Chapter Fourteen: Family Meeting

  "The sons and daughters have paid their respects to the emperor father and empress mother."

  Although the three brothers had different thoughts, they were all shocked in their hearts. As members of the imperial family, they were skilled at hiding their true feelings. At this sensitive moment, no one would reveal their true emotions or ask why Wu Zetian was present. They even ignored the fact that Wu Zetian and Emperor Gaozong were sitting together on the dragon bed, a clear violation of etiquette. The three brothers walked to the front hall in a line, following the imperial rules to pay their respects and inquire about the emperor's health.

  "Let's just call it quits."

  Looking at his three sons bowing down, Emperor Gaozong's face flashed a hint of redness, his eyes complex to the extreme, with a few parts of pain, a few parts of difficulty, and more guilt. His voice calling out was trembling - since learning about the case of the imperial prison from the eunuch Zhang Deke, although Emperor Gaozong wasn't very clear who was behind it all, he had already decided to come forward and support it, not only because of his pity for the wrongly killed Shangguan Yi but also to give Empress Wu a warning. However, he never expected that as soon as he arrived at the Taiji Hall, before anyone could even sit down, Empress Wu rushed over, with hardly any dispute, Emperor Gaozong was defeated and could only reluctantly agree to let Empress Wu take full charge of this matter, the feeling of guilt in his heart was inevitable.

  "Thanks to Father Emperor!"

  Although the situation is not yet clear, it's obviously not good. The three princes have different minds, but they all know that things are tricky. Therefore, the sound of gratitude is loud, but that's all. After thanking them, everyone stood with their hands down, and no one dared to speak first. The empty and spacious hall suddenly became eerily quiet, and the atmosphere became even more oppressive.

  "Cough...cough...cough..."

  The crown prince was originally weak, and after being hit by this oppressive atmosphere, he couldn't stand for long and soon couldn't help but start coughing lightly. Although the sound wasn't loud, it seemed especially jarring in this setting.

  "What are you all staring at? Hurry up and bring the imperial cushion! What use are you people to me? A bunch of useless, incompetent fools!" Just as Li Hong's coughing had subsided, Emperor Gaozong suddenly flew into a rage, like he had been shot with a bullet, and scolded the eunuchs standing beside him in the palace, his voice and expression both severe. The eunuchs were so frightened that they all panicked.

  "Your Majesty, please calm your thunderous anger, it's all my fault for not reminding you." The Emperor Gaozong's outburst not only startled the eunuchs but also left Li Hong and his two brothers bewildered, unsure of how to respond. Just then, Wu Zetian, who had been sitting calmly with a composed expression, suddenly smiled and gently advised the Emperor in a soft voice.

  "Hmm."

  It's true that a drop of dirty water can curdle the tofu, one thing can calm another. Wu Zetian only spoke once and Emperor Gaozong's anger immediately dissipated, he muttered something unknowingly and then had nothing else to say, his breathing was just slightly heavier than before.

  "Hmm." After a group of eunuchs brought in a brocade cushion, Wu Mei Niang slightly furrowed her brow, raised her hand, and softly called out, dismissing all the eunuchs in the hall. Then, her gaze swept back and forth over Li Hong and his two brothers several times, but she didn't rush to speak, looking at them until the three of them couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

  It's all over, the worst-case scenario is now unavoidable, and the only option left is to retreat and seek a secondary plan. Unfortunately, it's too late! Li Xianren stood still, but his mind was racing with thoughts, and after several rounds of deliberation, he regretfully discovered that things had already gone beyond his control. His mood couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed - from the moment he decided to make an issue out of the Wu Zetian case, Li Xian had considered all possibilities, including interference from Wu Zetian, which was within his expectations. However, he never thought that Wu Zetian would be so decisive and bold as to take matters into her own hands before the ministers could even pay their respects to the emperor. Now, under Wu Zetian's overwhelming power, it seemed impossible to implement the original plan to launch a comprehensive attack on the Hou Party. Whether he could even manage to cut off one of their arms was still uncertain. Moreover, Li Xian himself didn't want to reveal his head too quickly, for fear of becoming Wu Zetian's primary target. How to navigate this situation had become a constant source of worry for him.

  "Xian'er, come, tell your mother what's going on outside, what's all the commotion about?" Just as Li Xian was thinking of a solution, Wu Meiniang's wandering gaze fell on him, her red lips lightly opening to ask in a casual tone.

  "Ah..."

  As soon as Wu Mei's voice fell, Li Xian's small body involuntarily trembled, his mouth agape, and he let out a cry. His expression was full of astonishment, clearly frightened, at least on the surface.

  "Don't worry, Mother just wants to know the reason behind it," said Wu Mei Niang with a smile, waving her hand and explaining in a warm tone.

  It's a bit, but not as exaggerated as it seems. In fact, Li Xian had already guessed that Wu Zetian would use himself as a breakthrough, and it was just a trick to squeeze the soft persimmon. As for how to deal with Li Xian, he had his own plan, and acting like a weakling wasn't bad either. However, he acted so sincerely that he startled Li Hong and Li Xian, who were both sweating coldly, fearing that Li Xian would recklessly shift the blame.

  What is called tyranny, this is it. Alas, heaven can see that the battle has not been fought yet, and the morale of the soldiers has already disappeared! Li Xian, while performing weakness, did not forget to pay attention to the expressions of the people in the hall. Seeing that not only Gaozong and Li Hong were tense, but also Li Xian's face turned pale, he knew that everyone actually had no confidence in facing Wu Zetian head-on. After secretly sighing, his heart cooled down a bit.

  "Reporting to the Empress, your son, I, your son... know very little. Since you asked, I, your son...". Li Xian was indeed thoroughly playing the weakling, suppressing his turbulent thoughts, taking two steps forward, bowing and making a gesture of respect, stuttering as he began to speak, his eyes occasionally stealing glances at Wu Zetian's expression, completely displaying a timid and fearful demeanor.

  Li Xian's appearance immediately made Emperor Gaozong's already gloomy face even darker, while Li Hong's pale face became even more bewildered. As for Li Xian, he instead flushed with anger, looking as if he was ready to refute Li Xian's nonsense at any moment. Wu Zetian smiled, a subtle smile that revealed her triumphant intentions, but she didn't urge Li Xian on, merely nodding her head in encouragement.

  "Mother, I have something to tell you." Li Xian pretended to swallow hard and opened his mouth with a flickering gaze: "Today, the child made an appointment with Sixth Brother to go out of town for a walk, but unexpectedly heard that there was a change in the imperial prison, and someone was sent to investigate. Only then did I learn that the supervising censor Cui Xuanzhe had forged an imperial edict to behead the entire family of Shangguan Yi. The child originally planned to rush into the palace to report to Father Emperor and Mother Empress, but feared it would not be in time. Fortunately, Sixth Brother was decisive and led the child and others to hurry to the imperial prison, where they just managed to rescue Old Master Shangguan. We also received a tip that the evil slave who had accused Old Master Shangguan, Shangguan Fu, was a treacherous person who had framed good people with an unscrupulous heart. The child and others were outraged and took down this evil slave as well. Later, when Crown Prince heard about it, he felt that the case was too important to be taken lightly, so he led the child and other officials to gather outside the palace, intending to request Father Emperor and Mother Empress to thoroughly investigate this case, in order to clear the name of the people."

  Although Li Xian's expression was timid and reserved, he spoke these words clearly and unmistakably, avoiding the virtual and focusing on the real, not discussing the cause, but directly getting to the heart of the matter, with clear logic and a sincere tone. Although it can't be said that his words were elegant and colorful, he still managed to clearly explain the basic facts of the case, and at once, Li Xian's two brothers' spirits were lifted.

  "Your Majesty, the Empress, and my seven brothers are all correct. I think of the great Tang Dynasty, with its vast territory and clear skies, yet there is a treacherous and cunning person like Cui Xuanwei who dares to forge an imperial edict to kill people. Moreover, there are evil slaves who do not think of their master's kindness, but instead falsely accuse their masters of crimes that do not exist. This is truly a shame for the great Tang Dynasty, and it must be investigated!"

  "Your Majesty, this matter is strange and suspicious, all the officials are shocked. If you don't investigate thoroughly, it will be difficult to convince the people." At this point, both of his younger brothers stood up bravely, Li Hong also didn't want to fall behind, but his consideration for Wu Zetian was obviously much deeper than Li Xian's. Although he spoke eloquently, he was completely unbiased and didn't show any sharp edges like Li Xian did.

  "Oh? It's like that, huh. Well, Xian'er, tell Mother in detail about what happened in the prison." Wu Zetian originally thought that Li Xian, who had always been weak and timid, would definitely be begging for mercy under pressure, and once he did, she could use her power to cover up the case. But she never expected Li Xian to say something so reasonable, nor did she expect the other princes to dare to retort in front of her like that. For a moment, her mind was slightly confused, and a hint of suspicion flashed across her eyes. She didn't respond to what Li Hong and his brothers said, but instead stared at Li Xian for a long time before asking calmly.

  Ruthless, indeed a veteran! As soon as Wu Mei Niang spoke, Li Xian had already guessed her next move. Unfortunately, guessing was all he could do, and at this moment, he couldn't do anything about it. Even if he didn't want to, he could only honestly say: "Yes, I will obey your orders. When the sixth brother and I arrived at the imperial prison, it happened to be the time of execution..."

  There were many onlookers at the scene, and it was indeed difficult to hide anything from them. Li Xian did not dare to fabricate anything about this matter either, so he simply recounted the events in detail, only slightly omitting his interactions with Li Xian, without adding any evaluative comments. He spoke for a good half an incense stick's worth of time, until even his own mouth felt somewhat dry and parched...