Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 493 Dream is not a dream

In the evening, it rained heavily.

The watchtower on top of Wugong County was in ruins because Tian Chengsi smashed a hole in the roof with a slingshot when he attacked Wugong. The soldiers made some repairs, but it still leaked. Finally, the roof collapsed, and the soldiers inside complained.

"Eating dog intestines."

"Forget it. Without destruction, there is no construction. Just build it again."

The soldiers who stuck their heads out of the watchtower looked out and saw several riders galloping in the rain. They must have something very urgent to do in such weather.

The hanging basket was lowered in the rain and the order token was verified. The visitor alarmed Gao Shi, the main general of the reinforcements stationed in Wugong County. Gao Shi even immediately sent letters to Fufeng and Yishou cities, asking Yan Wu, Tian Shengong and other generals to come in person.

"Quick, go and boil some hot water... Prince of Beiping, this way."

Gao Shi led the soaking wet Xue Bai into the city and said, "This afternoon, Du Wulang brought the imperial concubine and General Gao into the city. Is the King of Beiping here for this?"

At this point, Xue Bai was no longer in a hurry. He waved his hand and said, "Don't alarm them yet. I have something to talk to you about."

Gao Shi was stunned, with worry in his eyes, and asked, "The King of Beiping came in person, but something went wrong?"

"The overall situation is fine. The rebels in Guanzhong will soon collapse. However, you need to make some adjustments to some details."

Soon, Gao Shi had the stove lit, and the two sat opposite each other in the dry hall and talked.

Xue Bai still did not talk about the main business. He first talked about Gao Shi's early poem "Yan Ge Xing", and then recited the line "The soldiers are half dead in the army, and the beauties are still singing and dancing in the tent", feeling that the world has not changed in the past ten years.

Afterwards, they talked about the old days when they were conquering Nanzhao. Gao Shi's current official position was gained because of the war against Nanzhao, and this was also a debt of gratitude between him and Xue Bai.

"What does the King of Peking need me to do? Just ask."

Xue Bai asked casually, "If the Saint orders the killing of Your Highness and me, what will Brother Gao Thirty-fifth do?"

Gao Shi was surprised. He stood up and looked outside. Seeing no one else around, he came back and asked in a low voice, "Is there a treacherous minister who is trying to deceive the sage?"

"How can there be a treacherous minister? They are just flatterers who act in accordance with the emperor's will." Xue Bai said, "It is time for the rabbit to die and the dog to be abandoned. Now you can capture me and hand me over to Shu County. I will surely be granted a title of nobility and appointed as prime minister."

After that, Xue Bai closed his eyes and waited for Gao Shi's decision. As long as Gao Shi wanted to be loyal to Li Longji and Li Heng, this was the best time to make great achievements.

Just as in the original history, he put down the rebellion of Prince Yong.

But if Gao Shi missed it, this would be his sunk cost. If someone advised him again in the future, he would think that since he had not captured Xue Bai today, why should he look for a more difficult opportunity?

Of course, Xue Bai dared to do so because of his understanding of Gao Shi. Gao Shi was ambitious and wanted to restore the glory of his ancestors. To achieve success, he had to speculate. Moreover, he believed that Gao Shi's loyalty was to the entire Tang Dynasty, not to Li Longji alone.

"Your Highness and the Prince of Beiping guarded Chang'an and suppressed the rebellion, while the Saint fled south to Sichuan and Shu, and the Prince of Zhong fled to Lingwu. Who should the clan's sacred artifact belong to? How can I not figure it out?!"

After a moment of silence, Gao Shi made his choice.

Xue Bai opened his eyes, looked at Gao Shi's weathered face, and said, "Today, I understand Brother Gao Sanshiwu's poetry better."

Now that we have expressed our stance, the next step is to talk about how to do it.

The soldiers in Chang'an were all tired and had insufficient food and grass. It was difficult to resist Li Heng's 200,000 troops. Xue Bai did not expect Gao Shi to be able to defend the small cities west of Chang'an.

But Xue Bai said: "Let's eat first, and then talk."

The dinner was very simple, with only some dry food. The two of them chewed in silence, listening to the heavy rain outside, until Yan Wu, Tian Shengong and others hurried over.

~~
As soon as Yan Wu entered the city, he felt something was wrong.

The people he brought with him were arranged to change clothes and eat elsewhere, and Gao Shi also took off his armor and weapons on the pretext of letting him change into clean clothes, and invited him to the yamen for negotiations.

After passing the gate, he heard the sound of horse hooves. He turned around and saw the brothers Tian Shengong and Tian Shenyu rushing towards him, still wearing armor and carrying swords.

There was a hint of thought in Yan Wu's eyes. He stood there waiting for the Tian brothers, and then went in to see Xue Bai.

When he saw that there were no outsiders in the hall and the atmosphere was solemn, Yan Wu confirmed his guess. Without saying a word, he clasped his fists and knelt down in front of Xue Bai.

"King of Beiping, the saint is tired of the throne and fled to Shu County in the south. Now that Your Highness has defeated the rebels, you should follow the will of heaven and the people. I am willing to die with King Beiping to persuade Your Highness to ascend the throne!"

Gao Shi was greatly surprised. He stared at Yan Wu's stern face and asked in surprise, "How can you...say such a thing?"

Yan Wu said: "Could it be that the King of Beiping came here for this matter?"

This matter is not difficult to guess. Not long ago, Xue Bai sent someone to pass on the order to prevent the rebels from escaping, which shows that the situation of suppressing the rebellion is very good. As a result, Xue Bai came in person a few days later. The most likely reason is a coup in the court. In addition, the Tian brothers are generals secretly cultivated by Xue Bai. Letting these two accompany him into the palace must be to discuss secret matters.

Xue Bai stepped forward to help him up and said, "To be honest, it is true."

Unlike Gao Shi's worry, Yan Wu's first reaction was excitement, with a gleam in his eyes, and he asked, "What does the King of Beiping want?"

"You have served as officials in Shu County." Xue Bai said, "I plan to ask you to go and welcome the imperial carriage back. Do you dare?"

He had not told Gao Shi about this plan before, so Gao Shi's first reaction when he heard it was surprise and embarrassment.

It was said that they were going to bring back the imperial carriage, but since they were discussing letting Li Cong ascend the throne by force, that was no different from rebellion. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that they were going to abduct the saint. This matter was of course extremely important, but at the same time, it was also extremely difficult to accomplish.

They had conquered Nanzhao and stayed in Shu County as officials, but their prestige was not comparable to that of the saint. How many soldiers could be persuaded to risk their heads to forcibly kidnap the saint?
Yan Wu's reaction was completely different from Gao Shi's. Upon hearing this, he responded without hesitation: "I dare you!"

Of course he dared to do so. When he was young, he dared to kidnap the daughter of a general in the capital. After being chased, he killed and destroyed the body. It can be said that he was quite daring, calm and decisive.

This time, he is the only one who can rescue Li Longji.

"Ji Ying." Gao Shi said: "You..."

"What's the hesitation?"

Yan Wu interrupted Gao Shi and turned to look at the Tian brothers, implying that if Gao Shi spoke any more, the Tian brothers could just kill him.

He didn't care about the friendship between Xue Bai and Gao Shi. When doing big things, how could he not let go of such a small personal loyalty?

Tian Shenyu didn't understand what they were saying at first, and was still in a daze. Tian Shengong understood, so he clasped his fists towards Gao Shi and said, "Gao Changshi, do it."

The two brothers received great kindness from Xue Bai when they were humble, so there was nothing much to say.

"it is good."

Xue Bai said: "I originally planned to let Gao Lishi enter Shu slowly, but now the situation has changed. I need you to take him south quickly to Shu County to welcome back the imperial carriage, and leave people to guard Shu County..."

~~
On the same night, in the same city, Gao Lishi was standing by the window of the inn looking at the rain, when he suddenly heard a faint knock on the door.

He opened the door and saw a young man who was less than 30 years old. He was puzzled and felt that the man looked very familiar. He was good at remembering people, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.

"Yan Wu meets General Gao."

"So he is Yan Tingzhi's son." Gao Lishi said, "No wonder."

"Grandpa often said that he received a lot of favors from General Gao in his early years in the court." Yan Wu walked straight into the house and said in a low voice: "I came here today at night because I have something important to tell General Gao."

"What's the matter?"

Yan Wu whispered, "The Crown Prince and the King of Beiping wanted to rebel, so they summoned me to discuss the matter. I pretended to agree and came to see General Gao. I am willing to report this to Your Majesty together with General Gao."

Gao Lishi did not believe it and asked, "Your Highness has defended Chang'an and is popular among the people. Why would you rebel?"

"How does General Gao know that His Majesty is willing to pass on the throne?"

Gao Lishi remained silent.

He actually understands the character of saints best. When he says "enjoy your old age in peace", it just means that he is old and can no longer make trouble.

Yan Wu said: "General Gao, please follow me and report to the Saint as soon as possible."

"Leaving now?"

"Yes, we left the team and traveled day and night..."

~~
Du Wulang was sleeping soundly when he felt someone patting his face. He opened his eyes and saw it was Xue Bai.

He thought it was a dream, and turned over to continue sleeping, but then he heard Xue Bai say, "Get ready and go back to Chang'an with me."

"It would be nice if it were real, but it's just a dream." Du Wulang muttered, "I miss Chang'an so much."

Xue Bai had no choice but to pat his face again.

"it hurts."

Du Wulang finally came to his senses and asked, "Why are you here?"

"There were some accidents, but they were resolved. You don't have to go to Shu County."

"Then I haven't accomplished anything. I'm so useless." Du Wulang sighed, but he didn't feel disappointed. He said, "But the imperial concubine seems to be ill. Can she leave tomorrow?"

"What disease?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was rained on."

"Then you stay here for a few more days." Xue Bai said, "I will leave first tomorrow."

"it is good."

Du Wulang was so sleepy that he fell asleep again.

When he woke up again, it was already the next morning, and it was still raining heavily outside the window, which was the best time to sleep. He was originally planning to take another nap, but suddenly he remembered that he seemed to have seen Xue Bai last night.

"Is it a dream?"

Du Wulang then stood up, rubbed his eyes and went out, looking for the guard outside and asked, "Did the King of Beiping come here last night?"

After asking two people in a row, he turned around and saw Zhang Yunrong standing there.

~~
Xue Bai rested for a night and as soon as he woke up he ordered his men to prepare the horses.

"My dear, it's raining too hard. Let's wait until it stops before we go."

"Prepare the horses first, and then set out when the rain subsides."

Xue Bai continued to rest and wait for everything to be ready. After that, he heard someone talking outside and said, "Let her in."

Afterwards, Yang Yuhuan was seen walking in holding an oil-paper umbrella.

She was indeed a bit sick and unhappy. She stood there and stared at Xue Bai for a while, then asked, "Are you still here to catch up with me?"

Xue Bai thought of Qi Meng and felt that her beauty would distract him, so he simply closed his eyes and said, "You said you had something important to tell me. What is it?"

"You're a jerk."

She was indeed spoiled and always liked to make trouble. Xue Bai said: "I received your kindness when I was humble, and I should repay you. Now you don't have to go to Shu County. I will have someone escort you wherever you want to go."

"You can't escort me yourself?"

"I have to go back to Chang'an. There will be a war in Chang'an soon. You can go there and then..."

Xue Bai stopped talking midway.

He smelled a faint fragrance, so he raised his head. A slightly warm breath gently sprayed on his nose. Yang Yuhuan was leaning over him, and seemed to be nostalgic for his youthful breath and came close to feel it.

Her hair and clothes were covered with water mist, feeling wet and cool. The hem of her skirt was also completely soaked, and the skin on her once jade-like legs was so cold that tiny bumps appeared.

Xue Bai originally wanted to push her away, but he felt pity for her cold lips, so he had to let her be infected with the heat brought by his blood and masculinity.

"Are you afraid?" Yang Yuhuan asked, feeling the stiffness of his movements.

"Not afraid."

"I see you are very scared. You are afraid of the old king who wants to send me to him. You are afraid of losing the status you have worked so hard to get. You are afraid of being cursed by the world. You are afraid that you will indulge in beauty and stop making progress... But you can't help it. You have the will but not the courage. You are a coward. You are not as brave as him!"

"you are wrong."

Xue Bai turned over and held Yang Yuhuan there, staring at her with burning eyes, and said word by word: "I came because I am no longer afraid of anything."

Of course, he was not afraid of Li Longji. He came here just to order his men to kidnap the other party. He was not afraid of losing Li Qian's identity. In fact, Li Longji had already issued an edict declaring him a traitor who pretended to be the emperor's grandson, but the news had not yet spread.

But he didn't need to tell her all his plans of rebellion one by one; eye contact was enough for the two of them to communicate.

Yang Yuhuan was not as bold as she appeared. On the contrary, she had been suppressing her inner thoughts. Sometimes she was annoyed by his indifference and would deliberately tease him. At this moment, she finally saw his firm attitude and was greatly encouraged, but she lowered her eyes shyly, her cheeks slightly red.

I want to express my feelings, but I don't know what to say.

Finally, she turned her head and whispered three words in a low voice.

"Then you... come."

Xue Bai's suppressed ambition quickly expanded.

In these two days, he suddenly made up his mind to rebel. Since he didn't even care about the imperial power, how could he not dare to face his own heart? Indeed, from the first time he saw Yang Yuhuan, he had endless curiosity about her.

Curiosity has always been one of the most dangerous things in the world. He was curious about the charm of this peerless beauty. It was like seeing a very beautiful man-eating plant. He couldn't help but walk closer, gently stroke its petals, observe the dew on its stems and leaves, smell its fragrance, and was swallowed by it. So he had to admit that he was tempted.

Her flying hair, her autumn-water eyes, her graceful singing voice, the well-shaped body under her skirt, her light posture when dancing, even her raised toes are all beautiful. How can they not make people have beautiful dreams?
He wants the whole world, but he doesn't even dare to take the most beautiful woman in the world for himself. Why does he call himself a rebel?
Yang Yuhuan was a little dazed. She stared at Xue Bai, as if she couldn't see enough.

For a moment, her entire life flashed through her mind.

Having been the Princess of Shou and the Imperial Concubine, she often felt that she was unbearable. But she also thought that it was wrong for a woman to want to live a beautiful life. So she wanted to use singing, dancing, fun and smiles to forget the scars and make up for the unbearable. As a result, when she was about to be hanged in Chen Cang, she realized that her life was destined to be unbearable, and even a disaster that brought disaster to the country and the people.

It was Xue Bai who made her realize that she was actually qualified to choose to be with the man she loved.

Even though she had gone through so much, in the end, she was still able to make a choice out of love for each other. This was something she thought she had lost a long time ago.

As for when she fell in love with him? Actually, she had been watching him all along...

~~
for a long time.

Yang Yuhuan's bright eyes turned, and she suddenly said, "I have something to tell you."

"Ok?"

"I...have it."

Xue Bai was stunned.

He had recently often recalled the time he had spent with Yang Yuhuan in Taiji Palace before he went to Jie County...

"You also think that the chaos in the world is my fault? You also think that I am the cause of trouble?"

"No."

"Then why did the saint lose the world because of me?"

“He lost his motivation.”

"What about you?" At that time, Yang Yuhuan suddenly moved closer, looked at him with affectionate eyes, and asked, "Are you ambitious?"

"Have."

"I have done you a favor. You must have great power to repay me."

Xue Bai was very determined and said, "I will."

Yang Yuhuan came closer, hugged him, and said softly: "This... requires greater power and courage. Do you have such ambition?"

Xue Bai realized that she actually understood him.

But he still endured.

"It doesn't matter if you're afraid." Yang Yuhuan was a little annoyed and couldn't help but provoking him, "You can't have children anyway."

"can."

"But I can't." Yang Yuhuan's eyes were full of resentment and a seductive charm. She opened her red lips and asked, "What are you afraid of?"

Xue Bai was not afraid, he had long been fearless.

He and she then transgressed in the Taiji Palace. Afterwards, he rushed to Jie County, feeling full of shame, and decided to regard the transgression as a beautiful dream.

But in fact, it was not a dream at all. He would often think of the conversation and details at that time, and they would even reappear after he fell asleep.

That was why he refused to let Yang Yuhuan go to Shu County no matter what...

But unexpectedly, she was pregnant?

Waking up from his memories, Xue Bai didn't know what to feel for a moment.

Suddenly, Yang Yuhuan smiled, tapped Xue Bai's forehead, and said angrily: "Look how scared you are, I was just kidding you."

"You lied to me?"

"I told you that I always apply musk, and the doctor said that it damaged my body and I couldn't have children." Yang Yuhuan said, "I just want to scare you, because you are so stupid."

Xue Bai asked: "Why are you scaring me?"

"The other day I wanted to tell you that I missed you, but you just said 'I'm sorry for scaring the Imperial Concubine', so I'm going to scare you this time too."

After Yang Yuhuan said this, she showed a mischievous attitude.

Compared to her, Xue Bai really looks stupid.

After a moment, she took his hand and whispered, "Don't worry, I know what you are afraid of. I won't be a handle for others to attack you... Having you makes me feel that I have not withered yet, and that is enough."

~~
The rain was still pouring down, and the horses' hooves were splashing up mud.

On the way back from Wugong County, Xue Bai's mind was in a mess, with all kinds of messy things in which power and beauty were intertwined.

Sometimes when he stayed overnight at an inn, he suddenly felt that those lingering scenes were the result of his thoughts during the day and dreams at night, and he imagined them because they were too real, so he mistakenly thought they were true.

But when he stood up to face the wind and rain, he realized that he had obtained unparalleled beauty, and he must have greater power to ensure that he would not sink because of it.

Xue Bai finally pulled the reins outside the Chang'an city gate and shouted to the guards who came to greet him: "I want to see His Highness."

Then he crossed Zhuque Street and rushed to the Daming Palace.

"Summon the King of Beiping to an audience!"

Following this shout, Xue Bai strode into the Xuan Zheng Hall.

The rain on his clothes kept dripping onto the thick carpet, and every step he took left a wet shoe print. This was actually a very rude act, but Li Cong did not dare to blame him, and just hurriedly got up.

"Hurry up and wipe the Prince of Beiping... What happened? Why don't you change your clothes before coming back?"

Xue Bai's face was solemn, and he said, "Your Highness, please choose a day to ascend the throne."

"what?"

Li Cong had thought about ascending the throne, but he had never thought it would happen so suddenly. According to etiquette, he would have refused several times. But Xue Bai proposed it suddenly, so he had to ask for the reason first. He quickly dismissed the palace servants in the hall and asked in a low voice: "What happened?"

Xue Bai did not need to mention that Li Longji had exposed his identity. He only said, "The decree of Shu County has demoted you and me to treason. Li Heng has led an army of 200,000 to attack us."

Li Cong was shocked and took two steps back, realizing acutely that he couldn't just listen to Xue Bai on this matter.

Although he was the one who wanted to be the emperor earlier, he was shocked and thought about it when he heard about Li Heng's military strength. Since it was the will of Shu County, the attitude of the saint was also very clear. Chang'an had no food and grass, and it would definitely not be able to defend it in the face of so many troops. With his merit in defending Chang'an, as long as he did not become emperor, he could still negotiate with the saint and Li Heng. Becoming emperor would instead show that he was determined to fight to the death.

"I think, when we welcome the Holy Saint, I will explain to him..."

"There is no way out." Xue Bai said in a stern tone, not at all speaking to the emperor, "Your Highness, do you think that Li Heng will let you go if you don't declare yourself emperor?"

Li Cong had no choice but to ask, "Do Yan Zhenqing and Li Guangbi agree?"

"I will ask them to submit a petition for the throne. It will be enough if His Highness refuses three times."

Li Cong had no power to make the decision on this matter. He was cautious but also a little excited. Finally, he asked, "If Chang'an cannot be defended, should we retreat to Taiyuan?"

Xue Bai was not satisfied with his performance, but he did not show much expression on his face. He just said calmly: "You can hold on."

After the agreement, Li Cong sat there, looking at the footprints left by Xue Bai, thinking deeply.

Of course he wanted to be emperor, but he also knew that once he became emperor, it would be difficult not to appoint Xue Bai as the crown prince. He was unwilling to let a kid who came out of nowhere become the heir to the Tang Dynasty.

How can I contain Xue Bai after becoming emperor?

Li Cong pondered and suddenly remembered a small thing... He had just seen some red marks on Xue Bai's neck.

It is said that Xue Bai rushed back from Wugong and Xingping County overnight, so who else could he have had sex with? It could only be Yang Yuhuan. Li Cong was not surprised by this, as he had noticed something since Xue Bai brought back the fake saint.

It seems that this may be the reason why the saint suddenly changed his attitude.

Li Cong then thought that he could pretend to be confused and cooperate with Xue Bai for the time being, and then launch an attack when the time is right.

Only after he figured this out did he feel at ease and began to look forward to becoming emperor.

(End of this chapter)