The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

Chapter 42: Parting the Clouds

Empress Dowager Guo gave Li Ang a severe scolding to ensure he abandoned the idea of ​​punishing Du Cong before letting him go.

Stepping out of Xingqing Palace and riding in a palanquin along the palace path, Li Ang did not have the curtains lowered. Instead, he let the cold wind mixed with fine snow blow on his face to clear his confused thoughts.

Recalling the scene inside Xingqing Palace, Li Ang couldn't help but sigh.

It seems that even within this palace, it's not a place where one can let their guard down...

In fact, when he first met Empress Dowager Guo, he truly regarded her as a kind and benevolent elder.

After all, in this deep palace, eunuchs and concubines are not trustworthy. The only person one can trust is the grandmother who is related to the original owner by blood.

However, this trip to Xingqing Palace changed his perspective.

First of all, why is it such a coincidence that just as he was about to go to the Shence Army Workshop, Empress Dowager Guo was about to summon him to the palace?

It's not hard to understand why the eunuchs didn't want Li Ang to inspect the Shence Army.

The Shence Army is the foundation upon which they stand, and the Shence Army Workshop is their most powerful trump card for controlling the Shence Army.

Even for this reason alone, they clearly did not want Li Ang to get too involved.

Therefore, it was normal for Xue Jiling to come and stop him. After all, Li Ang had been away at the restaurant for quite some time, and even if no one had specifically tipped him off, Xue Jiling should have received the news by now.

But here's the problem: under normal circumstances, Xue Jiling would need a legitimate and urgent reason to stop Li Ang from returning to the palace.

This reason isn't so easy to find.

Just then, Empress Dowager Guo summoned him to Xingqing Palace. Was it really a coincidence?

When he came out, Li Ang specifically asked the servants who had accompanied Princess Qiyang into the palace, and then he received an important message.

Princess Qiyang was in poor health and caught a cold on her way back. She had planned to rest at her residence for two days before entering the palace, and she had sent a letter in advance to express this idea.

But for some reason, as soon as Princess Qiyang entered the city, Xingqing Palace immediately sent someone to invite her to the palace. Such a sudden summons would hardly be justified by the fact that Empress Dowager Guo missed her daughter.

More importantly, although Empress Dowager Guo seemed to dote on Princess Qiyang in the palace just now, Li Ang inexplicably felt that his aunt seemed to harbor some resentment towards her mother, Empress Dowager Guo, rather than affection for her.

This gave rise to a new doubt in Li Ang's mind.

The imperial physician said that Princess Qiyang's illness was caused by stagnation of liver qi and worry.

But the problem is, how could a princess who grew up pampered and spoiled have harbored resentment for so many years just because of her discord with her husband's family, to the point that she has ruined her health like this?

A mix of doubts welled up in Li Ang's mind, making his expression somewhat complicated.

Looking at the falling snow, he pondered for a moment, then turned to the side and ordered, "Have someone find the documents I've been reading these past few days; I want to review them again."

An attendant obeyed and left, while Li Ang lay back down in his sedan chair.

So, after a short while, when he returned to the Zichen Palace, a thick stack of documents was already placed on his desk.

Without hesitation, Li Ang searched through the documents from memory and quickly picked out two books containing the resumes of officials.

One document records the life of Linghu Chu, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, while the other records the resume of Du Cong, the husband of Princess Qiyang and the military governor of Zhongwu Army.

Soon, Li Ang put down the two documents, and the situation became clear in his mind.

Sure enough, he remembered correctly, Linghu Chu and Du Cong were both members of the Niu Party!

If that's the case, then everything makes sense.

In fact, Li Ang was already suspicious when Liu Hongyi told him about his secret conversation with Xue Jiling.

Xue Jiling was only promoted in recent years, while Linghu Chu was indeed a senior minister in the court.

Theoretically speaking, there shouldn't be any deep connection between the two of them.

If it were an ordinary thing, it would be fine.

However, when it comes to such a major matter as eliminating Li Xun, both Xue Jiling and Linghu Chu would inevitably be extremely cautious.

Since Linghu Chu dared to openly attack Li Xun in the Yan Ying Hall, it proves that he must have great trust in his sources.

There was no basis for trust between Xue Jiling and him.

However, if Empress Dowager Guo secretly intervened in this matter, then everything makes sense.

As an elder who had lived through the reign of Emperor Xianzong, Empress Dowager Guo, though residing deep within the palace, still maintained some interaction with veteran officials like Linghu Chu.

Given her status, if she were willing to vouch for Xue Jiling, Linghu Chu would naturally have no doubts.

The reason why Empress Dowager Guo did this is not hard to guess.

She wants Du Cong to return to the capital!

Perhaps it was for Princess Qiyang, or perhaps it was for something else entirely.

But this conclusion should be correct.

Otherwise, when Li Ang pretended to punish Du Cong in Xingqing Palace, Empress Dowager Guo's reaction wouldn't have been so strong.

Leaning back on the couch, Li Ang rubbed his slightly sore temples and felt a wave of exhaustion.

At this moment, he finally understood what the phrase "a lonely man" truly meant...

Sitting in this position, you really can't trust anyone.

With a sigh in his heart, Li Ang quickly had to pull himself together again.

Based on the current situation, three conclusions can be drawn.

First of all, his grandmother, the Empress Dowager Guo, was not as detached from worldly affairs as she appeared on the surface. Although she had lived in the palace for many years, she still had considerable influence over the court.

Secondly, Xue Jiling was an dishonest person.

Compared to Liu Hongyi, Xue Jiling may appear more impulsive, but he is actually very shrewd.

In the past few days alone, he has done quite a few things behind Li Ang's back, including some extremely taboo things such as secretly befriending important officials and attempting to isolate himself from the outside world.

If nothing unexpected happens, even if he doesn't side with the Guo family, he will definitely maintain close contact with the Xingqing Palace.

From these two points, we can draw the final conclusion that the current political situation is far more complex than it appears on the surface.

The eunuchs, factions, and the imperial harem were intertwined, forming a huge vortex.

The only good news is that, for the time being, this vortex is only targeting Li Xun's faction.

Even so, this conclusion was enough to send chills down Emperor Li Ang's spine.

The political situation in the late Tang Dynasty was indeed unfathomable.

With a silent sigh, the tension that had been somewhat relieved in Li Ang's heart tightened again.

He hadn't expected the situation he was facing to be so complicated.

From this perspective, many of his original ideas need to be overturned and started over.

Fortunately, there is still time.

At least until Li Xun's faction was purged, the center of power in the court was not on the emperor.

Of course, there is still time, but... there isn't much left!