Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 48: The Story of Empress Wu
"Li Linfu is a scoundrel, inciting others to murder their loved ones! He is a wicked man, a deceitful man who deceives all beings!"

Although Zhang Luo was pinned to the ground by the Southern Court guards, his mouth wasn't covered, so he continued to yell. The bastard had just met him and scolded him, so he naturally had to seize the opportunity to scold him back.

Of course, no matter how much he insulted and made a fuss, he only focused on Li Linfu and did not wantonly expand the scope of attack. From time to time, he also begged Yuan Qianyao, a loyal and upright person, to give him justice.

Gao Lishi was originally worried that someone might get killed, but when he heard the boy yelling and cursing with full force, he did not rush forward, but summoned all the officials of the Censorate to question them one by one. When he heard that Li Linfu had really dismissed all the officials and left the boy alone in the hall, his brows immediately frowned.

Yuan Qianyao, who was also listening attentively, glanced at Li Linfu with displeasure after hearing this. Li Linfu lowered his head and said, "Tonight, the guards who stayed behind each have their own duties. This is not my intention to dismiss them. Besides, this boy has been shouting and accusing his clansmen in the court of the envoys. Many people have heard this. Is this my instigation? Lord Yuan, Lord Bohai, please do not trust this boy's deceitful words..."

"Li Linfu is a sinner in the orthodox teachings, teaching people to deceive their rulers and fathers!"

Another roar echoed from the side, cutting Li Linfu's defense short. Gao Lishi signaled Li Linfu to stop. He then slowly walked over to the young man, still pinned to the ground, his face covered in blood, and said in a deep voice, "You are indeed a young lunatic. How dare you make a scene in the middle of the night in the imperial city and slander the ministers? Did Zhang Linggong teach you to behave like this?"

Hearing this somewhat unfamiliar voice, Zhang Luo thought that the enemy camp had gained a new general, but he did not rush to refute. He wanted to look up, but his vision was blurred by the blood flowing down his forehead.

Suddenly, a towel was covered on his face, wiping away the blood that was blocking his vision. Then, a tall eunuch in a purple robe appeared in Zhang Luo's field of vision, and he swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

He dared to scold Li Linfu because he was fearless. He was crazy to scold anyone he met. What's more, the ministers in the Southern Province had some rules and reasons to follow. The eunuchs in the Xuanzong Dynasty were a group that was not easy to provoke.

"This is General Gao, Duke of Bohai!"

At this time, someone next to him said something quickly.

Zhang Luo's expression shifted slightly when he heard the eunuch before him was Gao Lishi. A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow, and Gao Lishi's reputation was undoubtedly among the highest during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty.

"When I was at home, I often heard my father praise the virtuous name of Duke Bohai. I never expected to see you in this state tonight. It's really rude!"

He quickly bowed his head slightly to show respect, then continued, "My father taught me loyalty, righteousness, filial piety, and brotherly love. I, a humble humble man, have adhered to these teachings. While I am guilty of causing a disturbance at night in the imperial city, I have never committed such a crime. As for slandering a minister, I have never done that. What I have said is true. Before the Duke of Bohai arrived, I was oppressed by the powerful and had already sought death. I have never met Li Zhongcheng and have no grudge against him. Why would you accuse him of this?"

Hearing the boy's answer, Gao Lishi's frown relaxed slightly. He raised his finger and poked the wound hidden under Zhang Luo's blood-soaked hair. Seeing the boy trembling in pain, he withdrew his hand.

He gestured for the Southern Court guards to release their hold on the young man, then bent down to help him up and led him before Yuan Qianyao. He then spoke again, "Minister Yuan is a veteran and loyal minister of state. It is a great honor to have you here today to ask questions. If you have any grievances or concerns, please feel free to speak up, and you will surely receive a fair and honest response."

"If I hadn't known that Lord Yuan was a loyal and upright minister, how could I have dared to speak out about the grievances I had just heard?"

Zhang Luo now restrained his madness in cursing at Li Linfu, and bowed to Yuan Qianyao and said.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Qianyao's lips trembled. Seeing that half of the boy's face was still covered in blood, he frowned again. After a moment's hesitation, he said to Gao Lishi with difficulty, "What this boy said involves Li Zhongcheng. Lord Bohai should know that Li Zhongcheng is my son's cousin. I should also avoid suspicion in this matter. I still have to trouble Lord Bohai to report this matter."

Upon hearing this, Li Linfu immediately looked at his cunning uncle with a face full of resentment. If the matter could be controlled within the clan, or even a small trial by the three courts, the damage to him could be minimized. However, if he took the initiative to push the matter out, he would undoubtedly make himself a target for Zhang Shuo's followers to attack!
Gao Lishi originally wanted to wait for Yuan Qianyao to at least sort out the matter before he could report it to the Saint. However, when he heard that Yuan Qianyao simply refused to get involved, he was a little troubled for a moment.

"In that case, I will return to report to the Saint first. You and the others will wait in the province for a while."

Gao Lishi spoke first, then took another look at the young man whose forehead was still bleeding, and said, "The truth of what he said can be determined later. His injury needs to be sent to the Internal Medicine Bureau for a quick diagnosis. Do you have any objections?"

Yuan Qianyao remained silent. Li Linfu wanted to object, asking, "Why should the truth be determined later? Isn't my innocence important?" But he was already feeling guilty, and seeing Yuan Qianyao's silence, he didn't dare to speak either.

Zhang Luo naturally wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, so he quickly stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said, "Duke Bohai is kind and compassionate to young people. I am spared today, thanks to Duke Bohai's grace!"

He was emotional before and was only focused on accusing Li Linfu. Now that he had calmed down, the dizziness from the collision, the pain from the wound, and the sequelae of bleeding came over him, and his body was shaking a little.

Gao Lishi didn't say anything more when he saw this. He raised his hand and signaled the two eunuchs behind him to come forward to support the young man and send him to the inner medical department of the Forbidden City.

They had not gone far when suddenly a voice from the group of officials at the Imperial Censorate in the back called out, "Lord Yugu, your voice is magnificent!"

"Who? Who's making the noise?!"

Li Linfu's slightly exasperated voice was then heard, and after a brief silence, another voice was heard: "Duke Yan has a successor, and his loyalty and bravery will be passed on!" When Zhang Luo heard these roars, he stopped and bowed from a distance in front of the door of the Censorate. His mood became a little lighter, but he soon grimaced in pain because of the night wind blowing on his wound.

Gao Lishi took in this scene, turned back, and wrapped the cloth he had just used to wipe the boy's blood around his head. He then said with a smile, "You are so brave, young man. You really have the style of Lord Yan."

Unlike Li Linfu in the late Kaiyuan period who went to great lengths to establish a relationship with Gao Lishi, Zhang Shuo and Gao Lishi had known each other for a long time and they had a friendship that shared weal and woe. They were both Tang Xuanzong's attendants.

During the Jingyun reign of Emperor Ruizong of Tang, Zhang Shuo facilitated Emperor Xuanzong's appointment of the Crown Prince as regent, leading to his abdication. He also presented a sword to Emperor Xuanzong, urging him to quickly remove Princess Taiping. Gao Lishi was also a staunch follower of Emperor Xuanzong in a series of coups he participated in and led.

Zhang Luo could also feel the goodwill released by Gao Lishi. Simply leading him away from Li Linfu instead of leaving him in the southern province to wait for the emperor's disposal greatly guaranteed his personal safety.

He was puzzled as to why Yuan Qianyao and Gao Lishi had gone to the Southern Province together. Neither of them was within the power of Consort Wu Huifei. The only one who could command them was the Emperor. But even if his memorial was before the Emperor, the information contained in it wouldn't be enough for Xuanzong to take seriously enough to send the Prime Minister and his trusted eunuchs to investigate, right?

He wanted to ask Gao Lishi the reason, but then he remembered that they had just met and Gao Lishi would not reveal the secrets of the forbidden palace to him, so he suppressed his curiosity for the time being and did not want to embarrass himself.

Gao Lishi was actually a bit suspicious. He wanted to ask what exactly this guy was up to. Was his actions today instigated by Zhang Shuo or were they his own doing? Was his vehement statement at the Censorate true or just a fabricated accusation?

However, he was much more tight-lipped than the younger man, and he didn't want to communicate too much and cause the other party to have any ambiguous thoughts, so he simply didn't say much along the way. When he was approaching Xuanzheng Hall, he asked someone to send the young man to the Internal Medicine Bureau, while he went to report to the emperor.

When Gao Lishi returned, the saint was no longer in the main hall, but had retreated to the inner chamber. Seeing Niu Guier and other palace maids of Concubine Hui standing outside the chamber, and hearing the singing and music coming from the inner chamber, Gao Lishi guessed that Concubine Wu Hui was in the chamber.

As expected, upon entering the hall, Gao Lishi saw the sage dressed in casual clothes, holding a drumstick and beating a 羯琴 (a type of 羯琴) drum. Opposite him sat the gorgeously dressed and charming Consort Wu Huifei, holding a qin (a Chinese harp) by her side, playing and singing: "While there are flowers to be picked, pick them now; don't wait until there are no more flowers to pluck and there are only branches to be broken..."

The tune was cheerful and pleasant, a new melody that Gao Lishi had never heard before. He listened to it very carefully, but he felt a bit sad and melancholy in his heart. The sentiment of cherishing youth and enjoying life in time in the lyrics was something he could not catch up with.

After the song was over, Concubine Wu Hui nodded to Gao Lishi and said with a smile, "It's late at night, and you're still working hard, brother. Thank you for your hard work."

Gao Lishi was born in the family of Wu Sansi. When Huifei was young, he visited relatives and friends and was later adopted into the palace. They knew each other very early, and now they were both close to the saint, so they naturally got along with each other in a friendly and casual manner.

When the sage saw Gao Lishi return, the smile on his face faded slightly, and he asked in a deep voice, "May I ask you about this?"

Gao Lishi hurried forward and bowed, saying, "Some twists and turns have occurred..."

He quickly recounted what had happened at the Censorate. The sage's frown deepened as he listened, while Concubine Wu Hui's expression shifted. After Gao Lishi finished, she couldn't help but ask, "Brother, what are you talking about? One moment, it's the grandson of the Prince of Yan suing a relative, and the next, it's the Censorate forcing and framing someone. How could this be so convoluted?"

She was really confused at this moment. How could this be completely different from what they had discussed before?

When Gao Lishi saw Concubine Hui's appearance, he couldn't help but be slightly surprised.

He was a cautious and careful person, and on his way back he was wondering why the boy from the Zhang family dared to act like this. Concubine Hui's visit at night reminded him of the suspicious behavior he saw of Niu Gui'er near the palace gate not long ago, and he secretly suspected that Concubine Hui might be involved in this.

But when he saw that Concubine Hui's confused look did not seem to be a disguise, he thought he might be overthinking it. How could Zhang Shuo be secretly in contact with Concubine Hui!

Regardless of what these two people were thinking, the Saint remained silent for a moment before snorting coldly, "This boy is cunning. He's trying to imitate the schemes of his relatives and follow the example of Empress Dowager Wu!"

Gao Lishi was struck by this, realizing that the sage was referring to a time during the Chang'an reign of Empress Wu, when her male favorites, Zhang Yizhi and his brother, attempted to frame Prime Minister Wei Yuanzhong. They used coercion and bribery to coerce Zhang Shuo into testifying against Wei Yuanzhong for treason. Zhang Shuo initially agreed, but when testifying in front of the palace, he retracted his promise, claiming that the Zhang brothers had coerced him into testifying against Wei Yuanzhong.

Concubine Wu Huifei, however, was not so well-versed in history. When she heard the sage suddenly mention the story of Empress Dowager Wu, her heart skipped a beat. She quickly said, "Since that boy has been brought into the imperial palace, why don't you summon him and interrogate him thoroughly? Don't accuse a good man, and don't condone the evil!"

"Indeed, we should meet him! I must ask this boy, since he is comparing himself to his ancestor, to whom do he compare me?"

After hearing this, the saint snorted again.

Gao Lishi nodded his head in agreement, and he no longer doubted that Wu Huifei and Zhang Shuo were plotting something, and even suspected that the two might have a grudge. The saint was obviously in a bad mood, and he even encouraged Zhang Shuo's grandson to be summoned. If the response was not appropriate, disaster would be imminent!
(End of this chapter)