Gu Zhuting quickly went forward and helped Yang Fan up from the bed. After lying down for three days, even though Yang Fan had a sturdy body, he still felt a little dizzy when he got up. His body tilted, and his shoulder touched a soft and elastic piece of flesh. Gu Zhuting blushed, but she pretended not to know and just supported him firmly, fearing that he would fall.
As soon as Yang Fan looked at the clothes hanging on the bedside, Gu Zhuting understood tacitly. She carefully let go of Yang Fan, and after making sure that he could stand steadily, she went to take the clothes and helped him put them on gently. Gu Zhuting was different from Xiaoman and Ah Nu. Deep down, she was more traditional than these two women. Therefore, once she made a decision, she would be especially docile and obedient.
Of course, this was due to her personality, but she was able to roam the Jianghu at the age of thirteen and take the head of a military governor. If it wasn't for the fact that she loved this man to death and cherished his love, how could she be willing to be so submissive?
"Cherish …"
Thinking of this word, Yang Fan was momentarily absent-minded. Ning Ke's death had caused a huge trauma to his heart. He now understood a principle, which was to never let what should be cherished turn into deep regret and sadness.
"Ah Lang has reached an agreement with the Hidden Sect. We can finally relax for a while."
Gu Zhuting knelt on one knee and squatted in front of Yang Fan. She carefully tidied up his robe and spoke delightfully.
"We have reached an agreement and can relax?" Yang Fan was tickled by this naive sentence. He gently held Gu Zhuting's smooth shoulder, and Gu Zhuting stood up obediently.
As they were standing face to face, she shyly lowered her head. Her elegant and fair neck was like a swan that was bending down to peck its wings. A smear of blush quickly climbed up her cheeks, and her perky breasts were like a pair of honey peaches that were nodding gently in the wind. The peaches were ripe and waiting for their owner to reach out and pluck them.
Yang Fan didn't know why he turned a blind eye to such a good woman and turned a blind eye to her tender feelings. He gently scratched the tip of Gu Zhuting's nose and said intimately, "You! Originally, there were some things that I wasn't very sure about, but today's snort has made me understand something. "
Because of this intimate action of his, Gu Zhuting's heart was immediately filled with happiness. She gently raised her eyes and gazed at her lover, her heaven, and obediently asked, "What's the reason?"
"The so-called alliance … is meant to be torn apart!"
…
"I want them to establish an alliance right here!"
Wu Zetian stood in the magnificent Tongtian Palace, lightly tapping her dragon crutch, and spoke in a powerful and resonant tone.
The Wanxiang Divine Palace that was destroyed by Xue Huaiyi was finally rebuilt. The entire magnificent and majestic palace was rebuilt in its original location, according to its original size and style. However, Wu Zetian had changed the name of the new palace.
Wu Zetian, who had always been a little superstitious, always felt that although the fire calamity was man-made, it could also be the will of the heavens. Otherwise, Xue Huaiyi was clearly burning "Heaven", so how could the fire spread to Wanxiang Divine Palace so quickly? Therefore, she renamed the new Ming Hall "Tongtian".
The final decorations of the Tongtian Palace had been completed. Accompanied by Shanghai Wan'er and the Zhang brothers, Wu Zetian slowly walked in the huge palace with the help of her dragon crutch. The entire palace was brand new, but everything was so familiar. It was as if the Wanxiang Divine Palace that had been destroyed in the fire had been rebuilt by her magical fingers. This gave her an indescribable sense of accomplishment.
Zhang Yizhi glanced at the joyful expression on Wu Zetian's face and softly suggested, "The Saints should hold a grand ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Tongtian Palace!"
Wu Zetian shook her head and said her plan, "I want them to establish an alliance here!"
"They?" Shanghai Wan'er quickly glanced at Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian looked up at the throne high above, as if she knew the doubts of the three closest people around her. She nodded her head vigorously and said, "Yes! They! "
Wu Zetian turned around and solemnly instructed Shanghai Wan'er, "Tomorrow the court will stop for a day. Pass on my oral edict that the Wu and Li Princes will be present at the newly completed Tongtian Palace early tomorrow morning!"
Ever since the Imperial College's Guang Wen Library's Professor Su Anheng sent the secret memorial through the copper bell, Wu Zetian had been somewhat uneasy. Before this, she had never doubted whether her decisions could be carried out firmly, but now she began to doubt. She wanted to use a ceremony and an oath to bind the Wu and Li families, to prevent them from falling into a war after her death.
However, could an alliance really bind others?
As a politician who was well versed in trickery and knew the pros and cons, Wu Zetian had never believed in its effectiveness. But now she had no choice but to place her hopes on this method to ensure the stability of the political situation behind her. For a woman who had been strong for half her life, how could it not be a kind of sorrow?
Wu Zetian also seemed to understand that the effect of this oath was limited. As she walked towards the palace door, her originally tall and straight chest slowly stooped down. In this magnificent palace that symbolized the fate of the empire and the imperial power, her figure inevitably aged.
Shanghai Wan'er, who had been by her side since the age of fourteen, received her guidance and assisted her in governing the country, stared at the figure of the woman she was most familiar with. Her heart suddenly floated a never-before-seen thought, "The master of this palace is gradually losing her empire!"
Wu Zetian stood at the entrance of the palace hall and added another sentence in an old but still dignified voice, "Call Taiping to come too!"
In the empty main hall, her last sentence echoed. Shanghai Wan'er and Zhang Yizhi looked at each other in surprise. Zhang Changzong happily chased after her and attentively supported Wu Zetian's arm. He simply could not understand the feelings in Wu Zetian's heart and did not understand what Wu Zetian's words meant.
He did not have any talent in politics, but he had appeared in the turbulent, treacherous and unpredictable center of power. For him, this was really a disaster and not a blessing. There was no eternal thing in the world. The unparalleled huge tree crown that had opened up to shelter him, a small blade of grass from the wind and rain, how long could it protect him?
… …
Tong Tian Palace was like a heavenly temple shrouded in the morning mist. The golden phoenix at the top of the palace was half hidden in the morning mist as if it had just flown here.
Early in the morning, the Wu princes gathered in the palace. In reality, they did not need to come so early, but Wu Zetian purposely stopped the court meeting for a day and issued an edict ordering all the Wu princes to gather in Tong Tian Palace. These Wu princes did not know what was going on and could not help but feel nervous.
Even the normally lazy Wu princes had woken up early today. Wei Prince Wu Chengsi was seriously ill and could no longer support himself. He also came shakily with his son's support.
The Wu princes naturally gathered in front of Liang Prince Wu Sansi and Wei Prince Wu Chengsi and asked them why the emperor had gathered all the princes today. In truth, Wu Sansi did not know either, but he was not willing to show that he did not know. As a result, he only shook his head with a sullen expression. "Don't ask. When His Majesty arrives, you will naturally know."
In the past, Wu Chengsi's influence had been even greater than Wu Sansi's, but the present was different. The number of people gathering around him was far fewer than the number surrounding Wu Sansi. Wu Chengsi lightly coughed and shook his head. Wu Sansi still needed to pretend to be well-informed but inconvenient to divulge information, but he did not even have the mood to pretend anymore.
He had fought with Wu Sansi for half his life, but now, just because his lifespan was about to run out, he had lost all his capital. What else was there to fight for?
In the distance, another group of people walked out of the mist. When they saw these people, the Wu princes immediately revealed astonished expressions.
They were … Prince of Xiang Li Dan and his five sons, as well as Crown Prince Li Xian and his three sons. Upon seeing this lineup, the Wu princes immediately understood. Today, the emperor had gathered all the princes of the Wu and Li clans. Li Xian had four sons, but the youngest was only six years old and had not yet been bestowed the title of king.
The Li clan's princes stopped when they were five or six zhang away from the Wu clan's princes. The two princes stood on the left and right sides of the imperial path in the middle of Heaven Palace, as if there was an invisible barrier between them.
The mist gradually dispersed, but the invisible barrier between the two princes did not disappear. On the Wu clan's side, Prince Wu Chengsi and Prince Wu Sansi stood in front. Wu Chengsi leaned on a walking stick as he strove to straighten his back.
The one standing next to him was an enemy, and the one standing across from him was also an enemy. Even if he was about to die, he was not willing to reveal an unsteady appearance in front of his old enemy and become a laughingstock. His son had been pushed to the back by him to stand with a group of princes.
On the other side, Crown Prince Li Xian and Prince of Xiang Li Dan stood in front, while the eight princes stood behind them. The drums on the Heavenly Gate had already begun to beat, and soon after, the entire city began to rumble. The sun shone down and the mist quickly dispersed, but it could not dispel the gloominess on the faces of the princes.
Of course, this gloominess only appeared on the faces of the princes. The expressions of the Crown Prince and the three princes at the front were completely different. Wu Chengsi had a completely indifferent expression on his face. From the day he confirmed that he had lost the right to fight, he no longer wanted to fight. Wu Sansi also had a similarly indifferent expression, because he didn't put anyone in his eyes.
Prince Li Dan's expression was extremely calm. He looked straight ahead, his hands at his side, and did not move at all. It was like he had already cast aside all worldly matters. Crown Prince Li Xian had a modest and gentle smile on his face. Occasionally, when his eyes met King Liang's, he would even give him an extremely amiable smile.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
With a loud shout, the kings of the Wu and Li families turned around at the same time. Wu Zetian rode an imperial carriage with only a few dozen attendants and guards surrounding her as she walked over from afar. There were no guards accompanying her. On her left and right were the two brothers, Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong, whose robes fluttered as if they were riding on the wind.
In front of the imperial carriage was Shanghai Wan'er, dressed in the dignified uniform of a female official, leisurely walking forward. There was another person at Wan'er's side. To everyone's surprise, this person was Princess Taiping. Princess Taiping was also dressed in splendid attire, solemn and serene, but also tender and charming. Next to her was Shanghai Wan'er, who was as elegant and graceful as a chrysanthemum flower.
… …
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