Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 485 A Sage's Bestowal of Marriage
Inside the Lizheng Hall, Wu Meiniang asked Kudi Jiuniang questions while observing her. She found that Kudi Jiuniang was intelligent and beautiful, with an extraordinary way of speaking and a lovely appearance. She was also very charming and gentle, and she looked quite similar to herself when she was young. She was quite fond of her.

Seeing her younger sister chatting happily with the current empress without showing any fear, Wu Niang couldn't help but sigh inwardly, feeling even more that her sister was no ordinary person.

At this moment, an attendant entered from outside the door and said that the Sage had passed through the Lizheng Gate.

Wu Zetian led everyone out to greet the emperor, and after the emperor's arrival, everyone went inside.

Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) sat on the phoenix couch with Wu Zetian, and then offered her a chair so that Kudi Jiuniang could sit and talk.

Li Zhi glanced at Kudi Jiu Niang, a look of surprise on his face, and then turned to look at Wu Meiniang.

"Does Your Majesty also think that she looks a lot like me when I was young?" Wu Meiniang asked.

Li Zhi laughed and said, "My Empress never seems to age. I think she looks just like the Empress now."

When Wu Zetian heard Li Zhi's praise, she realized that her years of hard work in preserving her youthful appearance had not been in vain, and she was overjoyed.

Kudi Jiuniang laughed and said, "If Your Majesty the Empress were to walk down the street with me, I'm afraid people would think Your Majesty is my sister."

Upon hearing this, both Wu Niang and Tang Ping were greatly shocked. Comparing the Empress to their own sister, did she have a death wish?
The two secretly glanced at the Empress, only to see her smiling, without any sign of anger, and said with a smile, "You silly girl, you're talking nonsense again. I'm almost twenty years older than you, I'm more like your older sister."

Jiu Niang smiled and said, "If Your Highness doesn't believe me, you can ask His Majesty."

Wu Meiniang glanced at Li Zhi, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Li Zhi was speechless.

Wu Zetian's appearance and skin do indeed make her look only in her twenties, but she has a mature temperament, a typical queen-like demeanor, and is full of majesty. How could she be mistaken for a younger sister?

"Indeed, Meiniang, you do look like Jiu Niang's sister." Li Zhi had no choice but to say this against his will in order to please his wife.

Wu Meiniang's phoenix eyes gleamed with a strange light as she laughed, "Even Your Majesty is making fun of me."

Li Zhi, concerned about the war at the front, coughed and said seriously, "Ninth Lady, you say you are knowledgeable about the situation at the front. Could you tell me about it?"

Jiu Niang immediately put away her smile and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the battle at the front is entirely under my husband's control. Within three to five days, news of a great victory will surely come from the front. Your Majesty and Your Highness need not worry."

"Ninth Sister, the war at the front is a matter of national security, and we must not speak lightly about it," Wu Meiniang reminded her.

Jiu Niang said, "I dare not speak presumptuously. Before Ah Lang went to war, he told me the plan. Judging from the current situation, our army has captured Tieshi Fortress. However, due to the long distance, news of the battle has not yet been sent back."

Li Zhi frowned slightly and said, "You just said that Pei Qing told you the entire battle plan?"

Jiu Niang said, "Yes."

Li Zhi felt a little uncomfortable. How important was the national strategy, yet Pei Xingjian was telling a woman about it.

On second thought, Pei Xingjian has always acted with propriety and thought things through carefully. How could he make such a basic mistake? Could it be that he did it on purpose?

Li Zhi shook his head, not wanting to think about it any further, and asked Kudi Jiuniang:
"Then tell me, how exactly is Pei Qing's plan being arranged?"

Jiu Niang said, "Your Majesty must also know that A Lang ordered General Xue Rengui to lead 70,000 troops to attack Tieshi Fortress, while he himself only led 30,000 Zhaowu troops to block the reinforcements from Canglang Fortress."

Li Zhi nodded and exchanged a glance with Wu Meiniang. The two had discussed this matter once half a month ago.

The conclusion at the time was that the three forces inside Canglang Fortress each had their own agendas and it would be difficult for them to work together to provide a rescue. That is why Pei Xingjian dared to use 30,000 troops to block them.

"Indeed, I am perplexed by this matter."

Jiu Niang then explained Pei Xingjian's considerations.

Li Zhi and Wu Meiniang both correctly guessed the reason why the three groups were not united.

Pei Xingjian arranged for a Turk to go to Uzhile, the chief general of the Turkic army, not to persuade him to surrender, but to provoke him with words and teach him to protect himself.

As long as the Turks are selfish, they will not fight with all their might on the battlefield. As a result, the Tocharian wolf soldiers will also follow their example and only care about protecting themselves.

As for the final Holy Shield Legion, their commander, Karen, is at odds with White and will not be enthusiastic about providing aid.

In this way, all three groups of men can be tied down.

In addition to this, Pei Xingjian had two other purposes in making this arrangement.

First, by using the Zhaowu Army to block reinforcements, he would mislead the enemy into misjudging the strength of the Tang army, making them believe that all Tang troops were of the Zhaowu Army's strength.

Karen would therefore underestimate the Tang army, believing that it was wishful thinking for the Tang army to break through Potieshi Fortress with only 70,000 troops.

With this in mind, Karen was even less in a hurry to rescue Ironstone Fortress, but instead tried to devise a way to wipe out Pei Xingjian's 30,000 reinforcements.

Pei Xingjian's second objective was to target Ironstone Fortress.

With the Tang army launching a fierce attack on Tieshibao, the fort naturally hoped that reinforcements would arrive as soon as possible.

They would think that they were already dealing with the main force of the Tang army's fierce attack, and that the tens of thousands of troops at Canglang Fort could not be stopped by the remaining Tang army flanking force.

However, the reality is that reinforcements have been slow to arrive. What will the defenders of Ironstone Fortress think?
A force of over 100,000 men was held back by 30,000 to 40,00
This is impossible!

There's only one possibility: the reinforcements are deliberately not coming to their rescue.

This guess is reasonable, since Bai Tu and Karen were never on good terms.

Bai Tu must be cursing Karen in his heart, thinking that he wanted to settle a personal score and kill him.

Under such circumstances, the morale of the defending troops would inevitably continue to decline. If Xue Rengui, with his bravery, could not take down Tieshi Fortress, then he would not be the number one warrior of the Tang Dynasty!
As for Mulu Valley, Pei Xingjian arranged for Cui Zhibian to personally guard it, with 20,000 Tang soldiers defending the strategic location. It would take the Abbasid cavalry at least one or two months to take it down.

It should be noted that by the time the Arab cavalry arrived at Mulu Valley, the Tang army would likely have already captured Tieshi Fortress, and would not have given them any time to attack the valley.

As long as the Tang army returns to reinforce Mulu Valley, the Abbasid cavalry will have no choice but to retreat.

There were 50,000 Tang troops in Mulu Valley, but due to the special terrain of Tokharistan, the Tang army abandoned the cavalry and attacked with infantry instead.

Once the Tang army retreats to Mulu Valley, they can use cavalry to pursue the Arab army. If the Arabs are slow to retreat, they may be overtaken by the Tang army.

Therefore, this battle should at least capture Ironstone Fortress and annihilate the city's garrison. As for whether they can pursue the Arab cavalry and expand their gains, that depends on luck.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi finally felt relieved.

Pei Xingjian's strategy certainly did not disappoint.

"Your Majesty, after hearing what Ninth Sister said, do you still have any worries?" Wu Meiniang handed Li Zhi a cup of tea.

Li Zhi took the teacup, took a sip, and sighed, "That's all."

"Ninth Sister has helped Your Majesty relieve his worries, which is a great merit. Your Majesty should reward her!" Wu Meiniang pleaded for Ninth Sister's merit. Li Zhi glanced at Ninth Sister and saw that her eyes were shining and she had an expectant expression. Such a straightforward and honest nature was indeed easy to like.

"What does the Empress think should be done to reward them?" Li Zhi asked.

Wu Meiniang said, "Your Majesty is unaware that Jiu Niang was originally a woman of the Kudi tribe. It was only because of her difficult experiences that she became a concubine of Protector Pei. It is rather unfair that she has suffered such a fate. Why doesn't Your Majesty issue a decree to allow Protector Pei to find a second wife?"

Li Zhi's heart moved.

Wu Zetian had mentioned to him a while ago that after Tokharistan was restored, she would transfer Pei Xingjian back to the capital and help him find a marriage partner.

Wu Zetian's high regard for Jiu Niang suggests that, besides her affection for her, she also had her own calculations.

Li Zhi thought for a moment and said, "How about this, after the war with Tokharistan is over, I will issue an edict to grant the marriage and let Jiu Niang and Pei Qing get married."

Jiu Niang smiled radiantly, rose, and kowtowed, saying, "This concubine thanks Your Majesty and Your Highness the Empress!"

Tang Ping and Wu Niang exchanged a glance, and finally understood why Jiu Niang insisted on seeing the emperor.

It turns out that all she wanted was the status of Pei Xingjian's second wife, and she even wanted the emperor to act as matchmaker.

Li Zhi still had official business to attend to, so after relieving his worries, he left the Lizheng Hall.

Jiu Niang originally intended to take her leave with Wu Niang and Tang Ping, but Wu Meiniang let Tang Ping and his wife leave first, leaving her alone and dismissing the servants.

When only she and Wu Meiniang remained in the hall, Jiu Niang sensed that something was amiss.

Looking up, she saw Wu Meiniang staring intently at her, her phoenix eyes filled with majesty.

When Jiu Niang was dealing with Empress Wu just now, she felt that the empress was gentle and not as ruthless and decisive as rumored.

Only then did she realize that the rumors were true.

After a long silence, Wu Meiniang narrowed her eyes and said, "Ninth Sister, do you know your crime?"

Jiu Niang was startled and knelt down with a thud, kowtowing and saying, "I am guilty, please punish me, Your Highness."

Wu Meiniang looked down at her: "Then tell me, what crime have you committed?"

Jiu Niang said, "I just compared Your Highness to a younger sister, which is a grave offense of disrespect."

Wu Zetian said calmly, "As the Empress, I am the mother of the nation. Can't I tolerate your jokes? What you have committed is not just a minor offense of disrespect, but the crime of deceiving the Emperor!"

Jiu Niang was shocked, her face turned pale, and she wanted to speak, but the words stuck in her throat.

Don't you want to defend yourself?

"This concubine dares not defend herself before Your Highness." Jiu Niang pressed her forehead to the ground.

Wu Meiniang coldly said, "Those plans you just mentioned were all told to you by Pei Xingjian. Do you think these clumsy lies can fool His Majesty and me?"

Jiu Niang's body trembled slightly, and she remained silent.

Wu Meiniang said, "His Majesty did not expose you because he was mindful of Pei Xingjian's merits on the front lines. However, by doing this, His Majesty will harbor resentment towards Pei Xingjian, and Pei Xingjian may lose the Emperor's favor in the future because of this matter."

Jiu Niang's eyes welled up with tears, which streamed down her face as she pounded the floor with her fists.

"Ninth Sister is guilty and has no face to see the General again. I beg Your Majesty to grant her death!"

Wu Meiniang went over and helped her up. Seeing that her forehead was red and swollen, she knew she had truly realized her mistake. She gently said, "Tell me, why did you do that?"

Jiu Niang was already under Wu Meiniang's control and dared not hide anything anymore. She choked up and said, "I once advised the general to resign from his post as Protector-General of Anxi and request permission to return to Chang'an after he finished fighting the Tokharistan."

"Are you afraid that his achievements will overshadow the emperor and arouse his suspicion?" Wu Meiniang pulled her to sit down on the couch.

Jiu Niang replied, "Yes."

Wu Meiniang said, "He won't listen?"

Jiu Niang said softly, "The general said he dislikes the infighting in the court and prefers to stay in Anxi, defending the country and protecting the land. He also wants to expand the territory for His Majesty."

Wu Meiniang nodded and said, "So you took it upon yourself to say that Pei Xingjian told you about the military plan, thus voluntarily presenting incriminating evidence to His Majesty."

"You believe that after the Battle of Tokharistan, Pei Xingjian's reputation will soar, making His Majesty wary. At that time, His Majesty can use this as a pretext to transfer Pei Xingjian back to Chang'an."

Jiu Niang nodded.

Wu Meiniang continued, "You were afraid that Pei Xingjian would blame you for this and refuse to take you back, so you tried to get me and His Majesty to grant you a marriage."

Jiu Niang lowered her head even further, feeling that all her thoughts could not be hidden from the eyes of the empress before her.

Wu Meiniang said, "In order to protect Pei Xingjian, you acted on your own initiative without considering his thoughts. This style of doing things by any means to achieve your goals is quite similar to my style when I was young."

Jiu Niang said, "This humble servant dares not compare herself to Your Highness."

Wu Meiniang changed the subject: "However, you are far too audacious to include His Majesty and me in your scheme."

Jiu Niang said in a low voice, "I have no other choice but to rely on your and His Majesty's authority."

Wu Meiniang glanced at him and said, "Considering your deep affection and concern for your husband, I will forgive you this time. But if there is a next time, I will not let you off so easily. Do you understand?"

Jiu Niang quickly knelt down and kowtowed: "This concubine will never dare to do it again."

Wu Meiniang waved her hand and said, "Alright, you may leave."

After Jiu Niang got up, she did not leave. She bit her lip and stared intently at Wu Meiniang.

Seeing her expression, Wu Meiniang knew that she was still worried about Pei Xingjian, and smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will speak up for His Majesty and make sure that His Majesty doesn't hold a grudge against Pei Xingjian."

Jiu Niang was overjoyed and knelt down to kowtow three more times before taking her leave.

Four days later, news of victory indeed came from Anxi, saying that Xue Rengui had captured Tieshibao, annihilated the garrison, and the Arab cavalry had fled north in panic.

The Arab army at Canglang Fort also withdrew completely, and the wolf soldiers retreated back to the capital. It seems that the Arabs have abandoned the Tokharistan region.

Li Zhi immediately issued an imperial decree ordering the Imperial Guards to escort Sissis, Peroz, Xue Niang, and others to Tokharistan.

Once Xue and Pei have conquered the capital of Tokharistan, they will support Sissis to take over the capital and become the new king of Tokharistan.

(End of this chapter)