'Since she meets these two standards, and she seems to always deliberately move closer to the core of the royal family, based on these, I can't let her go. After all, I will never let anyone who may be a threat
Human beings exist, this is the principle I have always adhered to!'
The maid who was sent to fetch Fang Mingzhu had not returned yet. Wu Sansi was sitting in the main hall, looking out the door with gloomy eyes because he remembered something very strange.
That was a few years ago, when Empress Zetian had entered her twilight years, and the dispute over the heirs of the Li and Wu families was getting louder. At that time, Wu Sansi was in his prime and became the first choice for the heir to the throne of the Wu family. However, then
At the last moment, Empress Tian decided to return the throne and the country to the Li family, hastily ended the Zhou Dynasty she had established, and restored the country's name to Tang. Although she also conferred the title of Wu Sansi, but for Wu Sansi
For him, this was not enough. He wanted to be the emperor. After countless sleepless nights, he was extremely angry for the throne that he had just missed. His heart was filled with hatred for every descendant of the Li family, but on the surface, he still
You have to make excuses with them.
Suddenly one day, a man who claimed to be from the distant Western Regions came to his mansion. This man was not attractive in appearance. He had a long, sallow face, a slightly aquiline nose, and a thin nose.
His lips are always tightly pursed and his eyes are sunken, so no one can see his eyes clearly. Such facial features make him look so gloomy even when he is smiling.
However, he brought a large number of very valuable gifts to Wu Sansi. He claimed to be the envoy of a wealthy city-state in the Western Regions. The owner of their city-state admired Wu Sansi as a great hero and wanted to make friends with him, so he specially sent envoys to bring him.
Express your sincerity with emphasis on courtesy.
Wu Sansi was not stupid and was extremely suspicious, so he didn't believe the envoy's lies at all, but very coldly asked him to reveal his true purpose.
The envoy smiled, a very uncomfortable smile, and said:
"Your Excellency is indeed a smart man. In this case, I will not beat around the bush. Frankly speaking, our city lord would like to ask Your Excellency to help us catch a person. He is a repeat criminal who escaped from us."
Although Wu Sansi was also very interested in what he said, because he wanted to know what kind of felon was able to make them travel thousands of miles to the Central Plains to give gifts, but after all, he was a manipulative man, so he did it deliberately
He looked nonchalant and said calmly:
"You actually asked me, a high-ranking minister from the Celestial Empire, to help you catch the criminal. Are you a little too fanciful?"
The envoy didn't get angry after hearing Wu Sansi's ridicule, and still said in that dull, dull voice:
"If he were just our prisoner, then we would definitely not dare to have Mr. Labor work for us, but this prisoner also has some relationship with you."
"How do you say this?" Wu Sansi asked, staring at the man.
"Have you ever heard of the legend about the Fang family in the Western Regions?" The man also caught Wu Sansi's gaze.
"The Fang Family of the Western Region?" Wu Sansi shook his head in confusion.
"This matter is a long story..."
The man told Wu Sansi in detail about the origins of the Fang family and the Li family in the Western Regions. However, he did not explain too clearly the evils involved. Wu Sansi did not want to know that. He was concerned about another person.
Thing——
"Can this Fang family really help the Li family to revitalize?" Wu Sansi asked in a deep voice.
"Maybe. It's always right to be more careful about this kind of thing. So, we would like to ask your Excellency to help us pay more attention. If these fugitives from the Fang family really come to Chang'an, they want to be with the Li family.
If we unite, just take them down directly to prevent them from causing trouble in the Tang Dynasty!"
Wu Sansi was unconvinced. Although when he heard that the Fang family might help the Li family, he already regarded them as his biggest enemies in his heart and wanted to kill all the Fang family in the Western Region. But on the surface, he was still
Keep calm.
"Even if I want to help you, how do I know if they are from the Fang family?" Wu Sansi asked.
"It's very simple. Their surname is Fang. They are very good at making all kinds of jewelry. Moreover, I think that if they really come to Chang'an, they will definitely try their best to get in touch with the Li family!"
"Understood."
In the following years, Wu Sansi did not see anyone named Fang in Chang'an City. However, the envoy flew here on time every year like a migratory bird, and each time he brought Wu Sansi a large amount of property.
"The so-called Fang family never showed up, why are you still so attentive?" Wu Sansi asked once.
The man laughed, and his laughter was as ugly as an owl's, making people's hair stand on end:
"Whether they appear or not, your Excellency is indeed worried about this matter. For this reason alone, we should thank you. Moreover," the man's expression suddenly became cruel, "I believe that sooner or later they will
Unless they are truly killed by us!"
I really didn’t expect that this weird Fang family from the Western Region would appear so suddenly!
At this time, the maid who was sent to find Fang Mingzhu came back.
"Why are you the only one who came back? Where is Fang Mingzhu?" Queen Wei asked.
"Go back to your Majesty, Miss Fang asked me to come back first, and she will be here shortly."
"Oh fine."
As soon as Empress Wei finished speaking, Wu Sansi suddenly slapped the armrest heavily and shouted:
"Come here, go to the backyard immediately and get that Fang Mingzhu down for me!"
"Yes." Several Wu Sansi's personal guards responded, turned around and walked out of the hall.
"What is this for?" Princess Anle asked in confusion, and her face looked a little ugly. Although Wu Sansi was very tough, this was the princess's house after all, and he was openly trying to take down one of his cronies. This was too much.
I don't take her as a princess seriously anymore.
Wu Sansi knew that Anle was dissatisfied with his behavior. If it were a normal thing, he would not offend Princess Anle so much, but now he can't care so much. As soon as Fang Mingzhu said that he would arrive soon, Wu Sansi felt uneasy
He got up, fearing that he had just alerted the snake. If Fang Mingzhu really had something in her mind, she would probably take the opportunity to run away. If she really ran away, it would be difficult to catch her.
So Wu Sansi did not ask his men to stop, but just explained to Anle:
"Princess, this matter is of great importance. I will explain it slowly to the princess later. Please forgive me."
"What exactly do you want me to understand?" Anle's voice became louder.
Wu Sansi knew very well how arrogant and domineering Anle was. If she was unhappy, she would really dare to quarrel with him in front of so many people, so Wu Sansi looked at Empress Wei for help. Empress Wei understood what Wu Sansi meant and hurriedly
said:
"Your Majesty, please be patient. Mr. Wu suspects that Fang Mingzhu will be a repeat offender of the imperial court. As for whether he is a repeat offender, we have to see him before we can tell."
While the three people were arguing, Wu Sansi's guard walked in. He walked up to Wu Sansi and saluted and said:
"Sir, that Fang Mingzhu is no longer in the room!"
"What!" Wu Sansi was furious, "Send my order to impose martial law in the four cities immediately and arrest Fang Mingzhu!"
"yes!"
After receiving the order, the attendant turned around to leave. Suddenly he saw Shi Shiran walking into a woman outside the hall. The woman was in ordinary clothes. She was about forty years old. She was not ugly but not outstanding in appearance. But this woman looked
There was something different about him when he went up there - it was Fang Mingzhu!
"Pearl!" Anle exclaimed.
Just now she saw that Wu Sansi wanted to impose martial law in the four cities, and she was also panicked, because seeing Wu Sansi's way of mobilizing troops and mobilizing people, Fang Mingzhu might be a repeat offender. After all, the crime of concealing a repeat offender was not a small one.
But now that she saw Mingzhu appearing, Anle couldn't help but feel relieved - as long as she didn't run away, it meant that she was selfless in her heart, and it would be easy to handle.
Seeing Princess Anle calling her, Mingzhu smiled at her and bowed:
"Princess."
"Hurry up and meet Queen Mother and Lord Wu." Anle said deliberately.
"Yes." Mingzhu bowed to Empress Wei and Wu Sansi calmly.
Wu Sansi looked at the pearl up and down:
"Your name is Fang Mingzhu?"
"Exactly."
"I sent someone to call you just now, why didn't you come over right away? Is this how you behave?"
"Back to your lord, I was stringing a pair of beads for the princess in the room just now. I have to finish stringing them, otherwise all the beads will fall apart, so I came a little late. Please forgive me."
Mingzhu's calmness made Wu San think a little hesitantly - no matter how you look at it, this is an ordinary woman who relies on her crafts to make a living. Could she be from the mysterious Fang family?
In fact, Wu Sansi wanted to find some flaws in Fang Mingzhu, so that he could take her back to the house, and then use lynching to torture her out of her origins and secrets. But now it seems that although Fang Mingzhu is calm on the surface, he is not a courageous person.
She is a young person, so if you want to intimidate her into saying something wrong, it is not easy.
"Where do you live?" Wu Sansi asked again.
Mingzhu told her home address.
"Who else is in your family?"
"There is also a sister and a brother."
"When did you come to Chang'an?"
Mingzhu hesitated, because this question was difficult to answer. It would definitely not work to say that she was a slave of the Chen family, because she had already changed her appearance. Therefore, Mingzhu thought for a while before answering:
"Sir, how many months ago did I arrive in Chang'an?"
"What are you here for?"
"To make a living."
"Then why are you staying at the Princess Mansion?"
"The princess is kind enough to let me make jewelry for the princess here."
"Where is your household registration certificate?" Wu Sansi asked again.
Mingzhu was shocked. She had always been most afraid of Wu Sansi asking this question, because she now knew that the household registration system in the Tang Dynasty, especially in Chang'an, was very strict. People like her with unknown origins could not obtain household registration at all.