King Pei said coldly: "So you already knew that I had colluded with Shangguan Wan'er. Then why didn't you tell the Queen Mother? Could it be that you intentionally caused today's situation?"
Wu Chengsi was slightly startled, but he accidentally asked Pei Wang to hold the conversation. He looked at Wu Mei and saw that her eyes were calm and she was not provoked.
Princess Taiping said hurriedly: "How did you know that your second cousin didn't tell your mother?"
Wu Mei said calmly: "Yes, Chengsi has already told me that it was my inattention that allowed this bitch to take advantage of me."
King Pei snorted coldly and said: "Wu Chengsi, you brought back the Western Rebellion Army without authorization. If the four towns of Anxi are lost, you will be the sinner of our dynasty!"
Princess Taiping said angrily: "Li Xian, you only beat him every time. If you hadn't played these tricks, how could your second cousin have led the troops back?"
King Pei said loudly: "This king is trying to bring order out of chaos. As long as it succeeds, the Tang Dynasty will no longer have potential internal troubles and will only become stronger and stronger."
"You are confusing right and wrong!" Princess Taiping said angrily.
Li Xian stopped paying attention to her, glanced at Wu Chengsi, and said: "I deliberately told you through Shangguan Wan'er that the defenses in the four towns of Anxi have been known to the Tubo people. I just want you to change your defenses again, so as to severely injure the Tubo people.
"
Then he shook his head and said: "It's a pity that you wasted all my arrangements."
Wu Chengsi sneered and said: "Li Xian, you don't have to pretend. Your original plan with the Tubo people was just to let the Tubo people raid the four towns of Anxi, and they would withdraw as soon as the reinforcements arrived, right?"
King Pei was shocked: "How did he know?"
"What nonsense! I, the Tubo people, and Shewei are just trying to plot against them! This time they attacked Anxi in a big way. I wanted you to lead the Anxi army to destroy them, but it's a pity that you ignored the threat of foreign enemies and led the army back without permission!"
All the ministers were secretly frightened after hearing this. If the four towns of Anxi failed, not only would the Silk Road be cut off, but Chang'an would also face a direct threat from the Tibetans!
Wu Chengsi said leisurely: "Li Xian, you are really right. The Ministry of War has received information and the Tubo Kingdom has mobilized a large number of grain, grass, chariots and horses. They really plan to invade the four towns of Anxi this time."
Li Xian's face changed slightly, and he immediately said loudly: "You all heard it, right? Wu Chengsi also admitted what I just said. If the four towns of Anxi are lost, he will be the number one sinner!"
Li Ji had great trust in Wu Chengsi and did not ask. Pei Yan, Liu Qixian and others all asked: "Your Highness, King Zhou, will there be no problems in the Four Towns of Anxi?"
Wu Chengsi said calmly: "Don't worry, everyone, the Western Rebellion Army has now arrived at the Fourth Town of Anxi, and is personally led by General Xue."
King Pei was surprised and said: "You divided the army from the west?"
Cen Changqian suddenly said: "His Royal Highness King Zhou, I heard from my subordinates that you led 30,000 troops back to Chang'an this time. Does this mean that there are only 20,000 troops rushing to the aid of the four towns in Anxi?"
The ministers had just breathed a sigh of relief, but they suddenly thought that with only 20,000 reinforcements, it would be difficult to fight against the army of Tucao people.
Wu Chengsi shook his head and said: "No, all the troops from the West are rushing to the aid of Anxi, no less than 50,000 men."
King Pei said angrily: "That's nonsense, so the army you brought back to Chang'an was your conjuration?"
Wu Chengsi said calmly: "These 30,000 people are not the Western Army, but 10,000 Zuowu Army and 20,000 Shandong Mansion Army."
Li Ji smiled slightly. After he saw Hei Te Chang, he guessed that this group of troops might be Zuo Wujun from Yangzhou.
Princess Taiping said happily: "Second cousin, tell me quickly, what is going on?"
Wu Chengsi said: "Before leaving Chang'an, I sent people to Yangzhou to mobilize the 10,000 Zuo Wu troops there, and asked them to recruit government troops on the road to form a force of 30,000 troops."
"After the Western Expedition Army arrived in Huizhou, I ordered the army to rest where it was, and at the same time ordered this group of troops to come over. Then I asked Xue Rengui to lead the Western Expedition Army to continue northward, and I led the 30,000-strong army back to Chang'an."
King Pei was stunned, and after a long while, he smiled bitterly and said: "Okay, it was indeed a foresight. It is not unfair for me to lose at your hands."
Wu Chengsi smiled and said: "Li Xian, don't make a mistake. If it's just to deal with you, I don't have to go to such great lengths. I'm making these arrangements to deal with another person!"
At this time, not only King Pei was shocked, but the people around him were also shocked.
"Second cousin, who are you trying to deal with?" Princess Taiping asked urgently.
Li Ji reacted the fastest and said with a gleam in his eyes: "Chengsi, are you talking about Qin Ling to confuse you?"
Wu Chengsi smiled slightly: "Exactly!"
No one understood what the two were talking about, and even Wu Mei couldn't help but ask: "What do you mean by this?"
Wu Chengsi glanced at the pale-faced King Pei and said, "Although our King Pei keeps saying that he wants to plot against Qinling, the real situation is that he was plotted against by the Tubo people."
King Pei was shocked and angry: "How did he plot against me?"
Wu Chengsi said: "You may not know that when I arrived in Huizhou, someone exposed your plan to me and hoped that I would lead the troops back to Chang'an!"
King Pei was startled, and then his face turned paler. He was not stupid, and he already understood that it was Lun Qinling who leaked the information.
Wu Chengsi continued: "When Lun Qinling colluded with you, he planned to use you to seize the four towns of Anxi. He pretended to agree to your raid on the four towns of Anxi and then withdrew after the attack. In fact, he was secretly actively preparing for war and planned to annex the four towns of Anxi in one fell swoop. town."
Li Xian was in a daze and couldn't say a word.
Wu Mei said coldly: "Li Xian, do you think the Tubo people are really that easy to deal with? For them, as long as there is civil strife in the Tang Dynasty, they will have an opportunity to take advantage of it. They don't care who wins in the end."
Li Xian lowered his head, his face ashen.
Liu Qixian said sincerely: "His Royal Highness the King of Zhou is able to relieve the crisis in Chang'an without affecting the rescue of the four towns in Anxi. It is really admirable."
Li Ji smiled and said: "Liu Shizhong, you are wrong. Chengsi's arrangement will not only not affect the rescue of the four towns in Anxi, but also give Lun Qinling a severe lesson!"
Liu Qixian hurriedly asked: "How to teach him a lesson?"
Li Jidao: "Since Qinling can reveal Li Xian's plan to Chengsi, he must have done a lot of detailed work in our court. Then Chengsi will return with 30,000 troops from Huizhou, will he not know about it?"
Wu Yizong interrupted: "So what if he knows?"
Wu Youji glanced sideways at him and said: "Brother, the total number of troops in the Western Expedition is only 50,000. When the Tubo people saw that the second brother had brought 30,000 back to Chang'an, they must have concluded that there are only 20,000 to rescue the four towns of Anxi."
Wu Yizong frowned and said, "But there are indeed 50,000 troops in the West Army. Can't they see that?"
Even Princess Taiping couldn't help but roll her eyes at him and said: "Elder cousin, can you stand outside the military camp and see how many people are in the camp at a glance!"
Wu Yizong scratched his head and said: "Well, that's true."
Li Jidao: "In fact, those detailed works can reveal some clues based on the camps where the army has been stationed, but as long as we do some tricks, we can confuse them."
Wu Chengsi nodded and said: "You are right. After passing Huizhou, General Xue will reduce the number of buried pots, making the Tubo people think that there are only 20,000 troops left in the Western Rebellion Army."
King Pei's face turned blue and white. He always thought highly of himself. Not only did he lose to Wu Chengsi this time, but he was also almost tricked by Lun Qinling. He felt ashamed and angry.
At this moment, Cen Changqian shouted: "Traitor, let the Queen Mother go quickly, or you will be dead and dismembered in an instant!"
Wu Chengsi was furious. He said so much just to break the will of King Pei and make him take the initiative to surrender.
Cen Changqian's words were obviously intended to reignite King Pei's anger.
Li Ji, Liu Qixian, Pei Yan and others are all smart people, and they all understand Cen Changqian's thoughts. Pei Yan said coldly: "General Cen, your crime of bewitching the emperor has not been counted against you, how dare you speak nonsense here now? "
Li Hong said hurriedly: "I was deceived by Li Hong!"
When Wu Chengsi saw their disturbance, King Pei's expression returned to normal, and he became angry and said: "Li Hong, shut up!"
Dai Zhide said angrily: "His Royal Highness, King Zhou, how can you call His Majesty by his first name?"
Wu Youji slapped him with his backhand and said coldly: "You are the traitorous villains who have been bewitching the emperor all day long. If you dare to say anything more, I will chop you up!"
When Dai Zhide saw that no one among the ministers spoke for him, how could he dare to speak any more?
King Pei had regained his composure at this time, looked at Wu Chengsi and said: "King Zhou, I want to make a deal with you. If you let me and I leave, we will let the Queen Mother go. How about that?"
Wu Chengsi almost did not hesitate: "If you agree to release them, I can ensure that you leave Chang'an safely!"
King Zheng said hurriedly: "King Zhou, we can't agree to them! If this matter spreads, the dignity of the court will be lost, and the world will laugh at me!"
Qiu Shenji said coldly: "What does King Zheng mean by this? If the Queen Mother is allowed to die here, the world will not laugh at you?"
Princess Taiping also said angrily: "Uncle Wang, are you just looking forward to the death of your mother?"
King Zheng asked anxiously: "I only said that I would not let them leave, but didn't I say that I would not save the Queen Mother?"
Li Ji smiled and said: "I think Prince Zheng already has a good strategy to save the Queen Mother, so please use it."
King Zheng opened his mouth, then closed it again and stopped speaking.
Liu Qixian said loudly: "When something like this happens to the royal family, it is helpless to be criticized by the people. At present, saving the Queen Mother is the most important thing. I agree with His Highness King Zhou's decision!"
Lou Shide, Pei Yan, Li Jingxuan and others all agreed.
Qiu Shenji immediately said: "His Royal Highness King Pei, we have agreed to your request. Please release Your Highness the Queen Mother quickly!"
King Pei sneered: "If I let them go now, even if Wu Chengsi is willing to let us go, how can the Queen Mother give up?"
Wu Mei said slowly: "Li Xian, what Chengsi said is the same as what I said. I promise you that I will not attack you in Chang'an City."
King Pei thought: "Wu Mei made such a promise in front of the civil and military officials of the court, and will not break it easily." He looked at Li Dan and said, "You can release him, but he must be at the gate of the city. King Zhou, prepare something for us." Thirty fast horses."
Wu Chengsi said: "Okay." He turned around and ordered: "Bring thirty good horses over and find a carriage."
"There is no need for a carriage." King Pei said loudly: "Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother is not bad at riding, so please let her ride with us."
After a while, the horses were brought in. King Pei ordered all his men to get on their horses and surround Wu Mei in the middle.
Glancing at Shangguan Wan'er who was trembling on the ground, he thought to himself: "This girl is bound to die, and Wu Chengsi doesn't care whether she lives or lives. Carrying her around is a burden."
He didn't take Guan Wan'er with him and drove his horse towards the palace.
The ministers and guards had already made way for them to pass.
King Pei looked back and suddenly saw Wu Chengsi running quickly towards Shangguan Wan'er and picking her up. He thought to himself: "It's not good, let him be deceived."
Then he thought about it, Shangguan Wan'er was bound to die, and Wu Chengsi must be in great pain for caring so much about her. He felt a burst of revenge in his heart, and said loudly: "Wu Chengsi, she has taken poison, and there is no cure!"
After saying that, he led the people and ran wildly outside the palace. All the ministers mounted their horses and chased after him.
Wu Chengsi felt cold all over and picked up Shangguan Wan'er. He saw her eyes were red, her eyes were blurred, a look of pain appeared on her face, and her whole body was still shaking.
He picked up Shangguan Wan'er, walked into the Buddhist hall, and said loudly: "Ask the imperial doctor over quickly!"
Wu Youji agreed and rode to see the imperial doctor himself.
Wu Chengsi placed Shangguan Wan'er on the soft couch in the Buddhist hall.
Shangguan Wan'er held his wrist tightly, digging her nails into his skin, and said intermittently: "Your Majesty... have you really... never... believed in me?"
Wu Chengsi shed tears in his eyes and said anxiously: "No! No! You are the person I trust most, and those words I just said were all to deceive Li Xian!"
Shangguan Wan'er smiled miserably: "With...your words...I...I can die with peace of mind!"
Wu Chengsi yelled: "No, I won't allow you to die. You won't die. The imperial doctor will be here soon."
Shangguan Wan'er said weakly: "Your Highness...I'm going to die...you...hold me tight!"
Wu Chengsi hugged her tightly. At first he felt that her body was shaking, but later he found that even the shaking had stopped and she was motionless.
Wu Chengsi felt a twinge of pain in his heart and thought she was dead. When he looked down, he saw Shangguan Wan'er's eyes wide open, looking at him.
Wu Chengsi was surprised and said: "Wan'er, are you feeling better?"
Shangguan Wan'er shook her head and said, "I don't know either. It was a little painful just now, but it gradually stopped hurting."
Wu Chengsi was surprised and delighted: "As long as it doesn't hurt, it'll be fine!"
Shangguan Wan'er said sadly: "Your Highness, what they forced me to take was the most poisonous medicine. I won't survive. I may be able to recover now."
Wu Chengsi looked at her face carefully, frowned and said, "Don't talk nonsense, maybe they are scaring you. I see you look better."
Shangguan Wan'er shook her head in disbelief, closed her eyes and said, "Your Highness, I'm going to die, you still hold me like you did just now, okay?"
Wu Chengsi held her in his arms again. After a while, he saw that she was motionless. He looked down and found that she was still looking at him with her big eyes open, and he couldn't help but smile.
Shangguan Wan'er bit her lip and said resentfully: "I'm going to die, and you still laugh!"
Wu Chengsi smiled and said: "I see you are getting more and more energetic, you probably won't die!"
Shangguan Wan'er also felt that her condition was getting better and better, and she was secretly happy in her heart, but she still said: "How could it be? That bad handsome man said that I took the most poisonous of the four poisons, how could it be possible that everything is fine?"
Wu Chengsi didn't understand the reason and said with a smile: "Maybe the poison has expired."
"What is expiry?"
"It's just that if you leave it for a long time, the poison will lose its effectiveness!"
Shangguan Wan'er said: "No, I was really in pain before, and now I don't have any strength at all. The poison is effective."
At this moment, Wu Youji strode in, followed by a middle-aged man with a black beard. The man cupped his hands and said, "Meet His Highness the King of Zhou." It was Liu Shenwei, the chief imperial physician.
Wu Chengsi waved his hand and said: "Doctor Liu, there is no need to be polite. Please quickly diagnose Wan'er's pulse and check her condition."
Liu Shenwei agreed and put his hand on Shangguan Wan'er's wrist.
Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and he said in surprise: "This girl is poisoned by a mixture of toxins, and each poison is extremely powerful. I'm afraid..."
Shangguan Wan'er's beauty turned pale and she was sobbing.
Wu Chengsi frowned and said: "Mr. Liu, I look at Wan'er looking pretty good. Are you sure you didn't make a mistake in your diagnosis?"
Liu Shenwei glanced at Shangguan Wan'er and found it strange that she was crying very energetically.
I continued to check my pulse carefully, and suddenly there was a "hey" sound.
Wu Chengsi asked hurriedly: "What's wrong?"
Liu Shenwei said happily: "Has this girl taken any antidote elixir recently?"
Wu Chengsi was stunned, then clapped his hands and said: "Ah, yes, he has taken a heart-protecting pill, which was refined by Mr. Li using fifteen kinds of medicinal materials."
Liu Shenwei twisted his beard and smiled and said: "This girl is really lucky. The elixir refined by Li Zhongshu is extremely magical, and she took it before taking the poison, which just happened to protect her heart."
Shangguan Wan'er raised her pretty face and said, "I, don't I need to die?"
Liu Shenwei smiled and said: "Yes, as long as you protect your heart, you can slowly heal and dissolve the toxins."
Wu Chengsi felt relieved and said: "Mr. Liu, I will leave Wan'er to you for the time being."
Liu Shenwei agreed, and Wu Chengsi touched Shangguan Wan'er's head and said, "Take good care of yourself, and I'll go check on the Queen Mother."
Shangguan Wan'er hesitated for a moment, as if she wanted to say something, but then she shook her head and said, "Okay, go ahead."
Wu Chengsi sent a team of guards to protect Shangguan Wan'er, then left Cixin Hall and chased outside the palace.
When we walked to Zhuque Street, we saw Wu Mei coming back surrounded by all the ministers.
When Wu Mei was kidnapped by King Pei and King Yin just now, King Pei had promised to release her, so naturally all the ministers followed closely, and everyone tried their best to show concern for the Queen Mother so that the Queen Mother could see her.
When they arrived at Mingde Gate, King Pei abided by the agreement, released Wu Mei, and left with his people.
All the ministers rushed to Wu Mei's side to express their concern.
However, Wu Mei looked around, but could not see Wu Chengsi. She frowned and asked, "Where is Chengsi?"
Qiu Shenji immediately said: "Queen Mother, His Royal Highness the King of Zhou seems to have stayed at Cixin Hall."
Le Sihui said: "I saw him hugging the palace maid."
Zhang Guangfu shook his head: "It's true that His Royal Highness the King of Zhou, at that time, the safety of His Highness the Queen Mother was the most important thing, but he went to care about the palace maids."
Wu Mei glared at him coldly, her face as cold as frost. Zhang Guangfu immediately realized that flattery was slapped on the horse's leg and he quickly shut up.
Except for Wu Chengsi, Li Hong didn't follow either. Wu Mei didn't ask any questions and went to Fenghu with a sullen face without saying a word.
At this time, there were many people watching the excitement around. Wu Mei did not want to stay here for a long time and immediately ordered to return to the palace.
Halfway through the journey, I met Wu Chengsi.
Wu Mei hurriedly opened the car curtain and shouted: "Chengsi, come up."
Wu Chengsi agreed and went to Wu Meifeng's house.
Wu Mei showed a soft smile and said: "Chengsi, thanks to you this time, otherwise I would really be harmed by Li Xian."
Wu Chengsi said softly: "I still underestimated Li Xian. I knew he had a conspiracy, but I didn't take enough precautions and almost let him hurt you."
Wu Mei shook her head and said: "I am too careless." After a pause, she asked nonchalantly: "How is Shangguan Wan'er's situation?"
Wu Chengsi was silent for a while and said, "She's fine."
After saying that, I carefully observed Wu Mei's expression and saw a cold light flashing in her eyes, with murderous intent looming, and she said in a sincere tone: "Aunt, can you forgive Wan'er?"
The smile on Wu Mei's face disappeared instantly. She stared at Wu Chengsi closely and said in a cold voice: "Chengsi, if this bitch hadn't betrayed me, I would never have suffered the humiliation today! But you asked me to forgive her?"
Wu Chengsi looked at her and said slowly: "She acted so violently for a reason. Just for the sake of my nephew, please spare her once!"
"No! You don't know how humiliated I am today! I will never spare her!"
Wu Chengsi's face became more solemn and said: "Aunt, she is the woman that my nephew likes. My nephew wants to make her his concubine, please make it happen!"
Wu Meifeng's eyebrows were raised, Wu Chengsi's eyes were stern, and the aunt and nephew looked at each other, neither of them willing to give in.
After a long time, Wu Mei said slowly: "When I was kidnapped by Li Xian and left the palace just now, you stayed with Shangguan Wan'er and did not chase me to save me. Is she more important to you than me?
"
Wu Chengsi was stunned for a moment and then said with a smile: "Of course not. Wan'er was in danger at that time, and Li Xian had promised to let you go, so my nephew stayed to save her."
Wu Mei was silent for a while, and then said slowly: "Chengsi, apart from Emperor Taizong and the late Emperor, you are the only person I can trust and rely on. Although I hate Shangguan Wan'er very much, I don't want to let her have any relationship with her.
It doesn't matter if you have a quarrel, let's forget about it."
Wu Chengsi cupped his hands and said sincerely: "Aunt, my nephew apologizes to you for her."
Wu Mei did not want to mention Shangguan Wan'er again, so she changed the subject and said: "Chengsi, although King Pei planned this incident, the emperor's actions are chilling. I want to abolish him and install Li Xian."
Do you think it’s appropriate for me to be an emperor?”
Wu Chengsi nodded and said, "My nephew has no objection."