When Xue Shao said goodbye and returned to the camp, Wu Zetian announced on the spot that he would return home. Before parting, Wu Zetian said very seriously, don't forget, general, when your military exercise is over, this palace will shoot and hunt with the soldiers under your command. Xue Shao agreed, saying that as long as the Queen Mother has Yaxing, the ministers will be happy to accompany her at any time.

Wu Zetian left satisfied.

Xue Shao will never forget that Wu Zetian is a pure and mature politician. Her biggest intention in leaving the palace was to see for sure that seeing was believing, and whether the 200,000 Luoshui army outside the city had any bad intentions.

A person like Wu Zetian would never trust anyone without reservation, and Xue Shao was extremely sure of this. In fact, this is not for Wu Zetian alone, but Xue Shao firmly believes that anyone who stands at a certain political level will have such a nature. Xue Shao, who once lived in the era of the information explosion in the 21 st century, has heard this similar truth more than once like many people. But only when he really got involved in politics, especially after coming into contact with Li Zhi, Wu Zetian and Pei Yan, did Xue Shao be convinced that -

It's not that the political family has no feelings, but the political mission and historical responsibility they shoulder make it impossible for them to take care of too many feelings. In the face of major events, they can only emasculate their personal feelings to exercise their political mission. Otherwise, they are very likely to become failed politicians, and they are very likely to bring irreparable losses and disasters to the country and the nation, and thus bring about their own sinking and destruction. Such a sinking and destruction is far more severe than losing one or two relatives or friends. Those dead nations in history! The king is a model.

However, people can only use ordinary people's vision, mind, speculation and measurement of politics. As a result, the emperors and prime ministers, who are shining figures in the long history, have completely different images in the eyes of people with different values in different eras. One of the most typical is Wu Zetian, as the only female emperor in history who has really ascended the throne and called the emperor, the Tang generation's evaluation of her is actually more positive and positive, from the Song Dynasty when science was prevalent, she was constantly demonized, to the rise of the feminist movement in modern times, Wu Zetian's image has rebounded and improved.

Every time Xue Shao saw Wu Zetian, he couldn't help but recall the evaluation of her by later generations. After many times, Xue Shao summed up a joke that others had already summed up - history is a little girl who can be dressed up. There is also a well-known literary saying that there are a thousand Hamlets in the hearts of a thousand people.

Different evaluations and opinions on the same historical figure are actually all due to people's different positions and values.

Xue Shao's current view of Wu Zetian is very simple, for himself personally, Wu Zetian is his Bole, division commander, mother-in-law, backer, and current political ally, and sometimes he is also a threat, a stumbling block, and even an enemy.

For this country and the times, Wu Zetian is more like an emperor than Li Xian, who is now sitting on the dragon chair.

Luo Shui walked for a while, and on the surface, he seemed to be unfazed, but Wu Zetian's casual words actually touched Xue Shao's heart a lot. For example, Wu Zetian said that since he became the queen, he has never personally participated in hunting, and it has been almost 30 years - but he asked Xue Shao to organize people and horses to accompany her to shoot.

The meaning of closeness and trust conveyed in such simple words is far more important than the hunting itself.

In addition, when Wu Zetian repeatedly asked Xue Shao whether he had been threatened and intimidated before deciding to raise troops and conduct military exercises, Xue Shao clearly smelled the smell of gunpowder in her words at that time. As long as Xue Shao said the last "yes" in the scene at that time, the first thing Wu Zetian did after returning to the palace would definitely be to depose Queen Wei Xiang'er. What kind of political storm will be caused by this, Xue Shao could not predict. Thinking about it bigger, this is likely to be a guide to Li Xian's resignation! Fire!

This seems to be a bit of a fuss, but if it weren't for the heavy incident like "Abolishing the Queen", how could Wu Zetian personally go out of the palace and take the initiative to find Xue Shao, and wait outside the camp of the Luoshui army for ten days? Moreover, when she saw Xue Shao, she immediately went home. That can only prove that Wu Zetian really didn't come to distract herself, she had already got the answer she wanted, and she returned with a full load.

Now in the world, perhaps only Xue Shao knows what Wu Zetian really wants for this trip.

That day at the head of Longguangmen City, Empress Wei Xiang'er used hidden words to test and instigate Xue Shao, asking him to help the emperor eradicate the Empress Dowager and Pei Yan. Xue Shao was furious on the spot, and after leaving Longguangmen, he went back to the barracks directly, and then began the military exercise.

Xue Shao felt that compared to Wu Zetian, Wei Xiang'er was too tender. Wei Xiang'er's naivety lies in the fact that she thinks that as the queen of the lord of the six palaces, she can do whatever she wants in the harem. She didn't want to think about it, Wu Zetian had never experienced any storms when he entered the palace at the age of fourteen, and the little tricks she was playing now were all things that Wu Zetian was tired of playing.

The matter of Longguangmen, Wu Zetian, who has his hands and eyes in the sky, must know it clearly. She just didn't expect Xue Shao's reaction to be so huge. Therefore, Wu Zetian's real intention in leaving the palace on this trip was to clearly know what kind of choice Xue Shao would make between her and the emperor!

As a result, Xue Shao did not admit that he had suffered any threats and intimidation, in other words, the answer he gave was - neutrality!

Xue Shao couldn't accurately figure out Wu Zetian's inner thoughts. But he vaguely felt that Wu Zetian should be satisfied with the answer he gave. Just imagine, if he admits Wei Xiang'er's matter, then he will become a good killer gun for Wu Zetian to clean up Wei Xiang'er.

Although Xue Shao didn't have a good impression of Empress Wei at all, he felt that Wu Zetian, as the queen mother and mother-in-law, wanted to depose Queen Wei Xiang'er, which could be said to be justified. But if he stupidly participates in it, and is used as a gun by Wu Zetian to participate in such a bloody political struggle, especially if he is a relative of the Li family but has the blood of the Li family in his hands, this is definitely not a good thing.

To use a popular saying in later generations, those who come out to mix always have to be returned.

Xue Shao didn't want to make such a principled mistake in order to vent his momentary anger or to curry favor with Wu Zetian.

Neutral, just like when he was once sandwiched between the two saints, Xue Shao could only make such a choice.

"This palace will ensure that you don't have to worry about the future", this sentence is not only a reassuring pill for Wu Zetian to Xue Shao, but also a sign of tacit understanding and alliance between Xue Shao and Wu Zetian.

……

Before Wu Zetian returned to the harem and had time to sit down and take a breath, Emperor Li Xian came to greet him, and stood outside the palace honestly waiting for the summons, pretending to be an emperor.

"He's quite worried about that Wei Xiang'er's life or death!" Wu Zetian laughed coldly, "Please come in!" ”

Li Xian came in, still like when he did not ascend the throne as emperor in the early years, he lowered his head and did not dare to look up at Wu Zetian directly, and after entering the door, he bowed his eyebrows and bowed his hands, "The emperor is here to greet the queen mother." After a few days, the emperor missed his mother very much. I don't know the queen mother, how are you doing? ”

"Okay-" Wu Zetian dragged out his voice and said only one word.

Li Xian's heart was pounding!

"Your Majesty, how are you doing lately?" Wu Zetian asked quietly.

"After returning to my mother, Pei Zhongshu and the auxiliary government in the court are in charge of the overall situation, and everything is good." Li Xian said cautiously.

"Could it be that there is something in the words?" Wu Zetian's voice faintly revealed a hint of gunpowder, and said, "Do you think that Pei Zhongshu is in charge of things too much?" ”

"No, no, the emperor definitely didn't mean that!" Li Xian hurriedly said, "Pei Zhongshu is the auxiliary prime minister of the first emperor, and the emperor is very satisfied with him!" ”

"That's good." Wu Zetian said lightly, "What do you think of the other general?" ”

Li Xian blinked his eyes in a little panic, "What does the queen mother mean, Xue Shao?" ”

"Then can there be another general?" Wu Zetian asked rhetorically.

"Uh......" Li Xian resigned for a while, and only said, "Xue Shao, the emperor is also very satisfied with him!" ”

"But your queen doesn't seem to be particularly happy with him." Wu Zetian's words were cold.

When Li Xian heard it, it was broken! ――It must be Xue Shao who said bad things about the queen in front of the queen mother!

"Mother, this, this...... There must be a misunderstanding in this! Li Xian hurriedly said, "Actually, the queen has a very good impression of Taiping and Xue Yuma. Previously, she had also mentioned that she wanted to marry Taiping Finger. On the contrary, it was Taiping and Xue Yuma, who seemed to have a prejudice against the queen. Although the queen knew about this, she never cared about it. She also told the emperor many times that she should reuse and promote Xue Yuma, but Xue Shao ...... Repeatedly do not appreciate it! ”

Wu Zetian smiled, stupid boy, he can't stand the fraud.

Li Xian was dumbfounded...... I seem to have fallen for it!

"Your Majesty, according to you, your repeated actions against Xue Shao were all instigated by Wei Xiang'er behind your back?" Wu Zetian took it slowly, and Zhizhu said in his hand, "Including you want to promote Xue Shao to be the prime minister?" also included inducing Xue Shao to raise troops against Pei Zhongshu and the palace, which forced him to suddenly raise troops and military exercises to protect himself? Even included, after the incident was leaked, His Majesty intended to arrest Taiping as a hostage, so as to blackmail Xue Shao? Of course, it also includes, today you hurriedly ran to the main palace to inquire about the tone?! ”

"Nope!! - No!! Li Xian was shocked and took three steps backwards!

Wu Zetian stood up and shouted in a deep voice: "That's it, Your Majesty's own idea?!" ”

Li Xian almost collapsed to the ground, it's over!

Wu Zetian waved his sleeves, "Your Majesty the Emperor, you have disappointed the palace too much!" ”

"Mother, mother...... Spare your life! Li Xian pleaded bitterly, "Actually, the queen really didn't do anything!" ”

"Until now, you are still protecting that evil witch!" Wu Zetian scolded sharply, "To tell you the truth, Xue Shao didn't say anything to the palace." He kept his duty as a righteous minister very well and did not do anything dissensive. It can even be said that he is repaying his grievances with virtue and wants to keep your queen for you in front of the palace. Facts have proved that he has lived up to the trust of the first emperor, and the vision of this palace is not wrong. Xue Shao's conduct can be described as a model of a minister of society. Compare your heart to your heart, Your Majesty the Emperor, how do you think the two of you are doing? In the world, how can there be such an unbearable emperor and queen as you?! ”

"Queen Mother, it's the emperor's mistake...... Please be a large number of adults, forgive the emperor this time! Li Xian almost had a tendency to kneel, but when he thought that he seemed to be the emperor, he didn't really kneel.

"You're still so obsessed!" Wu Zetian sighed, closed his eyes and shook his head repeatedly, "In this way, it seems that your imperial sister, your loyal ministers, your queen mother, your first emperor, and your Jiangshan Sheji are all added up, and they are not as important as one Wei Xiang'er!" ”

"......" Li Xian was dumbfounded, and his face turned pale.

Wu Zetian took a deep breath and spit out heavily, "Xian'er, you are so self-conscious!" ”