Chapter Four: Approach
Li Chengqian stood frozen as if struck by lightning.
“Your Highness, consider this: if Prince Wei ascends the throne, given his relationship with Lord Changsun, how he might treat the Changsun family in the future is uncertain.”
“But if Your Highness inherits the throne, Lord Changsun is your maternal uncle, a pillar of the state.”
“His power and status, as well as the entire family's honor, will be solidified, perhaps even elevated to new heights!”
Listening nearby, Emperor Taizong’s face darkened like iron.
He had never expected Zhao Mu to utter such cutting words!
Changsun Wuji had been his trusted confidant for many years, a brother he relied on deeply.
He refused to believe Wuji would ever conspire to usurp the throne!
Yet Zhao Mu’s words struck a chord deep within him.
Indeed, Wuji’s support for Chengqian seemed excessive.
Could it be that he harbored selfish ambitions?
“Your Majesty, I… I have always been loyal to you and to the Tang Dynasty. Heaven and earth bear witness!” Changsun Wuji could no longer contain himself.
He fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he pleaded in anguish.
In his heart, he too resented Zhao Mu.
Meanwhile, Zhao Mu’s voice continued.
“Your Highness, you must have your own power base, truly loyal only to you and obedient solely to your command! Otherwise, your position as Crown Prince will sooner or later be usurped!”
Emperor Taizong’s brows furrowed even tighter at these words.
Though harsh, Zhao Mu’s speech was not without reason.
Chengqian indeed relied too heavily on Changsun Wuji, possessing almost no true loyalists within the court.
If Wuji truly harbored ill intentions…
Taizong dared not think further.
“Build a new power base?”
Li Chengqian murmured to himself, his eyes clouded with confusion and unease.
“But most ministers are close to my maternal uncle… Where else can I find people?”
Zhao Mu smiled faintly, a look of ‘a pupil ready to be taught’ on his face.
“Your Highness, the world is vast. Are only the court officials the worthy talents? Are there no hidden gems among the mountains and fields, among the common folk?”
Li Chengqian seemed to understand, yet remained somewhat bewildered.
“Brother Zhao means I should recruit those… of lower status?”
“Status has never been the measure of one’s ability,” Zhao Mu said earnestly. “Some may come from humble origins, yet their talents and strategies far surpass those idle scions of noble families. If Your Highness can embrace talents regardless of their background, what great undertaking could fail?”
Li Chengqian felt his blood surge with fervor.
He nodded vigorously. “Brother Zhao speaks truly! I understand now! I shall immediately…”
“Your Highness, wait,” Zhao Mu interrupted. “Building a power base is not accomplished overnight; haste is futile. There is one matter Your Highness must keep firmly in mind.”
Seeing Zhao Mu’s solemn expression, Li Chengqian asked, “What is it? Please, Brother Zhao, enlighten me.”
Zhao Mu spoke deliberately, word by word: “From now on, among those around Your Highness, regardless of gender or rank, you may employ them all.”
“But there is one person you must be especially wary of — a woman surnamed Wu.”
“A woman surnamed Wu?”
Li Chengqian froze, his face filled with doubt and confusion.
“Brother Zhao, what do you mean? Why single out a woman named Wu? Could they be a threat to me?”
He racked his brain, unable to fathom how a woman could pose any danger to him, the Crown Prince of the Tang.
Was it fear of palace intrigue? Or a femme fatale? Yet countless women bore the surname Wu—surely he could not guard against them all?
He could not recall any woman named Wu who stood out enough to warrant such a grave warning.
Next door, the moment Zhao Mu mentioned “a woman surnamed Wu,” Emperor Taizong’s body jolted violently!
He remembered!
Years ago, shortly after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, when he had just ascended the throne and was diligently striving to create a golden age,
A wandering Daoist named Yuan Tiangang had privately foretold the fate of the Tang Dynasty.
“Your Majesty, the Tang will endure long, a prosperous age awaits.”
“However, three generations hence, a woman named Wu will take the throne…”
At the time, Taizong had shivered with dread, all his hair standing on end.
“Woman named Wu…”
Though terrified, he had harbored some doubt, for the Tang was at its zenith, its power rising.
How could a woman supplant the dynasty?
Yet now, hearing this mysterious Zhao Mu again utter a warning linked to “Wu”—and directed at his Crown Prince!
How could this not shake Emperor Taizong to his core?
This matter was known only to him, Yuan Tiangang, and a select few of his most trusted confidants.
Who was this innkeeper Zhao Mu really?!
Was he feigning mystique, or did he truly perceive the heavenly mandate?
Taizong forced himself to calm down, recalling every detail about Yuan Tiangang.
The Daoist had an ethereal aura, spoke cryptically, and was no mere charlatan.
Then who was this Zhao Mu…
Through the crack in the wall, Emperor Taizong fixed his gaze intently on the adjoining private room.
He longed to storm in, seize Zhao Mu by the collar, and demand what he knew!
But reason counseled restraint.
At least for now.
Zhao Mu was too enigmatic; the power he displayed exceeded that of an ordinary tavern owner.
There must be others behind him!
Next door, Li Chengqian remained utterly confused.
He scratched his head and asked, “Brother Zhao, why so? There are so many women named Wu in the world—I cannot guard against each one, can I?”
“Besides, what great skill could a single woman possess to warrant such solemn caution from you?”
Zhao Mu did not answer directly. Instead, he sighed softly.
Li Chengqian instinctively straightened, focusing intently.
Zhao Mu shifted tone and asked, somewhat puzzled, “Your Highness, every time you come to my ‘Heaven on Earth’ tavern, you always choose the most beautiful girls, drink the strongest wine, and gamble with fortunes!”
“This hardly seems the behavior of someone indifferent to pleasures or luxuries.”
Nearby, Emperor Taizong’s ears perked up even further.
This question was precisely what he had long puzzled over!
This child, though never especially diligent, had at least followed the rules.
But at some unknown point, he had fallen into such dissipation and debauchery that his father’s heart ached with sorrow and disappointment.
He had long believed that Chengqian was led astray by bad companions or overwhelmed by the pressures of being heir apparent, causing him to give up on himself.
Could there be some hidden truth behind it all?