In the Zichen Palace, the soldiers who reported all kinds of urgent information retreated, and all the officials were panicked.
"This child." Li Longji disagreed and said, "Summon the prince to see him. By the way, you can enter the palace as soon as you enter the palace, so there is no need to wear armor."
With such a simple order, everyone was stunned, thinking that the prince had already killed people and rebelled, how could he still come?
"go."
Gao Lishi waved his sleeves and sent the eunuch to deliver an oral edict.
"The Supreme Emperor is protecting the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince will naturally listen. Why don't you go quickly?"
"Here."
Li Longji became more and more calm and calm. He sat there waiting and suddenly asked: "Is there no music?"
Others looked at each other in confusion, but Gao Lishi hesitated slightly and asked: "The Supreme Emperor refers to... mourning and music?"
After all, Li Cong had just passed away, and it was not yet time for him to live happily and peacefully.
Li Longji was silent for a while, nodded noncommittally, and hummed: "Yeah, sad."
"Let the Taichang Temple musicians guarding the Hanliang Hall continue to play sad music." Gao Lishi then turned around and ordered the young eunuch.
Then, Li Longji said to him: "You should still call me 'Sanlang' from now on."
"Yes, Saburo."
Gao Lishi called out, seeming to make Li Longji look younger.
Li Longji finally regained power, but he didn't hear the music and it was boring. Fortunately, he quickly thought of ways to have fun, ordered people to bring the wine, and then brought his Jiegu. He drank half a pot of wine and played it casually.
Gu, looking happy and contented.
Not long after, Du Youlin arrived.
"Du Youlin paid a visit to the Supreme Emperor and asked the Supreme Emperor to express his condolences."
"Give me some wine." Li Longji said, "Why don't you hide here? Aren't you afraid of death?"
"I am the prime minister. How can it be that the emperor dies but the prime minister avoids him?"
"You look like a prime minister." Li Longji seemed to have a special regard for Du Youlin and said, "Remember, as a prime minister, you should be loyal to the country, not anyone else."
Du Youlin said: "I sincerely obey the teachings."
"Li Qian will be here in a moment. Just wait for him. You and I will have a few drinks and chat about old things."
Then a eunuch brought a small case and wine utensils and placed them in front of Du Youlin. When Du Youlin saw the clear wine, he was afraid that he was being poisoned to death, so he did not dare to drink it.
When Li Longji saw this, he looked down on him a little and asked: "What I have given you, can you resist the decree?"
"The sage is the one who rides on the throne, but the ministers dare not drink and have fun."
"In the five years of Tianbao, you almost died. Do you know why?"
"I should not cling to powerful people." Du Youlin struggled to answer, and his answers became shorter and shorter.
Li Longji said: "The truth is that Li Heng learned that you were taking Li Qian in, and that he wanted to marry the Zhang family, so he deliberately asked Liu Ji to sue you. The so-called 'joint construction of the East Palace' originally referred to Li Ying, and it was Li Linfu who changed his confession.
"
Du Youlin was stunned, completely confused, and didn't understand why he suddenly mentioned this.
"That's why I pardoned you." Li Longji said: "I have always known everything, and nothing can be hidden from my eyes and ears."
"The Supreme Emperor is wise." Du Youlin couldn't tell the difference for a moment, but he just responded flatteringly.
He couldn't figure out Li Longji's thoughts, and he didn't know the truth or reality, so he inevitably felt a sense of awe in his heart.
"Among my grandsons, Li Qian is the most like me. In the past few years, I have been testing him. Now the time has come to entrust this country to him. Go and bring him here."
Hearing this, Du Youlin raised his eyes and took a look. He saw Li Longji stepping on the soft carpet with his bare feet and playing with the drumstick casually in one hand. He was in a very relaxed and comfortable state. He didn't look like Rulin Da at all.
The appearance of an enemy.
It seems that this palace change will be resolved peacefully?
~~
Led by several eunuchs, Du Youlin walked through the Daming Palace. In fact, he hadn't walked very long when he saw the retreating imperial guards in front of them retreating to Guangshun Gate, while Xue Bai led his troops to approach step by step.
The Forbidden Army general responsible for guarding Li Longji did not dare to engage in the battle and kept shouting.
"Your Highness entered the palace wearing armor, are you going to rebel?"
"Your Highness, please put down your weapons and go to see the Supreme Emperor."
Du Youlin took a look and realized that as long as Xue Bai broke through the Xuanwu Gate, no one could stop him from entering the various halls.
The difference is simply whether you enter the palace in the name of rebellion or in the name of counter-rebellion.
He then hurriedly said in a loud voice: "Du Youren, in accordance with the decree of the Supreme Emperor, has summoned the Crown Prince to see him."
While shouting, he pushed through the crowd and rushed to Guangshun Gate, saying: "Why don't you open the palace gate quickly?" loadAdv(10,0);
The soldiers around him hesitated and did not dare to open the door rashly.
Du Youlin asked loudly: "Can you hold it? Do you want to fight in the palace?"
Finally, the Guangshun door was slowly opened. Du Youlin stood there and saw neat clusters of arrows pointing at him.
"I want to see His Highness."
After all, he was the daring one. The eunuch sent by Li Longji to convey the order had disappeared, but Du Youlin still dared to stride forward and ask to see Xue Bai.
Xue Bai's armor was covered with bloodstains. He was not surprised when he saw him and asked, "Is Li Heng in the palace?"
"No." Du Youlin reminded in a low voice: "Since the Supreme Emperor supports His Highness, further killing will only prove the truth. Why not pay homage to the saint first, and then settle the matter after he ascends the throne?"
"Is Li Longji still there?"
"Yes, in Zichen Hall."
"Why didn't he escape?" Xue Bai pondered for a while, then nodded and said, "Then let's go to Zichen Palace first."
He didn't take off his armor, but he didn't lead any troops either. He just walked through the Guangshun Gate like that.
When the guards guarding the door saw Xue Bai coming forward, they all pointed their swords and arrows at him, which immediately caused Fan Lao and his subordinates to yell angrily and raise their bows and arrows again.
There was a squeaking sound caused by the friction of armor.
Xue Bai raised his hand and without saying a word, passed through the rows of imperial guards and walked towards the Zichen Palace. Du Youlin quickly followed.
Behind them, the guards did not dare to follow or take action, and continued to confront each other guarding the Guangshun Gate.
After walking for a while, Xue Bai said: "It must have been like this back then."
"What?"
"Three common people put on armor and entered the palace, but finally obeyed the order and put down their weapons." Xue Bai said, "What do you think would happen if they kept fighting in?"
After hearing this, Du Youlin couldn't help but feel a shadow in his heart, and said: "If this is the case, I'm afraid it is mediocre person like me who has harmed His Highness."
"No." Xue Bai smiled and said, "I'm just kidding."
Going forward, the Daming Palace seemed particularly empty. The Zichen Palace stood alone under the moonlight. There were two rows of guards on the white stone steps. There were about a hundred people. They were the last defense force around and were loyal to Li Longji.
.
Xue Bai walked between them and entered the Zichen Hall.
The first thing you hear is the sound of drums, which has a melody. It is easy for people to sing along with "The great rivers go eastward, the waves are gone, and the romantic figures of the ages".
Li Longji plays the newly composed tune "Niannujiao" on the drums.
When he met Xue Bai, he did not stop immediately, but immersed himself in the drum music until the song was completely played.
After pondering over the sound of the drums for a moment, he asked without raising his head.
"How does the prince wear armor and enter the palace?"
"Li Heng committed regicide and rebelled. I will lead my troops to put down the rebellion," Xue Bai said.
Li Longji waved his hand, and Gao Lishi took a box and placed it in front of Xue Bai.
"This is evidence that Li Heng contacted Li Yan and Li Qiu and poisoned the elixir. There are confessions from alchemy priests, palace maids, and a highly poisonous elixir."
Li Longji said: "I originally wanted to spend my remaining years in peace, but now that I know that Li Heng conspired to usurp the throne, I have to step forward to defend your position for you. Fortunately, you came back early. If it had been later, my lingering body would have been destroyed."
I can’t stand it anymore.”
There was a sigh in his tone, but also kindness and closeness, like a grandfather doting on his grandson.
Xue Bai said: "I just killed Li Xuan, Li Zhen and Yang Hui."
"They deserve to be killed." Li Longji said: "For their own selfish interests, they ignored the clan and the country and supported Li Heng's rebellion. You did well to kill them."
Xue Bai said: "I'm afraid I killed the wrong person."
Li Longji shook his head and said: "It was Li Yan who colluded with Li Heng to falsely accuse your grandfather of asking for two thousand pieces of armor, so that I was confused for a moment and made a big mistake. Li Zhen and Yang Hui were also accomplices.
These people were the source of the chaos in the Tang Dynasty more than 20 years ago, but it is a pity that I was soft-hearted and could not get rid of them early."
"But Li Xuan said that he got your instruction to test Zhang Jiuling."
"Who do I need to test?" Li Longji waved his hand lightly, "It's useless to talk about this. The top priority is Li Heng's rebellion. This is my central decree. You will command the Chang'an Imperial Guard to put down the rebellion... The attendants outside the palace will also be brought,
"In addition to my safety, the foundation of the country is more important."
Gao Lishi once again picked up a box from the imperial desk and placed it in front of Xue Bai.
Open it, you will find the imperial edict and military talismans inside.
Xue Bai took a look, including Li Tan, the general who was now in charge of the imperial guards in the palace. Li Longji also ordered him to follow his orders.
"Your Highness Haojiao knows." Gao Lishi said: "Chang'an City is now controlled by King Zhong, and King Yu is leading troops to intercept and kill you, Your Highness." loadAdv(10,0);
Just as he finished speaking, new news came over.
Li Heng and Li Chu have led their troops to Danfeng Gate, threatening that Xue Bai is rebelling and are coming to escort him. They are forcing the guards of Danfeng Gate to open the palace gate.
One message was not finished, and then the next message came, saying that Li Tan was worried about being defeated and asked the Supreme Emperor to stay away temporarily.
The situation was urgent, so Gao Lishi said: "Your Highness, the Tang Dynasty depends on you."
Xue Bai was not in a hurry at all, and took the time to look at the order asking Li Tan to be transferred by him, and said: "My trusted soldiers and horses were restrained by Tubo in Qinlong. In a hurry, I had to fight with Li Tan against Li Heng and his son.
At this time, if Li Tan suddenly changes sides, he can get rid of me, right?"
~~
Danfengmen.
Standing on the gate tower and looking out, the faint light divides Chang'an Square neatly.
"In terms of strength, Li Qian is much stronger than Li Chu. Therefore, what you have to do is to kill Li Qian while they are fighting." Zhang Ting was standing next to Li Tan and whispered.
Li Tan said: "Why did you call him Li Qian?"
"I've confirmed it, but it's not important anymore." Zhang Ting said, "As long as you kill him, you don't care what his name is."
"He may not trust me," Li Tan said.
"Li Heng has a back-up plan. I haven't fully figured it out, but it should be a threat to Li Qian." Zhang Ting said, "He has no one else to cooperate with, so he can only use you."
"I know, I'll act accordingly."
Zhang Ting added: "After getting rid of Li Qian, do you know what to do?"
Li Tan said: "Of course I support the loyal king."
Zhang Ting shook his head, hooked his fingers, asked him to come over to him, and whispered: "Kill Li Chu first then Li Heng."
Li Tan was stunned for a moment, saw Zhang Ting's burning eyes, reacted, and nodded.
Their purpose was to make Li Ji ascend the throne. They had to get rid of Li Chu no matter what, and helping Li Longji was the best way.
After a while, outside Danyang Gate, Li Chu's soldiers and horses became more and more noisy.
But Xue Bai hasn't come yet.
Li Tan couldn't help but wonder, "Could there be an accident? What if Li Qian..."
Not long after, the person sent to deliver the news also came back. Li Tan inquired about it and learned that the Supreme Emperor had hundreds of people surrounding Xue Bai, so he felt relieved.
"How about just killing Li Qian?"
"I'm just afraid that his people will lose control."
"He was said to have been killed by Li Heng."
"Okay." Zhang Ting said: "Assign a team of people to me and I will go to Zichen Palace."
"You are a woman and you are Li Heng's wife, what can you do?"
"I'll let you arrange it."
Li Tan had no choice but to recruit his lieutenant, whisper a few words, and ask him to follow Zhang Ting to Zichen Palace.
Shortly after Zhang Ting left, a personal guard came to Li Tan and said: "General, King Zhong has sent an envoy. Do you want to lower the hanging basket?"
"Again?"
On the surface, Li Tan and Li Heng are still brothers-in-law, and now is the time for close cooperation. Li Heng does not know that he has completely turned to Li Longji, and he must have sent someone to persuade him to open the palace door.
He walked to the crevices of the palace wall and looked out, but he didn't see anyone entering within a stone's throw.
"Where is the messenger?"
"Here!"
"puff."
With this sound, the guard behind Li Tan raised his knife and slashed Li Tan to the ground.
"Brothers! The changes in the palace are just the time for us to achieve unparalleled achievements. Follow me and open the city gates to welcome King Zhong and King Yu into the palace. We will gain tremendous wealth and honor, and everyone will be granted the title of marquis!"
~~
There is Taiye Pool in the Daming Palace, and there is an island in the pool, named "Penglai Mountain", which expresses Li Longji's wish for immortality. The water of Taiye Pool is connected to the canal. Since Wei Jian dug the canal, the world's treasures can be
Transport it directly to Taiye Pool and send it to Zuozang warehouse.
In those years, Li Longji did not have to leave the palace. He only had to sit in Wangchun Tower and see tributes from all over the country.
There was a change in the palace tonight, and the water gate had long been tightly closed. However, in the darkness, someone climbed onto the boat anchored in Penglai Mountain.
Then the oars rocked and the boat rowed across the sparkling water.
The big man sitting on the boat was humming songs leisurely, as if he had returned to the grand occasion of treasure presentation during the Kaiyuan Tianbao period.
"The treasure has made the country more prosperous, and the farmers have gained the treasure. There are boats and cars in the pond, and there are many bronzes in Yangzhou. Sanlang is sitting in the palace, watching and singing the song of "De Bao"..."
Gradually, the sparkling light also reflected the sparkling light of the armor beside the Taiye Pond. loadAdv(10,0);
More than a hundred warriors were equipped, and someone was already carrying a eunuch, as if he was carrying a chicken.
"Tell me, where are the Emperor and the Crown Prince?"
"They are all in the Zichen Palace."
As soon as the eunuch finished speaking, his throat was cut with a knife and he was thrown into the Taiye Pool with a "plop".
A big man in armor raised his hand, pointed in all directions, and let out a maniacal laugh.
"What do you think is going on? All the imperial troops are guarding the four walls of the palace. Such a big palace city allows us to run amok, hahaha."
"Walk!"
The group of people quickly rushed to Zichen Hall.
~~
Zichen Palace.
"At my age, I only care about the stability of the country. You are the most outstanding one among my descendants. How can I get rid of you?"
Li Longji sighed and said sadly, "The only fault is that I was deceived back then and accidentally killed your grandfather, which made you no longer want to believe me."
Xue Bai said: "You made a secret alliance with Dazalu Gong to use Tubo to contain my troops; then you won over Zhang Ting and asked her to bribe Tian Shengong to get rid of me; unexpectedly, I did not die in Tian Shengong's army, so you let me go."
Li Chu and I killed each other; unfortunately, I miscalculated again and I was imprisoned in the palace. You had to pretend to appease me and let me kill each other with Li Chu, right?"
Li Longji said: "If I want to kill you, when you come alone, I can already order you to be killed."
"I have a high prestige in the Forbidden Army, but you are not sure that you can kill me with just one order. You think you can play with people's hearts and get rid of me through tricks." Xue Bai said: "It's a pity that you misjudged An Lushan back then.
, and now he has misjudged me."
Li Longji shook his head and sighed, and said dejectedly: "You don't believe me, that's all."
He said no more, hung up the drum again, walked barefoot on the blanket, pacing and playing the drum, enjoying himself.
"Dong dong dong dong, dong dong dong..."
The drum music sounded, accompanied by the sound of footsteps and the clanging of armor, a group of guards filed out from the back of the palace and lined up in front of Li Longji.
Li Longji seemed as if he hadn't seen him yet, still intoxicated with his Jiegu.
In front of him, the armored guards said nothing and surrounded Xue Bai step by step.
Du Youlin was horrified and said: "Your Majesty, how could you do this?!"
The only response he received was the sound of drums.
Xue Bai calmly took a few steps back and glanced at the moonlight outside the hall. There were two rows of guards outside the hall, and now they were also surrounding him.
When Du Youlin saw this, he felt extremely sad and said: "Your Highness, I have wronged you! I have always been a mediocre person and extremely stupid, but I have allowed Your Highness to follow in the footsteps of Emperor Fengtian. What an injustice!"
History always repeats the same thing.
Xue Bai, standing in armor, seems to have merged into one image with Li Ying, who wore armor and entered the palace. Only Li Longji remains the same ruthless character.
"Prince Li Qian has violated human ethics and committed atrocious crimes. He even wore armor and entered the palace to commit evil acts. Take him down!"
Gao Lishi shouted loudly.
In front of and behind Xue Bai, guards drew their swords and strode towards him.
While playing the drum, Li Longji opened his mouth and shouted: "You evil beast, do you know that you are really my grandson?! That's why you deserve to die!"
His voice sounded like thunder, announcing his incomparable anger and Xue Bai's sin.
"kill!"
The drums beat violently, and murderous intent overflowed.
Several guards had already rushed in front of Xue Bai, showing their ferocious faces.
Behind Xue Bai, a guard also raised his sword.
Swing the knife on both sides at the same time.
A cold light flashed.
"bite!"
The blades intersected, but it was the guards behind Xue Bai who blocked the blades coming in front of him with their swords.
After that, the knife turned and swung.
"puff."
Blood spattered Zichen Hall, and the first person to fall to the ground was the personal guard Li Longji had arranged behind the hall.
At the same time, more than ten people quickly protected Xue Bai and Du Youlin.
"Boom, boom."
The drum beat hard twice and then stopped.
Li Longji looked at him in astonishment and murmured: "Your people?"
"The Supreme Emperor has been kidnapped by rebellion!" Xue Bai shouted, "Rescue the Supreme Emperor!"
"Here!"
Following this loud shout, the leading general protecting Xue Bai raised his head, and it was Lao Liang. loadAdv(10,0);
He was originally stationed in Huazhou and entered the capital in a hurry. He did not have time to bring too many troops, so Xue Bai placed him in an inconspicuous position in the Forbidden Army. As soon as Li Cong died, he was the first to defect.
But being able to stay by Li Longji's side is by no means easy.
"How is that possible?"
Li Longji was also extremely surprised. He couldn't figure out why he used Xue Bai's people for the time being, but now was not the time to think about this.
"Stop them!" he shouted, turned around and ran away.
"Save the Emperor."
Xue Bai said, picked up a knife, and chopped down a guard who dared to stop him. As soon as he took action, the mentality of those guards collapsed.
At this moment, another shout came from behind.
"Li Qian rebelled! Kill him!"
"Kill him quickly!"
The shouts were mixed with the woman's frantic screams, and a group of men and horses quickly ran towards the Zichen Palace, clumsily climbing the stone steps wearing armor.
Xue Bai was not worried at all about Li Longji escaping, and quickly defeated the enemy soldiers in Zichen Hall. He led Lao Liang and others to stand at the top of the stone steps, looking down at those people.
Amidst the clattering sound, they took out their crossbows.
"kill!"
"Swish, swish, swish..."
Arrows rained down, and some people screamed and fell under the stone steps.
"No retreat!"
Another woman's scream sounded.
Zhang Ting stood at the bottom of the stone steps, raised his head and looked up at Xue Bai.
He only brought a small amount of troops to guard Zichen Palace. This was the best opportunity to kill him, and she must do it.
Although she is a woman, she also has a heart that desperately wants to make progress.
It’s time for another Wu Zetian to appear in the Tang Dynasty.
"Go tell Li Tan quickly and ask him to bring more troops!" Zhang Ting pulled over a soldier and ordered, but he responded faster than some generals.
She did not forget to observe and realized that although Xue Bai's soldiers were small, they were powerful, well-equipped, and occupied a high place. Her men had just arrived and were exhausted. They climbed up the stairs to fight again, which was a big loss.
She then pulled the deputy general and said, "Send people to block both sides. Don't let him escape. Li Tan will be here soon."
"Madam, can you command..."
"Listen to me!"
Zhang Ting didn't wait for the general to talk nonsense and screamed at the top of his lungs, suppressing the opponent with his momentum.
The scream seemed to pierce the sky, but before the lingering sound dissipated, as expected, more troops arrived.
This time, it was not just a few people who came, but more than a thousand people led by Li Chu.
Li Chu Yingwu was courageous and had a good reputation in the Forbidden Army before. In addition, he had been planning secretly. Therefore, in just a few years, he had organized a powerful army, which is now regarded as the most powerful force in the palace.
The city's second strongest military force.
As for the strongest ones, they are the soldiers and horses left by Xue Bai at Guangshun Gate.
"kill!"
"Xue Ni entered the palace wearing armor, intending to kill the Supreme Emperor, please save him!"
"Follow the King of Yu to quell the rebellion, and kill the rebel Xue to be crowned king!"
The shouting reached Zhang Ting's ears, and she was stunned for a moment. She thought it was Li Tan, but it turned out to be Li Chu.
But she quickly calmed down, thinking that the situation was actually back to what Li Longji had planned, with Li Chu and Xue Bai killing each other.
What she should do is to protect herself and go to Li Heng's side to act accordingly.
Zhang Ting then hurriedly ran away to the bathing hall to the east. Looking back, he saw another group of people coming from a distance. It must have been Li Heng who had also arrived...