Da Tang Si Zi: My Six Super Rich Little Nuggets!

Chapter 133 Li Suzhang and Xu Qidan

Mei Xiaosi served as a maid in the Empress's palace, and she had already memorized the password to pass through the gate.

She understood that as long as she won the Empress's favor and made the Empress believe that the Emperor's desire for her was merely physical and that he respected the Empress more, she could solidify the Empress's trust in her.

Zi An had no choice but to cooperate with Mei Xiao Si and put on this show together.

When the Empress had tasted the sweetness of the Emperor's favor and had become somewhat accustomed to it.

Mei Xiaosi immediately instructed her trusted eunuch to suggest to Consort Xiao that her son, Li Sujie, should feign illness.

At the same time, she also persuaded Zi'an to visit Consort Xiao.

Because she noticed that since returning from her time travel, Zi'an seemed genuinely fascinated by Consort Xiao's life—the flowers and plants, watching plays and enjoying tea, and sharing family happiness with the children…

Therefore, Mei Xiaosi continued her actions following the trajectory of history.

Years later, when Mei Xiaosi looked at Li Sujie's "On Loyalty and Filial Piety," she felt no displeasure at all.

Instead, as she looked at it, she said to Zi'an:

"Oh my, Consort Xiao's son is really something. No wonder he is Emperor Gaozong's son. In terms of filial piety and loyalty, he is almost more impressive than my little brother Zi'an."

Xiao Si muttered, "This 'On Loyalty and Filial Piety' is well written. Even when he's not sick, he can make his illness sound so reasonable and well-founded. Impressive! He's definitely a literary youth!"

She rubbed her head, as if she had suddenly thought of something interesting:

“Zi’an, let’s discuss how to pass on Li Sujie’s ‘serious’ spirit of loyalty and filial piety!”

Emperor Taizong valued this quality in you back then, but it no longer works.

But the problem is, wouldn't writing such a "serious" treatise on loyalty and filial piety make us a laughing stock in history?

Forget it, let's assign him something more practical, like planting some medicinal herbs or gathering ginseng. That's much more useful than this 'loyalty and filial piety'!"

Zi'an nodded in satisfaction.

Speaking of Li Sujie, he was an exceptionally diligent and studious man. He was the fourth son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, and his mother was Consort Xiao.

On February 22nd of the first year of the Yonghui era (650 AD), Li Sujie was enfeoffed as the Prince of Yong and became the governor of Yongzhou.

Mei Xiaosi remembered this joke and kept calling the Empress "Prince Yong" to provoke her, who had no children to secure her position.

This tactic still works.

Ever since Mei Xiaosi suggested that Zi'an frequently visit Consort Xiao, the Empress had begun to reprimand Xiaosi, her words revealing her dissatisfaction:

"Mei Xiaosi, you are truly useless. Are you even competent? If not, then replace the maid. Why does the Emperor no longer come to me, but instead goes to Consort Xiao's place every day?"

Xiao Si responded, “The problem is that Prince Yong is ill. This child is intelligent and lovable. He can recite many ancient poems and prose. It is said that he can recite more than 500 lines a day (some documents record it as 1,000 lines). Moreover, his teacher is Grand Secretary Xu Qidan.”

When the Empress heard the names "Prince Yong" and "Xu Qidan," her sorrow deepened. The jealousy that had been building up in her heart was now escalating, and she was furious.

She pursed her lips tightly, staring straight at Mei Xiaosi, completely unaware that Xiaosi was saying it on purpose, her face still full of hostility.

Mei Xiaosi carefully managed her expression, calmly retorting:

“I’m telling the truth. You know, Xu Qidan comes from the Great Wall of Huzhou. He’s been incredibly smart since he was a child. He could write excellent articles at the age of eight. Your Majesty, aren’t you envious? Xu Qidan is a descendant of the Xu family of Donghai, a relative of the royal family—it’s a testament to the ‘human touch’ of our Li family.”

When it comes to Xu Qidan, Mei Xiaosi first learned about this figure from historical records.

As she read, she couldn't help but sigh:

“Oh my, this person was quite a character! Born in 631 and died in 673, he lived to be forty-four years old—though not a long life, he had his share of glory and confusion, and his life was quite eventful.”

She stroked her chin and pondered: "This Xu Qidan, whose courtesy name was Jiangdao, is actually written as 'Xidao' on his epitaph. I guess the person who wrote the epitaph had some issues with him—to even change his name, he really has no sense of martial virtue."

Speaking of his hometown, Xiao Si felt a little envious:

"The Great Wall of Huzhou is a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, and the air even smells sweet. The scenery is so beautiful that it can make people live a few more years... But it's a pity that he didn't live to be fifty."

Xiao Si loved to mention Xu Qi Dan's family background, especially in front of the Empress, and it had a wonderful effect.

She counted them one by one on her fingers:

"Xu Qidan, the beloved son of Xu Xiaode, the prefect of Guozhou, is the younger brother of Consort Xu, the virtuous consort of Emperor Taizong of Tang, and the elder brother of Consort Xu, the emperor's favorite concubine! You tell me, isn't this a double marriage?"

Sure enough, the Empress's heart raced upon hearing this! Her face turned ashen with anger, but she stubbornly raised her chin and coldly snorted:

"He's just a scholar who relies on nepotism; what real skills could he possibly have!"

Xiao Si looked at him with an "you're right" expression, thinking to himself, "When it comes to nepotism, the Empress is unbeatable!"

But she kept talking:

"That's not necessarily true! He's a descendant of the Xu family of Donghai. He could write articles at the age of eight, and he's incredibly intelligent. Later, he served in the army at the Cao Prince's residence and wrote letters for Prince Lu, Li Xian, Prince Zhou, and Prince Yu, Li Dan. Fanglin Sect, that sounds prestigious enough. He could easily become the magistrate of Taolin County."

The Empress grew increasingly restless as she listened: "I've only heard that you could tell fortunes at Ganye Temple. Are you saying that this person was later demoted? It seems he wasn't very promising!"

Xiao Si raised an eyebrow and continued to add fuel to the fire:

"That happened in the first year of Xianheng. He just accidentally leaked the secret and was exiled to Qizhou as a Sima, and then further exiled to Qinzhou. Alas, although he was unlucky, he was still a man of importance. After his death, he was posthumously awarded the titles of Prefect of Sizhou and Minister of Rites!"

The Empress slammed down her teacup and glared coldly at Xiao Si: "This is the 'inspirational story' you were going to tell me?!"

Xiao Si spread her hands innocently:

"Of course not, I just want to put your mind at ease—after all, even someone as illustrious as Xu Qidan didn't live a long life. You, on the other hand, need to take good care of your health so you can secure your position!"

The Empress stood up in anger and turned to leave, but Xiao Si secretly rejoiced.

"This Xu Qidan is truly my best 'assistant'. Just mentioning him can make the Empress furious. It saves me so much effort!"

"Including that Prince Yong, they are all 'truly unlucky guys,' why are you so angry, Your Majesty?"

Mei Xiaosi gently squeezed the cup. "Your Majesty, please don't upset yourself."

The Empress glared at her, her face still ashen with anger: "Let's not talk about that Prince Yong! Quickly find a way to get the Emperor to come to me!"

Xiao Si secretly rejoiced: Now, the Empress is furious, and it will be much easier for me to pass the test.