Song Zhixun's expression immediately changed when he saw King Liang. "King Liang, something terrible has happened!"
Wu Sansi was shocked to see him like this. He hurriedly asked, "Why are you panicking?"
Song Zhixun said, "This lowly official has always been in charge of the imperial family's banquets and food …"
Wu Sansi said impatiently, "I know. Hurry up and tell me what it is!"
Song Zhixun said, "Understood! Today, the minister invited Zhou Xing and a few of the imperial family's scions to a banquet. While they were drunk, this lowly official's men happened to overhear … "
The minister Song Zhixun was referring to was Wu Chengsi.
Wu Chengsi was the oldest male in the Wu clan, so it was only natural that he would take on the position of minister. The minister was an official who was in charge of the internal affairs of the imperial family. He could be a member of the imperial family, or he could be a relative of the imperial family by marriage. He could even be a minister with a different surname. However, the position was usually held by a senior member of the imperial family, and most of them were prominent officials of the imperial court.
Wu Chengsi was the minister of the current Great Zhou Empire. The 'scions' that Song Zhixun mentioned were naturally the scions of the Wu clan, and not the Li clan.
Wu Sansi was shocked when he heard Song Zhixun's words.
Song Zhixun had told him that Wu Chengsi had been drinking with a few of his trusted subordinates, and that he had revealed his next step. However, he hadn't noticed that a minor official from the Guanglu Temple, who had come to deliver the imperial wine, hadn't left yet. This minor official was Song Zhixun's trusted aide.
Song Zhixun said. After getting drunk, Wu Chengsi had proudly declared that the Li Faction had been utterly defeated by him, and that the imperial court still needed hundreds of officials to maintain order. If they continued to fight, the emperor might step in to stop them. Thus, it would be better to let the Li Faction go and deal with King Liang instead.
"He wants Zhou Xing to fabricate evidence to implicate Wu Sansi's faction and label them as rebels. Now that the officials supporting Li Sansi are greatly weakened, they can only protect themselves and can't do anything to him. As long as Wu Sansi is defeated, the Son of Heaven will have no choice but to make him the Crown Prince. When he becomes the Emperor, he will not mistreat those loyal to him."
This Song Zhi Xun imitated Wu Cheng Si's tone and phrasing to perfection. In order to gain Wu San Si's trust, he even made up a list of rewards for Wu Cheng Si after he ascended to the throne. For example, Zhou Xing would be the Prime Minister, Qiu Shen Ji would be the Great General, and many other royal titles would be conferred to the children of the royal family. The Wu Clan's nephews that he listed were all close to Wu Cheng Si.
When Wu Sansi heard Song Zhixun's secret report, his eyes immediately suffused with a murderous glint. He said viciously, "This prince hasn't taken care of him yet, but he has the idea of targeting this prince first! Good! I really want to see who will be able to defeat who! I will immediately enter the palace to see the Emperor. Guards! Guards! Bring Ye An … "
Song Zhixun hurriedly stopped him and said, "Your Highness, Wei Wang had just instructed Zhou Xing to frame you today. When this lowly official arrived, they were still drinking. How would they be able to produce enough evidence to overthrow Your Highness so quickly? Now that it's almost dusk, if Your Highness hurriedly enters the palace at this time with witnesses, the commotion will not be small. How would Your Highness know that Wei Wang does not have eyes and ears in the palace? Once he is on guard, or draws a clear line between himself and Qiu Shen Ji, then … So this matter must be carried out in secret! "
"Oh …"
Wu Sansi pondered for a long time before nodding his head heavily. He said, "En, what you said makes sense! Then this prince will endure for one more night! "
Wu Sansi said to Song Zhixun, "This time, it was all thanks to you. Otherwise, this prince would have suffered a great loss from Wu Cheng Si. Don't worry, this great merit, this prince will remember it. In the future, when this prince becomes the Crown Prince, you will definitely not be lacking in benefits! "
… …
Shangguan Wan 'er, Little Hai, and the other eunuchs and palace maids stood silently in front of the Martial Achievement Hall.
After a long time, Little Hai quietly approached Shangguan Wan 'er and said in a low voice, "Waiting to be controlled. King Liang is so secretive. What could possibly happen?"
Ever since the word 'Zhao' had offended Wu Zetian's name, the imperial court had changed the word 'Zhao' to 'Zhi'. Shangguan Wai Zhao naturally became Shangguan Wai Zhi.
Shangguan Wan 'er glanced at him and said indifferently, "When working before the Emperor, don't ask what you shouldn't ask, don't listen to what you shouldn't hear, and don't know what you shouldn't know even if you do know!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" Little Hai lowered his head and quietly retreated.
Shangguan Wan 'er thought to herself, The situation in the imperial court is extremely grim. For Wu Sansi to request an audience with the emperor at a time like this, and to make a secret memorial at that, I fear that the storm in the imperial court will become even more dangerous. In any case, Langjun is only a general in charge of the palace's security. No matter what happens, my Erlang won't be implicated. At a time like this, I should be even more careful so that I don't get dragged into this mess and make Erlang worry for me!
Just as Shangguan Wan 'er was thinking these things, Wu Zetian's somewhat austere voice came from the hall. "Wan' er!"
Shangguan Wan 'er was startled. She hurriedly replied, "Your subject is here!" She immediately rushed into the hall and saw Wu Sansi bowing in front of Wu Zetian. The lotus and phoenix porcelain bowl in front of Wu Zetian had already fallen onto the carpet in front of the table. The bowl didn't break, but the lid was broken in half.
Shangguan Wan 'er had rarely seen Wu Zetian lose her composure like this. She was even more startled. She hurriedly bowed and stood still. Wu Zetian said, "Have the inner guards and the hundred horsemen each send ten people to follow Wu Sansi back to his residence to bring one person back to the palace to see me!"
Shangguan Wan 'er was bewildered, but her face was still calm and indifferent. She replied, "Yes, Your Highness!"
Wu Zetian said, "Summon Lou Shide and Lai Junchen to the palace to see Your Highness!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Although Lou Shide spent most of his time at the border, as a high-ranking military official, he also had his own residence in Luojing. His residence was in Xishan Square. It was considered a pair of close neighbors with Yang Fan of Xishan Square.
"Pass down the decree. Wu Youyi will take over the defense of the nine gates. Li Duozuo will take over the defense of the palace. The inner guards and the Dragon Guards are to immediately assemble and await orders! Without Zhen's personally written edict and the tiger seal, they are not to act rashly! "
"Yes, Your Highness!"
This time, Shangguan Wan 'er's voice finally became nervous. Seeing that Wu Zetian had no other instructions, Shangguan Wan' er hurriedly turned and left. Wu Sansi bowed to Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian waved her hand and he followed Shangguan Wan 'er out.
After they all left, there was only Wu Zetian left in the hall. Wu Zetian's face was full of fatigue. Even the most outstanding female ornament official could not use exquisite makeup to conceal her aged appearance.
She was silent for a long time. In a low voice, she shouted, "Guards!"
There was originally no one in the hall. All the attendants had been driven out when Wu Sansi reported the secret. But as soon as Wu Zetian's voice fell, four people suddenly came out from behind two pillars. They were dressed in martial attire and carried swords on their shoulders. They stood solemnly in front of her.
Wu Zetian ordered, "Secretly control the residences of Wu Chengsi, Qiu Shenji, and Zhou Xing. If there are any suspicious movements, kill them on the spot!"
The four warriors in martial attire with swords on their backs bowed to her. Without a word, they turned around and disappeared again.
Shanghai Wan'er personally arranged for Huang Xuchang, Zhang Xitong, and ten other warriors of the Hundred Cavalry, as well as Gao Ying, Lan Yiqing, and ten other female guards to follow Wu Sansi back to fetch the people. When these twenty fully armed people arrived in front of them, Wu Sansi cupped his hands towards Shanghai Wan'er and said with a smile, "You are welcome!"
Shanghai Wan'er looked at their backs as they hurriedly left. Her heart was uneasy. Ever since she came to be by Wu Zetian's side, she had never seen Wu Zetian so cautious. She still did not know what had happened. But she knew that something major must have happened. Being in the middle of it all, how could she not be on guard?
Shanghai Wan'er was about to go back and reply to Wu Zetian. She had not gone far when she saw Yang Fan leading a group of Yulin Guards hurriedly walking over. The two of them bumped into each other. Under the watchful eyes of the public, they could not reveal their personal relationship. Yang Fan stopped and respectfully bowed to her.
Shanghai Wan'er waved her hand and the four little servants behind her immediately retreated a few steps. Seeing this, Yang Fan hurried forward a few steps and walked to her side. Wan'er said in a low voice, "You brought so many people, what are you going to do?"
Yang Fan said, "Wu Youyi ordered to strengthen the security in the palace. He told me to bring people to the armory to move the crossbows and fortify the palace!"
As Yang Fan said this, he showed her a talisman given by Wu Youyi. The palace defense of the palace was usually only equipped with close-range weapons. They were not allowed to distribute bows and arrows or heavy crossbows. These things were stored in the armory and could not be used unless there was an order. But at this moment, they actually wanted to take out the bed crossbows and other heavy long-range weapons to equip the palace defense. Yang Fan knew that something big must have happened. For them to be so nervous, could it be that someone was plotting a rebellion?
Shangguan Wan 'er could see the confusion in his eyes. She shook her head lightly and said, "I don't know what happened either. Today, Wu Sansi suddenly asked to see everyone and asked everyone to leave. After that, everyone gave a series of orders …"
Shanghai Wan'er revealed the edict that Wu Zetian had issued to Yang Fan. She said with concern, "Something big must have happened. Strengthening the palace defense should also be a precautionary measure. I don't think anyone would dare to attack the palace. Langjun only needs to follow the orders. Do not slack off and be punished by the Emperor. "
"Don't worry! Then I will go now. "
"Yes, Langjun, be careful!"
Shanghai Wan'er watched as Yang Fan led the group of soldiers to the armory in Jia City. She also turned and returned to Wu Cheng Hall.
Yang Fan originally did not know what had happened. But when Shanghai Wan'er told him about the edict from Wu Zetian, he naturally understood what had happened. Wu Sansi had indeed made a move!
Wu Chengsi was the Prime Minister, Prince, and Minister of the Imperial Court. He had many henchmen in the palace and court. Qiu Shenji also controlled the tens of thousands of soldiers stationed in Mengjin. Since they were going to move against them, it was not surprising that Wu Zetian had made such arrangements in advance.
"What method did Taiping use? This woman is really … "
As Yang Fan walked, he thought of Princess Taiping and could not help but admire her. The current Emperor was a heroine, but her two sons, the current Crown Prince and the Prince of Luling of Fangzhou, were said to be very mediocre and cowardly. Who would have thought that they would give birth to such an amazing daughter.
In front of others, she was a graceful and noble princess of the Tang dynasty. Behind the scenes, she was a strategic and resourceful female Zhuge. But … why is it that in front of me, she is like an unsatisfied woman in her boudoir, always thinking about sex?
Yang Fan's face twitched a few times. He remembered that every time he met Princess Taiping, no matter what important things they talked about, they would always end up talking about love. He could not help but not know whether to laugh or cry.
Shanghai Wan'er hurried back to Wu Cheng Hall. Seeing Little Hai standing respectfully by the door, she asked, "Has the edict been passed down?"
Little Hai said, "I did not dare to delay. I have passed it down."
Wu Zetian heard the conversation from inside the hall. She raised her voice and said, "Wan'er, you're back? Come in! "
Wan'er did not dare to be negligent and quickly walked into the hall. She saw Wu Zetian, who was usually in high spirits and full of energy, sitting there listlessly. Her eyes were wandering, like an old woman with one foot in the grave. She could not help but be surprised.
Wu Zetian's eyes moved slightly and fixed on Wan'er's face. She mournfully said, "The Emperor is really alone! Who in the world can be trusted? "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
