Li Zhi, don't be a coward

There was an old fox and a little fox in the study. Both foxes were staring at Zhao Daoyun.

Zhao Daoyun lowered her head and knelt in front of Li Ji. Her face was pale, her hands and feet were cold, and she felt like a prey being targeted by a ferocious beast.

Of course, the two foxes, one old and one young, were not so naive, thinking that Zhao Daoyun's showdown was because they were bored, or they were really intimidated by Li Ji's domineering spirit.

No matter what plot Empress Wu had laid, after Zhao Daoyun's showdown today, there must be something to follow.

"Go on, what is your purpose of confessing your identity today?" Li Qinzai asked.

Zhao Daoyun bit his lower lip and whispered: "I was assigned by the queen to sneak into the Duke's mansion. I am also assigned by the queen to confess my identity today."

The grandfather and grandson were suddenly shocked.

What is Empress Wu doing?
"Keep talking, we are all listening." Li Qinzai said with a smile.

Zhao Daoyun continued: "What the queen means is that it was her fault for being an informant in the Duke's Mansion before. Today I confess my identity. On the one hand, the queen expresses her apology to Aweng and Wu Shaolang. On the other hand, the queen takes the initiative to give me the authority." I want to ask Aweng and Wu Shaolang for a favor..."

Li Qinzai suddenly remembered what Empress Wu had said to him when he was in Tai Chi Palace the day before yesterday.

At that time, Empress Wu only said half of her words before she stopped. Li Qinzai didn't take it to heart. Now that he thinks about it, as the empress of the world, she is also a political figure in the court. Every word spoken by such a person cannot be without purpose. There must be her purpose.

"What can I help you with?" Li Ji asked in a deep voice.

Zhao Daoyun whispered: "Three years ago, before the Eastern Expedition was launched, Fu Youyi, the young inspector of the Firearms Supervision Bureau in Beijing, did the Fifth Young Master remember this person?"

Li Qinzai was startled, thought for a moment, and nodded: "Remember, that guy ignored production safety, piled up firearms and gunpowder indiscriminately, and almost blew up the firearms supervisor, so I asked the emperor to remove him from the post of junior supervisor, as if He was also thrown into prison to reflect..."

"After more than three years, why did you suddenly mention him?"

Zhao Daoyun lowered his head and said: "After Fu Youyi was imprisoned, he was quickly released..."

Li Qinzai frowned: "Who let him out?"

Zhao Daoyun said nothing, but Li Qinzai already knew the answer.

Of course it's Empress Wu. Who else but this woman would dare to stir up trouble behind her back?
"I remember that Fu Youyi was a member of Li Yifu's party, right?" Li Qinzai pondered for a moment and said slowly: "It is said that he once clung to Li Yifu's son-in-law Liu Yuanzhen. Later, the son-in-law of Li Yifu was executed and Fu Youyi was demoted to Firearms Supervisor. Finally, he was tricked by me. Going to jail, why did the Queen interfere in this case for no reason?"

Zhao Daoyun was silent for a while and said: "Fu Youyi is not worth mentioning, but his identity and some of his secrets can be used by the queen..."

Li Qinzai was at a loss for a while, then his expression tightened, and a look of horror appeared on his face.

"Fu Youyi is the young inspector of firearms. He knows the secret recipe for gunpowder proportions? Queen... what is she going to do?"

As soon as he made the point, the air in the study suddenly became tense.

Li Ji couldn't help but sit up straight after hearing the words, his cloudy eyes suddenly gleamed with semen, and the room was filled with a murderous aura that was as devastating as heaven and earth, and he locked on Zhao Daoyun tightly.

Zhao Daoyun was so frightened that he almost collapsed to the ground, crawling at Li Ji's feet, not daring to breathe.

"Speak quickly! Tell the truth!" Li Ji finally got angry. It was related to gunpowder and was a highly confidential matter of the Tang Dynasty military. If something like this went wrong, it would definitely be a shocking case for the Tang Dynasty.

If the formula for making gunpowder is stolen by a neighboring country, it will be even more serious. At least it will be another war to destroy the country. No matter who gets the secret formula, they will be killed no matter how far away they are.

Zhao Daoyun was so frightened that this matter actually had nothing to do with her. She was just an honest informant who had basically never done anything bad. Everything was Empress Wu's decision.

"The Emperor...the Empress said that Fu Youyi was just a casual move. After she released him privately three years ago, she had ordered her confidants to keep him in secret custody. Fu Youyi's secrets were not revealed..." Victory case, Li Yi Mansion back-party case, etc. The Queen was severely suppressed by the Emperor. Fu Youyi was only one of her options to protect herself. Under pressure and surrounded by enemies on all sides, the Queen must have a bargaining chip to protect herself..."

Li Qinzai stared at her expressionlessly for a long time, then slowly asked: "Why did the queen choose to confess today?"

Zhao Daoyun raised his head and glanced at him quickly, then quickly lowered his head and whispered: "The day before yesterday, the Queen heard the conversation between the Emperor and the Fifth Young Master in the palace. The Fifth Young Master described the scene of the prosperous age to the Emperor. Today's Tang Dynasty is in the prosperous age. When it was about to start, the queen thought about it and felt that she should not plant disasters for the prosperous age of the Tang Dynasty..."

Li Qinzai said coldly: "How could she be so kind and suddenly figure it out?"

Zhao Daoyun raised his head and looked directly into his eyes and said: "The queen is not an ordinary daughter. She is the queen of a country. Her mother honors the world. Self-preservation is the choice she has to make. But she is the queen after all. If she doesn't even have this pattern, , Why did the emperor favor her for more than ten years?"

"Back then, she chose to trick Fu Youyi, and now she takes the initiative to tell her. I can't say that the queen has figured it out. Maybe...she has changed." Zhao Daoyun muttered absentmindedly.

Li Qinzai's mind was spinning, and he gradually understood Empress Wu's thoughts.

With the victory of the Eastern Expedition, the Navy is about to set sail to explore the world. The land issue in the Tang Dynasty is also being solved step by step. Everything is developing steadily towards a prosperous age.

In today's world situation, it is no longer important whether there is a secret recipe for gunpowder.

Even if the worst happens, for example, the secret recipe for gunpowder has been leaked to a neighboring country, so what if the neighboring country masters the gunpowder?
The strength or weakness of a country, victory or defeat on the battlefield, can only be determined by gunpowder?

Empress Wu obviously saw the pros and cons clearly, so she decisively decided to abandon Fu Youyi as an idle child, and took the initiative to expose the informant of the Duke of Guo. This was a sign of her goodwill towards the Duke of Guo, but also a sign of weakness.

To put it bluntly, Fu Youyi, this chess piece, is actually an unproven matter, and it cannot be regarded as Empress Wu's leverage.

Empress Wu has thousands of ways to make Fu Youyi and this matter disappear from now on, so that she will not be involved.

But being able to take the initiative to confess, even without any evidence, shows that Empress Wu is implicitly expressing her feelings to the Li family's ancestors and grandchildren.

Today's Empress Wu is really just the Empress of the Tang Dynasty from now on.

Li Zhi's methods, the strength of the Tang Dynasty, and the future process of exploring the world all reveal the same fact.

Times have changed. Even if a woman is a queen, she should give up her ambitions, calm down her unnecessary thoughts, and be a good queen in peace and contentment from now on.

She can no longer afford to play this magnificent game.

"Where is Fu Youyi now?" Li Qinzai asked.

This question is very important. Although he probably already knows the answer, Li Qinzai still has to ask clearly.

Zhao Daoyun whispered: "Fu Youyi is dead. His head is buried in a small forest in the eastern suburbs outside the city. Here is the map where the head was buried."

As he spoke, Zhao Daoyun took out a simple map from his arms and handed it over.

Li Qinzai took the map and glanced at it casually.

Sure enough, this chess piece had been eliminated. Li Qinzai had never doubted the decisiveness of Empress Wu.

Without his appearance, according to the original historical trajectory, today's Tang Dynasty would have been in the period of "the arrival of the two saints".

And with Li Qinzai's accident, Empress Wu was only a queen after all, and the only thing she could rule was the harem of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Ji took the map from Li Qinzai's hand, glanced at it, and said in a deep voice: "Qinzai, secretly ordered Feng Su to go to this place alone and bring his head back, and you can verify his identity yourself."