Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 484 A progressive partner

"Xue Bai! Look at her!"

Following Yang Guozhong's roar, Xue Bai looked around and saw a look of pain on Yang Yuhuan's beautiful face. Very few people can remain beautiful despite such a ferocious expression, but she is so poignant that it makes people have the urge to replace her with her body.

This may be one of the differences between a stunning beauty and a beauty.

Yang Guozhong's hands covered with terrible scars were squeezing her neck tightly. She had thinner skin and tender 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 at this time, the eunuchs and guards who were standing nearby 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."

"Marshal Li Jie, I'm afraid it will cause 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. 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 letting Li Guangbi 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 his trust, then turned and walked out.

A subtle action 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 trend of the world. Although Xue Bai had not yet had time to speak many of the words he had prepared, sometimes eye contact in emergencies can move people more than words.

Xue Bai actually had two worries. The most worrying thing was that Yang Guozhong revealed 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 noise 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.

Then he 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 Xue Bai's look 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.

"Go back all!"

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.

He actually knew that the saint was fake, but he was too lazy to care who Xue Bai used as his puppet. He even deliberately didn't think about it so that he could pretend to be confused. But deep down in his heart, he always thought that the true saint had passed away.

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 this time, and 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 military strength of Li Guangbi and Wang rare, 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. "You don't 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."

Li Cong was very unhappy when he heard this. He originally thought that Xue Bai had settled the saint properly, but he left such a mess. Now he has to explain to the saint?

What does a prince who guards the country in times of crisis and turns the tide of the country have to explain to a fatuous king who fled to the capital of Shu? Could it be said that "Father, I can only protect the country abandoned by you, but I can't protect the woman abandoned by you"?

This was also Xue Bai's fault. He didn't let him ascend the throne earlier, but Li Heng took the lead.

But Li Cong hadn't figured out how to deal with these problems yet. He was willing to see what other news these two rebels, Xue Bai and Yang Guozhong, could say that would surprise him, so he stopped and watched indifferently.

This seems to show that Xue Bai can even control the prince.

"Tell me, what do you want?" Xue Bai asked Yang Guozhong.

"Can everything I lost come back?!" 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 seemed to have a strange effect, making him excited. Every word he spoke gave him a little more courage to act more and more exaggeratedly.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Gao Lishi still standing there, yelling: "Go away!"

Gao Lishi, an old man, 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 see pros and cons. After hearing this, Li Cong's eyes turned 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, since Li Longji arrived in Shu County, Changan could not 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 from the south to Guanzhong at any time.

Secondly, recognizing Li Longji and even taking the credit for "escorting him to Shu" is the best way to suppress Li Heng and then win over Li Guangbi, and it has already achieved initial results.

Giving up Li Guangbi and choosing to satisfy the power desires of Yang Guozhong or Li Cong is the stupidest thing to do.

Xue Bai pretended to think, 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, her eyes were both There is sadness, and it is extremely vivid.

"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 considered 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 a 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 said that, Yang Guozhong laughed ferociously and said, "You still think you are a saint? Will he let you go? Let me tell you, you can only survive now if you deny the saint 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 trace of cynicism rose in the corner of his mouth.

Looking at Yang Yuhuan again, he was looking at Xue Bai intently and said nothing.

Xue Bai simply followed Yang Guozhong's words and said, "Don't forget, that is Shu County, and it is your territory."

"what."

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 man. Don't forget, I am the Xindu County Lieutenant We, the Yang family, have long been a famous family in Shu."

"A plan of ten thousand dollars, I was 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 work together 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'll scratch her face!"

"Okay, I took the saint hostage."

"Then 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, 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 risk your life."

"It doesn't matter, he is one of us. He will figure it out when he calms down." Xue Bai showed his 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 also said: "You let the concubine go, 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 and pointed the hairpin 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, staring at Xue Bai.

"You... agreed..."

Xue Bai just noticed Gao Lishi.

If there is one person in the Li Zheng Palace today who is happy because Li Longji has arrived in Shu County, 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 avoid it, leaned 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 this last moment, he saw a strange picture - clouds in the blue sky, water in a bottle, separated by heaven and earth. But the water turned into mist and slowly rose.

It turns out that water is clouds and clouds are water.

"Boom."

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.

There are many people in the imperial army. They hold on to their swords and draw their bows, and their momentum is not weak.

"Who dares to cause trouble in the palace?!"

"I think you are looking for a provocation. Do you think our border troops are vegetarians?!"

"Stay here, wait until you find out what happened before you 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 they got drunker, 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.

"Jie Shuai."

Seeing that Li Guangbi was back, Zhang Boyi, his subordinate, immediately shouted: "I think this banquet held by 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!"

With this loud shout, Wang Nande came and said to Zhang Xiaojing: "Your Highness, the King of Beiping has ordered that military affairs are urgent. Today, the imperial banquet will be held. Please rest the reinforcements first, and celebrate after defeating the main force of the rebels."

The reason why he said it was the order from Li Cong and Xue Bai was because he felt guilty about the saint's visit to Shu County.

"Why don't you get out of the way?!"

"Here!"

Zhang Xiaojing hesitated for a moment, 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!"

Li Guangbi immediately stopped the generals, nodded to Wang Rao, 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.

"Jie Shuai."

After leaving the palace, Zhang Boyi immediately rushed to Li Guangbi and whispered: "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 had another doubt in his mind. If Xue Bai really ordered people to escort the emperor to Shu County, then he should be very confident in convincing him. Why would he set up so many ambushes?

In this case, it was 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.

~~
Lizheng Hall.

Blood continued to flow from Yang Guozhong's neck, soaking the luxurious carpet.

Li Cong stepped forward, felt Yang Guozhong's breath, and sighed. They were both disfigured people, so it was inevitable that they felt a little sympathy for each other. What is more important now is what to do with the saint in 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 subject 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?

"Your Highness, please welcome the true saint back to Chang'an and apologize to the saint." Xue Bai said.

Combined with the previous words, there are several layers of meaning that can be considered.

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 one of his two sons was guarding Lingwu and the other was guarding Chang'an, so they could not fall out immediately. Then, it is necessary 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 sins 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 said nothing, 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, the situation caused by Li Heng seizing the military power of Shuofang and proclaiming himself emperor in Lingwu could be solved. In the name of the saint, he could justifiably conquer the generals of the towns by changing their names.

But, he is afraid.

His first reaction was fear, 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 exile and suffer hardship than to return 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 for Your 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. And King Zhong has not sent out 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 that as long as Li Longji said a word now, 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 first when suppressing the rebellion.

Suddenly, he felt someone stepping on his foot. He turned around and saw Yang Yuhuan's sad eyes...

(End of this chapter)