Chapter 1083: Lin Lang eliminates Zhangsun Wuji

Li Zhi did not directly answer Lin Lang's question, but said ambiguously: "In fact, Zhangsun Wuji is not a traitor."

"However, during the 'Fang Yiai Rebellion Case' in the fourth year of the Yonghui reign, he seized the opportunity to suppress his political enemies, arresting numerous members of the imperial clan, including Prince of Jing Li Yuanchang and Prince of Wu Li Ke, as well as founding general Xue Wanche, leaving the court entirely dominated by the Changsun family."

Lin Lang, who is familiar with the history of the Tang Dynasty, knows that Fang Yiai's rebellion case was an important event from the Zhenguan to Yonghui period of the Tang Dynasty, and the core of it was the involvement of royal relatives in the power struggle.

Fang Yiai was the second son of the famous prime minister Fang Xuanling. He married Princess Gaoyang, the daughter of Emperor Taizong of Tang.

Princess Gaoyang had a strong personality and was dissatisfied with Fang Xuanling's eldest son Fang Yizhi's inheritance of the title, and she tried to sow discord many times.

In order to help Fang Yiai seize his title, Princess Gaoyang falsely accused Fang Yizheng of being rude to her. Emperor Taizong of Tang ordered Zhangsun Wuji to try the case.

Zhangsun Wuji took the opportunity to expand the case and classified it as "treason."

It was said that Fang Yiai colluded with his son-in-law Xue Wanche (married to Princess Danyang), his son-in-law Chai Lingwu (married to Princess Baling) and others, and wanted to support Li Yuanjing as emperor.

In the fourth year of Yonghui, Fang Yiai, Xue Wanche and Chai Lingwu were executed, and Princess Gaoyang, Princess Baling and Li Yuanjing (Li Yuan's sixth son) were ordered to commit suicide.

Prince Wu Li Ke (son of Emperor Taizong of Tang) was implicated and sentenced to death, which led to the decline of Fang Xuanling's family. Many members of the royal family were purged, which became a means for Zhangsun Wuji to consolidate his power.

At this time, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, had just ascended the throne, and Zhangsun Wuji, as the regent, was in charge of the government.

This case was seen as a game between imperial power and the forces of the royal family and nobles, and it also laid the groundwork for the later rise of Wu Zetian.

The case reflects the cruelty of court struggles in the early Tang Dynasty and the complexity of the reshuffle of political power.

By the sixth year of Yonghui, among the nine prime ministers, except for Li Ji who was Li Zhi's man and Yu Zhining who was two-faced, the other six people, including Chu Suiliang, Han Yuan, Lai Ji, Cui Dunli, etc., were all from Zhangsun's party.

Zhangsun Wuji monopolized the government, suppressed dissidents, and sent out voices in the court that differed from his own.

He even interfered in Li Zhi's imperial family affairs, greatly restricting Li Zhi's imperial power.

This made Li Zhi very angry. He once asked his ministers at the court whether the world was safe and why no one submitted a memorial.

You can imagine how unhappy and depressed Li Zhi felt when his power was restricted.

The Tang Dynasty implemented the system of three provinces and six ministries, and the emperor's orders had to be controlled by the three provinces. In other words, it was hoped that the three provinces could supervise each other and be jointly responsible for the world.

At that time, Zhangsun Wuji alone controlled the power of the two provinces, turning the three-province and six-department system into a hollow shell.

In order to consolidate the imperial power, Li Zhi wanted to depose Queen Wang and make Wu Zetian the queen in the sixth year of Yonghui, hoping to get rid of the control of the Guanlong nobles over the harem and government.

However, Zhangsun Wuji, as the representative of the Guanlong Group, joined forces with ministers such as Chu Suiliang to strongly oppose Wu Zetian, believing that Wu Zetian's humble origins did not conform to the etiquette for establishing a queen.

Li Zhi took advantage of the "Abolish Wang and Establish Wu" incident to demote Zhangsun Wuji's close friend Chu Suiliang, forcibly enthrone Wu Zetian as the queen, and began to break through Zhangsun Wuji's power network.

After that, Li Zhi continued to find ways to suppress Zhangsun Wuji's followers, and even had the intention to kill them.

At this time, Li Zhi wanted to use his sworn brother Lin Lang to get rid of Zhangsun Wuji, seize back the imperial power from the powerful ministers, and consolidate the emperor's absolute authority.

To put it bluntly, it was a fierce struggle between imperial power and prime ministerial power.

Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, was a very intelligent and talented person, but his talents were weakened by film and television works, which highlighted the power of Empress Wu Zetian.

Lin Lang rolled his eyes and quickly went over this history in his mind. He immediately understood his sworn brother Li Zhi's intention, but he saw through it without saying it out loud.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to say more. Lord Changsun is already over sixty years old and has worked too hard for the country for many years. He may die suddenly from exhaustion one day. When that happens, I hope Your Majesty will bury Lord Changsun with honor."

After hearing this, Li Zhi hugged Lin Lang's shoulders tightly and said with uncontrollable excitement: "I have suffered under the control of powerful ministers for a long time. My dear brother is worthy of being the monarch of a country and understands my heart deeply."

"My royal brother, please wait for good news. Now let's start playing billiards." Lin Lang snapped his fingers and summoned an invisible clone, who went to carry out the assassination mission like a ghost.

Li Zhi was very pleased after hearing this, and he and Lin Lang played billiard in a good mood on another billiard table where there was no snack bag.

The colorful balls rolled on the table, making crisp collision sounds.

Li Zhi took one shot and the white ball accurately sent the yellow ball into the pocket. He breathed a sigh of relief, and the depression on his face seemed to dissipate.

"It's more fun to play ball with my brother, instead of worrying about the twists and turns of the court."

When it was Lin Lang's turn to hit the ball, he leaned over and aimed at the red ball, a smile on his face: "My royal brother is the true dragon emperor, and I can't let him be tripped up all the time."

"That's right!" Li Zhi rubbed chocolate powder on the tip of his golf club, his tone lamenting. "My position may seem prestigious, but in reality, I'm restricted in every way. Take the three provinces and six ministries, for example. They were supposed to check and balance each other, but now they've become a one-man show for certain individuals."

He paused, leaned over, and took a shot, but the ball went wide. He couldn't help but sigh, "Sometimes I think that being an emperor is not as good as being a free and easy prince."

Lin Lang offered Li Zhi a cigarette. "You're joking, my Royal Brother. You were born to be an emperor. Once those annoying ministers are removed, won't you, my Royal Brother, have the final say in the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Zhi gripped the golf club with a slight force on his fingertips, a hint of fierceness flashed in his eyes, and then turned into a smile: "My dear brother, what you said touched my heart."

The two of them played back and forth, and the number of balls on the table gradually decreased. The only sounds in the hall were the sounds of balls hitting each other and occasional laughter.

Before he knew it, it was already past noon. The eunuch came in to report that lunch was ready. Li Zhi then put down his golf club with a reluctant look on his face. "Come on, my dear brother, accompany me to dinner!"

Lin Lang agreed with a smile, but he knew in his heart that the invisible clone he sent out had already produced results.

From this moment on, the game between the imperial power and the prime ministerial power of the Tang Dynasty was decided because of Lin Lang's intervention.

As soon as the two men stepped out of the threshold of Linde Palace, they saw a guard crawling towards them, with some soot on his armor, his face was pale, and his voice was trembling.

"Your Majesty!"

"Urgent report!"

"A huge fire broke out in Lord Changsun's residence. The fire was raging fiercely... By the time it was put out, Lord Changsun and his four sons, Changsun Chong, Changsun Huan, Changsun Jun, and Changsun Yan, were all confirmed dead!"

Li Zhi suddenly stopped in his tracks, a hint of shock flashed across his eyes, and then quickly lit up with ecstasy, but that emotion was so fast that it seemed like an illusion, and in a flash the drama was replaced by grief.

He hypocritically grabbed the guard's arm, his voice trembling with anxiety: "What did you say?! Is the news true? How could Lord Changsun and his four sons all die in a fire?"

"It's absolutely true, Your Majesty! I saw it with my own eyes, the mansion has become a scorched earth, and people from the Dali Temple and Jingzhao Prefecture were all present at the scene. It's absolutely true!" the guard cried.

Li Zhi suddenly let go of his hand and staggered back half a step. The corners of his mouth first turned up briefly, then instantly covered with tear marks, and his voice was choked and almost incoherent.

"My dear Changsun! How could you just leave like this? You are a veteran of three dynasties, with great contributions. I rely on you so much, how could you... How could you just leave like this?..."

Li Zhi beat his chest and stamped his feet, shedding crocodile tears, looking heartbroken.

Lin Lang stood aside, trying hard to suppress his smile. He stepped forward at the right time to support Li Zhi, with a sad expression on his face, and comforted him in a low voice.

"My Royal Brother, please accept my condolences... Life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and honor are determined by heaven. Lord Changsun, this is also destined to happen. No one can change the will of heaven."

"My Royal Brother is the Son of Heaven. Your health is the most important thing. You must not be too sad."

Li Zhi cried even harder, saying intermittently, "No... I must go and see... I must personally set up a mourning hall for my beloved Changsun and bury him with honor. I want him to pass away with dignity..."

"Pass on my order, set off! Go to the residence of Lord Changsun! I want to personally see him off for the last time..."

As he spoke, Li Zhi was supported by Lin Lang and walked out. He stumbled out of the palace. Although his steps were unsteady, there was a barely perceptible ease and determination hidden deep in his eyes.

It is obvious that Li Zhi cried with all his heart, and he was acting for his ministers and the people to see. He was an emperor who treated his ministers who had served for three dynasties well.

From this we can see that Li Zhi was an underestimated emperor of the Tang Dynasty.