The candlelight flickered, illuminating the chaotic maps and official documents on the desk. The marks and documents on them looked like a mess.
Xue Bai sat there and thought for a long time, then summoned the prime ministers and announced his decision.
"I plan to personally take command and fight against Dazalu Gong."
"Your Highness!"
Du Youlin didn't wait for Xue Bai to finish, and interrupted quickly. He didn't even care about Wei Jiansu, Li Xian, Li Mi and others who were also present. He immediately advised: "Under the current circumstances, His Highness must not leave Chang'an."
"I have made up my mind, no need to say more."
Xue Bai ignored Du Youlin's advice and ordered Tian Shengong's troops to stand by and follow him to support Qin Long within five days.
No one else spoke, because they couldn't guess what he was thinking.
Even Du Youlin knew that the current situation was special. Li Cong was about to die and undercurrents were surging in Chang'an. It was impossible for Xue Bai not to know about it. However, if he announced that he was leaving the capital at this time, there would be many possibilities.
Or because the courtiers are now impeaching Tian Shengong, Xue Bai can silence everyone by asking Tian Shengong to accompany him to conquer foreign enemies;
Or they really believe that resisting Tibet is the most important thing, and the struggle for power is not important for the time being;
Or they sensed the danger, decided to take shelter temporarily, and joined forces with Wang Nan and other tribes;
Either they deliberately sell flaws and set a trap; or they bluff and delay time, letting those who are ready to take action wait for another five days...
The prime ministers were confused and caught off guard, so they did not object.
Xue Bai added: "The state affairs are entrusted to the princes. If there is anything undecided, please ask the sage, the Supreme Emperor."
Yan Zhenqing was a pragmatic person. He felt that since Xue Bai was busy fighting for power, he would try his best to handle the common affairs, so he did not express his opinion and responded silently.
Du Youlin was still waiting to persuade him, but when he saw Yan Zhenqing acting like this, he sighed helplessly.
Wei Jiansu felt deeply uneasy and pursed his lips as he wanted to suggest that he should become an official. However, he thought that the country was in trouble and he could not run away from the battlefield, so his old face became more resolute.
Li Xian didn't know what he was thinking and remained silent.
Only Li Mi said politely: "I am willing to accompany His Highness on the expedition, even if it is to take care of military supplies and do all the work of dogs and horses."
Speaking of people who are secretly opposed to Xue Bai, Li Mi is very suspicious. Since he was captured, he has never expressed his loyalty to Xue Bai. He has always been reluctant to cooperate, but now he suddenly becomes more attentive.
But Xue Bai thought for a while and agreed to Li Mi's request.
~~
Soon, the edict was sent to Bashang.
After Tian Shengong received the edict, he was greatly confused and asked the person who delivered the edict: "Why did His Highness leave the capital at this time?"
"I have made it very clear. Because the front line is in danger, His Highness is worried about the harm to the lives of the people in the pass by foreign invaders, so he personally leads the army to meet the enemy. What does General Tian mean by this? Is it because he is too timid to fight?"
"That's absolutely not what I meant." Tian Shengong said, "I just don't understand why His Highness left the capital at this time."
"Why can't you leave Beijing at this time?"
Tian Shengong had no words to reply, so he could only say: "In the end, the general will definitely clean up his troops and kill the enemy bravely."
"Okay, the general is your highness's old subordinate. There were many courtiers who were criticizing the general. Now that your highness has stepped forward to personally conquer the army and ordered the general to lead the army, who dares to say anything else? This is a sign of trust. Once he has accomplished the task of pacifying the captives,
The general's future is limitless."
When Tian Shengong sent the envoy away, I felt a little confused when I thought of these last comforting words.
"Brother." Tian Shenyu said from the side: "Are you relieved now? His Highness does not want to replace us, but wants to reuse us. Now we only need to follow His Highness to drive away the Tibetan soldiers and wait until he ascends the throne. Then it will be extremely expensive.
Alright."
"Um."
Tian Shengong was inexplicably disappointed and turned around and left.
He had always had a bad feeling in his heart. Xue Bai would definitely not tolerate the acts of robbing people he did in Sichuan and Shu, and would definitely take action against him.
This is the reason for his choice. With a reason, he will be very practical in doing things.
As a result, Xue Bai did not punish him now, but wanted to take him to the expedition, and used this to prevent the courtiers from impeaching him. Such a favor made him feel burdened.
Thinking like this, he walked all the way to a large tent, where he saw several maids busy boiling water and washing, and they were very busy.
"Tian Shengong asks to see my wife."
The curtain was opened, and Zhang Ting was sitting on a bench, choosing jewelry in front of a bronze mirror.
She had changed into silk clothes, which were soft and waxy in texture and bright in color, making her face look like lotus and her figure graceful.
Seeing Tian Shengong entering in the mirror, Zhang Ting said: "I didn't expect that there are so many objects in your camp. It is richer than Prince Zhong's Palace... no, it is richer than the current Shaoyang Academy."
This sentence not only praised Tian Shengong, but also reminded him that Xue Bai advocated simplicity and would not allow him to burn, kill, loot and take captives.
Li Ji, who was on the side, knew etiquette well and called out as soon as they met: "Father Zhong."
Tian Shengong had already wavered and was considering whether to hand over Zhang Ting and her son. Now that he saw the beautiful and noble woman and the obedient and obedient child, Tian Shengong began not to give up on his dream of wealth again.
"His Royal Highness has issued a decree, ordering me to prepare to accompany him to attack Tibet within five days."
Zhang Ting was stunned, and the movement of putting the gold hairpin on his head stopped for a moment.
She turned around and said, "You don't think that he will just let you go, do you?"
Tian Shengong said: "I have followed His Highness since I was young, and we have lived and died together."
"With faith and friendship, you will die earlier than anyone else." Zhang Ting said: "Let me tell you, he will only appreciate the so-called 'selfless' people who are as obedient as horses and oxen. He is a person who can share adversity, but cannot share wealth and honor.
.”
"No matter what, His Highness gave me a chance." Tian Shengong said.
Zhang Ting sneered, understanding what he meant. He had already promised that he would help her achieve great things. But now he regretted it because he felt that he had one more choice and wanted to get more benefits from her.
Judging from the look in his eyes, I'm afraid he still harbors the fantasy of letting her seduce him.
Use is use, but Zhang Ting doesn't really pay attention to a despicable person like Tian Shengong, let alone fall into his trap easily.
"You thought he gave you an opportunity, but you didn't know that he wanted to send you to a dead end. Have you ever heard of the 'Fake Yunmeng' plan?"
Tian Shengong is determined to make progress, and has read a lot of books and newspapers in recent years. When he hears the word "pseudo-yunmeng", the first thing that comes to mind is pictures such as "intimate love", "playful travel", "clouds and rain" and "sweet dreams". See
His gaze towards Zhang Ting became even more intense.
He has wanted to have an affair with her more than once, and later support Li Yi to become Cao Cao of the Tang Dynasty.
Unfortunately, his heart was with Cao Ying, but Zhang Ting was talking about Han.
"After the founding of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang named Han Xin the King of Chu. Later, Han Xin harbored Xiang Yu's general Zhong Limei and had the intention of rebellion. How did Liu Bang do it? He did not punish Han Xin, but pretended to visit Yunmengze.
He met with the princes in Chen County. After receiving the edict, Han Xin killed Zhong Limei and rushed to Chen County with his head to meet Liu Bang. The result was that he was arrested on the spot."
After hearing this, Tian Shengong remained silent.
Zhang Ting asked again: "General, does he know what Han Xin's last words were?"
Of course Tian Shengong didn't know. He realized that it was useless to just read some miscellaneous newspapers. In the future, he should read more history books and learn from history, so that he could learn the lessons of the ancients when making key decisions.
"Han Xin said, 'I regret that I did not use Kuai Tong's plan, but was deceived by my sons and daughters. Isn't it God's fault?' But Kuai Tong advised him to defend himself with troops during the conflict between Chu and Han, in order to achieve a great cause."
These words moved Tian Shengong again.
He had a strong desire for power, but he did not dare to offend Zhang Ting. After saying goodbye, he arrived at a camp heavily guarded by soldiers.
Once inside, hidden inside is the young woman he robbed from the border.
He strode in, casually pulled someone over, tugged on her dress and began to untie her, but his eyes never showed much emotion, instead looking a little bored.
This kind of robbery no longer brought him any pleasure. In front of him was the prosperous city of Chang'an, and he had seen the people living in it.
"Kill them all."
When Tian Shengong walked out of the camp, he gave these instructions.
Half a day later, Tian Shenyu hurried over and said, "Brother, what do you mean?!"
"What do you mean? At that time, you were the one who said, 'There is nothing we can't do that others can do,' but now I am taking care of your troubles."
"Then you don't have to kill them all and sell them as prisoners..."
"How much does it cost?" Tian Shengong suddenly picked up his brother's collar and said: "Please wake up, are you still short of money? In a few days we will go on an expedition with His Highness. Once His Highness finds out, you
Do you know the consequences?"
Tian Shenyu said: "I understand, don't let this nonsense affect our ability to kill the enemy and perform meritorious service."
He laughed heartily twice and said: "With His Highness's support, let's see who dares to impeach us again."
"I have something to tell you."
Tian Shengong took Tian Shenyu a few steps forward and whispered: "In four days, His Highness will swear an oath at the bridge and lead his army to the west. Within ten days, he will be able to meet Wang Nanlan."
"I know that it is rare for a king to have such a famous general. We will definitely make great achievements in this battle."
Tian Shengong said: "I'm afraid that once we join forces, you and I will be dead."
"Brother, what are you talking about?" Tian Shenyu said, "We are His Highness's confidants!"
"That's enough. People can change, and friendships can even change. He can transform from an official slave to a prince. How can he be successful if he is not ruthless? Now the things you did have been exposed. He was afraid that we would turn against him.
He only temporarily appeased us."
"Isn't this saying that you want to betray His Highness?"
"Listen to me, don't be deceived. The saint is about to die, and His Highness should not leave Chang'an at this time. Why did he do this? There is only one reason, and that is to be suspicious of us. If he does not strike first, then he will
We are the ones who die."
"Brother is reading like crazy?!"
Tian Shenyu exclaimed and said in an annoyed tone: "I should have stopped you from reading so many books and newspapers. They are all nonsense. We have followed His Highness from the beginning, and now His Highness is about to become the emperor. How can I stop you from reading so many books and newspapers?"
How stupid would you be to change your family at this time?"
"You are the one who is stupid. When you were eight years old, you said you wanted to marry Cuiwa from the village head as your mother-in-law. At that time, you didn't even have a pair of trousers. Do you understand? It's not like the person who first met you when we were young can be with you until the end. If you have different paths,
No more conspiring with each other, noble people are just ladders, and you can’t climb to the top with only one ladder.”
"Brother, I'm confused by what you said."
"I won't harm you. Listen to me, otherwise His Highness will definitely kill you." Tian Shengong said: "I have already planned that the saint will die soon. Then we will get rid of His Highness and establish a loyal king.
As the emperor, Zhang will be the queen. King Zhong is not in good health, so the military power is in our hands. With the alliance between Zhang and us internally and externally, the power will be stable. When we have a solid foundation in the future, we can support Li Yi."
~~
Daming Palace, Hanliang Hall.
The hall was filled with a medicinal smell.
Li Cong lay on the couch and pushed away the bitter medicinal soup brought by Li Qiu.
"I don't want this." He murmured, with endless attachment to life in his eyes, "I want the elixir."
"Father, this is the medicine that can cure your disease."
"It can't cure me."
Although Li Cong's face was withered and lifeless, he knew very well that these medicines could only delay his death slightly, and only the elixirs could possibly bring him back to life.
His children thought he was confused, but only he knew what to do to truly save himself.
"I want the elixir!"
Li Qiu had no choice but to turn around and look at the eunuchs behind him, and said, "How about letting my father meet the immortal master?"
The immortal masters mentioned here are the two Taoists who were supported by Prince Qing's Mansion.
However, the eunuch standing outside the palace shook his head and said: "His Royal Highness has ordered that those medicines of gold and stone will only harm the saint. Please use the good prescriptions prescribed by the imperial doctor on time."
Li Yiniang also stepped forward to comfort Li Cong and said, "Yes, saint, just drink some more."
Tears slowly flowed down from Li Cong's eyes, and he still murmured unwillingly: "I want the elixir..."
At this moment, someone outside the door said: "Your Highness, please see me."
The eunuchs all showed joy and said with a smile: "Sage, Your Highness has come to pay his respects to the saint."
It was as if Xue Bai came to see Li Cong and the uncle and nephew reunited, which was a touching and happy event.
But except for Li Yiniang, everyone in the palace was afraid of Xue Bai, so they all quickly lowered their heads and remained silent.
Xue Bai didn't seem to feel this atmosphere. He walked in calmly with several important ministers and imperial doctors. He first greeted Li Cong, then took the medicine bowl from Li Qiu's hand and fed Li Cong himself.
Facing the spoon handed over by Xue Bai, Li Cong didn't dare to lose his temper anymore, so he opened his mouth to take it honestly.
This harmonious scene made the important ministers in the palace stroke their beards and look pleased.
"Your Highness is extremely pure and filial."
"With such filial piety, the saint will surely get better soon."
After giving the medicine, Xue Bai asked them to come forward and take Li Cong's pulse. After taking the pulse, the doctors all said the same thing.
"Don't worry, Your Highness, the saint's illness has shown signs of improvement. As long as he takes careful care, he will surely recover slowly."
Li Yiniang looked at Li Cong's dying appearance and was a little surprised that the imperial doctor made the diagnosis in this way, but she didn't know medical skills and couldn't raise questions. After hearing this, Li Qiu and others didn't dare to raise their heads.
In fact, no matter whether they understand medical skills or not, it is impossible for anyone to question this kind of thing.
"That's good."
Xue Bai seemed to be really pleased and said: "Sage, the Tibetan invaders are currently invading the country and are coming fiercely. I would like to take command and go out to protect Guanzhong. I hope the saint will approve it."
Li Cong was stunned for a moment after hearing this. He was not very happy, but seemed a little worried.
He held Xue Bai with his withered hands and murmured something.
Xue Bai thought to himself and said: "Sage, don't worry. It can be as short as two months or as long as half a year. I will retreat from the enemy and return to the court. I only hope that the saint will take good care of himself and enjoy the peace of the country and the people."
After saying this, Li Cong could only murmur: "Okay, okay."
After chatting for a few more words, Xue Bai stood up and left.
No one else dared to say goodbye, but Li Yiniang always liked to seize the opportunity to chat with Xue Bai.
"You must be careful when you are out on an expedition. I will pray for you."
"Okay, the saint will entrust you to take care of him. Be sure to let him take the medicine on time. The gold and stone elixir is harmful, so the saint must not be allowed to take it."
"Don't worry." Li Yiniang said, "I know."
She sighed, thinking that Emperor Taizong knew that elixirs were harmful when he was young, but in his later years he still believed in immortality.
Two days later, Xue Bai ordered 400 elite soldiers from the imperial army to serve as guards, summoned Tian Shen to lead his troops to the bridge to swear an oath, and followed him to the Qinlong battlefield.
Tian Shengong brought 3,000 elite soldiers from Jiannan, and recently recruited more than 3,000 soldiers. Together with the civilians who transported grain and grass, the team headed west in a steady stream.
~~
On the first day Xue Bai left Chang'an, the city of Chang'an was extremely peaceful.
Even some forces that opposed Xue Bai did not dare to act rashly because they did not know what kind of medicine was sold in Xue Bai's gourd. Instead, they were more cautious than usual.
But in the evening, a group of tough men escorted a carriage into Chang'an City.
Zhang Ting looked out through the gap in the car curtain, her expression looking very solemn.
She no longer had the pride she had in the past. This time she fought for power with Xue Bai with fear and the determination to die if she didn't succeed. She really had no confidence that she could defeat Xue Bai, but there was no way out. Once Li Cong died, Xue Bai would succeed to the throne.
, what awaits her will be a life of endless darkness.
Fortunately, this fear unites people who were originally fighting each other, so maybe they can win this time?
Zhang Ting's carriage entered a house in Anxingfang, and was greeted by a middle-aged man wearing sackcloth and mourning.
This man's name is Wu Xun, the elder brother of Wu Minu who died not long ago, and the uncle of Li Chu. With such an identity, he and Zhang Ting were originally incompatible, but now they seem to trust each other very much.
"how?"
"The bad news is that Li Chenghong has been exposed and Li Qiwu has also fled; the good news is that more and more people are willing to help us. This is the list."
"Who is guarding the palace now?" Zhang Ting asked.
"Fan Lao."
"I'm afraid this person doesn't even know how many gates there are in the Daming Palace, right?" Zhang Ting breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'll also tell you some good news. Tian Shengong left me a group of manpower."
Wu Xun immediately realized that Tian Shengong had replaced part of his trusted troops with new recruits and stayed in Chang'an.
He couldn't help but be overjoyed and said: "Why worry about not succeeding in this big thing?"
Zhang Ting asked: "Can you send someone into the palace?"
"Can."
Wu Xun immediately took out a token from his arms and said: "We have convinced Li Yan and got the support of Queen Dou."
"Don't worry, wait for two more days." Zhang Ting murmured: "Wait for news from the west first... he'd better be dead."
For them, as long as Xue Bai dies at the hands of the Tubo people or Tian Shengong, everything in Chang'an City will be simple.
~~
In the Hanliang Palace, Li Cong opened his eyes again and said, "I want the elixir."
Serving next to him was Li Qiu, who said: "Father, His Highness said..."
Although Li Cong was weak, there was sudden anger in his eyes.
He was really angry, but thinking that Xue Bai was no longer in Chang'an, he finally dared to say something to Li Qiu.
"Let those slaves withdraw."
Li Qiu glanced at the palace people in the palace and ordered: "Step back."
The palace people did not retreat until Li Cong said: "I asked you to retreat, how dare you not listen to the emperor's words?"
Now that the Prince of the Kingdom was away, and he had said that the saints should be in charge of the government, Li Cong's words were still useful. Soon, only the father and son were left in the palace.
"I won't get better if I use this decoction." Li Cong whispered, "He must have poisoned the decoction."
"Father is talking about Saburo, but..."
"I was doing well in the past, but in recent years I have been in decline. I know that my time is running out." Li Cong was filled with sadness and said again: "Don't listen to the nonsense of those quack doctors. They tricked you into letting me drink the medicine they prescribed.
You want to harm me."
Li Qiu was shocked.
Li Cong said: "Only elixirs can save me. Let Master Xu Qing make elixirs for me... Just treat it like me begging you. I have taken elixirs before and know that they are useful..."
Li Qiu would never dare to agree to this.
But now that Xue Bai left Chang'an, Li Cong stopped drinking those decoctions.
Li Qiu Sui secretly poured out the decoction according to his instructions every time, hoping that Li Cong's health would improve after he stopped taking the poison.
However, it did not get better. Li Cong was rapidly drying up at a speed that was visible to the naked eye. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Li Cong's death happened in the past few days, and there was no cure at all.
On the fourth day after Xue Bai left Beijing, Li Cong suddenly fainted.
Someone in the palace quickly reported the matter to Fan Lao, so Fan Lao sent a horse to deliver the letter to Xue Bai by express on the same day.
The horse galloped out of Chang'an. Someone saw this scene on the top of the city and quickly delivered the news to Anxingfang.
"The saint is about to die. His Highness is afraid he will come back."
"What should we do?"
"Do you want to do it?"
"..."
After preparing for so long, now that the critical moment finally came, Zhang Ting hesitated.
She is just a woman, not the real mastermind, nor is she qualified to take charge. What she is good at is clinging to men like a vine. It is because her man is imprisoned that she can only plan to escape and communicate with the outside world.
Now it's her turn to make a decision, but she hasn't heard from Tian Shengong yet.
Zhang Ting bit her finger, thinking whether Xue Bai was dead or not, the situation was completely different.
If Xue Bai is already dead, then they only need to continue to contact the courtiers step by step. When Li Cong dies and the news of Xue Bai's death comes, they can naturally support Li Heng.
But if Xue Bai is not dead yet, then he has to take another risk.
"Damn it, that villager didn't send any news, so it really won't work."
Zhang Ting thought about it and couldn't just hope in Tian Shengong, so he said: "Do it."
"good!"
"You take people to the Taiji Palace and ask the Supreme Emperor to intervene in the affairs; you take people to the Ten Princes' Residence and ask the Zhongwang to succeed; you go to the King of Yu and ask him to quickly go to the Imperial Guard..."
Following Zhang Ting's instructions, figures one after another left this mysterious house and rushed to the residences of various princes, nobles, nobles and powerful officials.
She had to take action before others reacted, and there was actually another key point.
Therefore, after everyone else had left, she gave another instruction.
"Let Li Qiu fulfill his filial piety and tell him that maybe the saint can survive for a while after taking the elixir."
~~
The box was opened, and inside was a red pill, full of color and very bright.
"Don't worry, the guards didn't search you." Li Yan whispered: "No one knows that we brought the elixir to our father."
Li Qiu breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't dare to disobey Xue Bai's will, nor did he dare to disobey Li Cong's will. Under the dilemma, he finally took over the box without knowing it.
"Give it to me."
Li Cong's gray eyes finally gained some brilliance, and he stared at the red pill expectantly.
He seemed to be able to experience the feeling of full energy and blood every time he swallowed it before.