Li Shimin fell silent.
He was unfamiliar with Li Zhi's sons, but figures like Li Yuanjia and Li Lingkui, even if there was no deep affection, were at least people he had met in person.
These two younger brothers were both born of Consort Yuwen Zhao. Li Yuanjia was the elder, now twelve years old, while Li Lingkui was the younger, not yet ten. Both bore the reputation of child prodigies, yet in the end they still met such a fate.
As for Li Zhen… Li Shimin clearly remembered that only three months earlier, he had personally issued the edict enfeoffing this son as Prince of Han. He never imagined that decades later, the boy would dare to raise troops in rebellion. At least, one could say he still had some blood in him.
In the silence, Li Shimin noticed lines of text drifting across the light screen.
[Server Chat Log]
IronRift: The old woman has really gone on a killing spree. Looks like even a female emperor can't escape senility in old age.
WarHex: Give me a break. The old woman is sharp as hell. Everyone she killed had a real shot at the throne. Her own children were always lifted high and then set down gently. Otherwise, where do you think Liuwei Dihuang Pills came from?
AshPvP: Honestly, in a feudal age, isn't the throne always like this? Kill off the other candidates and you naturally become the only option. Right, Erfeng? Right, Guangshen? Right, Judy?
SteelIRL: Judy says don't drag me into this. I was just 'clearing out traitors around the throne'. Don't talk nonsense.
RuinCore: Also, what is up with the aesthetic of these imperial titles? Kinda tacky. And aren't these general amnesties happening way too often?
FuryIndex: This is nothing. From Li Zhi's death to the end of Wu Zhou at the Shenlong Coup, twenty-one years total. The old woman issued twenty-nine general amnesties, plus nine partial amnesties for specific regions. Completely unrivaled in history.
She really did everything the opposite of Erfeng.
GrimTag: Bonus question. A feudal-era boss who seized power midway, had a son or nephew styled Fengxian, brutally purged the imperial clan and veteran ministers after taking power, and in the end was overthrown by regional lords after indulging in pleasure. Who is it?
SteelIRL: Damn. The resemblance is unreal.
Empress Zhangsun also saw these drifting lines, and at the same time noticed her husband's expression growing darker by the second.
Based on her understanding of his temperament, she had expected him to curse loudly. Instead, he only let out a heavy snort and said:
"For one who rules, governance must be shared with others, never biased or monopolized.
"To nurture the people and harmonize all classes, only then can one stabilize royal authority and grasp the pivot of Heaven.
"Such methods, were they not riding on the prosperity of two generations, would surely lead to ruin."
Du Ruhui had already caught the flavor of it. In the end, this was still praise for himself.
And if one calculated carefully, Wu Zhou really did fall quickly. His Majesty was not wrong.
Thus several ministers politely inclined themselves slightly.
"Your Majesty is sagacious."
Li Shimin waved his hand, though bitterness crept into his heart. Had the early Tang not possessed such a thick foundation, it truly might not have survived being wrecked by this daughter-in-law.
In the end, irritation still surfaced.
"I truly wish to see how the bearing of such benighted rulers compares to that of Emperor Yang."
Yet almost immediately, a question rose in his mind.
What did massacring the imperial clan and changing the dynastic name have to do with Liuwei Dihuang Pills?
He subconsciously glanced at Sun Simiao. The old physician looked relaxed, propping his arm and watching the light screen with great interest. Li Shimin could only decide to ask him later how the development of those pills was progressing.
Of course, the Heavenly Strategy General was vigorous as a dragon and fierce as a tiger. He had no need of such things. This was mainly for the sake of the elder ministers.
…
Regarding the comparisons made by later generations, Zhang Fei shook his head.
"This old woman had it way better than Dong Zhuo."
Liu Bei nodded subconsciously, then felt helpless.
These novel forms of address from later ages were picked up remarkably fast by his third brother.
Lu Su at the side was slightly astonished.
"So palace intrigue in later ages was actually like this…"
He thought about it but could not find a suitable phrase.
Pang Tong, beside him, only shook his head slightly.
What later generations spoke of was no exaggeration. This was still just the beginning.
Compared to Song or Ming, it was nothing special at all.
[Lightscreen]
[Some say the balance of power is very simple. At the end of the day, it is just one sentence. Swing the stick, then hand out a sweet date.
Wu Zetian understood this deeply.
After stripping the Wu clan of power, she conveniently accused two of Li Dan's most beloved wives of witchcraft and had them executed. These were Empress Liu, the original wife, and Consort Dou.
At the same time, all the princes and imperial grandsons who had survived this great elimination were demoted to commandery princes.
This move instantly warmed the heart of Wu Fengxian. Aunt still loves me. This Great Zhou is still our Wu family's realm.
From then on, Wu Chengsi was completely convinced. He focused solely on catering to his aunt, flattering and ingratiating himself, dreaming day and night of becoming crown prince.
One extra note. Consort Dou, who was executed, had one son and two daughters. The son was named Li Longji, who in this upheaval was demoted from Prince of Chu to Prince of Linzi.
The younger daughter was Princess Yuzhen, the one who would later be linked in rumors with the Poet Buddha Wang Wei and entangled with the Poet Immortal Li Bai, a top-tier celebrity of the High Tang era.
Whether the realm was peaceful or not, the old woman did not know. But at least the court was peaceful. Thus, there was only one thing left she wanted to do next.
Boast of her achievements. She wanted to fully indulge in being emperor.
'The Prince of Qin Breaks the Battle Formation' was the most famous grand court music of early Tang, right? She ordered the compilation of 'Divine Palace Grand Music', with nine hundred performers dancing together. It was performed at the New Year court assembly in the Hall of Myriad Images as a ritual display of merit, setting a new peak for court music in the feudal age.
But watching song and dance all the time soon bored the old woman. Fortunately, good news soon arrived from the Western Regions. Tibet had been defeated.
This must be credited to what was arguably Wu Zetian's most correct decision as emperor. The restoration of the Anxi Four Garrisons.
In Erfeng's era, from the destruction of Gaochang in the fourteenth year of Zhenguan to the submission of Kucha, Khotan, Kashgar, and Karashahr in the twenty-second year, eight hard years were spent establishing the Anxi Four Garrisons.
But during Gaozong's reign, expenses ran a little high. Li Zhi began thinking about cutting costs and dismantled the Anxi Four Garrisons.
Under Gaozong, the Anxi Four Garrisons were abolished and restored twice, existing in name only.
By the time of Wu Zhou, the old woman finally straightened her back for once, reinstated the Anxi Four Garrisons, and stationed thirty thousand Tang troops permanently. From then on, the garrisons were truly secure.
A stable Anxi Four Garrisons directly struck at Tibetan expansion in the Western Regions. Tibet, enraged, allied with the Western Turks to attack Wu Zhou. But the Tibetan subordinate tribe Shiwei rebelled, joined forces with Wu Zhou generals Wang Xiaojie and Li Duozuo, and won a great victory over the Tibetan–Turkic alliance, successfully driving Tibet out of the Western Regions for the time being.
This achievement sent the old woman floating with excitement. Taizong had needed to tread carefully when facing the Western Turks. Under Gaozong, Tibet had been a major threat. And now the combined forces of both had been defeated by her?
Boast of merit. She had to boast hard.
This time, the one who stepped forward was another nephew, Wu Sansi. Upholding the Wu Zhou principle that petitions must involve crowds, he gathered the chieftains of the four barbarians together to request that the old woman erect the Axis of Heaven.
The purpose was simple. To engrave her achievements, to depose Tang and praise Zhou, thereby fixing the central axis of the realm.
The old woman was overjoyed and agreed. Not only did she approve the casting of the Axis, she specifically demanded that it not be made of stone or iron. It had to be cast in bronze.
Bronze was unquestionable hard currency in ancient times. This impromptu demand stunned Wu Sansi and the others, but there was no choice. They had to scrape it together.
The various tribes emptied their coffers and pooled astronomical sums, yet it was still insufficient. In the end, Wu Zetian ordered that commoners could use bronze to pay taxes, finally making up the shortfall.
In the end, this feudal-era marvel was built with a Persian chieftain acting as project foreman, Tang officials working together with scholars of the four barbarians to design it, finally completing the 'Great Zhou Axis of Ten Thousand Nations Praising Virtue'.
'Collected over five hundred thousand jin of bronze, three million three hundred thousand of iron, and twenty-seven thousand strings of cash.'
With these resources, the Axis was erected inside the Dingding Gate. Ninety chi tall, one zhang two chi in diameter, weighing four million jin.
The more Li Shimin watched the magnificent structure on the light screen, the more he felt his heart bleeding.
"All of it… my money."]