Chapter 463: The Debate at the Court Meeting (Part 1)

The Linde Hall in the Daming Palace was the emperor’s office in the inner palace. It had now been converted into a place for the young emperor Li Shi to study and live. As dawn broke, Empress Dowager Shen Zhenzhu entered the hall surrounded by dozens of palace maids and eunuchs. It was her son’s first day attending court, and she was extremely concerned. Since Empress Wu Zetian, the Tang Dynasty had imposed strict controls on the influence of the harem in politics. If a young emperor ascended the throne, they would prefer a regent system rather than allowing the empress dowager to rule behind the scenes. Therefore, Shen Zhenzhu was not allowed to attend court.

Entering the hall and seeing the busy atmosphere, she asked, “Is the emperor ready?”
One eunuch replied, “Your Majesty, the emperor is already dressed and is changing into his court robes.”
“I’ll go see him.”
Shen Zhenzhu entered the inner chamber. An eunuch was about to announce her arrival loudly, but she waved him off, telling him not to make a sound. She quietly approached the door and peeked inside.

Her son, the young emperor Li Shi, was sitting on a carved stool, already dressed in his court robes—a tall crown on his head, a robe embroidered with dragons, and a jade belt around his waist. He looked energetic, but his complexion was poor, his fists clenched tightly, and anger glimmered in his eyes.

Shen Zhenzhu understood immediately. She sighed softly. The day before yesterday, a rumor had spread in the palace that her husband, Li Yu, had been poisoned by the retired emperor. Upon hearing this, Li Shi rushed to see her. At first, she didn’t believe it—even a tiger wouldn’t kill its own cubs. She couldn’t imagine her father being cruel enough to poison his son. Although Li Longji had already killed four or five of his sons, she didn’t think her husband had been killed by the retired emperor.

But after questioning the eunuch who had handled her husband’s body and the two guards present, the truth gradually came to light: their husband and father had indeed been poisoned. Though there was no evidence, the suspect was clearly the retired emperor.

Hearing this truth, mother and son wept bitterly. But out of fear of Li Heng’s power, they kept their sorrow hidden, deciding to investigate the truth behind their father’s death once Li Shi came of age.

Shen Zhenzhu slowly stepped in and said gently, “Today is the day your son attends court. You should focus on state affairs and not think about other things.”
“Mother!”
Seeing his mother enter, Li Shi quickly stood up. Facing her slightly reproachful gaze, he lowered his head in shame.
“I don’t want to see that man.”

Shen Zhenzhu carefully adjusted her son’s imperial crown and comforted him, saying, “Though you are still young, you are the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, the ruler of a nation. There are many people in the world you don’t wish to meet, but you have no choice—there are many you must see. Do not let your father’s spirit in heaven be disappointed in you.”

Li Shi nodded silently. “I understand. I will surely not disappoint my father.”

“That’s right. Go now and don’t keep the ministers waiting too long.”

“Then I’ll be off first.”

Li Shi bowed, then, escorted by dozens of guards, headed toward the Hanyuan Hall in the front palace. Shen Zhenzhu watched her son’s frail figure and felt her heart ache. Once he learned the truth, with so many years ahead, she wondered how he would endure it.

…

With the third bell ringing, the August court meeting finally began. More than three thousand officials, high and low, lined up in two long rows in front of the Dragon Tail Path. Pei Min and Wang Gong, the left and right prime ministers of the Tang Dynasty, stood at the front of each row, holding their ritual tablets and standing solemnly.

The host of today’s meeting was Cui Xu, the junior supervisor of the palace. Four imperial censors were responsible for overseeing the etiquette of the officials. Seeing that the time had come, Cui Xu said to the messenger at his side, “It’s time to start.”

The messenger shouted loudly, “The time is here! All officials, enter the hall!”

The two rows of officials began to march solemnly along the Dragon Tail Path toward the Hanyuan Hall. There was complete silence, with only the sound of their boots on the ground.

The Hanyuan Hall could accommodate ten thousand people and was the largest hall in the Tang Dynasty and even in the whole world. Located on Longshouyuan, it was magnificent and vast, making people appear extremely small inside. This was why Li Longji could never forget the Hanyuan Hall—only there could the awe-inspiring presence of supreme power be displayed.

The hall was already prepared. Nearly a hundred seats were arranged in the front two rows for officials of rank three or higher. Those above rank three stood in lines behind according to their ministries. These seats were not assigned casually; there was much consideration involved. Almost every official had a corresponding civilian rank, and some high-ranking officials also held noble titles. The seating order generally started with the rank of the noble title, followed by the civilian rank, and finally the official position.

Thus, the first person on the right was the seat of Prince Zhao, Li Qing’an. The first person on the left was not Prime Minister Pei Min but Grand Tutor Zhang Yun. After that came Pei Min, Wang Gong, and others. Li Heng’s seat was on the jade steps, below the imperial throne. Long ago, when Li Heng was the crown prince, he had sat in this position. Now, his status had changed to that of regent king.

Li Heng was already seated. He smiled and nodded at Li Qing’an as a greeting, to which Li Qing’an also bowed and smiled back. Due to the distance between them, they couldn’t communicate. Li Shi had not arrived yet, and the hall was filled with murmurs as people discussed today’s agenda. Immigration and the construction of the Tang Straight Road held little interest; what they cared about were today’s personnel changes. Although the imperial edict issued last night was brief, many people had already guessed the positions that would be filled today. The positions of Right Vice Minister of War, Left Vice Minister of Works, Right Deputy Minister of the Secretariat, and Governor of Jingzhao—among these four, the Governor of Jingzhao was originally the most prominent, as it was a high-ranking position of the third rank. Former powerful chancellors like Pei Yaoqing and Yang Guozhong had once held this position, but now it had become a powerless one. The Guanzhong Army and the Anxi Army divided Guanzhong in two, while Chang’an was controlled by the Jinyiwei and Qianniuwei. In reality, the Governor of Jingzhao had no real authority; any decision had to be discussed with the military first, leaving him with no real power to act. As a result, most court officials paid little attention to this position. What they cared about were the other three vacant positions and which faction—the Prince Zhao faction or the Regent faction—would gain them. The Tang Dynasty had always had a tradition of factional struggles, such as the former Chancellor faction, the Eastern Palace faction, and the Yang faction. Now, the court was basically divided into four major factions, with the two largest being the Prince Zhao faction and the Regent faction. Each faction held half of the seats in the council, and their power in the court was roughly equal. In addition, there were the Zhang faction and the Royalist faction. The Zhang faction represented Zhang Yun’s influence, along with his family members and former students of the former chancellor Zhang Yue. Although the Zhang faction was not very powerful, its members were highly loyal and rarely bribed. In contrast to the loyalty of the Zhang faction, the Royalist faction was quite loose. They were essentially centrists who did not join any of the three factions and supported Emperor Li Shi. They had no leader or organization and mostly operated independently. The main forces within this faction included Guo Ziyi’s Guannei Shuofang Army, An Baozhen’s Yulin Army, as well as various prominent families like the Lu, Wei, and Changsun families, along with some royal relatives who had not pledged allegiance to Li Longji. Since the Prince Zhao faction and the Regent faction had only emerged recently, many people hadn’t had time to decide their stance, so their numbers were quite large, and they were collectively referred to as the Royalist faction.

Thus, the royalists also became the focus of the struggle between the Zhao King faction and the regent faction. The Wei Jiansu incident that occurred half a month ago was essentially a power struggle to gain control over the middle faction. Li Qingan was temporarily at a disadvantage. Since Wei Jiansu was captured in the Pei family, many prominent families who wanted to support Li Qingan stepped back and decided to observe the situation first. The Lu family was the most typical example; the Lu brothers never approached Li Qingan again.

Many sensible people realized that today’s court meeting was likely to be the main battlefield for the power struggle between Li Qingan and Li Heng, with the competition for three positions—Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, and Right Deputy Minister of the Secretariat—as the trigger for this conflict.

“Dang!” A bell rang from the side of the hall, and a strongman shouted loudly, “His Majesty the Emperor has arrived! All officials, silence!”

More than a hundred high-ranking officials sitting in the front row stood up, and Li Heng also stood. The hall fell dead silent as all officials turned their faces toward the dragon throne.

Groups of palace guards carrying golden melons and silver axes entered and lined up on both sides of the hall. Followed by a group of eunuchs who carried golden plates and stood on both sides of the jade steps. Finally, the young Emperor of Tang, Li Shi, entered the hall through a side door surrounded by sixteen palace maids. The maids held large round fans and yellow silk umbrellas, standing behind the dragon throne.

Li Shi took a deep breath to calm his nervousness and sat down. He had remained silent during his previous coronation ceremony, but he had to speak at today’s court meeting. His heart was pounding with anxiety.

At that moment, the three thousand court officials bowed together and said, “Your servants pay their respects to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!”

Li Heng’s slightly hoarse voice reached Li Shi’s ears. With a glance, he saw his grandfather, Li Heng, standing about twenty steps away. An intense hatred surged in his heart, replacing his nervousness. He seemed to see his father’s agony as the poison took effect and his struggles before death. He had once asked the eunuchs who handled his father’s body that his father had bled from all seven orifices, and it was likely that his intestines had also been poisoned—pain beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

Thinking of his father’s tragic death, the sorrow of losing his father, and the deep hatred for his enemy before him made Li Shi’s whole body tremble slightly.

At that moment, Li Heng also looked at him. Li Shi kept his eyes slightly closed, so Li Heng couldn’t see the uncontrollable flames of hatred in his eyes. Thinking Li Shi was just nervous, Li Heng smiled and gently reminded him, “Grandson, accept the congratulations.”

Li Shi suddenly woke up. This was not the place to show hatred; he could save his resentment for later to avenge it. At that moment, Li Shi grew mature. He hid his deep hatred deep in his heart, smiled slightly, and said to the officials, “My lords, you may rise from your bows.”
“The Emperor orders that all officials may rise from their bows.”
The officials returned to their seats, with over a hundred high-ranking officials taking their places. Then, another bell rang, and the court meeting officially began.