Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 163 I will summon Xiao Muchen back
As soon as the Empress finished speaking, the entire Jixian Palace froze. Li Xian was stunned for a moment, then suddenly knelt down with a thud, pleading, "Mother, Lady Wei did nothing wrong! Please, Mother, have mercy and don't blame her!"

"Do you really understand your wife, Lady Wei?" the Empress asked disdainfully. "I can tell just by looking at a person how much ambition they have in their eyes."

Li Xian trembled with fear, but his tongue failed him. Faced with his mother's imposing presence, he didn't know how to refute her, only saying, "She's just an ignorant woman. She's been with me in Fangling for many years and has forgotten some of the palace rules. Please forgive her, Mother..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lady Wei interrupted, "No need!" At the same time, she pulled Li Xian up, and with a sorrowful smile, said, "Your Highness has not forgotten the hardships you shared with me. I am already content with that. Although we cannot share wealth and honor, as long as Your Highness is well, I would die content!"

Having said that, he suddenly rushed up to a pillar next to him, and then, with a loud thud, it seemed to hit Li Xian's heart.

Li Xian glanced to the side and saw that Lady Wei's forehead was bleeding profusely and her body had collapsed to the ground. The ministers in Jixian Hall, led by Zhang Jianzhi, were also shocked and panicked. Li Xian ran over, picked up Lady Wei, and hurriedly called for the imperial physician.

Although Zhang Jianzhi and the others felt pity, they did not forget to continue pressuring the Empress, saying, "Your Majesty, now that Lady Wei is dead, then the Crown Prince..."

"I will draft an edict appointing the Crown Prince as regent!"

The Empress responded decisively, then glanced at the high-ranking officials standing before her and sneered, "I have treated you all well. Among you, how many were personally promoted and entrusted with important responsibilities by me? And yet, you have turned against me?"

Cui Xuanwei said, “Your Majesty, we are doing this precisely to repay Your Majesty’s great kindness and virtue. Your Majesty has been ill for a long time and is unable to handle state affairs. The Zhang brothers have used Your Majesty’s hand to forge edicts, killing countless good ministers and driving many virtuous people out of the court. If this continues, the country that Your Majesty has worked so hard to protect will sooner or later fall into the hands of a different family.”

"Alright, all of you may leave. I am tired!"

"Here!"

After Zhang Jianzhi and his ministers left, the Empress issued an edict the next day, appointing Crown Prince Li Xian as regent and granting a general amnesty.

On this day, she had Shangguan Wan'er summon Princess Taiping, Prince Xiang Li Dan, and Prince Liang Wu Sansi.

Wu Sansi was filled with trepidation. Having been a fisherman for many years, he was still somewhat uneasy upon suddenly being summoned to an audience.

After entering the Hall of Gathering Immortals, he knelt below the Empress, only to hear her ask with remarkable clarity, "Think carefully, do you know why I returned this empire to the Li family?"

Wu Sansi clenched his fist and replied with a smile, "I don't know, but whatever choice my aunt makes is the wisest choice."

"If that's truly what you think, then I'm at ease," the Empress sighed. "I want to protect you, and I also want to protect my children. To achieve both is very difficult!"

"Although you swore an oath before the Mingtang Hall, promising that the Li and Wu families would never fight each other, I know that this oath is nothing but a piece of waste paper that can be torn apart at any moment, and it will be discarded sooner or later."

"aunt!"

"I am already aware of your dealings with the Wei family!" the Empress suddenly changed the subject.

Wu Sansi felt a chill run down his spine and broke out in a cold sweat. He finally understood why his aunt had asked Li Xian to kill his wife, Lady Wei, when the five ministers had taken Li Xian hostage and launched a coup the previous night.

It turns out that even he had his aunt's spies around him!
Did she already know about his affair with Ms. Wei from the very beginning...?

"Aunt! Your nephew knows his crime!"

"Now that Lady Wei is dead, I will not pursue the matter any further, and I have entrusted the affairs of state to the Crown Prince. However, I must still advise you that in order to preserve the power of the Wu family, you do not necessarily have to become emperor."

If he couldn't be the emperor, then he could be the prime minister, second only to the emperor, so that the emperor would be his confidant and unable to function without him.

"Yes, remember your aunt's teachings."

"Go!" After Wu Sansi left, the Empress once again donned a solemn black phoenix robe, donned the imperial crown, and arrived at the palace gate. Looking at the snowflakes falling from the sky, her gaze seemed to pierce through the white robe woven from the snow, looking towards the far distance. Suddenly, she sighed, "Wan'er, do you think I can wait for them to return?"

"Does the sage refer to Prime Minister Xiao and his wife?"

"She is not only Lady Xiao, but also the Anxi Military Governor personally appointed by me, a female general guarding the territory of my Great Zhou, and my own granddaughter!"

"Wan'er, I know that you, Taiping, and even the Prince of Xiang were involved in this coup. However, I am indeed old now and will no longer blame you. The empire built by the Li family will eventually return to the Li Tang dynasty. This is the will of Heaven that Li Chunfeng once foresaw."

"Fate is thus, and I will not resist it!"

"I will draft another edict. Whether or not this edict is presented is up to you, but your fate will also change because of your own choice."

Shangguan Wan'er's expression changed slightly, secretly admiring the Empress's meticulous and perceptive mind. Even in her old age and frailty, she remained clear-headed.

She solemnly replied, "Yes, Wan'er obeys!"

……

After this coup, Li Xian finally ascended the throne with the support of the five ministers. Then came the rewarding of meritorious officials. In this grand rewarding ceremony, all five ministers who supported Li Xian in launching the coup were made kings. In addition, Prince Xiang, Li Dan, was made Prince Anding, and Princess Taiping was promoted to Princess Zhenguo and received 5,000 households. Furthermore, Princess Taiping also obtained the power to establish her own government and directly participate in the government. Her wealth and power status became the highest among princesses in history.

Shangguan Wan'er also obtained the title of Jieyu and continued to handle imperial edicts in the palace.

However, such lavish rewards placed Li Xian in an extremely vulnerable position. Whether it was the Five Ministers, Prince Xiang, or even Princess Taiping, their strong political influence terrified Li Xian. He had previously tried to promote members of the Wei family to his own fold, just like the Empress, but now that the Wei family was almost wiped out, he had no one he could trust. He then placed his trust in Prince Liang, Wu Sansi. As a result, Wu Sansi became a meritorious official, not only being appointed as Minister of Works and granted the title of Grand Master of the Three Departments, but also receiving a death-exemption token—the Iron Certificate of Immunity.

Of course, the happiest person after this coup was Li Guo'er. Her father finally became emperor, and she became the most noble princess of the Tang Dynasty. Her father kept his promise and, especially considering the sacrifices her mother made for him, he doted on her to the extreme and obeyed her every word.

To satisfy her own desires, Li Guo'er would often take a written edict, cover up the contents, and ask the emperor to affix his seal to it.

Li Xian never asked why; he would just happily take the imperial seal and stamp it on the object.

Li Guo'er's selfish desires gradually began to swell. One day, she finally remembered Xiao Muchen and Murong Huan, who were still fighting in Anxi. She summoned Cui Shi and asked, "What should I do to make that Lady Xiao and Murong Huan die in Anxi?"

Cui Shi then laughed and said, "Wanting her dead is easy. The princess thinks that the Tibetan war god Lun Qinling is a mediocre person. He is the ever-victorious general of Tibet. Xiao Muchen and Murong Huan are no match for him at all. The princess just needs to wait for the news of their death in battle."

Li Guo'er was displeased upon hearing this: "I only want Murong Huan dead, not Xiao Muchen. No, you have to find a way for me. I want to summon Xiao Muchen back, and let Murong Huan fight alone in Anxi until he dies!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Shi's expression stiffened, and he said with an awkward smile, "Does the princess still want Xiao Muchen?"

"Now that I am a princess, isn't it normal for me to want a male concubine? Princess Taiping has countless male concubines in her household."

After saying that, Li Guo'er moved closer to Cui Shi and said with a sweet smile, "Don't worry, I will give birth to your child. He will be my first child, and I will not mistreat him!"

Cui Shi's face stiffened again. He said "Yes" and then fell silent.

Li Guo'er brought another self-written imperial edict to the Ganlu Palace where the emperor resided, and pleaded in a sweet voice, "Father, I also want a household decree for the princess's residence. Please help me affix my imperial seal!"

……

After Li Xian ascended the throne, he quickly moved to Chang'an. When the news reached Anxi, Murong Huan and Xiao Muchen were at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, fighting a final battle with Lun Qinling.