Chapter 234 Substitute
The sun rises and the sky becomes completely bright.

By the stream, a group of early-rising birds chirped, adding a bit of vitality and vigor to this quiet morning.

Xiao Feng looked at Zhao Ji, who was scratching his ears and looking embarrassed, and couldn't help but chuckle, with a smile inadvertently appearing at the corner of her mouth.

Her eyes wandered, and she asked with a hint of joking, "Before I knew it, it's already daybreak. You've been talking to me here for so long, just to hold me back and prevent me from going to Hanguang Temple to carry out the assassination mission, right?"

Zhao Ji smiled slightly when he heard this: "Same here, I'm also too late to get back, right?"

Xiao Feng rolled her eyes at Zhao Ji and said, "You scoundrel! How many people do you have in Qianniu Guards? How many people does Snake Spirit have in Hanguang Temple? How can they be the same?"

Zhao Ji smiled even after hearing this: "At least Kui Wenzhong and Mo Ling are in Hanguang Temple, right? We finally met, so let's not worry about Hanguang Temple at the foot of the mountain."

Seeing Zhao Ji being so arrogant, Xiao Feng kindly reminded him, "I have no hatred against Wu Zhao, but Kui Wenzhong's entire family died at Wu Zhao's hands. The hatred is as deep as the sea. Aren't you afraid that he will make it real and kill Wu Zhao?"

Zhao Ji thought of Di Pangpang asking Ruyan to pretend to be Wu Zetian, and then shook his head: "With Di Gong here, nothing will go wrong!"

Xiao Feng's eyes flashed with surprise: "Is that Di Gong really so magical?"

Zhao Ji chuckled and said, "Just ask Xiao Qingfang and you'll know."

Xiao Feng nodded thoughtfully and changed the subject: "Okay, my General Zhao, Wu Zhao will be visiting Hanguang Temple soon. It's not good for you, the general of Qianniu Guard, to be away. You should go back first."

"We have only met for less than two hours and you are already driving me away..." Zhao Ji said reluctantly.

Xiao Feng bent over to pick up the weapons of the two men and returned the long sword to Zhao Ji: "What should we do? Unless General Zhao wants to become General Li again and assassinate the emperor with me."

Zhao Ji was speechless and could only take the sword silently.

"Go back, I should also go back to report, otherwise the people on the Snake Spirit side will become suspicious." Xiao Feng urged again.

Zhao Ji was helpless, and suddenly raised his head and asked, "Then I'll go to the Xiuzhenfang to look for you again. You won't hide away again, right?"

"That depends on my mood!" After saying that, Xiao Feng gracefully left, leaving behind only a string of crisp laughter.

"Oh!" Zhao Ji stretched out his hand to stop the air, shook his head helplessly, and went towards Hanguang Temple.
-
When Zhao Ji went down to Hanguang Temple, Wu Zetian had not yet arrived at the temple. Di Renjie and others were already waiting in front of the gate.

When Di Renjie saw Zhao Ji coming back, he immediately asked, "Chengyuan, why did you suddenly disappear and why did you take so long?"

Zhao Ji's face did not turn red, his heart did not beat, and he was calm and composed. He answered calmly: "I went to track down the assassin. The assassin was very skilled in martial arts, so we were unable to capture him."

Upon hearing this, Di Renjie nodded slightly, expressing his understanding: "So that's how it is. It's good that you return safely. Yuan Fang and the Shining Spirit have had a fierce battle and are now chasing him out of the temple. This may be a trick by the Snake Spirit to lure the tiger away from the mountain. There may still be remnants lurking in the temple."

Huan Bin was shocked when he heard this: "There are assassins? Lord, what should we do? His Majesty will be here soon."

"Don't panic, I have my own plan to deal with it." Di Renjie showed a mysterious smile, full of confidence.

Just as everyone was talking, the emperor's guard of honor slowly came from a distance, and Wu Zetian arrived in her carriage.

The dragon chariot stopped steadily, and Wu Zetian stepped out with the help of her attendants. Behind her followed Zhang Jianzhi, Wu Sansi and other important court officials. It was a huge lineup.

Di Renjie, Zhao Ji and others led the Qianniu Guards, and the abbot and Jingkong brought all the monks in the temple to welcome the emperor, only to see that Wu Zetian looked unhappy.

She exchanged a few words with the abbot of Hanguang Temple, promoted Buddhism, and then came to Di Renjie and Zhao Ji.

Shangguan Wan'er was very nervous and gave Zhao Ji a questioning look.

Zhao Ji nodded slightly, signaling her to be patient.

Wu Zetian spoke in a cold tone and got straight to the point: "Huaiying, I heard that the snake spirit wanted to assassinate in Hanguang Temple. Is this true?" Di Renjie was slightly stunned, and then responded: "That's right. Last night, I, General Zhao, and General Huan came to Hanguang Temple. Now we have found a few assassins, but I'm afraid the temple is not clean."

Wu Zetian took a deep breath, looked at Di Renjie with a sharp gaze and said, "This is related to the dignity of the emperor and the court. If this matter is not handled properly, it will be laughed at by the world."

Di Renjie nodded solemnly: "I know how important this is."

Wu Zetian suddenly smiled, as if she had seen through everything: "You cunning old fox, you have already come up with a plan, right?"

Di Renjie smiled and said, "Your Majesty is the one who knows me well. Please move to the side hall to rest for a while. After I and others have made sure everything is safe, we can proceed with the ceremony."

Wu Zetian was slightly surprised, then slowly nodded in agreement.

The group arrived at the side hall. Zhao Ji looked around and saw that the hall was full of guards standing guard.

Wu Zetian seemed to know the layout of the side hall by heart and she chose a seat and sat down with ease.

"Huaiying, what's your idea? Can you tell me now?" Wu Zetian's eyes revealed a kind of scrutiny and expectation.

Di Renjie smiled softly: "Your Majesty, my niece Ruyan is proficient in the art of disguise. I dare to ask her to pretend to be Your Majesty and offer incense on your behalf. This way, it will be absolutely safe! And it will not harm the national dignity."

Ruyan, who was standing by, had a flash of excitement and nervousness in her eyes. Her heartbeat suddenly accelerated. A snake killer pretending to be an emperor was too exciting...

When Wu Zetian heard this, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes: "The art of disguise?"

This news not only surprised Wu Zetian, but also Shangguan Wan'er and Huan Bin looked at each other in surprise.

"That's right." Di Renjie nodded again to confirm, his tone firm.

Upon hearing this, Wu Zetian lowered her head and pondered for a moment, as if weighing the pros and cons: "Are you sure there is a snake killer in Hanguang Temple?"

"I guarantee it with my life!" Di Renjie spoke earnestly and bowed with both hands to show his determination.

Wu Zetian finally nodded and agreed: "Okay, then do as you wish."

It turned out that Di Renjie had already made preparations in advance and had prepared the necessary materials last night. The human skin mask was ready-made and only required slight adjustments to the facial features and wrinkles.

Ruyan was indeed very smart and she moved quickly, making a human skin mask of Wu Zetian.

"Your Majesty, please look. This is the human skin mask. Let me demonstrate it to you." As she spoke, Ruyan put the human skin mask on her face.

Wu Zetian, Shangguan Wan'er and Huan Bin were all dumbfounded when they saw this scene.

"This, this, is so similar..." Huan Bin said in surprise.

However, Wu Zetian looked at the surprised expressions of the crowd with mixed feelings in her heart and her face was slightly gloomy. No one knew what she was thinking.

Zhao Ji's heart trembled, and he sang a counter-tune: "It doesn't look like it, it doesn't even have the appearance, let alone the power of Your Majesty. People who are slightly familiar with Your Majesty can tell it apart at a glance. However, it is enough to deal with those snake killers, who are not familiar with Your Majesty."

Wu Zetian listened to Zhao Ji's unsophisticated flattery, and her face became a little better: "In that case, let her burn incense on my behalf."

Shangguan Wan'er was standing aside, her eyes shifting between Zhao Ji, Ruyan and Di Renjie, revealing complex emotions, as if she was guessing the relationship between Zhao Ji and Ruyan.

"Then please change your clothes, Your Majesty. We will take our leave first." After Di Renjie finished speaking, he slowly retreated with Zhao Ji, Huan Bin and other men.

(End of this chapter)