Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

Yuan Min's carriage was a birthday gift from Xue Wei two years ago, and it was also the only gift Xue Wei ever gave her.

The spacious carriage was divided into two sections. The outer section had female guards sitting inside, as well as a small shoe cabinet. One had to change into wooden clogs in the outer section before entering the inner section.

Yuan Min took out a pair of large men's wooden clogs for him, which made Xue Wei slightly surprised, but he did not show it. He put on the clogs and went into the inner room of the carriage. A faint fragrance of plum blossoms wafted over.

The inner room was as spacious as a small house, covered with thick Persian carpets that felt very soft and comfortable underfoot. However, the men's wooden clogs under his feet were somewhat jarring to him. Which man had put them on when he entered the carriage?

"These are your shoes; I just found them."

Yuan Min explained calmly, "You gave me this carriage, and I promised you I wouldn't let any other men ride in it."

"Oh—I forgot."

The carriage was simply and rusticly furnished, with a bookcase in the corner and a large embroidered cushion. By the window was a small square table with a tea set next to it.

But Xue Wei discovered its luxury by chance; the car windows were actually made of glass.

"That's glass from Bukhara. You went to great lengths to get it. It's very transparent. Local glass isn't as transparent. With this glass, you can open the windows even on rainy or snowy days."

Xue Wei nodded, then noticed something new: a copper hook hung down from the top, resting right above the small table.

"What's this hook for?"

"It has many uses. In winter, I like to drink hot milk tea, so it can hang the teapot and boil tea on the table to keep warm. There is also a function that you like the most."

Yuan Min smiled and took out a small box from her bag. She lowered the blackout curtain, plunging the carriage into darkness. She opened the box, and a faint white light seeped out. It contained a pearl the size of a pigeon egg, placed in a gold-threaded openwork bag.

Yuan Min hung the openwork bag on the copper hook. The pearl inside emitted a faint white light, illuminating the entire carriage.

Xue Wei's eyes lit up. "This is... a luminous pearl?"

Yuan Min nodded. "My father bought it by chance. It was a gift from him for my fifteenth birthday the year before last. I don't usually use it; I use it to light candles."

Xue Wei hesitated for a moment, then asked, "When is your birthday?"

"Next month is the 19th, can you remember?"

"I'll give it a try!"

Yuan Min drew back the curtains, letting in a flood of sunlight, which dimmed the luminous pearl. Xue Wei took the pearl down for a closer look and found it wasn't fluorite, but a translucent white bead, warm and smooth, much like Hetian jade. It was a priceless treasure, known in ancient times as the Suihou Pearl.

Xue Wei put it in the box and handed it to Yuan Min, saying with a smile, "There's something I'd like to ask you for help with."

"What is it?"

Do you know what agate fruit is?

Yuan Min nodded. "It's a very sour fruit, shaped like a citrus fruit, and it was brought from the far west."

"I need it, but I can't buy it. Can you help me find a few?"

"What do you need it for?"

"I still have a faint smell of the Black Water Prison on me, which I can't wash off, but the juice of the agate fruit can remove this smell."

Yuan Min smiled faintly, "Actually, I smelled it when you changed your shoes. Did the agate fruit have any effect?"

"I bought four in Nanshi before, and they worked very well. It's a pity there weren't enough. If I had four more, I could have completely removed them."

"No problem, I'll help you find it."

The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of an elegant teahouse in the West Market. Four large lanterns hung down, with four large characters written on them: "Phoenix Dances in the Nine Heavens".

The sign above the main entrance reads "Afternoon Tea House," a very warm name.

The shopkeeper was a middle-aged woman with a very elegant appearance. She greeted us with a smile.

"Welcome, esteemed owner!"

Xue Wei was taken aback. "This is also your shop?"

Yuan Min smiled sweetly, "I have hundreds of shops, can't I have one more teahouse?"

In Tang Dynasty China, people ate two meals a day. Afternoon tea was very important for middle-class and above families. Drinking a cup of tea and eating two pieces of pastry would make their stomachs feel comfortable.

The two went up to the second floor and sat down in a quiet, elegant room. The plum blossoms in the courtyard were in full bloom, emitting a rich and sweet fragrance.

A maid came in and served tea. Yuan Min smiled and said, "Try this tea. It's a top-grade tribute tea from Jianzhou called Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens. Our teahouse is the only one in the entire Luoyang that supplies it."

The two slowly sipped their tea.

Yuan Min put down her teacup, her expression turning serious. "What deal did you make with Zhang Changzong after you were released from prison?"

Perhaps it was that blue stone slab in the water dungeon that brought light to Xue Wei's heart. After his release, that light transformed into trust in Xue Wei's heart. This trust, born from the heart and shared in life and death, far outweighed the harm his ex-wife had caused him in later life.

Xue Wei remained silent for a long time before saying, "I promised to do three things for him. He has already assigned the first task to me: to assassinate Gao Jian. I have ninety days to complete it, and there are still eighty days left. But now I realize that Zhang Changzong only wants to use me once. If I kill Gao Jian, I will surely die. If I don't kill him, I will return to the water prison."

"So what do you plan to do?"

"I want to see the Emperor and beg her to pardon me."

Yuan Min seemed to understand something. "So you went to play polo, hoping to win and meet the emperor?"

"It was Chongjian's suggestion; he said it was the only way."

"The only way? Who said that?"

Yuan Min sneered, "Do you think you can win the championship just because you want to? Do you think that if you win the championship, the emperor will summon you privately? The emperor has long stopped seeing his ministers. Xue Wei, you're oversimplifying things."

Yuan Min stood up, walked to the window with her hands behind her back, and after a long while, she sighed deeply, "You should have told me sooner."

Xue Wei gave a wry smile. "I only found out I had an ex-wife yesterday, and I only found out this morning that she was you."

Yuan Min remained silent for a long while before whispering, "You should go to your mother. She can take you to the palace to see the emperor anytime."

Xue Wei's face darkened, and he said coldly, "I don't want to beg her!"

Yuan Min slowly sat down again, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xue Wei's hand on the table. His fingers were long and the knuckles were distinct. These were the hands that had driven her crazy during her teenage years.

He rode swiftly on his warhorse, turned and shot an arrow with a calm and collected gaze. From that moment on, her heart was captivated. She was thirteen years old that year.

"Xue Wei!"

Yuan Min's voice softened, "Your mother can be a bit cold-hearted sometimes. You can't just feel hatred towards her. You need to be calm and rational, and try to put yourself in her shoes. Why is she so cold-hearted?"

"I often went days without food in the water dungeon, and I was so hungry that I had to eat rats to survive. She was my mother, but she wouldn't even give me a bowl of rice. How could I not hate her?" Xue Wei's eyes reddened.

Xue Wei's words were like a flood, instantly overwhelming Yuan Min's heart. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she was extremely saddened.

She used all her dowry to bribe the Dali Temple, originally intending to transfer Xue Wei from the water dungeon to a regular cell. However, the prison warden told her that although the water dungeon conditions were harsh, it could prevent assassination. He said that if a stone slab was placed there, Xue Wei could survive. She thought this made sense and agreed, but unexpectedly, the prison wouldn't provide food…

Yuan Min suppressed her inner pain and gently advised, "It's not that your mother is unwilling to help you, it's that she doesn't know, just like I don't know. If I had known, I definitely would have helped you too, and she's the same way."

She is, after all, your mother. Your fate is intertwined with hers. If she falls, you will fall; if she prospers, you will prosper. Xue Wei, it's not shameful to beg for your own mother's sake!

Yuan Min's words flowed through his heart like a warm stream, and Xue Wei's previously agitated emotions strangely calmed down.

He lowered his head, his voice becoming low and deep, "These past few days I've been thinking about why Zhang Changzong ordered me to kill Gao Jian. What was his intention? I just can't figure out the reason."

I felt like someone who had just stumbled into the Tang Dynasty, knowing nothing and having forgotten everything. In the first few days after I arrived, I was so nervous that I couldn't sleep every night and didn't know what to do.

Therefore, when Chongjian said that playing polo could lead to an audience with the emperor, I felt like a drowning man grasping at a straw.

Yuan Min gently grasped his hand and said firmly, "I'll help you!"

Xue Wei was jolted, overwhelmed by an unprecedented emotion, a mixture of gratitude, loneliness, sadness, and a touch of dependence.

His eyes quickly reddened, and a hot tear finally fell, dripping onto the table.

After a while, he wiped away his tears and smiled, "I shouldn't have been so weak, making you laugh at me."

"You should have been this weak a long time ago, then we wouldn't have ended up like this..."

Yuan Min quickly composed herself, her gaze becoming calm and wise. After a moment's thought, she said, "However, your thinking is correct. We must seek help from the Emperor. We really can't ask your mother for help with this!"

"Why?" Xue Wei asked, puzzled.

"Because of Gao Jian!"