Chapter 310 Prepare in advance
After obtaining full authorization from Wu Zetian, Di Renjie became full of confidence again and prepared to make a final effort to wipe out the snake spirit completely.

Zhao Ji followed Di Renjie out of the hall, and he couldn't help but feel a little confused: "What did you mean by 'prepare' when you told His Majesty? How are you going to act?"

You must know that since Zhao had escaped last night, the fake prince was well aware of his exposure.

In this way, the snake spirit hiding in the East Palace has been exposed. Both sides are playing with their cards openly against each other. How can they prepare?

It stands to reason that we should act quickly and cut the Gordian knot now, otherwise the snake spirit might be in danger of making a desperate attempt or escaping in the chaos.

Di Renjie pondered for a moment, his eyes deep, but he did not answer directly: "Aren't Mr. Lu and Kui Wenzhong still in Di's mansion? As long as they don't make a move, they don't have to worry about missing the opportunity."

"On the contrary, if we act first, and reveal our weakness, there will be a risk of being counterattacked!"

Zhao Ji was stunned when he heard this, then nodded slightly. He had indeed forgotten about this old guy Yuan Tiangang.

This old guy hasn't made any moves since arriving in Luoyang, and he hasn't contacted me again. I don't know what he is doing behind my back.

But Zhao Ji just thought along the lines of what Di Renjie said, but didn't notice that he only mentioned Lu Cheng and Yuan Tiangang, but didn't mention Xiaomei.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Ji still frowned and questioned: "Your Excellency is right. But if we let the East Palace go, if the Snake Spirits get desperate and take risks, or if they break up and scatter like birds and beasts, it will cause endless disasters. We must be on guard!"

Upon hearing this, Di Renjie stroked his beard and smiled, appearing to be confident: "I have already thought of this. I can ask Huan Bin to lead the Qianniu Guards to watch over the East Palace and report to me immediately if there is any disturbance. It should be fine!"

Zhao Ji's face froze. He had guessed something in his heart, but he still pretended to be relaxed and advised: "Sir, General Huan is busy catching the assassin. His Majesty has ordered that the assassin must be captured within one day. I'm afraid he will not be able to split his attention to help."

"Let me order Shen Tao, Xiao Bao and the others to lead the team! It happens to be on their way, and we will feel more at ease if they do the job."

Di Renjie was a little surprised. After all, others didn't know what the so-called assassin was, so how could Zhao Ji not know? Why did he make such an excuse?

However, he immediately laughed and said secretly: Yes, this matter cannot be explained to Huan Bin, and Huan Bin will naturally catch the fictitious assassin. Well, after the matter is done, I will plead for General Huan and save him from this unprovoked disaster.
-
After Di Renjie and Zhao Ji left, Wu Zetian was in the hall, talking to Shangguan Wan'er.

The shocking news that the Eastern Palace was occupied by a snake spirit just now made Wu Zetian's anger completely disappear, and she finally calmed down.

She walked down the steps slowly, her steps thoughtful as she spoke: "Wan'er, I have a doubt in my mind. The assassin's coming was very strange!"

When Shangguan Wan'er saw the emperor bring up the matter again, she had a bad feeling in her heart.

However, she had no choice but to respond, so she said carefully: "Wan'er is stupid and doesn't understand what Your Majesty means..."

Wu Zetian frowned slightly and analyzed: "Since the Snake Spirit rebels have already lurked in the East Palace, they should either rush to attack or hide their whereabouts and wait for the best opportunity."

"Then why send an unidentified assassin who is easily detected by the Qianniu Guards? Isn't this alerting the enemy?"

After she finished speaking, she stared at Shangguan Wan'er with a sharp gaze, waiting for her opinion.

Shangguan Wan'er was shocked, but she remained calm. After a moment's silence, she said, "Your Majesty is very wise. What you said is absolutely true. Wan'er dares to speculate that the assassin may not have come simply to assassinate, but to sneak into the palace for another ulterior motive."

"What do you mean? What ulterior motive?" Since personal safety was at stake, Wu Zetian did not let Shangguan Wan'er off easily and continued to ask.

Her words revealed an authority that could not be ignored, and her body unconsciously leaned forward slightly, almost touching Shangguan Wan'er's cheek, creating a sense of oppression.

Shangguan Wan'er was a little frightened by Wu Zetian's urgent demeanor, and at the same time felt guilty, and her face turned pale for a moment.

She could only stammer and respond with a slightly trembling voice: "This... is nothing but an act of treason and rebellion against heaven. How could Wan'er know..." When Wu Zetian heard the personal female official's answer, she couldn't help feeling discouraged. She restrained herself and turned away.

However, Wan'er suddenly had an idea and thought of what Zhao Ji said about his accomplices, and blurted out: "Maybe, maybe he contacted the inner support in the palace!"

"A hidden accomplice in the palace?" Wu Zetian turned around quickly, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

Shangguan Wan'er saw this and struck while the iron was hot, saying, "With Wan'er's stupidity, I can only think of this one..."

When Wu Zetian heard this, she shuddered, as if a chill went straight to her heart: "You are right. We have to be on guard, we have to be on guard!"

Seeing that Wu Zetian no longer tried to find out the truth about the assassin and instead began to suspect a traitor, Shangguan Wan'er immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Wu Zetian was suddenly shocked again, and her voice was deep and powerful: "Wan'er, there is an assassin in the palace, and now there is the threat of a spy. There are also thousands of rebels in the East Palace, ready to rebel at any time. Ziwei Palace is no longer safe... We must prepare in advance!"

She remembered the prophecy Yuan Tiangang had made in the Heavenly Prison ten years ago: "The gods will flood back and the temple will collapse," which seemed to be able to resolve the problem.

Shangguan Wan'er raised her eyebrows when she heard this, and speculated, "Your Majesty means... to move?"

Wu Zetian said nothing, but just nodded slightly in response.
-
Wu Zetian said that she wanted to move secretly to temporarily avoid the changes in the next few days, in the hope that Di Renjie could eliminate the snake spirit as soon as possible and stabilize the government.

This matter naturally fell on Shangguan Wan'er. She pushed open the palace door, but saw Zhao Ji still waiting for her in front of the palace.

The two of them understood each other tacitly and walked to a deserted corner, then began to talk in low voices.

"Why haven't you left yet?" Shangguan Wan'er had just been frightened by Wu Zetian, and seeing that Zhao Ji was staying in the palace, she couldn't help feeling a little worried.

Zhao Jize was a bit careless and said calmly, "Of course it's official business. Lord Di ordered me to send Qianniu Guards to monitor the East Palace to prevent unrest. Of course, I have to inform Your Majesty about this matter."

Shangguan Wan'er nodded thoughtfully, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "This is a step too late."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Zhao Ji raised his eyebrows and looked at Shangguan Wan'er in surprise.

Shangguan Wan'er looked around, leaned close to Zhao Ji's ear and whispered.

Zhao Ji laughed dumbly after hearing this, then nodded: "This is also a solution, it can be said to be cutting off the firewood from under the cauldron. But we still need to make more preparations to ensure that there are no mistakes! We can use more of my old subordinates, because Huan Bin is one of the traitors of She Ling in the court!"

Shangguan Wan'er was shocked when she heard that Huan Bin was a traitor: "Are you serious?"

Zhao Jifu nodded again and consoled him, "Just keep it to yourself, don't let anyone know. Oh, it's better to hide for a while. After hiding for a few days, everything will be calm again."

"Oh, there's one more thing!" Zhao Ji's mind moved, and he suddenly asked, "Wan'er has been in the palace for a long time, do you know what the small courtyard near the Pixiang Hall in the northeast corner of the palace is used for?"

Shangguan Wan'er was slightly startled when she heard this: "The Pixiang Palace? Why are you suddenly talking about this?"

Zhao Ji shook his head and corrected, "It's not the Pixiang Palace, but a small courtyard nearby. I found a tunnel in it last night, which leads to the East Palace. Has it been abandoned for a long time, so has the snake spirit traitor used it to make trouble?"

When Shangguan Wan'er heard Zhao Ji's answer, she felt her scalp tingling and was terrified for a moment. She had already remembered the small courtyard.

"That's where the Prince of Xiang's family was placed under house arrest after His Majesty ascended the throne..."

(End of this chapter)