Chapter 127: Ghost Catching Minister
Di Renjie's words were not enough to convince Zhang Jianzhi. He showed excitement on his face and wanted to argue again.

But Di Renjie had already spoken to persuade them: "This is a serious matter. If it fails, you and I will die, but if you put the prince to death, there is no redemption!"

"If everything goes well when you contact the imperial guards this time, it will be fine. If there is any mistake, it will surely lead to a bloody storm, and the hope of restoring the Li Tang Dynasty will be destroyed."

"Before in Chang'an, you had jointly submitted a petition, and as a result, not only was Li Zhaode killed, but the crown prince was also implicated. That incident was extremely dangerous. We must learn from this lesson."

Zhang Jianzhi calmed down a bit after hearing this, and sighed, "The crown prince refused to see me, and generals like Zhao Ji were suspicious. Now Brother Huaiying also said so. It seems that we should not rush into this matter."

Upon hearing this, Di Renjie's face changed slightly, and he asked in surprise, "Did you go to the East Palace to meet the prince?"

Zhang Jianzhi shook his head and denied it: "No, I sent someone to the East Palace to pass on a message and arrange to meet the prince in a secret place, but the prince wrote back and declined."

Di Renjie breathed a sigh of relief, secretly glad that the prince had learned his lesson and would not act rashly again.

"Your Majesty has eyes and ears in the East Palace. Be careful when contacting the prince on such important matters in the future," Di Renjie warned.

Zhang Jianzhi couldn't help but laugh: "Although I'm not as thoughtful as Brother Huaiying, I still know how to be on guard at such a sensitive time."

Di Renjie nodded slightly and said earnestly: "Our loyalty to restore the Li Tang Dynasty is beyond reproach, but we still need to judge the situation and make sure everything is done properly. There are only a few people in the world who can follow the legitimate Li Tang Dynasty, so we must be extremely careful."

Zhang Jianzhi nodded and said, "Brother Huaiying is right, but there is still a problem. If we don't move, Wu Sansi and his men will have already started to move. We have to be on guard."

Di Renjie waved his hands and laughed: "Hey, the King of Liang is just an ordinary man, so what if he makes the first move? The Wu family, these drunkards, can't even control the imperial guards."

"As long as the Imperial Guards are in hand, no matter what they do, it will be useless. If your Majesty dies, the crown prince will succeed to the throne by right, and it will not be his turn."

"Let Wu Sansi and his men scout the way ahead to see if there are any ambushes. As long as we control the imperial guards, we will be invincible."

Zhang Jianzhi was completely relieved and said, "In this case, I have another request."

Di Renjie smiled and said, "You want me to come into the palace and take another look at your Majesty's health, right?"

Zhang Jianzhi laughed loudly: "The one who knows me best is Di Gong. Your friendship with the emperor is extraordinary. At this moment, it is most convenient for you to see the emperor."

Di Renjie also stroked his beard and smiled: "Okay, I will go to see your majesty and see what is going on with the evil spirit in the palace."
-
In the Xianju Palace, Wu Zetian was daydreaming and getting restless again.

She took a pillowcase and strangled herself with it, using both hands to pull at it, as if she was going to hang herself.

Princess Taiping cooperated with the maid to rescue the emperor: "Your Majesty, wake up, Your Majesty."

Everyone tried to wake Wu Zetian up, but she fell into a coma due to lack of oxygen and could not be woken up for a while.

Princess Taiping looked at the corpse of Wu Zetian and broke out in a cold sweat. She shouted anxiously, "Hurry up, hurry up!"

Zhao Ji led his men into the palace again: "Your Highness, what happened again?"

"Where is the imperial physician? Why hasn't the imperial physician come yet?" Princess Taiping was so anxious that she almost lost her composure.

"The imperial physician should be on the way, and it will take some time for him to arrive." Zhao Ji replied.

Suddenly, Chunxiang felt Wu Zetian's breath and shouted in fear: "Oh no, the emperor has passed away!"

Upon hearing this, the palace maids and eunuchs around immediately knelt on the ground and burst into tears.

Princess Taiping's face suddenly turned pale. She reached out her hand to feel Wu Zetian's breath, and sure enough, she could not sense any breath.

She retracted her hand in horror, her eyes went dark, and she fell backwards. Fortunately, Zhao Ji caught her in time.

"Shut up everyone!" Zhao Ji shouted and helped Princess Taiping sit down steadily.

The palace maids and eunuchs around were frightened by the shout and stopped crying.

Zhao Ji knew very well that the method of testing breathing was not reliable, as Wu Zetian's chest was clearly slightly rising and falling just now.

He walked forward and felt Wu Zetian's pulse to make sure she was still alive.

Zhao Ji bravely lifted Wu Zetian up and patted her back. After two or three times, Wu Zetian coughed lightly, and her chest and abdomen began to rise and fall noticeably.

When Zhao saw that Wu Zetian had resumed her normal breathing, he laid her back flat.

Princess Taiping was shocked when she first saw Zhao Ji's rebellious behavior. Later, when Wu Zetian was rescued, she breathed a sigh of relief and her heart fell back.

Di Renjie had already arrived at the palace gate at this time. He heard the noise and rushed in immediately: "What's going on!" All the palace people in the palace knelt on the ground. Zhao Ji was in front of Wu Zetian's bed, and Princess Taiping was also there. The scene was quite chaotic.

Zhao Ji replied to Di Renjie: "Your Majesty just had a nightmare and passed out. You came just in time. Please take a look at His Majesty."

Di Renjie took the responsibility and stepped forward to take the emperor's pulse.

After a moment, his heavy expression relaxed a little.

Princess Taiping had regained her composure and asked behind Di Renjie, "Lord, is His Majesty okay?"

Di Renjie shook his head slightly, his face solemn: "It's okay for now, but your Majesty's pulse is weaker than in the past few days."

Zhao Ji shook his head secretly, nonsensical, who’s pulse would be good if they couldn’t sleep well for several days.

Di Renjie waved his hand again, directing the eunuchs and palace maids: "All of you go outside the palace, don't gather together and disturb His Majesty's rest."

Princess Taiping bowed to Zhao Ji and said, "General Zhao, this time it is all thanks to you. If it weren't for you, Your Majesty would have been... I really lost my composure just now."

Zhao Ji smiled back, "Princess, you are filial and it is human nature to be worried. You don't need to blame yourself. I just hit the jackpot by accident."

At this time, Wu Zetian slowly woke up. She looked pale and sighed softly, "What a nightmare! I thought I could avoid the evil spirits during the day, but I didn't expect that a nightmare would almost cost me my life."

She shook her head, her eyes full of fatigue and helplessness: "If you hadn't rescued me in time... Alas, it seems that these evil spirits will not let me go."

When Di Renjie heard about ghosts in the palace again, he became alert and knew that this matter was of no trivial importance.

After thinking for a moment, Di Renjie catered to Wu Zetian's wishes: "The wronged spirits in the palace are rampant, and the evil ghosts outside the palace are haunting. How come I haven't heard of so many ghosts before, but now they have all jumped out."

Zhao Ji glanced at Di Renjie and said, "The ones in the palace are wronged souls, and the ones outside the palace are evil ghosts. How dare you say that."

When Wu Zetian heard Di Renjie talk about ghosts, she didn't pay attention to his wording, but instead became excited: "What? There are ghosts outside the palace?"

Di Renjie seemed to be in a dilemma, and he said, "Your Majesty, just rest and recuperate. This matter is strange, and I don't talk about strange things. You'd better not ask."

"No, I want to know, tell me, tell me!" Wu Zetian said excitedly.

Di Renjie said, "A headless ghost has appeared in Yongchang and has killed many people. The villagers are terrified."

Princess Taiping raised her eyebrows and responded.

Wu Zetian took a breath of cold air: "Is there such a thing?"

Di Renjie nodded: "Someone saw this headless ghost with their own eyes. He was wearing heavy armor, holding a golden halberd, and had no head on his neck."

Wu Zetian was stunned. She was stunned for a long time before she said, "Huaiying, someone witnessed it with their own eyes. Now you believe that there are ghosts in the world, right?"

Di Renjie smiled and said, "Just think of it as if there are ghosts in the world, but I already have a way to catch them."

Wu Zetian frowned and said doubtfully, "Huaiying, stop talking nonsense. Even Wang Zhiyuan, the imperial teacher, can't catch ghosts. Do you think you can?"

Di Renjie said confidently, "How dare I speak nonsense? Besides, I caught the ghost in Yongchang to practice. After I have mastered the skills, I can catch the ghosts in the palace and relieve your majesty's worries."

Wu Zetian shook her head and laughed when she heard this: "Huaiying, this is really not what you would say. Besides, how can a ghost be so easy to catch?"

Wu Zetian thought Di Renjie was joking to comfort her, but Princess Taiping and Zhao Ji both knew that Di Renjie was not joking.

Di Renjie insisted, "I am not kidding. Your Majesty, please give me the task of 'catching ghosts in Yongchang'. If I fail, I will be severely punished!"

Princess Taiping rolled her eyes and said, "Your Majesty, since Lord Di has this intention, what if you agree to it? If Lord Di really catches the ghost, it will be easy to deal with the ghosts in the palace."

Wu Zetian knew that Di Renjie had good intentions. "Well, I will appoint you as the 'Ghost Catcher' and send you to Yongchang to catch ghosts. The imperial edict will be issued immediately. All monks and Taoist priests near the capital will be under your command. You must capture the evil ghost!"

When Di Renjie heard the monk, he also smiled and said, "I obey your order, but I don't need the monk. I just need the cooperation of Yongchang County."

Wu Zetian nodded: "That's fine, I'll be waiting for your good news."

　Thanks for the good name, it will make people remember your reward.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)