Chapter Sixty-Nine: That Is a Sad Story
Snow had begun to fall from the sky.
In the great hall, the Three Pure Ones sat solemnly, four figures gathered around the brazier, each holding a steaming cup of tea, enveloped in a profound silence.
...
It was a strange sensation for Wu Ning. For the first time, he found himself in the warmth of the chamber, with a crowd waiting outside, and for the first time, he sat face-to-face, sharing tea with someone of Taiping’s stature.
Yet, it was nothing more than strange.
Taiping found it peculiar as well. She could not fathom why this young man was sitting here, and doing so with such composure.
...
At last, Daoist Xiao broke the silence, addressing Wu Ning, “Do you know why you were summoned here?”
Wu Ning shook his head. “I do not.”
From the moment Elder Xiao told Taiping he could be of help, Wu Ning had swiftly reviewed the situation in his mind. Yet, he could think of nothing his status could offer Taiping. The only possibility was the promotion of his Fourth Uncle, Wu Changlu.
But even that seemed unlikely. Though his uncle had risen in rank, the gap between him and Princess Taiping was vast.
So he could only answer truthfully: he did not know.
Daoist Xiao smiled upon hearing this. “Rare indeed! It's not often there’s something in this world that Wu Jiu Lang cannot guess or see through.”
Hey now!
Wu Ning wondered to himself, is this praise or mockery? If you’re going to flatter me, at least do it sincerely!
...
Nonetheless, this remark made Taiping’s heart tremble slightly. She looked deeply at Wu Ning. “So the young master is a man of erudition.”
“He’s far from learned!” Daoist Xiao teased with a laugh.
He tapped the boy lightly on the forehead. “But I’ll admit, his mind is sharper than most.”
“Today, we wish to borrow your mind for a bit.”
“My mind?” Wu Ning couldn’t help himself, blurting out, “How much do you need? Two taels or half a jin?”
Daoist Xiao: “......”
Meng Cangsheng: “......”
Taiping: “......”
Well, was the joke really so bad?
Ahem!
Clearing his throat, Wu Ning said, “If there is anything I can do for you, Immortal, please speak plainly.”
Daoist Xiao did not reply to him, but instead took a deep breath and turned sincerely to Taiping. “Time is short, so let us not stand on ceremony, my dear niece!”
He spoke plainly: “When your master departed this world, she left me a letter. Of all her disciples, the one she worried for most was Your Highness. She bade me look after you.”
On hearing this, Taiping’s expression darkened. “I am ashamed,” she said quietly. “I have no true affinity with the Way, yet I have joined the Daoist sect in name. I have failed to fulfill the duties of a disciple and have troubled my late master even after her passing.”
“Let’s not speak of this!” Daoist Xiao waved his hand. “My senior was a man of deep feeling; it was both his fate and his weakness.”
He continued, “I have already guessed the purpose of your visit. But as for the intrigues of the court, that is not my area of expertise.”
He forced a bitter smile. “In this, your uncle is less capable than his own disciple.”
Hearing himself mentioned, Meng Cangsheng quickly demurred, “Nor am I fit for the task. I can see through the situation, but I cannot unravel it.”
He pointed to Wu Ning. “I am not as clever as him.”
Taiping: “......”
Daoist Xiao looked at Wu Ning and agreed, “Indeed.”
So that was their scheme.
Wu Ning felt a wave of helplessness. These eccentric uncles and elders, what had they been molding him for, if not for this?
He glanced at Taiping, noticing the deep suspicion in her gaze, and felt unsettled.
Fine, let her see what he was capable of.
With a competitive spirit, Wu Ning relaxed and looked at Princess Taiping, saying, “Affairs of the court are not my specialty either, but if Your Highness has troubles, please speak them, and I will do my utmost.”
Taiping: “......”
She was at a loss for words. She had long heard of her uncle’s unorthodox ways, but had not expected him to be so cavalier.
To entrust her dilemma to a boy of fifteen or sixteen—who wouldn’t be skeptical?
She lowered her head, hesitating, but Wu Ning was growing impatient.
“Speak, Princess. What troubles you?”
“It is...” Taiping hesitated. “A difficult predicament.”
“What predicament?”
“To preserve myself.”
“To preserve yourself?!”
Now it was Wu Ning’s turn to be stunned. The beloved, commanding Princess Taiping, needing to ensure her own survival? Who would believe such a thing?
“Yes, to preserve myself.”
At this stage, Princess Taiping had no choice but to treat a desperate solution as a lifeline. Consulting Daoist Xiao was already a measure of last resort.
She laid out her predicament in detail.
...
After listening, Wu Ning did not immediately consider whether he could resolve the dilemma. Instead, he was suddenly overcome with a wave of compassion.
The Taiping from the history books and the very real woman before him were not quite the same.
In truth, she was rather pitiable.
...
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Simply put, the illustrious Princess Taiping now faced a painful dilemma:
Either remain with the Li imperial clan and, as Empress Wu ascended the throne, fall with them into utter ruin;
Or obey the path set by Empress Wu and remarry Wu Chengsi.
But Taiping wished for neither fate, and so she sought counsel from her uncle, Daoist Xiao.
...
To be frank, Taiping’s first marriage had been her own choice. At that time, Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi was still alive and doted on his youngest daughter, allowing her to choose a consort she truly loved.
And indeed, Taiping and Xue Shao had shared a loving and proper marriage, nothing like the dark tales told by later generations.
But after Li Zhi’s death, as Empress Wu’s power grew unchecked, the life of this sheltered girl was turned upside down.
Later generations said that Wu Zetian had despised Xue Shao and, taking advantage of Li Zhong’s rebellion, used the opportunity to remove Xue Shao and find her daughter a new husband.
Wu Ning, until now, had believed the same. That old woman was ruthless—nothing was beyond her. If she disliked someone, she would simply do away with them.
...
But upon hearing Princess Taiping’s account, Wu Ning realized things were not so simple.
Empress Wu was indeed ruthless and did have Xue Shao eliminated, but she was not without reason; her reason was a strong one.
She sought to protect her most beloved daughter, Taiping.
...
It was a sorrowful tale—a story of power and kinship, where both could never be preserved together.
Step by step, Empress Wu had climbed to the very apex, the empire of Tang about to fall into her hands. But along this road, how much had she gained, and how much would she lose?
To counter the Guanlong aristocratic faction, she had to employ harsh officials, sacrificing her reputation.
To ascend the throne and secure her reign, she had to promote confidants of her own clan.
But the rise of the Wu clan inevitably meant a deadly confrontation with the Li imperial family.
Caught in the crossfire was Taiping, tied to the rebellion of Li Zhong.
Li Zhong’s rebellion was unrelated to Xue Shao, but Xue Shao’s elder brother, Xue Yi, was deeply involved.
Afterward, Wu Chengsi, Wu Sansi, and other Wu nobles took the chance to purge the imperial clan—paving the way for Wu Zetian while exposing the deadly rift between the Li and Wu families.
...
Yet Taiping was a Li by birth. No matter how much Empress Wu loved her, there were limits to what her power could accomplish.
This was the disaster Empress Wu had sown for herself, a situation of her own making.
Left unchecked, the outcome would be this: Taiping, along with the Li clan, would likely be destroyed by the Wu family.
But Empress Wu could not bear for her daughter’s life to be so tumultuous—so what could be done?
In the end, she chose to sacrifice her son-in-law to save her daughter.
Of course, that was just the first step; the second was to find a new husband for Taiping.
This new husband had to be of the Wu family, so that her daughter could escape the storm of power and kinship.
...
Wu Ning sat quietly, listening to Taiping recount her predicament;
He listened as she, calm yet not truly calm, spoke of her husband starving to death in prison;
He listened as she described the motherly love of Wu Zetian—neither tearful nor joyous;
He listened...
To the grief concealed within her composure.
...
Wu Ning suddenly thought to himself:
Perhaps it was not without reason that this pitiable, manipulated woman would one day become the figure that history remembers.
...