In 693, on the second day of the first lunar month, two concubines of The Crown Prince Li Dan, Liu Shi and Dou Shi, were killed and buried in the palace shortly after they left the house after paying homage to Empress Wu Zetian at the Jiayu Palace. Just when everyone is worried about this, the truth of the matter gradually surfaces, but the truth is unbelievable.
It turned out that the murderer of Liu and Dou was just a maid who guarded the door. This maid's name was Tuan'er, and Wu Zetian loved her very much and regarded her as a close confidant. However, don't underestimate this regiment, she did not know the reward, but was more grumpy, and did something that would be revenge.
All along, he had a great complaint against the crown prince Li Dan, but after all, Li Dan was the prince, and she couldn't do anything to him. However, the concubines Liu and Dou on the prince's side became the targets of Tuan'er's revenge. As a result, she often framed Liu and Dou in front of Wu Zetian, saying that they used magic to curse the empress.
Not only that, but slowly, the regiment became more and more intense. On the second day of the first lunar month in 693, just after Liu and Dou came to the Jiayu Hall to pay homage to Wu Zetian, not long after they went out, Tuan'er actually killed them and buried them in the palace.
All of this, the crown prince Li Dan had actually already discovered, however, because he was very afraid of Wu Zetian, Sa Yi would accidentally disobey Wu Zetian's wishes, therefore, he did not dare to defend this matter, in front of Wu Zetian, he was still as usual, he could not see any change in expression.
Li Dan's forced and helpless connivance only stimulated Tuan'er's nerves even more. Tuan Er felt that he was dependent on Empress Wu Zetian, and no matter what he did, there would be no accidents. Therefore, she actually revived Li Dan's idea and wanted to murder Li Dan. Fortunately, at this time, some people could not see it very well and reported the truth to Wu Zetian. When Wu Zetian found out, he was shocked and immediately ordered Tuan'er to be executed.
At this time, not only was Dou Shi, who was in the palace, secretly plotted by the adulterers, but her mother outside the palace also almost killed Huang Quan. It turned out that at that time, someone instigated the slaves in Dou's parents' family to expose Dou's family in exchange for merit and reward. Because Dou's father served as the assassin of Runzhou, this slave maid set her eyes on Dou's mother, Pang.
What did this slave maid do, she created a strange phenomenon in the master's house to scare Dou's mother Pang, and sure enough, Pang was afraid. The slave suggested to Ponzi that she pray to the gods at night to eliminate demons. However, the slave maid reported the incident afterwards.
After Wu Zetian heard about this, he immediately sent Xue Jichang to try it, however, Xue Jichang was not a good official, and he falsely played Pang and his daughter Dou Shi together to ask God to bring misfortune to the empress, and after he saw Wu Zetian, he immediately cried and his limbs were weak, and then said: "Pang's practice, the lower officials can't bear to say it." ”
After the empress dowager heard this, she was very moved, and even promoted Xue Jichang to be the one who gave the matter, while Pang Shi was sentenced to be beheaded. When Pang's son Dou Xicheng heard about this, he was very worried, so he hurried to find the attendant Shi Xu Yougong to seek revenge.
Xu Yougong attached great importance to this matter and immediately issued an official document notifying the law enforcement department to stop the execution. Then he himself went on to plead that Ponzi was not guilty. However, this action of his angered Xue Jichang, who told Xu Yougong that this was just favoring Pang, and then requested that Xu Yougong be handed over to the Fasi, who immediately sentenced Xu Yougong to death.
When others told Xu Yougong about this verdict, Xu Yougong sighed: "Am I the only one who dies?" Will they never die? Then he didn't say much anymore, and went straight to sleep after eating, at that time people thought that in fact, although Xu Yougong looked strong on the outside, he was actually a person who was very afraid of death inside.
Not long after, Wu Zetian summoned Xu Yougong, and then said in front of him: "Why have you made more and more mistakes in not handling serious crimes or handling them lightly in the recent trial of cases?" Xu Yougong said unashamedly: "Misplacing the wrong person is a small mistake for the courtiers; however, cherishing people's lives is the great kindness of the Lord." ”
In a word, Wu Zetian lost her temper, Wu Zetian did not say anything more, she already had her own decision. For the Pang family, although the death penalty is inevitable, the living sin is difficult to escape. Ponzi avoided death. And his three sons, along with his mother Pang, were taken to Lingnan. Pang's husband, Dou Xiaochen, was demoted to Sima of Luozhou, and Xu Youge was dismissed. Xue Jichang, later in the tang zhongzong period, drank poison and died.
To say that the good officials of the Tang Dynasty, in addition to people like Wei Zheng, Di Renjie, Yao Chong, etc., in the Di Renjie period, Xu Yougong was also a person who enforced the law impartially and did not fear authority, he dared to directly confront his superiors, even if he was a powerful character like Wu Zetian, he would not show weakness at all, so Pang's son was willing to ask him for help.
Of course, Xu Yougong also made Wu Zetian particularly angry, and once, Wu Zetian really couldn't help it, and said that he was going to behead Xu Yougong, but after all, Wu Zetian was not a faint jun, and after the anger subsided, she hurried to pardon Xu Yougong before he was sentenced, and later after Xu Yougong's death, Wu Zetian posthumously awarded him the secretary of Dali Temple.