After being dressed as Wu Zetian's daughter, she was favored by the group

Chapter 194 Empress Wu’s scheming

In the pavilion a hundred meters away from the attic, Cui Daizhao was leisurely sipping tea, served by a group of palace maids and eunuchs.

The stone bench she sat on was covered with a thick animal skin mattress, with fire pots placed on both sides for heating. A young eunuch squatted on the ground, using an iron rope to fiddle with the bamboo charcoal inside.

The stone table was filled with candied snacks. Eunuch Liu, the chief steward of the Yeting Palace, rolled up his sleeves and brewed tea for Cui Daizhao himself with a copper pestle for pounding tea.

In the past month, everyone in the Yeting Palace has been in panic and everyone is in danger.

No one knows why the aloof Empress Wu frequents Yeting Palace, and no one dares to ask about Empress Wu's relationship with Guan Wan'er, but everyone knows that the Bodhisattva Empress Wu must be well served, otherwise her life will be at risk in minutes. .

As the chief steward of the Yeting Palace, Eunuch Liu was even more cautious in his words and deeds, walking on thin ice. Every day at dawn, he would dress neatly and lead a group of eunuchs and maids to kneel outside the palace gate an hour in advance to greet Empress Wu.

After staying in the palace for so many years, it goes without saying that Eunuch Liu has the ability to observe people's emotions. When Empress Wu visited Yeting Palace, she must have come for the princess. Shangguan Wan'er was left alone to serve, and even Cui Daizhao was sent away. Yes, it shows that the relationship with Wan'er is extraordinary. Eunuch Liu was both envious and puzzled. What he envied was that a low-level maid from the Yeting Palace could please the princess and the queen at the same time. What he was puzzled about was what method the other party relied on to break the shackles of class and be favored by the powerful. Accept.

He couldn't figure it out and didn't dare to ask. He could only think about it in his mind. He wanted to be friends with Shangguan Wan'er. To be friends with her was to be friends with the princess and the queen. To be friends with the princess and the queen was to be friends with the majesty. Maybe One day, I can take a step further.

For this reason, he strictly prohibited everyone in the Yeting Palace from getting too close to Wan'er, let alone talking about the princess and Empress Wu in front of her, and would be killed with a cane if discovered.

Wan'er already lived in the Yeting Palace, and with her simple personality, she never thought that the Yue'er and Auntie she mentioned were actually the princess and empress of the current dynasty.

Cui Daizhao was drinking tea when the little eunuch responsible for keeping an eye on the movements in the attic hurried back to report:
"Manager Cui, your Majesty is out of the attic!"

"Why is it so fast today?" Cui Daizhao muttered, put down the tea cup, stood up and walked out.

Upon seeing this, Eunuch Liu waved to all the serving maids and eunuchs, and they all packed up their things and left on their own.

Empress Wu came down from the attic with a gloomy face. Cui Daizhao didn't know why, so he stepped forward to help him and asked with concern:

"Empress, what's wrong with you?"

Empress Wu glanced back at the attic, then turned to Cui Daizhao and said: "Later, you can go to the Shang Palace Bureau to ask for an exit certificate to send the Zheng mother and daughter out!"

Cui Daizhao was stunned when he heard this: Yesterday, you praised Wan'er for her cleverness and likability. Why did she break up on bad terms and send her out of the palace today?
"Mother, what happened? Why did you suddenly...?"

"Just do what I want, why is there all this nonsense!"

Empress Wu interrupted Cui Daizhao's question impatiently. She didn't want to tell outsiders about the ugly incident of the princess massaging the feet of a maid.

It’s no wonder that Empress Wu was so angry. She knew that Wan’er was her daughter’s close friend, and she also knew that when Wan’er’s life was hanging by a thread, her daughter made a big fuss in the harem and tried her best to save her. She only regarded it as the princess’s pity for a palace maid, but she didn’t know what was going on. The specific details, such as the princess caring for Wan'er all night, serving medicine at the bedside, and trying to please... If she had known about it earlier, I am afraid Wan'er would have been expelled from the palace long ago.

The aloof Empress Wu had always regarded Li Lingyue as her darling. As a mother, she could not bear to yell at her. Who would have thought that this darling would actually work as a slave for a palace maid? It was simply unreasonable.

Empress Wu seemed to be angry on behalf of her daughter, but deep down deep down, she was jealous of a mother, jealous that her daughter was treating others better than herself. This feeling is just like the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in today's society. When the mother-in-law sees the son she has worked so hard to raise, she actually obeys her daughter-in-law. The feeling in her heart is as if something she likes has been taken away by others. Naturally, I couldn't accept it for a while. Seeing that Empress Wu was resolute, Cui Daizhao did not dare to disobey her. After walking a hundred steps, she hesitated again and asked worriedly:

"Your Majesty, I have to say a few words. The princess is currently observing filial piety in the Eastern Capital. When she comes back at the end of her term, she will not see anyone in the attic... Do you think she will be very sad?"

Empress Wu, who was sulking, frowned. Cui Daizhao was reminding her that her daughter went to Luoyang alone to observe her filial piety. She was already alone and helpless. If he drove Wan'er away while she was away, he would not even give her any money. Isn't it a little too heartless to not leave the two of them a chance to see each other one last time? Even though his daughter had agreed to repatriate Zheng and his daughter, would his eagerness to deal with it this way chill his daughter's heart? !
Cui Daizhao on the side did not think as much as Empress Wu. The reason why she said this was just to suggest that Empress Wu should inform the princess when doing this, such as writing a letter to explain the truth, so as to avoid the other party's thoughts and future mother-in-law. When women meet, there will be no barriers.

Unexpectedly, the unintentional words made Empress Wu hesitate. Now she can feel sorry for anyone, but she can only feel sorry for her daughter. This is not only because her daughter keeps her filial piety for her, but more importantly, her daughter is the only one who stands firmly behind her. The children who support her are also the only spiritual pillar she can rely on.

"Follow me to Fengyang Pavilion first, let me think about the repatriation issue again!"

Empress Wu reluctantly took back her decision. The two of them walked out of the gate of Yeting Palace. Yang Yi, who was guarding Jijia, came up to him excitedly:

"Your Majesty, I have just received news that Your Majesty has arrived at Hanliang Palace and asked Your Majesty to go back immediately!"

"I know!" Wu Hou pretended to be indifferent, but deep down he was so excited that he was cursing: "Old man, you finally regret it! Huh!"

The news brought by Yang Yi allowed Empress Wu to clear away the previous gloom. She slowly boarded the carriage and ordered to Cui Daizhao:

"Let's go to Fengyang Pavilion for dinner!"

Cui Daizhao and Yang Yi were both stunned. Empress Wu knew that Li Zhi was waiting for her in Hanliang Palace, but she still wanted to go to Fengyang Pavilion. Wasn't this deliberately playing devil's advocate.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty is waiting at Hanliang Hall!" Yang Yi reminded anxiously, leaning against the raised carriage.

"Then let him wait!" Empress Wu held her air and waved to Yang Yi: "Go back and tell His Majesty that I will return to Hanliang Hall after eating in Fengyang Pavilion. If he can't wait, I will No need to wait any longer!”

Good guy, let the king of a country wait. In addition to Empress Wu, Datang can also find a few people. Yang Yi chewed on Empress Wu's words, slowly tasted them, and quickly shook off the dust.

"Yes! This slave will go back and resume your life right now!"

After Yang Yi left, Empress Wu, who was sitting on the carriage, called Cui Daizhao to him and whispered:

"Servant Cui, instruct the Food Bureau to deliver His Majesty's lunch to Hanliang Hall in advance!"

When Cui Daizhao heard this, he understood that Empress Wu was worried that His Majesty would leave in a hurry, so she deliberately left His Majesty to eat in Hanliang Hall.

After all, it was Empress Wu who said she wanted to leave Li Zhi aside for dinner at Fengyang Pavilion. But when she actually arrived at Fengyang Pavilion, she was just carried around outside the palace wall and rushed back in time. Hanliang Palace.

Empress Wu's seemingly contradictory behavior is actually not contradictory at all. She shamed Li Zhi to vent her dissatisfaction and grievances after being suppressed by the court; and her eagerness to go back to see Li Zhi showed that she abides by the principles of monarch and minister and the etiquette of husband and wife. . She controlled the heat very well.

On the way back to Hanliang Palace, Empress Wu was in an extremely agitated mood. As a veteran of power struggles, she certainly knew the reason why Li Zhi was looking for her. From the moment she handed over the power of approving the red, she had been waiting for this day to come. Li Zhi's visit heralded that her political strategy of "retreating to advance" suddenly took effect.