Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

Inside the carriage, the two embraced tightly. Xue Wei, no longer caring about anything else, kissed her lips fiercely. Yuan Min did not dodge, but gently met his kiss, and the two finally kissed.

After an unknown amount of time, Yuan Min finally woke up from her sweet first kiss and shyly pushed Xue Wei away.

"Consider this a reward, just this once!"

Once there was a first time, there was a second. Xue Wei kissed her again, and Yuan Min's protests vanished instantly. She wrapped her arms tightly around her lover's neck.

They separated, panting, until they could no longer breathe. Yuan Min punched him in the chest, tears streaming from her beautiful eyes.

"Old Xue, you won!" she said, her voice choked with emotion.

Xue Wei chuckled, exhausted, and lay down on the carpet, with Yuan Min lying down beside him.

"What are you thinking about right now?" Her eyes shone brightly in the darkness.

"I'm wondering, how much money did I win?"

"go--"

Yuan Min reached out and pinched his arm hard. "Tell the truth!"

Xue Wei winced in pain. "Alright! I'm thinking about the bathing and fragrance for when I see the Emperor tomorrow."

Yuan Min burst out laughing, tilting her head and winking mischievously, "Maybe the Emperor will be gracious and send a few young palace maids to serve you."

"Why don't you just empty my pockets tonight!"

Yuan Min's pretty face suddenly turned red. She reached out and precisely grabbed his ear, leaning close to his ear and saying word by word, "You brat, listen to me clearly. This is only for our wedding night. You're not allowed to have any more wild thoughts after this, and you're not allowed to go looking for other women. This is my bottom line."

"Ouch! Gently, gently!"

Xue Wei finally managed to free his hand, rubbed his ear, and said, "Just kidding! Why are you being so serious?"

Yuan Min sneered, "You didn't want it before, but now you want it. You deserve to be punished!"

"What do you mean?"

Xue Wei suddenly turned around and hugged him, his eyes wide, "Could it be that we've never...?"

Yuan Min remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Xue Wei was overjoyed. Yuan Min was indeed still a virgin. Although it was the same body, the Xue Wei of the past was not the same person he was now, and he still cared a little.

By a twist of fate, Yuan Min ended up keeping the best for herself.

"That's strange. What are you so happy about? You didn't get it before, so why are you happy?"

Xue Wei gripped her shoulders, looking at her intently. "I told you, I was reborn in the Dali Temple prison. I don't want the old Xue Wei to touch you. He doesn't deserve it!"

Yuan Min smiled slyly, "Maybe I'll go find another man to get revenge on you?"

"You won't. If you did that, you wouldn't be Yuan Min."

"Tell me, why can't I do it?"

"Because you have an independent personality, you are never anyone's appendage, and you will never ruin yourself for anyone. Your body will only be given to the people you love."

Yuan Min's gaze softened, and she whispered, "You're half right. It's been like this since last year, but my personality hadn't awakened before. I was still clueless. I didn't give my body to anyone else, not because of love, but because I was afraid. I was only thirteen years old, and I didn't dare to try. On our wedding night, you went to be with Li Guo'er. Although I was furious, I also secretly breathed a sigh of relief."

"And then, were you too afraid to try it?"

"No, I stopped being afraid two years ago. You are my husband, and my first time can only be with you. That's my principle. But I will only give you a chance if you completely repent. I never want to share you with any other woman. But you have never repented. Even the night before you went to prison, you were still with Zhou Yinfeng."

Xue Wei suddenly understood why he had fallen in love with this woman. It wasn't just because of her beauty and figure, nor just because she was his ex-wife from the Tang Dynasty, nor even because she had millions of dollars in wealth.

Instead, her values ​​and views on love were the same as those of women in later generations. She did not live to be dependent on men, and she was devoted to her partner for life, supporting each other through thick and thin.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, women with this kind of value system were not uncommon, and there were many such women, such as Empress Dugu, wife of Yang Jian, and Lady Lu, wife of Fang Xuanling. Historical records say that they were jealous, but in reality, they were just protecting their love. The essence of love is exclusivity, which requires each other to be loyal to each other.

Holding hands, we'll stay together, never abandoning each other, supporting each other through thick and thin, until we grow old together.

Xue Wei stopped talking. He hugged Yuan Min tightly, buried his head in her shoulder, and hot tears welled up silently. He had been deeply hurt by marriage before, and he longed for a husband and wife to stay together until they grew old.

Xue Wei was unaware that Yuan Min's view on marriage was not accidental; it was actually a legacy of the Northern Wei dynasty.

The Xianbei women of the Northern Wei Dynasty were free-spirited and fierce. They could divorce and remarry, and they could participate in politics. The laws and customs stipulated monogamy, and almost no one in the entire dynasty took concubines.

As a descendant of the Northern Wei royal family, it's normal for Yuan Min to have such thoughts.

Meanwhile, Han Chinese women in the Southern Dynasties at the same time were subject to the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, strict chastity, and the husband was the head of the household. Men had many concubines, and wives had to be submissive.

Of course, there is also a more practical reason: economics and status. They could not afford to support concubines, and their low social status prevented them from taking concubines. In the Tang Dynasty, most of the lower and middle classes practiced monogamy, but this was fundamentally different from Yuan Min's concept of marriage.

........

The next day at dawn, Xue Wei was taken to the palace by a carriage sent by his mother.

This time, Xue Wei did not bathe or use incense. Instead, he was led directly to a dark room by an old eunuch.

The room was not luxurious, but it was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood.

The old eunuch withdrew, and Xue Wei looked around the unfamiliar room. The morning sun had already risen outside, but thick curtains were drawn inside.

"You've arrived?"

Suddenly, an old voice came from inside the room. Xue Wei was startled. It was Wu Zetian's voice, but where was she?

"I am behind you!"

When Xue Wei turned around, he found Wu Zetian sitting behind him with a full head of silver hair. She was almost eighty years old, but she had the face of a forty-year-old woman, which made her look so strange.

"Grandson pays respects to His Majesty!"

Xue Wei was about to kneel down when Wu Zetian waved her hand at him, "Kneel before me!"

Xue Wei stepped forward and knelt before Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian lifted his face with her hand and gently stroked his face with her fingers, as if she were polishing a precious piece of porcelain.

"You are special. I sensed your difference the moment I saw you. It's as if you've traveled thousands of miles to come to me. You carry the scent of time and distance. This is the sensitivity unique to an old woman who has experienced many vicissitudes. You are no longer the Xue Wei of the past. I can feel it."

A look of horror flashed in Xue Wei's eyes. Had she discovered his secret?

"You have secrets, but I don't want to delve into them. Some things are heavenly secrets and cannot be investigated. Revealing heavenly secrets is a terrible thing. You don't need to tell me, but I know that you are someone sent by heaven to my side."

At this moment, Wu Zetian was like an old gypsy woman who had seen through fate, her eyes filled with mysterious destiny, as if she were just missing a crystal ball in her hand.

Xue Wei had nothing to say; he could only shut up.

"I have been waiting for someone for two years. Because Di Renjie died, he told me that his successor would come and asked me to wait patiently. He also said that when that person appears, I will know."

Wu Zetian sighed, "He's right. I knew you were coming into my life the moment you appeared. Killing Gao Jian, playing polo, turning the impossible into the possible—it's less a test for you and more a way for me to confirm if you were the one I was looking for."

"Has His Majesty made up his mind now?"

"Yes! I'm sure."

Wu Zetian took out a sandalwood box and handed it to Xue Wei, saying, "This was given to me by Di Renjie before he passed away. Now I am giving it to you."

Xue Wei slowly took the box; it was very heavy.

"Open it!" Wu Zetian looked directly into his eyes.