My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

"Lord Dai, who is so bold as to come here and poison us?" Su Wan raised her eyebrows.

Dai Zhou felt extremely guilty: "It's all my fault for drinking two glasses of wine tonight and feeling depressed."

I overslept for a moment and never expected that someone would take advantage of me.

It's hard to say now.

Su Wan analyzed, "It's quite obvious now; someone brought them food."

The fact that they were so easily poisoned means they must know the person who delivered the food.

If they didn't know each other, they would definitely be more vigilant and wouldn't have been poisoned so easily.

"Your Highness, your analysis makes sense, but it's hard to be sure who these two thieves actually know."

What kind of poison is in this wine?

I just heard from Coroner Zhang that this

Zhang, the coroner, said: "This is a special kind of poison, very rare, from the Western Regions."

On the surface, it is colorless and odorless, and is generally difficult for the average person to detect.

"From the Western Regions?" Su Wan sensed that the question had become complicated again. "Who in the palace has dealings with the Western Regions?"

Qu Zhili said: "There used to be an old witch named Lan Po Luosha Nu. She came from the Western Regions and was skilled in using poison."

but,

That time,

The Blue Rakshasa was surrounded by me and the prince, and was injured. I don't know where she escaped to.

Some say she has fled to the Japanese kingdom.

I've heard that there's a connection between the Blue Rakshasa and Consort Yan. Could it be that Consort Yan was behind this?"

Su Wan felt that the case had become more complicated and difficult to explain: "I have also heard that there is a close relationship between the Blue Rakshasa and Consort Yan."

On that occasion, the Blue Rakshasa woman stole the imperial seal from the Bureau of Clothing and Costumes, but in the end, the imperial seal was found in Consort Yan's palace.

It stands to reason,

This is already enough to punish Consort Yan.

but,

His Majesty spared her punishment because she had just lost her beloved son.

We must ask Consort Yan about this matter.

"Let Lord Dai handle this matter. Our most urgent task is to head to the Japanese Kingdom first thing tomorrow morning to find the Snow Spirit Mushroom."

"If we can't find the Snow Lingzhi, and the time drags on, even if we do find it, it won't be of much use."

"No matter what, we need to explain things to His Majesty before we can leave."

After leaving the Dali Temple prison, Su Wan went with Dai Zhou to pay her respects to Li Shimin.

……

Li Shimin sat on Empress Zhangsun's couch.

He gently stroked Empress Zhangsun's hair.

Li Shimin observed her by the lamplight and saw that Empress Zhangsun's face was pale, her eyes were sunken, and her chin was thin and pointed. He thought back to her younger days...

Empress Zhangsun was quite a beauty.

Now in her thirties, she still retains her charm.

of course,

What kind of beautiful women hadn't Li Shimin seen?

He admired Empress Zhangsun because of her outstanding virtue.

In Li Shimin's opinion, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Empress Zhangsun was the most virtuous empress in history.

There have been many famous empresses in history, but most of them had problems.

For example, Empress Lü. Objectively speaking, Empress Lü also made great contributions to Liu Bang's rise to power.

At the beginning,

Liu Bang was just a street urchin and the head of the Sishui Pavilion; it was the Lü family who provided him with financial support.

Liu Bang only began to distinguish himself after receiving support from the Lü family.

During Liu Bang's conquest of the empire

Empress Lü also gave him many good ideas and coordinated relationships in all aspects.

Most importantly, Empress Lü helped Liu Bang with a lot of logistical work and took care of Liu Bang's parents.

However, Empress Lü also had many problems:

Firstly, he arbitrarily killed meritorious officials; to name a few...

Han Xin died at the hands of Empress Lü.

As for whether Liu Bang wanted to kill Han Xin or not,

It's hard to say for sure.

At that time, Liu Bang was leading his army in battle.

Empress Lü, without Liu Bang's permission, took it upon herself to kill Han Xin.

Han Xin was a legendary war god who won countless battles for Liu Bang, and most of Liu Bang's empire was conquered by Han Xin.

In this way,

This chilled the hearts of Liu Bang's generals, who all felt insecure. Soon after...

Peng Yue, Ying Bu, and others rebelled one after another.

Liu Bang originally had no intention of killing Peng Yue.

Empress Lü then suggested that Liu Bang execute Peng Yue.

Later, Ying Bu also rebelled.

Liu Bang originally wanted Liu Ying to lead the troops into battle, but Empress Lü vehemently opposed this, preventing Liu Ying from commanding the army.

finally,

Liu Bang had no choice but to personally lead his troops to fight Ying Bu.

On that occasion, Liu Bang was struck by a stray arrow, and that arrow was fatal.

You could also say that Liu Bang indirectly died at the hands of Empress Lü. If Empress Lü had agreed to let Liu Ying lead the army into battle...

It's estimated that Liu Bang wouldn't have died;

Secondly, some say that while Empress Lü stayed behind to take care of Liu Bang's parents, she couldn't bear the loneliness and had an ambiguous relationship with Shen Shiqi.

Whether this actually happened or not is impossible to verify, but that's what everyone's saying.

Thirdly, when Liu Bang died, Empress Lü originally planned to kill all the civil and military generals and seize power for herself.

Later, after being persuaded by others, he gave up the idea.

However, she violated the White Horse Covenant established by Liu Bang, which stipulated that "no one other than a member of the Liu family could be granted a kingship," and almost overthrew the Liu family's empire.

Empress Wei Zifu was also a very capable empress.

Her own life story is quite legendary.

She rose from an ordinary singer to become the Empress of the Han Dynasty.

This is simply a miracle.

She gave birth to Liu Ju, the eldest son of Emperor Wu of Han.

Liu Ju was made crown prince, and Wei Zifu was made empress.

Empress Wei Zifu's greatest contribution to the Han Dynasty was recommending Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to the Han court.

Both of them are shining stars.

Their appearance drove the Xiongnu back to the northern desert.

but,

Empress Wei Zifu also had many problems:

Firstly, she had only been in the palace for a short time when she began to fight with Chen Ajiao.

Although she won and Chen Ajiao was banished to the cold palace, this matter also gave Emperor Wu of Han a great headache.

Secondly, she failed to adequately coordinate and manage the relationship between Wei Qing, Liu Ju, and Emperor Wu of Han.

Thus, the witchcraft scandal ultimately erupted.

Liu Ju was forced to commit suicide.

Objectively speaking, Liu Ju's death was also closely related to Empress Wei Zifu.

Empress Wang Zhengjun was also a famous empress in history.

At the beginning,

When Liu Shi was the crown prince, he fell deeply in love with a woman named Consort Sima.

but,

Sadly, Consort Sima died young.

Before she died, she told Liu Shi that it was the women in the palace who cursed her behind her back, which was why she died.

Liu Shi believed it to be true and from then on, he did not get close to the women in the palace.

This greatly alarmed Emperor Xuan of Han.

If things continue like this, won't the Liu family line end?

Later, under Empress Wang's arrangement, Wang Zhengjun was summoned into the palace.

To be honest, Wang Zhengjun's appearance wasn't particularly outstanding.

However, it was because she sat next to Liu Shi that she was chosen.

Liu Shi had no interest in the beauty pageant, so he just pointed casually, and Empress Wang thought that Liu Shi had taken a liking to Wang Zhengjun.

That very night, Wang Zhengjun was brought to Liu Shi's bedchamber.

The two had a passionate night together, just once, and unexpectedly, Wang Zhengjun became pregnant.

After ten months of pregnancy, she gave birth to Liu Ao.

In this respect, Empress Wang Zhengjun and Consort Bo are comparable.

then,

Bo Ji was originally a concubine of King Bao of Wei.

After King Bao of Wei was defeated,

Bo Ji then became Liu Bang's woman.

Bo Ji and Liu Bang only had one relationship, during which Bo Ji became pregnant and gave birth to Liu Heng.

When Empress Wang Zhengjun gave birth to Liu Ao, Emperor Xuan of Han was overjoyed and took Liu Ao with him wherever he went.

After Emperor Xuan of Han died, Liu Shi succeeded him as Emperor Yuan of Han.

Wang Zhengjun rose to prominence because of her son, and thus became empress.

Liu Ao was also made crown prince.

Wang Zhengjun's biggest mistake was promoting members of the Wang family; she once granted titles to five marquises in a single day.

Especially Wang Mang.

Wang Mang held a high position and great power, and in the end, he even seized the throne from the Han dynasty.

Therefore, the consequences of Wang Zhengjun's interference in politics were quite serious.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Han dynasty's rule was lost under Empress Wang Zhengjun.

In this respect, Wang Zhengjun was not as good as Empress Dowager Dou.

Although Empress Dowager Dou lived a long life, spanning the reigns of Emperor Wen, Emperor Jing, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty,

However, she did not directly intervene in the change of dynasties.

Empress Dugu was also remarkable.

Yang Jian's ascension to the throne was inseparable from the support of Empress Dugu.

The Dugu family is very powerful.

Dugu Jialuo's father, Dugu Xin, was one of the Eight Pillar Generals of the Northern Zhou Dynasty.

During the process of the Sui Dynasty replacing the Northern Zhou Dynasty, she firmly supported Yang Jian in establishing his own dynasty.

After the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, Dugu Jialuo was made empress.

Empress Dugu often rode in the same carriage with Emperor Wen of Sui to court, and they were respectfully referred to as the "Two Saints".

She helped Emperor Wen of Sui promote a series of reforms, such as restoring the Han system, attacking the Turks, pacifying the Southern Chen dynasty, and establishing the imperial examination system.

However, Empress Dugu also had her flaws:

Firstly, it is due to a jealous nature.

It is said that Yang Jian was terribly afraid of her, and that he once secretly spent time with a palace maid.

The palace maid was already pregnant.

but,

No secret stays hidden forever. After Empress Dugu learned of this,

Empress Dugu immediately ordered her men to strangle the woman to death.

Yang Jian was furious, but he didn't dare do anything to Dugu Jialuo. He just said he was going to run away from home.

Finally, Yang Jian was persuaded to return by his ministers.

Secondly, she played a crucial role in the process of deposing Crown Prince Yang Yong and installing Yang Guang as Crown Prince.

Yang Yong was the eldest son of Empress Dugu and Yang Jian.

Logically speaking, Dugu Jialuo should have supported Yang Yong.

However, Dugu Jialuo disliked Yang Yong's extravagance, which angered the Crown Princess Yuan to death.

Therefore, she spoke ill of Yang Yong and spoke well of Yang Guang in front of Yang Jian.

Therefore, Yang Jian made up his mind to depose Yang Yong and make Yang Guang the crown prince.

Yang Guang was good at disguising himself; he appeared loyal on the outside but was treacherous on the inside.

If it weren't for Dugu Jialuo's interference, Yang Yong probably wouldn't have been deposed, and Yang Guang wouldn't have become the crown prince and later the emperor.

Although Yang Yong's abilities were not as good as Yang Guang's.

but,

Yang Yong was a ruler who maintained the status quo, unlike Yang Guang who was fond of making trouble.

If that were the case, the Sui Dynasty probably wouldn't have perished after only two generations.

Therefore, it can be said that Dugu Jialuo had both merits and demerits.

The Sui Dynasty's successful replacement of the Zhou Dynasty was partly due to the efforts of Empress Dugu.

However, she was the one who ultimately lost.

It can be said that Xiao He was both the reason for their success and their downfall.

Li Shimin was deeply moved when he thought of this.

He felt that, comparatively speaking, Empress Zhangsun was better than the others.

Empress Zhangsun was of upright character and would never have had an ambiguous relationship with Shen Shiqi like Empress Lü.

Empress Zhangsun did not interfere in politics.

Both Empress Dowager Dou and Empress Wang Zhengjun were fond of interfering in politics.

They are too power-hungry.

Empress Zhangsun was not like that.

I remember that time, when Li Shimin wanted to appoint Changsun Wuji as prime minister, Empress Changsun firmly opposed it.

Li Shimin himself said, "The reason I appointed him as prime minister is because of his great merits. This is a reward for his achievements, not for any other reason."

Even if Li Shimin said that, Empress Zhangsun would not agree.

Li Shimin had no choice but to have Changsun Wuji compile the "Zhenguan Code" at home.

This is truly remarkable. If it were any other woman, she would be eager to elevate her own family's status.

For example,

Didn't Empress Wei Zifu also promote Wei Qing to the rank of Grand General?

However, in the later stages, Emperor Wu of Han felt uneasy because Wei Qing wielded too much power.

This may also be one of the main reasons for the witchcraft scandal and Liu Ju's tragic suicide.

Wasn't Empress He from the Three Kingdoms period the same?

She promoted her brother He Jin to the rank of Grand General.

In the end, He Jin was killed by the Ten Attendants.

Thinking about this, Li Shimin felt even more strongly that Empress Zhangsun was the most outstanding.

however,

He thought of Xu Hui again, wondering how she was doing back in her hometown.

To be fair, ever since Xu Hui entered the palace,

He did indeed spend more time with Xu Hui and less time with Empress Zhangsun.

Of course, he wasn't attracted to Xu Hui's beauty.

Instead,

Xu Hui possesses a unique charm.

Xu Hui was also a talented woman.

Xu Hui was quite famous when she was very young.

Seeing Empress Zhangsun's furrowed brows, Li Shimin grasped her hand, which was icy cold.

"Empress, what do you think?" Li Shimin was anxious, so let's not talk about it.

Empress Zhangsun showed absolutely no reaction.

Just in time

Su Wan, Dai Zhou, and the others walked in from outside.

After exchanging greetings, Su Wan recounted her visit to the Dali Temple prison.

Li Shimin was also shocked upon hearing this: "What did you just say? That Chengxin and Wei Lingfu are dead?"

Su Wan placed her hands in front of her abdomen: "Your Majesty, those two are not the real Chengxin and Wei Lingfu; they are imposters."

"A fake?"

Li Shimin couldn't believe it. "How is this possible?"

I clearly saw them both, how did they suddenly become imposters?

"Dai Zhou, what exactly is going on?"

When Li Shimin asked about it, Dai Zhou quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the Crown Princess is right. At first, I also thought they were truly Chengxin and Wei Lingfu. But after all this trouble..."

They are not truly as content as Wei Lingfu.

Li Shimin was furious upon hearing this and asked, "Where is Chang He? Summon him to me! How dare he deceive me!"

Before long, Chang He arrived. Seeing that Li Shimin looked unwell, he knew something was wrong.

He quickly knelt on the ground: "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Li Shimin was so angry that he didn't even wake him: "Chang Datou, I'm here to ask you, were the Chengxin and Wei Lingfu you had Su Gui capture real or fake?"

"This—" Chang He understood that in order to deceive Li Shimin, he had listened to Bai Mudan's advice and put forward the two thieves who looked very much like Chengxin and Wei Lingfu.

I never expected things to escalate like this.

Chang He was inwardly blaming Bai Mudan, thinking to himself, "That damned woman, she always comes up with bad ideas for me."

Chang He feigned ignorance and deliberately asked, "Is there something wrong with those two people?"

Li Shimin pointed at Chang He and said, "I think you've got some nerve, sending two thieves to fool me."

Do you think I'm easy to fool?

"Help! Someone, come here!"

At this moment, two guards entered from outside and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please give your orders."

"You two, immediately remove the token, seal, and sword from Chang He's waist, and drag him out to behead him!"

Li Shimin was truly desperate; he was about to kill someone.

Without a word, the two guards rushed forward, grabbed Chang He, and shoved him out.

"Wait a minute!" Su Wan exclaimed immediately upon seeing this, "Your Majesty, please calm down!"

The two guards stopped and turned to look at Li Shimin, their expressions conveying the question of whether to kill or not.

"What do you have to say?"

"General Chang and my brother Su Gui arrested the wrong people, which is certainly a crime, and there's nothing more to say about that."

However, there are some reasons for this.

Not to mention His Majesty, even I was almost fooled.

Because those two people looked so much like Chengxin and Wei Lingfu, exactly the same as the real ones, it was truly impossible to tell them apart.

Therefore,

You can't blame General Chang for being too careless; the only one to blame is those two men who look too much like Chengxin and Wei Lingfu.

Logically speaking, Su Wan's reasoning is somewhat far-fetched.

However, Li Shimin was still quite satisfied with this crown princess.

Li Shimin nodded: "That's right, it really does look like it, otherwise how could I not have noticed?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wan sensed that Li Shimin's tone had softened, and then said, "I request that Chang He be given a chance to redeem himself and continue to capture Chengxin and Wei Lingfu."

Dai Zhou, standing nearby, also advised, "Your Majesty, the Crown Princess's suggestion is quite good. Chengxin and Wei Lingfu haven't been caught yet, and their alleged offenses haven't been investigated."

At this juncture, to execute the general first is likely not a good omen.

Li Shimin, with his hands behind his back, raised his head and sighed deeply: "Very well, since you two are pleading for him..."

I will spare his life for now, giving him a month to capture Chengxin and Wei Lingfu.

Otherwise, I will execute him for both crimes combined.

Upon hearing this, Chang He felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders, thinking to himself that he had just narrowly escaped death and returned home.

If it weren't for Su Wan and Dai Zhou pleading for him, he probably would have lost his head.

Li Shimin waved his hand, and the two guards withdrew again.

Chang He knelt before Li Shimin: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life!"

Li Shimin glared at him: "Why are you thanking me?"

Aren't you going to thank the Crown Princess and Lord Dai?

Chang He thanked Su Wan and Dai Zhou again.

Li Shimin was shrewd and cunning, a man skilled in political maneuvering. In doing so, he gained favor with Su Wan and Dai Zhou.

Taking the opportunity, Su Wan said, "Your Majesty, tomorrow morning, Qu Zhili, Su Gui, and I will travel together to Naniwajin to find the Snow Spirit Mushroom to cure the Empress's illness."

Therefore,

"Your Majesty, please allow Su Gui to accompany us to the Wa Kingdom for the time being. After he returns, he can assist Chang He in capturing Chengxin and Wei Lingfu."

Li Shimin nodded slightly: "Wan'er, you are truly a filial child. Alright, considering your filial piety, I agree."

Su Gui heard it too, and thought to herself that this matter could be a big deal or a small deal, and it would be normal to lose one's head over it.

Because if this were taken seriously, it could be considered a crime of deceiving the emperor.