Insufficient balance

  In the grand hall, dozens of beautiful dancers sang and danced, their long sleeves flying as they moved with elegant curves. What was even more breathtaking was that they were all scantily clad, their semi-transparent dresses revealing skin as smooth as jade, leaving onlookers dazzled and bewildered.

  Xue Chongxun's mood also seemed to improve, immersing himself in the joyful atmosphere. Princess Taiping noticed Xue Chongxun's change in expression and couldn't help but smile, saying: "With so many beauties, choose one to accompany you tonight."

  Although Taiping Princess was a mother, as a member of the royal family, she did not have any problem doing so, but rather it was a way to show closeness in their relationship. In fact, when Wu Zetian was in power, Taiping Princess had already sent her male favorites.

  Xue Chongxun couldn't refuse, so he said: "The good things in Mother's house are indeed not few. There are so many excellent women here, they all look about the same, it's really hard to choose for a while, or else I'll just take one casually later."

  Princess Taiping shook her head: "Take another look, and after a while you won't be saying that."

  Fine wine and delicacies, beautiful women like jade, the warm atmosphere made Xue Chongxun's body and mind soft and fluffy. In fact, he was very disappointed in his heart, for two months in Chang'an, he didn't accomplish anything, his mind was preoccupied with persuading his mother to stage a coup, whether it would succeed or not he didn't know, but he knew that without a coup, they would definitely be finished... As a result, after racking his brains and doing so many things, he still couldn't convince his mother, how could one not feel disappointed?

  No way, with his strength, he wants to play with the national machine, it's like an ant trying to shake a tree, can only pin hopes on his mother.

  He thought for a moment and remembered that Emperor Tang Xuanzong of history became emperor after being the crown prince for only about two years, and soon after ascending to the throne, he eliminated all of Taiping Princess's party... Calculating it out, everyone would be finished by next year, and there was still one more year to do something. Would they raise a big flag, plant fields, and rebel? He estimated that even before starting to plant, they would either be destroyed by the local military or killed by their own people... He didn't think this approach would succeed in prosperous Tang Dynasty...

  At this moment, Princess Taiping reminded: "Chongxun, what are you thinking about?"

  Xue Chongxun hastily smiled and said: "No, I'm just thinking about which dancer looks better."

  At this moment, only the palace saw the flying skirt, the dancing girls gathered together to form a circle, all leaning forward, just like a flower bud about to bloom. With a gentle and elegant zither sound, they swung their long sleeves, their flexible waists supporting their upper body slowly tilting backwards, just like the petals of a flower slowly unfolding.

  Suddenly, Xue Chongxun's eyes lit up, and he saw a woman emerge from the middle, like Chang'e, with her white jade feet raised, her slender waist spinning and dancing, the jade belt on her Luo skirt also fluttering, as if she was walking on ripples, like a moon palace fairy.

  She was as light as a swallow, and Xue Chongxun didn't see clearly what her face looked like, but just based on her figure and temperament, she was extremely beautiful. So he turned his head to look at his mother and said, "I know now, she is the best among these dancing girls, no wonder Mother asked me to take another look earlier."

  Princess Taiping smiled slightly: "Do you think she's the best among them?"

  Xue Chongxun nodded without hesitation. Princess Taiping said faintly, "Have you heard of Cheng Xunzi?"

  "I've heard of him, he was a famous general... He was killed by his aunt after pleading for someone else's life. It seems like his whole family died, my mother mentioned him, could this woman be a descendant of the Cheng family?"

  "She's called Cheng Ting."

  "Oh..." Xue Chongxun's heart skipped a beat as he once again realized how cruel the struggle for power was. If he were to fall out of luck in the future, would his woman also be reduced to a lowly status and be at the mercy of others?

  After having enough food and wine, the singing and dancing were also appreciated. At this time, Princess Taiping retreated from her attendants, but didn't seem to want to leave. Xue Chongxun was still seated, and his mother seemed like she had something to say.

  The maidservants all followed the meaning of Princess Taiping and went down, leaving only the mother and son in the entire Qifu Temple, looking empty.

  Taiping Princess finally broke the silence and said, "Chongxun, you have spoken to me many times, I considered it again and again, I think what you said is not bad, but I didn't agree with you, do you know why?"

  This sentence suddenly made Xue Chongxun overjoyed, and he hastily said: "Mother, as long as you can see the hidden danger and foresee the crisis of our family, it's already very good... You didn't respond, I guess it's because the coup is too difficult and the risk is too great due to the irregularity?"

  The Princess Taiping fell into a long silence, and after a while, she finally spoke up: "I often think of your great-grandmother... From ancient times to the present, she is the only female emperor. In the past, it was so; in the future, it will be difficult to repeat. Wei Zifu and Princess Anle did not see this point clearly, they both wanted to learn from her, but ended up dead. I had long since come to realize this point, that's why we are still doing well until now."

  Xue Chongxun anxiously advised: "Mother thinks this way, others don't! You're not doing it to be the Empress now, you have to find a way to protect yourself! After the Shenlong Coup and the Tanglong Coup, nothing happened to you because Emperor Zhongzong and the current emperor didn't have the power or courage. But Li Longji is different, he's young and has courage, and more seriously, he's already incompatible with Mother now. If Li Longji becomes Emperor, it will be impossible for Mother to maintain the status quo... If Mother hadn't realized this point, she wouldn't have tried every means to depose the Crown Prince, would she?"

  Princess Taiping said, "Tonight I'm talking to you with this intention. We need to prepare for both possibilities. If we can't get the Emperor to depose the Crown Prince, we must make early arrangements to prevent unexpected events. But as a woman, what reason could I use to stage a coup? After thinking about it, this matter requires an alliance with the Li family's imperial relatives... However, now all the Li family's imperial relatives hope that Li Longji will ascend to the throne and stabilize the situation. There is only one person who can be used - Li Shouli!"

  Li Shouli? Xue Chongxun had hardly thought of this marginal figure, but his mother was indeed a wise and experienced person. As soon as she mentioned it, he suddenly realized: Who is Li Shouli? The son of Crown Prince Zhang Huaizhi, that is, the grandson of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian; calculated, Crown Prince Zhang Huaizhi was more qualified to be emperor than the current Emperor Li Dan, and also more popular with the people, but he had already died... However, since Emperor Li Dan's son Li Longji could become emperor, why couldn't Crown Prince Zhang Huaizhi's son become emperor?

  Li Shouli's father and brother were killed by Wu Zetian, his younger brother was said to have died of illness, but it is not known whether he really died of illness or not. He himself was spared because of his foolishness and was imprisoned for over a decade before being released during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong. Soon after, he went to a remote area and became a marginal figure, with no one mentioning him again.

  Because Xue Chongxun has changed some of his mother's ideas, he is now in a very good mood and has seen hope again. He then asked seriously: "Where was Li Shouli arranged to go? I haven't thought of this person all along, so I didn't notice. How is he doing, can he agree to form an alliance with us?"

  Taiping Princess said, "The King of Bin has been sealed off and is now in Youzhou. What kind of person he is, I actually don't know either, haven't had much contact with him, nor have I heard anyone mention him. If it weren't for this period of time that you've made me ponder the coup, I wouldn't have thought of him... Tonight, I want to discuss something with you in private, and it's about arranging a task for you."

  "Mother, please speak."

  "Among the people I can trust around me, you should be the most suitable to do this. You go to Youzhou, investigate Li Shouli's situation, and persuade him to return to the capital to participate in the coup if necessary. After the success, let him become the emperor. Can you do it?"

  Xue Chongxun said, "Mother, please rest assured, this matter is related to the lives of our entire family, I will definitely do my best. But with the title of Taichang Temple's chief on my head, there's no reason for me to leave Beijing for Youzhou. We need to find a reason, and we can't let others suspect our purpose."

  "I've already thought it through for you. For the past two years, the capital and its surrounding areas have been short of grain, and last year was even worse - the imperial guards were going hungry. If the grain hadn't arrived just in time, there would have almost been a mutiny. This is a very important matter. The court has always been looking for ways to increase the amount of grain transported by the canal system. Last year, they appointed Liu An, the Minister of Revenue, to take charge of this specifically, but so far, the results have been minimal. So I think we can use this as an excuse to get you appointed as Minister of Revenue, and then send you to inspect the canal system, assist Liu An in rectifying the grain transport... Of course, this is not something that can be accomplished in a short period of time, so don't worry too much about it. Just focus on using the pretext of inspecting the Yongji Canal to travel north along the canal to Youzhou and find a way to get in touch with Li Shouli."

  Xue Chongxun thought for a moment and said: "This method is wonderful, I had no achievements before, nobody paid attention to me, it's just right for me to do this."

  Princess Taiping's face broke into a smile: "You brothers, now you're the one who understands me best. Chongxun, don't frown every day, with Mother here."

  "Mother..." Xue Chongxun's heart suddenly felt a pang. These days he had been living in fear and anxiety, with few moments of joy... Men can also feel helpless and sorrowful, it's just hidden in their hearts. At this moment, his mother's words made him feel like he had found a warm embrace, both bitter and warm.

  The expression of Princess Taiping turned benevolent, and at this moment she was more loving than the majestic and dignified princess. She looked at Xue Chongxun's face and smiled: "Alright, I see you're still crying like a child even though you're so big now. You've grown up, and to become a great husband, you must learn to be calm and composed, not letting everything show on your face, worrying about things all day long, do you understand?"

  "Yes, Mother." Xue Chongxun replied with utmost respect.

  Princess Taiping stood up, gently stroked her long sleeves and said: "It's getting late, you go back to your room to rest. The Cheng Ting you liked just now has been sent to your room."

  Xue Chongxun led the way, saying: "Pay respects and see off mother."

  Princess Taiping walked to the gate of the palace, beckoned the slaves and maids over, and those eunuchs and palace girls holding lanterns surrounded her as she left. Another group of slaves waited at the gate, serving Xue Chongxun. After Princess Taiping left, he straightened up his waist. He found that his chest didn't hurt anymore, and he didn't need to sit all the time originally.

  The night suddenly became beautiful, the cool breeze blowing on my face was exceptionally comfortable. The Taiping Princess's mansion was brightly lit, with dots of light and the stars in the sky shining together, reflecting each other's brilliance. Xue Chongxun suddenly understood why Yuwen Ji was willing to sacrifice everything for her father back then.