Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

In a private room of Qingfeng Restaurant in Anyefang, two Tibetans handed a bank draft to Gao Nian. "This is the advance payment, a total of three thousand taels of silver. Each sword costs one tael of silver. Once the goods arrive in Jincheng County, we will settle the transaction there and pay the remaining amount. The transaction will be complete."

Gao Nian took the money from the counter, his eyes gleaming with greed. The two Tibetans were actually willing to order three thousand damaged knives from him at a price of thirty taels of silver each. You should know that a damaged knife can only sell for three strings of cash at most on the market. The other party was willing to pay ten times the price, ninety thousand taels of silver!

He realized that he had never earned so much money in his life, and this was probably his only chance to get rich.

"Are you sure it's being shipped to Jincheng County?"

"Yes! Transport it to Jincheng County, and we'll handle the rest ourselves."

Transporting them to Jincheng County is no problem. He transported them to even farther places last year. Three thousand knives, two boats, and three mule carts are enough. If he covers them up with other goods, no one will find out.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "The knife might be badly damaged, is that alright?"

The two Tibetans laughed. "Let's get straight to the point, senior management! We need top-quality iron to forge short swords, not damaged knives."

Gao Nian suddenly realized that there was no problem now. Once the knife melted in the furnace, who would know that it was something he had sold?

At this point, a Tibetan man took out two copies of the transaction contract, written in both Tibetan and Chinese, which clearly stated the name of the goods, quantity, price, place of delivery, prepayment, and so on.

Gao Nian paused for a moment, "Do I need to sign this?"

The Tibetan nodded. "This isn't for you to see. It's our rule. We need to take it back to explain things. Without a contract, we can't do this deal and will have to find someone else."

Gao Nian knew very well that the other party had no requirements regarding the quality of the knife. He was not the only one who could do this kind of business, and he absolutely could not let such a large sum of money slip away.

Greed had completely clouded his judgment. Although he knew it was illegal, and in fact, everything he had done in recent years was illegal and would have cost him his head, he was no longer concerned about the dangers of the world, as fortune favored those who sought it.

"Okay! I'll sign!"

Without hesitation, he signed his name on both contracts and pressed his fingerprint on them.

Two Tibetans also signed their names, Shangdanjie and Lundabo. These two names were indeed important Tibetan officials, but they rarely came to the Tang Dynasty.

Shang Danjie then pointed with his index finger to the line for guarantors below, "We need a guarantor who has a close relationship with you, preferably a court official of some standing, for us, the Grand Chancellor, to believe in this contract."

This is the guarantor role tailor-made for Gao Jian.

Sure enough, Gao Nian immediately thought of his elder brother Gao Jian. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Does the guarantor need to sign in person?"

"You can sign on his behalf. Just sign his name and write down your relationship next to it."

For the sake of 90,000 taels of silver, Gao Nian wrote down his elder brother's name without hesitation and noted the relationship next to it: twin brother.

He had completely betrayed his brother.

Shang Danjie nodded. "We urgently need the goods. When can they be shipped? It would be best if they were shipped by water. We will have ships following them from a distance."

"Of course, it's by sea; we can depart anytime!"

"Then let's start the journey tomorrow morning at Chenshi (7-9 AM)! We'll meet at the Yellow River Wharf in Jincheng County then, and the money and goods will be settled on the spot. Remember to bring the contract; our people only recognize contracts that I have signed."

"Definitely! Definitely! I will personally escort the ship."

..........

Half an hour later, a contract appeared in Xue Wei's hands. He smiled and asked, "Where did you find these two Nepalese people?"

The people of Nepal are the same as the people of Nepal. Anyway, they all speak Chinese and look like the Tibetans. The old man couldn't tell if they were Tibetans or not.

Sitting opposite him, Yuan Min laughed and said, "Only you could come up with such a crazy idea, actually asking me to find Nepalese people. I went through a lot of trouble to find these two people. They really look like Tibetans, I can't even tell them apart. They've already taken the money and returned to Chang'an, and they won't be coming to Luoyang again."

Xue Wei laughed and said, "I don't care about others, as long as the elders can't tell the difference, that's fine. However, Shangdanjie and Lundabo are indeed officials in charge of trade in Tibet. They are currently far away in Lhasa. At most, they have been to Lanzhou, but they have never been to Luoyang. The court cannot possibly go to Tibet to verify the authenticity."

Yuan Min suddenly clenched her fist and slammed it on the table, glaring fiercely at Xue Wei. "Let's make this clear first. You're the one who taught me this kind of scheme to wipe out the family line. I've never done anything so despicable."

Xue Wei gave a thumbs up, "But you're very capable. We truly are a perfect couple; we work together seamlessly!"

"Formerly husband and wife!"

Yuan Min corrected him, then couldn't help but laugh, "So what's next?"

"Next, we need to ask my mother to help. Have you explained everything clearly to her?"

Yuan Min nodded. "I've already spoken to her. She knows about Gao Jian's betrayal and that the Emperor wants to kill him. She said she won't act on emotion."

"That's good. Go find my mother, and we can start arresting them first thing tomorrow morning."

Yuan Min frowned. "Can't you go by yourself? Why do you insist that I go? Uncle Xue, I have to manage over two hundred shops, I'm very busy!"

Xue Wei clasped his hands together and pleaded, "Please, my lady, have mercy on me and help me one more time. I promise it will be the last time."

Yuan Min smiled smugly, "Alright! I'll help you one more time since you're so pitiful. And this is the last time!"

..........

The next morning, at the Luoyang dock, Gao Nian walked happily toward two cargo ships. Just as he was about to board, two tall men suddenly grabbed him from both sides.

"We are the Plum Blossom Guards, you better behave!"

Gao Nian was shocked and turned to run, but was pinned to the ground by the Plum Blossom Guard soldiers. A large group of Plum Blossom Guard soldiers rushed out from both sides, boarded the boat, arrested the boatman, and quickly found a large number of flawed weapons.

At this moment, two Plum Blossom Guard soldiers also found the contract signed with Tibet on Gao Nian's body. Gao Nian's face turned pale, his legs went weak, and he could not walk.

..........

Inside the imperial study, Wu Zetian slammed a thick stack of confessions onto the table and coldly said to Li Lingyue and Shangguan Wan'er, "Colluding with the Tibetans and selling high-quality iron—tell me what you're going to do with the Gao brothers!"

Li Lingyue said calmly, "According to the law, treason should be dealt with accordingly!"

Li Lingyue spoke casually, but Shangguan Wan'er couldn't hold back anymore. The charge of treason was now confirmed, and Gao Jian was doomed. She had worked so hard to win him over, and to lose him at this critical juncture would be a huge loss for her.

"Your Majesty, I fully agree with the old man's crime of treason, but to convict Gao Jian of the same crime seems a bit far-fetched."

"Without Gao Jian's indulgence and tacit approval, this crime of treason would not have occurred!"

Li Lingyue spoke casually, but every word she uttered was a scathing attack on Gao Jian: "He's the one who vouched for him! How many times has he vouched for him?"

Shangguan Wan'er's heart sank to the bottom. She suddenly realized that this was a trap set by Princess Taiping, and she knew about Gao Jian's betrayal.

"Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance; please reconsider this case!"

"No need!" Wu Zetian declared decisively. "The evidence is conclusive; their treason is unforgivable. Both are sentenced to be cut in half at the waist!"

Shangguan Wan'er was struck dumb, standing there motionless. Wu Zetian gave her a cold look, then got up and walked away.

Li Lingyue quickly followed her mother. In the corridor, Wu Zetian stopped, a smile on her face, and looked at Li Lingyue, saying, "Your son is quite good. I am very satisfied. I look forward to his second question."