Chapter 7: The Scene of the Capture

Chapter 7: The Moment of Being Caught

Li Zhen’s composure shattered; he desperately wanted to flee but found himself unable to escape.

Beside him, Li Qing nudged Li Shimin with his elbow, grinning mischievously. “Actually, our timing’s off. Just now, behind the screen, I spotted a golden hairpin peeking out from under the covers.”

As someone with experience, Li Er immediately understood and “figured out” why Li Zhen had been stammering earlier. He flashed a knowing smile that only men would understand and patted Li Zhen on the shoulder. “No wonder you looked like that just now. Qingshu and I will wait outside for a moment. You’re about to make the empress, yet you’re still playing around like this.”

He added with a chuckle, “Quite the spirit of a father in his youth.”

With that, Li Er and Li Qing exchanged a smile and stepped outside.

In truth, Li Shimin had misunderstood. He assumed Li Zhen’s secretive behavior meant he was having a covert tryst with a concubine behind the empress’s back, never imagining the woman in bed was the lawful empress herself, nor did he grasp the true reason behind Li Zhen’s furtiveness.

In that room were four people—everyone but Li Shimin was in on the secret.

When Li Er and Li Qing left, Li Zhen immediately slipped behind the screen, lifted the covers, and whispered anxiously, “What do we do? What do we do?!”

“Don’t panic, young lord,” Wu Meiniang smiled gently, infusing Li Zhen with boundless strength. “Here’s the plan: I’ll find a chance to sneak out through the window. Your father obviously has urgent matters and won’t stay until tomorrow. Once I’m out, I’ll have my sister come over to help cover for us. How does that sound?”

“Excellent! Meiniang, you truly are my strategist,” Li Zhen said, calming instantly as he clasped her hand with affectionate earnestness.

Meanwhile, the two inside the room were still lingering; once Li Shimin stepped outside, he looked at Li Qing with concern.

“My worthy brother…”

“What troubles you?”

“I wonder if I was wrong to pass the throne to the young lord…” Li Shimin’s eyes flickered. “I thought him pure-hearted, that he’d treat his brothers well when he ascended, but…”

He hesitated deeply. Killing brothers was one thing, but letting Zhangsun Wuji wield unchecked power—that was Li Shimin’s greatest dread.

Li Qing seized the moment and countered, “Brother Li, what do you think is the least important quality for an emperor?”

“The least important? I honestly don’t know. Enlighten me, dear brother.”

“We’re just standing here anyway. Let’s walk and talk, like a stroll.”

“Perfect.”

“In my opinion, the least important thing might be the emperor’s personal virtue,” Li Qing said sympathetically, patting Li Shimin’s shoulder. “Take Emperor Wu of the Former Han, Liu Che. Though he was a scoundrel—cold-hearted and lustful enough to not spare even his cousin Liu Ling—there’s no denying he gave our people lasting confidence.”

“When discussing political figures, achievements come first, then capability, and personal morality last.” Li Qing winked at Li Shimin. “Just like you, Brother Li, you killed your brothers and took the wife of Prince Chaola as a concubine, but none of that stopped you from becoming an emperor for the ages.”

“An emperor for the ages?” Li Shimin’s body trembled, utterly surprised at how highly Li Qing regarded him. “You think I… am that?”

“Of course, Brother Li—you deserve that title,” Li Qing said with a smile. “And about your eldest nephew’s personal matters, don’t take them too seriously. Later historians generally hold Tang Gaozong Li Zhen in high regard…”

“Enough about the young lord. Tell me in detail about being an emperor for the ages!” Li Shimin’s eyes blazed as he stared at Li Qing. Since the little incident at Xuanwu Gate, he’d carried the burden of his reputation and cared deeply about his legacy.

“We’ll get to that later. First, let’s talk about your eldest nephew.” Li Qing patted Li Shimin’s arm. “Under his rule, the Tang realm reached its greatest extent. That Goguryeo you’ve longed to conquer was destroyed by your son, Li Zhen.”

“Politically, he ushered in the Yonghui era, when the people lived in relative peace and prosperity. Overall, if not for some unexpected events, his reputation could have been even higher.”

“What events?” Li Shimin keenly caught the hint in Li Qing’s words.

“You’ll find out soon enough. No point spoiling it now,” Li Qing said cheerfully, adding, “It will definitely be a surprise.”

Li Shimin was puzzled but refrained from pressing further, instead joining Li Qing in speculating about the identity of Li Zhen’s empress. They almost went through every noble family of count rank and above, yet still could not pinpoint who the empress truly was.

As they reached the back of the Lìzhèng Hall, they heard the window creak open, and a furtive figure suddenly leapt out.

The figure seemed to misstep, tumbling to the ground in a most undignified manner.

“Could that be the concubine your son was secretly meeting?” Li Qing feigned ignorance.

“Probably. But why jump out the window? Let’s go have a look.” Li Shimin tugged Li Qing toward the spot.

…

Wu Meiniang cursed the window ledge under her breath. Had it not been so high, she wouldn’t have stumbled.

Fortunately, the maid she sent to send word had already departed. Now, all that remained was to wait for Wu Shun’s arrival.

Since the empress’s enthronement ceremony was scheduled for tomorrow, Wu Shun, as a member of the empress’s family, had come to the palace and need not worry about curfew.

Choosing Wu Shun had been a lightning-fast decision by Wu Meiniang. First, Wu Shun was her own elder sister, naturally more trustworthy. Second, though a widow, the Tang dynasty’s open-mindedness meant even if Li Shimin disapproved, he could only scold Li Zhen without exposing the fact that Wu Meiniang was the empress.

As Wu Meiniang contemplated this, she suddenly looked up and saw two faces she most dreaded besides her own clanswomen.

Li Shimin and Li Qing.

Li Qing produced the flashlight gifted by the system, its bright beam illuminating Wu Meiniang’s face starkly.

Li Shimin immediately recognized the woman before him.

Although nearly twenty years had passed since the Wu Meiniang of the eleventh year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin was a man of great stature with excellent facial recognition; in an instant, he identified her.

“Meiniang?” Li Shimin raised his voice in disbelief. “Why are you coming out of the Lìzhèng Hall?”

A dreadful possibility crossed his mind—one he did not want to entertain.

Looking up, he caught sight of Li Zhen standing worriedly by the window ledge.

Li Shimin drew a deep breath.

*—Emotional meter +1000...*

Meanwhile, Li Qing’s emotional meter kept rising, reaching nearly ten thousand within less than a minute.

Quite impressive, Brother Li, Li Qing silently admired. Truly a timeless emperor; the emotional points surge… hey.

Among the increments were some contributed by Li Zhen, though not as high—only about five hundred each time.

“Young lord, you’d better give me an explanation!” Li Shimin’s face turned icy as he glared at Li Zhen and then at the sprawled Wu Meiniang. Finding nothing handy nearby, he removed one of his boots, weighing it in his hand—just right.

With a cold sneer, Li Shimin brandished the boot in one hand and grabbed Wu Meiniang with the other, stepping resolutely into the hall.

(End of chapter)