Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

The note contained only one sentence: "Kill Gao Jian, the Assistant Director of Ceremonial."

Xue Wei's pupils suddenly contracted to a slit. Kill Gao Jian! Of course he knew that Gao Jian was Princess Taiping's lover in history. What did this mean?

Xue Wei immediately sensed danger. Zhang Changzong actually wanted him to deal with his mother, Princess Taiping. Was this really just a simple task, or a one-off deal?

After pondering for a long time, he tore the note into pieces and casually threw it into the well. He had three months, enough time for him to gradually uncover the truth.

........

On the third-floor corridor of the Wanxiang Divine Palace, the Zhang brothers walked slowly side by side. The two brothers looked very alike, not only in their handsome appearance but also in their temperament and makeup. Each wore a white crane cloak, but their headdresses were different. The younger brother, Zhang Changzong, wore a jade crown, while the elder brother, Zhang Yizhi, wore a gold crown. The difference was obvious, and Empress Wu Zetian could recognize them at a glance.

Zhang Yizhi glanced around, and seeing that no one was nearby, asked calmly, "Why did you kill Gao Jian?"

Zhang Changzong sneered, "Can't you tell that Gao Jian and Shangguan are having an affair?"

Zhang Yizhi was stunned. How come he didn't know about Shangguan Wan'er's affair with Gao Jian? He pressed, "When did it happen?"

"It's been going on for a long time, at least half a year, and Princess Taiping was unaware of it."

Zhang Yizhi understood a little. "So you want to incite conflict between Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er?"

"That's absolutely right. By having Princess Taiping's son take action, Princess Taiping's guilt has been confirmed, and it's inevitable that Shangguan Wan'er will turn against her."

Zhang Yizhi gave his brother an appreciative look, then asked, "Is that Xue Wei reliable?"

Zhang Changzong smiled smugly, "He's a smart man. He knows that if he doesn't obediently work for us, he'll go back to the Blackwater Prison. His criminal record at the Dali Temple hasn't been destroyed. With just one word from us, we can arrest him at any time."

"I know that, I'm worried about his abilities!"

"His abilities are not important; we can send people to help him. What is important is that he is Princess Taiping's son. As long as it is publicly confirmed that he killed Gao Jian, Princess Taiping will be implicated."

"If it's publicly confirmed, won't he be finished?"

Zhang Changzong sneered, "In my opinion, he's just an ant, nothing more than a dead ant."

Zhang Yizhi hesitated for a moment, "But I still don't quite understand, what good will it do us if Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er turn against each other?"

Zhang Changzong paused for a moment and said, "If we want to achieve long-term success, superficial appearances are not enough; we also need to understand the intentions of those in power."

Zhang Yizhi immediately understood. "You mean, this is her intention?"

Zhang Yizhi pointed upwards.

Zhang Changzong nodded slightly. "Five days ago, Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er were holding hands and admiring the flowers. Why did she suddenly get angry that night? It was definitely not without reason."

"That's why she gave you the gold medal!"

Zhang Changzong patted his elder brother on the shoulder, "It's good that you understand!"

Just then, a tall, stout eunuch strode forward, smiled, and bowed. "Your Excellencies, His Majesty summons you to his bedchamber!"

The smiles on the two brothers' faces vanished abruptly. A hint of fear appeared in Zhang Yizhi's eyes. Zhang Changzong tightened his grip on his brother's arm slightly. The two sighed inwardly and had no choice but to force themselves to walk toward the emperor's palace.

...........

Early in the morning, by the well in the courtyard, Xue Wei was washing his body with buckets of well water, his hair and body covered in soapberry liquid, trying to wash away the stench of the corpse.

But even after five days of washing, the faint smell of decay lingered, making him irritable.

"Splash!" Another bucket of well water was poured over his head. It was early spring, February, and the weather was still chilly. The well water was icy cold, but he couldn't feel the slightest bit of cold. This wasn't the legendary immunity to heat and cold, but rather that his nerve endings had become somewhat dull, which was not a good thing.

Xue Wei didn't want to rinse anymore. He took a half-worn piece of linen and wiped the well water off his head and body. When he wiped his left upper arm, he saw the tattoo again.

It was a crouching rabbit with long, erect ears and slightly slanted eyes, giving it a somewhat alluring appearance.

Xue Wei discovered this five days ago. He didn't understand what the tattoo meant, but he didn't care. Xue Wei had too many secrets, and he didn't care anymore.

For five whole days, no one contacted him, and he was not in a hurry to carry out the mission. He needed to figure out where to start, and he also needed some time to adapt to and integrate into this era.

He put on a pair of white trousers, socks, and black leather boots, then draped a fine linen blue long robe over his shoulders. His hair was still wet, so he simply tied it into a bun, put on a gauze hat, and took a worn leather belt to tie around his waist.

This was the most common attire for men in the Tang Dynasty. This outfit was sent by Steward Liu so that he could look somewhat presentable when he went out. The clothes he wore before were just stripped from a corpse by a jailer and given to him to wear; they still had dark red blood clots on them.

Xue Wei grabbed a handful of money and went out; he was going out for breakfast, a habit he had developed over the past five days.

During the Tang Dynasty, people ate two meals a day: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Of course, nobles also had various morning teas, snacks, late-night snacks, and even night banquets.

Xue Wei didn't care about these things for the time being; he had his own habits, such as eating three meals a day.

The main street of Zhengpingfang was bustling with activity. On one side were the high walls of Princess Taiping's residence, and on the other side were various small shops. Xue Wei went directly to a shop called "Sun's Old Noodles".

There weren't many people in the noodle shop; out of the five or six tables, half were empty.

"What would you like to eat today, Young Master Xue?" the shopkeeper asked solicitously.

"The usual rules!"

Xue Wei left with a remark and walked to a bench in the corner to sit down. The shopkeeper looked at him with pity. Of course, he recognized Xue Wei. The arrogant and domineering young master Xue from a year ago was now in such a sorry state. It was said that he had been sent to the stables to feed the horses by his mother, Princess Taiping, and that he had been severely beaten at the Dali Temple and lost his memory.

He used to never even glance at my little shop, but now he's become a regular customer. What a twist of fate!

Although Xue Wei never went to the stables, the news that he had been forced to feed the horses had already spread and become a topic of conversation among the people of Zhengpingfang and even Luoyang.

As for who leaked the news, it's obvious without even thinking about it; it could only be Wu Liankun.

Before long, the shopkeeper brought over a large bowl of steaming hot noodles, topped with a layer of minced mutton. Xue Wei ate this kind of noodle almost every meal. It was actually knife-cut noodles, and it tasted very similar to the knife-cut noodles he ate in his later life. With one bite of the noodles, that familiar taste made him feel as if he had returned to his previous life.

Of course, the most important thing is that it's cheap. A big bowl costs fifteen coins. He's very poor, and he has to be careful with the little money that Manager Liu gives him.

Being able to eat white flour slices was already considered middle class in the Tang Dynasty, while the lower classes ate millet porridge, unleavened flatbread, and pickled vegetables, commonly known as the "three essentials for survival."

Although Xue Wei was down on his luck, he still managed to maintain a comfortable life as a single man with three strings of cash a month. He had calculated that with three meals a day, each costing at least fifteen coins, he would spend 1,500 coins a month just on food.

The shop owner then brought him a plate of jujube cake, which was considered a dessert after the meal and was a standard item for well-off families.

"Young Master Xue, I have inquired about your question from yesterday, and I can answer it now."

The shopkeeper sat opposite him with a smile. "You asked me why you are called the Three Masters. I inquired and found out that you have three masters: night-time arrow throwing, night-time polo, and night-time horseback archery."

Actually, archery, polo, and mounted archery are all basic skills for noble young men of the Tang Dynasty. It's just that you are exceptional; you excel at them even at night, making you unmatched in Luoyang. Therefore, you are known as the "Three Perfections Gentleman."

Xue Wei nodded. This answer was not bad. He had originally thought it was about eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring.

Arrow quiver, polo, and mounted archery—and he plays them all with exceptional skill even at night? Xue Wei seemed to have a sudden realization. In a flash, he understood why he could see in the pitch-black water prison. This wasn't some kind of time travel or mutation; it was the night vision skill of the Three Wonders Young Master Xue Wei!

Just then, a young girl walked in from outside. She was wearing a red ruyi (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and embroidered shoes. Her hair was styled in double buns. She had a round, apple-shaped face and a white pockmark on her lip. She was reasonably pretty.

The shop owner quickly went to greet her, "What would you like to eat, young lady?"

"I'm hungry, make me a bowl of noodles!"

Her crisp voice echoed through the small noodle shop, drawing the attention of all the customers. Only Xue Wei kept his head down, eating his noodles, seemingly unaffected by anything around him.

"Alright! Alright! Please sit down, young lady, it'll be right there!"

The girl glanced at Xue Wei, then slowly walked over and sat down opposite him, casually placing her cloth bag on the table.

Xue Wei glanced up at the girl casually. There were clearly three empty tables in the shop, so why did she insist on sitting opposite him?

His gaze returned to the cloth bag on the table, and Xue Wei was stunned, as if struck by lightning.