[Romantic Anecdotes of the Tang Dynasty Court] [82] [Author: Xu Xiaotian]

page views:1 Publication date:2023-03-24

Chapter 82: Wu Guojiu Eliminates the Great Villain, the Little Princess Marries the Madman.
After Yuan Zai killed Li Shaoliang, Shaoliang's friend Wei Song and the Palace Attendant Censor Lu Yan petitioned the palace for justice; both were captured by Yuan Zai's orders and thrown into the death row.
Wei and Lu, filled with rage, committed suicide by banging their heads against the wall. Emperor Daizong, upon learning of this, was filled with resentment, but having been controlled by Yuan Zai, he dared not retaliate immediately. Suddenly remembering Li Qiyun, the Inspector of Zhejiang West, a loyal and upright official, he secretly issued an edict summoning Qiyun to the capital and appointing him as Censor-in-Chief. After assuming office, Qiyun immediately discovered that Xu Hao and Xue Yong, the Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel, Du Jixu, the Prefect of the Capital, and Yu Shao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, were all Yuan Zai's cronies, dedicated to deceiving the emperor and selling official positions. Qiyun impeached them, and they were all dismissed from their posts. Yuan Zai deeply resented Li Qiyun and conspired with his cronies to frame him. A few days later, Li Qiyun died at home without apparent illness. Many rumors circulated that Li Qiyun had been poisoned by a close confidant at Yuan Zai's behest. Emperor Daizong was also deeply saddened and suspicious, but Yuan Zai had many cronies in court, and he couldn't immediately obtain concrete evidence, so he had to remain silent. However, seeing Li Qiyun's death, Yuan Zai became even more reckless and arrogant. Emperor Daizong was thus filled with worry and constantly frowned.
On this day, General Wu Zhen, the Left General of the Golden Guard, entered the palace to pay homage to Emperor Daizong. Seeing the Emperor's worried expression and noticing no one around, he whispered, "The greatest threat to our rule now lies with Yuan Zai alone. Is Your Majesty troubled by this man?" Emperor Daizong sighed deeply and said, "The neglect of state affairs is entirely my fault; Yuan Zai's audacity and recklessness are also due to my indulgence. Now, it is difficult to eliminate him!" This General Wu was the younger brother of Empress Zhangjing, and thus Emperor Daizong's uncle-nephew; he was known for his loyalty to the country, and the emperor and his minister were on good terms. General Wu's words had touched the Emperor's heart. The two secretly discussed the matter in the palace until late into the night before leaving.
The next day, General Wu secretly summoned Liu Yan, the Minister of Personnel; Li Han, the Grand Censor; Xiao Xin, the Attendant Gentleman of the Palace; and Chang Yan, the Vice Minister of Rites. Sadly, at this time, only these five or six officials remained who were considered upright in the court! General Wu, acting on a secret instruction from Emperor Daizong, was discussing state affairs with five or six loyal ministers in the southern study of the palace. Suddenly, a burly man burst into the room; everyone was startled, and a dozen eyes turned to him. The man, his face veiled in black, stood silently at the entrance. General Wu, sword in hand, shouted, "Who goes there?" The man removed his veil, causing everyone in the room to kneel in panic, shouting, "Long live the Emperor!" It turned out that the burly man was none other than Emperor Daizong himself. Seeing the urgency of the situation, he disguised himself as a palace guard, slipped out of the palace, mounted a black horse, and galloped to the residence of the Emperor's brother-in-law. He dismounted and rushed inside. The residence was guarded by family retainers; with the secret meeting taking place, security was even tighter. Seeing the guard enter, they all rushed forward to stop him. The imperial guard raised the small red flag he was carrying, and the palace servants, knowing it was a secret envoy from the palace, made way for him. In the Tang Dynasty, when the emperor needed to summon his ministers for confidential matters, he would send a secret envoy from the palace, carrying a small red flag with a golden seal as proof. Who would have thought that today's envoy was none other than Emperor Daizong himself?
He then invited the ministers to sit down and angrily declared: "Last night, a eunuch learned that Yuan Zai and Wang Jin are plotting a rebellion. For days, Yuan Zai has been gathering his followers at his private residence under the guise of nighttime revelry, secretly plotting an uprising. Now that the imperial guards are in Yuan Zai's hands, he will command them to besiege the palace day and night, intending to kidnap me and take me west, using the emperor to command the officials.
All of you ministers are loyal and righteous; how can you stand idly by and watch these treacherous officials destroy the Li family's dynasty?" Hearing Emperor Daizong's words, the ministers all showed expressions of grief and indignation: some sighed in despair, others slammed their fists on the table and cursed. In the room, the emperor and his ministers forgot all about etiquette; they were in turmoil for a long time but could not come up with a plan.
After a long silence, a strong man dressed as a warrior entered the room. When everyone looked at him, General Wu recognized him as Yu Long, the head of the guards in the mansion, and ordered him to leave. Unexpectedly, Yu Long seemed not to have heard his master's words. He rushed forward a few steps, knelt down in front of his master, and said, "If His Majesty is in trouble, the blame lies with you, my lord; if you are in trouble, the blame lies with me. Today, the situation is urgent, but I have a plan." General Wu asked, "What plan do you have? Tell me quickly!" Yu Long, still crawling on the ground, said, "I think that Yuan Zai, that treacherous villain, is usually audacious and reckless; but there is one person who is his trusted henchman." General Wu said, "Who is it? Tell me.
" Yu Long said, "It is Dong Xiu, the Left Guard General and the Director of the Inner Palace." Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was astonished. It turned out that Dong Xiu was the commander of the Imperial Guards; he was always by the emperor's side, and Emperor Daizong regarded him as a confidant. Now, hearing that this man was an accomplice of a treacherous minister was truly unexpected. General Wu, however, did not believe him and said, "Do you have any evidence?" Yu Long replied, "I have a sworn brother named Chang Sheng; he is the head guard of Dong Xiu's household. He has seen all the comings and goings of Dong Xiu's master and Yuan Zai. Now, Yuan Zai and Dong Xiu's movements are becoming increasingly frequent, and Chang Sheng has been listening carefully. He is also indignant and came to tell me that he intends to resign from his position as head guard to avoid confusion if things go wrong in the future. I advised him to be patient..." " Now that Your Majesty has spoken, I dare to speak.
I intend to summon Chang Sheng and ask Your Majesty to discuss with him what brilliant plan we may have; if we can capture Dong Xiu today, we will have nothing to fear." Upon hearing Yu Long's words, Emperor Daizong couldn't help but say, "Good! Go quickly and summon Chang Sheng, then have him capture Dong Xiu; after this, I will reward you handsomely." Seeing that His Majesty had spoken to him, Yu Long hurriedly kowtowed in gratitude and retreated out.
General Wu advised Emperor Daizong, "Today's situation is extremely dangerous. Since Your Majesty has already left the palace, it is not advisable to return immediately. Please stay at my residence for a few days until the traitor is captured, then we will escort Your Majesty back to the palace." The other ministers also agreed, and General Wu prepared a bedroom in the Southern Study for the emperor to stay in. He also kept the ministers at his residence to accompany him and discuss confidential matters. Yu Long left and didn't return until evening, causing General Wu great concern.
Seeing the lights already on in the house, he suddenly heard a commotion outside. He saw Yu Long and Chang Sheng dragging the Left Guard General Dong Xiu into the hall. Dong Xiu was on his way to a secret meeting with Yuan Zai, but the guard captain Chang Sheng had already conspired with Yu Long and secretly arranged with his soldiers. As Dong Xiu left and passed the gate of General Wu's residence, the guards drove his carriage straight into the gate. Dong Xiu, sitting in the carriage, was greatly surprised and repeatedly questioned them. Chang Sheng grabbed him by the chest and dragged him out of the carriage; Yu Long also helped, and the two of them, pulling and shoving, went straight into General Wu's hall.
Dong Xiu's clothes were disheveled and his hat askew, and Dong Xiu roared loudly. Just then, Wu Zhen, holding an imperial edict, strode out of the hall and loudly proclaimed, "Dong Xiu, listen to the decree!" At this point, Dong Xiu dared not resist and could only turn and kneel. The edict stated: "Yuan Zai is plotting rebellion, and Dong Xiu has long been his ally. He is hereby ordered to be arrested by General Wu Zhen of the Left Golden Guard and severely interrogated." Dong Xiu, upon hearing the edict, continued to ramble on and on. General Wu simply shouted, "Search!" Four warriors rushed forward, seized Dong Xiu's hands, and searched him thoroughly, finding nothing of value. They then removed his gauze hat and carefully examined his hair, but found nothing suspicious. General Wu then ordered his boots to be removed, and sure enough, a scroll of documents was found hidden in the boot hem. General Wu took it and examined it; it was a case file detailing Yuan Zai and Wang Jin's secret plot to rebel. The edict clearly stated the date of the rebellion, the number of armies besieging the palace, and the capture of imperial relatives and ministers. General Wu, upon reading it, was enraged. He placed the edict high on a table beside him and sat down before it. Warriors pushed Dong Xiu to kneel beneath the table. A shout rang out: "Strike!" Large sticks and small clubs rained down on Dong Xiu. Dong Xiu endured the pain without uttering a sound. General Wu, increasingly furious, ordered the traitor stripped naked and whipped. Dong Xiu, a true iron man, was beaten until his skin was torn and bleeding, rolling on the ground, gritting his teeth, refusing to utter a sound of pain or utter a word. General Wu, seeing no other solution, waited for Yu Long, who had been watching, to devise a plan. He whispered something in his lord's ear. General Wu nodded, and Yu Long went to the kitchen to fetch a large bucket of brine, which he then poured over Dong Xiu. The newly torn flesh, once touched by brine, caused excruciating pain; even the strongest man couldn't help but cry out.
He exclaimed, "The official is willing to confess!" General Wu immediately obtained a confession. It turned out that Yuan Zai and Dong Xiu had agreed to start their rebellion on the first day of the third month of the twelfth year of the Dali era. Dong Xiu led the Imperial Guards, acting as an inside agent within the palace; Yuan Zai also colluded with Wang Jin to mobilize troops from the four cities to surround the capital
. When Emperor Daizong heard that his trusted confidant Dong Xiu had indeed become an inside agent for the traitor, he was furious and personally went to the main hall. Dong Xiu, seeing the Emperor above, was terrified and prostrated himself on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy. Emperor Daizong vented his anger on Dong Xiu, ordering Chang Sheng and Yu Long to beat him to death with clubs in the hall. He then issued an edict appointing Wu Zhen, the Left General of the Golden Guard, to concurrently command the Imperial Guards; that very night, a thousand soldiers were mustered and secretly surrounded Yuan Zai's residence. With a shout, they rushed inside. General Wu, sword in hand, took the lead. After hearing Dong Xiu's confession, he learned they were all gathered in Cuixiu Pavilion. He led over a hundred warriors towards the pavilion, while the rest of his soldiers fought with the guards of the mansion. The mansion originally had three hundred guards, and the two sides engaged in a fierce battle in pairs along the corridors and corners. General Wu ignored them and hurriedly went to find Yuan Zai and his group.
However, when he rushed into Cuixiu Pavilion, not a single one remained. General Wu knew they had hidden in the back garden, so he rushed in and searched separately. Sure enough, they were found one by one in the bushes and in the rock caves. Wu Zhen recognized them as officials of the court; he found five, but Yuan Zai and Wang Jin were nowhere to be seen. General Wu searched around again, and looking up, he saw a man in a red robe climbing the wall, trying to escape. General Wu sprang forward, grabbed the man's robe, and pulled him to the ground. It was none other than Wang Jin, the Chancellor. General Wu demanded, "Where is that traitor Yuan Zai hiding?" Wang Jin remained silent. General Wu placed his sword against Wang Jin's neck, and Wang Jin, frightened, pointed to the wall and said, "He's escaped over the wall." General Wu merely smiled and didn't pursue him. He grabbed Wang Jin by the collar and led him back to the hall.
The three hundred guards in the mansion had all been captured alive or killed by the Imperial Guards; the courtyard was littered with corpses. General Wu inspected the officials and found eight captured. He ordered his guards to use a long rope to tie the eight officials together. Just as they finished binding them, twenty or thirty Imperial Guards, who had already captured Yuan Zai, bound him like a dumpling, and carried him to the hall on a large pole. Upon seeing Wu Zhen, Yuan Zai cried out, "Imperial Uncle, please do me a favor and loosen the bonds!" It turned out that General Wu had already laid an ambush outside the back garden wall; Yuan Zai easily escaped over the wall. At that moment, Yuan Zai kept calling out, "Imperial Uncle, save me!" but General Wu ignored him. The Imperial Guards, who had brought over a dozen cages, carried them over and stuffed Yuan Zai into them. A large contingent of soldiers escorted him to the Hall of State Affairs.
The next day, Emperor Daizong issued an edict ordering Wu Zhen, the Left General of the Golden Guard, along with Liu Yan, the Minister of Personnel, Li Han, the Grand Censor, Xiao Xin, the Attendant Gentleman of the Palace, and Chang Yan, the Vice Minister of Rites, to conduct a public trial. Yuan Zai
and Wang Zhi, at this point, had no way to deny their crimes and had to confess. The officials in charge of the trial dared not be negligent and reported the facts truthfully. The imperial edict arrived, ordering the executioners to supervise Yuan Zai and order him to commit suicide.
Yuan Zai was even more greedy and wicked than Yu Chaoen; he exploited his colleagues, and everyone hated him. Now, seeing the imperial decree ordering his execution, everyone felt a sense of satisfaction. When Yuan Zai was about to be executed, he begged for a quick death, but the executioner sneered, "You, sir, have ruled for twenty years, wielding immense power and influence; today you fall into my hands, but Heaven's net is vast, and though its meshes are wide, nothing escapes it. You have humiliated many people daily; a little humiliation today is nothing to worry about!" With that, he took off his soiled socks and stuffed them into Yuan Zai's mouth, then slowly strangled him. His body was thrown to the foot of the Hall of State Affairs, exposed for three days, allowing the people to watch and trample on it. Yuan Zai's wife, Wang, was the daughter of Wang Zhongsi, the former military governor of Hexi. She was arrogant, extravagant, and shrewish; she bore three sons: the eldest named Bohe, the second Zhongwu, and the youngest Jineng, none of whom amounted to anything. Bohe was appointed a military advisor, and Zhongwu an assistant minister. Ji Neng was appointed as a proofreader; however, he abused his power, indulging in greed, lewdness, and corruption. He built two mansions in the capital, one in the north and one in the south, amassed numerous concubines, and kept many actors, indulging in sensual pleasures and extravagant lifestyles. By this time, Yuan Zai was already dead. An imperial edict ordered the execution of Yuan Zai's wife and children, and the confiscation of his property, amounting to tens of thousands of taels of silver. Even a single item like beans, worth as much as eight hundred shi (a unit of dry measure), was distributed among the officials of the Secretariat, Chancellery, and other departments. Wang Jin was originally to be executed, but Liu Yan petitioned that the law should distinguish between those who led and those who followed; therefore, Wang Jin was demoted to the position of Prefect of Kuozhou. The Vice Minister of Personnel Yang Yan, the Grand Counselors Han Hui and Bao Ji, the Imperial Diarist Han Hui, and other officials, all arrested at Yuan Zai's home, were demoted accordingly. Only Zhuo Yingqian and his group of six officials, whose crimes were considered serious, were immediately beaten to death with rods in the Hall of State Affairs. Yingqian's younger brother, Yinglin, lived in Jinzhou and was a local tyrant. He had befriended a group of vagrants, and upon learning of his brother's execution, he instigated a rebellion. He was surrounded and captured by troops led by Sun Daoping, the prefect of Jinzhou. His head was immediately beheaded, and the news was reported to the capital. Emperor Daizong, still enraged, sent an imperial envoy to Yuanzai's hometown to exhume Yuanzai's ancestral tombs. From his grandfather down, all the coffins were destroyed, the corpses were dismembered, the ancestral temple was leveled, and the wooden tablets were burned. Only then did Emperor Daizong's anger subside.
Historically, eunuchs and military officials in the court invariably formed alliances with local warlords. The An Lushan Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, and the scourge of these warlords, began from this point. At that time, both Emperor Suzong and Emperor Daizong were preoccupied with palace turmoil and had no time to attend to the border regions. Although the An Lushan Rebellion had been quelled, its remnants still existed. The four garrisons in Hebei, all former subordinates of An Lushan, held their own followers and gradually became arrogant. Li Huaixian, the military governor of Lulong, was violent and tyrannical. He was killed by Zhu Xicai, the military commissioner of Youzhou, and declared himself acting governor. Emperor Daizong, indecisive and prone to appeasement, retained Xicai as military governor. Huaixian's subordinates, dissatisfied, killed Xicai again and elected Zhu Ci, the military commissioner, as marshal. Daizong, yielding to his subordinates' wishes, appointed Zhu Ci as military governor. At that time, Xue Song, the military governor of Xiang and Wei prefectures, died of illness. His son, Ping, was only twelve years old. The soldiers elected him to succeed his father; Ping then relinquished the position to his uncle, Xue E, and fled home to mourn his father. Xue E then declared himself acting governor, and Daizong, unable to stop him, could only let things take their course.
Among them, Tian Chengsi, the military governor of Weibo, was the most arrogant, openly building shrines for An Lushan and Shi Siming, calling them the Four Saints. He then submitted a memorial requesting to be appointed prime minister. Emperor Daizong sent an envoy to comfort him, ordering him to destroy the shrine to the Four Saints, and then appointed him as a co-prime minister. Tian Chengsi had a son named Hua, who was even more lewd and wicked. Relying on his father's power, he exclusively raped respectable women in Wei and Bo prefectures. Some of the women, after being raped, committed suicide out of shame, while others made a scene at the military governor's office. When Tian Chengsi saw women causing a scene at the office, he ordered the guards to beat them to death with clubs. These pitiful women suffered needlessly, losing their lives in vain! Their fathers and brothers were so frightened that they hid at home, and no one dared to utter a word of dissent. Tian Hua's lust grew bolder and bolder. If he saw any wives or children of his subordinates who were somewhat presentable, he would forcibly take them; the soldiers all dared to be angry but dared not speak out. One of Emperor Daizong's princesses, Yongle, was very beautiful; Tian Hua had seen her once when he was young, accompanying his father to the palace. His lustful nature was innate from childhood, and even now, he still couldn't forget Princess Yongle. When Emperor Daizong sent an envoy to persuade Tian Chengsi to destroy the Four Saints Shrine, Chengsi submitted a memorial proposing a marriage for his son, Tian Hua. Emperor Daizong, wanting to subdue Tian Chengsi, actually married his beloved Princess Yongle to Chengsi's son, Tian Hua.
This Tian Hua was violent and, relying on his father's power in the military region, showed no respect for the princess; he would yell at her and treat her arbitrarily. The poor princess, though of noble birth, had no choice but to endure the bullying of this brute. Chengsi, now a member of the imperial family, became even more arrogant; he secretly lured Pei Zhiqing, the military commander of Xiangzhou, to expel Xue E, the acting governor, and have him lead his troops to join Chengsi. Chengsi then attacked and seized Xiangzhou. Emperor Daizong issued an edict to stop him, but Chengsi defied the order and instead captured Luozhou and Weizhou. From then on, Tian Chengsi's power grew stronger day by day.
Emperor Daizong, having reached his limit of tolerance, issued an edict ordering Xue Jianxun, the military governor of Hedong; Li Baochen of Chengde; Zhu Tao of Youzhou; Li Chengzhao of Zhaoyi; Li Zhengji of Ziqing; Li Zhongchen of Huaixi; Li Mian of Yongping; and Tian Shenyu of Bian and Song, with a combined force of 60,000 men, to attack Tian Chengsi. He further ordered Tian Chengsi demoted to the position of prefect of Yongzhou, and his sons were exiled to undesirable locations. Tian Chengsi disobeyed the edict and fought against the various armies, often winning through cunning. Among his sons, his eldest son, Tian Yue, was particularly brave and skilled in battle.
He defeated all the other armies and even occupied three or four prefectures, his momentum rapidly growing. He had already reached the walls of Linming, the strategic gateway to Hedong; the loss of Linming would cause great turmoil in the Central Plains. At that time, all the other armies were cut off from communication by the powerful forces of Tian Chengsi and his son, Tian Yue. Zhang Pi, the garrison commander of Linming, held out for three months, but his supplies ran out and reinforcements were cut off, putting him in a very precarious situation.
Zhang Pi had a beloved daughter, beautiful in appearance, whom he cherished dearly. Now, Zhang Pi, left with no other choice, adorned her beautifully and had her sit on a white jade plate, presenting her to his troops, saying, "The city's treasury is empty; I offer this daughter in lieu of payment!" The soldiers were deeply moved, tears streaming down their faces, and begged their commander to fight to the death. They opened the city gates and charged out with overwhelming force; Tian Yue was utterly defeated and retreated fifty li. Having acquired a considerable amount of grain, Zhang Pi withdrew his army back into the city, re-establishing deep moats and high walls, holding out for reinforcements. Later, Zhang Pi devised a plan. Seeing a strong east wind, he made a paper kite and flew it high into the air; it soared over a hundred zhang (approximately 300 meters) and flew over Tian Yue's camp. Yue sent skilled archers on horseback to pursue and shoot at it, but they could not catch it. Upon arriving at Ma Sui's camp in Hedong, they saw words on the back of a kite: "If it doesn't heal in three days, the soldiers of Linming will surely find food." Ma Sui then joined forces with Li Peng of Heyang and the Zhaoyi Army to rescue Zhang Pi from three directions. Tian Chengsi and his son were surrounded by the army and unable to escape. Ma Sui led his elite troops, with a great commotion, straight into Chengsi's camp, beheading five hundred. Chengsi's army was thrown into chaos, and he and Tian Yue led the remaining troops in a night escape, abandoning all their flags, armor, and 5,000 chariots. The Tian family, father and son, were destitute and had nowhere to go. They then forced Princess Yongle to write a letter pleading for Chengsi's release, allowing him to come to court to plead guilty. Emperor Daizong, out of consideration for the princess, granted Chengsi's request. An edict was issued restoring the Tian family's original official positions and bestowing upon them iron certificates. By this time, Chengsi was old, and in the fourteenth year of the Dali era, he died of illness at the age of seventy-five.
However, in May of the fourteenth year of the Dali era, Emperor Daizong also passed away. His will summoned Guo Ziyi to the capital to act as the Grand Chancellor. He appointed his son, Shi, as the successor emperor, and ascended the throne in the Taiji Hall, becoming Emperor Dezong.
He honored Guo Ziyi as Grand Tutor, granting him the titles of Grand Commandant and Chancellor. He enfeoffed Zhu Ci as Prince of Suining and concurrently as Chancellor. Both held high positions, yet neither was truly involved in state affairs; only Chang Yan, residing in the Hall of State Affairs, would often sign documents on behalf of the two. Zhu Ci was also a cunning man. He had previously presented Emperor Daizong with a cat and a mouse that had nursed together, claiming it as an auspicious omen for the nation. Chang Yan then led all the officials to court to offer congratulations. Only Cui Youfu submitted a memorial strongly opposing the majority opinion, stating: "An object given as a reward is an omen of evil. Cats are naturally for catching mice, and to nurse a mouse is indeed abnormal; it should be considered an omen, not a cause for celebration." Chang Yan harbored resentment towards Cui Youfu from then on.
When Emperor Dezong ascended the throne, a meeting was held regarding mourning attire. Youfu said that the people should follow the late emperor's edict and begin mourning after three days, while Chang Yan argued that the people could observe three days, but the officials should observe twenty-seven days; the two then engaged in a major argument. Chang Yan then submitted a memorial criticizing Youfu for acting impulsively and disregarding propriety, requesting his demotion. He also signed the memorial, mentioning Guo Ziyi and Zhu Ci in connection with the matter. Emperor Dezong then demoted Youfu to the position of Vice Prefect of Henan. Later, Guo Ziyi and Zhu Ci submitted another memorial claiming Youfu was innocent. Emperor Dezong was greatly surprised, finding their statements inconsistent, and summoned them to inquire about the truth. Both men said that their previous memorials had not included their names and were signed privately by Chang Yan. Emperor Dezong rebuked Chang Yan for disloyalty to the emperor and demoted him to Prefect of Chaozhou. He then appointed Youfu as acting prime minister, granting him absolute power. He was truly obedient and deeply trusted. Furthermore, an edict was issued to abolish tributes from all directions; all actors in the Imperial Music Academy were to be placed under the jurisdiction of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and no longer required to provide separate tributes. No auspicious omens were to be reported. Elephants were allowed to be trained, and palace women were to be released. A drum for petitioning the emperor was set up at the palace gate; if people had grievances, they could beat the drum, and the case would be sent to the Three Departments for investigation. The people were overjoyed
. Even the soldiers from all directions danced with delight. Emperor Dezong, having longed for Consort Shen, the mother of Emperor Daizong, whom he had searched for for many years without success, issued an edict upon ascending the throne. He bestowed upon Consort Shen the title of Empress Dowager Ruizhen, posthumously granting her great-grandfather Shiheng the title of Grand Protector, her grandfather Jiefu the title of Grand Tutor, her father Yizhi the title of Grand Preceptor, her brother Yiliang the title of Minister of Works, and Yizhi's son Zhen the title of Grand Commandant. In a single day, 127 people were granted these titles. All the edicts were adorned with brocade and jade and carried by imperial horses to Consort Shen's home. Yiliang had a wife, Cui, who was exceptionally beautiful; Emperor Dezong summoned her and treated her with great respect. He also summoned Consorts Wang and Wei from the harem to pay their respects, addressing them as "aunts-in-law." When Consorts Wang and Wei greeted him, the emperor ordered the "aunts-in-law" not to return the greeting. In the first year of the Jianzhong era, he further conferred upon the former Empress Dowager Shen an honorific title. Cui Youfu was skilled in painting, and the emperor commissioned him to paint a portrait of the Empress Dowager, which was enshrined in the Hanyuan Hall. During a grand ceremony, Emperor Dezong, fully adorned in his imperial robes, emerged from the left steps, standing to the east, while the assembled officials stood to the west. The emperor bowed twice before presenting the scroll, sobbing uncontrollably, and all the officials around him wept.
The Grand Secretary Gao Can submitted a memorial, suggesting that, following the precedent set by Emperor Wen of Han upon his ascension to the throne, he sent Bo Zhao to welcome the Empress Dowager from Dai, ordering officials to choose an auspicious day and dispatch members of the Shen family to travel to various prefectures and counties to inquire about the Empress Dowager's whereabouts and express the emperor's
filial piety; perhaps Heaven would grant his request. If the Empress Dowager's location was ascertained, then ministers would be dispatched with imperial regalia to escort her back to the palace. However, years passed in turmoil, and there was still no news. This Empress Dowager Shen was originally a maidservant of Emperor Daizong, with whom she shared a deep affection; Emperor Dezong, when he was still the Crown Prince, had also fallen in love with a beautiful woman. Although he had only met this woman once, he cherished her in his heart and could never forget her. Today, as emperor, I have many beauties in my harem, but none can rival their beauty. To find out what happens next, please read the next chapter.

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[Romantic Anecdotes of the Tang Dynasty Court] [82] [Author: Xu Xiaotian]

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