Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

Xue Wei opened the box, inside were two gold medals. The first medal was engraved with the words "Emperor's Gold Medal", but the back was engraved with the small words "Hidden Guard".

"This is the identity token of the hidden guard, and also my gold token. If you go to do things for me and someone makes things difficult for you, you can show it. Di Renjie used it to do many things for me."

"Does the Empress Dowager want her grandson to be a secret guard?"

Wu Zetian nodded. "The Hidden Guard is not a job title. It is actually an incarnation of me, my eyes, ears and hands, to do what I want to do but cannot do myself."

"What's the difference between him and Lai Junchen and Zhou Xing?" Xue Wei asked frankly.

"Of course there's a difference. They are my dogs. Dogs can do heinous things that offend both gods and men, and then I'll kill them. But you are my incarnation. I won't do anything dirty. Do you understand?"

Xue Wei nodded, then his gaze fell on the second gold medal. Upon seeing the words on it, his eyes narrowed to a line. There were four words on it: "As if I were seeing the Emperor in person."

"Look at the back again," Xue Wei said, turning the gold medal over. On the back was a line of text: "Imperial decree: Upon seeing this gold medal, immediately hand it over to the holder of three thousand troops. So be it!"

"This is......."

"This is a troop mobilization token. You can directly obtain three thousand troops. It's not just mobilization, it's obtaining them. No matter what kind of troops they are, you have the right to mobilize them. This is the Hidden Guard's trump card. Even if I pass away and ascend to heaven, this token will still be valid, unless the emperor who succeeds to the throne is not one of my children."

"Does His Highness the Crown Prince know about this gold medal?"

"He knew that he had sworn a solemn oath before this gold medal before I appointed him as the crown prince."

Xue Wei was a little confused. The emperor had already passed away, so what was the point of him being a hidden guard?

"Grandmother, what are the Hidden Guards?"

"I knew you would ask, the full name of the Hidden Guard is the Hidden Guard of the Great Tang Wu Zhou Dynasty, not my Hidden Guard, but the Hidden Guard of the Great Tang Wu Zhou Dynasty. After my death, I will arrange for the Li and Wu families to rule the world together. Your mother will be the bridge between the Li and Wu families, and you will be the guardian of this bridge. Do you understand now?"

Xue Wei suddenly realized that Wu Zetian was a chess player who was planning her own future. Her political legacy was that the Li and Wu families would rule the country together. Historically, Princess Taiping becoming the Princess Zhenguo was probably arranged by Wu Zetian long ago. Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian, also heavily relied on Wu Sansi, which was also a political arrangement by Wu Zetian.

Li Xian was already the crown prince and should have inherited the throne normally. The real reason why Zhang Jianzhi and others launched the coup was that the two Zhangs controlled Wu Zetian and threatened the crown prince's position. In this critical moment, Zhang Jianzhi and the other four stepped forward to purge the court of corrupt officials and launched the Shenlong Revolution to eliminate the two Zhangs.

But Wu Zetian had already laid out her chessboard, and even a coup could not change this situation. Her three most important pieces were Crown Prince Li Xian, Chancellor Wu Sansi, and Princess Taiping, who were the three major forces in the Tang Dynasty. Among them, Princess Taiping was the centrist and also the bridge that enabled Li and Wu to jointly rule the country.

Xue Wei was also a pawn arranged by Wu Zetian, a key pawn whose role was to protect Princess Taiping, the "bridge" of the nation.

Like a pawn in a game of chess, a seemingly insignificant little character can become a force to be reckoned with once it crosses the river, even capable of taking down the emperor.

The mysterious old Gypsy woman's words, shrouded in mystery, were nothing but a diversion. She didn't see through me at all. The reason she chose me was simply because I was Princess Taiping's son. It was that simple.

"Kneel down, I need you to swear a solemn oath!"

........

Xue Weishen stumbled out of Yingtian Gate, only to be met by Chen Xuanli, with a middle-aged general beside him.

"General Chen, what's wrong...?"

Chen Xuanli pointed to the middle-aged general beside him and said, "This is General Xue of our Left Thousand Ox Guard!"

Xue Wei quickly bowed, "So it's General Xue! This junior has been rude!"

Xue Sixing grasped his hand with a smile and said, "Nephew, we are from the same clan but different branches. According to the family genealogy, I am your paternal uncle. Your father always called me elder brother, and you used to call me uncle as well."

This was a forced kinship test, no different from a blood test. Xue Wei forced a smile and said, "Uncle, what advice do you have?"

Xue Sixing hesitated for a moment, then simply said frankly, "The polo team final is this afternoon, between the Left Thousand Bull Guard Team and the Wu Clan Royal Team. I need you to play."

Xue Wei didn't want to play this match at all; he was too tired from yesterday's game. Just as he was about to refuse, Xue Sixing said, "Li Linfu lost to you last night, and he's fallen ill, very ill. Nephew, I've never asked anyone for a favor before, so please give me this face! Consider it a favor I owe you."

Xue Wei shook his head and said, "Li Linfu and I have no relation, but since my uncle has spoken, I have to give him face. I need to go back and make some preparations. Give me the time and address, and I will be there on time."

In a society based on personal connections, Xue Sixing's personal connections are very important.

Chen Xuanli whispered again, "You can wear inner armor; we'll cover you!"

Xue Wei smiled. "I'm well-informed, don't worry!"

.......

After parting ways with Xue Sixing, Xue Wei took a few more steps and immediately spotted Yuan Min's carriage. She had actually come to pick him up.

Xue Wei hurriedly went to greet her, and Yuan Min got out of the car, smiling as she asked, "Does Xue Sixing want you to play this afternoon?"

"You noticed it too?"

"Of course he can see that. You're now known as the Peerless Young Master, and ranked second in the official polo rankings. Of course he'd ask you for help."

Xue Wei entered the carriage and asked with dissatisfaction, "Who came up with this ridiculous nickname? 'Young Master Tianjue,' it sounds a bit like he'll be childless and have no descendants!"

"Pfft!" Yuan Min suddenly knelt on the carpet, covered her mouth, and laughed so hard that her whole body trembled.

It took her a while to straighten up, suppressing a laugh, and she pinched Xue Wei's cheek. "Old Xue, you're so cute!"

She sat down, rubbed her aching stomach from laughing, and said, "This is the nickname the authorities gave you. If you don't like it, I can find someone to change it for you."

"Change it! Change it! Hearing this nickname makes me feel a little disheartened about life."

Yuan Min couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh again. Xue Wei sighed, "Now, I can finally use your funeral shroud."

"Your silver inner armor is in the carriage, and so is your polo cue. You can change in the carriage, and then I'll take you to lunch. We're short on time, so we won't go back. You can tell me about your audience with the Emperor tonight."

Xue Wei nodded. He suddenly remembered something: the silver inner armor had to be worn close to the skin. Did he need to take off all his clothes in front of Yuan Min?

Yuan Min took out the silver inner armor, spread it out, and said, "Take off your clothes and lie down!"

Xue Wei whispered, "You have to turn your back."

Yuan Min blushed and bit her lip, saying, "Do you think I want to see you? This inner armor has straps at the back, it's very complicated, one person can't put it on alone, you need someone to help you, just keep your underwear."

Xue Wei had no choice but to take off his clothes, leaving him only in his underwear. He lay face down on the inner armor. Yuan Min looked at his strong and muscular back and thighs and blushed. She suppressed her shyness and carefully wrapped him in the inner armor, tying the silk ribbons tightly from behind. It was indeed very complicated and took her almost half an hour to put it on.

"Alright, get dressed and move around a bit!"

Xue Wei felt as if his whole body was shimmering with silver light, like a very close-fitting piece of underwear. It didn't feel bulky at all; it was very lightweight and thoughtfully designed, and it even allowed him to use the toilet.

Xue Wei changed into a blue samurai outfit, which was the foreign player uniform of Zuo Qianniuwei.

"What's this?" Yuan Min asked, noticing the sandalwood box on the table.

"This is the sword the Emperor gave me. You'd better keep it safe with you at all times. I'll tell you more about it tonight."

Xue Wei opened the box and showed it to Yuan Min. She immediately saw the words "Emperor's Gold Medal" and was startled. She quickly put the box in her bag, not wanting to leave it in the car.

The carriage stopped at Qingfeng Restaurant in Jishanfang, where they had lunch. The stadium for the match was also in Jishanfang, the same stadium where Xue Wei played his match last night.

The two men, accompanied by four female warriors, entered the main hall and were met by a group of Wu brothers coming down the stairs.