amaotonovel Chapter 883 Li Xian ascends the throne
Chapter 883 Li Xian ascends the throne
As Li Xian walked through Chengtian Gate on the broken ice, the iron horses on the eaves jingled in the morning light.
Last night's accumulated snow was crushed into ice by the soles of passing boots, reflecting tiny pieces of light on the bluestone slabs, like scattered silver coins on the ground.
A light sweat broke out on the palm of his hand as he held the abdication edict. The red seal with the three words "Wu Zetian" on the bright yellow satin was warmed by his body temperature, as if it still carried the warmth of his mother's fingertips.
The stone lions in front of the Taimiao were covered with frost, and the icicles on their manes shone coldly in the morning sun.
The ceremonial officer's hands trembled slightly as he held the sacrificial text. When he read out "The Successor Emperor was restored to the throne", Li Xian suddenly heard a faint gasp behind him - Zhang Jianzhi's white hair on his temples was stained with snow grains, and he was looking at the tablet of Emperor Taizong with tears streaming down his face.
This old minister, who had dared to speak out against the emperor when he was the Chief Clerk of Jingzhou, now had a hunched back, like a dead pine tree bent by wind and snow.
"Get going." Li Xian's voice echoed in the empty Taimiao Hall, startling the sparrows perched on the beams.
As he climbed the stairs, the hem of his black dragon robe brushed against the cold white jade steps. He suddenly remembered that when he was fourteen years old, it was also a snowy day like this, and his father Li Zhi took him by the hand and walked into the Taimiao.
At that time, my father's palms were broad and warm. He pointed to the portraits of our ancestors and said, "Behind each tablet stands the expectation of countless people."
The Empress Dowager issued a special decree last night, insisting on not entering the Li family's ancestral temple and only wanting to stay by Emperor Gaozong's side as the Empress.
"Your Majesty," Wan'er walked out of the side hall holding a red sandalwood box, the pearl hairpins on her temples swaying with her steps, "This is what the Queen Mother asked me to give to you."
The moment the wooden box was opened, Li Xian's breathing suddenly stopped.
There was no gold, silver or jade inside, only half a blackened steamed bun carefully wrapped in coarse linen paper.
He recognized this thing - it was the year when there was a heavy snow in Fangzhou. After Wei distributed the last bag of brown rice to the villagers, he ate it himself for half a month.
"The Queen Mother said," Wan'er's voice choked with sobs, "that she had seen Guanyin soil even harder to swallow than this. She swore then that if she could ever see the light of day again, she would make sure that the people of the world would never again suffer this."
Li Xian's fingertips stroked the rough surface of the steamed bread and felt the sand mixed in it.
He suddenly remembered the strength with which his mother's skinny fingers grasped him last night, the sharpness in her cloudy eyes, and the dark ink on the abdication edict - it turned out that it had not been written in a day or two, but for many years, written in countless late nights when he missed his father, and in every early morning when he reviewed memorials until dawn.
The orderly footsteps of the Yulin Guards were heard outside the hall.
Li Duozuo knelt at the foot of the altar in full military uniform, holding a tiger-head token in both hands. "Your Majesty, I beg to return the command of the Imperial Guard."
"Why?" When Li Xian turned around, the ribbon of his dragon robe swept across the candlestick, and sparks splashed onto the blue bricks and quickly went out.
"I have received great favors from the Empress Dowager," Li Duozuo rested his forehead against the cold ground. "Last night's abdication was disloyal and unrighteous. Now that the Empress Dowager has abdicated, I have no face to continue commanding the Imperial Guards."
Li Xian looked at the kneeling general and recalled his mother's words: "Li Duozuo is a man of character. Back in Liang Province, he dared to ride alone into the enemy camp. A man like him should be trusted for his loyalty, but also be wary of his bravery."
He bent down and helped Li Duozuo to his feet, then stuffed the tiger-head token back into his hand. "You're not forcing me to abdicate. You're helping me remember—this country was saved from the sword and the spear, and we can't afford to slack off even a little bit."
Li Duozuo suddenly looked up and saw the candlelight reflected in the emperor's eyes, like two dancing flames.
He suddenly understood why the empress dowager was willing to abdicate - in her eyes, there was the same determination as Emperor Taizong, the same kindness as Emperor Gaozong, and the tenacity honed in fourteen years in Fangzhou.
"Your Majesty, I obey your command!" He knelt on one knee, and the sound of armor colliding echoed in the hall for a long time.
Zhang Jianzhi stepped forward and presented a scroll of memorials to Li Xian: "Your Majesty, these are ten new policies submitted jointly by all officials. They are all important matters concerning the people's livelihood."
Li Xian unfolded the memorial and his eyes fell on words such as "equal distribution of land", "tax reduction" and "development of water conservancy".
The ink was fresh, clearly having been written overnight. He suddenly remembered what his mother often said: "Officials should keep the people's affairs in their hearts, not just write them down on paper."
"Prime Minister Zhang," he raised his head, his eyes sweeping across the ancestral tablets in the hall, "The new policy can be implemented, but there is one condition - starting with me, all official salaries will be reduced by 30% to provide relief to the victims."
Everyone in the hall was shocked.
Huan Yanfan was about to speak up, but Zhang Jianzhi stopped him with a look. Looking at the young emperor, the old minister suddenly remembered that when Wu Zetian first ascended the throne, she had also defied public opinion and used her salary as military pay, angering the entire court, civil and military officials, who accused her of being a hen that crows at dawn.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhang Jianzhi was the first to kneel on the ground, his gray beard making a crackling sound as it rubbed against the blue bricks.
All the officials followed closely behind, and the cheers of "Long live the emperor" were even louder than last night, shaking the snow on the beams of the hall to fall down, and turned into tiny water droplets in the candlelight, like tears and rain.
When Li Xian walked out of the Taimiao, the sun was already high.
The snow made a crackling sound under my feet, and the sunlight passed through the clouds, reflecting a colorful halo on the glazed tiles.
He saw that on Zhuque Street outside the palace wall, people were busy clearing the snow, and children were chasing and playing in the snow, their laughter as clear as wind chimes.
"Go to Luoyang Palace." He said to the eunuch behind him.
The imperial carriage slowly drove through the street, and the people knelt on the ground and shouted "Long live the emperor".
Li Xian lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and saw the signs of taverns on the street swaying in the wind, colorful silks hanging in the cloth shops, and people queuing in front of the grain shops to buy rice with peaceful smiles on their faces.
He suddenly understood why his mother said, "The people don't care whether the emperor's surname is Li or Wu" - what they care about is that the wine shop has wine, the cloth shop has cloth, the grain store has rice, that there is hope for the future, and that there is hope for the future.
When we reached Tianjin Bridge, the Luo River under the bridge had thawed, and the ice was floating slowly along the water, like countless broken mirrors.
"A vast land belongs not to one man, but to all the people."
The imperial carriage continued to move forward, and the wheels rolled over the stone slabs of the bridge, making a steady sound.
Li Xian leaned against the wall of the car and closed his eyes, as if he saw his mother standing on the high platform of the Vientiane Temple, accepting congratulations from all nations.
At that time, she was wearing the emperor's crown, with a firm gaze. Behind her were the vast rivers and mountains, and in front of her were all living beings.
From today on, Li Tang has been restored!
There is no more Great Zhou!
Only the glorious Tang Dynasty!
Many people on the street cried with joy.
The world is the same world again.
On this day, Li Xian ascended the throne and issued his first decree.
Return to Chang'an.
Chang'an is still the same Chang'an, the brightest pearl of the Tang Dynasty and the foundation of the Li Tang Dynasty.
Although the capital of gods is nice, it lacks a bit of solemnity and murderous atmosphere.
Everything seemed to have returned to the way it was before.