Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 406 Wu Zetian's Suspicion

When Princess Gao'an and Princess Yiyang returned to the palace, the two sisters had already reconciled and were chatting and laughing together.

Princess Gao'an lifted the carriage curtain, and a cool evening breeze blew into the carriage, making everyone feel refreshed.

The carriage traveled along Chengtianmen Street, where a few scattered figures could be seen, all of whom were officials who had just finished their duties at the yamen.

Just then, a person was seen walking swiftly past the carriage.

Princess Gao'an, with her sharp eyes, recognized the man as Wu Minzhi and quickly called out, "Cousin Wu!"

Wu Minzhi glanced back, then slowed his pace and walked to the edge of the carriage to greet the two men.

Princess Gao'an asked, "Cousin Wu, I heard that something happened to my maternal grandmother. Is that true?"

Wu Minzhi asked in surprise, "Even you know about this?"

Princess Gao'an said, "We just came back from Aunt Xincheng's place, and that's what she told us."

As Wu Minzhi jogged along, she said, "Yes, Grandmother is alright. She was just frightened, but she's fine now."

Princess Yiyang could tell that he was in such a hurry that the Empress must have summoned him for questioning, so she quickly said, "Cousin, go ahead and do your work. Don't worry about us."

Wu Minzhi responded and quickened his pace, soon arriving at Chang Le Gate.

He was actually working in the palace when he suddenly received a summons from Wu Meiniang, saying that something had happened to Madam Yang, so he rushed home to check on her.

Empress Wu appeared very anxious. If it weren't for the fact that it was troublesome for her to leave the palace, she would have gone out to check on things herself long ago.

Upon arriving at Chang Le Gate, Zhang Duohai, who had been waiting for him for some time, led him inside and hurriedly asked, "Young Master Wu, how is the old lady?"

Wu Minzhi said, "It's alright, I'm fine now."

Zhang Duohai breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. Her Majesty the Empress has already obtained the imperial decree and prepared the imperial carriage to leave the palace to visit the old lady. Fortunately, the Bodhisattva has protected us!" He clasped his hands together in prayer.

Zhang Duohai sent a young eunuch to deliver the message to reassure the Empress, while he and Wu Minzhi slowly made their way towards the Lizheng Hall.

Before long, he arrived at the Lizheng Hall, where Wu Meiniang was waiting in the main hall. Upon seeing him enter, she immediately inquired about the entire incident.

Wu Minzhi replied, "Aunt, this afternoon, my maternal grandmother went to the Great Ci'en Temple to worship Buddha. When she passed the Arhat Hall, a group of thugs rushed out and seemed to want to kidnap my maternal grandmother."

“The guards around my maternal grandmother blocked them, and at the critical moment, a group of inner guards rushed out and subdued all the villains.”

“Grandmother was just frightened, she was not injured, Aunt doesn’t need to worry.”

Wu Meiniang frowned and asked, "Why did the Inner Guards suddenly appear?"

Wu Minzhi said, “I heard that those thieves are foreign spies. The Imperial Guards have been keeping an eye on them. We originally thought they wanted to kidnap Master Xuanzang, but we never expected that their target was my grandmother. How hateful!” He gritted his teeth.

He was pampered by Madam Yang from a young age, and his affection for this grandmother was even greater than that for his mother, Wu Shun.

Wu Meiniang's eyes flickered, and after a moment of contemplation, she instructed Zhang Duohai, "Please have General Wang come over."

Zhang Duohai agreed and took the order.

Wu Minzhi said, "Aunt, we are so grateful to the Inner Guards this time, otherwise we don't know what would have happened."

Wu Meiniang remained noncommittal, waved her hand, and said, "You must be tired from your journey. Go back and rest."

Wu Minzhi said, "Aunt, your nephew wants to stay."

Wu Meiniang frowned and asked, "What are you going to do here?"

Wu Minzhi said, "Firstly, I want to thank General Wang. Secondly, I have a favor to ask of General Wang." He lowered his head slightly when he mentioned the second matter.

Wu Meiniang glanced at him sideways and said, "Do you really think it's necessary to thank him?"

Wu Minzhi was stunned and asked in confusion, "If it weren't for the Inner Guards, my grandmother might have been in danger. Shouldn't we thank them?"

Wu Meiniang said, "Think about it again. If you were an inner guard and knew that a group of spies were going to attack Xuanzang, would you wait for them to come to you, or would you strike first?"

Wu Minzhi hesitated and said, "Well, maybe they're not sure who these spies want to target."

Wu Meiniang said in a deep voice, "No matter who these spies want to target, just take them directly. Do you want to wait for evidence?"

Wu Minzhi thought so too.

Unlike the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, the Inner Guards can arrest people directly without evidence, so there's no need to wait around for them to come to them.

"Aunt, could this have been orchestrated by the Inner Guards?" Wu Minzhi's face turned pale.

Wu Meiniang shook her head and said, "It shouldn't be, but there must be a reason for this. If you want to stay and listen, then stay. It will be good for you to be more careful."

Wu Minzhi nodded.

"By the way, you just said you had something to ask Wang Jishan, what is it?"

Wu Minzhi lowered his head and said, "It's nothing major, I just wanted to ask how I can be transferred to the Inner Guard."

Wu Meiniang's eyes sharpened, and she said, "You want to join the Inner Guard."

Wu Minzhi lowered his head even further and said, "The Thousand Bull Guards are like wooden figures, standing in the palace every day. It's meaningless and there's no chance to make merit. So, I want to join the Inner Guard."

Wu Meiniang snorted and said, "Do you know what the Inner Guard is?"

Wu Minzhi finally raised his head, gazed at her, and said, "I know they are responsible for dealing with foreign spies, which is very dangerous! But I have already undergone my coming-of-age ceremony and am not afraid of danger. I only want to serve my country!"

Wu Meiniang stared at him for a long time, and seeing his firm gaze, she felt a little gratified.

She knew the principle that jade must be carved to become a useful object, otherwise she wouldn't have sent him to Laizhou. After pondering for a moment, she said, "Let me think about this matter some more."

Wu Minzhi said happily, "Thank you, Aunt!"

Wu Meiniang snorted, "I haven't agreed yet."

Two quarters of an hour later, Wang Jishan followed Zhang Duohai to the Lizheng Hall and bowed to Wu Meiniang.

Wu Meiniang raised her hand and said, "General Wang, there's no need for such formalities. I should thank you, General Wang. Fortunately, your men intervened in time, and my mother was not injured."

Wang Jishan cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, you flatter me. Those people were originally spies, but they disturbed the Lady of Dai. This is all my responsibility."

Wu Meiniang said, "With General Wang's abilities, they must have been under the surveillance of the Inner Guards as soon as they entered the city."

Wang Jishan hesitated for a moment, then said, "My men started watching them the day after they entered the city."

Wu Zetian asked, "Do you know the identities of these villains?"

Wang Jishan said, "They are spies from Baekje."

Wu Meiniang raised an eyebrow and said, "A man from Fuyu Fuxin?"

Wang Jishan said, "That's right."

"General Wang, why are you delaying the arrest of them? Could it be that you intend to use them to catch a bigger fish?" Wu Meiniang stared at him, her eyes cold.

Wang Jishan felt an invisible pressure and knew he couldn't hide it from the Empress. He knelt on one knee and said, "Your Majesty, I am guilty and beg for punishment!" Wu Meiniang asked, "Oh? What crime has General Wang committed?"

Wang Jishan said, "I originally thought they wanted to kidnap Master Xuanzang and use him to achieve some ulterior motive. That's why I wanted to find out their true purpose and didn't act immediately, which almost led to a disaster!"

Wu Meiniang said, "Is that so?" Her gaze remained fixed on Wang Jishan like a needle.

Wang Jishan bowed his head and said, "Please, Your Highness, punish me. I am willing to accept the punishment!"

Wu Meiniang stared at him for a long time before finally looking away, smiling faintly, and said, "General Wang saved my mother, how can I punish you again? Get up quickly."

Wang Jishan said, "Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Highness."

Wu Meiniang said, "I will definitely report today's events to His Majesty and ask him to reward the general."

Wang Jishan replied, "I dare not."

Wu Meiniang said, "Duohai, please see General Wang off for me."

As Wang Jishan left with Zhang Duohai, Wu Minzhi was about to speak when she saw Wu Meiniang frowning and remaining silent, as if deep in thought.

“Aunt, is there any other question?” he asked.

Wu Meiniang frowned and said, "I think Wang Jishan is still hiding something from me."

Wu Minzhi was stunned.

He felt there was no flaw in what Wang Jishan had just said. How could he tell that Wang Jishan was hiding something?

Wu Meiniang pondered for a long time, then finally shook her head and said, "Never mind, perhaps I'm overthinking it. Go back and tell your mother to send more people to protect your grandmother in the future, so that this kind of thing can't happen again."

Wu Minzhi acknowledged and took his leave.

On the other hand, after leaving the Lizheng Hall, Wang Jishan did not return to the Inner Palace, but instead left the palace and headed towards the Changsun residence.

Before long, they arrived at Changsun Wuji's residence and were led into the study.

Changsun Wuji was kneeling beside the tea table brewing tea. When he saw him walk in, he smiled and said, "I was thinking you should come over soon. Perfect timing, the tea is ready."

Wang Jishan knelt down beside the tea table and exclaimed, "Lord Changsun is truly remarkable. If you hadn't taught me to shift the blame to Xuanzang, Her Majesty the Empress would have been suspicious."

Changsun Wuji laughed and said, "I just deal with the Empress more often and understand her personality better. It's not an easy thing to fool her eyes."

Wang Jishan recalled Wu Meiniang's gaze in the hall just now and nodded, saying, "I understand completely."

Changsun Wuji said, "In short, I have accomplished what you entrusted to me this time, and you can now report back to His Majesty."

Wang Jishan stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "I will need your guidance in the future!"

A while ago, Li Zhi gave him a task: to find a reason for the Tang Dynasty to take action against Fuyu Fuxin.

Wang Jishan pondered this matter for a long time but could not come up with a good plan. Just then, Changsun Wuji entered the Inner Guard, so he asked Changsun Wuji for advice on this matter.

After listening, Changsun Wuji asked him what the monk Daochen had been doing lately.
Buyeo Boksin had already broken ties with the Tang Dynasty, but strangely, the envoy he sent, the monk Daochen, did not return to Baekje.

Wang Jishan had long ago sent people to keep an eye on him. They discovered that he frequently went to the Great Ci'en Temple, where he discussed Buddhism with a group of eminent monks every day. He also tried to curry favor with Madam Yang and preached Buddhism to her.

When Wang Jishan saw that Dao Chen was associating with powerful and influential people, he thought that Dao Chen no longer wanted to follow Fu Yu Fu Xin and planned to stay in Chang'an.

Changsun Wuji, however, believed that Monk Daochen had ulterior motives and instructed Wang Jishan to keep a close eye on Monk Daochen.

Two days later, a group of Baekje spies disguised as monks infiltrated Chang'an and secretly contacted Dao Chen.

Changsun Wuji suspected that Dao Chen had some ulterior motives. Based on Dao Chen's frequent interactions with Lady Yang, he guessed that Dao Chen wanted to kidnap Lady Yang to Baekje, so that the Tang Dynasty would be hesitant to act against him.

Changsun Wuji then advised Wang Jishan not to rush into action against the Baekje people, but to simply keep an eye on them and wait until they made their move before taking action to arrest them.

Thus, the Baekje people's attempt to abduct the mother of the Tang Empress was sufficient grounds for the Tang Dynasty to send troops to punish Boksin.

Now that the plan has been successfully implemented, Wang Jishan can finally give an account to the emperor.

When Changsun Wuji saw Wang Jishan perform a grand ceremony, he raised his hand and smiled, "No need for such formalities, I am now your subordinate."

Wang Jishan hurriedly replied, "I dare not."

Changsun Wuji gestured for him to sit down and said, "Let's talk. By the way, where is Dao Chen?"

Wang Jishan said, "He left Chang'an last night and should be in Zhengzhou by now."

Changsun Wuji said, "Now that the matter is over, we can arrest him."

Wang Jishan was taken aback and said, "The plan has already succeeded. Wouldn't it be more conclusive to let him return to Fuyu Fuxin's side? Why bother arresting him again?"

Changsun Wuji poured him a cup of tea and said, "Of course it's necessary. Baekje is a Buddhist country, and Daochen has a transcendent position in Baekje. If we can win him over and get him to support Kim Yeon, it will be much easier to deal with Buyeo Boksin."

Wang Jishan finished his tea in a few gulps, stood up and said, "I will go back now and send men to arrest Dao Chen."

In the early morning, the warm sunlight shone in through the window and slowly crept onto the large bed in the Rijō-den Palace.

In a daze, Li Zhi opened his eyes and saw that the bed curtains had been drawn back. Turning his head, he saw Wu Meiniang sitting in front of the dressing table, doing her makeup in front of the bronze mirror.

"Meiniang, are you planning to leave the palace early this morning?" Li Zhi asked.

Yesterday, after hearing about Lady Yang's situation, Li Zhi came to Lizheng Hall to inquire about the matter, stayed overnight, and comforted Wu Meiniang for a while.

Wu Meiniang asked him for permission to leave the palace, and he agreed.

"Your Majesty has awakened." Wu Meiniang turned her head and smiled. "Mother was frightened, and I wish to stay with her a little longer, so I would like to leave the palace as soon as possible."

Li Zhi rested his head on his arm and chuckled, "Meiniang, how about we do some sit-ups before we go?"

Wu Meiniang gave him a reproachful look and said, "I will never do it again."

On one occasion, Li Zhi held down Wu Meiniang's feet and helped her do sit-ups.

For some reason, I suddenly had a strange feeling. The thought of this famous empress doing sit-ups under his tutelage made me burst out laughing.

Wu Meiniang thought he was laughing at her for her indecent posture, and from then on, no matter how Li Zhi tried to persuade her, she refused to do it again.

Li Zhi's eyes darted around, and he smiled, "Mei Niang, then let me teach you a new exercise method."

Wu Zetian asked curiously, "What method?"

Li Zhi lay on the bed, raised his hands and feet to chest and abdomen, then stretched and pulled his legs in a steam whistle dance, saying, "That's it, Meiniang, show me."

Wu Meiniang blushed and said in a coquettish voice, "Your Majesty loves to tease me. This is not a training method, it is clearly a kind of barbarian dance."

Li Zhi said, "The Hu dance is fine too, you can dance it for me."

Wu Zetian smiled and said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine is the true master of dance. Please have her perform for you."

As she spoke, she finished dressing and stood up, smiling slightly, and said, "Your Majesty, I'll go see my mother now." She then left the bedchamber.

(End of this chapter)