Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 323 The Prince's Little Advisor
At the gate of Zhaoyun, Concubine Xu and the Crown Prince were seeing him off with the ladies-in-waiting, princesses, and princes.

As the holy carriage went away, everyone returned to their own palaces.

Princess Changshan and Princess Xincheng first went to the Princess Courtyard to comfort Princess Gao'an and Princess Yiyang.

Princess Yi Yang was fine, but Princess Gao An was crying and complaining about why her father didn't take her with him.

Princess Changshan said softly, "My brother is here to treat an illness, so he naturally can't take you with him. Let's wait in Chang'an."

Princess Gao An asked, "Then why did you bring my seventh brother and the others along?"

Princess Xincheng said, "That's because Qilang and the others are too young, and my brother is worried that the tutors won't be able to take good care of them, so he brought them along. Do you also want a tutor to look after you?"

Princess Gao An blushed and asked, "Then why did you bring my aunt and the others along?"

Princess Xincheng said, "Brother will be away from the palace for a long time this time, so they will naturally follow and serve him. Moreover, they also shoulder the responsibility of producing heirs for the royal family, so naturally their situation is different."

Princess Gao An was speechless and could only ask, "When will father come back?"

Princess Xincheng said, "That's hard to say. Don't worry, he will come back eventually."

After comforting their two little nieces for a while, the two men left the palace and went to Princess Changshan's mansion together.

The two princesses' palaces are on the same street.

Because Changsun Quan had just been promoted to the position of Chief Secretary of Yongzhou, he was responsible for managing the trivial affairs of more than 20 counties including Chang'an County and Wannian County. He was very busy on weekdays and would not return home until after the evening.

Princess Xincheng therefore often visited Princess Changshan's home.

The Changshan Princess Mansion is slightly smaller than the Xincheng Princess Mansion, but it is closer to the imperial palace and has an excellent geographical location.

There is also a five-story watchtower in the backyard.

The two women often sat upstairs, enjoying the scenery of Chang'an while sipping tea and chatting.

After the hour of You, Lu Zhaolin was about to return. Princess Xincheng said goodbye and left, and Princess Changshan began to prepare dinner.

As she was a daughter of a wealthy family, it was naturally impossible for her to cook by herself. She was only responsible for deciding which dishes to cook and then directing the servants to do the work.

After the meal was prepared and placed on the table, a servant called out, "The Prince Consort is back."

Before long, Lu Zhaolin hurried into the house. When he saw Princess Changshan, he hurriedly said, "Princess, please lend me your fish talisman."

Princess Changshan did not ask the reason, but ordered someone to bring the fish token and hand it to him.

After Lu Zhaolin took the fish talisman, he said, "Princess, can I lend this fish talisman to a friend?"

Princess Changshan asked curiously, "Who is it? What is it used for?"

Lu Zhaolin said, "You know Gao Youdao. He wants to go to the Ministry of Revenue to check the library books, but he is not an official of the Ministry of Revenue. Only those above the fifth rank are eligible to borrow books, so he can only borrow the fish token from you."

Princess Changshan was a gentle woman. When she heard that it was not illegal, she smiled and said, "Then take it and use it."

Lu Zhaolin was overjoyed. He took the fish token and ran out quickly. After arriving outside the mansion, he handed the fish token to Gao Youdao.

"Brother Gao, take it."

Gao Youdao bowed and said, "Thank you, Brother Lu. I will return the fish talisman tomorrow night."

Lu Zhaolin smiled and said, "There's no need to thank me between you and me. Would you like to have dinner at my house?"

Gao Youdao smiled and said, "No, my wife is waiting for me to come back." He said goodbye, left the princess's mansion, and soon returned to his home.

The next day, after Gao Youdao left the government office, he immediately went to the Ministry of Revenue to check the household registration of Li Daozon’s two sons.

Because he was holding the princess's fish token, the officials from the Ministry of Revenue were very cooperative and assisted, and they quickly found the household registration of the two people.

As expected, the two men were changed from criminals to good people, and their registered place of residence was Chengji County, Weizhou.

Gao Youdao was secretly delighted to see that he had completed Xue Rengui's commission so quickly. After leaving the imperial city, he first went to the princess's mansion to return the fish talisman.

He then returned home, selected two servants, and asked them to go to Chengji County to look for the Li brothers.

Weizhou is located in Longxi, not far from Chang'an. Eight days later, the two servants who were sent out returned and brought back good news.

It turned out that a month ago, the Li brothers had obtained a notarized permit from the government and came to Chang'an to visit their relatives. They should be in Chang'an now.

Any foreign citizen entering Chang'an must register in Chang'an County or Wannian County.

Gao Youdao went to Chang'an County to check and indeed found the official verification that the two had obtained from the government. He also found the residence where the two had stayed, which was located in Chongrenfang.

Gao Youdao immediately headed towards Chongrenfang and soon found the store. Just as he was about to enter, he suddenly passed by two men wearing conical hats and holding swords.

"In recent days, there seem to be more gangsters in Chang'an City." Gao Youdao frowned secretly.

I went to the counter and asked the shopkeeper about the Li brothers.

The shopkeeper asked in surprise, "Are you asking about our guests Li Jingheng and Li Jingren? They just left."

Gao Youdao asked, "When did you leave?"

The shopkeeper asked suspiciously, "Just now, when you came in, you should have met them. Don't you recognize them?"

Gao Youdao was startled and thought to himself, "Could it be those two gangsters from earlier? How could a member of the illustrious Li clan fall into such a state of disgrace?"

Without thinking too much, he quickly chased after him.

He soon caught up with the two people on the street. He was confused and did not go up to recognize them, but followed them silently.

They were seen heading north, crossing the cross street, and stopping diagonally opposite a large mansion, seemingly observing the mansion.

Gao Youdao looked up and was suddenly shocked.

There was a plaque hanging above the door lintel, with the words "Changsun Mansion" written on it.

"Oh no, they are going to seek revenge on Changsun Wuji!" Gao Youdao shouted in his heart.

The Li brothers stood outside Changsun's mansion for a while, then walked around to an alley beside the mansion.

Gao Youdao followed carefully behind them and found that the two of them circled around the Changsun Mansion, probably choosing a location to sneak into the Changsun Mansion.

After a while, the two stopped outside the northwest wall of Changsun Mansion, but did not sneak in immediately. Instead, they walked under a nearby eaves and hid in the darkness.

Gao Youdao took a deep breath and walked towards where the two were hiding.

The two men chose a very good hiding place. In addition, it was already dark and this was a dim alley. Gao Youdao walked about ten feet away and still couldn't see the outlines of the two men.

Just as he was about to get closer, there was a flash of white light and a knife was placed on his neck.

"Who are you?" one of the Li brothers asked in a low voice.

Gao Youdao said calmly, "I am Gao Youdao, the proofreader of the Hongwen Academy."

The man holding the knife was surprised and asked, "Are you a scholar from the East Palace?"

Gao Youdao and his four companions had been helping the emperor handle government affairs in the side hall east of Ganlu Hall. Although their official positions were low, they were quite famous and the people called them "Eastern Hall Scholars."

Gao Youdao said: "Exactly."

The other man reached out and held the arm of the first man, signaling his brother to put away his knife, and then bowed to Gao Youdao.

"I wonder what the university student wants to see my brother about?" This person is the eldest brother of the Li brothers, Li Jingheng.

Gao Youdao asked, "Are you planning to assassinate Uncle Changsun?"

Li Jingheng did not deny it and said in a deep voice: "College Scholar, we respect you as a civil official valued by His Majesty. We will not make things difficult for you, and we hope you will not meddle in other people's affairs."

Gao Youdao said, "I didn't want to get involved in your affairs, but I was asked to do so, so I had to stop you."

Li Jingheng frowned and asked, "Who entrusted you with this?"

Gao Youdao said, "The current Duke of Liang, Supreme Pillar of the State, and General of the Left Imperial Guard, Xue Li!"

After the two exchanged glances, Li Jingheng said, "My brother and General Xue are strangers. Why did he ask you to find us?"

Gao Youdao said: "He was entrusted by Princess Wencheng."

After hearing this, both of them were shocked and remained silent for a long time.

Gao Youdao said slowly, "You two are both members of the Li clan. Why would you commit such a despicable act of assassination?"

Li Jingren, holding the knife, said, "We are avenging our father. It is only natural."

Gao Youdao said, "Since you two have a clear conscience, why did you wait until the Saint leaves the capital before taking action?"

After hearing this, Li Jingren lowered his head.

Li Jingheng suddenly reached out and grabbed Gao Youdao, dragged him into the darkness, and covered his mouth with his hand.

Gao Youdao was startled and was about to resist when Li Jingheng whispered in his ear, "Be quiet, someone is coming."

After hearing this, Gao Youdao looked in the direction he was looking, and saw a group of men in black coming over under the moonlight.

They did not speak to each other, but communicated with gestures.

There were eight people in total, all of them had knives on their backs, wrapped tightly with cloth, for fear that the knife light would reflect and they would be discovered.

Four of them squatted in a horse stance, and the other four stepped on their shoulders to climb up the courtyard wall, and then used a rope to pull the four people below up.

In a split second, the eight men had infiltrated Changsun's residence, their movements smooth and well-trained. Only after they disappeared did Li Jingheng release Gao Youdao's grip.

Gao Youdao's face turned pale as he asked, "Are those people in the same group as you?"

Li Jingheng shook his head.

Gao Youdao was stunned and asked, "Are they here to assassinate Changsun Wuji as well?"

Li Jingren snorted and said, "Of course, there are more people who want Zhangsun Wuji's life than just us brothers."

When Li Jingheng saw his sister sending people to look for him, his desire for revenge faded a little. Moreover, he missed his sister so much that he said, "Let's leave here first."

The three of them quickly left the alley and returned to the main street.

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves was heard, and a group of Jinwu Guards came galloping over, led by Li Ji.

The Li brothers were dressed in a suspicious manner and were quickly noticed by the Jinwu Guards.

A small team surrounded them and brought them before Li Ji for questioning.

Li Ji saw Gao Youdao and asked in surprise, "College student, why are you here?"

Gao Youdao hurriedly bowed to Li Ji and said, "I just had a drink with these two friends and was passing by here."

Li Ji nodded, without asking any more questions, ordered his men to release them, and led his men directly to the outside of Changsun Mansion and rushed in.

When the Li brothers saw this, their faces turned pale.

If Gao Youdao hadn't stopped them, the two would probably have been captured by the Jinwu Guards.

Gao Youdao said, "Please come to my house and talk. I will tell you about Her Royal Highness the Princess's situation."

The two brothers looked at each other, nodded, and followed Gao Youdao away.

On the other side, Li Ji led his men into Changsun Mansion and went straight to the backyard.

When they arrived at the courtyard outside Changsun Wuji's study, they saw a group of gray-clothed guards escorting eight men in black, and Changsun Wuji was questioning one of them.

When Changsun Wuji saw Li Ji and his men approaching, he said calmly, "Brother Li, you've arrived just in time. These eight individuals broke into my residence with the intent of committing a crime, but were apprehended by my guards."

Li Ji was relieved to see that he was alright. He said, "I got word that someone was trying to kill you, so I brought some people here. I'm glad you're alright."

Changsun Wuji smiled and said, "I didn't expect Brother Li to care so much about me."

Li Ji ordered the Jinwu Guards behind him to escort the assassin away, and said to Zhangsun Wuji, "Let's talk in the study."

The two of them went to the study together, and Changsun Wuji personally made tea to entertain the guests.

Li Ji saw that he seemed to be fine even after being assassinated, and he couldn't help but admire his character.

"Brother Changsun, since His Majesty has left the capital, Chang'an City will no longer be as peaceful as before. I know a hidden place where you can hide for a while and wait for His Majesty to return before returning to Chang'an."

Changsun Wuji glanced at him and said, "Although I have lost my official position, it is not difficult for me to find a place to hide. Don't worry, Brother Li."

Li Ji frowned and said, "Then why don't you leave?"

Zhang Sun Wuji was silent for a moment, then said, "Not yet. I still have two things to do. Once these are done, I will ask Your Majesty for permission to return to Zhaoling to stand vigil for the late emperor."

Li Ji's heart trembled, and he said, "If you have any problem, you can tell me and I will help you."

Changsun Wuji smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Li. However, I have to do both of these things myself. I can't delegate them to anyone else."

Li Ji was silent for a while, then said, "Then I'll send you some guards."

Changsun Wuji raised his hand and said, "No need, I can protect myself."

Li Ji knew very well that Zhangsun Wuji had controlled the government for many years and still held a lot of power, so this statement was not considered as bragging.

"Well, if you have anything, you can always come to me."

Turn around and leave.

Changsun Wuji asked from behind, "Brother Li, I suppressed you so much back then, yet you treat me like this today. Can you tell me why?"

Li Ji paused for a moment and said, "Your Majesty entrusted the city of Chang'an to me. If you die, how can I explain to Your Majesty?" After that, he left quickly.

Changsun Wuji sighed, his face showing a bit of fatigue, and he walked to the chair and leaned back.

It's not like he had not been assassinated before. In the sixth year of Yonghui, when Empress Wu had just come to power, he was assassinated, and the situation was even more dangerous than today.

But he didn't take it to heart at all at that time.

However, after being assassinated today, I actually felt a little tired.

Could it be that even his mentality has become old? He sighed secretly.

Aging is the greatest enemy of a strong man. He had this feeling when he saw Emperor Taizong was seriously ill, and he experienced it even more deeply today.

He would rather exchange everything he has for youth.

At this moment, he finally understood why a man with a strong heart like Emperor Taizong would also believe in the alchemist's elixir of life.

Just as I was feeling emotional, there was a knock on the door.

"Brother, are you okay?" It was the voice of Changsun Quan.

Changsun Wuji took a deep breath, hiding the fatigue in his eyes, and his expression became calm again.

"come in."

With a "creak", Changsun Quan pushed the door open and came in.

His face was covered in sweat, obviously he had come running. He looked at Changsun Wuji carefully for a while, and seeing that he was unharmed, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"You're fine."

Zhang Sun Wuji laughed and said, "I have been a master all my life. What can a few little thieves do to me?"

Chang Sunquan said seriously, "Brother, you'd better go hide. Since His Majesty left the capital, many suspicious people have flocked to Chang'an City. I have a feeling something bad is going to happen."

Changsun Wuji stared at him and said, "That's why I can't leave. You are now the Chief of Yongzhou. This is both an opportunity and a hidden danger. I must help you overcome this."

The biggest test for Chang'an City today is the management ability of Yongzhou Prefecture.

If Yongzhou Prefecture can remain stable under such circumstances, it will gain great points in the emperor's favor.

But if something big happened in Chang'an City, the Chief Clerk of Yongzhou would be the first person to be held accountable.

Seeing Zhangsun Wuji's expression, Changsun Quan knew that it was useless to persuade him any further, so he sighed and said, "Then I will add more guards for you."

Changsun Wuji did not refuse this time.

After Changsun Quan left, Yu Zhining also sent someone to inquire.

There are many people who want to kill Changsun Wuji, but there are also many people who want to protect him.

Even Crown Prince Li Hong, after hearing the news, sent people to show his concern, and transferred a guard from the Eastern Palace to protect Changsun Wuji.

This sudden assassination attempt kept Li Hong, the Crown Prince Regent, busy for a while.

After he arranged everything in a hurry, he walked around in his room like a little adult, talking to himself.

"Are there any other arrangements that are missing? Well, let me think about it..."

"Brother, you sent people to protect Changsun Wuji. Mother will be unhappy if she finds out," said Li Xian, who was sitting aside eating snacks.

After Wu Meiniang left, she took her younger brother and sister with her. He was bored in Lizheng Palace alone, so he often went to the Eastern Palace to play with Li Hong and lived in the Eastern Palace.

Sometimes when something happens, he will transform into a little adviser and give his brother some clever ideas.

Li Hong has always been caring and tolerant towards his younger siblings and never says anything.

When he heard Li Xian calling Zhangsun Wuji by his first name, he immediately frowned and scolded him, "You should call him Uncle Zhangsun!"

Li Xian snorted and said, "He used to bully my mother, but I didn't scream."

Li Hong was too lazy to argue with him and asked, "You just said that mother would be angry, why is that?"

Li Xian's eyes widened. "Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know? He was the one who led the opposition to Mother's enthronement as Queen!"

Li Hong frowned and said, "It's all over now. He was demoted to a commoner by my father. I hope my mother won't hold it against him anymore."

Li Xian chuckled and said, "You don't understand mother at all. If father hadn't forbidden it, Changsun Wuji would have been dealt with by mother long ago."

Li Hong suddenly clapped his hands and said, "Oh, I remember now. I must tell my father and mother about my great-uncle's assassination!"

Li Xian muttered, "Hey, brother, are you listening to me?"

Li Hong ignored him, walked to the desk, quickly wrote a document and handed it to his personal eunuch Chen Shuner.

"Send it to my father six hundred miles away!"

Chen Shuner agreed and turned away.

(End of this chapter)