Chapter 78 Test
The test finally came. Zhao Ji pretended to think for a while and answered:

"Your Majesty, Princess Yi Yang was rescued when Lord Di led us to raid the rebels' lair. I have guarded Princess Yi Yang for several days."

"But after returning to Youzhou, the princess was handed over to General Li for protection, which was rarely seen. On the day the princess died, I led a team to clear out the rebels in the city. I don't know the specific circumstances."

"Did Hu Jinghui also die at that time?" Wu Zetian continued to ask.

Zhao Ji showed a little regret on his face, and replied: "I dare not deceive your majesty. General Hu disappeared a few days ago. I asked Lord Di about it, and he just said that there was an important matter for Hu Jinghui to handle."

"But for some reason, General Tianhu appeared again during the suppression of the rebellion and died in the Governor's Mansion. He was stabbed several times and blood was all over the ground. It was a tragedy beyond words."

Upon hearing this, Wu Zetian paused for a moment, and finally nodded.

"Since Hu Jinghui is no longer here, his position cannot be left vacant. You have been involved in the fake envoy mission from beginning to end, and you have performed your duties from beginning to end. You have also made many outstanding contributions, and your contributions are invaluable. I want to promote you to the position of Inspector General of the Right Thousand Bull Guards, to replace Hu Jinghui. What do you think?"

Zhao Ji raised his eyebrows and said, "If you want to be promoted, just do it. Why are you still asking what I think? It's obvious that there is something else going on."

Zhao Ji then bowed down and declined: "Your Majesty, I am still young and inexperienced, and I am afraid that I am not qualified to take on this position. Besides, I was promoted once a month ago by Your Majesty. If I am promoted again at this time, I am afraid that I will be criticized."

Wu Zetian frowned slightly. "What criticism? Who dares to criticize? Haven't you been the General of the Central Army for a long time in Youzhou? Why are you refusing it here?"

"Your Majesty, matters can be handled according to the classics or according to the discretion. I am capable of handling matters on the battlefield, but may not be capable of handling matters in the palace or the Forbidden City." Zhao Ji replied.

"If you can always keep this in mind, there is nothing you cannot do in the palace or the Forbidden City."

Wu Zetian smiled when she heard this, but then changed the subject, "However, what you said does make some sense. After thinking it over, I have decided to temporarily transfer you to the Prince's Palace as a general. You do one thing for me, and after it is done, I will transfer you back to the Qianniu Guard and promote you to the rank of Zhonglang Jiang."

Zhao Ji suddenly raised his head, his heart shocked.

No way, sir, transferred to Li Tang’s artifact?
Although he was extremely reluctant, Zhao Ji quickly responded: "I wonder what your majesty wants me to do?"

"It is rumored that the son of the rebellious Kui Zhen, Kui Gui, has been in and out of the East Palace. Someone has reported that the Crown Prince is in contact with Kui Zhen and his son. I sent you to the East Palace because I want you to investigate this matter and find out whether it is true or not."

As expected, when Zhao Ji heard the words "虺贞", "虺规" and "Crown Prince", he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

The Huzhou bee case is a precursor to the Li Tang artifact being in trouble.

It's okay for Zhao Ji to just watch and have fun, but he really doesn't want to get involved in this mess.

He looked embarrassed and declined politely, "This... Your Majesty, this is just groundless talk. I am stupid and don't know where to start. I am afraid that I will delay Your Majesty's important matter."

Wu Zetian did not give him a chance to refuse, and said meaningfully: "It's okay, Wan'er will explain to you. It's a good opportunity to show off the skills you learned from Di Huaiying. I'm tired, you can go down."

Zhao Ji felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave after hearing these words. Wu Zetian's words were golden, and he could no longer refuse.

After a moment of trance, Zhao Ji bowed to Wu Zetian and said, "I'm leaving now."

Wu Zetian then devoted herself to the memorials on the dragon case.
-
As soon as Zhao Ji stepped out of the threshold of the Purple Palace, he seemed as if his soul had been taken away from him. He looked gloomy, as if he had lost his parents.

Shangguan Wan'er followed Zhao Ji out, still smiling: "General Zhao, why do you look unhappy?"

The two walked side by side, chatting as they walked, but deliberately kept a distance from each other.

Zhao Ji managed to calm down and picked up the self-cultivation of an actor: "Your Majesty has entrusted me with this important task, and I am afraid that I will make mistakes and fail to live up to your expectations."

Shangguan Wan'er shook her head lightly, with a bit of helplessness: "General Xiao Zhao, your Majesty is right. You are so young, but you speak like those old men in the Political Affairs Hall."

"You are so talented, I am embarrassed. How can I dare to compete with the ministers of the court?" Zhao Ji said again. Shangguan Wan'er gave him a reproachful look and said, "Zhao Chengyuan, can you please speak properly?"

Zhao Ji had no expression on his face, and he said helplessly in a low voice: "Talent, there are people around."

Shangguan Wan'er looked at the palace maid not far away and said, "Come with me."

The two of them entered the side hall again, walked slowly to the table, and took their seats.

Shangguan Wan'er poured two cups of hot tea. Zhao Ji took one and sighed deeply.

"Alas!" He sighed again, his voice revealing an indescribable worry.

"Aren't you happy about being promoted to the Prince's Palace? This is Chang'an, not Luoyang, and there is no Lijing Gate for you to enter. Why are you sighing like that?" Shangguan Wan'er asked with a smile.

When Zhao Ji heard this, he looked up at her and understood that there was something else behind Shangguan Wan'er's words.

Lijing Gate is located in Luoyang, and inside the gate is a prison. Its homophonic name is "Lijing Gate", which means that anyone who enters this gate will be doomed.

However, in this time and space, Li Jingmen is related to the Neiwei, and Di Renjie was once imprisoned there by the Neiwei.

"The talented person mentioned Lijing Gate. Could it be that the prince's affairs are related to the inner guards?" Zhao Ji's heart moved and he realized that there was a chance of a turning point.

"Yes, it was the internal guards who reported that the crown prince had connections with Li Gui, the son of the King of Yue." Shangguan Wan'er told the truth.

"If that's the case, why don't the internal guards investigate this matter? Why did you ask me to go to the Prince's Palace?" Zhao Ji asked.

Shangguan Wan'er picked up her cup of tea and sipped it slowly. "Secret matters like this are one of the duties of the Qianniu Guards. Your deceased General Hu Jinghui did a lot of such things in the past."

"His Majesty wants to employ you. This is an opportunity, but also a test! If you do well in this matter, the general will have a bright future."

Zhao Ji took a deep breath and lowered his head in thought.

What kind of test is this? To put it bluntly, it requires you to pledge your allegiance and test your loyalty.

The Qianniuwei in the detective world have similar functions to the Jinyiwei. In addition to being guards and ceremonial guards, they also have to undertake some spy work.

Zhao Ji had never been a high-ranking official and had always worked as a guard, so he had never been exposed to such things. No wonder Hu Jinghui said something like "open spears and hidden arrows" before leaving.

If you don't want to be a bodyguard like Li Yuanfang and want to continue to climb up, this kind of thing is indeed unavoidable.

But I have already clung to Di Pangpang's thigh and am ready to follow him. If he dares to mess with Li Xian, isn't that like an old man eating arsenic and getting tired of living?
Wu Zetian has been on the throne for many years, and her position is already stable. She no longer needs to kill people to establish her authority. The cruel officials are now a thing of the past. To do this job now, isn't it like joining the Guo army at that age?

Seeing Zhao Ji in a dilemma for a long time, Shangguan Wan'er comforted him softly, "Don't worry, you can select some subordinates to transfer to the Crown Prince's Palace with you, so you don't have to worry about being alone."

However, Zhao Ji frowned even more after hearing this. He also selected his subordinates to transfer over together, which was just to drag a few people down with him. It was pure deception.

At this point, Zhao Ji's mind returned to the internal guards mentioned by Shangguan Wan'er before, hoping to get more information from her to see if there was any room for maneuver.

Zhao Ji concluded that if it was not for Wu Zetian's instruction, Shangguan Wan'er would probably not be so bold as to openly tell others that the inner guards had reported the prince.

After understanding this, Zhao Jiwang said to Shangguan Wan'er, neither servile nor overbearing, "Mr. Shangguan, since we have known each other for a long time, I hope you can give me some more advice on His Majesty's will."

(End of this chapter)