Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 302: Confrontation between Princes

The back garden of Prince Zheng's Palace and the waterside pavilion in the lake.

A girl of sixteen or seventeen was leaning on the railing, gazing at the water, lost in thought and sighing deeply.

Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me.

"Aunt, why are you sighing so deeply?"

The girl turned her head suddenly and saw a young man standing behind her.

The boy was one or two years older than her, but he called her aunt, which was quite strange.

The young girl frowned and said, "It's all because of you that Prince Zheng's mansion is in turmoil. Aren't you afraid?"

The young man was none other than Li Mao, Prince of Huainan. He raised his eyebrows and said, "What's there to be afraid of? The worst that can happen is that His Majesty will sentence me to death! Humph, ever since Li Hong became the Crown Prince, I knew this day would come sooner or later."

The girl stamped her feet and said, "It was obviously you who provoked him first, and that's why this disaster happened!"

Li Mao said calmly, "You're just a woman, so naturally you don't understand these things. I won't argue with you. Just take this fish talisman back. I'll keep my promise and never bother you again."

He threw a golden fish talisman over, turned around and strode away.

The girl hurriedly took the fish talisman and checked it carefully, finding no mistakes.

She took the fish token back to her boudoir, put it in a silver box, summoned a maid, and asked, "Is Alang still accompanying the King of Yue?"

The maid said, "Yes, they were talking happily at first, but now they are both silent."

The young girl sighed, "This King of Yue had no friendship with Alang before, yet he suddenly came to visit and talked for such a long time, refusing to leave. I'm afraid he's here for Li Mao."

Prince Zheng's Mansion, inside the outer hall.

King Zheng looked at Li Zhen with a gloomy face and said, "King Yue, there's no need to beat around the bush. I already know what you're up to!"

Li Zhen held the teacup but didn't drink. She stared at the light green tea in the cup and said calmly, "That's fine. Please give me an answer, Uncle Shi."

King Zheng said, "Let me ask you this first. Was it His Majesty who sent you here?"

Li Zhen shook her head.

King Zheng said, "Well, I'll put this on hold. Please tell His Majesty that the Crown Prince's affairs have nothing to do with me. If I lie in any way, my spirit tablet will not be allowed into the Imperial Ancestral Temple after my death. Are you satisfied now?"

Li Zhen turned her head and stared at him for a while, then slowly said, "Uncle Shi has always been someone I respect. Since you said so, Li Zhen naturally believes it."

He stood up, said goodbye, and was about to leave.

A servant suddenly walked in, looking as if he wanted to say something, but because Li Zhen was present, he did not speak.

King Zheng was furious: "You bastard, if you have something to say, just say it. I have always done things in an upright and honest manner. There is nothing I cannot see!"

The servant said tremblingly, "Alang, Di Renjie is here."

King Zheng's face turned pale and he said, "What is he doing here? I have no friendship with him."

Li Zhen reminded him, "Uncle Ten, Tuesday went to the Dali Temple. Di Renjie must have come here for the Crown Prince's matter."

Prince Zheng snorted, "Everyone says Di Renjie is a capable judge, but I don't think he's anything more than that. He can't even see that someone is framing me!"

Li Zhen smiled and said, "Uncle Shi, don't be angry. Perhaps Di Renjie just came to ask you about the situation so that we can find the person behind it!"

King Zheng said, "Then let him in."

When Di Renjie arrived at the hall, he was slightly surprised to see the King of Yue there, and saluted the two princes.

Prince Zheng sat in the upper chair, leaned forward, and said sullenly, "Di Renjie, are you here to arrest me?"

Di Renjie bowed and said, "I dare not, but I have something to ask Your Highness."

The King of Zheng neither asked him to sit down nor ordered tea to be served. He simply said, "Ask."

Di Renjie said, "I would like to ask, has Your Highness been carrying the fish talisman with you these past few days?"

Prince Zheng was stunned for a moment and said, "I am a foreign minister and do not need to attend court. The fish token has always been kept by my concubine Luo. Why are you asking this?"

Di Renjie said, "According to the confessions of the Fuping County yamen runners, those who claimed to be servants of the Zheng Wang Mansion had shown them your fish token."

King Zheng shouted angrily, "That must be a forged fish token!"

Di Renjie said, "Civilian forgery of seals and gangs all have rules and regulations, and they don't touch anything related to the imperial court. Therefore, forged fish seals are rare. Forged fish seals above the fifth rank are not even recorded in the Dali Temple archives!"

King Zheng was so angry that his face turned blue and he said nothing.

The King of Yue suddenly said, "Minister Di Si, just because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean it won't happen again in the future. Anyone who dares to murder the Crown Prince is no ordinary person. Uncle Shi, why don't you have your concubine come over and explain? That will put Minister Di Si at ease."

On the surface, these words were spoken in support of King Zheng, but in fact they were asking him to profess his innocence.

The King of Yue is here and will definitely tell the emperor everything that happens here.

If Prince Zheng feels guilty and dares not let his concubines come out to testify, it will only make the emperor suspicious.

When King Zheng thought of this, he waved his hand and ordered someone to summon Luo to the outer hall.

After a while, a concubine came to the outer hall.

After seeing her, Li Zhen and Di Renjie were both stunned, and King Zheng's face turned a little red.

It turned out that this Luo was very beautiful and only looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old.

The King of Zheng is already over forty years old this year, yet he actually married such a young girl as his concubine. If this news gets out, it will probably make people laugh.

In fact, it stands to reason that in Chang'an City, as long as one's status is high enough and one is thick-skinned enough, a man in his fifties or sixties can take a young girl as a concubine.

But King Zheng has always been known for his good reputation, and it is really surprising that he also has such a hobby.

King Zheng coughed and said, "Guanzhao, have you been taking good care of the fish talisman these past few days? Has it been stolen?"

Luo Madam whispered, "I check three times a day, and the fish talisman is in its box. If Ah Lang wants it, I'll get it right away."

After a while, Luo took out a silver box and opened it. Inside was a golden fish talisman, which was the fish talisman of King Zheng.

Di Renjie examined Prince Zheng's expression for a while, then looked at Luo and bowed.

"If that's the case, there might indeed be someone so daring as to forge the fish talisman for His Highness."

When King Zheng heard him say this, his expression softened a little.

"I was a little rude just now. This matter is really too serious, and I am afraid of being implicated. I hope that Lord Di will forgive me. Please sit down and have a cup of tea."

Di Renjie waved his hand and said, "No, the case is urgent and I am still anxious to investigate it. Goodbye." He turned and left.

When the King of Yue saw that Di Renjie had left, he also said goodbye, caught up with Di Renjie from behind, and left the Prince of Zheng's Mansion with him.

He invited Di Renjie to sit in his carriage and asked him, "Minister Di Si, do you really think someone is framing Prince Zheng?"

Di Renjie said, "It can't be said to be a frame-up, but at least one thing is certain: Prince Zheng probably didn't know about it."

Li Zhen said, "I agree with this, but if it's not King Zheng, who else could it be?"

Di Renjie's eyes flickered: "Maybe it's someone else from Prince Zheng's Mansion."

Li Zhen was about to ask a question when she suddenly heard a voice coming from outside.

"Your Highness, we encountered the King of Wu's carriage ahead."

After a while, Li Ji's voice came from outside the window.

"Uncle Eight, are you in there?"

Li Zhen stuck her head out and saw Li Ji standing outside the car.

"Jier, why are you here?" He asked, then suddenly realized, "Are you here to see Di Siqing?"

Li Ji said: "Yes, nephew went to the Dali Temple first, but they said that Di Siqing was not in the temple. Nephew thought that he might have gone to the Zhengwang Mansion, so he came here."

Li Zhen smiled and said, "You guessed right, Di Siqing is in the car, you can get in too."

Li Ji was overjoyed and immediately got on the carriage, greeted Di Renjie, and told him about Li Mao.

When Li Zhen heard the name "Li Mao", he immediately remembered that his son had mentioned this person to him last night, but he didn't take it seriously at the time.

Di Renjie took it very seriously and inquired carefully about the old events of Chongwenguan. After asking, a light flashed in his eyes.

"Your Highnesses, please accompany me, Di, to visit Prince Zheng's mansion again." When Prince Zheng learned that they had returned, he had a bad feeling in his heart and still met them in the outer hall.

Several people sat down as host and guest, and King Zheng said in a deep voice, "Do you have anything else to say?"

Di Renjie asked, "Your Highness Prince Zheng, may I ask if the Prince of Huainan is at home?"

King Zheng said, "He's in the palace. What's wrong?"

"Could you please ask him to come out and see me?"

King Zheng said in a deep voice, "What are you looking for him for? You just suspected me, and now you're not suspecting my son anymore, are you?"

"Uncle Shi, if this matter has nothing to do with Li Mao, what's wrong with asking him to come out and meet us?" Li Zhen said.

King Zheng frowned and said nothing.

Seeing this, Li Zhen became even more suspicious and said calmly, "Uncle Shi, if you don't let him out, we can only search the house by force."

Prince Zheng slammed the table and said, "Li Zhen, don't think that just because you're close to His Majesty, you can ignore your uncles. My Tang Dynasty governs the world with filial piety. Even if His Majesty were here, he wouldn't dare be so rude to me!"

Li Zhen responded pointedly, "The Tang Dynasty not only governs the world with filial piety, but also with the rule of law. Even if you are a prince or a duke, if you break the law, you will be punished!"

King Zheng said sternly, "Then tell His Majesty to take me away, and see what the world says!"

Li Ji hurriedly said, "Uncle, I just asked my cousin to come out and say a few words. Why are you so angry?"

King Zheng glared and said, "Mao'er is only eighteen years old, how could he do such a thing? I think you are just using this as an excuse to deal with me!"

Di Renjie suddenly asked, "Your Highness Prince Zheng, if it is inconvenient for you to see Prince Huainan, could you please allow us to see Madam Luo?"

King Zheng asked, "Why do you want to see her again?"

Di Renjie said in a deep voice: "Because she just lied."

"Then why didn't you say it just now?" King Zheng's face changed slightly.

Di Renjie said, "Just now I didn't know who she wanted to protect, but now I know."

King Zheng jumped up from his chair as if he had been electrocuted.

"You want to tell me that she wants to protect my son, right?" King Zheng said word by word.

Di Renjie said, "Not bad."

King Zheng was furious: "Di Renjie, don't go too far!"

Li Zhen said with a cold face, "Uncle Ten, Di Renjie is the Minister of the Supreme Court. He is ordered to investigate the case. I respect you enough. If you continue to hinder the investigation, let's go to the palace together to see the emperor."

King Zheng pointed at him and angrily said, "Don't try to use the saint to pressure me!"

Suddenly, a voice came from outside the door.

"Uncle Wang, do you mean to say that you don't even care about my order?"

There was a sound of chaotic footsteps, and a large group of people entered the outer hall.

In addition to the current emperor Li Zhi, the leader was also Empress Wu Zetian.

Behind the two men were a group of eunuchs and guards.

No one in the hall had expected that the emperor and the empress would come together, and they all looked surprised.

Li Ji reacted the fastest and kneeled down subconsciously. Seeing this, Li Zhen and Di Renjie also followed suit and knelt down.

In fact, in the Tang Dynasty, there was no need to kneel and kowtow when meeting the emperor in informal occasions, let alone a prince.

However, Li Zhen, Li Ji and Di Renjie all knelt, so Li Yuanli had no choice but to kneel down as well.

Li Zhi walked to the top and sat down, while Wu Meiniang stood beside him but did not sit down.

"Everyone get up." He raised his hand.

Everyone then thanked him and stood up.

Li Zhi smiled at Di Renjie and said, "Mr. Di, I wanted to invite you to come with me, but I didn't expect you to arrive first. Please explain the current situation to me."

Di Renjie agreed and explained the current situation.

What he said was very tactful. He did not say that King Zheng directly stopped the investigation, which saved him some face.

Li Zhi said, "What a coincidence! The Queen and I came here to meet the Prince of Huainan. Prince Zheng, is your son so precious that he can't be seen by others?"

Prince Zheng gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, have you come to my residence for Li Mao?"

Empress Wu suddenly said, "There's a Taoist priest named Guo here in the palace. He told me that the Crown Prince's affairs are related to the King of Huainan. That's why your majesty and I have come to visit the King of Zheng."

King Zheng asked anxiously, "How can the Taoist's words be used as evidence of a crime?"

Empress Wu stared at him intently.

"Your Majesty and I simply wish to see your son and have not convicted him of any crime. However, King Zheng's cover-up has caused us to become suspicious."

Prince Zheng and the Queen looked at each other for a moment, then finally lowered their heads, sighed secretly, turned around and ordered the servants to call Prince Huainan and Luo over.

Not long after, Luo arrived. When he saw the scene in the hall, he was stunned.

Helan Minzhi reacted the fastest and reminded: "His Majesty and Her Royal Highness the Queen are both here, you little girl, why don't you pay your respects quickly!"

Luo hurriedly knelt on the ground. His expression was no longer as calm as before. His elbows and shoulders were trembling slightly.

After waiting for a while, King Huainan Li Maocai finally came over.

He originally had an arrogant expression, but when he saw Li Zhi and Empress Wu, his face instantly turned as pale as paper.

After hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward to pay his respects to the Emperor and Empress.

When King Zheng saw his reaction, his heart suddenly sank. He shouted angrily, "Li Mao, His Majesty asks you questions, so you must answer carefully and don't make any mistakes!"

This was a reminder to him that if the prince's matter was really related to him, he must not admit it.

However, Li Mao smiled contemptuously and raised his head, saying, "Your Majesty, there is no need to ask. The pawnshop incident was my doing."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Good, you dare to act and take responsibility, you have some backbone."

Empress Wu's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

King Zheng was so angry that he almost collapsed. He pointed at him and said in a trembling voice, "You... why did you do such a treasonous thing?"

Li Mao snorted and said, "Treason? I'm just seeking justice for what happened back then. How can that be considered treason?"

King Zheng was stunned and asked, "What happened back then?"

Li Mao tilted his head slightly and said nothing.

Li Zhi also showed curiosity. He turned his head to look at Empress Wu and said, "Mei Niang, do you know what it is?"

Wu Meiniang shook her head.

Li Ji suddenly stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I know about this matter."

Li Zhi said: "Well, Xiaoji, you can explain it to everyone."

Li Ji then told Li Zhi, Wu Meiniang and Prince Zheng in detail what happened when Li Mao left Chongwenguan.

Li Mao considered this incident a disgrace and did not tell King Zheng about it after returning home, so King Zheng did not know about it.

When Li Mao heard Xiao Ji talking in public about how someone urinated on him, his face turned red and he stared at Li Ji closely.

"How did you know?"

Li Ji said, "I heard it from my cousin Li Chong."

"Li Chong!" Li Mao gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, it's Li Chong. He was instructed by the Crown Prince to humiliate me in this way. If I don't take revenge, I'd be unworthy of being a great warrior!"

When Li Hong was in the palace before, he had no way to take revenge. Later, when Li Hong set up a pawnshop, he finally found an opportunity.

Originally, I just wanted to damage Li Hong's reputation, but I never thought that because of Tuesday, it would cause such an uproar.

(End of this chapter)