Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 546 Impression
May of the first year of Shangyuan, Nanyang.

There were piles of documents in the study and rolls of maps scattered on the floor.

A man in his fifties with gray hair and beard sat behind the table. He looked haggard and with a look of deep worry between his brows. He was Lu Jiong, the governor of Huaixi and Xiangyang at the time.

Cui Yuan's defeat in Dengzhou happened right under Lu Jiong's nose. He felt that he was to blame and tried his best to make amends, but Li Lin took advantage of the great victory to bypass Nanyang and head straight for Chang'an, and he was powerless to stop him.

In the evening, someone hurried to the door and said, "Master, Prince Yong is here."

Lu Jiong was concentrating on thinking about something and did not hear clearly for a moment. He thought it was "Prince Yong is coming". He was surprised and happy, and stood up suddenly. He was very tall, more than seven feet tall, and when he stood, his head seemed to touch the beams of the house.

"How did the rebels come here? But they were driven back?"

The servant outside the door was stunned when he heard Lu Jing call Prince Yong a rebel. He replied, "He came after conquering Jiangling."

Lu Jing knew that Li Lin would first occupy Jiangling and then rebel, so he frowned and said, "It's useful to say it."

He had stepped forward and opened the door.

The sunlight suddenly poured into the long-closed room. Lu Jiong squinted his eyes, took an official letter, and realized that it was Prince Yong who came.

The next day, Lu Jiong met Xue Bai outside the city gate.

When they met each other, Xue Bai greeted each other politely.

"I have long heard of Duke Lu's great name."

"Prince Yong is joking. For the past two years, Prince Yong has fought wars all over the country. I should be the one who has long admired his achievements."

Xue Bai said: "A few years ago, my father-in-law was ordered to inspect Longyou. After returning to Beijing, he mentioned Duke Lu to me."

"Oh?"

Xue Bai then told the story. Yan Zhenqing once asked Geshu Han whether he had met any talent who could succeed him during his promotion to higher position. Geshu Han pointed to Lu Jiong, who was serving in the army in Longyou at the time, and said that Lu Jiong would be the governor in the future.

Speaking of the past, Lu Jing quickly waved his hands and said, "I am ashamed. I have failed to live up to the appreciation of Geshu Jieshuai."

The two became much closer because of this.

Talking about the current situation, Lu Jiong was deeply saddened. His words revealed his dissatisfaction with the emperor's favoritism towards eunuchs and his escape from Chang'an, and he sighed with regret.

Lu Jing did not hide the truth from Xue Bai, saying, "Since the defeat in Dengzhou, I have contacted various states and counties, gathered the remaining troops, and assembled troops to attack the rebels of Prince Yong. Now many military governors and county governors have arrived, all of them are loyal, diligent and upright people... Would you like to introduce them to Prince Yong?"

At the end of his speech, Lu Jiong was actually a little hesitant and paused before saying the last word.

Because Xue Bai is now in a state of mixed reputation among officials. Although he has made many contributions and has a powerful tool like newspapers to manipulate public opinion, he is inevitably subject to various rumors.

At least in the eyes of those important figures who met in Nanyang, he was not someone worth associating with.

Xue Bai did not seem to have this kind of self-awareness, and did not notice Lu Jing's hesitation, and directly responded: "I am fortunate to be able to overcome the difficulties with you all."

~~
What Lu Jing said was right. Those who have gathered in Nanyang to jointly defend the king are indeed people who value reputation and integrity. After all, anyone with a strong sense of selfishness will often choose to wait and see the situation at this time.

Those who had already led their troops to the scene included Yingchuan Prefect Lai Chen and Wujun Prefect Wei Zhi.

On that day, Lai Zhen and Wei Zhi learned that Xue Bai had arrived. Their first reaction was to be as if they were facing a powerful enemy. They did not think that Xue Bai was a reinforcement.

The reason why they hated Xue Bai was that they had come to Chang'an to pay homage a few months ago. At that time, Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi had just presented their captives to the palace, while Xue Bai was still in Fanyang. Lai Zhen, Wei Zhi and others also heard about some public opinions in the market. At first, they felt some sympathy for King Yong, but when they met the emperor, he complained about King Yong in front of them.

Li Cong did not say many things directly, nor did he dare to say them directly, but he expressed them in an indirect way. During the meeting with ministers, he even uttered words such as "Don't learn from others to be proud of their achievements" and "Stay away from villains who do things by any means necessary."

After hearing this, Lai Zhen, Wei Zhi and others had the most intuitive understanding of how Prince Yong was holding the emperor hostage. Seeing is believing, and after that, they would never believe any good words Xue Bai said.

When they left the palace, the eunuchs who led the way talked about "some people" who bullied the emperor, and they were even more sharp-tongued and sarcastic. Although they did not call them by name, their sinister and treacherous image was already apparent.

The prince of Yong lost his father at a young age and fell into slavery. His mind was twisted, dark, vicious, unfeeling, and ungrateful. The saints pitied him and rewarded him continuously, making the world think that many merits were made by the prince of Yong. However, the prince of Yong still acted recklessly and wanted to imitate An Lushan and stayed in Fanyang.

"Since you're here, let's meet and talk." Lai Zhen sighed.

"Let's meet him." Wei Zhi said.

So the two of them put on armor, took their elite soldiers, and went to meet Lu Jiong and Xue Bai outside the gate.

From a distance, you can see Lu Jing's tall body as tall as a pillar.

But when Xue Bai turned around, Lai Zhen and Wei Zhi were both stunned involuntarily.

Lai Chen prided himself on being good at face reading, and believed that a person's eyes could not deceive him. But when he saw Xue Bai's eyes, which were peaceful, modest, and kind, it was really hard to reconcile them with the image he had imagined in his mind.

If it was the King Yong mentioned by the saint, no matter how good he was at hiding himself and how cunning he was, a sinister person would definitely have resentment in his eyes... But no, Xue Bai's eyes were like a well, clear to the bottom.

Wei Zhi was also surprised, but unconsciously took a step back, thinking to himself that this guy was so good at disguising himself, he was indeed a traitor who pretended to be loyal.

The two sides exchanged pleasantries. Xue Bai was very humble and did not boast of his title or achievements. He said, "You gentlemen understand the situation better. I will follow your arrangements on how to serve the king."

Lai Zhen couldn't tell whether what he said was true or false, so he didn't dare to disclose the details easily, and therefore didn't tell him about their military strength, baggage situation, and strategy.

As a result, everyone was unable to get to the point.

Seeing this, Xue Bai waited until Lu Jing arranged a simple welcoming banquet, then he went there in plain clothes. After having two drinks, he used the old method again, using Yan Zhenqing's relationship to win over everyone.

After three rounds of drinks, when talking about the current situation, everyone was heartbroken and once again expressed their regret for the emperor's favoritism towards eunuchs.

Lai Zhen was a straightforward person. He thought that since everyone wanted to join forces to defend the king, they still had to eliminate their differences. So he held up the wine glass and said to Xue Bai: "I have doubts in my heart, and I would like to ask King Yong to clarify them, but I am afraid of offending you."

"If you have something to say, you can say it."

"Just now, the Prince of Yong said that you are the son-in-law of Lord Yan. However, I have heard rumors that the Prince of Yong is extremely promiscuous and has countless concubines. Lady Yan could no longer tolerate this and therefore left the Prince of Yong and lived separately. But I don't know if this is true?"

After hearing this, Lu Jing looked embarrassed and said quickly: "Grandmaster Lai, don't believe in rumors. Prince Yong, he is drunk."

"It's okay." Xue Bai waved his hand, looked at Lai Zhen, and said, "That's not the case. When the rebellion broke out, I was in Changshan. I was afraid that I couldn't protect my wife and children, so I sent her south."

If Lai Zhen hadn't told him directly, he wouldn't have known that people actually viewed him this way.

This sincere answer still seemed unable to erase his prejudice.

Lai Zhen asked again: "I also heard that Prince Yong had colluded with An Lushan, so he knew about An Lushan's rebellion and secretly raised assassins?"

"Are there not many people in the government and the public who predicted that An Lushan was going to rebel?"

"I heard that Prince Yong was extravagant and his mansion occupied half of Xuanyangfang. He also abducted women from the music school and brought them back to his mansion. Is that true?"

"fake."

"Is there any affair between Prince Yong and Lady Guo?"

"My sister and I are siblings, and I won't tolerate anyone slandering us."

After asking many questions, there were still some things that even Lai Chen hesitated to speak about.

"There is a saying that Prince Yong is actually the illegitimate son of An Lushan, so he was blessed by the saint and An Lushan in his early years..."

"Snapped!"

With a loud bang, Lu Jing finally slammed the table to stop the questioning and shouted, "Enough, Lai Taishou, today's speech is a bit too much!"

Xue Bai said: "If you are unable to distinguish rumors and have doubts, you can ask me. I am honest and have nothing to hide. But if you want to humiliate me and slander me, do you really think I am weak and can be bullied?!"

His tone remained calm, but he had stood up while speaking, his expression stern and inviolable.

Lai Zhen looked at Xue Bai deeply. He actually had one question he wanted to confirm, which was the most widely circulated secret between Xue Bai and Yang Guifei. However, under the current circumstances, he could not ask.

He stood up and said politely, "I was testing you on purpose. I am sorry for the offense. Please punish me, Prince Yong."

Xue Bai said: "I am here to end the war and stabilize the country. This is a national affair. You are all famous for your reputation, but if you only dwell on some private matters, then I have misjudged you. If you have no military business, I will take my leave."

After saying that, Xue Bai turned around and walked away without being polite to them anymore.

~~
That night, Wei Zhi could not help but ask Lai Zhen, "Mr. Lai used to be very polite, why did you offend King Yong tonight?"

"If you want to join forces with him to defend the king, you should know what kind of person he is."

Lai Chen did not show any regret, but a thoughtful look in his eyes.

He wanted to judge Xue Bai's character in the shortest possible time.

As he paced, Lai Chen muttered, "If he is a cunning and treacherous man, he should not show his emotions. Since he wants to win us over, he should show magnanimity no matter what and should not leave. If he is a sinister villain, he is often narrow-minded. How can he not complain when I humiliate him like this?"

After thinking it over, Lai Zhen finally raised his head and asked Wei Zhi, "What do you think of King Yong's reaction tonight?"

"straight."

Wei Zhi's answer was simple: "Repay a grievance with righteousness."

"Yes." Lai Chen murmured, "Prince Yong is indeed straightforward in his actions."

"After this incident, I admit that I misunderstood Prince Yong before."

Lai Zhen nodded, recalling the sage's complaints when he went to the capital to report on the matter, and couldn't help but sigh: "The sage had the assistance of Prince Yong, and he was successful in both civil and military affairs. He should have been as successful as the sages before him, but unfortunately, he trusted the eunuchs wrongly, and the good situation has come to this."

Wei Zhi said, "Have you noticed? Since we met today, Prince Yong has never complained to the Saint."

Lai Zhen was stunned, and first thought to himself, who would speak ill of a saint?

But think about it, ever since the sage favored Dou Wenyang and issued various bad policies, the complaints from the court and the public have been numerous.
Even today, these key ministers of the country have revealed some of their attitudes in their words, believing that the saint has an unshirkable responsibility for the current situation.

On the contrary, King Yong, who was rumored to have evil intentions and plot to usurp the throne, said nothing and remained calm. He did not complain or slander and focused on doing his work.

Thinking about this, Lai Zhen's attitude changed greatly. "It seems that Prince Yong is someone worth following."

"follow?"

Lai Zhen said, "Today we are only talking about serving the king, but once the troops arrive in Chang'an, with Prince Yong's merits and reputation, how could it not involve the issue of changing the crown prince? The crown prince is alone and helpless, how can he be a match for Prince Yong?"

He sighed, his tone full of helplessness, and then continued: "If it weren't for this consideration, why would I consider the character of King Yong?"

“Is character important?”

When it comes to this topic, Wei Zhi's attitude becomes rejectionist.

"I know without any consideration that Prince Yong is far more talented than the Crown Prince. However, the reason why Prince Yong cannot be crowned as the Crown Prince is not because of his character, but because of his status. Even if he is indeed the son of Crown Prince Ying, he was once surnamed Xue, was once a slave, and was once the son of someone else. The Supreme Emperor has hundreds of descendants. How can he be allowed to succeed to the throne?"

Lai Zhen said: "How could I not know the truth, but..."

Before he finished speaking, a soldier ran out of the tent in panic.

"Oh no!"

"What's the matter?"

"News from the front: Prince Yong... Prince Yong has entered Chang'an City!"

Lai Zhen and Wei Zhi were stunned for a long time, looked at each other, and knew that the situation did not allow them to hesitate or think about it.

They knew very well that Li Lin would most likely gain the support of the retired emperor and ascend the throne. If this happened, the country, which had just stabilized, would be thrown into turmoil again.

~~
It was not only Lai Zhen and Wei Zhi who rushed to Nanyang to join forces and defend the king.

Not everyone was proud of their reputation and was suspicious of Xue Bai. There were still many generals who were very respectful of him.

"I, Wang Zhongsheng, the commander of the Huaixi Army, greet the King of Yong."

"Deputy Envoy Liu Zhan, I meet Prince Yong."

"We are all strong men, no need to be polite."

Xue Bai stepped forward and helped up the two generals who came from Henan. After asking a few questions, he learned that they could have come directly from Zhangguan to support the king, but they led their troops here because they heard that he was in Jianghuai.

They were originally under the command of Li He, and had once guarded Bianzhou with Zhang Xun. They also had brief contact with Xue Bai in Bianzhou. They were very envious of Xue Bai's army, which had sufficient troops, money and food, and had made many contributions and received many rewards.

Having said this, Liu Zhan patted his chest and said proudly: "We are willing to follow Prince Yong to achieve great things!"

Xue Bai also heard that Li Lin had entered Chang'an, so he simply stopped waiting for Lu Jing, Lai Zhen, Wei Zhi and others, and directly marched to Wuguan Road with Wang Zhongsheng and Liu Zhan as the vanguard.

He seemed to have given up the idea of ​​joining forces with other troops, but as soon as the order was given, Lai Zhen and Wei Zhi rushed over.

"Prince Yong, the road to Chang'an is narrow and the terrain is dangerous. It would be very dangerous if we were to go deep into the enemy's territory alone. We should gather our forces together."

Xue Bai shook his hand and said, "When marching to war, the most taboo is not to have orders issued. You gentlemen do not trust me, let alone hand over the troops to me for unified command. If they are united, it will be disastrous. It is better for me to march with a light army to rescue Chang'an first."

At this moment, although he still had that open expression, his intention to seek command power had been revealed to Lai Chen and Wei Zhi.

They can refuse, and Xue Bai will not force them.

However, after Lai Zhen thought about it, he gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! I will follow the unified command of King Yong."

Unexpectedly, Xue Bai continued to refuse.

"But it's not appropriate. If I act like this without an imperial decree, and I lead the army north to Chang'an, someone will say that I intend to usurp the throne."

"Prince Yong was once the Grand Marshal of the Army of the Nation, and is now the Grand Commander of Jianghuai. He should be in charge of all the troops." Lai Chen said, "We can testify for Prince Yong that he is determined to protect the country and has no second thoughts!"

~~
Changan.

Li Lin stood on the tower of the Suzaku Gate of the imperial city, overlooking the neatly arranged blocks of Chang'an City, his eyes seemed a little drunk.

It was only when he returned to the city that he finally felt free.

In Jiangling, with the vastness of the Yangtze River and the vastness of the world's mountains and rivers, he felt that he was imprisoned and exiled. Only here did he feel that he was standing at the pinnacle of power and could see the world.

"cut!"

Following this shout, the executioners swung their swords and chopped off hundreds of people's heads.

Those are the eunuchs in the palace.

Since Li Lin issued an edict to the world that he was going to the capital in order to purge the emperor's side and eliminate corrupt officials, he must fulfill his promise.

It also conceals his determination to replace the emperor.

Human heads rolled to the ground one after another, and the stone floor in front of the Suzaku Gate was soon dyed red. The onlookers applauded and cheered, and it was unclear whether it was at their instruction or they were sincerely celebrating.

Li Lin enjoyed the cheers and felt the power, but then he frowned and thought about what to do next.

He hasn't thought about it yet.

At first, I thought that as long as we could get into Chang'an, everything would be fine. But once we really got in, I realized that there was much more to consider than I expected.

For example, his plan was simple: let the emperor issue an edict, angrily scolding Li Cong for being unkind and unfilial, and deposing him, and then he would ascend the throne and become emperor. But in fact, when the time came, Li Longji was unwilling to do so and wanted to negotiate terms with him.

It was always Wei Jiansu who represented Li Longji to negotiate with Li Lin, and he made all kinds of excuses.

First, deposing the emperor would be disgraceful to the clan society and a laughing stock to the world, and the country would fall apart, so how could they face their ancestors? It was also said that once the deposing edict was issued, Li Cong would certainly resist with all his might, and the two would fight and blood would flow like a river.

Li Lin then asked the emperor what he meant. They had agreed that as long as he put down his sword and did not kill him, he would be allowed to enter Chang'an.

Wei Jiansu then said that the retired emperor should take charge of the government again and retain Li Cong's throne. In this way, the situation would be most stable. However, it was impossible for the country to be passed on to Li Cong's adopted sons. After Li Cong's death, Li Lin could succeed to the throne.

In this way, Li Lin's march into the capital with his troops actually became an act of purging the emperor's side in accordance with the emeritus emperor's order.

Of course he was unwilling to do so.

But after he was released into Chang'an, his generals were quickly bribed by Wei Jiansu, and everyone was rewarded. Some were busy buying houses or indulging in northern songs and dances. The imperial guards of Chang'an were controlled by Guo Qianli, guarding the palace and keeping their troops motionless, which had a silent deterrent effect.

We also have to consider that Li Cong has the ability to summon troops from all over the country to defend the king. Once Li Cong's army arrives, Li Lin may not be able to defeat the enemy.

After carefully analyzing the situation and considering Li Longji's suggestions, they seemed to make sense.

Helping the retired emperor to regain power and becoming a prince with real power... this seems to be the best result Li Lin can get.

"Your Majesty, Minister Wei is here."

"Let him come over."

Li Lin knew that Wei Jiansu was here to urge him again, but he still found it difficult to make a decision. He frowned deeply and paced back and forth.

Soon, Wei Jiansu arrived, and as soon as they met, he asked, "Have you considered it, Prince Yong? Time is running out and we need to send an envoy to Fengtian to see the Saint immediately, otherwise the troops from all directions will soon arrive in Chang'an."

"Can't the emperor order all the towns to support me?" Li Lin was a little anxious and accidentally revealed his true feelings. He then said, "Li Cong is so incompetent and favors treacherous eunuchs, which makes it difficult to stop his adopted son. If he continues to be the emperor, I am worried that our ancestors' country will fall into the hands of others."

"Things must be done step by step." Wei Jiansu said, "Prince Yong, don't worry. You are the most virtuous among all the princes. You will definitely be able to inherit the foundation of the Emperor in the future."

To put it bluntly, what he meant was that Li Longji was sure that he would die later than Li Cong.

However, Li Lin always felt that he would be at a disadvantage if he did so, and still refused to agree. He also asked someone to give Wei Jiansu a generous gift, intending to bribe Wei Jiansu and let this important official help him clean up the situation in Chang'an.

Wei Jiansu had no choice but to stamp his feet and leave.

As soon as he left, Li Lin's general Ji Guangchen stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, you should have made a decision earlier!"

"How do you decide?"

"There are only two choices. If you are determined to mobilize the army, I will kill Guo Qianli immediately. If you succeed, I will take control of the imperial guards, control the palace, and then send troops to Fengtian."

Although Ji Guangchen said this, he was not very sure, especially after Li Lin trusted Wei Jiansu and caused the soldiers to lose their fighting spirit.

He continued, "If Your Majesty has no intention of mobilizing troops, you should ask the Emperor to take charge as soon as possible..."

"Why?"

"Now, the various loyal troops, such as Guo Ziyi, Lu Jing, Lai Zhen, and Wei Zhi, may be willing to obey the will of the retired emperor. As long as they stop advancing to Guanzhong, the foolish ruler will lose his courage and have no choice but to give up his power. But if he does not make up his mind, and no one else mentions it, the Prince of Yong will soon attack Chang'an."

"Am I afraid of him?"

Li Lin's first reaction was dissatisfaction. He sneered and said, "Who does he think he is?"

~~
Wei Jiansu left the imperial city and arrived at the heavily guarded Daming Palace. He checked the badge and then walked into the Danfeng Gate.

Soon, he met Chen Xilie in the Secretariat in the palace.

"How is it?" Chen Xilie asked.

"Prince Yong still needs to consider it."

Chen Xilie couldn't help but shook his head but said nothing.

His position seems very similar to Guo Qianli's. Both are old ministers of the retired emperor, but he is relatively close to Xue Bai. At this moment, both are truly important figures in Chang'an City. One controls the government, and the other controls the imperial guards.

Chen Xilie actually wanted to remind Wei Jiansu that although what Wei Jiansu was doing now was helping the emperor to gain power, it was actually the same as Dou Wenyang helping the saint to seize power, which was essentially to incite internal strife within the royal family.

The more internal fighting there is between the retired emperor, the saint, the Prince of Yong and other fathers, sons and brothers, the weaker their strength will naturally be.

Who will benefit then?
They all forgot that the original cause of this rebellion was that the imperial court wanted to remove Prince Yong from his position as the Grand Marshal of the Army...

(End of this chapter)