"Zhen wants him alive!"
Empress Wu shouted in a low voice. The Little Palace Maid who threw the spear flew out. Her speed wasn't much slower than the assassin's. Her figure flashed twice and she appeared at the place where the assassin was shot. Halfway there, she picked up the thin spear that the assassin had thrown back. She quickly swept it around and chased in a direction.
The other Little Palace Maid returned to Empress Wu's side. She pressed her hand on the handle of her fan. With a clang, the sharp spear tip sank into the handle of the fan. Their mission was to protect Empress Wu's safety. If Empress Wu was assassinated, it would be useless to exterminate the nine generations of the assassin. Therefore, the two personal bodyguards responsible for protecting the Empress would never leave Empress Wu's side at the same time.
Wu Youdao, who was on duty that night, stumbled over. He was still ten feet away when he knelt on the ground with a thud. He kowtowed heavily and said in a trembling voice, "This official came late to protect Your Majesty! Please forgive me, Empress Dowager! "
At this time, the feathers that filled the sky were still fluttering and dancing like snow.
Wu Zetian didn't even look at him. She only asked Shanghai Wan 'er, "Which guard is on duty in the palace tonight? Who is the commander? "
Shanghai Wan 'er bowed and said, "Yulin Guard's Right Lieutenant General Wang Rufeng!"
"Tonight, all the soldiers on duty in the Right Guard will be transferred to the Yingzhou border. Starting from Wang Rufeng, all of them will be sent to the prison for inspection. Yulin Guard's Great General Quan Xiancheng will see Zhen tomorrow at Hanyuan Hall! This matter must not be made public. Whoever dares to gossip will be killed without mercy! "
After Wu Zetian finished giving her orders, she flicked her sleeves and left.
The assassin's martial arts were very high, especially his ghost-like movement technique, which was even more frightening. However, the tightest security in the Imperial Palace wasn't inside the palace. The Imperial Palace was the home of the Empress. It was the only place where they could put down their masks and relax. Who would be on high alert in their own home and place heavy troops everywhere?
It was tight on the outside but loose on the inside. The important defenses of the Imperial Palace were set up on the outside.
The Imperial Palace had nine floors, and it was so tall that it could reach the moon. There was not a single tree within a thousand feet of the palace walls, not even a blade of grass. Humans were not birds, so how could they cross such a vast distance without being discovered? Outside the Imperial City, there were sentries every few steps, and all of them were shrewd and capable imperial bodyguards. How could an assassin pass through without a sound?
It was not rare for an assassin to act violently in front of her. What was rare was, why would he appear in front of her?
There was only one explanation: someone in the palace was helping him!
The moment Wu Zetian was stabbed, she thought of this problem, "Although the kings of Li Tang are all dead, there are still people who haven't given up!"
Just now, when the assassin was acting violently, in Wan 'er's eyes, the most frightening thing was not the sword, but the person holding the sword. Similarly, in Empress Wu's eyes, the most terrifying thing wasn't the assassin, but the person who controlled the assassin.
Empress Wu held back a cold smile, and a murderous aura gradually filled her slender eyebrows.
Wu Youdao knelt in the midst of the 'snowflakes' that filled the sky. He looked at Shanghai Wan'er with a pleading gaze. Shanghai Wan'er also didn't look at him. She only flicked her sleeve, and like a white cloud, she slowly left.
Two soldiers walked over, and their large hands heavily pressed down on his shoulders!
The Empress was angry, and a bloody purge was about to begin.
… …
Luoyang City was like a large square chessboard.
The Luo River was the boundary between the Chu River and Han River in the middle of the chessboard, dividing the entirety of Luoyang City into two. The two sides of the river were also square, horizontal, and vertical. The streets were the lines on the chessboard, and the squares were the squares on the chessboard. The people in the squares were the chess pieces on the chessboard.
The Imperial City and Imperial City were located to the north of the Luo River. To the north of the Luo River, other than the Imperial Palace, there were twenty-eight squares and a northern city. To the south of the Luo River, there were eighty-one squares, a western city, and a southern city. The main streets crisscrossed the 109 squares, and transportation was convenient. Other than the Luo River running through Luoyang City, the squares were also crisscrossed by rivers and canals, and transportation by land and water was extremely convenient.
Although Luoyang City was shaped like a square chessboard, it had its own universe within. Here was the world's tallest building, 'Heavenly Hall', and the world's second tallest building, 'Ming Tang'. Perhaps in the 'Heavenly Hall', the giant Buddha statue that could stand dozens of people on its little finger was also the largest statue in all of the cities in the world.
Here, there were large, magnificent, and gorgeous. Naturally, there were also small, exquisite, and exquisite. For example, old trees, faint crows, small bridges, flowing water, and people. Where Yang Fan was hiding, there were trees, crows, bridges, water, and people. On the water, there was even a waterwheel that was purely used for viewing.
The water flowed and the waterwheel turned, emitting a 'pu pu pu' sound. Crouching on the earthen walls, under the shade of the trees, he could see the main roads and alleys, and all the pedestrians going in and out, but no one else could see him. Using the sound of the water to speak softly, he didn't have to worry about being seen.
Tonight, Yang Fan and Maqiao had come out to steal.
Maqiao was a shopkeeper, and the income of a shopkeeper was actually very meager. Thus, during the day he helped Marquis Wu maintain the peace in the square, and at night he would transform into a thief, stealing things from Marquis Wu. He was not insatiably greedy when it came to stealing things. He did not steal every day, nor did he steal things that were too valuable. Thus, although there were frequent burglaries, Marquis Wu and the others never took it to heart. Most of the time, the neighbors would just stand at the door and curse a few times.
Maqiao pulled Yang Fan into the gang because he felt sorry for him. Seeing that it was not easy for him to make a living in Luoyang on his own, it was barely enough for him to feed himself with the income of a shopkeeper. Not to mention saving money to marry a wife, it was difficult for him to even buy meat and a pot of wine. Therefore, Maqiao was of a mind to help this brother of his to make some money.
Therefore, one night, Maqiao cut half a kilogram of pig head meat and bought a pot of Green Ant Wine. Then, he went to Yang Fan's house and started to persuade him sincerely. In fact, Maqiao was very familiar with the square. He had always committed crimes alone and did not need any helpers. He was helping his brother in disguise.
Yang Fan, who found it hard to refuse Maqiao's kindness, felt that it was a good cover for him to go out at night all the time. Therefore, he agreed immediately and resumed his old business. He followed Maqiao and became a thief that he had not done for many years. What he stole were still the odds and ends that he could not show to the public.
Sitting on the wall, Yang Fan was waiting for Maqiao to come back. He raised his head and stared at the starry sky, his eyes as brilliant as the stars. Under the starlight, his nose bridge was straight, and his lips were clear and plump, as delicate as a girl's. In the darkness of the night, such a clear appearance outlined a handsome silhouette. It was hard to believe that this was a thief.
"Xiao Fan! Xiao Fan! "
A shadow crept out of the yard stealthily and craned his head to look around. Yang Fan, who was deep in thought on the wall, was back to himself. He waved his hands at him and called softly, "I'm here!"
Maqiao dashed over quickly and reached the wall. Xiao Fan extended his hands and pulled him to the top of the wall. The wall was made of yellow mud bricks. After a long time, it had been weathered by the wind and rain. Epsilon Majoris kicked off a few pieces of mud. Fortunately, there was a stream nearby. The sound of the flowing stream covered up the sound of the mud hitting the ground.
Maqiao sat on the wall and praised, "Xiao Fan, you really have a good eye. The place you picked to keep watch is really hidden. Even when I came out, I could not find you. One day, you will surpass your master. "
Xiao Fan laughed dryly, "Become a thief that surpasses my master? I think I'd better forget about it. "
Epsilon Majoris snorted twice and asked, "Did Marquis Wu pass by?"
Xiao Fan said, "They always patrol on the Cross Street. They rarely patrol in the alleys. Don't worry. What did you find? Quickly take it out and let me see. "
Maqiao's chest was bulging. He sat on the wall and took out an open plate and two vases with willow branches and fresh flowers. He said, "Really unlucky! I thought this Huang Yuanwai was very rich. Who would have thought that he is a ball of horse dung, sheep dung egg. He looks good on the outside but not good on the inside. He looks extravagant, but he doesn't have anything valuable in his house. I only found these few things. "
Yang Fan laughed, shoved the plate into his chest and said, "This belongs to me, the bottle belongs to you."
Maqiao said, "Yes."
He put his hand into his chest and took out two more things. He waved them in front of Yang Fan and proudly said, "Look, what is this?"
"What is it?"
Yang Fan stretched out his hand and took one from his hand. It was round, a little bigger than a duck's egg. He put it under his nose and sniffed it. He was pleased and said, "Orange!"
Maqiao said, "Ah, you know what's good. Since you've eaten it, don't eat it. Give it back to me."
Yang Fan chuckled and blocked Ma Qiao's hand. He peeled off the skin of the orange and stuffed a piece of the orange into his mouth. The orange was juicy and slightly sour. As soon as he bit into it, the juice overflowed his mouth, but all he could feel was its sweet fragrance. Maqiao looked at him and asked, "How is it? Is it good?"
Yang Fan broke half of the orange and gave it to Maqiao. Maqiao gently broke off a piece and sniffed it. His face was relaxed and happy. He then put the orange piece into his mouth and carefully took a bite. His eyebrows moved and he said, "Delicious! It really is delicious! "
Yang Fan disapprovingly said, "This orange is not ripe yet. It's a little sour and I don't like it. You can have these two pieces too."
Maqiao said, "You're so picky. If you don't want to eat it, you should have said so earlier. Why did you peel it?" He grumbled as he took the orange from Yang Fan's hand.
Poor people like them did not have many chances to eat oranges. Even though oranges were on the market in large quantities and the price was not very expensive, it was still not something they could afford. Or it could be said that they were not willing to spend money to enjoy such a luxury.
At this time, oranges were not on the market in large quantities yet. The only people who could eat oranges in Luoyang were the royal family and officials. Following them were the wealthy gentry and merchants. Commoners like them did not have this kind of good fortune.
It was not that Yang Fan did not like to eat oranges. It was just that he knew that although Maqiao was a petty thief, he was very filial. The orange that he left behind must be taken back to show filial piety to his mother. The half orange that was given to him, he was not willing to eat it. He must have wanted to show filial piety to his mother, so he said that he did not like oranges so that Maqiao could have a taste of oranges.
Maqiao was very filial, filial to the point that Yang Fan could not imagine. Maqiao's father was called Ma Le. Because his name had the word "Le" in it, Maqiao never smiled. Just like just now, when he wanted to smile, he would hum twice to show that he was smiling. Although other people thought it was strange, he had used this method since he was young to show his joy, so it was very natural for him to use it.
His father's name was naturally avoided, but to avoid it to such an unimaginable degree, in Yang Fan's eyes it was a bit boring. But although he could not do it himself, he still respected this kind of filial piety. At least, Maqiao still had a mother to show filial piety to, but what about him?
Yang Fan raised his head and looked at the mysterious sky. He faintly sighed: the son wants to raise, but his parents are not there! There was a regret that could never be made up for.
Yang Fan was still sighing with emotion when he suddenly saw a strange scene in the sky. In the midst of the stars, there was a black shadow with a long sword on his back. His clothes fluttered in the wind, like a large bird spreading its wings and flying through the sky!
…
Note: In ancient times, the Empress Dowager could refer to herself as Zhen. The "Book of the Later Han: The Annals of the Emperor He Shang" states: "The Empress Dowager issued an edict: 'The current Emperor is still young, and he is still feeling guilty.
This Empress Dowager, who called herself "Zhen" in the edict, was the second Empress of the Eastern Han Emperor Liu Zhao — Empress He Xi, and Empress Dowager Deng during the reign of Emperor Shang and Emperor An. In addition, Wu Zetian was not only the Empress Dowager at that time, but also the Empress before that. When she was on the same level as the Two Sages of Gaozong, she already called herself "Zhen".
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