Uncle Detective Di Renjie, I build a crime-solving team

Chapter 759 Temptation

"We have capable ministers in our Great Zhou."

"We have loyal and good people in our Great Zhou!"

"But I wonder where the loyal and righteous men who fought with you to defeat the Snake Spirit rebels are?"

This is the procedure that has been discussed. Li Cunxi bowed and said:

"Your Majesty, my brother is outside the palace."

Wu Zetian nodded and said, "Xuan Kui, Wen Zhong, Xiao Mei and the other four will come to see me!"

All the officials kept silent, waiting for the show to be over before returning to their home ground.

Soon, the eunuch standing at the door shouted, and Kui Wenzhong brought Kui Hui, Xiao Mei and Xiao Feng into the Linde Hall.

Hu Jinghui, who was guarding outside the door, took a look at the four people, searched them as usual, and let them in.

Kui Wenzhong walked forward step by step, looking at the emperor who had killed more than a hundred people in his family, and finally calmed down.

"I, the humble servant Kui Wenzhong, kowtow to Your Majesty!"

He was the first to kneel down at the foot of the imperial steps and kowtow to Wu Zetian.

Kui Hui, Xiao Mei and Xiao Feng followed suit and kowtowed to the old emperor.

"You are all righteous men of my Great Zhou, loyal men of my Great Zhou, get up quickly!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Kui Wenzhong stood up, lowered his head, and did not look at Wu Zetian.

"I remember you, Li Wenzhong," Wu Zetian said. "When I was in Hanguang Temple, someone tried to assassinate me, but you saved my life with a hidden weapon."

"I am merely fulfilling my duty. Protecting Your Majesty is also my blessing."

"I ask you, why didn't you recognize Cunxi that day?"

"At the time, I was a criminal, and I was also struggling in the Snake Spirit Swamp. I didn't dare to acknowledge Cunxi, fearing that I would implicate him."

"You saved me, yet you didn't take credit for yourself. Instead, you were filled with fear and trepidation. Li Wenzhong is truly a righteous man!" Wu Zetian nodded. "Duke Huang's case has been overturned, but his descendants are now few and far between. I have a special accusation for you."

"I don't need any reward. I just want to stay by Cunxi's side, and then I will have no regrets in this life." Kui Wenzhong said these words against his will, his head lowering lower and lower.

Wu Zetian smiled and shook her head, then turned to Zhang Jianzhi.

"Cambodia."

Zhang Jianzhi stepped out and bowed to the emperor.

"What is your Majesty's will?"

"Li Wenzhong has been instrumental in rescuing me. I wish to order him to inherit his father's title as Duke of Huang."

"I obey your order. After the court is dismissed, the imperial edict will be delivered to the Prince of Qin's palace."

Everyone is so familiar with the process that it is just a matter of saying a few words.

"From now on, your surname will no longer be Hu, but Wen Zhong." Wu Zetian said with a smile.

That day when she was offering incense at Hanguang Temple, if Li Wenzhong wanted to kill her, he could have taken her life with a hidden weapon.

But Li Wenzhong did not kill her despite his hatred for her property and clan extermination. She could not say that she was grateful to Li Wenzhong, but she had a lot of good feelings towards him.

Although he had known the result a long time ago, when Kui Wenzhong heard it with his own ears, tears still filled his eyes.

He fell to his knees with a plop and couldn't get up for a long time.

"I, Li Wenzhong, thank you very much, Your Majesty!"

His crying voice infected many people, and a large number of officials who were loyal to the Li family's descendants covered their faces and cried.

"You have suffered outside," Wu Zetian said again.

It is easy to praise someone, and Wu Zetian can say a few words at any time.

Especially when people are moved to tears of gratitude, it is a good time to win people's hearts.

Sure enough, Li Wenzhong's tears could no longer stop flowing.

"Wenzhong, get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Li Wenzhong stood up, tears still welling up in his eyes.

Wu Zetian's gaze turned to Kui Hui again.

"Whose descendant are you?"

Kui Hui lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, my ancestor was the King of Qiao."

If you just say this unfamiliar title, perhaps no one will know it, but if you say that he is the uncle of Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan, then it will be much more familiar.

Going further down the line, this is actually a distant relative separated by several generations.

Li Cunxi finally understood why his seventh brother Li Wenzhong would get together with Li Hui without worrying about incest. It turned out that their relationship was not close.

"What's your name, Li?" Wu Zetian asked with a smile.

"I'm Li Hui." Li Hui reacted in an instant and didn't say her surname which would spoil the fun for others.

"Yeah." Wu Zetian passed Li Hui and looked at the relatives of the former Concubine Xiao Shufei.

This is a pair of twins who may not look impressive at first glance, but they become more and more beautiful when you look closely.

"You are descendants of Concubine Xiao Shufei. I saw it in the document. You assisted Cunxi in defeating the snake spirit and made great contributions to the country. From now on, you can change back to your previous surname."

"I thank your majesty."

As Wu Zetian looked at the two sisters who were bowing and scraping, a strange feeling came over her.

It is true that she killed Concubine Xiao Shufei, and she did cause great suffering to her clansmen. However, Concubine Xiao Shufei's descendants still fought for her kingdom. Isn't this enough to prove that she was right?

"Cunxi, what reward do you want for defeating the snake spirit?"

Wu Zetian ignored the rewards for the three women and looked at Li Cunxi.

Li Cunxi took a deep breath, knowing that his long-cherished wish would be fulfilled at this moment.

He walked out of the court, holding the imperial tablet in his hand, and bowed to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, this victory over the Snake Spirit was not solely the work of me. It was due to your Majesty's wise guidance, the cooperation of Wen Kai, the selfless dedication of the Thousand Oxen Guards, and the fearlessness of my brothers and their companions. This victory was only possible because of your Majesty's wise guidance, the cooperation of Wen Kai, the Governor of Liuzhou, the selfless dedication of the Thousand Oxen Guards, and the fearlessness of my brothers and their companions."

"I dare not take credit for this. If Your Majesty is willing to reward me, I do have a humble request."

Li Cunxi pushed all the credit away and gave the emperor enough face.

At this moment, Wu Zetian changed her mind.

She did not follow what was agreed yesterday, but instead said:

"If it's a granted marriage, then there's no need. I know you have a close relationship with Xiao Mei. You can propose marriage on your own another day. I really want to reward you."

Li Cunxi was stunned. What did it mean that the emperor didn't follow the script? Wasn't it agreed upon yesterday?

But he quickly reacted and said loudly:

"My elder brother has already received the reward, I will not accept it!"

Wu Zetian laughed, and there was a deep meaning hidden in her laughter.

Many sensitive officials also noticed the hidden meaning in the emperor's words and became nervous.

"Cunxi, what I'm about to award you is a position that many people dream of."

"If you regret it now, maybe it's not too late." Wu Zetian looked straight at Li Cunxi.

What is the position that many people dream of?

It’s really hard to guess?

I just don’t know if some people would be so angry that they would grit their teeth if Li Cunxi really agreed to it.

"Your Majesty, I will definitely not accept it!" Li Cunxi said firmly.

"Okay, then I won't reward you with anything else. Your Henan Prefecture official is only Duke Wu Yanhao of Liang. I will assign Hu Jinghui to you."

"General Hu Jinghui of the Qianniu Guard is loyal and courageous. He has served me for many years and is deeply trusted by me. You will take him with you from now on."

Li Cunxi didn't expect that there would be an unexpected gain, so he quickly agreed.

Outside the door, Hu Jinghui decided to stand guard for the last time and then follow Li Cunxi to live a life of debauchery.

"General Hu knew he was leaving, but he still loyally stood guard. It's so touching!"

Not far away, Chen Shi sighed.