Chapter 145 Eight Military Leaders
Family disgrace should not be made public, so Wu Zetian chose to forgive and remain silent, and Princess Taiping's act of treason was eventually suppressed.

Those who are interested will only find that the national teacher Wang Zhiyuan has disappeared, Zixia Temple has become a dangerous place, and the rest seems to be nothing happened.

However, Wu Sansi and a group of Wu clan members were severely reprimanded by Wu Zetian because they jumped around and colluded with others when the emperor was seriously ill, and some of their followers were exiled.

For a time, the influence of the Wu family in the court and the country was not as great as before, but Crown Prince Li Xian'an did his duty and was cautious, and was praised by Wu Zetian instead.

Considering the sensitivity of the case and that it should not be publicized, and that Di Renjie had already reached the highest position in the country, Wu Zetian did not publicly praise him.

However, Wu Sansi was defeated, but the prince was safe and sound. Deep down in his heart, Di Renjie might be more satisfied with this result.

Moreover, although Di Renjie did not receive a promotion, Wu Zetian gave him a lot of wealth and treasures. She also granted him a mansion in Luoyang, a very valuable place. She even ordered the Qianniu Guards to select a team of elite guards and send them to Di Renjie to serve him and provide him with close protection. This was truly a great favor to him.

The person in charge of selecting the list of Qianniu Guards was Huan Bin, who was actually in charge of the Right Qianniu Guards.

Because of this matter, Zhao Ji was called to Huan Bin's boardroom early in the morning.

"General Huan, I wonder what you want me to do?" Zhao Ji asked with a bow.

Huan Bin was still in his careless and unrestrained attitude. He did not talk about business at the beginning, but congratulated first: "General Zhao has been favored by the emperor recently and has made new achievements. His future is limitless."

On the day when Wang Zhiyuan was dealt with, Zhao had already dispatched troops out of the city. Of course, Huan Bin, a general with great experience, could not hide the news. He also had information about what had happened in the palace.

Zhao Ji pretended to be polite and said, "General Huan, you are too kind. I am only serving Your Majesty."

Huan Bin took a step forward, gently patted Zhao Ji's shoulder, and smiled: "Chengyuan is good in every way, but he is too modest!"

Zhao Ji felt a little uncomfortable as Huan Bin's hand was on his shoulder. Di Renjie often did this.

"General Huan must have asked me to come here to tell him something important. To avoid delays, please get down to business first."

Huan Bin clearly felt that Zhao Ji was not being polite to him, but he still smiled as usual: "Your Majesty specifically requested to transfer a team from the Right Thousand Bull Guard to serve under Lord Di."

"Here, the most capable people are those under Chengyuan, and Chengyuan has a close relationship with Lord Di, so I think it would be most appropriate to dispatch this team from Cheng's side. What does Chengyuan think?"

Zhao Ji smiled slightly and said, "Since General Huan has considered it so carefully, I certainly have no objection."

Huan Bin laughed loudly upon hearing this, and patted Zhao Ji on the shoulder and said, "Okay, I like Cheng Yuan's straightforward personality. This is the list I drew up, Cheng Yuan, take a look."

Zhao Ji did not immediately agree, but took the list from Huan Bin and unfolded it: "Zhang Huan, Li Lang, Yang Fang, Ren Kuo, Qi Hu, Pan Yue, Shen Tao, Xiao Bao."

These eight people were all Zhao Ji’s friends and confidants whom he had deliberately made friends with in the past and now.

Huan Bin looked at Zhao Ji with a half-smile: "How is it, Chengyuan, is there anything wrong?"

Zhao Ji put away the list and said half-jokingly, "General Huan, you have transferred away all the useful people under my command."

Huan Bin frowned, with an embarrassed expression: "This is indeed my oversight. Then Chengyuan can choose two people to stay, and I will select others to fill in."

Zhao Ji's mouth twitched slightly, and he bowed and said, "That's not necessary. I'll follow the general's arrangement."

"Chengyuan is truly selfless. That's settled!" Huan Bin kept saying such flattering words to make the matter a reality.

Zhao Ji did not respond and said calmly, "If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."

Huan Bin had no objection, and he sneered as he watched Zhao Ji walk out of the hall. Zhao Ji also sneered as he walked out of the hall. Huan Bin was blatantly setting a trap for him.

If he insisted on keeping a few trusted followers, he might be accused of forming a clique for personal gain, and someone might report him. Forming cliques in the imperial guards was not a small crime.

Besides, if we say that we are going to leave a few people behind, who should we leave behind? Whoever is left behind will inevitably hurt the hearts of the remaining people.
Soon Zhao Ji ordered people to call Zhang Huan, Li Lang and others and explained the matter of their transfer to Di Mansion.

Being transferred from the palace guards to Di Renjie's subordinates, Zhang Huan and others were inevitably unhappy and in a low mood. This was especially true for Zhao Ji's most trusted Shen Tao and Xiao Bao.

Zhao Ji had to comfort them: "Don't worry, Lord Di is a good place to go. He is approachable and has no airs. It's much more comfortable than working in the palace with your head on the line."

"You all know a little bit about how I became the General of the Central Army. It was really thanks to Lord Di. His Majesty sent you to the Di Mansion, which shows how much trust he has in Lord Di."

"Besides, you are only transferred there temporarily, and your status is still Qianniu Guards. You may have the opportunity to make further progress with the help of Lord Di. You may have a better future than your colleagues who have been waiting for seniority in the palace."

Zhang Huan, Li Lang and others looked at each other in bewilderment after hearing what Zhao Ji said. Finally, Shen Tao spoke first: "General, what you taught us is that we are all serving the court. We are willing to accept your arrangement."

Zhang Huan was not to be outdone, and he cupped his hands and said, "When I arrive at the Di residence, I will serve Lord Di wholeheartedly and will never bring shame to the general."

Seeing this, the others followed suit and expressed their opinions one after another.

Zhao Ji nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, the transfer order will be issued tomorrow. General Li Yuanfang is my best friend, and he will take care of you. Don't worry."
-
Having suffered a loss, Zhao Ji was naturally in a bad mood, so he went to Shangguan Wan'er to vent his feelings.

After Huzhou and the ghosts in the palace, the relationship between the two has become closer.

Shangguan Wan'er saw Zhao Ji sitting beside the desk in a sullen manner, and a smile rose involuntarily: "You can't blame General Huan. This time the palace was haunted, and you handled it very well, almost saving the emperor."

She continued, with a hint of joking in her words: "To deal with Wang Zhiyuan, they directly dispatched troops without the permission of the general, almost sidelining him. If it were you, would you be able to feel at ease?"

Zhao Ji sneered and said sourly, "What is there to worry about? Only those with evil intentions can't be at ease. With my age and qualifications, it's impossible for me to replace him as the General of the Right Thousand Bull Guards right away. What is he afraid of?"

Shangguan Wan'er laughed again when she heard this, and said jokingly, "Oh, so it's because you didn't get promoted after your meritorious service this time. Is that what you're unhappy about?"

Zhao Ji waved his hands quickly and said sternly, "Don't talk nonsense. When did I ever think like that? I can get to this point thanks to your majesty and Lord Di. I don't have any unreasonable thoughts."

In the Tang Dynasty, the first and second ranks were basically non-existent, and the third rank was the limit for normal people. At the age of twenty, reaching the rank of Qianniu Wei Zhonglang Jiang, which was below the fourth rank, was already a rocket promotion, which attracted attention. If it was promoted further, it would be too eye-catching.

To move up further, it's basically one position for one person, and you really have to work your way up based on your qualifications and achievements. Zhao Ji understands this principle.

Shangguan Wan'er sat down next to Zhao Ji and said gently, "You can't say that. Although it involves the privacy of the royal family, His Majesty can't praise you for this, but you are already in the emperor's heart and have truly become His Majesty's confidant."

"When you have more experience or make new contributions, you will inevitably be promoted above your level. Your future is bright, so why rush it?"

Zhao Ji sneered, "I understand what you said. I just don't like hypocritical people like Huan Bin. Sooner or later, he will be in trouble!"

Shangguan Wan'er couldn't help laughing again when she saw Zhao Ji's petty look.

Speaking of which, Huan Bin is also a recluse who rarely goes out. His life is dull and boring. There is no sign of anything unusual about him, and he is not seen in private contact with anyone.

If Zhao Ji had not opened his third eye, he would have really thought that this person had nothing to do with the snake spirit.

However, such a rigid and deliberate ascetic life, viewed through tinted glasses, is clear evidence of a guilty conscience.

(End of this chapter)