"Hmph, Wang Wenzuo drove you to become the Supreme Emperor, and you still say good things about him!" Empress Wu was filled with resentment.
"Under such circumstances, you can still be the Supreme Emperor safely in the Daming Palace. Aren't you satisfied?" Li Zhi said with a smile: "If we were to change places, I'm afraid that heads would have fallen to the ground and the pool would be filled with blood. If nothing else, , Wu Sansi died that night, could he still live to seduce a businessman’s wife? For this reason alone, you should remember Wang Wenzuo!”
"I'm afraid Hong'er's control is so strict that he has no chance to take action!"
"Do you think Hong'er could control him that night?" Li Zhi said with a smile: "If Wang Wenzuo really wanted to kill someone, no one could control him. Even if Hong'er didn't want to, he could only nod at that time!"
Empress Wu snorted coldly and said nothing. Just as Li Zhi said, there has never been a palace coup like this in ancient times where the heads were not killed. People like Li Zhi and Wu Zetian did not have to move afterward, and they were not dead from the beginning to the end. For a few people, it can be said to be unique. Especially when Empress Wu sent Wu Sansi to be Wang Wenzuo's deputy, it was obvious that he wanted to divide Wang Wenzuo's military power. If it had been anyone else, he would have been killed that night. But just like this, Wang Wenzuo did not kill him after the coup was successful, nor did he even remove him from his official title, but only deprived him of his military power. It is said that the more people die in the coup, the more thorough the reshuffle will be, and the more beneficial it will be for Wang Wenzuo afterwards. The fact that so few people died can only show that he acted with the overall situation in mind, not just for his own selfish interests.
"So Mei Niang, we'd better be sensible people!" Li Zhi sat down next to his wife: "If you and I want to live a better life in our old age, we still hope that Hong'er will live a long life and Wang Wenzuo will stay in his position forever. Well, if it had been someone else, I'm afraid it wouldn't be as good as it is now! Why would you make Hong'er unhappy because of a dead nephew? "
After hearing her husband's statement about the pros and cons, Empress Wu's attitude gradually softened, and finally she sighed: "The matter has come to this, and it can only be like this. But after thinking twice, Chengsi asked him to leave Chang'an and return to Bingzhou. Bar!"
"This is easy!" Li Zhi sighed: "In fact, it would be a good thing to let him leave Chang'an for a while. If my guess is right, Chang'an will not be peaceful in the next one or two years!"
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Li Xiayu and Li Suwen rode in sedan chairs to participate in a polo match to celebrate the upcoming New Year. The alliance of the sedan chair is made of the finest purple silk, and the workmanship is extremely exquisite. Li Xiayu can even look directly through the curtain into the distance. The curtain dyes the outside world purple. Under the city wall and by the river bank, hundreds of tents have been set up, and tens of thousands of Chang'an people came to watch. Although she already held a high position in the Japanese country, Li Suwen was still breathless at the spectacle of the Chang'an New Year Polo Ground: the shiny silk clothes, the heroic knights riding tall horses, the loud shouts of the audience, and the various flags fluttering in the wind. , and those knights, especially those knights...
"This is just like a dream!" When Li Suwen got off the sedan and faced everything in front of her, she couldn't help but whispered to herself. She was wearing a lake green dress that day, which just supported her fair skin. She had black hair and was extremely beautiful. She could feel countless eyes gathering at her, which made her feel even more proud.
"Suwen, hurry up, you've blocked the road for too long!" Li Xiayu whispered. Just as she said, their sedan has been parked in the aisle for a while, and the carriage and sedan behind had to stop. When we got down, it was already a bit blocked.
"So what?" Li Suwen raised her chin proudly: "As the emperor's biological sisters, we are qualified to do this, and they should wait for us!"
Li Xiayu frowned. She didn't like to be so pushy. Just as she was about to teach her sister a few words, a burst of warm cheers came from the audience - tonight's protagonists appeared.
"Wow, they're here, they're here!" Li Suwen waved her arms excitedly, and on the track of the polo field, the heroes who had been praised by the people of Chang'an for a long time jumped in front of her eyes, each one more heroic than the last, the most eye-catching one They are the "Thirteen Taibao" who belong to the North Gate Forbidden Army. They are all wearing purple round-neck short robes. This is a privilege they received from Emperor Taizong. Their cloaks are as white as the first snow, and the sound of neat horse hooves sounds like... Like an iron wall.
"Sister, do you know? The Thirteen Taibao haven't lost a game in five years!" Li Suwen pointed at the knights passing below and said: "Even if there are fewer people than others, they will not lose! Even if they are smaller than others, they will not lose!" They are Tiele people, Turks, and Tubo people, and they are not their opponents. Some people say that if they are sent to Longyou, they will definitely defeat the Tubo people!"
Li Xiayu curled her lips. She was too lazy to tell her fanatical sister the difference between war and polo. Instead, she took advantage of Li Suwen's inattention and pulled her to her seat so as not to block the way.
As time went on, more and more polo players entered the stadium, many of which Li Suwen no longer recognized. As the most popular program among Chang'an people, in addition to military organizations like the Beimen Forbidden Army, merchants and every village will organize their own polo teams. Among them are veterans who have returned from Anxi and Beiting, and Wuling teenagers with prominent backgrounds. , wealthy children from Chengdu, Yecheng, Luoyang, Xiangyang, Yangzhou and other places. Most of these young people have not yet gained fame, so they want to seize every opportunity to gain fame and pave the way for their future.
"Sister, look, look, isn't that Sancho? He also participated!" Li Suwen suddenly shouted excitedly, and then she became frustrated again: "How could this happen? Compared with others, Sancho and the others are just... Like a bunch of beggars!”
"This should be organized by them privately and has nothing to do with the general!" Li Xiayu frowned. There were no patterns on the clothes of the knights passing below. The gray cloaks on their shoulders were simply They were nothing more than a tattered rag, but their mounts and riding skills were pretty good, which aroused applause from a group of knowledgeable Chang'an people.
The polo match lasted all day, until dusk, with the roar of horses' hooves trampling the land of the polo ground into a dilapidated wasteland. The organizers of the game even had to let workers come on stage to re-pave the ground between the two games. ground to prevent both sides' mounts from slipping and being injured.
On several occasions, Li Suwen and Li Xiayu watched the Cavaliers collide with each other, clubs burst into pieces, and the audience screamed and cheered for their supporters. Whenever someone falls off a horse, Li Suwen unfolds the fan in her hand to block her eyes, but this does not prevent her from cheering loudly for the team she supports the next second.
The results of the "Thirteen Taibao" were brilliant. They easily defeated the polo teams of Xuanhuafang and Chongwenfang, without even allowing them to score a point. The people living in these two cities were either rich or expensive, so they chose The golfer's mounts are all pretty good. But since losing to the Donggong team trained by Wang Wenzuo, the knights of the North Gate Forbidden Army have also learned how to play polo. In the face of their strict offensive and defensive system and excellent equestrian skills, most of their opponents who rely on their individual strength have no chance of confronting them. force.
Sancho's team also had a good record. Although they were dressed in ordinary clothes, their riding skills and mounts were first-class. They also had the influence of new polo tactics. They defeated several teams from towns and merchants in succession, and also There was a burst of cheers. Everyone whispered to each other and asked about the origin of this sudden dark horse.
"Sister, Sancho is still good at it, and he didn't disgrace the general!" Li Suwen said with a smile: "By the way, what do you think the results will be if our sisters also organize a team to participate?"
"Us?" Li Xiayu laughed: "You smart guy, why did you suddenly think of the polo team? What does this have to do with us?"
"How can you say it doesn't matter?" Li Suwen raised her voice: "Sister, look, how many people in Chang'an have polo teams? Even the butchers in the south of the city have gathered a polo team to compete. We are princesses. The emperor’s biological sisters want money and people, so why can’t they participate?”
"What about the emperor's sisters? We have some money, but we should spend it on decent places, not polo!"
"Then where does my sister say it should be spent in a decent place?" Li Suwen asked.
"Of course it must benefit the people and bring glory to the Tang Dynasty!"
"Then in my opinion, polo is a good choice!" Li Suwen said with a smile: "Sister, aren't you just worried that our sisters have a shallow foundation in Chang'an and will be looked down upon? What do people in Chang'an like best? Isn't it polo? What? If we spend a lot of money to organize a polo team to compete, and the people in Chang'an like this team, won't they also like us behind the team?"
"This -" Li Xiayu was stunned when she heard this, and she replied unconvinced: "It is true that polo can please the people of Chang'an, but it may not be good for them. It is better to do things like giving porridge and medicine, and looking after orphans. !”
"Sister, you can't forget what Nambajin did!" Li Suwen said with a smile: "Yes, the money, grain and rice you obtained from Dinglin Temple in the Japanese country helped the victims and adopted orphans, which indeed earned you a good reputation and solidified your reputation. The foundation. But that is in the Japanese country. The king of the Japanese country is Liangyan's nephew, so naturally no one will cause trouble for you; but if you and I do these things in Chang'an, I am afraid someone will say bad things about us. Sister, do you think so? Woolen cloth?"
"The emperor won't believe it, right? After all, you and I are both women, and we don't even have children?"
"That's not necessarily the case, right?" Li Suwen said with a smile: "Even if the emperor's younger brother is open-minded and doesn't believe these slanders, what about the other people around him? For example, the queen, such as the queen and her father, that's not necessarily the case. In their eyes, Here, I’m afraid we are doing these things for the general!”
"Okay, maybe you are right!" Li Xiayu sighed: "I did think a little bit about this matter, but if we have a polo team, won't they be suspicious?"
"Of course they will be suspicious, but there is nothing they can do if they are suspicious! After all, there are too many people in Chang'an who play polo. It's just that you and I are very rich and powerful sisters. Who can say that we are wrong?" Li Suwen He smiled and said: "Since we have returned to Chang'an, we should live like a real princess of the Tang Dynasty, otherwise we will definitely be criticized by others!"
"The real Princess of the Tang Dynasty? What do you mean?"
"This is not easy. Every day before and after going out, there are dozens of guards in bright clothes and angry horses, raising dozens or hundreds of diners, letting them flatter you, building several manors outside the city, and occupying dozens and hundreds of houses. The common people's property is to raise a few handsome men, such as monks, Taoist priests, and literati. There are also a few hobbies that cost money. I chose polo, and you can choose another one, so that no one will think that we are the same. It’s different!”
"Suwen, what are you talking about?" Li Xiayu smiled bitterly: "Did you come back just to live like this? Have you forgotten the past?"
"I haven't forgotten it! But it doesn't stop us from living the life we want. This is what belongs to us. Our surname is Li, our father is the emperor, and our brother is also the emperor. It's just that the bad woman took it away. Now we are back! "Li Suwen said: "Of course we have to take it back from that woman!"
Hearing his sister mention that woman, Li Xiayu's face showed a hint of softness: "Fortunately you haven't forgotten it yet!"
"Of course I won't forget it! When we were in Yeting, it was also at this time that my sister exchanged the jewelry left by her mother for charcoal from those eunuchs, but what she got in exchange was only a little bit of broken charcoal, but even this little bit of charcoal was not enough to burn. We sisters could only hug each other at night, and we had to get up several times in the middle of the night to move around, otherwise we would freeze to death! I will never forget these things!"
"It's good that you won't forget!" Li Xiayu laughed, she stretched out her right hand and touched her sister's cheek: "What you said seems like yesterday, but now you are so old, it's really like a dream! "
"It was a nightmare, but it's over!" Li Suwen said this and lowered her voice: "Where is Xiao Yi? How is he now?"
"They should still be at the general's place!" Li Xiayu said.
"Then why doesn't the general let him out? Isn't everything over?" Li Suwen whispered.
"It can't be that simple!" Li Xiayu laughed bitterly: "Xiao Yi took it upon himself to kill Wu Sansi. It's already good enough that the general didn't kill him. How could he let him go!"
"Then sister, why don't you intercede for Xiao Yi? You can't be locked up like this for a lifetime, right?" Li Suwen asked.
"This is not a matter of intercession!" Li Xiayu said: "Xiao Yi is a subordinate of the general. He killed Wu Sansi without the general's military order. To put it bluntly, he did not obey the military order. If the military order is not strict, the general will be killed." How will the general control his subordinates in the future?"
"It's nothing to think twice about killing Wu, right?" Li Suwen curled her lips: "I heard that that guy once competed with the general for military power!"
