Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 93 Sigongtai

It was late at night, and the bright moon hung in the sky like a disk.

The candles in Chengxiang Hall have been extinguished, and there is no sound from within the curtains.

Wang Fusheng quietly left the hall, ordered several trusted eunuchs to serve him well, and then left Chengxiang Hall.

He often had to handle confidential matters for the emperor, so he had the power to order the palace gates to be opened.

He used the token bestowed by the emperor to open the Changle Gate, took a carriage, and left the imperial city along Chengtianmen Street.

The carriage stopped near a house in Xuanyangfang.

This is the most remote street in Xuanyangfang. The houses don’t even have plaques, as if they have been abandoned.

No one would have thought that this was the headquarters outside the palace of "Sigongtai", the intelligence agency under Wang Fusheng.

Wang Fusheng, wearing a black cloak, entered the courtyard. A man holding a lantern walked out of the darkness, bowed to him, and silently led the way ahead.

After a while, they arrived at a study in the back house, and the guide turned on the wall lamp.

With a "click", the bookshelf suddenly turned, revealing a secret passage leading downwards.

Wang Fusheng walked down the stone steps and soon came to a stone chamber. Inside the chamber was a large chair covered with snow-white fox fur.

Wang Fusheng took off his cloak, walked to the chair and sat down, closed his eyes, put his hands on his knees, and waited silently.

Not long after, footsteps were heard and three men in black cloaks came into the stone chamber and bowed to Wang Fusheng.

"Your humble servant greets the Grand Eunuch."

These three people were originally eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department. They were selected by Wang Fusheng to establish the Palace Office outside the palace, responsible for collecting intelligence from all over the world for the emperor.

Wang Fusheng glanced at the three of them and whispered softly, "After three years out of the palace, each of you has gained weight. Life outside the palace is pretty comfortable, right?"

The three of them could hear that Wang Fusheng's tone was unfriendly.

A slightly plump eunuch hurriedly said, "We only know how to do our duty for the Grand Eunuch and the Saint, and we dare not slack off in the slightest."

Wang Fusheng sneered, "Don't dare to slack off. That's a nice thing to say. It doesn't matter if you continue to slack off. After all, the Saint has planned to abolish the Palace Office. This is also good. You can relax and I won't have to worry about it."

The expressions of the three people changed drastically.

"Grand Eunuch, why does the Saint want to abolish the Sigongtai for no reason?" another eunuch asked anxiously.

Wang Fusheng said calmly, "The Imperial Household Department allocates you a certain amount of money every year, but the information you gather is neither as fast nor as accurate as that of the Changqiutai. What's the point of the Saint supporting you?"

Changqiutai is the intelligence agency under Wu Meiniang, and is headed by Zhang Duohai.

This was the organization that Emperor Gaozong of Tang ordered Wu Meiniang to establish to check and balance Wang Fusheng's Sigongtai to prevent one side from becoming too powerful.

The slightly plump eunuch said anxiously, "That being said, if we weren't there, wouldn't it be easy for the Saint to be deceived by Zhang Dahai? Grand Eunuch, you wouldn't want to see this happen, would you?"

Wang Fusheng said, "I am different from you. As long as I serve the Saint well, I have no other desires."

He snorted and continued, "As for the Saint being deceived, you don't have to worry. The Saint has already ordered the formation of the Inner Guard to replace you. Those Inner Guards are much more capable than you, and the Saint is very satisfied with them."

The three eunuchs' faces turned pale as they realized that Wang Fusheng was not joking.

The positions of eunuchs in the palace had long been occupied by the newly promoted eunuchs, and they could no longer return to the palace unless they started over as junior eunuchs.

Every eunuch has endured many years of hardship and finally made it through. No one wants to experience that kind of hard life again.

Thinking of this, the three of them kowtowed together until their foreheads bled.

"Please, Grand Eunuch, save us!"

Wang Fusheng looked at them indifferently, and only raised his hand when their faces were covered in blood.

"Alright, since you've been with me for so many years, I can help you this time. But this is your last chance."

The three of them said happily, "Thank you, Grand Supervisor."

Wang Fusheng said, "I will speak well of you. However, the Inner Guard has already been established. Their leader is Wang Jishan, a ruthless character. If you cannot prove your worth, I can do nothing about it."

All three of them had fierce expressions on their faces.

The slightly plump eunuch gritted his teeth and said, "Master, we were indeed negligent earlier, but the intelligence network we have been building for many years is definitely not inferior to a newly built security office!"

Wang Fusheng said, "Anyone can say harsh words, but the one who can do what he says is a real warrior." He stood up and left the stone chamber.

Near the abandoned house, there is a black and turbid stinking ditch. Because it has not been treated for a long time, the stench is overwhelming. The people living nearby have already moved away.

Wang Fusheng stood beside the stinking ditch, looking up at the cold bright moon as if he could not smell the stench.

Not long after, a dark shadow quietly came behind him.

"Your humble servant greets the eunuch." The man had his face covered, so his appearance could not be seen clearly, but his voice sounded very young, and he should be no more than thirty years old.

Wang Fusheng waved his hand and said, "We're close, so why bother with all this polite talk? How are the two things I asked you to do going?"

The masked man lowered his voice and said, "We have some evidence against Chang Qiutai, but we still lack the key evidence. There's even less on Wu's side. She never does anything herself."

Wang Fusheng was silent for a while, then sighed, "Never mind. I knew it wouldn't be easy to deal with her. I have plenty of patience."

The masked man said, "I have already taken care of Queen Wang and sent a highly respected Taoist priest to counsel her."

Wang Fusheng frowned and asked, "Do you know why her temperament suddenly changed?"

The masked man hesitated for a moment and said, "According to my humble opinion, she wants to attract the attention of the Saint in this way."

Wang Fusheng sighed, "It seems she still refuses to give up."

The masked man whispered, "From my humble observation, she is too deeply attached to the Saint. I'm afraid she would rather be executed by the Saint than be forgotten by him."

Wang Fusheng was silent for a moment, then said, "Calm her down first and stop her from doing anything drastic. The emperor's heart is unpredictable. Even Liu Chong'e can regain favor, so there's no doubt that His Highness will return to the palace one day."

The masked man whispered, "I'll remember this."

Wang Fusheng added, "You still have to be careful about your identity. I suspect that there is someone under Zhang Duohai in the Palace Office. You must not let him know that you are investigating the Wu family."

The masked man smiled and said, "I have always been cautious. No one knows my identity."

Wang Fusheng said, "The Saint has been quite free recently. I must always follow and serve him. His visits to the palace will become less and less frequent in the future."

The masked man suddenly asked, "Grand Eunuch, is the Saint really planning to abolish the Palace Office?"

Wang Fusheng said in a deep voice, "Although it hasn't been stated explicitly, there are signs. If I don't scare them a little, they'll slack off on their duties and be laid off sooner or later!"

The masked man sighed, "You can't blame them. Anyone who has been suppressed in the palace for too long will indulge themselves after being transferred to the Palace Affairs Office."

Wang Fusheng said, "I know, that's why I didn't replace them."

The masked man bowed and said, "Then I will go back, otherwise I will arouse suspicion."

Wang Fusheng raised his hand and said, "Wait a minute, there's something else I need you to do for me."

The masked man said, "Grand Eunuch, please give your orders."

Wang Fusheng said with a serious face, "Help me investigate Wang Jishan, and then send someone to secretly monitor him. If he makes any unusual moves, send someone to report to me."

The masked man said, "Yes!"

Longevity Pavilion.

Wang Jishan stood by the window, looking through the darkness at Yuchi Gong's mansion diagonally across the street.

The plan he presented to the emperor had reached the most critical stage, and he could not afford any mistakes, so every night these days he would personally keep an eye on Yuchi Gong's mansion.

The emperor gave him an order: let him tell Yuchi Gong that Cheng Zhijie would ask Yuchi Gong for help.

Although Wang Jishan received the order, he did not go to find Yuchi Gong for a long time.

He knew Yuchi Gong very well, and if he went to find him now, he would probably be kicked out or even beaten.

So he needed a trigger, and after this trigger ignited Yuchi Gong's anger, it would not be too late for him to meet Yuchi Gong.

He stood quietly by the window, waiting like a stone statue. After an unknown amount of time, the sound of horse hooves was heard on the street.

A light flashed in Wang Jishan's eyes.

Not long after, a man came on horseback to the outside of Yuchi Gong's mansion and knocked hard on the door.

The door of the mansion has not been opened for many years, and a thick layer of dust has accumulated on it. When it is knocked, the dust falls off.

After a while, a crack appeared in the corner of the gate, and a pair of cloudy eyes appeared behind the crack. It was the doorman of Yuchi Gong's mansion.

After talking to the doorman for a few words, the man stood outside the mansion gate waiting.

The moonlight shone on his face, and he was in his forties, wearing a blue silk robe, with an elegant face. He was Xiao Rui, the son-in-law of the Xiao family.

Not long after, the corner door opened again and Xiao Rui was invited in.

A quarter of an hour later, the corner door opened again and Xiao Rui staggered out, his nose and face swollen, one eye closed, and bruises all around.

Xiao Rui quickly mounted his horse and rode away without saying a word.

Wang Jishan smiled faintly, then straightened his clothes and strode towards the Duke of E's Mansion.

(End of this chapter)