Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 92 The Deposed Emperor
Liu Jianjun is truly despicable.

He was the one who came up with the idea of ​​whipping the Kunlun slaves, and now he's turning around and calling himself a "cruel and inhumane farm owner."

However, all the cotton seeds have already been planted.

Liu Jianjun's irrigation canal was finally connected to the Huang Canal, and the water from the Dayi Valley of Zhongnan Mountain was drawn through the Huang Canal, making the Qujiang Pool much more active.

But Liu Jianjun still seemed dissatisfied, saying, "There are still too few Kunlun slaves. This canal needs to be expanded in the future. It should be treated as a major project."

Li Xian's attitude toward this matter was to let him do whatever he wanted.

Liu Jianjun likes to play around, so let him play around.

On the fifty-ninth day after the Emperor's death and the thirty-sixth day after Li Xian's formal ascension to the throne, Shangguan Wan'er arrived at the Prince of Pei's residence.

The first sentence left Li Xian stunned.

"The new emperor has been deposed."

The second sentence was addressed to Liu Jianjun: "I... may have to go to Luoyang with Empress Wu."

Before Li Xian could even process his shock, he saw the reluctance in Shangguan Wan'er's eyes.

It seems that Shangguan Wan'er has also developed feelings for Liu Jianjun.

Li Xian was very surprised. Liu Jianjun and Shangguan Wan'er had only met a few times, and in almost every encounter, Liu Jianjun was "bullying" her. There was no romance or poetry. How could Shangguan Wan'er have fallen in love with him?
Liu Jianjun didn't react to the reluctance in Shangguan Wan'er's eyes. He invited the two of them to sit down and said, "Don't rush, tell me what happened during this time."

Shangguan Wan'er sat down, took a deep breath to remain calm, and continued, "At today's court assembly, His Majesty... the deposed emperor wanted to promote Wei Xuanzhen to the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary, but Pei Yan, along with the other prime ministers, vehemently opposed it. The deposed emperor was furious and uttered outrageous remarks in court..."

"What did he say?" Li Xian pressed.

Shangguan Wan'er took a deep breath, mimicking that angry yet childish tone: "'I am the Emperor, so what if I were to give the entire empire to Wei Xuanzhen? Would I begrudge a mere Chamberlain?'①

"idiot!"

Li Xian couldn't help but mutter curses under his breath, a mixture of anger and sorrow.

These words are tantamount to cutting oneself off from the court and from the world!
To treat the country and its people as private property that can be given away to one's father-in-law at will is intolerable to any minister with a modicum of sense.

Liu Jianjun was right again. Li Xian had been driven to the brink of despair, lost his mind, and did something even more absurd.

Pei Yan immediately stormed out of the palace and went straight into the Empress Dowager's palace. The Empress Dowager then held court, and all the officials stood solemnly. The Empress Dowager publicly recounted the deposed emperor's incompetence, lack of virtue, and unfitness to rule, and all the officials in the court echoed her sentiments…

Shangguan Wan'er paused, lowering her voice even further, "The deposed emperor... has been deposed and demoted to Prince of Luling. He will be immediately escorted out of the palace and placed in Fangzhou. The Empress Dowager has issued an edict establishing Prince Dan of Xiang as emperor, changing the era name to Wenming. The Empress Dowager will rule from behind the curtain, ruling from the Zichen Hall and making all decisions."

"At the same time, Cheng Wuting was ordered to prepare for taking over Luoyang... to move the capital to Luoyang."

Li Xian lowered his head and remained silent.

Although he knew this day would come, he still found it somewhat unbelievable when Shangguan Wan'er said it.

The new emperor, appointed by the late emperor's will, was so easily deposed by the empress dowager.

The Empress Dowager's actions were too fast, too ruthless, and too precise!

Pei Yan's cooperation, Cheng Wuting's military power, and the court officials' perhaps anticipated silence... all of this was probably already a tightening net before Li Xian uttered that foolish remark.

"Did Empress Wu... mention her virtuous son?"

Liu Jianjun's voice rang out from the side.

Li Xian was startled and subconsciously looked at Shangguan Wan'er.

With Li Xian deposed, his situation as the former crown prince and now the Prince of Pei instantly became delicate and dangerous.

Shangguan Wan'er gently shook her head: "The Empress Dowager did not mention His Highness. However, after the court session, the Imperial Guards have increased their manpower to protect the Prince of Pei's residence. The Empress Dowager asked Wan'er to convey this to His Highness..."

She raised her eyes and looked at Li Xian: "There has been a great upheaval in the palace. I hope Prince Pei will remain calm in his residence and observe the situation quietly. There is no need to disturb him or interfere." (Household confinement, surveillance)

Li Xian understood, and felt somewhat relieved.

The Empress Dowager doesn't have time to deal with him right now. As long as he behaves himself, he's safe for the time being.

Liu Jianjun also said at this moment, "It's alright, everything is as expected."

At this point, he suddenly looked at Shangguan Wan'er and asked in a nonchalant tone, "Hey, woman, are things going well with Empress Wu these days?"

Shangguan Wan'er glared at him, her eyes showing some dissatisfaction.

Lee Hyun-nung empathized with this dissatisfaction.

She, a frail woman, navigated the treacherous depths of the palace alone, while her beloved was playing a game of sucking feet with two maids in the Prince of Pei's mansion. Anyone would be unhappy in that situation.

"I presented those pieces of evidence to Empress Wu before, and she trusted me completely. There were no problems. Do you have anything else to say? If not, I will go to Luoyang with Empress Wu!"

Although her voice was calm, even Li Xian could hear the reluctance in her words.

Liu Jianjun, however, seemed not to have noticed and continued to smile, saying, "I'll suggest to Empress Wu later that someone from the Li clan lead the troops."

Shangguan Wan'er was taken aback, and so was Li Xian.

Li Xian was the first to ask, "Lead troops? What kind of troops?"

Shangguan Wan'er then asked, "Where will there be military affairs? The frontier... no, all the important frontier towns have been taken over by Empress Wu's people. She will not hand over military power to the Li clan."

At this point, Shangguan Wan'er's pupils constricted sharply, and she asked, "You mean... a rebellion is about to break out?!"

Li Xian's eyes widened instantly.

He began to understand why Liu Jianjun valued Shangguan Wan'er so much.

Then, Shangguan Wan'er asked, "You... want me to suggest that His Highness Prince Pei lead the troops, thereby gaining military power..."

"stupid!"

Liu Jianjun interrupted him without any politeness, and then said: "Xianzi and I went through so much trouble to establish the image of a good-for-nothing. If you let Xianzi take command of the troops now, wouldn't that mean that all the work we did for nothing?"

"Moreover, this could also expose your relationship with us."

As Liu Jianjun spoke, his eyes remained fixed on Shangguan Wan'er. Li Xian noticed a faint hint of tenderness flashing in Liu Jianjun's eyes.

"Just advise the Li clan to lead the troops. If this battle is won, you, the one who made the suggestion, will have more influence with Empress Wu."

Li Xian interjected, "Would it be safer?"

Then, Li Xian suddenly realized what was going on and said, "You're just concerned about Miss Shangguan, what's there to be embarrassed about!"

Then, Li Xian saw Liu Jianjun glare at him angrily and say, "The more important this woman is to Empress Wu, the better it is for us!"

Li Xian nodded: "Yes, yes, yes."

At this moment, Shangguan Wan'er clearly saw through Liu Jianjun's insincerity. She paused, walked up to Liu Jianjun, and gently took his hand.

Her eyes were full of tenderness as she said, "The new imperial edict hastens the journey to the cloud saddle, I can't bear to weep in the cold morning at Qujiang. My body is like a willow catkin following the phoenix carriage, my heart follows the wild geese across Tongguan. The moon sets over Chang'an, the imperial guards are silent, the boat lies across the Luo River, the stars are fading. Don't say that parting by the river is bitter, the chessboard is not yet cold, waiting for you to see."

Liu Jianjun didn't say anything, but suddenly stood up, forcefully pulled Shangguan Wan'er into his arms, and kissed her lips.

After a long while, he turned to Li Xian and said, "Xianzi, help me delay the procession outside the Prince's mansion for three hours!"

……

(End of this chapter)