amaotonovel Chapter 77 The Lamb Princess's "One Pillow to Rule the Country".
Chapter 77 The Lamb Princess's "One Pillow to Rule the Country".
Changsun Wuji, the "uncle," liked to drag the "nephew" emperor into trouble, and always spoke to the emperor in the tone of an elder. Everyone knew this, but since he was an elder, Emperor Li Zhi could only give him some leeway.
Although he is an uncle, don't forget that he is also a high-ranking official.
Logically, an uncle should protect his nephew, but the emperor always felt that something was amiss.
Think about it, back then Li Zhi was still a prince and the crown prince, so easy to control. Changsun Wuji made a political gamble on him, labeling him as "immature, indecisive, and easy to talk to."
Thinking of this, the young emperor felt even worse.
Li Zhi's elder brother ascended the throne in his early twenties, a time when he was ready to make his mark, but there was always an elder interfering and meddling in his affairs.
Looking at the matter of Chu Suiliang buying a house, it's becoming more and more disappointing. His uncle is clearly protecting Chu Suiliang and is always manipulating him.
Li Zhi was originally ambitious and full of vigor, but he ended up clashing with the traditional ideas and selfish motives of these parents.
This was the first time he had made a decision on his own, determined to break free from the constraints of this patriarch. So, taking advantage of Chu Suiliang's dismissal as prime minister due to the housing purchase case, he quickly made a personnel adjustment.
Without obtaining his uncle's consent, Li Zhi appointed Yu Zhining as Left Minister and Zhang Xingcheng as Right Minister.
Gao Daren was appointed as a Chamberlain and a Gentleman Attendant; they were all former subordinates from the Crown Prince's time.
In 652, Chu Suiliang returned to serve as Minister of Personnel, and the young emperor continued to promote Yuwen Jie and Liu Shi, unaware that his little tricks were being watched by his maternal uncle, the head of the family, and that he was nothing more than a clown.
Xiao Si shook his big head helplessly: "Alas, Brother Zhinu has really suffered a huge setback! Look at this situation, the Empress's own uncle, Yu Zhining, Chu Suiliang, all these people have become Changsun Wuji's 'exclusive pawns,' even the pieces on the chessboard can be moved, while Li Zhi has become the 'dead piece' that can't be moved. Everyone is saying, 'We'll only feel at ease if Li Zhong becomes the Crown Prince,' and an emperor who doesn't follow us isn't a good emperor, so Brother Zhi can't just wait to become 'cannon fodder'! The pressure is immense, it's like 'not even knowing who the mountain king is!'"
Zi'an picked up his teacup, looking arrogant: "Brother Li Zhi isn't 'being emperor,' he's 'being made emperor'! This is unbearable. His true feelings have been turned into a 'heartbreaking performance' of stabbing others in the back. He must be feeling terrible right now. He wanted to just go through the motions, but he's almost been slapped in the face by his so-called own people... No, I have to have a drink with this emperor guy today."
Xiao Si sighed, his expression one of exaggerated helplessness: "Seriously, my uncle Changsun Wuji, his sense of opportunity and his intelligence and emotional intelligence are just... incredibly high! Li Tai died in his early thirties! He must have been tired of living, because there was really no point in living anymore. This has been tough on Fang Xuanling's sons. The Fang brothers have even become like 'fighting landlords.' Fang Yizhi, the eldest brother-in-law, was forced into a corner by his sister-in-law, the princess, and even considered taking his brother and sister-in-law to court. In the end, he voluntarily gave up his official position and official post! After all, it's a secure job."
Zi'an couldn't help but interject: "I'm really impressed. Princess Gaoyang's IQ is too low! She's already marrying down by competing with her own brother-in-law for a job, which is already low enough. She even dares to have relationships with monks and Taoists. She can stir up trouble in the palace and make a complete mess of things."
Si Zi said, "The most ridiculous thing is that the princess gave a limited edition expensive pillow to the monk, and the monk was killed by the pillow and was cut in half at the waist. These days, even a pillow can cause a huge uproar. Princess Gaoyang's unbridled arrogance has become her 'pillow kingdom' in the quilt. In fact, after losing her father's favor, she started to give up and act recklessly!"
Zi'an said, "Royal dramas have always been full of unexpected twists and turns! Li Zhi was clever enough to treat the princess's affair as a 'family matter' and hand it over to his uncle. Now look what happened, Changsun Wuji has uncovered a 'treason case'! Your emperor brother thought he was the protagonist this time, but he ended up as a supporting character who stirred things up. The whole script was rewritten by your uncle, Changsun Wuji!"
Yonghui Si laughed helplessly: "And then? My bunch of foolish relatives, Li Yuanjing and a few disgruntled imperial sons-in-law joined forces. Li Yuanjing thought he could become emperor, but it turned into a tragic ending of 'misfortune that came of his own making'! Don't you think that's courting death?"
Zi'an looked like he "deeply understood": "And Li Ke, he's truly a brave man who 'accidentally entered the tiger's den'! He thought he could escape this calamity, but it was all for naught! He became a gift delivered to someone else's door. The person who reported him wanted to recycle old soybeans to 'exonerate' his report. But now, the one in charge isn't your father Li Shimin, but Changsun Wuji. So, everyone who sees him is just dreaming! In the end, it wasn't the real bad guys who were sent away, but the 'soft packaging' of the imperial family!"
Yonghui Si was getting a little anxious: "The princes-in-law have all been beheaded. It's terrifying to think about. The two princesses and the prince were all given death sentences, which means they were forced to commit suicide. You know, people in the palace either don't cause trouble, or when they do, they cause chaos and annihilation! It's like the whole army was wiped out, and everyone was eliminated as soon as they landed!"
Zi'an said, "Emperor Li Zhi changed the prime minister this time and added several officials he had helped to the position. What was the result? Even if the second-generation princes, the imperial sons-in-law, and the princesses thought they could 'threaten imperial power,' they didn't have the power to do so! They were all eliminated."
Si Zi said, "Yes!! Uncle wasn't doing this for the Emperor's good, but to eliminate dissidents. Uncle Zhang Xingcheng even resigned, and I was complaining that he was as quick as a 'delivery guy,' even though the Emperor finally persuaded him to stay, he died after only a few steps! Isn't that suspicious?? The adjutants weren't idle either, one after another they were exiled or went to see the King of Hell!"
Zi'an said helplessly, "Your Uncle Chu Suiliang is back! This is the real 'return of the old fox'! Just watch, your brother Li Zhi will eventually have to kneel down and call his uncle Changsun Wuji 'father'!"
Yonghui Si slammed his fist on the table: "How could that be? Brother Zi'an, you know perfectly well that Changsun Wuji has fallen! Let's just watch the show. Brother Zhinu is definitely a 'good emperor and a brilliant puppeteer'! He's not the kind of 'foolish emperor' who would let a living emperor be 'kept' and played by these people in the palace?! You underestimate my Brother Zhinu!!"