Wu Zetian Era Political Turmoil And Intrigue Detailed

A historical narrative segment describes the political landscape during Empress Wu Zetian's reign. They were accused of being assassins due to their association with Prince Huaiyang Wu Yan Sui. One individual was captured playing a zither, while another escaped into a Taoist study after scaling a wall. A search of the study yielded no results. One of the accused, Wang Han, was questioned by Song Jing and Lai Junchen regarding his acquaintance with a person named Qiu Ren, who was allegedly involved in a plot. Wang Han denied knowing Qiu Ren's name or background, but Lai Junchen expressed skepticism. Qiu Ren later admitted to being sent by Lai Junchen and confirmed Wang Han's accusation of conspiracy to poison. In a separate incident, an individual was apprehended after stabbing someone with a dagger, but managed to escape and hide in a Taoist study. He was accused of conspiring with Wei Suzong and others, allegedly with prior knowledge of a staged death. Another individual, Zhang Yizhi, was also involved in the interrogation and punishment of a suspect. Li Zhaode plans to check entry records to identify the perpetrator. Meng Jiang, who previously aided Wang Han, may be silenced for identifying an intruder at the Censorate.