Chapter 17 Nobody wants to let me go again

In the first year of Yonghui (650 A.D.), when the female nun Wu Mei was still "watching Zhu Chengbi" and "withered away" in the Ganye Temple, the young emperor Li Zhi was pointing to the Tang Dynasty with a high-spirited attitude. The prosperous and huge prosperous empire left by Emperor Taizong not only gave him strong motivation, but also put him under great pressure, so Li Zhi did not dare to slack off in the slightest.As soon as he came to the throne, he threw himself into the job of the emperor with the vigor and enthusiasm unique to young people.Every day when he went to court, he always said solemnly and sincerely to all civil and military officials: "When I first ascended the throne, those who are inconvenient to the common people should report it, and those who are not exhausted will be sealed." He worked tirelessly overtime, "introduced ten governors into the cabinet every day, and asked about the suffering of the people and their politics."

The new emperor's full enthusiasm for work and style of being diligent and caring for the people quickly won praise from the government and the public, and the people even praised it strongly, saying that the Yonghui administration "has the legacy of Zhenguan" (Volume 199). The young Gaozong Li Zhi devoted himself to the career of a new emperor, and his great sense of freshness and responsibility temporarily diluted his need and longing for love between men and women. The previous short-lived ambiguous love seemed to have disappeared faded from memory.If it hadn't been on the anniversary of Taizong's death, Gaozong Li Zhi had to go to Ganye Temple to enjoy incense as usual, and if the treacherous fate hadn't arranged for him to meet her again, then the young emperor who was always busy with daily affairs might have taken that charming and talented man into arms. Mei is completely forgotten, and the unprecedented Empress Wu Zhao may not appear in Chinese history.

On May 26th, the first year of Yonghui, it was a sunny day. Accompanied by civil and military officials, the new emperor Li Zhi went to Ganye Temple to offer incense.After many days of careful preparation, the nuns in the temple held a grand ceremony to welcome Shengjia.When the emperor's guard of honor entered the mountain gate, the bells and drums in the temple rang together, and all the people standing on both sides of the corridor with their hands tied knelt down and shouted long live. Of course the Emperor Li Zhi who was sitting in the Luanjia didn't hear it. In the thunderous shouts to greet the Holy Driver, there was a nun's violently trembling voice.

That was Wu Mei's voice. At that time, Wu Mei's whole body was trembling with happiness and excitement. The people kneeling beside Wu Mei even heard a strange choking sound in her throat. Yes, since the moment she heard that the Son of Heaven was going to visit Ganye Temple for incense, Wu Mei couldn't restrain her sobs. One year, a full three hundred and sixty-five days and nights, Wu Mei has been praying to God all the time, praying for the day when she and the emperor will be reunited after parting.For a year, the female nun Wumei has been haggard because of Yixiao. In the past year, the female nunwumei has lost love to ashes and hoped through the autumn water. Finally, she was moved to the mercy of the gods and let the emperor come to her side again. How could she not choke with excitement? , How could she not cry with joy?

During the whole incense stick ceremony, Wu Mei's gaze never left the emperor's body. She was afraid that Li Zhi would disappear from her life again in the blink of an eye, just like the one a year ago. On a hot and cold summer day, Prince Li Zhi drifted away on the mountain path of Zhongnan Mountain, as if he disappeared from her sight without looking back. At the end of the incense ceremony, out of some etiquette needs, Li Zhi personally went to the group of nuns who had become monks due to Taizong's death, and cordially expressed his care and condolences.Several nuns were so touched that their eyes were red. Li Zhi was about to turn around and leave after a few symbolic comforting words, when the unexpectedly embarrassing scene appeared at this moment.

A nun at the back of the crowd suddenly pushed aside the few people in front of her and walked straight to the emperor. At this moment when the four eyes met, the emperor Li Zhi opened his eyes wide as if he had been struck by lightning, and stood on the spot. The people present at that time were also stunned, and they were not without surprise to find that the lightning that firmly pinned the emperor on the spot clearly came from the eyes of the female nun Wumei.And they also saw that the female Ni Wumei seemed to be a different person at that moment——with the violent ups and downs of her chest, her originally thin and pale face suddenly burst into a gorgeous light like the morning glow.

Many years later, some old nuns in the Ganye Temple still clearly remember that the female nun Wu Mei showed an extraordinary charm that day, and everyone saw her face shining with a kind of radiant beauty . That kind of beauty is really rare and breathtaking.they said. No wonder the emperor Li Zhi would be deeply involved in it, unable to extricate himself throughout his life.they said. The unexpected reunion on the day of Xingxiang caught the emperor Li Zhi by surprise. People saw that the emperor was suddenly at a loss, and the expression on his face was extremely strange.But he soon realized his gaffe, turned his head away, and left the scene in a hurry.After a while, people saw the abbot of the temple, the old nun, taking the nun Wu Mei away with a serious face.The nuns sneered unanimously, they thought that Wu Mei, who regarded herself as noble, must suffer this time.

But no one knew that the old nun, the abbot, hurriedly led Wu Mei to the living room of Ganye Temple, then turned and left.Of course, no one knows that in this quiet and secluded living room, there is a person waiting for Wu Mei. He is the emperor Li Zhi. At that time, the emperor had retreated to the left and right, and was standing alone in the hall, looking at the door with anxious eyes. When Wu Mei walked into the living room, she saw the complex expression on the emperor's face at a glance. It was full of excitement and surprise, but also a hint of embarrassment and apology.What comforted Wu Mei the most was that Li Zhi's eyes were still clear, and there was clearly a lingering light of memories.

Wu Mei is glad that she has finally awakened Li Zhi's memories of that love, and she is also glad that the beautiful light on her body has not been exhausted in the lonely time of Ganye Temple. For a year, Emperor Li Zhi was the only undying faith in her life. All her loneliness and all her persistence finally got her due reward at this moment. At such a moment, there are too many words to express, and too many heartfelt feelings to pour out, but Wu Mei turns them all into happy and sentimental tears, allowing them to rush and flow unscrupulously on her face. In this situation, the emperor Li Zhi could no longer restrain the boiling emotion in his chest.

He cried. Two lines of tears flowed down his cheeks. At that moment, Li Zhi and Wu Mei looked at each other with tears in their hands, but were speechless. ("Tang Huiyao·Empress": "Shang was so incensed on the day of his death, Wu's weeping, and Shang also burst into tears.") Although they had consciously lowered their voices, their weeping inevitably came out of the house and faintly fell into the ears of some attendants.Listening to the entangled cries of the emperor Li Zhi and the nun Wu Mei, the accompanying eunuchs and maids couldn't help but imagine.They were secretly amazed at what happened on the day of the incense stick, and secretly speculated about the unusual relationship between this nun and the current emperor.And as a matter of course, just after the emperor and his party drove back to the palace, a certain eunuch or court lady promptly conveyed the astonishment and suspicion to the queen.

As the first lady of the emperor Li Zhi, and also as a woman who has not been favored by her husband for a long time, when Queen Wang suddenly heard this unbelievable news, the first thought in her heart was strong anger and jealousy.But after a burst of sourness passed, a smug smile flashed across the corner of Queen Wang's mouth. She was pleasantly surprised to find that in the harem battle she was about to start with Concubine Xiao Shu, the nun from Ganye Temple appeared at just the right time! She decided to take immediate action, secretly controlled the female Ni Wumei, ordered her to grow her hair secretly, and then looked for an appropriate time to bring her into the palace, let her win the favor of the emperor, and let her be favored by the emperor. Concubine Xiao Shu completely collapsed! ("New Book of Tang: The Biography of Empress Zetianwu": "The Queen has had no children for a long time, Concubine Xiao Shu is lucky, and the yin is not happy. In the future, the emperor will pass by the Buddha's house, and the talented person will cry when he sees it. Introduce the inner harem to spoil the imperial concubine.") The scene of "the emperor passes through the Buddha's cottage, and the talented people cry when they see it" is undoubtedly the most important turning point in Empress Wu Zhao's life. However, the paradox of history is that Wu Mei's fate would never be changed without the conspiracy of Wang and Queen to kill people with a knife.It was precisely Wang and Queen's attempt to regard Wu Mei as a pawn in the battle of the harem that contributed to her second entry into the palace and her subsequent emergence.Without the efforts of the wise king and queen, it would be hard to imagine that Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi would have the courage to take a concubine of the first emperor who had become a nun into his harem, and it would be hard to imagine what Wu Mei would do in the future Earth-shattering good fortune. (According to "Laws of the Tang Dynasty", Li Zhi violated the two serious crimes of "adopting his father, ancestor and concubine" and "adopting a concubine with an adulterous daughter" at the same time; if the queen came forward to take concubines for her husband, it would be reasonable and more acceptable Deception.) If in the early years, Jin Wang Li Zhi was a lucky man who "snipe and clam fight and the fisherman wins" in the East Palace battle between Prince Chengqian and Wei Wangtai, then Wu Mei was not in the harem of Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu. During the battle, you picked up a big bargain of "mantis catching cicadas, and oriole behind"? In this sense, both Li Zhi and Wu Mei are the lucky ones favored by heaven. Of course, a person who can shine in history not only needs excellent luck, but also needs extraordinary strength.The reason why Wu Mei finally became the unique female emperor in Chinese history is of course the factor of "three-point fate", but what is more needed is the aggressive attitude and fighting spirit of "seven points depend on hard work". In the first year of Yonghui, the reunion with Li Zhi after the farewell at Ganye Temple brought a turning point to Wu Mei's fate, but there are still many difficulties and obstacles waiting in front of her life. For women, the emperor's harem has always been the most dangerous battlefield in the world. Wu Mei, a talented person who has lived in Yeting Palace for eleven years, has never really experienced the battle of the harem due to her low rank and young age. thrilling and tragic.Therefore, if Wu Mei, who entered the palace for the second time, wants to remain invincible in the battle for power and favor, she must learn to survive lies and conspiracy, grow up in cruelty and unfeeling, and also learn to lick her heart on the tip of a knife. Blood and foraging, walking and dancing on cliffs... If it is said that in the Shizi Cong incident, the young and frivolous Wu Mei was only a momentary hero, then from now on, Wu Mei will have to face countless rivals in love and politics, and show her real swords and guns. Her whip, her hammer, and her dagger! Is Wu Mei ready? On a dusk in July of the second year of Yonghui (AD 651), a royal carriage quietly came to Ganye Temple. A moment later, a veiled woman hurried out of the mountain gate and boarded the carriage under the guidance of the palace envoy. The carriage quickly turned around and galloped towards Tai Chi Palace. The woman in the car has already grown a head of black and beautiful hair, and she is wearing a bun that is popular in the palace.After more than a year of careful maintenance, this woman with square forehead, wide forehead and phoenix eyebrows looks more plump and fairer, more graceful, luxurious and charming. When the chariot slowly drove into the palace, the woman subconsciously opened a corner of the curtain.Under the orange-red sunset, she saw that the familiar Tai Chi Palace still exuded a gorgeous and solemn light. I am back.Wu Mei said. Nobody wants to let me go again.