Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 473 The Great Kindness of the Imperial Uncle Changsun

A few days later, Li Ji reported that the grain stored in Chang'an Granary was consistent with the records of the Ministry of Revenue.

Li Zhi immediately ordered Xue Rengui to lead 50,000 Imperial Guards to advance into Anxi.

Li Zhi's work was now almost finished.

He never interfered in matters of command at the front; he let the generals make their own decisions and simply waited for news.

Although the enemy was stronger this time, Li Zhi was much more relaxed compared to the previous war against Goguryeo.

The Tang Dynasty had already won the war against Goguryeo. If its arrival had led to defeat, it would have become a laughing stock for all time.

The Arabs' battle was different. Even if they lost, they were at most on par with Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and their impact on the Tang Dynasty was limited.

Of course, he believed that Xue Rengui and Pei Xingjian, working together, would not be defeated.

Stepping out of Ganlu Hall, I walked along the palace path in the inner palace.

The sky remained overcast. After wandering around for a while, Li Zhi lost interest and began to ponder which palace to visit for some leisure.

While he was thinking, he suddenly noticed something.

Wu Zetian seems to have undergone a significant change recently.

During the war against Goguryeo, she would at least ask a question or two, and she was quite familiar with the progress of the war, and was able to discuss the situation with Emperor Gaozong.

However, she had no interest in fighting the Arabs this time and never mentioned it to Li Zhi.

Upon closer reflection, it seems that Wu Zetian's interest in politics was also gradually declining, and she was becoming more and more like an ordinary empress.

This was originally a situation that Li Zhi deliberately guided, but when it actually turned out this way, he felt awkward, as if Wu Meiniang had become unlike Wu Meiniang.

Sigh, human nature is so contradictory.

Li Zhi shook his head and chuckled, then strode towards the Lizheng Hall, wanting to see what Wu Meiniang had been busy with lately.

Upon arriving at the Lizheng Hall, Wu Meiniang was not present. It turned out that she had hosted another palace banquet at the Ziyun Pavilion, inviting noblewomen from outside the palace.

Li Zhi then sat and waited inside the Lizheng Hall.

On the phoenix table was a sheet of paper with several calligraphy works that Wu Meiniang had practiced.

On the tatami table were several chess manuals, three of which belonged to Wu Zetian, and one small chess manual belonged to Princess Taiping.

Li Zhi lay on the couch, picked up a chess manual, and casually flipped through it. Before long, a wave of drowsiness washed over him, and he fell asleep immediately.

Not long after she fell asleep, a "tap tap tap" sound came from outside the house; it was Princess Taiping running in.

She had just gone to the princess's residence to visit Princess Gao'an when her maidservant reported that Li Zhi had arrived, so she hurriedly returned.

After Princess Taiping entered the room, Wang Fusheng gestured to her and then pointed to Li Zhi, indicating that the emperor was resting and that she should not wake him.

Princess Taiping gestured to indicate that she would not wake her father, took off her beautiful shoes, climbed onto the couch, and sat quietly next to Li Zhi, flipping through her small chess manual.

A moment later, a palace attendant entered from outside.

It is unknown what the man said to Wang Fusheng, but Wang Fusheng's expression changed drastically. He glanced at Li Zhi and Princess Taiping, hesitated for a long time, and then turned and left the house.

When Princess Taiping saw him leave, she lay her little head on Li Zhi's stomach, trying to wake him up and have him talk to her.

Li Zhi, however, did not wake up.

Princess Taiping stood up and was about to sit on Li Zhi's stomach.

However, looking at Li Zhi's peaceful sleeping face, I thought that Ye Ye must be too tired from handling official business to be sleeping so soundly, so it's best not to disturb him.

So she rested her head on Li Zhi's belly again, picked up the little chess manual that belonged to her, and continued to look through it.

She watched for a while, until she grew tired, but Li Zhi still did not wake up.

Princess Taiping jumped off the wide couch and ran to the inner room. When she came out, she had a small yellow booklet in her hand.

This booklet is a secret manual for Wu Zetian's health-preserving exercises. It contains many illustrations of figures in various poses.

Princess Taiping found the poses of the figures in the illustrations quite amusing, and she treated them like comic books, finding them quite interesting every time she looked at them.

She climbed back onto the couch, using Li Zhi as a pillow to flip through the "picture book." When she saw one of the pictures, depicting a strange, half-upside-down posture, she couldn't help but giggle.

After laughing for a while, she turned her head to look at Li Zhi and found that her father was still not awake. She immediately pouted and deliberately walked around on the bed, making a banging sound. She even stepped on Li Zhi's stomach.

Li Zhi still did not wake up.

Princess Taiping stared at Li Zhi, who remained motionless, and suddenly felt a surge of fear for no apparent reason. She reached out her small hand and patted Li Zhi's face.

"Oh my god, oh my god! Wake up!" she cried out.

The little girl didn't hold back, and the blows made a series of loud "smacks." Li Zhi was finally jolted awake, his eyes feeling sore and dry. He looked at Princess Taiping and frowned, asking, "Yue'er, what's wrong?"

Princess Taiping immediately stopped crying and laughed, "Grandpa, get up and play chess with me!"

Li Zhi sat up, yawned, and for some reason, felt drowsy, his head was dizzy, as if a cloud was pressing down on his forehead.

"Moon, what time is it?"

Princess Taiping glanced at the water clock and said, "It's past noon!"

"Hasn't your mother come back yet?"

Princess Taiping muttered, "She's been busy lately choosing a Crown Princess for my fifth brother, and also looking for Princesses for my sixth and seventh brothers. Every two days, she invites those noblewomen to the Ziyun Pavilion, and they don't come back before 5 pm."

Li Zhi had heard Wu Meiniang mention the matter of the Crown Princess; it seemed that four candidates had been selected, and one would be chosen later.

Li Hong is now thirteen years old. Li Zhi married his princess when he was thirteen, so it's no wonder that Wu Zetian started arranging this matter.

However, Li Xian is only eleven years old and Li Xian is only nine. It's a bit too early for Wu Meiniang to be worrying about their marriages.

While Li Zhi was lost in thought, Princess Taiping shook him again and said, "Grandpa, let's play chess. I've recently learned a new move."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Very well, but it's already noon, it's time to serve the meal." He looked up but couldn't see Wang Fusheng, and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"Moon, have you seen Fusheng?"

Princess Taiping said, "Wang Dajian was just here, but then a eunuch came and spoke to him for a while before he left."

Li Zhi nodded and ordered the other eunuchs to bring the food over. The father and daughter ate while playing chess.

Meanwhile, inside the Shanchi Courtyard, Wang Fusheng looked at the dying Qin Shaojian and sighed, "Old Qin, shall I summon the imperial physician for you?"

Qin Shaojian shook his head, his voice hoarse, and said, "I've already looked at it, it's no use. At my age, I should be buried, but..."

At this point, he coughed violently. The young eunuch serving beside him caught the cough with a handkerchief, which was stained crimson after Qin Shaojian finished coughing.

Upon seeing this, Wang Fusheng sighed deeply, knowing that Qin Shaojian's life was nearing its end, and lowered his head in silence.

With his dim, yellowish eyes, Qin Shaojian stared intently at him and said, "Wang Dajian, this old servant has a request."

Wang Fusheng said, "Please give your instructions, Elder Qin."

"You may all leave." Supervisor Qin waved his hand, and all the young eunuchs who were serving him left the room.

Qin Shaojian lay on the couch, weakly saying, "I, Qin Ye, have been cautious and diligent in serving three emperors throughout my life. I believe I have lived up to the imperial family's kindness, but I never imagined that I would make such a grave mistake on my deathbed!"

Wang Fusheng was slightly startled and asked, "What serious mistake have you made?"

Qin Shaojian stared at him for a long while before saying, "Wang Dajian, now that things have come to this, I will not hide it from you. I once received a great favor from the Imperial Uncle Changsun."

Wang Fusheng's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "You're the Emperor's brother-in-law's man?"

Qin Shaojian gave a bitter smile, his wrinkled face resembling the peel of a dehydrated orange, and sighed softly.

“During the reign of the late emperor, I was not doing well in the palace. It was thanks to the help of the eldest grandson of the emperor that I was able to stand out from the crowd of eunuchs and achieve my current status.”

“At the time, I also considered myself the emperor’s brother-in-law, but the emperor’s brother-in-law only met me once and told me not to go to him again, saying that when he needed me in the future, he would send someone to find me.”

"I have been waiting for more than 30 years, but the Imperial Brother-in-law has never sent anyone to look for me. That's why I said just now that I have not done anything to betray the royal family!"

Wang Fusheng felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

Changsun Wuji had actually hidden such a person in the palace. If he really wanted to murder the emperor, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Qin Shaojian sighed, "It's also my fault for being senile. Before I die, I wanted to settle my affairs before I died, so I sent a trusted confidant with a letter to give to the eldest grandson of the emperor."

Wang Fusheng asked, "What letter?"

Qin Shaojian, panting, said, "I feel I owe him a debt of gratitude, so I had someone buy a large house outside the city. Over the years, I have transferred most of my savings there. The letter included the land deed and house deed, and I hope to use this to repay him in small way."

Wang Fusheng sighed, "Although what Qin Weng did cannot be considered right, it was still an act of repaying kindness, which I can understand."

Qin Shaojian slammed his hand on the bed and hissed, "But I never expected that the trusted confidant I sent would actually be... actually be..."

"what?"

"That little brat actually sided with the Empress!"

Wang Fusheng's expression changed, and he said, "So, that letter ended up in Empress Wu's hands?"

Qin Shaojian nodded, his face ashen.

"The emperor's brother-in-law treated me so well, yet I caused him so much suffering before I died. I cannot die in peace!"

The feud between Empress Wu and Changsun Wuji was known to everyone in Chang'an. If Wu Meiniang used this letter to sow discord in front of the emperor, Changsun Wuji would likely face utter ruin.

Wang Fusheng frowned and pondered for a moment before asking, "Old Qin, when did this happen?"

"Mid-last month."

Wang Fusheng said, "So much time has passed, yet Empress Wu has made no move. Perhaps there is still a chance for things to turn around!"

Qin Shaojian looked up at him and said, "Wang Dajian, you should know Empress Wu's methods. She is holding back, which is likely because she is waiting for the right moment to kill the Imperial Uncle in one fell swoop!"

"maybe."

Wang Fusheng raised his hand and said, "As far as I know, the relationship between the Empress and the Imperial Brother-in-law has eased considerably, and the Empress may not necessarily cause trouble."

Qin Shaojian shook his head and said, "Her Majesty the Empress is good at forbearance. How do you know if she has truly softened her stance or is just putting on an act for His Majesty's benefit?"

Wang Fusheng asked, "Then what do you want me to do?"

Qin Shaojian struggled to get up and pay his respects.

Wang Fusheng quickly stepped forward to help him up: "You are my respected senior. Please feel free to ask me anything. As long as it is within my power, I will never refuse!"

Qin Shaojian looked at him and said, "Then I thank you very much. In this palace, apart from the Emperor, only you can make the Empress somewhat wary. I hope you can mediate and get her to give that letter to the Imperial Uncle. If she sets any conditions, and you can meet them, then I'm counting on you. If you can't, then you've done your best, and I won't blame you at all."

Wang Fusheng took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I'll give it my best!"

Qin Shaojian chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "Leaving you such a mess before I die is truly outrageous. Alas, I've lived this life in vain."

Wang Fusheng quickly said, "Please don't say that."

Qin Shaojian squinted at him, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

"With you in the palace, I have nothing to worry about. I wonder if there is an afterlife. If there is, I hope that in my next life... I won't have to be a eunuch again..."

As he spoke his last words, his head tilted to the side, and he breathed his last.

Qin Shaojian had already made arrangements for his affairs beforehand, so Wang Fusheng didn't need to worry about it; someone else would take care of the rest.

Knowing he had been away for too long and the emperor was probably already awake, Wang Fusheng hurried back to the Lizheng Hall.

Back inside the palace, Li Zhi was playing chess with Princess Taiping. Wu Meiniang had also returned and was sitting next to Li Zhi watching the game.

Wu Zetian was originally hosting a banquet at Ziyun Pavilion, but upon hearing that Li Zhi had arrived, she ended the banquet early and rushed back.

Li Zhi was so engrossed in playing chess that he didn't notice Wang Fusheng.

Normally, Wang Fusheng would stand quietly to the side without disturbing the emperor, but today he did not intend to do so. Instead, he took two steps forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, I have returned."

Li Zhi looked up at him and smiled, "Where did you go just now?"

Wang Fusheng said in a low voice, "I went to Shanchi Academy, and I found that Supervisor Qin is dead."

Li Zhi was slightly startled and asked, "How could he have died so suddenly?"

Wang Fusheng said, "Qin Shaojian was old and had been suffering from tuberculosis. The imperial physician had examined him, but he still couldn't make it through."

Li Zhi sighed and said, "If that's the case, then let him be given a proper burial."

Wang Fusheng acknowledged and glanced at Wu Meiniang. Just then, Wu Meiniang's phoenix eyes were also looking at him, her gaze full of meaning.

From this glance, Wang Fusheng confirmed that the letter was indeed in Wu Meiniang's hands.

Wang Fusheng had not yet figured out how to persuade Empress Wu to hand over the letter, so he lowered his head, showing no unusual expression as usual.

Seeing this, Wu Meiniang also withdrew her gaze and continued watching the game.

(End of this chapter)