Chapter 043: Cause and Effect

Today, Wu Zetian was dressed in men's clothing, her feminine softness carrying a touch of handsome elegance, with the potential of a pretty boy.

"Sit." Seeing Wang Bo walk in, Wu Zetian pointed to the spot beside her and said.

Wang Bo did not stand on ceremony and walked over to sit down.

Wu Zetian said to Lian Nishang, “Go stand guard outside. Do not allow anyone to set foot in this place.”

Lian Nishang nodded and turned to walk out.

Wu Zetian picked up the wine pot from the table, poured a cup of wine for Wang Bo of her own accord, and said softly, “Yesterday there was a huge noise at the Liu residence, which even alerted the Xuanjia Army. Do you know what happened?”

Wang Bo glanced at her and said, "You already have an idea in your heart, so why ask me?"

He simply refused to believe that Wu Zetian could possibly not know what had happened inside the Liu residence the night before. After all, when Wang Bo and Gu Xingwen were fighting, her people had been monitoring the Liu residence's every move from not far away.

Wu Zetian smiled faintly and asked, “That being the case, you obtained the demon pearl.”

"Yes," Wang Bo nodded and said.

The smile on Wu Zetian's face grew even richer. "According to our agreement, you should give it to me. The hundred thousand taels of gold—I have already prepared them for you, ready to be handed over at any time."

Wang Bo shook his head.

Wu Zetian's smile stiffened slightly. "You want to go back."

"No, no, no, I just have some doubts in my heart and want to ask you a few questions," Wang Bo said. "It's just that I don't know if you're willing to answer me."

Wu Zetian asked noncommittally, "What doubts do you have?"

"I wanted to ask, was it you who instigated the riot in the Cold Palace half a year ago with the demon pearl?"

"Why do you ask?" Wu Zetian poured herself a cup of wine and asked gracefully, her expression calm and unruffled, revealing no useful clues.

This woman's shrewdness is indeed profound.

“Didn't I say? I have a little doubt in my heart, that's all.”

"You're very curious?"

"Yes." Wang Bo nodded.

"Then what if I say that matter was not done by me? Do you believe it?" Wu Zetian said calmly.

Wang Bo shook his head and said, "To be honest, I don't believe it."

"So, you suspect I did it."

I do suspect you, because you have ample reason to do so.

"Oh, then tell me, what reason would I have to do this? I am the Heavenly Empress of the Great Tang. Once the secret of the demon pearl is cracked, the Great Tang's strength will increase. Why would I incite a riot, send away the demon pearl, and harm the Great Tang's interests?"

Wu Zetian looked at Wang Bo with keen interest and asked with a smile.

"Because you want to become emperor." Wang Bo casually exposed the secret in Wu Zetian's heart. "If the Great Tang continues to prosper, you cannot become emperor, for the many generals and ministers of the Great Tang would never allow a hen to announce the dawn."

"So you deliberately lost the demon bead, then had me intervene to deceive the court and exchange it to you, allowing you to keep it from the court and use its power to create experts like Eunuch Li."

"If you had such an army, one that could fight a hundred to one, then after Li Zhi's death, you could use this army to seize control of Luoyang, thereby fulfilling your own wish and ascending the throne as emperor."

After hearing Wang Bo's account, Wu Zetian's expression flickered between dark and light, the murderous intent in her eyes steadily rising.

She had never imagined that her secret would be seen through by a commoner.

At this moment, she truly wished to cast all caution aside and kill Wang Bo.

But in the end, she restrained herself, for the demonic pearl was not yet in her grasp.

"I have never thought of becoming the emperor of the Great Tang, much less of a hen crowing at dawn. You are overthinking it," Wu Zetian said softly. "I am the Heavenly Empress of the Great Tang, and I will always be the Heavenly Empress of the Great Tang."

Wang Bo sneered; he did not believe Wu Zetian's words at all.

“So, the demonic pearl's rampage half a year ago was your doing.”

"No." Wu Zetian continued to deny it, speaking as if it were true.

Wang Bo sneered. “I had some doubts before, but now, seeing your attitude, I am fully certain: the demon bead riot six months ago was your doing. Eunuch Li’s existence is no accident—you have already mastered the demon bead’s secret and can use it to mass-produce experts like him.”

“So you engineered the accident precisely to spirit the demon pearl away from under the court’s nose, to keep it in your own hands and build a powerful army for yourself.”

Wu Zetian sighed and said, "You misunderstand me too deeply."

"Enough of this hypocritical performance. Just answer me one question—what I cannot understand is how the demon pearl ended up in the hands of martial artists." Wang Bo voiced the deepest doubt in his heart.

Wu Zetian fell silent. After a while, she finally said, "It was an accident."

"An accident?"

"That's right. I underestimated the Demon Pearl. It bewitched my man, making him take it and leave in secret, betraying me. When I sent people to find him, he had already hidden the Demon Pearl, and even at the point of death, he refused to reveal its whereabouts."

Wang Bo suddenly understood. "So, you lost track of the demon bead."

Wu Zetian said icily, "Yes."

Wang Bo continued to ask, "Then when did you discover that the demon pearl was in Gu Xingwen's possession?"

"After the demonic pearl was lost, I sent people to inquire about its whereabouts far and wide, and finally discovered that the one who betrayed me had, before dying, given the pearl to his close friend. But when I sent people to find that friend, he, realizing the pearl was a scourge, had already taken the initiative to pass it on to yet another person."

Wang Bo: ...

"I kept sending people to investigate, and found that the Demon Pearl had changed hands several times before eventually falling into Gu Xingwen's possession during a vendetta in the martial world. That is why I came to you, hoping you could help me retrieve it."

After Wu Zetian finished, Wang Bo finally understood: "In other words, from beginning to end, you always knew the whereabouts of the demon pearl, but each time you were a step too slow and failed to retrieve it."

"Yes and no," Wu Zetian said.

"What do you mean?"

"I could have retrieved the demonic pearl long ago, but at that time the imperial court was also tracking its whereabouts. To prevent the pearl from falling into the court's hands, I had my people guide the court's agents, keeping them constantly on the move. This matter wasted a great deal of my energy and manpower, so I never reclaimed the pearl."

Hearing this, Wang Bo finally connected the cause and effect, and said, "Then, when you discovered that the demon bead had fallen into Gu Xingwen's hands, you found an unexpected twist: Gu Xingwen had also unlocked the secret of the demon bead, and he could harness its power while maintaining his own sanity."

“What is even more interesting is that Gu Xingwen’s strength greatly increased as a result, and your people were no match for him at all. That is why you chose me, because only I could defeat Gu Xingwen and retrieve the demonic pearl without alerting the imperial court.”