People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1508 Mei Niang, Come with Me

The emperor held the green porcelain bottle and looked at Empress Wu with some doubt. Then, looking at the fragrant pill in the porcelain bottle, he poured out a pill without any hesitation and swallowed it directly.

Empress Wu looked at the emperor calmly. After a moment, she lowered her head slightly, and a trace of sadness flashed in the depths of her eyes.

When he raised his head, Empress Wu looked calm.

The emperor sat cross-legged on the imperial couch, feeling the medicinal power dissolving in his body, and looked back at the porcelain bottle.

The porcelain bottle is still the same porcelain bottle, and the pills inside are the same pills as before. However, although they still emit the same fragrance, the emperor can't remember whether the fragrance of the medicine was the same back then.
But the fragrance at that time was enough to cheer up the emperor just by smelling it, but now, he didn't have that feeling.

Is it a matter of time?

The box is still the same box, and the bottle is still the same bottle.

Maybe it's really been too long...

Feeling a warmth rising from his body, the emperor couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and the previous wild thoughts completely disappeared.

Looking up, the emperor finally felt a little strength. He smiled gently, with deep eyes.

The emperor looked up at Empress Wu and whispered, "Mei Niang, do you still remember Master Xuanzang?"

Empress Wu looked up in slight surprise. She didn't know why the emperor thought of Xuanzang. She nodded and said, "I remember that Master Xuanzang's Buddhist practice was still very high."

"Hmm!" Li Zhi smiled and said, "In fact, I want to thank Master Xuanzang. If it weren't for his journey to the west, I wouldn't have been able to destroy Tubo. If he knew that the Tang Dynasty borders India and it is very convenient to travel from the Tang Dynasty to India, he would be very pleased."

Empress Wu couldn't help but chuckle. Then she nodded and said, "If Master Xuanzang hadn't traveled west, I'm afraid there wouldn't have been Wang Xuance and his group's subsequent visits to India."

"Buddhism!" The emperor sighed softly and said, "Although Buddhism is about cultivating the mind, it has no effect on longevity. For example, this life-extending pill, maybe one day in the future, the Buddhist relics can also be used as medicine to make pills."

Empress Wu was slightly stunned, and after thinking for a while, she said, "If that day really comes, that person might become the public enemy of Buddhism."

"As long as it's not obvious." The emperor smiled with some complacency, and suddenly, as if he thought of something, his laughter stopped and his mood suddenly became gloomy.

Empress Wu was sitting nearby and asked with concern, "Your Majesty?"

"Mei Niang." The emperor turned his head and looked at Empress Wu, and suddenly said, "I almost forgot something. Da Ci'en Temple, where my mother is, you should remember to visit her often."

Empress Wu pursed her lips gently, then nodded and said, "I understand."

Empress Wende was buried in Zhaoling Mausoleum, so the emperor had no way to visit and offer sacrifices to her. That's why the emperor built the Da Ci'en Temple to pray for Empress Wende's afterlife.

Whenever the emperor missed Empress Wende, he would take her to visit the Da Ci'en Temple.

After hearing what Empress Wu said, the emperor showed a hint of surprise. He turned his head slightly and said with a sad face, "There is one more thing that I almost forgot."

"Your Majesty." Empress Wu gently grasped the emperor's arm.

The emperor shook his head slightly and said, "Mei Niang, have you forgotten that we have four sons?"

Empress Wu's mouth twitched slightly, then she nodded and said, "Yes."

"Sanlang and Silang, I have already made arrangements, but we still have Erlang." The emperor raised his head, looked upward, and said softly: "Even though Erlang is unfilial, he is still my son. Mei Niang, promise me that if Erlang is unfortunate, bury him with the ceremony of a duke, and make his children county dukes and raise them."

Empress Wu was silent for a moment, then she said, "Your Majesty, I will treat Erlang well."

"Well!" The emperor did not look at her and continued, "As for my other descendants, as long as they do not make any mistakes, I will throw them to the ends of the earth and let them fend for themselves."

After a brief pause, Li Zhi said with emotion: "After all, I have to go down to the underground to see my father."

"Okay!" This time, Empress Wu did not hesitate and agreed directly.

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his head, and said softly: "In my life, I have expanded eastward and westward, and destroyed countless countries. When I meet my father in the underworld, I will be worthy of him. Moreover, I have you, and only you can help me continue everything."

"Your Majesty." Empress Wu tightly grasped the emperor's arm and said softly, "Everything... Your Majesty will be fine."

"Hehehe..." The emperor suddenly laughed, and his laughter was a little crazy and creepy.

"Your Majesty." Empress Wu was suddenly startled, and at this moment, she subconsciously let go of the emperor's arm.

The emperor turned his head and looked at her, and said with a strange look in his eyes: "Mei Niang, do you still remember Mang?"

Empress Wu suddenly shuddered, looked at the emperor and whispered, "Your Majesty!"

The emperor did not look at her again. He turned his head and looked forward, saying directly, "I liked her at first. She was a dignified, gentle, and considerate girl from an aristocratic family. Although I gradually became boring, I had no intention of abolishing her. But she should never have allowed her uncle to force me to make Prince Chen the crown prince. It's not like I can't have another child."

The emperor's face was full of gritted teeth.

Li Zhong was the emperor's eldest son. At first, the emperor did not dislike him because Li Zhong's mother was a palace maid. He even asked Emperor Taizong to confer the title of King of Chen on him.

Naturally, because of his mother's humble origins, the emperor never thought of making him his heir.

Let the queen be childless. Li Zhi didn't hate her. Besides, at that time, Li Zhi was only 22 years old, and Queen Wang was even younger than her. It was normal for her to have no children.

However, because she was competing for favor with Concubine Xiao Shufei, Queen Wang actually looked for her uncle Liu Shi and contacted Zhangsun Wuji. Finally, Zhangsun Wuji requested that Prince Chen Li Zhong be made the crown prince.

The emperor did not agree at first. After all, from the very beginning, the emperor had never intended to train Li Zhong as his heir.

Now that this has suddenly happened, it would be strange for the emperor to feel comfortable.

It was from that time that the emperor began to think about deposing the empress. Changsun Wuji, who had close ties with Queen Wang, was naturally doomed to be executed.

Empress Wu fell silent. The emperor had never told her these words before, but she could clearly feel the emperor's disgust for Prince Chen. She thought it was like this from the beginning, but she didn't expect that everything was because of the establishment of the crown prince.

"Look, Mei Niang, I have five children just like you." The emperor looked at Empress Wu with a smug smile, but said coldly, "At that time, they thought I would die early and were so eager to establish a prince. They all deserve to die."

Empress Wu looked at the somewhat unfamiliar emperor and subconsciously took half a step back.

Her face became increasingly heavy, because she knew that the emperor's medicine was taking effect.

"Mei Niang, do you still remember Xiao?" The emperor's face turned cold again. "Xiao Shufei." Empress Wu nodded and said, "I remember."

The emperor turned his head and looked forward, saying softly: "Mei Niang, Xiao is extremely beautiful and charming. I like her, but she is too troublesome. She fights with this and that. Sometimes, I am obviously very annoyed, but she still chatters non-stop and blames me... She is blaming me, so she deserves to die."

Empress Wu had bitten her lips tightly without realizing it.

Although she used some means in her struggle with Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao, she thought that it was because the emperor was afraid of Zhangsun Wuji that so many things happened. She didn't expect that the reason for all this was the emperor's own boredom.

No wonder later, after she treated Mang and Xiao like that, the emperor didn’t say a word, or even ask a question.

"Mei Niang." The emperor suddenly smiled. He looked at Empress Wu and said softly, "Mei Niang, do you still remember Min Yue?"

Empress Wu's expression couldn't help but change slightly.

Bright moon, Helan Minyue.

Empress Wu's sister and the daughter of Lady Wu Shun of Korea.

Empress Wu did not forget what happened in the past. Her sister Wu Shun and niece Helan Minyue had affairs with the emperor one after another.

According to rumors, it was Empress Wu who personally poisoned her sister Wu Shun and niece Helan Minyue.

But in fact, Empress Wu acknowledged the latter. She did kill Helan Minyue through someone else, but not her sister Wu Shun.

Because Wu Shun had an affair with the emperor very early on, although Empress Wu was dissatisfied at first, she later accepted it in order to consolidate her favor.

This matter lasted for nearly ten years until Wu Shun died of illness.

But it was at that time that rumors began to circulate that Empress Wu had personally poisoned her sister Wu Shun.

Even now, Empress Wu doesn't know who is secretly spreading the rumors.

But Helan Minyue believed the rumor.

As for what happened afterwards, Helan Minyue took revenge and sacrificed herself for the emperor, and Empress Wu poisoned Helan Minyue.

The emperor lay on the imperial couch and said softly: "I actually like Minyue, do you know why?

Mei Niang, because she looks so much like you, so much like you when I first met you, but unfortunately, she died."

Empress Wu looked at the emperor in great shock, her lips trembling. She wanted to say something but couldn't open her mouth.

"Mei Niang, Mei Niang, you are the best to me in this world. You share my worries without asking for too much." Li Zhi smiled complacently again, looking at Empress Wu and said, "Shangguan Yi, Shangguan Yi even asked me to abolish you. He is really old and confused."

Empress Wu's body trembled slightly, and there was a hint of fear in her eyes as she looked at the Emperor.

"Mei Niang, Mei Niang, it is because of you that I have achieved what I have today." The emperor stretched out his hand, grabbed Empress Wu, and said with a dazed look in his eyes: "Mei Niang, Mei Niang, come with me, let's go to the underground together, to see the emperor, and tell you how capable you are. The emperor is simply blind, Mei Niang, Mei Niang..."

Empress Wu suddenly felt a chill and subconsciously took several steps back until she came to the door.

As soon as she looked up, she saw the emperor smiling strangely and looking straight at her.

The next moment, the emperor stood up and grabbed her, shouting, "Mei Niang, Mei Niang, come with me... Mei Niang..."

With a "thump", the emperor fell to the ground, tripped by something.

"Your Majesty!" Empress Wu was about to step forward when she saw the emperor had already raised his head. He looked at her uncomfortably and said, "Mei Niang, Mei Niang..."

Empress Wu stopped walking suddenly. With an ugly look on her face, she couldn't help but take another step back. The door was pressed tightly against her back.

Empress Wu took a deep breath and looked at the emperor who was lying on the ground and kept calling her name. She felt a chill in her heart and subconsciously opened the door and walked out.

……

Li Xuan, Pei Yan, and Li Xian all knelt on the ground and kowtowed solemnly.

There was a heavy sadness on everyone's face.

At this moment, the door of Zhenguan Hall suddenly creaked, and everyone looked up subconsciously.

Then Empress Wu walked out of the hall as if she was surprised, and then closed the door tightly.

Faintly, the emperor's voice could be heard from inside.

Close the door to block out the sound.

At this time, Empress Wu breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the palace door, feeling dazed for a moment.

But soon, Empress Wu came to her senses, turned around and looked at the people kneeling in front of the hall.

Li Xuan, Pei Yan, and Li Xian all bowed and said, "Queen of Heaven."

Looking at the three people, Empress Wu breathed a sigh of relief. She was sure that the three of them had not heard anything, so she said, "His Majesty is resting. Don't disturb him. Stay away."

Li Xuan, Pei Yan, and Li Xian were all surprised, but they all bowed respectfully and said, "Yes!"

After watching Li Xuan and the other two leave, Empress Wu looked at the guards around the hall and said in a cold voice, "Everyone, retreat ten feet away."

The guards outside the hall walked down the steps without any hesitation and walked ten feet away.

Although they are not very smart, they know that it is better to be obedient at this time.

Empress Wu turned her head and looked towards the hall.

The palace door was closed, blocking out all sounds from inside and outside.

(End of this chapter)