In Shengyefang, west of Xingqing Palace, is the residence of Yuan Siyi, the eunuch.
On that day, since Gao Lishi was on duty in the palace, Yuan Siyi went back to his house to rest in the evening and recharge his batteries for his shift tomorrow.
His house was fully stocked with wives, concubines, children, and servants, and there was no trace of him being an eunuch at all. When he walked into the door, a tall figure wearing purple and gold court clothes, he looked completely calm and dignified.
No need, it lacks some prestige.
The steward who was waiting in the court came forward and said, "Alang, we have a visitor. We have settled in the side hall."
Yuan Siyi looked over and saw a female lilac in his hand.
"This is what the visitor gave to the villain." The steward smiled and said, "He has been holding it in his mouth for a while."
With this sentence, Yuan Siyi understood who the visitor was.
He was not in a hurry to see her, but went to change his clothes first, wash his face, and have some snacks, and then walked into the side hall unhurriedly.
In the side hall, Ji Wen was sitting crookedly, biting his nails out of boredom, and vomited the nail clippings on the carpet. Because he couldn't vomit cleanly, he vomited several times in succession.
"You're here."
"Superintendent Yuan." Ji Wen quickly wiped his mouth, stood up and saluted, not forgetting to put the female lilac that was placed on the table into his mouth again.
Yuan Siyi's expression was indifferent. When she saw the saliva marks left by the female lilac on the table, she first asked the maid to wipe them and wiped the nail clippings on the carpet, and also ordered the rag not to be left behind.
This is a bit rude, but for him, it is not considered a slight. Among the two eunuchs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Gao Lishi is a smiling tiger, smiling at everyone, regardless of the other person's status; Yuan Siyi is different, even in front of a saint, he can do it
He would nod and bow to the dignitaries, but when he left the palace, he would always look down at others with a cold face.
It was because An Lushan always gave him too many gifts. Even the carpet and table were given by An Lushan when he moved to his new home, so he was extra polite to Ji Wen. It would be difficult for others to receive such treatment at this time.
Ji Wen was very embarrassed, but he understood Yuan Siyi and did not dare to be angry because of it. He took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, tied it around his mouth to cover the smell, and said with a smile: "Don't blame me, Chief Yuan, it's too rude to be lowered."
Yuan Siyi was a slave of a saint in the palace, but outside the palace he had the aura of an important official, with a cold expression and a stern smile. He was too lazy to say hello and asked Ji Wen what was going on.
Ji Wen said: "I will tell you directly when I am lowered to the official position. Mr. Anfu wants to concurrently serve as the governor of Hedong Province so that he can better dispatch his troops and horses to attack the Khitan."
"The matter has been settled. I blew the wind in the saint's ear, and the saint has ordered us to discuss it under the sect."
"Did you discuss it with Shu Men?" Ji Wen said in surprise, "But I was appointed as the admonishing doctor, but I didn't hear about it."
Yuan Siyi's eyes flashed, and she understood the reason for a moment, but she didn't say anything. She just said: "It is inevitable that there are some procedures. Maybe you will hear about it after a few days."
"It must have been suppressed by the spittle!" Ji Wen said.
When Yang Guozhong was mentioned, he was extremely disdainful.
Back then, everyone worked under Li Linfu, and his official power was still higher than that of Yang Guozhong. Unfortunately, he was demoted for several years. Even if he was recommended by An Lushan, when he returned to the court, his official position was lower than that of a spitting pot.
"Alas." Ji Wen sighed, exhaling a foul breath, and said, "How can I be the prime minister if I am ignorant and incompetent?"
Yuan Siyi knew that An Lushan sent Ji Wen back to the court to ask for merit this time, and he was bound to establish a prime minister close to Fan Yang in the court after Li Linfu's death. There was a tacit understanding on this matter.
He can gain Li Longji's trust and his loyalty is unquestionable, but he is willing to do things for An Lushan, firstly because he "accepts people's money and eliminates disasters for others", and secondly because he thinks these things are harmless. So far, he is considered to be close to Anlushan
, but not entirely in favor of An Lushan.
In addition, it is also because it allows him to feel the pleasure of power. Deciding on the candidates for military governors and even prime ministers allows him to temporarily forget that he is a eunuch and only feel that he is an important minister of the court.
However, Ji Wen knew that in order to win over Yuan Siyi, An Lushan used inducements and dissent. For example, when Liu Luogu was preparing to evacuate Chang'an, he used "General Yuan in the Palace" as a cover to stamp An Lushan's brand on Yuan Siyi.
This is the case in the officialdom. From the moment you receive the first money, it is difficult to be alone.
Sure enough, Yuan Siyi asked: "Who do you want to elect as prime minister?"
"Zhang Bian has expressed his position to the prince and will support the prince to also serve as Hedong." Ji Wen said, "He is talented and has good qualifications. He can be the prime minister. I would like to ask Director Yuan to put in a good word for him."
As expected, Yuan Siyi said: "Yes."
"After all, Zhang Bian is not one of our own. The prince just wants him to temporarily act as prime minister. As for a more suitable candidate in the future." Ji Wen actually pointed to his nose and said: "The person the prince is paying attention to... the lower official.
"
Yuan Siyi was a little surprised, feeling that if Ji Wen was made the prime minister, it would be a mess. Thinking again, even a spitfire like Yang Guozhong had already worshiped the prime minister, and he was speechless.
"But there is still a problem." Ji Wen muttered: "Xue Bai, this son is like a mad dog biting the Lord of the House and won't let go. If we don't get rid of him, it will be troublesome."
"Be patient, the saint has already inquired about Yang Qixuan's memorial, and he is not very satisfied with Xue Bai in his words."
Ji Wen said: "I heard that the sage ordered Superintendent Yuan to investigate Li Linfu's move of the coffin..."
"Do you really want me to dig out Li Linfu's body again?" Yuan Siyi scolded.
"The official is saying that there were many witnesses at the time."
"Don't worry." Yuan Siyi said, "With me by the saint's side, it will not be difficult to get rid of Xue Bai."
"real?"
"Xue Bai has the ability. But there are too many people in the Tang Dynasty who have the ability. If they don't have the Sacred Heart, how many of them will end up well?"
When it comes to Xue Bai, Yuan Siyi is often by Li Longji's side and sees it most clearly. Xue Bai could have had greater power than Yang Guozhong and Ji Wen, but unfortunately, he misunderstood Qingliu Naochen's vague rhetoric and did not want to be "
He ruined his future because of "being a minister", but he didn't know that the reason why he overcame difficulties repeatedly was because the saint's grace towards him had not been exhausted.
In this court, only Ai Chen is the best.
At this time, the dusk drum sounded. Ji Wen finished talking about his errands and stood up to leave.
However, a young eunuch rushed to Yuan Siyi's house. He was Yuan Siyi's adopted son and asked for news from the palace for him.
"After grandpa left, Xue Bai entered the palace."
"What's going on?!"
Ji Wen was demoted to Liaodong because of Xue Bai. When he heard Xue Bai's move, he immediately became alert and asked in surprise.
"It seems that... I took Li Qiniang into the palace and explained it to the saint."
"Superintendent." Ji Wen said quickly, "It's your turn to take action."
Yuan Siyi's eyes flashed, and she weighed the pros and cons, and finally decided to take action personally, saying: "I want to enter the palace, so go and prepare. Also, before the city gate closes, you and your people should leave the city immediately and dig Li Linfu's new grave."
"Here."
Ji Wen was afraid of Xue Bai and was too scared to leave. He sat down again and only waited for the latest news.
Yuan Siyi acted very quickly and hurried back to Xingqing Palace before the six hundred dusk drums ended. But when he asked, he learned that the saint had entered the secret room, taking Xue Bai with him.
No matter what he wants to do, he has to wait for the saint to come out.
~~
Xingqing Palace.
The fire was brightly lit by the dragon pond, and countless people were busy trying to please the saint.
The vast secret room is quite dark, and the light is carefully created. The firelight shines through the eyes and mouth of the ghost sculpture and shines on Li Longji's face, showing his uncertain expression.
He had reached the front of the last secret room and determined that the opening was behind the ghost sculpture. However, he had to find Peng E to sacrifice to the ghost before he could pass.
"Who is it?"
Li Longji murmured and asked again: "Isn't it really Li Qiniang?"
Chen Xuanli responded in a low voice: "Back to the saint, I have confirmed that Li Qiniang is indeed out of the game."
Li Longji then looked around at the people around him.
The only ones left now are Yang Yuhuan, Chen Xuanli, Zhang Bian, Princess Xianyi, Princess Ningqin and a few others.
According to the many clues just found, almost all pointed to Princess Xianyi. However, Li Longji actually noticed that Yang Yuhuan was the only one who had the chance to replace the clues.
But Li Longji had a thought in his mind and was not willing to follow the clues given in the game to speculate. Instead, he thought that since he was a traitor arranged by Yang Guozhong, the candidate must be according to Yang Guozhong's wishes. So, Zhang Bian was actually the most likely to be arranged as the traitor.
Peng E's people thought again that Zhang Bian might not be willing, so Princess Ning would be the best candidate.
"Ba Niang, are you Peng E?"
"Father?" Princess Ningqin was shocked and shook her head: "I'm not."
After hearing her denial, Li Longji became more confident and said, "Stand over and let us reveal it."
"..."
Above, behind the small transom, Yang Guozhong saw this scene and was worried. He turned to Xue Bai and whispered: "Should we simply change Peng E to Princess Ningqin?"
"How can you change it after the fact? You would rather kiss the princess and not admit it." Xue Bai said: "Brother has no bottom line and principles. He once pleased the saint, but if he breaks the rules, won't the game be messed up?"
It didn't matter if the game was messed up, he was just afraid that Yang Guozhong would mess up the world.
"But is it really okay to let the saint guess wrong?"
"If brother is afraid, you might as well tell the truth." Xue Bai said, "Put this matter on me. Brother and I will take responsibility together."
Yang Guozhong couldn't help but smile bitterly and understood what he was thinking. It turned out that he was afraid that the credit would be swallowed up, so he withheld such a hand.
"You are helping me, how can you let only you take care of it? Don't worry, I will shoulder the responsibility together with you, and I will never swallow up your credit."
"That's fine."
Yang Guozhong then laughed heartily, put his arm around Xue Bai's shoulders, and worked closely together again.
Xue Bai knew that no matter what the outcome was, this was probably the last time they would cooperate... He was not referring to tonight's game, but to the court situation. After the Li Linfu case, An Lushan's threat became increasingly imminent.
Because this idiot Yang Guozhong can't be suppressed.
Continuing to look into the secret room from the transom window, the result has been revealed. Several doors opened at the same time, and bright firelight entered the secret room, announcing the end of the game.
Li Longji was full of confidence and said with a smile: "Did I guess it right?"
Yang Yuhuan pursed her lips and smiled, looked around, turned around and wanted to say something, but didn't.
Over there, Gao Lishi, Yang Hui and other people who were eliminated early came over and looked dejected and said: "Sage, the noble concubine is Peng E."
"Yes, the old slave has actually found the clue, and when he met the imperial concubine, she sacrificed the old slave with just one word."
Li Longji was greatly surprised.
At this time, he connected everything together, and when he looked back, he realized that it was indeed Yang Yuhuan.
"But I asked Taizhen at the beginning, and I didn't feel that Taizhen was lying to me."
Yang Yuhuan saluted Wanfu, and when he was about to reply, Xue Bai and Yang Guozhong had already arrived. Xue Bai said first, "Back to the saint, because there was no Peng E at the beginning, and Peng E was added midway."
Li Longji was stunned and turned to look at Yang Guozhong.
"Returning to the saint, I saw that those demons and ghosts could not scare the saint at all. I realized that my thinking was inappropriate. The saint is so powerful and full of yang that he would not take pleasure in driving away the little ghosts. I then asked Xue Bai to temporarily
Added a drama and asked the saint to punish the sin."
Yang Yuhuan was still feeling proud and said with a smile: "I have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, and I beg the saint to forgive me."
Li Longji then burst into laughter and said: "So that's the case, no wonder I can't see it. Well, Taizhen played well, showing off his tricks and fooling everyone around."
"It's just luck." Yang Yuhuan said with a smile, "If the saint knew how to find Peng E from the beginning, I can't hide it from you."
Li Longji indeed thought so, waving his hand: "The game arrangement tonight is still not good. There is no Peng E, so I made up Peng E for me to guess."
People around him planned to follow these words and flatter them, but Xue Bai followed them first.
"What the sage said is true. There was no Peng E in the world. But when there were too many accusations, frame-ups, and suspicions, there was Peng E."
As soon as these words came out, anyone with any brains could tell that Xue Bai was taking the opportunity to admonish him. He had to bring up some disappointing things when the saint was having fun. How annoying this person must be.
The originally cheerful atmosphere suddenly solidified.
"Ha." Li Longji snorted, pointed at Xue Bai, and scolded: "You are so smart, I don't need you to persuade me in different ways."
Others did not know whether the saint was angry or not, and did not dare to speak. Only Gao Lishi took a few steps forward with a smile on his face.
Li Longji then turned his head and said to Gao Lishi: "Since Xue Dupai won the first prize in the examination, he has truly regarded himself as a famous minister through the ages. He occasionally accompanies me to travel, and he also wants to advise the emperor."
Gao Lishi continued: "He doesn't know that the saint is the wisest emperor in history."
If this conversation spreads, it may appear that Li Longji is extremely arrogant. But in such a situation, everyone feels that it is natural. Because Li Longji has indeed achieved "the wisdom is enough to refuse remonstrance, and the words are enough to cover up the wrong".
"Return to the words of the sage." Xue Bai said: "I am not admonishing, but interceding."
"Yeah?"
Xue Bai turned his head and glanced at Li Tengkong behind him. He seemed to have strengthened his determination and said: "I am passionate and want to plead for the family of Qi Niang."
Gao Lishi said: "The country has its own laws. Li Linfu's crimes are extremely heinous. How can you plead for mercy for his family?"
"I feel ashamed. I have no reason. I only ask for the grace of the saint."
Xue Bai seemed to have really realized that the path of direct ministers and remonstrating ministers was not going to work, so he began to bow to the saint and expressed his willingness to please the saint.
Seeing his appearance, Li Longji seemed to raise the corners of his mouth slightly, feeling better.
Frankly speaking, Li Longji felt that Xue Bai was talented, and he saw the game today clearly. Without Xue Bai, Yang Guozhong would have messed up, and as soon as Xue Baifu intervened, the whole night became a mess.
Get interesting.
Looking back on the past few years, the dominoes, poems, operas, stories, and the delicious stir-fries that have accompanied him as a lonely king were all provided by this Zhuzi. For this reason, Li Longji still has some affection for Xue Bai.
Only because of his status did he allow him to disobey many times and rewarded him with a high-ranking official at a young age.
"Why should I give you this grace?"
"minister……"
Xue Bai was puzzled by the question, and after being embarrassed for a while, he replied: "I am scared and have no merit, so I ask the saint for help. I only hope that I can do my best for the saint."
"I don't need you to be messy, just stop being so self-righteous."
"I obey the decree." Xue Bai took out a memorial from his sleeve and presented it with both hands, "I have a secret memorial, please ask the saint to read it."
He chose to take it out after accompanying Li Longji for a fun trip. Compared with his previous outspoken advice, he was very respectful. He seemed to have enlightened himself and was finally willing to change his attitude towards the saint.
Of course, at this moment, no one knows the reason for his change.
In order to encourage this change, Li Longji took the memorial, glanced at it, and discovered that it was jointly signed by Yan Zhenqing and Xue Bai.
Looking at the content again, it was the major event about Tubo that Li Linfu mentioned back then - a Tubo minister wanted to betray Chidai Danzhu with the Subi tribe and defect to the Tang Dynasty.
After reading it, Li Longji actually did not hand the memorial to the chamberlains. Instead, he put it in his sleeve and sighed calmly: "Your plea for mercy is a big detour."
"yes."
Chen Xuanli reminded in a low voice: "Sage, it's Yin time."
"Oh? It's so late." Li Longji smiled, pointed at Yang Guozhong, and said, "You are a well-deserved envoy. I will reward you."
"Thank you, saint."
After that, the saint left first, and everyone withdrew again and returned to their seats by the dragon pond. During the process, Li Longji paid special attention and saw that Xue Bai was paying close attention to Li Tengkong and took her with him, his eyes falling on her from time to time.
On the body.
At this moment, Yuan Siyi came up.
"Old slave has seen a saint."
Li Longji turned around and saw that it was Yuan Siyi who was not on duty. He thought he wanted to see Yang Guozhong's secret room and said with a smile: "General Yuan came late. It's over."
"It seems like the saint is having a great time?"
"Ha, if Xue Bai wants to think of ways to make me happy, who can have better ideas than him?" Li Longji said with emotion, took the wine glass and drank it down in one gulp, which was quite enjoyable.
Yuan Siyi was shocked when he heard this and realized the weight of this sentence.
Sages like sycophants and sycophants. This is true for Yang Guozhong and An Lushan, the most powerful ministers in the world. As long as Xue Bai is willing, he can easily become the third sycophant.
Yuan Siyi didn't dare to say the slanderous words she had prepared before she could speak. She had no choice but to lower her head and pour another glass of wine for the saint.
Li Longji was still looking at Xue Bai and said, "Look, he really misses Li Qiniang. It is true that Yang Qixuan is jealous of him."
Yuan Siyi smiled apologetically and said: "After all, we are young people, and it is inevitable to be a little emotional. Xue Bai is young, but Yang Qixuan is not young anymore."
There were actually some traps hidden in his words. As expected, Li Longji was slightly stunned for a moment. Because of the word "young", his impression of Xue Bai was slightly worse.
That is to say, Yuan Siyi only pointed out the situation tonight. Otherwise, based on his understanding of the saint and his position, it would not be difficult to get rid of Xue Bai with slander.
"The next decree is that the war in Longyou is urgent. Li Linfu's sons will be sent to Longyou to serve as prisoners of war." Li Longji suddenly ordered, "The rest of the female family members will be resettled in Chang'an."
This means using Li Xiu and others to do things while leaving his family hostage.
Yuan Siyi was stunned and saluted: "I obey the order."
When he looked up, he found that Gao Lishi glanced this way and did not dare to say anything more.
After finishing this official business, the curtain on the singing stage beside the dragon pond has been opened, and the sound of silk, bamboo and wind music has begun again. Yang Guozhong has found a stunning beauty to play Peng E, and has prepared the music and lyrics.
Let this opportunity to please the saint pass you by.
So the music and music continued all night long.
~~
From the time when the drums cease in the evening to the time when the drums rise in the morning, the time passes very quickly.
At dawn, Yuan Siyi left the Xingqing Palace, summoned a confidant, and whispered: "Go with a fast horse and tell them that there is no need to dig Li Linfu's new grave."
"Here."
Xue Bai came out behind him and did not go home immediately. Instead, he went to Zhongshu Menxiasheng with Yuan Siyi to draft the sage's edict into a formal edict.
This is the first time that he, a member of Zhongshushe, has performed his duties. Everything is difficult at the beginning, but he believes that with this edict, he will slowly be able to take power in this official position in the future.
A decree was drafted in beautiful Yan Kai. Yuan Siyi read it, took out the seal from his sleeve and stamped it, saying: "Let's go and find the Prime Minister."
"General Yuan please."
The eunuch next to him would probably be chatting with Xue Bai with a smile on his face. But Yuan Siyi was very calm and said slowly: "Xue Sheren has saved Li Linfu's whole family this time, so he is not afraid of offending everyone in the world?"
"Li Linfu is dead. He opened the coffin and took away the pearls in his mouth and the purple gold court clothes. Do people in the world really care about the fate of his children and grandchildren?" Xue Bai said, "I only care about whether Li Linfu conspired with Li Xianzhong to rebel or whether he
Who is there next to you?"
Yuan Siyi said: "I heard that Xue Lang said something meaningful last night. There is no Peng E in the world. With accusations, frame-ups and suspicions, there is Peng E."
Xue Bai smiled bitterly, thinking that this sentence did not apply to Anlu Mountain alone.
Chen Xilie's official residence is located in the center of the government office. Because he has no real power and only seals, he has a fixed time every two days to sit in the official residence and handle official affairs, which is extremely efficient.
Turning around the corridor, Xue Bai saw someone walking towards Chen Xilie's official residence holding a memorial, so he called out to him.
"Yang Qixuan."
Yang Qixuan turned around and was surprised.
He didn't know Yuan Siyi's tendency, but he recognized that this was the eunuch beside the saint. He quickly stepped forward and called out: "I have seen General Yuan."
"Um."
Yuan Siyi was too lazy to see Yang Qixuan being humiliated and waved his hand to let him go away, his face looking very stern.
Xue Bai asked, "What is Brother Yang holding in his hand?"
"Of course it won't work. This is a secret of the imperial court." Yang Qixuan took the memorial in his hand behind him because it was a memorial to impeach Xue Bai.
Xue Bai smiled slightly and stretched out his hand.
Yang Qixuan was intimidated by his momentum. He glanced at Yuan Siyi and felt the coldness. He thought that Yuan Siyi was also intimidating him, so he had to take out the memorial.
Xue Bai only glanced at it, handed it to Yuan Siyi, and asked, "What does General Yuan think of it?"
Regarding this matter, the saint had already come to a conclusion personally, so Yuan Siyi tore up Yang Qixuan's memorial and threw it at his feet.
"It's simply ridiculous. You framed your colleagues for your own selfish interests. How can you be guilty of this?"
Yang Qixuan was greatly frightened and said hurriedly: "I'm sorry, I've misunderstood. It's... I've heard about it. I've heard about it. Please forgive me, General Yuan."
"Don't let it happen again!"
For the sake of Ji Wen, and even more so for the sake of An Lushan who was behind Ji Wen, Yuan Siyi did not want to ruin Yang Qixuan's official career and scolded him sternly.
"I don't dare to try my best." Yang Qixuan quickly bowed deeply and was sweating profusely.
Yuan Siyi stopped staying and walked straight into the official house.
Xue Bai was not in a hurry and still stood there, deliberately scaring Yang Qixuan.
"Brother Yang, I haven't swallowed my teeth from last time."
"You!" Yang Qixuan was at a loss and wanted to say a few harsh words, then said: "You, what can you do to me?"
Xue Bai said: "I don't know what I can do, but I can tell you some good news first. Your wife, Li Shiniang, will be released soon."
In one sentence, Yang Qixuan felt fear subconsciously, swallowed his saliva and said: "She...she is no longer a prime minister, what can she do to me?"
"If I can release her, I will support her in redressing her grievance."
"Impossible."
Yang Qixuan was still speaking harshly, but his heart was extremely uneasy.
No one can understand how afraid he is of Li Shiniang.
In the past, when they were husband and wife, he couldn't stand the torture of Li Shiniang; now that the relationship between husband and wife is over, he will offend her to death. Who knows what the crazy woman will do.
"Xue Bai, in fact, you and I don't have any special feelings. You and Li Linfu also had enmity in the past. Why don't we..."
"I told you to swallow your knocked-out teeth." Xue Bai responded casually.
"Why so?"
Yang Qixuan wanted to say something else, but Xue Bai had already walked to Chen Xilie's official residence, and in Yang Qixuan's opinion, he looked like a villain who had succeeded.
~~
The imperial edict was stamped and delivered to the Dali Temple Prison. It is believed that Li Xiu and others will be released from prison soon.
Xue Bai saved her family for Li Tengkong after all.
But when he walked out of Zhongshumen and went to the province, he felt a little confused.
Once he is willing to please Li Longji, it is easy to gain power, and it is easy for him to feel that some of the beliefs and principles he has adhered to in the past are collapsing. But in fact, the more he follows Li Longji's wishes, the more he expresses that he is completely disappointed in Li Longji.
He feels that the collapse of the country is imminent and there is no time for him to slowly build his reputation, so he should become a sycophant or a sycophant.
The other side of a sycophant or an admonishing minister is often a rebellious minister or a traitor.