Chapter 649

549. A young princess came to the palace

The sun was shining brightly.

Shangyang Palace, Ganlu Hall.

A monarch and a subject met again.

This was the second time Di Di Fuzi had entered the palace in recent days.

Three days ago, he was also standing in this position, answering questions with the Saint.

However, at that time, Di Di Fuzi interpreted a dream for the Saint and took the opportunity to persuade her, but the Saint remained silent for a long time.

Being summoned again today, Di Di Fuzi faintly had a bad premonition.

Coupled with some bad rumors he heard last night.

Last night, the Saint seemed to have summoned Prince Wei and Prince Liang into the palace, not knowing what they were discussing.

In addition, he found that behind the bead curtain, there was an extra screen, and the Saint was sitting behind the screen.

And there was an extra slender female official serving by her side.

Blocked by the bead curtain, Di Di Fuzi couldn't see the female official's face clearly, and could only faintly see that she was wearing the plum blossom shape popular in the palace, with a touch of crimson between her eyebrows.

In the past, when the monarch and subject answered each other, they were alone, and the Saint rarely kept anyone by her side.

Previously, when the female historian named Rong Zhen was still there, she could often be seen staying by the Saint's side, and the Saint's partiality for this female historian Rong Zhen was well-known.

But the female official standing by the Saint's side serving now was clearly a newcomer, and certainly not the female historian Rong Zhen.

Because she was taller.

Di Di Fuzi even saw that this woman, while serving the Saint, seemed to turn her head to look at him behind the bead curtain, somewhat ignorant of the rules.

However, soon, Di Di Fuzi withdrew his gaze.

Seeing that the Saint had no intention of dismissing this woman by her side, he knelt and bowed as usual.

He performed the entrance ceremony.

"Old Minister, rise, sit."

"I dare not."

"Old Minister, don't be polite. I summoned you this time to ask about the East Forest Great Buddha."

"East Forest Great Buddha?"

"That's right. Last night, rumors came that this time the collapse of the Four Directions Buddha statues and the Heavenly Pivot was caused by the East Forest Great Buddha, which was a chain reaction, closely related to the rebels of the Tiannan Tiannan Jianghu."

Di Di Fuzi's mind flashed with the news of Prince Wei and Prince Liang entering the palace to pay respects last night. He didn't need to think to know that the two princes were busy shirking some responsibility.

He said sincerely, cupping his fists:

"The Saint is wise! Those who committed this are naturally rebels, but in the imperial court, there are also incompetent people who hold high positions, misjudge the situation, and appoint mediocre people, which led to this case."

"But the East Forest Great Buddha is in Prince Xunyang City, and it was built under the supervision of the Prince Xunyang Prince's Mansion."

"The Saint is busy with ten thousand things and doesn't know. According to the old minister's understanding, this is only nominal hosting. The Prince Xunyang Prince has long lived in the mansion to recuperate, only grasping the general direction of the East Forest Great Buddha, supervising the officials below to execute it, and the Prince Xunyang Prince does not manage specific affairs."

The Saint's tone behind the bead curtain rose: "Oh? Then who manages the specific affairs? Or rather, who should bear the responsibility this time?"

After being quiet for a while, the chubby old man closed his eyes slightly and listed four names:

"Jiangzhou Cishi Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan, Female Historian Rong Zhen, Deputy Supervisor Song Lin, and Commander Yi Commandant Yi Qianqiu. Currently, according to the situation the old minister understands, the Prince Xunyang situation is mainly led by these four people, but I don't know if the Saint has any new news on your side, and I don't know the situation on the day the East Forest Great Buddha collapsed, and whether the leadership has changed."

Speaking of this, he paused, as if remembering something, and said casually:

"However, the old minister heard that on the day of the celebration ceremony when the East Forest Great Buddha incident occurred, Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan was on vacation at home, celebrating his aunt's birthday, and did not rush over. It seems he was staying in the city with the Prince that day, and the Prince Xunyang Grottoes were hosted by the other three..."

"Looking at it this way, he can't escape a charge of dereliction of duty, but the main responsibility should not be his. It still requires the Saint to send someone to investigate clearly."

After speaking, Di Di Fuzi lowered his head and waited silently.

After waiting for a long time, he did not hear the old woman in the dragon robe behind the bead curtain speak.

Until a "heh" laugh sounded in the hall.

Di Di Fuzi's heart sank slightly.

Behind the bead curtain above, came the slightly cold words of the old woman in the dragon robe:

"Heh, it's a coincidence. I just received a memorial the day before yesterday, which was submitted by Jiangzhou Jiangzhou Cishi Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan. He said that a fierce battle occurred in the Prince Xunyang Grottoes, resulting in heavy casualties, and they barely repelled the Tiannan rebels.

"But the military strength in Prince Xunyang is less than one in ten, with only Female Historian Rong Zhen, Commander Yi Commandant Yi Qianqiu, and a dozen people surviving. Some rebels even attacked the Prince Xunyang Prince's Mansion, burned the mansion, and frightened the Prince Xunyang Prince.

"Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan wrote to confess his guilt personally, saying that his ability was insufficient to stop the rebels from destroying the Buddha, which violated the expectations of me and the officials of the Political Affairs Hall, and requested to resign from the positions of Jiangzhou Jiangzhou Cishi and Xiuwen Pavilion Scholar, asking me to deal with it."

Di Di Fuzi frowned slightly and remained silent for a long time.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong's memorial, which stood out and took the blame openly, was beyond his expectations.

But it was also... within reason.

Di Di Fuzi changed the subject, his tone concerned:

"May I ask the Saint, is the Prince Xunyang Prince injured? The Prince's golden body and life safety are the top priority."

The will of the old woman in the dragon robe remained unshakable, and she said coldly:

"Let's talk about business first. Old Minister, tell me, should Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan be punished? Heh, after the collapse of the Heavenly Pivot and the Great Buddha, there was silence below, and everyone involved was arguing and avoiding responsibility. I was worried about not finding anyone, and I hadn't even found him yet, but he stood out himself."

She laughed again:

"I don't know whether to laugh at his boldness or scold him for his stupidity. What does the Old Minister think, hmm? How to deal with it? Should I fulfill his wish? Otherwise, wouldn't I be sorry for his liver and gallbladder?"

Di Di Fuzi immediately said:

"The Saint has always been impartial. You should send someone to investigate clearly first before dealing with it, to avoid any hidden difficulties and wrongly blaming a good official."

"Good, then let's investigate the good official. Let the good official investigate the good official. Old Minister, you pick someone to go."

Di Di Fuzi suddenly performed a big bow:

"Saint, this move is inappropriate. The old minister should avoid suspicion. Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan is a person recommended by the old minister. You should change to another good official to investigate. In addition, if Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan really committed a crime, the old minister also has responsibility."

"Old Minister has a good sense of responsibility. At this time, you don't forget to act impartially and take the initiative to avoid suspicion. Old Minister is truly the pillar of my country."

The Emperor's tone, and this atmosphere, even a stupid person could perceive that something was wrong.

But the old man did not retreat, and even took a step forward, reiterating his attitude again, begging with emotion:

"Saint, no matter what, this matter concerns the Prince Xunyang Prince. The old minister begs the Saint to pick up the Prince Xunyang Prince and return to the capital to recuperate. After all, he is your own flesh and blood, and there must be no loss."

Behind the bead curtain, the old woman in the dragon robe remained motionless.

The strange female official with a beautiful figure was gently pounding her legs, lowering her head slightly.

The hall was silent inside and out.

Di Di Fuzi knelt on the spot and knocked his head heavily:

"Emperor Wen Huang of the Taizong Dynasty weathered the wind and rain, personally faced arrows and stones, and finally pacified the world, passing it on to his descendants. The late Emperor entrusted his two sons to the Saint. Now the Saint wants to transfer the world to a different surname?

"Reporting to the Saint, the old minister observes that the people of the world are still missing the Taizong's grace. If you want to establish an imperial heir, it must be a descendant of Taizong, the Saint's and Gao Zong's own flesh and blood."

The old woman fell silent.

The atmosphere in the hall was solemn.

The chubby old man begged sincerely, to the point of crying endlessly.

It was quiet for a while.

The old woman in the dragon robe seemed to laugh lightly, raised her hand to stop the female official from pounding her legs, and signaled her to lift the bead curtain.

The plum blossom-shaped female official buried her head low, stood up timidly, and lifted the bead curtain.

Revealing the scene behind the curtain.

Di Di Fuzi was stunned after noticing it.

He looked up quickly, his gaze did not linger on the old woman in the dragon robe and the strange female official, and his gray hair immediately knocked on the ground:

"Saint, think twice."

"Think twice about what? Oh, you mean picking up Li Su Xian and returning?"

"Yes! It concerns the imperial heir, the matter is of great importance..."

Di Di Fuzi stopped halfway through his words.

Because he saw out of the corner of his eye the old woman in the dragon robe waving her hand toward the back of the screen.

From behind the screen, two people walked out.

Were there others?

Di Di Fuzi was shocked in his heart, because of the action of kneeling and knocking his head, he did not see the faces of the people coming from behind the screen at first, and only saw the long boots worn by the two people out of the corner of his eye.

The old woman in the dragon robe said casually:

"Old Minister, don't you see who he is?"

Di Di Fuzi raised his head and looked in the direction pointed by the Empress with a surprised face.

I saw a middle-aged man and a young man walking out of the screen one after another, standing with their hands down in the hall.

Although they hadn't seen each other for several years, although they had changed a lot, and although the water and soil of the Southern Kingdom made them rich and fat, Di Di Fuzi still recognized the father and son who looked similar at first glance, and they also looked similar to the late Gao Zong.

It was none other than the Prince Xunyang Prince Li Su Xian and Young Master Li Su Dalang, who had been exiled for more than twenty years.

The chubby old man's gaze fell on the temples of Li Su Xian, which had some white hair, and his eyes couldn't help but feel a bit sour.

Empress Wei Zhao glanced at Di Di Fuzi, who was gradually filling with tears and mumbling, and said in a faint tone, pointing to Li Su Xian:

"Here, I return the Imperial Crown Prince in the Old Minister's heart to the Old Minister."

Seeing and hearing it, even Di Di Fuzi, who had been in the court for many years and was good at adapting to circumstances, was shocked.

He looked around in disbelief, as if he thought he was in a dream.

After three breaths, the chubby old man knocked his head and bowed again.

This time, he knocked his head heavily, his tone full of submission and emotion:

"Saint is wise! Wise! Wise!"

Wei Zhao narrowed her eyes, as if smiling but not smiling, and as if enjoying it silently.

No one knew what this Saint was thinking.

Including Di Di Fuzi, who had served her for many years or had been playing against her for many years, who couldn't guess what was behind her screen a few breaths ago.

The Saint's heart is hard to measure, grace and power are applied together, rain and thunder are all Saint's grace.

Li Su Xian and Li Su Dalang also looked at each other, turned around, and bowed to the old woman in the dragon robe.

The words Di Di Fuzi said in the hall just now were intentionally heard by this Saint.

This imperial heart technique is breathtaking.

Ask which subordinate can withstand this kind of unpredictable, surprise and shock-turning leadership method?

Compared to the stormy heart of Li Su Xian and Li Su Dalang, Li Su Guoer, who was serving beside the old woman in the dragon robe, appeared calm and didn't look back.

It seemed that from the moment Di Di Fuzi entered the hall just now, she had guessed the intention of the Empress Dowager to grasp people's hearts in this dialogue.

Li Su Guoer lowered her eyes slightly, standing obediently in front of Empress Wei Zhao.

While the old minister Li Su Xian and Di Di Fuzi were recognizing each other, the old woman in the dragon robe sitting at the head was holding a night pearl in one hand, narrowing her eyes and looking at it.

She couldn't put it down.

The night pearl emitted a faint, dim white moonlight, like the moon in the sky.

Wei Zhao liked it more and more as she looked at it.

Power and authority are sometimes connected.

Huge power and huge authority are equally fascinating.

Wei Zhao lay lazily on the dragon couch, twisting the mythical tripod sword with two fingers, and suddenly asked kindly to Li Su Guoer, who was also looking more and more pleasing and looked like her when she was young:

"Girl, you said this morning that you dreamed of its name. What is it called?"

The plum blossom-shaped little princess lowered her eyebrows weakly:

"Guo'er dare not read it."

"Why dare not."

"That character has the same pronunciation as the Holy Grandmother's name, which is beyond the ritual system."

"I allow you to read it."

"Guo'er also doesn't know if it's true, and is not sure if this name is its real name. But, Guo'er feels that no matter if it's right or not, it only deserves a strange woman through the ages like the Holy Grandmother. Just like this tripod sword, only a person like the Holy Grandmother can possess it."

"No matter, I won't blame you whether it's right or wrong. Oh, what is the name?"

The plum blossom-makeup little princess, who had always been low-browed and soft in front of the old woman in the dragon robe, boldly held the old woman's hand and wrote a character in her palm with her index finger.

【Zhao】

Wei Zhao raised her eyebrows with interest: "Sun on top and empty on bottom, it's interesting, I've never seen it before. Does it also read Zhao?"

"Hmm."

Li Su Guoer smiled sweetly:

"Like the Holy Grandmother, the sun and moon are in the sky, shining on all people."

"Zhao... Zhao... are the sun and moon in the sky..."

Wei Zhao's eyes were completely attracted by the night pearl, all her attention was on it, and she didn't even care about Li Su Guoer, whose slender hand was reaching out.

Her eyes were clear, and her voice was crisp:

"Imperial Grandmother, Guo'er read in a book that 【Emperor Wen Huang】 should be born with Emperor Wen Huang, and often feels Taizong Emperor Wen Huang, and sings as soon as it is touched. Even some strange books say that these two emperors are the prosperous people of 【Emperor Wen Huang】, and they ended the chaos of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and 【Emperor Wen Huang】 was born in response to the situation, and the Shenzhou also ushered in a long-lost three-hundred-year unification..."

Li Su Guoer went a step further, took the night pearl from the old woman in the dragon robe's hand, held it in her palm with one hand, and slowly raised her palm.

Wei Zhao's gaze also rose with the rise of this night pearl, looking up slightly.

Li Su Guoer boldly placed the night pearl flat in front of the largest gem on the old woman's imperial phoenix crown, aligned with it, faintly indicating something.

"This tripod sword, which seems to be called 【Zhao】, has no reaction in our hands. After discussing with my father, Guo'er feels that its prosperous person is the Holy Grandmother. Only achievements and status like the Holy Grandmother can match this sword and this true name.

"It was also born in response to the situation, and was born in response to a female emperor like the Holy Grandmother. This time, what it corresponds to is the prosperous age of the Shenzhou that my Holy Zhou created and will be remembered in history!"

The plum blossom-shaped little princess held the tripod sword, her pretty face pure.

She tilted her head and said crisply:

"It is picky. Only the Holy Grandmother is the most worthy of it. If you can't find a suitable sword master, why don't the Holy Grandmother wear it on the crown, and together with it, the sun and moon are in the sky, shining on all people!"

At the same time, the night pearl close to the old woman's crown suddenly trembled slightly, and dazzling moonlight flowed through the pearl body.

It is another kind of "singing when touched"!

There is a prosperous person.

The old woman's originally somewhat turbid eyes suddenly brightened.

"Good! Just follow you girl, I will wear it."

In the hall, looking at this pair of harmonious grandmother and granddaughter, and the night pearl that was showing miracles between them.

Li Su Xian and Li Su Dalang couldn't help but look at each other.

Di Di Fuzi looked sideways slightly.

"Hmm hmm!"

Li Su Guoer returned the night pearl to the Imperial Grandmother's hand.

Looking around at the magnificent, noble, and solemn palace hall.

She smiled like a flower.

Holy Zhou, Tianyou Year 3, Jiachen, Summer.

The Empress Dowager woke up and sent the Great Commander Pei Xuantan to welcome the Emperor and the Prince Xunyang Prince into the palace at night.

The Emperor followed the Prince to arrive, the Empress Dowager hid the Prince in the tent, the Emperor knelt in front of her, and summoned Di Zi to talk about the Prince Xunyang matter.

Di Zi pleaded very earnestly, to the point of crying and unable to stop.

The Empress Dowager then made the Prince come out, pointed faintly behind the tent, and said to Di Zi: "I return the Crown Prince to you!"

Di Zi descended the steps to bow and congratulate, convinced and kowtowed, and hurriedly played: "The Crown Prince has returned to the palace, no one knows, people are talking, who to believe?"

The Empress Dowager thought it was right, so she lodged the Prince in Longmen, prepared rituals to welcome him back, the inside and outside were very happy, and all the people were happy.

Inside and outside the court, there were countless people who celebrated.

———— "New Li Qian Book · Annals of the Female Emperor"