Control your ancestors and create an immortal family starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Chapter 184 Iron-Blooded Methods, Establishing Empress Wu Zetian (6k views, requesting monthly votes)
The entire government and the public were in an uproar.

An invisible storm was brewing in the shadows, and only one final fuse was needed to ignite everything.

The following day, Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) issued an edict to confine Empress Wang's family members to their quarters.

This is a blatant offensive.

Gu Jing's support gave him unparalleled confidence, and he thus proclaimed to the world the majesty of an emperor.

This move is far too obvious.

Now, even those who are new to the court have noticed something amiss and feel as if they are walking on thin ice.

At this time of year, people can't help but think of the Gu family of yesteryear.

Although the Gu family of yesteryear made many people unable to see the future.

But it also avoids too much fighting.

It wasn't just Li Ji who wanted to remain on the sidelines and not get involved in this sensitive matter.

After all, the cost of such a thing is too high.

Unfortunately, not everyone is qualified to remain neutral.

In this treacherous and unpredictable imperial court, one wrong step can lead to many more, leaving no room for carelessness.

It must be said that Li Zhi also possessed some political skills.

Right after stating his position.

He immediately went to pay his respects to Changsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang, and others, even bringing gifts, and met them as a junior.

The underlying message was to advise them to "go with the flow" and not get involved in the matter lightly.

But whether it was Changsun Wuji or Chu Suiliang.

There was absolutely no way out for either of them.

Their social standing was undeniable. If they were to abandon Empress Wang now, their prestige among the Guanzhong nobility would plummet instantly.

In the future... who will be willing to follow them?
They do indeed hold high positions of power.

However, if that's the case, then one must also bear the consequences.

The two of them absolutely had to try!
Go and help Empress Wang avert this calamity.

The Gu family never got involved in any of this.

Moreover, under the influence of the Gu family, this matter did not affect the operation of the court in the slightest, and neither side of the officials would bring such a matter to the forefront.

Li Zhi pressed on relentlessly.

Clearly, he understood the magnitude of the impact that would result from revealing all his thoughts.

Wu Zetian's identity was too sensitive.

He couldn't expose this matter at this time, so he could only keep a close eye on Empress Wang's affairs.

Li Zhi began attending court every day, and the unavoidable issue each day was the investigation and questioning of Empress Wang.
Changsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang, and the others could only drag things out like this.

While this might indeed create some resistance for Li Zhi, how could it possibly stop the emperor?
To put it bluntly, Li Zhi has simply not turned against him yet.

That's just his personality.

This was, after all, a minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor by Li Shimin, and the current situation was different from the original history. He didn't want to completely break off relations at the moment.

But this is only temporary.

As an emperor, if his ideas are constantly interfered with, even the most benevolent person will eventually lose his temper.

And at that time, who will be able to stop it?

Everything seemed to have a predetermined outcome; no matter how much the Guanlong nobles struggled, they could not defy the imperial power.

The court officials had also seen through everything and had all sided with the emperor.

They launched a siege against the entire Guanlong aristocracy.

—The situation of the Guanlong aristocracy was completely different from that in history.

In the original history.

Because of their immense influence, even if other aristocratic families were dissatisfied with them, they would not openly oppose the Guanlong nobles unless a major event occurred.

In contrast, the Guanlong aristocracy is far from being the dominant force it once was.

However, the attitudes of many of them are still exactly the same as those in the original history.

This is bound to cause dissatisfaction among many people.

And now, precisely, is the time for them to repay their debts.

One side rejoices while the other grieves.

This statement perfectly describes the current state of the Tang Dynasty court.

Wu Zetian did not interfere in the affairs of the previous dynasty.

—That is her greatest brilliance!
She knew Gu Jing's bottom line well, and was also aware of the vast difference between herself and the maternal families of Empress Wang and Consort Xiao. Moreover, the course of history had changed completely, and she had no chance to interfere in the court, so it was not advisable for her to act rashly at this moment.

More haste less speed!
Given his status, it's better to wait and see than to act rashly.

However, Consort Xiao was completely different.

Such a tense situation in the court finally gave her a glimpse of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Her desire for the Empress's position had completely overwhelmed her reason—she absolutely could not miss this fleeting opportunity and would do everything in her power to fight for it!

Just a few days later, Consort Xiao's maternal family and some closely connected families immediately expressed their stance, began to support the emperor, and launched an offensive against the Guanzhong nobles.

—The struggle has fully begun.

In the current situation, no one is paying attention to Wu Zetian at all.

Even if the emperor favors her, what difference does it make?

Neither her identity nor the status of her maternal clan supported her becoming empress.

In many people's eyes, she had absolutely no chance of competing.

But Consort Xiao was different.

Although Consort Xiao's maternal family was not as powerful as Empress Wang's, it was still quite formidable.

The key is--

Consort Xiao has a son!

This is an advantage that Empress Wang cannot match.

Under these circumstances, factions immediately became distinct within the Tang Dynasty's court.

Even some members of the Gu family felt that Consort Xiao was a suitable candidate for Empress.

This is the advantage that having children can bring to Consort Xiao!

June;

A minister in the imperial court impeached Wang Renyou, claiming that his eldest son, relying on the family's power, had committed crimes in the region, thus setting the stage for this war.

Li Zhi was furious.

He also ordered a thorough investigation into the matter, bypassing the Censorate.

That's a clear stance!
The Censorate now represents the Gu family and absolute impartiality in the court. Li Zhi was unwilling to drag the Gu family into such court struggles.

However, this move will precisely create a lot of room for maneuver.

The Guanzhong nobles were united in their determination to fight back against Consort Xiao's counterattack.

And who would be willing to relinquish their power?
This is no longer just a matter of deposing and installing an empress; it's purely a partisan struggle.

As long as Empress Wang loses power.

The influence of the Guanlong nobles will quickly plummet to rock bottom.

Just a few days later, the Guanlong nobles launched a counterattack, targeting the other side's officials and even trying to drag the Gu family out of the game.

This made the whole situation even more chaotic.

They are indeed in a weak position now. No matter what, Li Zhi is the emperor, and they are already going against the tide!
Only by bringing down the Gu family can we ensure that things can be somewhat fair.

Under Gu's supervision, the administration of the Tang Dynasty was indeed relatively clean and efficient.

However, this clarity does not mean there are no problems at all.

This is impossible.

Even the Gu family couldn't completely control the privileges and corruption of officials. The only thing they could do was to impose some restrictions and keep everything within a controllable range.

In this kind of struggle, both sides can easily find a target.

Even if it's not targeted at officials, it can still have an impact on their families.

The Gu family, of course, could not intervene.

Not to mention that Li Zhi would not agree.

The same applies to Gu Jing. The Gu family is now the last barrier to keeping everything under control in the Tang Dynasty. Once the Gu family gets involved, the whole situation will definitely become increasingly uncontrollable.

To ensure the impartiality of the Censorate, strictness is necessary.

But this involves far too many things!

The entire imperial court was engulfed in a bloody storm.

Li Zhi never chose to break off relations, which surprised many people.

Only those who truly stood at the highest level could sense that Li Zhi was exhausting the minds of his ministers, making it easier for him to make a different choice in the end.

If he were to reveal his hand now, his ministers would certainly stand on the same side.

This demonstrates Li Zhi's political wisdom!

But precisely because of this, the matter remained deadlocked. The influence of the Guanzhong nobles was indeed considerable, especially with the presence of the two regents, Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang.

It's not that easy for others to beat them.

Both sides have become increasingly unscrupulous in their methods over time.

It was the end of July in the fifth year of the Yonghui era.

Another shocking piece of news has emerged from the inner palace.

Prince Yong, Li Lian, was poisoned!
Although he survived thanks to timely medical treatment, he was emaciated and mentally confused, which may have damaged his health. It was unknown when he would recover, and the whole country was shocked.

Prince Yong, Li Lian, is the eldest son of Consort Xiao!

She was usually clever and quick-witted, extremely studious, and was greatly favored by Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi).

An unexpected event at this time would be the biggest blow to Consort Xiao!
Li Zhi was also dumbfounded!
I never expected things to develop to this point.

How dare anyone lay a hand on his son? This is something no emperor in any dynasty could tolerate!
This time, he let the Gu family get involved!
--check!

No matter who is involved, we must investigate thoroughly!

On that very day, a palace maid in the Empress's palace committed suicide by jumping into a well. This was something that no one paid attention to, but all the evidence eventually pointed to this palace maid.

Everything seems to have an answer.

However, many questions still lingered in Gu Jing's mind.

Did Empress Wang really have such audacity?
Moreover, Empress Wang is usually very strict with her subordinates, and now that she is under house arrest and about to lose power, would anyone really be willing to risk their life to do these things for her?
These issues may be due to preconceived notions.

Gu Jing knew that Wu Ze had gradually won over all the palace maids in the harem over the years, and almost everyone was grateful for her kindness.

This seems like an easy question to answer.

However, given that the person who made the move was already dead, Gu Jing did not voice his speculation.

They simply placed even more people in the harem.

This matter caused a huge uproar.

This also marked a complete defeat for the Guanlong nobles, and even internal problems arose within their ranks. They didn't understand!

I don't understand how foolish Empress Wang was to do something like this during such a tense time.

But there's nothing we can do. Things have come to this point, and everything seems to be set in stone, beyond any possibility of change.

Consort Xiao's faction was already celebrating their victory in advance.

There was nothing he could do; perhaps because of some guilt he felt about not having children, Li Zhi had suddenly begun to favor Consort Xiao these days.

The situation seemed to have become completely clear at this moment.

Not to mention others who might have this idea, even Li Zhi himself hesitated.

Unfortunately, in the original history, his affection for Wu Zetian was not solely based on physical or emotional attraction.

The most crucial reason was that Wu Zetian was his most trusted ally.

At that time, Changsun Wuji held absolute power in the court.

Wu Zetian not only gave him a lot of advice, but also brought him a great sense of security.

But things are completely different now.

Li Zhi would not face any risks whatsoever, and his favor towards Wu Zetian would naturally differ from that in the original historical accounts.

Given the power of Consort Xiao's maternal family, it wouldn't be unreasonable to make her empress.

Given the powerful influence of Consort Xiao's maternal family, it seems reasonable to make her empress.

But just as things were about to settle down, a shocking upheaval occurred in the imperial harem!
Consort Wu was poisoned and fell into a coma, her life hanging by a thread!

This was completely unexpected by everyone.

Empress Wang was already under strict surveillance, so this matter was definitely not her concern. Meanwhile, Consort Wu, whose situation was precarious, was poisoned at this time.
This instantly complicated the matter once again.

check!
It was still the Gu family who came to investigate.

The series of events that had occurred in the inner palace had thoroughly unsettled Li Zhi.

This gave him a feeling that it was completely out of his control.

This would make an emperor extremely uneasy.

As the investigation continued, various matters concerning Consort Xiao were uncovered. Palace maids and servants were saying how domineering Consort Xiao was, and how many times she had said she wanted to kill Consort Wu.

Amidst these various testimonies, some even wondered if the poisoning of Li Lian was orchestrated by Consort Xiao to frame Empress Wang.

But such speculation is too shocking for everyone.

After all, what mother would harm her own child?

The Marquis of Champion's Residence.

A group of Gu family members, who had just returned from participating in the investigation, were reporting the day's events to Gu Jing. After they finished, one of them couldn't help but sigh:
"There are now rumors circulating in the court that the Yong Prince case was orchestrated by Consort Xiao herself!"

He scoffed dismissively and shook his head, saying, "That's nonsense."

"How could a mother harm her own child?"

As a rising new generation within the Gu family, each of them is full of vigor and hope for the future.

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

However, several people frowned slightly. One of them, with a look of doubt, cupped his hands and said, "Uncle, the palace servants' testimonies are all consistent, which is really suspicious."

"It's one thing to disregard those from other palaces, but even the servants in Consort Xiao's palace are treated the same way."

"Could there be another hidden story behind this?"

Upon hearing this, the Gu family members below the hall immediately became solemn, their eyes all focused on Gu Jing, waiting for him to explain.

Gu Jing remained calm, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and slowly said:
"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. In the palace, the Xiao family has always been domineering and cruel to their subordinates."

"In the past, he was arrogant because of the emperor's favor, and would often beat palace maids and eunuchs."

"They have long since lost the hearts of the people."

He didn't fully express his thoughts, only offering a brief hint, before turning to his children and saying calmly, "A mother, indeed, cannot harm her own flesh and blood."

"Then consider this: if one wants to achieve their goal, would they be willing to kill themselves to frame someone?"

The hall fell into a deathly silence in an instant.

As a member of the Gu family, he could immediately understand the meaning behind Gu Jing's words.

But their expressions were extremely complex, as if they found it hard to believe.

To start with yourself?

If all of this is true, just how cruel must this person be!

A series of events from the past year suddenly came to mind, and perhaps because their minds were opened, the more they thought about it, the more terrified they felt.

"Uncle, what should we do?"

Finally, after a long while, one of the disciples couldn't help but ask directly.

"You need not concern yourselves with this," Gu Jing said calmly, his expression remaining unchanged. "Just proceed with the investigation as usual."

Gu Jing still did not intend to interfere.

It was just a power struggle within the imperial harem.

Lady Gu did not expect every empress to be like Empress Deng Sui or Empress Zhangsun of the past, but they could not be too bad either.

Whether it was Empress Wang or Consort Xiao.

These two seem to ultimately lack the demeanor of an empress.

He couldn't maintain order in the harem.

It's not surprising that they lost their identity.

If everything is really as he thinks, Wu Zetian not only won over the entire harem but also possessed such profound thoughts.

Making her empress doesn't seem like such a bad idea.

The Gu family is the bottom line for the entire Kyushu, so it's impossible for them to interfere in this harem struggle.

This matter caused a great stir in the entire court. Emperor Gaozong sent almost all of his children to the Gu family to study, thus indirectly protecting them.

With the testimonies of the palace maids and servants, Li Zhi's nascent favor towards Consort Xiao vanished once again.

Instead, he went to accompany Wu Zetian.

He even voluntarily fasted to pray for Wu Zetian's well-being.

Gu Yi was also silently observing all of this, and he had to admit in his heart that Wu Zetian was indeed ruthless.

Although history has changed dramatically.

However, her political skills were far superior to those of Empress Wang and Consort Xiao.

He was even smarter than many of the ministers.

She knew the Gu family's bottom line all too well.

Moreover, compared to others, she was incredibly ruthless!

She was ruthless towards both her own children and herself, willing to pay any price to achieve her goals.

For five whole days, Wu Zetian remained in a coma.

Although everything had been prepared long ago.

But in this day and age, if she wants everything to be more authentic, she can't hold back, which means there will inevitably be many uncertainties.

However, Wu Zetian still did it!

That's what makes her extraordinary.

Lizheng Hall.

When Wu Zetian opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was Li Zhi standing beside her.

It was just a brief moment of surprise.

The next moment, she seemed to have guessed everything.

The heavy weight that had been hanging over my heart quietly lifted at that moment.

"I won."

She silently uttered a phrase in her heart, then immediately looked at Li Zhi, tears welling in her eyes, and whispered in an extremely weak voice, "Your Majesty..."

Her delicate and frail appearance evokes pity.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi immediately grasped her hand tightly, his face filled with joy: "Meiniang! You...you've finally woken up?!"

After saying this, he burst into tears of joy.

Looking at her pale face, he felt a pang of heartache and choked out, "My poor Meiniang!"

The two embraced, tears streaming down their faces.
August;

Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) officially issued an edict to depose Empress Wang from her position as empress, and her family members were also subsequently dismissed, thus bringing the matter to a complete conclusion.

In addition, there was Consort Xiao—

Li Zhi directly announced her crimes in his imperial edict.

Consort Xiao was deposed and reduced to a commoner status for plotting poisoning. Her mother and brothers were also stripped of their titles and exiled as a whole family.

All the fighting ended completely at this moment.

Li Zhi acted extremely decisively this time, giving no one time to react.

With the support of the Gu family.

The power that an emperor could unleash was simply too great for any minister to restrain.

After several days of fighting, it was unlikely that Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang would help Consort Xiao.

And just like that, the matter was settled.

When the news spread, the whole world was shocked!
No one could have predicted that things would develop to this point, with Wu Zetian ultimately emerging victorious in the power struggle between Empress Wang and Consort Xiao.

And the commotion caused by this matter is only just beginning.

The culture of the Tang Dynasty was too prosperous, and coupled with the prevailing atmosphere of remonstrance since the Zhenguan era, scholars throughout the land were bound to have a strong reaction to this matter!

But now that things have come to this, who can stop Li Zhi?

And don't forget, Wu Zetian no longer needed to hide her true self at this point.

At Wu Zetian's suggestion.

After delaying for a few days, Li Zhi promoted a poor scholar who supported the matter, and then the whole situation completely changed!
There will always be people who will give up other things in order to get a quick promotion.

Li Zhi used this opportunity to continuously weaken the Guanzhong aristocracy, including powerful clans in Shandong and other regions, and reshape the political landscape of the court.

Gu Yi even felt that Li Zhi wanted to take this opportunity to reverse the current political atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty and curb this increasingly presumptuous habit of disrespecting the emperor.

All of this can be described as a multi-pronged approach.

At the same time, Wu Zetian also had people secretly publicize her various virtues.

Her background was nothing to boast about, and her experiences in the palace were absolutely not to be mentioned. The only thing that could be discussed at this time was her virtue.

Under these various measures, the overall atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty was quickly reversed.

This is the general trend!
Once a powerful emperor makes a decision, no one can stop him.

November 1st, the fifth year of the Yonghui era.

Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) held a grand investiture ceremony for Wu Zetian in Chang'an.

Furthermore, his father and mother were posthumously honored.

This completely brought the struggle to a close.
(P.S.: This is about 6,000 words. I'm currently recovering. It's the beginning of the month, so please give me your monthly votes! This month has been terrible. I was sick and couldn't even write the extra chapters, so my ranking has plummeted. Please give me a hand!)
(End of this chapter)