The next day, Zhao Fu came to the great hall once more. This time, Wu Zetian bestowed upon him an official post of the seventh rank, allowing Zhao Fu to formally make his appearance at the center of Great Tang's power. There was no need to rush yet; seizing the throne had to be done step by step.
After returning to the palace where he rested, Wu Zetian dismissed all the maids and summoned Zhao Fu inside. When Zhao Fu entered, he found a woman standing beside Wu Zetian—handsome in bearing, graceful in figure, with wheat-colored skin.
Zhao Fu entered and still pretended to offer a salute. "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress!"
Wu Zetian chuckled at this. "There are no outsiders here, so stop putting on airs. She is my daughter—the Taiping Princess, Li Lingyue. From now on, she is your woman!"
Zhao Fu was somewhat surprised. The woman before him was the famed Taiping Princess of history. But why had Wu Zetian given even her own daughter to him? Zhao Fu felt there was absolutely no need for it.
Standing beside Wu Zetian, Li Lingyue scrutinized Zhao Fu. When her mother had suddenly told her that she would choose a man to be her husband, she had been greatly surprised at first and inwardly resistant. She had never even met him, yet she was to marry him just like that.
However, as a member of the imperial family, this was not something she could decide for herself. Li Lingyue also understood that her mother had other intentions, or else she would not have married her off to him.
Wu Zetian saw through Zhao Fu's thoughts and shot him a coquettish glare. "You'll find out later. For now, you brat are getting a bargain. Hurry up and accept her—don't make