Chapter 36: You Always Know How to Amaze Me

It is said that the Emperor Zhaolie of the Great Han and his two brothers often slept together in the past; looking at Zhou Xing, he is quite delicate and handsome...

Wu An took a deep breath and began to frantically recall the features of the late Crown Prince's consort, the Lady Pei, finally confirming that his own sexual orientation had not suffered any major errors.

Early in the morning, Zhou Xing departed, carrying a few sets of clothes and some money. As for his old horse, it was temporarily left at the Duke's mansion to be cared for due to the cold weather, and Wu An gave him a mare in its place. Wu An said this was a gift between friends, and if Brother Zhou felt bad about it, he could come to the mansion more often to talk, as he was truly too lonely living there by himself.

In return, Zhou Xing gifted him a package of premium tea cakes. It was said to be quite valuable, privately produced by a wealthy family in the capital well-versed in the tea ceremony, and gifted only to close friends and relatives. Zhou Xing had paid a significant amount of money to acquire some from others.

As the two parted, their tone was as affectionate as honey mixed with oil. The ancients seemed to favor this style; they would never let their minds wander into the gutter. Those who did, please go face the wall and reflect. Thinking of this, Wu An took a deep breath and began to recall the pretty face of Lady Pei once more.

He had to enter the palace to see the Empress today, so he cast aside distracting thoughts and began to ponder what he should say. The preparations for the Thousand Cavalry Division had already begun, and the follow-up assistance provided by the Empress was unexpectedly generous. Wu An instinctively began to suspect that his understanding of the Empress's power was flawed once again.

Logically speaking, even if the Great Tang had abundant resources and manpower, such a mobilization of troops involving the palace imperial guards—numbering over several hundred—could not be hidden from the court. If this were the late Tang, people would be too lazy to speak even if they knew. But now, it could still be considered the early Tang period; there were still some old ministers from the Reign of Zhenguan remaining in court. While it might seem like the current Emperor was acting on his own whims and squandering the family fortune, there were actually enough people backing him up. The Great Tang was still thriving.

Wu An felt an invisible hand at work, making him rise one moment and fall the next, leaving him in an uncomfortable state of limbo.

"Forget it, I should just head into the palace."

...

The Empress had become accustomed to Wu An "paying his respects" at the palace every day. According to custom, once female relatives entered the palace, they would rarely see their loved ones again for the rest of their lives. But the Empress held a special status, and in recent years, no one dared to impose rules upon her. Around her, naturally, no fool would dare to utter words like, "Even His Highness the Crown Prince does not visit as diligently as this Wu An." Regardless of whether it was said to the Empress or the Crown Prince, such words were treasonous, and now, one certainly could not say them to Commandant Wu. The man killed two chancellors as easily as slaughtering chickens and could still roam about freely afterward; was one’s own head more durable than those of the two chancellors?

The palace attendants could not see the essence beneath the surface, but they would instinctively fawn over those in power to exchange for a chance to rise. Seeing Wu An bowing and offering his respects before her, the Empress stopped her train of thought and said indifferently:

"I heard from Wan'er that an official from the Ministry of Personnel visited your mansion last night?"

Shangguan Wan'er might hide other minor matters, but reporting such things was her duty. Even if she didn't say it, others would tell the Empress, and then she would be the one to suffer. Wu An nodded slightly in response.

"What did he want?"

"I came today specifically to speak to you about this, Aunt."

The Empress sighed, rubbed her temples helplessly, and chided: "If not for some matter, you wouldn't be running to me every single day."

"I came today, Aunt, first to see you, second to bring a gift, and this matter is only third."

"A gift?"

Wu An took out the package of premium tea cakes that Zhou Xing had given him. He had said outside that it was a gift for the Empress, and no one dared to inspect it. However, this stuff was unlikely to catch the Empress's eye. She only gave an "mm," and Shangguan Wan'er beside her immediately walked over with a cold face to unwrap the package, randomly picked a tea cake, crushed a little, and put it in her mouth to chew.

Wu An saw her cool, clear eyes crinkle a moment later, but not from smiling—she was almost moved to tears by the bitterness of the tea leaves. She chewed for a moment, swallowed slowly, and said expressionlessly: "Your Majesty, the tea is safe."

The Empress, however, frowned slightly and patted Shangguan Wan'er gently: "This is a gift from my nephew; do not act like this in the future." She pointed directly at the other tea cakes. "Go and brew the tea."

After Shangguan Wan'er left, the Empress said again: "This is tea from the Cui family. I heard they only gift it to friends. How did you get it?"

"I was fortunate enough to obtain it. I heard this tea can soothe the nerves, and thinking of how hard you worked keeping watch for His Majesty previously, I thought of bringing it to show my filial piety to you today."

Hearing this, a hint of a smile appeared on the Empress's face. The words were unpolished but the sentiment was sincere. She had grown accustomed to Wu An's persona; although he didn't speak with much elegance, he had expressed the necessary intent. This was the importance of a persona: if you were usually very civilized and suddenly uttered a vulgarity at a critical moment, others would only think you were putting on an act. But if you were usually thoughtless and rude to superiors, if you suddenly became polite to them one day, they would actually feel uncomfortable. Compared to those nephews who wanted to maintain their dignity while still grabbing money, she was becoming increasingly satisfied with this Wu An. No matter when, you could always feel his attitude.

"When you leave today, help me send some things to the Pei residence on your way."

"I will remember, Aunt."

The Empress nodded and asked: "What was the matter you wanted to talk about? Speak quickly."

Wu An recounted what Zhou Xing had said the previous night, with some omissions. Before he could finish, the Empress said directly: "I am already aware of this matter."

"Hao Chujun and Xue Zhen have committed suicide in prison, knowing their crimes were grave. The Supreme Court will begin interrogating their families in the next few days. You should follow them to listen; consider it as listening on my behalf."

The Empress said unhurriedly: "As for the matters in court, I will shoulder them for you. You go to various places to learn and observe more; there will eventually come a time when you can stand on your own."

"Then... do I need to do anything?"

"What could you possibly do?" The Empress looked at him with a strange expression, somewhat amused: "When the interrogation happens, Di Renjie will be there to provide a safety net for you. Just copy what he does."

Oh, so she was directly arranging for an honor student to sit beside her junior and provide a cheat sheet to boost his grades, was she? Wu An liked this kind of elder.

After he left, Shangguan Wan'er returned to the hall holding a bowl of hot tea and knelt beside the Empress to serve it.

"What do you think of him?" the Empress suddenly asked.

Shangguan Wan'er's expression was calm; it seemed as if she pondered for a moment before saying softly: "This person is greedy and ruthless; he is not easy to tame."

"Do you all think he is ruthless?"

The Empress took the tea bowl and began to add seasonings, medicinal herbs, dried meat, and milk into it... She picked up the silver stir-stick beside her, mixed it well, and looked at the tea broth, which had changed color, with a hint of satisfaction in her eyes.

"In my opinion, although he comes from a background as a martial man, can wield a blade, and looks like he dares to kill, at times, he is instead a bit too kind."

Shangguan Wan'er, lowering her eyes and head, said subserviently: "This person was once a commoner and spent a year fighting in the Hexi Corridor. His original nature was already repulsive, and having developed the habits of a brute, his actions are even more detestable."

The Empress set down the tea bowl, and in the next moment, directly raised her hand and splashed the boiling tea and the various ingredients onto Shangguan Wan'er.

"What are you, to dare speak of my nephew like that?"

The tea dripped down her clothes. Fortunately, it was winter, and the clothes were thick, so it did not scald her skin. Shangguan Wan'er immediately knelt on the ground without saying a word.

The Empress set down the empty tea bowl; in the end, she hadn't taken a single sip. She did not look at the young female official trembling slightly on the ground but said thoughtfully:

"So, it was a character forged on the battlefield; that makes sense... If we infer from that, his original personality must have been far too kind and cowardly."

...

"I know you don't actually know how to conduct an interrogation. When the time comes, I will bring you along to question the prisoners. If there is something you don't understand, don't ask on the spot—just watch."

Di Renjie looked at Wu An, his gaze involuntarily falling on the official in green robes beside him.

"Is this your friend?"

"He is my close friend, Zhou Xing, a secretary in the Bureau of Merit Evaluations of the Ministry of Personnel."

A ninth-rank petty official... Di Renjie did not show any disdain on his face, but nodded in greeting, saying gently: "It is a pity you are not a prison official, otherwise, you could also come and listen to how the Supreme Court interrogates prisoners."

Zhou Xing looked at Di Renjie with excitement, and seeing the other party's courtesy, he quickly nodded in agreement.

"I have indeed always wanted to learn the methods of interrogation from you, Master Di. It is truly a pity today, but if you would be so gracious in the future, I would certainly like to seek your instruction."

Zhou Xing did not say anything more, chatted briefly with Wu An, and then tactfully left to wait in the carriage outside the Supreme Court.

"How did you get involved with this person?" Di Renjie looked at his retreating back, seemingly remembering something, and sighed slightly. "What is your relationship with him?"

Wu An thought for a moment and replied: "We slept in the same bed last night."

Di Renjie: "???"