Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

Under the setting sun, Wu Zetian, with her head full of silver hair, gazed at the magnificent Mingtang Hall. She was almost eighty years old. In her life, she had weathered too many storms and experienced too many power struggles. She had tasted the sweetest poison and suffered the excruciating pain of losing her beloved children.

For the past two years, she has been tormented day and night by physical ailments. She even used opium, a gift from the Hu people, to alleviate her pain, but opium is addictive and will further damage her body.

She knew, but she had no choice. She was well aware that she only had two years left to live, but there were still too many people and things she couldn't let go of. The national policies she had set needed to be inherited by future generations, not changed. She also needed to protect her closest relatives: the Wu clan, her daughter Lingyue, and the two Zhangs who would bring her happiness in her later years. She needed to make arrangements for them all.

But simply protecting them is far from enough.

She is a chess player, but she doesn't want to be a chess player for one lifetime; she wants to be a chess player for all eternity. Even when she closes her eyes and passes away, she will continue to control the game.

The key to realizing this wish is the chess pieces. She needs to find suitable chess pieces and place them in the right positions. Her sons Li Xian and Li Dan, her daughter Li Lingyue, her nephew Wu Sansi, and her confidante Shangguan Wan'er are all the chess pieces she has chosen.

She has already laid out her overall strategy, but she still needs to find the most important piece, the one that can turn the tide at the crucial moment.

A gust of wind blew by, and Wu Zetian's thoughts returned to the present moment. She looked at the plain paper in her hand, on which was a poem she had copied herself, "Qingming".

She really liked the poem's fresh and simple style, which left a lingering impression. It reminded her of a time when she and her husband went on a spring outing during the Qingming Festival when they were young and got caught in the rain. What her husband really wanted was a glass of wine.

The memory of the past brought a sweet fragrance to her lips, and a poem that evoked her empathy was a good poem.

What interested her even more was that the poem was actually written by her grandson Xue Wei while he was in the water dungeon.

Xue Wei, her grandson who had spent a year in the Blackwater Prison, did not disappoint her. Now he has returned to her in a gentle manner.

"Why shouldn't a man carry a Wu hook, seize fifty states beyond the passes? I urge you to ascend the Lingyan Pavilion for a moment; which scholar has ever become a marquis of ten thousand households?"

On one side is a gentle breeze, on the other a cold blade. Interesting. This grandson is indeed very interesting. My initial feeling was correct.

Just then, a soft, graceful figure appeared beside her. "His Majesty summoned me?"

It was her male favorite, Zhang Changzong. Wu Zetian asked calmly, "What did you do with the gold token you asked me for before?"

"I………"

"To be honest, I have already asked the Court of Judicial Review."

Zhang Changzong was a little confused. Wasn't she just hinting to him that Xue Wei in the water dungeon was a useful person? Otherwise, how would he know about Xue Wei?

He dared not ask any more questions, much less conceal anything, “This humble servant is going to the Dali Temple to release a person.”

"Release whom?"

"Xue Wei, the eldest son of Princess Taiping."

"I remember he was involved in the Li Chongrun case, right? How come he's still alive?"

"He was forced to drink three cups of arsenic, but he endured it and spent a year in the Blackwater Prison."

A hint of displeasure flashed across Wu Zetian's face. "Didn't I say to fill in the Blackwater Prison? Why is that disgusting thing Lai Junchen created still standing?"

"This... I don't know. I'll mention it to the Court of Judicial Review later."

"That Xue Wei... he survived being given arsenic but actually spent another year in the Blackwater Prison. Don't you think he's extraordinary?"

"Yes, he is indeed powerful, but his memories have all been destroyed."

"I know. Taiping told me that he has forgotten all the people and things from the past and is starting all over again."

Zhang Changzong felt a little uneasy. Why would the emperor suddenly ask about Xue Wei? Did the emperor know about it?

Wu Zetian gave him a cold look, her gaze sharp as a knife.

"Sixth Prince, tell me the truth, what do you want Xue Wei to do after you released him?"

In the past two years, Wu Zetian has been plagued by illness and her energy has been weak. She has become much less interested in matters of love and sex and no longer shows the same favor to the Zhang brothers as she did in previous years.

The Zhang brothers also realized this, and they were terrified that they would end up like Xue Huaiyi before, useless and dragged out to be slaughtered like dogs. So they tried every means to guess the emperor's intentions and please her.

Zhang Changzong suddenly knelt down and said, "Xue Wei and I have no grudges or entanglements. I released him not out of personal resentment, but simply to share Your Majesty's burdens."

"I don't understand, what does it have to do with sharing my burdens? Is it because he's my grandson?"

Zhang Changzong knew very well that the emperor would find out the truth sooner or later, so he dared not hide it any longer and gritted his teeth and said, "This humble subject released him, wanting him to help me kill someone."

"Who to kill?"

"Kill Gao Jian? Didn't Your Majesty say last month that Gao Jian was two-timing, disloyal and unjust, and deserved to die? This humble subject just wants to share Your Majesty's burden."

Why was Xue Wei ordered to kill Gao Jian?

As soon as Wu Zetian finished asking the question, she suddenly understood that Zhang Changzong wanted to incite conflict between Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er.

Wu Zetian said coldly, "I didn't realize you were so cunning, Sixth Prince."

Zhang Changzong was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead bruised and swollen. "Your humble servant is only concerned with sharing Your Majesty's burdens and has no other intentions."

"Alright!"

When Wu Zetian saw the bruises on his forehead, her heart softened.

"I have wronged Princess Taiping. Xue Wei is her and Xue Shao's eldest son. Although he is guilty, a year in the water dungeon is enough to atone for his sins. He is my grandson, and you are not allowed to make things difficult for him again. Do you understand?"

"Your humble servant has remembered!"

"Furthermore, you are not allowed to interfere in Gao Jian's affairs anymore."

"I won't do it again! I'll never do it again!"

Go!

Zhang Changzong kowtowed twice more and hurriedly retreated.

Wu Zetian read the poem again and suddenly laughed. "He survived being given poison and was able to endure a year in the Blackwater Prison. This grandson of mine is truly extraordinary!"

She finally developed a strong interest in this grandson. Perhaps it was truly the arrangement of fate that brought the most crucial piece to her at the final moment of the game. This was destiny!

She was eager to see if he was indeed the pawn she had been searching for.

…………

Luoyang North Market was a market specializing in all kinds of luxury goods. Its customers were the wealthy and powerful families of the Tang Dynasty. It mainly dealt in high-end products such as silk, colored silk, spices, jewelry, tea, and porcelain, as well as various foreign goods. Sogdians brought gems, gold and silver wares, glassware, and so on, all of which were traded in North Market.

The biggest difference between Taipei and South City is that Taipei only sells high-end goods, while South City sells both high-end and mid-range goods. South City has a wider variety of goods and a more diverse selection, which is why South City is twice the size of Taipei City.

There's also an afternoon tea shop near the main gate of Taipei, which is more refined and upscale than the one in Xishi.

Inside the Wensu Pavilion teahouse, Princess Taiping, Li Lingyue, looked around at the furnishings and then at the teacup in her hand. She smiled at Yuan Min and said, "You're really extravagant. You actually brought out the secret-color official porcelain. I can't bear to use this kind of secret-color porcelain; I only bring it to admire."

Yuan Min smiled and said, "It's only for entertaining Her Highness the Princess. I didn't even give it to that brat Xue Wei."

Yuan Min has high emotional intelligence. This flattery made Princess Taiping feel extremely comfortable. She was Princess Taiping's former daughter-in-law. Although she seemed to belittle Xue Wei, she was actually praising Princess Taiping. In my heart, you are more important than your son.

"Ugh! That brat is such a handful!"

Li Lingyue came to Yuan Min, actually to ask Yuan Min to help her mediate the conflict between mother and son, but she was too embarrassed to ask for help, so she hoped that Yuan Min would take the initiative to help her.

Yuan Min smiled slightly and said, "Your Highness, I have already tried to persuade him."

Li Lingyue's eyes lit up, and she paused, teacup in her hand, asking softly, "How did you persuade him?"

"I told him that his mother could be a bit cold-hearted at times, but he couldn't just feel hatred towards her. He needed to be calm and rational, and try to put himself in her shoes to understand why she was so cold-hearted."

"What...what did he say?"

"He said he hadn't eaten for days in the water dungeon, and was so hungry he had to eat rats. You're his mother, yet you wouldn't even give him a bowl of rice. How could he not hate you!"

Yuan Min's words pierced Li Lingyue's deepest old wounds, reopening the painful scars once again. Her beloved husband had starved to death in prison, and the darkest memories she had ever experienced were now being relived in her eldest son's life.

Before her eyes appeared a face distorted by hunger; she couldn't tell if it was her husband or her son. Li Lingyue instantly broke down, burying her face in her hands and sobbing uncontrollably.

"My poor child! Mother... Mother is so sorry!"

Yuan Min sat beside her, tears streaming down her face. It took a long time for Li Lingyue to calm down before she finally took the handkerchief Yuan Min offered to wipe her tears. She then choked out, "And then?"

"Then I advised him, '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 knew, I would definitely help you too, and she would too.'"

I told him, "You are, after all, his mother. His fate is intertwined with yours. If you fall, he will fall; if you prosper, he will prosper. I told him to beg you. I said, 'Xue Wei, there's no shame in begging your own mother!'"

Li Lingyue was extremely grateful and held Yuan Min's hand tightly, "Min'er, thank you!"

Yuan Min sensed Princess Taiping's genuine emotions and felt that Princess Taiping should know the truth. Rather than letting Xue Chongjian tell it, she should tell it herself.

"Your Highness, actually, Xue Wei was released under conditions by Zhang Changzong. Zhang Changzong forced Xue Wei to agree to do three things for him, otherwise he would send him back to the water dungeon. Xue Wei had no choice but to agree, but he couldn't do the first thing."

Li Lingyue hurriedly asked, "What is it?"

She grabbed Yuan Min's hand tightly. "Min'er, tell me!"

"Zhang Changzong ordered Xue Wei to kill Gao Jian, giving him three months to do so."

"What?" Li Lingyue was shocked.

"It would be easy for Xue Wei to assassinate Gao Jian, but he couldn't bear the consequences. He would be imprisoned again, and Zhang Changzong would kill him to silence him. But if he didn't agree, Zhang Changzong would send him back to the Dali Temple water dungeon. His criminal record in Dali Temple hadn't been cleared yet. He was only temporarily released. He was in great pain and didn't know what to do. Then he thought of asking the emperor for a pardon."

If Li Lingyue hadn't known about Gao Jian and Shangguan Wan'er's affair, she wouldn't have understood why Zhang Changzong wanted to kill Gao Jian. Now she immediately realized that Zhang Changzong wanted to provoke conflict between her and Shangguan Wan'er, forcing her to choose sides.

Li Lingyue nodded slightly. "So he wrote poems to get closer to the emperor, hoping to ask for his pardon for the crimes he was convicted of by the Dali Temple when he presented the poems to the emperor?"

"Yes, this is his only way to get rid of Zhang Changzong."

Li Lingyue's eyes reddened again, and she covered her mouth with a handkerchief. "What a silly child! Why didn't you just tell me? I'm his mother!"