The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

"Wan'er, I'm letting you speak first so I can give you a chance to admit your mistake."

Wu Zetian ordered Li Lingyue, Li Zhaode, Shen Quanqi, Zhou Xing, and Lu Jun to wait in the side hall, each guarded by a guard, leaving only Shangguan Wan'er in the main hall.

On the phoenix couch, she held a white jade hairpin in her hand, her face shrouded in a dignified aura as heavy as twilight.

Wan'er knelt down on the steps with a thud, her scarlet silk robe trembling slightly, her eyebrows almost touching the ground.

"Wan'er failed to inform the Empress Dowager of Lu Chuyu's late arrival; Wan'er is at fault..."

Wu Zetian coldly asked, "So you just didn't report it? Why did Taiping and his two companions break into the prison? Who gave them directions?"

Thump thump thump—

Wan'er heard her own heartbeat.

The sound was very close, as if it came from the back of the throat, heavy and fast.

The Empress Dowager must have spies at the South Gate of Luoyang and in the Court of Judicial Review; nothing escapes her notice.

When she rested at Yinyu Palace just now, a female official reported to her that this was the matter...

Wan'er was born into the inner palace and was destined to be a criminal. She knew that the Empress Dowager had appointed her as a talented woman and given her the official title of Inner Attendant so that she could atone for her sins. If she committed a serious crime again, she was afraid that she would not even be able to leave behind a whole corpse.

However, trespassing into the prison is tantamount to treason, and what if the Empress Dowager finds out that he is the mastermind behind it all...?

"Your Majesty, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat sent someone to inquire about Lu Chuyu's whereabouts and deduced his whereabouts, and then informed Wan'er."

"He was unsure of the situation, so he dared not report directly to the Empress Dowager and went to the Judicial Office to inquire first."

"Just then, Minister Li asked about Wan'er, and Wan'er told him what she knew. Unexpectedly, Minister Li also rushed over there..."

"The same situation occurred when the princess inquired about it."

As Wan'er answered, cold sweat quietly seeped out from her thin back, making her appear even thinner.

Fortunately, she had instructed Shen Quanqi afterwards that no matter who asked about the matter, she should explain it in this way.

Otherwise, if the Empress Dowager finds out, not only will they suffer, but ministers who collude with concubines or are at the beck and call of concubines will also be guilty of serious crimes.

That's why, after seeing Lu Jun safely released from prison, she felt relieved but didn't go over to say hello.

I don't want to greet you again.

"Ah!" A scream rang out.

Wu Zetian thrust the white jade hairpin in her hand towards Wan'er's brow, and several streaks of scarlet blood immediately seeped out.

Blood dripped from his forehead, flowing down his delicate, high-bridged nose, wiping his mouth, and soaking into the thick carpet.

"This is your punishment for not reporting what you knew. If there is a next time, it won't be a jade hairpin that will be used to stab you."

"Thank you, Empress Dowager, for sparing my life!"

Wan'er prostrated herself on the ground, not daring to reach out to wipe it or show her pain, letting the scars spread.

Wu Zetian's lips curled into a smile: "Why did you cover for Lu Chuyu and help him postpone his audience with the emperor? Are you interested in him?"

Wan'er quickly shook her head: "How could Wan'er dare... Wan'er saw that the Empress Dowager appreciated his writing and praised him as a talent of the country. She also heard from the Minister that he might be deeply involved in the Lijing Gate incident. That's why I secretly wanted to help him. I have absolutely no personal feelings involved."

As a concubine, if the Empress Dowager suspected her of having an affair, who knows what kind of torment she would suffer...

"You'd better not have one." Wu Zetian waved her hand. "Get out of here and go wash up."

The second person to enter the hall was Zhou Xing.

Wu Zetian slightly raised her chin, her voice as cold as a dagger, piercing Zhou Xing: "Are you investigating Taiping?"

"How dare I! I did not know that Lu Chuyu was a distinguished guest of the princess..." Zhou Xing kowtowed to the ground with a thud, his voice trembling slightly.

Two beams of gaze from the steps swept across his back like the back of a knife several times before finally sheathing themselves.

"I know you wouldn't dare. Explain in detail the reasons for the kidnapping and the proceedings of the trial, without omitting a single word!"

In fact, Wu Zetian did not believe at all that the cruel official would dare to investigate her daughter, but a warning was necessary.

Zhou Xing breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes..."

He spoke for a full quarter of an hour, but it wasn't a complete account, missing the part where Lu Jun advised him not to be rash and to wait for the right opportunity.

If the Empress Dowager finds out that Lu Jun said those things, yet he still intends to take action, she will doubt his loyalty.

Wu Zetian pondered for a moment: "In your opinion, is Lu Chuyu's confession true or false? Does he harbor any treasonous intentions?"

Zhou Xing replied:

"My informants have uncovered the ashes from the paper burned by the Prince of Nan'an. From the traces, they can roughly identify the names of seven or eight people, three of whom match the names he gave."

"Those three are either Chengjun Siyue or have a good reputation for their literary skills in the court and among the people. It's not surprising that Lu Chuyu can remember them."

"The others were censors, officers of the Imperial Guard, and officers of the Sixteen Guards. Logically, he wouldn't recognize them and would have a hard time remembering them."

"In my judgment, his testimony is likely true."

"He had no power or influence, so there was no question of him plotting rebellion."

Wu Zetian's face remained ashen: "Why did Li Ying single out Lu Jun to join the organization? What does he want?"

Zhou Xing replied, "I suspect that the Prince of Nan'an may have ulterior motives and wants to win over Lu Chuyu. Yesterday was a test."

Wu Zetian asked, "What is the basis for the claim that the Prince of Nan'an has ulterior motives? How can you prove that it was merely a test?"

Although she heavily relied on cruel officials, she personally handled important cases and would not be fooled by their words.

Zhou Xingdao said, "If the Prince of Nan'an wanted Lu Chuyu to join the organization, he wouldn't have burned the list if it were just a poetry and literary society. Therefore, I suspect he has ulterior motives. But such a secret cannot be revealed to a student rashly. He will most likely test the waters first."

Wu Zetian nodded: "That makes sense."

His gaze sharpened: "What do you think of Lu Chuyu?"

Zhou Xing lowered his head and began to think, his long face devoid of color, a chill occasionally passing through it.

He vividly remembered the scene of being rendered speechless by Lu Jun's rebuttal in court, prostrating himself in protest, and being ridiculed by the officials.

"I believe that Lu Chuyu is a smart man who does not want to get involved in the conflict and is quick to react."

"He left immediately, which made his stance clear. If the court were to investigate, he could simply claim that he did not know which organization it was."

"He won't offend either side; the upright officials won't see him as a villain, and the Empress Dowager won't call him a traitor."

He first offered a few affirmations, then concluded: "But doing so would not be true loyalty to the Empress Dowager..."

He knew that the Empress Dowager admired Lu Jun, and if he wanted to undermine this person, he could not deny his talent and intelligence.

We must defeat their hearts.

So many wise ministers have been defeated by these two words!

The monarch possesses the entire realm, and wise ministers come and go in waves, so there is no worry about a lack of capable officials. What the monarch is most concerned about is whether he can secure his throne, especially in a sensitive period like this, with someone like the Empress Dowager in charge.

As long as someone is not purely loyal, there is a possibility that they might join the rebellion. Based on past experience, she would rather wrongly accuse than let them go free.

Wu Zetian waved her hand, saying, "This is how a good minister protects himself. You don't understand. I know he supports me!"

His eyes suddenly flashed with a fierce light as he looked at Zhou Xing:

"You handled this matter terribly!"

"When did I order you to investigate the Prince of Nan'an?"

"Don't you have any idea who should be investigated, who shouldn't be investigated, and when to investigate?"

"Lu Chuyu is just a scholar. You yourself said he couldn't possibly be plotting a rebellion, and you know he's on my list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations. Yet you dared to detain people before the palace examination and almost torture them to extract a confession. What's wrong with your brain? Do you even respect me?"

"Let me tell you, the reason Taiping and the others went to rescue people today wasn't because Lu Chuyu was lucky, it was because you were lucky!"

"Lu Chuyu is exceptionally talented. If you harm him today and ruin my plans for governing the country, I will not let you off easily!"

"I will hand you over to those upright officials. You wait and see whether you will be left to rot in the streets or your entire clan will be buried alive with them!"

"I warn you, do not harm Lu Chuyu!"

"I won't say this a second time!"

blah-

A string of beads of sweat dripped from Zhou Xing's forehead.

His face was already long, but now it stretched even longer, and the blue color gradually turned into purplish-red.

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. This was a rash act on my part. I will personally visit Lu Chuyu to apologize another day!"

"No, no, I apologized to him immediately after I left, and I will not investigate him again..."

The cruel official rose to power entirely because of his accurate understanding of the Empress Dowager's mind, but this time he misjudged her...

Before going to the palace, Zhou Xing was very confident because the Empress Dowager had authorized him to secretly investigate treason and make unauthorized arrests and imprisonments. The more he did not avoid relatives and nobles, the more the Empress Dowager would praise him.

As long as it is made clear that Princess Taiping was not investigated, the Empress Dowager, with her wisdom, will certainly not punish him.

Unexpectedly, she became so fierce and scathing in her own words because of Lu Jun that she gave herself a thorough dressing-down!

In terms of talent and ability, can this young man compare to Pei Yan, Wei Yuanzhong, and Hei Chi Changzhi?

Zhou Xing couldn't help but think to himself, "The only person in the entire court and among the people who can receive such protection is Xue Huaiyi. Could it be...?"

Thinking about Lu Jun's appearance, I understand a little.

After being dismissed by Wu Zetian, he crawled away and went straight to Lu Jun in the side hall. He bowed deeply and said, "I have offended you greatly today. The Empress Dowager has reprimanded me severely and ordered me to apologize to you, Lu Lang. Please forgive me. I will definitely hold a banquet to apologize another day!"

Then, he even praised Lu Jun, saying that he had won the highest praise in the palace examination and was a rare young talent.

The word "俊" was emphasized, and even words like "handsome and talented" and "charming young man" were used to praise him.

I'd never seen him smile before, but now the corners of his mouth were upturned, and his face even seemed to radiate a hint of fawning...

"Out of control!" Lu Jun shuddered inwardly.

I still prefer your rebellious side.

After Zhou Xing left, he waved towards Shangguan Wan'er, wanting to inquire about the situation privately.

She was the first one to be questioned, and she came back very late, so she must know something about the situation, right?

To everyone's surprise, the woman remained silent and stood alone at a distance with her back to them after returning.

strangeness……

This has nothing to do with her, so she shouldn't be punished, right?

According to Shen Quanqi, this morning the officials from the Examination and Merit Department asked his two classmates, Cui and Lu, and he deduced the situation. Lady Shangguan then relayed the information to Li Zhaode and Princess Taiping, so the three of them went to Lijing Gate to rescue the people.

To paraphrase, what crime is it... well, it should be the crime of knowing but not reporting.

They took the punishment for me; I should thank them when I have the chance.

While he was pondering, Li Zhaode and Shen Quanqi were summoned one after another and returned quickly, bidding him farewell.

Princess Taiping, however, was gone for a long time.