Chang'an is good

Chapter 647 Don’t Doubt Me, Don’t Believe Me

Li Cong felt the same as Li Lu and faced the same situation as Li Lu - he was angry and unwilling, but had no ability to retaliate.

Their father kept them well in captivity, and the abilities he gave them were just enough for the brothers to kill each other, but not enough to shake or endanger their father.

Li Cong's anger and anxiety were seen by his advisers.

What Li Cong didn't know was that the strategist had secretly surrendered to the Changsun family.

The Changsun family had already taken root in Qianzhou a long time ago. After marrying She Kui, their influence in the Qianzhong Road area became increasingly large and close.

Li Cong's actions and changes had long been under Changsun's control.

So, Xiao Min found Li Cong at the right time.

Li Cong had no good feelings towards the Lingnan Jiedushi who could not be eliminated or killed, but the other party's proposal really attracted him.

The proposal is very bold, but this world has gone crazy and needs bold lunatics.

Xiao Min proposed to him to kill She Kui, the governor of Qianzhong Road, and let him lead the troops to the capital. With more than 100,000 Qianzhong troops in his hands, and Xiao Min's 100,000 troops in the rear, with such a large force, they could attack by surprise, and even surround the capital in one fell swoop!

The reason why Xiao Min made this proposal was very simple. He knew very well that even if he expressed his submission, Li Yin would definitely hold him accountable after he ascended the throne. Instead of waiting to die, it would be better to choose another wise leader.

At that time, no one would have thought that the Crown Princess might have a chance to come back alive, and Li Cong was no exception.

He was moved by Xiao Min's proposal.

He no longer had to wag his tail and beg for mercy around his father like a dog, nor did he have to guess his father's thoughts trembling with fear even though he clearly hated him... Now he had the possibility of surpassing his father and getting the seal directly. Even if he failed, he could at least inflict heavy damage and take revenge on his father!

How can you not be moved by such temptation?
Of course, to determine whether something is worth taking a risk, we must not only look at the results, but also weigh the costs.

But the price for him is nothing but death. He is destined to have nothing except this life... No, even this life is not his, but is still controlled by his father.

That means there is no price to pay, right?

Since there is no cost, why not do it?

It was almost a matter of course that Li Cong agreed to cooperate with Xiao Min.

But since he was going to do it, he should try to do it as thoroughly as possible. Li Cong thought of what Li Lu said in the letter... He believed that Li Lu would be happy to help.

Therefore, Li Cong did not act rashly, but marched to the capital as usual. With the secret help of Xiao Min, She Shao, and Changsun, the news of She Kui's death was temporarily blocked within a controllable range.

Li Cong had planned to secretly send a message to Li Lu after approaching the capital, and then wait and see what would happen. As for Xiao Min, he had no intention of cooperating with him for a long time. Once he had control of Xiao Min's 100,000-man army, he would start to eliminate him.

But Li Cong didn't have this opportunity.

When the Qianzhong Army was approaching the capital but had not yet actually arrived there, Xiao Min killed Li Cong with his own hands.

Until his death, Li Cong could not understand why Xiao Min suddenly attacked him at this time. Even if the two were destined to devour each other, everything was just beginning now, and it was clearly far from that time.

It's all about mutual exploitation, it just depends on who is better and who can take the first step.

But Xiao Min did take action in advance.

He had intended to at least let Li Cong survive and reach the capital, so that his mission would be successfully completed.

But he got a piece of news that the ones "making trouble" outside the capital were not the remnants of Bian's army, but the Crown Princess... The Crown Princess had returned from the northern border!

Xiao Min was extremely excited.

Their original complete plan was for the Grand Tutor to expose Li Yin in the city, and once the news of Li Yin's crimes spread, the Loyal and Brave Marquis Chang Kuo and the Grand Princess Xuan'an would support the Emperor of the Holy Ce to return to the capital and legitimately attack Li Yin.

Xiao Min's role was to control the Qianzhong army as much as possible.

It was imperative for Li Yin to transfer troops from Qianzhong Road. If a chaos broke out directly in Qianzhong Road, even if he borrowed the power of Xiao Min's 100,000 troops to hold back the Qianzhong army, it would inevitably alarm Li Yin, who would certainly transfer troops from other places to guard against it, and might even make him more suspicious, thus ruining the plans of the Taifu and others.

Therefore, by secretly killing She Kui and then using Li Cong's help, while appearing to march into the capital as usual, Li Yin could be caught off guard from both inside and outside.

However, to control the Qianzhong army, it is not possible to do so by just killing She Kui and Li Cong. Xiao Min is destined to not be able to use all the troops for his own purposes in a short period of time. However, he can disrupt the morale of the Qianzhong army and disintegrate their combat effectiveness from within, which is enough to pave the way for Chang Kuo.

With the help of She Shao and the Changsun clan, Xiao Min has secretly subdued dozens of generals in the Qianzhong army.

But before Chang Kuo mobilized his troops, Li Suining arrived first.

She came from Luoyang and passed through Puzhou. Li Yin also set up troops to block her in Puzhou, but Puzhou Sima Song Xian persuaded the Puzhou governor, with whom he had worked for a long time. The two of them worked together to control the commander of the troops sent by Li Yin to block the Crown Princess, and opened the way for the Crown Princess to go to Beijing.

On the day Li Yin ascended the throne, before dawn, when the Qianzhong army was deploying its forces outside the capital, the deaths of She Kui and Li Cong were completely exposed, and the Qianzhong army was in complete chaos.

In the chaos, with the cooperation of Xiao Min and She Shao in the Qianzhong Army, Li Suining broke through the Chunming Gate in one fell swoop.

On that day, people in the city saw the Crown Princess falling from the sky, which was a miracle. However, this miracle was also the result of the planning and blood of countless people.

Afterwards, the news of Li Yin's defeat reached the ears of the Qianzhong army outside the city, which was in chaos. The soldiers who were still fighting for Li Yin finally lost their morale. During the past three days, Xiao Min gradually controlled the situation and went to the palace today to report to Li Suining.

Li Suining pulled out a few half-opened pink and white peonies from the flower basket, and the fragrance of the flowers was overwhelming.

A palace maid stepped forward, took the peonies, and placed them in the jade vase on the desk.

After hearing what Xiao Min said, Li Suining stood up and said softly, "The blood that should be shed is finally going to be shed."

She asked Xiao Min to invite She Shao into the city, as she wanted to meet this man.

Afterwards, he told Wei Shuyi, "Prime Minister Wei, please ask someone to invite the head of the Changsun family to come to the capital—and the Changsun lady."

Wei Shuyi agreed.

Li Suining wanted to invite many people to Beijing. After she returned to her desk, Wei Shuyi also sat down below her and drafted a list.

Xiao Min also mentioned one thing during his visit - he had escorted some people into the city, among them was Li Cong's confidant, who had confessed that the camp riot that occurred in Daozhou the year before last was driven by Li Yin. The Bian army was thus revived and grew rapidly, and the large number of sophisticated weapons they obtained later were also the work of Li Yin.

Li Yin's crimes were doubled.

During the interrogation, these two new charges were mentioned. While being tortured, Li Yin heard about the death of Li Cong, the death of She Kui... and what Li Cong had done before his death.

There was no need for the interrogating officer to explain everything to him in such detail, but Li Suining had no intention of hiding it from Li Yin.

She kept him alive so that he could hear, see, and receive all the judgment and punishment he deserved, both physically and spiritually.

Those who harm the people and commit treason must be treated in this way to deter people.

It was difficult to tell the time in the dark prison. Li Yin, who was being held solitary, lay huddled in the small cell. His imperial robes were taken off and replaced with prison clothes, which had changed color due to blood stains.

His hands and feet were bound with heavy chains, his hair was disheveled, his body was trembling slightly after being tortured, and his eyes half hidden in his messy hair contained a sinister and treacherous look.

"Is father okay?" A voice suddenly sounded through a mud wall.

Li Yin did not answer, but that did not stop the voice from continuing to ask, "Father, are you wondering why Li Cong suddenly chose to betray you when you ascended the throne?"

When Li Yin heard this tone, his expression finally changed.

He forced himself to sit up and staggered a few steps towards the wall.

On the other side of the earth wall, Li Lu sat against the wall, listening to the friction sound of chains next door. He smiled silently and then said, "I think the credit for this should be shared equally by my father and me."

Li Lu, in a casual tone, spoke of the secret letter he had sent to Li Cong several months ago.

"Now that I know the reason for my broken body, I think I should remind my second brother..."

“Lest he still hold on to his father’s unrealistic fantasy of kindness, and as a livestock that will be slaughtered sooner or later, he still has to wag his tail and beg for mercy from his father at the last moment…”

"As his elder brother, I wanted to show him a way out... but he still died." Li Lu found it a little funny: "He died in front of a sickly kid like me. How unpredictable things are."

"But fortunately, his death was worthwhile... If he knew what happened to his father, he would not regret his decision."

Li Lu turned his head slightly, looked at the wall behind him, and asked with a smile: "Father is very angry, right?"

"My son and Li Cong should just kill each other... We must know that our father is the heaven, how can we ants kill our father and the heaven?"

"But father, have you ever thought that although the chess pieces cannot seriously injure their masters, your chess pieces may become the chess pieces of others, and then disrupt your chess game..."

There was a rising and falling joy in Li Lu's voice. His breathing became a little difficult due to the emotional fluctuations, so he slowly stood up.

Li Lu's frail figure was as thin as a piece of paper. He turned around, facing the wall, and asked with an uneven smile, "Father, how does it feel to be defeated without a fight?"

"Father was defeated without a fight, while his opponent won without a fight..." "In this final round, the blood shed was the blood of people's hearts...Father was completely defeated in this round, his skin was peeled off, and his friends and relatives deserted him! He became the biggest laughing stock, the most shameful loser!"

"I don't know how my father feels..." Li Lu staggered back two steps and suddenly laughed out loud, making a hoarse sound: "But my son, watching this, is really happy!"

On the other side of the wall, Li Yin's eyes were filled with murderous intent. He tried to stand up, but couldn't control himself and fell to his knees again. His hands and chains fell to the ground with a rustling sound.

On the other side, Li Lu could no longer keep his balance and fell backwards in the filthy cell.

He was still laughing, but due to his breathing problems, his laughter was intermittent, sometimes hoarse and harsh.

The sound of chains hitting the wall was heard, as if Li Yin was trying to shut him up, but the noise soon attracted the jailer. Hearing the sound of his father being restrained and imagining the embarrassing scene, Li Lu laughed even louder.

Slowly, the sarcasm in Li Lu's laughter gradually disappeared, and it became numb and empty.

He thought he should let it go.

Before he died, he saw his father falling from the clouds into purgatory. This was an unexpected surprise that he had never dared to hope for...

Witnessing his father's utter defeat in this way, his hatred and unwillingness finally found an outlet. They suddenly poured out and were finally released in the laughter just now.

But he never knew that letting go could be a scary thing.

He had already accepted the fact that he was going to die. Now that he had no hatred to support him, he unexpectedly recalled his short life in this empty relief in an absurd way.

His life was a life full of calculations.

He schemed and took advantage of everyone until one day he found out that he was also being schemed and taken advantage of by his father.

And in these memories full of calculations, the most eye-catching figure is undoubtedly that Madam Chang, Li Suining, the Crown Princess.

He had also thought about using her, but she had been too alert from the beginning... Thinking of what she has now, and thinking about the so-called position of Crown Prince's Consort that he had promised her, Li Lu couldn't help but laugh again.

In comparison, he is so shallow and ignorant.

He impressed her again and again, but it was still not enough.

Li Lu closed his eyes and thought of that night when the girl stood on the bow of the boat under the moon and shot the marriage certificate back to him.

That was the last time he saw "Madam Chang".

When they met again, she had become the Crown Princess and had cut off her father's hair crown.

Li Lu finally understood why he was deeply attracted to that woman...it was because of her "sense of control".

When I first saw her, she was fighting the divine elephant in Dayun Temple. She was indomitable and nothing could defeat her.

That powerful feeling of independent control was exactly what he had never been able to obtain in his entire life.

It's only natural that he would be attracted to it.

It's normal for him to be rejected.

After being rejected, he settled for the next best thing and married another woman who had been in his plan for a long time.

In comparison, she is much stupider.

He tricked her, used her, and nearly killed her when he no longer needed her. Later, he changed his mind, but only kept her like a cat or dog to be admired.

This is what he did to Ma Wan.

So in Ma Wan's eyes, he is probably even more terrifying and hateful than his father in his eyes, right?

In the final analysis, he was just the same kind of person as his father, except that he didn't have the opportunity to live longer or do more.

Li Lu admitted this and laughed again.

He suddenly felt a little sympathy for Ma Wan.

After an unknown amount of time, the cell door was opened.

Li Lu, who was lying on the ground, saw the woman's skirt.

She was wearing a dark grey cape, and her thin face still looked numb, but perhaps because she had not taken medicine in recent days, the haziness in her eyes was less.

She looked down at Li Lu lying on the ground. Li Lu met her eyes and spoke in the same tone as before: "Wan'er, you came to see me..."

"Don't call me like that anymore." Ma Wan said word by word, "I'm not here to see you, Li Lu."

"I know..." Li Lu looked at her with a smile, still calling out to himself: "Wan'er, I want to thank you very much."

"I looked down on you before." He said, "You actually hid such a big secret for your mother... Even though you lost your mind, you never revealed a single word."

"You should have told me earlier..." His voice was very soft, his breath was very short, as if he was talking to himself: "I just found out that my mother suddenly fell ill because she suddenly learned about such a big thing, not because she deliberately avoided me, ignored me, and let my father destroy me..."

"I suddenly don't hate her so much... What could she have done at that time?"

After Li Lu finished his whisper, he looked at Ma Wan again and smiled: "Wan'er, you really surprised me... You are much more resilient and intelligent than I thought."

"So... you weren't really crazy at that time, right?" Li Lu looked at her and said, "You were pretending to be crazy. You wanted to live. Even I was fooled by you. You're amazing."

What really made his wife lose her mind were the bowls of medicinal soup that followed.

"Wan'er, even though you were deceived by me, you are not weak at all."

At this moment, Li Lu looked like he was praising his wife sincerely.

Compared to the sweet words he said long ago, he seemed particularly real at this moment.

He actually said: "Wan'er...I really feel sorry for you now, and I like you."

"If you and I were in an ordinary family, we might really be a loving couple living in harmony..."

Ma Wan's eyelashes trembled, and her ten fingers dug into her palms.

"That sounds crazy, right?" Li Lu laughed. "I think so, too."

"Enough!" Ma Wan's eyes were full of hatred: "What do you want to use me for now! Li Lu, don't even think about using me anymore!"

Li Lu smiled and said, "Wan'er, you don't have to doubt me. I'm about to die."

"But Wan'er, you don't have to believe me." He said, "I have such thoughts only because I am about to die..."

He stared at Ma Wan and said frankly: "As long as I still have a glimmer of hope to survive, I will still use you by any means necessary..."

Ma Wan completely collapsed. She threw herself at Li Lu, tears of hatred filling her eyes. "Li Lu, you are such a vicious and despicable lunatic!"

"That's right, I am a vicious and despicable lunatic..." Li Lu took one of her hands and slowly placed it around his neck.

Ma Wan suddenly grabbed his neck with both hands, tears streaming down her eyes and a sound that was hard to tell whether she was crying or laughing.

The hatred is real, but the soil for this hatred was once trust and love.

Li Lu died at the hands of Ma Wan.

Ma Wan was too weak to kill an adult man, but Li Lu was already exhausted and it was very easy for him to suffer from asthma in the cell. The slightest obstruction to his breathing was enough to take his life.

No jailer stopped Ma Wan.

Ma Wan didn't know how she left the cell. She followed an official and left the place. When passing a path, her dazed eyes fell on a well beside the path.

Ma Wan stopped for some unknown reason.

The next moment, she suddenly raised her foot and ran towards the well.

At this moment, a long-lost calling voice suddenly came into her ears.

"——Girl!"

A 5,000-word chapter updated ~ Good night!

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