Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 311 Taizong’s Painstaking Efforts

Li Zhi sat on the dragon throne and looked at King Jiang with a serious expression.

"Seventh Brother, what did you just say?"

Prince Jiang said, "Your Majesty, the person who spread the rumors about Lu Zhaolin was Prince Deng Li Yuanyu!"

Li Zhi looked at his fat body and asked in a deep voice, "How did you know?"

King Jiang said, "After hearing the rumors about Lu Zhaolin, I have been secretly investigating and have discovered that this matter is related to King Deng."

Li Zhi narrowed his eyes and said, "Seventh Brother is particularly concerned about this matter."

Prince Jiang lowered his head and said, "To be honest with you, Your Majesty, my biological mother and Changshan's biological mother were both palace maids who entered the palace together. Later, they were both promoted to beauties. That's why I have been keeping an eye on her secretly."

Li Zhi asked, "If that's the case, why didn't you visit Changshan when you came to Chang'an in previous years?"

King Jiang said, "I have no face to see her."

Li Zhi asked, "Why?"

Prince Jiang sighed, "During the ten years that Changshan was seriously ill, I watched her become increasingly thinner, but I was powerless to do anything, so I dared not visit her again."

"Then why didn't you go to see her after she recovered?"

King Jiang gritted his teeth and said, "Back then, I believed she was doomed and had already given up on her. How can I be qualified to see her again now?"

Li Zhi stared at Prince Jiang and always felt that there was something wrong with his expression.

"Since you feel guilty towards her, you should apologize to her sincerely. Come on, I will accompany you to see her." He waved his hand.

King Jiang hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "I obey your command."

The two of them came to the Princess's Court together and met Princess Changshan and Princess Xincheng.

Because Princess Changshan is about to get married, Princess Xincheng has been staying in the princess's courtyard these days to accompany her sister.

When Princess Changshan saw Queen Jiang, she was stunned for a moment. In an instant, her eyes were filled with tears, and she threw herself into King Jiang's arms.

After seeing Princess Changshan's attitude towards King Jiang, Li Zhi's doubts disappeared. He pulled Princess Xincheng to the outer room so that the two could talk alone.

Li Zhi asked Princess Xincheng about Princess Changshan and Prince Jiang.

Princess Xincheng glanced at the inner room, pursed her lips, and said, "I'm not really sure. I haven't met Seventh Brother very often, and all I heard about him was from my elder sister."

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "It's okay, just tell me what Changshan said to you."

Princess Xincheng said, "Brother, my sister was actually very pitiful when she was little. She was only five years old when her biological mother was banished to the cold palace. Her father didn't love her either, and she was left alone in the palace."

Li Zhi nodded. Judging from Emperor Gaozong of Tang's memory, he had no feelings for his sister.

Princess Xincheng continued, "My sister's biological mother was of low status and was banished to the cold palace. The other brothers and sisters ignored her, but my seventh brother would often play with her and feed her delicious food."

Li Zhi asked, "Did she tell me why Brother Seven wanted to play with her?"

Princess Xincheng pondered for a moment and said, "It seems to be because my elder sister's mother and my seventh brother's mother are good sisters, and they have always had a good relationship."

Li Zhi nodded, this was consistent with what King Jiang said.

Princess Xincheng said, "Oh, by the way, I heard from my sister that my seventh brother's mother also died very early, and died suddenly."

Li Zhi was startled and asked, "When did he die suddenly?"

Princess Xincheng said, "He died in the tenth year of the Zhenguan reign, the same year as my mother. At that time, it was Old Concubine Cui who was in charge of the harem."

Li Zhi's heart sank.

King Jiang's biological mother died suddenly.

After only a few months of managing the harem, Old Concubine Cui fell seriously ill and died after returning to Shu.

Princess Changshan's biological mother was banished to the cold palace.

There seems to be some hidden connection between these three things.

To understand the logic behind this, we must understand in more detail what else happened in the tenth year of Zhenguan.

In the tenth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Gaozong of Tang was only nine years old and his memory was vague, but Prince Jiang Li Yun was already twelve or thirteen years old and should have known something.

Thinking of this, Li Zhi stood up and went to the inner hall.

When I looked up, I saw Prince Jiang moving a chair and sitting opposite the bed, talking to Princess Changshan.

"Brother, look, this is the jar of rock honey you gave me before you left Beijing. I couldn't bear to eat it, so I ate it when it was about to go bad. I have kept this jar." Princess Changshan was holding a small wooden jar in her hand.

For some reason, when King Jiang saw the wooden jar, he showed a look of fear and stood up in a hurry.

"If you like it, I'll bring you some next time I enter the palace. Sister, I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."

When he turned around, King Jiang noticed that Li Zhi had come in at some point and was staring at him intently.

King Jiang's face became even more flustered, and he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I will take my leave first."

Li Zhi nodded and watched King Jiang hurriedly leave the room.

Princess Changshan saw him leave like this, and a look of loss appeared on her face. Then she forced herself to cheer up and said to Li Zhi, "Ninth brother, thank you for bringing seventh brother to see me."

Li Zhi sat down in the same place where Prince Jiang had just been and said with a smile, "It's nothing. I've learned everything about Lu Zhaolin. They're all rumors. You don't have to worry."

Princess Changshan stared at him for a while, smiled slightly, and said, "That's just overthinking."

Princess Xincheng walked in at this time and asked with a puzzled look on her face, "Why did Seventh Brother leave in such a hurry?"

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Maybe something happened."

The three of them sat down and chatted for a while, and Li Zhi asked about King Jiang intentionally or unintentionally.

It's basically the same as what Princess Xincheng said.

After chatting for a while, Wu Meiniang suddenly sent someone to invite Li Zhi over.

Li Zhi came to the Lizheng Hall, sat down on the couch, and asked Wu Meiniang, "Meiniang, what do you want to see me for?"

Wu Meiniang said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I just heard some past events from Qin Ye. I think it might be related to Prince Deng."

Li Zhi became more alert and started asking in details.

In the tenth year of Zhenguan, Empress Zhangsun passed away, and Emperor Taizong was heartbroken.

However, this was a good thing for many concubines in the harem, especially those who had children. So a fight was brewing quietly in the harem.

Taizong also noticed this and invited Concubine Cui to come.

This action was very strange. No matter how much Taizong respected Concubine Cui, how could an emperor take the initiative to hand over the management of the harem to an elder?

What's more, this elder is neither the emperor's biological mother nor the empress dowager.

Some smart concubines, such as Concubine Wei, saw through Taizong's painstaking efforts from his actions.

He was obviously worried that after a concubine took charge of the harem, she would develop ambitions to become the new queen, or even help her son seize the position of crown prince!
Taizong invited Concubine Cui to warn all the concubines in the harem to give up the desire to compete for favor, be down-to-earth and abide by the law.

Many concubines understood Taizong's intention and withdrew from the fight out of disappointment.

However, in the face of power and desire, not everyone can remain sober, and some concubines continue to fight secretly.

The two people who fought the most fiercely were Concubine Yin De and Concubine Yang Shu.

Both of them have extraordinary identities.

Yin Defei's father, named Yin Shishi, was the governor of Chang'an during the Sui Dynasty.

When Li Yuan attacked Chang'an, Yin Shishi killed Li Yuan's son Li Zhiyun and dug up the Li family's ancestral tomb.

The Yin family can be regarded as the enemy of the Li family.

Despite her status, Concubine Yin was still able to be promoted to one of the four ladies, which shows how much Emperor Taizong favored her.

Another concubine, Yang Shufei, was the daughter of Yang Guang and a former princess of the Sui Dynasty.

Because of their status, these two women did not have a good life in the palace, and they both secretly wanted to change the status quo.

Concubine Yin's son was the fifth prince Li You, and Concubine Yang's son was the third prince Li Ke, both of whom were very favored by Emperor Taizong.

Now that the queen is dead, both women want to help their sons ascend to the throne, so the harem struggle in the tenth year of Zhenguan is mainly centered on the two of them.

Concubine Yin was very scheming. She noticed early on that the Queen was in poor health and was secretly preparing to win her favor.

She had selected two beautiful maids to serve Taizong at an early age, which would not only make Taizong feel that she was generous, but also help her develop her own power.

The two maids were the biological mothers of Li Yun and Princess Changshan, Concubine Wang and Concubine Zhao.

As soon as the queen died, Concubine Yin immediately made an effort to seize the power to manage the harem, but Taizong invited Concubine Cui back.

In the next few months, the harem turned into a battlefield without the smoke of gunpowder, with concubines dying suddenly and palace maids and eunuchs frequently disappearing.

At that time, every morning, eunuchs would go to every well in the palace to check whether there were any bodies of palace servants.

Concubine Wang died suddenly at that time.

By December, Concubine Cui was bedridden and unable to manage affairs. She asked Emperor Taizong for permission to return to Shu. Before leaving, she suggested that Emperor Taizong banish Concubine Zhao to the cold palace.

After returning to Shu, Old Concubine Cui died of illness within a month.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi asked, "Has Old Concubine Cui been poisoned?"

Wu Meiniang said, "I have also asked Qin Ye. According to him, when Old Concubine Cui was seriously ill, many imperial doctors examined her, but no poisoning was found."

Li Zhi asked again, "Concubine Wang died suddenly, and no one discovered she was poisoned?"

Wu Meiniang's face was solemn. She said, "It should be. If it was poisoned, the imperial physician would definitely be able to find it."

There was a hint of confusion between Li Zhi's brows.

No matter how you look at it, Lady Wang's death is not normal. It cannot be a normal death.

Either the poison in Concubine Wang was very strange and the imperial physician was unable to diagnose it, or the imperial physician was bribed to conceal the matter.

This matter is strange and too much time has passed. It is not easy to find out the truth.

Li Zhi pondered for a moment, his mind replaying the strange expression on Prince Jiang's face, which made him feel vaguely uneasy. There was actually another way to find out the truth.

Li Yuanyu, King of Deng.

He was the son of the old Concubine Cui. Before she died, the old Concubine must have told him all the truth.

However, if I summon him directly, he may not answer honestly.

Li Zhi had a plan in mind, and immediately left Lizheng Hall, returned to Ganlu Hall, and ordered someone to summon Gao Youdao.

……

When Gao Youdao returned to the side hall, Lu Zhaolin and Du Yijian both looked at him.

The emperor summoned Gao Youdao yesterday to inquire about Lu Zhaolin, and he summoned him again today. Obviously there is a problem.

Gao Youdao whispered, "I'll tell you after I leave the government office."

Lu Zhaolin had to suppress his curiosity and finally finished today's tasks. It was just the hour of You, a little earlier than yesterday.

The three of them headed towards the palace gate together. As soon as they exited the Vermillion Bird Gate, Lu Zhaolin impatiently asked, "Brother Gao, is His Majesty asking about me again?"

Gao Youdao said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty did not ask, but told me something."

"What's the matter?" they both asked.

Gao Youdao sighed and said, "Your Majesty has already investigated clearly. The person who spread the rumors is Prince Deng Li Yuanyu!"

Lu Zhaolin cried out in disbelief: "How is this possible? Your Majesty must have made a mistake!"

Du Yijian quickly covered his mouth, glanced around, and whispered, "You're crazy! How dare you say such nonsense?"

Gao Youdao said in a deep voice: "Since it was said by His Majesty himself, it should not be wrong!"

Du Yijian lowered his head, staring blankly at the ground, and said, "Your Highness Prince Deng, why would you do such a thing?"

Du Yijian snorted, "That's what they call a person's heart is not what he thinks. Maybe he's jealous of you now that you've become successful and are living a better life than him."

"I don't allow you to slander His Royal Highness Prince Deng!" Lu Zhaolin glared at him.

Seeing that he was angry, Du Yijian smiled and said, "I was just saying it casually, don't take it seriously."

Gao Youdao said, "Brother Lu, aren't you planning to take us to visit King Deng today? This is a good opportunity to ask him!"

Lu Zhaolin took a deep breath and said with a stern look in his eyes, "Alright, I'll ask him myself."

Lu Zhaolin had sent someone to inform Prince Deng yesterday that he would be visiting with friends today, so Prince Deng's mansion had prepared a banquet early.

The three of them arrived at Prince Deng's Mansion and, led by the palace's chief secretary, went straight to the hall.

The tables and chairs had been set up in the hall, and the maids came in one after another, bringing in delicious dishes.

When King Deng saw the three people coming, he greeted them with a smile.

"Zhao Lin, you're finally here. I've been waiting for you for a long time. Gao Xueshu and Du Xiaoshu are here too! Come and sit down."

Gao Youdao and Du Yijian both bowed in greeting, but Lu Zhaolin did not.

He was a straightforward person. He stared at Li Yuanyu and said, "Your Highness, Prince Deng, are those rumors about me related to you?"

Li Yuanyu was stunned and silent for a while, then he waved his hand to send the servants away and looked at Gao Youdao and Du Yijian.

"Could you two please wait in the side hall? I want to speak to Zhao Lin privately."

Lu Zhaolin waved his hand and said, "They are all my most trusted friends. Your Highness can say whatever you want to say in front of them."

Li Yuanyu sighed deeply and said, "I asked them to leave, not because I don't trust them, but because this matter involves palace secrets, and hearing about them might not be beneficial."

Du Yijian was startled and was about to back out, but Gao Youdao said, "Your Highness, don't worry. Since this matter is related to Brother Lu, we are not afraid of taking risks."

After hearing what he said, Du Yijian secretly groaned in his heart, but he couldn't find a reason to leave.

Li Yuanyu glanced at the three people one by one, and said solemnly: "In that case, please follow me."

Li Yuanyu brought the three of them to the study, and summoned several confidants, ordering them to guard the surroundings and not allow anyone to eavesdrop.

Such a big scene frightened Du Yijian so much that his face turned pale and sweat broke out on his forehead.

However, it was not over yet. Just when the three thought King Deng was about to speak, King Deng stood in front of a bookshelf and pressed some mechanism.

With a click, the bookshelf was pushed open, revealing a secret room behind it.

"Please come in, the three of you." Li Yuanyu said lightly.

Du Yijian saw Lu Zhaolin walk in, swallowed his saliva, and whispered to Gao Youdao, "Brother Gao, is he hiding assassins in there to trick us in and kill us to silence us?"

Gao Youdao said unhappily, "He's a prince, how could he do such a thing?" Then he followed him in.

Du Yijian had no choice but to follow in.

With a "click", King Deng entered the room and restored the bookshelf.

The secret room was not big, only ten feet square, with no doors or windows, and was completely dark.

Only after Li Yuanyu lit two wall lamps did there finally become some light.

The three of them then discovered that there was actually a bookshelf in the small secret room, with several books piled on it, all of which were ancient books with yellowed paper covers.

King Deng sat down on a chair by the wall, looked up at the three people, and said slowly:

"This matter is extremely secretive. If His Majesty hadn't already known that I was the one spreading the rumor and sent Wang Fusheng to warn me, I wouldn't have told you."

There was only one chair in the secret room, so the three of them could only stand and listen.

Lu Zhaolin frowned and asked, "What's your intention in doing this?"

King Deng stared at him and said, "Zhao Lin, are you sincere to the princess?"

Lu Zhaolin said proudly, "Of course."

King Deng said, "Then you can't marry her."

Lu Zhaolin was surprised and asked, "Why is this?"

King Deng said, "Princess Changshan is safe in the palace, under the protection of Your Majesty. If she were to marry you, she would surely die within a month!"

When these words were spoken, the three of them were stunned.

Lu Zhaolin asked anxiously, "Why? Who wants to harm her? Who dares to murder the princess of this dynasty?"

King Deng was silent for a moment, then said, "The one who dared to murder the princess is certainly not an ordinary person. Do you really want to know who it is?"

Du Yijian got goosebumps all over his body and wanted to say that he didn't really want to know.

It’s a pity that Gao Youdao spoke first.

"Please tell us, Your Highness!"

Prince Deng tilted his head to gaze at the wall lamp and said slowly, "It's Prince Jiang Li Yun!"

Lu Zhaolin asked, "Why did Prince Jiang want to harm the princess?"

Prince Deng said slowly, "Because his biological mother was murdered by Princess Changshan's biological mother. That's all I can tell you. Zhaolin, if you truly want Princess Changshan's best interests at heart, you can't marry her."

"Wait a minute!" Du Yijian raised his hand and said, "Since you know about this, why don't you tell His Majesty? With His Majesty protecting him, can Prince Jiang still succeed?"

King Deng fell silent.

Gao Youdao asked tentatively, "Your Highness, are you worried that His Majesty will trust Prince Jiang more than your uncle?"

All the ministers could actually see the situation of the Tang Dynasty royal family. The emperor obviously favored the princes of the brother generation and neglected the princes of the uncle generation.

Prince Deng said slowly, "It's not just this reason. The situation is complicated. From my perspective, it's difficult to gain your Majesty's trust."

After hearing this, Lu Zhaolin and the other two looked at each other in surprise.

Before coming, they never thought that they would ask such a result. For a moment, the three of them didn't know what to say.

Gao Youdao was the first to regain his composure. He bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for telling us. We will take our leave now."

After leaving Prince Deng's Mansion, the three of them fell into silence again.

When they reached a quiet street, Du Yijian suddenly asked, "Do you believe what King Deng said?"

Lu Zhaolin said in a deep voice: "I believe it."

Du Yijian said, "But this is too unbelievable, isn't it?"

Lu Zhaolin said, "I know King Deng's character best. Although this is indeed unacceptable, it is his way of doing things."

Du Yijian looked at him in surprise and said, "You're not really going to listen to him and cancel your wedding with the princess, are you?"

Lu Zhaolin showed a stern look: "No, I will tell His Majesty about this!"

Du Yijian said anxiously, "No! This involves a fight between royal family members and involves palace secrets. If we get involved, we will definitely not end well!"

Gao Youdao glanced at him and said, "We've already been involved. It's too late to get out."

Du Yijian touched his nose and said with a wry smile, "I was originally planning to attend Brother Lu's wedding, but I didn't expect to encounter something like this."

Lu Zhaolin apologized, "It's my fault that I have caused trouble for you two."

Gao Youdao patted him on the shoulder and said, "Why bother saying such things between you and me? In fact, our situation is not that dangerous."

Du Yijian twitched his ears and asked, "What do you mean?"

Gao Youdao laughed and said, "Think about it, why did His Majesty tell me about King Deng?"

Du Yijian's eyes lit up, and he said, "Do you want you to tell Brother Lu, and then have Brother Lu question King Deng?"

Gao Youdao smiled and said, "That's right. We just need to tell Your Majesty what King Deng told us, and let Your Majesty judge for himself whether it's true or not. There won't be any danger!"

The three of them looked at each other and all felt that this was the most appropriate approach, so they immediately turned around and headed towards the palace.

(End of this chapter)