"I don't have real money, so how can I satisfy anyone? Is this what he just said?" Wu Mei glanced at Li Zhi, who was sleeping soundly on the couch. Even after falling asleep, her brows furrowed. They were still locked together, as if they were still suffering from the tremendous pain caused by vertigo. After sighing silently, they motioned for Shangguan Wan'er to walk outside with her.
The two came to the front hall. After Wu Mei slowly sat down, she pondered what Shangguan Wan'er had just said. She did not immediately let Shangguan Wan'er sit down next to her, but paused for a moment and said: "It seems that His Majesty's deadline is not far away..."
"Mother, it won't happen. My father is still in his prime..." Shangguan Wan'er looked at the complicated sadness that flashed across Wu Mei's expression and hurriedly comforted her, but she felt a little regretful in her heart. Did she put the relationship with her just now? The conversation between Li Hong and his mother was too straightforward.
"Although I don't know how Li Hong knew and concluded, once Li Hong has determined it, the matter is almost exactly the same as what he predicted. Over the years, have you ever discovered that Li Hong's Have there been any mistakes in foresight and decision-making? Even when Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng were alive, Li Hong did not judge so many things with such certainty over the years. So... you don't have to apologize for Li Hong. I and your father have been here for many years. , I have become more aware of your father's health these days, and the end is approaching... I hope Hong'er's filial piety can prevent His Majesty from leaving any regrets." Wu Mei couldn't help but look away as she spoke. Looking behind her, although the two of them were still far away from where Li Zhi slept, Wu Mei felt as if Li Zhi was sleeping behind her, quietly listening to her and her daughter-in-law's conversation. dialogue.
"Mother, my original intention is not..." Shangguan Wan'er looked at Wu Mei's lonely and sad expression and saluted again. Originally, he wanted to say some more comforting words, but after seeing Wu Mei waving her hands, she could only swallow the next words.
"He has many things to do, and it is his filial piety to want to record some of his achievements in His Majesty's lifetime achievements, but as he said, history is always written and judged by later generations. Why should we care about the merits and demerits? It's just a false name, you go down, I will tell him personally if you have anything to say later," Wu Mei forced out a kind smile and said to Shangguan Wan'er.
Although they have been walking leisurely on the road from Chang'an to Luoyang these days, even if they can't walk many miles in one day, such a journey away from the city for nearly two months has also made Wu Mei a little tired physically and mentally.
Especially after returning to Luoyang Palace, Li Zhi's vertigo broke out, which also put a lot of pressure on her spirit. This made her even if she wanted to talk to others about her helplessness and feelings, For a moment, Wu Mei didn't think anyone else could replace Li Hong emotionally except Li Hong.
After all, Wu Mei has always believed that Li Hong is the son who understands her best and the person who understands her inner world best, whether from an emotional point of view, a mutual understanding point of view, or a mutual acquaintance point of view. It's Li Zhi who sometimes doesn't understand him as well as Li Hong does in some matters.
Thinking of this, Wu Mei, who had entered her twilight years, couldn't help but start to sit alone in front of the window after Shangguan Wan'er left, looking at the incense in front of her dreamily, and fell into memories.
From the time Li Hong was born to the present, the son who worried and worried him the most at first eventually became the king of a country and the emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
But over the course of these decades, the relationship between his eldest son and himself has been that of mother and son, and there is also a relationship of mentor and friend like a confidant. Even the last time he was in Xingqing Palace in Chang'an After talking deeply, Li Hong was able to be keenly aware of his attitude and disdain towards leaving his name in history.
This sometimes makes her have to wonder whether she gave birth to a son for herself and Li Zhi when she was pregnant in October, or whether she gave birth to a roundworm in her belly. Otherwise, how could this bastard understand her so well? !
Even if Wu Mei was fascinated by the incense and her thoughts were flying, she would never have thought that when Li Hong had a long conversation with her in the back garden of Xingqing Palace that day, he could keenly detect her attitude towards leaving a name in Qingshi. Because on the original track of history, her famous wordless monument was troubled.
Although the mother and son did not talk about this matter thoroughly that day, because Li Zhi was seeing his health getting worse and worse, and his death was approaching, the mother and son could not help but talk about Li Zhi. If her time has come, will she care about her records in history and the comments of future generations
Wu Mei meditated hard and didn't find out which of her words really exposed her truest thoughts deep in her heart. But what words in her words did that bastard hit all of her deepest thoughts at once? What are you thinking about
Wu Mei, who subconsciously shook her head in thought, was still staring blankly at the incense on the table. She was also completely unaware of the fire that was gradually lighting up in the palace. She was immersed in her own world, flying aimlessly. Thinking of all kinds of thoughts.
Li Hong did not come to visit Li Zhi immediately, nor did he appear in Zhenguan Hall of Xingqing Palace after holding the lantern in Luoyang Palace. At this time, he was still in his palace, waiting for Jingwei and Luoyang Palace. Yin Li Zhaode's information.
Bai Chun went to Jiannan Road to get what Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang left for him. After a busy day, Li Zhaode was in a hurry after thoroughly registering the identities of everyone who risked his life to admonish him today. He was in such a hurry that he didn't even bother to eat dinner and rushed to the palace.
Your Majesty rarely comes to Luoyang. Compared with the times of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, His Majesty comes to Luoyang very rarely. He doesn't even come once a year. But every time he comes, Luoyang will always be under His Majesty's strict scrutiny. , large or small court turmoil occurred, and this time, it was obviously much more serious than in previous years.
Just like after the famine spread in the past two years, His Majesty came once because of the granary, and then did not come again in the past two years. Now let’s look at what happened in Luoyang during the famine and what is happening today together. Later, Li Zhaode suddenly discovered that the two incidents seemed to be vaguely inextricably linked.
With vague doubts in his heart, the memorial in his hand seemed to have suddenly become much heavier after he entered the palace, but he did not dare to slow down at all. He knew very well that at this time, His Majesty was probably in the palace, waiting for him. He registered the results.
"Your Majesty Li Zhaode, please see..."
"No need, let's talk." Before Li Zhaode could finish his words of greeting, he was interrupted by Li Hong who was sitting in the study: "How is it? Has the statistics been calculated?"
"Your Majesty, I have made the statistics truthfully." Li Zhaode saluted again and said.
Even when facing Li Hong, whose expression and tone were very relaxed, Li Zhaode could still feel his heart beating violently, as if the next moment Li Hong asked, his heart might burst from his chest. He was shaken out directly.
"Memory." Li Hong stood up and walked to Li Zhaode, patted Li Zhaode on the shoulder, motioned to sit down next to him, then took the memorial from Li Zhaode's hand, and did not open it immediately to read it.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Li Zhaode could already feel his teeth chattering involuntarily. After all, there were too many people involved this time, and there were officials of all levels.
I originally thought that Luoyang Prime Minister Du Shenyan was already the highest-ranking official among them, but when he completed the statistics, he realized that he had really underestimated the determination and determination of these wealthy and aristocratic families, the five surnames and Qiwang who risked their lives to admonish His Majesty this time. Able.
"Back to Your Majesty, there are a total of 2,781 people who gathered to cause trouble this time, including 127 people with titles and no official titles, and 307 people with official titles and no titles. There are seventy-eight people in official positions, and the rest are all descendants of wealthy and distinguished families, a total of 2,269 people. Now they have all been sent home. I try my best to control their influence, either forcefully or forcefully. He was gently persuaded to retreat." Li Zhaode lowered his head and said, but his heart was beating violently, making him involuntarily raise his voice a lot, fearing that His Majesty would not be able to hear his voice clearly.
But fortunately, when he finished saying these words in one breath, his whole body suddenly relaxed, and he no longer felt as nervous as when he came in, where his whole body was stiff and his limbs were cold.
"In the past two months since I traveled from Chang'an to Luoyang, these noble families and the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes are really capable. They were able to summon and lobby so many people. The total number was nearly 3,000. If I were at the scene of the crime today, if I were more ruthless, stupid and cruel, and directly accuse them of rebellion, wouldn't it be easier to deal with than now?" Li Hong shook his head and smiled, thinking of the five surnames. The forces headed by Qi Wang were able to gather strength, but what he didn't expect was that the total number of people with titles and official positions or without official positions and titles actually reached 512 people!
If we judge based solely on the number of officials in Chang'an or Luoyang, the number of so many people is even two-thirds of the entire officials who have gone to Chang'an or Luoyang.
Of course, Li Hong also knew very well that not all of the more than 500 people who could be gathered by the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes were officials from Chang'an and Luoyang. Most of them were still relatively low-level Taoist officials from Chang'an and Luoyang. The proportion of officials among them is not very large.
But even so, he had the ability to summon so many officials from all over the Tang Dynasty to Luoyang to admonish him within two months. Such ability and power are not at all comparable to those of Xu Jingye and King Cao Li Ming who rebelled in Yangzhou. There are so few people waiting for them, and in terms of influence, the influence of these literati is no less than the influence of Xu Jingye's rebellion case, or even worse.
These people can gather together for common interests, and these people can still take the risk to gather together and invite themselves when they know that risking their lives to directly admonish them is likely to completely ruin their career. In the end, is it really true that the emperor himself Are you being incompetent, or are you really too eager for success
Thinking of this, Li Hong couldn't help but start to waver in his decision-making. After all, in history, it didn't take just a few years for the Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System headed by Wu Xing Qiwang to be banned. It was completely banned.
(End of chapter)