Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 107 The Imperial Concubine's Gambling Game
Li Zhi pondered secretly.

Cheng Wuting had been guarding Yingzhou with his father for a long time. Since he knew about this, it meant that the Yanshan Society was likely to be active in the Yingzhou area.

"Send an order to summon Cheng Wuting to an audience."

Soon, Cheng Wuting arrived at the main hall.

He saw Wang Jishan standing in the hall and gave him a wink, and he had an idea in his mind.

"Your servant Cheng Wuting pays respects to Your Majesty."

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "Mr. Cheng, there's no need to be so polite. I asked you to come here to ask about the Yanshan Society."

Cheng Wuting said, "Your Majesty, the Yanshan Society is a gang in Hebei. Their leader is surnamed Dou, and they claim to be a descendant of Dou Jiande. They are active under the pretext of helping the people of Hebei gain power."

Li Zhi asked, "If that's the case, why didn't the Hebei officials report it?"

Cheng Wuting said, "The Yanshan Society has no fixed base and operates in secrecy. Father said that officials in various states are unwilling to take responsibility, so they are waiting for reports from other states."

Li Zhi understood.

No matter which state reports it, the emergence of the Yanshan Society will become the responsibility of that state.

During the year-end evaluation, it is inevitable that a few ratings will be downgraded.

Now the Yanshan Society has no fixed base, so if they don't report it, they won't be charged with failing to report the crime.

Naturally, no one took the initiative to take on this task.

"Does your father also know about the Yanshan Society?"

Cheng Wuting said, "Once, someone from the Yanshan Society came to see my father and said some extremely treasonous words. He chopped off his head. That's how I learned about the existence of the Yanshan Society."

Li Zhi nodded and said loudly, "Di Renjie, listen to your orders."

Di Renjie bowed and said, "I am here."

Li Zhi said, "You and Liu Qing, close the net immediately and arrest Chang Sunyang and the others who have embezzled state funds, and recover the funds as soon as possible."

"I accept the decree."

Li Zhi said: "The king is good at listening to orders."

"The minister is here."

"You will immediately go to Hebei and investigate the Yanshan Society. I will have the people from the Palace Office and the Changqiu Office cooperate with you."

Wang Jishan said, "I obey your order."

Li Zhi said, "You two should both leave."

After the two left, Li Zhi said to Wang Fusheng, "Fusheng, send someone to keep an eye on Changsun Quan. I want to know why he joined the Yanshan Society."

Wang Fusheng knew what the emperor was thinking.

What the emperor really cared about was whether Zhangsun Wuji was involved in this matter.

If the Yanshan Society is related to Changsun Wuji, everything will change.

He immediately agreed and left the hall.

The spring breeze blows, willow catkins fly, frogs croak in the pond, and birds sing in the treetops, interweaving into a cheerful spring melody.

Li Zhi faced the warm wind and walked north along the Thousand-Step Corridor towards the Xunfeng Palace.

When I arrived outside the back hall, I heard a series of silver bell-like laughter coming from inside.

One of the most beautiful sounds was Concubine Zheng's laughter.

There were two other voices, both of which were the laughter of young women, one soft and the other hoarse.

Li Zhi signaled the palace servants and eunuchs outside the door not to make a sound, and walked into the hall, where he saw three women sitting around a large couch, playing gambling.

Boxi was a gambling game during this period and was very popular in the palace. It was divided into big bo and small bo.

Small Bo can be played by two people, while Big Bo can be played by four people.

The three of them were playing Dabo.

The rules of the game are very simple. There are 24 chessboards with water in the middle.

Each player has six chess pieces, which are placed on the chessboard.

Two more chess pieces were placed in the water as fish.

Players take turns rolling the dice, and the number of steps the piece takes forward is determined by the size of the roll.

When the chess piece reaches the end point, it can be stood up and become a Xiao chess piece. It can then go into the water to "pull the fish" and gain chips. The winner is the one who gains six chips.

In Li Zhi's opinion, this game is somewhat similar to flying chess, but not as interesting as flying chess.

But the women in the palace always enjoy playing it.

The two women who played chess with Concubine Zheng were both of superior appearance. One was in her thirties and charming, and the other was in her twenties and graceful.

Of course, compared with Concubine Zheng, both women are inferior.

The three girls were so engrossed in their play that they didn't notice Li Zhi's arrival.

Li Zhi summoned a palace maid and asked in a low voice about the identities of the two women.

The palace attendant whispered, "To everyone, the lady on the left is the wife of Wang Fuzhi of the Taiyuan Wang family, and the lady on the right is the wife of Changsun Chong, the Junior Minister of Agriculture, of the Bohai Gao family."

Although Changsun Chong was the son-in-law of the princess, because the princess had died, he observed a three-year mourning period and then remarried a woman named Gao from Bohai.

Changsun Wuji was raised by his uncle Gao Shilian since childhood. After he came to power, he took good care of the Gao family and let his son marry a daughter of the Gao family.

Now it was the turn of the imperial concubine to throw the dice.

She held the dice in her palm, blew on it, and said with a smile, "I'll add three more red pieces to this round. Do you dare to follow suit?"

The woman in her twenties was Gao. She covered her mouth with her hands and chuckled softly, "Oh, you obviously lost the most, yet you're so arrogant, asking if we dare to give you a chip? We'll even give you five!"

Mrs. Wang, who was in her thirties, was more cautious. She said with a smile, "It's just for fun. Why take such a big risk?"

Concubine Zheng laughed sweetly and said, "If you don't dare to follow, then I'll play this game with Sister Gao."

Mrs. Wang laughed and said, "It's just a few pieces of red silk. Nothing more, nothing more. I will risk my life for you!"

Just then, the three of them heard someone cough, and the sound was obviously not lowered.

In the imperial concubine's bedroom, the servants would never dare to cough like this. The three women turned their heads together and saw that someone had walked into the room at some point. It was the emperor of the time.

Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Gao were both startled and hurriedly got off the bed and bowed to Li Zhi.

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "No need to be so polite. Get up." Concubine Zheng also got off the couch at this time, bowed to Li Zhi, and said with a smile, "I didn't even notice when everyone arrived."

Li Zhi walked over to the couch and sat down, saying with a smile, "When you suggested raising the stakes."

Concubine Zheng blushed slightly and winked at her two female companions.

The two women naturally knew that she was urging them to leave so as not to interfere with her being alone with the emperor.

The two women smiled at each other, bowed, and said in unison, "I'll take my leave."

Soon after leaving the hall, I heard bursts of beautiful piano music coming from the hall.

Gao walked slowly along the palace path. When she was quite far away from Xunfeng Palace, she looked back and a smile appeared on her face.

"It's so rare for us to enter the palace to pay our respects to the Imperial Concubine, yet we still manage to meet the Saint. This shows that the Imperial Concubine is currently in great favor with the Emperor."

Mrs. Wang smiled but did not answer.

She was older and more reserved, and she knew that in a place like the palace, one must not speak lightly. Trouble comes from the mouth, and it's no joke.

It was a rare opportunity for the two of them to enter the palace, so they deliberately went around to the Nanhai Pond to appreciate the scenery of the palace.

Walking south along the Qianbu Corridor, when passing by the Caisi Courtyard, a female official suddenly came over.

"Her Royal Highness the Queen has learned that Concubine Wang has entered the palace, and has specially ordered me to invite you over to talk to her." She said to Madam Wang.

Mrs. Wang looked hesitantly and looked at Gao.

Gao smiled and said, "Sister Wang, go quickly. I'll wait for you here."

Empress Wu and the Changsun family were at odds, and this was something every noblewoman in Chang'an City knew, so they would naturally not invite Changsun Chong's wife to speak to them.

Gao knew that Empress Wu intended to humiliate her. Although she was angry, she did not dare to show any strange expression on her face.

Mrs. Wang did not dare to offend Empress Wu, so she had to give her a few instructions and followed the female official.

Gao had nothing to do there, so she wandered around. When she came to a rockery, she suddenly heard a very low voice coming from the rockery.

"...Are you sure it was Zhang Sunquan who did it?"

Gao was shocked and wanted to leave, but Changsun Quan was her husband's uncle.

She hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't suppress her curiosity, so she found a place to hide and eavesdropped with her ears perked up.

"There's no doubt about it. It was his gang of thugs who killed Shi Hedan. Report this to Zhang Shaojian immediately."

Gao's heart was pounding as she thought to herself, "Young Eunuch Zhang? Could it be Young Eunuch Zhang Dahai? He was Empress Wu's most trusted confidant!"

There was no more sound in the rockery. Gao hid in the crevice between two rocks. After a long time, she secretly stuck her head out to take a look.

The back of a eunuch can be vaguely seen, gradually disappearing behind a palace.

Gao no longer dared to wander around, so she sat down under the eaves of the Qianbu Corridor and waited for more than half an hour before Mrs. Wang finally came back.

The two women left the palace together and took carriages back to their respective homes.

Gao told her husband what she had heard. Changsun Chong was shocked and immediately took a carriage to the Duke of Zhao's mansion.

In the back garden of the Duke of Zhao's mansion, there is a stone pavilion.

Changsun Wuji knelt in front of the pavilion. There was an altar on the stone table, and many sacrificial items were placed on it.

Changsun Wuji poured a glass of wine, threw it on the ground, and sighed: "Uncle, today is the tenth anniversary of your death. Please forgive me for not being able to visit your grave."

The person Changsun Wuji was offering sacrifices to was Gao Shilian.

Gao Shilian was buried in Zhaoling Mausoleum. Every year on his uncle's memorial day, Changsun Wuji would go to Zhaoling Mausoleum in person to sweep his uncle's grave.

It’s a pity that he is now confined at home and dares not move around freely. He can only use this form to pay tribute to the uncle who raised him.

At this time, Chang Sun Chong walked along the path.

"Father, I have something to report to you."

Zhang Sun Wuji said in a deep voice, "We'll talk later. Kneel down and kowtow to your uncle first. Today is his memorial day."

Chang Sun Chong said "Oh" and knelt down and kowtowed several times.

Zhang Sun Wuji then took him back to the study, walked to the chair and sat down, saying calmly: "Tell me, what trouble have you caused again?"

Chang Sun Chong said, "This time, my son is not doing this for himself, but for Chang Sun Quan."

Changsun Wuji was slightly moved and asked, "What happened to him?"

Seeing that his father cared so much about Changsun Quan and was not as calm as usual, Changsun Chong felt a little resentful.

"Humph, Father always praises him for his insight, understanding of the big picture, and his concern for the world. But the trouble he's caused this time is not small."

Changsun Wuji frowned and asked, "What trouble did he get into?"

Chang Sunquan walked over and sat down opposite him, saying, "Father, do you still remember Shi Hedan?"

Zhang Sun Wuji asked, "That's the flamboyant Sogdian interpreter, right? Is this matter related to him?"

Chang Sunquan said: "He is dead. Chang Sunquan sent someone to kill him."

Changsun Wuji stared at him and asked, "Where did you get this information?"

Changsun Quan said, "Madam heard the news from the palace." He told Gao what happened when she heard the news in the palace.

He continued, "My son has heard from others that Changsun Quan has recently raised a group of jianghu people. The news should be correct."

Changsun Wuji clapped his hands, and a guard came in from outside the door.

Changsun Wuji ordered: "Go check Changsun Quan, and then find out if Shi Hedan's death has anything to do with him."

Two hours later, the guards came to report that Shi Hedan's death was indeed related to the gangsters under Changsun Quan.

Chang Sun Chong said to Chang Sun Wuji, "Father, now you finally believe what I say, right?"

Changsun Wuji sighed, "I had high hopes for him, hoping he would become the leader of the Changsun clan in the future. Why on earth would he do such a thing?"

Chang Sun Chong snorted coldly, "Father, you're overly flattering him. It's no surprise that a young man in his early twenties could do anything."

Changsun Wuji said in a deep voice: "No, there must be a reason behind this. This matter must be thoroughly investigated."

Chang Sun Chong said, "Son, I'll go ask him right away."

Changsun Wuji raised his hand and said, "No, we can't get directly involved in this matter. If Changsun Quan gets into big trouble, we will also be implicated."

Chang Sun Chong asked, "Then did my son send someone to investigate secretly?"

Changsun Wuji said, "You don't need to interfere in this matter anymore. I will send someone to investigate it thoroughly."

(End of this chapter)