met free Chapter 120 Exile Map
Chapter 120 Exile Map
Little Si, the young member of the royal family, rode in a magnificent carriage and slowly returned to the resplendent palace.
Zi An, dressed in black, continued to play the role of a fake eunuch, hiding in the shadows of the deep palace.
In this game of power, Chu Suiliang, a talented minister, suffered repeated demotions.
Zi'an couldn't help but feel a deep sense of emotion. In the end, those who were upright and honest were nothing more than victims in the power struggle. No matter how outstanding their talents were, they were nothing more than cannon fodder to be sacrificed.
Even the most powerful tool is still just a tool, unable to escape the fate of being used and discarded.
At this moment, Xiao Si resembled the young and beautiful Zhen Xiao Si, and whispered to Zi An:
"Hey, our Consort Wu's ascension to the throne is, to put it bluntly, just a pawn on the 'power chessboard,' a more sophisticated variant of another kind of 'tool.' As for the tragedies of the corrupt Empress Wang and Consort Xiao, they are more like a brilliant 'killing the chicken to pacify the monkey.' The more cruel the rumors are, the more the audience believes them, believing them with trepidation and sweating with respect. That's the art of power."
Zi'an replied in a low voice, "Even so, those 'wine court nobles' and important officials haven't given up yet. They still have 'old embers' in their hearts and insist on fighting. That's why they've started 'impeaching' Li Yifu!"
Xiao Si raised an eyebrow and smiled: "You know, this Li Yifu, whose ancestral home is Raoyang, Yingzhou (Hebei), but his grandfather became a minor official in Shehong County, Zizhou, so the whole family simply moved to Yanting, Sichuan. This really confirms the fate of 'familiarity breeds contempt'."
Zi An nodded: "In the eighth year of Zhenguan (634), Li Daliang, the inspector of Jiannan Circuit, discovered that Li Yifu was quite good at writing. He thought to himself: This 'penman' has something! So he recommended him to the court."
Little Si echoed:
"Li Yifu was no slouch either. He passed the policy exam on his first try and was appointed as the 'Clerk of Ceremonies' in the Secretariat, which sounds like a pretty empty job."
However, he had powerful backers. Liu Ji and Ma Zhou both thought he was reliable, and in the blink of an eye, they promoted him to the position of Censor-in-Chief, and he also served as a part-time attendant to Prince Li Zhi of Jin. This immediately elevated his status.
Zi An chuckled:
"That's right. When Prince Li Zhi of Jin was later made Crown Prince, our Li Yifu also rose in rank. He became a Crown Prince's attendant and even got into the Chongxian Hall as a scholar. It was like a double blessing."
The little ox stuck out its tongue:
"Everyone says this person is really good at flattering, but that also requires talent!"
I heard he wrote an essay called "Chenghua Zhen," the words of which were incredibly beautiful. When Emperor Taizong of Tang saw it, Li Shimin was overjoyed. Not only did he reward him with forty bolts of silk, but he also commissioned him to co-author the "Book of Jin." What a capable man!
Zi'an laughed so hard his shoulders shook:
"The key is that Li Yifu has the spirit of 'climbing the vine'! In the 23rd year of Zhenguan (649), Emperor Taizong passed away and Li Zhi ascended the throne. As a 'former official of the Eastern Palace,' Li Yifu was immediately promoted and given a raise, becoming a Zhongshu Sheren (a high-ranking official in charge of drafting imperial edicts) and also compiling the national history. He took a steady step!"
Little Si shrugged:
"However, this man became too ambitious. In the sixth year of Yonghui (655), he accidentally offended Changsun Wuji and was about to be demoted to the position of 'Sima of Bizhou'."
Before the imperial decree was even issued, he panicked and went to Wang Dejian for help.
Zi'an raised an eyebrow:
Who is Wang Dejian?
Xu Jingzong's nephew! This man's advice is ruthless: "Consort Wu is at the peak of her power. His Majesty wants to make her empress, but he's afraid of the ministers' gossip and is just looking for an opportunity. If you dare to offer your advice, this disaster can turn into a blessing."
Little Si laughed heartily:
Upon hearing this, Li Yifu exclaimed, "Oh, this is a great idea!" So he simply "took over" the duty and submitted a memorial, "strongly suggesting that the empress be deposed and a Zhaoyi be established."
His Majesty was delighted and not only rescinded the demotion order but also rewarded her with a bushel of jewels! With this, Consort Wu successfully rose to power, and Li Yifu became Empress Wu's confidant. Wasn't that a brilliant move?
Zi An sneered: "What's so exciting about it? Later, he got involved with Xu Jingzong, Wang Dejian and his gang. It was a case of 'the whole family rising to power.' Every upright official was executed."
The two exchanged a glance, their smiles tinged with helplessness, as if they both understood something, or perhaps they simply didn't want to dwell on the complex power struggles.
Zi'an patted the saddle and laughed, "After thinking about it all this time, history doesn't seem that interesting. Let's hurry up and go ride horses!"
Xiao Si smiled and nodded quickly:
"That's right! Let history and the vortex of power go to hell! Riding horses is the real business. Let's ride to our hearts' content today and ride our way to 'freedom'!"
Zi'an flicked the reins, and the horse immediately galloped up, kicking up a cloud of dust.
As Zi'an rode along, he said cheerfully:
"You know, this power struggle is just a big-scale drama. We can just be bystanders, 'pop' out of the view, change the channel, and go horseback riding instead!"
Xiao Si spurred his horse forward, and the horse, as if receiving a command, immediately leaped up.
“That’s right! If history could ride a horse, it wouldn’t be so heavy! I want to ride like the wind, who cares about ‘prime minister’ or ‘power’, let it all go!”
The two looked at each other and then burst into laughter.
The horses' hooves galloped rapidly across the grass, as if two hearts were soaring freely with them.
Zi Anbian laughed and said, "This horse runs fast, faster than those historical figures 'rise' in rank. At least for now, no one can 'suppress' us."
Xiao Si immediately smiled at Zi An and said, "That's right! No matter what 'Emperor Gaozong,' 'Emperor Changsun,' or 'Li Yifu,' let's ride horses to our hearts' content today! History doesn't allow people to be free, so let's add a 'free travel' to our own lives! Let's go!"
At his command, the horse immediately accelerated and galloped swiftly into the distance.
Looking at the little ox beside her, Zi'an felt a sense of relief, released all restraints, and ran with the wind.
Xiao Si had special equipment. She gently patted the horse's back, and the horse's hooves kicked up dust as they trod through the mud. The horse's neck trembled slightly, rising and falling with the rhythm of the story.
As Zi'an rode along, he said in a low voice, "The Emperor has always protected Li Yifu. Not only that, Wang Yifang, who dared to impeach him, was also 'preferentially' sent to Laizhou. It's true that 'the nail that sticks out never gets a good ending'."
Xiao Si rode steadily, gently flicked the reins, and the horse leaped up, seemingly displaying its untamed nature even before he finished speaking.
"The Emperor always favored Li Yifu without reservation, and Wang Yifang, who impeached Li Yifu, was also demoted to Laizhou for the crime of insulting a minister."
“Both of them had the word ‘righteousness’ in their names,” he smiled. “And what happened? One ‘righteousness’ propelled him to great heights, while the other ‘righteousness’ brought him crashing down.” The sound of horses’ hooves echoed across the open plains, as if responding to his words.
Zi'an couldn't help but chuckle: "In this world, the 'early bird' always gets its comeuppance. Look at Han Yuan, wasn't he also an 'early bird'? He wrote a letter to plead for Chu Suiliang, and wasn't he another innocent bird that 'flew high'?"
Xiao Si narrowed its eyes, glancing at the mountain range ahead. The continuous mountain ranges there resembled a long river of history, appearing blurry and indistinct in the distance.
"Han Yuan is a real scapegoat. She's been exceptionally clever since childhood and knows everything. She's like a jack-of-all-trades." He gently lifted the saddle, and the horse took light steps, crossing a meadow.
"Han Yuan's meteoric rise from being both a scholar and a warrior to becoming prime minister was practically a story of ascension to power."
Zi'an raised an eyebrow, slowed down his horse, and rode alongside Xiao Si.
"He rose so quickly, but ended up becoming a supporter of Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang in the struggle to depose the empress. In the end, Wu Zetian successfully staged a comeback. He really did 'fly high and fall hard'."
He gently stroked the horse's mane, and the sound of its hooves grew louder and louder in the quiet valley, as if cheering on this historical upheaval.
Xiao Si laughed: "Even if you 'fly to the sky,' you still have to 'fall down.'"
Look at Han Yuan, in the end he defended Chu Suiliang and submitted a memorial to resign, his heart was really as sorrowful as a 'bitter gourd'.
However, the emperor's order, "No!" came down sharply, infuriating him. As he spoke, he patted the horse's belly, and the horse quickened its pace.
Zi'an's horse leaped into the air, the dust it kicked up scattering like fragments of history, its deep voice carrying a hint of humor:
“If this happened now, it would be made into a ‘TV series’ called ‘Who Dares to Resign’! You see, no matter how steadily Han Yuan rides, she can’t withstand the pressure of the words ‘who dares’.”
He glanced down at each firm step of the horse's hooves, realizing that he too was walking down that irreversible path of history.
The two rode their horses at full gallop, the sound of their hooves gradually fading into the distance.
The scenery before them was beautiful, but their conversation still revealed a deep sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex feeling of mixed emotions, often including regret or sadness). The wheels of history may have already crushed the fates of those people, and they could only follow along, enduring the wind and sun.
The political landscape of the imperial court remains unchanged.
That day, an official suddenly stepped forward to exonerate Liu Ji, directly targeting Chu Suiliang, implying, "Your Majesty, why don't you reconsider?"
Emperor Li Zhi was listening, though he had something on his mind, but on the surface he looked like he was saying, "Go on, I'm listening."
Censor Yue Yanwei quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Your Majesty, Liu Ji's case was established by the late Emperor. Overturning the verdict requires careful consideration!"
Li Zhi nodded, thinking there was some truth to what he said, but Chu Suiliang, who was "smilingly taking the blame," never expected that the emperor's decree would send him directly to Guizhou.
What is this? Guizhou is a remote rear area far from the imperial court; anyone who goes there will find it easy to escape the heat. Although Chu Suiliang stroked his beard and snorted twice in anger, he knew in his heart that the emperor might have noticed something was wrong and was sending him to lay low for a while.
But could they really hide from the storm? Just a few days later, Han Yuan and Lai Ji got into trouble again!
What were they accused of? They were even said that after Chu Suiliang went to Guizhou, he still wanted to "take command of the military," making it seem like he was about to stage a grand drama of "plotting a rebellion"!
Upon hearing this, the emperor exclaimed, "This won't do! This is intolerable!" and promptly activated the "map exile" mode.
Han Yuan, exile to Sanya, go and "face the sea, where spring is warm and flowers are in bloom"!
If you come to Jinan and are exiled to Taizhou, go to the seaside to enjoy the scenery and soothe your soul!
Chu Suiliang was sent directly to Aizhou, which is in modern Vietnam, far from the core area, and absolutely safe!
Liu Shi didn't escape either; he was assigned to Xiangzhou.
The Emperor's logic is clear—you troublesome people cannot be kept around in important places.
This massive exile operation actually revealed the underlying strategy long ago—the removal of Empress Wang and the installation of Wu Zetian as empress was Li Zhi's "grand move".
As for Changsun Wuji, well, seeing that things weren't going well, he had already "sensibly" disappeared and stopped running around.
Ultimately, the situation was settled, and the powerful figures who once held sway were dismantled one by one. The court was less infighting, but it had a more "harem-centric" feel to it.
The corner of the chessboard was basically left scattered like this.