Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 184 The assassination was actually planned by the Prime Minister

The assassin's confession was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves. In the court, the ministers were talking about it, with fear, doubt, suspicion, and all kinds of emotions intertwined, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was suffocating.

Although the emperor remained calm on the surface, he was already in turmoil. He never thought that the prime minister who had been executed would still have such great power and could even instigate assassins to kill him.

Hu Bugui looked calm, his eyes swept across the crowd, and finally landed on the emperor. He said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, although the prime minister has been executed, he has many followers and they are intertwined. This assassination attempt is the best proof. If the remaining evil is not completely eradicated, there will be endless troubles in the future."

Wu Tao stood aside, with a lot of thoughts in her mind. She knew that the Prime Minister's party was no ordinary person, and it would be difficult to uproot them.

The emperor took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and asked in a deep voice: "What good plan do you have, Lord Hu?"

"I think the most urgent task is to thoroughly investigate the government and the people, and catch all the remaining followers of the prime minister. At the same time, we must strengthen the defense of the palace to prevent the assassin from attacking again."

"Well," the emperor nodded in agreement, "I will leave this matter to Minister Hu, you must get to the bottom of it!"

Hu Bugui took the order and immediately launched a vigorous and swift investigation. He knew that in order to completely eliminate the influence of the prime minister, he had to solve the problem from the root, that is, to reform the government.

So he discussed with Wu Tao and began to formulate a series of reform plans. They planned to strengthen central power and weaken local forces; improve people's livelihood and reduce the burden on the people; and strengthen military defense to prevent foreign invasion.

Each of these plans directly targets the existing ills of the Tang Dynasty. If successfully implemented, it will surely give the Tang Dynasty a brand new look.

However, the implementation of the reform plan was not smooth. Some old nobles and vested interests began to secretly resist. A new storm was quietly brewing...

 Peach blossoms shine brightly in Chang'an

 Chapter 184: Turbulence Rises Again

Each of these plans directly targets the existing ills of the Tang Dynasty. If successfully implemented, it will surely give the Tang Dynasty a brand new look. However, the implementation of the reform plan is not smooth. Some old nobles and vested interests begin to secretly resist. A new storm is quietly brewing...

"Your Highness, these plans affect the interests of too many people. They will not compromise easily." Wu Tao put down the pen in her hand, frowned slightly, and there was a hint of worry in her tone.

Hu Bugui put down the memorial in his hand, walked to the window, looked at the towering palace in the distance, and said in a deep voice: "I know, but this reform is imperative. The Tang Dynasty is already terminally ill. If it doesn't change, there is only one way to go, and that is death."

"But those people are deeply entrenched, how should we deal with them?" Wu Tao walked up to him and asked softly.

"A head-on confrontation will only hurt both sides. We need to try another approach." A gleam of light flashed in Hu Bugui's eyes. "Using softness to overcome hardness is the best strategy."

Wu Tao pondered for a moment and asked, "What does Your Majesty mean..."

"We need to win the support of more people, especially those who are neutral and ordinary people." Hu Bugui turned and looked at Wu Tao, his eyes full of trust, "I believe that as long as we work together, we will be able to overcome the difficulties before us."

Wu Tao nodded, with a determined light in her eyes. She knew that a new challenge was coming, and she was ready.

In the Golden Palace, a debate on the reform plan was going on fiercely. The opposition spoke sharply, quoted classics, and exaggerated the risks brought by the reform. Wu Tao stood aside, listening carefully to their arguments and looking for a breakthrough.

"You are all right," Wu Tao's clear voice rang out in the hall, instantly attracting everyone's attention. "Reform does bring risks, but sticking to the old ways will only put us in an irretrievable situation."

She walked slowly to the center of the hall, her eyes swept over everyone, and her tone was firm and powerful, "The Tang Dynasty has been plagued by long-standing problems, the people are living in poverty, and there are constant wars on the border. If we don't think about reform and innovation, only destruction awaits us!"

Wu Tao cited extensive evidence, ranging from the rise and fall in history to the vital interests of the people and the long-term stability of the country, and refuted the opposition's views one by one with irrefutable facts and logic.

Her speech was logical and sincere, deeply moving many people present. Some officials who had been on the sidelines also began to express their support for the reform plan.

However, just when the reforms were beginning to bear fruit and the government and the people seemed to be at peace, an anonymous letter quietly arrived in Hu Bugui's hands. The letter contained only a short sentence: "Be careful, a bigger crisis is coming."

Hu Bugui held the letter in his hand, frowning, and a bad feeling welled up in his heart. Who was secretly controlling all this? What was their purpose?

 Chapter 185: Undercurrent

Hu Bugui repeatedly looked at the letter in his hand. The few short words revealed a chilling chill. He handed the letter to Wu Tao and said in a deep voice: "It seems that this calm is just the calm before the storm."

Wu Tao took the letter and frowned. The timing of the letter was too coincidental and the content was too brief, which made it even more strange.

"Your Highness, where should we start our investigation?" Wu Tao asked.

"Start with the letter paper and the handwriting." Hu Bugui said, "This letter paper is not ordinary, it should have come from the palace, and the handwriting needs to be identified by someone."

After some investigation, they found that the letter paper came from the harem, but the handwriting was unrecognizable, as if it was deliberately imitated. The clues stopped here, but Hu Bugui's intuition told him that this matter was not simple.

"Could it be that someone is deliberately misleading us?" Wu Tao guessed, "Perhaps the real danger does not come from outside the palace, but..."

She didn't continue, but Hu Bugui understood what she meant. If someone wanted to use them to divert attention outside the palace, what was the real purpose?

In order to find out the truth, Hu Bugui secretly stepped up the investigation in the palace. At the same time, he arranged for people to secretly track down the whereabouts of the prime minister's remaining party, hoping to find some clues.

A few days later, a message came that the prime minister had secretly trained a group of death warriors during his lifetime. These death warriors were highly skilled in martial arts and loyal, but their whereabouts were now unknown.

"Death squad?" Wu Tao's heart trembled. "It seems that the Prime Minister's ambition is greater than we thought."

"It's not just ambition." A cold light flashed in Hu Bugui's eyes, "I also found out that the Prime Minister had contact with foreigners during his lifetime."

"What?!" Wu Tao was horrified, "Could it be..."

"It's not certain yet." Hu Bugui interrupted her, "But I have a hunch that this letter, the prime minister's assassins, and his connection with foreign countries are probably not a coincidence."

Wu Tao felt uneasy. She realized that they might have touched upon a huge conspiracy, and behind this conspiracy, there was an extremely dangerous organization. Who was this organization? What was their purpose?