Chapter 049 Persuasion

To be honest, Wang Bo had not at all expected that Wu Zetian would try to seduce him.

This woman would even give herself up for the throne. From this, it is not hard to see that Wu Zetian has been blinded by her ambition for the throne; in her eyes, apart from the throne, nothing else seems to matter.

And that included himself.

It seems a bit unbelievable, but after Wang Bo calmed down, he realized that the matter was not beyond comprehension.

For instance, Wang Bo knew that after Wu Zetian became emperor, she had many male favorites, and like a male emperor, she “took concubines and sealed palaces,” spending her days carousing with her favorites and having male attendants share her bed.

She also established the "Crane-Control Bureau" to gather handsome men from across the land, outwardly claiming it was dedicated to researching the three teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, but in reality it was a rear palace of male favorites for her pleasure.

It was only natural that she had not shared a bed with Li Zhi for over half a year.

Beyond this, in order to secure the throne, Wu Zetian even once killed her own biological son.

Historically, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, due to ill health and having grown weary of the throne, considered abdicating and passing the throne to his crown prince Li Hong, who was also Wu Zetian's first son.

Li Zhi actively assembled a team for the crown prince and even appointed Li Hong as regent for a time to hone his political skills.

Li Hong was very intelligent and capable; he treated worthy men with courtesy and was renowned for his benevolence, quickly winning praise from both the court and the common people. However, this situation posed a serious threat to Wu Zetian.

Moreover, once Li Zhi chose to abdicate, Wu Zetian would have no reason to continue holding power. In addition, she had conflicts with Li Hong on some issues, and the relationship between mother and son was very poor.

Not long after, Li Hong died suddenly in the palace at the age of only 24.

As for the cause of Li Hong's death, historical records hold that he ingested poison, and the mastermind behind the poisoning was none other than Li Hong's mother, Wu Zetian!

After Li Hong's death, Wu Zetian's second son, Li Xian, became the crown prince.

Li Xian was handsome, dignified, and quick-witted, and he was deeply loved by his father, Emperor Li Zhi. After becoming crown prince, he was entrusted with overseeing state affairs on three occasions, and his performance was quite satisfactory.

Li Xian also gathered scholars to undertake the annotation of the Book of the Later Han.

Though this was a cultural endeavor, it carried political implications. As is well known, the Later Han—also known as the Eastern Han—saw serious interference in governance by the inner court, leading to the dynasty's decline. Li Xian criticized this, with a hint of veiled accusation.

Wu Zetian gave tit for tat, sending Li Xian two books—Shaoyang Zhengfan (The Model of Governance for the Crown Prince) and Xiaozi Zhuan (Biographies of Filial Sons)—also as a warning to him.

Afterwards, Wu Zetian's confidant Ming Chongyan was killed. Believing that Crown Prince Li Xian was responsible, she orchestrated an incident targeting him, which resulted in Li Xian being deposed and exiled to Ba Prefecture.

A year later, Li Zhi died of illness; Li Xian ascended the throne, and Wu Zetian retained control of the government. Fearing that someone might use the former crown prince Li Xian to stir up trouble, she sent someone to force him to commit suicide.

But after only a few years, Li Xian was deposed by Wu Zetian.

From this, it is evident that Wu Zetian had long since lost her reason to the throne.

For the throne, Wu Zetian would not hesitate to kill even her own sons; to call her heart as venomous as a scorpion would be no exaggeration.

To Wang Bo, it was not inconceivable that such a woman would offer herself and seduce him for the sake of the throne.

After all, this woman had long been blinded by power and lost her reason.

For the position of emperor, she was already willing to give everything.

But was Wang Bo that kind of person?

As a noble man, a man who has risen above vulgar tastes, a man who has no regard for the emperor, how could he be fooled?

Damn, I've been had.

Wang Bo had not expected his mind to be so fragile; tempted ever so slightly by Wu Zetian, he was easily taken down by her.

This is way too embarrassing.

He was, after all, a superman, not only proficient in Ripple Qigong but also possessing Spartan blood, capable of delivering a punch with over a hundred tons of force, and even moving at supersonic speeds.

At least Wang Bo was completely unable to resist Wu Zetian's temptation.

This made Wang Bo very dejected.

He felt that if it were the War of Resistance era, the enemy need only deploy a honey trap and he might very well have fallen for it.

In the end, it was still his own lack of experience that made him unable to resist temptation.

Wang Bo felt that from now on he must strengthen his experience in this regard, cultivate a firm will, and absolutely must not be easily seduced by the enemy's honey trap.

As for the matter of the throne, it was not even mentioned.

This made Wang Bo quite surprised—what on earth was this woman thinking?

However, although Wang Bo yearned for a harem of wives and concubines, he was ultimately not a scumbag beyond redemption.

On the ninth day, Wu Zetian was about to leave. At that moment, Wang Bo finally spoke: "What do you want me to do?"

With her back to Wang Bo, a victorious smile involuntarily surfaced on Wu Zetian's face.

She had spent so much thought, and finally, through practical action, she had convinced Wang Bo. "I hope you can help me persuade some of the old court ministers to support my ascension to the throne as emperor."

Wang Bo looked astonished. He had originally thought Wu Zetian would have him suppress the mutinous soldiers inside and outside the palace.

But he had never imagined that Wu Zetian would actually want to persuade the old ministers in the court herself; this seemed at odds with the fighting prowess she had consistently displayed.

But after a long silence, Wang Bo ultimately did not object and agreed, "Alright, give me a list, and I will help you do this well."

Wu Zetian's heart couldn't help but leap with joy.