The Son of Princess-Regent Taiping

Opinion pieces

In the presence of four individuals in the palace: Princess Taiping and her mother, along with two Prime Ministers. Apart from Xue Chongxun, the other three appeared to be in high spirits.

Princess Taiping was dignified and composed, Dou Huaiwen was carefree in his manner, and Xiao Zhizhong was calm and composed.Recently, Princess Taiping was sent to Puzhou, which was a great humiliation for her. However, upon her return, the situation has now turned in her favor. The four Prime Ministers who supported the Crown Prince have been either exiled or secretly promoted. Princess Taiping now holds five Prime Ministers and controls most of the court's power, possessing immense influence. Although the Crown Prince is still nominally in charge of the country, he is powerless to command anyone.

"How is the Crown Prince's side handling things? Haha, it's laughable. This morning, a minor official named Wang Ju, ranked ninth, came to the Lide Hall to thank the Crown Prince for bringing him out of the martial world and making him an official..." Dou Huaiwen couldn't help but burst into laughter, "What do you think happened next, Princess?"

Dou Huaiwen then immediately performed on the spot, imitating the character Wang Ju as if he had just arrived at the palace, bowing and straightening his back, and waving his arms dramatically. It was as if the Emperor himself had arrived, and he walked back and forth on the floor in a comical manner.Seeing Dou Huaiwen's comedic performance, a smile also appeared on the Princess's face.

Seeing the Princess happy, Dou Huaiwen felt even better and performed even more vigorously, even mastering the tone of his speech. Suddenly, he bent down and pretended to bow and kowtow, his voice sharp and his face contorted, saying, "What are you doing, Your Highness? You're still in the back, don't you understand proper etiquette?"

Everyone knew that Dou Huaiwen was imitating an eunuch at this moment. Then Dou Huaiwen coughed and walked over to the other side, immediately looking up and looking down from above, speaking in a commanding tone, "Your Highness? Who is Your Highness? Are you talking about Princess Taiping, the Empress Dowager of the Nation? In the entire world today, only Princess Taiping remains."

After the performance, both the Princess and Xiao Zhizhong laughed heartily, and Xue Chongxun also showed a slight smile, although it was not pleasant. His face was smiling, but his eyes still bore a heavy burden.

Princess Taiping said with a smile, "This Wang Ju, he's just tired of being an underling and wants to provoke the Crown Prince to seek favor, such treacherous individuals are not to be trusted."

Dou Huaiwen replied, "That's right, but I don't think Wang Ju is lying. In today's court, who cares about the Crown Prince?"Just then, Xiao Zhizhong stroked his beard and said, "Under the sun, storms are hidden. The Crown Prince is currently at a disadvantage, but we cannot be complacent. I am here today to see the Princess because of this matter..."After saying this, he glanced at Xue Chongxun, who was not speaking much.

Seeing this, Princess Taiping said, "Go ahead and speak, Chongxun is my son; there's nothing to consider."

Hearing this, Xiao Zhizhong said solemnly, "The Crown Prince has a very dangerous ally, the Imperial Guards!"

Upon hearing this, Princess Taiping raised her eyebrows slightly, clearly moved. She had carried out several coups and was familiar with these tactics, so she naturally understood the importance of the Imperial Guards in extreme situations.

Xiao Zhizhong continued, "General Zhang Wei of the 'Ten Thousand Cavalry' is actually a local strongman, completely promoted by the Crown Prince. Without a doubt, Zhang Wei is one of the Crown Prince's men. Keeping this person in the Imperial Guards is highly inappropriate; also, several middle and lower-ranking generals who followed the Crown Prince during the Tang Long coup (the coup that overthrew Empress Wei) are still in the Ten Thousand Cavalry. If they align their actions, won't the Ten Thousand Cavalry have to listen to the Crown Prince?"

Princess Taiping said, "You're right, but we can't be too aggressive now; we need to be steady rather than rushed. The Crown Prince recently took the initiative to submit a memorial to me, asking me to return to the capital from Puzhou, hoping to ease the situation proactively; after my return, I also refused to mention the matter of abolishing the elder and establishing the younger. That's why we have such a favorable situation today. Do you know why?"

At this moment, Dou Huaiwen showed eagerness and immediately took over the conversation, saying, "In my opinion, the current Emperor feels that the Crown Prince's achievements are too great, his power too strong, and the throne is not secure enough, so he wants to use Princess Taiping to balance the Crown Prince... When the current Emperor appointed the Crown Prince last year, he nominated Prince Li Chengqi of Yongping (the eldest son), asking the ministers to discuss it, which shows that he had anticipated this situation as early as when he first ascended the throne. Since the current Emperor has such thoughts, balance is what he seeks. If the situation becomes too tense, it will be detrimental to Princess Taiping."

Xiao Zhizhong also expressed agreement, nodding, "My view is the same as that of Prime Minister Dou. The current Emperor is both wary of the Crown Prince and tries to protect him, because he does not want the country to experience turmoil again, nor does he want the repetition of the great achievements of Emperor Taizong. If we show too much strength and come to the point where we can completely control the Crown Prince, we must be wary that the current Emperor may prioritize the overall situation over his own power, for the stability of the court, and abandon his own authority, directly pushing the Crown Prince onto the throne. That would be very detrimental to us."

Xiao Zhizhong also said, "Although so, the Imperial Guards' Ten Thousand Cavalry must not fall into the hands of the Crown Prince; it would be too dangerous for us. My suggestion is to seek victory in stability and try to remove Zhang Wei and others in a legitimate manner."

Princess Taiping asked, "Does Prime Minister Xiao have a clever strategy?"

"This..." Xiao Zhizhong seemed a bit embarrassed, "I haven't thought of a foolproof plan."

Princess Taiping looked at Dou Huaiwen, who also said, "Today, when I met with Princess Taiping, it was like always. After my shift, I took the opportunity to walk around, unlike Prime Minister Xiao, who does not visit the palace without a good reason."

"There's no problem, this matter should be considered carefully and discussed first," Princess Taiping said calmly. At this moment, she noticed that Xue Chongxun seemed to have something to say, so she paused for a moment, waiting to hear his opinion, but Xue Chongxun ultimately did not interject. Princess Taiping then stood up: "Let's call it today. You all go home first."

So Xiao Zhizhong and Dou Huaiwen both bowed and said, "We take our leave."

Xue Chongxun followed his mother out of the front hall and walked into the corridor of the courtyard when Princess Taiping suddenly stopped and looked at the sky, saying, "It's been a long time since it rained, and I didn't notice it today." As she spoke, she gently waved her hand without looking back, and the eunuchs and servants who were following knew to retreat appropriately and stood far away.

"Did you want to say something in the Great Hall just now, or was it because they were present and it was inconvenient for them to speak?" Princess Taiping still looked at the rain curtain.

Xue Chongxun said, "The two Prime Ministers and my mother advance and retreat together, and there's nothing much to hide from them. I do have something to say, but I hesitated to say it because I was reluctant to miss the opportunity to have dinner with my mother tonight... Mother, I don't remember when I last had dinner with you..." As he spoke, Xue Chongxun's voice seemed somewhat unusual.

Princess Taiping felt his emotions and was also moved, she asked, "Are you trying to say something that will make me unhappy?"

"I'm afraid so," Xue Chongxun remembered the last time he came to see his mother with his second brother, and they should have had dinner together then. This time... however, the difference is that his advice to his mother this time should not arouse suspicion or punishment.

Princess Taiping was silent for a moment and said, "Go ahead, are you advising me not to deal with the Crown Prince?" If Xue Chongxun's advice was the same as Xue Erlang's, Princess Taiping would also think that their starting point was different.

Unexpectedly, Xue Chongxun said, "No. My suggestion is exactly the opposite... to kill the Crown Prince!"

"c***k!" Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in the sky, followed by a thunderous roar, without warning, Princess Taiping was startled and frightened, her shoulder shaking, and her face changing. However, Xue Chongxun remained unchanged, emotionless, and said in a deep voice, "Do everything possible to kill the Crown Prince; nothing else will work, only by killing him will it be of any use."

Xue Chongxun originally wanted to use the term "unrestrained means," but after considering it, he changed his tune.

Princess Taiping turned her head to look at his face, clearly surprised and puzzled, because killing the Crown Prince was not easy. The Crown Prince had six personal guard units of the Eastern Palace to protect him, and it was probably only through a palace coup that he could be placed in an death situation.

Xue Chongxun said, "The two Prime Ministers said they want to deal with Zhang Wei, so what if Zhang Wei is eliminated? On the surface, both the court and the army are under my mother's control, can we be so carefree? Initially, Empress Wei controlled the entire court, and all the military generals were her confidants, even mobilizing 60,000 imperial troops to protect the capital. As a result, the beautiful dream lasted only about ten days."

It wasn't that Xue Chongxun's political acumen was much stronger than Princess Taiping's. Princess Taiping had been involved in politics all her life, with rich experience and proper means. Xue Chongxun might not be as good as his mother, but the conclusion he reached was a premonition of Emperor Li Longji's power, which could be described as against the heavens.

Historically, the famous Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was quite a great man in the early days, his strongest qualities being courage and magnanimity. However, his tragic end was due to the fact that a man of advanced years had enjoyed many years of peace and his fighting spirit and boldness had been almost worn down.

Princess Taiping did not fly into a rage, nor did she immediately sneer at him. She bowed her head in thought. Xue Chongxun's advice had a certain effect; if it weren't for the bad things he had carefully done before, Princess Taiping probably wouldn't have taken it seriously, or even suspected it.

"Do you mean that if we force the Crown Prince to the brink, he will resort to extreme measures?" Princess Taiping pondered for a long time before saying.

Xue Chongxun nodded and said, "Mother understands the nature of the Crown Prince, there is a possibility, but that's not the most dangerous part, because the current Emperor is still on the throne. Out of affection for his family and his own power, he will help Mother at critical moments, and the Crown Prince's chance of successfully jumping over the wall when cornered is not great. The most dangerous thing is that once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, we will truly be powerless and could die without a place to rest our bones... I am not a Prime Minister and cannot participate in court affairs, but I heard that the current Emperor once mentioned the matter of abdication, but because Mother and the ministers were too opposed, it was abandoned. Therefore, it is possible for the Crown Prince to ascend the throne soon, it is entirely up to the current Emperor to decide, and what's worse is that the current Emperor often hesitates in his actions, we cannot pin our fate on him."