14: Chapter 14 The Dragon Spring Sword is Acquired

Emperor Taizong of Tang touched the precious sword at his waist with reluctance; he was extremely interested in the weapons Yang Fan spoke of, and he also wanted to know what kind of divine artifacts were used in later generations.

This would not count as Yang Fan taking his sword; it could be considered an exchange!

"Take it!"

"Remember the weapons you spoke of; do not break your promise to Me!"

Yang Fan nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

If he had time to go abroad, he would find someone to buy them. With money, there was no fear of not being able to buy them.

"Rest assured, I will not break my word."

Yang Fan took the precious sword from Emperor Taizong of Tang's hand.

He drew the sword from its scabbard.

It was still very shocking.

Longquan—the name was chosen too well; it suited this sword perfectly.

Longquan: Whether the dragon is in the heavens or in its abyss, it refers to the height of the sword's ridge rising from the hilt, and the drop between the blade and the ridge, like facing a deep abyss, with the ridge as high as a dragon in the heavens, and the body falling into the abyss.

"What a good sword!"

Even if Yang Fan didn't understand anything, he had to admire the wisdom of the ancients—this craftsmanship, this aesthetic!!!

This sword was nearly two thousand years removed from Emperor Taizong of Tang's era, and nearly three thousand years from Yang Fan's!!!

With this craftsmanship, Yang Fan felt that modern artisans couldn't make a sword like this!

"Alright, I have given you My son of heaven sword, now you can speak!"

Emperor Taizong of Tang felt a sharp pain in his heart, feeling as if he had suffered a huge loss in this transaction, and felt a sense of emptiness in his heart!

Yang Fan directly put the precious sword into his private space.

Even if he couldn't sell this sword, he could keep it for his own collection; he could open a museum himself in the future!

"Hmm, which period do you want to hear about?"

"Tell me about Gaoming. After he became emperor, how was the country governed?"

Yang Fan thought about it; he must mean the Crown Prince.

"He didn't become emperor, because you doted on Li Tai too much, causing the two brothers to fall into a struggle for the succession."

"In the end, the Crown Prince rebelled and was deposed."

"Because Li Tai said he would kill his son to pass the throne to his brother, you didn't let him inherit the throne either."

Emperor Taizong of Tang felt all the hairs on his body stand up, and cold sweat broke out in waves.

He didn't expect that his doting on Qingque would eventually lead to such a result.

Moreover, he had actually just changed Qingque's title to Prince of Wei recently, and made him the concurrent Governor of Xiangzhou.

Previously, he had also served as the Grand Governor of Yangzhou, Shepherd of Yongzhou, General-in-Chief of the Left Wuwei, and Grand Governor of Fuzhou.

Now that he thought about it, his favor really did surpass all other princes.

"Have I set a bad precedent?"

Emperor Taizong of Tang closed his eyes; he could already imagine why the Crown Prince could rebel—after all, he was the lesson from the past.

"You could say that."

"There were 20 emperors in the Tang Dynasty, and 16 of them lost their thrones directly or indirectly due to coups."

"Counting Wu Zetian's, it should be 21."

Yang Fan was checking his phone while telling Emperor Taizong of Tang. After all, he knew there were many coups in the Tang Dynasty, but he wasn't clear on the specific number.

Emperor Taizong of Tang clenched his fists, trembling with anger; the probability of these coups meant that every emperor's position was quite unstable!

But after hearing Yang Fan's last sentence, Emperor Taizong of Tang's gaze instantly became sharp, as if blades could shoot out from his eyes.

He heard about an emperor with a different surname; even if it was a coup, it should be his Li family's own business. How could there be an outsider, and how could it still be considered his Tang Dynasty?

"What is going on with this Wu Zetian?"

Yang Fan glanced at Emperor Taizong of Tang.

"Are you sure you want to hear? She is not far from you; perhaps only a few years away!"

"Or should I go buy some quick-acting heart-saving pills? I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it!"

He was really afraid that Emperor Taizong of Tang wouldn't be able to hold up; after all, historically, this guy didn't have a long lifespan.

"Hmph!"

"I have galloped across the battlefield for decades; what dangers have I not encountered? Speak!"

Although Emperor Taizong of Tang said this, his hand had already fiercely pinched his thigh, forcing himself to calm down.

"Speaking of Wu Zetian, I have to talk about your successor issue."

"Your throne was inherited by Li Zhi, who was Empress Zhangsun's third son. Empress Zhangsun entrusted him to you before she passed away, and you kept him and Little Sizi by your side to raise them."

"It's 'passed away'!!"

Yang Fan waved his hand; he didn't care about Emperor Taizong of Tang's reminder. How would he know so many protocols?

"As for Wu Zetian, you might find her unfamiliar, but her father is Wu Shiyue; you should be very familiar with him, right?"

"I know, the Duke of Ying, who passed away last year. I posthumously awarded him the title of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

Emperor Taizong of Tang was already grinding his teeth, knowing who the culprit was.

"After he died, Wu Zetian's sisters and her mother had no status in the family and were bullied by others, eventually ending up in Chang'an."

"In the 12th year of Zhenguan, 14-year-old Wu Zetian entered the palace, and you bestowed upon her the title 'Wu Mei'."

Speaking of this, Emperor Taizong of Tang was confused. Even if Empress Zhangsun was gone and Li Zhi had ascended the throne, he wouldn't re-establish an empress.

"Even so, she is still far from the throne!"

"Don't be impatient, let me tell you slowly!"

"The problem lies with Li Zhi, who was by your side for a long time. He had long-term contact with Wu Zetian and developed feelings for her. After you passed away, Wu Zetian was sent to a temple to become a nun."

"But after your son Li Zhi ascended the throne, he summoned her back into the palace and made her a Zhaoyi."

Emperor Taizong of Tang stood up directly, turning around, ready to go back and hang Li Zhi up and whip him!

"Sigh, don't be impatient, I haven't finished yet!"

Emperor Taizong of Tang suppressed his anger and sat back down, his face black as the bottom of a pot.

"Although the officials at the time opposed it, in the fifth year of Yonghui, Li Zhi still resolutely deposed the original empress and made Wu Zetian the empress, honoring her as the Heavenly Empress!"

"Although your son's ability was not bad, he didn't have capable people around him, and later he couldn't handle court affairs due to headaches, so he let Wu Zetian start handling state affairs, and they were called the 'Two Sages'."

"It was fine when Li Zhi was around; he could suppress Wu Zetian and everyone else. Once Li Zhi died, Wu Zetian directly presided over the court as Empress Dowager, and in the end, she even changed the dynasty to Wu Zhou!"

"But many officials were still loyal to the Great Tang, and in the end, they seized power back from her hands."

Emperor Taizong of Tang didn't speak for a long time.

He thought to himself that he wasn't much better than Qin Shi Huang's Qin Dynasty or the Sui Dynasty; they perished in the second generation, and he in the third!!

Of course, in Emperor Taizong of Tang's mind, the Sui Dynasty had already perished in the second generation, and the others were already puppets controlled by civil and military officials.

"You said there was no one usable around Zhi Nu, but that shouldn't be the case. I would definitely leave him ministers to entrust the orphan to, such as Zhangsun Wuji, such as Fang Xuanling?"

Emperor Taizong of Tang didn't believe that these two couldn't restrain Li Zhi?

Yang Fan looked at his phone; Jiang Lan had already messaged him that she was at the hotel entrance, so he wouldn't chat with Emperor Taizong of Tang anymore.

"Your good brother-in-law, Zhangsun Wuji, in order to stabilize Li Zhi's throne, forced Li Ge to death, and also wanted to control Li Zhi, but was eventually wiped out by the joint efforts of Li Zhi and Wu Zetian."

"Although Zhangsun Wuji was Li Zhi's uncle and would remember some old feelings, Wu Zetian was not a kind person. Would someone who could become a female emperor be soft-hearted towards Zhangsun Wuji!"

"As for Fang Xuanling, the time of his death was about the same as yours, and his son was also involved in a rebellion because of Princess Gaoyang, and in the end, the whole clan was wiped out."

"You should think carefully about what other ministers you have to entrust the orphan to. I have something to do now, let's talk next time!"

Yang Fan finished speaking and patted his butt to leave, leaving behind a dazed Emperor Taizong of Tang. Emperor Taizong of Tang was already beginning to doubt life; was he really that incompetent?

Did he not leave anything good for his descendants?