Chapter Thirteen: The Two Brothers on the Fence

  "I want to live!"

  The empress dowager gave a low shout, and the little palace maid who had thrown the spear suddenly flew out, her speed not much slower than that of the disappearing assassin. Her figure flashed twice, and she was already standing in the place where the assassin had been struck by the spear. Halfway through, she had already picked up the fine spear that the assassin had thrown back with his hand, and quickly swept around, then quietly chased after him in one direction.

  Another small palace maid retreated back to the side of Empress Wu, her hand pressed on the handle of the fan, and with a "ting" sound, the sharp tip of the spear-like object was inserted into the handle. Their mission was to protect the safety of Empress Wu, if Empress Wu were to be stabbed, even if they could exterminate the assassin's entire clan, it would be too late. Therefore, the two personal bodyguards responsible for protecting the empress never left her side at the same time.

  That night, Wu Youdao, the soldier on duty, rushed over in a hurry, still more than ten feet away, and suddenly fell to the ground with a thud, his head heavily knocking against the ground, trembling with fear, saying: "Your servant arrived late! The Empress Dowager forgives the crime!"

  At this time, the feathers flying in the sky were still drifting and dancing like snow.

  Wu Zetian didn't even glance at him, but instead asked Shangguan Wan'er: "Which guard is on duty tonight? Who is in command of the army?"

  Shangguan Wan'er bowed and said: "Yu Lin Right Zhonglang General Wang Rufeng!"

  "Tonight, the Right Guard will be on duty, and all soldiers will be transferred to the garrison in Yingzhou. From Wang Rufeng downwards, all officers will be imprisoned for investigation. The Commander of the Imperial Guards, Quan Xiancheng, is ordered to appear before me at Huanyuan Hall tomorrow! This matter must not be leaked out; whoever dares to spread rumors will be executed without pardon!"

  Wu Zetian finished giving her orders and then turned and left.

  The assassin's martial arts skills were exceptionally high, especially his ghostly movements that made people shudder. However, the most heavily guarded place in the imperial palace was not inside the palace itself, but rather the imperial palace was the emperor and empress's home, where they could finally put down their masks and relax. Who would turn their own home into a fortress, deploying troops everywhere?

  Outside tight inside loose, the important defense of the imperial palace is set up in the outer ring.

  The imperial palace has nine layers, the watchtower is high and holds the moon, within a hundred feet inside and outside the palace walls there isn't a single tree or blade of grass. Unless one is a flying bird, how can they traverse this distance without being discovered? The outer city wall has a sentry post every three steps and a patrol every five steps, all are sharp and agile imperial guards, how could an assassin possibly pass through silently?

  It's not surprising that the assassin can show off in front of her, what's surprising is how he appeared in front of her.

  There is only one explanation: there must be someone inside the palace who is collaborating!

  Wu Zetian almost at the moment of being stabbed thought of this problem: "Although several Li Tang kings have died out, there are still people who do not die!"

  Just now, when the assassin was showing off his ferocity, in Wan'er's eyes, what was most frightening wasn't the sword, but rather the person holding the sword. Similarly, in Wu Hou's eyes, what was most frightening wasn't the assassin, but rather the person controlling the assassin.

  The queen mother's face was suffused with a cold smile, and her slender eyebrows, which reached to the temples, were gradually filled with murderous intent.

  Wu Youdao, the military advisor, knelt in the swirling "snowflakes", his pleading eyes looking up at Shangguan Wan'er. Shangguan Wan'er didn't give him a glance either, but simply waved her cloud-like sleeve and drifted away like a white cloud.

  Two men in armor walked over and pressed their heavy hands on his shoulders!

  The empress's anger will trigger a bloody great purge.

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  Luoyang city is like a big square chessboard.

  The Luo River is the Chuhe Han boundary in the middle of the chessboard, dividing the entire city of Luoyang into two parts. The river's two sides are also square and straight, with streets like lines on a chessboard, and each district is like a grid on a chessboard. The people inside this district are like pieces on this chessboard.

  The Imperial City and the Forbidden City are located on the north side of the Luo River. On the north side of the Luo River, in addition to the imperial palace, there are 28 wards, a northern market, while on the south side of the Luo River, there are 81 wards, a western market, and a southern market. The main streets and alleys crisscross among the 109 wards, making transportation convenient. In addition to the Luo River running through Luoyang City, the wards and markets are also intersected by rivers and canals, making water and land transportation extremely convenient.

  The city of Luo Yang, although it is a square shape like a chessboard, has its own heaven and earth. Here there is the tallest building in the world "Tian Tang", the second tallest building in the world "Ming Tang". Perhaps the giant Buddha statue built on one small finger of "Tian Tang" can hold dozens of people, it is also the largest sculpture among all cities in the world.

  Here, there are grandeur, majesty and splendor, but also smallness, exquisiteness and elegance. For example, the old tree with crows, the small bridge with flowing water and a house. The place where Yang Fan hides is not only surrounded by trees and crows, bridges and rivers, but also has a house, and on the river, there is even a waterwheel that is almost purely used for viewing.

  The water gurgles and flows, the waterwheel turns, making a splashing sound. Under the shade of the trees leaning against the earthen wall, one can see all the people coming and going on the main road and small alleys, but others cannot see him. With the help of the sound of the water, he can speak in a low voice here without worrying about being seen.

  Tonight, Yang Fan and Ma Qiao are going out to steal.

  Ma Qiao was a security guard, but the income of a security guard is actually very meager. So during the day he assisted Wu Hou in maintaining law and order within the compound, while at night he transformed into a small thief, stealing things in the compound while avoiding Wu Hou. He didn't steal excessively, neither did he go thieving every day nor did he steal anything too valuable. Therefore, although theft cases were frequent, Wu Hou was never worried, most of the time the neighbors just stood at their doorsteps and scolded a few times before letting it go.

  La Yang Fan joined the partnership, completely because Ma Qiao pitied this little brother, seeing him struggling to make a living in Luoyang, barely scraping by on his meager income as a neighborhood watchman, just enough to fill his belly, let alone save money for marriage or even afford a decent meal of meat and wine.

  So, one evening, Ma Qiao cut half a catty of pork head meat, bought a jar of green ant wine, and ran to Yang Fan's house to do some heartfelt persuasion work. In fact, Ma Qiao was very familiar with this street, always acting alone, and didn't need any help at all, which was actually a way of helping his brother out.

  Yang Fan, who was hard to refuse, felt that this matter was a good cover for his frequent nighttime outings, so he agreed in one mouth and resumed his old career, following Ma Qiao to do many years of small thieves that were no longer done, stealing the same as before.

  Yang Fan was sitting on the wall, waiting for Ma Qiao to come back. He looked up at the sky with a dazed expression, his eyes shining like the stars. Under the starlight, his nose bridge was straight, and his lips were clear and full, looking as delicate as a girl's. In the darkness, such a clear face outlined a handsome profile, making it hard for people to believe that he was actually a thief.

  "Xiao Fan! Xiao Fan!"

  A figure emerged stealthily from the small courtyard, looking around cautiously. Yang Fan, who was sitting on the wall deep in thought, came back to his senses and beckoned him over, calling out softly: "I'm here!"

  Ma Qiao quickly flashed over, arrived under the wall, Xiao Fan stretched out his hand and pulled him up onto the wall. The wall was made of yellow earth, after a long time, it had been weathered by wind and rain, and several pieces of soil were kicked down by Ma Liu, fortunately, there was a stream nearby, the sound of the stream covered up the sound of the soil falling to the ground.

  Ma Qiao sat down on the wall and immediately praised: "Xiao Fan, you really have a good eye for this place. It's indeed hidden from view, even I couldn't find you when I came out. One day, you will surpass me."

  "Want to be a little thief who surpasses his master? I think it's better to forget about it."

  Ma Liu hummed twice and asked: "Hasn't General Wu passed by here?"

  Xiao Fan said, "They usually only patrol on the main streets and rarely come into alleys. Don't worry. What did you find? Take it out and take a look."

  He sat firmly on the wall, took out a stack of open-mouthed plates from his arms, two bottles with fresh flowers inserted in them, and said: "It's really unlucky! I thought Huang Wai would be rich, but he turned out to be a dung ball, sheep shit egg, shining outside but not inside. Looking at the wealth, there is nothing valuable in the house, just fumbled for these few things."

  Yang Fan smiled and put the plate into his arms, saying: "This one belongs to me, the bottle belongs to you."

  Ma Qiao said: "Alright."

  He rummaged through his chest and took out two things, flashing them in front of Yang Fan with a pleased expression: "Look at what these are?"

  "What is it?"

  Yang Fan stretched out his hand, snatched one from him, round and bigger than a duck egg, soft to the touch, put it under his nose and sniffed, exclaiming: "Tangerine!"

  Ma Qiao Qi said: "Huh, you're quite a connoisseur. Since you've had it before, don't eat it again and return it to me."

  Yang Fan smiled and blocked Ma Qiao's hand, peeled the tangerine and put a slice into his mouth. The pulp was juicy and slightly sour, but when he bit down, the juice filled his mouth and all he could feel was its fragrance and sweetness. Ma Qiao looked at him with eager eyes and asked, "How is it? Is it delicious?"

  Yang Fan broke it in half and handed it to Ma Qiao, who gently pried off a slice, first putting it under his nose for a sniff, then put the slice of tangerine into his mouth, carefully biting down, his eyebrows moving as he said: "Delicious! It's really delicious!"

  Yang Fan said disapprovingly: "This tangerine is not yet ripe, it's a bit sour, I don't like eating it much, you can have these two slices too."

  Ma Qiao said: "You're so picky, if you didn't want to eat it, just say so, why did you peel it?" While complaining, he took the tangerine from Yang Fan's hand.

  For people like them, who toil and labor, the opportunity to eat tangerines is rare. Although after a large quantity of citrus fruits are put on the market, the price isn't very expensive, it still isn't something they can afford, or rather, aren't willing to spend money to enjoy this luxury.

  At this time, tangerines have not yet been listed in large quantities. In the city of Luoyang, only the royal family and officials can eat tangerines. Next are wealthy scholars and merchants, these ordinary people do not have such good fortune.

  Yang Fan didn't dislike eating tangerines, he just knew that although Ma Qiao had some petty theft habits, he was a filial person and the tangerine he left behind must be for his mother. Yang Fan gave him half of his own tangerine, not wanting to eat it himself, also intending to show respect to his mother. That's why he claimed not to like eating tangerines, so Ma Qiao could also taste the flavor of the tangerine.

  Ma Qiao is extremely filial, to the point where Yang Fan can't even imagine it. Ma Qiao's father was named Ma Le, and because his name had the character "le" (meaning happiness or joy), Ma Qiao never smiled. Just like earlier, when he wanted to smile, he would hum a couple of notes to show his amusement, although others might find it strange. However, he has been using this substitute for laughter since childhood, so it has become second nature to him.

  His father's name taboo was naturally to be avoided, but avoiding it to such an unbelievable extent seemed quite boring to Yang Fan. However, he himself couldn't do it, yet he deeply respected such a filial behavior. At least, Ma Qiao still had an old mother to take care of, and what about him?

  Yang Fan raised his head, gazing at the mysterious sky, and let out a faint sigh: "The son wants to support his parents, but they won't wait!" There is a kind of regret that can never be made up for.

  Yang Fan felt a sense of wonder, and suddenly discovered that in the sky appeared a strange scene, among the twinkling stars, there was a black shadow with a long sword on its back, its clothes fluttering, as if a large bird with spread wings was about to traverse the sky!

  Note: In ancient times, the Empress Dowager could refer to herself as "I". The Book of Later Han, Emperor He of Han's Annals records: "The Empress Dowager decreed: 'Now the Emperor is young and weak, I will assist him in governing.'"

  The empress dowager who referred to herself as "Zhen" in the edict was Empress He of Han, the second wife and empress of Emperor He of Han. She was also known as Empress Dowager Deng during the reigns of Emperor Shang and Emperor An. Moreover, Wu Zetian had already been using the term "Zhen" while she was still empress, before becoming empress dowager, when she and Emperor Gaozong were co-ruling together.