The night was as black as ink, the crescent moon was like a hook, and the stars in the sky were like the eyes of a beauty, twinkling and bewitching …
It was a summer night, and the heat of the day had dissipated. A gentle night breeze blew through the palace, bringing with it a refreshing feeling that greatly boosted the spirits of the guards patrolling the night. There was a faint moisture in the wind. It looked like there would be a good rain tonight or tomorrow morning.
The magnificent palaces during the day were like giant beasts hibernating in the darkness at this moment. However, the magnificent halls and heavens still stood majestically even in the night, giving off an aura that made people want to prostrate themselves and worship them at a glance.
The guards in the palace wore bright military uniforms and carried standard long swords. They quietly patrolled between the halls and pavilions. In the darkness of the night, only the sound of their light footsteps could be heard, sometimes coming, and sometimes leaving.
The Crown Prince's Palace was up ahead.
There was only one master in this palace, and that was the current empress. No one had ever taken this crown prince seriously, not even the guards. Even though the Crown Prince's Palace was a place they had to patrol every day, in the eyes of the guards, this place did not have any special meaning.
When they passed by this place, they felt even less respect than when they passed by the Martial Accomplishment Palace, where the emperor usually worked, even though there was no one there at night. The one leading the group was a captain called Ye Jingqiu. Ye Jingqiu glanced at the Crown Prince's Palace. Like every night, he would casually walk past the palace gates and enter the shadows of the high palace walls. Then, he would continue forward and complete the first cycle of his patrol.
But when he looked over, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He was surprised to find that in this silent night, there was a person standing in front of the Crown Prince's Palace. The person was bending over the crack in the door and looking inside. Ye Jingqiu was a bit shocked. He pressed down on his blade and shouted, "Who is it?"
As he shouted, he quickly rushed forward. The person standing in front of the palace gates seemed to jump in fright. He suddenly straightened his back and turned his head to look in this direction. Then, like a leopard cat, he quickly fled into the distance along the shadows of the palace walls.
"Chase! Bring him back for me! "
Seeing that person flee, Ye Jingqiu immediately became alert. He immediately gave an order and a few subordinates quickly chased after him.
Ye Jingqiu hurried over to the Crown Prince Palace. He looked at the tall and sturdy palace doors and pushed them open. The doors were tightly shut and didn't move at all.
The palace security during the Tang and Song Dynasties was far less strict than during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the palace was locked at night. Even if the sky fell, as long as the sky was not bright, the palace would not open. Even if someone came to snitch that someone was rebelling, they could only pass the memorial in through the small door on the main gate. During the Tang and Song dynasties, as long as the emperor was willing, even if he summoned the ministers at night, they could still enter the palace.
However, the current Crown Prince of the Great Zhou, Wu Dan, was different. His identity was too special. He knew very well that his position as Crown Prince was created by his mother to appease the people. There were too many people in the Wu Clan who desired his position as Crown Prince, so he was usually very cautious. During the day, without the Emperor's orders, he would not take a step out of the Crown Prince Palace. At night, the palace doors would be tightly closed. There was no way for servants to come and go. This was what Ye Jingqiu felt suspicious about.
There were two palace lanterns hanging on the two sides of the Crown Prince Palace. Although the light was not very bright, it was still enough to see the ground. Ye Jingqiu rushed to the palace doors and pushed them. The palace doors did not budge. He looked up and down and suddenly found that there seemed to be something stuffed under the door.
Ye Jingqiu's heart jumped. He quickly bent down and grabbed the thing. It was actually a letter. Ye Jingqiu looked at it under the light. There was nothing written on the surface of the letter. At this time, someone inside the palace yawned and lazily asked, "Who is it? Why are you knocking on the door in the middle of the night?"
Ye Jingqiu calmly put the letter in his sleeve and said in a clear voice, "We were patrolling here and were resting for a bit. We accidentally bumped into the door knocker. Please forgive us, but please don't disturb the Crown Prince. We cannot afford to offend you. "
Crown Prince Wu Dan was usually very low-key. He didn't dare offend anyone in the palace. Since his master was like this, the servants serving him naturally couldn't raise their spirits. Hearing that the person outside was a guard patrolling the palace, the eunuch inside muttered a few words before turning to leave.
At this time, the imperial bodyguards who had been chasing after him came back, panting. One of them said, "Captain, that person is more familiar with the palace's terrain than us. In just a few moments, he disappeared without a trace. We didn't catch him! "
Ye Jingqiu's eyes turned slightly and he ordered his assistant, "Continue patrolling. Don't make a sound. I will immediately report to the inner palace!"
… …
"Everyone is already asleep. What urgent matter do you have that you would barge into the inner palace at night? Are you tired of living?"
Wei Tuan 'er was served by her lover, Eunuch Jing, and had just rested. She hadn't slept for long when she was woken up by a little palace maid. Wei Tuan 'er was displeased. She casually put on some clothes and angrily came out.
When she had slept at night, she had already taken off her bra. At this time, her clothes were a bit thin. She angrily walked out, her chest heaving up and down. It was a spectacular sight.
Ye Jingqiu's eyes almost fell into a deep ravine. He was so scared that he quickly lowered his eyes and said humbly, "Miss Tuan 'er, if it was a small matter, this Ye wouldn't dare disturb you. It's just that this matter is a bit strange and the person involved has a very special identity. This Ye is on duty and has a great responsibility. I don't dare to delay. "
Wei Tuan 'er glared at him in annoyance and stuck out her chest even more. She impatiently said, "Just what is it?"
Ye Jingqiu quickly took out the letter from his sleeve and said, "This Ye is on night patrol. When I arrived at the Crown Prince Palace, I saw someone sneakily peeking into the palace. This Ye shouted and that person fled. That person seemed to be very familiar with the layout of the palace and disappeared in a few steps. There are many noble people living in the palace, so this Ye couldn't search around and lost track of him. However … "
Ye Jingqiu held up the letter with both hands and handed it forward. He said, "This Ye found something like this in the crack of the door. I didn't dare to deal with it on my own. After thinking about it, I decided to report it to everyone."
"En?"
When Wei Tuan 'er heard that there was something strange in front of the Crown Prince's Palace, the impatience on her face had disappeared. Hearing him say that, she immediately received the letter impatiently. She moved closer to the wall and took out the letter. Borrowing the bright candlelight, she read it carefully. Immediately her countenance changed as she said, "This letter, have you read it?"
Ye Jingqiu said, "This Ye has never seen it!"
Wei Tuan 'er said, "Good! Good! Wait here, I'll go see everyone right away! "
Wei Tuan 'er held the letter and hurriedly left. As she walked, her chest surged again, shaking Captain Ye until he was dizzy.
In Wu Zetian's bedroom, there was only a candlestick in front of the dressing table. All of the grand and magnificent scenery in the bedroom was buried in the darkness. Wei Tuan 'er stood in front of the bed, holding her breath as she looked at Wu Zetian who was sitting on the bed. Under the light, Wu Zetian appeared even older than when she was neatly dressed during the day. At this moment, she looked like an old woman in her twilight years.
But no old woman in her twilight years could have the kind of presence she had. The candlelight made her face half bright and half dark. It pulled out a long shadow of her body that shone on the tall and wide palace walls, turning her into a giant. Her face was old, and her hair was white without the wig, but in the flickering of the candlelight, there was an awe-inspiring and murderous air between her brows.
Wei Tuan'er was the person who took care of her, and was the person closest to her. She knew better than anyone that this high and mighty empress was just like any other ordinary person. She was tired and weak, and had desires and emotions. However, at this moment, when she saw the murderous look in her eyes, she actually felt uneasy and fearful.
Yet Wu Zetian's hand was not as determined and murderous as her eyes. Her hand was trembling slightly. Wei Tuan 'er knew very well that although the empress was old, her hands and feet were still very steady. The trembling hand holding the letter was not because she was old, but because of anger, or … fear?
"Immediately move to Five Phoenix Tower!"
Wu Zetian seemed to suddenly wake up. She suddenly raised her head and ordered Wei Tuan 'er.
"Yes!"
Wei Tuan 'er quickly moved outside the screen and ordered the servants to prepare a carriage. She had just returned to the inner chamber when Wu Zetian said again, "Where is Wan 'er? Quickly send someone to the Library of History and summon Wan' er to Five Phoenix Tower to accompany the Emperor!"
"In times of danger, everyone will think of Wan 'er first!"
Wei Tuan 'er was jealous, but there was nothing she could do. She quickly went out to pass the decree, but Wu Zetian said again, "Wait, pass the decree: All guards in Jia City are to Five Phoenix Tower to protect the Emperor! Also, immediately send someone out of the palace to summon Wu Youyi and Wu Youji to Five Phoenix Tower to see the Emperor! "
"Yes!"
Wu Zetian's nervous tone made Wei Tuan 'er nervous, and she quickly went out to pass the decree. In a short while, the eunuchs and palace maids swarmed in. Wu Zetian did not leisurely dress herself. She was wearing the cotton clothes she wore when she went to bed, hugged a thin blanket, and was helped onto the carriage. They left the palace in a hurry and rushed to Five Phoenix Tower.
Five Phoenix Tower was built on top of the Gate of Heaven by Emperor Yang of Sui, and was called the Gate of Heaven. Before Wu Zetian built the Hall of Light and Heaven, the Gate of Heaven was the most magnificent building in Luo Yang's palace. This building was in the shape of a concave shape, consisting of a gate tower, a flower tower, and a watchtower. The lower part of the foundation was four hundred feet from east to west, and two hundred feet from north to south. The city gate was more than eight feet deep, and the city wall built on this foundation was one hundred and twenty feet high. On top of the city wall, there were nine main buildings with double eaves, called Five Phoenix Tower.
In the entire palace, this place was the tallest and most sturdy, easy to defend and hard to attack. As long as there were a hundred people guarding the city wall, blocking the way up and down, even if there were thousands of soldiers, it would not be easy to break through before all the warriors on the city wall were killed. Therefore, this was the first place that Wu Zetian thought of as a safe place.
The carriage was carried by eight fat and strong eunuchs, speeding towards Five Phoenix Tower.
Wu Zetian hugged a thin blanket as she sat on the carriage. As the carriage moved, her body rose and fell, her heart was in a mess, and her lips were completely pale.
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