Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

In the afternoon, Princess Taiping, Li Lingyue, personally delivered Xue Wei's belongings to Mingyue Tower. Hundreds of large boxes were sealed with serial numbers.

"This is all your possessions, left to you by your father."

Princess Taiping handed it several inventory books and folded books. "According to the list, the first fifty boxes contain valuables. I suggest you rent a warehouse in a storeroom and put the rest of the boxes upstairs. Make sure the doors and windows are locked, and there shouldn't be any problems."

"Put it in the basement!"

Yuan Min arranged for the head steward to direct dozens of workers to move all the boxes into the basement. Once the large iron gate was locked, it was indeed very safe.

"If the basement is so safe, why put the money exchange warehouse there?" Xue Wei asked, puzzled.

Yuan Min rolled her eyes at him and said only two words: "Deal!"

Xue Wei then realized that Yuan Min was ignoring him and had invited Li Lingyue upstairs.

Li Lingyue turned around and laughed, "You two each have one floor, didn't you think about building a staircase inside?"

"Let's talk about it later!"

Yuan Min invited Li Lingyue to sit down and personally brewed tea for her. Li Lingyue beckoned to Xue Wei, "Come here, I have something to tell you."

Xue Wei sat down across the table. Li Lingyue waved her hand and said, "Amin, sit down too. There's no need to brew tea. I'll just say a few words and then leave."

Yuan Min sat down next to Xue Wei.

Li Lingyue hesitated for a moment before asking, "I heard you're going to Chang'an?"

Xue Wei nodded, acknowledging it.

Li Lingyue smiled. "If I'm not mistaken, this is your first mission. You're going to investigate the Yellow Dragon incident on the Wei River, right?"

Xue Wei and Yuan Min exchanged a glance. Xue Wei did not deny it. "What advice can Mother give me?"

"The Yellow Dragon Incident on the Wei River caused a great stir in Chang'an, but there was no news in Luoyang. The emperor ordered the news to be blocked. Ah Wei, the Tang Dynasty values ​​earth and wears yellow. Do you know what the appearance of a yellow dragon means?"

Xue Wei nodded slightly. "Is this matter related to the power struggle within the imperial court?"

"Of course, otherwise why would the Emperor attach such importance to this? Three investigation teams have already been sent: the Court of Judicial Review, the Plum Blossom Guard, and the Censorate. The Emperor is still not at ease, so he sent you, the hidden guard, as well. You are her personal investigator. Remember, no matter what you find out, you cannot hide it from her, otherwise you would not be a hidden guard."

"Does Mother know anything about this case?"

Li Lingyue smiled meaningfully, then lowered her voice and said, "It's related to the royal family of Chang'an. Think about it yourself."

Xue Wei suddenly realized that Wu Zetian had actually sent him to investigate Li Dan and his son.

Li Lingyue slowly said, "What I need to remind you is that the Imperial Censor Wan Guojun also went to Chang'an. Behind him is Wu Chongxun. Wu Chongxun has also disappeared these past two days, so it's very likely that he also went to Chang'an."

..........

In the palace, Zhang Changzong hurriedly entered Zhang Yizhi's room, slammed a document onto the table, and gritted his teeth, saying, "It's confirmed. The Emperor has given the Hidden Guard to the Xue Guard."

Zhang Yi was taken aback. "How can you be sure? The Emperor didn't say anything, did he?"

"She sent Xue Wei to Chang'an to investigate the Yellow Dragon incident on the Wei River. What else could that be but a secret agent?"

Zhang Yizhi nodded. "The Emperor is far-sighted. He used you to release Xue Wei, which means he intends to give him an important position. However, as far as I know, the Emperor actually prefers Wu Chongxun as the hidden guard. It was only because of Princess Taiping that he finally decided to use Xue Wei."

But is it possible that two hidden guards might appear? Hasn't the emperor always preferred balance? If we manipulate things a bit, it's not impossible for two hidden guards to emerge.

Zhang Changzong was angry because he had bet on the wrong person. He had been betting on Wu Chongxun with the Hidden Guard and had even promoted his brother Wu Jizhi to the position of Left Plum Blossom Guard General. This was all part of his plan to set up Wu Chongxun. However, Wu Jizhi's ankle was broken, leaving him crippled, and the Hidden Guard was captured by Xue Wei. How could he not be furious?

The Zhang brothers, of course, envisioned that even after Wu Zetian's death, they could still control the court through the combined power of the prime minister and the Plum Blossom Guard. The golden plaque inscribed with "As if the Emperor were present" within the hidden guards was extremely important, as it could play a crucial role in determining the future monarch.

Zhang Changzong certainly wanted Wu Chongxun to get this plaque. If Wu Chongxun could get this gold medal, they might even change their minds and support Wu Sansi to take power, joining forces with the Wu family to eliminate the Li family.

Zhang Changzong was struck by his elder brother's words. Yes! Appointing another hidden guard wouldn't be a bad idea.

Thinking of this, Zhang Changzong asked urgently, "Has Wu Chongxun gone to Chang'an?"

"I've already gone!"

Zhang Yizhi smiled and nodded. "He himself was not willing to give up, so he followed Wan Guojun to investigate the case. As long as we can find that money, we can persuade the emperor to establish another hidden guard."

Zhang Yizhi paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "As for the money in Wugong County, even if Wu Chongxun can't get it, our undercover agents will get it for us."

........

Three days later, Xue Wei and Yuan Min traveled together by boat to Chang'an.

Xue Wei suddenly realized that traveling with Yuan Min was very comfortable. He didn't have to think about anything; everything was arranged perfectly. The key was that Yuan Min was rich! The boats they rented were luxurious passenger ships worth five thousand shi (a unit of currency), with two entire decks dedicated to them.

Xue Wei sometimes had to shamefully admit that he enjoyed the feeling of being a kept man.

"Old Xue, do you think there really is a yellow dragon in the Wei River?"

Xue Wei shook his head. "How could that be? Why isn't it a black dragon, a red dragon, or a white dragon? It has to be a yellow dragon. There's obviously a clear purpose behind it. Either it's an illusion, or someone is controlling it in the water!"

Xue Wei actually thought of a large crocodile. In Han Yu's "Ode to the Crocodile", he said that the crocodile's whole body was yellowish-brown. Since even Han Yu no longer referred to crocodiles as dragons, it's unlikely that the Tang people couldn't distinguish between crocodiles and dragons, and that tens of thousands of people gathered to watch, causing a sensation.

"Then what did you say, an auspicious omen?" Yuan Min asked pointedly.

Xue Wei nodded. "The most likely explanation is an auspicious omen. The emperor is quite old, almost eighty. Some ambitious people will naturally be eager to make their move. The appearance of an auspicious omen is a way to pave the way in terms of public opinion."

"Could it really be Prince Xiang and his son? Prince Xiang wants to compete with the Crown Prince for the throne."

It's normal for Yuan Min to think this way, because everyone would think this way. But if things were that simple, Wu Zetian wouldn't have sent three investigation teams, and even sent herself along.

If Li Dan wanted the throne, he wouldn't have voluntarily relinquished the position of Crown Prince to his elder brother Li Xian in the first year of the Shengli era, and instead became the Prince of Xiang.

Moreover, historically, Li Dan abdicated the throne three times—to his mother, his brother, and his son. Either he wasn't as enthusiastic about the throne as one might imagine, or he was extremely patient and had no choice but to abdicate to save his life.

Wu Zetian clearly knew that her son was weak-willed, and she did not believe that her son Li Dan was responsible, which is why she sent four investigation teams to Chang'an.

"There are many possibilities. It could be the work of supporters of the Li Tang dynasty, or it could be a frame-up by enemies of Li Dan and his son, or it could be a deliberate provocation by certain forces that want to purge the Li family. If it really was Li Dan and his son who did it, then it would be too risky."

Xue Wei knew very well that Li Longji would never do something so brainless, and he would also stop his other brothers.

Where do you plan to begin your investigation?

"I don't know, maybe we should start with the event itself! Let's begin by finding this yellow dragon."

.........

Two days later, the large ship arrived at Sanmenxia. Sanmenxia refers to three huge rocks, like small hills, standing in the Yellow River. They are called the Human Gate, Ghost Gate, and Divine Gate. The three islands split the river and formed dangerous shoals. If a ship is not careful, it will hit the huge rocks and be destroyed.

The large passenger ship with a value of 5,000 shi (a unit of weight) could not pass through, so they had to disembark, go around the Sanmenxia Gorge, and board a new ship from the other end.

This time, Yuan Min brought along an experienced old manager whose name is now lost to history. Everyone called him Uncle Tian. Uncle Tian had followed Yuan Min's father for twenty years and was extremely loyal. In the Yuan family business, he was the chief steward of internal affairs, or in later generations, the office director.

Uncle Tian was in charge of leading the way, and he had also arranged for another ship. He went to Chang'an ahead of time. Xue Wei and his group walked around Sanmenxia, ​​and then boarded another passenger ship with a capacity of 3,000 shi. Their luggage was also sent onto the passenger ship.

The passenger ship departed, heading towards Chang'an.

The captain of the passenger ship was surnamed Yuan, and he regularly traveled between Chang'an and Sanmenxia to pick up passengers.

As night fell, the boat slowly sailed into the Wei River, with more than twenty boatmen pulling it from the shore.

Xue Wei walked to the bow of the boat and sat down next to the boatman. "What's your name, boatman?"

"My surname is Yuan, and everyone calls me Old Fish Yuan. It's just a nickname, but everyone on both sides of the Wei River knows it."

"Brother Yuan, are you aware of the Yellow Dragon incident on the Wei River last month?"