Empress Wu suddenly opened her eyes and stood up from the futon: "Who is here?"
"The queen."
"..." Empress Wu frowned, and said bluntly, "Yin Kaiyang?"
Yin Kaiyang folded his arms and leaned on the door frame with one shoulder, dragging a long and strong figure in front of the Buddhist hall. He stared at Empress Wu closely, and seemed to hesitate a bit when he looked carefully, but it didn't last long, and he stepped across the threshold.
— Following this movement, his arm naturally dropped to his side, and the cold light of the dagger slipped out of the cuff.
"Who told you to kill me," Empress Wu said coldly, "Shan Chao?"
Yin Kaiyang didn't answer.
"The secret door has forgotten the old story of helping the king of Wei kill the deposed prince Chengqian through untold hardships, but was picked up by the late emperor in a blink of an eye?" Empress Wu mocked: "Now all the chips are placed on an outcast son of the royal family who can't see the light... Aren't you afraid to repeat the old story?"
Yin Kaiyang paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "But this outcast son of the royal family will not be able to rise to the throne, and the secret door will only lose more."
Empress Wu's pupils constricted, and at this moment, Yin Kaiyang raised the saber brazenly, and it was in front of him in an instant!
A feathered arrow spun through the air, piercing through the front hall like a shooting star, just listen-dang!
In an instant, the dagger in Yin Kaiyang's hand was knocked flying by a sharp arrow, and it was nailed into the crack of the wall with a whirling "Seize!"
Yin Kaiyang and Empress Wu looked at the same time, and the crowd of mortals outside the hall stopped abruptly, shouting loudly like thunder: "—Stop!"
"..." Empress Wu asked in surprise, "Shan Chao?"
Shan Chao got off his horse, picked up Xie Yun in one arm, and strode into the Buddhist hall.
At that moment, many thoughts flashed through Yin Kaiyang's mind, but all the thoughts stopped abruptly before he could take any action—he saw Shan Chao staring at him closely, his gaze seemed to be powerful, and his other hand moved slightly by his side, and immediately There was a clanking sound, it was Long Yuan coming out of the sheath.
Yin Kaiyang took back the half step he had just taken, and said with a smile: "General Shan, why did you suddenly think of coming here?"
Shan Chao let go of the hilt of his sword, and Long Yuan snapped back the sheath. He hugged Xie Yun with both hands and turned to Empress Wu, but he didn't say anything, and asked directly: "Does the Empress want to make a comeback?"
Empress Wu cautiously did not answer.
Shan Chao turned a blind eye to the vigilance in her eyes, briefly narrated what happened today, and asked: "The first emperor's decree cut off the remnants of the Wu family, but King Zhou has just ascended the throne and has not had time to liquidate it. This is the best opportunity for a comeback. .As long as you leave the gate of Qingning Palace, the imperial power is in your hands, do you still want to seize the last chance to sit on that chair?!"
Empress Wu finally asked, "...what happened to Xie Yun?"
Shan Chao's expression was completely calm after breaking the boat. He half-kneeled on the ground, put Xie Yun on his knees, and brushed his loose temple hair: "Ming Chongyan gave you two secret medicines back then, and Hongwan has already used them. So, where is Kuromaru now?"
"… What did you say?!"
"That's what he said." Before Shan Chao could answer, Yin Kaiyang shook his head and sighed, took out something tied with a gold thread from his sleeve, and threw it on the ground in front of Shan Chao with a jingle.
It was an arrowhead with half a palm-sized blue-golden scale nailed to its pointed end. Several cracks had already appeared under the tremendous force, reflecting the brilliant and rippling light like water waves.
Although he had already guessed in his heart, Shan Chao closed his eyes heavily at the moment he saw with his own eyes, and his heart and lungs fell into the abyss with blood and flesh.
"Do you regret it?" Yin Kaiyang joked, "If you didn't take Luoyang to besiege Chang'an, but captured Jinling and ruled the river; It could be a different situation, isn't it?"
"Xie Yun is going to die?" Empress Wu said in disbelief.
Shan Chao took a deep breath, and said hoarsely: "He won't die, if I choose another way, he won't die. How about it, mother? Is it a good deal to exchange that black pill for the supreme power for the rest of your life? "
Empress Wu's expression was complex and inexplicable, struggling, hesitating, suspicious, and fierce... However, she regained her composure after a few short breaths, and this woman who had experienced many ups and downs in her life returned to her truest side—a politician—in an instant. Went to the inner room.
The time became extremely long, and after an unknown amount of time, Empress Wu's figure in a golden dress and rose red palace attire finally turned out from behind the screen wall, holding a vermilion makeup box in her hand, opened the phone and opened it, and the room was filled with fragrance.
On the velvet lay a black and shiny wax pill.
"In the old days on the East Tour Road, in the Puyang Palace, Ming Chongyan said that when the golden dragon is in the ninth fifth, it is the day when Qinglong dies in the west; I thought it was me at the time, but now I think it is wrong. He should avoid Xie Yun and let me know quietly, how could he expose it in front of people? He must have anticipated today's situation at that time."
Shan Chao said coldly: "Destiny is something that is hard to change even if it can be predicted in advance, otherwise how can it be called destiny?"
"That's right, son." Empress Wu picked up the wax pill, looked at Shan Chao carefully as if it was the first time she saw her today, and suddenly asked, "Do you want to know why Taizong sent you as a baby far away to Mobei?" ?”
Shan Chao said, "Instead of talking about this, why don't you tell me whether my biological father is Taizong or the first emperor?"
Unexpectedly, Empress Wu didn't put on a show, but laughed uncontrollably, with the corners of her mouth subtly curled down: "Actually... I don't know either."
"I have seen it," Yin Kaiyang sighed.
"When I was pregnant with you, it was the time when the concubine of the Chu State was very filial, so Taizong ordered the palace to be closed to raise the fetus, and no one would know. I also doubted who your biological father is and how the future will go—is it the mother? Do you want Zigui to gain Taizong's attention, or should you place a bigger bargaining chip on the first emperor? You were born in this hesitant situation."
"But on the day you were born, your Majesty's already recovering condition suddenly turned critical, and Yuan Tiangang said that your fate is extremely unfavorable to the Lord, and you must leave the palace to be raised."
Shan Chao didn't take his eyes off the wax pill in Empress Wu's hand for a moment: "Then why did you send me to Mobei?"
Empress Wu did not directly answer his question: "The above words are all I found out from Emperor Taizong with great effort, and the following are the words I heard when I ascended the post and killed Shangguanyi many years later. I only know about the previous curse—it turns out that there is still a second half of Yuan Tiangang's prophecy."
"After the third generation of Tang Dynasty, the heroine Wu Wang ruled the world for her generation. Only the son of the golden dragon who came from Mobei can change this destiny."
Shan Chao's eyes moved slightly, and a certain question that had puzzled him was suddenly answered: "Shangguanyi?"
Empress Wu said, "Yes."
"...So the year Shangguanyi died, you sent a letter to Mobei to ask Xie Yun to kill me?!"
Empress Wu did not hide her admiration for Shan Chao's ability to think of this: "Yes."
All the time points are strung back and forth. In the year when Xie Yun was exiled, Empress Wu asked him to raise his long-lost flesh and blood, originally with a long-suppressed heart of loving mother; , the curse before her death was leaked, and Empress Wu was shocked to realize that her biological son, who was lost in Mobei, was the biggest obstacle to her "owning the world for generations"...
"...Even if I'm sent to Mobei," Shan Chao said in disbelief, "Why don't you hand me over to a good local family, instead throw me as a slave?!"
Shan Chao didn't have any feelings for his parents at first, after so many years, no matter how big the grievances were, all the grievances have subsided, and his heart is not so much resentment, but surprise and confusion.
"Taizong sent people to Mobei to take care of you, but Mobei is bitterly cold and war-torn, so there are many variables." Empress Wu said calmly: "Furthermore, Taizong went there so suddenly that he didn't have the opportunity to tell Zhengzhan about your existence. At that time, I still had the intention of regaining the favor of the emperor and waiting for the opportunity to return to the palace..."
If Empress Wu had informed the first emperor of the existence of Shan Chao back then, and regarded the first emperor as a person, although he was weak and affectionate, he would not have left Shan Chao, who was suspected of his younger brother or son, outside. But if this is done, Empress Wu, who has nominally given birth to Taizong's son, will never be able to return to the late emperor's harem.
"So during this period of time, I have often thought of Yuan Tiangang's prophecy... You are the only one who can change the fate of my heroine in the world. When we met again in Chang'an eight years ago, I should not have been hindered by Xie Yun, but should have directly slapped me. kill you."
Empress Wu breathed out almost inaudibly, Shan Chao said hoarsely: "Yes, mother. But now the destiny is in your hands, you can decide whether to change it back or not."
After a long silence, Empress Wu slightly raised the black pill in her hand and asked, "Do you know what you gave up?"
Xie Yun frowned slightly when he was asleep, as if he still had lingering pain and worry. Shan Chao smoothed the center of his brows little by little, his calloused fingers trembling slightly, and said, "I know if he dies... then what I will lose is what will happen."
"Back then Taizong killed the child prostitute to satisfy his heart, and the prince Chengqian held a grudge, and was eventually abolished because of conspiracy. Later, the first emperor appointed me as heir, which directly led to the downfall and destruction of the old Guanlong clan. The eldest grandson, Shangguanyi and others were also killed because of this. …”
"Now you are here again." Empress Wu leaned forward, pinched the black pill with two fingers and held it in front of Shan Chao's eyes, and sighed: "You men from the Li family..."
Shan Chao almost trembling took the black pill from her hand, just squeezed the wax skin, suddenly remembered something, scraped off a little powder with his nails and swallowed it by himself.
After a while, he seemed to finally let go of half of his heart, and finally stuffed the black pill that exudes the fragrance of grass and trees into Xie Yun's mouth, and it melted away in an instant.
"..." Xie Yun's breathing became more and more rapid, his face was flushed, and cold sweat ran down his temples. Immediately afterwards, his whole body shimmered, the tattoos spread rapidly, and the dragon head pattern extended from his neck to half of his cheeks, making an indistinct moan.
"Don't worry." Yin Kaiyang seemed to see Shan Chao's mood, and said: "His Azure Dragon Seal is already very weak, and it will be completely stripped off soon without too much pain. In addition, although the foundation of internal strength is still there, But from now on, life, old age, sickness and death are like ordinary people, and I am afraid that in the future, I will not be able to soar like the giant dragon under the city of Luoyang..."
Shan Chao said hoarsely: "Xie Yun doesn't want to die." He stroked Xie Yun's sweaty hair over and over again, and murmured: "He wants to live... I know."
Empress Wu bent down in front of the table and quickly wrote a piece of paper, only to see that it was full of densely packed names and ranks, and she wrote: "These are all my people, and they should not have been liquidated by Li Xian. You let them connect with each other , Check the caliber, and then order the Beiya imperial army and the left and right guards to guard the gates of each palace, summon Dai, Zhang, Lai, Hao and other officials from the Zhongshu Province, and immediately invite the emperor Qianyuan Hall to go to court."
Shan Chao took the paper and said in a low voice: "I will send Ma Xin to the Prince Ji's Mansion to 'invite' Li Dan, and send it to Qingning Palace as soon as possible..."
Empress Wu nodded slightly.
"Furthermore," Shan Chao said, "Mr. Riming rescued Xie Yun on the day of the Dongdu Palace change. This kindness has to be repaid; the secret door will help me break through Luoyang, and I will use it in the future. The above two things are related to credit. , there is absolutely no room for change.”
Empress Wu looked at the gleaming dagger in the crack of the wall, then glanced at Yin Kaiyang who nodded humbly, and said coldly: "Yes, I understand!"
Xie Yun's body convulsed and trembled unconsciously, Shan Chao hugged him horizontally, without any nostalgia, turned and walked out of the Qingning Palace, which will be supreme in the future: "Today, the Qianyuan Dynasty will be opened at Youshi, and I will send people to the palace. Take the Beiya Token as your letter."
"When the sun rises tomorrow, you may be the new master of this world."