Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 507 The Father's Face
Princess Taiping saw that Li Zhi had closed his eyes and lay down, and knew that her father was tired, so she asked the eunuch to bring a blanket and cover Li Zhi with it.

Autumn has arrived, and autumn in Chang'an is always cold.

After Princess Taiping covered Li Zhi with the blanket, she also crawled inside, snuggling into Li Zhi's arms and pulling his large hand down onto herself.

Princess Taiping, unlike Emperor Gaozong, was not exhausted. After lying down for a while, she became restless and tossed and turned.

She held up her ten fingers and counted them three times. Thinking that Li Zhi should be asleep by now, she called out to him again.

However, Li Zhi turned over, facing away from her, and started snoring.

Wang Fusheng, who was standing to the side, lowered his voice and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty did not sleep well last night and has been traveling all day. Please let His Majesty sleep a little longer."

Princess Taiping had no choice but to mutter "I know," climb down from the couch, and skipped away from the bedchamber, heading straight for the princess's courtyard.

It's past 5 PM now. In autumn, the sun sets early, and it's almost time for dinner.

Princess Gao'an and Princess Yiyang were chatting in the garden of the princess's residence, discussing the matter of Xiao Zhiyan.

Since this matter did not involve Xiao Shuren, and they were not familiar with Xiao Zhiyan, they only chatted casually for a few minutes and did not consider saving him.

What they were more concerned about was how to comfort their mother when they met her next month, knowing that this matter would surely upset Xiao Shuren.

Just as they were discussing this, Princess Taiping's shouts came from afar.

"Big sister, second sister, I won at Go! Yay!"

The two exchanged a glance, smiled, and went to greet Princess Taiping.

Princess Gao'an laughed and said, "It seems that my elder sister's method really worked, as it improved you so quickly. Did you even let the third son win?"

"That's right! Before, even when I was given a three-point handicap, I couldn't beat my father. He didn't even use his full strength. This time, he's really impressed me!" Princess Taiping said proudly.

Princess Yiyang laughed and said, "Actually, it's not that my method works, it's that Yue'er is too smart. How could an ordinary person learn as quickly as her?"

Princess Gao'an couldn't help but sigh, saying, "Yes, Yue'er is only five years old, and she can already beat her older sister's friends. She'll be extraordinary in the future."

Princess Yiyang once joined a poetry society outside the palace.

It was a women's poetry club, all of whom were girls around the same age as Princess Yiyang, and all were daughters of noble families from Chang'an.

During the Tang Dynasty, few women studied literature; instead, many learned music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

The women in these poetry societies were all unconventional. Because of their wealthy families, they had the opportunity to study and developed a love for poetry.

Among all the young ladies from prominent families in Chang'an, these women were among the most outstanding. In addition to studying, they were also proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Princess Yiyang joined the poetry club through the introduction of Consort Xu's niece, as a member of the Xu family of Donghai.

She was personally tutored by Consort Xu and taught poetry by her. She was very knowledgeable and her knowledge was no less than that of men. Among this group of female scholars, she was one of the best.

However, her Go skills were a bit lacking, placing her in the lower-middle range within the poetry club.

Princess Taiping usually enjoyed playing chess with others. When Li Zhi and Wu Meiniang were around, she would most often play chess with her parents, followed by Li Xian and Li Xian.

Now that Li Zhi and Wu Meiniang are away, and Li Xian has gone to the Eastern Palace to help Li Hong handle government affairs, Li Xian is no match for her and will stop playing with her after losing.

Princess Taiping couldn't find a chess partner, so she went to the princess's courtyard and pestered Princess Yiyang to play chess.

Princess Yiyang was quite skilled, but she couldn't beat her younger sister. Seeing how interested she was, she suggested taking her to the poetry club so she could play with the other girls there.

Princess Taiping was naturally delighted to hear that she could play chess with a strange but skilled opponent.

Moreover, Li Zhi and Wu Meiniang were not in the palace, so no one was taking care of her.

Now the harem is managed by Consort Zheng, with Consort Xu assisting. The two are much easier to talk to than Wu Zetian.

Princess Taiping pleaded for her, and Consort Zheng agreed.

Of course, Consort Zheng also gave her a few special instructions, telling her that she must bring many guards when she leaves the palace and that she must listen to Princess Yiyang.

Furthermore, Princess Taiping was only meeting with ladies from prominent families in Chang'an, so there was no danger or anything that would go against the rules, and Consort Zheng was not particularly worried.

Princess Taiping also went to the poetry club under the identity of a woman surnamed Xu.

These wealthy young ladies each contributed a small amount of money and bought a three-story building in Pingkangfang to serve as the entrance to the poetry society. It was never open to the public and could only be entered by members of the poetry society.

On the day of the gathering, Princess Taiping followed Princess Yiyang to the small building. Because of her exquisite beauty and noble temperament, she was extremely lovable.

The young ladies of the poetry club found it amusing that she, at such a young age, was clamoring to find someone to challenge her to a game of Go, and many of them joined in the fun.

To everyone's surprise, after several rounds, no one could beat this adorable little girl.

In an instant, the women became even more excited and grew to like Princess Taiping even more. They all lined up to play chess with her, and among them were many highly skilled players.

Princess Taiping felt right at home. Every morning, she would come to the princess's courtyard, wake up Princess Yiyang, and have her take her to the poetry club building.

With the help of the women in the poetry club, she played chess from morning till night every day, and her chess skills improved by leaps and bounds, allowing her to defeat Li Zhi, who was given a three-stone handicap.

Princess Yiyang was very happy for her victory and asked with a smile, "Will you still go to the poetry club to play chess tomorrow?"

Princess Taiping shook her head and said, "No, Yue'er wants to play chess with her father again tomorrow."

The next day, Princess Taiping waited until the afternoon and went to Ganlu Hall to spy on Li Zhi. After Li Zhi finished dealing with government affairs, she made a new challenge, and Li Zhi let the two of them play a game of chess.

To save face for his father, Li Zhi mustered his spirits and went all out, giving Princess Taiping no chance whatsoever, and won in the middle game.

However, Princess Taiping was very tenacious. Even though she had no chance to turn the tide, she refused to concede defeat and insisted on playing until the very end, ultimately losing by five moves.

Looking at her dejected little face, Li Zhi said gently, "Yue'er, you are still young. Don't be impatient. You will be able to beat Ye Ye sooner or later."

Princess Taiping shook her head, pointed to a piece on the chessboard, and said, "I made a mistake here, otherwise we wouldn't have been caught up so quickly."

Seeing her gazing intently at the chessboard, clearly absorbed in the game, Li Zhi was secretly astonished.

If Princess Taiping could maintain this interest, she might actually become a Go master when she grows up.

Thinking about it carefully, it seems a bit absurd that Princess Taiping would be led to the path of Go just because of one's own hobby.

But then again, it's better for her to like Go than power.

Given the current historical trajectory, it's unlikely that she'll find an opportunity to develop ambitions. Perhaps it would be better for her to live a peaceful and uneventful life.

"Yay, shall we play another round?" Princess Taiping's words brought him back to reality.

Li Zhi had nothing to do at the moment and was about to agree when Wang Fusheng walked in and said that Hao Chujun, the Minister of War, was requesting an audience.

Princess Taiping was quite obedient. She climbed down from the couch herself and said, "Since Father is busy with official duties, Yue'er will not disturb you any longer." She bowed, took her leave, and departed.

Li Zhi arrived at the outer hall and summoned Hao Chujun to an audience.

A short while later, Hao Chujun entered the hall, greeted Li Zhi, and said, "Your Majesty, there is news from the Kunzang Protectorate."

"Is it news from India?" Li Zhi asked.

Hao Chujun nodded in agreement. It turned out that under the leadership of the Kun-Tsang Protectorate, the thirty-six kingdoms of India had united and defeated the Sindh army.

The Persian minister of Sindh secretly gathered a group of Persians, captured King Sindh, and sent him to the Protectorate General of Kunlun. Now the Protectorate General of Kunlun has publicly announced to the thirty-six kingdoms of India that Peroz will establish a Persian kingdom on the former territory of Sindh.

One of the most striking characteristics of the Indians is that when they realize they can't compromise, they become exceptionally submissive, just as they were to the Arabs.

Therefore, the announcement from the Kunlun Protectorate did not encounter any opposition from the various Indian countries.

Only Tibet objected, because the newly divided Persian kingdom by Peroz expanded the original territory of Sindh, extending it southward and encroaching on a portion of Tibetan territory.

The Tibetan and Xinde regions were located in the vicinity of the Tianzhu River.

The Tianzhu River gave birth to a vast plain of fertile land. Xinde occupied the northern part, while the southern part belonged to Tibet.

Now that Persia has established a kingdom in its homeland of Sindh and has quietly extended its territory southward, the Tibetans naturally cannot tolerate this.

Ultimately, under the mediation of the Kunlun Protectorate, Persia returned the occupied territory to Tibet. However, this incident has created a rift between the two countries, which may sow the seeds of future troubles.

Of course, Li Zhi was too lazy to concern himself with these matters that were far from the Tang Dynasty's territory.

Now that things are stable in the west, he can finally free up his hands to resolve the remaining problems in the east in one fell swoop.

In the Liaodong region, the Tang Dynasty was still digesting the Goguryeo territory it had conquered.

Meanwhile, in the East China Sea, the Japanese territory occupied by the Tang Dynasty had become relatively stable.

Currently, half of the Wa region is occupied by the Tang Dynasty, the other half is mostly occupied by the Mohe people, and the remaining part is occupied by the Wa people, Silla people, and Ezo people respectively.

Li Zhi was not worried about anything else, but the Mohe people were the only ones he had to be wary of.

Because the Mohe were the future Jurchens, Li Zhi could not rest easy until they were eliminated.

The only problem now is that the Mohe people have always been extremely submissive to the Tang Dynasty. They even saved Liu Renyuan in the past, and they have never dared to infringe on the interests of the Tang Dynasty in the territorial disputes with Japan.

When the Tang Dynasty launched a military campaign, it was essential to have a legitimate reason for doing so.

The Mohe people were so cautious and left no room for error that Li Zhi couldn't find a reason to take action against them for the time being.

Therefore, this matter still needs to be discussed with Liu Rengui.

Liu Rengui was in charge of the post-war governance of Goguryeo. Recently, Goguryeo has gradually stabilized, which shows that he was a good ruler.

To wage war against the Mohe, it is first necessary to ensure the stability of Goguryeo, lest Goguryeo descend into chaos before the Mohe are conquered, which would be a greater loss than gain.

It's September now, and in two months Liu Rengui should return to the capital to report on his duties, at which time we can discuss this matter.

The Mohe were not a formidable enemy like Goguryeo, so the Tang Dynasty did not need to deal with them with its full strength. When dealing with the Mohe, Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) also planned to take the southern problem into consideration.

"What is the situation in the Six Zhao Kingdom recently?" he asked.

Hao Chujun said, "According to the information from the Jiaozhou Governor's Office, although there are no major wars among the six Zhao states, there have always been small-scale conflicts."

“The Nanzhao Kingdom has petitioned us several times, saying that Shilangzhao has seized their mines and salt wells, and they hope that the Tang army will allow them to conquer Shilangzhao.”

"Because His Majesty had issued an imperial edict forbidding assistance to Nanzhao in dealing with the other five Zhao, the Jiaozhou Governor's Office did not agree, and Nanzhao dared not launch a large-scale military campaign."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "That's right. Among the six Zhao, Nanzhao has the greatest ambition, and we must not be careless towards it."

After dealing with the Mohe, Li Zhi's final task was to conquer the south. It wasn't enough to just conquer the entire Yunnan region; he also needed to secure a sea outlet to ensure that he would live up to the expectations of future generations.

However, on the other hand, although the various barbarian tribes in the southern region of the Tang Dynasty were not very strong in combat, their terrain was even more difficult than that of the Tocharians.

The biggest problem in expanding southward is not the southern barbarian army, but finding a way to overcome geographical obstacles and build a passage through the north and south.

After listening to Hao Chujun's report, Li Zhi returned to his bedchamber and ordered someone to bring him a map of the Southern Barbarians, which he then carefully examined.

Suddenly, Wang Fusheng came to his side and said that Wu Meiniang wanted him to come over.

Li Zhi immediately left Ganlu Hall and went to Lizheng Hall.

Upon arriving outside the palace, they saw a young stranger also there to greet them.

Li Zhichao sized up the man a few times, vaguely recognizing him, and asked, "Meiniang, is this person a member of your family?"

Upon hearing this, the man's face fell, and he said, "Your Majesty, I am Minzhi!"

Li Zhi was taken aback: "Minzhi, what happened to you?"

Li Zhi had not seen Wu Minzhi often and was not familiar with him, so he was more surprised by his great change than Wu Meiniang.

Wu Meiniang said softly, "Your Majesty, this is a long story. Let's go inside and talk about it."

Upon entering the Lizheng Hall, Li Zhi and Wu Meiniang sat side by side at the head of the table, where Wu Minzhi recounted his tragic experiences.

Li Zhi coughed lightly, barely suppressing the urge to speak, and said, "Yes, Minzhi has suffered this time. He should rest and recuperate in Chang'an for a while."

Wu Minzhi said with a bitter face, "Yes."

Taking the opportunity, Wu Meiniang said, "Your Majesty, given Minzhi's current condition, it's unlikely he can continue serving in the Inner Guard. Perhaps we should send him back to the Thousand Bull Guard."

"Minzhi, would you like to return to the Thousand Bull Guard?" Li Zhi asked.

Wu Minzhi cupped his hands and said, "I will follow your instructions, Uncle and Aunt."

When Li Zhi saw him say this, he knew that he had lost his will to live, so he waved his hand and said, "Very well, then let's go back to the Thousand Bull Guard."

Wu Minzhi thanked Li Zhi and then sat with him for a while, chatting idly.

Li Zhi asked him about the situation in Tokharistan, but he lay in bed all day, staring blankly at the ceiling, unable to answer anything.

Upon seeing this, Wu Meiniang dismissed him.

Outside the Vermilion Bird Gate, Helan Minrou was waiting outside the palace gate. When she saw Wu Minzhi come out, she asked with concern, "Brother, has His Majesty agreed to let you leave the Inner Guard?"

Wu Minzhi sighed: "I agree."

He Lanminrou said happily, "That's wonderful."

Wu Minzhi glanced at her and said irritably, "What's so good about it?"

He Lanmin smiled without saying a word.

Wu Minzhi's changes and experiences this time terrified everyone in the Wu family. It is said that Madam Yang even had a nightmare that night, dreaming that Wu Minzhi was buried in the desert.

Madam Yang could ignore the affairs of the Yang family in Luoyang, but she could not ignore Wu Minzhi's affairs. She immediately sent Wu Ruyi into the palace and made it clear that Wu Minzhi could no longer be allowed to stay in the inner palace to lead the guards.

Wu Zetian had no choice but to invite Li Zhi over.

Seeing that Wu Minzhi was in a bad mood, Helan Minrou smiled and said, "Brother, you've been back for two days now. Shouldn't you go and see His Highness Prince Wu today?"

Wu Minzhi glanced at her and said, "You're the one who wants to see him, aren't you?"

He Lanminrou blushed and remained silent.

Wu Minzhi smiled, got into the carriage with his sister, and ordered the driver to head towards the Wu Prince's residence.

(End of this chapter)