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Lord Luo actually has a hidden identity, and surprisingly, this identity is that of a secret guard for the court, which is quite unexpected.
Xi Er told Xing Ruyi that the reason Lord Luo kept her in the court without informing anyone was not out of goodwill, but because Xi Er knew a secret. That secret made Lord Luo believe he could gain more benefits.
"The secret of Wu Zetian?"
"Yes!"
Xi Er nodded.
"Do you know that before Wu Zetian was crowned Queen, there was another Queen with the surname Wang and a Consort Xiao in the palace?"
Xing Ruyi nodded.
As someone who has watched countless dramas about Wu Zetian, Xing Ruyi has some understanding of the entanglements and conflicts between Wu Zetian, Queen Wang, and Consort Xiao. Of course, history is written by the victors, and the reliability of unofficial histories is even lower.
"I have heard some rumors. It is said that Wu Zetian is cunning and ruthless but possesses knowledge and talent that ordinary women do not have. Wu Zetian was originally a concubine of the Former Emperor and went through many trials before finally being with Gaozong, but she only gave birth to her Eldest Daughter at the age of seven.
There are rumors among the people that when Wu Zetian's Eldest Daughter was just one month old, Queen Wang visited Wu Zetian's palace to see her Daughter as a gesture of goodwill. However, at that time, Wu Zetian was not in the palace. Queen Wang intended to leave but couldn't resist her joy upon seeing the princess looking so tender and cute, so she lingered by the bed for a while. All of this was seen by Wu Zetian, who received news back in the palace.
Wu Zetian hurried back, worried that Queen Wang might harm her Daughter. To her surprise, she saw Queen Wang's face filled with affection and joy. In a moment of anger, she devised a poisonous scheme and personally strangled her Daughter, framing it on Queen Wang who had just visited.
Her beloved Daughter died unjustly, enraging Gaozong, who then contemplated deposing her."
"Do you think such rumors are credible?"
Xing Ruyi shook her head.
"I personally believe their credibility is low."
"Why?"
Xi Er asked curiously.
"It's simple. Based on Wu Zetian's intelligence and strategy, there are many ways she could have used to replace Queen Wang. There was no need to sacrifice her own Daughter."
"Indeed! Wu Zetian was originally a consort of the Former Emperor. After the Former Emperor passed away, she was sent to a monastery for seclusion, far away from the imperial city.
The young lady understood that the distance Xi Er referred to was not the actual distance traveled by horse and carriage, but rather the insurmountable gap between a secluded Former Emperor's consort and the current monarch. Yet, Wu Zetian effortlessly crossed that gap. Not only did she return to the imperial city, but she also defeated countless beautiful young consorts, becoming the most favored woman in Gaozong's harem.
It is normal for such a formidable woman to be feared. However, just like what Ruyi mentioned earlier, if she wanted to replace Queen Wang, there were many methods she could employ without sacrificing her own Daughter.
The reason Wu Zetian resented Queen Wang so much that she even forced Gaozong to depose her fundamentally lies with Consort Xiao."
Xi Er paused briefly before continuing, "The Xiao family has been in Gaozong's harem for a long time. Even when Gaozong was still Crown Prince, she was by his side. Because she was very adept at understanding Gaozong's thoughts and was exceptionally beautiful, she gained much favor.
Not long after entering the Crown Prince's residence, she gave birth to what would later become Princess Xu Wang Li Sujie, as well as two other princesses, Yiyang and Xuancheng. After Gaozong ascended to the throne, she became Consort Shu, yet her favor did not diminish and gradually put her in opposition to Queen Wang. She even privately requested multiple times for Gaozong to make her son the Crown Prince. However, due to her background and Queen Wang's family connections, she was never able to achieve her wish.
What methods were used by the secluded Wu Zetian remain unknown, but it is known that it was through Queen Wang that Wu Zetian returned to the palace.
There are two speculations regarding this matter. One is that a relative of Queen Wang inadvertently discovered that even when Wu Zetian was merely a concubine of the Former Emperor, she had an affair with Gaozong, which left a lasting impression on him.
Thus, they privately facilitated a meeting between Gaozong and Wu Zetian, allowing their old feelings to reignite. Coupled with Wu Zetian's intelligence and ability to seize opportunities, she transformed from being a mere player in the game into one who dictated its outcome. She successfully achieved a reversal.
The other theory is that out of nostalgia, it was proposed by Gaozong himself that he would ask Queen Wang to bring back Wu Zetian. The reason why Queen Wang agreed was that she underestimated Wu Zetian, and in her competition with Consort Xiao, she had already fallen behind and urgently needed a trump card. The appearance of Wu Zetian, along with Gaozong's nostalgia, gave her hope—a chance to overthrow Consort Xiao.
As we all know now, after entering the palace, Wu Zetian gained favor and rose through the ranks, ultimately replacing Consort Xiao as Gaozong's most beloved woman. As for Consort Xiao, she lost favor and allied herself with Queen Wang. Eventually, she failed in her court struggles against Wu Zetian.
On the twenty-third day of the tenth month in the sixth year of Yonghui, Gaozong issued an edict deposing both Queen Wang and Consort Xiao, reducing them to commoners.
Seven years later, Gaozong established Wu Zetian as Empress.
On the first day of November, Sikong Li Ji received an imperial decree to attend the ceremony at the palace, where civil and military officials gathered at Suyi Gate to pay their respects, calling out "Long live the Queen" three times. The women of the inner court also came to pay their respects.
In the following year, in January, Crown Prince Li Zhong was deposed and granted the title of Liang Wang. Wu Zetian's eldest son, Li Hong, was established as the new Crown Prince.
However, amidst this palace upheaval, there remained a point of suspicion: why did Queen Wang agree to ally with Consort Xiao? It is known that Wu Zetian was brought back by Queen Wang herself. After much effort, Queen Wang had managed to outmaneuver Consort Xiao with Wu Zetian's help; now, joining forces with Consort Xiao again—was she not afraid that if the Xiao family regained power, everything would revert to how it was before? Did she not fear that all her hard work over the years would be in vain?
Queen Wang was certainly afraid, but what terrified her even more was another matter: she discovered that Wu Zetian was no ordinary person but a Fox Demon who bewitched emperors.
This incident began when Queen Wang visited Wu Zetian's princess. When Queen Wang lifted her head and inadvertently glanced at the wall, she saw half a shadow. From the shadow's attire and figure, she deduced it was Wu Zetian.
Queen Wang had come uninvited; now seeing Wu Zetian partially concealed outside made her feel quite awkward. Just as she pondered what to say, she felt a sudden warmth in her chest. Looking down, she noticed that the Jade Token she wore around her neck was glowing.
This Jade Token had been given to Queen Wang by a Master she encountered in her youth. Over the years, it had not shown any remarkable abilities; she simply wore it out of habit since childhood.
At this moment, seeing the Jade Token inexplicably radiate heat puzzled her further. When she looked up again, she noticed that the half-shadow on the wall had changed.
The shadow still resembled Wu Zetian but now sported several fox-like tails. Alarmed, Queen Wang hurriedly fled.
After Queen Wang and Consort Xiao were deposed, they were imprisoned in a secret chamber within the palace. The chamber had high walls with no doors or windows; only a small hole was opened in one door for food delivery.
Wu Zetian came to visit but found Queen Wang's eyes bloodshot as she shouted at her, "Tang Dynasty Tian Shou! You deceiver of kings! I have seen your Nine Fox Tails with my own eyes."
Wu Zetian was taken aback and went to investigate. She soon learned that it was not Queen Wang who harmed her eldest daughter; rather, other concubines in the palace had bribed a maidservant to take advantage of Queen Wang's visit to the princess and strangled her daughter, then framed Queen Wang for the crime.
From Queen Wang's personal maidservant, Wu Zetian also learned that Queen Wang had obtained a Rare Stone which revealed to her that Wu Zetian was not an ordinary person but a transformed Tang Dynasty Tian Shou who bewitched the Emperor.
Upon discovering the truth, although Wu Zetian felt some guilt for being misled and falling for others' schemes, there was no remedy for what had happened. She ordered constant surveillance on both Queen Wang and Consort Xiao, confining them so they could see neither day nor night and could only weep and share their sorrows.
Had it not been for Gaozong's sudden decision to visit these two women, perhaps their fate would not have been so tragic.
"But what does Gaozong know?"
Xing Ruyi asked, straightening her back, feeling somewhat fatigued. She did not expect that the Luo Family's affairs were also entangled with Wu Zetian.
"Yes! Gaozong knows. On a clear day, Gaozong remembered the deposed Queen Wang and the once beloved Consort Xiao, and he wanted to see them. The inner palace officials guided Gaozong to the secret chamber where the two were imprisoned. The door was tightly secured, with only a small hole for food to be passed through. Gaozong couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow upon seeing this. He stepped forward and loudly inquired if the Queen and the Consort were still alive and how they had been during these days.
Upon hearing the Emperor's voice just outside the door, Queen Wang and Consort Xiao were overjoyed and wept uncontrollably. Especially Queen Wang, who rushed to the hole and recounted everything that had happened on the day she visited the princess, then knelt down in despair. Although she could no longer see the sun, for Gaozong's safety, she implored him to send a Master to take a careful look. After all, they had been husband and wife; even if she were to die, she hoped for Gaozong's well-being."
Gaozong was somewhat surprised, but overwhelmed with emotion and teary-eyed, he agreed to Queen Wang's request and promised that if Wu Zetian were indeed a demon, he would eradicate her.
The secret conversation between Gaozong and Queen Wang quickly reached Wu Zetian's ears. Once Gaozong left, she immediately ordered that both Queen Wang and Consort Xiao be beaten with a hundred strikes each until they were bloodied and bruised.
Even so, the two continued to shout that Wu Zetian was a demon who bewitched the ruler and brought chaos to the kingdom. Furious, Wu Zetian commanded that their hands and feet be chopped off and that they be placed in wine jars.
At this point, Ruyi, do you understand now? The figures seen in Wu Zetian's Nightmare are indeed Queen Wang and Consort Xiao from that day, and what Wu Zetian fears is her own Tang Dynasty Tian Shou form."
After listening to Xi Er's words, Xing Ruyi shook her head.
"I think what Wu Zetian truly fears is not her fox demon form but rather that Gaozong might discover her true nature as a fox demon. Someone once told me that Wu Zetian is the person in this entire world who cares for and loves Gaozong the most. Because of love, she harbors new fears."
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