Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

At the Xinghua Wine Shop in the West Market, Yuan Min's carriage slowly came to a stop. She got out of the carriage and immediately saw a middle-aged man peeking around in front of the wine shop.

"Is that Manager Liu?" Yuan Min suddenly recognized the middle-aged man.

"lady!"

The middle-aged man was none other than Manager Liu. He recognized Yuan Min and quickly stepped forward to greet her.

"Manager Liu, didn't you already leave?"

"I went back to my hometown. I realized I had left an important personal item behind, so I came back to get it."

"I'll help you find it!"

Yuan Min gave the female warrior Bian Xiaohong a word, and Bian Xiaohong quickly went into the wine shop.

"Manager Liu, there's something I'd like to ask you."

"Please feel free to ask whatever you need, Madam."

"The group that forced you to reveal the young master's address, does the young master really not know who they are?"

Manager Liu hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth.

"The leader is called Steward Zhou. He has a large black mole on his nose. You know him, young master."

"So, young master understands!"

Steward Liu nodded. "Young Master knows!"

Bian Xiaohong took out a bag, and Manager Liu took the bag, thanked her profusely, and left.

Yuan Min pondered for a moment, then said to Zuo Qingling, "Go to the Prince Ding's mansion and inquire if there is a steward named Zhou who has a large black mole on his nose. Then go to the Twelve Palaces to investigate in detail how Wu Liankun died."

"I'll go right away!"

Yuan Min boarded the carriage, a deep pain welling up in her eyes. She murmured to herself, "Why did you hide this from me? Did you not trust me at all?"

..........

Time flew by and it was already the second day of the third month, the day for the formal audience with the emperor. Yuan Min didn't go home the night before and stayed with Xue Wei.

Before dawn, Xue Wei rode in Yuan Min's carriage into the palace. Yuan Min had a pass to enter and exit the imperial city and escorted him all the way to the Yingtian Gate.

Yuan Min gave him a gentle hug. "Don't be nervous, I'll wait for you here. Let's go back together!"

Xue Wei got off the carriage and immediately saw his mother, Princess Taiping. She looked calm and was already waiting for him at the entrance.

"You've come!"

Xue Wei nodded. "I've forgotten the palace etiquette."

"You were only three years old when you last entered the palace; I carried you in."

Xue Wei sighed inwardly and said in a low voice, "Amin told me everything, so I don't blame you for what happened in the water dungeon."

Li Lingyue's eyes reddened, and tears almost rolled down her cheeks again. She took a deep breath, controlling her emotions, and said, "Let's go! I'll take you inside."

Li Lingyue led Xue Wei up the wide steps to the gate tower.

Yingtian Gate was the city gate leading from the imperial city to the palace, but it was far more than just a city gate. It was a huge palace built on a high platform, where countless important political events and diplomatic ceremonies were held.

"When you meet the Emperor later, you can call her Imperial Grandmother. You are a commoner, so you don't need to perform the etiquette of a subject to a ruler. I will be by your side the whole time, so don't be nervous or afraid!"

Xue Wei nodded gently, "Thank you, Mother!"

Li Lingyue smiled. It seemed that going to find Yuan Min herself was the wisest decision she could have made.

At this moment, a palace maid of about forty years old stepped forward and bowed to Princess Taiping, saying, "Your Highness, I will take Young Master Xue to bathe and change his clothes."

Li Lingyue nodded and said to Xue Wei, "Go! Today we are only meeting with commoners, so the ceremony will be simple and not too complicated."

As Xue Wei lay down in the bathtub, three elderly palace maids in their forties suddenly entered. They were dressed in very revealing short clothes and skirts. When they saw Xue Wei's tall and strong body, their eyes lit up. They walked forward with smiles, took bath towels, and helped him bathe and scent the bath. Their movements were extremely delicate and gentle.

Xue Wei knew then that this incident would become a source of amusement for Yuan Min for the rest of her life.

Xue Wei, dressed in the robes of a seventh-rank official, stood in the main hall. He had already written his poem for the Double Ninth Festival, "Remembering My Brothers in Shandong on the Ninth Day of the Ninth Lunar Month."

The poem's folds were placed on a golden plate, and a eunuch stood behind him holding the plate.

Empress Wu Zetian had arrived and was seated on the high steps of the palace, with Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er standing on either side of her.

Below him sat eight or nine ministers, none of whom Xue Wei recognized. However, judging from their ranks, they were all likely prime ministers. Today, they were not the main figures, but merely guests.

Ten elderly women sat facing him, all holding canes and dressed in the official robes of third-rank county ladies. This was the same as Xue Wei wearing the robes of a seventh-rank official; it was simply to conform to etiquette when meeting the emperor, and had no other purpose.

Empress Wu Zetian was chatting with them warmly, discussing topics such as health and wellness.

Not long after the audience, the sound of drums and music began, and a master of ceremonies shouted, "Present poems for the Double Ninth Festival!"

Finally, they arrived. Xue Wei mustered his courage and walked towards the main hall, with the eunuch following behind carrying a golden tray.

The ten old ladies were all commoners. Xue Wei knelt down following their etiquette and said loudly, "Grandson Xue Wei greets Imperial Grandmother. May Imperial Grandmother live as long as the Southern Mountain, have as much happiness as the Eastern Sea, be as radiant as the sun and moon, and be as evergreen as the pines and cypresses."

These blessings only appeared during the Qing Dynasty, and this was the first time Wu Zetian had heard of them. She was quite pleased and smiled slightly, saying, "You child, you're quite good with words. Get up! Let your grandmother take a look at you."

Xue Wei stood up and looked up at his mother, Princess Taiping. Seeing her smiling face, he knew that what he had said was correct. He breathed a sigh of relief and then noticed Empress Wu Zetian.

She had a full head of silver hair, wore a crown, and was dressed in an imperial robe. Her skin was very well-maintained, without a single wrinkle on her face, but her complexion was not good, and she looked sickly.

Wu Zetian sized up Xue Wei and nodded approvingly, "Not bad! Not bad! A handsome man, and even more rare is his mastery of both literature and martial arts. He truly deserves to be my great-grandson."

She then turned to her daughter, Princess Taiping, and asked, "When was the last time I saw him?"

"Reporting to his mother, fifteen years ago, when he was seven years old."

Wu Zetian sighed, "Fifteen years have passed, and I have no recollection of it at all. Alas! As one gets older, many things from the past are forgotten."

Xue Wei bowed and said, "It is rare for a person to live to seventy. My grandmother has the appearance of longevity. She actually remembers all the past events, which are hidden deep in her memory. Sometimes when she reads a poem, listens to a piece of music, or is moved by a scene, the past events will come to mind as if they happened yesterday."

"Well said!"

Xue Wei's words struck a chord with Wu Zetian, and the Qingming poem suddenly reminded her of her youth.

She praised, "Truly a man of exceptional talent. It is rare for a person to live to seventy, yet you have composed such a poem so effortlessly. Could you please compose another poem to suit the occasion?"

She looked at Xue Wei with expectant eyes, and everyone tensed up; this was a test.

After a moment's thought, Xue Wei suddenly saw a willow catkin fly into the main hall. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he blurted out, "It is indeed a beautiful scene in the capital, and I meet you again in the season of falling flowers."

Empress Wu Zetian clapped and laughed, "Willow catkins against falling flowers, very fitting for the occasion! Come! Let me see your Double Ninth Festival poem."

An eunuch stepped forward and presented a folded book. Wu Zetian picked it up and handed it to Shangguan Wan'er, saying, "You've been very quiet today. Read it to me."

Shangguan Wan'er was a little distracted just now, wondering why Zhang Changzong had released Xue Wei.

Shangguan Wan'er cleared her throat and read aloud:

Remembering my brothers in Shandong on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month

To be a stranger in a foreign country alone, think of love every time during the festive season.

I know my brothers are climbing to a high place, wearing dogwood, but one is missing.

The "Shandong brothers" mentioned here do not refer to the Shandong province of later times, but rather to the area east of the Xiaoshan Mountains. Luoyang is part of Shandong, so remembering the Shandong brothers is remembering the Luoyang brothers.

Wu Zetian nodded slightly. "What a fine poem! Truly a fine poem! Your foreign land must be in prison!"

Upon hearing Wu Zetian's words, everyone's expression changed, and Princess Taiping turned deathly pale.

Xue Wei calmly replied, "Indeed, my grandson missed his family while in prison, and that's how he came up with these four lines of poetry."

Wu Zetian laughed, "I like your honesty very much. You don't need to be afraid anymore. I will now formally pardon you. You will no longer need to write poems in prison."

She immediately ordered, "Issue my decree: pardon Xue Wei for his disrespect, and have the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review remove the relevant files!"

Xue Wei finally heard the formal pardon. He knelt down and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Imperial Grandmother, for pardoning me!"

Wu Zetian then laughed and said, "I really enjoy writing poems to bid farewell to my loved ones. If you write another farewell poem for me, I will return your title to you."

Princess Taiping's face turned even paler, and she couldn't help but whisper, "Mother, Wei'er is still young. He should be tempered further. Giving him too much is not a good thing."

"What do you know?"

Wu Zetian glanced back at her and said calmly, "He is my grandson, though he is my granddaughter by marriage. In my eyes, he is more reliable than any real grandson. I just want to give him something; don't interfere!"

Xue Wei finally realized something. The affection between grandmother and grandson before him was probably just a mask. The person opposite him was not his maternal grandmother, but a cold and ruthless empress. In her heart, there had never been any affection between grandmother and grandson. She had never regarded him as her grandson. She had never done so before, she had never done so now, and she would never do so in the future. Everything she did was a cold-blooded calculation. Even asking him to present a poem was not as simple as just presenting a poem. She probably had another purpose in summoning him today.

Having figured this out, Xue Wei began to break out in a cold sweat. He was now in a dilemma; if he went against the emperor's wishes, the consequences would be unbearable. He clearly saw the cold light hidden in Wu Zetian's benevolent smile.

Xue Wei took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.