Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 445 The Sage's Wrath

Li Lian's plan was very effective. As an undercover agent for the Inner Court, Mo Jiaxuan was full of secret doors and rooms.

Li Xiao and Zhou Boyu had special identities. In the room where they were talking, there was a secret door through which a spy was hiding, eavesdropping on their entire conversation.

After the spy reported to Xue Niang, Xue Niang personally went to the Imperial Guard Headquarters in the Forbidden Garden and told Wang Jishan about the situation.

When Wang Jishan heard that the Inner Commandery had become a tool for Zhou Boyu to retaliate against the Flying Feather Class, he was furious and sent a crack team to Jizhou to investigate.

Within a few days, the investigation revealed that the situation in Jizhou perfectly matched the conversation between Zhou Boyu and Li Xiao!
Wang Jishan immediately went to Ganlu Hall to report the matter to Li Zhi, even recounting in detail every word Zhou Boyu had said.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi was indeed furious and asked, "Did he really say that?"

Wang Jishan said in a deep voice, "This was overheard by my own spy. Your Majesty may summon Prince Xu for questioning."

Hearing this, Li Zhi had no more doubts and slowly said, "Although Zhou Boyu is my nephew, he has shown such contempt for the law and bullied others by abusing his power. I will not tolerate this and will deal with him according to the law."

Wang Jishan said, "Your Majesty, wouldn't it be more appropriate to transfer this matter to the Court of Judicial Review?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi suddenly thought of something.

"You said that Xiao'er's conversation with Zhou Boyu took place at Mojiaxuan?"

"Exactly."

Li Zhi squinted and said, "This shows that Xiao'er already knows that Mo Jiaxuan is a spy for the Inner Commandery. He deliberately talked there so that you would know."

Wang Jishan said, "I think so too. Your Highness is intelligent and admirable."

Li Zhi stroked his chin and said, "In that case, I will have the Dali Temple arrest Zhou Boyu according to the law. However, your Inner Commandery arrested the wrong person for no reason, so you must apologize to the Flying Feather Class and make compensation. Similar things must not happen again."

Wang Jishan lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, I am ashamed. I will inform the Court of Judicial Review of the situation and transfer the case to them. I will also personally apologize to the Feiyu Class."

Li Zhi waved his hand, dismissing him, and then issued an imperial edict ordering the Dali Temple to immediately arrest and interrogate Zhou Boyu.

After dealing with this matter, Li Zhi continued to attend to matters in Liaodong.

Although the war against Goguryeo was over, he still had a lot of things to deal with.

What made Li Zhi most hesitant was the treatment of the Japanese.

The Japanese attack on Hayabusa Province provides an excellent pretext for launching a southward offensive to attack the Japanese mainland. Even if they don't occupy it entirely, they can at least annex Nagato and Iwami.

These two places have the most silver mines. Now the Tang Dynasty's economy is developing too fast, and there is a shortage of copper coins in the hands of the people. Silver is needed to alleviate the people's demand for currency.

Li Zhi had long been planning to find an opportunity to conquer these two places.

However, Goguryeo had only been conquered for a short time when it immediately withdrew its troops, and the local Buyeo people might launch a restoration movement.

Compared to Japan, Goguryeo was definitely more important; we can't afford to lose sight of the bigger picture.

What if we didn't send troops south from Goguryeo, but instead used the army of Hayabusa Province to attack Japan directly?
This method is also not feasible.

After the Japanese were defeated by Liu Renyuan, Naka no Ōe's army was stationed in Nagato, separated from Hayabusa Province by the Shimonoseki Strait.

Liu Renyuan's Tang army was too small, barely enough to defend itself, and it would be extremely difficult for them to capture Changmen.

However, if they did not attack Japan, it would damage the prestige of the Tang Dynasty, which put Li Zhi in a dilemma.

After much thought, there is another solution.

We can wait until the army of the Ungjin Commandery withdraws to Baekje. Then, we can use the combined forces of the Ungjin Commandery and the Hayabusa Commandery to attack Honju. Defeating Naka no Oe's army will be a piece of cake.

However, while this method is feasible, it cannot be implemented immediately.

Because Goguryeo had too many surrendered troops, even more than the Tang army, transferring the Tang army at this time might change the situation.

Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) has already issued orders to reduce the Goguryeo army to 50,000 and to relocate a large number of Buyeo people to Henan and Huainan to reduce the possibility of them causing trouble.

Once the situation in Goguryeo stabilizes, the Tang army in the Ungjin Protectorate will be the first to withdraw, allowing us to complete the next phase of our operations.

Just as Li Zhi was pondering, Wang Fusheng came to his side and whispered, "Your Majesty, Minister Shangguan and Minister Yan request an audience."

Emperor Gaozong knew that the two men were there to discuss matters concerning Goguryeo, so he waved for them to come to court.

After the two entered the hall and exchanged courtly greetings, Shangguan Yi presented a memorial, saying, "Your Majesty, this is the list of those to be appointed and transferred in the Andong Protectorate that we have drafted."

Li Zhi took it and saw that it contained official titles for almost all the officials who had surrendered to Goguryeo.

For example, Quan Nansheng, the first meritorious official, was granted the title of Duke of Bian and appointed as the governor of Daifang, allowing him to remain in Goguryeo to continue governing.

Because of his quick surrender and relatively high status, Gao Baozang, despite not having made any significant contributions, was recommended by the ministers to be the King of Joseon and the Deputy Protector-General of the Andong Protectorate in order to stabilize Goguryeo.

His position was higher than that of Izumi Okan.

After reading it, Li Zhi shook his head and said, "Gao Baozang's investiture is inappropriate."

Shangguan Yi hurriedly asked, "Does Your Majesty feel that it is inappropriate to bestow upon him the title of King of Joseon?"

Li Zhi shook his head and said, "No, the title of King of Joseon is just an empty name. Conferring the title of King of Joseon on him can reduce the resistance of the people of Goguryeo, which is not wrong. However, this person cannot stay in Goguryeo."

Yan Liben said, "Your Majesty, according to Li Gong's memorial, Gao Baozang is a cowardly and incompetent person. Even if he stays in Goguryeo, he should not have the courage or ability to rebel."

“No, I think he might very well betray the Tang and restore Gao,” Li Zhi objected.

He had a point in saying that, according to his notes, after Gao Baozang surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, he wanted to betray the Tang Dynasty and restore Goguryeo.

In contrast, the brothers Izumi Osamu and Izumi Osamu never engaged in any acts of rebellion.

Yan Liben frowned and asked, "Why does Your Majesty believe that he intends to rebel against the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Zhi was pondering how to explain when Shangguan Yi said, "Actually, upon closer examination, it's not hard to understand. It's precisely because Gao Baozang is weak-willed and lacks his own opinions that he is easily swayed by others and does foolish things!"

Li Zhi said, "That's right, Shangguan Qing's words make sense."

Seeing this, Yan Liben stopped asking questions.

Li Zhi continued to browse through the memorials, but after a while, his brows furrowed again.

There is no problem in establishing the Andong Protectorate, dividing it into five major governorates, forty-two prefectures, and one hundred counties.

However, the court officials' suggestion to appoint Xue Rengui as Grand Protector did not suit Li Zhi's wishes.

"I think Liu Rengui should take on the position of Grand Protector of Andong," Li Zhi said.

Shangguan Yi was taken aback when she heard this.

During the morning political discussion in the government hall, someone suggested that Liu Rengui be appointed as the Protector-General of Andong, but he strongly rejected the suggestion.

In his view, Goguryeo had already been conquered, and the Yingzhou Governor's Office had completed its mission of establishment.

Liu Rengui, the governor of Yingzhou, could now retire after achieving his goals and return to Chang'an to become prime minister.

The emperor wanted to continue to appoint Liu Rengui as the Grand Protector of Andong. Was he unwilling to let Liu Rengui return to the capital to become prime minister?

"Your Majesty, when we submitted our memorial last time, proposing that General Xue be appointed as the Grand Protector of Andong, didn't you agree?" he asked cautiously.

Li Zhi nodded and said, "That's right. I agreed at the time, but after thinking about it later, I realized that although Xue Rengui was a fierce general, he was more than capable of intimidating people from all directions, but he was not good at governing local areas."

When Tibet was first conquered, Xue Rengui was responsible for stabilizing the situation there, but he did not do a good job. Later, Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) recalled him and had Wang Xuance assist Su Dingfang, which finally stabilized the situation in Tibet.

Yan Liben seconded, "I also support appointing Governor Liu as Protector-General of Andong!"

He originally opposed leaving military generals like Xue Rengui to guard Andong, believing that they were prone to arrogance and making mistakes, and preferred to appoint civil officials like Liu Rengui as local protectors.

He didn't insist on saying those words because he was afraid that Shangguan Yi, Liu Rengui, and others would misunderstand him and think that he didn't want Liu Rengui to return to the capital to become prime minister.

Seeing that the emperor shared the same thought, there was naturally no need to hold back.

Yan Liben continued, "Governor Liu is both a civil and military leader. He has demonstrated exceptional skill in handling the post-war governance of the Khitan, reconciling the discord among the various ethnic groups and taking into account the demands of all parties. He is the best candidate."

Hearing him praise Liu Rengui so highly, Shangguan Yi could no longer object. He simply asked, "Your Majesty, since Governor Liu is serving as the Protector-General of Andong, did General Xue return to the capital with Grand General Li?"

Li Zhi said, "Yes, I have already issued an edict to him."

The Tang army had a tradition of holding a victory presentation ceremony after winning a battle.

Veteran generals such as Li Ji, Cheng Zhijie, and Yuchi Gong are already on their way back to Chang'an with a group of prisoners and spoils of war.

Seeing that the emperor had already issued an edict, Shangguan Yi realized that discussing the matter further would be a waste of time, so he changed the subject.

"Your Majesty, should the surrender ceremony be held at Zhaoling Mausoleum this time?"

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "There's no need for such a grand ceremony. Let the people of our Great Tang share in this great event right here outside the Vermilion Bird Gate!"

Shangguan Yi accepted the imperial decree.

Yan Liben then asked, "Your Majesty, when our army was attacking Goguryeo, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Junju. Should the Ministry of War be asked to devise a punishment plan?"

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "This matter is not urgent. We should first stabilize the situation in Goguryeo before retaliating against Japan. The relocation of the Goguryeo people must be expedited."

Yan Liben replied, "Yes."

The two men reported on a few more matters, which Li Zhi dealt with, and then they took their leave.

It was past noon, and in April, when spring was in full bloom, Li Zhi went to Linhu Palace for lunch.

After the meal, I took a short nap.

As soon as Li Zhi woke up, Wang Fusheng came to his side, handed him a damp silk handkerchief, and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Yue requests an audience and is waiting in the bedchamber."

As Li Zhi washed his face, he asked, "What's he doing here?"

Wang Fusheng said, "I think it should be related to Zhou Boyu."

Li Zhi frowned.

Zhou Boyu's mother, Princess Linchuan, was Li Shen's younger sister. Li Zhen had an excellent relationship with Li Shen. Since Li Shen was not in Chang'an, Li Zhen would definitely take special care of Zhou Boyu.

Li Zhi had just issued an edict ordering the Dali Temple to arrest Zhou Boyu when Li Zhen came to request an audience, clearly to plead for his life.

Li Zhi valued Li Zhen highly, and if Li Zhen came to plead for him, it would be too ruthless of him to refuse him directly.

Thinking of this, Li Zhi gave Wang Fusheng a few instructions and then headed towards the Forbidden Garden.

Inside the Ganlu Hall, in the sleeping quarters, Li Zhen was sitting in a chair waiting.

He was the most favored prince by the emperor. Emperor Li Zhi once issued a special decree that he could wait for an audience in the emperor's bedchamber when he entered the palace.

After a short while, the eunuch Xiaolou arrived at the bedchamber.

"Your Highness, His Majesty summons you to an audience."

Li Zhen nodded and followed Xiao Lou all the way to the inner palace. They passed through Linhu Hall and headed north, soon arriving at Xuanwu Gate.

"His Majesty is in the Forbidden Garden?" Li Zhen asked in surprise.

Xiao Lou said, "Yes, His Majesty went hunting in the Forbidden Garden this morning after hearing a report from General Wang of the Inner Palace."

Li Zhen followed Xiao Lou through the Xuanwu Gate and arrived at a grove of trees outside the Forbidden Garden.

At the entrance to the woods, a group of eunuchs and palace servants stood.

Many game animals were laid out on the ground, indicating that the emperor was in good spirits and had a bountiful hunt today.

Li Zhen nodded secretly. He had come to plead for mercy today, and if the emperor was in a good mood, his chances of succeeding in his plea would be greater.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves was heard, and several riders came out carrying a small deer with three arrows stuck in its body.

Wang Fusheng also rode his horse, following behind the other riders.

His face looked rather grim. After dismounting, he shouted in a shrill voice, "What are you all standing there for? Quickly pull out all the arrows!"

The King of Yue strode over, greeted Prince Fusheng, and asked, "Grand Eunuch Wang, is His Majesty still hunting in the forest?"

Wang Fusheng bowed in return and sighed, "Isn't that right? They've been hunting for more than two hours, and they don't even care about their health. I went to say a few words of advice, but His Majesty kicked me out."

The King of Yue asked in surprise, "Is Your Majesty in a bad mood?"

Wang Fusheng pointed to the fawn.

"Look, His Majesty shot three arrows at one prey. It's not that the first arrow failed to kill it, but that after it was killed, he shot two more. From this, you can tell that His Majesty is in a very bad mood today."

The King of Yue secretly groaned and asked, "Who has displeased Your Majesty?"

Wang Fusheng pulled him aside and whispered, "Do you know Zhou Boyu?"

The King of Yue's heart skipped a beat. He said, "I know him. He's my tenth sister's son. What happened to him?"

Wang Fusheng said, "Alas, this young man and His Highness Prince Xu once committed a crime..."

He recounted how Zhou Boyu stole the Flying Feather Cocks for cockfighting, and then said that Li Xiao pulled Zhou Boyu aside to apologize to the Flying Feather Cocks.

After this incident, Zhou Boyu sent people to retaliate against the Flying Feather Class, falsely accusing them of being members of the Yanshan Society, which led to their arrest by the Inner Court.

The King of Yue asked urgently, "Has this matter been investigated thoroughly?"

Wang Fusheng said, "If the matter hadn't been thoroughly investigated, His Majesty wouldn't have been so angry. The Imperial Household Department investigated very thoroughly and even overheard the conversation between Young Master Zhou and Prince Xu, which is why His Majesty ordered the Court of Judicial Review to reinvestigate!"

The King of Yue asked, "What did Zhou Boyu and the King of Xu discuss?"

Wang Fusheng then relayed all of Zhou Boyu's words to Li Zhen.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhen immediately showed an angry expression.

Zhou Boyu is so young, yet he is so tyrannical and arrogant. Isn't his behavior just like that of those princes of the uncle generation?

He had always despised the arrogant and domineering behavior of the Prince of Teng and the Prince of Guo, and immediately decided to no longer concern himself with the matter.

Half an hour later, Li Zhi rode out of the woods and asked Li Zhen what he wanted to see him about.

Li Zhen made no mention of Zhou Boyu's matter, exchanged a few casual words, and then took his leave of the palace.

(End of this chapter)