Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

The shouting and screaming outside the palace gradually subsided, and the smell of gunpowder filled the air, marking the end of the coup. Hu Bugui put away his sword and stood, looking at the prince who had fled in panic, feeling mixed emotions. Chuntao had already rushed to his side, checking with tears in her eyes whether he was injured.

"I'm fine." Hu Bugui comforted softly, but his eyes involuntarily drifted towards the inner hall, which was the direction where Wu Tao was.

At this moment, Wu Tao was watching this thrilling palace coup through the window. She was in a state of turmoil, worried about Hu Bugui's safety and uneasy about this sudden change.

The appearance of the emperor was undoubtedly a turning point in this palace coup, and it also foreshadowed the coming of another storm.

Sure enough, when the emperor ordered his men to take the injured prince away, his eyes fell on Hu Bugui, and his tone was somewhat inquiring: "Bugui, why are you here?"

"My father," Hu Bugui knelt on one knee and answered respectfully, "I heard that there were assassins in the palace. I am worried about your safety, so I led the troops to protect you."

The emperor nodded slightly, but his eyes were unfathomable.

At this moment, a charming voice came from behind: "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw the imperial concubine coming out surrounded by a group of palace maids. She had a bit of panic on her face, but a sinister light flashed in her eyes.

"My beloved concubine, why did you come out?" The emperor stepped forward to support the concubine and asked with concern, "Are you injured?"

The imperial concubine shook her head, but her eyes shot straight to the inner hall behind Hu Bugui, her voice trembling a little: "Your Majesty, I want to report that the assassin is not someone else, but..."

She paused deliberately, and saw from the corner of her eye that Hu Bugui's body stiffened slightly, and a barely perceptible sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth, and then she continued: "It is...Princess Xiaoyao!"

"What?!" The emperor's face changed and he looked at the imperial concubine in disbelief. "My beloved, did you see it clearly?"

"I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be false?" The imperial concubine covered her face and cried, "That Wu girl has a vicious heart. She must have colluded with the crown prince to murder the emperor and the prince!"

"This..." The emperor fell into deep thought, his eyes moving back and forth between Hu Bugui and the imperial concubine, his heart filled with doubts.

The Imperial Concubine's words were like a stone that stirred up thousands of waves on the calm lake. Hu Bugui's heart sank, he knew that the Imperial Concubine was taking this opportunity to take revenge and put Wu Tao to death.

Wu Tao, who was hiding in the dark, heard the imperial concubine's words and immediately realized that she had become a scapegoat. She clenched her fists tightly, her heart filled with anger and anxiety.

How will the emperor decide in the end? Can Hu Bugui clear his suspicion? How should Wu Tao deal with it? A bigger storm is quietly brewing...

"My dear concubine, why did you come out?" The emperor stepped forward to support the concubine and asked with concern, "Are you injured?"

In the end, the emperor did not get angry on the spot, but ordered his men to seal off the harem and ordered a thorough investigation of the matter.

After returning to the palace, Hu Bugui immediately went to Wu Tao's room and saw that she looked serious and worried: "Tao'er, are you okay?"

Wu Tao shook her head and told him everything she had heard in the palace.

"This vicious woman!" Hu Bugui slammed his fist on the table, his eyes full of anger, "She is going to put you to death!"

"Now is not the time to act impulsively," Wu Tao held his hand and said calmly, "Since the imperial concubine dared to frame us like this, she must have made all the necessary preparations. We must respond calmly, otherwise she will only be able to catch us."

Hu Bugui took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He knew that Wu Tao was right, and the most important thing now was to protect her and not let her get hurt.

"Tao'er, don't worry, I will definitely find out the truth and clear your name!" Hu Bugui held her hand tightly and said in a firm tone.

However, the development of the matter was far more complicated than they imagined. A few days later, Chuntao returned from the palace, looking pale and panicked.

"Princess, it's bad! I just heard the Imperial Concubine and her confidants plotting in the palace. They plan to..." Chuntao lowered her voice and told Wu Tao and Hu Bugui the Imperial Concubine's plan in detail.

After hearing Chuntao's words, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui's faces became extremely solemn. They didn't expect that the imperial concubine was so vicious that she would use such despicable means to get rid of them!

"It seems that we have no choice but to fight back!" A sharp light flashed in Wu Tao's eyes, and he secretly made a decision in his heart...

 Chapter 100: Planning and strategizing

The news brought by Chuntao was like a huge rock, weighing heavily on the hearts of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui. The cruelty of the imperial concubine was far beyond their imagination. If they just waited for death, what awaited them would be an abyss of no return.

"Tao'er, what are your plans?" Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand, his eyes full of worry. He knew that Wu Tao was very smart and could always come up with a plan to deal with it.

Wu Tao hesitated for a moment, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes: "Since the imperial concubine wants to play, then we will play with her to the end! Doesn't she want to expose my 'true face' in front of the emperor? Then let her see enough!"

Wu Tao knew that in the palace, a place where people are eaten without leaving any bones, if she wanted to protect herself, she must have a strong force. She began to use her knowledge from the modern times to secretly win people's hearts. She taught the palace maids to read and count, and used modern management concepts to help them improve their work efficiency, winning the favor of many palace maids. She also often made some exquisite snacks and gave them to the eunuchs and palace maids in the palace, and took the opportunity to inquire about the news in the palace.

Hu Bugui was also acting in secret. He knew that the military power in his hands alone was not enough to compete with the imperial concubine. He needed more support, especially from those loyal ministers and generals who were loyal to the emperor and the Tang Dynasty. He began to frequently go in and out of the military camp, secretly meeting with some generals who were on good terms with him, analyzing the current situation and hinting to them that the imperial concubine's actions had threatened the safety of the Tang Dynasty.

In this way, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui, one in the palace and the other outside the palace, each made plans and prepared for the coming storm.

However, the truth will eventually come out. Although the imperial concubine was in the deep palace, she had many eyes and ears. Everything Wu Tao and Hu Bugui did could not escape her eyes.

"Your Majesty, Princess Xiaoyao has been active in the palace recently, and seems to be trying to win over the hearts of the people." Cui'er, the concubine's trusted maid, reported in a low voice, "Prince Xiaoyao also often goes in and out of the military camp and meets with some generals in private."

When the imperial concubine heard this, a cold light flashed in her eyes, and she sneered, "It seems that they can't sit still anymore! They are still a little naive if they want to fight me!"

"My queen, what should we do now?" Cui'er asked worriedly.

A trace of viciousness flashed across the imperial concubine's eyes, and a cold smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: "Since they are eager to die, then I will help them! Pass the order down, speed up the plan, and make sure to make the 'true face' of the Wu family girl public in the shortest possible time!"

A bigger storm is quietly approaching...

 Chapter 99: Undercurrent

"Your Majesty is wise, I will do it right away." Cui Er took the order and left, but she felt a little uneasy in her heart. Princess Xiaoyao and King Xiaoyao were not easy to deal with, so could Your Majesty's plan really succeed?

The imperial concubine looked at Cui'er's departing figure, and a hint of viciousness flashed in her eyes. She wanted to make Wu Tao lose his reputation and make her live a life worse than death! She wanted Hu Bugui to watch his beloved woman being destroyed, but be powerless to do anything!

A few days later, the imperial concubine specially held a flower-viewing banquet and invited the concubines in the harem and the wives of some ministers in the court to attend. As the Princess of Xiaoyao, Wu Tao was naturally among the invited guests.

"Princess, I'm afraid the Royal Concubine's intention in hosting the flower-viewing banquet is not to enjoy the flowers." Chun Tao said worriedly while dressing Wu Tao.

"I know." Wu Tao smiled faintly at the bronze mirror, "She wants to set a trap for me and make me look bad in front of everyone."

"Then are you still going, Princess?" Chuntao became even more worried.

"Of course I have to go." Wu Tao's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, "Avoidance is not a solution. Only by facing it bravely can we find a chance to break the situation."

In the evening, Wu Tao, accompanied by Hu Bugui, came to the imperial concubine's bedroom, Yijing Palace.

Inside the Yijing Palace, there were clusters of flowers and the fragrance was overwhelming. Gorgeously dressed ladies and young ladies gathered in groups of three or five, chatting and laughing. Wu Tao's arrival immediately attracted everyone's attention.

The imperial concubine was wearing a bright red palace dress and a phoenix hairpin, sitting elegantly on the main seat. When she saw Wu Tao and Hu Bugui approaching side by side, a trace of resentment flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly covered up by a hypocritical smile.

"Princess Xiaoyao, you are finally here." The imperial concubine greeted with a smile, "I thought you were not feeling well today and would not come."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am fine." Wu Tao smiled slightly and replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

After a brief greeting, everyone took their seats according to their respective positions. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui sat in the first seat below the imperial concubine, only one table away from the imperial concubine.

After the banquet began, there was singing and dancing, and the wine was flowing. Wu Tao chatted and laughed with the ladies around him, while secretly observing the imperial concubine's every move.

She knew that the imperial concubine would not let go of this opportunity easily. A conspiracy against her was quietly brewing...

Amid the singing and dancing, Wu Tao always kept a proper smile, but quietly observed everything around her. She noticed that a maid beside the imperial concubine frequently cast a strange look at her, and there was clearly a hint of hostility in that look. Wu Tao understood that the imperial concubine was going to take action.

Sure enough, halfway through the banquet, the palace maid came to Wu Tao with a glass of wine and said delicately, "Princess, this is the fruit wine I specially prepared for you. Would you like to try it?"

Wu Tao took the wine glass, but did not rush to drink it. Instead, he asked casually, "What's the name of this wine?"

A trace of panic flashed in the maid's eyes, but she quickly calmed down and said with a smile: "My Lady Princess, this wine is called 'Peach Blossom Drunk'. It is brewed with the finest peach blossoms. It is sweet and delicious, and is most suitable for women to drink."

"Peach Blossom Drunk?" Wu Tao asked in surprise, "This name is quite unique, but I don't know if this wine..." She paused deliberately and glanced at the imperial concubine. She saw that the imperial concubine was sitting upright with a hint of barely perceptible nervousness on her face.

"What's wrong with this wine?" a lady nearby asked curiously.

Wu Tao smiled slightly and said, "I just heard that although peach blossoms are beautiful, they can easily attract some unclean things. If you accidentally get contaminated with evil spirits when brewing wine, it will be harmful to your body if you drink it."

As soon as she finished speaking, the faces of everyone present changed. Ancient people were superstitious and believed in ghosts and gods. Wu Tao's words were undoubtedly hinting that the imperial concubine had tampered with the wine.

The imperial concubine's face turned pale, she stood up suddenly, pointed at Wu Tao and said angrily: "Princess Xiaoyao, stop talking nonsense and slandering me!"

Wu Tao was not afraid at all. She met the Imperial Concubine's gaze and said word by word, "Your Highness knows whether I am talking nonsense or not. I did not drink the wine. If Your Highness does not believe me, you can order someone to check it out."

The emperor was just watching quietly from the side without intervening. Seeing the imperial concubine lose her composure, he felt a little unhappy and said in a deep voice, "My beloved concubine, since Princess Xiaoyao has such doubts, let's check it out so that you can be cleared of all charges."

Although the imperial concubine was unwilling, she knew that she had no way out at this point. She could only watch as the guards took the glass of wine for inspection, and the result was just as Wu Tao had expected, the wine was poisoned.

The emperor was furious and ordered the concubine to be banished to the cold palace and severely punished.

The storm was thus calmed down. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui worked together to resolve the crisis, but they both knew that this was only the calm before the storm. Although the imperial concubine was defeated, their real enemy was still hiding in the dark, waiting for an opportunity to strike...