Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 299 It couldn’t be Wu Mei’s doing!
As night fell, the moon was dim and the stars were sparse, and the wind was bitingly cold.

An ordinary carriage stopped at Changsun Wuji's mansion.

Yu Zhining was different from Li Ji. Every time he came to see Changsun Wuji, he would be sneaky, as if he was afraid of being seen.

He was wearing a black cloak and walked quickly into the Changsun Mansion, crossed the courtyard, and came to Changsun Wuji's study.

Changsun Wuji has reached a critical juncture in writing his book recently. He rarely goes out and simply sends guests away.

Then again, nowadays, almost no one would come to visit him.

He was not surprised by Zhining's visit, but he was not very welcome either. He continued to sit behind his desk, immersed in his own work, and said without raising his head: "Master Yu, please wait a moment."

Yu Zhining had no choice but to sit on the chair and wait for him.

After a long while, Changsun Wuji finally put down his pen, looked up at Yu Zhining and said with a smile: "I apologize for neglecting our distinguished guest."

Yu Zhining raised his hand and said, "Brother Changsun, there's no need for us to waste time on empty talk. With your intelligence, you should know why I'm here."

Zhang Sun Wuji asked, "Is it for the Crown Prince?"

Yu Zhining said in a deep voice, "Yes, I just received a piece of news. A man named Zhou Er went to the Dali Temple. It seems that he is related to the Crown Prince's matter."

Zhang Sun Wuji's eyebrows flickered: "Oh?"

Yu Zhining narrowed his eyes and said, "You should also know about the recent affairs of the Crown Prince's pawnshop, right?"

"How could I not know about the uproar?"

"Hmph, I originally thought the Crown Prince made a mistake because of his youth. However, judging by what happened on Tuesday, it seems someone is ambitious and wants to undermine the foundation of our Great Tang!"

"What happened on Tuesday?"

"Yes, according to the information I received, Zhou Er was originally from the Yang Mansion..." He described the situation on Tuesday in detail.

Changsun Wuji's expression was calm, and he didn't seem surprised at all.

Yu Zhining asked in surprise, "Do you already know?"

Changsun Wuji laughed and said, "I'm unemployed at home and don't even have a visitor. How would I know?"

"But judging from your expression, you don't seem surprised."

Changsun Wuji was indeed not surprised. Although he never left the house, as soon as he heard about the prince's affairs, he knew that there must be something wrong behind it.

When Li Chengqian was deposed and Li Zhi and Li Tai were competing for the position of crown prince, he did many similar things in order to allow Li Zhi to succeed to the throne.

No one is more perceptive than him when it comes to the issue of the crown prince.

"Brother Yu, His Majesty is about to leave the capital, and people are in turmoil. At this critical juncture, anything could happen in Chang'an, so I am not surprised."

Yu Zhining sighed, "You're right. At our age, we could be buried at any moment. If we see the chaos in Chang'an before our death, how can we face the late emperor after our death?"

Changsun Wuji smiled and said nothing.

Unlike other ministers, he was not worried about the hidden dangers that might arise after the emperor left the capital.

He had personally experienced the abilities of the emperor and the empress. Even if these two left Chang'an, they would still be able to control the situation in Chang'an. Many people could not see this.

Now that the emperor has not left yet, those people are ready to make a move, but they don't know that they are digging their own graves.

Li Hong’s incident this time is an example.

If he wanted to change the crown prince, he would at least wait until the emperor had left Chang'an for two to three years, when peace had returned to Chang'an and everyone had become careless, before suddenly launching an attack.

Even in this case, he only has a 10% to 20% chance.

But this "mastermind" is so arrogant that he took action rashly before the emperor even left. Such a person can never accomplish anything great.

Yu Zhining said in a deep voice: "Brother Changsun, you should not have forgotten what I told you last time, right?"

Changsun Wuji asked, "Are you doubting Xiao Siye?"

Yu Zhining said in a deep voice, "Yes, I told you then that Xiao Siye might have hidden ambitions and wanted to support the Fourth Prince. Now that something like this has happened, isn't he even more suspicious?"

"Brother Yu has been keeping an eye on Xiao Siye. If he did anything, you should know, right?" Changsun Wuji asked back.

Yu Zhining sighed, "He might have noticed that I was watching him, so he's acting more covertly."

Zhang Sun Wuji pondered for a moment and said, "I have indeed observed this man during this period of time. As Brother Yu said, this Xiao Siye is indeed not a simple person."

Of all Xiao Siye's actions, what Changsun Wuji admired most was that he had a good relationship with the Wu family, and even had a very deep personal friendship with Helan Minzhi.

If he really wants to deal with the Wu family, then these arrangements are quite powerful.

Yu Zhining's eyes flickered: "Then do you think he was responsible for this incident?"

Changsun Wuji shook his head and said, "No."

Yu Zhining was surprised to hear his confident answer, "How did you know?"

Zhang Sun Wuji said slowly, "As you said, he really has the ambition to become the crown prince. He is too cunning to do such an unwise thing. If he had no ambition, he would definitely not do this."

Yu Zhining pondered silently for a while, then muttered to himself, "If it wasn't him, who else could it be? Could it really be Prince Zheng?"

Changsun Wuji said slowly: "Actually, I think this is a bit strange."

"strangeness?"

Zhang Sun Wuji said, "That's right. Although there are undercurrents in the court right now, His Majesty is still in Chang'an. Normally, those with ulterior motives would never take action at this time."

Yu Zhining nodded in agreement.

This matter is indeed strange. It is true that the other party wants to deal with the prince, but the timing is too bad and the means are too crude.

And judging from the results, although the prince's status in the ministers' hearts dropped a bit and his reputation among the people also became worse, it did not hurt the prince at all.

As long as the emperor still trusts the prince, his position as crown prince will be as stable as Mount Tai.

Throughout the dynasties, when the crown prince was deposed, it usually caused the emperor to be wary or did something that seriously infringed upon the imperial power.

No crown prince has ever been deposed due to the influence of ministers and public opinion.

Now that something like this has happened, the current saint will only realize that someone is trying to harm the prince and will protect him even more.

From this perspective, the other party is actually helping the prince.

Yu Zhining said, "Perhaps it was the work of a madman blinded by ambition."

Changsun Wuji pondered for a moment and said, "I think the real situation might be different from what most people think." Yu Zhining asked, "What's the real situation?"

Changsun Wuji smiled and said, "I'm just guessing. You and I don't need to bother with this. Since Di Renjie is already investigating this matter, the truth will eventually come out. Just wait and see."

Yu Zhining said, "Brother Changsun has great confidence in Di Renjie's abilities."

Changsun Wuji smiled and said, "If nothing else, at least when it comes to solving cases, I have never seen anyone who can surpass him."

Yu Zhining sighed, "Your cousin has been making shocking remarks lately. They say the new generation pushes the old generation forward, and it's absolutely true. It's hard not to admit he's getting old."

He stood up and walked slowly towards the door.

As he pushed open the door, he suddenly turned around and asked, "Brother Changsun, what do you think of King Zheng?"

Zhang Sun Wuji was silent for a moment, then said, "Among the princes of the same generation as the late emperor, he is the one I trust the most."

Yu Zhining asked in surprise, "From what Brother Changsun said, it seems that his evaluation of him is higher than that of the King of Han?"

Zhang Sun Wuji said calmly, "King Han is the one I am most worried about."

Yu Zhining was startled, bowed to Changsun Wuji, said goodbye and left.

King Han Li Yuanjia stood by the window with his hands behind his back, looking up at the clear moon, silent.

A vassal king like him who harbored rebellious intentions originally hoped that Chang'an City would become as chaotic as possible.

It's a good thing that someone wants to deal with the prince. The more fierce the fight between the two sides, the better.

It’s a pity that the means used by the other party are really inferior. Not only can they not harm the prince, but they may also implicate others.

Ever since this incident happened, he has been feeling uneasy, fearing that when the emperor investigates this person, his secrets will be uncovered as well.

While he was thinking, the door of the study was pushed open with a click.

As soon as Li Lingkui walked in, he hurriedly said, "Brother, I've asked around, and it shouldn't have been done by Prince Guo!"

Li Yuanjia closed the window, slowly turned around, and went to close the door. Then he walked to the table and said, "I guessed it. Although he was a bit reckless, he would not do such a stupid thing."

Li Lingkui sat down next to him and said bitterly, "I don't know which idiot did this. Even if they wanted to deal with the Crown Prince, they should have waited until the Emperor left Chang'an. Now they've put everyone in harm's way!"

Li Yuanjia glanced at him and asked, "Who do you think it is?"

Li Lingkui thought for a moment and whispered, "Maybe it's the family behind a certain prince."

Li Yuanjia picked up the teacup, looked at the brim, and said calmly: "Your Majesty has nine princes, four of whom were born to the Queen. Of the remaining five, only the Zheng and Xiao families have the ability to do so. Do you doubt them?"

Li Lingkui snorted, "When it comes to the position of crown prince, nothing is impossible."

Li Lingkui shook his head.

"The Zheng family of Xingyang and the Xiao family of Lanling are both centuries-old families. Even if they have ambitions and schemes, they will carefully plan and take advantage of the situation. They would not personally act and expose the entire family to danger."

Li Lingkui frowned and asked, "Who do you think it is, brother?"

Li Yuanjia said in a deep voice, "Don't you think this incident was too sudden? Planning for the crown prince is such a big deal, but the person behind the scenes allowed Zhou Er to escape to Chang'an. It's simply child's play!"

Li Lingkui was startled and said, "Yes, this shows that the person who planned this is not very mature. Could it be the eldest prince?"

Although Chen Wang Li Zhong's mother's family was not very powerful, as a prince who had established his own government for four years, Li Zhong was able to cultivate his own strength.

Li Yuanjia said grimly, "Perhaps it's not that he's immature, but that he's too mature."

Li Lingkui was surprised and asked, "What does this mean?"

Li Yuanjia said slowly, "Sometimes, the more bizarre something is, the more difficult it is to imagine the truth behind it. If you follow the truth, you will often be led astray."

"If you don't push it forward, do you push it backward?" Li Lingkui asked.

Li Yuanjia stared at him and said, "That's just working backwards. Judging from the outcome, do you think this will benefit or harm the Crown Prince?"

Li Lingkui thought for a moment and said, "Although the Crown Prince's reputation has declined considerably, His Majesty is no fool. He must know that someone is plotting against the Crown Prince, and this will only make him more compassionate. That should be a benefit."

Li Yuanjia said coldly: "If someone really has a grudge against the Crown Prince, would he do anything to benefit the Crown Prince?"

Li Lingkui cried out in amazement, "Could it be that the prince did it himself?"

Li Yuanjia snorted coldly: "How can a seven-year-old child have such a mind? Don't forget that the one who sits in the harem is not an ordinary woman."

Li Lingkui took a deep breath and said, "This is too unbelievable."

Li Yuanjia said, "Doing so will not only benefit the Crown Prince, but will also encourage His Majesty to focus on those who threaten the Crown Prince's position and help her remove obstacles!"

Li Lingkui's face turned pale: "If that's the case, maybe she will have some follow-up measures!"

Li Yuanjia said solemnly, "So this time when we return to Chang'an, you and I must be extremely careful. We should stay in the mansion as much as possible and not go anywhere else to avoid getting into trouble."

Li Lingkui took a deep breath and nodded, "Okay, I'll go back now." Then he stood up and left the study.

……

In the west courtyard of Xiao Mansion, inside the Small Buddha Temple.

It was almost three o'clock in the morning, and the temple was completely silent, with only the rustling of tree branches in the daytime breeze to be heard.

The sound of footsteps suddenly broke the silence. Xiao Siye walked into the Buddhist hall and said to Concubine Xiao Shufei in the room, "Madam Shufei, there is something I want to ask you."

Concubine Xiao Shu knelt before the Buddha statue and said, "You want to ask if Wu Mei did what happened to the Crown Prince herself?"

Since Li Zhi allowed her to meet his daughter, Concubine Xiao Shufei no longer stayed in seclusion in a Buddhist temple and ignored external affairs as she did before.

Now, she also began to pay attention to the affairs of the government and the opposition.

Xiao Siye's eyes flashed: "Yes, on the surface, this matter seems to be damaging the reputation of the Crown Prince, but if you think about it carefully, it is actually beneficial to the Crown Prince."

Concubine Xiao Shu said quietly, "I've told you before that Wu Mei is someone who knows how to weigh the pros and cons. Is this a risk worth taking?"

Xiao Siye frowned and said, "So, it wasn't her doing?"

"Of course not. She has given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, for Your Majesty. Her position in the palace is as solid as a rock and unshakable. Why take the risk and do such a thing? If Your Majesty finds out, it will ruin the good situation."

Xiao Siye sighed, "If it wasn't Empress Wu, who else could it be? It's really puzzling. Could it be someone in the palace?"

Concubine Xiao Shu was silent for a while, then whispered, "I've been away from the palace for too long and don't understand the situation there anymore. I'm afraid I can't help the clan leader."

Xiao Siye waved his hand and said, "That's fine. Di Renjie is already investigating anyway. If we can't guess, we can just wait for him to find out."

(End of this chapter)