Chapter 4: Li Zhi's Promise

Chapter 4: Li Zhi’s Promise

Daxing Palace, Lizheng Hall.

Li Zhi leaned against the bed, one hand pressed to his forehead.

His old dizziness had flared up again. Every time it struck, he felt his head spin and his vision blur. When the symptoms hit, he honestly wished he could die.

This ailment was essentially a series of complications caused by high blood pressure, an inherited disease that plagued many in the Li family—most notably Li Shimin and Li Zhi himself.

Just now, after reading the earnest memorial from Chu Suiliang, Li Zhi’s blood pressure had spiked sharply.

“Zhinu, be obedient and take your medicine,” Wu Meiniang said, dressed in full ceremonial attire, carrying a jade bowl as she sat beside him.

“This medicine tastes like bitter poison…” Li Zhi gritted his teeth and pressed his temples. The dizziness was truly unbearable—like a grand ritual of bells and cymbals ringing relentlessly inside his head.

“Take the medicine. It will ease the discomfort,” Wu Meiniang coaxed, scooping the herbal decoction with a spoon, blowing on it gently before bringing it to Li Zhi’s lips.

“No, I won’t drink it!” Li Zhi stubbornly shook his head. “If this medicine really worked, I wouldn’t suffer so much every time the dizziness hits!”

It wasn’t just that the medicine was ineffective—that was trivial—but the most unbearable part was how awful it tasted. Gradually, Li Zhi had developed a strong aversion to it.

“Your Majesty!” Wu Meiniang’s expression turned serious as she admonished him firmly, “Even if you won’t consider yourself, you must think of me and the children. Your well-being is the foundation of our lives. If anything were to happen to you, how could I, Hong’er, and Xian’er withstand the slander of the court ministers?”

Li Zhi took a deep breath, clearly moved by her words. He ceased resisting and waved for her to bring the spoon.

“Ugh… bitter to death,” Li Zhi muttered with distaste, yet he did not refuse. Instead, he found comfort in Wu Meiniang’s attentive care.

“Zhinu, you’re so good,” Wu Meiniang said with narrowed phoenix-like eyes, gently stroking the back of his head with her delicate hand, her gaze and voice full of affection. “Drink this medicine, and you won’t feel so unwell.”

While speaking, she felt a pang of sympathy for Li Zhi. This man had nearly made enemies of half the court for her sake. It was impossible not to be touched.

If there was any discord in their relationship, it would come years later when Li Zhi sought to depose her. But for now, Wu Meiniang’s feelings for him were genuinely heartfelt.

“Meiniang, it’s so good to have you,” Li Zhi said, savoring her care. He shifted into a more comfortable position and leaned dependently into her embrace. Having lost her own mother early, she longed deeply for maternal affection. His excessive dependence on her was, from a psychological perspective, a classic case of overcompensation.

Li Zhi’s penchant for women was only part of his nature. Throughout his life, aside from Helan Minyue, the women he was drawn to were generally older than himself.

“Changsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang, I will remember you both!” Li Zhi growled through clenched teeth, nestled in his wife’s arms as he drank the medicine.

It was hardly surprising that Li Zhi bore grudges. In the fifth year of the Yonghui era, he had sought to depose the unpopular Empress Wang and establish Wu Meiniang as the new empress. Fearing opposition from court officials, he and Wu Meiniang had first visited his uncle Changsun Wuji’s residence for a banquet.

Li Zhi believed that as his uncle, Changsun Wuji would not oppose him. At the feast, Li Zhi generously rewarded him with gold, treasures, brocade, and silk—enough to fill ten carts—and appointed Wuji’s three sons as court attendants. He even hinted repeatedly that the empress was childless, hoping to win Wuji’s support.

Yet Changsun Wuji was a shrewd old fox. He feigned ignorance of the implications, remaining polite and cordial but skillfully dodging the topic, like a piece of dry tofu refusing to soak up any sauce.

Later, Wu Meiniang’s mother, Lady Yang, and Xu Jingzong also tried to persuade Wuji to support Li Zhi’s plan, but he brusquely and firmly refused.

After repeated setbacks, Li Zhi grew impatient and harbored deep resentment toward Changsun Wuji.

“Your Majesty, no matter what, Grand Marshal Changsun Wuji is still your uncle. His actions are for your own good…” Wu Meiniang said with concern, though her eyes were filled with coldness.

Wu Meiniang now loathed Changsun Wuji. Were it not for his faction’s obstruction, she would have long since rightfully become the empress of the Tang dynasty.

Petty and grudging, she had already marked Changsun Wuji in her heart. When the time was right, she would repay him with interest.

One had to admit, Changsun Wuji’s cunning outpaced his time in the Tang court. He lived by the principle of “taking the benefits and spitting out the bullets”—accepting Li Zhi’s favors but refusing to act on his behalf, more obstructive than even the worst local official.

When the plan to depose the empress was set in motion two months ago, Chu Suiliang had vehemently opposed it as if he had swallowed firepower. Though Changsun Wuji remained silent, it was obvious to all that Chu Suiliang’s fervent resistance was largely at Wuji’s behest.

Wuji claimed his loyalty was to Li Shimin.

Li Zhi thought to himself, “I don’t buy it for a second. That old villain is far craftier than you think. If he truly loved my father, why did he send my third brother Li Ke away to his doom two years ago?”

The thought of Prince Wu, Li Ke, stirred regret in Li Zhi’s heart. Since Li Ke was framed and executed by Changsun Wuji, the court’s balance had steadily eroded. Xu Jingzong alone could not rival Wuji’s power.

There was not only regret but also guilt. Li Zhi knew Li Ke was innocent. Unlike Wuji, who loved power but never seriously threatened his throne, Li Ke was a fellow son of Emperor Taizong with legitimate claims. Brave and resolute, much like their father, Li Ke posed a threat. So Li Zhi tacitly permitted Wuji’s schemes.

It was hard to say if Wuji had counted on Li Zhi’s thoughts all along.

“For my own good? Ha ha ha…” Li Zhi laughed like a mischievous child, as if hearing the greatest joke. “He only cares about preserving his own feathers. My mother once said that Changsun Wuji’s excessive favor would bring ruin upon his family… Looks like she spoke the truth.”

“Your Majesty, no!” Wu Meiniang exclaimed in alarm. “Grand Marshal Changsun Wuji is your uncle…”

“Uncle? If he truly is my uncle, he shouldn’t oppose me making you empress! If he really considered me his nephew, he would support my decision!” Li Zhi said through gritted teeth, his hands pressing gently onto Wu Meiniang’s slender shoulders, his gaze resolute as he promised, “Don’t worry, Meiniang. Even if Changsun Wuji opposes, even if my father returns from the dead, he won’t stop me from making you empress! I swear it!”

(End of chapter)