Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 147 The Storm is Coming and the Flowers are Falling

Li Xiaoyao's words were like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up thousands of waves. Hu Bugui stood up suddenly, and the scroll in his hand fell to the ground, but he had no time to care. The Turkic invasion was a big deal and must not be taken lightly.

"Call all ministers and go to Taiji Hall to discuss matters immediately!" Hu Bugui spoke in a sharp tone with unquestionable majesty.

When the news came out, the whole palace was filled with a tense atmosphere. The ministers hurried to the Taiji Hall, and everyone's face was full of solemnity.

The atmosphere in the Taiji Hall was oppressive. Hu Bugui sat in the upper seat, his eyes swept over the ministers below, and he said in a steady tone: "My dear ministers, the Turks are invading, the situation is urgent, how should we deal with it, please speak freely!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Minister of War stood up and said indignantly: "Your Majesty, the Turkic barbarians have repeatedly invaded our borders, and this time they are coming with even more force. We must not tolerate it! I suggest that we immediately mobilize the army to fight against the Turks and defend our country!"

"Fight! We must fight!" Many generals echoed the sentiment, and the war faction was in high spirits.

However, the Prime Minister stepped forward slowly, stroked his gray beard, and said slowly: "Your Highness, weapons are dangerous tools. When a war breaks out, there will be great suffering and the people will be displaced! I think that peace is the most important thing. We should send envoys to negotiate with the Turks to seek a peaceful solution to this matter."

The Prime Minister's faction had always advocated peace, so naturally they were strongly opposed to war. In the court, the war faction and the peace faction each held their own views, arguing endlessly, and no one could convince the other.

Hu Bugui sat on the dragon chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, frowning and lost in thought. He knew what war meant, but blindly giving in would only encourage the arrogance of the Turks, and in the end it would be the people on the border who would suffer.

Just as he was about to speak, Wu Tao's voice suddenly rang in his ears: "Your Majesty, the Turkic invasion this time is probably not that simple."

Hu Bugui turned to look at Wu Tao, and saw a gleam of wisdom in her eyes. He was moved and nodded slightly, motioning her to continue.

"What the Prime Minister said is not without reason, but the Turks' aggressive attack this time is definitely not just to plunder property." Wu Tao said calmly, but with great force, "I think there may be another hidden story behind this."

Wu Tao's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears. The ministers looked at each other, confused.

After the court was dismissed, Hu Bugui called Wu Tao and Li Xiaoyao to his study and told them all his concerns.

"The timing of the Turkic invasion is too coincidental. I suspect someone in the court is secretly colluding with the foreign enemy." Hu Bugui said in a deep voice, "Li Xiaoyao, you secretly investigate this matter and make sure to find out the truth."

"Yes, Your Highness!" Li Xiaoyao took the order and left.

Wu Tao also joined the investigation team. She knew that this matter was of great importance and that if she was not careful, it would bring disaster to Hu Bugui. She carefully analyzed the recent events and tried to find clues.

A few days later, Li Xiaoyao brought back a shocking news: "Your Majesty, I have found out that there is a butler under the Prime Minister who has close ties with the Turkic envoys, and..." He paused and lowered his voice and said, "I have also discovered that the Prime Minister has secretly stockpiled a large amount of food and weapons."

Li Xiaoyao's words confirmed Hu Bugui and Wu Tao's guesses. The Prime Minister actually colluded with foreign enemies, intending to take this opportunity to weaken Hu Bugui's power, or even replace him!

The storm is coming, and the sky over Chang'an City is covered with dark clouds. A bigger storm is quietly brewing...

The news Li Xiaoyao brought back was like a thunderclap, exploding in the study and freezing the air. Wu Tao felt cold all over, and an ominous premonition gripped her heart tightly. The prime minister, this powerful and seemingly righteous old fox, actually colluded with foreign enemies in secret and intended to rebel!

Hu Bugui's face was terribly gloomy. He tightly grasped the teacup in his hand, his knuckles turned white and veins bulged. He had known that there were undercurrents in the court, but he had never expected that the prime minister's ambition was so great that he dared to do such a thing of treason when the country was in danger!

"Your Highness, what should we do now?" Wu Tao asked in a low voice, with a hint of anxiety and worry in his tone. The Turks were coming aggressively, and the court was unstable, which was undoubtedly a double whammy for Hu Bugui, who had just secured his position as the crown prince.

Hu Bugui took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in his heart, and said in a cold tone: "This matter cannot be made public. The Prime Minister is cunning and treacherous. We must have solid evidence to take him down in one fell swoop!"

In the following days, the whole city of Chang'an was shrouded in a tense atmosphere. The Turkish cavalry was approaching, the war had spread to the border, and the internal struggle of the court was intensifying. The pro-war and pro-peace factions were at loggerheads, refusing to give in to each other. The reform plan was forced to be shelved, and Hu Bugui and Wu Tao were facing tremendous pressure.

One day, a dusty general rushed back to Chang'an from the front line and brought bad news: the Turkic army was extremely brave and good at fighting, and the Tang army suffered heavy losses and urgently needed more troops and resource support.

The general's words made the war faction even more indignant. They all asked Hu Bugui to send more troops immediately, but the peace faction obstructed them in every way, saying that the treasury was empty. The two factions argued endlessly in the court, neither of them giving in, but no one really cared about the life and death of the soldiers on the front line, and no one saw the growing disappointment and anger in Hu Bugui's eyes.

"Enough!" Hu Bugui slammed the table and shouted, "The border is in danger, the soldiers are fighting bloody battles, but you are fighting for power and profit here, disregarding the safety of the country. How can you still have the face to call yourself an important official of the court?!"

Hu Bugui's words were so powerful that they shocked everyone, and the court suddenly fell silent. However, this brief silence could not solve any problems. The threat from the Turks still existed, the contradictions within the court were still acute, and the road to reform was still full of thorns.

In the dead of night, Wu Tao looked at Hu Bugui, who was frowning in the study, and her heart was filled with distress and worry. She knew that Hu Bugui was under tremendous pressure. He wanted to protect the country and realize his ambitions, but the reality was so cruel that it was suffocating.

"Your Highness, don't worry too much. There will always be a way out. We can definitely get through this difficult time." Wu Tao walked to Hu Bugui, gently held his hand, and comforted him softly.

Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand, feeling the warmth of her palm, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart. He looked at Wu Tao, his eyes full of trust and hope: "Tao'er, you are right, we can definitely get through this difficult time."

However, at this moment, Li Xiaoyao suddenly came in in a hurry. His face was pale and panicked. He knelt on the ground as soon as he entered the door and said in a trembling voice: "Prince, it's not good. The Turks... the Turks..."

"What happened to Turkic? Tell me slowly!" Hu Bugui's heart sank suddenly, and a bad premonition came to his mind.

Li Xiaoyao panted and said intermittently: "The Turkic...Turkic army...bypassed Yanmen Pass and headed straight...straight to Chang'an!"

The air in the study seemed to freeze instantly. Wu Tao felt a blank in his mind. How could this happen? How could this happen! Yanmen Pass is strategically located and is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is the last barrier of Chang'an. If Yanmen Pass is lost, Chang'an will be in danger!

Hu Bugui's face turned pale. He stood up suddenly and paced back and forth in the study, thinking of countermeasures in his mind. The Turks were coming aggressively, and they were obviously well prepared. The court was in chaos. This war was not easy to fight!

"Your Highness, what should we do now?" Wu Tao asked anxiously. Although she came from the modern era, she could also feel the fear and despair brought by the war.

Hu Bugui stopped, a look of determination flashed in his eyes: "For now, the only way is to take the initiative to attack and disrupt their formation, so as to buy time and mobilize reinforcements!"

"But, Your Majesty, our military strength is far inferior to that of the Turks, and they bypassed Yanmen Pass this time, obviously with the guidance of an expert. We..." Li Xiaoyao looked embarrassed and his tone was full of worry.

"No buts!" Hu Bugui interrupted Li Xiaoyao, "There is no way out now, we must fight to the death!"

Wu Tao looked at Hu Bugui's determined eyes, and suddenly had a bold idea in her mind. Perhaps, she could use her knowledge from the modern times to help Hu Bugui win this battle!

"Your Highness, I may have a way to help us defeat the Turks." Wu Tao took a deep breath, looked at Hu Bugui, and said in a firm tone.

Hu Bugui and Li Xiaoyao looked at Wu Tao in surprise, not understanding how a weak woman like her could defeat the powerful Turkic army.

Wu Tao ignored their doubts and began to describe in detail to Hu Bugui a new type of weapon in her mind - "Thunderbolt Fire". This weapon is extremely powerful and can cause large-scale damage to the enemy. It is a weapon that has never appeared in ancient wars.

Hu Bugui and Li Xiaoyao were stunned. They had never thought that there was such a magical weapon. If it could really be made, then defeating the Turks would not be impossible!

"Tao'er, are you really sure?" Hu Bugui looked at Wu Tao, his eyes full of hope and worry.

"Your Highness, believe me, I will do my best!" Wu Tao said firmly.

In the following days, Wu Tao and Li Xiaoyao worked day and night to study the manufacturing method of "Thunderbolt Fire". They collected materials everywhere, conducted experiments again and again, overcame countless difficulties and setbacks, and finally successfully developed the first batch of "Thunderbolt Fire" before the Turkic army approached Chang'an.

However, when they were about to transport the "Thunderbolt" to the border, they were obstructed by the Prime Minister's men. They arrested Wu Tao, Li Xiaoyao and others on charges of "spreading evil words to confuse the people" and "plotting against the law", and seized all the "Thunderbolt".

When Hu Bugui heard the news, he flew into a rage. He knew that the prime minister was deliberately obstructing him and wanted to get rid of him through the Turks!

 Chapter 147: Storm is coming and flowers are falling

"Bang!" Hu Bugui slammed his palm on the imperial desk, his eyes wide open, pointed at the prime minister's nose, and shouted sternly: "Prime Minister, you detained Pilihuo and imprisoned my people, what exactly do you want to do?!"

The atmosphere in the Golden Throne Hall was tense. The Prime Minister was calm, stroking his gray beard, and replied slowly, "Your Highness, please calm down. I am just worried that these objects of unknown origin may harm the Holy Body, so I ordered them to be seized. Once the truth is found, they will be returned intact."

"Find out the truth? The Turkic army is approaching, Chang'an is in danger, and you are here telling me to find out the truth!" Hu Bugui laughed in anger, "You keep saying that the origin of Thunderbolt Fire is unknown, but have you asked the Minister of Industry? He can testify that the raw materials of Thunderbolt Fire were allocated by the Ministry of Industry, and every record is clear!"

"This..." The prime minister was speechless for a moment. The Minister of Works was Hu Bugui's man, and he had already made all the arrangements. There was no way for him to start.

"Father, I believe that the Crown Prince will never do anything that will harm the court." The Second Prince, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up. He walked to the center of the hall and clasped his hands, saying, "The power of the Thunderbolt Fire is enormous. I have seen it with my own eyes. If it can be used on the battlefield, it will surely defeat the Turks and protect our Tang Dynasty!"

"The Second Prince is absolutely right!" Several generals also stood up to express their support for Hu Bugui.

Seeing that the situation was not favorable to him, the Prime Minister immediately knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face, and said, "Your Majesty, I am loyal to you, and heaven and earth can bear witness to this! Your Highness the Crown Prince is young and impetuous, and was deceived by the treacherous people. I am also concerned about the Tang Dynasty!"

The emperor sat on the dragon throne, his face gloomy and silent. He knew that the struggle between the prime minister and Hu Bugui had reached a white-hot stage, and he, as the emperor, was also being roasted on the fire.

In the end, in the absence of conclusive evidence, the emperor had no choice but to order the release of the prime minister, Hu Bugui and others.

Back in the palace, Hu Bugui was extremely anxious. He knew that in this battle, he won the face but lost the substance.

"Your Highness, are you okay?" Wu Tao stepped forward and asked worriedly.

Hu Bugui shook his head and handed her a secret letter. "This is the news just received from the border. Take a look."

Wu Tao took the letter and read it carefully. The content of the letter shocked her. It turned out that the prime minister colluded with the Turks and attempted to usurp the throne!

"How could this happen..." Wu Tao murmured to herself. She finally understood that this sudden war was actually a huge conspiracy!

"It seems that we have all been deceived by the Prime Minister!" A cold light flashed in Hu Bugui's eyes, "Tao'er, we must expose his true face before the Prime Minister does!"

Wu Tao nodded, his eyes firm, "Your Majesty, tell me, what should we do?"

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