The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

As dusk settled, silence descended upon the area around Sungkyunkwan, and the eaves of the Imperial Academy sank into the gray-blue sky.

Li Ying didn't light a candle, and although Lu Jun could still see his face, it suddenly became blurry.

"Who is the chief priest talking about?" His heart pounded.

"Wei Xuantong".

A name came out without any further introduction, nor was it necessary to introduce it to Lu Jun.

Both the original owner of this body and the current Lu Jun know that Wei Xuantong was the former Grand Councilor, formerly known as the Attendant-in-Ordinary, and was the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty. He was given death by the Empress Dowager last September.

The reason was that he was framed by the cruel official Zhou Xing, who said that he had privately discussed that the Empress Dowager was old and should return power to Emperor Li Dan.

At that time, the supervising censor advised him to become a witness for the prosecution and expose wrongdoing in order to plead his case, but Wei Xuantong refused.

Lu Jun was familiar with this history and greatly admired this upright gentleman, but admiration was one thing...

"Why did the chief priest ask his students to plead for him?"

Li Ying said calmly, "Because he is your benefactor."

"Prime Minister Wei was an old friend of your father. Six years ago, after your father and mother passed away, it was he who recommended you to enter the Imperial Academy."

"He was afraid that you would be implicated in the political situation, so he didn't reveal his identity to you, and he also told me not to say it."

"You only know that the person who sponsored you was surnamed Wei and once served in Lintai, but you don't know that he was the eldest son of Prime Minister Wei, named Wei Yin, whose whole family has now been exiled to Lingnan..."

"Prime Minister Wei was a kind and honest elder. He died unjustly, and his entire family suffered misfortune. It is truly unjust!"

"I am his friend, and although I want to speak out for him, my identity is sensitive, and the Empress Dowager will not believe me. I can only turn to you."

"With all the officials present at the palace examination, the timing is perfect. You just need to start, and others will naturally chime in for you."

"Ah!" Lu Jun exclaimed in surprise.

He inherited the original owner's memories and felt sad upon learning that Wei Xuantong's entire family had been exiled.

In her memory, the original owner was only twelve years old at the time. During her mourning period, some old friends came to pay their respects and brought money and rice to help her.

However, the other party only said that his surname was Wei and that he had served as an official in Lintai with his father, but did not reveal his real name.

Since the benefactor did not wish to remain anonymous, the original owner of this body did not insist and kowtowed more than a dozen times.

After the mourning period ended, he was recommended to enter Chengjun Academy, but his benefactor never appeared again.

It turned out to be Wei Xuantong.

Lu Jun sensed that things were not so simple and asked, "The Chancellor issued the petitions to the students at the end of last year. How did he know that the students would definitely pass the exam? If they didn't pass, how could they have the opportunity to appeal in court?"

"You will make the list because I recommended you to one of the examiners."

"I never recommend people. Given my status, the examiner will definitely give you a chance."

"All you need to do is make the list and get a chance to take the final exam. You don't necessarily need to be ranked highly. It's not difficult."

As expected, Li Ying had planned this for a long time and was very well prepared.

He smiled slightly: "It seems that you passed the exam on your own without my recommendation, which is quite unexpected."

The twilight reflected on his face, revealing a chilling, hidden depth.

Lu Jun really wanted to slap him.

Asking someone to stand in the palace to plead for Wei Xuantong is like handing yourself a fruit knife and charging into a heavily armed combined arms brigade to fight to the death.

Regardless of whether it constitutes moral blackmail, the key point is that this is simply impossible to succeed.

However, what angered Lu Jun the most was not the request itself, but that Li Ying had asked for it on her behalf.

He never asked for favors on behalf of others, only on behalf of himself, which was tantamount to telling the Empress Dowager that he was her disciple.

Before the Empress Dowager ascended the throne, the Li clan members were thoroughly purged. If I remember correctly, they won't even be able to celebrate the Double Ninth Festival this year.

In that case, I will also be implicated.

Even on his deathbed, he wanted to drag himself down with him!

"Master, please forgive my caution, but how can you prove that my benefactor is Prime Minister Wei?"

Lu Jun quickly calmed down and carefully searched for loopholes in the other party's story. According to the original owner's memories, he had very little contact with Wei Yin, and his words alone were not credible.

Li Ying picked up a roll of paper from the table, leaned over, and handed it to Lu Jun: "Take a look at this."

This is a list—

Fengge Shilang Zong Qinke

Chengjun Siye Wei Shuxia,

Fu Youyi, Left Imperial Censor

Guerrilla General Wang Hongyi

Zhu Qinming, compiler of the Hanlin Academy

……

There were fifteen people in total, most of whom Lu Jun recognized; they were figures recorded in historical texts.

But he had no connection with these people and didn't know why Li Ying wrote it down and showed it to him.

"Don't be surprised, the list consists of people who share our views and want to speak up for you," Li Ying said with a slight smile.

Lu Jun was taken aback: "What do you mean by 'shared ideals'? I just asked how to prove that Prime Minister Wei is my benefactor!"

Li Ying did not answer. She picked up the list, lit the candle on the corner of the table, folded the list several times, and placed it vertically above the flame. The flame immediately shot up and soon turned to ashes.

He met Lu Jun's surprised face and said calmly:

"No proof required."

"You looked at the list and then boarded our ship."

"Either report us to the cruel officials, or go to court tomorrow to plead our case. There is no third option."

"If you know the truth but don't report it, one day when I fall into the hands of cruel officials, you might reveal what happened today."

He waved his hand: "That's all I have to say. Go back and think about it."

He then blew out the candle.

The face before Lu Jun suddenly blended into the twilight, seemingly with deep and shallow ravines, exuding an indescribable sinister aura.

The person sitting in the main seat did not seem to be the Prince of Nan'an, but rather his godfather with the hoarse voice.

Holy crap... At this moment, a million grass mud horses galloped through Lu Jun's mind.

Are you guys from the Heaven and Earth Society?

Since so many accomplices want to seek justice for Wei Xuantong, why don't you go and seek justice for him yourself!

If you have a grudge against Zhou Xing and a resentment against the Empress Dowager, then go and stab them. Why are you stabbing me?

Even if Wei Xuantong is my benefactor, it doesn't increase my chances of a successful appeal. Why do they have to send me?

This is completely devoid of any technical skill; it's pure moral blackmail!

What should I do? Appealing is suicide, and reporting it is pointless without evidence, plus I'll just get a bad reputation for nothing...

Others, unaware of the inside story, would only think that I was cowardly and had betrayed my benefactor and the principal.

From now on, I won't be able to live a normal life anymore.

That's outrageous!

But what benefit does he get from doing this?

Lu Jun's thoughts wandered, but she quickly calmed down.

No, there must be more to this...

"Why aren't you leaving yet?" Li Ying asked coldly.

Lu Jun shook her head: "The Chancellor is testing the student. Why would the student want to leave?"

Li Ying let out a slight gasp of surprise, a glint of light flashing in her eyes in the darkness: "What kind of test?"

Lu Jun slowly said, "This list is fake. The Grand Master just wants to observe my decision."

"Oh?" Li Ying asked with interest. "Tell me, why is the list fake?"

"Two reasons." Lu Jun extended her right palm.

"Firstly, if the Chancellor truly had accomplices, it would be an extremely confidential matter; how could he possibly tell the students?"

"Secondly, Zong Qinke created characters for the Empress Dowager, Wei Shuxia and Zhu Qinming researched rites and laws for the Empress Dowager, and Fu Youyi and Wang Hongyi were cruel officials; all of them were the Empress Dowager's people."

"The rest of them were either their relatives or disciples, or they were the Empress Dowager's confidants, and they were mortal enemies of the Chancellor."

"No matter what, they can't possibly defend Prime Minister Wei; it must be a fake list."

When Li Ying heard the first reason, he stroked his beard and nodded slightly. When he heard the second reason, his body suddenly stiffened.

"Wow, how do you know so much about them?"

The list is indeed fake, but it has been specially processed and does not include all high-ranking officials of the imperial court.

Apart from Zong Qinke and Wei Shuxia, the rest of them were not well-known, so Lu Jun probably wouldn't know them, let alone be able to say what their stance was...

Unexpectedly, the student knew the key figures very well and pointed them out clearly.

Lu Jun smiled slightly: "I was just speaking casually, but it seems I was right."

"Ah, so it was a trick!"

Li Ying was slightly taken aback, then gave a thumbs-up: "Good courage! Good resourcefulness!"

He relit the candles, and his refined and noble face reappeared clearly.

"I was indeed testing you just now. Some of what I said was true, and some was false."

"It is true that Prime Minister Wei is your benefactor. One day, when the Wei family is pardoned and returns to the capital, you can ask them in person."

"I was appointed as the Chancellor of Chengjun Academy. Back then, Chancellor Wei personally recommended you to the academy, so I know the details."

"I allowed you to participate in the imperial examination because Prime Minister Wei entrusted me with the task, so that you would have more opportunities to enter officialdom and revive your family."

"It is a lie to ask you to plead for Prime Minister Wei in court. This is meaningless and will only cost you your life. I am entrusted by Prime Minister Wei, so naturally I will not do such a thing."

"I didn't ask for anything on your behalf, so you can rest assured."

After hearing the whole story, Lu Jun breathed a sigh of relief: "What is the purpose of the Chancellor's probing of the student? Please speak frankly."

Li Ying picked up a pair of scissors from the table and slowly cut the excessively long wick of the candle, seemingly deep in thought.

"You wrote a magnificent essay that day during the preliminary examination, didn't you? Many people in the court already know about it."

"Although the full details have not yet been made public, the Empress Dowager's great favor with it cannot be kept secret."

"Since it's such a powerful piece of writing, it means you must have great ambitions and grand plans to implement. Am I right?"

Seeing Lu Jun nod, Li Ying asked again, "Do you know what's most important for accomplishing something?"

Lu Jun replied, "With unity of purpose from top to bottom."

"That's right!" Li Ying's eyes showed approval.

Then he slowly said:

"But the so-called unity of purpose between superiors and subordinates means that there is one person at the top, but countless people below."

Even if you have the Empress Dowager's support, the important officials in the court each have their own ambitions and interests, and they are not on your side.

"Not to mention the officials and common people at all levels below you, you have no foundation and can't be driven at all."

"I was once a young man, and I followed the gentlemanly principle of harmony without uniformity. Later I learned that in order to secure an official position, one must first ask about one's stance and then about right and wrong in order to gain trust."

"With trust comes support, which in turn propels your grand ambitions forward step by step."

He paused for a long time after saying this.

Lu Jun knew he had something to say...

"We have an organization that's assessing whether you're a good fit. If you're willing to join, we'll fully support you!"

The candlelight flickered, and Li Ying's face appeared to be sometimes in the light and sometimes in the shadows, as if she were half in the light and half in the shadows.

bass--

Lu Jun stood up decisively and bowed deeply to the ground: "There's no need for assessment, I'm not suitable."

Li Ying looked slightly bewildered: "Wait, it's not about asking you to rebel against Wu. This matter will only benefit you, not harm you. If you want to realize your ambitions, you will receive strong support..."

In front of intelligent people, he directly said the words "anti-military" to show his sincerity.

Lu Jun stood up and said, "If there were only benefits, the Chancellor wouldn't bother examining the students. Farewell."

He turned and walked away without stopping for a moment.

Whatever the organization is or what kind of support it can provide, it must be something shady.

I want to achieve something, but the person I should rely on most is the one who holds the highest power, not them.

Moreover, that probing just now was condescending and cunning, which was utterly repulsive.

If you choose to report or expose them, or outwardly comply but inwardly defy them, they will judge you morally and consider you to be of poor character.

If one fails to recognize their temptation and chooses to plead for justice, one will be considered lacking in ability.

An underground organization this arrogant, it probably can't even collect membership fees, let alone achieve anything?

Ha ha……

I'm not playing along!

At dawn the following day, the street drums resounded, and the gates of the imperial palace, the imperial city, the outer city wall, and the neighborhoods opened one after another.

Lu Jun got out of bed, dipped her head into the basin of water for a while to refresh herself.

"Wishing Brother Chu Yu success in the imperial examination and that he comes out on top!" Cui Jing and Lu Yuan narrowed their eyes into slits.

They really wanted to go to the capital to see the results, but with the exams approaching, they had to get back to studying after playing for two days.

"Thank you for your kind words, brothers."

Lu Jun straightened his blue robe and turban, quickly left the dormitory, ate breakfast in the dining hall, and stepped out of the main gate of Chengjun Academy.

It was just getting light when I went out and walked about twenty or thirty steps north. I saw a horse-drawn carriage parked by the roadside.

Two men walked toward him, getting closer and closer. They seemed to be dressed in black robes, like officials or soldiers.

"Is it Lu Junyao?"

"Exactly."

"Get on the carriage."

Lu Jun was taken aback and asked warily, "Who are you? Where are you taking me?"

Before he could finish speaking, his chin was suddenly pried open by two hands, and something unknown was shoved into his mouth.

Then the faint light in front of me vanished abruptly, leaving me in complete darkness, as if my head had been covered.

I heard three words: "Lijing Gate".