The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

Hidden among mountains and waters, with the fragrance of flowers filling the air, Shangyang Palace in spring is as beautiful as a fairyland.

Because Luocheng Palace is close to Xingyao Gate of Shangyang Palace, Wu Zetian slept in Xianju Palace inside the gate yesterday, which made it convenient for her to attend the palace examination. At this time, she was already wearing her phoenix coronet and embroidered robe and was carefully applying her makeup.

She was a famous beauty in her youth, and even now, with makeup on, she still retains 70% of her former charm.

"Your Majesty, most of the successful candidates have arrived and are awaiting your instructions inside the south gate of Luoyang."

"Officials also entered the palace one after another from the capital, eagerly anticipating the grand ceremony and hoping that talented individuals would appear."

"Wan'er suggests that the top-ranking scholars be placed at the end to whet the appetite of the officials."

Regarding the incomplete number of candidates, Shangguan Wan'er downplayed the issue, glossing over it with a single sentence.

Wu Zetian nodded: "Good idea. Then let Lu Jun go up to the hall last to help me calm things down."

Then Guiye frowned: "I won't blame those who haven't come yet, but if they haven't arrived by the time of the audience, they will never be employed again!"

She is extremely shrewd and very sensitive to the details of reports; she is not easy to fool.

Wan'er knew very well that when the Empress Dowager was kind to people, she was genuinely kind, bestowing titles and rewards at will. But once she lost her temper, she could even tear apart her own son.

Don't be fooled by your current admiration for Lu Jun; if you find out he's not coming, the greater your hopes will be, the greater your disappointment will be.

Never to be employed again is a minor matter.

The crime of deceiving the emperor is absolutely inescapable.

Wan'er was concerned about Lijing Gate, so she volunteered to go to Luocheng Palace first to check the scene and coordinate the order.

"You're even more anxious than I am..." Wu Zetian turned her head and stared at her for a moment.

She smiled slightly and said, "Go ahead."

East of Xingyao Gate is a section of the city wall. The northern section is the Council of State Affairs, where the Empress Dowager held court in Shangyang Palace during the Chuigong era. This was where the prime minister worked. The southern section is the Court of Judicial Affairs at Lijing Gate, also known as the Prison Administration Office.

Wan'er dared not look south, and went straight through the west gate of Luocheng to enter Taichu Palace. Luocheng Hall was to her right.

Today is the day of the imperial examination, so the regular court sessions have been suspended for a day. The prime minister lives nearby and has already arrived.

Since Emperor Gaozong's reign, the position of prime minister has changed frequently; the current team was freshly formed last month and consists of six people.

Xing Wenwei, the Inner Historian

Nayan Wu Youning,

Special Envoy, Su Liangsi, a third-rank official of the Fengge and Luantai

Wenchang Left Chancellor, Tongfengge Luantai Third Rank Martial Successor

Wenchang Right Chancellor, Cen Changqian, a third-rank official of the Fengge and Luantai,

Fan Libing, Minister of Spring and Autumn, concurrently holding the rank of Third Grade Official in the Phoenix Pavilion and Luan Terrace.

Wu Youning and Wu Chengsi were members of the Wu family; Xing Wenwei and Su Liangsi were upright officials with a reputation for integrity; Cen Changqian was a representative of meritorious officials; and Fan Libing was a scholar from the Northern Gate Academy.

It was a balanced arrangement that included both the Empress Dowager's close associates and confidants, as well as those with prestige and seniority.

When the emperor asked questions in the palace, the prime minister would sometimes participate, so they were all curious about the list of successful candidates.

The name Lu Jun, who was at the top of the list, was mentioned by them and vaguely reached Wan'er's ears.

Besides the prime minister, nearly a hundred officials in purple and scarlet robes stood before the Luoyang Palace; all were high-ranking officials.

Six Ministries officials

The five directorates and nine ministers,

Bachelor of Arts in Two Museums

Phoenix Pavilion and Luan Terrace Attendant

Twenty-six officials

Censor of the Censorate...

Li Ying was among them. He couldn't see Lu Jun among the candidates, which made him both puzzled and secretly worried.

Many people have heard that a student of the Imperial Academy has written a brilliant essay that has won the Empress Dowager's favor. They have been asking Li Ying about his appearance and have been glancing at the procession of candidates for the imperial examinations.

Seeing such a display of power, Shangguan Wan'er became even more nervous, pacing back and forth outside the side hall.

"Why aren't they here yet?"

"Isn't it at Lijing Gate?"

"Could it be that he got nervous at the last minute and didn't dare to come?"

"Now the prime minister and all the officials are waiting for him, and the empress dowager is counting on him to maintain appearances. If he ultimately doesn't come..."

It was already past 7:30 AM when the Empress Dowager's imperial carriage appeared at the west gate of Luoyang. Her heart began to pound wildly.

…………

bang——

The prison gates closed, and the stench of blood, excrement, and rust mingled into a pungent, putrid smell.

The dirty cloth in Lu Jun's mouth had been used for who knows how long, and had been soaked with countless amounts of saliva; it was sticky, sour, and moldy.

When the cloth was ripped off, he bent over abruptly, his stomach churning violently, acid rising to his throat, choking him and bringing tears to his eyes. He vomited up his breakfast in an instant, bile gushing out again and again, burning his chest as if it had been slashed by a knife.

"They're already done for before even being tortured?" The two jailers burst into laughter.

Both of them were tall, one fat and one thin.

As Lu Jun straightened up to wipe his tears, the skinny man patted him on the shoulder and showed him various advanced devices:

"See the iron cage? Put your head in and lock it. It's reinforced with iron wedges on all four sides, drive them in one by one..."

"This is called 'sunbathing wings.' The arms and legs are each tied to a horizontal beam, and you'll be spun around until you're dizzy and disoriented..."

"This is called an upside-down lotus. You tie its feet to the ground, let it hang upside down, and then smash it with a large stone hammer. Bang!"

"That's simple. It was invented by Vice Minister Zhou. It's an iron urn; you can put a person inside and roast them directly over charcoal!"

"Tsk tsk, interesting, isn't it?"

Which one would you like to try first?

After saying that, the two jailers looked at each other and smiled.

Lu Jun patted her chest: "Big brothers, go ahead and ask! How will you know I won't confess if you don't ask?"

"So readily? I don't believe it." The skinny jailer sneered and began selecting instruments of torture.

"No, what about basic trust between people? You ask first, and I'll talk about it later..." Lu Jun quickly stopped her, wishing she could grab her.

Seeing this, the portly jailer probed, "Did the Prince of Nan'an come looking for you yesterday evening?"

Lu Jun: "Yes."

The fat jailer asked, "What do you want?"

Lu Jun replied, "I participated in this year's imperial examination. The results were announced the next day. The Prince encouraged me to do my best and even wanted me to join an organization."

The two jailers' eyes gleamed, and smiles appeared on their faces.

The skinny jailer walked to the desk, preparing paper and pen: "Tsk tsk, you're quite sensible. That makes things easier."

Lu Jun nodded repeatedly: "I knew it! Let's finish asking our questions as soon as possible and call it a day. Everyone's very busy."

The thin jailer finished grinding the ink, picked up his pen, and said to the fat jailer, "Ask me, and I'll write it down."

The portly jailer listened to him and agreed, then asked Lu Jun, "What organization did he want you to join?"

Lu Jun shook her head: "I don't know."

The fat jailer snorted and said to the thin jailer, "Let's choose the torture instruments; this guy isn't honest."

"I really didn't know! He wanted me to join, but I was too scared, so I left," Lu Jun quickly explained.

The fat jailer pressed, "Why don't you dare? You don't even know what organization it is!"

Lu Jun replied, "He is the chief priest, and he often exchanges poems and essays with some famous scholars. Perhaps it is a poetry club, but his surname is Li... Recently, there have been too many princes with the surname Li who have rebelled. I am afraid that he also wants to rebel, so of course I dare not join them. I am not stupid."

The skinny jailer suddenly spoke up: "You know what organization it is! He showed you a list."

"I did watch it, and I remember a few people..."

"Zong Qinke, Vice Minister of the Feng Pavilion"

"Wei Shuxia, Director of Studies at Chengjun Academy"

"Zhu Qinming, compiler of the Hanlin Academy... Hmm, I only remember these three."

"I often saw Director Wei, Vice Minister Zong, and Compiler Zhu at the Imperial Academy. They were very famous for their poetry and prose, and I had also heard of them."

"I don't recognize the others; they might actually be from the poetry club..."

The thin jailer stared at the three names before him, his face ashen: "Recite them again!"

He noticed the list was fake and suspected that Lu Jun had made it up on the spot.

"Zong Qinke, Vice Minister of the Fengge Pavilion; Wei Shuxia, Director of the Chengjun Academy; Zhu Qinming, Compiler of the Hanlin Academy." Memorizing only three names was a piece of cake for Lu Jun.

The skinny jailer asked, "Weren't you afraid of getting involved with that Li guy? When he gave you the list, did you dare look at it?"

At this moment, the fat man stood silently without interrupting, and the questioner quietly changed from the fat man to him.

Lu Jun pretended to be recalling:

"At that time, he encouraged me to perform well in court and bring honor to the students of the Imperial Academy, something like that..."

"I said yes, and he handed me a list and asked if I wanted to join an organization. The list was of people in the organization."

"I wasn't afraid when I was watching it, but when I saw him take it back and burn it, I got scared..."

The thin jailer stared at him, his face ashen, long and thin, his expression unchanged.

His eyes, however, revealed a ruthless glint, like a wild wolf hunting its prey, its ferocity fully exposed.

He said coldly, "Why did he burn the list?"

Lu Jun shook her head: "I don't know."

The thin jailer glanced down at the list again, pondered for a moment, and slowly raised his eyes: "You just said that the Prince of Nan'an is going to rebel. Are you willing to testify?"

Lu Jun exclaimed, "Wait a minute, I mean, he asked me to join the organization, he didn't say he was rebelling."

The skinny jailer's eyes narrowed into a ferocious glint: "Didn't you say he was going to rebel, so you didn't dare join?"

Lu Jun waved her hands repeatedly: "I only have suspicions, I have no evidence. If I had evidence, I would have reported it long ago, wouldn't that be a great achievement?"

The skinny jailer suddenly shouted, "Then why don't you stay and wait for him to finish so you can gather evidence?"

Lu Jun was startled and took half a step back:

"I'm scared!"

"What if he silences me because I know too much?"

"You are professionals in collecting evidence and solving cases like geniuses; I am just a scholar."

"When you get into this kind of trouble, of course you want to avoid it if you can. Who would dare to get involved in such a bad situation!"

The thin jailer put down his pen, stood up and walked over, his eyes fixed on Lu Jun as if he had his prey in his grasp.

After a long pause, he said, "You're too calm. It was a pre-written script."

"I'm telling the truth!" Lu Jun tried her best to remain sincere. "Besides, I'm not calm at all. I was so scared I almost peed my pants."

The fact that the cruel official kidnapped her indicates that he had spies around Li Ying who witnessed yesterday's private conversation.

It includes submitting the list, reviewing the list, and burning the list; there's no way to deny it.

But they didn't know the content of the conversation; otherwise, they could have just arrested Li Ying without interrogating her own statement.

Therefore, Lu Jun had already figured it out on the carriage: nine shallow and one deep... nine true and one false would be fine. She would say what she saw and say she didn't know what she didn't know.

As for what the organization is, the list has already been given to three people; they can ask Li Ying themselves.

Fortunately, when I heard about joining the organization yesterday, I ran away immediately...

The informant must have seen this, which is advantageous to them.

Zhe Zhe Zhe Zhe——

The skinny jailer suddenly let out a strange laugh, which sounded like a lizard's hiss, even though it was a human voice. It sent chills down one's spine.

He said to Lu Jun, "What if I ask you to fabricate evidence to accuse the Prince of Nan'an? You're a smart man, so I'll give you a chance. You either fabricate it or choose a torture device yourself."

Lu Jun sighed deeply, took out a piece of mutton-fat jade from his pocket, and handed it to the thin jailer:

"Minister Zhou, do you recognize this jade plaque?"