Chapter 352: Tai Zhen in Trouble

With a soft “whoosh,” a golden arrow was thrown high into the air, leaving a bright red trail. The sunlight shining on it made it extremely dazzling. As the arrow descended, its luster faded, and with a crisp “thud,” it fell alone into the slender copper pot.
“Your Majesty, it’s in!”
One maid clapped her hands in joy, while another rushed forward, took out the golden arrow from the pot, and handed it to her with a sweet smile. “Your Majesty, we’ve hit five targets within four zhang. Let’s try five zhang now.”
A few steps away, Yang Yuhuan sat on an embroidered stool, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the fine beads of sweat on her forehead. Half a year of cultivation had made her slimmer, but her beauty remained unparalleled, untouched by time. She spent her days playing the zither, striking the chime bells, or shooting golden arrows, leading a simple life. Though she was still the Imperial Concubine and nominally the head of the six palaces, she no longer cared about the affairs within the palace. Now, Daming Palace belonged to Wu Xianyi, whose spies were everywhere. The favor shown to Concubine Mei was but temporary; unable to compete with Wu Xianyi, she faded away like plum blossoms in March. Only Tai Zhen Temple, where Yang Yuhuan resided, was beyond Wu Xianyi’s reach, but she still stationed her trusted eunuchs and maids around the temple to monitor Yang Yuhuan’s activities.
Yet Yang Yuhuan no longer cared about any of this. Her heart was as calm as water, and she intended to spend the rest of her life peacefully in Tai Zhen Temple. Today, the weather was bright, and after staying in the temple for so long, she felt restless and went to the courtyard behind it to shoot golden arrows. Yang Yuhuan was extremely intelligent. Although Li Qingan had only taught her for less than two hours, she had already mastered the essentials of archery—holding the arrow two inches from her hand, standing upright with her hips lifted, to find the perfect grip before releasing it. She was well-versed in these techniques; what remained was practice after practice. Her shooting range gradually increased from one zhang to three zhang, and now to four zhang.
“Your Majesty, let’s try shooting at five zhang!” suggested her maid, Bing Nu.
Yang Yuhuan’s trusted attendants in the palace had been dismissed by Wu Xianyi under various pretexts. Now, only two personal maids remained—Bing Nu and Xue Nu—both of whom had followed her for years and were utterly loyal. Yang Yuhuan smiled and said, “I won’t shoot anymore. I’m a bit tired. As I grow older, I no longer have the strength of my youth.”
Bing Nu said sadly, “Your Majesty is in her thirties—how can you say you’re old?”

Xue Nu also urged her, “Your Majesty, just bow your head to the Emperor! As long as you’re willing to do so, he will surely forgive you, and you can regain his favor and avoid living such a miserable life anymore.”
Yang Yuhuan shook her head and said in a low voice, “I’m not at fault. Why should I bow? Even if he doesn’t forgive me, what does it matter? Life is only a few decades long—time flies by in the blink of an eye. Over these past ten-odd years, I’ve been extremely tired. What’s wrong with living here in peace, cultivating my character? At least I don’t have to force a smile every day.”
Bing Nu sighed and said, “If Your Majesty were married into an ordinary family, with a husband who loves her and children who are filial, it wouldn’t be like now—once inside the palace, it’s like being deep in the sea. When will there be a day when things improve?”
Just then, a shrill voice suddenly came from behind them, “Your Majesty, be careful with your words!”
The three turned and saw several eunuchs standing at the steps, hands behind their backs, with cold expressions. The one who had spoken earlier was a tall, thin eunuch named Wen Jinzhong, one of the six chief supervisors of the Daming Palace recently promoted by Wu Xianyi, in charge of food supplies. With his hands behind his back, he said coldly, “Empress Wu sent me to ask if Your Majesty needs anything.”
The Taizhen Pavilion was Yang Yuhuan’s private sanctuary, never allowed to be entered by anyone from the palace—this was a rule known to everyone there. Usually, items were left at the door. It was unheard of for eunuchs to dare enter, let alone trespass uninvited. Yang Yuhuan flew into a rage and shouted outside, “Get out of here!”
“Your Majesty, Empress Wu has good intentions. Don’t be ungrateful.”
“Get out! Scram!”
Fueled by hatred, Yang Yuhuan snatched up a golden arrow and charged at the eunuchs. “I’ll kill you wretched dogs!”
The eunuchs fled in terror. Wen Jinzhong was slower; Yang Yuhuan pierced his left shoulder with an arrow, causing him to scream in pain. Clutching his shoulder, he staggered outside the pavilion. Only after they were far away did Yang Yuhuan shout angrily, “Close the main gate! No one is allowed in again!”
…
Wen Jinzhong staggered back to Wu Xianyi’s inner palace. After all, Yang Yuhuan was a delicate woman, and the golden arrow wasn’t very sharp. So although Wen Jinzhong had a slight cut, it wasn’t serious. Still, he cried out loudly as if he were about to die.
“Your Majesty, save me!”
Out of breath, he knelt before Wu Xianyi and cried, “Your Majesty, I’m dying! Save me!”

Wu Xianyi was sitting in front of the couch, drinking a bowl of bird’s nest porridge, when Wen Jinzhong’s sudden arrival startled her greatly. She slammed the jade bowl down on the table and said irritably, “What’s the matter? Why such a fuss? Are you dying or something?”
“Your servant… Your servant was stabbed by the Imperial Concubine.”
Wen Jinzhong touched his shoulder, feeling it wet and sticky, with a burning pain. “There’s blood! My lady, I’m going to die.”
“Shut up!” Wu Xianyi snapped angrily. “Stop embarrassing me further.”
“Yes! Yes!” Wen Jinzhong dared not cry out anymore. Wu Xianyi walked behind him with her hands behind her back and took a look, then said, “It’s not a big problem. Just a small cut; some medicine will do.”
What Wu Xianyi was concerned about was Yang Yuhuan’s condition. She asked coldly, “How is she now?”
Wen Jinzhong hurried forward and whispered, “When I went there, they didn’t notice me. I heard clearly that she had many complaints against the Emperor. Her maid also encouraged her to remarry someone else.”
Wen Jinzhong recounted everything he had heard and seen in detail, ending with, “I heard it clearly. I swear on my life that there isn’t a single lie.”
Wu Xianyi narrowed her eyes and smiled triumphantly. Yang Yuhuan finally had a weakness in her hands. She nodded and praised Wen Jinzhong, “You did well. I’ll reward you with a hundred strings of coins. Go and recover properly!”
“Thank you, my lady, for your generosity!” Wen Jinzhong happily went to collect the money.
Wu Xianyi snorted and turned to head toward Li Longji’s private chamber.
…
In the Daming Palace, Wu Xianyi had a higher status than Yang Yuhuan. Her aunt was Wu Huifei, Li Longji’s most beloved concubine in the past, and she herself had earned the nickname “Little Wu Concubine.” Descending from Wu Zetian’s lineage, she was particularly assertive in the palace. She had once been favored by Li Longji and given him several children, most of whom died in infancy. After Yang Yuhuan entered the palace, Wu Xianyi, like all the other concubines, lost the Emperor of Tang’s favor. After living alone for ten years, she got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when conflicts arose between Yang Yuhuan and Li Longji. She seized this fleeting chance, gradually expanding her influence until she once again firmly held Li Longji’s heart in her hands.

At first, she remained low-key and restrained, not daring to be too arrogant. But once Yang Yuhuan entered the Taizhen Temple, she immediately showed her vicious side, replacing all the key eunuchs and maids in the inner palace of Daming Palace, and driving away those who were loyal to Yang Yuhuan. Yet this was not enough—Yang Yuhuan was still in Daming Palace, and Li Longji and she might resume their old relationship at any time. She had to completely crush Yang Yuhuan’s hopes. For months, she had patiently waited for an opportunity, and now it had arrived. The opportunity came not only from Yang Yuhuan’s careless words but also from Li Longji’s abnormal mood and extreme irritability these past few days, which Wu Xianyi saw as a chance. That’s why she sent Wen Jinzhong to spy on Yang Yuhuan’s situation today.

Wu Xianyi hurried across a white jade bridge and arrived at Li Longji’s Tranquility Hall. The guards at the door were about to report, but Wu Xianyi waved her hand and asked, “How is the Emperor?”

The guards whispered, “He’s calmer today. The imperial physician says he can’t be disturbed anymore.”

“I understand. I’ll go see him!” Wu Xianyi strode quickly into the palace.

……

In a quiet room of the Tranquility Hall, Li Longji stood hunched by the window, gazing absentmindedly at a few pomegranate trees in full bloom in the distance. His mood had settled considerably by now. Four days earlier, he had learned that An Sishun had refused to accept the imperial edict dismissing him as the governor of Shuofang. To some extent, this meant he was raising an army to rule on his own—something even Li Qing’an hadn’t dared to do. An Sishun had done it, and this news set the beast of fury within Li Longji free. Years of indulgence and drug abuse had destroyed his body and mind, stripping him of the composure befitting an emperor. He became hysterical, shouting, beating, and killing people in the palace, unleashing a storm in Daming Palace. Everyone trembled in fear, like small trees in a violent storm, on the verge of death. Even Wu Xianyi dared not come to see him.

Fortunately, Li Longji eventually locked himself in the Tranquility Hall, refusing to eat or drink and barring anyone from entering. It wasn’t until yesterday afternoon that he resumed eating and drinking.

Days of mental torment left Li Longji emaciated, as if aged several years. For most people, after suffering a major setback, they would reflect on their mistakes to identify where they went wrong. But for Li Longji, it was different. His way of thinking began to deviate from that of ordinary people. Instead of realizing the severity of his actions in weakening the power of regional governors, he thought he had been too weak and too accommodating toward them, which was why they ignored his orders. He pondered quietly that he needed to take tough measures to make everyone tremble under his imperial authority.

Li Longji slowly clenched his fists. At this point, instead of reflecting, he moved further down the wrong path.

Suddenly, faint footsteps were heard outside the quiet room, followed by Wu Xianyi’s voice, “Your Majesty, may I come in?”

“Come in!”

The door opened, and Wu Xianyi entered gracefully. To be fair, Wu Xianyi was also an exceptionally beautiful woman. Though nearly forty years old, she still looked like a young woman in her twenties. She especially loved wearing green dresses, which highlighted her fair skin, making her resemble fresh leaves in April.

Once, the only one who could soothe Li Longji’s anxiety was not Wu Xianyi but Yang Yuhuan. Yang Yuhuan was like spring rain, gently nourishing Li Longji’s lonely and aged heart. But now, Wu Xianyi no longer gave Yang Yuhuan such a chance. When Yang Yuhuan failed to keep up with Li Longji’s emotional changes, it gave Wu Xianyi, who had been watching from the shadows, the opportunity. She appeared at just the right time by Li Longji’s side and mercilessly excluded Yang Yuhuan.

Her beauty ranked second only to Yang Yuhuan and Concubine Mei, but her scheming was beyond their reach. Yang Yuhuan was honest and straightforward, while Concubine Mei was self-centered. Yet Wu Xianyi’s cunning and depth were deeper than the ocean and more ruthless than venomous snakes.

She was like a skilled butcher, and Li Longji was the ox under her knife. She understood every subtle change in Li Longji’s heart clearly and knew exactly how to achieve her goals.

She slowly walked over to Li Longji, gently took his arm, and said softly, “Does Your Majesty feel any better?”

“I feel much better. I’ve been in a bad mood these past few days and have caused my beloved consort pain.”

“Your Majesty, I am guilty!”

Li Longji glanced at her and asked in surprise, “What crime has my beloved consort committed?”

“I failed to serve Your Majesty well. I’m useless. I beg Your Majesty to forgive Yang Yuhuan and let her serve you instead.”

“She?” Li Longji sneered. “Wait until she kneels before me, and I assure you I can handle her!”
“Your Majesty, I actually think it’s not Yu Huan who’s at fault. She’s an honest person and has feelings for Your Majesty. I believe it’s the people around her who are encouraging her to resist Your Majesty.”
“Has my concubine heard anything?”
“I dare not trouble Your Majesty with such trivial matters.”
“Speak!” Li Longji’s expression darkened. “Do not hide anything from me.”
Wu Xianyi had no choice but to sigh and say, “Today, I sent a eunuch to visit Yu Huan. The eunuch overheard a maid named Bing Nu telling Yu Huan that if she married into an ordinary family, her husband would cherish her and she wouldn’t suffer so much.”
“Is that so?” Li Longji asked coldly.
“I dare not hide anything from Your Majesty, nor lie. If You Majesty doesn’t believe it, you can confront her in person.”
“No need for confrontation!”
Li Longji suddenly raised his voice and ordered sharply, “Someone here!”
A few guards rushed in. Li Longji commanded, word by word, “Go to Taizhen Temple immediately and beat that maid named Bing Nu to death with sticks!”
“Yes!” The guards rushed off at top speed.
Wu Xianyi’s face paled in shock. “Your Majesty, spare her life! I was just mentioning it casually.”
She knelt down and pleaded, “If the Imperial Concubine finds out that I blurted this out, she won’t spare me. Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine is the head of the six palaces! Please spare that maid!”
“She has become a nun. From now on, she is no longer the head of the six palaces.”
Li Longji turned and walked out of the hall. “Summon my carriage. I’m going to the imperial study.”
Wu Xianyi watched Li Longji’s retreating figure and sneered maliciously. If Yang Yu Huan’s personal maid was killed, would Yang Yu Huan still come to him?
…
Li Longji arrived at the imperial study. After sitting down, he asked, “Have there been any major events these past few days?”
Yu Chaoen beside him immediately replied respectfully, “This morning, Prime Minister Yang came to see Your Majesty twice, saying he had urgent matters to report. He’s been waiting outside the palace.”
“Call him here at once!”
After a while, a eunuch entered hesitantly and whispered, “Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine has a letter for you.”
“Where is it?”
The eunuch handed over a plain sheet of paper. Li Longji unfolded it and saw messy handwriting on it: “Let me leave the palace! I want to go to Yuquan Temple to practice Taoism. I don’t want to stay in this bloody palace of murder for another moment!”

In the past, Li Longji would have been terrified and rushed to persuade Yang Yuhuan with flattery, begging her to change her mind. But now, Li Longji could no longer be measured by ordinary standards, and more importantly, his feelings for Yang Yuhuan had faded. His anger, which he had just calmed, flared up again, and the blazing fury instantly consumed his reason.

With a few sharp tears, he tore the paper into pieces and threw them into the air, roaring, “Send her away! Get her out of the Daming Palace—no more allowed to enter!”

Eunuchs like Yu Chaoyen fell to their knees in terror, kowtowing repeatedly, “Your Majesty, calm down! Take care of your health!”

Li Longji gradually regained his composure. He felt deeply hurt—Yang Yuhuan had called the Daming Palace a place of bloodshed and murder. He could never forgive her, not even if she begged for his mercy!

At that moment, Yang Guozhong stumbled in, crying out, “Your Majesty, please spare the Concubine! Spare her!”

Yang Guozhong was terrified. If Yang Yuhuan was driven out of the Daming Palace, their family’s last hope would be lost. He kowtowed frantically, speaking incoherently, pleading with Li Longji to spare Yang Yuhuan once more.

Li Longji waved his hand wearily. “Stand up first. You are the Right Chancellor—don’t act like a child.”

“Yes!” Yang Guozhong stood up, utterly at a loss as to what to do.

Li Longji sighed. “Yang Aiqing, Yuhuan is my personal matter, while yours are matters of state. I won’t mix the two. I won’t remove you from your position over this, so stop talking.”

After a pause, Li Longji added, “Yuhuan is a monk both in the palace and outside—there’s no difference. As her elder brother, take better care of her!”

“I shall obey your orders!” Seeing that nothing could be changed, Yang Guozhong reluctantly agreed.

Then, Li Longji took a sip of tea and asked, “Speak! What urgent matter do you have to report to me?”

Yang Guozhong immediately remembered the important matter and said hurriedly, “Your Majesty, the Khagan of the Uyghurs has sent envoys to the capital. They agree to withdraw their troops but want to discuss the terms with Your Majesty.”

“Is that so?” This news surprised Li Longji slightly. He sneered, “They’ve softened up quite quickly.”

Yang Guozhong nodded. “Your Majesty, I and the other chancellors believe the Uyghurs actually intend to withdraw their troops but only want to extort wealth from the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, they’re coming for negotiations. I suggest Your Majesty meet with these envoys to find out exactly what they want.”

Li Longji was somewhat distracted. From beginning to end, he had not been very concerned about the Uyghurs’ invasion from the south. He was only interested in using their invasion to strip An Sishun and Geshu Han of their military power. Now that An Sishun dared to defy orders, it seemed even Guo Ziyi and the Prince of Bian could not subdue him. Only by going there in person could he try to persuade him and see what he had to say. At that moment, Li Longji only wanted to rush to Shuofang to see An Sishun’s desperate expression. This desire was so strong that he didn’t even consider the distance between Shuofang and Chang’an.

Thinking of this, Li Longji said indifferently, “I don’t want to receive this envoy. I intend to go to Shuofang and negotiate personally with Khan Gele.”

……

On the tenth day of the fourth month in the twelfth year of Tianbao, Li Longji made a decision that stunned everyone. He would go on an inspection tour to Shuofang to negotiate directly with Uyghur Khan Gele. Although the officials strongly opposed his leaving the capital to go to such a dangerous place, Li Longji was determined. He immediately ordered Li Wan, the military governor of Hedong, to lead 50,000 troops from Hedong across the Yellow River to protect him in Shuofang, while Chen Xuanli, the commander of the Linglin Army, was tasked with leading 80,000 troops from Guanzhong to accompany him. At that time, the upheaval in Longyou had not yet reached Chang’an, so Li Longji also included Li Qian’s 70,000 troops. In total, 200,000 troops would protect him, more than enough to crush An Sishun.