath, pushed open the door and walked into the hall.

The layout of Lizheng Hall is very similar to that of Ganlu Hall, but it is a little smaller, both in terms of the size of the hall and the tables and chairs.

Li Zhi sat behind the smaller desk, staring at Changsun Wuji.

Changsun Wuji also stared at him and said slowly, "Jiulang, I am very grateful that you can save me from death and see me again. It is my own fault that I did not keep my promise."

At this moment, he had unloaded all his burdens and was no longer restrained. His attitude also changed, returning to the way he had been when talking to Li Zhi before Wang Liwu was deposed.

Li Zhi sighed, "I know for sure that my uncle is a burden to his descendants."

Changsun Wuji said slowly: "This is just one reason. You should understand the other reason even if I don't tell you."

Li Zhi nodded, knowing that he was referring to Wu Meiniang.

Changsun Wuji said in a deep voice, "Jiulang, you have made great progress since ascending the throne. You are ambitious and enterprising, yet you remain calm and composed. You have the demeanor of the late emperor. I have nothing to worry about anymore. There is only one thing: you must take care of your health!"

Li Zhi remained silent.

Although Changsun Wuji did not mention Wu Meiniang in this sentence, he still pointed his sword at her.

He was worried that after his death, no one would be able to control her.

Li Zhi didn't need him to remind him of this, so he said slowly, "I've made a note of it."

Changsun Wuji smiled and said, "That's good. You were the one who told Li Ji to say that. You've finally found a good place for my uncle. Now I can rest assured and accompany the late emperor and your mother."

Li Zhi said, "I saw the Buddhist beads on my cousin's body, and I understand what my uncle meant. I will demote him to the Jiangnan Road and make him a county magistrate."

Zhang Sun Wuji sighed, "With what he has, he can only manage a county. You have arranged it very well."

Li Zhi said, "I will send all the books in your study to Zhaoling, and I will also send an order to the mausoleum guard to cooperate with you in compiling the book."

A mist flashed in Changsun Wuji's eyes. He was silent for a long time and said, "Jiulang, this may be the last time your uncle sees you. Let me teach you to dance again."

After he finished speaking, he took a few steps back, bent his body slightly, raised his hands, and swayed his body very slowly, dancing to the Qin King's Formation Breaking Song.

This is a dance choreographed by Li Shimin himself and is also his favorite dance. Changsun Wuji is also good at this dance.

In order to support Li Zhi to ascend to the throne, Zhangsun Wuji devoted himself to teaching him the Qin Wang Breaking Formation Song.

It’s a pity that Li Zhi was weak and had no talent for dancing.

Changsun Wuji patiently taught Li Zhi over and over again, and even created this slow dance, which finally helped Li Zhi learn it.

Although this was just a memory for Li Zhi, he still felt a little emotional when he saw the old Changsun Wuji dancing this slow dance.

After Changsun Wuji finished dancing, he bowed to Li Zhi, turned around and strode away.

Li Zhi looked at his back as he walked away, bent down slightly, and bowed deeply.

(End of this chapter)