Following Yang Guozhong's roar, Xue Bai looked around and saw a look of pain on Yang Yuhuan's beautiful face. Few people can remain beautiful with such a ferocious expression, but she can still be so sad and beautiful.
It gives people the urge to replace themselves with others.
This may be one of the differences between a peerless beauty and a beautiful woman.
Yang Guozhong's hands covered with terrible scars were squeezing her neck tightly. She had thinner skin and tenderer flesh than others, and bruises were left on her fair skin when pressed with his fingers.
Immediately, Xue Bai's eyes turned and fell on Yang Guozhong's horribly burned face. The contrast between one beautiful and one ugly was a strong visual shock.
"Don't look at me!" Yang Guozhong said, "Look at her, Xue Bai, you won't let her die! I know."
He wore an imperial robe and called Xue Bai instead of Li Qian. It would obviously have some very bad effects on Xue Bai.
Especially the eunuchs and guards who were standing nearby at this time had already gathered around when they heard the movement.
Li Guangbi looked around outside the hall, pretending to be surprised and murmured: "So many people?"
Xue Bai thought to himself: "I arranged these to deal with you, of course there are many."
"Li Jieshuai, I'm afraid of causing unrest in Chang'an..."
"Don't talk!" Yang Guozhong shouted loudly.
Xue Bai ignored it and continued to ask Li Guangbi: "How about you go and appease the soldiers you brought?"
"The imperial concubine's side?"
"I was talking to you and there was a misunderstanding. It doesn't matter."
The two were very calm when talking. Only Yang Guozhong put on the most ferocious expression and kept trying to stop them from talking. As a result, Yang Guozhong found that asking Li Guangbi to withdraw would make him feel safer, so he let the matter go.
"Let General Li leave temporarily." Xue Bai now respected Yang Guozhong's opinion and asked, "Okay?"
"Go, let him go."
So, Li Guangbi nodded to Xue Bai to show that he felt his trust, then turned around and walked out.
A subtle movement may mean that he has decided not to deal with the Chang'an court for Li Heng for the time being, which has a vital impact on the general situation of the world. Although many of the words Xue Bai prepared have not had time to speak, but sometimes,
Eye contact in an emergency can speak louder than words.
Xue Bai actually had two worries. The most worrying thing was that Yang Guozhong revealed the truth that he was not the one who sent Li Longji to escort him to Shu County. He would be more relieved if he sent Li Guangbi away before everyone could react.
The second worry is that Zhang Xiaojing heard the movement on the other side of the harem wall and mistakenly thought that Li Guangbi was here to deal with it, and a conflict broke out between the two sides.
He then said to Wang Nan: "Go and tell everyone that it's okay."
Yang Guozhong was very nervous and shouted: "Don't let him recruit people to harm me!"
"Don't worry, let others leave and let's talk." Xue Bai said: "I will meet your conditions. We are sworn brothers, aren't we?"
Wang Rao didn't care about Yang Yuhuan's life or death at all, and was just about to pounce on Yang Guozhong to kill him.
But a look from Xue Bai made him realize that killing Yang Guozhong was not important, but winning over Li Guangbi was the real key, so he immediately turned around and left.
"Everyone, please step back!"
As a result, apart from the four insiders Xue Bai, Yang Guozhong, Yang Yuhuan, and Gao Lishi, there was only one Li Cong left in the palace.
Li Cong had not spoken a word just now, but his mood was ups and downs.
In fact, he knew that the saint was fake, but he was too lazy to care who Xue Bai used as a puppet. He even deliberately did not think about it so that he could pretend to be confused. But in his heart, he always thought that the real saint had died.
At this time, he was still in the shock of the news that "the saint is in Shu County", and his mind was complicated and filled with countless thoughts.
"Your Highness." Xue Bai reminded.
Li Cong immediately understood and said, "Should I leave?"
"Don't leave!"
Yang Guozhong refused to comply this time, and he probably understood that what Xue Bai was really afraid of was that the conspiracy would be exposed. Moreover, Li Cong obviously did not have the rare strength of Li Guangbi and Wang, so he was more suitable to stay as one of the hostages.
Xue Bai reminded: "The more people are present, the more dangerous you are."
"He's not allowed to leave anyway!"
Li Cong didn't care about Yang Yuhuan's life or death, so he wouldn't be threatened, so he immediately stepped out and walked out.
"Xue Bai!" Yang Guozhong immediately stabbed Yang Yuhuan's neck with the hairpin in his hand, causing blood to flow. "Do you want her life?!"
Xue Bai stretched out his hand, stopped Li Cong, and said: "Your Highness, if there is no imperial concubine, we will not be able to explain to the saint."
When Li Cong heard this, he was very unhappy. He originally thought that Xue Bai had arranged the saint's place properly, but he left such a mess. Now he still has to explain to the saint?
What does a prince who defends the capital in times of crisis and turns the tide of the country have to explain to a mediocre king who fled to the capital of Shu? Could it be that "Father, I can only defend the country that was abandoned by you, but I can't protect the country that was abandoned by you"
"woman"?
This is also Xue Bai's fault, for not letting him ascend the throne earlier, Li Heng took the lead.
But Li Cong hadn't figured out how to deal with these problems yet, and he was willing to see what news Xue Bai and Yang Guozhong, the two rebels, could say that would surprise him, so he stopped and watched coldly.
This seems to show that Xue Bai can even control the prince.
"Tell me, what do you want?" Xue Bai asked Yang Guozhong.
"Can I get back everything I lost?!" Yang Guozhong pulled Yang Yuhuan back a few steps, with madness in his eyes again, "I was once the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, and I was once, once, a saint!
"
This sentence seems to have a strange effect that can make him excited. Every sentence he says gives him a little courage to make more and more exaggerated actions.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Gao Lishi still standing there and yelled: "Go away!"
Gao Lishi, who was old, took two steps back in panic, bumped into the candlestick, and quickly reached out to help it.
Xue Bai said: "It's enough to pretend to be here. I was the escort before, it's a credit. If..."
"Don't coax me!" Yang Guozhong scolded: "I am also a famous official in the world, not a three-year-old child. I know you want to kill me!"
"I won't kill you."
"Bullshit! There is only one way for me to survive. There is only one way to go to the end. I continue to pretend to be a saint."
"You're crazy."
"I'm not crazy! Your Highness, you don't want the saint to appear in Shu County, right?"
Yang Guozhong looked at Li Cong, his eyes and tone were instantly different, full of enthusiasm, and he began to persuade.
"Your Highness, let me continue to be your saint. No, I can issue an edict for you to ascend the throne. You will be the emperor and I will be the supreme emperor."
If you say something like "let me be your father" to an ordinary person, you will probably be beaten to death. But those who stand at the top of power are never normal people. They have transcended ordinary emotions and only have eyes for them.
Pros and cons. After listening to this, Li Cong's eyes actually became thoughtful.
Yang Guozhong was overjoyed and continued: "Your Highness, think about it, the saints in Shu County are fake. You have defended Chang'an and the Tang Dynasty, and you should become a saint."
Li Cong was a little moved and looked at Xue Bai with a questioning look in his eyes.
Xue Bai knew this was impossible.
First of all, now that Li Longji has arrived in Shu County, Chang'an cannot deny it at all. The simplest thing is that now that water transportation has been cut off, Li Longji can cut off the food supply to Guanzhong from the south at any time.
Secondly, recognizing Li Longji and even taking the credit for "escorting the emperor to Shu" is the best way to suppress Li Heng and win over Li Guangbi, and it has already achieved initial results.
Giving up on Li Guangbi and choosing to satisfy the power desires of Yang Guozhong or Li Cong is the most stupid approach.
Xue Bai pretended to think, and looked at Yang Yuhuan again, and found that she was looking at him with a sad look, like a sad and beautiful flower in the wind and rain, about to wither at any time, she did not cry, did not shout, there was something in her eyes.
There is sadness, and it is extremely clear.
"I didn't expect that the saint arrived in Shu County successfully, and the current situation is also beyond my expectation." Xue Bai spoke slowly, and after a while, he only said one sentence: "I'm afraid this matter needs to be discussed in the long run.
"
"Don't try to delay it! I'll kill her."
"What's the use of killing her?" Xue Bai said: "When we talk to you, we don't care about her life or death. Rather, we are grasshoppers on the same rope. If you sit down, we can still talk happily.
"
"You don't care about her? You want to lie to me? Do you think I don't know? You have an affair with her! You two bitches, you are despicable!"
As he spoke, Yang Guozhong laughed ferociously and said, "You still think you are a saint, but you don't know? Will he let you go? Let me tell you, the only way you can survive now is to deny the saints of Shu County."
"I know." Xue Bai said.
Li Cong glanced at him in surprise. He was surprised that he admitted his affair with Concubine Yang so easily. Then, thinking of the identity of his grandson Li Qian, a hint of cynicism rose in the corner of his mouth.
Looking at Yang Yuhuan again, he was looking at Xue Bai intently without saying anything.
However, Xue Bai simply followed Yang Guozhong's words and said, "Don't forget, that is Shu County and it is your territory."
"ha."
Yang Guozhong finally smiled, with a look of pride in his eyes, and said: "I have already ordered Cui Yuan, the deputy envoy of Jiannan Festival, to prepare for the arrival. He is my person. Don't forget, I am the captain of Xindu County
We, the Yang family, have long been a famous family in Shu."
"A plan of ten thousand gold, I am just about to discuss with you about sending someone to Shu County to contact Cui Yuan."
Xue Bai's words made Yang Guozhong feel more at ease and asked: "Really?"
"Really, only if you and I join forces can we be unfavorable." Xue Bai said: "Remember the past few years? In all the things we cooperated with, which one has failed?"
"You asked me to pretend to be a saint, and I cooperated fully, right?" Yang Guozhong finally revealed the truth at that time.
Li Cong couldn't help but glance at Xue Bai when he heard this.
This action was caught by Yang Guozhong, who sneered and said: "Xue Bai, do you admit it? You held the saint hostage and almost killed the king."
Xue Bai shook his head.
Yang Guozhong shouted: "I scratched her face!"
"Okay, I took the saint hostage."
"Then will you admit that you have an affair with her? Come and tell His Highness what kind of beast you are."
"You are wrong." Xue Bai said: "What you want to do is not to drive a wedge between His Highness and me. We are all in the same group and should work together to help each other."
"Stop talking nonsense, what I want is a guarantee." Yang Guozhong said, "I want to draft an imperial edict to tell the world that the saint in Shu County is fake. Please ask Your Highness to let Zhongshu's disciples tell the world about it."
When the matter came to an end, Li Cong hesitated. Although he was tempted by Yang Guozhong's proposal, he did not have the courage to act decisively and the courage to take risks.
This matter must take into account the reactions of all parties, and it will never be decided in a short time.
Yang Guozhong waited for a while and shouted: "You still don't agree?!"
He stabbed the hairpin in his hand deeper into Yang Yuhuan's neck again.
However, this move did not scare Li Cong at all. Li Cong even glanced outside, worried about Li Guangbi's movements, and then said: "Don't worry, I won't kill you. I'll wait for more news..."
"Xue Bai, why don't you persuade His Highness to agree?! I'll kill her!"
"Forgot? In Chencang, the imperial concubine has been sentenced to death. It's useless for you to hold her hostage." Xue Bai also glanced outside, glanced at the palace, changed the subject, and said: "Well, you can hold me hostage.
.”
"What?"
"By holding me hostage, His Highness can deliver the decree, and only then can it be possible to intimidate the guards in the palace."
Yang Guozhong was not fooled and said: "You are very skilled in martial arts, so don't even think about getting close to me."
Without saying a word, Xue Bai took off his belt, handed it to Li Cong, and said, "Your Highness, please tie me up."
Li Cong thought to himself that this was a good time to deal with Xue Bai, but now he still had too many things to rely on Xue Bai, so he advised: "You don't have to put yourself in danger."
"It doesn't matter. He is one of our own. He will figure it out when he calms down."
Xue Bai showed great trust in Yang Guozhong in a calm tone. After his hands were tied, he walked towards Yang Guozhong with a friendly and peaceful smile, and at the same time said: "Let the concubine go and let's talk."
For a moment, Yang Guozhong was really moved. It was not because Xue Bai was willing to take the place of Yang Yuhuan, but because this action showed that Xue Bai really had no intention of killing him.
It shows that there is still a lot of room for cooperation between each other. The two once said that they would make progress together.
He then released his grip on Yang Yuhuan's neck, held the hairpin and pointed it at Xue Bai.
"puff."
The sharp copper needle pierced his neck and was pulled out the next moment, causing blood to spurt out.
Yang Guozhong was stunned, turned his head, and saw Gao Lishi holding a candlestick and stabbing it again.
"puff."
At this moment, Yang Guozhong lost all his vitality and fell to the ground, blood boiling in his throat, and he stared at Xue Bai.
"You... agreed..."
Xue Bai just noticed Gao Lishi.
If there is one person in the Li Zheng Palace who is happy because Li Longji has arrived in Shu County today, this person is not Li Longji’s favorite concubine, nor his son, nor the loyal prime minister whom he trusts most and entrusts the most important responsibilities.
, but Gao Lishi.
In fact, Gao Lishi had murderous intentions when he heard Yang Guozhong's thoughts and quietly held a candlestick.
Since Tang Long's coup, too many people have ignored this eunuch and paid the price with blood, and today is no exception.
It was precisely because Xue Bai caught a glimpse of Gao Lishi's movements that he deliberately stepped forward to confuse Yang Guozhong's sight. He stood there with his hands tied and was bumped by Yang Yuhuan's body.
But Yang Yuhuan did not hide away, leaning her head on his chest, and immediately untied Xue Bai's belt.
"Say yes... I will be... a saint..."
Yang Guozhong was still muttering, feeling huge anger because of Xue Bai's betrayal.
As he lay there, he suddenly thought of the scene where he and Xue Bai were walking side by side many years ago. He asked him to give him a poem so that he could seduce Xu Hezi. He didn't see the poem, but now he only saw two figures.
Hooking up in front of your eyes.
"puff."
A mouthful of blood poured out of Yang Guozhong's mouth. He hated himself for becoming Xue Bai's stepping stone.
In a few years, he rose through the ranks and became prime minister. He thought he had reached a height that Xue Bai could never reach, but Xue Bai stepped on him and became the grandson of the emperor. What was his plan?
Above the blue clouds, there are still blue clouds.
Likewise, Xue Bai's ambition is to make progress.
"So...hateful."
Yang Guozhong closed his eyes. At the last moment, he saw a strange scene - clouds in the blue sky, water in a bottle, separated by heaven and earth. But the water actually turned into mist, rising slowly.
It turns out that water is clouds and clouds are water.
"Bang."
The bottle in his head was broken...
~~
Li Guangbi had just entered politics and felt a chilling atmosphere.
When he walked to the Wanchun Palace, he saw the soldiers under his command confronting the imperial army.
The Imperial Guards were quite numerous, armed with swords and bows, and their momentum was not weak.
"Who dares to cause trouble in the palace?!"
"I think you are looking for an excuse to provoke us. Do you think our border troops are vegetarians?!"
"We all stay here until we find out what happened before we can leave the palace!"
"We are the heroes who support Chang'an!"
By this time, the generals in the army had all had a few more drinks, and as the smell of alcohol increased, their unruly energy began to show.
The Forbidden Army seemed to have been well prepared, with unified dispatch and rapid reinforcements, and they drew their swords whenever they disagreed. Clearly something was wrong.
"Come on."
Seeing that Li Guangbi was back, his subordinate Zhang Boyi immediately shouted: "I think this banquet of King Qing is not a celebration banquet, but a Hongmen banquet!"
Li Guangbi strode through the crowd, walked up to a general headed by the Forbidden Army, and asked, "Where is Chen Xuanli?"
"The last general, Zhang Xiaojing, was ordered to guard the palace gate. Now the palace gate..."
"Enough!"
Following this loud shout, Wang Jinlan rushed over and said to Zhang Xiaojing: "Your Highness, the King of Peiping has issued an order. Military affairs are urgent. The royal banquet is resting today. Please rest and recuperate first. We will celebrate after defeating the main force of the rebels."
The reason why he said it was Li Cong and Xue Bai's order was because he felt guilty because of the saint's visit to Shu County.
"Why don't you get out of the way?!"
"Here!"
Zhang Xiaojing hesitated slightly, bowed and left.
"Wait a minute." Zhang Boyi shouted, "Are the Forbidden Army ambushing us?! If we don't make this clear, we won't leave today!"
They were worthy of being arrogant warriors. They had no weapons in their hands and no armor on their bodies. Facing the imperial army in the palace, their arrogance was even more arrogant.
"Get out of the palace!"
However, Li Guangbi immediately shouted to stop these generals, nodded to Wang Ruohan, and led them out of the palace.
As for Yang Guozhong's kidnapping of Concubine Yang, he didn't take it to heart at all. The worst that could happen was that Concubine Yang would die, and it had nothing to do with the overall situation.
"Come on."
After leaving the palace, Zhang Boyi immediately rushed to Li Guangbi and said in a low voice: "Prince Qing must be prepared. If he wants to seize your military power, please make the first move."
Li Guangbi raised his hand and said, "I have my own considerations and will put down the rebellion first."
"But His Majesty's will..."
The "Your Majesty" mentioned by Zhang Boyi refers to the new king of Lingwu. This is something they had confirmed long ago, but Li Guangbi's attitude has changed today.
"Didn't the envoy see it? King Qing has evil intentions." Zhang Boyi couldn't help but be confused.
Of course Li Guangbi saw that Xue Bai wanted to seize his military power by force.
In addition, he still had a doubt in his mind. If Xue Bai really ordered someone to escort the holy driver to Shu County, then he should be very confident to persuade him. How could he arrange so many ambushes?
In this situation, it is more like Xue Bai got the news temporarily and changed his plan.
But don't worry, as long as the saint is in Shu County, no one can hold back the holy will. Among the kings, who is loyal and who is rebellious can be determined by an imperial edict.
~~
Li Zheng Palace.
Blood continued to flow from Yang Guozhong's neck, soaking the luxurious carpet.
Li Cong stepped forward, sniffed Yang Guozhong's breath, and sighed. They were both disfigured people, so it was inevitable that they felt sympathy for each other. But what was more important at the moment was what to do with the saint from Shu County.
"you……"
Li Cong was about to accuse the remaining three people in the palace of cheating him. Thinking of Gao Lishi's attitude, he quickly showed concern and said, "Your Majesty, are you really okay?"
Xue Bai took out the official document that Wang Rao had quietly handed to him from his arms, unfolded it and gave them a look.
Gao Lishi looked pleased, but Yang Yuhuan was disappointed and frightened. Li Cong tried to cover up the disappointment and fright in his heart with a happy face.
"God bless the Tang Dynasty." Li Cong said with a smile.
"It may not be God's blessing on the Tang Dynasty. The saint has indeed been too mediocre in recent years."
Xue Bai suddenly said something treacherous and treasonous, as if he felt confident because there were only a few of them in the palace.
After that, he changed the topic and said: "But General Gao also knows that what we have to do has always been to admonish the saints, and Li Heng was the one who rebelled and proclaimed himself emperor."
Gao Lishi sighed, closed his eyes and said no more words.
Li Cong then asked Xue Bai with his eyes, what did Gao Aweng mean?
"Please, Your Highness, welcome the true saint back to Chang'an and apologize to the saint." Xue Bai said.
Combined with the previous words, there are several levels of meaning that can be pondered.
First of all, after the saint arrived in Shu County, his first decree did not immediately point out the rebellion in several mutinies. Why? It can be seen that although he was angry, he also knew that his two sons, one guarding Lingwu and the other guarding Chang'an, could not
Immediately fall out. Then, it is inevitable to suppress one and win over the other.
Therefore, Xue Bai emphasized that "Li Heng rebelled and proclaimed himself emperor" and asked Li Cong to recognize the "real saint" and "please apologize".
He actually thought that he could reach an agreement with the saint after committing countless serious crimes against him.
Recalling what Xue Bai said before about the saint being mediocre in recent years, it can be seen that the "please" refers to the invitation to the saint to abdicate and become the supreme emperor after welcoming the saint back, and to let him, Li Cong, succeed him.
This is the condition they put forward - to recognize the saint and let him enjoy his old age as the Supreme Emperor.
Gao Lishi closed his eyes and remained silent, which meant that he could agree to this condition. Li Cong thought about it carefully and found that this was a condition he could accept.
If it can be done, it will simply turn a bad thing into a good thing. In this way, it can also solve the situation caused by Li Heng seizing the military power of Shuofang and proclaiming himself emperor in Lingwu. In the name of the saint, he can legitimately subdue the generals of the towns.
But, he is afraid.
His first reaction was to be afraid, so he was quickly moved by Yang Guozhong.
"Your Majesty...can you understand our painstaking efforts?" Li Cong asked.
Xue Bai sighed: "Your Majesty must have suffered a lot on this journey south."
Just imagine that Li Longji went to Shu County alone. The current situation is definitely not going well, and it is impossible to turn against him. In addition, how can it be better to live in hardships outside than to go back to Chang'an to enjoy happiness?
Li Cong said: "Yes, Your Majesty must not be used to ruling the world all his life, right?"
He was still worried that the saint would not delegate power.
"That's why we need to send envoys to Shu County to care about His Majesty." Xue Bai said: "Your Highness, please don't forget that you have defended Chang'an City, and behind you are the people of the Tang Dynasty. But King Zhong has not sent troops yet."
Li Cong suddenly realized.
Yes, with his great achievements in guarding Chang'an, he is fully qualified to negotiate with the saint.
He doesn't need to be very filial, he just needs to be more filial than Li Heng, or the threat is not as great as Li Heng's.
"Then, we have to send someone to contact... What did Yang Guozhong say just now?"
"Cui Yuan." Xue Bai said.
In the palace stained by Yang Guozhong's blood, a power deal was concluded.
Xue Bai's heartstrings did not relax, because he knew very well that as long as Li Longji said a word, the good situation he had worked hard to restore might be ruined.
He was tired of this feeling and wished he could turn around and stab Li Longji behind him when he was fighting the rebellion.
Suddenly, he felt someone stepping on his foot. He turned around and saw Yang Yuhuan's sad eyes...