Tang Dynasty: Taking the Empress Dowager to a brothel, Father Emperor, what a coincidence!

"Yang A-Chuang..."

Empress Zhangsun gritted her teeth and uttered the name.

Li Chengqian offered a very "green tea" explanation:

"Mother, please calm down. I was just speaking casually. My uncle may not have had that intention."

"He doesn't have that intention? He has a lot of ambitions."

Empress Zhangsun suddenly stood up.

"Qingque is my flesh and blood. When did it become Changsun Wuji's place to point fingers?"

He wants to use my son as a pawn in his power struggle? Dream on.

"Wealth and prosperity."

"This servant is here."

"Investigate! Who followed Changsun Wuji in impeaching the Grand Tutor this morning in the Taiji Hall?"

Summon all those men's wives to the Lizheng Hall.

Tell them that I have acquired some fine items and invited them to come and appreciate them.

"This servant obeys the decree."

That afternoon, several luxurious carriages were parked outside the palace.

Cui Minqian's wife, Wang Gui's wife, and the wives of several key officials from the Lu and Zheng families followed the eunuch leading the way toward the Lizheng Hall.

Just an hour ago, Her Majesty the Empress suddenly issued an imperial decree, saying that in order to celebrate Grand Tutor Li Gang taking over the Yue Prince's residence, she wanted to invite several ladies to the palace to discuss the way of "supporting their husbands and raising their children".

The reason sounded reasonable, but the ladies were worried.

They were fully aware of what was happening in the imperial court.

Empress Zhangsun sat upright on the phoenix throne.

Today, she deviated from her usual style, not wearing her plain and elegant everyday clothes, but instead donning a bright red empress's court dress and a crown with nine dragons and four phoenixes.

The ladies from the prominent families entered and bowed in greeting.

"Rise, all of you. Please take a seat."

Empress Zhangsun spoke slowly.

After the ladies expressed their gratitude, they each took their seats.

"I have invited all the ladies here today for no other reason than this."

Grand Tutor Li Gang is a man of profound learning, and now that he has gone to the Prince of Yue's residence, I feel much more at ease.

"You ladies are all matriarchs of distinguished families; you must each have your own unique methods for disciplining your children and maintaining family discipline."

Madam Cui quickly smiled apologetically:

"Your Majesty is too kind to me. His Highness Prince Yue is exceptionally intelligent and has been instructed by the Grand Tutor. Given time, he will surely achieve great things."

"How can my humble sons compare to Your Highness?"

Empress Zhangsun smiled after hearing this.

"Madam Cui has such a sweet tongue. Now that you're here, I can't let you leave empty-handed."

"Come, someone, and see the reward!"

Empress Zhangsun waved to Fugui.

Several eunuchs, led by Fugui, carried in several mahogany chests.

When the box was opened, it was filled with stacks of top-quality Shu brocade.

When Madam Cui caught a glimpse of the Shu brocade in the box out of the corner of her eye, her previously disdainful expression suddenly turned into one of fear.

Why does this pattern and weaving style look so familiar?

She stood up and walked to the box, reaching out to touch the Shu brocade fabric, her fingers gently rubbing the edge.

A subtle pattern of the character "崔" (Cui) appeared on his fingertip.

Madam Cui's mind went blank, her legs went weak, and she almost lost her balance.

Isn't this the batch of Shu brocade that was just stolen from Qingfengyuan?

How did I end up here with the Empress?

Wang Gui's wife looked at Madam Cui with some surprise and came over as well.

But when she saw the other box of Shu brocade, her face turned deathly pale.

Those were things lost from Nanshan Villa.

Empress Changsun took in everyone's reactions, picked up her teacup, and slowly took a sip.

"This Shu brocade is truly a fine product. I heard it was sourced from a village outside Chang'an City."

I was wondering where such a fine item came from in this desolate wilderness outside the city.

Later, someone told me that although the city was dilapidated outside, there were mountains of gold and silver hidden underground.

Empress Zhangsun's words were like a bolt from the blue.

This almost made Madam Cui kneel down.

"Your Majesty...this Shu brocade..."

Empress Zhangsun put down her teacup, and a sudden wave of pressure swept over her.

"I don't care where this Shu brocade came from, nor do I care how many shady things are hidden in those manors outside the city. I only know that the Tang Dynasty belongs to the Li family."

Empress Zhangsun stood up and slowly walked to Lady Cui.

"How the Grand Tutor instructs the Prince of Yue is His Majesty's decree. When did it become the prerogative of an outsider to interfere in the affairs of the royal family?"

Today it's the Duke of Qi leading the way, will it be your families putting up a coup in court tomorrow?

Several noblewomen were so frightened that they all knelt down on the ground.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! I deserve to die ten thousand times!"

"Go back and tell the adults in your family."

Empress Zhangsun's tone softened.

"Behave yourself and do your job well. Those who shouldn't be reaching out should be cut off as soon as possible."

If I hear anyone in the court making a fuss about the princes again, next time it won't just be a few bolts of Shu brocade.

"When the time comes, I will ransack your estate and take everything, leaving nothing behind."

"Your Majesty, I will obey your command... Your Majesty, I will certainly convey the message."

"Alright, take the Shu brocade back. Fugui, see the guest out."

The ladies supported each other, their legs so weak they could barely walk.

Fu Gui, accompanied by a young eunuch, helped them carry the Shu brocade out of the palace and onto the carriage.

Cui Mansion, Study.

Cui Mingan sat at his desk, writing a memorial impeaching Li Gang.

Although Li Shimin scolded him in the Taiji Hall in the morning, it was all directed at Changsun Wuji, and the Cui family did not lose face.

But after he returned, he felt somewhat aggrieved, so he prepared to write a memorial to disgust Li Shimin.

Just then, the study door was kicked open.

After Madam Cui rushed in, she threw the two bolts of Shu brocade she was holding directly at Cui Minqian's face.

"You old bastard. If you want to die, don't drag your whole family down with you."

Madam Cui pointed at Cui Minqian's nose and began to berate him.

Cui Mingan was stunned for a moment after being hit, then roared:

"Are you crazy? What kind of behavior is this?"

"Look what this is."

Madam Cui pointed to the Shu brocade on the ground and cried out.

Cui Mingan picked up the Shu brocade and touched it, and was completely astonished.

"This...isn't this the batch that went missing from Qingfeng Garden? How did it end up in your hands?"

"How did it end up in my hands? It was just a gift from the Empress."

Lady Cui tearfully recounted what had happened at the Lizheng Hall.

After hearing this, Cui Mingan felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

It turned out that the royal family knew everything about his manor outside the city.

The Empress brought out these Shu brocades today as a warning to herself.

"Changsun Wuji... that old scoundrel, he's trying to kill my Cui family."

Cui Mingan tore the memorial on the table to shreds.

"Guards! Lock the gate shut for me. I won't see anyone."

Tell them I'm seriously ill, terminally ill.

The same scene played out one after another at Wang Gui's residence, at Zheng's residence, and at Lu's residence.

Upon hearing Empress Zhangsun's exact words, the leaders of each family were terrified and lost their minds.

Money can be earned back, but once you lose your life, you lose everything.

Changsun Wuji wanted to use them as pawns to seize the throne. They weren't stupid; how could they not see through it?

Their support for Changsun Wuji was based on the premise that the current empress was standing behind him.

But now it's obvious that the Empress has given up supporting Changsun Wuji.

Who would be foolish enough to support a bastard who has lost his backer?