Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 539: The Reappearance of the Prosperous Era
In the dead of winter, heavy snow blocked the roads and the thousands of miles of mountains and rivers in the north turned into a snowy field.

The wind is so cold that it can scratch people's faces.

Feng Changqing still rushed to Fan Yang. He brought dozens of brave cavalrymen with him. When he arrived at the city gate of Fan Yang, thick ice had formed on his armor.

He raised his head and glanced around at the defenses of Fanyang City, a look of vigilance flashing in his eyes.

Xue Bai came out from the city gate with a few followers. He was not wearing armor, but only a cloak, looking casual and calm.

Feng Changqing came here this time because Xue Bai wrote to him saying that he planned to resign and return to Beijing, and asked him to take care of some matters after his departure.

However, his generals reminded him that he might fall into a trap if he went to Fan Yang this time. They believed that Prince Yong would die if he returned to the capital and would definitely rebel, so they set up the Hongmen Banquet.

Feng Changqing deeply agreed with this, so he gathered dozens of his most elite confidants and mentally prepared himself to help the court quell the rebellion.

As soon as they arrived in Fan Yang, Xue Bai treated them warmly and ordered his men to serve the ginger soup that was cooked by the city gate.

"It's really hard for you to come all the way here in this weather. Please drive away the cold."

"We are all working for the court, and that's what an official should do."

Feng Changqing took the hot bowl, but did not drink it immediately. Instead, he held it to warm his cold hands.

Xue Bai didn't seem to notice this little detail and continued to order people to distribute the ginger soup to the soldiers brought by Feng Changqing.

"Give me a bowl too." Finally, he stretched out his hand to ask for a bowl and gulped it down.

Seeing this, Feng Changqing smiled bitterly in his heart, thinking that he was too nervous. Even if Xue Bai wanted to poison him, how much could this small bowl of ginger soup contain?
He then raised his head and took a drink. After the bowl of soup went down his throat, a warmth immediately rose in his stomach, dispelling the coldness, as if all the hair follicles in his body were stretched out.

"It would be even better if there was wine." He thought to himself.

But even if Xue Bai gave him wine, he might not dare to drink it.

The crowd walked towards the city and entered the lobby of the government office. Feng Changqing's guards followed them all the way. Xue Bai acted as if he didn't see them and started talking about business in front of them.

"Most of the things in Hebei have just started, and some have not even started yet. I am very reluctant to leave my post at this time."

After hearing this, Feng Changqing guessed that Xue Bai wanted to impress him with words and persuade him to join the rebellion.

Unfortunately, I made a wrong calculation.

He had made up his mind, no matter how Xue Bai persuaded him, he would not waver in the slightest. His loyalty to the court was stronger than a rock.

But Xue Bai did not continue to complain about the court. Instead, he changed the subject and said, "Fortunately, the plans for various affairs have been made, and the officials have been appointed. I don't need to keep an eye on Fanyang. The only thing is that General Fengjie needs to pay more attention to the border defense and military settlements."

He actually started talking about what he needed Feng Changqing to do after he left, detailing every detail without getting tired of it.

Feng Changqing didn't pay attention at first. He was always wondering how Xue Bai was going to get rid of him. However, there didn't seem to be any executioners around the lobby. Gradually, his attention finally turned to the practical matters that Xue Bai was talking about.

After discussing this matter, Xue Bai personally sent Feng Changqing to the post station.

"Knowing that Marshal Feng Jie is always frugal and doesn't like extravagance, I won't hold a banquet."

If he didn't want to hold a banquet, then he didn't. They had a simple meal in the government office, and Xue Bai asked him to rest early because they had to continue discussing business tomorrow.

Nightfall, posthouse.

Feng Changqing carefully checked the yard to make sure there were no outsiders before returning to the house and taking off his armor.

He quickly lay down on the couch, taking care to place his sword within easy reach at the head of the bed.

Just as I closed my eyes, suddenly, there was a "pop" sound in the yard, as if a tile had fallen to the ground and broken.

Feng Changqing quickly picked up his sword, stood up, pushed open the door, and first leaned against the door frame to take a look outside, fearing that an arrow might be shot at him.

After waiting for a while, his guards had already rushed out of the house.

He then strode out and looked up. There was snow piled on the roof. In the moonlight, a black cat walking on the roof was frightened, jumped up and disappeared.

Feng Changqing's guards were still worried and quickly rushed out to search.

After searching carefully, they came back and reported: "General, no one is here."

It seemed that Xue Bai really had not arranged any people to assassinate him.

Feng Changqing looked up at the moonlight, wondering if Xue Bai could really take off his military power and return to Chang'an? That would be like being the butcher on the chopping board.

Can't figure it out.

After being alert all night, he didn't sleep well. When he woke up the next day, Xue Bai had sent someone to ask Feng Changqing to continue the meeting.

After hesitating, Feng Changqing put on his armor and went forward.

Besides being heavy and uncomfortable, armor is stuffy to wear in the summer and cold in the winter. It also gets hot when you sit by a fire.

When discussing matters, he was both cold and hot. It would have been fine if he was in the army, but in this hall, when people looked at Xue Bai talking calmly and then saw the firelight reflected on Feng Changqing's breastplate, they always felt an inexplicable sense of disharmony and wanted to peel off his armor.

After the specific implementation plan was decided, Xue Bai introduced various officials to Feng Changqing.

He first introduced Yan Gaoqing, Yuan Luqian and others.

"This is my father-in-law. He is also in charge of the military settlements in Hebei. Others say that I appoint people based on personal connections, but I know my father-in-law's abilities, so I have no choice but to appoint people who are talented regardless of their relationship."

Everyone laughed. Amidst the laughter, Xue Bai introduced Feng Changqing to Yan Gaoqing and told him that if he had any trouble with his work, he could go to Feng Changqing to solve it.

Feng Changqing and Yan Gaoqing soon became close friends. Their styles of doing things and their noble character were indeed similar. But on the other hand, Feng Changqing also suspected that Xue Bai wanted Yan Gaoqing to be a lobbyist and persuade him to rebel with Xue Bai.

But after spending a few days together, when all matters were discussed, Xue Bai was ready to leave for Chang'an, and Yan Gaoqing did not say anything to persuade him.

Before leaving, a banquet was finally held.

Before the banquet, the iron armor was placed on the desk. Feng Changqing looked at it with a thoughtful look, hesitating whether to put on the armor to the banquet.

Then his personal soldiers analyzed the matter for him.

"Prince Yong is probably doing this on purpose, hoping to make the commander-in-chief relax his vigilance. The killing move will be tonight."

Feng Changqing thought it made sense.

But there was another voice in his heart telling him that Prince Yong had been honest with him for the past few days, but he had been on guard all the time, which had lost the demeanor of a great general and he was afraid that he would be laughed at.

On rare occasion, Feng Changqing put on an old coat and went to practice for Xue Bai with only a few guards.

He knew this was dangerous, but he still trusted his own judgment.

That night, Xue Bai was a little tipsy after drinking two cups. This was considered bold and refreshing for him, but when facing Feng Changqing who had returned from the Western Regions, this amount of wine was not even enough to rinse his mouth.

Facing the urging to drink, Xue Bai waved his hand and said, "I can't drink any more. I have to get up early tomorrow and ride on horseback."

Feng Changqing said, "You talk as if I've never drunk and ridden a horse."

Xue Bai's cheeks flushed slightly, and he said in a drunken state: "If the wine is poisonous, it doesn't matter if I drink less, but if you drink more, you will be poisoned."

With just one word, Feng Changqing's guards all changed their expressions.

Feng Changqing laughed out loud, with a hint of self-mockery in his smile.

"Prince Yong is making fun of my sad state these days. How disrespectful!"

"Human nature."

Xue Bai said this, moving his body and leaning against the pillar, showing a rare dejected look, and sighed drunkenly: "Those who know me, think I am worried; those who don't know me, think I am asking for something."

Feng Changqing could actually feel Xue Bai's efforts in serving the Tang Dynasty. This time, he misunderstood Xue Bai's intention to usurp the throne, and realized how deep the world's misunderstanding of him was.

"Did Prince Yong worry about his life and property when he returned to Chang'an this time?"

"It doesn't matter." Xue Bai waved his hand calmly and said, "As long as the world can be stable."

These words were spoken very naturally, without any trace of performance.

At least Feng Changqing didn’t see anything. He sighed in his heart and drank a bowl of wine.

Xue Bai turned his head to look at him and said, "Don't worry, I still remember what I promised you."

After getting drunk, nothing really happened.

Before dawn, Xue Bai set off south.

The team heading south consisted of only a few dozen people. After bidding farewell to many officials from Fan Yang, they walked into the snow and wind.

Feng Changqing stopped and looked into the distance, feeling somewhat emotional, thinking that a major threat to the country had finally passed.

Prince Yong gave up his power, and the future emperor should work hard to govern the country and restore the Tang Dynasty.

It would be better if we stop using eunuchs...

~~
Diao Bing turned his head, glanced into the snow, and said, "My dear, Fanyang City is no longer in sight."

"Let the team move slowly, don't rush."

"Yes."

Diao Bing glanced at the team again, still a little confused, and asked, "There's someone, you didn't forget to bring him, did you?"

"Ah."

"Mr. Li Mi, he is still in Fanyang, but other officials cannot ask him for advice. Why don't you take him with you?"

Xue Bai said: "It doesn't matter. After some time, I can ask him for advice again."

He rode his horse slowly, and after a while, he left the team and went to Yizhou for a private visit in disguise.

~~
The first month of the first year of Shangyuan has passed, but in previous years this time was still the twelfth month.

People from all over the country seem to be not very interested in the court's change of the beginning of the year. They have only just begun to prepare for the New Year and are still preparing lanterns for the Lantern Festival according to the old calendar.

The government did not allow them to do so, saying that they were ignoring the authority of the saint and destroying many lanterns.

Especially in Chang'an City, government offices at all levels received official documents and strictly handled the matter.

The current Wannian County Magistrate obtained this position by bribing Dou Wenyang. How dare he not devote himself to such a major event? He showed an iron-fisted approach and sent a large number of officials to ensure that no lanterns could be seen in Chang'an City during the Lantern Festival of the old calendar.

After receiving the order, the officials rushed into the people's homes, not only trampling on the lanterns, but also taking away the people's candlesticks and bacon.

Some people reported the matter to the Jingzhao Prefecture, and later the matter reached the ears of Wei Jiansu, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Wei Jiansu then went to see the emperor to report the matter, but was stopped by Dou Wenyang, who advised him not to meddle in other people's business.

"Changing the beginning of the year is a major event that highlights your majesty's achievements and heralds the revival of the Tang Dynasty. Does Lord Wei dare to obstruct this matter?" Dou Wenyang spoke very seriously about the issue, and it was indeed the case.

Since the imperial court did not intervene, the officials became even more unscrupulous. Afterwards, robbery and even bullying of women occurred frequently, but they were all suppressed by Dou Wenyang.

The chaos in Chang'an's streets did not reach the ears of the emperor, but it quickly spread to all the provinces and counties in the country. Some people imitated it, while even more people sighed.

No one expected that after deposing King Yong, the sage would rely on the eunuchs so much and act so unscrupulously.

The public's resistance to changing the beginning of the year is growing.

"Since ancient times, only sages have changed the calendar, but what achievements have sages made? All his current achievements were made by King Yong."

Similar public opinions continued to ferment, but Li Cong in the palace did not hear anything.

He was still immersed in the joy of having just assumed power.

Upon hearing that Xue Bai had resigned and returned to Beijing, many officials in the court who were close to Xue Bai changed their minds and dared not offend the emperor again.

Without the constraints of officials like Xue Bai, the changes are still very obvious, a world of difference.

Since Dou Wenyang could transfer disobedient officials, no one could stop him from making money for the emperor. The food, clothing and other expenses of Li Cong's family immediately changed.

Previously, due to the war and Xue Bai's advocacy of frugality, the palace expenses were reduced. Li Cong always felt that he was short of this and that. He was the emperor, but he couldn't even take out the money to reward his concubines.

Now that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has been ordered to make purchases, Dou Wenyang has been working diligently, especially when it comes to such an important matter concerning the emperor's food, clothing and daily expenses. Upon receiving the order, he immediately took it seriously.

According to the old system, the Duzhi was responsible for purchasing the items needed in the palace, but Dou Wenyang changed it to be handled by eunuchs.

He sent hundreds of eunuchs to the East and West Markets to purchase goods, which was called the Palace Market.

But they didn't give any documents or certificates. After all, the eunuchs just had to stand there and say a few words in a shrill voice. What proof did they need?
When these eunuchs saw something they needed, they would pay a small amount of money or just take it away. If they were asked, "How dare you not give what the saint needs?"

In this way, within just a few days, Dou Wenyang spent very little money and bought a lot of exquisite things for the palace.

Li Cong was very surprised and confused, and asked why the price reported by the Ministry of Revenue was so different from that in the palace market.

Dou Wenyang replied as a matter of course: "The Ministry of Revenue falsely reported the purchase price and put all the money into its own treasury. Those foreign officials are not good at calculating for the saint, how can they be as loyal as us servants who serve the saint personally?"

Li Cong did not know the prices of goods and became very angry when he heard this. He hated those officials for daring to deceive him, so he became more dependent on Dou Wenyang.

He would occasionally think of the moment when Dou Wenyang put the red official robe on the seven-year-old child, but no one is without flaws, and it is precisely when one has something to ask for that one is the most loyal.

As a result, the palace market became more and more arrogant, because they often took things without paying, the common people called them "white watch". Sometimes they were lazy and asked the owners of the goods to deliver them to the palace, but it was not easy for the owners of the goods to enter the palace, so they had to say hello, so they charged the owners of the goods an extra "door fee".

Since a door fee is required for delivery, the eunuchs who go to the market to make purchases in person will have to charge an extra "foot price".

The people of Chang'an were filled with resentment as a result.

Li Cong in the palace was completely unaware of this. He watched as officials from various counties and prefectures came to pay tribute, the treasury became increasingly abundant, and the country was prosperous. He felt that his achievements surpassed those of all the emperors in the Tang Dynasty.

He had not forgotten Xue Bai, and thought that he would feel at ease only after he imprisoned Xue Bai in Chang'an.

Dou Wenyang had planted a large number of spies in Hebei, who would report Xue Bai's itinerary to Chang'an every few days.

Upon learning that Xue Bai really did not bring any soldiers with him and was heading south every day, he felt much more at ease. He could just wait for someone to arrive and then he could sit back and relax.

~~
Jiangling.

At the Grand Marshal's Office, Li Lin once again summoned his staff to discuss matters, and the room was filled with talented people, not just him and Yang Xu.

Xue Liu, Li Taiqing, Wei Zichun, Liu Julin, and Cai Zhen were all counselors recruited by Li Lin.

Similar to Li Cong, Li Lin also sent many spies to spy on Xue Bai's whereabouts.

Upon learning that Xue Bai was heading south, Li Lin slammed the table and stood up.

"Others believe that he has been relieved of his military power, but I don't believe it!"

Since he had an agreement with Xue Bai, he naturally knew that Xue Bai could never be easily subdued.

But once Xue Bai sits on the throne, he will have no confidence in competing with Xue Bai again.

"He must be taking this opportunity to personally lead an elite force into Guanzhong. After taking Tongguan or occupying Chang'an, Fanyang will definitely raise a large army!"

Wei Zichun immediately stood up and said, "Should Prince Yong report this to the court..."

"What's the use?"

Yang Xu did not wait for him to finish and stopped him, saying: "The saint blindly trusts the eunuchs, the court is in chaos, and the people in the market are living in misery. How can he stop the traitor Xue? This situation is just like the emperor's indulgence of An Lushan before."

"What should I do?"

"Do we have to wait until Xue Bai raises an army and wreaks havoc on the Tang Dynasty again?"

When Yang Xu said this, his face became serious. He straightened his robe and bowed solemnly to Li Lin.

"Please ask Prince Yong to raise the troops in the south, eliminate the traitor Xue, remove the corrupt officials, and clean up the country."

They had analyzed it carefully. After the Anshi Rebellion, Henan, Hebei and Guanzhong were in a state of decline. In addition, Dou Wenyang's abuse of power caused public resentment to boil over.

The south had not been destroyed and was the most prosperous. Li Lin shouldered the expectations of the emperor emeritus and used the reputation of clearing the court of corrupt officials. It would not be difficult for him to defeat Li Cong and start an army.

At worst, they could go down the Yangtze River, occupy Jiangdong and establish their own regime.

The future and wealth of all the staff had long been tied to Li Lin. When they turned around and looked at the executioners behind them, they had no way to retreat and bowed down one after another.

"Please ask Prince Yong to raise his army and clear out the emperor's entourage!"

"it is good!"

Since everyone was united, Li Lin responded generously and proudly said: "As a descendant of the Li family, how can I bear to see the rebels plotting against our ancestors and the powerful eunuchs abusing their power and harming the people? I should raise an army!"

He has had this ambition for a long time and has been secretly recruiting soldiers. What he needs to do now is to reward them with money, promise them generous rewards, and bribe them to follow him in raising an army to purge the emperor.

On the other hand, he sent people to Jianghuai to contact Li Zhi, Li He and other clan members to win their support.

I believe that out of fear of powerful traitors like Xue Bai, disgust for corrupt eunuchs like Dou Wenyang, and loyalty to the emperor, these clan members will definitely support him.

~~
Almost all counties in the world were paying attention to Xue Bai's itinerary. Except for Li Cong who was confident that he could subdue Xue Bai, most people thought that Xue Bai's trip to the south was just a decoy and that he was actually ready to rebel.

Li Zhi, the pacification envoy of Shandong Province, was also very concerned about this matter.

He had had contact with Xue Bai before. Although he did not like Xue Bai personally, to be fair, Xue Bai was quite dedicated to state affairs, so he initially thought that Xue Bai would not start a rebellion.

But as the news came back one after another, he found that Xue Bai's progress was very slow. He would stay in each state and county for a few days, and even reviewed unjust cases and dealt with officials. It didn't seem like he was going back to Beijing, but rather like he was inspecting the local areas.

How could such a person give up power?
Then he met the messenger sent by Li Lin.

The visitor was named Wei Zichun. He had an elegant appearance, but his eyes were always flashing with excitement and fanaticism, and his words unconsciously revealed an attitude that he was ready to become an important official at any time.

Just when Li Zhi was curious about what this man was here for, Wei Zichun actually took out a secret decree from the retired emperor.

The retired emperor said in his edict that he had been living in seclusion in the deep palace and had been oppressed by Dou Wenyang. When he wanted to live in Xingqing Palace, he was ridiculed and humiliated instead.

It sounds incredible that the father of the emperor is bullied by a slave, but if you think about it carefully, how could a slave dare to act like this without the emperor's permission?

Thinking of this, Li Zhi felt that there might be something subtle between the emperor and the saint.

Reading further, it turned out that the retired emperor praised Prince Yong Li Lin in the secret decree, calling him "the most virtuous among all the scholars" and ordered Li Lin to get rid of Dou Wenyang.

"hiss."

After reading the secret decree, Li Zhi took a breath of cold air.

Seeing this, Wei Zichun said, "Prince Yong had received this letter a long time ago and had written to the emperor several times, asking him not to rely on corrupt officials. However, the channels for his words were cut off, and the government was controlled by Dou Wenyang. According to the secret decree of the retired emperor, Prince Yong should have raised an army to purge the emperor, but he had been tolerating it out of consideration for the brotherhood and the relationship between the emperor and his subjects. But now the country is in a greater crisis..."

"Li Qian?"

"That's right." Wei Zichun nodded. "He was granted the title of prince in the name of the lost grandson of the emperor, but his identity is unknown and he has the intention of usurping the throne. It is not an exaggeration to call him 'Xue Ni'. King Wu, please take a look at this."

Li Zhi looked and saw a letter in front of him.

When it was unfolded, the handwriting on the letter paper was neat and fluent, with rich ink. It was a beautiful Yan style calligraphy, and it really looked like Xue Bai's handwriting.

In the letter, Xue Bai strongly encouraged Li Lin to rebel with him, and agreed that whoever entered Guanzhong first would become emperor and they would share the country.

"this?!"

Li Zhi looked at it and his eyes widened in shock. He couldn't believe that there were so many conspiracies and plots hidden under such a calm situation.

"What does Prince Yong want?"

"Don't worry." Wei Zichun quickly comforted Li Zhi and said, "Prince Yong will never go along with the traitor Xue, but..."

"Just what?"

"Even the saint was helped to the throne by Xue Ni. Now Xue Ni has led his army south. Judging from the methods of the current saint, I am afraid that he will hand over our ancestors' country to outsiders."

Hearing this, Li Zhi was stunned. He probably knew that Li Lin wanted to raise an army to purge the emperor's side.

However, he could no longer distinguish right from wrong, and he could not help but ask, "What does Prince Yong want me to do?"

Wei Zichun's eyes flickered, and he estimated Li Zhi's attitude. He did not immediately win over Li Zhi to join the rebellion, but said: "Prince Yong sent some righteous men to eliminate the traitors for the country."

"Assassinate Xue Bai?"

"Yes."

Li Zhi had no objection to this matter and believed that assassinating Xue Bai was the easiest way to resolve the national crisis.

He planned to resolve this crisis first, and then join forces with Prince Yong to ask the saint to get rid of Dou Wenyang. In this way, the country might be able to return to stability.

"Okay, I will fully cooperate with you on this matter."

Wei Zichun was overjoyed. As long as Xue Bai died, no matter whether Li Zhi supported Prince Yong or not, he would not be able to stop Prince Yong from raising an army to seize the throne.

……

Xue Bai moved very slowly, as if he was reluctant to go south. He stayed in each county for a few days. After passing Xiangzhou, he suddenly turned to Huazhou.

It was as if he knew that Li Zhi was going to cooperate with Li Lin to assassinate him, so he sent it to him specially.

Li Zhi and Wei Zichun were both a little panicked, but they quickly reacted and immediately arranged for an envoy to go and meet Xue Bai.

(End of this chapter)