Chapter 100: The News Brought by Shangguan Wan'er

Qiao Tai had been away for quite some time. Zhao Ji emptied the wine jug in his hand, but only two or three drops of wine came out, indicating that he had drunk all the wine.

He placed the wine jug heavily on the table and called out loudly: "Someone, give me more wine!"

However, there was silence all around and no one responded.

Zhao Ji lay on the mat tiredly, his eyes slightly closed, as if he wanted to indulge in a dream.

Not far away, Qiao Tai came over with a man: "Look, it's right there, and I don't know what happened."

"Thank you, Governor Qiao, for leading the way. General Zhao and I have important matters to discuss. Please give orders not to let anyone get close to here," the man ordered.

Qiao Tai was stunned for a moment, then agreed and quietly retreated.

The man walked up to Zhao Ji and said, "I just realized that General Zhao is so generous."

Zhao Ji heard a familiar voice, slowly sat up, and rubbed his hazy eyes.

I saw a "young man" wearing a round-necked robe, tight pants, and lace shoes standing in front of me, with a light makeup still on his face.

She smiled and looked at Zhao Ji with gentle eyes.

Zhao Ji smiled bitterly, closed his eyes, and lay down weakly again: "I...drank too much."

Shangguan Wan'er couldn't help but chuckle when she saw this. She leaned over to Zhao Ji and gently touched his shoulder with her hand.

"Hurry up, it's me."

Zhao Ji smelled a faint fragrance and opened his eyes again, just in time to meet Shangguan Wan'er's clear eyes.

There was silence for a moment, and the moonlight fell on the two of them, creating a special atmosphere.

After a long while, Zhao Ji looked at the woman in front of him and swallowed his saliva: "Wan'er, why are you here?"

Shangguan Wan'er stood up and replied, "Of course I came here on the orders of His Majesty."

Zhao Ji quickly got up after hearing this and frowned, "That's not right. I sent the memorial to His Majesty and the letter to you this morning. You shouldn't have received them yet, right?"

Shangguan Wan'er asked in confusion, "What memorial? What letter?"

Zhao Ji took a deep breath and calmed down: "This is the result of my investigation of Xu Shide in Huzhou these days, and I also attached two pieces of physical evidence."

Shangguan Wan'er thought for a moment and said, "Then I must have missed it."

Zhao Ji said again: "That's still not right. My memorial hasn't arrived yet, so why would His Majesty send you here?"

Shangguan Wan'er replied, "It was the Crown Prince. Not long after His Majesty began his southern tour, she received a report saying that the Crown Prince had left the Eastern Palace privately. According to the internal guards, his destination was Huzhou. So His Majesty sent me here, and soon, His Majesty will personally tour Huzhou."

"Ah? How could this happen?" Zhao Jiru was struck by lightning and couldn't believe it.

"I never thought that the prince, who has been timid all his life, would be so courageous this time." Shangguan Wan'er also sighed.

Zhao Ji paced back and forth in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, and suddenly said, "So, you have arrived in Huzhou, and the prince should have arrived in Huzhou as well."

Shangguan Wan'er pondered for a moment and shook her head. "It's hard to say. When I set out, I was on my way to the south. The prince had just set out from Chang'an. I don't know where he is now. I don't know who is faster."

"Oh!" Zhao Ji sighed and lay down at the table again.

"What's wrong? I heard from your good friend, Governor Qiao, that you seemed to be in a bad mood today." Shangguan Wan'er squatted down and asked.

Zhao Ji lay down with his hands behind his head and did not respond.

Shangguan Wan'er simply sat next to Zhao Ji and gently pushed him: "What's wrong? You can't even tell me?" Zhao Ji said expressionlessly: "I already know everything about Huzhou, Xu Shide, the prince, and Li Gui's secrets, but I don't know how to deal with them. Now that this has happened, I am even more at a loss."

He sighed again and said, "Remember when I was in Youzhou, I dealt with corrupt officials and rebels who colluded with foreign invaders and attempted to seize the country. At that time, I didn't have to be cautious and could act according to my will."

"I used both coaxing and intimidation to coerce Qiao Tai into saving people. Then, on the execution platform, I rescued many innocent old people, women and children. I also beat to death the evil official who abused the elderly in front of everyone. This was actually an abuse of lynching and was against the rules."

Zhao Ji recalled the various scenes in Youzhou, and a look of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.

"But that did not go against my original intention. On the contrary, it allowed me to vent my anger. Those days and things are worth remembering. But after returning to Chang'an..." Zhao Ji shook his head and said nothing more.

Shangguan Wan'er listened quietly to Zhao Ji's confession without interrupting him.

After he finished speaking, she asked softly, "So what you are doing now goes against your conscience?"

Zhao Ji's eyes reflected the stars in the night sky. After a moment of silence, he said, "Somewhat."

Although he is a Qianniu Guard and he investigates the Internal Guards, he is essentially no different from the Internal Guards and they all do the work of a lackey.

Especially when it involves the prince, with Di Renjie on one side and the cruel Wu Zetian on the other, it is a thankless task.

The prince was not entirely innocent. From Wu Zetian's perspective, he had an unclear relationship with Li Gui, sent two groups of people to Huzhou to rescue him, and went out without permission. None of these things made sense.

The Huzhou case was purely a struggle between Wu Zetian, the crown prince and the forces behind them. The internal guard Xu Shide took this opportunity to set up a trick for his own personal gain.

If we have to name a winner in this whole thing, Zeng Tai might be one of them.

But more people were drawn into the vortex, including Zhang Chun, Wang Wu, Liu Chuanlin, and Jiang Laosi...

Shangguan Wan'er looked into Zhao Ji's eyes and asked, "Is there anything you can do that doesn't go against your heart?"

Zhao Ji was slightly stunned. He met Shangguan Wan'er's eyes and spoke slowly: "Yes, there is, but..."

"But what?" Shangguan Wan'er gently interrupted his hesitation, with a faint smile on her lips, "If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. Just do what you want. As long as it is not against the will of heaven, what are you afraid of?"

Zhao Ji sighed and shook his head slightly: "But I may not be able to explain to His Majesty."

Shangguan Wan'er grabbed Zhao Ji's hand, interlocked their fingers, pulled him up, and then said softly: "It's okay, tell me everything about Huzhou first, I will help you."

Zhao Ji felt the warmth of Shangguan Wan'er's palm, looked into her eyes, and nodded.

"The story begins with the Blue Shirt Records. It contains a treasure map left by the King of Yue. Xu Shide's main goal is this..."

Zhao Ji spent a long time explaining the secret of the Blue Shirt Record, the identities of Liu Chali, Li Gui, and Wu Xiaojie, as well as the actions of Xu Shide and his inner guards.

However, Zhao Ji did not immediately explain the matter concerning the prince and his subordinates.

After hearing this, Shangguan Wan'er's eyes sparkled with admiration: "It's really hard for you to make all this clear. With these, I can report to His Majesty."

Zhao Ji did not comment after hearing this: "I have to thank Liu Chuanlin, the son of Liu Chali. It was he who gave me Li Gui's Blue Shirt Records. It was also because of him that I was able to know many secrets. So I also promised him that I would save him and his wife."

"So this is what you said you wanted to do before?" Shangguan Wan'er asked with a smile.

Zhao Ji nodded: "Yes. I think the two of them will be implicated by Li Gui."

Shangguan Wan'er smiled and said, "I think you are worrying too much. Your Majesty is concerned about Li Gui and the Crown Prince. Your Majesty will not care about the others. If they are sincere, it won't be difficult for them to flee far away or hide their identities."

Zhao Ji said helplessly: "I hope so."

(End of this chapter)