amaotonovel Chapter 107 A hot pot of tripe was steaming and bubbling.
Chapter 107 A hot pot of tripe was steaming and bubbling.
Li Zhi (frowning, reviewing the memorial, his tone tinged with indignation):
"These treacherous people are trying to achieve their goals through slander, but it's all in vain! Consort Zhao, what do you think of the people in the palace? Are they all mentally unstable? Everyone has their own agenda, trying to make me go through a lot of trouble!"
Wu Xiaosi (smiling, accepting the teacup offered by Zi'an, leisurely sipping tea while savoring the pine nuts): "Alas, Your Majesty, please do not be impatient. Look, how can such a situation be resolved overnight? Perhaps it is all my fault, always carrying the aura of being favored by everyone?"
Wu Xiaosi (holding a teacup, swaying it slightly, speaking in a calm and steady tone):
"Liu Shi's niece, having held the position of Empress for a long time without demonstrating any ability, forced her uncle to resign and the family to fall into ruin due to her seemingly arrogant but actually lazy nature. Since the Empress had no power to protect herself, she was naturally easy to be usurped by others. However, she did not understand that the human heart is extremely complex and subtle. If it is not protected and a small change occurs, it can shake the foundation of the family."
Li Zhi (nodding slightly, sighing softly): "The trusted confidants I once relied on are now all suffering suppression and in dire straits. How did they come to this? Why are they all so silent?"
Wu Xiaosi put down his teacup, gently patted Li Zhi's shoulder, and comforted him in a calm tone:
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. Those who can stand firm in the palace are all not fools. Looking back at the time when the late Emperor was in power, everyone was vying to submit memorials, but now they have all restrained their sharpness. Doesn't this foreshadow the beginning of the process of deposing the prince and establishing Wu? We must face it together, seize the opportunity, remain calm and collected, and we will surely be able to control the whole situation."
Upon hearing this, Li Zhi seemed to be deep in thought. After a moment of silence with his head lowered, he slowly said:
"Deposing the king and establishing Wu is indeed a good strategy. Furthermore, Consort Zhao, your hard work and dedication over the years are evident to all. So many people are willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with us, which truly earns my respect."
Upon hearing this, Consort Wu smiled smugly, her eyes gleaming with determination, and said:
"Indeed, everyone knows that Wu Zetian's future is limitless. They know that only by obeying can they follow. Those who go against the will of Heaven will ultimately be abandoned by history!"
Once you're engrossed in your busy work, time flies by in the blink of an eye, and before you know it, night has quietly fallen.
Inside Consort Wu's palace, a hot pot of tripe was bubbling and steaming, filling the air with the aroma of chili oil. Beside the pot were ornately decorated court-specific plates and dishes, with racks attached, laden with carefully cleaned tripe and various other dishes, making one's mouth water.
Li Zhi picked up a piece of lamb tripe, flicked off some chili oil, and exclaimed:
"Sigh, back in the late emperor's time, these ministers were all incredibly talkative, their memorials stacked higher than the table! Now look at them, they've all shut up and acted like quails. The confidants I supported have been almost all dealt with. Zhang Xingcheng and Gao Jifu, those were such talented people, yet they were gone one after another last year."
As Wu Xiaosi added vegetables to the pot, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Advanced talisman? That name sounds like a magical artifact from a novel! What's its background?"
Li Zhi took a sip of soup and almost choked. He cleared his throat and was about to begin his lecture.
Zi'an quickly said, "Hey, Your Majesty, you eat. Leave the history-telling to me!"
Zi'an coughed twice and began to speak in a storyteller's tone:
"Speaking of Gao Jifu, his ancestors were quite troublesome back then. His grandfather served as the Prefect of Ande in either the Northern Wei or Eastern Wei dynasties, and was in charge of affairs."
His father, Gao Heng, rose to become the magistrate of Wannian County in the Sui Dynasty. Tsk, that's not a small official position.
Upon hearing Zi'an speak of Gao Jifu's filial piety, Wu Xiaosi immediately put down his chopsticks, his eyes widened, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips:
"Oh, so filial piety can be awarded as a trophy? Looks like I'll have to prepare some small prizes in the future, and give the most heartbroken filial sons a 'Best Crying Award'."
However, from my observation, truly filial people don't need to put on such a grand show!
Those who cry their hearts out when their mothers pass away are basically people who didn't properly fulfill their filial duties while their mothers were alive, and they feel guilty and afraid that others will accuse them of being unfilial.
Moreover, this grand display of weeping not only soothes their own guilt but also allows them to portray themselves as exemplary filial piety. Of course, such a person would willingly become a tearful "actor"!
Zi'an raised an eyebrow in agreement: "Little Si, you're mistaken. The ancients valued 'propriety,' but in our society today, everything is about ritual. If your crying isn't 'emotional,' how can you prove your filial piety? It's a skill in itself!"
Li Zhi smiled:
"Haha, you two have such sharp tongues. But what Consort Zhao said makes some sense. Some people do feel a little guilty about being able to pretend to be a 'model of filial piety' in front of others."
But let's be clear, Gao Jifu's filial piety back then might have had some genuine element to it. Anyway, I think that guy, besides being full of filial piety, also put in a lot of effort in other areas.
Wu Xiaosi couldn't help but curl his lips: "Come on, he's full of filial piety. He's probably just trying to clear his name. He might even hire a writer before he dies to leave a 'touching' farewell message so that future generations can discover it and record his good deeds."
Zi'an picked up a slice of mutton and continued:
"Then, Gao Jifu's brother, Gao Yuandao, was the magistrate of Xinxiang County in Henan Province back then, in charge of a whole bunch of things."
The Sui Dynasty had just collapsed when a bunch of people rebelled and killed his brother.
Gao Jifu was furious. He led his brother's men back and slaughtered the bastards, utterly subduing them. He even cut off the leader's head and took it to his brother's grave as an offering.
With chopsticks dangling from his mouth, Wu Xiaosi said, "Tsk, this is really something. Is this the legendary 'brotherly affection'? No wonder the Emperor is being bullied by the Empress's family."
Li Zhi picked up the thread: "That's right. After Gao Jifu finished this job, he also participated in a peasant uprising. Later, he felt that the commotion was meaningless, so he took Li Yude, one of Li Mi's subordinates, and defected to our Tang Dynasty. Emperor Gaozu of Tang was so pleased that he directly sent him to Jiaozuo as a military advisor in charge of household affairs, which is equivalent to a high-ranking official in charge of local economic management."
Zi'an added, "Absolutely! If that were today, he'd be the director of the Jiaozuo Tax Bureau, a definite 'iron rice bowl' like in the Tang Dynasty."
Wu Xiaosi nodded: "That sounds pretty impressive! You can tell he's very shrewd and calculating. He married his niece off to Li Zhi, who was still the Crown Prince, a long time ago."
Li Zhi shook his head and sighed: "Alright, alright, let's eat meat. Nothing is more important than eating!"