Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 303 Mei Niang, You Really Don’t Make Me Worry
King Zheng finally understood at this time.

His son took revenge on the prince because of a minor conflict in Chongwenguan. While he was shocked and angry, a glimmer of hope also arose in his heart.

If that's all, it can be remedied.

He stepped forward, slapped Li Mao in the face, then reached out to hold his head down, and with a "bang", he fell heavily to the ground.

"You evil creature, for such a small matter, you committed such a brutal act. Your Majesty, I have failed in my parenting. Please execute me and this evil son together!"

Li Zhi frowned and looked at the two of them, and didn't speak for a while.

Originally, it was thought that this was a conspiracy against the crown prince, but who would have thought that it was actually a revenge against the prince by a member of the royal family for an old incident.

He glanced at Guo Daozhen again. In such a tense atmosphere, the Taoist still looked relaxed and contented.

Does this matter have anything to do with this Taoist priest?

Is he the mastermind behind this, or did he find out about it by accident?

Of course, Li Zhi didn't believe a single word of this nonsense calculated using the Eight Trigrams.

He looked at Di Renjie and said, "Mr. Di, what do you think about this matter?"

Di Renjie bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have a few questions for the King of Huainan."

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "Ask."

Di Renjie looked at Li Mao and asked, "Prince, did you take the fish token from Madam Luo?"

Li Mao said: "Yes."

After hearing this, King Zheng glanced at Luo coldly.

Luo lowered his head and said nothing.

Everyone present could see the current situation. If Luo Shi didn't have an affair with Li Mao, why would she give him the fish talisman?
In fact, judging from age, she is more suitable for Li Mao, so it is not surprising.

King Zheng was extremely angry at this moment.

If this happened under normal circumstances, he would definitely punish Luo severely and would not show any leniency.

However, the emperor was here now, and he could not pursue the matter. He could only put his son's life first and endure it for the time being.

Li Mao suddenly said, "Father, you don't have to blame her. I was the one who pestered her, but she ignored me. Later, I made a deal with her that if she gave me the fish talisman, I would never provoke her again."

When King Zheng heard this, he was stunned.

Di Renjie continued, "Prince, besides sending people to Fuping County to capture Zhou Er, have you hired some thugs to kill him along the way?"

Li Mao snorted, "I hired them, but it's a pity they hired a bunch of losers. They made a complete mess of the job."

Di Renjie asked, "One last question. Did you come up with the idea of ​​using the pawnshop to discredit the Crown Prince on your own, or did someone tell you about it?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Zhi and Wu Meiniang stared at Li Mao with burning eyes.

Li Mao was silent for a moment, then said, "It was a guest in my house who suggested it to me."

King Zheng was overjoyed and asked anxiously, "Who is this person?"

Li Mao said, "There's a man named Zhang Zhong, who calls himself a hermit in the mountains. He's very skilled in medicine, very old, and very knowledgeable."

King Zheng asked, "Did he come with you to Chang'an?"

Li Mao shook his head and said, "Not long after this happened, he left without saying goodbye."

Prince Zheng knelt on the ground and bowed to Li Zhi, saying, "Your Majesty, Zhang Zhong clearly deliberately approached my son and tried to trick him into offending the Crown Prince. I beg your Majesty to understand this!"

Li Zhi pondered for a moment and said, "Mr. Di, in your opinion, how should the King of Huainan be sentenced?"

King Zheng immediately cast a pleading look at Di Renjie.

Di Renjie bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, I believe this case is still unclear. It is better to wait until it is fully investigated before making a judgment."

Wu Meiniang asked, "Is there anything else unclear?"

Di Renjie glanced at Guo Daozhen and hesitated to answer.

Like Li Zhi, he did not believe in ghosts and gods, and even more so did not believe that a Taoist priest could guess the real murderer by divination. Therefore, he believed that there must be something wrong with this person.

However, this Taoist priest seemed to have gained the trust of the Emperor and Empress, and it would be unwise to question him directly.

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "Queen, since we have handed the case over to Lord Di, we must trust him. Lord Di, please continue your investigation. If there is any development, please report it to me at any time."

Di Renjie bowed and said, "I obey your order!"

The matter finally came to an end. Li Zhi and Wu Meiniang returned to the palace in a phoenix carriage, while Di Renjie took Li Mao and Luo to the Dali Temple for interrogation.

On the way back to the palace, Li Zhi suddenly felt a slight headache.

Wu Meiniang was afraid that his headache would relapse, so after returning to the palace, she hurriedly summoned Sun Simiao to take Li Zhi's pulse.

After Sun Simiao took the patient's pulse, he pondered for a moment without answering.

Empress Wu asked anxiously, "Lord Sun, how is His Majesty doing?"

Li Zhi also stared at Sun Simiao, feeling uneasy.

Sun Simiao said slowly, "Your Highness, don't worry. His Majesty is just a little overworked. He will be fine after a while of rest."

Wu Meiniang frowned and said, "Your Majesty did not attend court today, and there were not many government affairs to attend to. But how can you be considered too tired after just one trip out of the palace?"

Seeing that Sun Simiao was hesitant to speak, Li Zhi said calmly, "Godly Doctor Sun, please speak freely. I can accept any result."

Sun Simiao sighed, "Although I have been helping Your Majesty recuperate, the palace is filled with pent-up energy and is definitely not a place for recuperation. Your Majesty's headache is worsening."

Empress Wu was startled for a moment, then turned her head to look at Li Zhi and said, "Jiulang, why don't you go on tour early and get well soon? Li Ji and the others will assist Hong'er with matters at court. Even though you and I are away, we can still keep up with all the goings-on at court, so nothing serious will happen."

Li Zhi saw the mist in her eyes and patted her hand, saying, "Don't worry, I know my own health. Lord Sun, I'd like to wait another six months before going on tour. Is that feasible?"

Sun Simiao said: "If it lasts half a year, it should be fine."

Li Zhi took a deep breath, clenched his fist and said, "That's good."

Sun Simiao bowed and was about to leave, but suddenly his nose twitched and he leaned over to Empress Wu to smell it, only to find that there was a special smell mixed in with the fragrance.

If anyone else had acted so disrespectfully, Empress Wu would have been furious. But when Sun Simiao did this, she felt strange and asked, "Mr. Sun, what's wrong?"

Sun Simiao twirled his beard and pondered for a moment before asking, "Your Highness, have you taken Huangqi recently?"

Wu Meiniang shook her head and said, "I didn't take it."

Zhang Duohai suddenly took two steps closer and whispered, "Your Highness, the Yimu powder you used contains Huangqi."

Wu Meiniang was slightly stunned, and after thinking for a while, she said, "I don't remember Huangqi being among the main herbs?"

Zhang Duohai said: "Huangqi means Shougui, and the people often call it Huangqi."

Wu Meiniang suddenly realized, "No wonder." She smiled at Sun Simiao and said, "As expected of you, Mr. Sun, you are really sensitive to the taste of medicinal herbs."

Li Zhi noticed that Sun Simiao looked strange and asked, "Mr. Sun, is there anything special about this herb?"

Sun Simiao sighed, "When I saw this medicine, I was reminded of an old friend. Among all the herbs, angelica is known as the 'King of Medicine,' and Huangqi is the best quality variety."

The main producing areas of angelica are concentrated in Longyou Road, but a small amount is also produced in remote places in other places.

Angelica from different regions has different qualities and names due to environmental influences.

"Shougui" is a kind of angelica produced in Shou County, Huainan Road.

Li Zhi didn't know much about medicine, but Wu Meiniang knew a thing or two. She smiled and said, "I've heard of Shougui for a long time."

Sun Simiao said slowly, "Danggui is well-suited to cool, high-altitude climates and mostly grows in the north. However, my good friend accidentally discovered a unique variety of angelica in an isolated village in Shou County. It was because of his discovery that Shougui became known to the world!"

Wu Meiniang was stunned for a moment and said, "I heard that Shougui was discovered more than sixty years ago. Could it be that Mr. Sun's friend was the one who discovered it sixty years ago?"

Sun Simiao showed a nostalgic look and said, "Indeed, his name is Zhang Zhong. He is also proficient in medicine and is a few years older than me."

When Li Zhi heard this, he was surprised.

The Zhang Zhong mentioned by Sun Simiao might be the mountain hermit named Zhang Zhong mentioned by Huainan King Li Mao.

Sun Simiao was already over ninety years old, and that clock was older than him, so it was probably over a hundred years old.

Li Zhi and Wu Meiniang looked at each other, their eyes full of questions.

Li Zhi asked, "Mr. Sun, do you know where your good friend lives now?"

Sun Simiao said, "He lived in seclusion in the village he discovered. The village was extremely secretive, and the villagers had almost no communication with the outside world. Everyone in the village lived to a very old age, so it was called the Longevity Village."

Li Zhi was stunned for a moment, looking thoughtful.

From Sun Simiao's few words, one can feel that the hermit named Zhang Zhong is a true hermit.

Why would such a person persuade the Prince of Huainan to deal with the Crown Prince? It is really puzzling.

Wu Meiniang also looked thoughtful.

Seeing that neither of them spoke, Sun Simiao thought they were not interested in this topic, so he bowed and left.

Li Zhi asked Wu Meiniang to leave on the pretext of recuperation, and then ordered Di Renjie to come to the palace. After more than two hours, Di Renjie finally arrived at the palace.

Li Zhi knew that he must be busy solving the case, so he did not blame him and told him about Zhang Zhong's situation.

Di Renjie showed a look of sudden realization and said, "Your Majesty, I understand now. The person who treated Lady Yan was Zhang Zhong!"

Li Zhi was stunned and asked, "What happened to Lady Yan?"

Di Renjie smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I just went to investigate Lady Yan and discovered that she had an acute illness in the fourth year of Yonghui, and even the imperial physicians couldn't cure her. The Fanyang Lu family sent people everywhere to search for Sun Simiao."

"An old man came forward and offered to help Lady Yan, claiming his medical skills were no worse than Sun Simiao's.

"Later, the old man really cured Lady Yan. When Lady Lu of Fanyang wanted to thank him, he refused to accept anything and only said that he wanted to repay Lady Lu of Fanyang."

Li Zhi asked puzzledly: "Return?"

Di Renjie said, "I went to the Ministry of Personnel to check. In the third year of Yonghui, a member of the Fanyang Lu family named Lu Qiqing served as the county magistrate of Shou County and had an excellent reputation."

Li Zhi suddenly realized, "So Zhang Zhong went to help treat Lady Yan in order to repay Lu Qiqing for his kindness to the local area?"

Di Renjie said, "That's right."

Li Zhi thought for a moment and then asked, "Di Qing, why did you suddenly go to investigate Lady Yan?"

Di Renjie said, "To be honest, Your Majesty, I simply have some suspicions about that Taoist Master Guo. Furthermore, I discovered that he had asserted that Lady Yan would suffer a bloody disaster, so I went to investigate."

Li Zhi nodded secretly.

Di Renjie was obviously the same as him and did not believe Guo Daozhen. When he heard about the affair between Guo Daozhen and Lady Yan, he guessed that there was something wrong and took it as a direction of investigation.

I have to say, his mind is really quick.

Even if Li Zhi had not heard about Zhang Zhong from Sun Simiao, I believe he could have found it out on his own.

Di Renjie bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I suspect Zhang Zhong is in cahoots with Guo Daozhen, which is why Guo Daozhen knew about the Prince of Huainan. Lady Yan, having received favors from Zhang Zhong, cooperated with Guo Daozhen, allowing him to infiltrate the Wu residence and gain access to Empress Wu."

Li Zhi frowned and asked, "What is their purpose?"

Di Renjie said, "I cannot guess their purpose at the moment, but judging from the current situation, it should be related to two people."

Li Zhi said: "One of them should be Li Mao."

Di Renjie said, "That's right. On the one hand, they proposed to the King of Huainan to deal with the Crown Prince, and on the other hand, they sent Guo Daozhen to Chang'an, using Taoist magic as a pretext to identify the King of Huainan. This is obviously to deal with the King of Huainan."

Li Zhi raised an eyebrow and said, "Li Mao's current official position is Shouzhou Prefecture. Zhang Zhong wants to deal with him. Could it be that he has done something evil in Shouzhou?"

Zhang Zhong is obviously a person who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment.

Lu Qiqing was good at governing Shou County, so he went to Chang'an to treat Lu Congbi.

The reason why he was now dealing with Li Mao was probably because Li Mao had committed evil and was cruel and mean in Shouzhou, which aroused his anger.

After these relationships were sorted out, the case gradually became clear.

Di Renjie said, "I agree with your Majesty, but I think they may have another purpose."

Li Zhi said: "Oh?"

"Your Majesty, please consider this: if they truly only wanted to deal with Li Mao, they could have simply used covert methods and reported the Prince of Huainan to the Dali Temple. Why would they have allowed Guo Daozhen into the palace?"

Li Zhi pondered and said, "Yes, Guo Daozhen went to the Wu Mansion half a year ago and asserted that the Crown Prince was in trouble. This means they have been planning this for at least half a year."

Di Renjie nodded.

Li Zhi glanced at Di Renjie and said, "You just said this matter was related to two people. The second person is the Queen, right?"

Di Renjie lowered his head slightly: "Yes."

Li Zhi's mood suddenly became heavy.

Judging from the information currently known, Zhang Zhong is not a bad person. He may have targeted Li Mao because Li Mao committed evil deeds in Shouzhou.

Then he sent Guo Daozhen to approach Empress Wu, and I'm afraid he had similar purposes behind it.

Judging from what Sun Simiao said just now, one of the herbs in the anti-aging powder used by Empress Wu was obtained from Shou County.

From this we can see that this matter is also related to Wu Meiniang.

The two of them spent more than four years together and their relationship was deep. She then gave birth to three children for him.

If Wu Meiniang really made a big mistake, even taking human life, Li Zhi would also feel embarrassed.

"Mei Niang, you really make me worry."

Li Zhi sighed and looked at Di Renjie.

"Di Qing, how should we investigate this case next? Do you have any idea?"

Di Renjie said, "I've been thinking that if we send someone to Shouzhou, we should be able to find out the whole story. But that's too slow. I'd like to try another method."

"What method?"

Di Renjie said, "I suspect Zhang Zhong has been planning this for a long time. He should be near Chang'an, or even hiding in Chang'an. I want to lure him out."

Li Zhi asked, "How do you lead it?"

Di Renjie said, "Arrest Guo Daozhen, then inform Chang'an and the surrounding prefectures and counties that he has been spreading rumors and causing chaos in the palace. Execute him in the East Market in five days. I suspect Zhang Zhong will show up."

A man like Zhang Zhong who has lived for a hundred years would never be afraid of death. If he knew that the plan had failed, he would not have watched Guo Daozhen die without helping him.

After Li Zhi figured this out, he immediately waved his hand and said, "Approved!"

Guo Daozhen returned to the palace with Li Zhi and Wu Meiniang, and was arranged by Wu Meiniang to stay temporarily in Sanqing Palace.

Empress Wu was suspicious by nature. After listening to Sun Simiao's words, she also figured out something unusual and did not meet Guo Daozhen immediately.

After she returned to Lizheng Hall, she walked to the dressing table, picked up a bottle of anti-aging powder, and stared at the small glass bottle in a daze.

Suddenly, Zhang Duohai walked in with small steps and whispered, "Your Highness, news just came from Sanqing Temple that Taoist Priest Guo was captured by the inner guards."

Wu Meiniang turned her head suddenly, stared at Zhang Duohai, and asked, "What's the reason?"

Zhang Dahai said cautiously, "His Majesty personally issued an order saying that he was spreading evil and misleading the people, causing chaos in the palace."

Wu Meiniang asked in a deep voice, "Did His Majesty summon Di Renjie just now?"

Zhang Duohai was stunned and said, "Yes, how did you know?"

Wu Meiniang glanced at him and said, "Isn't it obvious? Di Renjie must have found something, so His Majesty ordered the arrest of Guo Daozhen."

Zhang Duohai's face changed and he asked, "Could it be that Master Guo is also involved in this case?"

Wu Meiniang said coldly: "It seems that Your Majesty is right. These quacks are indeed not to be trusted. He did not calculate the King of Huainan by Taoism, but knew it in advance!"

Zhang Duohai didn't know what he was thinking about. His face suddenly turned extremely pale and he knelt at Empress Wu's feet.

"Your Highness, there is something I have been wanting to report to you."

Wu Meiniang looked down at him and said, "Speak!"

Zhang Duohai lowered his head and said, "This matter is related to Huangqi. The Huangqi we recently collected in Shou County was all supplied by Huainan King Li Mao."

Wu Meiniang's face turned pale and she asked, "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"

Zhang Duohai said with a bitter face, "Master Guo, no, when Guo Daozhen calculated the King of Huainan, I had no idea about the Crown Prince's affairs or his involvement. After I found out, Your Majesty was always by my side, so I had no chance to report it."

Wu Meiniang suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the room, her face expression changing from gloomy to bright.

As she investigated the matter, she found out that it actually came down to her. She was caught off guard.

After a long while, she said in a stern tone, "When you acquired Huangqi in Shou County, did you act recklessly and violate the law?"

"No, absolutely not!"

Zhang Duohai quickly assured: "We buy with money. We used to buy from individual dealers, but later they ran out of stock. Only Li Mao's pharmacy had stock, so we bought from him. In recent years, more and more people are buying from us, and the prices are getting higher and higher!"

Wu Meiniang examined him and asked, "If that's the case, then why did Zhang Zhong deal with Li Mao and send Guo Daozhen into the palace to get close to me?"

Zhang Duohai was stunned and said, "Are you saying that something happened in Changshou Village that caused them to do these things?"

Wu Meiniang narrowed her eyes and asked, "Isn't it possible?"

Zhang Duohai hurriedly said, "Your Highness, I can guarantee with my head that our people have never done anything out of line. Even if something happens in Changshou Village, it has absolutely nothing to do with us!"

Wu Meiniang stared at him for a while, and seeing that he didn't seem to be hiding anything, she finally looked away.

Zhang Dahai whispered, "Your Highness, what should we do next?"

Wu Meiniang closed her eyes and thought for a while, then said in a deep voice, "Send someone to Changshou Village to investigate immediately. Something must have happened there!"

Zhang Duohai agreed and walked away quickly.

　Starting today, I will resume updating. From now on, the content will still be over 8,000 words, but I will change it to two updates a day, and strive to make it a quality product. I hope everyone knows this!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)