Changsun Wuji, who was once arrogant, is now in such a mess. Before leaving, there is not even a person to see him off, so he is not as good as Chu Suiliang at the time.

Anyway, it's very desolate.

I hurriedly walked in the night and waited for dawn to leave Chang'an County.

Changsun Wuji didn't even have the chance to look back at Chang'an. He was half lying in the carriage and half closed his eyes. The bumpy carriage really made it difficult for him to fall asleep.

Suddenly, I heard a sound of piano coming from outside.

Changsun Wuji opened his eyes and said curiously: "Who is playing the piano?"

Changsun Yan frowned and said, "This seems to be the "Orange" that my grandson likes the most." As he said that, he was stunned and hurried to the window. Looking at the sound, he saw several familiar figures on the hill on the side of the road. He couldn't help but be stunned. His eyes were slightly moist. He opened his mouth, but felt choked and shouted in vain. He just stared at the mountain blankly, thinking that he might not have the chance to see him again in this life, and tears finally fell.

Changsun Wuji looked at the window. Although he couldn't see clearly, he guessed who it was. He couldn't help but feel sad. Yan'er was just a young man, but he was also sent to him. When he thought of this, he thought that Chu Suiliang and Han Yuan came to Ji and left him one by one, and he felt very melancholy in his heart.

The people on the mountain were Cui Jie Ren, Wang Xuandao, Yuan Liehu, and Lu Shi Gua.

They had always wanted to see Changsun Yan, but Changsun Yan was seen so hard that he could not see him at all. Fortunately, Cui Jieren thought that Xu Jingzong might not let Changsun Wuji leave Chang'an with glorious charm, so he came here to wait early.

Of course, there are not many smart people in this world who are just halfway up the mountain, diagonally opposite the hill, but they see one person leaning against a big tree with hands in his sleeves, and there is another person on the branch on his head, holding a weed in his mouth, pillows in his hands, and leaning against the trunk.

These two are Yuanjiu and Cui Pingzhong.

"The opposite is Xiaohu and the others." Yuan Jiu shook his head with Qinyin and said with half-closed eyes.

Cui Pingzhong nodded, "It should be."

Yuanjiu grinned and said, "The relationship between these little kids is really good."

Cui Pingzhong didn't say anything, but just sighed softly.

Yuanjiu turned his head slightly, looked at the convoy below, and said twice: "This Empress Wu is really a strange woman. Since she returned to the palace from Ganye Temple, many major events have happened in the court, but each of them has a great relationship with her. However, she is still in the palace, and those who oppose her have been demoted from Chang'an one by one. This method is really admirable."

Cui Pingzhong just laughed.

Yuanjiu said: "You don't seem to agree?"

Cui Pingzhong said: "On the surface, it seems that Empress Wu is interfering with it, but if we trace the origin, the root of all the problems lies in one person, and Empress Wu is just a chess piece in his hand."

Yuanjiu frowned and said, "The only one who can use the queen as a chess piece is to be today's puppet."

Cui Pingzhong nodded.

Yuanjiu said curiously: "But Your Majesty has already taken power. The Taiwei has been honest in recent years. After all, the Taiwei is also His Majesty's uncle. Even if his merits and demerits are offset, there is no need for Your Majesty to kill all the Taiwei. Isn't this too heartless?"

"In the face of power, no one is ruthless. Your Majesty is like this, and the Taiwei is like this. But Your Majesty is more ruthless than the Taiwei, and much more ruthless than the Taiwei imagined. If it weren't for this, it would be hard to say that this victory or defeat would be."

Cui Pingzhong sighed softly and said, "Since the deposed king and established Wu, the biggest winner has always been today. Compared with Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong, the power in today's hands is also the greatest. Although everything is related to Empress Wu, the Emperor Wu is actually the dominant. Empress Wu is just a pawn in His Majesty's hands. His Majesty uses the Empress to cleverly avoid direct confrontation with the Taiwei, and concentrate the contradictions between ministers, between ministers and queens, between nobles and commoners, so that they can kill each other. His Majesty reaps the benefits of the fisherman and easily get everything they want. Our Majesty is the smartest person in the world, and his strategy is even better than that of Emperor Taizong.

Since the establishment of the Nine-rank Zhongzheng system of the Jin Dynasty, the monarch and nobles have always ruled the world together. However, the monarch is like flowing water, and the country has changed several times. The only thing that remains unchanged is the noble officials in the main hall. Every time the country changes its ownership, they have a great relationship, so the imperial power must always be restricted. If you want to extend the imperial power, you must eradicate the nobles. Now with the departure of the Taiwei, the powerful aristocratic group in the court will be destroyed, and the promoted people will definitely be ordinary bureaucrats. In this way, the distance between the ministers and the emperor will be further and further. In the end, the imperial power will be supreme, and the monarch will be in charge of the world. No one dares to change the emperor and most of them will say a word."

Yuanjiu said: "Then aren't you Shandong gentry dangerous?"

Cui Pingzhong nodded and said, "But our Shandong gentry is different from the Guanlong nobles. The Guanlong nobles are right next to the emperor, and their main forces are also concentrated in the court. The Shandong gentry is all local. Although Your Majesty will never allow it, local forces will crises to reach imperial power, so Your Majesty will definitely strengthen the power of the bureaucrats in the future to balance the power of the gentry, but this will be a long process."

Yuanjiu sighed and said, "I really feel a little worried about my brother-in-law after hearing what you said. This is like a tiger!"

Cui Pingzhong frowned and thought to himself, yes, why did I ignore him? Not only this matter, but in many battles, he seemed to be completely out of the matter. Compared to His Majesty, it can be said that it is even better.

.

It's late at night.

Inside the queen, a small group of people quickly walked to a secluded cottage.

"See Your Majesty for the humble position."

When the person guarding the door saw the person coming, he immediately saluted.

"Open the door." Li Zhi said lightly.

"Abide by the order!"

After the door was opened, Li Zhi entered the cottage alone.

But he saw only one person standing in the house. This person was Wang Wendu, who forged an imperial edict to undermine Cheng Yaojin when he was expeditioning the West. Li Zhi only demoted him to a commoner and did not impose him.

"See Your Majesty."

Wang Wendu held his fists and bowed.

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Hurry and don't give me a gift."

As he said that, he sat down and asked, "Where is my uncle leaving?"

Wang Wendu replied: "I left Chang'an County this morning."

Li Zhidao: "Can someone go and see him off?"

Wang Wendu said: "There are four people who sent me off, which are Cui Jie Ren, Wang Xuandao, Yuan Liehu, and Lu Shi Gua."

"These guys are quite smart. They can actually predict Xu Jingzong's thoughts in advance. But they are not going to send my uncle, but to send Changsun Yan, so they don't have to worry about them." Li Zhi smiled and shook his head, and asked again: "I guess the news of my uncle's departure has spread. How do you discuss this?"

Wang Wendu said: "The most popular saying in the court now is that the queen and Xu Jingzong and others forced the Taiwei away. However, many people seemed to have expected it. After all, they have been fighting around. Anyway, it is not that the Taiwei was demoted, but that is Xu Jingzong was demoted. This is only a matter of time."

Li Zhidao: "Isn't anyone talking about me?"

Wang Wendu said: "No."

"It has never happened, that is, someone thinks so in his heart, but he just doesn't say it out." Li Zhi sighed and said, "I am indeed out of helplessness. The two factions are fighting each other. I have tried to calm the fight between them several times, but they have failed, and it has also made their fight more and more intense. I don't hide it from you. I have always been afraid of my uncle. I know the best of my uncle's methods. If he wins this battle, I am afraid that I will suffer, and I will have no choice but to do it!"

The implication is that the previous statement is completely correct. I was forced. The two factions have reached the point where they either die or die. I just chose the queen because I am afraid of my uncle.

In fact, this is true of the whole process. Li Zhi has always been a good man. His previous actions have also been to calm the fight, including demoting Li Yi Mansion. He did not imply anyone to create this unjust case and slander his uncle. This was indeed Wu Meiniang's idea. He just chose one of them. This is why that statement is the most convincing. Most people believe that Li Zhi was forced to fight to this point, and that the winner was always scored. Apart from that, there was no other way. At the same time, everyone could understand that Li Zhi could not let Changsun Wuji return to the court, so he could only choose Xu Jingzong's side.

However, the decision has always been in the hands of Li Zhi, so the root cause is also in him. If he wants to demote Li Yi Mansion, can Wu Meiniang stop it? It can't be stopped at all, but Wu Meiniang is smart. She knew that Li Zhi was a little unhappy with Li Yi Mansion, so she simply followed the situation and used Li Yi Mansion to lure Tang Lin into the bait.

Of course, who is the one who benefits the most in this case is Li Zhi. With the demotion of these veterans, no one can restrict him anymore. Although Changsun Wuji stayed at home in those years, Li Zhi did not dare to do anything too much. He had to be cautious in everything, because Changsun Wuji could still come back. He was still very powerful in the court, had a high reputation, and many people supported him. In many cases, Li Zhi had to worry about this, which was a kind of restraint.

Now he has the final say. Xu Jingzong is now rampant, but Li Yi's mansion was even more rampant than him before, but in one sentence, Li Zhi said that Li Yi's mansion went to Qianzhou. This is because they were too far away from the emperor. You can have today because of the emperor, but not the nobles. The nobles can stand in the hall mainly because their family has a strong power and there is a marriage between the families. This force can compete with the imperial power. The emperor has to use them. There is a cooperative relationship in it, and the two have qualitative differences.

In fact, since Emperor Wen of Sui, the emperor has been weakening the nobles. How could others sleep soundly on the edge of this couch? The imperial examination is the most iconic. The imperial examination is for the people. It is bullshit. The emperor does not have such a high sentiment. Emperor Yang of Sui and Li Shimin are doing this, but when he comes to Li Zhi, he gives a fatal blow.

This blow can even divide Chinese history into two parts, which is a very important turning point, because after this, the era of aristocrats and monarchs governing the world was basically over, and it will be replaced by bureaucracy, and the prime ministers became shorter and shorter. In the Tang Dynasty, including before, everyone sat in court, the Song Dynasty stood in the ministers and the emperor sat in the emperor, and when the Yuan, Ming and Qing ministers basically had to kneel down.

Wang Wendu understood it and said, "Caomin understands it, but Caomin believes that it is necessary for His Majesty to let the subjects of the world know some of the reasons and His Majesty's helplessness."

Li Zhi glanced at him with approval and said, "By the way, how did I do what I told you?"

Wang Wendu said: "The historian's records of this matter are based on facts and are very fair. After seeing this, people in the future will understand His Majesty's difficulties."

The emperor himself could not see the records of the emperor, which shows that Wang Wendu was a sneak peek at.

Li Zhi smiled and nodded, saying, "But you must keep a close eye on this matter. Don't relax at all. When my father spent most of his life shooting the uncle and the fourth uncle in Xuanwu Gate, he still had not completely turned it around. Today, I am afraid that there are still people who use this to slander my father. I don't want to repeat the same mistake."

As Li Shimin's son, he was naturally very clear about the Xuanwu Sect Incident. This was the biggest stain on Li Shimin, but Li Shimin had to do that at that time. He was very successful and shocked the Lord. When Li Jiancheng became the emperor, he might not be able to make him the prime minister. Besides, who doesn't want to be the emperor, only success, king and defeated bandits, but this has always been criticized, especially in the Scholars.

Since he knew it, of course he learned the lesson and could not repeat the same mistakes. He always did this. In the Fang Yiai case, he was also the biggest profiter. Everyone who threatened him at that time was dead, including King Li Ke of Wu, but Changsun Wuji did it and had nothing to do with him. He also cried bitterly at that time, but now it is like this, it is exactly the same, but the role has changed. Wu Meiniang and Xu Jingzong did what Changsun Wuji did, and Changsun Wuji was wronged by Li Ke, so Li Zhi knew to cry, but he has always been the biggest winner and has never lost.

This is the highest level of the emperor's art. No move is better than a move.

Wang Wendu said: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, the grass people will definitely keep an eye on this matter."

Li Zhi nodded and smiled, "After this matter, I will restore your position, so you can prepare well."

Wang Wendu hurriedly bowed and said, "The people of Cao should thank Your Majesty."

Changsun Wuji's departure does not mean the end of the case, because according to the basic process of feudal society, the next step is definitely a large-scale purge. This is a must-take and a system need. In fact, it cannot be said to be a feudal society. It has been like this from ancient times to the present, and this process has not changed. After the struggle, it must be a large-scale purge, and the officialdom is always the most cruel and ruthless.

The one who sued Xu Jingzong was not Changsun Wuji, including Yu Zhining, Han Yuan, Lai Ji, Gao Luxing and others.

However, Xu Jingzong took two steps to do this. The first step was to cut down the big tree, dig the roots, and then slowly clean up the money on the tree before.

Han Yuan, Lai Ji, Chu Suiliang and others have been demoted to other places. I guess they don’t know that Changsun Wuji has been demoted now, so there is no need to hurry up and clean the court immediately.

This caused a great shock in the court. Changsun Wuji was prime minister for 30 years, and his power was mixed in the court. In this great purge, anyone dared to say that he was fine, Xiao Rui was afraid. Now the court is in a panic and panic. Everyone asks God for blessing every day, because this is an unjust case, so they will not reason with them, and they don’t do anything bad, and they are not shocked to knock on the door in the middle of the night. In the officialdom, this is simply bullshit. This political liquidation has something to do with your daily behavior. Xu Jingzong cannot investigate whether you are a good person or a bad person one by one. As long as you have played poker with Changsun Wuji and have prostituted anything, you will die.

Therefore, when the ministers in the court saw Xu Jingzong, their legs were trembling. This was the moment when Xu Jingzong longed for the most. Everyone respected him and no one dared to despise him anymore. He was determined to use this matter to establish his unshakable authority, and killing was the best way.

So he recruited all the members of the Guanlong Group headed by Changsun Wuji, including their family and relatives. Of course, there were more or less people that Xu Jingzong usually didn't like, but this was mainly the people who opposed the deposed Wang Liwu at the time. Even those who were demoted at the beginning were not let go. They should be killed now, simply, crudely and neatly.

A long list was presented to Li Zhi.

"When did the counselor Xiao Jun collude with his uncle?"

Li Zhi looked at it for a while and suddenly asked Xu Jingzong.

Xu Jingzong was stunned for a moment and said, "This - according to my investigation, the Xiao family and the Changsun family have a lot of friendship."

Li Zhi frowned and said, "I have a good relationship with my uncle. Why don't you write me in it? What evidence do you have to prove that they have collusion?"

This is a matter of no room for anything.

Xu Jingzong looked embarrassed and couldn't speak. If you want to tell the evidence, then you should return the list to me as if I hadn't said anything.

Li Zhi is not confused. When Xiao Jun saw that Xu Jingzong was making an idea, because he also knew the grudges between Xu Jingzong and Han Yi, but he valued Han Yi very much. Han Yi was promoted by him and was simply a gold medal confidant. During this period, Han Yi was doing serious business and governing the country. It was precisely because of Han Yi's unremitting efforts that his national strength flourished, and his reputation soared to the sky. The people praised him as a wise ruler. If Han Yi offended Han Yi, then who would help him govern the country can't rely on you, Old Man Xu. He also understood Han Yi's character. He didn't even want to have an official position for Xiao Wuyi, and said, "Okay, put this list here first. I have to take a closer look. You can leave."

"I obey the order."

Xu Jingzong said nothing much, and complained to Yuan Gongyu in his heart. He had no intention of doing this. He was only focused on dealing with Changsun Wuji. He did not expect that Han Yi was Yuan Gongyu fanning the flames, so he filled in Xiao Jun.

After Xu Jingzong left, Li Zhi shook his head helplessly and muttered: "This old man really treats me as blind."

However, not long after Xu Jingzong left, someone outside reported that the Minister of Revenue asked for a meeting.
Chapter completed!