[Lightscreen]
[In the year 697, although the northern wars had yet to fully subside, Wu Zetian once again encountered the great love of her life.
This time, the introduction came from her daughter, Princess Taiping.
Nowadays, whenever Princess Taiping is mentioned, people inevitably talk about her later habit of keeping many male companions. But people change. No one starts out that way.
Around the year 680, Emperor Gaozong granted the fifteen-year-old Princess Taiping special permission to choose her own husband.
After much deliberation, she and Xue Shao, the second son of Princess Chengyang, fell mutually in love. They married the following year. Throughout this marriage, Princess Taiping was proper and restrained, with not a single scandal attached to her name.
The only person unhappy about this marriage was Wu Zetian herself, and her reasoning was astonishingly petty.
She declared that Xue Shao's elder brother, Xue Yi, had married two women, Lady Xiao and Lady Cheng, both of humble origin, which she deemed an insult to the family's dignity. Her solution was simple: divorce them.
The Xue family was stunned.
They scrambled to find mediators, arguing that Lady Xiao hailed from the prestigious Lanling Xiao clan and could hardly be considered disgraceful. Only then did Wu Zetian, at least on the surface, drop the matter.
Perhaps because of this incident, when Li Zhen and his son Li Chong later rebelled against Wu Zhou, Xue Yi was also implicated.
After the rebellion failed and he was captured, Wu Zetian executed Xue Yi without hesitation. Xue Shao was imprisoned on charges of association, flogged a hundred times, and then conveniently "forgotten."
He starved to death in prison.
At the time of Xue Shao's death, Princess Taiping's fourth child with him was still swaddled, not even a month old.
As compensation, her food stipend was increased to twelve hundred households.
However, this was already on the eve of the change of dynastic name. To prevent Princess Taiping from being dragged down by the terror of the secret police, Wu Zetian once again took matters into her own hands and arranged for her remarriage, this time into the Wu clan.
The old lady strongly recommended Wu Chengsi's son, Wu Fengxian, but Princess Taiping found him far too old. In the end, she married Wu Youji.
After this marriage, Princess Taiping began openly selecting male companions and cultivated extensive connections with court officials. Eventually, when her mother was feeling displeased, she introduced the most outstanding of these men, Zhang Changzong, to the old lady.
It was like stepping on the accelerator of an already downhill, barely held-together Wu Zhou carriage.
One small clarification was necessary.
This handsome man was named Zhang Changzong, not the much later warlord Zhang Zongchang who wrote poetry along the lines of "Cannons roar, blast his mother, might shakes the seas, return home."
Now, a question.
How long does it take to go from making a living off one's face to wielding power that shakes the realm?
Zhang Changzong's answer:
Half a month was enough.
This beauty needed only one meeting to thoroughly please the old lady. On the very day they met, he was appointed Yunhui General, acting as Left Qian Niu Guard Colonel, commanding the palace's forbidden troops.
Zhang Changzong was equally pleased. He promptly informed the empress that his elder brother was far more handsome than himself and was skilled in alchemy, possessing extraordinary abilities.
Wu Zetian immediately summoned him as well.
Zhang Yizhi was appointed Director of the Court of Imperial Guards on the spot and rewarded with a residence, servants, maids, cattle, horses, camels, and vast wealth.
A few days later, Zhang Changzong was further promoted to Silver Blue Guanglu Grand Master, admitted to deliberations of state affairs. His father was posthumously recognized as Prefect of Xiangzhou, his mother Lady Wei of the Zang clan was granted the title Grand Lady, and palace ladies were dispatched daily to inquire after his health.
Even members of the Wu clan had to curry favor with the two Zhang brothers, scrambling to hold their reins and hand them whips, addressing them affectionately as Fifth Young Master and Sixth Young Master.
Wu Zetian was delighted and further appointed Zhang Changzong as Right Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary.
This post, since Emperor Gaozong's reign, was no longer a mere honorary title. It was a functional position under the Secretariat, ranked upper third grade, second only to the chancellors themselves.
From commoner to Secretariat Cavalier Attendant, leaping twenty-five official ranks and pressing right up against the chancellorship, the Zhang brothers accomplished it in less than half a month.
It was the kind of treatment that would make even An Lushan feel three parts envy.
These were the very brothers who, during the later Shenlong Coup, would be the first to be killed under the banner of "cleansing the emperor's side."
From this perspective, the historical significance of the Zhang brothers lay chiefly in one thing:
They finally united the anti-Wu faction.]
—
"True love…" Zhang Fei rolled the phrase around in his mouth before muttering,
"Us short-lived folks really can't compare to the old lady's talent for enjoyment."
The math wasn't hard.
It had already been mentioned that during the Shenlong Coup, the old lady was eighty-two years old.
Working backward, she had to be at least seventy-five now.
Zhang Fei glanced around the room.
There wasn't a single person here who would live to seventy.
When Zhang Fei's gaze landed on him, pure and untainted like that of a child, Kongming's smile instantly froze.
That gaze then swept in sequence over Lu Su, Fa Zheng, and Pang Tong.
Then Zhang Fei's quiet muttering echoed through the hall:
"So the Military Adviser Zhuge already counts as long-lived."
Watching the strategists' expressions shift in all directions, Liu Bei waved his hand weakly.
"Bury him."
After another round of scolding, Liu Bei rubbed his slightly aching palm and sighed.
"This mother really doesn't let her daughter rest easy."
"Still, that Zhang Zongchang seems to greatly admire Emperor Gaozu. Shame his poetry is crude."
Imperial marriages were nothing new. Those who married princesses included both heroes like the Marquis of Changping and rebels like Han Guang who ended up executed.
But being nitpicked by the imperial family even after marriage was rare enough. Liu Bei could only feel sympathy for Xue Shao.
As for the poetry, crude though it was, it reminded Liu Bei of the experimental gunpowder tests he had seen back in Chengdu.
"One would not utter such words without power that could seize Heaven itself. It's not an exaggeration."
The gunpowder experiments at Qingyun Temple in Chengdu had proceeded steadily, but progress on cannons was slow.
On one hand, Chengdu was not meant to be a permanent base. On the other, compared to battlefield use, this substance was even better suited for carving roads and opening mountains in Yizhou.
When the first iron cannon was completed and promptly exploded during testing, Liu Bei personally witnessed the difficulty of cannon development.
Kongming, however, thought differently.
If even metal could not withstand the might of gunpowder, how could stone?
After changing direction, Liu Bei had to admit that for opening roads, mining, and quarrying, this thing was an unparalleled tool.
Yizhou had a large population, but once mining coal, iron, and copper in the mountains was added to agricultural labor, manpower quickly became tight.
Seeing that poem today made Liu Bei's heart itch again.
He imagined facing Cao Cao west of Tong Pass, pulling out a cannon on the battlefield, and asking the traitor Cao who the true hero was.
How could that not be magnificent?
Kongming, unaware of the entire fantasy playing out in his lord's mind, responded seriously to Liu Bei's sigh.
"Gunpowder may destroy a million enemies when advancing, or secure the state and bring peace to the people when used defensively. It is a gentleman's tool."
He knew its dangers well, but refusing food for fear of choking was never the act of the wise.
Thus, after securing Guanzhong, Kongming had already begun surveying areas around Chang'an to establish gunpowder workshops and set regulations for its safe use.
Pang Tong nodded in agreement. If managed properly, this thing could ignite the blazing fire of the Han's revival.
If mishandled and it fell into the wrong hands, it would be nothing short of pouring oil on the flames of this chaotic age.
…
Zhangsun Wuji did a quick calculation.
By this logic, Princess Taiping could be considered a direct blood relative of the Zhangsun clan.
But then he sighed.
What was the point of thinking about such things for someone who would be ordered to hang herself?
Executed for treason. Who dared implicate the clan?
Still, watching His Majesty's brow knit tighter and tighter, Zhangsun Wuji felt, inexplicably, a tiny bit relieved.
He also felt a trace of disgust toward the Zhang brothers.
After all, he had helped build this realm too. Seeing it used for such wanton indulgence, he could more or less understand His Majesty's mood.
Watching a man who sold his face rise to dominate the court in just over ten days, trampling ritual and law alike, Zhangsun Wuji's assessment was simple:
Absurd.
Over there, Wei Zheng's lips were trembling. Zhangsun Wuji didn't need to guess to know he was muttering about imbalance of yin and yang and the inversion of Heaven and Earth.
Even Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui looked somewhat dazed. Zhangsun Wuji understood.
Just think of Wang Xuance, who had once marched out so valiantly. In later histories, despite risking his life and spending a full year on campaign, he was promoted only five ranks.
Compared to that, how could one not feel dispirited?
Yet Zhangsun Wuji also found himself faintly curious.
With chaos this extreme, the realm still did not collapse. Was the residual grace of Zhenguan truly this deep?
—
[Lightscreen]
[The same year the Zhang brothers opened the eyes of the entire realm, Lai Junchen fell.
As the most notorious head of Wu Zhou's cruel officials, Lai Junchen's downfall was inevitable.
Wu Zhou had officially existed for six years. For someone like him, all the achievements that could be milked had already been milked. If a vicious dog didn't bite something soon, its master might start wondering if it had grown old.
After sharpening his teeth and carefully probing his mistress's intentions, Lai Junchen decided to gamble on securing a clean retirement.
He accused the Wu princes and Princess Taiping, framing the imperial heir and the Prince of Luling as conspiring with both northern and southern palace guards in rebellion.
In short, he tried to throw both the Wu and Li clans into one pot.
Given the circumstances, this showed a stunning lack of self-awareness. Even the old lady liked to toy with the Wu clan, giving them a sliver of hope. And here he was, trying to go all-in.
How much had he drunk?
The outcome was unsurprising.
Before Lai Junchen could even act on his fabricated charges, the Wu princes and Princess Taiping joined forces and had him thrown into prison without further ado.
Then the younger generation went crying to the old lady.
The conclusion was as expected.
Wu Zetian casually had Lai Junchen eliminated.
Cruel officials, after all, were nothing more than imperial claws. When needed, Wu Zetian could produce a dozen more Lai Junchens. When not needed, she could crush one to death without a thought.
After Lai Junchen was flayed and eaten, and Chang'an celebrated, Di Renjie, who had been pacifying the people of Weizhou, was summoned back to the capital.
Wu Zhou had decided.
You would be the chancellor.
Previously, although Wu Zetian had personally protected Di Renjie when he was demoted to Pengze, her beloved nephew Wu Fengxian had repeatedly petitioned to have Di Renjie killed. All requests were denied.
Only when the Khitan rebelled was Di Renjie recalled, serving as Prefect of Weizhou to settle refugees and preserve livelihoods. He performed so well that locals erected steles in his honor.
After entering the capital, Di Renjie, in the capacity of chancellor, submitted a long memorial to the old lady, written with great sincerity.
Its central idea was simple.
It was time for strategic contraction.
This was hardly surprising. Anyone with eyes could see that from Emperor Taizong through Emperor Gaozong, military expenditures had risen steadily.
Under Wu Zhou, it became even worse.
Suppressing the Khitan cost enormous sums, and the defeat at Tianmen Ridge effectively granted Balhae independence, completely severing the Liaodong corridor. The Protectorate-General to Pacify the East existed in name only.
Better to abolish it and use the saved funds to soothe the people of Hebei.
Between the lines, the message was unmistakable.
Big Sister, this is no longer the Zhenguan era.]