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Xu Zhen has not heard of Wu Zifu's name, which is not surprising, as this first swordsman of the Tang Dynasty is considered a figure from the Sui Dynasty and Early Tang Dynasty. Li Wushuang was initially obsessed with swordsmanship, and Li Daozong invited renowned sword masters to guide her, which is how she learned about this legend from her mentors.
Wu Zifu is a disciple of Qiu Ran Ke Zhang Zhongjian, and has a deep friendship with Li Jing and his wife. In the past, he roamed the martial world and had a profound entanglement with Xu Shiji, also known as Li Jue. The details of their relationship are not for outsiders to know.
When Li Jue and Wu Zifu happily reunited, they reminisced about the tumultuous times of the Eighteen Rebel Kings, when the Green Forest Heroes hunted in the Central Plains. Now, however, they are both aging. It is said that Zhang Zhongjian has become the Sovereign of the Nanyang Kunlun Island Nation, and there are rumors that he is also the King of Buyeo from Goguryeo. In any case, news is scarce, and their fates are unknown. Meanwhile, Li Jing had passed away two years earlier, and Wu Zifu has been living incognito in Tuguhun, while Xu Shiji continues to endure in the officialdom.
As they say, circumstances create heroes, but once peace is restored, heroes are often oppressed by those same circumstances, losing their former boldness and becoming like turtles retreating into their shells, merely seeking longevity. It is hard not to feel a sense of lamentation.
After all, there is still plenty of time ahead. Li Jue feared leaving Xu Zhen waiting too long. Laughing heartily, he joined hands with Wu Zifu, only to see that Li Wushuang was holding a chubby little boy in her arms, which instantly brightened his eyes!
Living a life of leisure can be quite dull; what could be more heartwarming than playing with grandchildren? Seeing Xu Zhen's son, Little Si Tang, brought great joy to Li Jue, who held him tightly without wanting to let go.
Little Si Tang stared wide-eyed at Li Jue, innocently blowing bubbles and gripping his long beard with his small hands, refusing to let go. The amusing sight of the old man and the child staring at each other was quite entertaining.
Noticing that Wu Zifu was nervously rubbing his hands together, Li Jue placed Little Si Tang into his arms. The first swordsman of the Tang Dynasty found himself at a loss, as if he were holding a large porcupine. His face turned red with anxiety as he dared not breathe too loudly; beads of sweat formed on his back as if the child were made of fragile porcelain, which was truly amusing.
Seeing that the moment was right, Xu Zhen quietly asked Li Jue: “I have something I wish to ask my master for...”
It seemed that Li Wushuang had already discussed this matter with Xu Zhen. As soon as she spoke up, he quickly knelt down to pay respects to Li Jue. Observing this, Li Jue understood everything in his heart.
Having experienced great ups and downs, Li Daozong was someone whom Li Jue never thought highly of. Therefore, they did not have much interaction. However, as a well-known old fox in the Tang Dynasty, he had detailed information about various families and recognized their children. He certainly knew about how Li Wushuang, who had not yet married into Tuguhun, enjoyed wielding weapons with her unique style.
Now that she had disguised herself to appear here after marrying far away into Tuguhun, it became clear what request she had for him. If Li Jue could not figure this out, how could he have stood firm through three dynasties until today?
Li Wushuang wanted an official title so she could stay close to Xu Zhen. This might require very complicated procedures; however, it would not be difficult for Little Si Tang to walk under the sun.
“Although I am focused on self-preservation,” said Li Jue, “I will never treat my own family poorly. I am currently idle at home and worried about having nothing to do. So let me take care of this little one. Once you settle down and everything is in order, we can make further plans.”
Princess Jinyang and Li Wushuang were overjoyed and quickly expressed their gratitude. They did not intend for Little Si Tang to remain at the Duke of England's residence; they simply wanted the child to have a respectable background. Although Princess Jinyang had attendants by her side, she was not formally married, and how could one not be suspicious if a baby suddenly appeared in her household?
Li Jue's real name was Xu Shiji. Although Princess Jinyang was without parents, it was not difficult to fabricate a Xu family background. This way, she could rightfully claim kinship with Li Jue. Naturally, receiving Li Jue's promise brought her great delight.
A few days later, rumors began to circulate that Li Jue's eldest son, Li Zhen, had adopted a son whom Li Jue personally named as Li Jingye, also known as Xu Jingye.
Upon hearing Li Jue's bestowed name, Princess Jinyang felt a jolt in her heart, and her mind could not settle for a long time. She vaguely remembered that Li Jingye would become the "rebel" opposing Wu Zetian in the future, aiming to restore the Tang dynasty!
If Princess Jinyang recalled correctly, Li Zhen did not live long, and Li Jingye would directly inherit Li Jue's title of Duke of Ying. Decades later, he would rise in Yangzhou to rebel against Wu Zetian, declaring himself General of the Restoration Bureau and leading over a hundred thousand troops in an attempt to overthrow Wu Zetian's rule and restore the Tang dynasty!
Thinking of the tragic end of Li Jingye as recorded in Historical Records, Princess Jinyang could not help but frown and regretted allowing Li Jue to take this action.
"Could this be my Xu Zhenzhi's destined fate that I cannot escape?" Princess Jinyang fell into deep thought. Now, besides preparing an escape route for herself, she might also need to make plans for her son's future.
While Princess Jinyang was still worried about her son's future, an interpreter from the palace came to summon her; Li Zhi was finally going to meet with her.
For Li Zhi at this moment, Princess Jinyang had become one of the key figures he needed to win over. As Princess Jinyang's military achievements grew exponentially, the military regarded her as a banner—a symbol of an undefeated general. How could Li Zhi overlook such a significant military figure while trying to oppose the Changsun Wuji faction?
When Princess Jinyang was on her mission to Tuguhun, her former subordinates had already established themselves within the Tang Army. Qin Guang and Xue Dayi had become prominent generals defending their side, while Xie Anting had risen to become a general of the Sixteen Guard. Yin Zong and Gao He Shu controlled crucial strongholds along the routes to the Western Regions.
Princess Jinyang did not expect that her loyal old subordinates had become the backbone of the Tang Army; even Xue Rengui had become an indispensable figure within the Inner Palace Imperial Guard.
Li Zhi thus recognized Princess Jinyang's value. Not only did she possess fame and popularity at this time, but her old subordinates alone were enough for him to include her on his list of individuals to win over—placing her at the top among military figures.
He could not help but admire Emperor Taizong Wen's foresight and deep strategy. He felt grateful that Li Shimin had nurtured such a military minister as Princess Jinyang. It seemed that from the very beginning, Li Shimin had seen through Changsun Wuji; in terms of discerning people's hearts and recognizing talent, Li Zhi indeed fell short compared to Li Shimin.
In the past two years, Changsun Wuji has become increasingly domineering, forcing Li Zhi to prepare early.
Not to mention the recent recall of Zhu Suiliang and the reappointment of Zhu Suiliang as Chancellor, even back in the Second Year of Yonghui, Li Zhi had a very intense conflict with Changsun Wuji.
At that time, when Wu Mei shaved her head and became a nun at Ganyesi Temple, Li Zhi secretly met her there. This led to an uncontrollable obsession with Wu Mei's beauty.
As a result, Wu Mei became pregnant with Li Zhi's child. Overjoyed, Li Zhi donned mourning clothes and began preparing to summon Wu Mei into the palace. Changsun Wuji strongly opposed this; if it were any other matter, Li Zhi could easily compromise. However, when it came to his beloved Wu Mei, he would not yield an inch.
In May of the Second Year of Yonghui, Li Zhi acted decisively against all opposition and summoned Wu Mei into the palace. Shortly after her arrival, she gave birth to their son, Li Hong.
Wu Mei was cunning and far from an ordinary woman; she quickly established herself in the palace. Empress Wang and Consort Xiao often competed for favor but always ended up losing out to her.
The struggles in the harem were actually more brutal than those in the court, filled with unspeakable intrigues. Yet Wu Mei managed to suppress both Empress Wang and Consort Xiao and exploited their conflicts to divide their power, securing Li Zhi's affection for herself.
Although Empress Wang had risen from Consort Taizi to Empress, she was not favored by Li Zhi due to her lack of children. Consort Xiao was naturally charming, and Li Zhi frequently visited her quarters, often spending the night there.
To suppress Consort Xiao, Empress Wang supported Li Zhi's decision to summon Wu Mei into the palace. Li Zhi praised Empress Wang for her understanding of the situation; however, this did not restore her favor in his eyes. Instead of regaining his affection through competition with Consort Xiao, she inadvertently allowed Wu Mei to benefit.
Empress Wang hailed from the Taiyuan Wang Clan, which had significant backing; the current Chancellor Liu Shen was her maternal uncle. Consort Xiao came from the Southern Dynasties Aristocratic Clan of Lanling, a descendant of the Qi and Liang royal families, also supported by powerful families.
Despite this, they could not compete with Wu Mei. Now that Li Zhi was preparing to elevate Wu Mei to Second-Rank Imperial Concubine, his conflict with Changsun Wuji had become increasingly clear. To achieve this goal, he needed to strengthen his ties with Xu Zhen and thus summoned her into the palace.
Xu Zhen had already learned about the changes in court politics over the past two years from Li Jue. Many old acquaintances were aging or retiring, leading to a chaotic court where even petty individuals like Xu Jingzong could become Minister of Rites—this was both laughable and infuriating.
When the Tubo Rebellion occurred and officials were questioned on how to handle it by Emperor Taizong, no one responded. Ultimately, it was an interpreter who spoke up and suggested sparing Tubo's life. Although this person was a son of a general from the Sui Dynasty’s left Imperial Guard and lacked prominence, he rose through the ranks thanks to that advice during Taizong's reign and was now rumored to be on the verge of being appointed as Chancellor!
It can be seen that Li Zhi, in order to combat the Changsun Wuji faction, is struggling with a lack of capable individuals at his disposal, promoting anyone and everyone, which is truly lamentable.
The title of Zhaoyi originated during the Western Han Dynasty, equivalent to that of a Chancellor and ranked higher than a feudal lord. Although its significance diminished by the time of the Tang Dynasty, it remained a second-rank title and was still the highest among the nine concubines, second only to the four favored consorts.
If Wu Mei were to be granted the title of Zhaoyi, Empress Wang and Consort Xiao would have even less power to resist.
Although this is a war among women, standing before these three women is a man—the current emperor. Behind each of these three women stands their respective noble families. Thus, this conflict among three women transforms into a battle among three noble houses.
These three noble families also have their own allies, who are other noble families with different surnames. Consequently, the war among these three women evolves into a conflict involving many noble families.
Therefore, the appointment of Wu Mei as Zhaoyi is of great significance. Both the visible forces in the court and the hidden powers of the noble families are paying close attention to this matter, either secretly supporting or suppressing it.
In such circumstances, Li Zhi needs a capable assistant even more, and that assistant should naturally be Xu Zhen.
When Xu Zhen entered the palace to meet the emperor, Li Mingda in Shuyi Hall also welcomed an unexpected guest.
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