Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

In fact, Yuan Min had devised several plans for Xue Wei. Yuan Min also guessed that the emperor would not want just one poem. She prepared five plans: frontier poems, Zen poems, family poems, festival poems, and farewell poems. Among them, the farewell poem was the perfect choice.

Xue Wei nodded slightly, "How dare I disobey my grandmother's order?"

Empress Wu Zetian immediately issued an edict to offer him a seat and to prepare paper and pen.

Xue Wei sat down, and a eunuch brought him paper and pen. Xue Wei pondered for a moment, then picked up the pen and wrote a poem by Wang Changling. Wang Changling was at most four or five years old, so there shouldn't be any problem.

"Old Wang, I'm sorry, but I need to borrow Bao Shi to save my life. I'll treat you to candy later."

The pen scratched across the paper, and a seven-character quatrain appeared on the page.

A cold rain fell on the river as night descended on Wu.

At dawn, I saw off my guest, leaving the Chu Mountains lonely.

If relatives and friends in Luoyang ask about me,

A pure heart resides in a jade pot.

He presented the folded document, which Shangguan Wan'er took, glanced at, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I always thought you were only twenty years old, but now I know you are already forty."

She was implying that Xue Wei lacked experience and couldn't write such a poem, subtly criticizing him for plagiarism.

Xue Wei calmly replied, "That's normal. Ambition knows no age; without ambition, one lives a wasted life. Some people are still living in comfort at forty, while others have already experienced hardship and tasted the bitterness of the world by the age of twenty. What was Miss Wan'er doing when she was twenty?"

Shangguan Wan'er's expression changed slightly. At the age of thirteen, she was implicated by her grandfather Shangguan Yi's crime and was sent to the inner palace with her mother, where she suffered the cold stares of the world. Xue Wei's knife directly exposed her bloody past.

"What an amazing mouth!"

"You flatter me!"

Xue Wei looked at her coldly, his gaze sharp, "No matter how sharp your words are, they can't compare to the needles on Miss Wan'er's fingers."

Shangguan Wan'er's expression changed drastically. She took a step back, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes.

The confrontation between the two was very brief, but Shangguan Wan'er had already lost.

At this moment, Wu Zetian laughed and scolded, "You brat, what are you dawdling about? Hurry up and show it to me!"

"Your Majesty, I have forgotten you! I deserve death! I deserve death!"

Shangguan Wan'er quickly regained her composure and presented the poem to the Emperor with a smile, saying, "Young Master Xue's poem is so well written, Wan'er is completely captivated by it."

Wu Zetian took it and examined it closely. A smile spread across her face. "The calligraphy is acceptable, but the poem is even better. Let the nine ministers take a look as well."

Seated below were nine ministers, all of whom held the title of prime minister: Zhang Jianzhi, Yao Chong, Song Jing, Wei Yuanzhong, Wei Chengqing, Zhang Xi, Su Weidao, Yang Zaisi, and Fang Rong.

Wu Sansi and the two Zhangs are not here today. Wu Zetian has good intentions and does not want them to influence her decision-making.

The two poems were passed down, and all nine ministers praised them. These ministers were all shrewd and understood the emperor's thoughts: he wanted to appoint Xue Wei.

Zhang Jianzhi smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Young Master Xue is a man of great talent at such a young age. His two poems are grand in scope and exquisite in their ideas, truly admirable. They are rare masterpieces. Such a talented man should remain in the court to serve Your Majesty."

Su Weidao also laughed and said, "Prime Minister Zhang is absolutely right. Young Master Xue's poems on Qingming Festival and frontier are both excellent. He truly deserves to be called a genius among poets. I have heard that Young Master Xue was originally a Qianniu Beishen, protecting the Emperor's safety. Why not let him take on this important position and stay by His Majesty's side to serve him at any time?"

Su Weidao was one of Zhang Changzong's men, and he had obviously received instructions beforehand from Zhang Changzong to prevent Xue Wei from being given an important position.

Wu Zetian smiled, then turned to Princess Taiping and asked, "Taiping, what was Wei'er's original title?"

Princess Taiping quickly replied, "Reporting to Mother, he will inherit his father's title, but will be demoted one rank to Baron of Pingyang County."

Empress Wu Zetian said with delight, "Thank you for the farewell poem written by my grandson. I am very happy today. Now I will return your father's title to you and promote you by one rank. I will appoint you as the Viscount of Pingyang County."

Xue Wei knelt down again to pay his respects, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"

Wu Zetian glanced at him and said calmly, "I have something to ask you. Come to my study."

..........

Xue Wei stood with his hands at his sides in the inner study. Wu Zetian had dismissed everyone else, leaving only the two of them in the study.

"Xue Wei, did you really write this poem?" Wu Zetian asked calmly.

"Exactly!"

Xue Wei was now in a bind. This wasn't a matter of honesty or dishonesty; it was a matter of deceiving the emperor. He could only grit his teeth and persevere.

"I simply don't understand. With your experience, you shouldn't be able to write such a poem. Besides, since you've forgotten everything else, why do you still remember words and poems?"

As expected of the emperor, your words hit the nail on the head. Since you have forgotten everything, you should have forgotten all the books you read and the words you knew before. Yet you can still write poetry. Isn't that a contradiction?

But Xue Wei had already prepared a plan. He calmly explained, "Your Majesty, as I just said, the past cannot be truly forgotten; it is merely hidden deep in the memory. When a scene evokes strong emotions, it will come back to me. The immense suffering I endured in prison, being in dire straits, triggered even deeper feelings, which ironically allowed me to write some good works. Now, if you asked me to write again, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to. As for experience, spending a year in Blackwater Prison is an experience that most people don't have!"

"Hmph! That's your explanation. Fine, I won't make things difficult for you."

Wu Zetian gazed at him and said, "I want to give you an important position, but I don't know your abilities. I value talent and learning, but I value ability even more. Here's what I'll do! I'll give you two more questions. If you can answer them well, I'll give you an opportunity that you'll never get in your entire life."

Xue Wei knew that this was the Emperor's true purpose in summoning him today, so he knelt down and said, "Grandson is willing to answer the questions."

"Fine!" Wu Zetian lowered her voice and said, "I'll give you a month to kill Gao Jian for me!"

Xue Wei's heart sank instantly. He had thought of everything, but he never expected the question to be about Gao Jian again.

"What's wrong? Is that strange?"

"No! It's not surprising. It's the same topic, but they're no longer at the same level. They may seem the same, but they're actually different."

Wu Zetian nodded. "It's good that you can see this. Wei'er, although your poems are well-written, they don't necessarily mean you can do things well. Poetry only represents one aspect of your writing, showing that you consider problems comprehensively and meticulously. But I don't just look at your writing; I also look at your military skills. I've always believed that writing is about finding problems, while military skills are about solving them. The key is to combine both."

Polo is a form of martial arts; it reveals a person's strength, speed, and accurate shooting, as well as their composure, adaptability, and ability to control the overall situation and resolve crises.

March is polo month. Play a few good polo matches and let me see your martial side. With your current skills and form, winning the championship is almost impossible, but I want to see how you turn the impossible into possible. This is my second test for you: win the individual championship.

...........

Xue Wei didn't know how he got out of the inner study. His mother, Princess Taiping, was waiting for him outside, looking worried.

Xue Wei suddenly realized that his mother genuinely cared about him; at least at this moment, the maternal love in her eyes was real.

"Wei'er, what does Grandmother want you to do?" Li Lingyue stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

She said she wanted to test me and gave me two tasks.

Li Lingyue's heart sank. Her mother really wanted her son to get involved in something deeper. Li Lingyue knew the cruelty of power struggles, especially now, and she didn't want her son to get involved.

But Lin wanted to be still, but the wind wouldn't stop, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to stop her mother.

"What did she ask you to do?"

"She told me not to tell you for now, and I agreed. You can ask Amin later!"

Li Lingyue nodded. Her son was very smart; by having Yuan Min tell him, he wouldn't be disobeying his mother's orders.

"Go ahead! Try to discuss anything with Min'er. She's a very good wife. If you want to remarry her, I support you."

"Thank you, Mother!"

Xue Wei left the palace and walked out of Yingtian Gate. He immediately saw that Yuan Min's carriage was still parked in its designated parking space, along with the carriages of other ministers.

Xue Wei strode over, the car door opened, and he climbed into the car. Yuan Min rushed over and hugged him, asking with a worried expression, "Why did you take so long?"

"The emperor pardoned me and restored my title. Later, the emperor summoned me to his study alone."

"What did you talk about?"

"She said she wanted to give me a more important role, but she wanted to test me first."

Yuan Min knocked on the carriage wall, signaling for the carriage to leave the capital as soon as possible. Once they were seated, Yuan Min asked, "How does she intend to test you?"

Xue Wei gave a wry smile. "She wants me to play several polo matches in March. She wants to see me as a well-rounded individual. She also demands that I win the individual championship and turn the impossible into the possible."

"This... is difficult! But it's not impossible. Let's plan it out properly later. The first individual elimination round is on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, so prepare well."

"Besides demanding that I win the polo championship, she also gave me an equally challenging task."

"What task did she give you this time?"

Xue Wei sighed, "Let me kill Gao Jian for her, within a month."

Yuan Min was stunned for a moment. "How come we're back to square one?"

"It's not the origin, it's a spiral upward. It seems like I'm back to the original position, but in reality, I'm already at a higher level. At least if I mess up the mission, she won't kill me."

"You're right, but do you really want to do it?"

Xue Wei was silent for a moment. "I want to do it. I need to have a knife in my hand. I don't want others to use it at will, and I don't want to be crushed like an ant. I want to protect you and all my loved ones."

"Then let's do it! I'll help you."

"No!"

Xue Wei flatly refused, "Don't get involved in murder."

Yuan Min grasped his hand. "I won't help you kill people. I'll give you resources, like intelligence, and I'll help you avoid risks."

Xue Wei pondered for a moment and then agreed, "Alright! I do need the intelligence. Also, tell your mother about the mission so she's prepared and ask her not to interfere."

"What are you planning to do?"

"Let me think about it. Killing Gao Jian is easy, but to do it well will require some thought or waiting for an opportunity. However, I need all the information about Gao Jian, especially his activities after court, where he likes to go, and who he associates with."

Yuan Min nodded, "I'll get it for you as soon as possible."

Xue Wei suddenly remembered someone else and said with a smile, "Gao Jian has a brother named Gao Nian. Investigate him thoroughly; he might be a good starting point."