Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 94 Taking Concubines to Hot Springs

Forty miles east of Chang'an City, there is a mountain called Mount Li.

In the 18th year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of Tang ordered Yan Lide to build a temporary palace in Mount Li, named "Tangquan Palace", which was the palace closest to Chang'an City.

Tangquan Palace, also known as Hot Spring Palace, is large in scale, with pavilions and halls spread all over Mount Li.

During the reign of Emperor Taizong, he often recuperated in the hot spring palace. He could go in the morning and return in the afternoon. It only took an hour by carriage, which was quite convenient.

Although there is a hot spring in the Forbidden Garden, it lacks the earth's lung energy and is not suitable for hot spring therapy.

So early in the morning of that day, Li Zhi took the imperial carriage, took Wu Meiniang and three concubines, and went to Tangquan Palace to soak in the hot springs.

In less than an hour, they arrived at the foot of Mount Li.

Looking up, Mount Li looks like brocade and embroidery, and is also called Xiuling. It is indeed a superb scenery. There are many hot springs on the mountain, and the Tangquan Palace got its name from this.

The Tangquan Palace is surrounded by walls on all sides, like a small city. The detached palace is centered on the hot springs and expands to the top and bottom of the mountain. The palace buildings are lined up one after another and surrounded by walls.

After crossing Wangxian Bridge and passing through Jinyang Gate, looking around, you will feel as if you are in the imperial palace.

The most famous hot spring in Tangquan Palace is called Jiulongtang, which is composed of nine hot spring pools connected together.

There is a dressing room outside the hot spring pool where you can change clothes.

The eunuchs and palace servants were all waiting outside the house. At this time, only Li Zhi, Wu Meiniang and three concubines were left in the house.

Wu Meiniang wanted to help Li Zhi change his clothes, but Li Zhi waved his hand.

"I will come by myself. We don't need anyone to serve us today. We can serve ourselves."

As he spoke, he turned his head and his eyes slowly moved across the four people's chests.

You won’t know until you compare. Among the four girls, Liu is the most attractive.

Liu's face turned red when he looked at her. She glanced at Wu Meiniang secretly, and saw that Empress Wu was also looking at her chest with a smile, which made her even more at a loss.

As Xu Jin took off his hezi (bra), he said with a smile, "The ancients said that a bath in the water of the anointing bath washes away filth, dispels disasters, and brings blessings. Your Majesty, bathing here today will not only heal your body, but also bring blessings to the world."

Concubine Zheng smiled and said, "Then you must come more often in the future. As soon as I came up the mountain, I felt so relaxed. Living here is much more comfortable than the palace."

Empress Wu laughed and said, "Although hot springs are nice, you can't soak in them too often. I asked Dr. Sun, and he said that soaking in hot springs too often can lead to some strange diseases."

Li Zhi clapped his hands and said, "The Queen is right. Everything should be done in moderation. Too much is as bad as too little. Okay, let's all go in."

Jiulongtang is built with unique craftsmanship.

The stone steps and bridges in the pool are crisscrossed, and the flowers and grasses are fragrant.

The bottom of the pool is made entirely of corals and gems. Under the sunlight, it is exceptionally clear, with the water swirling, the stone springs gushing, and the air shrouded in mist, making it feel like a fairyland.

Li Zhi played in the pool with the girls for a while. Feeling a little dizzy, he got up and went to the dressing room to rest.

When the women saw him leave, they followed him out, still thinking of ways to serve him.

Li Zhi had no choice but to lie on Wu Meiniang's thighs and enjoy the neck massage service of Empress Wu.

Concubine Zheng played the piano beside him, Xu Jin burned incense, and Liu Chong'er helped him massage his legs.

Li Zhi was listening to the piano music and was about to fall asleep when Jiang Shanggong came to report that Wang Jishan wanted to see him.

Concubine Zheng frowned and said, "Your Majesty finally got a break, but he chased us here. Let him wait outside."

Li Zhi sat up and waved his hand, saying, "If you haven't had enough, please continue soaking in the hot spring for a while. I have to go and take care of official business."

After leaving Jiulongtang, he put on his clothes, put a silk scarf on his forehead, and walked to the outer hall. He smiled at Wang Jishan who was waiting inside and said, "My Lord, I've kept you waiting for a long time. What do you want from me?"

Wang Jishan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I went to see the Duke of E last night."

Li Zhi was startled and gestured for him to sit down and talk. He asked, "Is everything going well?"

Wang Jishan smiled and said, "Luckily, Xiao Rui went in first and took a beating for me, which made Duke E feel a sense of crisis. Therefore, my trip went quite smoothly."

Li Zhi asked curiously, "Xiao Rui took the punch for you. What's the meaning of this?"

Wang Jishan then told him about what he saw Xiao Rui doing last night when he visited Yuchi Gong and got beaten black and blue.

Li Zhi had just finished soaking in the hot springs and his body was still hot. He wiped the sweat from his face and said thoughtfully, "Xiao Rui went to see Yuchi Gong, probably because of the Su family's matter."

Wang Jishan said, "I have the same suspicion. He will definitely tell Duke E that the aristocratic faction is willing to do everything in its power to save the Su family."

Li Zhi asked, "If that's the case, why did Yuchi Gong still beat him?"

Wang Jishan sat up straighter and said, "Your Majesty, in fact, the world has a misunderstanding about the Duke of E. They think he is a reckless man who is not good at strategy."

Li Zhi was stunned for a moment. Not to mention the world, he also had this impression of Yuchi Gong.

But if you think about it carefully, if Yuchi Gong was really a fool, among so many founding generals, only a few survived. How could he be one of them?
This shows that this person is by no means simple.

"In your opinion, Lord Wang, what kind of person is Yuchi Gong?" Wang Jishan asked, "Duke E is indeed a bit impatient, but he is simply too upright, not stupid. In fact, he sees many things more clearly than anyone else."

Li Zhi nodded: "That makes sense."

Wang Jishan continued, "Xiao Rui didn't understand the Duke of E. He thought he could easily fool him about the Su family's affairs. Little did he know, the Duke of E had already seen through it."

Li Zhi thought for a moment and said, "You mean to say that Yuchi Gong has seen through it and that the Su family was betrayed by the aristocratic family."

Wang Jishan said, "Duke E doesn't leave his house, so he might not know the truth. However, Xiao Rui went to find him, and instead exposed himself."

Li Zhi was suddenly shocked.

The Shiping Su family was just a small aristocratic family. Unlike the Jingzhao Du family, it was indeed very strange that they were involved in this matter for no reason.

From Yuchi Gong's perspective, the Su family's dispute must be related to him, so whoever comes to him next will be the mastermind behind the scenes!
The logic is very simple, but very effective.

Xiao Rui framed the Su family in order to drag Yuchi Gong into the water, so naturally he had to go find him, which exposed himself.

Li Zhi took a deep breath and said, "You are right. From this perspective, everyone underestimates Yuchi Gong."

Wang Jishan smiled and said, "After Xiao Rui left, it will be much easier for me to go again. Although Duke E beat Xiao Rui up, he is actually very upset and is anxious to know the situation outside."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "So you went there under the pretext of visiting him?"

Wang Jishan said, "If I say I'm visiting him, the timing is too coincidental and it would easily arouse his suspicion. So I went to see him about Su's matter."

There is only one difference between Wang Jishan and Xiao Rui.

After Xiao Rui told Yuchi Gong about Su's affairs, he offered to help Su, which exposed his true purpose.

The king and the good are different.

He only told this matter to Yuchi Gong and let him know, without saying anything else. Instead, he gained Yuchi Gong's trust.

Later, Yuchi Gong kept asking him about the affairs of Chang'an City, big and small, asking him about everything.

He asked especially detailed questions about the emperor and Zhangsun Wuji. In the end, Wang Jishan also told him about Cheng Zhijie's situation.

Wang Jishan said, "Old General, the entire court is saying that the sage will definitely punish General Cheng severely. You must make preparations early."

Yuchi Gong snorted, "Cheng the Dwarf is so clever that he insisted on flirting with Zhangsun Wuji. He deserves it. He's courting death! As colleagues, I'll prepare a good coffin for him."

Wang Jishan said, "I'm afraid he will come to see you."

Yuchi Gong angrily said, "Nonsense! Nai Gong and him have always been at odds. Why would he come to me? Is he expecting me to plead for him?"

Wang Jishan sighed, "Who among the older generation of generals doesn't know your character? You value loyalty over life. This is your greatest flaw. That's why they will definitely come to you before they die."

Yuchi Gong valued loyalty the most in his life. This sentence made him feel relaxed and happy. He cursed with a smile: "Damn it, Nai Gong has let them rely on him for the rest of his life."

Wang Jishan advised: "Old General, you have been living in peace in the mansion for so many years, you can't be dragged into the vortex just for Cheng Zhijie!"

Yuchi Gong laughed and said, "I am already over seventy years old. I have lived enough in this life. You don't need to persuade me anymore."

When Li Zhi heard this, he couldn't help but admire Wang Jishan. He really understood Yuchi Gong's character.

Wang Jishan smiled and said, "That was the situation at the time. The plan went very smoothly. Now we just have to wait for Cheng Zhijie to return to Beijing to find Duke E."

Li Zhi said, "If this is successful, Lord Wang will be credited with the greatest achievement. However, I have one remaining concern."

Wang Jishan hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, are you worried about Cheng Zhijie?"

Li Zhi nodded and said, "After all, Cheng Zhijie is different from Yuchi Gong. He has too many thoughts on his mind. Although Pei Xingjian has advised him, I am still worried that he may not go directly to Yuchi Gong."

Wang Jishan understood what the emperor meant.

He was afraid that Cheng Zhijie would be found by the aristocratic families after he arrived in Beijing.

In this way, no matter what Cheng Zhijie did next, the emperor would not dare to use him to deal with the aristocratic families.

"Your Majesty, I will send someone immediately. As long as Cheng Zhijie enters the capital, I will keep a close watch on him and will not allow him to come into contact with the aristocratic factions."

Wang Fusheng followed up, "Your Majesty, I will also have the people from the Palace Office keep an eye on it."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Very good. I'll leave this matter to you two, my dear ministers."

At noon the next day, Li Zhi returned to Taiji Palace with Empress Wu and others. At night, he received news that Cheng Zhijie had already entered the capital.

What surprised him a little was that it was Wang Fusheng who found out the news first.

"Is the information accurate?" he asked.

Wang Fusheng said solemnly, "Your Majesty, the news is absolutely accurate! Cheng Zhijie disguised himself as a farmer and entered the capital, going directly to the Duke of E's mansion!"

(End of this chapter)