Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 119 Goodbye Queen Wang

Dawn is rising and the east is gradually getting brighter.

Among the tens of thousands of people in the entire Taiji Palace, the women in the Ye Ting Palace are the first to wake up every day.

Some of these women were family members of criminal officials, some were palace maids who had committed mistakes, and some were palace maids left over from the former Sui Dynasty.

Every day before the hour of Mao, they have to get up to work, washing clothes, cleaning toilets, and carrying manure to water the garden.

They do the hardest and most tiring work.

The best-treated group of people in the Ye Ting Palace were from the Zhongyitai in the northeast corner.

Those who are good at singing, dancing and appearance in the Ye Ting Palace have the opportunity to be selected to join the Art Stage to learn singing and dancing, and even have the opportunity to perform in front of the emperor.

If you are favored by the king, you may have the possibility of becoming a phoenix.

Although the dancers in the various art stages also had to train hard in singing and dancing every day, they did not have to do rough labor and could also get rouge and powder, which made other women in the Yiting Palace envious.

At dawn, a diligent dancer from the Zhongyi Stage had already put on her clothes and was ready to go to the well to fetch water to wash and then start the day's training.

She quickly walked to the well and turned the wheel down, but heard a "bang" sound and the wheel seemed to hit something.

She stuck her head out to look into the well, and after looking carefully for a while, she vaguely saw a blurry black shadow in the well.

After taking a closer look, he suddenly screamed.

"Ah! There's someone at the bottom of the well!"

Wu Meiniang was having breakfast when she learned that a palace maid had died in the Yeting Palace, which made her lose her appetite immediately.

"Who died?" she asked, looking up.

Concubine Jiang said, "It was a dancer from the Arts Center. She seemed to have left a suicide note."

Wu Meiniang asked, "What did you write?"

Concubine Jiang whispered, "She said that last night, near the small pond behind Chengqing Palace, she was abused by an official. Unable to bear the humiliation, she committed suicide."

A trace of anger flashed in Wu Meiniang's eyes. She asked, "Did she write down the official's name?"

Concubine Jiang said, "It's not stated, but the letter states that the person is a young man, so it shouldn't be difficult to investigate."

Wu Meiniang frowned.

There weren't many young officials qualified to attend yesterday's banquet, so it was easy to investigate.

However, she vaguely felt that there was something strange about this matter.

Wu Meiniang ordered: "Since this matter is related to the ministers in the court, you should report it to His Majesty."

Jiang Shang Gong nodded in agreement and left.

Wu Meiniang ordered someone to call Zhang Duohai in and said in a deep voice, "Go and investigate what's so special about the deceased dancer at the Zhongyitai."

Zhang Duohai said, "I obey your orders."

Jiang Shang Gong came all the way to Ganlu Palace. After reporting, not long after, Wang Fusheng took her into the hall.

In addition to Li Zhi, there was another young official in the hall.

Palace Lady Jiang recognized the other person as Di Renjie, the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple, who was recently favored by the emperor.

"This servant greets everyone."

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "No need to be so polite. I heard that the Queen sent you here. I wonder what you are doing here?"

Concubine Jiang lowered her head and said, "To answer everyone, last night, a dancer from the Arts Center committed suicide by jumping into a well. She left a suicide note saying that she was raped by an official near Chengqing Palace last night."

Li Zhi's eyes flashed as he looked towards Di Renjie and said, "Di Qing, go and see if it's the woman you saw yesterday."

Di Renjie's heart sank, and he thought to himself, "What a sinister tactic! If I had drunk that glass of wine, I would be speechless now." He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I obey."

Di Renjie followed Jiang Shanggong to the Yeting Palace and soon saw the corpse, which was the woman he saw last night.

He examined the woman carefully and found that she had no injuries on her body.

If someone was knocked unconscious and thrown into a well, there would be bruises on his body. If he was not knocked unconscious, he would definitely struggle and shout, and would not be discovered only after he was dead.

From this we can see that the woman most likely committed suicide.

Di Renjie was even more shocked that the other party could make a court dancer commit suicide willingly.

Di Renjie returned to Ganlu Palace and bowed to Li Zhi, saying, "Your Majesty, the dancer who died was the woman from last night."

Li Zhi snorted coldly, "Since they want to harm you, I will ask you to investigate this case. Once you have found out, report to me immediately. No matter who it is, I will not tolerate it!"

Di Renjie said, "I obey your order!"

……

A few days later, at Liu Mansion.

Liu Sheng was extremely frightened at home.

The dancer had been dead for several days, and there was no news from the palace. Even if a stone was thrown into the water, there should be bubbles.

Could it be that the suicide note was not found, so the case was treated as an ordinary suicide?
Just then, a servant came to report that Xiao Rui wanted to see him.

Liu Sheng said anxiously: "Please invite him in."

Xiao Rui also had a gloomy expression on his face. After entering the room, he angrily said, "Liu Sheng, are you kidding me?"

Liu Sheng waved his hand to dismiss the servants and asked irritably, "Why do you say that?"

Xiao Rui said coldly, "There's no news about the Chengqing Palace incident, not even an investigation. Even if the Saint wanted to favor Di Renjie, he should have investigated and found out it was Di Renjie's doing before showing favoritism, right?"

Liu Sheng said anxiously: "I don't know what's going on either!"

Xiao Rui said coldly: "Did you not follow the plan at all?"

Liu Sheng said angrily: "This is about my life and property, why would I lie to you?"

Xiao Rui stared at him for a moment and sighed, "Then we can only assume the worst-case scenario. A loophole in the plan was discovered by Di Renjie in advance and reported to the Saint."

Liu Sheng's face turned pale.

Xiao Rui asked, "Thinking along these lines, do you think Di Renjie can find you?"

Liu Sheng was silent for a while, then said, "Then it depends on whether he dares to investigate Queen Wang."

Xiao Rui's expression changed as he asked, "Is this matter related to Queen Wang?"

Liu Sheng sighed, "If it weren't for her help, how could I let a palace dancer die for me?"

……

Lizheng Hall.

"You said that the dancer was originally a maid in Lizheng Palace?" Wu Meiniang stared at Zhang Duohai.

Zhang Duohai whispered, "Your Highness, that's exactly right. After the concubine Wang was deposed, the maid was banished to the Ye Ting Palace. Later, because of her good looks and dancing talent, she was selected to join the National Art Theater."

Wu Meiniang's eyes flickered as she asked, "So, Wang Shuren was involved in this matter?"

Zhang Duohai chuckled and said, "I heard that the dancer was extremely loyal to Wang Shuren. Every time a dancer teased Wang Shuren, she would fight with them. The only person who could incite her to commit suicide was Wang Shuren."

Wu Meiniang was silent for a moment, then said, "Strange, if you can find out everything, why hasn't Di Renjie reported it to the Saint yet?"

Zhang Duohai blinked his green eyes and said, "Could it be that Wang Fusheng is obstructing this?"

Wu Meiniang shook her head and said, "Although Wang Fusheng is loyal to the commoner Wang, he is also good at protecting himself. After being warned by Your Majesty last time, he probably doesn't have the courage."

Zhang Duohai asked, "Could it be that Di Renjie has already reported it?"

Wu Meiniang said to herself, "If His Majesty knew that it was Wang Shuren who ordered this, then he..."

His face turned pale and he said, "Go and see if His Majesty is still in the palace." Zhang Duohai's face changed color and he said, "Are you worried about His Majesty going to see Wang Shuren?"

Wu Meiniang's face showed a trace of panic, and she said anxiously: "Hurry up and go!"

Jiang Shanggong was also sent there. Not long after, the two of them reported that Li Zhi was not in Ganlu Palace or in any other palace.

Wu Meiniang touched her belly and said with a wry smile, "He...really went to see Wang Shuren..."

……

The evening drums had stopped, the gates were closed, and the streets of Chang'an were quiet.

A carriage was traveling from north to south.

The carriage was plainly decorated with dark blue curtains, but it was guarded by dozens of Qianniu Guards.

The patrolling Jinwu Guards saw it from afar, but no one dared to go up to check.

Li Zhi sat in the carriage, lifted a corner of the curtain and looked out.

This was his first time leaving the palace at night, and the city of Chang'an at night was a bit more eerie.

Li Zhi lowered the curtain and said to Di Renjie, who was sitting nearby, "Does she really insist on me coming over before she speaks?"

Di Renjie said, "Yes, no matter how hard I tried to persuade her, she only said one thing. Only after I said you were gone did she speak."

Di Renjie was also speechless.

I originally thought it was a small case, but it turned out to be the fault of the deposed queen.

Moreover, every time he saw Wang Fusheng, he always said some incomprehensible words, as if there was something else he was saying but he was unwilling to say it clearly.

When Di Renjie was investigating a case, no one could stop him unless the emperor stopped him.

So he did not hide anything and went straight to the palace, where he met Wang Shu Ren in the small Taoist temple inside the palace.

When he told Wang Shuren the situation, Wang Shuren actually started crying.

After she finished crying, Di Renjie asked her questions, but she refused to say anything and only said that she wanted to meet the saint.

Di Renjie could not bring the former queen to the Dali Temple for interrogation, so he had to report to Li Zhi.

After listening to this, Li Zhi followed him out of the palace and went to the palace to meet Queen Wang.

Soon, the carriage arrived at the palace.

Wang Fusheng had already informed everyone in the palace in advance and asked them to keep it secret, so only Wang Fuzhi was there to greet him at the door.

After seeing Li Zhi's carriage, he ordered people to open the second gate, and personally led the way, leading the carriage to the backyard and stopping at the entrance of a quiet woods.

Queen Wang’s small Taoist temple is right in the woods.

The forest road was difficult to travel, so Li Zhi had to get off the carriage.

Wang Fuzhi hurriedly saluted him. Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "Get up. Don't tell anyone about what happened today."

Wang Fuzhi said hurriedly, "I understand."

Li Zhi walked towards the forest with his hands behind his back, feeling quite complicated.

Wang was one of the first women he met, but unfortunately, Li Zhi had not yet fully controlled the government at that time.

He was worried that Zhangsun Wuji would make a comeback and the aristocratic families would rise again. At that time, he did not have many ways to deal with Wang, so he could only send her back to the mansion temporarily.

Now that Zhangsun Wuji has retired, the political situation is completely under his control.

If he issued an order now to summon Wang and Xiao back to the palace, there would be no obstacles.

But do we really need to call them back?
Now that the harem has finally returned to peace, Wu Meiniang is pregnant with his child.

After these two people return to the palace, they start a palace fight again. What should we do if it hurts the children?
While Li Zhi was thinking, a temple appeared in front of his sight.

The door is ajar.

Li Zhi pushed the door open and walked in, crossed the courtyard, and came to a quiet room.

A stone statue of Zhenwu Emperor is enshrined in the house. A woman in Taoist robes is kneeling in front of Zhenwu Emperor with her back to Li Zhi.

Judging from her figure, it should be Queen Wang, but she is a little thinner than the Queen Wang in my memory.

Li Zhi waved his hand and ordered everyone else to leave, leaving only Wang Fusheng and Di Renjie behind.

Li Zhi didn't know how to address Wang Shi for a moment, so he had to use his old name and said, "Empress, I'm here."

Queen Wang's shoulders trembled slightly, she slowly stood up, turned around slowly, and stared at him with a pair of deep eyes.

She had indeed lost a lot of weight and her face was pale. Although she was not wearing any makeup, she had a natural beauty. Compared with before, she also had a more delicate temperament.

"Your Majesty! I finally see you again. I would be willing to die immediately." She cried out, and two lines of tears flowed from her eyes.

Li Zhi sighed and said nothing.

Queen Wang wiped her tears, and after a moment, she calmed down and said softly, "Your Majesty, may I have a few words with you alone?"

Li Zhi hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand to let Wang Fusheng and Di Renjie leave.

When they were the only ones left in the room, Queen Wang knelt before him and wept, "Your Majesty, I beg your pardon."

Li Zhi said, "What crime are you asking for?"

Queen Wang cried, "I used to cry out for justice, believing myself innocent, and always harboring resentment. However, since leaving the palace, I've thought about it day and night, and finally realized that I was the one who wronged Your Majesty."

Li Zhi was slightly stunned.

He thought that when he met Queen Wang, she would try every possible way to plead for mercy and hope to return to the palace, but he didn't expect that she would actually plead guilty herself.

Li Zhi asked, "How have you wronged me?"

Queen Wang choked up and said, "Your Majesty originally appointed my uncle as Prime Minister, hoping that my humble family would help you and check Zhangsun Wuji. But in order to make Li Zhong the crown prince, I followed my uncle's advice and showed my favor to Zhangsun Wuji, thus betraying Your Majesty. I was extremely foolish and will never be forgiven!"

Li Zhi went over and helped her up, saying, "It's all in the past. There's no need to mention it anymore."

Queen Wang said sadly, "From now on, I will pray for Your Majesty and the Tang Dynasty in the temple to atone for my sins."

Li Zhi was stunned. From her tone, it seemed that she no longer wanted to return to the palace.

Queen Wang wiped her tears again, paused for a moment, and said, "Fu'er's matter is indeed related to this humble concubine."

Li Zhi said, "Is Fu'er the dancer?"

Queen Wang said sadly, "Yes, a few days ago, my cousin came to me and said he wanted to rescue Fu'er from the Zhongyi Stage and make her his son's concubine. But he needed Fu'er's cooperation."

"I thought it would be a good thing for Fu'er to leave the palace and marry into the Liu family as a concubine. So I wrote a note and asked Fu'er to follow my instructions."

At this point, she choked up and said, "I never thought that he would use that note to force Fu'er to do such a thing, and then forced her to commit suicide. I am so sorry for her!"

Li Zhi asked, "What's your cousin's name?"

Queen Wang choked up and said, "Liu, Liu Sheng."

Li Zhi knew that she was not good at lying, and seeing her crying so sadly, he thought this should be true.

He squatted down, patted Wang's shoulder, and said, "Fu'er is willing to do that for you, which shows her loyalty. I will bury her with honor."

Queen Wang kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty... Thank you, Your Majesty..." Her voice was mournful, like a cuckoo crying blood.

Seeing that her forehead was bleeding, Li Zhi reached out to hug her and gently patted her back.

After an unknown amount of time, Wang's voice became hoarse from crying and she finally stopped making any sound.

Li Zhi waited for a long time, then turned his head and found that she had fallen asleep in his arms.

　Alang, ladies, if Queen Wang were allowed to return to the palace, could you accept it?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)