Chapter Sixteen: The Feeling of Home

  Few people are not afraid of death, and the so-called fearlessness of death is generally just a desperate struggle when there is no way out. Li Xian was no exception, despite having memories of three lifetimes. He didn't plan to stage an early death at this point, but being pressured by Wu Zetian like this made his forehead sweat uncontrollably. In the entire Tang Dynasty, no one knew Wu Zetian better than Li Xian did - she was a heartless and ruthless devil who would stop at nothing to achieve her unspeakable goals. To her, mother-son affection was just a joke, and Li Xian didn't dare hope that she would show him any kindness.

  Admitting fault? It seems simple, just a matter of uttering a few words, but the problem is that Li Xian cannot and does not want to. At this time, retreating means having no place to bury one's body in the future. The path of retreat has long since disappeared, and all that can be done is to "persevere" with two words. Even if it may be futile, it is still better than waiting for death without doing anything. Therefore, despite sweating profusely and trembling legs, Li Xian still refuses to back down easily.

  "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, I, your subject, think that the seventh brother's words are quite right. The case of Officer Ou is having too great an impact, and the court and the people are shocked by it. It seems that we should not act rashly, but rather be more cautious." In the midst of a tense silence, Li Xian finally couldn't hold back any longer, gritted his teeth, stepped forward from the side, and loudly reported.

  Finally, you've come out! You little scoundrel, couldn't you have done it a bit earlier?! With Li Xian making his move, Li Xuan couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief, and the weight that had been hanging in the air finally fell to the ground. The reason Li Xuan dared to take the risk of standing up against Wu Zetian was because he had calculated that Li Xian would jump out and support him. It wasn't just because this matter involved Li Xian personally, nor was it simply because Li Xuan had already expressed his intention to follow Li Xian's lead. Rather, it was because Li Xuan had calculated that Li Xian's straightforward nature would definitely explode in a situation like this, and nine times out of ten he would speak out and argue, thereby shifting the attention of Wu Zetian. The facts proved that Li Xuan had gambled correctly!

  "Your Majesty, Mother Empress, I think that the sixth and seventh princes' words are very good. After careful consideration, it will ultimately be for the best. Please let Your Majesty make a wise decision." Li Xian stepped forward, and Crown Prince Li Hong couldn't sit still anymore. On one hand, he didn't want to see Li Xian steal his thunder, and on the other hand, he was afraid that if he didn't speak up, Li Xian might thoroughly defect to Li Xian's side, which would lead to big trouble in the future. Of course, being able to cause some trouble for Empress Wu also suited Li Hong's true nature, so he was happy to join in on the commotion.

  "Uh, yes, yes, Wu Mei Niang, look at this..." Although Gao Zong was 100% in favor of his sons' proposal in his heart, he didn't have the guts to make that decision in front of Wu Mei Niang. After humming and hawing for a while, he still handed over the power of decision to Wu Mei Niang.

  "Your Majesty, it's a good thing that the children are thinking of the country. I wouldn't dare not to congratulate them on this. Since everyone thinks there is more to the case of Shangguan Yi, we should investigate further. In my humble opinion, letting the three departments re-examine the case would be fine too. After all, we need to get to the bottom of it." Wu Zetian was a clever one, and seeing that the four men were in agreement, she wouldn't push her luck at this time. With a hint of depth, she glanced at Li Xian and Li Xuan, then smiled and echoed Gaozong's words, but left a subtle tail in her speech.

  "Alright, it's settled then! Bring them in!" Gaotong apparently didn't expect Wu Meiniang to be so agreeable this time. Seeing that Wu Meiniang had agreed to the prince's request, he couldn't help but get excited and hastily stood up, shouting loudly. Liu Fuming, the eunuch who was waiting outside, immediately led a group of young eunuchs in, running quickly into the hall.

  "Fengming, go and transmit my imperial decree. Inform all officials that I will issue a decree to thoroughly investigate the case of the imperial prison and the case of the senior official. I must get to the bottom of it and let justice be served. Let all officials disperse for now, and we will discuss this further at dawn tomorrow." With the emperor's energetic and forceful tone, he waved his hand and issued the decree. Liu Mingfu and others did not dare to delay and hastily went to carry out the imperial order.

  A disaster that seemed to be brewing in the palace suddenly dissipated without a trace, and Emperor Gaozong smiled, Li Hong smiled, Li Xian smiled, and Empress Wu also smiled. The atmosphere in the grand hall was warm and harmonious, like a happy family scene where the husband and wife were in perfect harmony, and the father and son were filial and affectionate. It was as if they were all enjoying a joyful and intimate moment together. However, Li Xian couldn't bring himself to be happy, no matter how brightly he smiled on the surface. His heart was heavy with worry because he had already sensed the hidden meaning behind Empress Wu's words and had guessed what she might do next. Unfortunately, although he knew the truth, he didn't dare to speak out or even hint at it in any way. Earlier, Li Xian had managed to divert Empress Wu's attention away from him by taking advantage of Li Xian's interruption, but he couldn't be sure that she wouldn't harbor suspicions about him or secretly investigate him. In this situation, how could Li Xian dare to take the risk of speaking out and possibly triggering Empress Wu's wrath? The consequences would be too severe for him to bear. With a worried heart, Li Xian didn't have the mind to enjoy the false and superficial family harmony. He was physically present in the hall, but his heart had already flown away to who-knows-where...

  "Clouds stretch across Qinling, where is home? Snow blocks Blue Pass, horse won't move forward!"

  In the main house of Zhou Wang Fu, Li Xian stood still in front of an open window, wearing a white fox fur coat, letting the biting cold wind blow his small face red, but he never moved, his eyes gazing blankly at a pile of snow in the courtyard. After standing silently for a long time, he suddenly let out a sigh and recited a sentence with a sense of desolation, because he missed home, not this one in front of him, but the home of Li, the deputy mayor of the future generation.

  Seriously calculating, adding the 55 years of the previous life, Li Xian had lived in this dynasty for a full 65 years, more than twice as long as the 30-year career of Li Deputy Mayor's later generations. However, in Li Xian's mind, the family of his later generation was the real home. Although he was busy with official duties and rarely had time to take care of his family, the warmth of that home far exceeded this imperial family full of intrigue. As soon as he thought of his wife and twin daughters whom he could no longer see, Li Xian's heart ached severely, and tears unknowingly flowed from the corners of his eyes, flowing down his cheeks freely.

  "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

  Just as Li Xian was silently suffering, a soft call suddenly came from behind him, and immediately afterwards, his body lightly sank, and a tiger skin cloak had already been placed on Li Xian's body.

  "Ah, no, it's nothing, I just got sand in my eyes from the wind, hehe, it's fine, it's fine."

  Li Xian turned his head to look, and only then did he discover that Da Yuer Hong had unknowingly appeared behind him. He couldn't help but feel a wave of embarrassment, hastily wiping away the tears on his face as he forced a smile and explained a few words.

  "Your Highness, is nothing wrong?"

  Yan Hong obviously didn't believe this far-fetched explanation, and looked at Li Xian with suspicion, hesitantly asking another question.

  "It's nothing, you see I'm fine, just go and attend to your duties, I'll be here for a while." Although Yan Hong was considered one of Li Xian's close confidants, he didn't want her to know about his own shameful secrets, so he casually made up an excuse and planned to send her away.

  "Your Highness..."

  Staring at Li Xian's youthful face, Yan Hong's eyes suddenly dimmed, and a wave of grievance surged up in her heart. Her eyes slowly reddened - ever since then, Yan Hong had been taking care of Li Xian's daily life, and after more than five years of day and night together, Yan Hong had long regarded Li Xian as her closest person. In the past, Li Xian didn't hide anything from Yan Hong, and although they were nominally master and servant, they were actually more like siblings. However, in recent days, Li Xian seemed to have completely changed into a different person. His appearance was still that of a young man, but his feelings had completely changed. Not only did he speak less, but he also intentionally kept his distance from the people in the house, which made Yan Hong feel especially hurt. She didn't understand what she had done wrong and could only secretly grieve. Today, she wanted to have a good talk with Li Xian, but unexpectedly, Li Xian still maintained his distant attitude, which made Yan Hong's emotions unbearable.

  "Yan Hong, you... Ah, don't cry, don't cry. I'm really fine." Li Xian couldn't bear to see girls cry, and thinking of Yan Hong's kindness in taking care of him, he became flustered and hastily tried to comfort her. However, the more he consoled her, the more tears flowed from Yan Hong's face, leaving Li Xian at a loss for what to do.

  "Alas, Yanhong sister, I'm really fine, just worried about some trivial matters that are a bit too much to bear. Forget it, forget it, can't I not think about it?"

  As he gazed at Yan Hong's tear-stained face, Li Xian felt a deep sense of reluctance in his heart. Suddenly, he recalled the time when he was deposed by Wu Zetian and exiled to Fangzhou in his previous life. All the people around him had scattered, leaving only Yan Hong and Gao Lü to accompany him on his journey. They stayed with him until the end, when Yan Hong died of exhaustion in Luoyang. Before she passed away, Yan Hong repeatedly instructed Li Xian to endure and persevere, her words still echoing in his mind like they were spoken yesterday. This filled Li Xian's heart with guilt, and he hastily leaned forward, using his wide sleeves to try and wipe away Yan Hong's tears. However, in his haste, he lost his balance and fell into Yan Hong's arms, causing them both to tumble onto the nearby couch. For a moment, they were enveloped in a warm, fragrant embrace, and Li Xian felt a lazy reluctance to get up.

  "Oh no."

  Yan Hong didn't expect to roll into a ball with Li Xian, and in her fear of hurting Li Xian, she couldn't help but ignore the slight pain in her lower back. She hastily tried to straighten up to check on Li Xian's condition, but as soon as she did, her left breast happened to press against Li Xian's small mouth. Feeling a sudden numbness in her chest, Yan Hong involuntarily let out a cry of surprise.

  This sudden commotion had startled everyone in the outer warm pavilion, including Cui Liu and others. Five or six little maids swarmed in, and upon seeing such a romantic scene, all of them were stunned on the spot, causing Yan Hong to be so embarrassed that her face turned red and her ears burned. Without thinking much, she hastily pushed away Li Xian's small body, bowed her head, dispersed the crowd, and ran out of the room.

  "Haha... nothing's wrong, really nothing's wrong, I just tripped." At this, all the maids were standing in the room looking at the western-style mirror. Even though Li Xian's face wasn't particularly thin-skinned, he still couldn't bear the attention of the crowd. He dryly laughed a few times, trying to explain, but didn't expect that the more he explained, the more it seemed like he was trying to cover something up. The maids all burst out laughing at this.

  Home, with laughter, is like a home! Watching the maids laugh uncontrollably, Li Xian was embarrassed to the end and finally burst out laughing too. The gloom that had been accumulating in his heart for days dispersed without leaving any residue.

  "Your Highness!"

  Just when the whole family was enjoying themselves, Gao Miao suddenly rushed in from outside, panting heavily, and let out a cry before stopping abruptly, his face twisted in an extremely strange expression...