Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 161 She's Pregnant, Coup Move Arrives Sooner
"Just as Zicheng predicted, the alliance of these northern barbarians is not monolithic. With a little divisive tactics, we can turn the Turkic Khan Mochuo against Sun Wanrong."

Inside the Hall of Gathering Immortals, the Empress held the military intelligence report presented by Wei Shifang and smiled with great satisfaction.

"Your Majesty, with Sun Wanrong dead, the Khitan will be completely destroyed."

"Yes! If we can completely drive out the barbarians like the Turks and Tibetans from our Great Zhou and restore the grand scene of all nations paying tribute during the reign of Emperor Taizong, then I, as emperor, will not have failed my late father."

"Not only did she live up to the late emperor's expectations, but the sage also promoted the imperial examination system, gave important positions to people from humble backgrounds, developed the agricultural system, and stabilized the borders. These are all immortal achievements of the sage. She is the first female emperor in history, comparable to Emperor Taizong, and is worthy of being remembered in history and worshipped and admired by thousands!"

As for the praise from Wei Shifang, the Empress smiled slightly, a hint of amusement showing in her slightly tired expression: "The rights and wrongs, merits and demerits will be judged by future generations. I am not a magnanimous person. In order to ascend the throne, I have done many evil things, such as killing loyal ministers, but I do not regret it. There is no need for your deliberate praise."

"Here, Your Majesty!"

"Is he...doing well there?" the Empress suddenly asked.

Wei Shifang's expression froze, and before he could answer, the Empress sighed, "In my life, I have never believed in Taoism, only in Buddhism, but I have truly admired two people: one is Li Chunfeng, and the other is him..."

"Back then, because of that prophecy, I banished Li Chunfeng from Chang'an, and even from my Great Zhou. Since then, I have lost all trace of him. However, the prophecy he left behind has stirred up quite a storm, which has only intensified over time." The Empress said, then suddenly looked at Wei Fang and questioned, "If I'm not mistaken, he went to that so-called realm of immortals... Kunlun Mountain, didn't he?"

Is he still alive?

Veshfang did not answer immediately. He knew that for an empress who wanted to stay young and live forever, he would rather Li Chunfeng still be alive, which would prove that immortality and longevity were no longer unattainable desires.

“A sage, a celestial being like him, is not worthy of my acquaintance. However, I believe he is still alive.”

The Empress chuckled and said, "Alright, stop trying to flatter me with those nice words. With the old minister gone, there's no one willing to tell me the truth anymore!" Then, she changed the subject, "No, not entirely. Zicheng, that child, never flatters me. He may have a sweet tongue, but he never says anything against his conscience!"

After a moment of contemplation, he said with a cold and solemn expression, "I hope my plan will work. If the Tibetan king can be wary of Lun Qinling and strip him of his military power, or if internal strife breaks out in Tibet, then this battle will pose a much smaller threat to Zicheng and that young lady."

"Your Majesty, Lady Xiao is capable of taking the head of a general from among tens of thousands of enemy soldiers. Your Majesty is overly worried."

The Empress nodded, then looked at him solemnly and said, "Hmm, the intelligence gathering is quite good. I value you because I see you as my eyes and ears, but I don't want you to be someone else's eyes and ears at the same time, understand?"

Veshfang's expression changed, and he immediately knelt down, replying, "Yes! Your subject understands!"

"Go down, and let Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong come in to play chess with me!"

"Here!"

……

After seeing Wei Shifang come out of Jixian Hall, Cui Shi, who had finished processing the memorials for the Empress, quickly walked out of Ziwei Palace. He first went to Princess Taiping's residence, and then returned to his Mingxue Pavilion to drink alone. The maids saw that he seemed somewhat sad and indignant, and they all kept silent.

As the sun began to set, Princess Anle, Li Guo'er, quietly arrived at the place, wearing a hood and a cloak.

However, this time her face was filled with anxiety. As soon as she entered the room, Cui Shi quickly dismissed the others and she threw herself into his arms, her whole body trembling. "What's wrong, Princess?"

Li Guo raised her bright, flamboyant yet pitiful face, her eyes brimming with tears: "Cui Chenglan, this princess is pregnant now, carrying your child. What do you suggest we do?"

Cui Shi was initially surprised, but then laughed and said, "We have a child! That's wonderful!"

"What good news is this? I am currently unmarried, and my mother and the Prince of Liang... they have arranged a marriage between me and Wu Chongxun. If people find out that I am unmarried and already have a child, wouldn't I become the laughing stock of the entire city of Luoyang?"

"Didn't you say that as long as Xiao Muchen and Murong Huan left Luoyang, your plan would proceed quickly? Why haven't you taken any action yet?"

"Princess, don't be anxious!" Cui Shi said softly, picking up Li Guo'er and bringing her back to the bed. He waved his hand to lift the curtain, kissed Li Guo'er's cherry-red lips, and said, "That matter will be resolved soon, but to ensure its smooth progress, I must keep it a secret for now. Since you are carrying my child, why not give birth to the child?"

“But my mother won’t allow it; she won’t agree to me marrying you.”

"I understand. What I mean is, you can marry Wu Chongxun. Before that, trick him into coming to your chambers, sleep with him, and then say the child is his, wouldn't that solve the problem?"

Upon hearing this, Li Guo'er flew into a rage and retorted, "What do you mean? You actually want me, the princess, to sleep with him? Who do you take me for?"

Cui Shi quickly pulled her into his arms again, kissing her delicate cheeks, teasing her until her mouth was dry and her whole body felt like it was on fire.

"Of course it's not real, it's just a show! Besides, wasn't Wu Chongxun also bewitched by the princess's beauty?"

That's true. Once, when the Eastern Palace held a banquet, the Empress Dowager invited the Prince of Liang and his son to the banquet. She danced at the banquet, which not only attracted everyone's attention, but also made her reputation as the most beautiful woman in Luoyang spread. Many noble young men present were stunned, including Wu Chongxun.

From then on, Wu Chongxun frequently visited the East Palace, looking at her with a dazed expression. Although it was annoying, she could easily see through the thoughts of this naive young man.

Li Guo'er blinked and thought for a moment. She felt that although this move was absurd, it was indeed the only way at present. After all, she was a princess, and she had to maintain her reputation and the face of the royal family. It was hard to imagine how disappointed her father would be if he knew about this.

She is destined to be the Crown Princess, and she must not disappoint her father.

Thinking of this, Li Guo'er nodded and completely succumbed to her feelings. She thought to herself: Even if she couldn't get Xiao Muchen, with the help of this talented and handsome eldest son of the Cui family of Boling and the future head of the Cui family's Anping branch, she wouldn't be considered a failure, right?

……

As another urgent report of the war on the Anxi frontier arrived, the first snow of the winter finally fell in Luoyang.

Meanwhile, the situation in Luoyang became increasingly tense.

As the Empress grew old and became increasingly ill, she gradually became bedridden and no longer trusted anyone. She only allowed the Zhang brothers to serve her medicine at her bedside. In order to protect themselves after the Empress's death, the Zhang brothers also began to seek their own way out, cultivate their own factions, and even arbitrarily altered imperial edicts and interfered with the court's decisions. Countless people who did not support the Zhang brothers were dismissed and expelled from the court.

Gradually, they extended their influence to the Imperial Guard, deciding the appointment, dismissal, and even life and death of many officials in the army. This caused many ministers in the court to feel dissatisfied and fearful, lest the Zhang brothers forge an imperial edict and usurp the throne after the Empress's death.

So, on this snowy winter night, amidst howling winds, the sound of horses' hooves echoed in front of the Xuanwu Gate, the north gate of the Ziwei Palace. A group of people arrived at the East Palace of Crown Prince Li Xian and knocked on its gate. The two leading figures were Wang Tongjiao, one of his sons-in-law and Imperial Son-in-Law, and Li Duozuo, the Commander of the Imperial Guards.