Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 281 The Queen's Phoenix Carriage
The queen's carriage soon arrived at the manor.

The people from the Wu Mansion and the guests were all outside the garden to welcome them. They were dressed in formal attire and formed a large area around the garden.

Empress Wu, surrounded by guards, palace maids, and people from the Wu Mansion, entered the manor, walked through the corridors and courtyards, and went straight to the back hall to meet Madam Yang.

Madam Yang first led Wu Shun, Wu Ruyi, Helan Minzhi, Helan Minrou, Wu Sansi, Wu Chengsi and others to pay their respects to her.

Wu Meiniang went over to support her mother, pulled her mother and sat at the head of the table, while the other people in the Wu Mansion sat with her according to their seniority.

The Wu Sansi brothers originally wanted to show their faces in front of Empress Wu, but were sent away by Wu Shun to greet guests.

Wang Jishan stayed beside Empress Wu, his eyes fixed on the gate.

Empress Wu chatted with her family for a while, then asked casually, "Is there any dance music today?"

Helan Minzhi hurriedly said, "Aunt, I have a dancer under my command. She has been well trained and can dance Tang dance, Western dance, and Silla dance. If you want to see anything, just tell me."

Before he could finish his words, a servant came in, bowed to Empress Wu, and then whispered a few words to Helan Minzhi.

Helan Minzhi's face changed drastically.

"Aunt, grandma, something happened. I need to go out for a while."

Wu Meiniang asked in a deep voice, "What happened? Why are you so panicked?"

Helan Minzhi didn't dare to answer and whispered, "A dancer is missing."

Wu Meiniang turned her head, looked at Wang Jishan, and waved her hand.

"Understood, back off."

Wu Meiniang stood up and said she was going to change her clothes. After everyone respectfully saw her off, she left the outer hall and came to the cloakroom. She said to Wang Jishan behind her, "I'm going to change my clothes. If you want to check, go ahead."

Wang Jishan said gratefully, "Yes!"

After changing her clothes in the house, Wu Meiniang did not come out until she learned that Wang Jishan had returned, then she ordered someone to call him in.

"Have you found out?" she asked.

Wang Jishan said, "We have investigated thoroughly. Judging from the confessions of several servants in the Wu Mansion, the missing dancer is indeed the Baekje spy."

Wu Meiniang frowned and asked, "Did she give herself away somewhere, so she escaped?"

Wang Jishan said, "Your Highness, don't worry. I've thought about it and I think she wants to take this opportunity today to connect with other Baekje spies."

Wu Meiniang glanced at him and said, "I hope so. If I ruin your plan, His Majesty might blame me."

Wang Jishan hurriedly said, "Your Highness, you are too kind. You have always cooperated with me, and I will tell your majesty the truth."

Seeing that he was so understanding, Wu Meiniang smiled faintly and said, "Then let's go out."

……

Five miles east of the Wu family manor, in a valley, a woman was walking on a rugged mountain path, holding up her long skirt.

She walked very carefully. Sometimes after turning a corner, she would hide in the grass to observe the direction she came from to prevent being followed.

In this way, walking and stopping for more than an hour, she saw a red silk scarf on a big locust tree on the mountainside.

The woman picked up the scarf and looked at it for a while. There were some strange symbols written on it.

After reading it, she walked in another direction.

Going around the mountainside and heading west, after a while, the vegetation ahead decreased and a pile of rubble appeared.

A man wearing coarse linen clothes was sitting on a big rock with a green turban tied on his head.

The man was wearing farmer's clothes, with strong muscles that filled up his clothes. His face was rough and hard, and it was obvious that he was not an ordinary person.

Jin Yan stopped at a distance from him and said in Mahan, "General Heichi, why did you come here in person?"

The man in sackcloth said in a deep voice, "The others who came to help you have all been captured by the Tang people. Goguryeo and Khitan are pressing hard, so the king sent me here in person."

As he spoke, he looked around vigilantly, as if he was afraid that a Tang person would suddenly appear.

Jin Yan smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry. The Empress is leaving the palace today, so those Tang Dynasty guards won't dare to conduct a large-scale search."

The man in sackcloth asked, "Where are the things?"

Jin Yan reached into her bosom and said, "I've got the things, but there's something I need to tell you. I killed Shijia."

The man in sackcloth clothes' expression suddenly changed. He said, "He should be cooperating with you. Why did you kill him?"

Jin Yan said coldly, "I used Zheng Xuankai's fake death to escape. As soon as I crawled out of the dirt, he suddenly attacked and tried to kill me. Fortunately, I was prepared and hid my crossbow, so I survived."

The man in sackcloth clothes changed color and asked, "Why would he want to kill you? Could it be that he has defected to the Tang people?"

Jin Yan said, "No, he didn't defect to the Tang people. He was following the king's orders. Once he got the thing, he would kill me immediately."

The man in sackcloth glared and asked, "Why would the king do this?"

Jin Yan said, "Of course, it's to ensure the plan is foolproof. As long as I'm truly dead, the Tang people won't suspect me of being a spy, and the plan will go smoothly."

The man in sackcloth clothes was furious and punched the stone hard.

"You are a man of merit and a member of the royal family. How could the king treat you like this?"

Jin Yan looked at his purple face and a smile appeared on her face.

"You are indeed an upright general, just as the rumors say. Unfortunately, you don't understand the king at all. In his eyes, my mother and I are of the lowly Mahan commoner bloodline, and he has long wanted to eliminate us."

The man in sackcloth shook his head and said, "Most of the people in this country are Mahan. I don't believe the king will deal with you just because of this."

Jin Yan said calmly, "Believe it or not, the bottom line is, I killed Shijia and there's no way I can return to Baekje."

The man in sackcloth stared at her and asked, "You want to betray Baekje and join the Tang Dynasty?"

Jin Yan sneered and said, "If I were a traitor, the one meeting you here would be the Tang Dynasty's inner guard."

The man in hemp clothes said in a deep voice, "Well, give me the things, and what happens next will have nothing to do with you. You can stay in the Tang Dynasty."

Jin Yan said, "No."

The man in sackcloth clothes stood up suddenly and looked at her fiercely.

"Why?"

A trace of sadness appeared on Jin Yan's face.

"If I don't go back, my mother will definitely be executed by the king."

The man in sackcloth waved his hand and said, "You have made great contributions. I believe the king will not do this."

Jin Yan shook her head and said, "I no longer trust Fuyu Yici."

The man in sackcloth clothes asked anxiously, "So what do you want?"

Jin Yan said: "I just want to rescue my mother."

The man in sackcloth knitted his thick brows and said, "The situation is urgent right now. You can't ask me to go back to Baekje and bring your mother here before you give me the things, right?"

Jin Yan said, "Don't worry, I won't make things too difficult for you. I've heard that Heichi Changzhi is a man of his word. If you're willing to swear to help me rescue my mother in the future, I'll give you the gift." Heichi Changzhi was stunned, staring at her for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "Isn't this putting you in a difficult position? If the king wants to kill your mother, how can I save her?"

Jin Yan snorted coldly: "That's your problem."

He took out a brocade box from his arms and walked to a cliff.

"If you don't swear, I'll throw the things down."

Hei Chi Chang Zhi looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, and said, "Okay, I, Hei Chi Chang Zhi, swear in the name of the Buddha of Light that I will rescue Princess Yu Ya in the future. If she dies, I will give you my life as compensation!"

Jin Yan said, "With your guarantee, I have nothing to worry about." She walked up to Heichi Changzhi and handed him the brocade box.

Heichi Changzhi opened the brocade box, examined the contents, and asked, "Will you stay in Chang'an?"

Jin Yan asked, "Why are you asking this?"

"If you are not in Chang'an, where can I find you after I rescue the princess?" Heichi Changzhi frowned.

Jin Yan smiled and said, "You're willing to think of this, which shows that you're indeed a man of your word. Come find me at the Wu Manor. If I'm not here, go find me at the Longxing Cloth Shop in Shangzhou."

Heichi Changzhi repeated the words "Longxing Cloth Shop" several times, nodded and said, "I've got it. I'm leaving now. Be careful." He took big strides and walked down the mountain.

Jin Yan watched him leave, sat there for another quarter of an hour, and then went down the mountain.

After returning to Wufu Manor, she walked around the manor and came to a river in the north.

He took out another box from his waist bag, opened it, and found a small snake wriggling inside.

Jin Yan stretched out her hand like lightning, grabbed the little snake by the waist, held down its head, bit its ankle, and then swallowed two pills.

After sitting there for a while, two servants came from a distance, carrying buckets, apparently to fetch water.

Jin Yan lay on the ground, closed her eyes and pretended to be unconscious.

After a while, when the servants who were fetching water came closer, one of them saw her, exclaimed, and ran over quickly.

There were many snakes and insects in June. When they saw her unconscious and with a dark complexion, they knew at a glance that she had been bitten by some poisonous insect.

One of them unzipped her trousers and saw the wound on her leg. He shouted, "Oh no! She's been bitten by a snake."

The stronger of the two carried her on his shoulders, while the other supported her, and they quickly returned to the manor.

The news soon reached Helan Minzhi.

Helan Minzhi was accompanying Empress Wu at a banquet. When he learned that the dancer was bitten by a snake, he did not think much about it and ordered the doctor in the garden to treat her.

At 2:15 in the afternoon, Empress Wu left the manor and returned to the palace.

Wang Jishan accompanied her all the way. After Empress Wu entered the harem, he took his leave and walked towards Ganlu Palace.

In the bedroom of Ganlu Palace, Li Zhi was sitting on the couch, listening to Li Ji's report on the case.

Because of Wang Jishan, Di Renjie, Zhangsun Quan and others had to stop when they reached the critical point.

Everyone knew that the Internal Guards were responsible for the most confidential matters, so they had no choice but to change their focus from investigating the case to attending the banquet.

After Empress Wu left, the group returned to Chang'an.

After Li Ji parted ways with Di Renjie and others, he immediately went to the palace and reported to Li Zhi before Wang Jishan.

Li Zhi had not expected that this case was related to Baekje spies, and he listened very carefully.

"So, that woman's death was faked, and there was no murder at all?"

Li Ji said, "That's right. Di Siqing said that she stole Zhou Daowu's fish talisman and seal, and in order to escape, she used Zheng Xuankai's fake death."

Li Zhi was stunned.

I thought I was investigating a case of royal relatives committing crimes, but it turned out to be a case of foreign spies stealing secrets.

Still a Baekje spy!

Wang Jishan had just recently reported to him that three batches of Baekje spies had been captured, and then a Baekje female spy appeared and stole the officials' fish seals.

There must be a connection between the two.

Li Zhi pondered for a moment and asked, "She later hid in the Wufu Manor under the guise of a dancer?"

Li Ji said, "Yes, we have asked the servants of the Wu Mansion. The day when the dancer entered the Wu Mansion happened to be the day after the fake murder."

Li Zhixuan raised his eyebrows and asked, "How could the Wu Mansion accept such a woman with such an unknown origin?"

Li Ji whispered, "Your Majesty, the woman was covered in dirt and claimed to be a refugee. She also knew how to dance. Helan Minzhi admired women who could dance, so he took her in."

He had some friendship with Helan Minzhi, so he spoke up for him.

Li Zhi did not pursue the matter any further and asked, "The Queen also went to the manor today. Did anything happen?"

Li Ji said, "No, General Wang has been guarding Her Majesty the Queen. I met with General Wang before, and he said that the woman disappeared for a while, but later returned."

"Missing?"

"Yes, General Wang guessed that the woman had gone to meet her companions."

Li Zhi thought for a moment and said, "Wang Jishan told you not to investigate. He probably has some other plan and is afraid of alerting the enemy."

Li Ji smiled and said, "That's what Di Siqing and County Magistrate Changsun said when they discussed it."

Just then, the eunuch came to report that Wang Jishan wanted to see him.

Li Zhi smiled and said, "You're just in time. Let him in."

Wang Jishan quickly entered the hall. When he saw Li Ji, he was slightly stunned and then bowed to greet him.

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "No need to be so polite, Lord Wang. I already know about the matter of Wu Mansion Manor. Please tell me why you didn't let Di Renjie and the others continue the investigation."

Wang Jishan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, do you still remember the news about Baekje sent back by the Yingzhou Governor's Office?"

Li Zhi seemed to be thinking about something. He said, "According to Liu Renyuan, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Khitan are preparing to join forces to attack Yingzhou. They seem to be waiting for something."

There was a gleam in Wang Jishan's eyes.

"Your Majesty, do you think that what they are waiting for is Zhou Daowu's official credentials and seal?"

Li Zhi was slightly stunned: "Is this thing so effective?"

Wang Jishan said, "Zhou Daowu served as the deputy governor of Yingzhou for five years and promoted many of his confidants. If we use his fish seal to find these people, we may be able to find out a lot of top-secret information about Yingzhou, such as the Yingzhou defense map!"

"That makes sense." Li Zhi stared at Wang Jishan. "Sir Wang, you're not letting Di Renjie and the others investigate. Do you have some other plan?"

Wang Jishan bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Since we know their plan, we can completely counter it by feeding them false information, setting a trap, and luring them to attack!"

Li Zhi's eyes flashed, he thought carefully for a while, and then slammed the table.

"Well, send someone to contact Liu Rengui, tell him about this, and have him make the arrangements!"

Wang Jishan gladly accepted the order and strode away.

(End of this chapter)