Chapter 235 The End of the Assassination
In a short while, the palace maid helped Ruyan put on Wu Zetian's dragon robe, while Wu Zetian herself changed into casual clothes.

After the changing ceremony, Di Renjie, Zhao Ji and others entered the hall again, invited "Wu Zetian" out, and completed the ceremony.

Before leaving, Di Renjie turned to Zhao Ji and said earnestly, "Chengyuan, you are thoughtful and sensitive, so don't go to burn incense this time. You stay with His Majesty to ensure everything goes well."

Zhao Ji originally wanted to take the opportunity to get a glimpse of the skills of masters such as Kui Wenzhong or Mo Ling, but with Di Renjie's arrangement, he had no choice but to stay.

Shangguan Wan'er took the opportunity to make tea and walked to Zhao Ji's side. She said in a sarcastic tone: "Di Gong's niece is really extraordinary. She is beautiful and has extraordinary skills. No wonder someone regards her with high regard and takes good care of her."

Zhao Ji had just felt that something was wrong with Shangguan Wan'er, and now he finally understood what was going on.

He couldn't help but laugh: "No, why are you jealous? Isn't she Di Gong's niece? Don't you know? Di Gong's niece can be proficient in disguise?"

Shangguan Wan'er sighed, shook her head and said half-seriously, "Ah, I hope it's true. If Di Gong's niece marries you...tsk tsk tsk tsk...what a pity!"

Zhao Ji's face was strange when he heard this. He couldn't figure out what this woman was thinking, so he could only tell the truth: "She has someone else, and she is in love with my brother Li Yuanfang. She has nothing to do with me!"

Seeing Zhao Ji being so frank, Shangguan Wan'er's lips curled up into a faint smile, but then as if touched by something, the smile gradually faded and her expression turned gloomy.

"After you return from Pingzhou, there must be many people in the court who want to marry their daughters to you. With your achievements and talents, if you can marry into a prominent family or an important official in the court, your future will be limitless..."

Zhao Ji frowned and wanted to make a promise, but felt he couldn't say it.

Shangguan Wan'er quickly adjusted her mood, with a barely perceptible sadness and expectation in her tone: "If you can make further progress in the future, I hope you can still think of our old friendship, and Wan'er will be satisfied."

After she finished speaking, she turned around and walked into the hall without waiting for Zhao Ji's response.

Zhao Ji looked at Shangguan Wan'er's departing back with mixed feelings. After taking a deep breath, he followed her closely. The two of them came to Wu Zetian's side.

Wu Zetian was not in a good mood at the moment. She looked at Zhao Ji with a scrutinizing look in her eyes: "Chengyuan, do you know the identity of Di Ruyan?"

Facing the empress's eyes that seemed to see through everything, Zhao Ji's heart trembled, and he quickly bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, I know. Di Ruyan is not Di Gong's niece. Her original identity is a leader among the snake spirits. Her real name is Su Xianer."

"She rebelled in the battle of Pingzhou and made great contributions, severely damaging the Snake Spirit. Most of the information that Di Gong and I had about the Snake Spirit came from her."

Seeing that Zhao answered quite frankly, Wu Zetian felt a little relieved and nodded secretly.

But she still spoke with dignity: "Since you already know, why haven't you reported it to me yet?"

Zhao Ji showed doubt on his face, with a hint of innocence in his eyes: "This... Your Majesty, I don't understand what you mean. Didn't Di Gong report Ruyan's matter to Your Majesty?"

Wu Zetian looked at Zhao Ji with a half-smile, and her tone became serious: "Yes, Huaiying is still hiding it from me!"

Zhao Ji took a deep breath and shook his head repeatedly: "Then what Di Gong did is really inappropriate."

When Shangguan Wan'er saw Zhao Ji acting like this, she couldn't help but smile.

"Oh? Do you really think so?" Wu Zetian's eyes shot straight at Zhao Ji like a sharp sword, trying to see something from his expression.

Zhao Ji nodded and told the truth: "Yes, Ruyan, Xiao Qingfang knows it anyway, so there is no need to keep it secret. I really don't understand Di Gong's thoughts. Maybe he has some deeper meaning."

Seeing that Zhao Ji was able to handle the situation well, Wu Zetian stopped dwelling on the issue and changed the subject, "What do you think of the human skin mask and the art of disguise?"

Zhao Ji's heart skipped a beat. He understood that in Wu Zetian's eyes, the fact that someone could impersonate the emperor was probably ten times more threatening than this assassination attempt.

After careful consideration, Zhao Ji said cautiously: "Your Majesty, this disguise technique originated from the snake spirit, and it has been revealed since Fang Qian in Youzhou."

"In Pingzhou, there was also a man who pretended to be Di Gong's housekeeper, but without exception, he could not hide from the eyes of those who were interested, and instead caused Xiao Qingfang to suffer a great loss."

"To impersonate a person, besides the mask, there are a series of issues such as voice, body shape, living habits, etc. It is difficult to promote and utilize without a master of imitation."

"Even if you are a master of imitation, you will still reveal many flaws. It is flashy and useless. It is just a small trick and cannot be put on the stage."

Wu Zetian turned to Shangguan Wan'er and asked, "Wan'er, what do you think?"

"I think what General Zhao said is true!" Shangguan Wan'er would naturally not undermine Zhao Ji.

Wu Zetian nodded slightly, her expression remaining calm, making it difficult to guess what she was thinking.

At this moment, there was a sudden commotion outside the hall, interrupting the solemn atmosphere inside.

Zhao Ji immediately became alert and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the assassin has taken action!"

Wu Zetian's face became serious, she stopped talking, frowned, and waited for the result outside the hall.

After the noise, only Di Renjie shouted loudly, and the officials quickly quieted down, and then there was only the sound of the army's footsteps. After a while, Ruyan's voice came from outside the palace: "Uncle, I pretended to be the emperor and soiled her clothes. She won't be angry, right?"

"Of course not. The emperor has more than one piece of clothing." Wu Zetian stood up and walked out accompanied by Shangguan Wan'er and Zhao Ji.

Di Renjie and Ruyan were shocked and quickly knelt down: "Your Majesty!"

Wu Zetian smiled and said, "Everyone, get up."

She walked quickly to Ruyan and pulled her up, looking at her carefully, and asked casually, "Well, what a pretty girl. Huaiying, is this your niece Ruyan?"

Zhao Ji tried to remind Di Renjie by winking at him.

But Di Renjie seemed to be unaware of it, and smiled calmly, "That's right."

Wu Zetian looked at Ruyan with interest and jokingly said, "How is it, little girl? Is it fun to play the emperor?"

Ruyan shook her head and answered seriously: "Your Majesty, it's not fun at all. I can't do whatever I want. I always have to put on airs and deal with a bunch of ministers. It's too tiring!"

Di Renjie was shocked: "Ruyan, don't speak nonsense!"

Wu Zetian was stunned at first, then burst into laughter and praised: "Well, well said! Ruyan, by saving me today, you not only saved my life, but also your own life!"

When Ruyan heard this, she was stunned.

Di Renjie also trembled all over, took a step forward, and was about to kneel down to apologize: "Your Majesty..."

Wu Zetian waved her hand and smiled, "Huaiying, you don't have a niece. This Ruyan is actually a killer under the Snake Spirit. Her real name is Su Xianer. Am I right?"

Di Renjie was stunned, and replied with his hands clasped, "Your Majesty is very clear-sighted."

Wu Zetian sighed and said, "Huaiying, after Pingzhou, I have been waiting for you to report this matter. But I have never received your report!"

Di Renjie pleaded guilty again: "I am guilty, please punish me, Your Majesty."

Wu Zetian smiled and said, "If you want to punish me, you don't have to wait until today. I don't like snake spirits, but Ruyan has made great contributions in Pingzhou. Can I not tolerate her?"

Then Wu Zetian turned to Ruyan and said, "How about this? I officially grant you the name Dishi Ruyan. From today on, the Snake Spirit Killer Su Xianer no longer exists."

"From now on, all the people in the Snake Spirit, except for a few extremely evil treacherous people like Xiao Qingfang, who have made contributions to the rebellion, can be pardoned!"

"Moreover, Ruyan has made great contributions to the country by rescuing the emperor this time. After returning, he will also pass on the order to the Ministry of Personnel to discuss the merits and titles!"

Upon hearing this, Di Renjie bowed and thanked him: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

Ruyan fell to her knees and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Ji also smiled. This way, Xiaomei and her sister had found a place to stay.

After Wu Zetian had shown her favor, she said to Di Renjie earnestly, "But Huaiying, you should be more careful in the future. Otherwise, if you are used by flatterers, we will end up parting ways unhappily!"

Di Renjie quickly agreed: "Yes, yes, I will pay attention to it."

"Your Majesty, we cannot stay in such a troubled place for long. I have arranged for the Qianniu Guards to wait at the side door of Hanguang Temple. Please return to the palace!" Seeing that Wu Zetian would not pursue the matter any further, Di Renjie got back to business.

When Wu Zetian heard Di Renjie asking her to leave Hanguang Temple, she looked hesitant and did not agree immediately.

Di Renjie felt very strange when he saw this, but Zhao Ji and Shangguan Wan'er both guessed what Wu Zetian was thinking.

Di Renjie had no choice but to speak again: "Your Majesty, the assassin has not been caught yet, and Hanguang Temple is not safe yet. Now that the ceremony is over, Your Majesty, please return to the palace first!"

Wu Zetian suddenly woke up after hearing this, and whispered: "Hanguang Temple is not safe, not safe..."

"Yes, Your Majesty, Hanguang Temple is no longer safe. You should return to the palace first, so that we can free our hands and feet to capture the assassin!" Zhao Ji also added fuel to the fire.

After hearing this, Wu Zetian finally made up her mind: "Okay, then I will go back to the palace. I will leave Hanguang Temple to you. You must catch the assassin!"

"I obey your order." Zhao Ji responded solemnly.

But when Di Renjie saw Wu Zetian's reaction, he felt that there was something strange, but he couldn't figure out the reason, so he had to put it aside for the time being.

(End of this chapter)