Chapter 79 Inside Story
The lights in the hall flickered, the light and shadows were mottled, and there were slight crackling sounds.

Shangguan Wan'er looked at Zhao Ji with approval. She didn't expect that the young general in front of her was so perceptive that he could detect what she had not finished saying.

She tilted her head slightly, with a touching smile on her lips: "If I remember correctly, this is the first time Chengyuan asked me for help, right?"

Zhao Ji was stunned when he heard that. Why did he ask you for help? And why did he start talking about Cheng Yuan... This woman is really...

But then he nodded slightly, tacitly agreeing with Shangguan Wan'er's statement. You are the emperor's confidant, you are powerful.

Shangguan Wan'er hesitated for a moment and said, "Well, since this is the first time Chengyuan has spoken, how can I refuse your respect? Do you know why His Majesty summoned Xiao Qingfang, the chief of the Inner Guards?"

Zhao Ji shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.

Shangguan Wan'er chuckled: "Why can't Chengyuan be more sincere? I thought you could guess that His Majesty summoned her to ask about the situation in Youzhou."

"Isn't it?" Zhao Ji noticed the kindness of the woman opposite him and stopped talking in circles.

Shangguan Wan'er shook her head: "His Majesty summoned her here to reprimand her for the poor performance of the inner guards recently."

"Can you explain it more clearly, talented person?" Zhao Ji frowned.

Shangguan Wan'er then told the story: "When the fake envoys came to Beijing, the Internal Guards did not notice anything unusual; in Youzhou, they even found a fake governor who had been in office for three years, but the Internal Guards knew nothing about it."

"The Crown Prince was reported by the Internal Guards for having had contact with Li Gui. It has been more than a year and a half since then, and the Internal Guards have not made any progress at all. With all this, how can Your Majesty not be furious?"

Zhao Ji suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly: "So that's how it is!"

Isn't it a coincidence that Hu Jinghui is a fresh negative example recently. The trial of Liu Jin lasted for three years without any result, and then the diplomatic corps case came out.

In order to investigate the rebellion of the Crown Prince and Li Gui, Xu Shide put forward so many conditions to Wu Zetian, demanding both power and people, but there was no progress for more than a year.

Given Wu Zetian's temper and character, she would have suspected that there was something fishy going on. If she had been more suspicious, she would have probably imagined that the inner guards had colluded with the crown prince and Li Gui to plot a rebellion.

Shangguan Wan'er looked at Zhao Ji's startled expression and couldn't help but laugh: "Do you understand His Majesty's intention?"

Zhao Ji finally let go of his worries, his brows relaxed, and he nodded: "I understand, Your Majesty wants me to investigate the internal guards who are investigating the prince's treason."

However, Shangguan Wan'er gently shook her head and corrected him, "No, the inner guards must investigate, and the matter between the crown prince and Li Gui must also be investigated."

Zhao Ji smiled when he heard this and said seriously, "Thank you for your reminder, Mr.

"Anyway, I have the final say on how to investigate. After an investigation, I am sure I won't be able to find any faults with the prince. With Brother Xu Shide here, I won't be afraid of failing to complete the task." Zhao Ji thought to himself.

"Thank you for your guidance, I will surely repay you in the future." Zhao Ji stood up, thanked Shangguan Wan'er, and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute." Shangguan Wan'er stretched out her hand to stop Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji turned around and asked with a hint of doubt: "Does the talented man have any other instructions?"

"After you arrive at the Eastern Palace, you might as well visit Chongwenguan more often." Shangguan Wan'er said meaningfully.

Zhao Ji blinked and thanked him, "Thank you for your guidance."

Shangguan Wan'er nodded slightly, Zhao Ji saluted again, then turned and left.

After Zhao left, Shangguan Wan'er re-entered the Purple Palace and returned to Wu Zetian.

Wu Zetian continued to review the memorials without raising her head and asked, "Have you explained everything clearly?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I have already informed him of the inner guards' affairs," Shangguan Wan'er said respectfully. "Then do you think he is competent for this?" Wu Zetian asked expressionlessly.

"In my humble opinion, General Zhao was more than ten times more excited when he heard that the Internal Guards were going to be investigated. With such enthusiasm, if there really is a problem with the Internal Guards, I'm afraid he won't be able to hide it." Shangguan Wan'er avoided the main point and only talked about the investigation of the Internal Guards, bypassing the prince.

Wu Zetian smiled when she heard this, then sighed, "The inner guards have always been unpopular, and now they are useless. I actually want to send the Qianniu Guards to investigate the inner guards. This is a joke if anyone tells anyone about it."

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Didn't Chief Xiao find some clues in Youzhou this time? This shows that the internal guards are still usable." Shangguan Wan'er said.

Wu Zetian sneered: "He is a wise man after the event, and he is vague and unclear. He is not fit for any important task."
-
By the time Zhao left the palace, it was already late at night.

He hurried to the You Qianniu Guard Mansion, still thinking about Wu Zetian's mission, and felt mixed emotions.

When Zhao Ji returned to the table he had left earlier, most people had gone back to rest as they had official business the next day. Only Shen Tao and Xiao Bao were still waiting for him to come back.

Zhao Ji was quite moved when he saw this: "It's already late at night, why don't you two brothers go back and rest?"

"Since we have nothing to do, we might as well wait for General Zhao. If everyone leaves, it would seem disrespectful, so we two will stay." Shen Tao said.

Xiao Bao also nodded in agreement.

"I am grateful for your concern, brothers. Thank you very much." Zhao Ji pulled out a chair and sat down, but his expression was a little heavy.

Seeing this, Xiao Bao couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why is General Zhao so worried?"

Zhao filled a glass of wine for himself, and poured some for Xiao and Shen, then said slowly, "I went to see the emperor, and he wanted me to be a general in the East Palace."

Shen Tao and Xiao Bao looked at each other and congratulated each other, "This is a good thing. Why are you still worried about getting promoted?"

Zhao Ji sighed: "This matter is not as simple as it seems."

"General Zhao, although you have been promoted several times recently and your official position is higher than ours, we have worked together in Qianniu Guard House for several years and know each other well. If you have any difficulties, you can just tell us. Even if we can't solve your problems, we can still help you with some advice." Shen Tao patted his chest and said.

The eight military leaders, from Zhang Huan to Li Lang, were born as blacksmiths, and the others were not the sons of noble families. Naturally, they were the same as Zhao Ji and Hu Jinghui, and were promoted to Qianniuwei by Wu Zetian.

"It's hard to tell anyone about this..." Zhao Ji smiled helplessly, but then he thought of something else: "But I do have a place to go, I wonder if you two brothers are willing to give in?"

"Where are we going?" Xiao Bao asked.

So Zhao Ji told them directly: "I am being transferred from Qianniu Guards to Prince Yifu as a general, and I can bring a few people with me. With your qualifications, it won't be a problem for you two brothers to be promoted two or three levels."

Zhao Ji pondered for a moment and added, "Well, maybe in a few months or half a year, we may have a chance to return to Qianniuwei. What do you think?"

"With such a good thing, how could we not agree? Do you think it's Shen Tao?" Xiao Bao was the first to stand up excitedly.

Although Shen Tao was more stable than Xiao Bao, his eyes also gleamed with anticipation, and he nodded continuously.

Zhao Ji once again solemnly reminded: "I haven't finished what I said. If I don't do my job well in the East Palace, we may not be able to return to Qianniuwei. Besides, the East Palace is a place of controversy, and you never know what will happen."

"The Qianniu Guards serve in the palace and they also serve in the Eastern Palace. What's the difference? I trust General Zhao." Xiao Bao said carelessly.

Shen Tao also nodded in agreement and said, "If we go by seniority, we don't know when we can get promoted. Now that we have this opportunity, why wouldn't we be willing?"

Zhao Ji pondered for a moment and finally decided: "In that case, I will report your names tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)