The Idle Man of Zhenguan Intercepts Wu Zetian at the Start

Changsun Dan's words completely overturned everyone's perception of him.

The concept of a clear mirror is something even the great Confucian scholar Yan Shigu would likely be ashamed of.

Changsun Wuji was deeply shocked. No wonder Chong'er said that this boy harbored evil intentions and would bring great disaster to the Changsun family sooner or later.

I never expected him to hide it so well. I have a bad feeling in my heart. After today, I'm afraid this matter will not end well.

Li Shimin was stunned on the spot. These words sounded so good, giving him the feeling that Changsun Dan truly understood him.

However, this man has long tarnished his reputation and hidden his extraordinary talent. He first committed the act of defiling the imperial concubines, and then put forward the admonition that Wu Zhou would replace Tang. Even Li Chunfeng endorsed him. His deep scheming is the most terrifying thing!

If he cannot explain the whole story, even if Guanyinbi is heartbroken, she absolutely cannot keep him.

Changsun Dan felt a chill and saw that Li Shimin's murderous intent was emerging, clearly indicating that he had become suspicious of him.

Empress Zhangsun was, after all, a woman.

At this moment, tears welled up in her eyes again. Dan'er had shown her true feelings, and in the end, he had not let her down after all the love and education she had given him. With such righteousness and talent, how could he possibly defile a mere palace maid?

The previous sense of powerlessness regarding all the evidence against him was completely overturned at this moment.

There is only one side of the story from Wu Yuanqing's family, and they have never given Dan'er a chance to defend herself. Perhaps the Wu family is treacherous and deliberately trying to frame Dan'er!

Empress Zhangsun gave Wu Yuanqing a cold stare, then lowered her head to look at Zhangsun Dan, her tone gentle:

"Don't be afraid, Dan'er. Just tell the truth about everything. Even if it's truly an unforgivable crime, your aunt will risk her life to help you bear half of it."

Before the ministers could recover from the shock brought by Changsun Dan's words, the Empress's astonishing remarks left them speechless.

This empress, whose reputation for benevolence is known throughout the land, seems to have no intention of reasoning with anyone.

However, the notion that Changsun Dan was absolutely guilty had begun to waver in everyone's minds.

Even Wei Zheng felt that this young man's vision and awareness would put to shame countless fame-seeking and reputation-seeking individuals.

But why has he acted so absurdly all these years?!

Fang Xuanling felt a pang of disappointment. Changsun Dan was feigning stupidity, but his own son was genuinely foolish!

Cui Renshi, an imperial censor, was adept at noticing details. He saw apprehension in the emperor's eyes and quickly stepped forward:

"Young Master Dan, you are so young, yet you have concealed yourself so well that the entire city of Chang'an mistakenly believes you to be the number one incompetent fool. With such cunning, what is the deeper meaning behind it?"

Censor Cui's words were forceful and left no room for evasion.

Changsun Dan thought to himself, "Good question. Changsun Wuji, if you don't care about your son's life or death, then I can't help you save face either."

Empress Zhangsun, her acting skills on full display, put on a sorrowful expression and looked at the Empress Zhangsun:

"Aunt, your nephew obeys Her Majesty the Empress's decree and will certainly not utter a single lie."

It's all a mix of truth and falsehood; I've already prepared a draft in my mind.

Changsun Dan struggled to get up, and Empress Changsun gestured for a palace maid to help him up. The eunuch who delivered the decree showed a look of disdain again, thinking, "This guy is still pretending!"

In front of everyone, Changsun Dan tore open his prison clothes, exposing his upper body. Old whip marks were displayed before everyone's eyes, raised scars, layer upon layer, and almost no part of his body was intact. It was a shocking and gruesome sight.

Even Li Shimin couldn't help but gasp, and Empress Zhangsun covered her mouth in shock and burst into tears.

Changsun Wuji was ashen-faced. Although he wished he could step forward and chop this rebellious son to pieces, he had no choice but to swallow his anger in front of the Emperor and Empress.

Changsun Dan's eyes softened, and he smiled slightly:

"Auntie, don't be sad, all of that is in the past."

After speaking, Changsun Dan turned around, faced the assembled officials, and pointed to the whip marks on his shoulders, chest, and back:

"When I was four years old, my eldest brother, Changsun Chong, was annoyed by my crying and threw me into the pond. My mother found out and pulled me out. My mother was gentle and didn't dare to make a fuss, but my eldest brother didn't want to let me off the hook. He told my grandfather that I wanted to push my seventh brother into the pond to drown, but I fell in by myself."

"This was the first time my grandfather had ever whipped me so severely. No matter how I explained, he just wouldn't believe me."

"I thought it was because I was naughty and couldn't do anything right that my grandfather didn't like me, so I studied hard."

"But the harder I studied, the less my older brother liked me. When I was seven years old, my older brother set fire to the woodshed and locked me inside."

"It was Uncle Fu, a servant in the manor, who saved me. My elder brother then went to tell my father that I was naughty and deliberately asked Uncle Fu to set the fire."

"As a result, Uncle Fu's leg was broken by my grandfather and he was thrown out of the mansion. No matter how much I pleaded for Uncle Fu, it was no use. This time, I was whipped by my grandfather and lay in bed for a month."

"And here, and here..."

As Changsun Dan spoke, his tone became increasingly indifferent:

"Every time I was whipped, my mother was very sad. She knew that my aunt was the closest to me. Every time I recovered, she would take me to the palace, but she never allowed me to tell my aunt. It was when I was eight years old that I saw my aunt vomit blood for the first time."

"I asked my mother if my aunt was sick and if she would die. My mother scolded me for the first time, saying that I shouldn't have mentioned that unlucky word. But my mother told me that my aunt had a respiratory illness that was incurable by medicine. I cried then."

"To comfort me, my mother said that there was a Qingyun Temple outside Chang'an City, where an old immortal lived. She said that when I was older, she would take me to pray to the old immortal, and my aunt would get better."

"Later on, every time my grandfather hit me, I stopped crying and begging for mercy. I just wanted to grow up quickly so I could go to Qingyun Temple to find that old immortal."

Upon hearing this, Empress Zhangsun could no longer hold back her tears, and her eyes filled with resentment and ruthlessness as she looked at Zhangsun Wuji.

"Until I was ten years old, my grandfather beat me severely again. At that time, I felt that I would rather be dead, but I still couldn't bear to leave my aunt and my mother. After I recovered from my injuries, I secretly left the city by myself. It was Fang Yi'ai who stole the city exit token for me. I met him at the Imperial College."

Li Shimin gave Wang Youde a look, and Wang Youde silently withdrew.

"I did find Qingyun Temple, but I couldn't find the old immortal. I knelt in front of the Heavenly Venerable statue for a day and a night, begging the Heavenly Venerable to make my aunt get better soon."

"Later I thought that the Heavenly Venerable must have heard my prayers and he would protect my aunt. I could die now. I went up to the cliff behind the mountain, and just as I was about to jump, an old man suddenly grabbed me."

"He told me that if I wanted to save my aunt, I had to live. He said that if I didn't want to be beaten anymore, I had to become an idiot because my aunt was good to me. But as long as I was stupid enough, I wouldn't pose a threat to my older brother."

Changsun Dan put on prison clothes:

"That old man told me how to cure my aunt, but it will take another four years to be effective, which is now, the tenth year of Zhenguan."

He pointed to the white cloth again: "He also made me memorize what's on this cloth, saying that I would surely face imprisonment in the future, and that I should hand it over to the Grand Astrologer when the time comes."

Changsun Dan smiled faintly:

"Later I realized that I was beaten not because I was not good enough, but because I was just an illegitimate son and I was not qualified to be better than others."

"I listened to the old man's words and started to play dumb. Sure enough, my older brother stopped targeting me as much, and I was beaten less and less. I ask you gentlemen, what does it matter if I'm stupid or not? All my scheming is just to survive."

The officials were in an uproar. The whip marks on Changsun Dan's body were still vivid in their minds, but Changsun Wuji's image collapsed in an instant.

Cheng Yaojin pointed at Wei Zheng:

"Lord Wei, is this what you meant by Lord Changsun having a strong sense of righteousness and not letting personal feelings cloud his conscience? Is this the conscience of you scholars?"

Wei Zheng looked ashamed and actually bowed to Cheng Yaojin.

"Duke Lu is right to teach me a lesson. I was shallow and blind to the true nature of such a person."

Wei Zheng's words were extremely contemptuous, and Changsun Wuji trembled with anger. This rebellious son was clearly taking revenge on his own, and his resentment towards him deepened.

The scales in the hearts of some court officials had completely tipped. Changsun Dan was not only exceptionally talented, but also loyal and righteous. It was just that he had an unfortunate background, and it was perfectly reasonable for him to pretend to be stupid and discredit himself.

The Empress felt as if she had been pierced by needles. If it weren't for the court, she would only want to hold Dan'er in her arms like when they were children. How could she possibly compare to his deep love for her!

At this moment, Li Shimin's opinion of Changsun Dan had completely changed. His affection for Guanyinbi was probably unmatched by anyone. It was not in vain that Guanyinbi disregarded the damage to her imperial status to protect him. Now, all that was needed were the last two witnesses, and there would be no more doubts about the matter of concealing his talents.

Li Chunfeng seemed to believe it but not quite, and nodded to Changsun Dan:

"Does Young Master Dan know the old man's name?"

What Changsun Dan said was half true and half false, and the old man's words were pure fabrication.

When Li Chunfeng inquired, he thought to himself that there was another extraordinary person in the Tang Dynasty, but whose whereabouts were uncertain and who was rarely seen by the people, so he immediately said:

"I don't know his name, I only know that his surname is Yuan."

Li Chunfeng could no longer maintain his composure; he suddenly stood up, his expression agitated:

"Yuan Tiangang, Master Yuan!?"