Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 338 Mei Niang, what do you think?
Li Zhi once said that Wu Meiniang's mentality and temperament changed a lot after she went out.

Actually, I am almost the same.

Staying in the palace all day long and dealing with trivial matters of state every day, one's emotions will be affected unconsciously.

After returning from this tour, Li Zhi felt much more cheerful.

The magnificent mountains and rivers of the Tang Dynasty had left a deep impression on him. Although the people's lives were not rich, they were not as bad as he had imagined.

The people's livelihood in Hebei is recovering, and all the efforts I have made since I came to the Tang Dynasty have not been in vain.

In addition, this time I went out, my headache was completely under control, and I no longer had to worry about getting dizzy and unable to see one day.

Wu Meiniang is also changing for the better.

The only flaw was the assassination.

I originally thought that the riot was planned by pro-military officials who were dissatisfied with the status quo, but I didn't expect that there was someone hiding behind it.

However, since this person has been exposed, it is only a matter of time before he is found, so there is no need to worry too much.

Thinking of this, he pulled himself back to his senses and continued to enjoy the song and dance in front of him.

This is the royal family banquet in Chengqing Hall.

Below the steps was a group of Baekje men performing a dance, led by the Baekje envoy, Daochen.

Since Li Zhi agreed to support Fuyu Fuxin, Fuyu Fuxin has been using the banner of the Tang Dynasty to recruit those wandering nobles in the country.

During this period, the banner of the Tang Dynasty was more powerful than a hundred thousand troops.

Back then, Helu recruited soldiers and became the most powerful chief of Western Turkic Khaganate under the name of the Tang Dynasty.

The Baekje Kingdom had long been in opposition to the Tang Dynasty and was badly defeated every time. Many nobles were deeply afraid of the powerful Tang Dynasty.

Fear and respect can often transform into each other.

Seeing that Fu Xin had the support of the Tang Dynasty, they followed Fu Xin under his command.

As a result, Bok-sin was able to gain a firm foothold in Baekje and was able to compete with Ui-ji, no longer being trapped in the capital.

Because of this, the support of the Tang Dynasty is particularly important to Fu Xin at the moment, so he naturally has to send an envoy delegation to Chang'an to pay homage.

This time, the diplomatic mission was still led by Dao Chen and Jin Yan.

Daochen was named the Left King by Fuxin, and Jinyan was named a princess. The noble status of the two made the envoys seem sincere.

The envoys also brought a large amount of jewelry, wealth, beautiful women and rare animals as tribute to the Tang Dynasty.

This dance team is one of them.

Baekje's female dance was not well-known and was far inferior to that of Silla, so they took a different approach and put a lot of effort into male dance.

Led by Dao Chen, the entire dance team was performing a strange dance. Everyone was dancing in a horse stance, swinging their arms in a strange posture.

Li Zhi originally didn't like watching men dance, but somehow he felt that they danced quite well.

The other clan members were also watching with great interest, but there were far fewer people attending the banquet today than usual.

Among the princes of the Shu generation, only Prince Deng came.

The reason was that King Han Li Yuanjia was under house arrest in the Dali Temple, so King Lu, King Guo and others did not attend the clan banquet, hoping to use this method to put pressure on the emperor.

At this time, Yue Wang Li Zhen suddenly came to Li Zhi and whispered, "Your Majesty, there are new developments in the case of King Han."

Li Zhi nodded, stood up and left the outer hall, and went to the warm room in the side hall with King Yue.

The two men sat down as king and minister, and Li Zhi asked Li Zhen if there was any new development.

Li Zhen said, "The people I sent to Shu have reported back, and just as I expected, Meng Lei is not in Shu to observe mourning. The King of Han is lying!"

Li Zhi said, "In your opinion, Eighth Brother, was this King Han behind the plot?"

Li Zhen said, "Indeed, I have also discovered that a retainer of the King of Han named Wei Ziliu has also suddenly disappeared. The envoy surnamed Hao who mobilized the Tongzhou troops must have been Wei Ziliu in disguise."

Li Zhi said: "Is there any solid evidence?"

Li Zhen shook his head and said, "People like Li Yuanjia would have destroyed the evidence long ago. Meng Lei and Wei Ziliu are probably dead too."

Li Zhi pondered in silence.

Li Zhen said, "Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. This must have been done by Li Yuanjia."

Li Zhi shook his head and said, "No, I still feel something is wrong."

Li Zhen was stunned: "What's wrong?"

Li Zhi said, "Eighth brother, think about it. The King of Han deceived Xu Ang and others to accomplish this, while he himself remained hidden behind the scenes. This shows how cautious he is."

"If that's the case, why did he send another Shu man to contact Xu Ang, and named him Meng Jiu? Doesn't this easily lead people to think of him?"

Li Zhen was silent for a moment, then said, "So, Your Majesty, what you're saying is that the person behind this isn't Li Yuanjia?"

Li Zhi said, "Yu's death is also very suspicious. King Han knew Di Renjie was an expert in solving cases, yet he still ordered Yu's death, leaving clues that led to him. He was so careful up front, so why did he make such mistakes later?"

Li Zhen asked, "What did Meng Lei say? Why did he lie to me and say this person was in mourning at home?"

After hearing this, Li Zhi was unable to answer for a moment.

After a while, he asked, "What did Di Renjie say?"

Li Zhen said, "He said the evidence was insufficient and that further investigation was needed."

Li Zhi said, "In that case, let's wait and see if Di Renjie can find any other clues."

Li Zhen was about to speak when Wang Fusheng suddenly walked in and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Duke of Ying requests an audience."

Li Zhi said, "Please ask him to come over."

After a while, Li Ji came to the side hall, saluted Li Zhi, and then saluted Li Zhen. Li Zhen returned the salute with a bow.

Li Zhi extended his hand to invite Li Ji to sit down, and said with a smile: "Mr. Li, why did you come to the palace so early? Is there something going on?"

Li Ji's face was serious. He said, "Your Majesty, Zhangsun Wuji just came to see this old minister."

Li Zhi said, "Oh, what does the uncle want to see you about?"

Li Ji said in a deep voice, "Changsun Wuji told me a possibility. After listening to it, I was uneasy, so I came to see Your Majesty."

He immediately told Zhangsun Wuji everything he had guessed.

After listening to this, Li Zhi showed a thoughtful expression.

Li Zhen retorted, "Mr. Li, is there any evidence to support this speculation?"

Li Ji said, "No."

Li Zhen asked, "According to what Changsun Wuji said, anyone could be the protagonist of this story. Why does he single out Xiao Siye for suspicion?"

Li Ji said, "I have carefully considered this matter. The most difficult part of the plan to assassinate Your Majesty is obtaining a dispatch order from the Ministry of War. Xiao Siye is the easiest person to accomplish this."

Li Zhen was convinced that the King of Han was the mastermind behind this and immediately retorted, "This is all just Zhangsun Wuji's speculation. There is no evidence to support it."

Li Ji said, "Your Highness is right, but I still think Xiao Siye is more likely."

Li Zhen smiled and said, "Mr. Li, you don't know the latest information I have found out." He then told him that Meng Lei was not in Shu.

After listening to this, Li Ji was silent for a moment and said, "This only proves that there is indeed something wrong with the King of Han, but it does not mean that he is involved in this matter."

Li Zhen snorted, "It's much better than Lord Li suspecting Xiao Siye without any evidence." Li Zhi saw that the two were about to quarrel and waved his hand, "Eighth brother, Lord Li, both of you should leave. I will think about this matter again."

Seeing this, the two had no choice but to leave.

For a moment, Li Zhi had no intention of attending the banquet anymore and walked towards the Lizheng Hall.

When they entered the hall, they saw Wu Meiniang teaching Li Xian to read, and the two were about to stand up to greet each other.

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "No need to be so polite, you guys continue, I just want to listen." He found a chair and sat down.

Wu Meiniang would not let Li Zhi wait for long, so she taught Li Xian a few sentences from the Book of Rites and let him go out to play.

After Li Xian left, she ordered someone to bring a stove and cook honey wine for Li Zhi.

Li Zhi said: "Mei Niang, don't be busy for now, I want to hear your opinion on something."

Wu Meiniang then put down the wine jug in her hand, came and sat down next to him with a questioning expression.

Li Zhi repeated what Li Zhen and Li Ji had just said.

"Li Qing suspects Xiao Siye, and the King of Yue suspects the King of Han. Mei Niang, who do you think is right?"

Wu Meiniang smiled slightly and said, "I can't guess, but I do have an idea."

Li Zhi said: "What's the idea?"

Wu Meiniang said: "It's very simple. If we deal with these two people together, there will be no hidden dangers."

Li Zhi was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "That's quite like your style. However, such a treatment is against the laws of the Tang Dynasty. And I really want to know which of them is the problem."

Wu Meiniang frowned and thought for a while, then said, "Wang Dejian once mentioned that going to the Ministry of War to obtain the transfer order was the most difficult step, but Xu Ang did it. If it was Xiao Siye who orchestrated this, then it makes sense."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Li Ji said the same thing. So, you are more suspicious of Xiao Siye?"

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "I only said that he was a suspect. But this is just a guess. In fact, in my opinion, the King of Han is more suspicious."

Li Zhi asked, "Why?"

Wu Mei Niang asked, "Your Majesty, what do you think of the relationship between the King of Han and the King of Lu?"

"Brothers from the same mother, needless to say."

Wu Mei Niang asked, "If the King of Han has any conspiracy, Your Majesty, do you think the King of Lu will be involved?"

Li Zhi said: "Nine out of ten."

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "That's right. The Prince of Han has always been cautious, so it's not easy to detect any clues in him. But the Prince of Lu is different. As far as I know, the Prince of Lu came to the capital earlier this year than in previous years, and he has been staying at home very rarely. He would not be like this in previous years."

Li Zhi touched his chin and fell into thought.

If a person wants to do something extremely rebellious, he will definitely be afraid that others will notice his flaws, so he will act differently from usual.

The King of Han has always been low-key and rarely goes out, which is not surprising. However, the King of Lu is a person who loves luxury and rarely goes out, which is indeed suspicious.

"In that case, the Queen is even more suspicious of Prince Lu."

Wu Meiniang nodded her chin and said, "My suspicions about Xiao Siye are just speculations, with no concrete evidence. But King Han is different. I am certain he has something fishy going on."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "I thought you would be more inclined towards Xiao Siye."

Wu Meiniang turned her head away and said, "Your Majesty, even if you say that, you still think that I am a petty person and want to take advantage of the opportunity to deal with the Xiao family."

Li Zhi laughed heartily, took her hand, and said, "This is human nature, not petty or not. Have you really let go of Xiao Shuren?"

Wu Meiniang said seriously, "When Concubine Xiao slandered me in front of Your Majesty, I will never forgive her. But Xiao Siye is a man of tact. I will not confuse him with the Xiao family."

Li Zhi was slightly surprised: "Mei Niang, you seem to have a good impression of Xiao Siye?"

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "He's not really that bad, but he's different from the rest of the Xiao family. He's quite sensible."

After listening to this, Li Zhi fell silent.

Wu Meiniang asked curiously, "Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?"

Li Zhi's eyes flickered as he said, "I was just thinking that it's not easy for Xiao Siye, a member of the Xiao family, to receive your praise."

Wu Meiniang was so smart that she narrowed her eyes and asked, "Your Majesty, do you think he is deliberately trying to please me?"

Li Zhi did not answer directly. His eyes flickered for a moment, and he slowly said, "I suddenly remembered something."

Wu Meiniang asked, "What's the matter?"

Li Zhi said, "Mei Niang, do you know Hao Chujun?"

An unnatural look flashed across Wu Meiniang's face.

"Of course I know. He was the Minister of War, a Jinshi during the Zhenguan period. He was highly regarded by Gao Shilian and had a good relationship with Zhangsun Wuji."

Li Zhi smiled secretly, as if Wu Meiniang knew everyone related to Zhangsun Wuji very well.

He continued, "Hao Chujun was highly regarded by Cui Dunli and was supposed to take over as Minister of War. Later, when Cui Dunli died, he recommended Xiao Siye to me as Minister of War. Hao Chujun must have been very dissatisfied."

Wu Meiniang asked in confusion, "Why did Your Majesty suddenly mention this person?"

Li Zhi said, "At the beginning of the year, Xiao Siye recommended Hao Chujun to me to handle the dispute between Southern Zhao and Northern Zhao. I can see that he wanted Hao Chujun to show his face to me so that I could take him with me when I leave the capital."

"At the time, I didn't think much of it. I just thought Xiao Siye wanted to improve his relationship with Hao Chujun, so I recommended him."

Wu Meiniang's eyes were bright as she asked, "What does Your Majesty think now?"

Li Zhi said slowly, "If what Li Ji said is true, then if Xiao Siye wants to complete his plan, he must prevent anyone within the Ministry of War from interfering with his plan."

Xu Ang was able to trick the Ministry of War into issuing a transfer order because Xiao Siye was derelict in his duty.

However, he did not have the final say in the Ministry of War alone.

If Hao Chujun happened to come across this matter and asked a few more questions, it would very likely ruin the plan.

In order to prevent this situation, Xiao Siye's best solution was to transfer Hao Chujun out of the Ministry of War.

Hao Chujun has always been upright and honest, and has a lot of experience in the Ministry of War. Even though Xiao Siye is the Minister of War, it is difficult for him to be transferred easily.

Then there is only one way left, which is to let him follow the emperor on his tour, so that it will not affect his plans.

Wu Meiniang quickly thought of this and looked at Li Zhi, saying, "To confirm your majesty's guess, I have come up with a way."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "You want to check whether Hao Chujun was in the Ministry of War on the day Fu Baolang died."

Wu Meiniang pursed her lips and smiled, saying, "Your Majesty has already thought of this."

Li Zhi sighed, "I used to be very optimistic about this man, thinking he was a man of integrity and loyalty. But now I'm a little worried. He really is behind this."

Wu Mei Niang comforted him, "Your Majesty, there is no need to be sad. Many people were originally loyal and righteous, but after reaching high positions and power, they were tempted by power and became corrupt. This is not because Your Majesty is unable to judge people."

Li Zhi sighed and said, "Fu Sheng, go check it out."

Wang Fusheng agreed and turned away.

This matter was very easy to investigate. In less than half an hour, Wang Fusheng came to report.

"Your Majesty, we've found out that on the day Fu Baolang died, Hao Chujun went to Luozhou on official business."

Wu Meiniang said calmly, "Your Majesty has guessed it right. This person is the one behind the scenes."

Li Zhi said slowly, "Send the imperial decree to summon Xiao Siye to an audience."

(End of this chapter)