Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 171 The Queen's Appointment

"How...how is this possible?" Wu Tao turned pale when he heard the rumor, and murmured to himself in disbelief. The rumor was like a gust of wind, quickly sweeping across the entire Chang'an City, and wherever it went, people were talking about it.

Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand tightly, his eyes full of anxiety and uneasiness: "Tao'er, believe me, I..."

"I believe you." Wu Tao interrupted Hu Bugui without hesitation and looked into his eyes firmly, "I believe you will never do anything to betray the Tang Dynasty." She knew that Hu Bugui needed her support more than ever at this moment.

The doubts from the people and the pressure from the court were like an invisible boulder, which made Hu Bugui breathless. What made him even more heartbroken was that the prime minister, who had always regarded him as a thorn in his side, took this opportunity to fan the flames in front of the emperor, constantly slandering his reputation and trying to overthrow him completely.

Despair spread like a vine in Hu Bugui's heart. Was he really going to be crushed by this unfounded accusation? Would all his efforts be in vain?

At this moment, a faint light appeared in the darkness.

On this day, the Queen's personal maid quietly came to Hu Bugui's residence. The maid brought a letter with the Queen's phoenix seal on the envelope. Hu Bugui opened the envelope and saw lines of beautiful handwriting:

"From the prince: I have heard about the mystery of your life and feel deep sympathy. I believe in your character and hope you will not lose heart. Tomorrow at noon, I will be waiting for you in the deep plum forest of the Imperial Garden."

Hu Bugui held the letter in his hand, feeling mixed emotions. He had never expected that the one who came to his aid at this critical moment was the Queen. The Queen had always lived in seclusion and had never been concerned about worldly affairs, so why did she suddenly care about his affairs? Could there be another hidden story?

At noon on the second day, Hu Bugui avoided everyone and came to the Imperial Garden alone. Deep in the plum forest, the queen in a simple and elegant palace dress was standing there quietly. When she saw Hu Bugui, she smiled and motioned him to sit down.

"Your Highness, there is no need to be so polite. I invited you here today to tell you that not everyone in this palace believes those rumors." The queen's tone was gentle, but with an unquestionable majesty.

"Your Majesty..." Hu Bugui hesitated to speak. He didn't know how to express his gratitude.

The Queen waved her hand, signaling him not to say more, and continued, "Your Majesty, do you know why I believe you?"

Hu Bugui shook his head. He really couldn't understand why the queen trusted him so much.

"Because I am not the biological daughter of the late queen." The queen sighed softly, with a hint of bitterness in her tone, "I am just like the prince, an innocent pawn involved in this power struggle."

Hearing this, Hu Bugui was even more shocked. He had never thought that the queen, who was so high and mighty, actually carried such a heavy secret.

"Your Highness, I know that you must be full of doubts. But please believe me. What I said today is true." The Queen looked at Hu Bugui with sincerity in her eyes. "I will do my best to help you and clear your name."

A ray of hope rose in Hu Bugui's heart. He originally thought that he had reached a dead end, but the appearance of the queen lit a bright light for him, illuminating the direction for him to move forward.

The Queen's words were like a shot of adrenaline, which gave Hu Bugui a glimmer of hope in his despair. He bowed deeply to the Queen and said firmly, "Thank you for your help, I am very grateful!"

The Queen helped Hu Bugui up, a look of determination flashing in her eyes: "Since I have decided to help you, I will naturally do my best. Tomorrow morning, I will plead for you, and you must also be prepared and tell the Emperor everything you know."

The next morning, the emperor came to court as usual, but found that the queen was sitting aside early, contrary to her usual behavior. He was puzzled, but did not ask much. After the ministers finished their reports, the queen stood up and asked the emperor for instructions, hoping to summon Hu Bugui to the palace to explain the mystery of his life to him in person.

The emperor was slightly surprised, but still nodded in agreement. He knew that the queen had always been virtuous and kind, and would not easily interfere in government affairs. This time she was so abnormal, so there must be a reason.

Hu Bugui was soon summoned to the palace. After he kowtowed to the emperor, he told the emperor in detail how he knew his life experience and how he discovered the prime minister's conspiracy. His tone was calm, but every word was clear and powerful, and every word was like a heavy hammer, hitting the emperor's heart.

The more the emperor listened, the gloomier his face became. He never thought that the prime minister, whom he had always trusted, would be such a sinister and cunning person! And he had been kept in the dark all along, and even almost wronged a loyal and honest person!

"Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. Please look into it carefully!" Hu Bugui kowtowed, his tone sincere.

The emperor took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in his heart, and said in a deep voice: "Do you have any evidence for what you said?"

"Your Majesty, I have in my hands letters showing that the Prime Minister is colluding with foreign enemies, as well as evidence of his corruption and abuse of power over the years." Hu Bugui took out a brocade box from his arms and presented it with both hands.

The emperor took the brocade box, opened it, and his face turned livid. Inside the brocade box, there were letters and evidence of crimes, all of which were shocking and made him furious. He suddenly closed the brocade box, his eyes flashed with cold light, and his tone was grim: "What a prime minister, he is so bold! Come, arrest the prime minister for me!"

At the emperor's command, a team of guards rushed in from outside the palace and captured the defenseless prime minister on the spot. The prime minister's face was pale and he struggled desperately, but to no avail. He never thought that the secret he had hidden for many years would be exposed in this way!

"The matter has not been clarified yet. You will be confined to the mansion for now. No one is allowed to visit you without my order!" The emperor glanced at the prime minister coldly, his tone full of disappointment and anger.

The prime minister was escorted away by the guards. The hall was suddenly silent. The ministers were as frightened as cicadas and dared not make a sound. They all realized that a storm was coming...

 Dawn appears

The emperor's fury made the air in the court seem to freeze. The ministers dared not speak, fearing that they would get into trouble. After the prime minister was taken away, the emperor pondered for a moment and waved his hand to signal the end of the court. However, he left Hu Bugui and a burly general alone.

The general's name was Zhao Yong, he was a close confidant of the emperor, a veteran on the battlefield, experienced in combat, and loyal to the emperor. He had a good personal relationship with Hu Bugui, and seeing his heavy face, he knew that the emperor must have something important to entrust to him.

Sure enough, the emperor dismissed his attendants and only left three people in the imperial study. His face was still gloomy, but his tone was much softer: "Bugui, what you said today is of great importance. I need time to verify it. But the prime minister is powerful and has many followers. If we alert the enemy, something unexpected may happen."

Hu Bugui understood the emperor's concerns, and immediately knelt on one knee, saying in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, rest assured. I am willing to do my best to help you find out the truth and restore order to the court!"

The emperor nodded and turned his gaze to Zhao Yong: "General Zhao, you and Bugui investigate this matter together. Be careful and cautious, and don't let the prime minister find out."

"I obey your command!" Zhao Yong clasped his fists and accepted the order, with a determined light flashing in his eyes.

The emperor turned to Hu Bugui again, and his tone was more concerned: "Bugui, you should also be more careful. The prime minister is insidious and cunning. You must not take it lightly."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I understand." Hu Bugui felt warm in his heart, he knew that the emperor really cared about his safety.

Afterwards, the emperor asked Hu Bugui in detail about his knowledge of the prime minister's evidence and discussed the direction and strategy of the investigation with Zhao Yong. By the time everything was arranged, night had fallen.

After leaving the palace, Hu Bugui and Zhao Yong walked side by side, both of them with solemn expressions.

"Bugui, don't worry, the emperor is a wise ruler and will definitely make the decision for you!" Zhao Yong patted Hu Bugui's shoulder with a firm tone.

Hu Bugui looked at him gratefully. He knew that he was not fighting alone. With the support of the emperor and the help of Zhao Yong, he believed that he would be able to expose the prime minister's true face and bring justice to the court!

After returning to the palace, Hu Bugui immediately summoned his confidants to pass on the emperor's order. He knew very well that this was a war without gunpowder smoke, and if he was not careful, he would be doomed. He had to act cautiously and take every step carefully to achieve victory in the end.

The lights in the mansion were on all night, illuminating the busy figures of Hu Bugui and Zhao Yong. They carefully studied the information in their hands, analyzed the situation, and made plans. They knew that this battle had just begun, and what awaited them would be a more severe test...

At this time, in a secluded courtyard far out in the city, Wu Tao was sitting opposite a dusty chivalrous knight. This knight was Li Xiaoyao. He came here to help Hu Bugui overcome his difficulties...

Li Xiaoyao took a sip of tea, put down the teacup in his hand, and said in a steady tone: "Your Majesty's performance in the court today is really pleasing to the people. But this prime minister is cunning and I'm afraid he won't let it go."

Wu Tao frowned slightly and said worriedly: "Yes, although the emperor has entrusted the prince with an important task, there is no solid evidence after all. If the prime minister is desperate, I am afraid..."

"Don't worry, Princess," Li Xiaoyao consoled her. "I have arranged for my friends in Jianghu to conduct a secret investigation. I believe there will be news soon."

Hu Bugui nodded, with a hint of appreciation in his eyes: "Xiaoyao, I'm going to trouble you again this time."

Li Xiaoyao smiled cheerfully: "Your Highness, what are you talking about? There is no need to be so polite between you and me! Besides, it is the duty of chivalrous men like me to eliminate harm for the people!"

In the next few days, Hu Bugui and Zhao Yong remained silent on the surface, but secretly, with the help of Li Xiaoyao and Wu Tao, they actively collected evidence of the prime minister's crimes. Wu Tao used her knowledge and experience from the modern era to provide them with many new ideas and methods. She taught them how to analyze intelligence, how to set traps, how to use public opinion... These novel ideas refreshed Hu Bugui and Zhao Yong and made them look at the princess with new eyes.

On a dark and windy night, Hu Bugui, Zhao Yong and Li Xiaoyao disguised themselves and sneaked into the Prime Minister's residence. Wu Tao waited outside the residence, ready to deal with any emergency. They followed the pre-planned route, avoided the patrolling guards, and sneaked into the Prime Minister's study.

The study was filled with books and files. Hu Bugui and the other two did not dare to alert the enemy and could only search carefully. As time passed, sweat gradually seeped out of their foreheads.

"Found it!" Suddenly, Zhao Yong exclaimed in a low voice. He found a secret letter in a secret compartment, and the envelope was clearly stamped with a foreign seal.

Hu Bugui took the letter, unfolded it and looked at it, his face suddenly turned pale. In the letter, the prime minister colluded with the foreign monarch, intending to cooperate with the outside world and usurp the throne!

"What a wolfish ambition!" Hu Bugui gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with rage.

They carefully put away the letter and searched it thoroughly. After making sure that nothing was missing, they quietly left the Prime Minister's Mansion.

This letter became the ironclad evidence of the prime minister's crime, and also made a breakthrough in the investigation of Hu Bugui and others. However, they did not know that danger was quietly approaching...