Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 97 Empress Wu's Memorial

The bright moon hangs high in the sky, its light as clear as water.

With a creak, the north gate of Pingkangfang was pushed open by several wardens.

Two wealthy young men in luxurious attire and riding horses came out, surrounded by a group of wealthy servants.

"County Marquis, County Son, please take care." The clerk smiled at the two of them.

The two men had just come out of Chunfeng Tower after drinking some wine. They both looked drunk and were riding their horses slowly while talking about romantic stories.

It was curfew time and the streets were silent, with only the armored and sharp-armed Jinwu Guards patrolling back and forth.

The two men ignored the Jinwu Guards and rode on the street as if no one was around, occasionally letting out a chuckle.

Just then, the sound of horse hooves was heard, and a team of Jinwu Guards came galloping in front, blocking the way of the two men.

"What are you waiting here for during curfew?" The speaker was a dark-faced old man in armor.

A wealthy young man patted the glittering goldfish charm on his waist and said with his chin raised, "Didn't you see this? Get out of the way. I'm..." He burped and continued, "On official business..."

"What's your business? Explain clearly!"

Another wealthy young man with a silver fish charm saw that the old man was dressed like a captain and cursed, "You old bastard! Even your Lieutenant General would have to be polite and smile when he sees your Lord Liu. Why don't you get out of here?"

He swung his whip and swung it at the other person.

The black-faced old general reached out to take the whip, and with a pull, he pulled the rich young man off the horse.

The slaves were immediately in an uproar. Like a group of loyal dogs guarding their masters, they started cursing and revealed the identities of the two men.

It turned out that one of them was a descendant of the Jingzhao Liu family, and had inherited the title of founding county prince.

The other person's surname was Qu, and he was even more remarkable. He was one of the twenty-four heroes in the Lingyan Pavilion, the grandson of Qu Tutong, and a second-rank founding county marquis.

The dark-faced old man suddenly looked at Qu County Marquis and said with a smile, "So you are the grandson of that old man Qu Tutong."

The Marquis of Qu County was furious and asked, "Who are you to insult my grandfather?"

The black-faced old man laughed and said, "Didn't Qu Tutong tell you the three words 'Black-Faced God' before he died?"

The Marquis of Qu County cried out in surprise, "You, you are Yuchi Gong, no, you are General Yuchi?"

The old man was none other than Yuchi Gong. After he and Cheng Zhijie met the emperor that day, he was soon appointed as the General of the Left Golden Guard.

After Yuchi Gong and Cheng Zhijie discussed it, they both felt that the emperor appointed the two of them in order to deal with the aristocratic factions.

Therefore, in the past few days, he disguised himself as a team leader every night and patrolled Chang'an at night.

County Master Liu asked anxiously, "If you are General Yuchi, why are you wearing the uniform of a regular soldier?"

Yuchi Gong sneered, "If I were wearing the general's armor, you would all be scared to death. How could you kill people?"

The Marquis of Qu County turned pale and asked in a trembling voice, "Kill, kill people?"

Yuchi Gong no longer paid attention to him, dismounted, and came to the group of slaves.

All the slaves were so frightened that they knelt on the ground and trembled like sieves.

"Yuchi Wengweng, spare my life!"

Yuchi Gong drew the sword from his waist, placed the blade on the chin of a slave, raised his hand, and forced him to look up at him.

"You were the one who cursed the most just now, right?" he said coldly.

The slave was so frightened by his black face that he couldn't speak. He smelled urine and became incontinent due to the shock.

Yuchi Gong cursed, "You spineless bastard."

With a wave of his arm and a flash of the knife, a head shot up into the sky, and blood spurted out, spraying on the two rich young men. Both of them were stunned with fear.

These slaves were all government-appointed servants in the "fangge" class, and were originally of low status. Now they had violated the curfew and could be directly executed according to the law.

Yuchi Gong, like the god of death, came to the next slave, raised his sword and chopped off his head with great skill.

All the slaves were so frightened that no one escaped. After a while, all the slaves were killed by him.

The two rich young men were so frightened that they dared not move, and looked at Yuchi Gong with horror.

Yuchi Gong wiped the blood off his face and was about to speak when he glanced up and saw another carriage coming from a distance.

The person on the horse lifted the curtain and saw this scene, and was also stunned.

Yuchi Gong glanced at the copper bells hanging on the four corners of the carriage, his eyes lit up, and he ordered the Jinwu Guards beside him: "Keep an eye on them first."

He rode his horse to the front of the carriage and said to the people in the carriage, "Get out!"

After a long while, a middle-aged scholar slowly walked down from the carriage. He had an extraordinary appearance, but his face was a little pale. He was the current son-in-law, Changsun Chong.

"I am Changsun Chong, your humble servant, and I am here to pay my respects to General Yuchi!" He bowed his head and said.

Yuchi Gong shook the blood off his knife and smiled, "So you're Zhangsun Wuji's son. How's your master?"

Yuchi Gong didn't know whether it was intentional, but some of the blood splashed onto Changsun Chong's face, but Changsun Chong didn't dare to wipe it off.

"My father is well." He bowed his head.

Yuchi Gong said sternly, "Grand Marshal Changsun compiled the Yonghui Code. Since you are his son, you should be well versed in the law. I'm sure you won't violate the curfew."

Chang Sun Chong was very anxious.

He didn't have any official business, he just stayed up late drinking with friends.

The curfew applied to the people, and someone like him, a consort to the emperor and the son of Zhangsun Wuji, had never taken the curfew seriously. Yuchi Gong said kindly, "I understand. You must have some urgent documents on you, right?"

Chang Sun Chong's forehead was covered in sweat.

Just then, a shocking scream came from afar.

It turned out that one of the two rich young men finally came to his senses and drove his horse out of the encirclement of the Jinwu Guards like crazy, galloping towards the street.

Yuchi Gong made a "tsk" sound, grabbed the bow on the saddle, shot an arrow from the empty string, and shouted, "If you move again, you will die!"

The rich young man didn't react at all and continued to gallop on his horse.

There was a strange light on Yuchi Gong's face, as if a beast smelled blood, and he drew his bow and arrow.

Chang Sun Chong said anxiously: "Old General, please show mercy!"

With a "whoosh", the arrow shot out like a meteor chasing the moon. The sharp arrowhead pierced through the back of Kuo Shao's neck without any hindrance and then came out from the front of his neck.

With a "thump", the rich young man fell off his horse, holding the arrow on his throat tightly with both hands, and making a "ho ho ho" sound from his mouth.

After a while, he straightened his body and took his last breath.

Yuchi Gong turned around and glanced at Changsun Chong, his eyes expressionless.

Chang Sun Chong felt fear for the first time, and his mind went blank.

At this moment, a carriage came over from a distance, and a man got out of the carriage and said, "Shaoqing Changsun, why are you still delaying here?"

That person was Lai Ji.

When he saw Yuchi Gong, he bowed and said, "Isn't this General Yuchi? I am honored to meet you."

Yuchi Gong said calmly, "So you're here, my lord. I wonder what you're looking for, Prince Consort Changsun?"

Lai Ji smiled and said, "The Saint ordered an investigation into the matter of Prince Teng Li Yuanying. The results have just been released, and the Saint has issued a decree for severe punishment. That's why I sent someone to invite Prince Consort Changsun to my residence to discuss this matter."

The Zongzheng Temple was responsible for any crimes committed by members of the royal family, so it made sense for Lai Ji to ask his eldest grandson to go over there.

Yuchi Gong said with a half-smile, "So that's how it is. I was wondering how a man like Prince Consort Changsun could break the curfew. I have to continue patrolling the streets. Please excuse me."

After he rode away, Chang Sun Chong's legs almost gave out. He smiled bitterly and said, "Thank you, Prime Minister, for helping me out."

……

The Lizheng Hall and the Sleeping Hall.

Madam Yuchi bowed to Wu Meiniang and said, "I, Su, pay my respects to Her Majesty the Queen."

Wu Meiniang raised her hand and smiled, "Old Madam, there's no need to be so polite. You are my mother's old friend, so you are my elder. You don't have to be restrained here."

Yuchi Gong had two wives, both of whom were from the Shiping Su clan. The first wife was named Su Zhuo, and she died in her twenties.

Yuchi Gong missed his old wife, and according to Su Zhuo's will, he married Su Zhuo's younger sister, who is now Mrs. Yuchi.

The Su family was a prominent family in the Sui Dynasty. Yuchi Gong had some friendship with Wu Shigui, but Madam Yuchi and Madam Yang were just acquaintances, and their relationship was average.

However, Wu Meiniang had already seen through Madam Yuchi's intentions, so she was extra polite to her.

Madam Yuchi thanked him, was silent for a moment, and then asked, "Your Highness, do you know the Wugong Su family?"

Wu Meiniang said: "Of course I know. Wasn't Su Shichang, one of the eighteen scholars in the Qin Palace, a member of the Wugong Su family?"

Madam Yuchi whispered, "Yes, the Wugong Su family is a large aristocratic family. Since we first pacified the Su family, we have always been dependent on them, so we cannot make decisions on many matters."

Wu Meiniang's heart moved.

According to what this woman said, the Shiping Su family's involvement in the Forbidden Garden incident was instigated by the Wugong Su family, and they could not resist.

Mrs. Yuchi was a very straightforward woman. After explaining her purpose, she bowed and left without further greeting.

Wu Meiniang sat on the phoenix couch, thinking carefully.

After Zhang Duohai sent Madam Yuchi away, he came to her side and whispered, "Your Highness, this old woman is here to plead for Su's sake."

Wu Meiniang nodded.

Zhang Dahai continued, "Your Highness, with your attitude towards her, are you really going to plead for her?"

Wu Meiniang glanced at him and said, "Isn't it possible?"

Zhang Duohai said anxiously, "If you interfere in the affairs of the previous dynasty again, won't the saint be angry again?"

Wu Meiniang said calmly: "You are wrong. If I intervene this time, His Majesty will not only not be angry, but will be very happy."

Zhang Duohai was stunned: "How could it be?"

Wu Meiniang did not explain any further.

She had pondered it carefully over the past few days and felt that she had figured out Li Zhi's thoughts.

Li Zhi didn't dislike her interfering in state affairs, but he didn't like her doing anything beyond the scope of the queen's duties.

When the ladies outside the palace pleaded with her, she felt compassion and turned to plead with the emperor. This was within the scope of the empress's authority and did not exceed the rules.

Moreover, she had already seen that Li Zhi intended to use Yuchi Gong and Cheng Zhijie to deal with the aristocratic families and would not attack the Su family.

Her pleading for Su at this time actually gave Li Zhi a way out, and Li Zhi would naturally be happy.

Thinking of this, Wu Meiniang ordered: "Prepare writing materials, I want to present a memorial to His Majesty."

(End of this chapter)