Chapter 941: Palace Romance
For Wu Zhao, the imperial palace was always gray. Every day when the snow fell, looking at the withered and crooked branches in the palace without a single drop of green, she would wonder if it was really the right decision to enter the palace as a palace maid.
She saw that Xu Hui was favored by the emperor, with lively eyes and eyebrows, bringing bright colors in this gloomy palace. But when she was looking at her own reflection by the water, she only felt that her cheeks were pale and thin. She was incredibly haggard, just like every woman in the palace.
In this cage, she watched her years pass by, but she was different after all. She had a firm will and a hope that she would never give up. There was still light and raging flames in her eyes, and she had not died yet.
Sometimes she would look in the direction of Lingtian Pavilion and wonder if the Imperial Master still remembered her, one of the people who had pushed her into the palace. Did he still remember a small figure like her?
She would also wonder whether Princess Anle had made new friends, whether she was still alone, and whether she still stopped to think when it rained or snowed.
She spent the years like this, the fire in her heart fading in the cold water, until one day, in the early morning when the sun had not yet risen completely and only the first ray of light was shining, a graceful figure walked into the palace.
She was wearing a purple skirt and had a beautiful appearance. Her face had an expression that said "keep away from strangers". The palace maids who surrounded her called her "Princess Anle" in a friendly and flattering manner.
That day, Luo Junwei appeared in front of her like a flower god descending from the sky. A smile appeared on her rather cold face, just like a blooming flower.
So beautiful.
She was a little dazed, and then walked forward. Her hands were soaked in ice water and trembling slightly with excitement. She opened her mouth, and then forcefully pushed away all the people blocking her way, and walked straight to Luo Junwei.
She looked deeply at Luo Junwei.
Luo Junwei smiled sweetly, took a step forward and hugged her in her arms, "Long time no see."
Luo Junwei's body is very soft and fragrant.
Wu Zhao took a deep sniff of the refreshing fragrance. All the palace maids showed astonishment. Wu Zhao seemed like a different person, and her pale cheeks were filled with blood.
No!
It was a fresh and bright charm, like a lovesick woman seeing her beloved lover. Her voice was choked with sobs, "Princess."
"It's all over. I'll stay with you in the palace from now on."
Luo Junwei's voice was gentle, reminding Wu Zhao of how her mother coaxed her to sleep in the same way after her father passed away.
That day, she learned that Luo Junwei was the new female historian, and that this time she was here to record the names of the concubines in the palace, but it was no longer important. Her heart was pounding, bright and energetic, just like when she was thirteen or fourteen years old, bright and shining on the flower ornaments between her eyebrows, and flowing in the fine lines.
…
During the days of taking care of his father, Li Zhi was depressed. As a son, a minister, and a subordinate, one thing after another made him depressed to the extreme.
The restless blood of the Li family in him, the desire for everything, was madly eroding his spirit. He was kind, filial, and cowardly, but he was also a descendant of the Li family. During those boring days and nights, tremendous pressure accumulated in his heart bit by bit.
He often thought of his uncle and elder brother, the first two crown princes of the Tang Empire. Now he understood them and the pressure of being a crown prince. In front of almost everyone, he maintained a gentle, filial and kind face, but when he woke up in the middle of the night, the raging fire in his heart seemed to burn him to ashes.
There was a person sitting in Lingtian Pavilion. At this time, Wu Zhao was sent to Li Shimin's palace with great magical powers. She became a member of the team taking care of the seriously ill emperor. She met Li Zhi. Wu Zhao was so different from most people in the palace. The appearance of Luo Junwei made her charming, gentle and tolerant like a mother, and her talent was amazing. In the few times that Luo Junwei deliberately created encounters with Li Zhi, she could almost always help Li Zhi answer the questions asked by the teachers of the East Palace.
In this deeply depressing environment, in the cold imperial palace, Li Zhi felt for the first time something he could not feel from his wife of noble birth, that is, the throbbing of his heart. Resist, right here, how can the blood of the Li family succumb to all arrangements?
It seemed to be an afternoon. The chirping of cicadas outside the house made people irritated. After a while, the sky was covered with dark clouds and it began to rain lightly. Then there were lightning and thunder. The sky and the earth were pitch black. All the palace people hid in the house, quietly waiting for the dark clouds to disperse.
Li Zhi, who was delivering medicine, and Wu Zhao, whose hair was slightly wet, collided in the outer hall. There was a flash of lightning, and the sudden light shone on Wu Zhao's eyebrows and eyes, which were full of spring water, making people unable to help but feel moved. Li Zhi couldn't help but stretch out his hand.
Wu Zetian grasped the prince. He had a rare handsome face, and his eyes were bright and clear. He did not look like a prince, but a clear-minded young man, without any political filth.
…
Li Zhi stretched out his trembling hand forward, and the belt fell down. Wu Zhao's already thin and silky clothes slipped off, revealing her white and tender shoulders, which were shining.
“That’s great.”
For Li Zhi, this was not an outburst of lust, but a release of his emotions, a release on the spiritual level, and he was going crazy.
The veil was graceful, and the jade body was looming. The clothes fell everywhere around Li Zhi. In this not-so-grand little house, there were only two people. Li Zhi only felt the fragrance filling his nose, and his soul felt relaxed and carefree.
There were lightning and thunder outside the house, but he just felt at ease. Wu Zhao's eyes were watery. She was born charming, like a wave of spring water, flowing and captivating.
No one could find fault with Wu Zhao. Her body was as white as jade, with almost no flaws. Her waist was slender, yet plump and round.
"Prince."
She called softly.
“Is this a dream?”
Li Zhi felt that what he saw was not this beautiful scene. He saw light, colorful things, and a grand future. His heart was pounding, just like a traveler in the desert seeing a clear spring, just like hungry people seeing delicacies from the mountains and the sea. The fragrance entered his nose, making him feel relaxed and happy. He said hoarsely, "From now on, I will call you Mei Niang, my Mei Niang."
Wu Zhao hugged his neck upon hearing this, the charm on her face became more vivid, bursting out with amazing beauty, "I am the prince's Mei Niang."
The curtains fell and everything was pitch black.
…
The time after that seemed to be different. The spiritual comfort dug a well in Li Zhi's heart. Sweet and clear well water was pumped out from there, nourishing his soul all the time. He became more and more decent, which attracted praise from both inside and outside the court. He wore a standard smile and meticulously performed some benevolent and filial acts.
One afternoon, he would put his arms around Wu Zhao, no, Wu Meiniang, and said softly, "When everything is over, I will welcome you into the harem."
This is his promise.
Wu Zhao understood that she had finally gotten rid of those hopeless days. Not only did she have Luo Junwei, but she now had another man, a man who loved her. Wu Zhao asked herself if she needed this thing?
need.
"The prince is a man of affection. He said he only loves me."
She introduced her to Luo Junwei like this. Luo Junwei quietly looked at Wu Zhao's raised eyes with expectation and pity. How could she believe what a Li man said to a woman?
Besides, he will be a king in the future.
Wu Zhao had never seen it, she hugged Luo Junwei again and said with a sweet smile: "But the princess is still the best to me, the princess only has me, but the prince has many people, and there will be more in the future.
O king.
The Luo family is really good, not allowing women to marry into the royal family, so that they can live a carefree life and do what they want. "
Luo Junwei put away the pity in her eyes. Yes, the woman in front of her was so smart and rational. What was there that she didn't know or guess?
A king's love can never last unless it dies at the best age.
How could Wu Zhao not understand this truth?
…
When the news of the death of the supreme emperor came, Wu Zhao felt that the palace seemed to have been drained of countless vitality, and the palace was filled with sounds of weeping. Wu Zhao knew that most people were not crying for the supreme emperor, but for their own destined fate.
Just as Wu Zhao was unwilling to enter the palace as Li Shimin's concubine, what she feared most was this scene. Now that she saw it with her own eyes, she was terrified but also glad.
After the emperor passed away, concubines who had given birth to children could go and marry their own women, or be named concubines and stay in the palace. But those women who had never given birth would either commit suicide to be buried with the emperor, or become nuns and spend the rest of their lives in the temple of green lamps and ancient Buddhas. Although the Tang Dynasty had no concept of chastity, as the women of the former emperor, they had no choice.
Wu Zhao witnessed with her own eyes that Concubine Xu Hui, who was as beautiful as a delicate flower, withered in just a few months. She was ill but refused all medical treatment. She was deliberately allowing herself to die so that she could be buried with the emperor.
Among the first few after she entered the palace, the always kind Concubine Xu Hui took good care of her. She persuaded her one afternoon, "Emperor Taizong had a decree before his death, asking Your Majesty to treat the concubine well. Why did the concubine do this?"
At the end of his life, Li Shimin bestowed almost all of his tenderness and love for women on Concubine Xu Hui. Concubine Xu Hui had no children, but Li Shimin made an exception and issued an edict to Li Zhi, allowing Concubine Xu Hui to not have to go to the temple and to be raised in the palace. This was a unique honor.
Wu Zetian will always remember the day when Concubine Xu Hui said with a weak smile on her face: "Emperor Taizong is gone, and my heart is gone with him. What is the point of leaving a body in this world?
For us women, isn't what we want in this life to meet a man who is willing to devote our whole life to?
Emperor Taizong really loves me, that's enough, it's a pity that I never had a child, otherwise I would probably have survived."
Until the day when Concubine Xu Hui passed away, Wu Zhao and Luo Junwei watched this scene side by side. Wu Zhao still didn't understand, "Is a woman born into this world just to meet a man who is willing to devote her whole life to her?
I don’t think so, but I don’t know how to refute it.”
Luo Junwei faced the breeze and looked at the white clouds floating in the sky. "Her Majesty the Goddess Luo has never married in her life. Most of the women of the Luo family have never married. I will never marry in my life either. Don't we all count as living?
What Concubine Xu Hui said is what she thinks and what she likes, but not everyone.
You don't understand because that is not what you are pursuing. If your pursuit is really the same as Concubine Xu Hui, then you would not be standing here now, and you would not have met the ancestors.
To live your life the way you like, to fight for what you pursue, whether you are a man or a woman, this is the reason why we are born in this world. "
Every word struck Wu Zhao's heart, and she felt as if the clouds had parted and the blue sky was revealed.
…
For Wu Zhao, there were not many memorable days in the palace. On the day when everything was settled, she quietly waited for her own birth.
She asked Luo Junwei with great interest, her eyes full of brilliance, "Is the scene of the crown prince's enthronement grand?"
Of course it was grand. The king of the greatest empire in the world, the most prosperous empire, and undoubtedly the most powerful empire in history ascended to the throne.
Even the sun in the sky cannot obscure the glory of the king of the earth.
Endless golden light sprinkled down, but it was as if it was just coating Li Zhi with a layer of gold, just like the statues of gods and Buddhas, majestic and sacred.
Wu Zhao listened to everything Luo Junwei told her, her eyes full of anticipation. When would the supreme ruler of the world come to greet her?
She was excited, but Luo Junwei could feel her inner anxiety.
Coming out of that oppressive period, a man ascended to the throne of the supreme ruler, became the emperor favored by heaven, stood at the pinnacle of power, and countless people prostrated themselves at his feet.
But now she is still just a palace maid. The difference between their status is not enough to describe it. If he doesn't come, what fate will she encounter?
Luo Junwei took her hand, and then clasped their fingers together, "Don't worry, your destiny will come eventually."
Wu Zhao didn't understand, but Luo Junwei slowly looked in the direction of Lingtian Pavilion. The ancestor said that Wu Zhao's destiny was determined by King Su. As long as the ancestor is still alive, everything will move forward and will not stop here.
This did not disappoint Wu Zetian. No matter what Li Zhi felt in his heart, he was now the emperor. He had countless ministers in the outer court, but he was supreme in the inner palace. Seven days after the coronation ceremony, they were still in that small house, which was a little cramped and seemed a little unsuitable for his status as the emperor. However, Li Zhi and Wu Zetian hugged each other here without doing much.
"Mei Niang, I will first confer the title of Talent on you. When you give birth to my child, I will confer the title of Nine Concubines on you."
Now this is not a promise, but the majesty and power of an emperor. Wu Zhao did not feel any joy in her heart. Her eyes were filled with tenderness and murderous aura.
She has never been a delicate woman. Everyone who has ever seen her says that there are lions, tigers and swords hidden in her eyes!
The difficult days she spent in the palace did not change her at all, but instead made her sharper. During each day and night, she was able to hold Li Zhi's heart, not just by relying on her looks, but by relying on her wisdom. She knew what Li Zhi wanted, and she could give him everything!
Li Zhi looked at her with shining eyes, she looked back, and the two of them looked at each other, with a spiritual connection, as if they had reached some consensus. Li Zhi smiled happily. This was why he liked Wu Zhao, and this was why Wu Zhao liked Li Zhi.
…
Wu Zhao's sudden transformation surprised many people in the palace, and then there were some rumors, but Wu Zhao quickly dealt with them. Her character was like steel, but her methods were quite gentle. She deeply understood what the power of the majority was. In this palace, there were countless dangers lurking, like wild beasts that would choose their prey and devour them without leaving any flesh or blood behind.
The first thing Wu Zhao had to face was the hostility from the Empress and Concubine Xiao Shufei, especially the favored Concubine Xiao Shufei. As for the Empress, she was not a threat because in the harem, a woman without a child was worthless.
Wu Zhao, who knew the emperor best, understood deeply that if the empress did not mention whether there was any problem with her health, she would not be able to give birth to a child even if there was no problem.
Because the emperor doesn't love her, he even hates her!
In the palace, a concubine who does not receive the emperor's love is very pitiful. Even the position of queen cannot protect her. What's even more tragic is that the power to protect the queen is not strong enough.
Yes.
Positions in the harem depend very much on the power of the previous dynasty. If Luo marries a daughter into the harem, the emperor cannot marry her, not to mention the deposed empress, even other concubines. This is called power.
Most queens are protected by a force that the emperor cannot easily move against.
But Queen Wang did not have this power.
She nominally came from a prominent Shandong family, but in front of the imperial power of Li Tang, she was like a piece of paper. As long as Li Zhi was willing, he could exterminate the entire Wang family with a decree.
This is no exaggeration.
The so-called aristocratic families had no choice but to bow their heads before the imperial power of Li Tang. What Li Zhi was worried about were only the vassal kings who were appointed outside the capital.
Wu Zhao stared at Queen Wang coldly. From the moment she became a concubine, she had only one goal, and that was the position of Queen. She was so smart that she had vaguely seen the clue hidden in the struggle in the harem.
She saw what Li Zhi wanted to do.
She guessed what the Imperial Master or the Luo family wanted to see.
The moment she guessed it, she knew she was invincible.
How could it be a coincidence that she, a woman from a merchant family and without a prominent family, caught the attention of the emperor and the imperial teacher?
This is a burden bestowed by God!
I am the one chosen by destiny!
Queen Wang was that stupid woman, her eyes were blinded by jealousy. Concubine Xiao was just as stupid, her greed made her unable to see clearly what was around her. She was too low-class, too low-class.
Wu Zhao had seen many such palace fighting tactics over the years. Everyone used these tactics tirelessly, but little did they know that the emperor only felt tired.
Wu Zhao would sometimes chat with Luo Junwei about this, and then sighed, "Princess, why do you think there are such stupid people, and they all come from famous families? I really don't know what their so-called family education is that can attract so many people from all over the world."
Luo Junwei sipped her tea carefully. "Because the so-called famous family is just a lie. Nobility will not last forever. There is no such thing as innate nobility in this world."
"Except Luo's."
Luo Junwei was interrupted by Wu Zhao's sudden words. She looked up in astonishment and looked at Wu Zhao. Then she saw Wu Zhao smiling playfully. She hadn't seen Wu Zhao act like a child for a long time. "Except for Luo's family.
Luoshen is a true god, so Su Wang must be a true god. The descendants of true gods are born noble. All other Buddhas and gods in this world are false. Only Su Wang is real."
Wu Zhao's face was filled with infinite piety. Luo Junwei was silent. Of course, the King of Su was real, but, "Why does Mei Niang believe it so firmly?"
Belief and firm belief are different. The smarter a person is, the less likely he is to have firm belief.
As for miracles...
There are actually quite a lot of miracles in this world. Every sect that spreads faith has miracles. As for how the miracles came about, it is unknown. As long as they can deceive and make believers believe, it is enough.
But Wu Zhao was not someone who could be easily trusted.
Moreover, Luo Junwei noticed that Wu Zhao’s statement was – “The Goddess of Luo River is real, so the King of Su must be real.”
The last time the Goddess of Luo River displayed her divine power was hundreds of years ago. Up to now, it has basically become the same as the legend.
Wu Zhao naturally saw the confusion on Luo Junwei's face. She said with some recollection, "Because I have been having a dream, a clear dream, back and forth. In my dream, I saw a goddess, born with a phoenix, with a wide and rushing river under her feet. That was the Goddess of Luo River. I knew that it must be the Goddess of Luo River."
…
Wu Zhao's life in the palace can be described as smooth sailing. Unlike Queen Wang, she received almost all of Li Zhi's love. Compared with the queen who had never given birth, she soon gave birth to Li Zhi's first child, whom Li Zhi named Li Hong. Wu Zhao's status also rose to the ninth concubine, just as she once said.
The Ninth Concubine was the imperial concubine second only to the Four Imperial Concubines and the Queen. Her popularity had even gradually overshadowed the Queen and Concubine Xiao Shufei. But the saying still persisted: in the imperial palace, whoever could get the Emperor's favor had everything.
During the process of selecting the crown prince, the fact that Li Zhi was able to stand out had little to do with whether he was the legitimate son or not. The key lay in the Changsun family.
Since Zhangsun was the empress, then Li Zhi was the emperor who succeeded to the throne as the legitimate son.
If Zhangsun was not the empress, then Li Zhi would be the emperor who succeeded to the throne as a concubine's son.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a legitimate son or a illegitimate son. What’s important is the child of Changsun.
After the fall of the Zhou Dynasty and hundreds of years of chaos, the saying "a mother is honored by her son" is not just about the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. Legitimate sons have advantages, but in the royal family, this is not insurmountable. After all, the emperor's will decides everything.
The same is true in the palace today.
When Wu Zhao gained Li Zhi's favor and gave birth to a prince, Queen Wang felt that things were out of her control. Concubine Xiao Shufei had indeed lost favor, but she did not get it back. All these things fell on Wu Zhao, and a new enemy appeared before her.
Moreover, this enemy was even more difficult to deal with than the former Concubine Xiao Shufei. Until this time, she suddenly realized one thing, that is, she had no son, which made any minister in the outer court not to favor her!
A woman without a son is considered one of the seven grounds for divorce in the common people, and it is even more serious in the royal family. As long as she has no son, no minister will speak for her.
Wu Zhao had a deep contempt for Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao. Their noble births made them feel superior. Wu Zhao knew very well that these people from famous families were always like this, looking down on many people and even felt that saying a few words to them was disrespectful.
During Wu Zhao's childhood, she heard her father complain more than once.
Her father used to be a businessman with a very low social status. Even though he later used his extraordinary wisdom to rise to become one of the top dignitaries in the Tang Dynasty, he was still discriminated against by those so-called noble families and did not get the respect he deserved. Especially after he became the governor of Shandong, it seemed that nothing had changed. He was still that businessman, the businessman discriminated against by Yang Su, the Duke of Yue.
Wu Zhao sometimes talked to Luo Junwei about the Queen and Concubine Xiao Shufei. She did not tell Luo Junwei about her palace fights, after all, they were a bit dirty, but she would always express her feelings about it.
"If all the noble families are like this, then aren't these noble families destined to be annihilated by the poor families?"
Just as Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao disdained to look down upon others, Wu Zetian did not understand what good it was to be aloof and arrogant, what good it was to make enemies for no reason, and why Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao did not understand the principle of unity.
A queen did not have any staff at her disposal in the palace, and did not even have many close palace maids and eunuchs.
This made Wu Zhao feel extremely incredible.
In front of Luo Junwei, Wu Zhao did not hide her goal. She chatted and recounted the affairs of the outer court that Li Zhi had told her, with light in her eyes, "If only I were a man, all these things in the harem are really boring and uninteresting.
Princess, when do you think I can become the queen? "
Luo Junwei gently lifted the hair that fell beside her ears and smiled softly: "When the situation reaches that point, all you need to do is wait. The identity of a victim can make things go more smoothly for you. Men hate women who are always noisy and eager the most."
Wu Zhao's eyes were bright, she smiled slightly, gorgeous and dazzling. The fact that she could be favored by Li Zhi was inseparable from her beauty. Li Zhi was a man who valued beauty very much, and all the men in the Li family were like this. "Everyone has his own mission in the world. I will meet my mission. When I become the queen, maybe the national teacher will see me again."
Luo Junwei seemed to want to say something but hesitated. In the end, she said nothing and said goodbye to Wu Zhao and left.
Wu Zhao accompanied her to the outer room and suddenly held her hand. Luo Junwei turned around in confusion, as if asking a question. Wu Zhao's eyebrows were serious, "Princess, I know what you wanted to say just now. Don't worry, I won't do anything excessive. I won't do anything you don't like."
Luo Junwei paused, then held Wu Zhao's hand and said softly, "I am the historian in the palace. If something big happens, I will record it truthfully. So I am very worried about you in this dark place."
"I won't make it difficult for you. I won't make it difficult for the princess."
Wu Zhao's voice was firm yet soft, like iron wrapped in fluff.
(End of this chapter)
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