Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 558 Harmony
The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month.

The heavy snow in midwinter covered the Daming Palace with a thick layer of silver. As the weather turned cold, Yan Yan, who liked to stay in bed, was even more reluctant to get up early as she always felt her body was too heavy.

But on this day, she opened her eyes without waiting for Xue Bai to get up.

"Did I wake you up?" Xue Bai asked.

"Teng Kongzi is coming today."

They also set up a Taoist temple in Shaoyang Courtyard and invited several Taoist nuns to live there permanently, under the pretext of praying for the Crown Princess and treating her illness. It just so happened that the officials were on leave these days and were busy celebrating the New Year, so moving into the palace today would not be too eye-catching.

Of course, seeing a doctor was really seeing a doctor, and it was rare that Yan Yan had no grudges about it. Instead, she was happy to have someone to talk to and relieve her boredom. For her, living in this palace was really too boring.

Unfortunately, Xue Bai didn't have time to accompany her to pick up the people. Today was the last day of the first year of Shangyuan, and he had to go to pay his respects to Li Longji and Li Cong.

All the subjects in the world are watching this etiquette, and even if it is just for show, they must not be found wrong.

But when the couple stayed in the warm bed for a while, Xue Bai did not move. He used to be the most diligent in attending the morning court and had never been late throughout the year.

Yan Yan held his arm and enjoyed their time alone, and finally asked, "Husband?"

"Ah."

"Don't you want to go?"

Xue Bai then said "hmm" again. He really didn't want to ask about An.

It was not because he was afraid of guilt, nor because he felt that pretending to be someone else's descendant was beneath his dignity. Ambitious people never cared about these details. Besides, when he was in a low position before, he had also tried to curry favor with Li Longji.

Every time he was able to see the emperor, his enthusiasm was actually no less than that of Yang Guozhong and other treacherous ministers.

The reality now is that the political benefits that Li Longji and Li Cong can bring to him have become smaller and smaller, and they have gradually become a burden to him.

He was lying there just now, wondering in his mind whether he would be unable to resist and kill them one day?
From a rational point of view, this is of course unnecessary. He is still very young and has little experience. The best way is to wait quietly for Li Cong to die naturally so that no one can find any fault with him.

But recently, there have often been some constraints, or some small things that would touch Xue Bai's nerves, causing him to always have murderous thoughts, and he needs great willpower to restrain himself.

Yan Yan seemed to have guessed what he was thinking, and asked in a low voice: "It will be the second year of Shangyuan soon, do you want to have your own reign title?"

"Don't worry, it will happen sooner or later."

Xue Bai finally felt the smooth skin against his body for a while and finally came out of the quilt.

As the cold wind blew, his mind became much clearer and those distracting thoughts immediately disappeared.

In fact, as long as his country is prosperous, he personally does not need to rush to ascend the throne.

After Xue Bai finished tidying up, he walked around the corridor and heard two palace maids talking across the courtyard wall.

"She is a Taoist nun, but the one invited in is probably not your Highness's confidante. It is said that your Highness is a romantic man, but there are so few concubines in Shaoyang Courtyard."

"You don't understand this. Although His Highness has many women around him, only a few of them are openly accepted into the harem."

"why?"

"Because it is against etiquette. The one who has sex with His Highness is either from the same clan or from a different generation..."

"Cough cough!"

"Meet Huangfu Liangdi."

The two gossiping palace maids were so frightened that they bowed in haste.

Qinglan happened to come over from the other side and started to scold them. She was quite stern, but out of habit she used the words that Lu Fengniang had used to scare her when she was at the Du family.

"If you do it again, I'll drag you to the East Market and sell you off!"

"This slave will never dare to do this again."

"Go."

After Qinglan finished teaching the man a lesson with a stern face, he turned around and saw Xue Bai coming over. His originally serious expression suddenly became a little embarrassed, and he lowered his head in annoyance.

"Your Highness, are you going to Taiji Palace?"

"I'll be leaving now. Please take care of them and settle them down."

"Well, today is New Year's Day, will Your Highness come back early?"

"Will do."

Although they were in the Daming Palace, Xue Bai still wanted to spend a simple New Year, and did not arrange any banquets today.

Just as he was about to leave, Qing Lan caught up with him and whispered, "Your Highness, there is one more thing. Teng Kongzi is here today. Can you let her take the Crown Princess' pulse?"

"Is she not feeling well?" Although Xue Bai asked this, he already had a hunch in his heart.

Qing Lan came close to him, tiptoed to his ear, and said, "Your period has been late for a long time..."

Upon hearing this, Xue Bai felt somewhat worried about Yan Yan's health, but also somewhat relieved.

He had long been determined to seek the throne, and in view of the bloody changes in the Tang Dynasty, he did not want to have a son too early and give birth to a bunch of illegitimate sons. Therefore, he was always quite cautious in some matters.

This "caution" is not nonsense. He claims that he is not interested in women. Even stunning beauties like Nian Nu and Xie Aman were resistant to flirting with him. The women he dated were all of status and knew how to behave. In addition, he had strong self-control and was quite restrained. In short, he often walked by the river and luckily his shoes didn't get wet.

But the situation is different now. Living in the Eastern Palace, if he has no heirs, it will become a fatal weakness for him in the future.

Therefore, during this period of time, he and Yan Yan have actually made considerable efforts on this matter at night.

There were many things that made him uneasy. Apart from whether Yan Yan, who had been ill since childhood, could bear it, Xue Bai also doubted whether his restraint was really effective. Now that his wish had come true, he was actually very scared.

Looking back, it was not easy to be cautious before, and it will not be easy to take care of my family in the future.

As Xue Bai thought about these things, he seemed to have matured a lot more in an instant.

~~
On that day, Xue Bai first went to pay his respects to Li Cong, and then accompanied Li Cong to the Taiji Palace to pay a visit to Li Longji.

Li Cong lived in the Dafu Hall in the northwest corner of the Daming Palace. Unlike Li Longji, he did not like music and did not have many hobbies, but he had been secluded in the Ten Kings' Residence very early, so he was not uncomfortable with it.

Logically speaking, Xue Bai abolished the new year change made by Li Cong, which was a seizure of power and a denial of Li Cong, so he should have felt resentful. But strangely, when he met Xue Bai, he not only did not feel disgusted, but was actually quite interested.

"It's rare for the prince to come. I'm really happy."

As soon as they met, Li Cong asked Xue Bai to sit down, then dismissed his attendants and started a long conversation with him in a heart-to-heart tone.

"I have thought a lot these days and realized that I owe you a lot, and you have never owed me anything but have only helped me. Back then, the throne belonged to your grandfather. You are Concubine Xue's first son and the eldest son. Now you have only obtained the position of crown prince that you deserve."

Xue Bai's reaction was very calm. His current power came from the prestige of his meritorious service in suppressing several rebellions, the trust and expectations of his subjects brought about by his reforms, and of course, it also had a lot to do with the identity he pretended to be. As for Li Cong's recognition, it did not play much of a role.

Li Cong said with emotion: "I am disfigured and childless. More importantly, I am weak-willed and mediocre in talent. I should not have inherited the legacy of my ancestors. My only virtue is that I adopted a few helpless children left by Erlang. This may be the reason why you assisted me with all your strength, but I never showed you any kindness. Thinking about it now, how can I not be ashamed? Fortunately, God favored the Tang Dynasty. After many twists and turns, the legacy of our ancestors finally fell on the shoulders of the person who should bear it the most."

As he spoke, Li Cong became more and more touched. He looked at Xue Bai with his slightly red, sincere eyes, a look of relief.

Unexpectedly, Xue Bai said, "If that's the case, how about your Majesty passing the throne to me?"

Such a blunt, rebellious and bold statement still made Li Cong stunned for a moment.

Afterwards, he came to his senses, smiled bitterly, and sighed, "I have really thought it through, but you still don't believe me. I don't have a biological son, and you are my nephew. Why can't I pass the throne to you? If you want an imperial edict today, I can write it now. But for you, ascending the throne now is definitely not a good thing."

This answer was very clever, which surprised Xue Bai a little.

If Li Cong had been able to keep his composure from the beginning, and had such shrewdness and the ability to win people's hearts, he would not have been held hostage by Xue Bai at all.

As expected, Xue Bai had no intention of ascending the throne now, and said casually: "Your Majesty, you are too serious. I was just joking."

"I mean it sincerely."

The power field is full of intrigues, so Xue Bai doesn't have to believe Li Cong's sincerity, but thinks that Li Cong is deliberately paralyzing him.

But since Li Cong has made such a statement, he can't refuse.

Not long after, Li Cong's children also came to the palace to meet the emperor. Among them, Li Yan, Li Shen, Li Qiu and Li Qiu were quite afraid of Xue Bai's brother. They greeted him politely, called him "Sanlang" and stood aside without saying a word.

Only Princess Boping Li Yiniang was the closest to Xue Bai. She rarely saw him, but she always liked to talk to him.

In her heart, she and Xue Bai are twins, and unlike other brothers and sisters, neither of them was adopted by Li Cong. They should be closer and should be the closest people to each other in the world.

No matter how much others feared Xue Bai, Li Yiniang didn't care at all. She also didn't care that Xue Bai's attitude was a little indifferent and she talked to him about everything.

"Sanlang, I heard that you met the guards who were with Grandpa back then at Lantian Inn. Is that true?"

“Yes.”

Xue Bai did not forget Guo Suo.

He has always been very curious, who arranged Guo Suo and what was the purpose?
It seemed like it was to help him confirm his identity as the emperor's grandson, but was there some conspiracy hidden in it?

With this in mind, he did not deliberately use Guo Suo to increase the credibility of his identity during this period of time and handled the matter coldly.

However, at that time in Lantian, so many officials and soldiers had seen Guo Suo that the news had spread to some extent. Even if it was just a pretense, Xue Bai still ordered people to take good care of Guo Suo's food, clothing and daily life. He also went to see him several times in person, trying to get some clues, but Guo Suo always looked crazy.

However, there was a small group of people in Chang'an who had originally doubted Xue Bai's background, but after seeing Xue Bai's attitude, they became convinced that he was indeed Li Ying's son.

If it was fake, they would have used Li Ying's guards to prove it. However, Xue Bai's calm reaction without the need to prove himself seemed real.

"Can I meet him?" Li Yiniang said, "I want to meet the old man around Grandpa."

"He's crazy, what if he hurts you."

"No, Sanlang, can you let me see him?"

"Okay then." Xue Bai thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll let you meet Guo Suo tomorrow."

Li Yiniang was very happy about this, but she did not notice that a few times when she got close to Xue Bai, Xue Bai would move away a little and was unwilling to be too intimate with her.

In short, after the emperor's family was reunited, they went to Taiji Palace to visit Li Longji. This was an inevitable etiquette.

In the past, Li Longji was under very strict surveillance, and there were more people around him than Li Cong. This was because Xue Bai knew very well that Li Longji was far more threatening than Li Cong in terms of reputation, means, and ambition.

But today is New Year's Day, and members of the royal family can come to visit the emperor, so Xue Bai has no reason to stop them.

When they arrived, all the kings, including Li Heng and Li Chu, father and son, had already arrived.

Li Zhi, who currently serves as the Minister of Zongzheng, was also there.

When Xue Bai followed Li Cong into the hall, everyone's eyes fell on Xue Bai.

Xue Bai looked at Li Longji calmly and was surprised to find that after Li Longji abdicated, he not only did not become old and haggard, but his spirits and complexion became better and more rosy.

With a burst of laughter, Li Longji showed his love for Xue Bai, and all his grudges disappeared, as if he had returned to the days during the Tianbao period when Xue Bai presented him with dominoes, poems and operas.

He praised Xue Bai's contributions to the Tang Dynasty, and even said that the reason he gave up his throne to Li Cong was to allow Xue Bai to serve as regent as the crown prince.

"At that time, I was worried about the accumulation of worries, and the successor to the ancestral temple must be virtuous. I already knew Li Qian's identity and character. His virtue, filial piety, talent, and achievements, so I ordered him to carry out the king's strategy and revive the great cause. He did not disappoint me."

People who knew the details of what happened should have been shocked to hear these words, but Li Heng and Li Chu present both showed expressions of deep agreement, and Li Longji was not at all shy and continued to talk freely, looking like he and Xue Bai had a deep affection for each other.

It was as if he had known Xue Bai's identity as early as the Tianbao period, and had protected him step by step, paving the way for Xue Bai, and personally brought about the current situation. Everything was arranged by him.

This means that he has a share in all of Xue Bai's achievements, and has restored some of his lost prestige.

People are forgetful. There will inevitably be some people who have long forgotten Li Longji's laziness and extravagance, and his indulgence in An Lushan, which brought disaster to the people. There will always be people who believe Li Longji's words of taking credit; there will also inevitably be some people who will feel his shamelessness because of these words, but he doesn't care.

When he said this, Xue Bai could not refute it, otherwise it would be tantamount to refuting the legitimacy of his own regent.

Last time, Li Longji failed to make such a statement in front of all the officials on the stone steps of Xuanzheng Hall, but this time he did it during the New Year.

Although it was half a year late, and although what he lacked most in his life was time.

In this way, the atmosphere became very harmonious, with a sense of unity and friendship among the fathers, sons and brothers of the Tang Dynasty, who were united in purpose and could overcome all difficulties.

Although there was no banquet today, Li Longji was in high spirits. Taking advantage of the harmonious atmosphere, he insisted on inviting everyone to have lunch and gave them wine. It can be imagined that in order to increase his influence today, he must have secretly planned for a long time.

Xue Bai did not spoil Li Longji's mood in person, but asked the Shangshenfang to bring up some simple wine and dishes, which were nothing more than some Hu cakes and snacks. The wine was no longer the fine wine it used to be, but rather ordinary.

He didn't drink anyway. Every time someone congratulated him, he would just symbolically pick up the cup, put it to his lips and pretend to take a sip.

It was not until Gao Lishi came over with the wine jug to pour wine for Xue Bai that he realized that the wine in his bowl had not been touched at all.

Gao Lishi did not expose the truth, but whispered, "Your Highness, please feel free to do as you please. Can this old servant have a word with you?"

"General Gao, please speak."

"The emperor said some boastful things today, Your Highness, don't take it to heart, he is very proud. At this age, he doesn't want his subjects to think he is confused, that's all, he has no other thoughts."

Xue Baisui also asked in a low voice: "What are you thinking about? What is it?"

"Your Highness knows what I mean." Gao Lishi said frankly: "The Emperor is so old, does he still want to compete with Your Highness for power? His only wish is to enjoy his old age."

Xue Bai said: "The emperor may pay more attention to Prince Yu."

Gao Lishi glanced at Li Chu sitting on the table opposite him, shook his head, and said, "At this point, Your Highness is more suitable than Prince Yu."

He seemed to know the fear in Xue Bai's heart, and after he finished speaking, he added a few more words.

"Your Highness still has doubts. Do you think that the Emperor still doubts your identity? This matter has long been known to you and I, and we have testified for you in front of the Emperor. He is also his own grandson, so how could the Emperor choose a fool instead of a wise one? Since he is his own grandson, what hurdle can't he overcome?"

Obviously, the Li Tang royal family had generally changed their mind and was eager to reconcile with Xue Bai, including Li Cong and Li Longji.

Thinking of this, Xue Bai suddenly realized a problem——

Even though they knew that he was an impostor of Li Qian, when things had come to this point, the Li Tang royal family was actually more reluctant than he was to admit that he was a fake.

He has already seized real power, whether it is true or not, he will inevitably usurp the throne. Once the relationship breaks out, he will certainly lose the support of the people and his path to the throne will be much more difficult, but he may also do many uncontrollable things regardless of the consequences, such as killing all the royal family members.

Therefore, acknowledging his identity and creating a harmonious atmosphere can not only appease him, but also allow the royal family to regain their reputation and gradually gain real power.

As for what if the throne goes to Xue Bai in the future? After all, it's still early, and Xue Bai doesn't have any children yet. Compared to breaking up, this risk is actually smaller.

In this case, is it possible that Guo Suo was arranged by the royal family?

After meeting Guo Suo at Lantianyi, Xue Bai first suspected that it was Du Jin's work, but after asking her and checking, he found that she did not make such an arrangement in secret.

Afterwards, Xue Bai still suspected that it was Yan Zhuang who arranged it, but he quickly ruled out this possibility.

This was one of the things he hadn't figured out recently, but now he had a new idea.

Xue Bai then said to Li Yiniang, "You just said you wanted to see the guard who was with my grandfather back then. How about I send someone to bring him here?"

"Here?"

"good."

Xue Bai thought that if Guo Suo was really arranged by someone in the royal family, he would inevitably reveal some clues when he went to the palace today.

~~
An hour later, a general of the Imperial Guards hurried into the palace, rushed to Xue Bai's side, and whispered, "Your Highness, someone is here."

Xue Bai thought for a moment and said, "Tell him that this is Daming Palace."

"Here."

The commander of the imperial guards hurried away and soon brought a tall figure into the hall.

Li Longji was sitting high in the main seat when he suddenly saw someone entering the hall. He looked over and was startled at first. He then analyzed whether Xue Bai was going to force him to abdicate. If not, what did this mean?

After several months of treatment, Guo Suo was no longer as thin as before, his complexion was much better, and his hair was combed neatly, but his eyes were still staring, revealing his confusion.

When he was brought here, he kept hearing that this was the Daming Palace. The gate he had just passed through was the Zuo Yintai Gate, and the one he was entering now was the Qingsi Hall.

Hearing this, he seemed even more confused.

Then when he looked up again, he saw Li Longji.

"saint?"

Guo Suo murmured something, and suddenly strode towards Li Longji.

This scene frightened all the officials, who thought he was going to assassinate the emperor, and rushed forward to stop him. However, the imperial guards were quick-witted and quick-handed, and they were used to Guo Suo's madness, so they quickly pinned him down.

"Saint...Your Highness is innocent!"

Guo Suo became more and more agitated. He struggled and shouted, "Your Highness is innocent. Prince Ying wrongly accused him of having two thousand armors! He knows this is a serious crime and wants to go to the palace to defend himself!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the hall was greatly surprised and stood up one after another.

Li Zhen couldn't hold back any longer, and pointed at Guo Suo and said, "You... do you know the details of the Three Commoners' Case?"

After he finished speaking, he suddenly realized that he had said something wrong, so he stopped talking and deliberately burped to indicate that he was drunk.

Everyone around His Highness looked at Xue Bai unconsciously. Some thought that this was Xue Bai's deliberate arrangement, while others wanted to observe Xue Bai's reaction.

Xue Bai's eyes were fixed on Li Longji.

He suspected that it was Li Longji who arranged for Guo Suo to be a person who could be used to prove his identity now and to overthrow his identity in the future. And by doing so, Li Longji could also take the initiative into his own hands.

But Li Longji had been emperor for decades and never showed his emotions. After listening to Guo Suo's words, he was silent for a moment and then sighed.

"I did wrongly accuse Li Ying."

At this moment, a figure blocked Xue Bai's sight. It was Gao Lishi who walked forward and wanted to observe Guo Suo carefully.

"Do you know who I am?" Gao Lishi asked.

Guo Suo's eyes widened for a while, then he asked, "Mr. Gao?"

"I remember you, too." Gao Lishi said, "Back then you often followed His Highness as a guard. I didn't expect that after so many years, I would still see an old friend."

Guo Suo became confused again, turned his head, not knowing what to say, and seemed to be looking for something.

Gao Lishi seemed to see through his hysteria, stretched out his hand and waved it in front of his eyes, and asked: "What year is it?"

"Kaiyuan... the twenty-fifth year?"

"Where is your highness?"

"Your Highness..."

Guo Suo seemed even more confused. He looked up stupidly and said nothing.

Li Longji suddenly said, "I sentenced Li Ying to death, but you survived. Did you go to contact Xue Xiu's private soldiers?!"

Guo Suo's pupils dilated, as if he was frightened.

"Why don't you tell the truth?!" Li Longji shouted again.

The next moment, Guo Suo struggled hard, and he didn't know where he got the strength from, but he broke free from the guards' hands and fled out of the palace quickly.

Xue Bai stared at Guo Suo's figure for a moment, and quickly observed the reactions of everyone in the hall.

He has not yet figured out who arranged for Guo Suo, but he roughly knows that Li Ying's execution for treason may not be completely wrongful. At least, the son-in-law Xue Xiu did keep private soldiers.

It is very likely that Guo Suo was contacting private soldiers at that time and preparing to rob Li Ying at Lantian Posthouse.

Suddenly, another idea flashed through his mind. If this was the case, then as long as he said that Li Ying sent private soldiers to rescue his wife and children, it might explain why Li Qian faked her death and appeared in Xue Xiu's private residence.

In this way, his counterfeit plan could be completed more perfectly, but he didn't want to do it now.

(End of this chapter)