Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 184 Queen Subi
"She claims to be Queen Subi?" Li Zhi asked in surprise.

"Yes, I am not sure whether what she said is true or not, so I thought of reporting to Your Majesty first." Xue Rengui replied.

The two were sitting on the lake-viewing platform of the Linhu Palace.

In October, the autumn wind blows and the Nanhai Pond is covered with golden fallen leaves.

As the autumn wind blows, the fallen leaves float in the wind like small boats, looking like a small golden fleet, which is quite spectacular.

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "Wait a minute, if she is Queen Subi, then who is the Queen Subi that Cheng Wuting is in contact with?"

Xue Rengui said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I heard from Lan Ya that the previous queen of the Subi Kingdom was named Subi Mojie. She died at the hands of the Tibetans. She is the successor queen and the only queen."

Li Zhi stared at him and said, "Are you saying that the queen Cheng Wuting is in contact with is fake?"

Xue Rengui said after a while, "If what Lan Ya said is true, then this is indeed possible."

After hearing this, Wang Fusheng's face turned slightly pale.

Li Zhi took a deep breath and said, "Fu Sheng, go find Wang Jishan immediately and send someone to notify Lord Li to come see me."

Wang Fusheng agreed and left quickly.

Li Zhi pondered for a moment, then asked Xue Rengui, "Mr. Xue, where is that woman now?"

Xue Rengui said, "She was placed by me in a courtyard in Anyifang."

Li Zhi asked, "Why don't you bring her into the palace to see me?"

Xue Rengui hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, the identity of that Hu woman is unknown. Although she claims to be the Queen of Subi, I always feel that there is something strange about her, so I dare not bring her into the palace rashly."

Li Zhi thought for a moment and said, "It's very simple to verify her identity. As long as we can prove that the Tubo Queen Subi is fake, she will be the real one."

A quarter of an hour later, Wang Jishan came over. Li Zhi took him and Xue Rengui to the Shenlong Palace. After waiting for half an hour, Li Ji finally entered the palace.

Li Zhi explained the situation to him. Li Ji pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the Subi Queen brought back by General Xue must be the real one."

Li Zhi asked, "Why?"

Li Ji said to Wang Jishan, "General Wang, you know many details better than I do. It would be better if you could tell His Majesty."

Wang Jishan nodded and bowed to Li Zhi, saying, "Your Majesty, we've recently discovered that Queen Subi seems very anxious to meet with us and is also intentionally or unintentionally trying to gather intelligence from us, so we're quite wary of her."

Li Zhi's eyes flickered as he asked, "So, she was deliberately set up by the Tibetans to lure us into a trap?"

Wang Jishan hesitated for a moment and said, "We have investigated in many ways, but we haven't found any flaws."

Li Ji said, "We should prepare for the worst. Think of it this way: the enemy is well-prepared and has hidden them from our detection. Now, many of our strongholds have been exposed to the Tibetans, and we must evacuate immediately!"

Wang Fusheng and Wang Jishan looked at each other, their faces not looking good.

These strongholds cost them several months of hard work. They were unwilling to hastily evacuate them just because of a few words from a Hu woman, and let all these months of hard work go to waste.

However, if they did not evacuate, and Hu Nuzhen became the Queen of Subi, the consequences would be more serious and they would find it difficult to bear the responsibility.

Li Zhi glanced at the two men, probably understanding their thoughts, and then turned his gaze to Xue Rengui and said, "What do you think, Mr. Xue?"

"I agree with Lord Li's opinion. When a viper bites your hand, a brave man should cut off his wrist. You must not hesitate." Xue Rengui answered decisively.

Li Zhi closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then opened them and said, "Order all secret services in Luoshui City to immediately withdraw from Tubo and return to the Tang Dynasty to await further orders!"

……

Tubo, Lhasa City.

In the study of Dalun Mansion, Lu Dongzan was carefully flipping through a booklet.

The booklet had only two pages and less than a hundred words, but he read it over and over again more than a dozen times with a serious expression, as if there was a huge problem in it.

Just then, a clear voice came from outside the door.

"Father, your son Qin Ling requests to see you."

Lu Dongzan's frown instantly relaxed, a broad smile appeared on his face. He stood up and went to open the door himself.

"My son, you are finally back." He hugged Qin Ling tightly.

Qin Ling was not short, but when hugging Lu Dongzan, he had to raise his head slightly to prevent his chin from hitting his father's shoulder.

This is only because Lu Dongzan is taller than him.

Although Lu Dongzan is over fifty years old, his body is not hunched at all. His two carefully trimmed beards are still black, and he looks only in his forties.

After the two entered the house, Lu Dongzan sat back in his chair and said with a smile, "I heard that you encountered some trouble in Bharata. Have you solved it?"

Bharata is the Tibetan name for India.

Qin Ling said, "A Tang Dynasty man contacted several small Indian nations and planned to launch a surprise attack on Qunu City. I discovered this in advance and defeated them."

Lu Dongzan stroked his beard and asked curiously, "How come the Tang people are so fast?"

Qin Ling said, "I've already made inquiries. The Tang man is none other than Wang Xuance, the man you told me about. The Tang emperor sent him to India, presumably hoping to unite the Indian states to fight against our great Tubo. It's a pity he was a step behind us."

Lu Dongzan smiled and said, "That makes sense. Did you catch him?"

Qin Ling said, "Wang Xuance was very clever. He evaded the men I sent, disguised himself as a monk, and fled to southern Tianzhu."

Lu Dongzan nodded and said, "This man is indeed not a simple person. When you return to Tianzhu, you must not ignore him. You need to send more people to kill him to avoid future troubles."

Qin Ling said, "Son, I'll remember this."

Lu Dongzan smiled and said, "Okay, now let's talk about something happy. Did you bring everything I wanted?" Qin Ling smiled and said, "Of course, my son will not forget. I have brought back the most widely circulated books in Tianzhu for you."

Lu Dongzan's face flushed with joy as he said, "That's good. You must remember that there are no people in this world who are forever smart, and no country that is forever powerful. If a person stops learning new things, he will become stupid. If a country stops accepting advanced things, it will perish!"

"My son will remember this."

Qin Ling said seriously, "By the way, father, what are you holding in your hand?"

"Oh, you are talking about this? Take a look for yourself." Lu Dongzan handed him the booklet.

After Qin Ling finished reading, his expression became extremely solemn, because all the content in this booklet was about one person, Xue Rengui.

Lu Dongzan said seriously, "Xue Rengui won another victory for the Tang people. Have you heard about it?"

Qin Ling said in a deep voice: "As soon as I returned to Luoshui City, I heard people on the street talking about how many Tiele people in the north of the Tang Dynasty were killed by the Tang people again."

Lu Dongzan said, "If I'm not mistaken, the Tang Dynasty general who will attack Tubo in the future will be Xue Rengui! You must observe his tactics more often and find his flaws."

Qin Ling hesitated for a moment and said, "Father, my brother seems more suitable to deal with a fierce general like Xue Rengui."

Lu Dongzan waved his hand and said, "Even though your brother is brave, it would be difficult for him to defeat someone like Xue Rengui. Softness can overcome hardness. To deal with such a person, you need strategy."

Qin Ling nodded and said, "Son, I understand."

Just then, there was a "bang" and the door was pushed open. A big man taller than Lu Dongzan walked in.

"Second brother, you're back." The big man glanced at Qin Ling and said in a low voice.

Qin Ling bowed respectfully to the big man and said, "Greetings, brother."

This big man was Lu Dongzan’s eldest son, Xiruo.

He was extremely strong, with muscles bulging under his clothes, making his clothes look tight.

Lu Dongzan looked at his eldest son and said, "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on those Tang spies? Why did you come back so suddenly?"

He treats his two sons in completely different ways.

His eldest son was impulsive and prone to getting into trouble, so he used strict discipline. His second son was sensible but more thoughtful, so he used gentle guidance.

Xiruo said in a low voice, "Father, I've asked my third brother to keep an eye on them. I have something to report to you."

Lu Dongzan said, "Speak."

Xiruo said, "These Tang spies have been spreading rumors for two reasons: first, to make the Zamp think you want to usurp the throne. Second, to make Chamo think you want to get rid of him!"

There were two major factions in Tubo, one of which was headed by Prime Minister Lu Dongzan.

Because the Zamp was young, Lu Dongzan had the power of regent, which was very similar to Zhangsun Wuji at the time.

The other faction was headed by Deputy Prime Minister Chamo, who was dissatisfied with Lu Dongzan's behavior of undermining the power of the Zamp and monopolizing power in everything, and suspected that he had evil intentions.

"Father, I request that all the Tang spies be killed immediately!" A cruel light flashed in Xiruo's eyes.

Lu Dongzan said: "I have already said that it is not the time yet."

Xiruo growled, "But if the rumor spreads any further, the Zamp will be misled by Mocha and become confused!"

Lu Dongzan looked at his eldest son coldly and said, "Are you dissatisfied with my decision?"

Xiruo was startled, lowered his head, and said, "My son doesn't dare."

At this moment, a family guard hurried into the study, glanced at Xiruo, and said anxiously, "Da Lun, something happened!"

Lu Dongzan said calmly, "Don't panic. Tell me slowly. What happened?"

The family commander said, "The Iron Wolf Guard has sent a message that all the Tang spies in the city have suddenly taken action. Under the cover of another group of people, they have escaped the Iron Wolf Guard's surveillance and completely evacuated Luoshui City!"

Xiruo suddenly raised her head and asked, "What did you say?"

The general swallowed his saliva and said, "They are swift and have someone to protect them. The Iron Wolf Guards can't do anything to them."

Lu Dongzan said calmly, "Don't be surprised. They are all elite soldiers from the Tang Dynasty's Internal Affairs Office and the Palace Affairs Office. They are no worse than the Iron Wolf Guards. Since they are determined to escape, of course they can't be stopped."

After all, Lhasa City was not Chang'an. It did not have a strict curfew system and its management was rather chaotic.

Xiruo said, "Father, are we just going to let them escape like this?"

Lu Dongzan tapped the table with his fingers and said lightly: "Qin Ling, what do you think?"

Qin Ling said, "They may have realized that Queen Subi was our bait, so they retreated suddenly."

Xiruo was stunned and asked, "How could they know?"

Qin Ling said, "The Tang people are very shrewd. They will definitely secretly investigate whether Queen Subi is real or not. This plan has loopholes."

Xiruo said in a deep voice, "The matter of Su Bi was arranged by my father himself. He even deliberately asked her to seek help from the Queen of Dongnu. How could the Tang people find out the flaws?"

Qin Ling said: "No matter how well-planned a plan is, there will always be loopholes."

"you……"

Lu Dongzan knocked on the table with a bamboo board and said, "You can argue, but you are not allowed to quarrel. If it is as Qin Ling guessed, I am not afraid, but I am afraid of another possibility."

The two sons were stunned and asked, "What?"

Lu Dongzan said slowly: "The Tang people have found the real Queen of Subi, Subi Lanya!"

(End of this chapter)