The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 67 Intentional loyalty but unintentional interference

The emperor wants to give himself to Pei Xingjian? Liuli couldn't help but raised her head in shock. She opened her mouth and was about to say something. For some reason, Pei Xingjian's chuckle seemed to ring in her ears again, "Liuli, you always look down on me." This indifferent voice made her jump up. His heart suddenly became determined, he lowered his head and sighed softly, "I'm afraid that he will displease the Holy Emperor again."

Wu Zetian raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise. Liuli's expression in front of him was calm. Although there was worry in his eyebrows, there was no doubt at all. Several thoughts ran through his mind, which finally turned into a smile and sigh, "Pei Shouyue treated him like this." You! It’s true that you are wholeheartedly planning for him. Speaking of which, two screens and a marriage are just a good story. The Holy One is the most generous, but in this case, the Holy One will not be able to interfere with this matter. Okay, I wonder what your plans are now?”

Liuli's chest tightened and she simply raised her head, "If it weren't for Zhaoyi, Liuli would have become a slave and couldn't even be a concubine. How could there be any marriage? Although Liuli is timid and stupid, she also knows the importance. Now, Naturally, I want to continue to serve Zhaoyi and his wife. When Zhaoyi is at ease and no longer needs Liuli to follow him, or when Zhaoyi feels that Liuli can be used more outside the palace, it will not be too late to think about that future."

She looked at Wu Zetian calmly, but felt a little nervous: if she had seen well in the past two months, Wu Zetian would be at ease in the harem now. Needless to say, Gaozong never set foot in the queen's palace after the death of the little princess, which made the people in the harem completely aware of the direction of the trend. More importantly, she already has real power and connections in her hands. When he came to the Wannian Palace this time, the emperor only brought her and Deng Yiyi among the concubines, but he brought a full set of official harem offices such as the Provincial Department and the Six Shang Bureau. In more than two months, Wu Zetian was taking care of Wannian Palace. Among the various affairs of the harem, these female officials and chamberlains who manage the harem's food, clothing, housing and transportation have gradually come into their hands. The Queen Wang, who is three hundred miles away, actually has nothing, at least in the harem, and will probably never be able to make trouble again.

As smart as Wu Zetian, she should know that what she lacks most now is no longer help from the harem, but help from outside the court - such as Pei Xingjian.

Wu Zetian looked into Liuli's clear eyes, and a happy smile slowly appeared on her face, "What's wrong with kindness? It's because my mother helped you before, and what happened last night is more than worth it. Speaking of which, you will not be able to bear this kind of kindness this year." You are already sixteen, and you are not too young, so you can’t wait any longer. Please relax. When we return to Chang’an this time, I will make some plans for you. Your contribution last night cannot be commended. When you enter the palace, I must give you more dignity.”

Liuli felt relieved and bowed gratefully, "Liuli, thank you Zhaoyi for helping me." He sighed again, "Zhaoyi will never mention last night. What Liuli did last night can't be worth Zhaoyi's kindness? Don't say it. Without Liuli, Shengshang and Zhaoyi would definitely be fine; it is said that if the skin is gone, the hair will not be attached. If it were not for Zhaoyi, how much better would Liuli's end be than being a fish and shrimp? "

Wu Zetian's smile was indeed more cordial, and she patted Liuli's hand gently, "You are just too respectful, and I know that." Then he pointed to the pile of documents in front of him, "You haven't used it yet. Let’s have lunch, my wife should have left it for you. I wanted to say a few more words to you, but... I don’t know how long it will take to see these things.”

Liuli followed her instructions and glanced at the table: On the table were two stacks of yellow paper. The first line of the closest one read "Achievements of the British Minister of Sikong Shangzhu Kingdom" and "Taiwei Yangzhou". There are words such as "The governor supervises the construction of the history of the country, the public ministers of the country are Wuji", but I don't know what it is.

Seeing her expression, Wu Zetian smiled and said, "Of course you don't recognize them. These are some edicts and memorials. Because the Holy Master was feeling a little uncomfortable and had a headache after reading too much, he originally wanted Pei Shouyue to recite one of them a little slower. Secondly, the Wannian Palace is short of manpower, and he is also busy, so he leaves it to me, who is idle, and I don’t have a clue. "

Liuli smiled and said, "Zhaoyi is too modest, so Liuli won't bother Zhaoyi." The two stacks of official documents were neatly placed, classified into categories with thin stickers, and some had slips of paper for comments. Where could he look like he couldn't grasp the clue? It turns out that Wu Zetian's political talent has begun to show so early...

 She stood up, bowed and then retreated. When they arrived at Mrs. Wu's house, the maid at the door called a message, and Mrs. Wu almost jumped up. She looked Liuli up and down with bright eyes. Liuli was silent in her heart and could only walk over as if nothing had happened.

Mrs. Wu rolled her eyes and said with a smile, "You all go down, Cui Mo, and ask someone to get Liuli's food box." Before anyone could go out, she grabbed Liuli's hand and said, "Mei Is what mother said true? You and Pei Shou..."

Liuli nodded calmly.

Mrs. Wu shook her head and sighed, "It's strange that you would ask him to write for the screen, but he actually wrote it, I never thought of it! But, wouldn't you be taboo with his fate? Your parents Also willing?"

Liuli thought for a while and nodded. Pei Xingjian said that he had already visited Kudi Yanzhong, and that guy must be impeccable in his work. He thought that since his cheap father had the prospect of becoming an official, he would never mind whether he married Tiansha Lone Star. Or kill the Wolf Lord.

Mrs. Wu didn't know what to say for a moment. She only felt that the facts in front of her were a bit unbelievable, but compared to her previous suspicion that His Majesty wanted to summon Liuli into the palace, it seemed better. After thinking for a long time, she could only say, "Can you think of it?" Do you want to do another divination? Speaking of which, I know two diviners in the Taishi Bureau."

Liu Li nodded and smiled, "If necessary, I will definitely trouble Madam." - If Madam Wu knew Li Chunfeng, she would not mind engaging in feudal superstitious activities.

Mrs. Wu smiled with satisfaction. Suddenly, a little palace maid brought a food box and put it on the small table aside. Mrs. Wu smiled and said, "It was specially reserved for you. Now you don't have a room, so it's just here." Just eat.”

Liuli had no choice but to thank her again and again. She went over to open it and saw a plate of roasted mutton and a bowl of water splash. She ate it quietly in a few mouthfuls until she was half full. When she put down the bowl and chopsticks, she saw Mrs. Wu still looking at it with interest. A drop of cold sweat slowly flowed down his forehead.

　　…………

In the bedroom of Danxiao Palace, Pei Xingjian had just finished his cold meal. He stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Emperor Gaozong had just finished listening to Cui Yixuan, the imperial censor, reporting on some affairs in the court. He was half-closing his eyes and thinking silently. When he heard Pei Xingjian's voice, he opened his eyes and waved to Cui Yixuan, "I'll think about it again. Thank you for your hard work, Cui Qing."

Cui Yixuan hurriedly excused himself. Emperor Gaozong rested his chin on his hand, turned to Pei Xingjian and smiled, "I heard that you haven't used a single bite of food since you were so busy last night. If I don't let someone leave a portion for you, is it possible?" Do you want to continue to be hungry?”

Pei Xingjian thought about it and laughed, "I really forgot."

Emperor Gaozong chuckled, "If Wu Zhaoyi hadn't mentioned it just now, I would have forgotten that you, General Zheng, General Xue, and Doctor Cui all worked hard all night."

Pei Xingjian's heart moved, and he replied with a smile, "It's all a minister's duty. I dare not mention the hard work." Gaozong thought for a while and then said, "Speaking of which, I vaguely remember the screen insert of the Spring River Flower Moonlight Night. It seems to be Is this painted by the painter Kudi?”

Pei Xingjian nodded, "Exactly."

Emperor Gaozong smiled and sighed, "Since you were in love at the beginning, why did you delay it until now? Well, why don't I just give her to you, which can be regarded as a good story."

Pei Xingjian was startled and bowed solemnly, "Thank you, Your Majesty. However, I haven't had time to report this matter to the Holy One. I originally wanted to marry her as my wife, so I delayed it."

Gaozong was startled and raised his body half up, "Do you really mean that you keep your promise?"

Pei Xingjian nodded seriously, "I dare not deceive Your Majesty."

Gaozong was stunned for a while, then shook his head and laughed, "Keep the promise, but this matter is a bit unbelievable. Aren't you afraid of attracting material criticism? Your status is different now. Although Kudi is beautiful and intelligent, her life experience is different, that is, the two If you like her, you can take her home. Now that you are in the sixth rank, you can afford a concubine. Why do you insist on marrying her? Is this what Cudi wanted?"

Pei Xingjian smiled calmly, "I have an abnormal life experience, so I am used to being discussed. I met Kudi when I was at my lowest, and she helped me a lot. She is not only affectionate, but also kind and righteous, and she is my confidant." I couldn't bear to avoid discussing things, so I put her in a wronged position. To be honest, Kudi didn't mention this, but if she lived less than a hundred years, she would not be truly happy to hold her son's hand and grow old together with her. What’s the point of it, people?”

 Gaozong slowly sat up, lowered his head to chew on Pei Xingjian's words, and nodded slowly, "Honor, what you said is true. If your life is less than a hundred years, if you have to compromise even if you are holding hands with a woman you fall in love with, it will be really boring!"

Pei Xingjian was startled, and the expression on his face suddenly became subtle. Gaozong didn't realize it. The more he thought about it, the more he sighed and said loudly, "A Sheng, help me to Xinuang Pavilion!"

Wang Fusheng hurriedly came over. Gao Zong was distracted, and without saying another word to Pei Xingjian, he supported Wang Fusheng and went back. Pei Xingjian stood there, let out a long breath, shook his head and smiled bitterly.

In the Xinuan Pavilion, Wu Zetian had just finished reading a memorial, took up a pen and wrote down two lines of summary, dried it and put it in the memorial. Suddenly she heard the maid at the door saying, "The Holy One is here." She couldn't help but be surprised and hurriedly He stood up and before he could go out, Gaozong walked in, the look on his face was quite different from usual.

Wu Zetian's heart moved slightly, and he took a few steps forward with a smile, "Why is Your Majesty here? These clerks and concubines have only seen half of it."

Gaozong looked at Wu Zetian and said softly, "Meiniang, thank you for your hard work."

Wu Zetian became more and more surprised. She glanced at Wang Fusheng calmly, but saw that he was smiling and nodded gently to her. Then she felt at ease. She stepped forward and held Gaozong's hand, "Why is your Majesty so suddenly like this?" It's my concubine's blessing to be able to share your Majesty's worries."

Gaozong gently held her shoulders and said, "Mei Niang, you are the only one who has been able to share some of my worries over the years."

Wu Zetian shook his head gently, "If it weren't for Your Majesty, I would have been in the wind all my life. No matter how much I do, I can't repay Your Majesty's kindness."

Gaozong was silent for a moment and whispered, "Don't worry." After a moment, he suddenly laughed, "Mei Niang, you just got pregnant, so you shouldn't have to work hard, but I'm afraid you won't be able to rest these days. I still have Something for you to do.”

“You have also read the memorial that Chu Xiang just submitted, and suggested allocating funds to re-publish the "Women's Code". I am thinking that in this case, it is better for you to write a few more articles and publish them all over the world!"

Wu Zetian raised his head in disbelief and looked at Gaozong blankly. The ten volumes of "Nvzi" were written by Empress Changsun. She commented on the concubines of the past dynasties and talked about their virtues. She continued to write "Nvzi" and published it all over the world. He means…

Gaozong looked at Wu Zetian, smiled and nodded.

  p.s. Many thanks to my dear classmates Dan Zhizhi and Liuyun Ranmo for the pink tickets…

In the fifth year of Yonghui, Wu Zhaoyi continued to write "Nu Zhi", called "Nu Xun", and published it all over the world, which was the first step to publicly ascend the throne of the queen.

 (End of this chapter)