Di Renjie's Disappearance

The moment he finished speaking, the burly man in black led his men in pursuit toward the city outskirts. In the blink of an eye, they vanished into the night.

After the men in black had left, the three "corpses" lying in the street suddenly stirred. When they rose to their feet, they were Di Renjie, Li Xiao, and Li Yuanfang—the very three men the assassins had been pursuing.

Li Yuanfang asked anxiously, "My lord, what should we do?"

Di Renjie considered for a moment. "Leave the city at once."

"Go!" Li Xiao shouted.

With that, the three of them headed down the road the men in black had come from, disappearing into the night in the blink of an eye.

Chang'an, the Imperial Garden.

Accompanied by her attendants, Wu Zetian gazed upon the garden. The autumn wind rustled bleakly, and leaves drifted from the trees.

Wu Zetian suddenly sighed. "Autumn is the season of punishment. What a scene of grim slaughter."

An elderly man beside her, dressed in official robes with a somewhat gloomy expression, said, "Your Majesty, are you still thinking about the murder of the Göktürk delegation?"

Wu Zetian said, "The friendship between our two nations did not come easily.

There are two factions within the Göktürks: the peace faction led by Shibi Khan, and the war faction led by Modu Khan.

The two sides are openly and secretly at odds, irreconcilable as fire and water. This time, Jili followed Shibi's advice and sent Shibi to negotiate peace. Who could have expected him to be murdered at the Shihe River?

Once Jili learns of this, Modu's faction will inevitably rise. The future of our two nations is bleak."

The old man snorted. "Could our mighty Celestial Empire possibly fear those insignificant Göktürks?"

Wu Zetian shot him