Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Gao Lishi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, calm down. The emperor's health is the most important thing!" He had served Li Longji for many years and knew that although this monarch loved beauty, he was definitely not a fool. Now that he saw this letter, he must have made up his mind.

As expected, Li Longji took a deep breath, tried to suppress his anger, and said in a deep voice: "Pass on my order, secretly summon the Imperial Censor Song Jing, the Minister of Justice Pei Guangyuan, and the Supreme Court Minister Li Shizhi... Come to the palace immediately, I have something important to discuss!"

Gao Lishi took the order and left. After a while, several ministers hurried to the imperial study. They were all Li Longji's confidants and knew everything about the court. Seeing the emperor summoned them late at night, they all looked very solemn.

Li Longji didn't waste any words and handed Lu Yunqi's letter to them for circulation. After reading it, the faces of several ministers changed drastically, and Song Jing was so angry that his beard trembled: "These traitors are simply guilty of crimes that cannot be punished!"

Pei Guangyuan, the Minister of Justice, was known for his ruthlessness and impartiality, but he could not help but get angry at this moment: "Your Majesty, I beg you to immediately order the arrest of the crown prince and Li Linfu and others, and interrogate them strictly!"

"Don't act rashly!" Li Shizhi tried to stop them. "After all, the crown prince is the heir to the throne, and Li Linfu is the prime minister. If we act rashly without solid evidence, it will probably cause unrest in the court and the country!"

"Lord Li, this is wrong!" Song Jing retorted, "Now the epidemic is raging, the people are suffering, but the crown prince and Li Linfu and others are only concerned with fighting for power and profit, and ignore the lives of the people. Such behavior is no different from treason? Do we have to wait until they actually start a rebellion before we believe it?"

Several ministers were arguing, but Li Longji remained silent, with his brows furrowed, as if he was thinking hard about something...

"Everything you said makes sense," Li Longji finally spoke, his voice low but full of unquestionable majesty, "The Crown Prince has no regard for the lives of the people, and has formed a clique for personal gain. His crime is unforgivable! As the Prime Minister, Li Linfu did not think about assisting the king, but instead took bribes and perverted the law, framing loyal officials. His crime is even worse! I cannot sit idly by and allow them to cause chaos in the court!"

When the ministers heard this, they were all shocked, knowing that the emperor was determined to rectify the government.

Song Jing was the first to bow and said, "Your Majesty is wise! We are willing to share your worries, eradicate the treacherous and corrupt officials, and restore peace and order to the court and the country!"

"Your Majesty, we are willing to share your worries!" Several other ministers echoed in unison, their voices firm and powerful.

Li Longji nodded with satisfaction, and glanced at several trusted ministers, and said in a deep voice: "The Crown Prince and Li Linfu and others have huge power and are intertwined. If we want to catch them all in one fell swoop, we must act cautiously and not alert them."

"Your Majesty is right," Pei Guangyuan said after a moment's hesitation. "I think it would be better to secretly bring Madam Wu and Master Hu back to Chang'an and let them testify against the crimes of the Crown Prince and Li Linfu and others. In this way, we will have the initiative and can take action against them with justification."

"Minister Pei is right," Li Longji looked at Pei Guangyuan approvingly, and then ordered, "Gao Lishi, you go outside the city in person and make sure to bring Madam Wu and Master Hu to the palace safely. Remember, this matter is of great importance and must not be leaked!"

"I obey your order!" Gao Lishi took the order and left. In the imperial study, Li Longji and several ministers continued to discuss the plan to eradicate the prince's party. Everyone's face was filled with solemnity and determination...

Gao Lishi rode at full speed and finally arrived at the small village outside the city at sunset. Following Pei Guangyuan's instructions, he found the farmhouse where Wu Tao and Hu Bugui lived.

At that time, Wu Tao was drying herbs in the yard, while Hu Bugui was chopping wood. They both wore coarse linen clothes and lived an ordinary life, working from sunrise to sunset. At first glance, they looked like an ordinary farm couple.

Hearing the knock on the door, Hu Bugui put down the axe in his hand and looked at the door in confusion. He saw a middle-aged man in a green robe and a futou standing outside the door, with a kind face and extraordinary demeanor.

"Excuse me, are Madam Wu and Mr. Hu face to face?" Gao Lishi asked respectfully, his voice gentle but powerful.

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at each other, and a glimmer of hope rose in their hearts. Could it be that there was news from Chang'an City?

"It is I who am." Hu Bugui stepped forward and answered with a bow, "May I ask who you are..."

"We are from the palace," Gao Lishi took out a gold medal from his pocket and handed it to Hu Bugui, "I am here to take you back to Chang'an in compliance with the order of His Majesty."

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were stunned when they heard this, with expressions of disbelief on their faces. They never thought that the emperor would send someone to take them back to Chang'an.

"This..." Hu Bugui took the gold medal and examined it carefully. He confirmed that it was authentic without a doubt. He felt mixed emotions. "I wonder why His Majesty summoned my husband and I back to the palace?"

"It's a long story," Gao Lishi smiled, "You will know when you two follow me back to the palace."

Although Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were full of doubts and uneasiness, they packed their simple bags and followed Gao Lishi back to Chang'an. They knew that this was a rare opportunity, and perhaps they could take this opportunity to eliminate harm for the people and restore peace to Chang'an.

At the same time, in Chang'an City, the Crown Prince, Li Linfu and others also received news that the emperor wanted to recall Wu Tao and Hu Bugui.

"What?" Upon hearing the news, Crown Prince Li Ying flew into a rage, "Has my father gone mad? He actually wants to recall those two untouchables!"

"Your Highness, calm down," Li Linfu said with a gloomy face and a fierce look in his eyes. "It seems that His Majesty has become suspicious of us. We must find a way to get rid of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui as soon as possible, otherwise there will be endless troubles!"

"Prime Minister Li, what do you think we should do?" Li Ying asked anxiously, "Those two lowly people are full of tricks. We must come up with a foolproof plan!"

Li Linfu's eyes turned, and a plan came to his mind, "Don't panic, Your Highness. I have arranged for people to set up an ambush on their way back to Chang'an. As soon as they arrive, they will never return!"

The journey back to Chang'an was not peaceful. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were attacked by unknown people several times. On the steep mountain road, huge rocks rolled down and almost smashed the carriage to pieces; in the deep and dense forest, cold arrows whizzed in, forcing them to abandon the carriage and flee. Fortunately, Hu Bugui was extraordinary and Wu Tao was also very smart, so they were able to escape danger every time.

After returning to Chang'an, Gao Lishi did not take the two directly to the palace, but to a secluded house. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were arranged to bathe and change into clean and tidy clothes. When they stepped out of the door again, they seemed to have returned to the way they first met.

Soon, Gao Lishi led the two to a study room. The furnishings in the room were simple. Sitting behind the desk was a middle-aged man, dressed in casual clothes, with a kind face, but he could not hide the majesty of an emperor.

"I, the humble servant Wu Tao (Hu Bugui), pay my respects to Your Majesty." The two men saluted respectfully.

Emperor Tang Xuanzong put down the book in his hand and looked carefully at the two people in front of him. The woman in front of him, although dressed in plain clothes, could not hide her elegant and refined temperament; and the man, with a righteous and firm gaze, was obviously not an ordinary person.

"No need to be polite, please stand up." Tang Xuanzong's voice was gentle and powerful. "I summoned you two back this time because of the epidemic, and more importantly, to give you justice."

When they heard the word "fairness", Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were both shocked and a warm feeling surged in their hearts.

Wu Tao took a deep breath and reported everything they had seen and heard in the outbreak area to the emperor in detail. From the initial signs of the epidemic, to the local officials' concealment and hoarding, to the opposition officials' obstruction of treatment and even the exclusion of dissidents, Wu Tao's narration was calm and restrained, but every word was tearful and heartbreaking.

Hu Bugui then added the evidence they had found, including account books of officials' corruption, letters of collusion with herbal medicine dealers, and secret letters of opposition officials' secret contacts with the intention of rebellion. These pieces of evidence were linked together, and the evidence was as solid as a mountain, which shocked everyone present.

"How ridiculous! They are so audacious and unforgivable!" After hearing the two's report, the emperor slammed the table and flew into a rage. He never thought that such a deep conspiracy was hidden under his nose, and those ministers he once trusted would trample on the lives of the people so recklessly and disregard the safety of the country.

The emperor's anger made everyone present shudder. They knew that the emperor was really angry this time and a storm was about to sweep across the court.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. It is important to take care of your health." Gao Lishi hurried forward to comfort him and handed him a cup of ginseng tea.

The emperor took the teacup but did not drink it. He just held it tightly in his hand, staring at Wu Tao and Hu Bugui with a sharp gaze, and asked in a deep voice: "You two took the risk to reveal the truth this time. Do you want any reward?"

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at each other. They knew that this was the emperor's greatest affirmation and trust in them.

"Your Majesty, everything my husband and I have done is out of loyalty to you and love for the people. We dare not ask for any reward." Hu Bugui bowed and said, "We only hope that your majesty can severely punish corrupt officials, give justice to the people, and bring peace to the world."

"Good! Well said!" The emperor nodded in appreciation, a trace of relief flashing in his eyes. He pondered for a moment, then spoke again, his tone becoming more meaningful, "Don't worry, I will definitely give you an explanation, and an explanation to the people of the world. But..."

The emperor paused here deliberately, and his eyes swept across the people present. His tone became fierce, "I will not let any of those poisonous snakes hiding in the dark go!"