Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 399 Empress Wu's Enlightenment

When he arrived at the door of the shop, Wu Minzhi glanced at one of his subordinates. The subordinate understood and stepped forward to knock on the door.

"Mrs. Snow, are you home?"

After a long while, the door finally opened a crack, and a beautiful face appeared at the door. It was Xue Niang.

Her face was a little pale, and she said, "What can I do for you, my lords?"

A Wu Hou smiled and said, "Nothing much, I just saw that your shop was closed, so I asked."

Xue Niang whispered, "I'm not feeling well today, so I'm going to close the door and rest for a day."

The Wu Hou smiled and said, "Then you should rest well. It's easy to catch a cold these days."

Xueniang looked at Wu Minzhi, as if she wanted to say something, but her mouth was tightly closed.

Wu Minzhi asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Xue Niang was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Nothing much. Yesterday, Madam Xiaoya and Master Xiaomin from the Shi family came to my shop and asked me to make a pair of love rings and send them to the Shi residence. I'm sick today and I'm afraid I can't go. Please help me notify them, Master."

After he finished speaking, he closed the door without waiting for Wu Minzhi to reply.

A Wu Hou asked curiously, "Boss, do you know which Shi family she is talking about?"

Wu Minzhi frowned and said, "I do know there's a Shi Mansion on West Street. The man is called Shi Sanlang, but he only has a son and no daughter."

The Marquis Wu said, "The young master of Shi Sanlang's family is not called Xiao Min."

Another person said, "Go ask Fang Zheng. He will definitely know."

Wu Minzhi nodded, but felt a little strange in his heart.

When they reached a crossroads, Wu Minzhi was startled and cried out incoherently, "Xiaoya, Xiaomin!"

The others were surprised to see Wu Minzhi suddenly exclaim.

"Boss, do you know which Shi Mansion it is?" asked a Wu Hou.

Wu Minzhi glanced back at Xueniang's shop and said in a low voice, "The history she was talking about is actually a poem from the Book of Songs. In the Xiaoya section of the Book of Songs, there is a poem called Xiaomin."

"So what she just said was actually the Book of Songs, Xiaoya, Xiaomin!"

Everyone was surprised to see that he was so knowledgeable at such a young age. They all looked at him with admiration, thinking that it was no wonder that he could start directly as captain.

A Wu Hou asked, "Boss, what did Xiao Min write?"

Wu Minzhi said in a deep voice: "Xiao Min's poem is very long, and I can't remember it completely, but I remember the last sentence clearly."

Everyone asked, "What is it?"

Wu Minzhi said: "Trembling with fear, as if standing on the edge of an abyss, treading on thin ice!"

Several Wu Hou looked at each other, and their eyes lit up.

Xue Niang was obviously hinting at her current situation and asking them for help.

Then think about her expression and behavior just now.

You can't go wrong.

There must be a thief in the house who has taken control of her, so she can only ask Wu Minzhi for help in this complicated way!
Several people drew their swords, looked at Wu Minzhi, and said, "Boss, how do we save him?"

Wu Minzhi thought for a moment, gestured, and said, "Split up. Wang San and Li Wu guard the shop door. Xue Er and I will climb in from the backyard. As soon as we start, you kick down the door and rush in!"

All three agreed.

Wu Minzhi led Xue Er around the alley to the backyard, stepped on Xue Er's shoulders and climbed up the wall. Xue Er grabbed his legs and climbed up as well.

The two men leaned against the wall and looked into the yard.

The yard is very small, there is no one in it, and there is a tree planted by the wall.

Wu Minzhi and the other man climbed the courtyard wall, moved sideways for a distance, then climbed over the wall, followed the tree, and landed in the courtyard without making any sound.

From a room in the backyard, faint sounds of conversation could be heard.

The two of them quietly came to the corner of the room and could vaguely hear someone talking, but it was not Tang language, so they could not hear clearly.

The two men approached the window, and just as they turned a corner, they saw two other people squatting under the eaves of the window, seemingly eavesdropping on the conversation of the people in the house.

Xue Er was so surprised that he let out a low cry. Suddenly, a shout came from inside the room: "Who is it?"

The two men under the eaves broke in without hesitation, and soon the sound of fierce fighting was heard in the house.

……

Cheng Wuting stood on the wall of Jinguan Gate, watching the situation at the gate below.

One of his lieutenants suddenly came running over and said, "General, good news! The men have caught a fish, and it might be a big one!"

Cheng Wuting's eyes lit up and he asked, "Which one?"

The captain said, "It was the tall, thin Arab merchant who entered the city at 4:40 this morning!"

Cheng Wuting narrowed his eyes and smiled, saying, "I knew there was something wrong with him. What did he do?"

The captain said, "After entering the city, the Arabs broke into the home of a Hu girl in Pingkangfang with evil intentions!"

"Has the person been brought under control?"

The captain said, "It was under control, but it was snatched away by the people from Wuhoupu!"

Cheng Wuting was stunned and asked, "What did you say?"

The captain said, "When the Arabs were trying to extract information from the Hu woman, several warriors suddenly burst in and startled them. We had no choice but to capture them."

Cheng Wuting frowned and asked, "Why did Wu Hou suddenly intervene?"

The captain said, "When those Wu Hou were patrolling the streets, they noticed that the Hu woman's shop was closed. They might have discovered something wrong and went into the house to investigate, and ran into us."

Cheng Wuting nodded and said, "That's the case. It's their duty, but why did you give the person to them?"

The captain said, "Those warriors were very vicious. They insisted that they had captured the thief and took him away by force."

Cheng Wuting said nothing, just stared at him without blinking.

A dignified captain of the internal guards, a military general of the sixth rank, could not even compete with a few small marquises. This was no longer just dereliction of duty.

It's like using the inner guards' face to rub the soles of Wu Hou's feet!

The captain gave a bitter laugh and said, "If it were an ordinary Marquis, I would naturally not let them take the person away, but among those Marquises, there is one who is not to be trifled with."

Cheng Wuting's heart trembled, and he asked, "Who?"

The captain lowered his voice and said, "Empress Wu's nephew, Wu Minzhi!"

Cheng Wuting clenched his fist, hit his forehead, and said, "Why am I so unlucky!"

The captain said, "General, it seems you have to go there in person."

Cheng Wuting shook his head and said, "Wu Minzhi is about to be attacked for his title of Duke of Zhou. I'm afraid it would be useless for me to go. I can only report this matter to the general."

He immediately descended the city wall, went all the way into the palace, and told Wang Jishan about Wu Minzhi's affairs.

After hearing this, Wang Jishan asked, "Do you know what the Arabs' purpose is?"

Cheng Wuting said, "It seems he wants to ask that Hu woman something. After all, he is a Da Shi. I am worried that he is heading for Hu Wang Street, so I came to report to you."

Wang Jishan said, "Even if we're not targeting Huwang Street, this man is still very important. I just received news that the Arabs have withdrawn some of their troops from Tianzhu."

Cheng Wuting was surprised and asked, "Why would they withdraw their troops so suddenly? Could something have happened within the Arab Empire?"

Wang Jishan nodded and said, "I think so too. This is a serious matter. I will go to see the Queen myself."

……

"Minzhi, I heard that you captured a Arab?"

In the Lizheng Hall, Wu Meiniang stood behind the desk, practicing calligraphy while asking.

Wu Minzhi stood at the bottom of the stairs with his hands hanging down, and whispered, "Aunt, how did you know so quickly?"

Without even looking up, Wu Meiniang said calmly, "Foreign spies in Chang'an City have always been under the responsibility of the Internal Affairs Office. You stole one of their people, so Wang Jishan had no choice but to come to me personally to ask for him."

Wu Minzhi was startled and lowered his head without saying a word.

Wu Meiniang glanced at him but didn't blame him. She said, "Auntie knows what you are thinking. You want to make a contribution and be promoted to the rank of Qianniu Guard, so that no one will gossip about you."

"In fact, sometimes, people shouldn't care too much about what others think. People's opinions often remain superficial. If you care too much, you will be tied up and unable to accomplish anything." "Return the man to the Inner Guard. I know your abilities, and so does His Majesty. There's no need to deliberately prove them. Just be worthy of the country and yourself."

It was the first time that Wu Minzhi had seen Wu Meiniang so patiently enlighten him. He felt warm in his heart and took a deep breath. He said, "I'll take note of this. Aunt, I have something to report to you."

Wu Meiniang said, "Speak."

Wu Minzhi said, "Aunt, do you know the details of what happened today?"

Wu Meiniang said, "Wang Jishan only mentioned a few words briefly. I don't know the whole story."

Wu Minzhi then told Wu Meiniang the whole story in detail, saying, "Aunt, do you know who that Arab was?"

"Who?"

Wu Minzhi said: "The richest businessman in the Arab world is Wang Bu!"

Wu Meiniang paused with her pen in her hand and said thoughtfully, "I seem to have heard of this name before."

Wu Minzhi hurriedly said, "It's the owner of Mo Jiaxuan. He was convicted because of the Yibaohui incident, and Mo Jiaxuan was also closed down."

Wu Meiniang hummed, and said, "He should know that he has committed a crime in the Tang Dynasty. How dare he come to Chang'an?"

Wu Minzhi laughed and said, "He came for the money."

Wu Meiniang raised her head and asked, "What money?"

Wu Minzhi said, "My nephew heard from Xueniang that Wang Bu has a very close relationship with the Arab court. Whenever the Arabs annex a place, Wang Bu will lead some Arab merchants to open their shops there as quickly as possible to seize the local market."

"If local merchants resist them, they will soon be captured by the Arab court."

"Xue Niang's father was once the largest merchant in Tocharistan. After Tocharistan was annexed by the Arabs, Wang Bu seized all of Xue Niang's father's property and shops by trickery and force."

"However, Xueniang's father had already taken precautions. Before the Tokharistan Kingdom was defeated, he hid half of its wealth. Only Xueniang knows where the treasure is hidden."

"Xue Niang was also sent out of Tocharia by her father. He hoped that after Tocharia was restored, Xue Niang would return home, dig up the treasures, and rebuild the family."

"Later, Xueniang fled to Chang'an and waited. However, after so many years, Tokharistan had been completely annexed by the Arabs. She saw no hope of restoring her country. She wanted to enter Mojiaxuan and assassinate Wang Bu for revenge, but unfortunately, Wang Bu never came to Chang'an."

"Until this time, Wang Bu suddenly found her and pressed her to tell him where her father's treasures were buried. That's when her nephew encountered her."

Wu Meiniang listened silently, thought for a moment, and then said, "Since Wang Bu is the richest merchant in the Arab world, why would he risk his life and come to Chang'an for such a small amount of money?"

Wu Minzhi said, "According to Xueniang's confession, when she spoke with Wang Bu, she discovered that he was very eager to get the money."

Wu Meiniang asked, "Could it be that he offended someone in the Arab world, and that's why his situation has become difficult?"

Wu Minzhi said, "Aunt, according to Xueniang, her father left her a lot of money. She said that as long as the Tang Dynasty helps her restore her country, she is willing to give half of it."

Wu Meiniang glanced at him, rolled her eyes, and said, "Do you want the Tang Dynasty to be controlled by a Hu woman just for a little money?"

Wu Minzhi hurriedly said, "Nephew, I am just relaying her words to you."

Wu Meiniang waved her hand and said, "Alright, step back and quickly hand the man over to the inner guards."

Wu Minzhi agreed and left.

After Wu Minzhi returned to Wuhou Shop, he found that Cheng Wuting, the General of the Internal Guard, was already waiting outside the shop.

Because of this incident, Wu Minzhi's identity was exposed. All the Wuhous, big and small, stood outside the shop, looking at him with admiration.

Especially the few small marquises under his command, none of them had expected that the leader they followed would be such a big shot.

Wu Minzhi handed the man over to the Inner Guard, and was then pulled in by a group of Wu Hou. Everyone tried to please him in every possible way.

On the other side, Cheng Wuting took Wang Bu and Xue Niang directly to the Forbidden Garden to report to Wang Jishan.

Wang Jishan immediately ordered his men to interrogate them separately. Xue Niang was questioned with routine questions, while Wang Bu and his men were tortured severely.

To his surprise, Wang Bu's mouth was not tight-lipped at all. As soon as he was tortured, he started to spill everything.

After hearing his confession, Wang Jishan was greatly surprised and hurried to Ganlu Temple to meet the emperor.

Li Zhi was originally in the harem accompanying Xu Jin to visit the garden. When he heard that Wang Jishan wanted to see him, he returned to Ganlu Palace and asked him why he wanted to see him.

Wang Jishan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have just captured a Arab. He told me that King Ali of the Arabs has been assassinated and that the Arabs are in the midst of civil unrest!"

Li Zhi was drinking tea and almost spit it out. He asked hurriedly, "Is Ali really dead?"

Wang Jishan said: "Yes, based on my analysis of various signs, Ali is indeed dead."

Li Zhi put down his teacup and asked, "What are the signs?"

Wang Jishan said, "The first and most direct evidence is that the Arab who I captured told me that Ali was assassinated by a radical force within the Arab Empire!"

Li Zhi said, "Can this person be trusted?"

Wang Jishan said, "The Arab man I captured is called Wang Bu. He is the richest merchant in the Arab world. He also has another identity. His mother was the wet nurse of the Arab king."

"He was originally Ali's confidant, responsible for secretly helping Ali raise wealth, so I believe his words are trustworthy."

Li Zhi thought for a moment and said, "The richest businessman in the Arab world? Is he the Arab owner of Mo Jiaxuan?"

"Exactly."

"If Ali was assassinated, why would he suddenly come to Chang'an?" Li Zhi asked puzzledly.

Wang Jishan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, because Ali was killed, Wang Bu lost his support and his property was confiscated by the Persian governor Muawiyah."

"Originally, Muawiyah was going to execute him, but in order to save his life, he told Muawiyah a secret. Muawiyah then released him and allowed him to come to Chang'an."

Li Zhi asked, "What secret did he tell Muawiyah?"

Wang Jishan then told her about Xueniang's father and said, "Muawiyah has arrested Wang Bu's entire family and ordered him to come to Chang'an and ask Xueniang about the whereabouts of the wealth. He will be released if he can get the wealth."

Li Zhi frowned and looked thoughtful.

After he came to the Tang Dynasty, he recorded some important historical events within the Tang Dynasty to prevent them from being forgotten.

It’s a pity that there is no record of the events of the Arab Empire.

After so many years, the little historical knowledge he had about the Arab Empire had been almost forgotten.

But one thing he still remembered was that Muawiyah would be the next caliph.

He single-handedly established the Umayyad Caliphate, also known as the Black Caliphate in historical documents.

It was during this period that the Arab Empire began to expand more rapidly.

At present, Muawiyah is withdrawing his troops from India and accumulating wealth. It is obvious that this is all for the purpose of competing for the position of Caliph.

Wang Jishan added, "Your Majesty, I recently received news that someone is trying to sneak into Chang'an and rescue Lu Dongzan."

Li Zhi said, "Who is it?"

Wang Jishan said: "According to my analysis, it is very likely that they are Arabs."

If Li Zhi didn't know the internal situation of the Arab Empire, he might still be wondering why the Arabs wanted to save Lu Dongzan.

After hearing what Wang Jishan said, he immediately understood the key.

"The Arabs wanted to withdraw their troops, but were also worried that Tubo would take the opportunity to counterattack, so they wanted to rescue Lu Dongzan and take him as a hostage to make Tubo hesitate." He slowly stated his conclusion.

Wang Jishan bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise and wise."

Li Zhi thought for a moment and then ordered, "Do two things immediately. First, send someone to inform the Tibetans of the situation in the Arab world. Second, send a message to Pei Xingjian, asking him to contact the countries in the Western Regions and prepare to help Tocharistan restore its independence."

Wang Jishan's heart moved, and he said, "Your Majesty, if you want to help Tocharistan restore its country, Xueniang and Bilus can be of use."

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "You can arrange these matters yourself. You don't have to report everything to me."

Wang Jishan bowed and said, "Yes!" Then he took his leave.

Li Zhi stood up and left Ganlu Palace, walking slowly along the palace road towards Penglai Palace, with thoughts in his mind.

The original Arab Empire was divided into two armies, the East and the West, due to internal divisions, and was unable to exert its full strength.

However, after Muawiyah established the Umayyad Dynasty, the Arabs integrated all their forces and entered their peak period.

In other words, the Tang Dynasty is about to face a real opponent.

Before that, he needed to resolve the problems of the Liaodong countries as soon as possible and make Liaodong a stable rear base.

Only in this way can we safely mobilize all the forces of the Tang Dynasty to the west to fight against the Arabs in the Western Regions!

(End of this chapter)