Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 136: Figure at the Alley

Wu Tao retracted her gaze, pretending not to notice, but quietly quickened her pace. That gaze followed her like a shadow, with an unsettling chill. She observed her surroundings calmly, trying to find the trace of the stalker.

The streets were bustling with people, hawking and laughing. Wu Tao stopped in front of a stall selling candied haws, pretending to pick some, but glancing at the people around him from the corner of his eye.

A thin man wearing a veil caught her attention. He was standing by a tea stall on the corner of the street, drinking tea seemingly nonchalantly, but his eyes were always on Wu Tao.

Wu Tao's heart trembled, but he paid the money calmly and turned into a quiet alley. There was no one in the alley, only a few broken clay pots piled in the corner.

She slowed down her pace and listened attentively to the noise behind her. Sure enough, light footsteps came from the alley entrance, and the man followed in.

Wu Tao's mouth curled up into a cold smile. It seemed that the other party wanted to find a place where no one was around to attack. She turned to face the alley entrance and said in a frightened tone, "Who's there? Come out!"

The figure at the alley entrance seemed to be stunned for a moment, then quickened his pace and walked towards Wu Tao. Wu Tao tightly grasped the dagger hidden in his sleeve and prepared to respond.

However, just as the man was about to approach, Wu Tao suddenly turned around and rushed to the other end of the alley at lightning speed. She nimbly shuttled through the narrow alley and soon left the pursuer behind.

Wu Tao did not rush home, but walked around the city for a few times. After making sure that no one was following him, he returned to the palace with peace of mind.

At the same time, in the study of the palace, Hu Bugui was looking at the letter in his hand with a frown on his face. There was only one line of words on the letter: Be careful of the Prime Minister, he will not let it go.

The handwriting was illegible and it was hard to tell who wrote it, but the warning in the tone was very obvious. Hu Bugui threw the letter into the brazier, and the blazing flames instantly devoured it.

Prime Minister... Hu Bugui's eyes flashed with a cold light. Ever since he was canonized as the crown prince, the prime minister has been dissatisfied with him and has secretly put a lot of obstacles in his way. But what exactly does the other party want to do? Who wrote this letter?

All kinds of questions lingered in Hu Bugui's mind, making him feel a little uneasy. He decided to find out the truth as soon as possible and not let anyone threaten the safety of him and Wu Tao.

As night fell, Wu Tao told Hu Bugui what had happened during the day. After analyzing the situation, they both felt that it was not a simple matter and that it was very likely that the prime minister was behind it.

In order to find out the truth, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao decided to investigate secretly. An invisible struggle is about to begin...

Wu Tao frowned slightly and told the story of being followed on the street during the day. After Hu Bugui heard it, a cold light flashed in his deep eyes.

"It seems that the Prime Minister is not going to let it go." He said in a deep voice, with a hint of coldness in his tone.

"What should we do?" Wu Tao asked worriedly. Although she came from the modern era, she knew that in this deep palace, one could be doomed if not careful.

"Don't worry, I'll check it out." Hu Bugui held her hand and gave her a reassuring look, "Don't worry, I won't let him hurt you."

At night, Hu Bugui secretly summoned the secret guards and ordered them to investigate the prime minister's recent movements. At the same time, Wu Tao also used his connections to find out the news in the city.

A few days later, the secret guard brought back news that the prime minister had been meeting with several ministers in private recently, speaking earnestly, and seemed to be trying to win people's hearts. On Wu Tao's side, she also found that some rumors about her and Hu Bugui were beginning to spread in the city.

"I heard that the Crown Princess is of humble origin and has none of the demeanor of a lady from a noble family. She only knows how to play and enjoy herself all day long. She is not worthy of being the Crown Princess." Several common people were discussing in low voices in the teahouse.

"That's right. I also heard that the Crown Princess is jealous and can't tolerate others. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has long been tired of her..."

Similar rumors spread quietly in the market, like the tongue of a poisonous snake, silently eroding people's judgment. When Wu Tao heard these rumors, he couldn't help but sneer in his heart. The prime minister's methods were indeed despicable, and he actually used such a despicable method to discredit them.

"It seems that we have to find a way to fight back." Wu Tao said to Hu Bugui, with a determined light in his eyes, "We can't let him stir up trouble in the dark."

Hu Bugui nodded, a gleam of light flashing in his deep eyes. He had long expected that the prime minister would not give up easily, but he did not expect that he would choose this method.

"Don't worry, I have a way to deal with him." Hu Bugui said confidently, with a meaningful smile on his lips.

What kind of counterattack plan makes Hu Bugui so confident? Will the prime minister's conspiracy succeed?

Hu Bugui sneered, his eyes full of mockery, "Prime Minister, your methods are clumsy, do you think you can shake me in the slightest?"

Wu Tao's eyes rolled and a plan came to his mind, "Why don't we take advantage of his own trick and let him suffer the consequences?"

A few days later, a more explosive piece of news appeared in Chang'an: the Crown Princess came from a famous family, was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and was kind-hearted. She often went on private visits to help the people. For a time, it was difficult to tell whether the rumors about Wu Tao were true or false, and the people were talking about it.

In the Prime Minister's Mansion, the Prime Minister listened to the report from his servants and was so angry that he smashed the teacup in his hand to pieces. "Who is spreading the rumors? Investigate for me! You must find out thoroughly!" He never thought that the lies he carefully fabricated would be easily overturned and even bitten back.

"Master, what should we do now?" asked the confidant worriedly.

The prime minister had a gloomy face, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes, "Since soft tactics don't work, let's use hard tactics!"

A few days later, the emperor hosted a banquet for his ministers. During the banquet, the prime minister deliberately mentioned Hu Bugui's mother, implying that Hu Bugui's mother did not die of illness, but was killed by the current queen. When this was said, everyone in the room was shocked, and the emperor's face turned ugly.

Hu Bugui sneered in his heart. He knew that this was the prime minister's strategy to sow discord, but he remained calm and just quietly observed the emperor's reaction.

The emperor was silent for a moment, then slowly asked, "Why did the Prime Minister suddenly bring up this matter?"

The Prime Minister pretended to be surprised and said, "Your Majesty, I just heard about this by chance. This matter is of great importance. I dare not conceal it. I hope Your Majesty will examine it carefully."

The emperor's expression was uncertain. He looked at Hu Bugui and asked in a deep voice, "Bugui, what do you think?"

Hu Bugui stood up, bowed respectfully, and said calmly: "Father, I believe in mother and I also believe in your judgment."

The emperor nodded and said nothing more, but his heart was already in turmoil.

After the banquet, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao returned to the Prince's Mansion. They both knew that this was just the calm before the storm and the Prime Minister would not give up. A bigger conspiracy was yet to come.

"It seems that we have to make full preparations." Wu Tao said worriedly.

Hu Bugui held her hand, his eyes full of determination, "Don't worry, I won't let him succeed."

The night is dark, and a bigger storm is quietly brewing...

Back at the Prince's Mansion, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui stayed awake all night. Under the dim candlelight, they sat opposite each other, the atmosphere was so solemn that it seemed frozen.

"This prime minister is really evil-minded!" Wu Tao angrily slammed the table, and the exquisite tea set began to tremble. "He didn't even think about how such a clumsy lie could possibly deceive people."

Hu Bugui looked calm, his fingers gently stroking the teacup in his hand, a cold light flashing in his eyes, "Of course he knows this trick won't work, but what he wants is to make the emperor suspicious."

"Then what should we do now? We can't just sit there and wait to die, right?" Wu Tao frowned slightly, feeling a little uneasy.

Hu Bugui put down his teacup, held her slightly cold hand, and said firmly: "Tao'er, don't worry, I won't let him succeed. Tomorrow morning, I will explain everything to my father."

The next day, in the Imperial Palace, Hu Bugui revealed the prime minister's conspiracy and presented the evidence he had secretly collected. The emperor was furious and immediately ordered a thorough investigation of the matter and dismissed the prime minister.

Seeing the prime minister being escorted away by the guards, Wu Tao felt relieved and smiled. She turned to look at Hu Bugui, her eyes full of admiration and love.

However, just when they thought everything was settled, a bigger crisis was quietly brewing...

A few days later, at the morning court, the usually taciturn prince suddenly stood up and, in front of all the civil and military officials in the court, tearfully accused Hu Bugui of having a rebellious heart. He listed "various evidences" and demanded that the emperor punish him severely.

"Father, you must make the decision for me!" The prince fell to his knees, crying out at the top of his lungs.

The emperor was horrified when he heard this. Looking at the scene before him, his heart was filled with shock and confusion...