Chapter Forty-one: Hey, What Are You Doing?

In ancient times, the crime of great disrespect could be as severe or as minor as one chose to make it. Much like the phrase "sowing discord within the imperial family," the moment the accusation was uttered, the fault was automatically deemed yours.

Yet, what if what you said happened to be true?

The so-called "sowing of discord" would instantly transform into an act of whistleblowing, an exposure of truth.

Between a father and a son, there still remained the ties of blood; but between a sovereign and a subject, there were only right and wrong.

"Draft the imperial edict: Expand the Hundred Cavalry Agency into the Thousand Cavalry Battalion. Appoint the Valiant and Resolute Commandant Wu An as the Thousand Cavalry Pacification Commandant concurrent with the battalion's garrison commander, bestowed with the Golden Fish Tally, granting him passage across all four quarters.

Should any place sight this credential... it shall be as though We Ourselves are present!"

What the hell? Is this damn thing the Imperial Secret Police?

Listening to the elderly eunuch modulate his voice as he recited the "imperial edict," Wu An secretly wondered to himself whether, in this historical timeline, the current Crown Prince Li Xian was actually Emperor Gaozong's biological son.

If, back then, the son had stepped forward to support Hao Chujun, one could forcefully interpret it as the natural duty of a Crown Prince to speak up for veteran officials—making him a paragon of filial virtue if written into folk tales by commoners.

Yet now that his old man had pulled yet another stunt like this,

this virtuous version of Crown Prince Li Xian was very likely about to become a limited-edition Crown Prince.

Wu An had already grown weary of fighting for others and risking his life in Hexi.

Having closed his eyes and opened them again only to find himself thrown back into this Tang dynasty—forget about becoming some noble young lord or heir, if his old man had just let off a few arrows on the battlefield to satisfy his personal desire for a Tang dynasty armor cosplay, that would have been one thing. But could he genuinely be expected to lay down his life for an emperor?

Right now, Wu An actually found himself longing for the good old days in Hexi.

The mutual scheming and backstabbing within the imperial family were far bloodier than the scenes of bare blades entering and red blades emerging on the battlefield.

How pure the men on the battlefield were; they either did the stabbing or got stabbed...

Tsk, tsk.

Wu An sighed. Holding the imperial edict and the Golden Fish Tally bearing the inscription "As Though I Am Personally Present," he stepped into the Heavenly Empress's bedchamber.

"Aunt, your nephew has arrived."

"Hmm."

The middle-aged beauty was dressing before a bronze mirror. Her hands paused for a moment before she said with slight impatience, "Find a place to sit yourself."

Shangguan Wan'er was standing in attendance beside the Empress. Catching Wu An's gaze, she immediately shot him a fierce glare and quickly averted her eyes.

Wu An quietly looked elsewhere, noticing that the bedchamber lacked its usual languid atmosphere today. There were few court ladies around, but several eunuchs kept carrying in scrolls of official documents and memorials from outside.

Must the Empress be going through menopause?

Add that to the terrifying workload of being the "acting co-emperor," and it would be a wonder if she could maintain a pleasant temper.

"Fine, that will be all."

The Empress said impatiently, and two court attendants immediately stepped back from her side, bowing submissively. Wu An remained silent, kneeling submissively with lowered eyes.

An attendant served him tea. Floating on the surface of the tea were medicinal ingredients like ginseng and deer antler, and the scent of traditional Chinese medicine mingled with a milky fishy odor, hitting one forcefully.

"Don't be in such a rush to greedily drink your tea; I have questions for you."

The Empress seated herself behind the desk and said with displeasure.

Wu An, who had been terrified that he would be forced to drink this cup of tea, felt his heart instantly settle at these words.

"Why did you speak ill of the Crown Prince in the presence of the Emperor?" The Empress glared fixedly at him.

Although she had originally kicked out the once-favored Empress Wang and Consort Xiao as an outsider to become Empress herself, and the Crown Prince of that time, Li Chong, still had to address this young stepmother as Empress Mother—

Still, following the dethronement of the first Crown Prince Li Chong, the subsequent Crown Princes Li Li and the current Crown Prince Li Xian were both her own biological sons.

In the eyes of the current Emperor, apart from the children born to the Empress, he held no paternal affection whatsoever for the other offspring born to various imperial concubines.

Wu An pondered for a moment, then answered without the slightest hesitation:

"This nephew is merely a common man, ignorant of flattering words and deceitful speech. I only know to answer the Emperor's questions truthfully, concealing nothing whatsoever. Does my aunt perhaps feel that your nephew ought not to have done so?"

Have you lost your mind... Hearing this, the Empress widened her eyes in shock. Standing beside her, Shangguan Wan'er immediately rebuked sharply: "Audacious!"

Wu An instantly lowered his head.

Given the Emperor's heavy hints just moments earlier, Wu An was no fool; naturally, he could perceive a certain undertone... The relationship between this father and son of the Li family was somewhat amiss.

Yet under the present circumstances, although Wu An was not deeply versed in court politics, he had at least heard the phrase "mothers are honored through their sons."

As long as Crown Prince Li Xian remained secure and steady, then the Empress's position should likewise be secure, shouldn't it?

And yet, upon closer reflection, things did not seem quite so simple.

The current Emperor was physically frail and sickly, yet obsessed with the pursuit of immortality. By contrast, Crown Prince Li Xian was full of proactive ambition, displaying a level of virtue and capability that lagged behind not even the late Crown Prince Li.

In the eyes of the current officials and the people of the realm, the new Crown Prince's four years occupying the Eastern Palace had amply proven him to be a qualified successor.

The longer Li Xian remained in the Eastern Palace, the more deeply entrenched and stable his authority became.

Yet, would the current Emperor be willing to witness this scene unfold?

Father and son had transformed into sovereign and subject, and the power between the two could only grow at the other's expense.

As his biological mother, as the Empress Mother, what on earth would she truly feel in her heart upon witnessing this?

Wu An sat quietly, his ears filled with the Empress's reprimands, her raging fury seeming to reverberate throughout the entire bedchamber.

Even to outsiders, this scoundrel of a Wu Commandant was the very definition of a fence-sitter—first elevated by the Empress, entirely ungrateful for her grace, only to turn around and cozy up to the Emperor, assisting the latter in plotting against the Empress's own flesh and blood.

Shangguan Wan'er gazed at that unshakeable, crude martial brute sitting as steady as a mountain, a trace of frustrated helplessness flashing through her eyes.

Yet...

Let us not forget, the one currently reigning is not merely a single emperor, but rather... the "Two Saints in the Heavens."

The very existence of Crown Prince Li Xian actually posed a threat to two people.

This imperial couple were both eager to commit the act while simultaneously wishing to erect a monument to their own chastity.

When it came to this matter, neither of them was willing to skip a beat.

Wu An exhaled a soft breath of turbid air. Before him, the Empress had finished venting, her chest heaving violently, her beautiful eyes still glaring angrily at her foolish nephew. Shangguan Wan'er stood behind her, gently patting her back to help soothe her breath.

In the eyes of this imperial couple, was he neither a loyal subject nor a solitary minister, but merely a tool?

Therefore, picking him up to use was completely natural, and casting him aside could be done at any moment.

"The safety and peril of the realm today rests upon the Emperor and the Empress. This subject believes that the actions of the Eastern Palace have already exceeded the boundaries of acting as regent. Not only must they be investigated, but they must be thoroughly and rigorously investigated!"

"You!"

The Empress fiercely massaged her chest and slammed her hand onto the table.

"I have no foolish nephew like you! I do not wish to lay eyes upon you these next few days; get out of my sight and go reflect on yourself!"

...

As night fell, a cold moon hung high in the gloomy sky.

"This is what Her Majesty the Empress commanded me to bring to you. She said the Thousand Cavalry has too many personnel of mixed loyalty; if you do not bestow favors to win them over, she fears those arrogant and unruly soldiers will refuse to submit to you."

Shangguan Wan'er walked into the study, struggling to carry two small chests, her face flushed and rather adorable.

The chests landed heavily on the desk. Wu An casually opened one and caught a glimpse of golden light spilling from within.

A moment later, he closed the lid back down and calmly said:

"These are for me, not for them."

"What did you say?"

Shangguan Wan'er muttered in confusion, "There is not a single loyal confidant of your own faction within the Thousand Cavalry. The Empress is at least still willing to help you win over popular support, yet you remain so greedy for wealth—aren't you being a bit ungrateful?"

"She told you, who are these funds for?"

When the Empress distributed funds, naturally she would not explicitly state their exact purpose; Shangguan Wan'er had merely tried to second-guess her intentions and "speak on the Empress's behalf."

Challenged by Wu An's counter-question, she immediately felt somewhat indignant and retorted: "Since she specifically had me deliver them, they must be to help you! You have no money, and you lack people you can use. Aside from helping you win over popular support, what else could this money possibly be for?"

Shangguan Wan'er felt she had refuted him brilliantly, but the very next second, her mouth dropped open in speechless astonishment at Wu An's words.

Wu An looked at her and asked: "Then have you ever stopped to think?"

"Think about what?"

"You're not as smart as me, nor are you as capable as me, yet the Empress still sends you to my quarters every single night to speak with me."

Wu An asked: "How can you be so certain the Empress didn't send you here to be my wife so it's easier to keep me reeled in?"

Whereupon Shangguan Wan'er's chest began to heave violently as well, clearly pushed past her limits.