Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 245 Li Zhi Hunting
The sky was dark and the sun was blocked by clouds. It was already afternoon.

Li Ji and Li Zhong were sitting in a carriage, heading towards the imperial palace.

After Li Yuanjia came to visit just now, Li Zhong felt that he should tell Li Zhi about the affairs in Mobei as soon as possible.

Li Ji, however, advised him to be more cautious and send someone to investigate in the market. After confirming that everything was correct, he could report to Li Zhi.

After some investigation, they found that it was just as King Han had said, so they hurried towards the palace.

Li Zhong complained, "It's all your fault. We wasted over an hour investigating. It's almost evening, and I don't know if I can still see father."

Li Ji said, "Even though it wasted time, at least we confirmed the authenticity of the news. If the King of Han lied to you, wouldn't that be deceiving the king?"

Li Zhong frowned and said, "He is my great uncle. Why would he lie to me for no reason?"

Li Ji was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, have you forgotten Jing Wang Li Yuanjing? He is also our great uncle, and he also committed treason and implicated my father."

Li Zhong was stunned for a moment and said, "Okay, I can't argue with you."

The two men quickly arrived outside the Suzaku Gate, got off the carriage, and were about to enter the Suzaku Gate when Li Zhong suddenly stopped and looked towards the left side of the gate.

Li Ji followed his gaze and was also stunned. He saw a man sitting on the lung stone on the left side of the Suzaku Gate.

The lung stone is not an ordinary stone, but a tool for reporting complaints to the emperor, and its function is the same as the drum next to it.

However, usually one has to stand on the lung stone to file a complaint.

The Jinwu Guards and the Jianmen Guards had been explicitly prohibited from stopping anyone from filing a complaint, so they could only watch him from afar, waiting for him to stand on the lung stone or strike the drum to file a complaint.

Unexpectedly, the man just sat quietly, his hands on his knees, without saying a word.

Li Zhong and Li Ji looked at each other and then walked towards him.

"Hey, are you going to file a complaint with the emperor?" Li Zhong asked.

The man was about thirty years old. He took one look at the two of them and seemed to realize that they were of extraordinary status. He stood up, bowed to them, and then walked away.

Li Zhong asked anxiously, "Aren't you going to complain?"

The man turned around and said slowly, "Today is a national holiday, and I dare not disturb Your Majesty's rest. I have waited ten years for my grievances to be resolved, so these two days won't make any difference."

After saying this, he strode away.

The two looked at each other for a while, and Li Ji said, "Brother, don't worry about him, let's go into the palace."

Li Zhong nodded, and the two of them walked through the Suzaku Gate and then the Chengtian Gate, heading towards the Ganlu Palace.

"Brother Ji, I think that man will definitely file a complaint with the emperor in a couple of days. Do you think we should tell father about this so he can be prepared?"

Li Ji hurriedly said, "There's no need to talk about this kind of thing. Your Majesty is usually very busy. There's no need to worry about His Majesty. Besides, he may not come in a few days."

Li Zhong nodded and said, "That's right."

The two soon arrived at Ganlu Palace.

Unfortunately, the King of Yue and the King of Ji came to see Li Zhi at noon, so Li Zhi went hunting in the Forbidden Garden with them.

The two had no choice but to head towards the Forbidden Garden again.

Tomorrow is the hunting competition, and the camp has been set up.

Li Zhi, Li Zhen and Li Shen came here quietly. They also wanted to try how many prey they could hunt within two hours.

Li Zhi practiced archery and horsemanship for more than two years and finally achieved some results, hunting a total of thirteen small prey.

Although he could not compare with Xue Rengui and others, he was very satisfied with himself.

It was now the evening hour, the hunt had just ended. He ran into Li Zhen at the entrance of the forest and asked with a smile, "Eighth Brother, how were your results?"

Li Zhen said with great joy, "Twenty-three. Where's Jiulang?"

Li Zhi laughed and said, "I have ten fewer than you."

Li Zhen smiled and said, "You have to deal with state affairs on a daily basis, unlike us who have free time to have fun. It's not easy for you to hunt thirteen of them."

At this time, Li Shen rode out from another direction. He looked even more handsome than Li Zhi. But his handsome face was wrinkled into a bitter one, and there was a lot of mud on his clothes.

Li Zhi hurriedly asked, "Shilang, what's wrong? Did you fall?"

Li Shen patted the horse's head and said with a wry smile, "I've spoiled this horse. Halfway through hunting, it kicked its hind legs. I whipped it a few times, and it actually threw me off."

The horse under Li Shen's crotch was indeed different from the ones under Li Zhi and Li Shen's crotch. Although the breed was good, it was fatter than the horses of the other two.

Before the hunt began, Li Zhen teased him, saying that his horse might not be able to run for two hours, and he turned out to be right.

"Hahaha, let me tell you, no matter how much you love horses, you can't worship them as your ancestors. I think your white dragon is useless."

Li Shen glared at him and said, "I'll go back this year and train it well. We can compete again next year."

He bowed to Li Zhi and said, "Your Majesty, I'm going to change my clothes." He dismounted and went to a tent nearby.

Li Zhi ordered people to make a fire in front of the camp, and selected a few prey from the prey hunted by the three men and roasted them over the fire.

After a while, Li Shen came over wearing clean clothes. The three of them sat around the fire, roasting rabbits and musk deer while chatting.

Just then, the eunuch came to report that Li Zhong and Li Ji wanted to see him.

Li Zhi smiled and said, "They came at the right time. Let them come."

After a while, the two of them came over together and smelled the aroma of meat from afar.

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "No need to be polite. Let's sit down and eat together."

Seeing Li Zhen and Li Shen were also there, the two of them remained silent until after the hour of Xu, when everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, and Li Zhen and Li Shen were ready to leave.

Li Zhen said to Li Ji, "Ji'er, will you come out of the palace with us?"

Li Ji said: "Uncle, please go first. I will leave the palace with Brother Zhong later."

Li Zhen nodded, saluted Li Zhi, and then took his leave with Li Shen.

Li Zhi also saw that Li Zhong and the other two had something to talk to him about, so he said while warming himself by the fire, "Okay, there's no one else here. You can say whatever you want to say."

Li Zhong said, "Father, I heard that there have been many more tribes in Mobei recently. It's very likely that the Tiele people have quietly returned to Mobei. I think this is something we should be concerned about, so I came to tell you."

Li Zhi turned his head to look at him and said, "Have you verified it?"

Li Zhong's heart trembled, and he thought to himself, "Thank goodness Brother Ji advised me to investigate thoroughly, otherwise it would be difficult to reply now." He said, "The King of Han told me this, and I have sent people to verify it."

Li Zhi asked, "King Han?"

"Yes, the King of Han also heard it from the Mobei merchants."

Li Zhi asked, "Why didn't the King of Han come and tell me himself, but asked you to tell me?"

Li Zhong said, "I asked him about it, and he said he was worried you wouldn't believe him because of the King of Jing, so he asked me to tell you."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "It's rare for him to care about national affairs and report them promptly. He's thoughtful. Anything else?"

Li Zhong said, "No more."

Li Zhi clapped his hands, stood up and said, "Then let's go back to the palace together."

The three of them left the Forbidden Garden together and returned to Ganlu Palace.

Li Zhong and Li Ji took their leave and left Ganlu Hall.

When they arrived at Ganlu Gate, Li Ji suddenly said, "Brother Zhong, I want to go see Gao An. You should go back first."

Li Zhong smiled and said, "It's so late now. It won't be too late to see her tomorrow when we enter the palace together."

Li Ji smiled and said, "I will go see her first and see if she wants anything. I can buy it for her tomorrow and bring it to the palace."

Li Zhong sighed: "No wonder Gao An kissed you, your cousin is much more careful than my brother, so go ahead."

After the two broke up, Li Ji did not go to Xunfeng Palace, but returned to Ganlu Palace.

Li Zhi was sitting on the couch reading a book when he heard the eunuch announce that Li Ji had returned. He was secretly surprised and put down the book, saying, "Let him in."

Li Ji quickly entered the hall, and after the formalities, he said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report to you."

Li Zhi said, "Go ahead."

Li Ji then told Li Zhong about the visit of King Han Li Yuanjia to the Palace of King Chen, especially the story of how he told Li Zhong about Liu Qi, which he described in great detail.

Li Zhi's eyes were deep as he said calmly, "Do you suspect he said these words on purpose to cause discord among the princes?"

Li Ji said: "I am not sure whether he did it on purpose, but I feel something is not right. Brother Zhong is a simple-minded person and is easily provoked."

Li Zhi took a deep breath and said, "Xiao Ji, you reported this very well. You have the best relationship with Zhong'er. Please help me keep an eye on him and see if the King of Han makes any similar moves."

Li Ji bowed and said, "I will remember this. I will take my leave."

After leaving Ganlu Palace, Xiaoji had just passed through the Ganlu Gate when he suddenly saw a fat eunuch waiting at the door. He bowed to him and said with a smile, "King Wu is polite."

Xiaoji was very familiar with this man and said with a bow, "Young Supervisor Zhang, there's no need to be so polite."

Zhang Da Hai smiled and said, "Her Majesty the Queen asked King Wu to come over. I wonder if King Wu is available."

Li Ji was startled. Why would the Queen invite him over so late at night? Had he accidentally offended her again?
After several years of living as a eunuch in the imperial palace, Li Ji subconsciously developed a fear of Empress Wu and was unwilling to meet her alone.

"King Wu?" Zhang Duohai reminded.

Li Ji calmed himself down and thought, "I am the King of Wu now, and I have His Majesty to protect me. I don't need to be afraid of her." He said, "Please ask Zhang Shaojian to lead the way."

After entering the Rihua Gate, the two men headed east and soon arrived at the Lizheng Hall. After reporting, they entered the main hall.

Wu Meiniang was dressed in gorgeous clothes, sitting on the phoenix couch with a solemn expression.

Seeing her like this, Li Ji subconsciously wanted to kneel down and kowtow. After finally holding down his legs, he bowed to her and said, "Your Majesty the Queen, your servant pays homage to Her Majesty the Queen." His voice trembled.

Wu Meiniang said calmly, "King Wu, there's no need to be so polite. I asked you to come here because I have something to ask you."

Li Ji said, "Your Highness, please ask."

Wu Meiniang stared at him and said slowly, "When you entered the palace just now, what did you see outside the Vermillion Bird Gate?"

Li Ji was stunned for a moment and said, "Are you asking about the person sitting on the lung stone?"

Wu Meiniang's eyes flashed, and she asked, "Is there really someone sitting on the Lung Stone?"

Li Ji said, "Yes, King Chen and I saw it with our own eyes."

Wu Meiniang asked, "How old is he?"

"About thirty-five or thirty-six."

Wu Meiniang closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and said, "Thank you for telling me. You may leave."

"Yes." Li Ji let out a long sigh and slowly left the Lizheng Hall.

(End of this chapter)