Chapter Fifty-Six A Little Regretful

  Thanks to the wandering Han, restore my Han Tang Xiong Feng, and thank Fei Xiong brothers for their rewards! There is still one more update after 12 o'clock, and I will strive for four updates tomorrow! Ask for Sanjiang votes, recommended votes, collection, and rewards!

  Chen Yi finished speaking and anxiously waited for possible reprimand.

  However, his worries were ultimately unnecessary. Wu Zetian was not angry at all, and the smile on her face did not diminish. She continued to gaze at Chen Yi with an inquiring look, carefully examining him before turning to Sun Simiao, who was watching calmly, and said: "The palace is now completely convinced of what Sun Daozhang has said. This child is no ordinary person, and he will surely do something astonishing in the future!"

  Wu Zetian said, and then swept Chen Yi's face again. The surprise on her face dissipated, she straightened up and walked back to the palace, sat down with a hunchback. Tuan'er, who was also shocked by all this, let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't understand why the Empress would tolerate someone without status looking at her like that.

  Sun Simiao looked at Chen Yi, then looked at Wu Zetian and smiled: "Your Majesty is as discerning as a torch, and you can also see that this son is not ordinary!"

  When Wu Zetian and Sun Simiao praised him like this, Chen Yi felt a little sweaty. Getting such praise from Wu Zetian at their first meeting didn't seem like a good thing. Chen Yi believed that Wu Zetian, this formidable woman, wouldn't have simple thoughts. She would definitely ask him a lot of questions, including his identity and where he learned his skills. But Chen Yi still hadn't fully figured out his own identity, so he didn't know how to answer. He definitely couldn't bluff in front of Wu Zetian.

  Chen Yi glanced at Sun Simiao, hoping that this old Taoist wouldn't say anything else shocking, so he could save face.

  Sun Simiao was a senior, a highly respected and prestigious senior. On that day, Wu Zetian did not mind her identity and personally invited him to the guest house, which also shows Sun's position in the eyes of the royal family. Such a virtuous and respected Taoist, in front of Wu Zetian, can naturally speak without so many taboos, and can praise such an unidentifiable person, even if he says something wrong, he can find reasons to explain. But for Chen Yi, it's not that simple, he doesn't even know how to explain himself!

  It's not good to show off, but being too humble would be like slapping Sun Simiao in the face and even make Wu Zetian uncomfortable. How to speak to give Sun Simiao some dignity without making Wu Zetian look down on him is really a very difficult problem to solve.

  Chen Yi's thoughts were not entirely correct. What he didn't know was that before this, Wu Zetian had repeatedly sent people to invite Sun Simiao into the palace to diagnose the emperor's illness and promised him an official position, but this divine doctor pushed it off with various reasons and refused to come, declining all rewards. As the emperor and empress, Li Zhi and Wu Zetian were angry, but there was nothing they could do, not daring to use force, only repeatedly sending people to invite him, making a show of courtesy. In the end, Sun Simiao changed his mind and agreed to enter the palace for treatment. And Wu Zetian, in order to express her gratitude and also to give Sun Simiao face, went against her dignity on the day the old man arrived in Chang'an, going to the guest house to invite him personally. She was still angry about this for a while, feeling that she had lost face, scolding the palace attendants around her.

  After Sun Simiao entered the palace to diagnose the emperor's illness, the emperor's condition improved, which made Wu Zetian not angry with Sun Simiao and treated him more politely. Even when Sun Simiao recommended Chen Yi, a young man from Yuezhou who was still wet behind the ears, she did not show any displeasure and readily agreed to summon Chen Yi for questioning at some point.

  Of course, one of the main reasons why Wu Zetian summoned Chen Yi to the palace today was because of He Lan Minzhi's words. Chen Yi easily cured Wu Shun's illness and slapped a group of imperial physicians in the face. After hearing that Chen Yi's literary and martial arts skills were not bad, Wu Zetian, who had always loved talents, also summoned Chen Yi to the palace when she was free, and let Sun Simiao, who was still diagnosing the emperor's illness in the palace, accompany him.

  However, when she saw Chen Yi today, she was still quite surprised, and this surprise didn't even hide, it showed up.

  Before Chen Yi could think of a humble response, Wu Zetian spoke again: "Your medical skills are something that Sun Simiao can praise, and the illness of my sister, the queen of Korea, was also cured by you, which is truly astonishing. The imperial physicians were all at a loss... Furthermore..." Wu Zetian didn't say much more about Chen Yi's medical skills because she wanted to carefully understand the situation and ask him some questions in person. Today, in front of Sun Simiao, she didn't want to say too much, so she quickly changed the subject: "Chen Yi, I once heard from Mingzhi that you wrote a poem called 'Youth's Journey' at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, which was quite impressive and surprised everyone present. Is this true?"

  "This is just a trivial matter, written to express the frivolous mentality of young people, and I'm afraid it will make Your Majesty laugh!" Chen Yi secretly resented He Lanmin for this, this guy was too talkative, how could he have told Empress Wu about this?

  "You recite this poem and let me hear it!" Wu Zetian's eyes shone with an unusual light. She had heard He Lan Min say the content of the whole poem, originally she was just curious about the author's literary talent, but after meeting Chen Yi, her curiosity grew stronger, and she couldn't help but make this request. She was also a person who extremely loved poetry and literature, and often recited and composed a few lines in her spare time.

  Chen Yi had to muster up the courage to recite the entire poem "Youth's Journey" that he had stolen, and repeatedly explained that it was just a sentimental expression after his carefree days in Chang'an, a manifestation of his youthful arrogance. He begged Wu Zetian not to mock him. Of course, he was only afraid that Wu Zetian would ask him some detailed questions about the poem, such as its rhyme scheme, and he might not be able to answer satisfactorily.

  Historically, Wu Zetian's literary talent was also quite impressive. After Li Shimin passed away, she moved Li Zhi with a poem called "Opening the Box and Retrieving the Pomegranate Skirt", which allowed her to return to the imperial palace and ultimately achieve her miracle.

  A woman who can compose poems that move Emperor Li Zhi's heart must have exceptional literary talent and a deeper understanding of poetry than ordinary people.

  In fact, looking at any famous figure in ancient times, regardless of whether they were male or female, their talents were all outstanding. If one's talents are not outstanding, it is impossible to leave a name in history, and this applies to women as well. What use is it if one only looks pretty? Without talent, a person who is merely a vase cannot be remembered in the annals of history!

  "What a pity that in front of me, you didn't show the youthful recklessness of your poem! Haha!" Wu Zetian laughed and teased, seemingly also considering Sun Simiao by her side, who was entangled in his poetry. She immediately changed the subject, "I've also heard that on that day, you had a conflict with Wu Sansi, Wu Chengsi and others, and finally resorted to force?"

  "Ah…… what?! This matter has even reached the Empress's ears!" Chen Yi was stunned, Wu Zetian's topic changed too quickly, leaving his thinking unable to keep up, and he couldn't think of a suitable response for the moment. In front of Wu Zetian, many things could not be answered lightly with a yes or no, but this matter she must know, so he could only admit it. He didn't know what Wu Zetian would say next, whether it would be blame or indulgence.

  Wu Zetian's mouth curled up slightly with a playful smile, "You fought one against many, and in the end didn't suffer any losses, is that right?"

  "On that day, fortunately, I was assisted by Mr. He Lan and managed to retreat with Ning Qing, Sun Daochang's disciple, without harm." Chen Yi felt a bit embarrassed.

  "With a crown of literary talent and martial prowess, you are truly a man of dual talents. How is it that no one has recommended you to me before?" Empress Wu Zetian exclaimed with a hint of regret, then continued in a tone that sent shivers down the spine: "A person as exceptional as yourself must have made some achievements during your time in Yue State, so why did no one recommend you to the imperial court?" As she spoke, Empress Wu fixed Chen Yi with an intense gaze, full of inquiry, as if her previous words were specifically directed at him.

  Chen Yi was startled and quickly replied: "Replying to Your Majesty, when I came down to Chang'an, due to an unexpected accident, I fell off a cliff and got injured. Many things are hard to remember, and my followers have all dispersed. It's really difficult to explain what happened before..."

  Chen Yi stopped halfway through his explanation, because he saw a palace maid with an unknown identity walk quietly to the front of Wu Zetian, her face solemn, and after whispering a few words in Wu Zetian's ear, she retreated.

  Wu Zetian's face immediately turned serious, and she waved her hand to stop Chen Yi, who was still preparing to continue speaking: "Chen Yi, you go first, the palace has other matters to attend to. Wait for two days and then come back to the palace, where we will ask about medical affairs."

  "Yes! Princess, this humble subject takes his leave!" Chen Yi felt a sense of relief wash over him, but also a tinge of regret as he bowed and backed away.