Chapter Ninety-Nine: Step Aside, Unintentional Ally

Helan Minzhi was paranoid and irrational, and his political acumen was indeed quite low.

In truth, among the younger generation favored by Empress Wu Zetian—including her own son, Li Xian—not a single one was capable of being molded into a successor.

However, more than a decade had passed. If Helan Minzhi still could not grasp the underlying reasons, he was truly paranoid to the point of pathology.

"Uncle!"

"Is it possible that even now, you still don't understand that over a decade ago, the Helan family had already offended everyone?"

"..." The "Ugly Uncle" remained silent.

"Offended... offended whom?"

"You don't even know who you offended?" Wu Ning was speechless. He began counting off on his fingers for Helan Minzhi.

"Whether it was the entire civil and military bureaucracy or the relatives of the palace, if I were them, I would have prayed for your family to fall!"

"This..." Helan Minzhi thought to himself, *That’s not true. I never saw anyone bearing malice toward the Helan family.*

"Heh." Wu Ning could only offer a bitter smile. "In the imperial court, there was Empress Wu, holding absolute power over the empire's affairs."

"First, for the ministers to be bossed around by a woman was already enough to stir resentment; then, there was Helan Minzhi being groomed in the Hongwen Academy—gifted in both appearance and talent—destined to shine in court and be enfeoffed as a marquis or prime minister."

"Would the entire court tolerate you? Would those noble clans who were battling Empress Wu just sit back and watch you dominate the government?"

"And furthermore, the Helan family didn't even spare the inner palace. My mother was there too. How do you think the concubines who relied on the Emperor's favor felt? What about the relatives who relied on them?"

"That’s not even the end of it. You, Uncle, were the Empress's heir, even changing your surname to Wu. Where did that leave the Wu family? They were the ones who held the banner of the Wu clan—could they be happy about a Helan usurping it?"

"And there's more!" Wu Ning grew more animated as he spoke. "The Li imperial clan."

"Empress Wu was already showing her edge back then, and the Li clan had realized her grand ambitions. Since they couldn't move against the Empress, would they not aim their blades at the Helan family, who were charging at the very front?"

"..."

Sometimes, Wu Ning felt that this might have been intentional on the part of the old Empress—deliberately using the Helan family as a shield. Yet, Helan Minzhi still did not understand.

Looking at Helan Minzhi, Wu Ning continued, "The court officials, the noble clans, the palace relatives, plus both the Li and Wu families—all viewed the Helan family as a thorn in their side. Do you really think life could have gone on smoothly for you, Uncle?"

"..."

Helan Minzhi’s expression shifted rapidly, his gaze darting around.

"But... but could they commit such a heinous crime against my little sister just for that?"

*Just for that?* Wu Ning thought. *These reasons alone were enough to wipe out your entire clan several times over!*

"Fine!" Wu Ning said. "If you think that’s not enough, Uncle, there’s more!"

"More?" Even Princess Taiping was startled. "Who else?"

"Li Hong!" Wu Ning blurted out the name.

"Uncle, at the time, Li Hong didn't know you and Yang Youyi had pledged your lives to each other. He had taken a fancy to her and wanted to take her as a consort. In the end, you had to use extreme measures to snatch her away."

"In Li Hong's eyes, that was a humiliation of the highest order. Would he just let that slide?"

"This..." Taiping felt a bit uneasy and tried to defend him. "Brother Hong wouldn't go that far, would he?"

"And there's more!"

*Brother Hong wouldn't go that far, you say?*

"Wu Chengsi! He’s sinister and ruthless enough, isn't he?"

Taiping was still confused. "Why would Wu Chengsi harm the Helan family?"

"Heh." Wu Ning gave a dry laugh. "Need I spell it out?"

"Once you, Uncle, fell, look at who became the standard-bearer for the Wu family? Who became the heir to the Wu clan?"

The three people in the room were all struck with horror. How could things that seemed so settled to outsiders be explained away with such logic by him? With Wu Ning’s explanation, even though Helan Minzhi was still wavering, Taiping and Chen Zi'ang were almost entirely convinced by his deductions.

Chen Zi'ang gently advised Helan Minzhi, "Brother Changzhu, were we perhaps too rash in our previous judgments?"

"Exactly!"

Before Helan Minzhi could speak, Wu Ning interjected. "This matter is truly not as simple as you think. If we don't uncover the truth and just rush in blindly, we won't even know how we died!"

Truth be told, Wu Ning understood human nature, but he didn't understand history. Right now, he could claim Empress Wu was the prime suspect, but anyone else was possible. If Tang Yi, who had thoroughly read the Twenty-Four Histories, were here, that guy would dare to insist that Empress Wu was actually the least likely suspect.

Why? Because Empress Wu was a woman.

In the thousands of years of Chinese history dominated by men, she was the only one who truly became an Empress. (There were actually three others not in the true sense, but that’s a story for another time.)

Men would never allow the rule of a woman to happen again, so the history of the Wu Zhou period is filled with far more fabrication and defamation than reality. The evaluation of Empress Wu herself is far from objective and heavily biased. Regarding the affair of the Helan siblings, later historical commentaries largely pinned the blame on her.

However, if Tang Yi were to look at it, it would be a miracle if the Helan family hadn't died. When all conflicts and all glory are concentrated on one family, they are not far from death. The person with the least motive to bring down the Helan family was Empress Wu herself. But once things reached that point, even if the old Empress hadn't wanted to kill them, she couldn't have protected them.

That was why, after Helan Yueshi and Wu Shun (Empress Wu's elder sister) died, Helan Minyue died under mysterious circumstances. Five years later, Helan Minzhi was convicted and died while in exile. The fact that Empress Wu only sentenced Helan Minzhi to exile when all eyes were on him was, in itself, a form of protection. As for why he died on the way to exile, and who did it—whether it was Empress Wu—that remained unknown.

...

Wu Ning looked at the three stunned people in the room, feeling nothing but helplessness. He sighed, "So..."

"Given the possibilities from back then, Uncle, do you still want me to go to the capital?"

"Not only to be an enemy of the Empress, but to face the combined attacks of the court officials, the Li and Wu families, and the great noble clans?"

"Hahahaha."

Wu Ning let out a mocking laugh and looked at Helan Minzhi with deep meaning. "Uncle, you really want me to go to my death!"

Helan Minzhi was embarrassed. "Then what do you propose?"

"As I said before, since you have placed your hopes in me, Uncle, you must do it my way."

"I can seek revenge, but until I uncover the truth of what happened back then, I will not rashly enter the capital."

Helan Minzhi wasn't entirely reassured. "How do you plan to investigate?"

Wu Ning shook his head. "I don't know how to investigate yet, but there will come a day when the truth is revealed."

"Furthermore..." Wu Ning paused. "The most important thing right now isn't digging up the past, but handling two things first!"

"Which two?"

"First." Wu Ning shifted his gaze to Chen Zi'ang. "You... resign from your post and return home immediately! You cannot stay in the court; it will not only harm you but implicate us as well."

"What?" Chen Zi'ang was taken aback. *You little brat, what are you saying? I’m about to become your master, aren't I?*

Wu Ning's words were filled with such deep distrust that Chen Boyu found it hard to accept.

*Heh.* If he couldn't accept it, Wu Ning couldn't accept him either!

*What revenge? What truth?* The prerequisite was to stay alive! Wu Ning was afraid—he was truly afraid! With such a "pig teammate" in court, who knew when he would slip up? By then, he wouldn't even know how he had died. Moreover, in his limited historical knowledge, Chen Zi'ang’s end seemed quite miserable. Getting him to hide away was as good as saving him.

Without giving Chen Zi'ang a chance to argue, he continued, "The second thing."

He kept his eyes on Chen Zi'ang. "I want to take you as my master."

*What!?*

This time, Chen Zi'ang found it even harder to accept. *What the hell is going on? I was just looked down upon, and now, in a sudden twist, you want to be my apprentice?*

"Why?"

"Heh." Wu Ning let out a mischievous laugh. "Because you'll be very useful to me."

*Damn you!*

"I refuse!" The great scholar Chen was now in a temper.