The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

"You recognize me?"

Several beams of dim light pierced through the cell, illuminating Zhou Xing's high cheekbones. His sunken cheeks looked as if they had been slashed off, and paired with his slender neck, he appeared sinister and terrifying.

He was about the same height as Lu Jun, but when his cold eyes glanced over, they inexplicably carried a condescending air.

Disguising himself as a prison guard to ask questions is a common tactic of his, allowing him to directly observe the other party's reaction and spot any loopholes on the spot.

Lu Jun replied, "I am a student of the Imperial Academy and can enter the palace every quarter to observe the court assemblies. I have met the Vice Minister."

"Furthermore, the vice minister's black robe has a crimson trim showing; it must be his court attire, right?"

From the very beginning, Lu Jun knew that he was Zhou Xing, and he had heard a great deal about this cruel official.

Therefore, try to tell the truth.

"He is indeed a smart man, but not smart enough." Zhou Xing smiled coldly.

He only flipped the jade pendant once in his hand, didn't even glance at it, before tossing it back to Lu Jun.

"If you truly recognize me, you should have heard how Princess Taiping's husband died."

Memories drifted into Lu Jun's mind like the wind.

Two years ago, King Li Zhen of Yue and his son were defeated and killed. The Empress Dowager implicated many others, including King Han, King Lu, and Duke Huang, as well as the imperial son-in-law Xue Shao.

Zhou Xing was the person in charge of handling all aspects of this series of cases, including evidence collection, torture, and sentencing.

Xue Shao's elder brother, Xue Yi, did indeed participate in the mutiny, so he wasn't entirely innocent, but Zhou Xing was responsible for it.

Since the Xue family and the princess dared not resent the Empress Dowager, this debt would naturally be placed on his head.

"The princess sees me as her husband's killer. Does the grudge between us really matter because of a mere retainer like you?"

A mocking smile crept onto Zhou Xing's lips.

"You underestimate Lijing Gate, don't you?"

"Don't bring up your ranking on the exam. I know you did, but so what?"

"Even princes and prime ministers have to be obedient here, so what is a mere scholar?"

His scarlet robe was stained with the blood of princes, nobles, and high-ranking officials. He would get excited whenever he saw someone of high status and was not afraid of princesses at all.

Those words also extinguished Lu Jun's idea of ​​using the palace examination to protect herself and try to escape from prison.

Once inside the Lijing Gate, one either had to confess as the cruel official demanded, or become a tough nut to crack in another world.

There is no third option.

"I have written two lines of poetry. Would you like to hear them, Vice Minister?" Lu Jun pondered for a moment before suddenly speaking.

"At a time like this, you still have the mood to recite poetry?" Zhou Xing was quite surprised, his tone tinged with mockery. "I'd like to hear what kind of masterpiece you have."

"Quatrain" refers to both the popular poetic form of the past and a wonderful line of poetry, or a final, exquisite line of poetry.

A single sentence with three layers of meaning.

When fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend their strength; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless.

"It should be credited to the Vice Minister; he will definitely get it. If the opportunity hasn't come yet, forcing it will be futile."

"I am just a poor scholar in plain clothes, without any power or influence. Even if I sign and affix my seal, the Empress Dowager may not believe me."

"Imagine, if the Prince of Nan'an wanted to rebel, what use would it be to win over someone like me?"

"When to investigate the Prince of Nan'an? That matter needs to be decided by the palace. Why is the Vice Minister making things difficult for me?"

Lu Jun remembered very clearly that Li Ying and other members of the imperial clan were killed a month before the Empress Dowager ascended the throne, not now.

She doesn't need concrete evidence to take action; the reason she's holding back is simply because the momentum isn't strong enough yet.

Now is a crucial period for the plan to become emperor, and the imperial examination system is a key part of it. Each step is interconnected and cannot be rushed.

Just as he was winning over the hearts of the people, he suddenly launched a major purge to execute members of the Li clan. Wasn't this going in the opposite direction?

Therefore, Lu Jun reminded Zhou Xing to go with the flow, as forcing himself now would be pointless.

"Huh?" The cold light in Zhou Xing's eyes suddenly dimmed.

In the past six years, he has tried countless cases, from princes to commoners, but this is the first time someone has surprised him so much.

Lu Jun, a commoner and a young student at the Imperial Academy, actually saw the situation so clearly!

Zhou Xing was not a scholar who passed the imperial examinations and had limited literary talent, but the two lines of poetry, "When fortune comes, heaven and earth lend their strength; when fortune goes, even heroes are powerless," are not difficult to understand and their meaning is immediately clear.

Over the years, he has repeatedly succeeded in fabricating charges and falsely accusing ministers, and he knows very well that it is because of the Empress Dowager's support.

Otherwise, which type of person could be offended without any evidence—a prince, a prime minister, or a famous general?

However, the Empress Dowager's intentions could only be guessed.

She wouldn't say it outright; officials would have to figure it out themselves, try it out, and only then would they know if it suited her taste.

Zhou Xing wasn't entirely sure whether he should take action against the Prince of Nan'an, but the informant had provided clues, and he wanted to give it a try.

Listening to Lu Jun's analysis, it seemed that he had a clearer understanding of the Empress Dowager's long-term plans than Lu Jun himself.

He makes sense; at this point, a false accusation is unlikely to succeed.

Then...let him go?

If word gets out, won't my reputation be ruined? How can I intimidate those officials and win over my colleagues?

Just as they were hesitating, a jailer entered the cell and reported, "The Assistant Minister of Personnel Examination has arrived. He says he is looking for a candidate named Lu Jun."

"Is this a place to look for someone? Get him out of here!" Zhou Xing glared at him fiercely.

The jailer lowered his head, avoiding eye contact: "He said the Imperial Guards of Wuhoupu saw the prison cart and brought the man here..."

"So what if I see it? I'll go tell them!"

Zhou Xing took off his black robe, strode out of the prison, crossed the courtyard to the main hall, and loudly demanded:

"What, does the Judicial Office need to report to the Examination and Evaluation Department? Or does Lord Shen believe that the Examination and Evaluation Department can determine my performance and thus supervise my work?"

Zhou Xing was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and regardless of rank or duties, he had no need to pay attention to Shen Quanqi.

He came in person because he had doubts...

Why would Lu Jun, an ordinary scholar, have the position of the Assistant Minister of Personnel come to his door demanding his services?

Shen Quanqi was extremely flustered at this moment. Standing in the hall of the Judicial Office, it felt as if there was a raging fire under the floor, making his feet feel hot and painful, and he frequently paced back and forth.

He did not ask the Jinwu Guard of Wuhoupu; the so-called sighting of the prison cart was merely an excuse to visit the prison.

Hearing Zhou Xing's question, he smiled ingratiatingly and said:

"This humble official dares not presume to, but today is the grand ceremony of the imperial examination, and it is my duty to lead the successful candidates to pay homage."

"Currently, we are missing a student named Lu Jun. His writings are highly appreciated by the Empress Dowager, which is no small matter."

"The results of the exams were not supposed to be posted in any particular order, but the Empress Dowager personally instructed that the top spot must be reserved for this person."

"Therefore, I have no choice but to search with all my might."

The cruel officials were all henchmen of the Empress Dowager, so if he wanted to find Lu Jun, he naturally had to rely on the Empress Dowager for support.

After hearing the whole story, Zhou Xing thought to himself, "So that's why the young man was so confident and calm after passing the exam with such high honors."

Many high-ranking officials had heard that Lu Jun's writing had been appreciated by the Empress Dowager, but Zhou Xing, who was not a graduate of the imperial examinations, had not paid any attention to it.

He pondered for a moment, recalling Lu Jun's words from earlier, and hesitated, unsure of what to do.

If Lu Jun is let go, the spy I planted next to Li Ying will be useless, and all my previous efforts will be in vain...

Just as he was hesitating, a figure in a purple robe burst into the hall. Li Zhaode walked straight towards Zhou Xing and began to berate him angrily:

"Zhou Xing, release them immediately!"

Others may fear you, but I don't!

"If you do not release him, I will surely impeach you for your evil deeds in court!"

"I'll let you experience what prison life is like!"

Zhou Xing immediately put on a stern face and denied it: "Who are you going to send? Does Mr. Li have any evidence?"

A nagging feeling began to pound within him: "Strange, what's the relationship between Lu Jun and him? Why is he looking for her too?"

He knew that Li Zhaode was much more capable than Shen Quanqi. He was deeply trusted by the Empress Dowager and often publicly denounced cruel officials, yet the Empress Dowager did not punish him. He was a ruthless character.

If I were to actually appeal to the Empress Dowager, I might not be able to win and would only get myself into a lot of trouble.

In fact, the mere hour I spent capturing Lu Jun had attracted two groups of troops, one from the Heavenly Official and the other from the Summer Official…

Who is this young man?

When Zhou Xing denied it, Li Zhaode shouted, "Stop pretending! I'll go in and find it myself!"

Zhou Xing stepped in front of him, saying, "The prison is for treasonous criminals. Anyone who dares to break in will be punished as well. Lord Li, you should think twice!"

"He's powerless, what treason could he possibly be plotting? Since no verdict has been reached, how can he be considered accomplice?"

Li Zhaode was not easily fooled; he reached out and shoved Zhou Xing hard, causing him to stumble.

Zhou Xing steadied himself by the doorframe, a ruthless glint in his eyes. He said coldly, "Go if you're not afraid of death! If Master Li falls into my hands one day, I will avenge this!"

Seeing that the two were locked in a contest, Shen Quanqi quickly stopped Li Zhaode: "Lord Li, you can't barge into the prison..."

He whispered, "Since he's obstructing us, it means the person is indeed inside. We should inform the Empress Dowager."

He remembered Shangguan Wan'er's instructions, remained calm, and prepared to hand the matter over to the Empress Dowager.

To everyone's surprise, Li Zhaode was extremely unyielding and confronted Zhou Xing, saying, "If I bring the person out, I will arrest you according to the law!"

It wasn't entirely about saving people.

He witnessed firsthand how much the Empress Dowager valued Lu Jun, and knew that he wouldn't be at a disadvantage when confronted later.

Since that's the case, we might as well take this opportunity to strike at the cruel official. Even if we can't get rid of Zhou Xing, we can at least severely damage his prestige.

Zhou Xing, adept at reading people, sensed something was amiss and spread his arms to stop him: "The prison is a heavily guarded place personally established by the Empress Dowager. Do you think you can just barge in?"

He shouted towards the outside of the hall, "Someone come here!"

Before things escalated, he tried to get the clerk to stop Li Zhaode, giving himself time to clean up the mess.

Lu Jun can't use torture anymore. Find an excuse to explain the reason for arresting him, then quietly release him. Let's call it a day...

In an instant, chaos erupted in the main hall of the magistrate's office, and another angry shout rang out from outside the gate:

"Zhou Xing, how dare you stop this princess!"

Li Lingyue, dressed in a red dress, swept in like a raging flame, followed by more than ten servants and maids. Her imposing manner was overwhelming, and the minor official dared not stop her, being pushed and shoved around.

"Princess, the prison was established by the Empress Dowager, you can't act recklessly!" Zhou Xing leaned against the door and stubbornly resisted.

He knew very well that he was a mortal enemy of the Li clan, and that trying to please the princess would be useless, so he decided to confront her head-on.

Her heart pounded with even greater apprehension: "Just who is this Lu Jun? Even the princess has come in person..."

Li Lingyue pointed at him: "Lu Chuyu is my honored guest. You arrested him, are you trying to frame me?"

"Ah! That's not the case. I had no intention of targeting the princess..." Zhou Xing quickly explained.

Suddenly, I realized that things had gotten out of hand.

Lu Jun has the Princess's Mansion jade token on him, and the fact that he was arrested does seem to be targeting Princess Taiping.

The Empress Dowager had ordered her son-in-law's death and was about to compensate her own daughter. If she knew about this, she would definitely not fare well.

"No wonder he handed me the jade pendant; I couldn't pretend I didn't know anything about it... What a deep scheme!"

Zhou Xing's mind flashed back to Lu Jun's calm face.

Great!

Snapped--

Before he could finish speaking, Li Lingyue slapped him across the face!

"This slap is revenge for the death of my husband!"

"Release them! Don't force this princess to take action again!"