Start with detective Li Yuanfang

Chapter 363 "Zuo Ming", I have your letter!

Changan.

Inside Daming Palace.

As night fell, candles were lit in the sleeping hall, and at the same time, the soothing aroma from the Western Regions spewed out from the huge cauldron.

But the fragrance at this time was covered by the strong and bitter medicinal smell, but it still couldn't make the saint regain his sobriety.

Li Zhi was lying on the couch with his eyes closed, if not for the occasional painful groans, he would have slept in the imperial tomb.

Compared to when the crown prince took all the officials to the Eastern Capital, the Tang emperor had lost a lot of weight, his cheeks were sunken, and the hair on his head became thinner.

That's fine, Li Zhi looked very old before, and Empress Wu was four years older than him, but she looked like an old husband and young wife. The most important thing was that all the imperial doctors in front of the bed remained silent.

The silence speaks.

Empress Wu, who was sitting by the couch, knew that Li Zhi was really dying.

In fact, it is the same as Tubo's Zanpu. Yang Zaiwei did not kill him when he was assassinated, and he was seriously injured with his strength. But for a person who has been ill for a long time, whoever dares to touch him will die for whoever sees him. Tubo Zanpu became the Tubo king Zanpu.

Li Zhi's body completely collapsed. It was also because of the poisonous smoke that pushed him down the edge of the cliff, and he fell ill suddenly. If it weren't for the world's top imperial doctor and various medicinal materials Tonic, he will definitely not be able to delay it now.

But if you procrastinate, you have to have a head...

The hall was dead silent, even the sound of breathing almost disappeared.

Finally, Empress Wu's cold and stern voice sounded: "Everyone back down!"

The imperial doctors silently breathed a sigh of relief, hurriedly saluted and left, and the eunuch Gao and other servants also left the hall without a word.

It wasn't until there were only two people in the hall that Empress Wu stretched out her hand and gently stroked Li Zhi's old cheek, her eyes were slightly red: "Your Majesty, when did we come to this point?"

This was originally a soliloquy, but the next moment, an old voice sounded in the empty palace: "It's the time when he broke his promise and became fat, and wanted to use you, but didn't give you the queen of heaven!"

Empress Wu's complexion changed slightly, and the sorrow in her eyes immediately disappeared, and turned to a sharp light, staring at the direction from which the voice came.

A figure walked out slowly from the shadows that the candlelight could not reach.

He couldn't tell his face and figure, but he could only see long robes dragging the floor covering his whole body, his face was wearing a bronze mask, which was cold and ferocious, even his chin was covered, only a pair of eyes came out from behind the mask.

Empress Wu stared at this person, and squeezed out a word between her teeth: "It's really you! Have you entered Daming Palace?"

The visitor said: "How difficult is it to enter this palace city? In my original plan, as long as the Baiqi from the North Yamen were rebelled, the sixteen guards from the Nanya Yam would be useless. Now that the Baiqi have gone to Luoyang, Li Zhi will guard the Imperial Palace." It is even more a joke that the power of the city is secretly entrusted to Shang Gong!"

Hearing the visitor call Li Zhi's name directly, Empress Wu's pupils shrank slightly: "Even Shang Gong was bought by you?"

The visitor said: "This is even simpler. The sisters of Shanggong are on their side. That sister is indeed very loyal to Li Zhi, but she also knows very well that as long as the saint knows that there are two of them, and that one of them has always been loyal to the Changsun family, I can't stand them!"

Talking all the way, the visitor came closer, and his eyes behind the mask fell on Li Zhi: "This saint never remembers how much meritorious service this subject has made, and only cares about whether the subject is threatening him now, thanks to him This ruthless character is why so many people finally choose to serve me!

Empress Wu sneered when she heard the words: "Those people's secret dissatisfaction with the saint cannot be transformed into loyalty to you. The saint is the orthodox imperial power, and it is impossible for people to serve for nothing, let alone you!"

The visitor looked at Empress Wu: "Then what about you, when did your dissatisfaction with Li Zhi begin?"

"Is he going to kill He Lanminzhi? Or is he sneering at the auspiciousness you have worked so hard to build up, and let you know that if you don't fight for it, the position of Queen of Heaven will never be attained?"

"When you reach a certain level of power, you will always retreat if you don't advance. What's more, you are only a queen. It is wrong for a queen to participate in politics, unless you become a queen like the previous documents!"

Hearing the position of Queen of Heaven, Empress Wu raised her eyebrows slightly, her expression was cold: "Don't provoke me with words, I know better than you what I want."

The tone of the visitor became solemn: "But you rejected my most critical step. If the prince died, this situation would not be the case now! The prince's health has always been very poor. If he died suddenly, no one would be able to detect it. Wait until Li Xian took over, with his domineering personality, it was easier to deal with, I paved the way for you, but you were worrying, and missed a great opportunity!"

"Shut up!!"

Empress Wu's eyes became extremely sharp, and her momentum overwhelmed the other party in an instant: "Put away your ridiculous tricks! If you want to cut off my escape route and let me be used by you, do you deserve it?"

The visitor laughed, and his robe swayed slightly: "This is just an excuse for your cowardice. If you want to gain the supreme power, when will you have a way out? Isn't it a conspiracy for you to add the incense of loss of spirit to the cauldron? Sin? You have long since lost your way out!"

The corner of Empress Wu's mouth raised: "Really? Do you think His Majesty will abolish me? I think that the crown prince is not in good health. Your Majesty is worried that after he ascends the throne, he will go his own way. position, assist the new emperor to control the imperial power!"

The visitor said: "You know my medical skills very well, how about I rescue Li Zhi?"

Empress Wu stood up without hesitation and stepped aside, raised her hand and said, "Please! I'll wait and see!"

The atmosphere in the hall froze for a moment.

After all, the visitor did not walk to the couch, but stared at Empress Wu: "How are you doing?"

Empress Wu said: "It's not how I treat you, but what you want?"

"You are making trouble outside, I don't bother to care about it, but now Your Majesty can't do it anymore, my future rests on the crown prince, wanting to use me to deal with the crown prince? It's just a daydream!"

"If you are really capable, the Crown Prince, Baiguan, the Imperial Army of the Northern and Southern Yamen, and the internal guard Li Yuanfang are all in Luoyang, so you can just go..."

Hearing one of the names, the visitor's tone became even more gloomy: "It seems that you also know that the prince is now convinced of the inner guard. I am afraid that your status as a lady is not as good as that Li Yuanfang who scolded you for wronging the country face to face!"

Empress Wu was very calm: "Li Yuanfang killed He Lanminzhi, the crown prince will naturally have a good impression of him, but when he succeeds to the throne and becomes emperor, everything will be different again."

"People like Li Yuanfang must be suppressed well, and we must not give him the opportunity to make friends with his party members and form a powerful trend."

"The crown prince is soft-hearted, and he is not a qualified ruler. It is precisely because of these courtiers that I, the Queen Mother, can play a role. If there is no means, how can the courtiers be willing to bow their heads?"

The visitor sneered: "Li Yuanfang, this person will have more surprises for you!"

Empress Wu squinted her eyes: "A mere courtier, a person of your level, would care so much..."

Although she has been idle for a few months, her daily work rhythm remains the same, and she still cares about the memorials sent from Luoyang to Chang'an, even those major events that the prince has already decided.

For example, the rewards for the No. [-] family, the distribution of houses for middle and low-level officials, and the planning for the water transport department, etc., she still has the overall situation of the officials in her heart. At best, Li Yuanfang is just one of the special ones. He flicked his sleeves and said: "Don't say any more, if there is nothing wrong, then step back, 'Zuo Ming'!"

Hearing the last address full of teasing and sarcasm, the visitor's sleeves trembled slightly, and disappeared suddenly, leaving only the cold voice echoing in the hall: "Miss Wu Er, you will regret it!"

……

"Zuo Ming" was like lightning, and the scenery on both sides kept receding. He crossed the Daming Palace at an extremely fast speed and came to the Taiji Palace.

This palace, which was built in the Sui Dynasty and arranged in the center of the northern part of Chang'an City, was originally supposed to be the Ziwei Emperor Star. However, the design was too ideal, ignoring the defects of the terrain.

Tai Chi Palace is located in the lowest depression in Chang'an City. Chang'an often rains in summer and the temperature is very high, which makes the place humid and hot. Li Shimin can't stand living in it, let alone Li Zhi. It was built quickly, and the place has been vacant since then.

Up to now, the crown prince took all the officials to Luoyang, and the Daming Palace seemed empty, not to mention the Taiji Palace that no one cares about.

But tonight, there are a large number of guards and maids guarding inside, surrounding a palace with vigilant expressions.

"Zuo Ming" walked all the way to the front of the palace, and an old woman came out vigorously, who looked exactly like Shang Gong in Luoyang, and she was her twin sister.

Facing Shang Gong's salute, "Zuo Ming" asked: "Is he still unwilling to speak?"

Shang Gong shook his head and said: "He wrote a line on the ground: the mouth is the door of the heart, when the mouth is closed, the heart sinks, when this place is quiet, everything is beautiful, when the mouth is closed, all sounds are victorious, when the heart sinks, Vientiane is lovely."

"Zuo Ming" waved his hands when he heard the words: "You step back!"

Everyone, including Shang Gong, left. "Zuo Ming" walked into the palace and looked at the person sitting on the ground: "When Xuanzang saved you, he made an agreement with you to stop talking about Buddhism for ten years. Fifteen years have passed, and you still haven't spoken, what do you mean?"

The man wrote on the ground: "I'm used to it, I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Anger clearly appeared in the eyes of "Zuo Ming": "If you are really willing to give up, Qingdeng Ancient Buddha, this is the end of your life, then that's fine, I will come forward! But you killed Li Zhi, who I carefully prepared. Substitute, how many things have been broken for me! Neither advancing nor retreating, is this what you have gained from studying Buddhism for many years?"

The man let out a complicated sigh and wrote, "Stop it, you can't make it."

"Zuo Ming" laughed back angrily: "I was running around for your grandson's family. The blood feud of thousands of people in your clan gave up instead? It's too late! You let Li Yuanfang work for me, and the matter of Li Zhi's substitute will be cancelled." !"

The man shook his head, not even bothering to write.

"I'm afraid this is beyond your control!"

"Zuo Ming" dropped the last sentence, walked out, adjusted his breathing, and finally calmed down.

All the news I received that day was obviously not very good. Fortunately, just after leaving the palace, a confidant sent a carrier pigeon. After reading it, "Zuo Ming" chuckled lightly:
"That trash in Ashina Huan, who has always had two minds, dared to really betray me. It's admirable courage, but he didn't know that I had already let Shang Gong watch him, and there were two loyal disciples here." !"

(End of this chapter)