Chapter 124 If the Crown Princess

In Shangyang Palace, after the imperial teacher Wang Zhiyuan "scared away" the evil spirit, Wu Zetian's nightmare symptoms not only did not ease, but became more serious.

Wu Zetian would now have hallucinations during the day and would have nightmares as soon as she fell asleep. She was almost on the verge of collapse.

Princess Taiping frequently entered the palace to accompany Wu Zetian, whether to show her filial piety or to control the situation.

Only after she entered the palace could Wu Zetian relax her mind and even rest for a while in peace.

Perhaps because her eldest daughter, Princess Andingsi, died young, Wu Zetian especially loved her youngest daughter, Princess Taiping.

In her heart, Princess Taiping is trustworthy, and with her little daughter around, she feels more at peace.

"Your Highness." Zhao Ji saluted Princess Taiping who entered the palace again.

"Thank you for your hard work, General Zhao." Princess Taiping remained as calm and dignified as ever.

She didn't look like a dutiful daughter whose mother was seriously ill at all, and she didn't act out that kind of worry and anxiety.

Wu Zetian's spirit no longer supported her to make any big moves. She just leaned weakly against the head of the bed, closed her eyes and endured the pain.

"Mother." Princess Taiping waved her hand, ordered the eunuchs and palace maids to leave, and gently woke up Wu Zetian.

Wu Zetian was cheered up when she saw Princess Taiping, and a bit of joy appeared on her face: "You are here."

"Mother, what are you thinking about?" asked Princess Taiping.

Wu Zetian sighed and said helplessly, "I'm not thinking about anything. I'm haunted by evil spirits now. No matter how I open my eyes or close them, I can only think of the evil spirits in my dreams that are taking my life."

Princess Taiping sat by Wu Zetian's bed and comforted her softly, "Mother, matters of the netherworld are beyond human control. You must let it go!"

Wu Zetian sighed again: "I have let it go a long time ago. I entered the palace at the age of sixteen, rose from a talented woman to the empress, experienced bloody hardships, and finally became the emperor. Along the way, I have stained my hands with the blood of countless people, and retribution has come."

"Female emperor?" Wu Zetian smiled bitterly and shook her head, "This is the price!"

Princess Taiping was startled and said anxiously, "Mother, please don't say that. Isn't there the Imperial Preceptor Wang Zhiyuan? He will definitely be able to find a solution."

Wu Zetian shook her head: "When the king left that day, he looked very troubled. Besides, I can only hold on for a few days in this state. I am afraid I won't be able to wait until he comes up with a solution."

"Mother, you must not think like that. There must be another way." Princess Taiping said.

Wu Zetian just sighed: "This kind of life is worse than death. I have seen everything in my life and have no regrets. However, there is only one thing I can't let go of."

Princess Taiping couldn't help but ask, "What is it?"

"Of course, it's about who will inherit the throne after my death." When Wu Zetian talked about state affairs, light appeared in her eyes again.

Princess Taiping was slightly startled, then replied: "Of course, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should inherit the throne."

"With Li Xian's personality, he will never be a good emperor." Wu Zetian's voice was weak, but her tone was firm.

Princess Taiping's eyes flashed with surprise: "So you want to depose the crown prince and make Wu Sansi the heir?"

Wu Zetian shook her head and laughed: "Silly girl, how can the crown prince be deposed and enthroned at will? Even if I want to depose the crown prince, I can't do it in my current situation."

"I know very well that although I am the emperor, many old officials in the court still regard me as Empress Lü. They are just waiting for me to return the world to the prince after a hundred years."

"Some people even want to follow Zhou Bo and Chen Ping's example and eliminate the Wu clan. This is exactly what I am worried about. Sansi is a common man, he will definitely not be honest."

"But once I am gone, he will definitely not be a match for Di Renjie, Zhang Jianzhi and others. I am afraid that once I am gone, the Wu family will face a catastrophe."

Princess Taiping's eyes were slightly red, and she tried to squeeze out a few tears: "Mother, you should think more positively, everything will be fine."

Wu Zetian ignored Princess Taiping's words of comfort. Her eyes were empty as she said to herself, "Perhaps I should make some arrangements in advance, so as to prevent Sansi and his men from fighting against each other with their own strength and bringing about their own destruction."

"Li Xian has a weak character, so please be more tolerant in this matter. Your husband is also a member of the Wu family. I hope you can persuade him more and try your best to preserve the Wu clan. This will make it worthwhile that I have loved you so much since you were a child." Wu Zetian suddenly turned to Princess Taiping and said.

Princess Taiping was stunned for a moment when she heard this.

Since her first husband, Xue Shao, was implicated in treason and died, her originally happy family was broken.

Wu Zetian promised her to Wu Youji for a political marriage. It was from then on that she began to keep male lovers and became a completely different person. Now Wu Zetian hopes to use this political marriage to make Princess Taiping take care of the Wu clan, which is a bit humorous.

Moreover, Princess Taiping's plan was to wait for Li Xian and Wu Sansi to fight to the point of mutual defeat, and then reap the benefits.

Wu Sansi was originally not in a legitimate position and was the weaker party. If the emperor intervened, her plan would be difficult to achieve.

"Mother, don't think like that. You will surely live a long life, and the Wu and Li families will surely live in harmony. Haven't the Crown Prince and King Liang been living in peace recently?" Princess Taiping said insincerely.

Wu Zetian shook her head: "On the surface, the two of them seem to be in harmony, but in fact, they have their own ulterior motives. Sometimes, I really want to..."

"What are you thinking about?" asked Princess Taiping.

Wu Zetian gently stroked Princess Taiping's cheek, with a hint of tenderness in her eyes: "I once thought of making you my heir."

Princess Taiping was surprised, but then she laughed and said, "Mother, you are joking."

Wu Zetian's eyes were filled with regret: "Of all my children, you are the most similar to me, decisive and resolute. What's more, your last name is Li, and you are the daughter of the late emperor."

Princess Taiping's heartbeat suddenly accelerated and she lowered her head.

Wu Zetian put down her hand helplessly: "But you are a girl after all, it is not right for you to be a girl."

Princess Taiping's heart dropped again when she heard this, but she suddenly raised her head and said, "Mother, you are also a woman!"

Wu Zetian nodded: "That being said, it is not that simple. If you were a man, mother would have made you the heir without hesitation."

Princess Taiping smiled calmly and said, "Okay, mother, why did you take it so seriously? It was just a joke."
-
Princess Taiping stayed with Wu Zetian for a long time. Seeing that Wu Zetian fell into a light sleep, Chunxiang brought her a bowl of calming soup.

"Take it away, His Majesty is already asleep." Princess Taiping stopped Chunxiang.

Chunxiang hesitated for a moment, but finally stepped back.

Princess Taiping also left the bedroom and met Zhao Ji who was guarding outside the palace.

"I heard about the last time you rescued me. It was all thanks to General Zhao." Princess Taiping actually took the initiative to talk to Zhao Ji.

"I dare not take credit for it. It is all thanks to the princess and Di Gong." Zhao Ji said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Princess Taiping looked at the young general in front of her. This man had a background in the Eastern Palace and was very close to Di Renjie.

With Zhao Ji around, no matter what happens in the palace, the prince will know the news first. Wu Sansi has already lost half the battle.

Moreover, with such a person around, the implementation of the plan would be risky. Chunxiang has said it many times that she must find an excuse to transfer him away.

After Princess Taiping left the palace, she drove around a few times and then came to Wang Zhiyuan's Zixia Temple again.

Wang Zhiyuan was still fiddling with his set of lightning magic weapons.

"Imperial Master, I hope the medicine you gave His Majesty is not an overdose. I think His Majesty is unable to bear it now." Princess Taiping asked.

Wang Zhiyuan waved his whisk and replied calmly, "Your Highness, you don't know, this medicine is colorless and tasteless, it can only touch the fear deep in people's hearts and cause all kinds of illusions."

"I have reduced the use of medicine, but Your Majesty has killed too many people in the past and is too frightened. She often suffers from nightmares. Medicine is just an inducement, which increases Your Majesty's worries."

Princess Taiping frowned upon hearing this and said, "In this case, we need to speed up the process of the plan. There must be a limit to playing hard to get. If things go wrong, His Majesty may feel that his time has come and pass the throne directly to Li Xian, then all our efforts will be in vain."

Wang Zhiyuan nodded: "The lightning weapon is ready and can be presented to Your Majesty at any time."

"What's the situation with He Yun?" Princess Taiping asked again.

Wang Zhiyuan boasted, "Everything went smoothly. Even Di Renjie couldn't find any flaws. Your Highness's plan was so unique and unprecedented that it is truly amazing."

Princess Taiping shook her head and sighed, "How could it be so magical? I never expected that Lord Di would be involved. With Lord Di's ability, I guess he won't be able to hide this matter in the end."

It's a pity that Di Gong, at this critical moment, gave up the big and settled the small. It's really a bit... playing with things and losing one's ambition. Let him investigate. By the time he finds out the results, the affairs in the palace will be settled. "

"If anything happens to He Yun, send someone to get rid of him immediately!"

(End of this chapter)