In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, in the small alleys of Yangzhou, there was a young man named Xue Huaiyi. His real name is Feng Xiaobao, he is tall and handsome, and he makes a living selling traditional Chinese medicine.
One day, he met the maid of the princess on the street and fell in love at first sight. The maid secretly introduced him to the princess's mansion, and the two quietly began a sweet relationship. But the secret was soon discovered by the princess.
Princess Qianjin was the daughter of Tang Gaozu, the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and was originally named Princess Qianjin. During the Wu Zhou period, she was adopted by Wu Zetian as a righteous daughter, given the surname Wu, and renamed Princess Anding.
Although the princess has a prominent status, she has a bad fate. When she first saw Feng Xiaobao, she was attracted by his handsome appearance and actually took him for herself.
Although Princess Qianjin was a member of the Tang Dynasty royal family, her mother was a lowly member. Even if she is a princess, no one takes her seriously.
When Wu Zetian was dealing with the Li family, the princess was very afraid, in order to survive, she tried her best to please Wu Zetian, recruited male favorites for Wu Zetian, and lowered her status and became Wu Zetian's righteous daughter.
Princess Qianjin knew Wu Zetian's loneliness, and in order to please the empress, she decided to dedicate Feng Xiaobao to Wu Zetian.
Wu Zetian, the empress with a rich love history in her life, although she is good for men, she also chooses not to take it. When Song Zhiwen narcissistically flattered her, she was unmoved, which shows her high taste.
In 685 AD, 28-year-old Feng Xiaobao was taken to the palace of 65-year-old Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian fell in love with this handsome young man at first sight and decided to keep him by his side. Feng Xiaobao was young after all, and he had a lot of experience, which naturally made Wu Zetian very excited.
In order to facilitate Feng Xiaobao's access, Wu Zetian also cleverly made him a monk and became the host of the White Horse Temple, and changed his name to Xue Huaiyi.
Xue Huaiyi's fate changed as a result. He was no longer the petty drug dealer, but a celebrity in the palace. He rode into the palace, wearing a gorgeous robe, showing off his might, and became a scenery of Luoyang City.
However, the empowerment also brought with him arrogance and hubris. He swaggered through the city of Luoyang, and even gathered a group of ruffians and hooligans, becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Although Wu Zetian had a headache with Xue Huaiyi's behavior, he still loved it. In 688, she even entrusted him with the task of building the Ming Hall. Xue Huaiyi, with his ability to understand architecture, successfully completed this task, and won the title of "General Zuo Weiwei and Liang Guogong".
However, the situation around Wu Zetian is changing, and Xue Huaiyi is not always at the top of favor. When Shen Nanmiao became his new favorite, Xue Huaiyi became jealous and even set fire to the Heaven and Ming Hall that he had supervised. Although this behavior was covered up by Wu Zetian, it also became a turning point in his fate.
In 695, Wu Zetian summoned Xue Huaiyi to the palace on the pretext of meeting. He was overjoyed, thinking that he would regain his favor. However, what awaits him is the siege of the army and the assassination of Wu Youning. Xue Huaiyi, the favorite minister for a while, finally died in the Yaoguang Temple, and his body was burned in the White Horse Temple.